Project Three Six Five

I Quit Sweets Cold Turkey

2010-12-20T20:19:00.020-05:00

Miles today: 3.5
Miles this week: 3.5
Miles in 2010: the rest of the year + 3.5

Met Austin this morning at the Greek Church to run a few. Forgot that the path would be snowy, but we ran there anyway. We had some solid snow and solid ice patches, and then some completely clear patches. We were getting tired, though, dodging the crunchy parts, so we didn't run very far. Plus it was cold and windy.

The best part about the past two months...I know you're not going to believe this...but I gave up sweets. On Halloween, after eating as much candy from my niece's stash as possible, I decided that the next day, Monday, November 1st, would be a good day to give up sweets.

Gregg said it wasn't possible and that I shouldn't give up all sweets. It would be too much to quit cold turkey.

I disagreed. I knew I had to do it. I had to give up the sweets...all of them.

So on November 1st, I quit eating candy, cakes, cookies...anything that was sweet. And I made it my goal to get to Thanksgiving without a sweet. Then, if I made it to Thanksgiving, I'd be allowed to have sweets on just Thanksgiving Thursday, and then go back to no sweets.

Guess what?

I did it. I made it all the way to T-giving without a sweet. Then, after the Turkey Trot, I marched right into a little chocolate shop in Greensburg, bought some chocolate covered Oreos, strawberries, raspberries, and chocolate Oreo bark, and started my sweets day off right.

When I got home, I had only eaten some of the Oreo bark, so I shared my confections with the fam, and ate a chocolate covered Oreo (or two) throughout the day. After our big Thanksgiving extravaganza, I ate a piece of apple pie, and then said good-night and good-bye again to the sweets of the world.

Since then, I continued on my no-sweets trend into December, with Christmas Day being the only day I would be allowed sweets. I did have a minor mess-up one night at Mi Patron a few weeks ago (I forgot and bought a York peppermint patty by accident and ate it)...but other than that, haven't eaten any sweets. Pretty good, huh?

I'm proud of myself. It's the first time ever in my life I've been able to do it. And it's really really hard.

Kind of like training for a marathon...maybe I'll do one in 2011?!

the Steelers Vs. the Jets

2010-12-19T20:18:00.045-05:00

Miles today: 5.4
Miles this week: 28.8
Miles in 2010: a lot

This morning I met Austin and Alexis at Isabella's for the Sunday run. J.C., Jonathan, Gary, and Gregg met and started the run with us.

We headed up Old Boonsboro Road like usual. The girls and I turned around at 2.75 because Alexis' knee was bothering her. The snow on the sidewalks was also still a bit of a pain, so we didn't really want to run too far. We talked a lot about running and our 2011 goals. Mine will be referenced in an upcoming blog.

After we got back to the parking lot, Gregg and I headed home and got ready to meet Austin and her brother at church. We stopped at Starlight afterwards for breakfast, like usual, and then Gregg dropped me off at work (we were open today from 12-5 for special Sunday shopping hours...turned out to be worth it, too!) After work, Gregg and I went to John and Sarah's to watch the Steelers/Jets match-up. That, of course, is a big game in the Cavaliere house. Gregg, being a Jets fan, and me, being a Steelers fan, makes for a pretty good gameday.

Well, we all know the outcome...that the Jets beat the Steelers and that I was pretty bummed. My Facebook status said something like this before the game: Today determines the power in the Cavaliere household. Steelers win, Heather is queen for the rest of 2010. Jets win, Gregg thinks he's king.

Well the Steelers lost. Thanks a lot Steelers. Gregg's been in charge ever since.

Jingle Bell Jog

2010-12-18T20:17:00.015-05:00

Miles today: 4.0
Miles this week: 23.4
Miles in 2010: a lot

I've been doing the Jingle Bell Jog for the past 4 or 5 years. It's come to be one of my favorite Christmas time events.

Every year, on the Saturday before Christmas, Riverside Runners hosts this 3-5 mile run at our store.

What started as just about 25 people (Jeff says, I wasn't there) has grown to a 150+ person event. Guests bring baked goods, we provide hot chocolate, Gatorade, and water as well as door prizes, music, and a fully dressed running Santa! It's so fun. The best part is the parade of costumed runners running down the Avenue at 8:30 that morning.

I think my friend Sarah D. said it best: To Heather and all of the runners; It sure made my day to see all of the festive, costumed runners out this morning as I made my way back and forth down the Avenue to the City Market. I wished I had been out there running. Thanks for an unexpected and humorous Christmas Parade!

I met up with my buds Stacey and Austin to run, but since both Austin and I had to work, we only ran 4 of the 5 miles so we could get back to the store.

The event was a huge success...tons of people, lots of cookies, and great door prizes. Jeff even got a bunch of shirts screened to hand out for FREE! to the participants who dressed with holiday cheer.

running barely a mile so I can go to Mi Patron for the 2nd night in a row

2010-12-17T20:16:00.029-05:00

Miles today: 1.6
Miles this week: 19.4
Miles in 2010: I don't know, I stink at recording

Today I ran 1.6 miles really quick so I could meet Gregg, John, and Sarah at Mi Patron.

Yes, I know what you're thinking...is Heather obsessed with Mexican?

Welp, the answer is...yes. I am obsessed with Mexican food. I actually have been ordering the same thing from any Mexican restaurant forever...it used to be La Carreta...and I would always get 3 soft tacos (beef) with a side of sour cream and pico de gallo. Ask Sarah she would vouch for me. That's what I always got. Then, for awhile, I changed to three crunchy tacos.

Well, ever since the Ten Miler, when we out to Mi Patron with our friends, the Kellehers, and I learned about a dish (shown above) called Tampico Special, that's all I want. And I kind of want to eat it a lot.

Gregg and I both know it's not good to eat out a lot.

#1: it's expensive.
#2: it's not that healthy.

But we both really like Mexican at Mi Patron, and Mi Patron has brought Mexican to a whole new level.

So anyway, I ran a mile and a half or so after work tonight because I wanted to get done fast, it was cold, and I knew it was a Mexican night. (Yes, I know...we had Mexican last night...)

After my run, I met everyone at Mi Patron and ordered my usual (split it with Gregg).

I think I may know why I've really enjoyed Mexican the past few months...I'll talk more about it in a later blog, but it may have something to do with giving up sweets after Halloween.

snow day

2010-12-16T08:56:00.026-05:00

Miles today: 3.04
Miles this week: 17.8
Miles in 2010: a lot

Well, I didn't think it was going to snow. The weathermen (who are never right) kept saying we could get anywhere from an inch to 12...I didn't believe any of it. So when I went to bed last night, my expecations were none for snow.

I woke up at 6 with Gregg getting ready for work, asked if there was snow, heard there wasn't, and went back to sleep. At 7, before he left for work, he mentioned that it had started to snow.

Still thinking nothing more would come of it, I kept sleeping. At 8, when I got up, there was snow on the ground. I figured I'd run later when there was more snow, so I started to work on my blog (from last week) and tried to answer some of my 300-something unanswered emails.

When I looked outside again at 9am, the snow was coming down harder. I gave Jeff a call to see if the store was going to open, and he said that we were going to open, but that I could tell everyone else to stay home and that I just needed to come in when I could...no rush.

So, I got ready, cleaned off my car, still expecting minimal snow on the roads, and ventured off. When I made it out of my neighborhood fairly easy, I knew everything else would be fine. When I got to Wiggington the story was different. Jeff called a little after ten while I was on my way to work and said to go home, the roads were too bad. I quickly saw why. My car kept sliding off the road almost into ditches. I knew I needed to turn around, but my car kept going off the road and there was nowhere to turn around. I thought Gregg was going to have to drag me out of a ditch, but I found a turn-around spot, headed back home, and cuddled up under the covers to get warm.

All day, I tried really hard to meet Stacey for a run. We were going to try to run ten miles (5 to meet each other, then 5 back to my house) but I was just too tired and too much of a bum and hoping that Gregg would come home from work early.

Gregg didn't come home early, and I procrastinated my run until about 4:30. I finally got dressed and headed outside to run and started slipping all over the place. I ran in my Saucony ProGrid Razors (waterproof boot running shoes) and by the time I hit Wiggington, the road was slushy instead of slippery, so I was glad I had those on. My run was a short 3 mile trek, but it was hard on my legs because snow running is always harder than dry running. When I got home, I showered and then begged Gregg to drive me to Mi Patron for dinner (where I'm currently obsessed with the Tampico Special: chicken, rice, and cheese sauce served with tortilla chips...YUMMO!). We headed to dinner, stopped at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for coffee for the Keurig, and then headed home. I wasn't very productive today, but it felt good to have a day to myself.

Po Fo Run

2010-12-15T09:55:00.009-05:00

Miles today: 5.6
Miles this week: 14.7
Miles in 2010: a lot

Austin and I met in Wyndhurst to run the Poplar Forest Loop (or as some folks I know call it: the Heather Loop). We start at the Jamerson YMCA, head up Enterprise Drive, take a left on Homestead to Bateman Bridge Road, then continue down BB to the back entrance (gravel road) of Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest.

We run across the Poplar Forest campus, make a left onto Poplar Forest Road, then a right on Wellington, a right on Crossway, straight onto Rainbow Forest Drive to Laxton, and then a left back to Enterprise Drive.

The run is super hilly, with one big hill going up Enterprise at the beginning, one on Homestead, a big hill at Poplar Forest, and a big climb up Laxton Road in Rainbow Forest.

It's tough, but it's a great run and I love showing it to people. Austin and I had a great time (and there weren't any dogs which made it nice.

Destination Running

2010-12-14T09:54:00.017-05:00

Miles today: 4.35
Miles this week: 9.1
Miles in 2010: a lot

Tonight was the last meeting of the Lynchburg Road Runners for 2010. As tradition dictates, once again we voted for new officers and discussed ideas for the upcoming year.

It has become my semi-tradition to run to the LRR club meeting at Monte Carlo's each month. So, my good bud Austin (I told you I'd talk about her a lot) dropped off her car at the restaurant and met me at the store so that we could run together to the meeting.

For some reason, one of my favorite ways to run this year has become running to a destination. Running to LRRC meetings and running to Lowe's in Madison Heights were two of my destination runs. I like the feeling of running somewhere and having gotten there by foot. It's kind of fulfilling...like walking to the store when you live in the city, or getting around without a car for awhile.

Anyway, Austin and I got in a little over 4 miles and then I headed into the meeting and she headed home.

Austin's Home

2010-12-13T13:46:00.032-05:00

Miles today: 4.75
Miles this week: 4.75
Miles in 2010: the rest of the year before today + 4.75

Austin came home from school for Christmas this weekend and I didn't get to see her until tonight. Isn't it appropriate that our first get-together would be meeting in front of Riverside Runners for a run?

We met around 6:30 after I finished at work. I had changed in the basement, so when I came upstairs, Rachel, Claire, and Austin were all near the front desk chatting.

They turned around to say hey to me and as they did, I think they all said in unison, are you crazy!?

See, the thing was, I forgot tights or pants when I left the house this morning and all I had grabbed was a pair of shorts. Now, the weather outside has been pretty frightful, and today/tonight was no different. In fact, earlier, when I had opened the front door to grab the mail, the icy wind blew in and rattled all the clothes on the racks and almost knocked me over.

I knew it was going to be cold. I just didn't feel like going all the way home to get tights. Austin asked, are you sure? I don't mind. But I said I'd brave the cold with my legs hanging out of my shorts and that I would be fine.

We got our stuff together, opened the front door, and I felt that cold, icy wind again. It was like I had nothing on my bottom at all. Oh well, I knew I'd warm up.

Austin and I ran our usual: out Rivermont to Peakland, down Peakland to the end and then back to the store. By the time we got to the First Christian Church, my legs were numb and I couldn't feel the icy wind anymore. On top of that, just being with Austin and having someone to run with made the time go by quickly and the weather was almost out of mind. It was convenient, too, because in the past year of running I've acquired a great pain in my right heel/achilles/calf...some kind of bursitis or achilles tendonitis or both...so the icy wind also numbed my heel and I could run hard and what felt like fast (Austin is faster than me). I'm looking forward to running with her through the end of Project 3-6-5 (she'll be home until almost the end of the year!) Yipee!

the weather was horrible and we were lazy

2010-12-12T14:24:00.000-05:00

Miles today: 1.15
Miles this week: 22.9
Miles in 2010: yipes

My plan was to run a good 6 miles this morning. That didn't happen. We woke up to a drizzly/rainy/ugly/gray/cloudy/foggy morning. We didn't run.

Then we got ready for church and picked up my niece, Ella, who we babysat this morning. We took her to church with us, went to Market on Main for brunch, then back home.

Gregg didn't feel good when we got home so we spent the day being lazy, reading the paper, and doing nothing.

I didn't run until about 8:00 in the evening, and by this time I didn't want to run at all. So I suited up for the good ole Mullbury Mile and ran around the neighborhood. Just to get that mile in.

sometimes your run just feels awful

2010-12-11T21:21:00.013-05:00

Miles today: 4.05
Miles this week: 21.8
Miles in 2010: a lot

I worked at the store today, and then afterwards went for a run. I ran from the store through Riverside Park and then down to the Baptist Hospital and back to the store.

My run was really crappy.

I felt like I was running with a load of bricks inside. Maybe that was cause we had Pizza Hut pan pizza for lunch at the store. Not sure.

But let me just say this...

