June in Review

I am happy to say that I didn't wait as long to get to my June in Review post.  I ended the month with 150 squats on June 30 to complete my monthly challenge!



June 2015 Stats
78.68-- running miles
5.94- walking miles
0-- stair workouts
1- monthly fitness challenge workout
84.62-- total miles

Current 2015 Stats
489.70-- running miles
22.03-- walking miles
3-- stair workouts
4 3/4-- monthly fitness challenge workout
511.73-- total miles

2015 Mission check-in

Mission #1: Complete 6 monthly challenges
Action Plan: Find monthly challenges online.
Action Plan: Actually complete the monthly challenge.
Mission #1 was a great success in June!  I spent a lot of time squatting over the course of the month.


 



This was no easy task but I got it done!

Mission #2: Cross off at least 3 more states in Deb, Nikki, and I's quest to run a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states (we have 36 states left....we best get moving...we aren't getting any younger!!)

Action Plan: Research 1/2 marathons in the states we haven't completed yet.
Action Plan: Actually register and participate in said 1/2 marathons.

So far we have completed AL, AZ, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, NV, OH, PA, TN, and TX

Mission #2 had further progress in June.  We made a decision via email that we would cross South Carolina off our list of 50 in October.  Now to plan the trip which is always the fun part!!

Mission #3: Run 1000 miles in 2015
Action Plan: Run.
Action Plan: Run some more.


Mission #3 came in at 78.68 miles run for June (510.3 miles to go).  There were lots of great runs in June including a nice run in my hometown when we were there for a wedding recently.  

5 miles run on National Running Day with Karrie

Long Run Thursday with Trisha

5 Solo Miles in PA

Mission #4: Complete 4 stair workouts per month (*Edited in February to read complete an occasional stair workout*)
Action Plan: Do one stair workout per week.
Mission #4 didn't go at all in June either.  I really have no excuse other than I am constantly driving my children to activities.  The girls and I did volunteer at a race and while there were no stairs involved, it was still rewarding to give back!

The girls and I volunteering at the Park 2 Park 1/2

Mission #5: Cook more and eat healthier
Action Plan: Plan ahead with recipes and food prep.
Action Plan: Utilize my crockpot more often.
Mission #5 is going well.  The grill and summer salads have been utilized a great deal lately!

While June was a bit of a lower mileage month, I am still very pleased with what I accomplished!  July is off to a great start with some great runs with friends.  Looking forward to being part of a great team for the Kerstetter 5K on Saturday!  I just need to figure out how to run fast and not feel like I'm going to pass out!  I have earned first in my age group the past two years.  I am really hoping for a three-peat this weekend.  Only time will tell!!

Kerstetter 5K July 11, 2015

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

The 19 miler that became a 17 miler...

This past weekend my training schedule called for 9 miles on Saturday with some marathon goal pace miles thrown in.  Knowing my daughter had a skating competition on Saturday I reached out to coach Joe and asked for his advice.  I pretty much knew what he would tell me to do but I just wanted validation from him.  He told me to enjoy my time with my daughter on Saturday and then run my 19 miler on Sunday with a slight alteration.  I was supposed to run the first 14 miles at marathon goal pace +:60.  During the final 5 miles I was to do some 4:00 minute pick ups at marathon goal pace.  The run started out perfectly.  I was feeling great and having no problem at all keeping the pace.  I planned my route to go past my sister-in-law's house so I could stop and use the restroom and get more water if I needed it.  I made it to her driveway at mile 9.75 and I did go in and use the restroom and grab more water.  I came back out to finish my run and snapped a quick picture of the gorgeous view of Lake Erie.

One of the only good parts of yesterday's run

Once I started running again something just didn't seem right.  I kept putting one foot in front of the other and when I got to the part of the run where I was supposed to do the pick ups I had to listen to my body and not do them because I was starting to feel a bit off.  I had to stop at a gas station to buy more water.  I also grabbed some ice cubes and put them in my tank top in the hopes that it would cool me down.  The 98% humidity was definitely getting to me.  Once I hit mile 16 I became increibly lightheaded and dizzy so I slowed the pace down and called it done at mile 17.  I figured 17 miles finished upright was a better option than 19 finished in the ER.

I know exactly what happened and I should know better.  I have experienced dehydration and a trip to the ER before.  In fact it was how my first marathon ended...not at the finish line getting a medal but in an ambulance and then in a bed in the ER.  I had spent all day at the ice rink on Saturday and I definitely didn't hydrate or fuel my body properly.  I was too busy watching my daughter rock her events.  I should have been watching her with fluids in my hand. 

