"I've got 5 on it..."

So today I ran 5 miles...

The good news...
My legs did not fall off like I worried they would.

The bad news...
Now I want to eat everything in sight. :)

The Mapping of a Run

So, Nike+, you're not as accurate as I wished you to be. No worries, you're still a good time, but I've come to rely on another handy tool for "mileage accuracy" on this crazy endeavor, MapMyRun.com. Love it. Although, when I was mapping out tomorrow's 5 miler, I realized just how far 5 miles really is. It's LONG. And my long Sunday runs are only going to get longer from here on out. How the heck am I going to find a route for 12 miles? One that includes places for a quick potty breaks, etc...I'm sure it'll all work out somehow. Wish me luck on my 5 tomorrow. :)

PSA

So, never really being a "runner" or walking the sidewalks of GR frequently in the winter before, I never realized what a royal P.I.T.A. it is when sidewalks don't get shoveled. Don't get me wrong, I understand people have to work and can't get to it right away, but man. Running hills is KILLER in snow, even with the amazingly talented screw shoes. My legs are like spaghetti and I'm spent after today's run, I even gave in a couple of times and hit the street to give myself a break. So, the PSA...please, pretty please shovel your sidewalks, the runners in your neighborhood will thank you. :)

On a somewhat unrelated note...they posted pics of what our "bling" from crossing the finish line in Dallas is going to look like...

I'm impressed, though not quite sure what I'll do with it yet...I'm sure it would dress up my everyday work wear, don't you think? ;)

Let's get this party started...

Two weeks ago, week one of training, I ran 6 total miles, it wasn't as many as I was supposed to do, but with the holidays, I was happy to get even that many in. I also got a couple of days on the elliptical in to boot. It was a good week. This past week I did 10, which was MUCH better in terms of staying on training plan track. Today I ventured out on my long run in the chilly, chilly cold, did I mention is was freezing? There were many points where the wind just seemed to be mocking me. "Hey you silly lady, try running up this hill, not only is it a hill...but I will also huff and puff and make it impossible for you to climb it!" And so on and so forth for the miles. But I did it, and got my "long" run in today for a total of 4 miles.

Over the past week I did 3 miles, two separate times, around 29 min the first time and 27 min the second time. My secret? Running downhill, it definitely helps to shave those minutes off your time. ;) Today's 4 miler clocked in at 40 minutes. There were hills involved and wind, and cold. But it's done, and in the books, and tomorrow starts week 3 of training, so far I'm pretty happy with how it's all been going. And even more happy to see I'm averaging around 10 minute miles. I'll take it. :)

The verdict is in...

I love 'em! Screw shoes=best idea ever. Fast, cheap, and solid traction, it's a winning combination. I was really hesitant at first, taking little baby strides on the icy patches, but when I realized they worked like champs, it was back to the usual. I actually wanted to run on the icier patches instead of the deeper snow, it was easier on the ice. I loved that they are a part of the shoe, and I felt all B.A. putting the screws in with the power drill today. Yes, I am indeed cheesy like that. I did my 3 miles for the day it took a little less than 37 minutes, not my fastest, but considering I was dealing with snow and hills, I'm happy with it. :) It's about the miles anyhow, and just getting this done, not the time. This time anyway...

Do you like to do it yourself?

Quick, name that movie! 40 Year Old Virgin of course. :) So, upon further research, joining a health club for their indoor running facilities is now out of the question. I learned through more research that you have to join for a whole year, and generally can't just join for, oh 3 months or so. Boo to that! And silly me for waiting until the last minute to discover it. Given this unfortunate news, coupled with the fact that tomorrow, I have to run 3 miles, outdoors, through our neighborhood of un-shoveled sidewalks, I frantically started researching on the internet for "strap on" stabilizers and such so that I wouldn't die on my hilly running route tomorrow. The reviews were mixed, the products were many. And honestly the ones I was more interested in, it looked like I was going to have to order online. I don't have time to wait for them to get here, and then, sweet salvation. A "do it yourself" option, wait for it.... Screw shoes!

Sheet metal screws are cheap, we already have a power drill, and I do have a pair of older running shoes to experiment with. Tomorrow after a quick jaunt to the ol' hardware store, it's on. I'll post some pics with my results. I'm a little nervous to be drilling into my shoes, but since it's my old pair I feel a little bit of comfort.

And check that out, a never seen before, two posts in one day phenomenon! Woot!

And so it begins...

Today marks my "official" start of training for the half, though I've been working out off and on and heading out on the pavement when I can, from here on out the schedule starts. This morning was pretty easy, it was a nice strength and stretch day, so it honestly felt a little like I was cheating...ah well. I'm sure as the weeks go on, I'll LOVE Mondays and the bit of a "break" the give me.

If anyone is wondering what training plan I'm following, I'm actually doing a mixture of a couple I found. I was going to follow Hal Higdon's plan to the tee, but I really wanted to do a long run of at least 12 miles, so I've played around with the Sunday mileages and think I'm happy with it. The most miles I have myself adding a week are 2, and most weeks it's only a mile. I dropped the 5K and 10K race, if I can find one that fits in with my training schedule, I'll go for it, but if not, no biggie. :)

If any readers have advice for me, I'd love to hear it. I'm fairly new to this whole thing and one can never have enough knowledge.