Day 65: Snow AGAIN?!?

Kendra, Ben, & I met around 7pm to run 5 miles IN THE ICEY COLD RAIN!!  Obviously, I wasn't too happy about having to run tonight, simply because it was like a rain/snow wintery mix outside, so it was FREEZING!

My negative attitude prior to the run likely impacted my feelings during the run because it was a TERRIBLE run for me.  Kendra and Ben, on the other hand, seemed to feel just fine.

Our 5 mile trek involved running from Dallastown to Red Lion and then back to Dallastown again, which we did in 53 minutes and 37 seconds.

I was soaked and freezing.  I barely stretched and went home right away.  Grr, cold!!

Day 64: New Running Shoes!

Kendra, Ben, & I met at 6pm for a trail run around Lake Williams.  Ben was the only one that actually felt good for this run (ugh!), so he kept the pace fairly brisk.

Actually, twice we passed Ben's cousin, Nick, running along the same trail, but in the opposite direction.  We think Ben was just tryin' to look good by running ahead of the girls... haha!

We did the 3.85 mile trail in 41:17 and then headed to Flying Feet, where we met Jenna to go running shoe shopping!  Our salesman, Phil, was very helpful and made out pretty well that evening - he sold running shoes to 3 out of the 4 of us!

Check out the pictures we have to document our shoe shopping experience!

These are only SOME of the shoes we tried on but didn't end up buying.  Visualize a couple of other stacks our salesman already returned and you'll understand how serious we were about finding an adequate pair of running shoes!

Our salesman, Phil, did pretty well that night - 3/4 of us bought running shoes!

My new best friend:  Brooks Ghost 2

I bet you are all wondering...

   " What happened to Athena and Kendra? 

               Did they quit running?  Did they die running?!  

                        Did they make it to the marathon? "

     Our apologies for neglecting the blog.  You, our followers, have probably been more faithful checking on this site than we have been!  We really have no excuse other than laziness.....of the fingers, that is.  Our legs have still been busy eatin' up the miles.  Yep, while our blog was sitting idle, we've continued to train. Our last post was Day 36, but this past weekend we completed Day 63 of our training!  Wow!  


    We're a little overwhelmed with how to catch up, but bear with us.  We have a couple pictures, some video footage, a 5K or two to report on, some new running friends....good stuff....and for those wondering, we've hit the 17 mile marker! Less than 10 miles to go!


Eh, what's 10 more?  Piece of cake... ; )

Day 63: Seventeen Miler!

 

This week we all had to do individual long runs because of our schedules :(  Since I was pretty sure there's no way I could run 17 miles by myself (especially considering my terrible experience with my last solo long run), I recruited Kendra's brother, Kyle, to ride his bike along with me Sunday afternoon.  Essentially we went 8.5 miles north on the Rail Trail and then turned around to return the 8.5 miles to the starting point.  It was really nice to have Kyle along - he definitely kept the conversation going and was able to encourage me when the run got tough!  AND... we encountered a neat surprise on the rail trail - Casey, a fellow volleyball player, who was out for a bike ride on the Rail Trail and decided he'd join us for the last 5 miles or so.  My total time was 3 hours exactly, which is GREAT because that was my goal for the 17 miler (ya know, besides just finishing it alive)!!  And I really needed this run to boost my running confidence - the last successful run was just 14 miles, so I was extremely excited about completing this longer run!  SORTA FUN :)


Kendra's Run:


I did a road run for my 17-mile solo run.  It ended up being a complete loop from my grandma's house to my parents and back--never backtracking or turning around.  I planted water and Gatorade bottles along the way prior to starting, and I'm very thankful for making that choice.  : )  An eventual thing on the run included watching a young guy being handcuffed by a park ranger.  That was scary.  I also found out after the run that I was seen running by two different people/families.  I had no idea.  


The run felt pretty good until the last mile.  It was a gradual uphill climb that kinda did me in.  I guess it didn't kill me too much, because shortly after the run I was off to play volleyball.  : )

Day 62: Lake Trail Part 2

Well, I was able to convince Ben to run with me around the lake again.  And I really have no clue how I was able to convince him because he was still hurting from his long run the day prior!  I sympathized and told him we could run it nice and slowly :)  Well, the trail was much muddier than our Tuesday lake run and the first thing Ben did was step in a huge puddle and get a wet foot - poor guy!  Our time was 43 minutes and 41 seconds for the 3.85 mile trail.  Good enough!