1st place in compulsory

First place program

As coach Joe said on my dailymile post: "lesson learned which is don't take these long runs for granted the day before.  Practice as close as you can what you'll eat, drink, etc starting wtih breakfast on Saturday all the way until bedtime.  Everyone worries about dinner the night before a 20-miler, but the whole day is important." 

I spent the rest of yesterday trying to replenish the lost fluids.  Believe me, I will be much smarter with my hydration and nutrition prior to future long runs.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Snoball Run 5K Recap

Considering I work for the school that hosted the run, I figured I should support our athletic teams and use this race as my training run for the day.  I would have run Saturday morning anyway so why not run with almost 600 of my closest friends.  Since there were close to 600 people registered to run the event, I knew parking would be a bit challenging.  I went ahead and parked at one of my employees houses and walked to the race with her.  The best part about racing where I work was the fact that I had access to my office and to the line-free restrooms just down the hall from my office.  It was nice to be able to leave my goodie bag, etc in my office during the race.  One other perk to working at the race location was the fact that the athletic director was kind enough to pick up my race packet as well as those of my two employees that walked the race.  We didn't have to wait in line at packet pickup and our numbers and goodie bags were in my office when we arrived.  Normally I run a pace run on Saturday mornings so my plan for the race was to finish in 25 minutes as that would put me within 20 seconds of my usual Saturday morning pace.  The race started and I fell into a nice groove pretty quickly.  I looked down at my watch and noticed I was holding 7:45 pace.  I was quite happy with this as I didn't feel like I was pushing hard to maintain it.  Mile one came and went in 7:45.  Just after mile one I caught up to some of the male high school swim team members and decided to run the rest of the race with them.  They were quite entertaining as they would ask how far into the race we were.  When I told them we were at 1.85 miles they mentioned that I was awesome because I knew the mileage so well.  I had to admit to them that it was only because I was wearing a Garmin.  We managed to get to the two mile mark with a 7:38 pace.  We continued on and the swimmers were discussing their plans to kick it in the last half mile.  Once we got to that part of the race, I did let them know the mileage.  I managed to stay with the swimmers through mile three which we hit at a 7:42 pace.  Now you would think at this point the swimmers would run it into the finish with me but of course in true high school student fashion they made a point to out kick me in the end.  I tried to stay with them but alas I just couldn't.  I finished a few strides behind them with a time of 23:35.  I was incredibly happy with my time considering it was much faster than 25:00 and I never felt like I had to push hard to maintain the pace.  After a few minutes, I headed back to my office to grab my things and then ran the one mile cool down back to my employees house to get my car.  I could have left my goodie bag in my office until I came into work on Monday but I really wanted to wear the shirt this weekend so I carried the bag for my cool down.

See how cute!!

Saturday's 5K was the first running of this event.  I am truly hoping it becomes a yearly occurence.  It was nice to be able to run a race so close to home.  Sunday morning I met up with my friends Missi and Kim for a long run.  The run was great and very scenic.  I had to work hard for the miles as my legs were still feeling Saturday's 5k but it was definitely worth it.

The beauty that is in our backyard

I think I was most impressed by our 1:30 finish time (9:00/mile) considering we didn't start out at that fast of a pace.  Here's a look at the splits:  9:34, 9:23, 9:02, 9:24 (the hill we love to hate), 8:45, 9:25 (the hill we love to hate take two), 8:42, 8:53, 8:41, and 8:23.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

