Running in My Sleep

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November 30, 2004

Random Thoughts

My stomach was feeling that 'airy' pain again under my ribs, probably from eating too much at my company's annual holiday luncheon at Maggianos. So after lifting and running, I had a big bottle of chocolate milk for dinner. I don't like to skip meals since I probably don't eat enough anyhow.

I ended up doing speedwork tonight, so I can submit my paper and finish packing for San Diego tomorrow. All the military lodging on base is booked, so I may have to ask my godmother if I can crash at her house. I don't know how close it is to Miramar. Back to speedwork - 15 minutes warm up 6 x 3 minutes ~faster than marathon pace/3 minutes off; 15 minutes cool down. I felt horrible by the end with my stomach, but a great workout otherwise.

On an angry and disappointed note, my brother was arrested and jailed last night in California on felony drug possession and three other counts, soon after I spoke with him. Our entire family is quite upset because we thought he had kicked the habit when he moved, mainly to get away from his bad influence friends in Virginia. I feel like we can't do anything else for him because he doesn't want to seek help for his problems (therapy), and I certainly don't want to help pay $13K for bail only for him to return to his old habits. Maybe I'm being callous, but I tell my mom and stepbrother that we shouldn't bail him out unless he commits to checking into inpatient drug therapy. I do have a sensitive side, really. That side hopes and prays that someday he can find the happiness that we all find in life, be it running or some other positive outlet. Sorry to be so heavy; it was just weighing on my mind.

Posted by Leilani at 10:30 PM | Comments (6)

November 29, 2004

Nice Weekend, Treadmill Death Run

I'm sitting here at my desk, not too motivated to finish dinner even though it's one of my favorites (my mom's Filipino noodle dish called pancit) and contemplating how I'm going to encapsulate my long weekend in a relatively brief blog entry. My pre-California "to do" list seems to be growing as I cross things off and think of other things that I must do before I leave town on Thursday for work.

Friday, Nov 26
Bike on trainer before driving to VA Beach 40 minutes

The older I get and the more my mom becomes a home body, the more I appreciate our family time together. No longer does she drag us from Filipino party after party after party...mostly for the free food because that's how old school Filipino women are. Didn't you know that life's a buffet? All I want to do when I go home is relax and do things normal families do like eat dinner at their own table, play Scrabble, and not line dance to techno music with old foggies. Well, I got my wish. No parties today. We hit the Navy Exchange where my mom bought some plants for her yard, and I picked up some Christmas decorations and cheap PowerBars. We also visited a young, diabetic friend who had been in the hospital since early November because her blood sugar got in the 400s. Her recovery is coming along quite well, though she still has a lot of water retention in her legs. Seeing her made me really thankful for my own and my family's health.

Saturday, Nov 27
20 Mile Treadmill Run 2:50

I normally only do long runs on the treadmill when I seriously lack motivation and it simply becomes a matter of getting the task done. But today I had to run on the treadmill because I didn't have time to drive out to and explore a new course at Seashore State Park that a runner ex-boyfriend had verbally mapped out for me. I got kind of excited by the new trendy looking Life Fitness treadmills, one of which I broke an 1:20 into my run. Oops! The pace during the first hour felt kind of fast, so I toned it down for the second hour, then picked it up for a couple miles near the end. This run was so terribly boring that my mind was going numb.

As soon as I returned to mom's house, we ate lunch, I showered, and we all hurried out the door for a religious service and party. I was actually hungry again by the time the party started. Filipino food is like Chinese food; it fills you up fast, but then you get hungry again within a couple hours. We stayed long enough to greet all the "aunties" and "uncles" and eat, of course, before we went to visit my stepdad at his grave site. I am happy that he's in a better place now, but I do feel sad for my mom and 10-year old sister. I detect that there's an emotional, nurturing and disciplinary vaccuum between them that my stepdad used to fill. I wish that I could be there for them all the time...

On our way home, we stopped at my mom's neighbor's house. R. and I assumed they would be total materialistic snobs because of their huge home and luxurious cars in the driveway, but they were the warmest, friendliest people. The wife is an interior decorator who decorated her home in a cool, underwater theme, and she also designed rapper Missy Elliott's home, which was featured in the MTV show "Cribs". I felt like we were in Wyland Galleries.