I am very thankful for the side entrance to the VBH on Oak Lane. It's near the chapel in the front of the hospital. Anyway, that bathroom has come in handy on more than one occasion.

On another note, tonight after my run, Gregg and I went to the AREVA Christmas party. That's us. I look like a man.

5 months

2010-12-10T21:20:00.045-05:00

Miles today: 2.0
Miles this week: 17.7
Miles in 2010: someday I'll know

5 months ago today, Gregg and I tied the knot. Half the reason that the blog fell apart in March and just came back now...but a good reason if any. Today was super cold out and we were going to celebrate our 5 month landmark with a night at Mi Patron, our new favorite Mexican restaurant (yes, way better than La Carreta) with our friends, John and Sarah, but of course I didn't fit my run in before work, so at 6, I still needed to run.

Ended up staying at work until 7:15ish talking with Jeff, so I didn't get to run until 7:30. Oops. Anyway, the wind was so strong and the temperature was in the 20s, so I ran a short 2-mile up and back on Rivermont, then hurried off to Mi Patron to meet Gregg, John, and Sarah.

Now, this may not be my wife-iest feature...but I definitely tend to do things (i.e. go grocery shopping, out to dinner, to friends' houses) after running after work because I don't want to take the time to go home and shower. Today was one of these occasions. Right after my run I parked in a space outside of Mi patron, changed in the car, and then met everyone inside. No make-up, no new deoderant...just me on our 5 month anniversary. Super romantic, huh?

Anyway, I wanted to post a few pics from our wedding that make me smile big. Here goes:

wendy storey

2010-12-09T13:00:00.028-05:00

Miles today: 5.0
Miles this week: 15.7
Miles in 2010: 1000+

Today I ran 5 miles with my hubster from Boonsboro Shopping Center. It was cold. Nothing exciting happened like yesterday. However, I forgot to mention that yesterday at the end of my run, I caught up with a lady I know, Wendy Storey, and ran a few paces down the Enterprise Road hill toward the Y with her. She was finishing up her 5 miles as well and we got in a quick chat.

Her name is Wendy Storey. She's pretty much amazing. She's lost a lot of weight in the past year or so by changing her lifestyle and starting to run. It's pretty awesome to see how much better she feels about herself, the energy she has, and the encouragement she's given. She and a friend, Sandy, have stuck with their running and exercise plans even when I'm sure it wasn't easy. She completed her first half marathon in August (the Lynchburg Half) and she's not stopping.

Yesterday, when I saw her running in Wyndhurst, I couldn't get over the fact that she was out running in the bitter cold alone and not giving it a second thought. It made me feel very proud.

The pictures here show her (on the left in both photos) before she started running and then this summer after she'd lost a ton of weight. She looks like two different people. Doesn't it feel you with joy to see her accomplishments? It does me.

Way to go Wendy, you've been a huge inspiration to me and many others! Keep on running!

Baking Cookies & Blasted Dogs

2010-12-08T11:41:00.088-05:00

Miles today: 5.7

Miles this week: 10.7

Miles in 2010: over 1000?

Today was a very special day. I had kinda been waiting for this day for a long time. Ever since Shelley started working at L'Arche, she told me a lot about the people she works with and how much personality they have.

Well Shelley and I have recently rekindled our running relationship, and so we finally made the plans for me to come over to L'Arche and help bake Christmas cookies. Appropriately so, since I own about 4 million bottles of sprinkles, have a great buttercream frosting recipe, and can use my lovely glacier ice blue KitchenAid stand mixer to mix it.

So I gathered up my sprinkles, cookie cutters, and that yummy buttercream frosting I made early this morning and I headed over to L'Arche to help Shelley and the rest of the L'Arche crew.

There is much to be said about people with disabilities. Working with people who have physical or mental handicaps (or both) is pretty much an experience that everyone should have at least once. I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with handicapped folks at a camp back in Pennsylvania ten or so years ago. The camp was a week-long, overnight camp called "Discovery Camp" where a bunch of us were counselors and the campers were these amazing people who were all handicapped in some way. Let me just tell you...that week each summer (I did it a couple of summers) was the most fun, full-of-laughs, hilarious, warm, and fulfilling week of those summers. We would sing songs from musicals, make s'mores at the campfire, and share Jesus in the afternoons. It really was a heck of an experience.

Anyway, back to L'Arche.

Shelley and I looked up a sugar cut-out cookie recipe when I got there. The first one said to refrigerate the dough for 2 hours, so that one was out. The 2nd one said you needed almond extract, which I forgot to bring. So, we just went with that one anyway because there was nothing about chilling the dough. Used a little extra vanilla in place of the almond extract and went on our way.

Cass and Kristen, two of the residents at L'Arche were our main helpers.

Cass and I met one day when Shelley brought her to the store (RR if you forgot) in October. Cass is pretty much hilarious. She now calls me my Heather and did this black lady soulful voice kinda yelling thing when I came into the house today. Oh my Heatha...my love! I love you, my Heatha!

Or something like that.

Well, if that doesn't automatically make you feel loved, I don't know what will.

What was great about the cookie making was that I learned some new things. First off, don't tease Cass. And if she's around, you probably shouldn't be playing Christmas music either. It puts her in a bad mood. She says everyone plays Christmas music too much and too early. Especially before Thanksgiving.

Another thing I learned was that there are some pretty cool inventions out there to help people who don't have much control of their hands, muscles, body in general. For instance, Kristen, who has CP (cerebal palsy) and probably a whole host of other things I don't know about or understand, is in a wheel chair, has little control of her body and limbs, and has a hard time talking. She's an awesome girl, in her early twenties, and totally wanted to help us with cookies.

So after Cass dumped flour and other ingredients into our mixing bowl, and then stormed off because of the Christmas music, Kristen helped us with the mixing.

Since she pretty much has no ability to hold a spoon and mix something, she wasn't going to hand mix the ingredients. But she does have this awesome thing that Shelley called her buttons that helps her with electrical appliance so that she can control them. Basically, you plug the buttons into the wall, and then plug your appliance into the buttons. You turn on the little adapter, and then you give Kristen this button thing that is powered by her touch. Your mixer is attached to the buttons adapter, and then Kristen presses her button, and that starts the mixer going. It's totally cool. So Kristen did most of the mixing while we scraped the bowl, and pretty soon we had dough that didn't look half bad. The button kind of looked like this, but not. Kristen giggled a lot when we used the buttons to mix the dough. It was adorable.

Then we looked back at the recipe and it said, chill dough for two hours. WHAT!!?!?!? We could've sworn that was the other recipe. So, we stuck it in the freezer for 15 minutes, and then got it back out, rolled the dough, and started cutting cookies. It was a blast. Kristen helped. We baked the cookies, burned none, and then let them cool.

A little bit later we got out the icing and sprinkles and went to work. You'll see above and to the right how they turned out. Super success.

This is me and Kristen with some of our finished products. She was pretty proud and so was I.

Right about when we finished up with decorating was when the boys of the house showed up...Tommy and Darren were all interested in the cookies all of a sudden because they wanted to eat them. Who wouldn't? That's Tommy and Darren in the pic with the ladies. Aren't they presh?

So, I've done no blogging today about my actual run, but there was a reason that I chose to write about L'Arche first. I just think it makes you appreciate things and see life from a different perspective. And maybe that's one thing I've enjoyed all year about this running everyday thing...learning about new people and new perspectives. I just like the richness of that.

My run today was awesome except for the blasted dogs. It seems that I don't have very good dog luck. Don't get me wrong, there are certain dogs that I love. My friends Sarah and Ryan have a Newf named Hank who I love. He is now on the West Coast with them in Newport, but he is a great dog. Even if he is running toward you.

My friends John and Sarah have two black labs, Duchess and Bruno, who are amazing. I'll let them lick me, slobber me, jump on me--no problems.

I like some other dogs, too.

But this year has been hard on me with some other dogs. I am now very afraid of any unknown dogs that come toward me. After the neighborhood dog incident that started in May (I think) with a dog I now know as "Boogie" (who names their dog that!?!?), I have not been the same around strange dogs.

Today's run can be included in the blasted dogs experience.

After baking at L'Arche, I sat around a lot and rested my bones. Then I decided to go for a run at 4:30. I was supposed to go on this same run at 6:15am, but I didn't wake up in time for that, so I headed out to the Jamerson YMCA and parked my car and geared up for a run up Enterprise Drive, down Bateman Bridge, through Poplar Forest, and around Wellington and Laxton Roads.

Everything was going fine. It was cold, but I wore my bright neon green Essential Run Jacket from Brooks and headed toward Poplar Forest. As I made the left turn onto the gravel road that leads to PoFo, I noticed two trucks (which inevitably meant there were people walking or people walking with dogs out there). I immediately had a passing thought to watch out for dogs because most people who walk dogs out there don't use leashes.

As I continued another quarter mile on the gravel road, I could see up ahead a man and two tiny dogs. But as I continued, I could also see that the man didn't have leashes but that the dogs were kind of following where he went. Like a nice guy would, he moved over to my right into the grass as I came up to him. His dogs followed. But then the dogs saw me, and started running towards me. The one dog which was closer was heading straight for me and it was barking and growling loudly. The man was yelling, Stop! Stop! but the dog wasn't listening. As the dog came to my feet, he was just inches away from me barking, snarling and jumping. I, of course, was stopped dead in my tracks, standing paralyzed with fear from this stupid little dog that probably wouldn't hardly harm me even if he did bite. I could have probably kicked it and sent it flying. But I was too scared.

And as the man walked up to me, he said, It's okay, he won't do anything to you. and he started laughing.

I'm not kidding.

laughing.

What the heck?

I didn't think it was very funny. I was about to cry. And he was laughing.

Well you can imagine that what followed was me not laughing. It was me yelling. I did not like the idea of the man laughing at me and how I reacted to his dumb dog.

I yelled at him and said, you think this is funny!? Then I said a choice word. Then I said something about how his awful dog should be on a leash. Then I used the choice word again.

He didn't laugh anymore. He actually said nothing.

I hope he felt bad. Because really, I don't think I should have to feel that much fear for doing absolutely nothing wrong while running through a pretty little farmland field. Ya know?

My run continued on with nothing special. I ran a good 5+ mile trek and headed back to my car, still a bit fired up about the man and his dog.

Oh well. Dogs are part of running apparently.

baby it's cold outside

2010-12-07T13:07:00.001-05:00

Miles today: 3.0
Miles this week: 5.0
Miles in 2010: i give up

refer to 1:46 to see a clip from the song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" which I can't seem to get out of my head.

possibly because it's been so darn cold.

I met Shelley for a run this morning at Percival's Island. It was pretty cold. I wore long tights for the first time since the Old Man came to visit.

I also was wearing these:

which might just be my favoritest running gloves ever.

Now, you are reading about someone who typically wore gloves that you get from the dollar store (those little knit one-size-fits-all shrink-up and not fit between your fingers and feel the wind when it blows gloves) so any glove would definitely be an improvement.

However, I got these gloves from Riverside Runners sometime in 2009 and I have to say that they are surely the most amazing little trinkets ever.

They are made by Saucony and they're called the "Ulti-Mitt" haha...get it...the "ultimate" running glove/mitten!

Features include:

5-finger gloves that have a fingertip opening in both the thumb and index finger (great for touch phones, tying shoes, picking nose, etc. so you don't have to take off your whole glove.
a wind-resistant mitten shell that stows in a pocket on the back of each hand or pulls out to create an extra mitten layer over your glove layer (great for the beginning of the run to warm up and then tuck away once your hands get warm).
an L.E.D. light in a little pocket on the back of one glove that goes from steady to blinking to "off" and provides just enough light for you to see if you need to find your keys, for someone else to see you when you're running at night, or even if you're scared of a dog and you need to light the path ahead so you can see it as it runs up to maul you.
a fleecy-soft panel on the top of your hand that's made for a dripping nose. (literally, you can wipe your nose on it)
fasteners that clip together so you can store your gloves as a pair (you all know you lose gloves if they don't stay together...they're just like socks and we all have a sock cemetery)
reflectivity panels

Anyway, I love, LOVE, LOVE these gloves and recommend them to everyone.

The glove has been updated and is now called the Ulti-Mitt II. Biggest change is that the LED light is now rechargeable in a USB port on a computer. How great is that? (the old model just would need a new watch-size battery).

We have some at the store and I just ordered some more. Check them out. They'll be in by Friday, December 17, they make great gifts, and they're only $40.00. Come in two colors: black and blaze orange (vizi-pro).

Back to the run: Shelley and I ran on the blackwater creek trail at Percival's and it was cold. We had great conversation...I'm pumped too because I'm going to her work tomorrow (L'Arche) to bake cookies with her peeps. Should be a blast.

i need a balaclava

2010-12-06T10:33:00.025-05:00

Miles today: 2.0
Miles this week: 2.0
Miles in 2010: bah!

It looks as though Old Man Winter is here in Lynchburg and I'm pretty sure he's here to stay.
December has become cold, frigid, and windy! What fun...

I've resorted to doing a little research on my next gear purchase...the BALACLAVA.

No, I'm not talking about baklava like Genie mentions at 00:56 seconds in "Friend Like Me" from the movie Aladdin.

I'm talking about one of these:

Gregg has one. We sell them at Riverside Runners. But I don't own one.

Maybe it's the fact that putting one of these on might give you an uncanny resemblance to a bank robber.

Or maybe it's because I'm not really into the idea of my breathing/spit/snot coming back to me by staying really close in the fabric at my nose/mouth.