20 Miles of Smiles

Yesterday was the final 20 miler of my Columbus Marathon training schedule.  Over the course of the past 15 weeks I have completed 2 other 20 milers as well as a 19 miler with many other distances mixed in.  I ran the 19 miler back in August and my friend Bill joined Missi, Deb, and I on our run and I had an excellent run with a fantastic pace!  One week later I had my first 20 miler on the schedule and I had calf cramping before we even made it to mile 5.  It was a very long and frustrating run that ended with me doubting my ability to run a respectable 26.2 come October 16th.  The second 20 miler took place on September 11th.  I ran the first 12 miles with Deb and Missi and felt pretty good.  After I got some more water and refueled I headed out for the intended last nine on my own (the training plan had called for a 21 miler). The wheels fell off at mile 17 with some calf pain and I had to walk a bit and called it a day at 20 and was once again incredibly frustrated and disappointed with my run.  I exchanged a few messages with my friend Joe and he mentioned it sounded like dehyration and encouraged me to work on my hydration and nutrition on the rest of my long runs.  Last Sunday I ran the Philly Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon and I was diligent about my nutrition and hydration and felt great for the first 11.5 miles and then I experienced some mild calf pain and major chafing from body glide application gone wrong.  I did manage to run a sub 2-hr half last weekend so I was feeling really good about things.  This past week I only clocked 9 miles between Monday and Saturday.  I was trying to catch up on sleep and get the calf to heal as best I could for my 20 miler yesterday.  I made a point to hydrate like crazy on Saturday.  I needed wanted to have a good 20 miler so I was doing everything in my power to set myself up for success.  Missi and Deb had 12 miles on their schedule for yesterday.  In a few email exchanges I was asked when I thought I would need them most.  I was certain it would be for the final 12 so with that said the plan was for me to do my first 8 prior to meeting Missi and Deb for their 12.  I slept pretty well Saturday night and was up in plenty of time to have a cup of coffee, some peanut butter toast, and a banana before heading to the Metroparks for my first 8 solo miles.  I also decided to put some biofreeze on my left calf which has been the one giving me the most trouble.  I drank water on the odd miles and drank sustain (my electrolyte drink of choice) on the even miles.  I also had some Power Bar Chews after the first hour.  I was feeling great the first 8 miles and made it back to meet Missi and Deb just a few minutes after our planned meeting time.  At this point I refilled my water bottles, grabbed my sample size biofreeze and threw it in my water belt and used the restroom before we headed out for the final 12.  I continued to use the same fueling strategy throughout the run.  Around mile 13 we decided we were going to stop at the Pro Shop and refuel, use the restroom, and Missi was going to see if she could get some socks in the Pro Shop as she had forgotten hers and she was developing blisters.  While we were refilling our water bottles I took in some more Power Bar Chews.  I also decided to apply my biofreeze to both calves at this point.  Just after mile 14 we came across these very interesting mushrooms!

Missi found them very odd and really wanted to know what type of mushrooms they were so she got up close and personal with them!

Of course Missi ended up posting an article on facebook after the fact about 5 men getting sick from poisonous mushrooms.  Can you guess what those mushrooms looked like?  Yep, exactly like the ones above.  As Missi said "good thing we didn't eat them (not that we would have)"!  Oh wait, I'm supposed to be talking about my 20 mile run.  Where was I?  Oh yes, I was at mile 14.  I continued to feel really good on the way back with no calf pain to speak of.  Dave had mentioned that he may be in town on Sunday and he may run a few miles with us but he said he wasn't really sure.  By mile 14 I figured he had decided not to join us however to my surprise he was on the trail waiting for us when we got to mile 17.  It was so nice to see him.  He jumped in with us and I was in the zone and just running and listening to my music.  I must have really been zoned out because Dave ran up behind me and tapped me and scared the daylights out of me.  As we ran a mile or so together he looked down at his watch and said 9:21 holy crap.  I kind of laughed and mentioned that my watch had me closer to 9:35 pace.  Sometime between miles 17-20 Missi yelled out "you're kicking a** today Jodi".  It definitely made me chuckle.  By mile 18 I was smiling from ear to ear because I was having such a great run.  I decided to see what I could do for the final 2 miles.  I finished up my final mile with an 8:59 pace.  I was thrilled with my final time of 3:12:24 (9:37 pace) as my goal marathon pace is around 9:40.  Yesterday's run was nothing short of perfect.  Now if I can just bottle it up and bring it along for Columbus I will be one happy marathoner!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Skating Through 12 Miles With Jenn

Jenn and I always run first thing in the morning but we had to rearrange our schedule today. I headed out to Jenn's house this afternoon so we could get our 12 miler in. Our plan was to head to the Canal Path to run. Imagine our shock when we got there and were greeted with a very snowy path! We made it just under a tenth of a mile before we decided to head to the Metroparks and attempt path number 2!

As you can see below, the Metropark path was a bit better. However we quickly learned that there were a lot of icy spots and we had to be incredibly careful with our footing as to not injure ourselves!

We were enjoying our run and talking off and on but we were both really concentrating on our footing so there wasn't as much talking as normal. Before we knew it we were to the halfway point. Jenn was telling me that her dad used to take her to Lake Isaac and asked if we could stop and take a picture. Of course I said yes!!

The second half of the run seemed a lot harder. There was a lot more ice and we had to stop at a lot of intersections and my legs were not very happy with this at all! Around mile 10 Jenn mentioned walking back and running the last 2 miles on the treadmill. I told her she was stronger than that and we were going to finish this run! By mile 11 we were both struggling and just wanting to finish. My calves hurt, my legs were heavy, and I was having a hard time breathing since I woke up with a lovely cold this morning. I was never so happy to see my truck but then I realized we were a bit short of 12 miles so we had to run a little bit further and after what seemed like an eternity my Garmin beeped indicating we had finished our 12th mile! Upon finishing my entire body ached including my hips. Ouch was all I could say to Jenn! Notice that even though we had a difficult run today we were still smiling when we finished!