Sunday, Nov 28
Lift arms and Bike on trainer 30 minutes

R. and I woke up early to beat the traffic back to NoVa. We spent most of the day cleaning the house, putting up Christmas decorations, and I also finished my Knowledge Management paper which is due.

Monday, Nov 29
Easy run 45 minutes

Legs were a bit tired, but overall a good run. I have lots more that I want to write, but I need to make a dent in my "to do" list.

Posted by Leilani at 10:54 PM | Comments (3)

November 25, 2004

Happy Turkey Day!

Hooray! Even though I have to work on Thanksgiving, I'm off the rest of the week. R. and I are leaving for Virginia Beach tomorrow to hang out with my mom and little sister and possibly some family friends.

This morning we ran a 5k Turkey Trot in Centreville. I warmed up for ~3 miles, since I was supposed to get in 8 miles today. I got back in just enough time to check our bags and nudge my way up near the front of the narrow and crowded start area. And just in time for the downpour; it rained so hard for almost the first mile that I could barely see the guy in front of me. Since 5k's and 10k's are my most challenging distances, I just tried to keep a positive mental attitude regardless of how I felt or what happened...including a guy kicking me. In the end, I was happy with a strong and consistent effort if not the time (21:40). Your positive comments and encouragement really help me from getting down too hard on myself, my own worst critic. I did have a lot of fun and hope to get in a few more tune up races before the marathon.

We actually won't get to have our turkey until tomorrow; instead, we're having a low-key steak and potatoes dinner that our friends are cooking. The best of both worlds!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Posted by Leilani at 12:19 PM | Comments (3)

November 24, 2004

Warm, Drizzly AM Run

It was so dreary outside that I did not want to get out of bed this morning to run. I felt good once I get started, though. Local weather said it was in the mid-50s (warm, to me), but I wanted to dress for cooler weather since I felt kind of stuffy and have had a minor cough. I headed out the door in a tshirt, fleece vest, gloves, and shorts. Bad decision to compensate, as I quickly took off the vest and gloves and had to carry them. My 45 minute easy run was a good one. My hips were a tad stiff from lifting last night, but my stride felt natural and I ran a bit faster than usual on my out and back course. It started to get chilly towards the end when the rain got heavier.

My poor neck and upper back are hurting today. I didn't feel like lifting last night, so I ended up doing 10 sets of 10-15 pull ups and 10-30 push up/dips just to mix things up. The first four sets were unassisted, while I completed the other six sets on the assisted machine. It's been a long, long time since I've done that many sets. I wish I had my heating pad handy. :-(

For those of you making long trips for the Thanksgiving weekend, be safe and take your time!

Posted by Leilani at 01:31 PM | Comments (2)

November 23, 2004

Fast Feet at the Office

About two weeks ago I told my chiropractor that my co-worker H., who he used to treat and train, said hello. He then proceeded to rave about about what an awesome, natural runner she was and did I know that she went to the Olympic Marathon Trials years ago. Huh? As an avid runner, this piqued my interest. I knew H. ran with the Hash House Harriers and dabbled in triathlon, but I had no idea that she was an Olympic caliber athlete. Well, today I finally caught her in the restroom and reluctantly inquired about her experiences, for which she was very humble. I was in admiration and envy....she ran on scholarship at Penn State, but didn't run her first marathon until someone commented after an Army Ten-Miler (where she stopped three times to yak and still placed in top 3) that she could do well in long distance. And with five weeks of training and her first marathon, she qualified for Trials. H. said it was an amazing experience, even if she couldn't finish the race because she had a stress fracture. I enjoyed listening to her story and making a runners' connection with someone at work. I don't encounter too many athletes at the office, since people are either older with busy families or prefer to connect with a computer during off hours. If I get back to non-shift hours, we may try running at lunchtime. She would definitely run me into the ground.