Day 61: A new run!

I had been waiting all winter for this day:  the day it would be light enough outside after work so I could run my favorite hiking trail around the nearby lake!!  Of course, I convinced Kendra & Ben to come with me :)

Well, I actually felt pretty good during the trail run, but my running buddies couldn't say the same.  They were pretty mad at me for all of the steep, steep hills (only a few of them did I actually remember & prepare them for prior to our run!) and the extremely muddy trails.  Deep down I know they enjoyed the change of scenery...

We figured out via Google Earth (my new favorite run mapping tool!) that the lake run was probably about 3.85 miles the whole way around.  We completed the run in 42 minutes, which is a little slow, but fairly decent considering the trail run was much more challenging than a run to Grandma's house.

Hopefully we can do it again :)

Day 60: Solo Runs...

ATHENA'S RUN:

Well, I knew I'd be in Long Island this weekend, so I wanted to get my 16 miler in before that trip!  I actually was visiting my sister at college, so she helped me map out a fairly flat route in the area.  It looked promising and I was mildly optimistic, but that optimism faded quickly.

While I was running, I decided I would call this my "Road Kill Run" mostly because I saw tons of roadkill (several deer, some miscellaneous small game), but also because I felt like the road was killing me.  At 11am (when I began my run), it was 75 degrees outside, and I had an thick insulated long sleeve shirt on - way too much warmth!  Also, I only had an apple & granola bar for breakfast and I only drank 16 ounces prior to the run - more bad news.

Anyway, I think I had heat exhaustion because shortly after mile 5, I felt dizzy and very sick, aside from being completely PARCHED!  I had no strength left in my muscles and, though my breathing was fine, I honestly could not propel my legs further.  I stopped and stretched, I walked, I tried to run a tiny bit.  It was a complete failure of a run.

So, I figure I covered a distance of about 14 miles (cutting out 2 whole miles) and my total elapsed time was 3 hours and 20 minutes.  I was quite discouraged, but fellow running friends explained that sometimes we just have bad running days and that's okay.  I hoped they were right.

Memorable moments:  Once again, Mark gave me his iPod for the run (THANK YOU!).  I actually drank out of a random spring that I found along the roadside (and got a thorn stuck in my hand while bending over to drink from the spring... ouch!).  I stopped in the downtown area and stretched in front of somebody's home only to find that the neighbor on the porch across the street was just staring at me - ahh!  Very close to the end, I could see my final destination probably less than 400 meters away, but had to sit down and rest before being able to find the strength to get there.  Upon arrival, I probably terrified my sister's college roommate by completely raiding their refrigerator, drinking all the half-drank drinks left in the fridge.  WOW, what an experience!!


KENDRA'S RUN:
I won't say too much here...just watch the video and enjoy!  

Day 59: Night running...

Yet another night run for Kendra, Ben, & I.  We did 4 miles, so that included 4 laps around the upper parking lot and a run to Grandma's house and back.  I guess it seems like we love night running, but it's more like we prefer 9pm runs to 5am runs!

Day 58: ONLY 3 MILES!!

So, for some reason I was really ambitious today and wanted to run today's 3 miles as quickly as possible.  Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were running at 9pm once again.  I dunno.

Well, the first mile was super quick, but pretty soon Kendra & I decided to slow down a little bit.  We let Ben, Jenna, and Kyle run ahead while we took a more leisurely pace.  I'm not sure what their time was, but we finished in 27 minutes and 24 seconds... not bad!

We enjoy when a 3 mile run pops up on our marathon training schedule - they seem SOOOO short!!  Just another run to Grandma's house :)

Day 57: On the road again...

Kendra, Ben, & I did an evening run today, starting at 9:15pm.  This was my first run back after being sick, so I was well-prepared with cough drops, just in case!!

I definitely was happy to be doing only 4 miles, and I believe Kendra & Ben shared my sentiments because they were still in pain from the rough 16 miler over the weekend.

The run included nothing out of the ordinary... just 2 laps around the upper parking lot (which we did SUPER SLOWLY), a run to the apartment complex beyond Grandma's house, and then back to our starting point.

