Marathon Training: Week One

Today, I completed the long run for the first week of my marathon training. I chose to use the program designed by Nike+ because it is really easy to track my progress. It's 28 weeks long, which means I should be ready by September 11, 2010. The marathon I'm signing up for isn't actually until October 17th, but I'm building extra weeks into the program to account for vacations and possible illnesses.

Week one consisted of a 3 mile run on Monday, 2 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Wednesday, and 8 miles today (Saturday). I was a bit tired on Monday but felt great. Tuesday was awesome because I felt really good, it was a short run, and I had one of my best paces yet (average 8'56"/mi). Wednesday, however, I felt sluggish and my knees started to hurt. I realized that I really need to get new shoes because my current ones have lost their cushioning and support. Nonetheless, I had an awesome long run today. The weather has been terribly cold and cloudy for far too long, but today the sun came out bright and shining and the temperature was up in the high 40's. So much snow has melted that I got to run along the river, which made Polo very muddy but also provided great scenery. The toughest parts were mile 3.5-4 and mile 7-8, which were both uphill. I think I just finally felt to feel tired during that last mile, but Polo kept up a good pace the whole time and looked like he was doing fine. It took us a total of 1hr. 20min, and I'm quite content with that pace. I know they won't all be this easy, but this was a great way to finish my first week of training.

Road running, traffic, and snow

Ever since my favorite running paths were covered with more than six inches of snow, I've been forced to stick to the roads. I looked for and found a few roads that get plowed yet have minimal traffic. Since there is still too much snow and slush on the unshoveled sidewalks (come on, neighbors!) for my taste, I sometimes have to share the roads with cars. I read recently on a running website that runners should go against the flow of traffic for safety reasons. I actually like this better because it keeps Polo on my left side and keeps me between him and any cars. I also get to wave to the drivers, which I see as my way of saying "Hi there, thanks for sharing the road and not running into me and my dog."

The snow is melting though. Yay! The streets are all clear now and most of the sidewalks are okay, but paths in the closest parks are still covered. The forecast is for warmer temperatures (40's) for the next week, so hopefully, the last of the snow will be gone soon.

7 Days

I signed up for a free week at Lifetime Fitness and have been trying to make the most of it. I went on Saturday for 4.8 mile run on the treadmill. On Sunday I went swimming for 10 minutes, rode the stationary bike for 30 min. and ran for 20 min. The gym is having an indoor Triathlon event (for the same times) that I won't be able to participate in as a non-member, so I thought I'd try it on my own. I really had fun and remembered how much I enjoy swimming. Today I ran another 5.3 miles on the treadmill and then took advantage of the hot tub and steam room to relax. It's a shame that the monthly fees are WAY beyond our budget. It really is a nice gym, and I only have two more days left to use it. The treadmill is nice for making quick and easy changes to my incline and pace, but it's monotonous for long runs. I know some people enjoy running in the rain, snow, and cold, but I think it would be nice to have treadmill access as a backup. I guess I'm not hard-core enough yet. Marathon training starts in six days. Maybe that will toughen me up.

Winter Wonderland

After three winter storms, our backyard (like the rest of the city) is covered in a deep, thick blanket of snow. To see how much more than our first snow, check out the picture on my White Christmas post. Polo seems to love it, but he might feel differently if he was the one who had to shovel the driveway. I may have to shovel my fair share, but I love the snow too.

All around update

Reading
As much as I enjoyed my reading challenge of 2009, I'm looking forward to the freedom of reading anything I want from any genre again. Like so many other people, I like to read books before I see the movies based on them, so I recently read The Lovely Bones and The Lightning Thief. I enjoyed The Lightning Thief so much, that I decided to continue the series and just finished Sea of Monsters. The plot can be described as a cross between Harry Potter and a Greek hero tale. I enjoyed the adventure and the use of Greek mythology, which also makes it a good read for any students studying mythology in school. Fun, easy reads. The rest of the series is on reserve at the library, which is an AMAZING place! I can read just about any book I want for free. I may have to wait for it, but reserving books is super easy. I recently checked out The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, and Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. Plenty to keep me busy.