Whatever it is, I just don't own one of these yet.

But today's run in the bitter 20-degree cold with wind whipping at my already chapped/cracking lips has me seriously thinking...

Do I need a balaclava?

snow and ice

2010-12-05T16:02:00.009-05:00

Miles today: 4.0

Miles this week: 27.6

Miles in 2010: brrrr!

Sundays are traditionally 7:30am runs from the parking lot next to Isabella's in Boonsboro Shopping Center. I've grown accustomed to getting up early on Sunday mornings with Gregg and heading down to Boonsboro for a run. Most of the time, I run alone. Gregg meets up with Jonathan, JC, and sometimes others and we all run the first mile together, and then they speed up and go on for another 7 (all the way down to Riverside Park) and I chug along at my slower pace.

Today, though, we ran into trouble from last night's grumpy snow storm. Although it was beautiful during the day and fun at night during the Lynchburg Christmas parade (that's my niece Ella and her buddy Lance at the parade), we ran into a little trouble when we arose this morning and found the roads to be quite slick from the thaw and re-freeze of the wet snow/ice. So, as we ran along in that first mile, we quickly found that running fast wouldn't be very smart (to the tune of Jonathan yelping everytime he got close to falling) and we just ran along at a much slower (and safer) pace.

We only ended up running 4 miles because our normal running stride turned into a slippery/icy shuffle and we all were complaining of tired stabilizing quads and ankles by the end.

Altogether, though, it was enjoyable to see the first snow run of the 2010 winter season. It may be chilly, but it's so fun to see the weather change!

Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic

2010-12-04T16:01:00.084-05:00

Miles today: 3.1 + 2.97 = 6.1

Miles this week: 23.6

Miles this year: !)(@$*)!

Three years ago on the first Saturday in December, Gregg picked me up for our first date. He and I had finally crossed paths enough for him to ask me to go on a date and earlier that week we had talked on the phone. He asked if I was running the Bedford Christmas Classic, which I was, and then offered to pick me up the morning of the race. So that Saturday, promptly at 6:45am, Gregg showed up at my apartment in his silver BMW Z4 with a Starbucks vanilla latte in hand. I was pumped to be getting a ride in his fancy car, but felt bad telling him that I didn't drink coffee and didn't like lattes.

So, I tried to drink some of the latte on our drive to Bedford. For some reason, we had really connected over running (being that we did meet on the 10 Miler course and all) and going to this race together was kind of special. Gregg was running on a team with some pals from Brook Food Group, Jesse Pratt and a few others, so we met in a parking lot to get everyone together. Then we all went to the middle school and picked up our packets.

When the race was over, Gregg and I waited in the gym for the results, but funny thing--the results were messed up because the race director had accidentally used duplicate numbers. So it took what seemed like hours and hours for results to be processed. I wanted to wait because Gregg had won 4th place overall and I really wanted to know if I placed in my age group. While we waited, Gregg and I talked and talked while sitting on the floor of the Bedford Middle School gymnasium. We had so much to talk about that I think we both knew something was happening between us. When the results were finally finished, Gregg won 4th place and my name was never posted. To this day, my name still isn't in those results. Gregg sent me a picture the following week:

We still laugh about those darn results. I'm pretty sure my time in that race was somewhere around 26:30.

Three years later, Gregg and I have tied the knot and are still running the Christmas Classic every year. I kind of wanted to tell the race director my story and have him design the race t-shirt in honor of our 2010 marriage, but I was a wuss about it and thought it might be conceited to think that anyone would want us on their t-shirt.

In 2008, I ran 26:35 and last year my time was 26:06. My goal this year was to beat last year's time. I ran 24:40 at the race today! I was pretty psyched to have knocked almost 1:30 off my best time on that course. Gregg was pumped for me too. We had a team lined up this year for the race. Riverside Runners was made up of me, Gregg, Ricky Flynn, Darrell Wargo, and Jordan Whitlock. Unfortunately for us, our 1st, 2nd, 11th, and 20th places weren't enough for the win (my 98th place brought our team score down), but everyone on the team placed except for me. Ricky was 1st overall, breaking the course record, winning the "top of the hill" prize, and a turkey (he won $110!), Jordan was 2nd overall, winning some prize money as well. Gregg was first in his age group and Darrell was 2nd in his age group. Here are the guys with all their winnings:

And here's Ricky's turkey:

I was proud of everyone's efforts.

After the race, Gregg and I ran the course in reverse to get in a few extra miles. It felt good to go down the Bedford Hospital hill rather than up it.

To top it all off, Lynchburg's first snow of the winter came today as well. I was pretty psyched when I got home to see snow on the mailbox. I guess that means winter is officially here.

my new husband

2010-12-03T16:00:00.035-05:00

Miles today: 2.0

Miles this week: 17.5

Miles this year: ack!

I am lucky to have a super duper new husband. I call him that sometimes and he jokes with me about what happened to my "old" husband.

Reason being: I can pretty much call him any time, any day, and in any weather, and unless something big is happening, he'll probably agree to run with me if I really need him.

Now, don't get me wrong, I can't ask during work...but most any other time, Gregg always comes through.

One really big thing I've learned in the past year is that running alone isn't so bad, but running with someone is really very good. Prior to 3-6-5, I was always a loner-style runner. I preferred running alone because I hated having to think about running as I ran. If I ran with someone, I'd have to constantly think about lots of things: how fast or slow we ran, what to talk about, if I was breathing loud, if I needed to stop would they think I was a wuss, if I needed to fart would they think I was gross, etc. I also liked running alone because it was a good time for me to clear my head. I did have some running buddies who helped with my learning to run with a buddy style before I started 3-6-5 (thanks Stacey & Austin) but I still was kinda scared to run with a friend.

Project 3-6-5 has taught me lots of things, but one of my very favorite lessons in running everyday this year has been that I've become very comfortable with running with people. I still don't mind running alone, but if I do it too many days in a row, I start to get kind of depressed about the monotony. Now, I look forward to finding someone to run with without worrying about what they will think of me or how fast we will go. I don't mind if my partner wants to walk a bit, or if they're faster than me, or even if I have to fart. I just run and enjoy their company and the laughter. It's very freeing.

My favorite running buddy of all is my husband, Gregg. He always comes through. In 2010, there have been a number of days where I either waited until 9pm or later to run, I was scared of the big bad dogs in my neighborhood, or I just was lonely--and Gregg always came through.
Just tonight, I was heading out of work and it was after 6pm. I didn't want to run alone--it was dark, cold and windy. I called Gregg before I left work and without asking any questions, he was ready to meet me at Starbucks to run a few easy miles before the Christmas Classic tomorrow.

I love this man. He just always makes me happy.

Shelley Blades

2010-12-02T09:16:00.002-05:00

Miles today: 3.0

Miles this week: 15.5

Miles in 2010: I really will figure this out...1000+?

My friend Shelley and I used to work together at Riverside Runnners. She has a different job now, at L'Arche, where she makes life fun for full-time residents in a home in Boonsboro. The best thing about Shelley and this job is that it has made her so happy. She loves it and she has the best stories about the people she works with. She also has a really rad blog over here. Funny thing is, she started her picture-a-day blog after my run everyday blog and of course she kept going and has done an awesome job, and I haven't.

However, she has been part of my year of running a few times (I wish more) and today we ran together at Percival's Island downtown. It was supa-cold this morning, but it was totally worth it because Shelley is fun to just listen to. She tells funny stories all the time. Sometimes I don't even want to talk because I'd rather hear about her adventures. I miss working with Shelley, but I'm really proud of her and her job at L'Arche.

We made plans to make cookies together with some of the people who live at L'Arche next week. I bet that will be another blog.

We ran 3 miles today because I was super late showing up (that's another trend of mine) and I had to be out of there by 9:00, but it was a great 3 miles and was super fun to run with my bud again.

Thanks Shelley!

its December?!?

2010-12-01T17:11:00.000-05:00

well here's how I really feel...

asdflkjoiugl;jsaf1!()*#%(!

enough there.

miles today: 4.0
miles this week: 12.5
miles in 2010: errr...not sure.

So what I thought I'd do during "project threesixfive" was blog everyday and have an amazing journal of my journey of running everyday for a year.

What really happened was life got in the way, we were planning a wedding, Gregg and I got married, and somewhere in there I quit blogging.

UGH.

I hate those two words together...I quit.

I really did kind of give up on the blog thing.

However, I did do what I was supposed to on the other end of the goal, and that was to run everyday thus far. As of today, I only have 31 days left to run. How cool is that?

Makes me feel pretty good.
So, with my entry into the world of December 2010, I thought I'd re-enter the blog-o-sphere and try to write each day of December to get me back on my wagon...and excite you readers about what's to come in 2011!

So, without further ado...I'm back. And I'm stronger than ever! Go me!

sitting in bed NOT running

2010-08-20T09:06:00.000-04:00

Miles today: soon to be 1.1
Miles this week: 15.4
Miles in 2010: too many to count

I'm sitting in bed with Stacey.

We're not running.

That's because Usher's on GMA this morning and he stole our whole hour from 8-9am...because we just sat there waiting...and waiting...for him to appear.

Then George Stephanopoulos announced him and there it was...a fierce dance party in my bedroom.

AH-mazing.

Now I'm going to run a mile.

Be proud that I have run everyday for 230 days. Only 135 days to go!

4 DAYS!!!

2010-07-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Miles today: 10
Miles this week: 10
Miles in 2010: a lot

WE HAVE 4 DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING!

AHHHHHHH!

If you can come, we'll be celebrating with a run the morning before our wedding at 7:00am at the Perrottos' house (126 McKenna Circle, across from James River Day School). Feel free to join us if you'd like! Just email me and let me know: heathervozel@yahoo.com

Mizuno Fun Run and Shoe Test

2010-06-15T17:39:00.000-04:00

Mizuno Fun Run and Shoe Wear Test Ride

Come run with us!

When: Wednesday, June 16th, 6:00pmWhere: Riverside Runners out Rivermont and Peakland and back (approx. 4 miles)
Why: a fun run and a chance to run in a pair of Mizuno shoes
What: free pizza and Gatorade and register for super cool prizes!

How much: FREE!

BONUS RAFFLE ENTRY IF YOU WEAR MIZUNO APPAREL OR SHOES TO THE RUN!

Check out our website!

I'm BAAAAAAACK

2010-05-11T23:22:00.000-04:00

Miles today: 1.1
Miles this week: 3.1
Miles in 2010: it's just under 500 miles! I'll get back to ya on exact numbers.

Sorry I've had a two month hiatus. I know that's not good.

In fact, it haunts me almost everyday thinking that I had a huge (okay, not huge, but substantial for me) blog-following, and then I just up and ran away and left you all hanging. I suck.

But really, I do have a good excuse. Wedding planning got in the way of blogging and it came first and all I've been doing is loving my fiance, running, working, and planning the wedding. Literally. In fact, sometimes it feels like I'm not even getting all of that done.

BUT-------------------------------

I made a committment, and even if it means that I never get back those lost blog days (for which I have tons of blog posts saved as drafts)...then, oh well. I at least will have a log with some entries, even if it's not 365. I will know that I have run EVERY SINGLE DAY since I started...I've not given up on the running part. And that's what's so important!

I have lots of shoes and fun stuff to share with you all from the store, as well. So get your reading glasses back out and get ready. I'll try to back-blog when I get a chance. For now...just enjoy my feet. They look kinda skinny, don't they? I think it's all this running I've been doing.

And PS: I almost forgot. I ran a mile with Gregg tonight after work. Just a mile, nothin' serious. I like our miles together. Kinda can't wait to run the 25 feet down the aisle toward him...my favorite running buddy. :)

Sunday

2010-03-14T15:42:00.012-04:00

Miles today: 7.0
Miles this week: 33.5
Miles in 2010: 280.3

I thought I wouldn't run very far today because I've been feeling like junk in my legs and the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k is less than two weeks away...but I found myself feeling pretty decent, so I went for the whole 7 miles.

Gregg and I met up with the Sunday morning group at Isabella's...and I ran the first mile with the guys. After about a mile, I usually fall back in speed.

I ended up running all the way to Riverside Park and back to Isabella's...great run.

Gifts for Gulu

2010-03-13T09:37:00.000-05:00

Miles today: 5.34

Miles this week: 26.5

Miles in 2010: 273.3

This morning was the Gifts for Gulu "Water for Life" 5k race at Lynchburg College. Gregg and I both ran beforehand and then volunteered at the race.

I met up with Austin at the school and we ran the Sandusky Loop before the race. I was feeling pretty exhausted in my legs for some reason, so we stopped and stretched at the Perrymont/Fort Ave. intersection. Kept running out Fort Avenue to Grand Furniture, made a right on Sandusky and ran back to the College. My legs were still feeling tired, so I'm not sure what's up. Guess I just need some rest.

After the run, Austin and I got some dry clothes (it had been raining a little during our run) and went up to the track to help out with the race. I had to detour to the bathroom (of course) and then was put in charge of one of the stopwatches for the race. Austin was the clipboard recorder and Gregg was the other stopwatch timer.

Saw some cool peeps at the race: Malcolm Miller (decked out in new gear from Riverside Runners), Chad and Sandy Duff, Erin Elwell and her two beautiful children, Charlie & Emma (who both ran the Amazing mile and were A-dorable), Dwayne Fitts (2nd place), Darrell Wargo (3rd place), one of my former student's moms, Laurie Richardson, the Gellerts, James LaPrade (oops!), and some of my favorite ladies, PJ Jones, Nancy Blackwell, Sarah Bryant, and Dianne Wright.

