As predicted, those hills were cruel.

Last night's 39 minute run around the park was... rough-ish. I was flying solo, as everyone else had conflicts, and I was running the path in the direction with a bunch of short, steep uphills.

I'll be honest. There was a teeny part of me that kept whispering to myself "you can cheat. no one will know." But that would just make next week's 41 minute runs harder, and I'd just be cheating my conditioning.

I have this plan to lose 20 pounds in 100 days, right in time for the Disneyland 1/2. During this year's Princess 1/2, I really REALLY noticed every pound I had gained since last year. It really took its toll on me, and I think my time could have been under 2:30 if I were not dragging that extra weight around.

So far I am on track to meet my goal, so I'm hoping that even though the runs are getting longer, they will actually feel a little easier. Fingers crossed!

39

I managed to run for 39 minutes on Monday, in the gym, where it's level and cool.

Tonight is usually our outdoor run night. I'm kinda scared. 39 minutes of running on those ass-evil hills... doesn't fill me with anticipatory joy.

A Make-Up Run, then 4 Mile Saturday!

Friday night, Stephanie and I ran to make up for skipping our Thursday session. Since the gym is closed Friday nights, we were out on the hills. Yowza. Those things kick my ass EVERY TIME. But, so far I've managed to run continuously on them, even if it seems I'm barely moving on some of the uphills. And though it kind of sucks while we're doing it, I always feel such a good sense of accomplishment afterward.

The way I'm currently training (and dragging others into my web of evil), I run for time twice during the week, and then distance on the weekend. For example, this week, I'm bumping up from 37 minutes to 39 for my work week runs, and then I have a 5k on Saturday. During the runs for time, the goal is to run the whole thing. During the runs for distance, I can run intervals; I'm just getting my body accustomed to traveling longer and longer distances. After this week, it will just build up and up and up.

So, Saturday Heather, Tricia and I were scheduled to do 4 miles. Initially, I started with the intervals I used on the last 1/2 marathon, which is three songs running, one song walking. The natural variance in length of songs keeps me on my toes and keeps things interesting. However, I only managed that interval for the 1st two miles. Then I went to two songs running, one song walking. Then, the last mile, I intended to run every other song, but got to yapping with Tricia and walked most of it.

And I was still pooped. What's up with that?

Played Hooky Last Night

That Heather's a bad influence! (A wonderful, delightful bad influence.) She called after work last night to say she just did not feel like running and wanted to eat instead. I ended up agreeing to skip, if we could convince Stephanie and Tricia to do the same.

We ended up having a lovely dinner party at Ted's Montana Grill. We used to have group dinners every Tuesday night. We've fallen out of that habit due to busy schedules, and it was so nice to sit down and share a meal and laughter with our good friends. Yay for the occasional skip!

37 minutes doesn't sound like a lot.

But it sure felt like it last night. Not my best run ever -- just felt slow and logey. Kept thinking about having to walk during the 3rd mile of the Skirt Chaser. Wondering what my problem is, when I can clearly run 35 minutes straight on the hilly outdoor path at the park.

For last night's run, Tricia and Heather stayed on the outside trail, and I went into the gym. For the first time I can remember, I was the only person on the indoor track. No need to leave a space for walkers, no need to dodge children, no worries about going against the flow when I reverse my direction. That was lovely, even if my legs felt like they weighed 100 pounds apiece.

Registration: Complete!

It's official! I am registered to run the Disneyland 1/2 marathon this year. :)

This is significant for a couple of reasons:

- I am missing DragonCon to run this race. For the 1st time in a long time. (I'm kind of relieved.)
- I am traveling across the country for this one. With Dawn and Tricia! Wheeeee!
- This will be my 2nd of three 1/2 marathons this year. One of my annual goals for 2010 is to run a 1/2 marathon in 2:30 or less, and I was 4 minutes too slow on the Princess. So if I don't manage it on this one, I only have one more shot!

Skirt Chaser 5k!

This past Saturday, May 15th, was the 1st Atlanta appearance of the Skirt Chaser 5k series. The race has a cute hook -- you get a running skirt with your registration package, and the women start 3 minutes ahead of the men. Given my oft-proclaimed LOVE for running skirts, signing up for this one was a no-brainer. Heather and I ran, and Lili came with us for moral support (and also to enjoy the block party).

This race also differed from your standard Saturday 5k in that it started at 5:30 pm instead of some early morning hour. Heather and I both remarked that this made for some odd, slightly confused prep for the day. Whereas normally I would pop out of bed, eat a banana, and then be ready for a large lunch after a race, this time I had to figure out what to eat all day long that would give me energy but not weigh me down too much. Surprisingly tricky. It made me think, looking forward, about the Wine & Dine 1/2 marathon in October, which won't start until 10:30 pm. That's gonna be tricky, too.