No running today. I'm just going to lift tonight and maybe elliptical if there's time. Good thing for a few easy days, as I'm trying to mitigate this cold/cough before it blows up into something that will keep me home bound.

Posted by Leilani at 04:34 PM | Comments (0)

November 22, 2004

Nervous

It's 11 weeks away from my next marathon, and I'm already anxious about it. Call me a mental case, but I am seriously worried for the unknown. I typically don't get too nervous before races because I do a decent job of convincing myself that I'm out there for the exhilaration and pure joy of running. But my training is different this time, which leaves a great deal of uncertainty. Not preferrable for a Type A, control freak like myself. I'm only running five days a week with what seems like a lot of easy days, and my hard efforts and long efforts are leaving me very sore most of the week. I know everything is going to work out, but I think I'm just being impatient because I want to see the fruits of this different training program I'm trying out. And there aren't really winter half marathons (that don't interfere with work) where I can gauge my level of fitness.

Anyhow, that fills my "freaking out" quota for the week. I'm going to try not to think about it too much because I need to focus on more important and near term things like my paper and where the heck am I going to run 20 miles this weekend in Virginia Beach? Around my mom's house it's all concrete, so unless I can dig up something good on the internet, I may just end up a gerbil on the treadmill for 3 or so hours. Anyone know how long the cross country course is and where exactly it begins/ends at Mount Trashmore?

I almost forgot. Today's run: 15 min warmup; 10 x 1 min on/1 min off; 15 min cool down. "On" at 7:30-7:35 to shake out my legs. My hard effort this week is going to be a Turkey day 5k.

Posted by Leilani at 10:34 PM | Comments (2)

November 21, 2004

Sans Running

My right hip is achy and sore today, both in the flexor area and the piriformis. I'm sure it's just because my legs are a bit beat up from yesterday's long run. After all, it was my longest run since my last marathon. I'm convinced that my legs will toughen up again one of these days. As today's blog title states, I took the day off from running. I just lifted for an hour and stretched a lot. I also exercised my credit card today (ouch!) when J. and I went shopping at Leesburg Outlets this afternoon. We met training for our first marathon together in 1999, and even though she's not running much these days, we still get together to go shopping, run shorter races, and bake cookies every now and then.

I didn't much done with regard to school today and for that I feel a hint of guilt and stress because my paper is due next week. My plan is to finish before Thanksgiving, so I can get a head start on studying for the final exam. Despite being an academic slacker, I finished up a bunch of minor household chores and made another dent in narrowing down wedding pictures for the photographer's album. At the rate I'm going, we won't have our album until 2006!

Posted by Leilani at 10:44 PM | Comments (4)

November 20, 2004

18 Mi - Lefty Eye - Pizza Boxes

I set my alarm for 5:30 this morning so I could start my long run early. While I didn't actually get out of bed until 6, I still made my goal of getting to Iwo Jima by 7. I'm soooo anal rententive about time and scheduling (just ask my husband!) that I pack everything I need for running the night before. Not to mention that my mind is never fully there that early. The club was planning to run 13.5 miles on Glover Archibald Trail again, so I decided to do Capital Crescent out and back instead so I could run 18 miles as well as maintain a steady pace.

It was a tiny chilly to start, but I quickly warmed up body temperature-wise even with a tank top on. I set out to keep ~8:30 pace, but by golly, I felt like I was running in the 7's because I was a little out of breath. I'll blame it on the humidity. I didn't start to feel really strong around mile 7, then continued to pick up the pace once I hit the turnaround point. Out and back courses can be tough for me mentally, especially when I run alone, but I love the turnaround. Home free! And by that time, the rest of the world started coming out for their weekend jaunts on the trail. It was nice to have company. I Gu'ed twice and drank my newly purchased XLR8 the entire time, which kept my blood sugar up without making me sick to my stomach. I got back to Iwo Jima around the same time everyone was finishing their runs. I met a couple new girls who are contemplating a March 2005 marathon; if they decide to do it, then I may have some people to train with if we run the same pace.