You can see the results of the race here!

Great race, great cause. Thanks for all the donations of sports equipment and shoes to Sports Outreach.

Headed to work after the race, fit a bazillion people in new shoes, and then spent the evening vegging out with my homey, Gregg. :)

Austin's home!

2010-03-12T19:29:00.025-05:00

Miles today: 5.0

Miles this week: 21.1

Miles in 2010: 268

Here --->
are two of my favorite running store buddies: PW and Austin

Austin's home for the rest of the week, so I was happy to wake up at 7:30 this morning and meet her at the Greek Church for an easy 5-miler. We both hate running on the paved trail at Blackwater, but my legs were tired and I didn't feel like running up either direction of Langhorne or straight across to Cranehill, so the only option was to stay flat on the trail.

It had rained all day yesterday, so we stayed away from the trails and just ran the paved path...out 2.5 and back. I am a big wuss and sometimes get nervous when I run with Austin because I know she's so much faster than me. But actually, today, I felt pretty good, all the way out and almost all the way back...and then of course, the cursed bathroom cramp hit me and I had to jog back to the Ed Page entrance with one thing on my mind...how quickly the bathroom would be near. We were also suprisingly lucky to start and finish our run after the rain finished and before it started again.

We saw Helen and her friend on the trail as we finished running, chatted really quick, and then headed out. It's always good to catch up with Austin by running because she can tell me all about school and how life is and I don't have to talk too much (especially since I'm always way more out of breath than her) and I can nod and say: uh-huh...and I don't seem like I'm too much of a wimp. It's great. It's our best catching up time when we're running. Plus she's got a lot more excitement going on in her life since she's a student at Wake Forest and living the college life. I love living vicariously through her.

Anyway, had a good run to start the day, stopped by AREVA to pick something up from Gregg, and then headed home and on to work.

Busy day all week at the store, so I've been on the floor every minute...and I can tell because my legs are a ton sorer than usual.

After work, Gregg and I ordered pizza and kicked up our feet for the evening. I love minutes spent with him. And pizza.

Gotta get up early to run and then help out at the Gifts for Gulu race in the AM.

3:00AM

2010-03-11T21:00:00.009-05:00

Miles today: 2.0

Miles this week: 16.1

Miles in 2010: 263

I stayed up until 3AM last night for some unknown reason...doing things like trying to catch up on blogging (which isn't working very well) and laundry and such.

I guess part of the reason why I'm so behind on blogging is because I'm running a lot and more than I ever have before, which means I'm running out of time to write. Plus, of course, wedding planning is taking over, which means there's even less time to write.

All of this to say that staying up til three last night did me no bit of good today when I woke up for work, so of course, I didn't get my run in and had to do it after work.

It felt like it should be a "rest" day, so I only ran two miles up and down Rivermont after work. It's funny how a rest day for me is two miles now, and not just sitting on the couch. Love that feeling.

Easy run, dinner with my lovey, and then headed out to Target to continue the wedding registry menagerie.

Woo-hoo.

A Day Filled with Lots

2010-03-10T23:47:00.053-05:00

Miles today: 4.2

Miles this week: 14.1

Miles in 2010: 261

This morning I woke up and had the day off from work, so I met a new running buddy, Johnna, at the Greek Church and ran 4 miles with her. That's her on the right.

Johnna's a pretty big inspiration because she lost a ton of weight in the last two years and then ran her first marathon in November and QUALIFIED FOR BOSTON! How awesome is that? I hope that with proper training, I can do the same thing someday.

We ran from the Greek Church, up Langhorne, down Rivermont, and then down Woodland to the 1-mile mark and back up Blackwater. I hadn't run Langhorne in a long time, so I definitely was feeling the hill as we headed up to Rivermont.

It was fun to run with another new buddy. I usually find out pretty quickly if I'm going to have to work hard to keep up, slow myself down to stay with the person, or feel perfect and in sync and not have to worry about timing and pace. For the most part, with Johnna, I didn't have to worry about pace or struggling to stay together, which was nice.

After the run, Johnna had to go home to her boys (she has 3 gorgeous sons) and I headed straight for the bathroom...hahaha. A good run will do that to me.

After the run, I went to Wyndhurst to visit the J. Crew store...where I found a few cute dresses for weddings this summer. (Note: It's nice to try clothes on in smaller sizes lately...I think the running has affected my body composition, because things are fitting better.) My sister and niece met up with me, we took a look at some flower girl dresses at J. Crew and a store in Boonsboro, and then ate lunch at Phila Deli. (Note: I love, LOVE, LOVE their Buffalo Chicken Wrap...it's so good!)

I had a few meetings at hotels this afternoon, so I headed out to the Holiday Inn Select downtown and then picked up Gregg and went out to the Springhill Suites by the airport. We ended up deciding on both hotels, one being very close to the airport, and one very close to Lynchburg College. Hopefully our guests will be satisfied.

I headed home to finish the much-belated Save-the-Dates that said "Merry Christmas" and were supposed to get done before December 25th...but alas, at least they got done. I made inserts with hotel information and got a cute edge puncher from Martha Stewart crafts...then Stacey came over and helped me stuff envelopes and finish the project. THANK GOODNESS IT'S DONE.

Austin came home from spring break in Ft. Lauderdale today, so me, Gregg, and Stacey headed over to the Corner Cafe to meet up with her and hang for a little. We hadn't been over there for yummy fresh-cut fries in a long time! Long day, but got a lot done!

one of the maids

2010-03-09T19:05:00.039-05:00

Miles today: 5.0

Miles this week: 9.9

Miles in 2010: 256.8

Today after work I ran with one of my bridesmaids, Stacey, again. She is home from school (in Roanoke) for spring break. We ran from the running store, out Rivermont to Peakland Place, up and down the hills of Peakland, out to Peakland United Methodist, and then back to the store.

Stacey is a few years younger than me, graduated from JMU in '08 and is now in OT school at Jefferson in Roanoke. She's a very smart girl and will be really good at working with people who need therapy. I'm excited for her.

Stacey went to Heritage and ran track and played soccer in high school. Therefore, she is WAY more of an athlete than I am. I think her events were like 800s and the mile. That makes her really good at running short distances fast...so while we were running our 5 mile course, on the way back, just before we hit mile four, Stace suggested that we run the last mile fast.
Now, I don't consider myself much of an athlete, because I'm not really that fast or talented at running, and when she suggested running the last mile under eight minutes after already running four miles, I was like, no freaking way.

However, Stace is pretty good at pushing me, and is a great motivator, so I decided to go for it...and we ended up running the last mile at about 7:50. That made me happy, but it also make me feel like puking.

Puking is one thing I'm good at it. Ever since I've raced in 5ks, all the way back to one I did at Penn State when I was in college, I've always been a puker. It usually isn't anything big...and I've learned not to eat too much (especially orange juice, because that burns coming back out)...because I hate puking up much more than liquid at a race. It's funny though, I think I've pinpointed the puking thing as being connected to the excitement and crowd at the finish line. I think this because I've run races where the finish line was really mild and not many people were paying attention, and not puked, and I've run races just as hard, and if there are tons of people at the end and it's really exciting, I puke.

For instance, last year at the Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond, I ran with my friend Sarah. We ran Sarah's pace, which was just a bit slower than my normal race pace. I hadn't felt tired or worn out the whole race. But, the finish line at the race was unbelievable. I mean, obviously with 30,000+ finishers you'd expect that...and what did I do? I puked on the timing mats as I crossed the line. Sarah had to run away from me because she was scared she was going to puke because of me! Hahaha...

Anyway, the run this evening with Stace reminded me of puking because that last mile felt pretty darn close to throwing up. Lucky for Stace, I was fine. But just thought it must've been a good run since there weren't any crowds or excitement when we finished.

Stacey and I kind of have an interesting story. We met through an ex-boyfriend...kind of in between me dating him and her dating him...and eventually, we both stopped dating him, and through it all have become really good friends...

I mean...really, I never would've thought she'd be in my wedding. Our connection is probably a good one because we've been through similar stuff. That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger...or something like that.

Anyway, Stace is in our wedding and she's recently a brand new engagee herself. I'm pretty excited for her and her fiance, Andrew.

Double & Hill Repeats

2010-03-08T13:43:00.043-05:00

Miles today: 2.4 in the AM + 2.5 in the PM = 4.9
Miles this week: 4.9
Miles in 2010: 251.8

This morning I "doubled"...not like a Patterson double, but just a Heather double. I ran with Stacey in Wyndhurst, but was kind of tired and knew I had hill repeats coming up tonight, so we both took it easy and only ran 2 point something miles.

After work, I met Gregg at the Lynchburg College track to do a mile warm-up before my hill workout. He had just finished an 18-miler, so he just stretched while I ran around the track. Glass' lacrosse team was practicing on the field so I had something to listen to while I ran. I swear all those people do is scream.

After my warm-up, Gregg directed me to the middle part of the entrance hill at LC...where I would start and then run up toward the stands above Shellenberger Field and run through to the top.

I told the guys at work that I'd be doing hill repeats tonight and this is what Brandon said:

Heather, your first hill will be pretty good. You'll push hard, get up the hill, be like..."this isn't so bad." Your second hill, you'll push hard and feel like you should be faster but will be slower and you'll hurt a lot more. The third hill, well, you'll feel like I'm on your back.

<----Here's Gregg, my trainer.

Just kidding.

Here's the real Gregg,
my trainer. --->

I did the first one in 56 seconds and didn't feel bad. I turned around and headed down the hill but this time started down further at the guard booth. I ran hard but felt worse. It took me 1:17. I felt my arms starting to burn like my body was going to explode. This time, at the top, I was wayyyyy out of breath. While I was running, I heard Gregg yelling, "Push, push, dig, dig. Lift your knees! All the way...push push!"

I was going to say back, "I'm trying!" but figured wasting my breath with unnecessary words at the time wouldn't be worth it.

The third hill--Brandon was right. I felt like he was on my back. I tried so hard to go faster, but my body was saying, "Nooooooooooo!" so I just tried to push through. It took me 1:20 and I started at the same place. When I was done, it took me a good minute to even catch my breath. Glad the repeats were over and all I had left was to run a mile cool-down. Ran my cool down faster than my warm-up...not on purpose, but just because it felt slow and easy.

I'm starting to feel like a real athlete. Is that possible?

an Out-of-Towner

2010-03-07T22:00:00.058-05:00

Miles today: 5.01

Miles this week: 30.3

Miles in 2010: 246.9

This morning I met my friend Sarah's (from yesterday's baby shower) sister Emily to run from Isabella's. She lives in Richmond and was in town for the shower, and since she runs a lot, we made plans yesterday to run this morning.

Emily went to school to be a PT in Richmond at VCU, graduated last year, and now works at MCV. She was Sarah's link to the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k last year. We all ran it (me with Sarah and Emily with her friend Elizabeth) and the picture above shows me, Sarah, and Emily at packet pick-up. They gave away really cool reusable grocery bags that we loved, but they didn't have enough t-shirts when we got there and we were kind of bummed with our super size larges. This year, our plan is to email Em some copies of our IDs so she can go to packet pick-up early. Thank goodness.

Anyway, this year, Brian, Danny, Jeff, Tom, Gregg, and I are going out to Monument Ave...we're pretty pumped, but I'm sad that Sarah won't be there. She's due like two days after the race, so no running for her lately. Emily is running again, so maybe we'll meet up. I've been running for two and a half months solid, so I'm excited to see how it plays out in the 10k.

Emily and I ran from Isabella's, up Old Boonsboro Road to Boonsboro, to Peakland, and then down Rivermont to Riverside Drive and then turned around and came back. Our run was nice and slow...we talked the whole way and had a good time. It was really good to run with Em because she's so easy going and also is willing to talk about farting and bathroom functions. I mean...really...if you run, you have to admit that the bathroom can be a slight problem for us, right?

After the run, I grabbed some Starbucks for Gregg and I and went home to get ready for church. Gregg made yummy breakfast for me (my favorite on a Sunday!) and then we headed to Holy Cross. After church, we stopped by my sister's to say goodbye to my parents who were heading back to Pennsylvania, then met up with Stacey and Andrew to attempt a Sharp Top climb...

The 501 side of the parkway was still closed, though, so we ended up having a picnic at Otter Creek campground on the other side of the parkway and goofing around in the parking lot. Here are some highlights of the day:

Stace and me getting some airrrr!

everyone attempting a jump on self-timer...

almost success...

the L.O.V.E. photo I've been trying to get

Sarah's Baby Shower!

2010-03-06T23:00:00.039-05:00

Miles today: 3.64

Miles this week: 25.3

Miles in 2010: 241.9

Today after work was Sarah's baby shower. Sarah and I taught 2nd grade together for two of the four years I was a teacher at Thomas Jefferson Elementary. She was there the whole time I was at TJES, but taught 3rd grade before. She was the best teaching partner anyone could ever ask for. I really miss teaching with her, but I had to leave teaching because I was pretty unhappy there.

I was pretty psyched for the shower because A: I love Sarah so much and am so excited for her and baby A. B: I love baby things and C: I couldn't wait to see everyone.

Ashley, a friend, and Emily, Sarah's sister, hosted the shower at Ashley's house. It was beautiful and fun and emotional (I think I cried twice just during the gift-opening)...

