Running in Rocky Top

March 3, 2013
by runninginrockytop 2 Comments

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Any 90s kid knows the television show Are you Afraid of the Dark, and they probably were just as obsessed with it as my brothers and I were. I remember half watching it while peeking from behind a blanket. I bet if I watched an episode today I’d laugh at how ridiculous it is, actually, scratch that, I’m a wuss, I’d probably still be scared.

I get scared very easily. I blame my brothers. I know, I know, it seems like I blame them for a lot of things, but they had a lot of influence on the person I am today, for good and bad.

Let’s go through a brief recap of how my brothers scared me throughout my childhood.

First, I have a irrational but extreme fear of frogs. It’s ridiculous, I know it is, but I am terrified of them. Boys love frogs. They pick them up, poke at them, watch them and I run away screaming and crying.

My brothers found this fear of frogs to be both humorous and a fun new hobby for them. One vivid memory I have was sitting around the kitchen table with my family at lunch, biting into my sandwich, to find a frog staring back at me! Granted it was plastic, but I still haven’t fully forgiven them.

Second, in one of the houses we grew up in, we had a closet at the top of the staircase. Time and time again one of my brothers would jump out of the closet at me as I was walking up the stairs. Looking back now I don’t see how I never went flying down the stairs I jumped and screamed. To this day I startle pretty easily.

Fast forward 13 years, am I still a scaredy cat?

Yes. I don’t do haunted houses, scary movies, and frogs still terrify me.

I also get scared when running. While I am blasting music during my runs, I try to stay aware of my surroundings, but things still tend to surprise me from time to time.

Last week I went for a little three mile jog on the track outside of my gym. It’s close to a mile/lap and I was on my second lap as the sun was beginning to set. As I was trying to stay alert when all of the sudden I heard some rustling in the bushes next to me. I jumped and made a quick “Yelp!” sound before I realized that it was two bunnies hopping around.

Bunnies, I’m afraid of bunnies.

Today my running group did 9 miles. I was completely afraid of this run. But I faced my fears and showed up at 8a ready to run.

It was a tough run today, it was cold and cloudy with some random Tennessee March snow.

There was one moment when I heard a dog bark and run toward me that made me jump a little bit. I turned around to see a black lab sprinting at me. I stopped, stood tall, and prayed he was friendly and on an invisible fence. Lucky for me he stopped and watched me slowly back away.

The other moment that terrified me during this run was a long stretch during one of the last miles of the run. It was one of those long hills, where it seems the elevation incline grows step by step and it felt like I’d never reach the top. I really let my mind get the best of me on this one and walked majority of it.

I’m proud of myself for getting out there today, despite the cold and fears. It was a pretty good run and another step closer to Half Marathon April.

February 28, 2013
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Whatever gets you Across the Finish Line

After a great 7.5 mile run on Saturday, a mediocre 3 mile run on Monday, and a skipped workout yesterday. I felt really motivated to get to the gym this morning to log 5 miles.

Really motivated, I’m telling you. Right up until about 5:25a when my alarm went off I was psyched to run. And then I snoozed. Snoozed a little bit more. I ended up snoozing an hour. The whole time I was convincing myself to get out of bed, yelling at myself for skipping my run and trying to figure out when I’d run today. I didn’t even sleep. My time would have been much better spent at the gym.

I postponed my run until after work, I knew I was going to have some rain and disappearing daylight to deal with so I packed accordingly. I spent the better half of the workday chugging water and mentally preparing myself for my run.

5:30 hit and I was out the door and hit the trail. About ten seconds into my run, I realized that all of my hydrating was coming back to haunt me. I figured I’d just ignore it and hopefully avoid a pit stop.

Well about ten minutes later, I really had to go, and it started raining. Of course it did. Well at this point I had two options. Turn around, head back to my car and race home. Or run really fast to the end of the trail, about a mile and half ahead of me where a bathroom awaited.

With both options I knew I had about 15 minutes that I was going to have to hold it. I decided to keep on running. And let me tell you, I ran fast. There is no better motivation than having to pee on a five mile run in the rain.

I got to the end of the trail made a quick pit stop and then it hit me, I still had 2.5 miles to go in the rain. I was so looking forward to get to the bathroom that I forgot it was only halfway through my jog.