I even decided to practice my ice skating at the end!

Jenn and I had talked about taking an ice bath in the snow after our run. Once we got into my truck both of us were really looking forward to sitting in the snow. Believe it or not the snow seemed to help a lot. Nothing like using nature to get an ice bath in! Of course Jenn's neighbor thought we were completely insane. We had a blast posting the pictures to Facebook and Dailymile.

With the ice bath completed and our 12 miles run and done I headed home to get ready for our friend's Superbowl Party. Although I was disappointed that my Steelers lost tonight, I was thrilled to be able to enjoy quality time and great food with some fantastic friends!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting....

Oh wait....that's just a song and a fun one to run to I might add. Jenn and I weren't kung fu fighting but we certainly rocked the ninja look today on our first long run of 2011!

The plan was to meet Jenn at the Metroparks at 7 AM for our 7 mile run. I got there a few minutes before Jenn and I turned my truck off at first and then decided I wanted to have the heat back on. Only problem, I turned the key and NOTHING!! Yep, dead battery. So I had to call my hubby at 7 AM and wake him up to tell him the battery died. Jenn and I headed out on our long run. Jenn forgot her music so I left mine behind as well. Great decision! We talked the entire time! It was great. As we were heading back towards the cars, we passed fellow dailymiler Bill and we exchanged our hellos. Jenn and I make it a point to go a mile further than we intend to run so we can walk a mile cool down at the end. Today we decided perhaps maybe we should only do a 1/2 mile cool down walk when it is this cold. As we were walking back, Bill passed us again and I mentioned my broken car...dead battery. He said he had cables and he was kind enough to wait until we returned to see if he could help. In the end, the hubby and kids were there with cables. However, the fact that I fellow runner would wait to be sure we were safe speaks volumes about the running community! Thanks again Bill!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

18 miles of scattered rain, snow, and hail

Due to this week being spring break I had to alter my training schedule to accommodate time restraints which meant I would need to complete my long run today instead of Sunday. Thankfully, the kids' great grandma came over to play with them while I headed out for my 18 miler this morning.

After several days of gorgeous weather, I woke to 39* and a rain/snow mix. To say I was not looking forward to going out in the elements is an understatement, but with the kids taken care of I laced up my shoes and headed out the door for three 5 mile loops and one 3 mile loop.

Miles 0-5 (loop one)
46:40
9:20/mile
Weather: snow/rain mix

Miles 5-10 (loop two)
47:00
9:24/mile
Weather: snow/rain/light hail mix

Miles 10-15 (loop three)
46:30
9:18/mile
Weather: snow/heavy, painful right in the face hail

Miles 15-18 (loop four)
29:26
9:48/mile
Weather: painful right in the face hail/insanely strong winds

After the third loop I seriously contemplated finishing the final three miles on the treadmill, but I was already cold and wet so I trudged on and completed all 18 miles with a time of 2:49:36 (9:25/mile). I stopped by the house after each loop for water. I also ate some sports beans around mile 9 and that seemed to give me a little more energy which showed in loop three's time. Overall it was a pretty decent long run. I am thankful it is complete and I am now watching "Princess Protection Program" with my kids and staying warm.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Perfect 10

Today's long run was another scaled back 10 miler in preparation for the Mill Creek 1/2 in two weeks. I was very happy to see the temperature was around 45* and the sun was shining when I headed out this afternoon. I planned to run around a 9:20 pace today since my training schedule called for an easy long run. Once I got out there I was feeling really good and decided to just run how I felt. The temperature threw me off since I am used to bundling up lately. I had to unzip my windbreaker after the one mile mark. By the end of mile two, the gloves came off. As I got to mile 5 I heard the horn of a train indicating it's approach at a railroad crossing. Fortunately, I was still about a 1/2 mile away from the crossing and the train was gone when I approached so I didn't have to stop and wait. In true Ohio weather form, the sun went down at mile 7 and my hands were instantly freezing. The gloves went back on and the windbreaker was zipped back up for the last 3 miles.

Mile 1-- 9:09
Mile 2-- 9:00
Mile 3-- 9:22 (slow steady incline)
Mile 4-- 9:15 (spent 1/4 mile telling a dog to go back home)
Mile 5-- 9:07
Mile 6-- 9:14
Mile 7-- 9:07
Mile 8-- 9:04 (nice downhill)
Mile 9-- 9:01
Mile 10-- 8:41

Time-- 1:31.00
Avg Mile-- 9:06

Today's run was great. I felt like I could have kept running after the 10 miles but of course I respected my training and ended the run.