I bought Sarah some little sweet baby girl clothes and socks and towels, as well as a Bumbo seat. (see photo) Bumbos are made in South Africa and are very popular. They help your baby sit up as long as she holds her head up...so even before a baby is strong enough to sit on her own, she can sit in a Bumbo seat.

Anyway, we had a blast at the shower...including my personal favorite game, where we passed diapers with melted candy bars inside and had to guess which brown melted bar was in each. :)

Afterwards, I changed at Ashley's house and headed out for a run.

I'm going to go ahead and say now that I've become pretty accustomed to always having a bag of running clothes and my kicks with me at all times. It's kind of funny, but it also makes me feel very accomplished as a runner when I can just pull out my bag from the backseat and throw on clothes for a run. Is that strange? On top of that, I had a few errands to "run" and just happend to actually run to the places where I had to do errands. I love an "errand run."

Anyway, the Carters live at the far end of Riverside Drive near the James River, so I ran out of that area up to Rivermont, and down to the store. I had left my phone there in a hurry this morning at work, so I stopped by to pick it up.

Turned around at the store and then ran up to Rowland (across from the Cavalier) to stop by Sarah and Ryan's house to see the baby's nursery. They just finished painting her room pink, so I really wanted to see it. Everything looks gorgeous. I love baby stuff. I love all the pink ruffles and bows and squishy blankets that come with having a baby. I'm really excited for Sarah and Ryan to be parents. And I'm also excited that she'll be on maternity leave from the time she has baby A (she's due at the end of this month) until this summer.

My biggest new goal for after the baby comes: I will go to Sarah's house in the morning before work to help her out with her new little bundle so that we can spend time together like old times.

One of the hardest things about being on a different work/retail schedule is that I don't leave the store sometimes until 7:30pm. That means that most people are wrapping up and putting up their feet. I feel like I miss out on a little life and that's what's been hardest about not teaching and not seeing Sarah. I really want to make it a big goal to spend a lot of time with her in the coming months. Hopefully, it will involve taking walks with her, and maybe eventually runs (with a baby jogger, of course!).

Anyway, after stopping at Sarah's, I ran back to Ashley and Jimmy's house and headed home. I ran just over 3 miles, felt good, and enjoyed the gorgeous 50+ degree weather.

When I got home, I had a quick shower, and then Gregg and I headed out to Mi Patron (new Mexican restaurant in Boonsboro by Kroger shopping center) to meet my parents, brother-in-law, and niece. Ella loves Mexican. She calls her food there "meat and cheese" and she loves it.

We had a yummy dinner and then went to hang out with my family at my sister's house. Mom made chocolate peanut butter cupcakes for my birthday yesterday, so we had leftovers. Mmmmmm...they're topped wtih my Aunt Beth's famous Peanut Butter Icing. So so good.

Super day!

Run in the Sun

2010-03-05T14:00:00.039-05:00

Miles today: 5.75

Miles this week: 21.7
Miles in 2010: 238.3

Today made me feel like the kids in this picture. I LOVE sunny, warm days, Vitamin D, and a good afternoon run. I love running in the afternoon better than any other time of day...way better than morning and some better than evening.

Anyway, I only had to work until 3:00 today, which was awesome because I never have afternoons off. I dressed for a run, left work, and headed over to Lynchburg College to run. I ran my Sandusky Loop from the summer with Stacey. Missed her while I was running, but at least I felt good this time.

Last time I ran this loop was in January after I fell and busted up my knee. It hurt really bad and felt like it was going to explode, so I'm glad that's over with. I ran pretty smooth, felt strong coming up Fort Avenue and even up Greenwood Drive and Thomas Road.

Speaking of busting up my knee. It's definitely a good thing that wedding dresses are long. Otherwise, I'd have a big nasty scar to cover up for this wedding. Gross.

After my run, I did some shopping and then headed home so that Gregg and I could go to my sister's for mom's spaghetti. YUMM-O!

Dinner was super delish. I kind of miss sitting at my mom's dinner table to enjoy her cooking. It was good to have her in Lynchburg.

Oh, I've been trying to do the reader question alert thing, but not that many people respond. Am I really that boring? Here's today's question:

READER QUESTION ALERT!!!

If Gregg and I have a free "Gregg and Heather 5K" the morning of our wedding, would it be neat to invite anyone to come, even if they're not invited to the wedding? Would you come, readers?

Yo, write me a comment, ok?

Interval Run

2010-03-04T13:34:00.047-05:00

Miles today: 6.75

Miles this week: 15.95

Miles in 2010: 232.5

Today my parents came into town, partly to celebrate my belated birthday, so after work, Gregg and I both went on a run at 5:00.

Gregg met up with Brian, Danny, and Matt and I ran by myself from the Greek Church. Gregg had me do mile intervals with a mile warm-up, a fast mile, a rest mile, a fast mile, and a mile cool-down. The goal was to try to run 10 minute slow miles and 8 minute fast miles.

I started at the Greek Church, ran down the paved path through the tunnel (note: the Garmin does lose signal in the tunnel) toward downtown, and then across the bridge near Point of Honor, up to Hollins Mill and back up the hill and around to the Greek Church. My splits were 9:45/7:45/10:20/8:20/10ish. I ended up running almost 7 miles, so my last couple I just kept between a 9 and 10-minute pace. It was a really good run and I felt good even during my fast miles. It's definitely interesting feeling how my body has changed in the past two months. I feel lighter and stronger and therefore it's easier to run faster. I'm pretty psyched about what that means for this spring/summer!

After I finished up, Gregg came Usain Bolting in. He ran a fast last mile and I thought I was seeing an Olympian in person.

Afterwards, we headed to my sister's house to hang out with my parents and fam.

I love birthdays and was bummed the weekend of my actual birthday when it snowed and my parents couldn't make it to Lynchburg, so I was kind of super looking forward to their visit.

Much to my surprise, when we arrived, I had a present waiting for me...a new Chi straigtening iron! I was pretty pumped because my straightener has been on the fritz for awhile...what a super gift! Thanks mom and dad!

We ate ice cream cake leftover from my brother-in-laws birthday (yeah, I know...the sweets things didn't work so well, but I am eating less!) and hung out with my niece.

Note: My mom brought homemade spaghetti for dinner tomorrow. I can't wait!

Pre-Marital Counseling

2010-03-03T22:03:00.000-05:00

Miles today: 3.0

Miles this week: 9.2

Miles in 2010: 225.7

Gregg and I have been meeting with our marriage whiz every other week since January to talk about getting married. We filled out individual surveys back when we got engaged and when we meet with Anne, we talk about how our surveys match up together and what areas may need to be double-checked.

I really super duper enjoy our time with Anne and the time we spend together at counseling. I think it's mostly because we get to talk about things that aren't always easy to find. I love hearing stories from Anne about her family and how she and her husband Chris have done things to raise a family that has what seems like a great relationship. I love learning new things about Gregg and hearing him explain how he works and why he is the way he is. I just can't wait to marry him.

I know, I know...you're throwing up, right?

Well, it's just that I enjoy being around Gregg so much and am exited that I get to spend the rest of my life with him. He's my very best friend and my favorite man in the whole world.

But what this really is about is the fact that after work, and after our 6:15pm meeting with Anne, as we left the spiritual life building at Lynchburg College, Gregg offered,

Wanna go for a run? I brought my stuff.

You know, it's the littlest things, but can I just say that those two sentences made my tummy do flips?

I LOVE when Gregg plans to run with me and surprises me. It's the best feeling. I know he cares. And I love it. He has probably already run a hundred miles that day, but he'll still run with me.

We ran from the track at LC, across campus to Vernon Street, left on Langhorne, right on Eldon, right on Memorial, and right on some street I don't know which eventually crossed Sussex and turned into McCausland, then a right on College, and a left back across campus to the track to finish up three miles. It was warmer out and felt easy and refreshing. Great three miles with my lover boy.

Rest and Tuxedos

2010-03-02T23:00:00.003-05:00

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 6.2

Miles in 2010: 222.7

Today after work, Gregg and I met to head down to Celebration, the bridal shop downtown, to pick out suits for the wedding. Of all things, the easiest, quickest part of planning for the wedding is stinkin picking out the suits. WHY!?

I had a long day with visions of cupcakes and guest lists and bridesmaids and flower girls and showers and registries in my head.

I'm trying to figure out if I can make a groom's cake for Gregg on my own for the wedding...just because I think it would be super cute...and if I'm talented enough to make pretty cupcakes for my own bridal shower...however, everyone tells me that it's too much of an undertaking, so we'll see. As you can see above, the cupcakes pictured are so adorable and I think would be super easy. We'll see. I think I might bake some next weekend and decide.

Anyway, that didn't leave much time today for running, so I took a rest day, especially since I ran that tempo run yesterday. I did the Mullbury Mile, as I affectionately have come to call it...and almost in record time for that loop. Felt good even though I was tired and a little sore.

Can't wait to see how my speed is affected by all of this hard work!

Tempo Run

2010-03-01T23:59:00.007-05:00

Miles today: 5.04
Miles this week: 5.04
Miles in 2010: 221.6

Yes, readers...I'm back.

Sorry about the short furlough. I've been putting together wedding stuff for the past week...so I'm apologizing for my week and a half off...but I guarantee you'll have some good reads.

For instance, today's run...(which was actually Monday, March 1st)...was my first ever tempo run.

Gregg told me to go out on a relatively flat course today and run an easy mile, 3 fast miles, and another easy rest mile.

I've never really paced my runs like that, so I just was trying to do my best at running slow for the first and fifth miles and running fast for miles 2-4. However, my Garmin died on me, so I didn't really know where my mile splits were, and I just guessed.

My guesses were a little off, and mile 4 sucked...but here were my splits:

Mile 1 (easy): 9:01, distance: 0.98 mile

Mile 2 (tempo 1): 7:41, distance: 0.92 mile

Mile 3 (tempo 2): 10:01, distance: 1.35 miles

Mile 4 (tempo 3): 8:13, distance: 0.81 mile

Mile 5 (rest): 9:07, distance: 0.98 mile

My only major flop was from mile 3 to 4. I didn't know where the splits were, and I was also running down Peakland and back up the other side, so it was a bit hilly for a tempo run.

I definitely could feel my oxygen deprivation, and I felt like I didn't have enough in me to push through that fourth mile when I was coming up Peakland Hill toward VES Road...but I felt like I definitely pushed it.

Anyway, for a tempo run, I did pretty well and I know I'll be sore tomorrow.

My boss, Jeff, was very excited about my first tempo run. He told me to try for about an 8:10 pace on my middle three miles...and although I didn't get that exactly, I came pretty close and I was excited!

Way to go, Coach Gregg and Coach Jeff. I'm learning how to run faster!

To have and to hold from this day forward...

2010-02-28T23:45:00.034-05:00

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 20.5

Miles in 2010: 216.5

Gregg and I drove to Luray last night to visit our friends Paul and Wendy and their kids Raegan and Davey. We didn't get to leave town until almost 8:00 because of my run after work, which put us in Luray around 10:30pm. Paul and Wendy are super kind and gracious and Paul was waiting in the car with Raegan when we pulled up to their road so he could drive us through the pot holes and trenches created by the plows from all the winter snow.

When we got to their house, a few of Gregg's other college friends were there too, so we stayed up late talking and catching up.

The whole reason for the trip was to visit Paul's dad, David, who is a pastor at a little church in Chester Gap, to ask him to marry us in July.

This morning, we went to Pastor Dave's church with Paul, Wendy, the kids, and Jeff...and then afterwards went back to Paul's parents' house for lunch. Paul and his family are originally from England, which gives them some old English traditions...it was fun to be at his parents' house because there are little figurines of Big Ben and the Tower Bridge around the house.

For lunch, I experienced my first Yorkshire Pudding (not pudding at all, but actually a kind of bread). It was so good...I even got the recipe from Paul's mum. After lunch and dessert (tapioca pudding and carrot cake), we asked Paul's dad to marry us. It was so cute because he took us downstairs to his office, pulled out his manilla "wedding" folder and gave us a few papers with diagrams about where you stand in the ceremony and the order of the ceremony...and then went over the ceremony with us...each little detail, including the parts..."to have and to hold from this day forward...". It was very sweet and Gregg and I are really happy that he agreed to marry us. He and his wife will just be getting back from England on July 8th, so he'll come down to Lynchburg on the 9th to do the rehearsal and then stay the night for Saturday and the wedding!

We had a great trip, and we spent the rest of the afternoon with Paul and Wendy and the kids...stopped by Jeff's house to drop him off after lunch, got a tour of his house, and then went back to the Johnsons to watch America vs. Canada Olympic hockey (boo!).

We had aimed to run while we were in Luray today, but it just didn't happen, so we didn't run until 10:00 when we got home. We were both tired, so I just offered myself the neighborhood mile...a little rest for a busy weekend.

A Favorite Running Buddy

2010-02-27T23:03:00.014-05:00

Miles today: 5.2

Miles this week: 19.4

Miles in 2010: 215.4

Today was supa busy at work and the day flew by...I was tired because I went to bed late after the meet last night and so I skipped an early AM run.