When I got home, I had a snack and iced my legs for an hour, moving the two bags around every 20 minutes. My right piriformis is very sore still. Once R. got home from taking his second of three MCAD tests, we went to the sushi buffet across the street. I didn't have any sushi today, but I indulged on kimchee, salad, chicken and rice, and soup. I could eat their kimchee everyday at every meal - it's that good.

I spent this afternoon going over marksmanship basics with my new coach, though we didn't actually shoot today. It was a productive meeting that sounded more like a geometry class with terms like triangulation and cone of dispersion. I also confirmed that I am left eye dominant, though I shoot right-handed, which could adversely affect my focus. We outlined my basic goal to qualify this Spring, and I also have a secret secondary goal...that is, to wear something other than a double "pizza box". Double pizza box is two silver pizza box looking Marksman badges - one for rifle and the other for pistol - the lowest level you can attain in the Marines. And since I'm never satisfied with the lowest common denominator, I'm going to have to put in serious practice to become a Sharpshooter or Expert. One of the great things about this is that my coach has agreed to train me for FREE. My favorite four letter word...He's a retired Marine who was a photographer by specialty but also shot on the Marine Corps rifle and pistol team back in the day.

Well, we're off to Outback for dinner and maybe a movie, if I don't go into a food coma...

Posted by Leilani at 07:18 PM | Comments (2)

November 19, 2004

Nice Runs; Things to Improve Upon

Last night R. and I ran another easy 45 minutes on Stringfellow Road, just like Tuesday. It was supposed to be a recovery run, but I was definitely running faster, especially at the end when R. was right on my heels. We acknowledge that I am the strong runner in the family, but he certainly can out-bike and out-swim me by a long shot. By the time we finished running and dinner around 10, I was so pooped that I fell asleep on the couch upright watching "An Officer and a Gentlemen". No, not the cheesy 80s movie but some crime special on Court TV.

This morning I woke up debating myself whether to lift and elliptical at the gym or to pool run/swim. I'm glad that I decided on the latter because my legs feel much more refreshed, and it ended up being a great upper body workout too. This was only my second time pool running; the difference was this time I was in a shallow lane where my arms were submerged as well. I could feel my triceps on the push down and my heart rate increasing when I pushed myself against the clock. I never got too bored because I mixed it up with swimming a couple laps and watching the old ladies doing their water aerobics. I am a terribly unconfident and spastic swimmer because I fear drowning, like I almost did when I was a kid in swim class. I feel like I can't breathe and that the pool is just one big Bermuda Triangle waiting to suck me under. Pool running is a nice medium, though. So, my current plan is to find a one-on-one swim instructor to help me out. The rec center hasn't called back yet, but at least I can go once or twice a week on my own.

Yah, I have a few things for which I need specialized attention (because I suck!) and for which I am seeking assistance, mostly relating to my Marine Corps job. Swimming is one and shooting is another. Though I've been in for almost seven years, I failed to qualify on the pistol range this Spring. Let me tell you, it was quite embarassing and humbling. As the second senior person there, I wasn't living up to my motto "Leadership by Example". Even some my Sailors who have never touched the 9MM managed to qualify. I know that some of it is mental for me, but I do also need practice on my basic marksmanship skills. That said, I am meeting with a shooting coach tomorrow to seek more self-improvement. The work never ends!

Posted by Leilani at 02:33 PM | Comments (1)

November 17, 2004

Better Than Monday

I took today off from work, so I did my track workout at GMU earlier in the day. It was a challenge to get to the track with a motivated attitude after a rough day on Monday and still feeling sore, but I'm glad that I did it. The weather was beautiful - tank top and shorts weather - so it would've been a crime to skip out. I warmed up for ~19 minutes around the campus and one loop at the track. Today's workout consisted of 10 x 400 at 10k pace with 100m jog, but unlike Monday, I ran smarter (slower, for me). I admit that I am *very* weak at the 5k and 10k and my best times are not much different than marathon PR. Despite my leg muscles feeling tired and sore, I drummed up the motivation to push myself through consistent repeats in the 1:39 - 1:42 range. My first one was 1:36, but I backed off in order to do at least 10 intervals. By no means fast but I'll consider the workout a victory. Overall, I had a productive "off" day. I also lifted upper body and did some leg isometrics, submitted my article review, filed a huge pile of old receipts and documents, visited doc for my tummy (seems okay, likely dietary), and finished editing the first draft of my 25-page Knowledge Management paper. Oh, and somewhere in there, I foam rollered and massaged my legs vigorously twice.