I guess I could say it felt good to be back "on the road again" but I'm still not able to really say that running "feels good" - haha!

Day 56: Beautiful day, terrible run...

Kendra & Ben ran 16 miles and I biked along because I was still recovering from being sick all week.  They did great, finishing in 2 hours and 52 minutes, but apparently they really struggled through the run.  It was a beautiful day (perhaps slightly too warm) for an afternoon run.

They are starting to get tired...

Muddy calves!!

I biked!

Still able to crack a smile...

Salt de Ben

Day 55: The Fate of the Pace

"Everyone finds a pace that allows them to comfortably run 

for miles and miles when there's no hope of public transportation coming to save them.  Once you find that pace you'll probably hover around it for most of your training..."

That may be true for Dawn (author of The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women), but this is not true for me when my trusty (and slow!) running buddy, Athena, is sick and I'm stuck running with tumor calves and soccer players!  

Tonight's 4 mile run to grandma's took us around 39 minutes.  Thank you, Ben and Jenna.  Athena, hurry back please!

Day 54: Running When You're Sick

2011 Running Advice Insight 67 from running friend, Justin:

"Running when you're sick won't make you healthy."

Poor Athena has come down with some sort of viral infection.  In an effort to get her back on her feet, we have refused to let her run with us this night.  Ok, we just didn't want to get sick, haha, but we figured it would be better for her to rest up so she can be ready for the long run.  She doesn't normally play the "I'm sick, I can't run" card, so I'm glad she actually decided not to venture out with us tonight.  So it was 4 miles tonight, Ben, Alex and I, starting at 9:20pm with a run to grandma's house and back.  It took us 41 minutes.

Day 53: Terrible video...

Run Overview:  Kendra, Athena, Ben, Jenna, & Alex ran 13.57 miles in 2 hours and 19 minutes... our biggest long run running crew ever!  And quite an exhausting run through York City and then finishing up on the Rail Trail.  Check out the video (even though it's the most terrible post-run video ever!)!!!

Day 52: Skipping miles...

We had a different running crew tonight than in previous nights this week - Kendra, Kyle, Jenna, & I.  Ben & Alex didn't make it (I bet the 5 miles scared them off).  And we decided we were feeling tired (or maybe just lazy??  NO, not us!!  HA!), so we shortened what was supposed to be a 5 mile run into only a 3 miler.  There's no record of our time and I cannot really remember anything exciting happening during our run, so that's all, folks!  :)

Day 51: Running buddy appreciation!

This evening Kendra, Ben, Alex, & I ran 3 miles to Grandma's house and back, starting at 9pm.  I'm not even sure of our time, nor any memorable details on the run, so I'll just leave you with this fact:

Kendra & I really enjoy having lots of running buddies!

As my runner friend, Justin, says:

When you have training partners, the pain is the same, but it feels much less significant.  2011 running insight/advice #89  

So running with friends is much more fun!  THANK YOU, RUNNING BUDDIES!!  :)

Day 50: Track = Mostly Hate Relationship

It is interesting to me how running effects people's emotions very differently.  Take our group.  Jenna (aka THE RUNNING GODDESS) actually enjoys running.  Yes, enjoys it.  On our 12 miler, she got more and more chipper the further we went.  She skips for the fun of it, and generally just seems happy about pounding her joints and muscles against the ground for extended periods of time.  I think that for Athena, running tends to bring out her negative side.  On the long runs, we find out every body part that hurts her, every piece of food that's cramping her stomach, etc., etc.  While I do not enjoy running by any means, I don't tend to vocalize my disdain as much, UNTIL, that is, I am forced to run on a track.  

This night's 5 miler was a run to the development beyond grandma's and back to the track parking lot.  We did two laps around the upper lot, and then it was insisted on by Athena, Ben and Alex that we finish up on the school track.  Here's where I found out how running affects me... I complained the entire 4 laps!!!  I ranted for the entire mile, commenting on how boring the scenery, terrible the flatness, uninteresting the smooth surface material...  Yep, pretty much anything I would normally look forward to in a run, I hated on this track!  Clearly school tracks bring out the worst of me...Good thing the marathon is on the rail trail. : )

Posted by Kendra