As the street lamps flickered on, I knew now I was racing against the fading light. I started on my way back to my car watching as lamps turned on in houses and more street lamps turned on.

Knowing I was running out of light was the extra encouragement today to get me back up to my car. It’s funny how the simplest things can get you across the finish lines. Most of the time it’s as simple as the idea of a cup of coffee waiting for me. Tomorrow morning when I do three miles, it’s knowing I have to be ready to join my training group at 7am.

On April 7th during the Knoxville half it will be the idea of running through Neyland. And hopefully on April 27th, it will be beating my PR and seeing the sub 2:09 finish time.

What gets you across the finish line?

February 18, 2013
by runninginrockytop 1 Comment

A Sunny Sunday Funday

I think if you asked my brothers and I what our favorite day of the week was growing up, we’d unanimously agree on Sunday. Looking back now on my childhood, I still remember Sundays being the best days.

We’d go to Church, followed by CCD for the kids and then I remember coming home to a beautiful sunny day with the windows open and Bob Marley playing. I’m sure there were some cold and rainy days mixed in but I always loved those sunny days.

We’d usually do some kind of chore, whether it be helping Mom pick up the house or some yard work then we spend the rest of the day outside together. The boys would be practicing whatever sport they were playing at the time and they’d do their best to try and teach me.

My Playful Puppy

I’d end up playing with the dog, our athletic ability was a little more on par with each other, than my brothers and I.

Mom would work in her garden and Dad would usually be playing with the boys and managing the grill. We’d stay outside until the sun disappeared out of the sky and it was time for dinner.

I remember being the best kind of sleepy on Sunday nights. The kind where you know you spent the whole day being active and drained from the sunshine. I always slept the hardest on Sundays.

I miss Sundays at home. More than almost anything about growing up and moving away. Especially since I have no yard or green space at my apartment. The closest I can get to feeling like I’m outside is open up all of the windows in my apartment, it doesn’t really come close. I miss a yard.

Today I woke up to one of those beautiful blue sky days. Yes, it was still chilly since it’s February but it was gorgeous nonetheless. I immediately got a little reminiscent of my Sundays at home but I decided to make the most of it.

Cross training was on my workout schedule for the day and I have been swimming on Sundays but today I wanted to be outside enjoying the fresh air. I went to my favorite trail just to walk.

I bundled up a little and put Bob Marley on my iPod. I walked three miles and it was wonderful.

Yes it was nothing like a great Sunday Funday at home with my family but I was able to stretch out my sore legs and take in some of the beautiful day. Now I sit with a pot of Chicken Tortilla soup simmering on the stove, sleepy from a great weekend and a sunny Sunday, and it kind of feels a bit like home.

How lucky am I? Love them.

February 17, 2013
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Running Rituals, Campus Tours and Halfway Points

In preparation for this morning’s 8 mile run I did all of my necessary pre-race rituals last night. I usually do these before every long run. Some of my rituals are:

Making a pasta dinner– I try to stay away from carbs in general because they tend to go straight to my hips but since I was running this morning, I felt a lovely tuna puttanesca was more than justified. Especially since I kept it light with the other ingredients. Turned out quite tasty.

Yummy, tuna puttanesca, recipe courtesy of Giada!
Adding new music to my 8 Mile Playlist
Jamming out and dancing around my apartment to my 8 mile playlist– this isn’t really a required pre-race ritual but I just can’t help it, Anything Can Happen, Suit and TIe and Thunder Clatter really make me want to dance.
Laying out all of my clothes and accessories — I knew it was going to be a cold morning so I had my scarf, gloves, pants, hat and the rest of my gear all ready to go am.
Saying a prayer I don’t pass out in the morning and then off to bed.

With all of my pre-race rituals done, one would assume that I woke up fresh as a daisy ready and excited to run.

No. I argued with my alarm clock. Tried to convince myself it was a bad idea to run at 8am on a Saturday and that I was obviously coming down with the flu and I shouldn’t run.

While I can be very convincing, I knew deep down I was ready for this 8 mile run today.

I got up, stretched and laced up my running shoes. Headed to the trail and met up with the group. We did a quick recap of our route and off we went.