Back-tracking a bit, I had an excellent 45 minute recovery run after work last night, Tuesday. The moon was behind an almost transparent cloud; it was so peaceful and the air was was crisp and cool. In fact, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" came to mind...

Posted by Leilani at 10:31 PM | Comments (1)

November 15, 2004

Overzealous Speedwork

After a great week running-wise last week (despite the stomach annoyances), I felt like I was getting back to my old self again. Now, can you hear the brakes screeching? I certainly heard/felt it tonight when I attempted five minutes on at 10k pace - five minutes off. I started off by warming up for 15 minutes. My legs weren't sore but they didn't feel quite 100 percent after that tough run on Saturday. Then, I jumped into my "in shape" 10k pace (7:13). The effort felt more like 5k, and I was hurting mentally after my second rep. So much for trying to pick up the pace on the last two sets; I could only muster three at that pace. This is really disconcerting because last winter I was running tempo at ~7 minute pace. Arggh!!! Patience, patience, I'm trying to tell myself.

Enough of focusing on the negative. I'm going to try to have a better track workout on Wednesday. On the positive side of things, my stomach felt better Sunday and today. I've avoided the Cytomax. I'm trying to find a new recovery/carb beverage because with my special dietary needs (hypoglycemia-prone), I have to refuel often during and after longer runs. I used to use XLR8 by Advanced Nutritionals Corporation, which I absolutely loved and didn't give me nausea after six hours of drinking/running. Supposedly the company isn't going to be making it anymore, though. I found a website that had a couple more of the 16 oz concentrate bottles, so I got those and the customer service rep said he was going to talk to the company to see if he could get more. It's so pathetic that I get excited about endurance drinks.

Off to complete my article review...

Posted by Leilani at 09:50 PM | Comments (1)

November 14, 2004

Missing Husband and Gaseous Clay

Albeit windy, yesterday was another fabulous day for a run. Since the club was only planning on running 13 miles, and I had 15-16 miles on tap, R. and I arrived at Iwo Jima a half hour early so I could get in three stealth miles. (By the way, stealth run definition as coined by EZ: Miles completed stealthily before the official start of Saturday Long Run.) For my first three, I ran toward Arlington Cemetery and Memorial Bridge. It was especially windy on the bridge, but having the sun, the beautiful DC sights, and other people out and about made me happy. And on my way back up the Iwo Jima hill, I realized that I wasn't the only one who was completing a stealth run. Three other girls from the club had done the same in the opposite direction.

Once we started the official route though, I quickly remembered how out of hill shape I am. Potomac Overlook Park is probably one of the hilliest routes we do, everything from the climb on Custis Trail to the rolling hills Nelly Custis Road all the way to the hilly loops in the park. I was supposed to be going an 8:30 pace, but my GPS was telling me that I wasn't being very consistent. Oh well. Once I hit the trail, I was running by myself because most people were cutting it short to run Philadelphia Marathon next week or had recently run a fall marathon. Last time I did this course, Becky and I ended up on some other neighborhood road. So once again, I was relying on my cue sheet. At one particular intersection, I wasn't sure which way to go -there were no red markings. Luckily, some guys came from behind, and I proceeded to run with them. One guy had a heart catherization (sp?) two weeks ago and looked in fine shape for having surgery. We ran three laps on the mulched trail.

On our way back, we realized that we were supposed to run four loops to get in the 13 miles. It was too late to turn back, so I decided to run Mount Vernon then back up the Iwo Jima hill to tack on some miles. C., the guy who had surgery, happily joined me and helped the remaining time go by quickly as well as kept us at a respectable pace. When arrived at our start point, almost everyone had already left for breakfast at Whitlows. Our interim refreshments guy was still there with Gatorade and with a couple other people. Noticeably missing was my husband, and none of them knew where he went. I assumed he made a quick trip to Starbucks. Minutes passed and I was getting cold standing around with no pants or warming layers, so I hitched a ride to Whitlows, thinking maybe he went there instead.