Gregg said he would run to the store to get some mileage in and then run with me when he got there, so he did just that. I love when he shows up at the store. I love seeing his sweet face. I really love him just so much. I couldn't have asked for someone better to love. Gregg is my absolute favorite person in the world. Here are some good reasons for my accolades:

He listens when I need him.
He makes yummy breakfast on the weekends.
He is a really good cuddler.
When I need a running buddy because I don't even want to run, he runs with me. Even if it's 10:00PM.
He makes dinner when I get home from work at 8:00.
He rubs my back a lot.
He loves me even when I'm a whiner.
He makes me feel pretty darn special.
He tells me I'm a good runner.
He encourages me.
He says he can't wait to marry me.
He smiles when he hasn't seen me in awhile.
He loves doing things with me.
He spends so much time with me.
He usually understands when I'm having a bad day.
He helps me get my things together when I'm feeling disorganized.
He's REALLY good at surprises (like the time he surprised me on SHARP TOP with a DIAMOND!)
He doesn't mind when I'm stinky and sweaty after a run.
He also doesn't mind if I'm not all primped with makeup and nail polish and heels.
He just plain old loves me.

Today Gregg ran from our house to the store (approx. 7 miles) and then waited for me to get my gear on and ran about 5 more miles with me.

We ended up running down Bedford Avenue past the Flowers Bakery to Hollins Mill Road, past the entrance to the Blackwater Creek Trail at Hollins Mill, and up the GIGANTIC Tinbridge Hill, down federal street, a left on 5th Street, a right on Main Street, a right on 12th Street, a right on Church Street, and straight down Church to Rivermont and back to the store. It was actually a pretty tough run and I ran pretty slow...but Gregg didn't mind, so that made me feel good. Good run, low mileage this week because I was tired, sore and cranky...as you all know from the post a few days ago.

READER QUESTION ALERT!!!

What would be the best value in a hotel in
Lynchburg to send our wedding guests?

Gatorade & ODACS

2010-02-26T23:33:00.006-05:00

Miles today: 4.18
Miles this week: 14.2
Miles in 2010: 210.2

I find it mildly entertaining that the top nutrition supplement on my poll was Gatorade and that today Gatorade pulled it's sponsorship with Tiger. I know I shouldn't be amused, because he probably really does have a problem...but I'm kind of glad that he's losing his sponsorships because I really do think Tiger doesn't deserve any special attention or role model privileges anymore.

Is that wrong of me?

I know it's controversial...but I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I'm getting married in four months and I just wish that people like Tiger who are so much in the public's eye would be better role models in their marriages. It makes me very sad for his family. That's all I have to say about that. Sorry for ranting.

PS: my absolute favorite flavor of Gatorade now is Blueberry Pomegranate G2...and even though it turns my mouth blue, I kind of can't get enough of it.

More importantly, tonight after work, I headed over to LU to watch the conference championship meet for the ODAC. I hadn't run yet, so after I watched some of the later events, I suited up and ran over to the track, ran three miles, and then ran back to catch the end of the 5k. My run felt good...it was kind of nice to run on the track...better than all the asphalt miles I've been putting in and of course felt pretty fast.

I helped Gregg analyze some of the 5k results with FinishLynx and then watched Lynchburg College win the men's and women's 4x4 relay at the end of the meet. It was enough to put LC's men on top to win the conference meet, but only put LC's women in second place...losing by just TWO points. Ugh!

Overall, Lynchburg College did very well...including my boy Ricky Flynn winning the mile. Great meet...great results.

It's that Time of the Month

2010-02-25T23:05:00.007-05:00

Miles today: 1.1
Miles this week: 10.0
Miles in 2010: 206

Enough said...I was crabby and cranky, stressed and overwhelmed, tired and sore today. I ran a mile. That's it. And I don't even have anything to say about it.

But...after thinking a little and visiting a blog called twentysixpointtwoormore...I decided I need to ask my readers questions...so here goes...

READER QUESTION ALERT!!!

If you ran 5 miles with me...

where would we meet?

Leave me a comment and let me know! I'd love to hear from you!

MY CHEATING CHOCOLATE HEART!

2010-02-24T23:37:00.006-05:00

Miles today: 3.1

Miles this week: 8.9

Miles in 2010: 204.9

So about a week ago I told you that I was going to give up sweets for Lent. I celebrated my first Ash Wednesday with Gregg, and no sooner had I made my pledge to give up my ultimate nemesis, I cheated.

Yup...you got it. I'm going to be honest and tell you that just about everyday since last Wednesday, I've cheated on my Lenten promise. Now, I've had plenty of excuses, and many twists of what I really meant my Lenten sacrifice to be...but all twists and stretches aside, I just plain cheated.

Here's kind of how it went.

Wednesday, February 17: I ate a box of chocolate mint candies from Magnolia Foods...because they were in my purse from after Valentine's Day and I thought, "Well, I'll get rid of them now so I won't be tempted the rest of the time during Lent."

Thursday, February 18: I ate a piece of cake leftover from my birthday. It was in the fridge. I had to eat it. I told Gregg I'm changing my "giving up sweets" to "giving up candy."

Friday, February 19: Gregg and I went to Olive Garden for dinner with my birthday gift card. After our meal, I really wanted dessert...but I resisted (mostly just because Gregg said he was giving up sweets when I made my Lent decision, so he wouldn't eat dessert with me...and what girl wants to eat dessert by herself?!) and then had a big ole temptation slapped down in front of me when the check came...the ever-loved and always desired Andes mints! I mean, is that even fair?! So, I made the excuse that I had to eat it because of tradition and came up with something like: "oh, you're allowed to skip your Lent sacrifice on Fridays..." and ate not one, but two Andes mints. There goes the: "give up candy" part of the Lenten sacrifice. BAD ME.

Saturday, Februray 20: First, I ate a powdered sugar donut at Josh's race at Snowflex, then after dinner, Gregg and I both ate a piece of leftover birthday cake (see, he didn't keep up with the promise either!)

Sunday, February 21: After church at Holy Cross, there's always a big ginormous plate of donuts sitting on a table as you go out the door. Can I ever resist those? You guessed it: NO. Did I resist this Sunday? NO! When we got to Bethesda, ate our Benihana, and made our way back to the hotel, you would've thought I'd be so full and wouldn't need any sweets, but for some strange reason, all of that salty food made me ~~want~~ ~~need~~ have to have some mini Oreos from CVS. I ate them right before bed...and yes, I brushed my teeth.

Monday, February 22: I did not eat sweets all day on Monday...I even stopped in a funky bakery in Bethesda that makes glorious cupcakes that I really wanted to taste, but I resisted. I made it through lunch...no sweets. Dinner at Panera...no sweets...impressive, huh?

Tuesday, February 23: After dinner, Gregg got me a piece of birthday cake. I didn't say no.

Wednesday, February 24: I was very bad today. I ate a donut from 7-11. That's a sweet. I can't give up sweets. Then when I got home, Gregg and I finished the cake from my birthday.

So now, here we are, I made it through day #53 of running...but I can't make it through day #8 without a darn sweet to eat. WHAT IS MY PROBLEM?!

Part of it might just be that Ash Wednesday this year just happened to fall about a week before my period, and you know that pretty much meant that I couldn't possibly go without sweets in the pre-menstrual week...but at the same time...I feel like I've given up on a lot more than just my waistline. I can't follow my promise to God to give up something...to sacrifice for Him. So, I need some accountability I suppose...and I'm going to try again. We'll see how it goes this time.

On a lighter, happier note...tonight after our wedding sesh with Anne, Gregg and I ran at Lynchburg College. It was rainy and yucky when we started, but it ended up being not so bad. We ran a mile around the track, a mile on campus, and then another mile on the track...and I even pushed it in the last mile. Gregg got my splits (and all you fasties out there, don't laugh at these...PW!)...something like 2:03, 2:00, 1:57, 1:52...which made me happy because I wasn't even trying that hard. Fast as fast can be...watch out when I start doing speed work, huh? Just kidding. I'm not fast...never will be. But I do like getting better, that's for sure.

My 200th Mile Blog-A-Versary

2010-02-23T14:38:00.002-05:00

200 Miles...Footsteps Toward the Goal

Project Three Six Five

A little blog-a-versary!

Miles today: 4.7

Miles this week: 5.8

Miles in 2010: 201.8

Today I ran through my 200 mile mark! I was pretty excited to be arriving at 200 miles...and I'm not even sure why...but after I thought about it a little, I decided that 200 miles is a pretty big deal...partly because if I did those miles all in a row, I could run from here to Charlotte, North Carolina! Isn't that crazy!?

So with that, in honor of my 200th mile, I give you a song:

I guess this just popped into my head after I thought about my miles. Hope you enjoy it!

And by the way, I ran 4+ miles in Wyndhurst today after work...and I must say that all those flat Rivermont miles have kind of given me a little bit of a break...because the hills in Wyndhurst are NOT easy. But I made it, and I even saw some pals at the Y. Now it's taco night at my house and I'm pumped because I love tacos...especially after a good run.

Home from the Hubbub

2010-02-22T22:45:00.004-05:00

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 1.1

Miles in 2010: 197.1

Gregg had a quick business trip to make to Bethesda, MD...so I decided to go with him. We drove up yesterday afternoon and arrived around 5:30pm. Gregg had work to do at one of the AREVA buildings, so I took some work with me and just hung out til he finished.

After he was done, we went to Benihana, a Japanese steakhouse, for dinner. Here, the chef comes to your teppanyaki table (where you're seated with other guests) and cooks your food in front of you. Yum, YUM, YUM! We ate til we almost popped and enjoyed flaming onion volcanoes and shrimp tails flying into the chef's hat. My favorite trick by far was when he took an uncooked egg, spun it on the grill, flipped it in the air with his spatula and kept tossing it up and down like a ping pong ball (without breaking it while it still spun) and then flipped it one more time and caught it in his pocket.

Gregg ordered filet and I got chicken. The chicken-fried rice is also made right in front of you. So good! I had a california roll for an appetizer. I wouldn't know how to enjoy sushi if I hadn't gone to LA with Sarah a few years ago to visit my friend Mikey. We had real LA sushi and I learned the wasabi/ginger rules of eating sushi. It was so good.

Today, my plan was to head down to the Capital Crescent Trail, but after Gregg left for work, I just lazed around the hotel and got complimentary breakfast. I dressed for running, but I never actually made it out the door...and soon it was time for lunch. Gregg came back and we went to a little deli, the Hampden-Cafe that made EXCELLENT sandwiches. Now, even though we were in fancy schmancy Bethesda, I did think the food was a little overpriced...but it was still really good, so I guess was worth it.

After lunch, Gregg went back to work and I shopped around Bethesda a little...I hit the National Jean Company, and a cute store called Sassanova. I stopped in RnJ Sports, just to see what kind of running shoes they had, but I was honestly unimpressed with the store. It wasn't very nice inside. Gregg and I met back up around 2:30 and went back to the hotel to get the Cadillac DTS that he rented so that we could drive through DC and then head home.

The second part of my running plan today was to drive to DC, park somewhere, and run around to all the monuments with Gregg. However, when we got to DC, it was 4:00pm, there were NO places to park, and we drove around in a million circles trying to find somewhere to stop...and on top of that it was raining and yucky outside. Bless his heart, Gregg tried so hard to find a place so we could run, but it just didn't happen, so we ended up leaving and heading home.

We stopped in Gainesville so I could check out The Running Store, and then ate dinner at Panera. We finally got back on the road and headed to Lynchburg. We didn't get home until almost 10, and by this time, I wasn't too into running...but I needed to get a mile in, so I laced up and headed outside with Gregg.

We ran my neighborhood loop kind of fast and got back inside. I was tired from a long day!

Recovery

2010-02-21T19:56:00.005-05:00

Miles today: 4.4
Miles this week: 26.3
Miles in 2010: 196

Today when I woke up my hamstrings felt like junk. I didn't want to go to the 7:30am run and almost skipped. I didn't though...so I headed out to Boonsboro Shopping Center with Gregg and began a run that my legs didn't want to do. I ran with Gregg, Jonathan, Gary, and JC on Old Boonsboro Road and then back to Boonsboro Road, but my legs just couldn't hang with them, so I slowed down around Peakland UMC and hung back.

There's this amazing feeling that happens when you know you've worked your muscles so much that they are just fatigued...that's the way they felt yesterday. This morning, though, is the not-so-amazing feeling of un-bending-ness and soreness.

Part of it probably has to do with stretching. Last week I went to yoga four times and felt so limber. This week I had no time, worked late most days, and was too tired to make it to yoga. In hindsight, it probably hasn't helped. I feel like spaghetti.

So anyway, I ran to the Peakland intersection, realized I HAD to go to the bathroom, ran to Kroger, made a pit stop, and then returned to Peakland and ran to the end, turned around, and went back to Boonsboro Shopping Center. I ran REALLY slow. My legs wouldn't let me go faster...so I guess that means today was just a get out and shake 'em loose kind of day. Stretch, recover, relax.

Gregg and I were supposed to go to Luray last night to visit a friend and talk to our potential marriage pastor, but our plans were cancelled by a surgery, so I'm heading up to Bethesda today for one of his trips. I'm kind of excited to get out of town and enjoy a hotel.

Hope the weather stays nice! We're going to run in DC on Monday! Stay tuned!

And PS: have you seen the U.S. Olympic medal dominance?!

Fleming Mt. @ Rocky Mt. Road

2010-02-20T22:05:00.003-05:00

Miles today: 9.1

Miles this week: 21.9

Miles in 2010: 191.6

Gregg and I started the day by heading up to Candler's Mountain to help Josh Yeoman with his Liberty Mountain 5k Trail Run this morning. It was pretty cold and windy up on the mountain, but we had a good time working the clocks at the finish line. The race was well attended...almost 160 runners. Josh did a great job.