The course was through the Candler Park area, and ran right down Moreland at one point. I will say this: if you want to see a combo of bemusement, confusion and irritation, run a race through Little 5 Points at 5:30 on a Saturday afternoon, and reduce one of the most congested areas of the city to one lane of traffic. Wheeeee! As we trotted past the shops, restaurants and bars, our spectators consisted of angry motorists, befuddled stoners, the occasional cheerer, and a random array of people who seemed not to get what was going on, but smiled and waved to the runners all the same.

When we started the race, Heather shot in front of me pretty quickly. I spent the first two miles looking out ahead on the course to try to keep an eye on her. She manages to be so much faster than me -- I am proud of her, and only a little envious. ;) Around mile 2, things started to get really difficult. It was hot. There were several long, slow hills. Did I mention the heat? I passed Heather, who had decided to walk for a bit, around the 2.25 mile point. Just in time to hit another crappy ass hill. I tried to make it all the way up running, but I did eventually acquiesce to the requests my achilles tendon had been making, and I took a walk break as well. The last mile, I alternately ran and walked as my ankle felt up to it, and all I could think about was a cold beverage. Thank goodness the finish was a downhill dash!

The block party that Skirt Sports threw for the event was spectacular -- even before the race started, there were vendors handing out snacks, and the after party was like a buffet of yum. Chipotle was there handing out chips, salsa, and burritos. Sweet Tomatoes had salads, cookies, and other delectables at the ready. We tried an interesting beverage called Solixir, which bills itself as a sparkling botanical beverage. One of the flavors tasted like grass clippings, the other, more like a faint fruit. There was beer, but none of us were interested. We also saw the Skirt Sports fashion show, which was really fun -- I was thrilled that they featured a wide range of body types, and included a couple of girls that are accomplished marathoners but do not have the ropey, gaunt physique one normally associates with serious endurance athletes. Super fun clothes, of course. I love the midori color they have in their newest line.

After stuffing ourselves and taking in the sights, we were ready to head home. This is a race I would definitely run again, because for the $48 entry fee of the Standard package (a Deluxe offering is also available), you get a skirt, a hell of a lot of food, and a great afternoon of fun and exercise. Win, win, win!

Hills, Hills, and More Hills

So, last night, we decided to run outside on the park trail instead of inside at the gym.

I was game when Heather pitched it. I don't LOVE the outdoors thing, but I figured it's a good challenge. Then, when Tricia said she wanted to start in the opposite direction of the one we ran last, I was a little trepidatious (it has shorter, but steeper hills), but said I was up for it.

Holy geez oh man. That was some rough hillosity.

But, I managed to eek out my 35 minutes, though I got really pokey towards the end when I was out of gas.

Today, the backs of my legs are definitely feeling the burn. Why, oh, why do people love the hilly outdoors so much?

The 1/2 Marathon Training Kick Off

Last night, Heather and I officially began the training plan we put together to prepare for the fall's big races.

Our plan is very, very gradual, as we have plenty of time. No need to rush things and risk injury if we don't have to, right?

This week, we have two 35 minute runs scheduled and then a 5k on Saturday.

The 5k is the SkirtChaser -- the first time it's coming to Atlanta! I have no idea how big it will be, but I hope it is super fun. The weather report this morning looked a little ominous with regards to Saturday. Hope the race is rain or shine -- I'm itching to wear my giraffe dress again!

Time to get serious.

The next several months are going to get progressively more intense when it comes to running.

Ambitious (more like overzealous) fool that I am, I am planning on completing two 1/2 marathons this fall, four weeks apart. Tricia is running the first one (Disneyland 1/2) with me, and Heather is running the second (WDW Wide & Dine).

What this means in terms of day-to-day life is that I have to do everything I can to get as fit as possible in the coming months. I need to have the endurance, stamina, and strength to run both races and come out of them feeling aok. I will also need to peel off as many pounds as I can manage in that time to reduce the pounding on my joints when I'm hoofin' it.

This may be a bumpy ride, and I'm sure it will test my strength of will, but I'm buckled in and ready for blast off!

The blog's been stagnant, but we haven't!

I'm embarrassed at how long it's been since I've posted. The good news is, the running has continued pretty consistently since my last update. There have been ups and downs on the training rollercoaster, but we're all still huffin' it!

Tricia and I ran our second 1/2 Marathon this March -- again, Disney's Princess. That same weekend, Stephanie joined Lili and I for the Royal Family 5k. I will have to whip up a very late trip report soon!

We will also be running the Disneyland 1/2 in September, and I think Heather may join me for the WDW Wine and Dine 1/2 in October! Yeah! It's a year of big races!

Coming up next for some of us is the SkirtChaser 5k on May 15, and the SCAN Foundation SOS 5k on May 29. Everest is looming in the near, near future, as it's happening June 12 this year. Then the Peachtree 10k follows on its heels on July 4. Wooohoooo!

More races always in the works. More reasons to train. More fun adventures with fabulous friends!