No hubby at Whitlows either! Everyone thought it was funny, but I was cold and hungry (for sushi buffet...not breakfast food). He showed up frustrated about 20 minutes later. Apparently, one of the guys I was running with told him that I might be lost on the trail (why? because I still refer to the cue sheet??), so he went on a manhunt up and down Lorcum Lane and Nelly Custis. He thought I was running 14 miles not 16....ah, men don't listen sometimes.

So that was my long run. About stomach pains, since Thursday I've been having on-off areas of pain in my upper belly area, right under my ribs. I was attributing it to gas because I was burping and flatulating (sorry!) so often; that is, until last night, when the pain moved to my mid-section. And it was sharp pain this time. I couldn't even eat my dinner. I just wanted to go home and clutch my stomach. R. tried to take me to the emergency room, but I said let's wait until Monday to see if this is still a problem. We went over what I had been eating the past few days. Nothing really seem to stand out except that I had started drinking Cytomax after runs, so he suggested that I stop drinking it for a few days and that maybe it's an allergic reaction. I'm feeling okay now, and I just hope the pain stays away for the rest of the day. I've got too much planned, including a swim later on today.

Posted by Leilani at 09:57 AM | Comments (4)

November 12, 2004

Mighty Mo Munchies

Every now and then, someone in this community writes about her/his favorite food, snack, etc. Now it's my turn. I recently discovered a new favorite snack - Mighty Mo Munchies Premium Soy Nuts. Here's the website www.mightymomunchies.com. According to the website, you can get them at Whole Food Markets and organic food stores. They are healthy and so flavorful that they're hard to put down....the perfect food when you're sitting at the computer or in the car, on the move. In a starved state, I picked up two small packs a couple weeks ago at Smoothie King - one cajun and one ranch. I prefer the cajun flavored ones, though they also have them in original and unsalted. At the risk of sounding like an advertisement, I highly recommend them!! In fact, I'm chowing on some ranch soy nuts right now.

No running to speak of today, as it's a cross training day. I rode my bike trainer for 30 minutes hard before going to work, and I plan to lift tonight since I know that R. will be going to the gym too. My legs are a bit sore from Wednesday, but if I can foam roller it away tonight, I should be in good shape for our very hilly long run tomorrow.

Posted by Leilani at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)

November 11, 2004

Fabulous Fall Day

It's amazing what 7 1/2 hours of sleep and food can do for your morale...and running. With less than 12 hours between my hard effort last night and this morning's 53 minute recovery run, I expected to feel less than stellar. But the combination of a bowl of Strawberry Burst Cheerios, cool but sunny weather, and lots of rest helped put the spring back in my step. My hip extensors were still a tiny bit tight from lifting on Tuesday and the speed work, but I wasn't sore or fatigued whatsoever...just a little winded on the upgrades (not long or steep enough to be called hills). I wish every day were like this one. I probably even ran faster than I should have, but hey, everything was clicking.

I wanted to lift after work tonight, but my shoulders and back are slightly sore still from Tuesday. Besides, I need to clean house, since R's best friend is coming over and I don't want to spend all weekend cleaning. I can't believe we're still putting away wedding stuff. More importantly, we need to finalize the selection of the pictures for our wedding album. Our photographer took ~1700 pictures, so it's going to be a challenge to narrow it down to 60 or so.

Well, let me get back to work...

Posted by Leilani at 11:41 AM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2004

Racing Against Darkness

I was little speed demon on the roads after work, worried about not making it home before dark to run my "assignment" on the Fairfax County Parkway trail. I thought about alternatives - running on Stringfellow Road (boring and too short) or on the treadmill (even more boring and not so convenient) - but nothing was sounding good. I think some low clouds made it appear darker than it actually was because I did make it out on time. Whoo hoo!

Today was a speedwork day - I ran 4 x 2/1/30. Two minutes at 10k pace, two minute easy; one minute 5k pace, one minute easy; 30 seconds all out, 30 seconds easy; then, begin next set.