The route we did was majority running around campus, which is included in the Knoxville Half. This part of the run was the most enjoyable. There is something about running around your college campus that makes your mind drift off and forget about the fact you’re actually running.

I ran by college apartment where I lived for two years with three of my best friends, I ran by my brother’s lacrosse house they lived in for a couple of years, and ran by other houses, dorms, buildings that were part of my life for 4 years.

It’s funny how I have only been out of school for two years and literally live down the street from UT but running around campus brought all of those memories flooding back. It was a lovely distraction from the hills and pain.

As I headed down to Neyland Dr. I checked my GPS and realized I was a little over halfway done with the run. I’m not sure what it is about hitting a halfway point that is so motivating but knowing I was halfway done with these 8 miles kept me moving.

I definitely had some tough moments during this run, I was breaking in some new shoes which made my right foot tingle the entire run, a weird pain in my ankle and I almost tripped during the last leg of my run. Luckily managed some quick balance and landed on both feet.

With 8 miles done, I’m thrilled to be past the halfway point of training. While I feel strong, I still know there is room to be faster but I’m pretty happy at the progress made. And relieved to have 8 miles in the books!

The look of relief!

Now enjoying some post race rituals, coffee, hot shower, and dancing. Only because this little kid told me to. Now go make the world more awesome.

February 15, 2013
by runninginrockytop 2 Comments

A Healthy Relationship

For the first time in a while, I feel like running and I are in a very good place.

We spend a decent amount of time together, take breaks when we need to and try to enjoy our time together. We still bicker from time to time, every great couple argues, but eventually we come to an agreement.

Okay, sorry, that was a tad ridiculous but it is Valentines Day and running has kind of taken over my life.

But seriously, for once in a long time, I feel like I have found my balance and stride with running. I’m sticking to running three short runs during the week and a long run on Saturday.

While I’m not always thrilled about doing 3 or 4 mile runs on a treadmill, I do them and I can tell how much they are impacting my long runs. And I don’t know if it’s the support or camaraderie of running with a group but I’m enjoying these long runs so much more this year. I mean it’s not like I am stoked about running 8 miles on Saturday, but I’m not worried about it and I know I’ll end up enjoying it.

It’s exciting to actually feel confident and on track with my training. I looked back at all of my posts and drafts from this time last year and it was sad to see how nervous I was about running the half. I knew I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to do better than my first half marathon, but looking back now I can tell I wasn’t allowing myself to enjoy the process.

I think it took last year’s tough and not so stellar performance at the half marathon to push myself to go all in for this years race.

Right now it’s all about continuing to work hard but also enjoying it the whole way through. I feel so committed to running that I’ve set a goal to do 3 half marathons before my 24th birthday in June. With 2 in April I just have to find one more before June 16th!

After running three this morning and a training session I am very excited for a rest day tomorrow and currently compiling my playlist for my run on Saturday, below are a few that I could run to on repeat! Happy Valentines Day!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hzgS9s-tE8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LeU16RasF4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQe93QIrrqQ

February 11, 2013
by runninginrockytop 2 Comments

Wait, we’re at 7 miles already?!?

Somehow I blinked my eyes and my training plan had accelerated from a 4 mile long run to 7 miles.

How could this happen?!?

Well a 5.5 mile run, a week of hard work in the gym, a trip to Chicago (without any running, but lots of eating/drinking) and a terrible week long cold later, I found myself standing with a group of other runners heading out on a 7 mile run filled with self doubt.

No way am I ready for this, I thought. I hadn’t run in a week, I worked out once in 8 days, definitely over-indulged in Chicago and recovering from a cold. After a great first group run, this is when they would all discover that I’m fake and a running phony.

However, it was 8am, 32 degrees, and I was standing there running shoes laced up and ready to go. So as always I hit play on my iPod and took off.

The first mile was easy. I felt great, I had been ready to run all week but feeling under the weather so I had to keep postponing, I was so glad to be feeling well enough to run. Plus with some sun shining and Ellie Goulding on my iPod, everything was fine.

Then mile two hit, followed by mile three, both of these miles were tough. Especially since the whole time I was thinking, I’m not even half way through?!? Which is the absolute worst thing to cross your mind in the middle of a long run.

How on earth was I going to finish this? I decided at that moment, it was time to suck it up, and just keep running.