After the race, I ran a few errands, checked on the store, and then planned my run. Today's run was not easy. In fact, when I set out to run today, I was pretty sure I was only going to do between two and four miles. But...after the weather warmed up a bit, I decided I wanted to go on a little longer run. Gregg was running with me, so I kept asking him where we should run. I didn't want to run from my house or on Rivermont because I spend a lot of miles there, so I suggest that we head down 501 to Shortcut Road. Gregg agreed, so we drove out past Eagle Eyrie and parked at the church on the corner of 501 and Shortcut.

Now, if you've never driven or run up Fleming Mountain, you wouldn't know how tough it is, but as seen in the elevation map, from just after mile 1 all the way to the top of the mountain at 4.5 is a steady incline...a gain of almost 700 feet. My original plan was to get to the top and then come back down...and then I changed my mind and wanted to run out 45 minutes. By the time we were almost to the top, we were past 45 minutes and I just wanted to get all the way up...but I was so tired. I whined and complained for about 100 meters of the steepest ascent, but Gregg pushed me through, and when we hit the top of the mountain, I stopped for a scoop of snow and admiration of the view from above.

We headed back down after I finished my snow and stopped for a bathroom break, and I felt exhilarated by the descent. It was a great run...lots of snow, mud, and splashy gravel. My legs were completely dead when I finished, but it felt great. Stopped at BP on the way home for a big jug of Gatorade. Mmmm.

Tomorrow's run is gonna hurt.

Grass!?

2010-02-19T23:00:00.009-05:00

Miles today: 2.3

Miles this week: 12.8

Miles in 2010: 182.5

Today's run was short and sweet. I ran down Rivermont after work, fell and caught myself with both hands, kept running a bit, and then turned around and came back. I am happy that today was 50 degrees or so and that a lot of snow melted.

I kind of forgot what grass looked like. I can't wait until spring. I don't mind running in snow and ice...I don't mind icicles in my eyelashes...I don't even mind wearing a hundred layers of clothing. But I'm sick of the cold. I'm sick of cold, biting wind. I'll be happy when we have 3 consistent 50 degree days in a row. Soon...so soon.

I Don't Want to Run

2010-02-18T11:45:00.000-05:00

Miles today: 3.2

Miles this week: 10.5
Miles in 2010: 180.3

Today after work I was tired and cold and didn't want to run. ~~Sometimes~~ several times in the past two weeks, I haven't wanted to run at all. I am tired from working a lot and running a lot. For me, 25 miles + for the past 6 weeks has been kind of tough. I know I'm not even comparing to some runners I know (like Megan and Angela's 15 mile long runs or Patterson's 100+ mile weeks) but I do know that this is the best I've ever done. The videos above and below say it best.

So...with that, I'm just being honest by saying that some days
I don't even want to run.
Isn't that horrible? I hope that in the next few weeks I can build back up to 25+ mile weeks, but I think this week only holds just over 20 miles. That's okay. There aren't any rules with my challenge besides running a mile a day. And I'm meeting that goal. It's just not always easy.

Poll Results

2010-02-18T09:25:00.018-05:00

If you were wondering, 16 out of 21 (76%) people who voted said they excercise everyday.

5 out of 21 (24%) people admitted that they struggle with physical fitness. Interesting results.

Check out this week's poll (What supplements do you use before a run?) on the right margin and don't forget to vote!

Ash Wednesday

2010-02-17T23:48:00.003-05:00

Miles today: 3.0

Miles this week: 7.3

Miles in 2010: 177.1

I'm going to say that I had two firsts happen today and then I'm not going to really talk about much else.

My first first is that I went to my first Ash Wednesday service at Holy Cross today. I didn't grow up Catholic, so back home in my church we didn't get ashes on our forehead in honor of Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. Usually, people who celebrate Lent give up something during the 40 day "fast" between Ash Wednesday and Easter. I haven't always done this, but I think it's a good time to commit to something as a spiritual and personal sacrifice. So, with that, I'm giving up sweets for Lent. (yes, that includes cupcakes from Magnolia)

I think it's a really cool tradition, reminder, and symbol. The ashes are from the burnt palms from last year's Palm Sunday. Church members are encouraged to bring in their palms (which they save for a year!) and then they burn the palms and use the ashes for the service.

The symbol of the ash is partly to remind us that we came from dust and we will return to dust (Genesis 3:19)...that our bodies are not what connect us to God, but rather our spirits. The ashes also serve as a sign of repentance by that who recieves them. I like that symbol and reminder.

Gregg and I sat next to my friend, Sarah, during the service. I LOVE Sarah so much and used to teach with her...but don't hardly get to see her anymore. She's expecting a little girl on March 30th! We sang Servant Song, one of Sarah's favorite hymns, which always makes me happy to hear. I think we may use that hymn in our wedding like she and Ryan did.

I used to wonder why people had a dirty mark on their foreheads on this day, but now I have a dirty mark and I've learned this tradition.

My second first is that tonight when I ran after church, I did the Boxwood loop, and I ran it under 28 minutes for the first time...which means I bested my pace by 30 seconds per mile since I ran the loop last (which was last Tuesday, February 9th). I think that's a pretty good improvement in a week and it was windy and cold out tonight. I ran 3 miles and felt great.

BRAS, BRAS, BRAS!

2010-02-16T23:59:00.002-05:00

Miles today: 3.2

Miles this week: 4.3

Miles in 2010: 174

I ran a 3.2 mile loop on Rivermont today and enjoyed the run in the daylight with most cars paying attention and seeing me since I was running on the road. However, there was one car that came so close to me and the snow bank that I started to sweat a little and thought that I might have to tuck and roll if the driver didn't look up. He did look up and nothing happened to me, but it still made me a little nervous.

I had a yummy lunch from Magnolia foods today as well...a turkey and bacon cream cheese wrap! They have great food.

At Riverside Runners today, we had our first meeting with Deborah Compton, as our Moving Comfort representative. Deborah has been our Balega rep for many years, and gets us the latest info on our #1 selling socks. In fact, I'm pretty excited about the Hidden Comfort sock coming out in COLORS! They are offering a hot pink, purple, neon green, and orange. I think they'll be a hit.

On top of all these great socks that we love at Riverside Runners, as a store we've just brought on the Moving Comfort bra line. As a store, this means we'll be in a place we've never been before--helping women with specific bra sizing.

Did you know? approximately 80% of women do not know/wear their correct bra size!

That's right. That means that Riverside Runners is going to be a woman's one-stop shop for buying sports bras! Almost or equally important to a woman's shoe purchase is a quality sports bra for impact support.

Did you know? a D-cup breast can weigh between 3 & 5 pounds! That's a lot of extra weight to be carrying around! Get a bra that supports that weight!

We are excited to have three styles: Fiona, Pheobe, and Vixen in full size runs in the store now! Stop by and I'll measure you and help you find a bra that works!

Fiona:

Phoebe:

Vixen:

Happy 28th Birthday to me!

2010-02-15T22:00:00.003-05:00

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 1.1

Miles in 2010: 170.8

Today was seriously the best day I've had in a long time. Here's why:

I woke up and went for a (short) birthday run.
I dried and straightened my hair for the first time in a long time.
I got to work and was followed by Jeff with a birthday balloon and cupcakes from Magnolia Foods (my fave)!
Dave, from Mizuno, came to show Jeff and I the fall 2010 footwear line. We also took a look at some apparel...and after we were done, since it was my birthday, Dave gave me a jacket and some Breath Thermo tights!
I had my birthday lunch at Phila Deli.
While eating my lunch, I checked my email on my phone and was super surprised to see an email from Saucony...telling me that I won last week's contest for my choice of a Garmin 310XT or an iPod Nano. You can guess which one I picked.
I went home after work and Gregg told me to get ready quickly because we were going to dinner.
When we pulled into La Carretta's parking lot, I was a little surprised because I thought we were going somewhere fancy and we just had Mexican last night.
But...to my surprise...as we walked in, I saw my good friends Sarah and Ryan, who surprised me by coming. Then, when we went to sit down, more people kept popping in...Jesse, Stacey and Drew (all the way from Roanoke!), Jeff, Tom, my sister, Meghan, my brother-in-law, Ed, and my niece, Ella...I was so surprised!
We ate dinner, and then I was surprised again with a big sparkly sombrero on my head and a yummy cake...and everyone sang to me.
Since I had such a lucky day, I wanted to play the lottery. We stopped at the Shell station on the way home, and the lotto machine was down, so I just bought a few scratch-offs...and won $20!
When we got home after dinner Gregg gave me a sweet birthday card and a gift certificate for a massage! Yipee!

Thank you to all my friends who made my day so special, and to Gregg, my lovey, who surprised me and cares about me so much!

Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T08:47:00.007-05:00

Miles today: 7.0

Miles this week: 23.2

Miles in 2010: 169.7

Today is Valentine's Day and that makes me feel pretty romantical.

I got up early to meet Austin to run from the Boonsboro Shopping Center parking lot...and I was right, the spicy chicken was haunting me once we started running.

Gregg, Brian, John, Gary, Jonathan, and Len all ran, too. Austin and I ran with them up Old Boonsboro and down Boonsboro to Peakland and then slowed down there. I still love keeping up with Gregg's guys...even if it's only for like half a mile. I always feel like a super star.

Austin and I ran down Peakland and then Rivermont to Riverside Runners and back the way we came. It took 30 minutes to get to the store and 32 minutes to get back to the parking lot where we started...so we didn't negative split, but the wind was in our faces on the way back, so I think that accounts for the two minute difference.

Anyway, we ran a total of 7 miles and it was a really good run. When I run with Austin, I'm always feeling like I have to push harder to keep up with her--it's good for me because she's a way faster runner, but I wonder why I don't push myself harder when I'm running by myself. I'll have to work on that.

After our run, Gregg made me breakfast, and then we got ready for church. While I was in the shower, he put out roses for me, and when I went downstairs to leave for church, I saw them. He's funny because he's really good at surprising me. The roses were yellow minis. So pretty!

After church, we came home and vegged out for awhile. Gregg was sleepy because he ran 17 miles yesterday. We Skyped Gregg's mom and David and then just did nothing all evening. I needed that.

My sister invited us over for funfetti cupcakes, so we grabbed some dinner at Mi Patron and then headed over there. My niece was so cute because she loves to blow out the candles, but she wanted me to do it, but then after I blew them out, she wanted a chance too, so she asked us to sing happy birthday to her too. She's so silly.

Funfetti cupcakes are delish! Gregg is my Valentine, and tomorrow is my birthday!

bridesmaid bonanza

2010-02-13T20:46:00.007-05:00

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 16.2

Miles in 2010: 162.7

I know I'm really behind on my blogs and today is actually Tuesday and I'm blogging about Saturday, but I promise I'll be all caught up by tomorrow (Wednesday) night.

Today was the Queen of Hearts Poker Fun Run, so I woke up early to ice all the cupcakes I made last night. When I was done, I probably made almost 100 cupcakes. Pretty good for last minute.

We set up for the run at the Rivermont Evangelical Presbyterian Church, who graciously offered us one of the nicest rooms in the church to begin and end our event. They were so giving!

The event went off without a hitch and everyone seemed to really enjoy running and playing poker at the same time. The grand prizes were gift cards to the store and two pairs of free Mizuno shoes.

After the run, I headed to the store to work. We got pretty busy and Patterson stopped by to chat. I just love when out-of-towners come home. I love to see them! Pat had to run 21 miles this afternoon, so he was about to go out for that run. I kind of can't imagine doing 21 miles just for training. Maybe someday.

I left work around 4:15 and picked up Austin to head to Roanoke to pick out her bridesmaid's dress. Stacey met us at David's Bridal and I think Austin had fun trying on the dresses and picking one out. Seeing bridesmaids and wedding stuff makes me so pumped for the wedding! I can't wait.

I didn't get home until almost 8:30pm, and I was starving, but I still hadn't run...so Gregg, my constant encouragement, pushed me off the couch and I went out for my mile run. I know I've been a little lazy this week, but I just have been sore in a couple places and really tired. I think week 6 of training must be a "hump week."

Mile was cold and blustery and I didn't want to do it, but once I was out there, it felt good. Of all things, when I got back to my driveway and went to push stop on my watch, I saw that I had never pressed start, which kind of ticked me off because I think that was my fastest mile around the neighborhood ever. Ugh. Oh well. Got the run in.

Gregg and I went to Wendy's after that...not a wise choice since it was almost ten...but I was so hungry and everything was closing, so I had a spicy chicken sandwich. I'll probably pay for it in the morning.

A Mile Short

2010-02-12T21:14:00.001-05:00

Miles today: 3.2

Miles this week: 15.1
Miles in 2010: 161.6

It was a super busy day today because so much was going on at work and in my life...so I was kind of bummed when I didn't get to do everything as planned.

We had a pretty busy day at the store, and we had some planning and buying left to do for the Queen of Hearts Poker Fun Run tomorrow, so that made it a little crazier, plus Austin was coming home from Wake and Patterson was running the mile at Liberty and it is Valentine's weekend and almost my birthday! I'll be 28 on Monday!

I went out to Wal-mart around 3:30 in the afternoon to get food for the poker run in the morning. I kind of had fun getting all the treats, but getting to Wal-Mart was a different story. Every traffic ramp off the expressway near the mall/Wards Road was backed up a mile. It took me so long just to get to Wal-Mart, and then everyone in the store seemed to be in the aisles I needed to go down. It just took forever. I think people were out shopping to make themselves feel good since they were stuck inside for the past few weeks...severe case of cabin fever.