I warmed up for 15 minutes and arrived at the top of a hill adjacent to the lake just in time to start my first two minutes. Though my hips were a bit stiff from doing hip exercises and one-legged squats last night, I felt strong and that I was going a decent pace. The curves around the lake slowed me down and prevented me from settling into a groove, but I was happy to discover the trail was clear in this area. And it was just starting to get dark by the time I finished up. I ran back home in the dark for a 15 minute cool down. I enjoyed mixing up the speeds in this workout - challenging, but not a back breaker. I probably could have managed another set or two.

I definitely got warm in long sleeves and shorts tonight. I had to keep pulling up my sleeves to feel comfortable. I thought about going down to my sports bra, but I didn't want to ruin my momentum. Now that the run is over, though, my fingers tips are almost white. I love cold weather running and refuse to put on tights unless it's in the 30s (or the wind chill makes it feel colder). However, my fingers are a different story....completely averse to "balmy" temps in the 40s and low 50s, turning white and numb and hard. I think the sensitivity is a result of suffering an extended case of frost bite during cold weather survival school a few years back. Soon enough I'll have to break out the hand warmers to keep my fingers happy.

Speaking of cold weather, can anyone recommend a good model/brand of snowshoes for both trail and artificial trail use? I think I'm going to ask Santa for a pair this year, since we are supposed to get a decent amount of snow this year...and of course, I love to snowshoe.

Posted by Leilani at 07:40 PM | Comments (1)

November 08, 2004

Back in VA

My weekend in Key West went by very quickly and with plenty of comical memories. We hardly got to sightsee, as I was in the wedding party and D. and M. had lots of activities planned for us already. No underwater wedding, though. :) I have plenty of stories that I could tell, but I'm going to try to keep it to the high- and low-lights, since I'm playing catch up on school reading/work tonight.

Thursday night: R. and I arrive after dusk, and the airline loses his bag. While this was frustrating, it would have been much worse if they lost my luggage with the bridesmaid dress. We make it to the rehearsal dinner just in time, despite my stressing out about being late...one of my hugest stressors.

Friday: My priorities are straight, and I'm up at 6: 30am for my long run. It was already warm but bearable, and I was properly equipped with my water bottle holder, one Gu, and local street map... and later on, my hat and sunglasses when the sun came out full force. I enjoyed the first 30 minutes of "discovering" Key West, then it simply got too sunny, hot, and monotonous. I ran for 1 hr and 54 minutes around the same main streets, including Ernest Hemingway's house a number of times. Because I only had the hotel map with only the nearby touristy streets and since we flew in at night, I didn't realize there was a whole other part of the island until Sunday when we were leaving. I felt totally gypped. That evening D. and M. had booked a sunset cruise for all their guests. It was cloudy and had rained right before we boarded, so alas, no beautiful sunset to watch. Dramamine and keeping my mind occupied by eating non-stop and watching the girls play quarters and "Never Have I Ever..." did wonders on my sea sick-prone self. We continued to food fest after at an terrific seafood restaurant where about 8 of us had some delicious raw oysters and blackened seafood platters with scallops, shrimp, and fish. It's hard to find good seafood like that in DC.

Saturday: The maid of honor, D's sister, broke the zipper on her bridesmaid dress. I ended up sewing/pinning her into the the dress and then covering the five-minute job with a black scarf. She looked awkward since the dress was cornflower blue, but at least it covered up her back side. Even more hilarious (in retrospect) was when, in the middle of the wedding ceremony, a nearby beach bar started cranking up the song "Rocky Top Tennessee". Everyone was snickering, but luckily, the bride and groom who were too nervous to even notice. We coined it their unofficial wedding song. The wedding was a beautiful sunset ceremony in a gazebo on the beach, and the reception had delicious food - including 8 different flavored mini-wedding cakes! D. was a gorgeous and elated bride.