I walked up the hardest hill, got mildly freaked out by a guy on a bike with a pitbull, thus ran a LOT faster through the greenway, and walked up one last hill.

But as I turned the corner and had a little under a mile to go, Beyonce’s Love on Top came on and I felt stronger and faster than ever before, I kicked it into high gear and finished my long run at an 8’30/minute pace.

It definitely was hard but Saturday’s run proved that I was going to be stronger and faster than last year’s half marathon. A year ago I would have given up halfway through a tough long run and just postponed it till another day but instead I pushed through the pain and had a pretty decent run.

I’m halfway through my half marathon training, wait what? It’s crazy but it’s great and encouraging to see how quickly I’ve gotten back into the half marathon running.

Lent starts on Wednesday and I’m making a few promises, no baking, no sweets and no skipping runs! Which means tomorrow I’ll be running three on the treadmill after work, so psyched daylight savings time begins in less than a month, I’m pretty over the treadmill at the moment.

January 21, 2013
by runninginrockytop 1 Comment

Half Marathon Training Week #2

(Sorry with the awkward half post I previously posted, I didn’t realize it had posted my draft)

With the second week of half marathon training in the books I thought I should include a recap of this week’s workouts.

Monday, I wasn’t feeling too great so I skipped my scheduled three mile run and did a mile on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the elliptical. Not the most intense workout but managed to work up a sweat.

Tuesday and Thursdays were AM group training days. Definitely intense workouts that are helping me build muscles for those Knoxville hills. While these workouts definitely kick my butt into shape, it’s also nice to workout with a group of ladies that you can talk with and laugh with. I know I am lucky to have such a wonderful workout group and trainer.

Wednesday I hit the gym early to get in three miles and a swim. With the gym being so intense lately due to everyone sticking with their new year’s resolutions, the morning is a nice change up. I easily found a treadmill, pumped up my playlist and started my run. All was fine and dandy until I dropped my phone back into my water bottle holder which caused the holder to flip over. Sending both my phone and my water bottle flying down the treadmill. It’s really amazing I managed to avoid tripping, since I have zero coordination. However, I almost completely wiped out when I got back on the treadmill and forgot I had left it running.

After work on Wednesday I met with the UT Young Alumni Half Marathon training group, Tennessee in Training. This group was started in Nashville a few years ago but they just started it in Knoxville. I signed up to be on the planning committee and am glad I did. Seems like a great group of people and also another way to hold me and my running accountable.

I had planned to run on Friday morning, but news flash, it snowed in Knoxville. Which if you aren’t from the area, means the entire city shuts down. I wish I was kidding but I’m not. Two inches (if even) of snow caused the streets to ice over and for work to be delayed two hours. I wasn’t going to risk it just to get my morning workout in, and let’s be honest, I also enjoyed the luxury of getting to sleep in on a Friday so I skipped my workout for the day.

Saturday morning was the first group run for Tennessee in Training. It was still icy and foggy at 8 a.m. but a group of 20 or so dedicated runners met up for our four mile trek. I felt great during the entire run, despite a couple of icy spots that sent me skating on the pavement for a quick second. I really dug in and worked hard and was able to finish in a pretty good time. This being my first “group running” experience I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. It’s nice to have that support group there with you, and also it’s nice to have people to go grab breakfast with after your run.

This morning I went swimming. I got to the gym about 20 minutes after it opened and figured I’d be able to have my own lane in the pool, but I was definitely wrong. The pool was packed this morning so I shared a swimming lane with another lady.

I don’t really like sharing swimming lanes. One reason being I’m not a very good swimmer and find myself taking over the entire lane. I’m continuing to work on my form so I stuck to using a kick board today to strengthen my legs. I felt like the lady I was sharing the lane with and I had a pretty good routine down, at one point I decided to ditch the kick board and swim freestyle to the end of the pool. This must have thrown off our routine a bit because the lady swam right into me. I watched this all happen and I kept thinking, oh she’ll go back into her lane, but I was wrong. Ha nothing like an awkward head on collision to start a workout.

All in all it was a great week. I know I need to amp up my milage in the coming weeks especially since I’ve committed myself to running in both the Knoxville and Nashville half marathon. Two halves in 20 days? Will definitely be getting in a long run tomorrow!