Keep running, you're simply the best and you inspire me!!

14 miles on the 14th day of the month

I woke up this morning to no snow and clear roads. Perfect for my long run today! Eating breakfast before heading out last weekend seemed to work well for me. With that in mind, I chose to have a few cups of coffee and some peanut butter toast and a banana before heading out around 10:00 AM. I knew today's run would be challenging because 14 miles would be my longest training run since college (and I will admit I stopped running my sophomore year of college at the age of 20 and I turn 36 this year). I went out at a nice easy pace knowing I had many miles to put in today. I don't know all of my mile splits because my Garmin was beeping at me and flashing "low memory" every few miles.

Mile 1-- 9:46

Fastest mile-- 9:12

Slowest mile-- 10:10

Mile 13.1-- 2:07.30

Finish Time-- 2:16.34

Avg mile-- 9:45

I had to stop at mile 12 and balance on one foot to get a rock out of my shoe. There was no way I could run the last 2 miles with that rock in my shoe. I must have looked crazy standing on one foot with my shoe off, shaking it like crazy to get the rock out. I wasn't the most graceful either, which I am sure was a direct reflection of the fact that I had just run 12 miles.

Here are some pictures I took today during my run. I did a 7 miles out and 7 miles back course today. The course started in Avon took me into Avon Lake and back to Avon.

Entering Avon Lake (mile 3)

Frozen Lake Erie (mile 7)

My finish time and distance on the Garmin

My post run fuels of choice (chocolate milk and a Monavie Active gel pack)

My weight after my run today (44 pounds lost since December of 2008)

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

First and Ten Do It Again

Okay, the title for today's post is my lame attempt at a Superbowl (cheerleading) pun for today's ten mile run! Afterall, today was my second 10 miler for my long run since I started training in January.

I woke up around 8 AM and was pleasantly surprised to realize I didn't have any muscle soreness from yesterday's stairclimb! Once I realized my muscles weren't angry with me I decided to look outside and assess the weather. It appeared to look like a good day for an outside run. I decided to wait for the sun to come out and the temperature to go up a bit before I headed out. While waiting I enjoyed a few cups of coffee and a bagel. I headed out for my run around 11 AM.

My first mile was 9:54. This didn't surprise me at all since my development was a wet, slushy mess. Once I got onto the main roads, I was in the clear and I got into my groove.

Mile 2 9:27
Mile 3 9:26
Mile 4 9:11
Mile 5 9:17
Mile 6 9:16
Mile 7 9:33 (Spent this mile dodging snow drifts and drivers that wouldn't move over)
Mile 8 9:20
Mile 9 9:20
Mile 10 8:59 (repeat of mile one except the sun had melted the slushy mess in my development)

Time 1:33
Avg mile 9:18

The one problem I encountered today was with my hands. My hands were actually red and numb when I finished my run today. It was painful when I walked into the house and the heat hit them. I did wear my underarmour fleece gloves but I guess they didn't do the job today. Anyone have any suggestions in this area? The rest of my body was fine temperature wise.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Splish Splash 11 mile Dash....

Yesterday it was 47 degrees here! I set out at 8:30 AM for my long run. Of course there was a threat of rain but I decided to go for it so I didn't have to put in 11 miles on the treadmill. Within the first three miles of the run it started pouring. At this point I could have headed back home and finished my run on the treadmill but I figured I was soaked already so why not just finish the run outside. By the time I hit mile nine I was running through the puddles on purpose, acting like a kid again! The funniest part of the run was the drivers attempting to splash me. Really people, there is literally water dripping off the visor part of my baseball cap how could you possibly think splashing me would bother me at all at this point. I just kept on running and laughing and acting like a kid. It was fun! I was completely shocked that I managed to run a 9:51 mile pace for the entire 11.08 miles especially because the wind was so fierce at times that it felt like I was standing still.

When I got home from the run I was literally drenched with water still dripping off the visor part of my baseball cap. My shoes were soaked and making that "sloshing" (is that a word) sound. I realized at this point that my workout clothes were really heavy so I actually decided to weigh them to see how much extra weight I was running with. Turns out my workout clothes weighed 5.2 lbs (not including my shoes). I was talking to a friend last night at her daughter's birthday party about how I technically ran with an extra 5.2 pounds on my body. She looked me in the eye and said do I have to remind you how much extra weight you were carrying this time last year? I immediately realized she was absolutely right. Last year I was carrying an extra 42 pounds on my body so in the grand scheme of things, 5.2 lbs is nothing!!

Today is a scheduled rest day. Good thing because my legs are sore!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, you inspire me!