Even with the end of last week being quite busy, I still succeeded in fitting in my runs:

Thursday, Nov 4: 46 min medium effort, rainy and cold
Friday, Nov 5: 1 hr 54 min easy long run, hot and mostly on concrete
Sunday, Nov 7: 41 min easy, faster at finish

I started this week off with a new work schedule, one that will allow me to separate my run and lifting/crosstraining sessions. Joy!! I did a 1 1/2 mile warm up, 4 mile tempo run, and 1 1/2 mile (53 minutes total) cool down this morning on the gym treadmill. Since I didn't check email until today, I didn't see that my coach had assigned me an 8 mile tempo workout. He said not to worry about making up the rest. I'm more confident in the program after he answered all of my speed/mileage questions and eased my doubts late last week.

I'm off to get some work done. Congrats to everyone who ran NYC Marathon!

Posted by Leilani at 08:50 PM | Comments (1)

November 04, 2004

Heading to Key West

Not much time to write. I'm off to Key West for a wedding I'm in this weekend. Hopefully it won't be too hot, and I also hope there's a computer around so I can blog. This stuff is addicting!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Posted by Leilani at 09:50 AM | Comments (2)

November 03, 2004

Post-Election Morning

Ha! My maiden name is Spanish for election. Anyhow, I did get out and vote before I went to work yesterday. R. and I waited an hour (we arrived at 6:05am!) before we could cast our ballots. The time went quickly though because R. and a guy behind us kept cracking political and Simpsons jokes. They were so loud that I was embarassed. Besides, I was too groggy to be making any funnies. Should've gone to Starbucks first.

I frustratingly took yesterday completely off from running or any cardio activity. My quads once again felt "dead" and heavy...it's been over a week. I could feel the inflammation in my muscle fibers, it wasn't superficial (I mean, close to the surface) soreness. After work I went to get a deep tissue massage - anything to feel better. I went to a place that was closer to home than my usual massage place, and the lady did a great job...very chatty. She does a lot of work on athletes and runners. My legs do feel better this morning, so I'm going to test them out tonight with another easy run. My achilles is doing okay too, since I'm wearing an ankle brace that's compressing my heel. Argh! I just want to be 100% healthy and run care free again. Where are those days? It was late after my appointment, so I just did some exercises at home.

5 x 10 + 7 more = 57 pull ups
5 x 30 = 150 body builders (push up variation)
various abs and lower back exercises

This morning I received my first week's workouts from my new coach, who also happens to be my chriropractor (and is a marathoner and Ironman triathlete). I'm a bit worried because the mileage seems low and the runs seem too easy for his prescribed goal for me 3:15-3:20. He has scheduled only 4 running days (one tempo, one track, one 45 min run, and a long run of 14 miles), 2 cross training days, and one completely off. It could be so low for three reasons: 1) It's still early in training, 2) I am coming back from summer injury, and/or 3) 2 hard workouts a week. But I have to admit I'm reluctant to go with this plan. I'm used to running 5-6 days a week for longer durations. On the other hand, he's had a lot of success with average runners like myself, so I need to trust him and be open to trying something completely different than I'm used to. Even if I don't run a 3:20, I did say that my goal was to get to the starting line healthy in February. You can see that I'm totally trying to justify this training plan to myself...I'm freaking myself out. I definitely will try to clarify all my questions and doubts with him.

Posted by Leilani at 08:32 AM | Comments (3)

November 01, 2004

Quick One

This is going to be quick because I'm trying to get better about getting to sleep at a decent hour. There just aren't enough hours in the day. I still have dishes and laundry to do.

I went to the chiropractor after work. My right hip's been doing well, so we're cutting back. After my appointment, I ran on W&OD toward Fairfax because I knew it'd be too dark if I drove home first. I only ended up running for ~15 minutes in the dark, but the lights from the nearby office buildings kept the trail well illuminated. I ran for 55 minutes (~6.5 miles). My quads, right above the knee caps, are still sore. I don't get it, but either it'll go away eventually or I'll just have to keep massaging and foam rollering like a mad woman. When I got home, I also rode the trainer for 30 minutes - part of my quest to get cross training in a couple times a week.

I'm off to do some housework! Yipee!

Posted by Leilani at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)