Running
Thanks to my former roommate from NYU, the winter weather has not kept me from running. She and I both use the Nike+ running system, which allows users to create and compete in a variety of running challenges. She challenged me to a contest to see who could run the most kilometers in 30 days. As I can be quite competitive, this was a perfect way to ensure I would not let the snow or below freezing temperatures stop me. I've run over 40 miles in the last three weeks and have four days until the challenge ends. After that, I plan to start my official marathon training, which is another feature the Nike+ website offers.

Polo
He's still getting bigger. We haven't weighed him in a while, but I would guess around 50-55lbs. He loves sleeping on our bed and couches, carrying around socks in his mouth, and joining me for runs. He still gets overly excited around guests, which we need to keep working on, but we love him a ton.

Michael
He started a new rotation at Nationwide that he seems to enjoy, yet he still has plenty of time to be a wonderful husband. We grabbed Chinese take-out on Saturday night in celebration of Chinese New Year (Feb. 14th), and on Valentine's day, he made a delicious dinner of shrimp pesto fettuccine with seared scallops as an appetizer. The best part, though, was the cheesecake. He used a recipe from Junior's in New York, which is the best cheesecake he's ever had. I'm not as distinguishing, but I know it was really, really good. It may fit under "reading," but I'll tell you here that I just started a book called The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian, and I'm excited to see how focusing more on praying for my husband will positively affect our marriage.

Vista
I really enjoy the church we've found here. Michael and I are involved in a great small group and volunteer with the set-up/tear-down team. I also signed up to be in the Easter choir. It may seem crazy to those who know anything about my singing ability, or lack thereof, but I'm hoping to blend in. I'm really looking forward to getting to know some more people this way.

Work
We had two snow days last week, Friday was a teacher workday, and today is a holiday, so I have not been subbing very much. I'm hoping it starts to pick up. I really like the district I'm working in, and I generally enjoy each of the subbing jobs I take. It keeps me busy and helps pay the bills. I'm hoping to get a full time job for the next school year, and I actually think I would prefer middle school, which may seem insane, but it's my favorite place to sub. I don't know that I will have much choice though. It's very competitive here.

Weather
Freezing (literally) cold and snowy. Today is the third winter storm in as many weeks. I may drive a 16 year old car, but I'm grateful that it is an all-wheel drive. Our street does not get plowed or salted, but we keep our driveway and sidewalks shoveled. Michael and I take turns with that.

In the words of Porky the Pig, that's all folks!

Sunday Night In

We've been having really laid back weekends lately. On Saturday, we had some friends and their dog over in the afternoon. The pups ran around the backyard tiring each other out, the boys watched the Indiana basketball game, and the girls chatted in the kitchen, oh so stereotypically. Then the four of us played, but didn't finish, Trivial Pursuit. Michael and I actually went out for dinner that night, which we haven't done in nearly a month. We had a two for one coupon for Spagheddie's, which is a much cozier place than expected. The food was so-so, but it was a good deal :) After our typical Sunday routine of church followed by grocery shopping, I took Polo for a nice five mile jog. I have to take advantage of as many sunny days in the 20's and 30's as I can before the weather turns bad again. I baked oatmeal cookies with dried cranberries, and then Michael and I watched the Grammy Awards while playing another round of Trivial Pursuit. Polo tried to join Michael's team but was of little help in answering any questions.

Back to the Grindstone

After winter break, work was slow. Few teachers take days off right after a two week vacation, so I only had a handful of jobs. Things are starting to pick up though, and I'm working four days this week. One of the week's highlights happened on Tuesday at an elementary school. I was supervising indoor recess (due to freezing cold temperatures and icy sidewalks) when a small 2nd grade boy came up and asked me if he could ask me a few questions. When I said he could, he grabbed a stool and took a seat in front of me to proceed. It was quite the funny interview. After finding out that I have colored my hair in the past (both blonde and red), he asked, "Do you have Britney in your name?"
"No," I said.
"Well, do you have Spears in your name?"
"No," I replied holding back laughter.
"Oh, because she has brown hair that she dyed blonde and red one time."
Yup, folks. I have something in common with Britney Spears.

"How old are you?" he asked next.
"29," I confessed.
"Hmmm.... that's one year under my mom. She's 30. But you don't look 29. You look 18."
Ah, I love little kids! Though I can't imagine having my own kid in 1st or 2nd grade already. Yikes!

P.S. Today an 8th grader asked "Who's O.J. Simpson?" (The teacher used him in example of double jeopardy/5th amendment on a quiz)