On top of all that, when I was checking out, I had picked up a 30+ pound box of bananas, and the kid at the register tried to weigh the whole case on his register scale, which obviously didn't work out because the box was way bigger than the scale, so he had to take each bunch of bananas out of the case and weigh them individually...it took forever. I felt bad for the kid and for the guy behind me who picked the wrong line because of my slowness. It was funny though, because the guy behind me struck up a conversation, asking about all the bananas...and we ended up talking about running (he used to be a runner) and my running everyday for a year thing. It was kind of cool.

I finally got back to the store after 5 and did some last minute race prep stuff...race numbers with team names, gift cards from the store for prizes, etc.

I really wanted to be able to go see my buddy Patterson run the mile at the Liberty Quad indoor meet tonight, but I ended up having to close the store, and couldn't make it. I was still really proud to hear about the results and wish I could've been there.

Closed up the store and then + (plus) one came to go for a run. You can imagine that running with Austin made me very happy. We just ran from the store down to Oakwood and back...nothing fast or far, but it was good to catch up with her and get a run in.

By the end of the night, I was exhausted from a busy week and tired muscles, but when I got home I still had to eat dinner and bake 50+ cupcakes for the Queen of Hearts run...so I spent the evening with Gregg watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and baking cupcakes. I'm really excited about the Olympics...what fun to watch these amazing athletes! I also love keeping track of the medals (see below).

The Rest Day

2010-02-11T21:36:00.019-05:00

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 11.9

Miles in 2010: 158.4

I was right...I knew I'd be sore today, but I actually think it's more from the yoga than anything else. I woke up early and went for a short mile run around the block and rested my weary legs. It was supa cold and windy out this morning. Ugh. The mile around my block is not an easy one...so it's not actually an easy mile to run, but I enjoy doing it about once a week or so because I like to see how I improve on the same course...doesn't everybody?

I had a lucky day at work because we had hardly any special orders (only 4 pairs of shoes from two companies!), so that made my morning easier since I was at the store by myself for the first hour.

I also received a lovely, lovely pair of Saucony shoes in the mail from my main squeeze at Saucony, Mark Johnson, and will soon be revealing my love affair with the new shoes (unfortunately, they are not the amazing Jazz shoes above...but maybe even a little bit better!). I can't wait to share them with my readers! Woo-hoo and a big thank you to Mark and Saucony for my early birthday present...did you know I'll be TWENTY-EIGHT big ones on Monday?! WOW.

til tomorrow...

a much needed day off

2010-02-10T23:39:00.010-05:00

Miles today: 5.54

Miles this week: 10.7

Miles in 2010: 157.3

today I had the day off from the store. I worked six days in a row last week and put in almost 50 hours (on top of the fact that I'm running everyday)...so you can imagine I needed a day off besides Sunday.

anyway...I started off the day by waking up early and eating Pillsbury cream cheese cinnmon rolls (get coupons here) that Gregg made. he's the best for making breakfast for me in the morning.

I fell back asleep and woke up an hour later and spent an ungodly amount of time surfing Facebook and my favorite blogs...but that's okay, because it was my day off.

Headed out to yoga at noon and had a super class with Christine. Yoga is very relaxing and invigorating.

I. LOVE. YOGA.

Since it was my day off, I felt like I wanted to do things I never get to do, so I headed to the J. Crew outlet store in Wyndhurst and did a little shopping. They were having a 30% off sale (which ends Saturday, February 13)...where I found a few great deals, including a mint green wool scarf for $11.50. yipee! and a very fabulous necklace (seen below). I don't know when I will wear this, but I'm pretty pumped about my necklace.

After my J. Crew trip, I went to Chick-fil-a for a free chicken sandwich (via coupon) for lunch. I know, you're probably thinking that I don't eat very healthy, but I usually do, and this was just my day off, so it was like a special treat.

I stopped by the mall after lunch and found a cute pair of Nine West flats for $20 from Macy's...for which I had a gift card, so I didn't pay anything at all!

After the trip to the mall, I had to go pick up Gregg at work for our 2nd pre-marital counseling sesh with Anne at Lynchburg College. I can't tell you how much I absolutely love going to see Anne. She's really good for Gregg and I. She has excellent things to say, is a super listener, and gives us both insight into how each other functions as people...it's funny what we learn about each other at our meetings. I love the time we spend there.

Finally, around 6:30, I got my run in. Gregg and I met Jeff at the Starbucks in Boonsboro and did a 5 point something mile loop around the neighborhood behind Old Boonsboro Road and out Peakland and back. It was a solid run...super cold, and mostly icy (i.e. dangerous), but a good run nonetheless.

After the run, Jeff came over and lifted in the basement gym. I had to give Gregg and Jeff a few pointers about their weight lifting...unfortunately, they still have old ways of doing things from the 80s and 90s...so after muscle-girl Heather got through with those two knuckleheads, they had improved on form and technique.

I'm probably going to be sore tomorrow from all this activity...but it's good for me and I'm not pushing too hard, so that's okay.

See you on the run!

sarvangasana

2010-02-09T23:38:00.003-05:00

Miles today: 3.0

Miles this week: 5.2

Miles in 2010: 151.7

today was a super busy day and a yucky weather day. I've been trying to run in the morning because it makes my day a lot shorter than when I run at night...

so this morning, I woke up earlier than usual and actually went for a run. a neighborhood close by mine, Boxwood, is a great place for me to run to, and the loop is three miles, so it's a good distance too. The only problem with this run is that it's SUPER hilly and I'm always slow on it...but I suppose that's okay because I don't always have to be fast when I'm just out there getting miles in...right?

anyway, I went to work after my run, had an average day (I did get to help my friend Kelly and see her cute kiddos), and then left work a little early because I had planned on going to yoga at the downtown Y. it started at 6, and i got there just in time...but the weather had kind of started to get bad, so not too many people were in the class...just me and 4 others. That was kind of nice...it was a little more personal. After, I had to hurry out of class to head over to the LRRC monthly meeting at Monte Carlo's.

Yoga is so good for you. As a runner, it's PERFECT for stretching and lengthening the body. It makes me feel so good afterwards and I'm just sorry that I haven't been doing it for awhile. You'll probably read a lot more about yoga in the coming year because it's just so good for me to do it. Above, you see a man doing a pose called sarvangasana or shoulder stand. I love this pose because during it you can do a lot of different things with your legs and it makes you feel kind of super power-ish.

The video below is of Bryan Kest, a famous yoga instructor with a studio in Santa Monica, just going over some pointers for people in his class. I love how he's very hands-on with his students. I bet he'd be amazing to take a class from...maybe someday.

In the meantime, you'll find me at the local YMCA supplementing my running with amazing yoga classes. I'm so thankful for teachers like Christine and Leesa, who really are devoted to the practice.

Namaste. I bow to you.

How important is physical fitness?

2010-02-08T23:40:00.003-05:00

I like graphs and charts a lot, so I like to add them after I've had a poll. Interestingly enough, more than half of the 25 people who voted on the poll: Do you enjoy running in the snow? voted that they do like it. I was surprised by the results.

This week's poll is about physical fitness, inspired by Michelle Obama's segment on Good Morning America. She's launching a campaign to battle childhood obesity. It's called "Let's Move" and it includes a proposal to put $1 billion a year toward the movement for the next ten years. How awesome is that? Check out her story below.

Miles today: 2.2

Miles this week: 2.2

Miles in 2010: 148.7

Ran a few miles in my neighborhood tonight with Jeff. My 1.1 mile loop isn't an easy one, and we did it twice. Can I call it a rest day? Eh, not really. Thanks for running, Captain!

Lynchburg Mt. Everest

2010-02-07T23:49:00.004-05:00

Miles today: 3.3

Miles this week: 27.7

Miles in 2010: 146.5

I know, I know, there is no Mt. Everest in Lynchburg...but after the record snowstorms in the past few weeks, it does kind of look like we have snow mountains when you drive through shopping center parking lots around here.

Gregg and I went to early mass and then stopped by the grocery store so I could get stuff for baked potato soup for the Super Bowl tonight. We had a noon appointment with Captain Snow Crunch for an afternoon run.

We met in the Food Lion parking lot in Boonsboro and did about 3 miles behind the shopping center on Burnt Bridge, Indian Hill, and Mimosa.

If you've never run Burnt Bridge Road, you wouldn't realize how going up and down the hills there is pretty tough. On the way out toward Indian Hill Road, I didn't notice the hill as much, but on the way back, as you pass Peakland Pool, I was determined not to be lazy as I ran up the hill.

I pulled ahead of Gregg and Jeff (not because I'm faster than them, but just because they weren't pushing hard at that point) and pushed out the hill with consistent strides and awesome breathing. It felt so good.

Jeff said that I put my hands on my hips when I got to the top of the hill in a "look at me go" fashion...but what I really was doing was putting my hands on my hips because I was tired from the hill and needed a place to rest them. Haha.

Anyway, when we got back to the Food Lion parking lot, Jeff suggested climbing on the snow mountains, so I got out my camera and clicked a few shots...here are a few:

Jeff and Gregg pondering the sky...

pretending to be tough

I don't know what they were doing...

me and Jeff at the top of the mountain.

after the run, went home to make baked potato soup and then went to yoga at the Jamerson Y...haven't been in a long while, so it was great to get that stretching in, and Christy, the teacher, was excellent. Saw a few fellow runners in class...(hi Lloyd!) and had a great workout.

Got home just in time to pack up the soup and head out to watch the game...can't help but say that I'm proud of the Saints for dominating after the first quarter and I kind of enjoyed seeing Peyton lose. Is that mean? who cares!?

I will also admit (like Patterson) that my favorite commercial during the game was the Google.com ad about falling in love in Paris. so romantic. I think Gregg and Jeff gagged like 100 times during it. Watch it below.

great day, great run, great yoga, great game. :)

A Habit?

2010-02-06T22:40:00.015-05:00

Miles today: 6.0
Miles this week: 24.5
Miles in 2010: 143.3

I've been going strong for 5 weeks in a row...and I've heard so many times before that it takes about 21 days to develop a habit. Well, folks...I think the habit is formed.

For all of my supporters out there, thanks for believing in me. I feel like every day of Project Three Six Five has gotten easier. I used to leave work at 6 or 7 at night with my backpack full of running clothes and head straight home, despite the hope that I would run each night.

Now, even if I haven't run early in the morning (which I usually don't), I just lace up and head out to run after work. I definitely have formed a habit and find that it's usually pretty easy to go for a run.

For all of my skeptics, I hope I've swayed you to believe that I will complete this project! I keep hearing encouraging words from all kinds of runners (I'd never expect) that I've helped encourage them or others.

How encouraging is that?!

In fact, Mike, a customer from the store, mentioned on Facebook today, "I ate 6 Oreos at 8 in the morning :-) ....great job Heather, your persistence, drive and determination is a great example for many!!" in response to my status about running 6 miles at 8am. Just reading that response made me feel so good.

Honestly, when I started out with this whole thing, I really was only worried about encouraging myself, because I was my own worst enemy. I always have been. I'd either talk myself out of a run or convince myself that I wasn't a good runner or believe that running wasn't as important as something else I have to do.

Now, things have become very different. I don't talk myself out of running because, #1: I know I have to and #2: I want to.

I don't convince myself that I'm not a good runner because, #1: I already know that I'm better than I was in December and #2: being a good runner really doesn't matter.

I just feel really excited and confident about the process of growing as a runner. Sure...I've got tons to learn about what my body can handle and how to get better at running...but isn't a habit a great thing to form when you're trying to get better at something?

This morning, I woke up around 7:15 to go meet the guys at Peakland United Methodist for the Saturday run. I was sooooooo tired and didn't want to get out of bed. But, I got up, got dressed, and rode with Gregg as we drove through the snow/ice crunchiness in our neighborhood. Some trees were falling over on the main neighborhood road to get out to Wiggington, but the rest of the way (501 Expressway and Boonsboro Road) was pretty clear.

I didn't have a running partner to meet when we got to the church, and sometimes I feel a little bummed that I don't have a group of folks to run with that are dedicated like Gregg and his guys, but it's ok, because in time, I will. Brian and Jeff were the only two dedicated guys to show up today. Danny, where were you?

Anyway, I decided to run between 5 and 6 miles, so I headed down Boonsboro to Peakland with the guys and then let them take off ahead. Right away I could feel that my legs were tired. I think 35 days of running has taken its effect on my muscles. It wasn't horrible, but I definitely could tell I need a "rest" day. Maybe tomorrow.

I ran up Peakland on the half that was plowed and then headed down Rivermont to the store. When I got there, I turned right on Magnolia and Columbia and then another right on Bedford to go back up the hill past the 7-11. Turned left on Rivermont and headed back the way I came. I noticed a few more footprints on the run back, and they were pretty far apart, so I knew someone else had to be out running too.

The snow picked up on the 2nd half of the run and I was hit by two slush splashes from cars who had more than enough room to move over so as not to splash me, but ignored it. I headed back down Peakland and up to the church, looked down at the Garmin and saw I had gone 5.55 miles, and decided to leave Gregg a quick note to tell him I was going to run the rest of the way down to Starbucks and that I'd see him there.

There wasn't any paper in the truck, so I tore a page out of the phone book, wrote my note, stuck it under the windshield wiper, and headed out. Just when I got to Starbucks, my watch hit 6.0 and I'm not going to lie, I am a girl who likes exactos.

So I headed inside, stretched and chatted, and waited for the guys.

When they arrived, we all got drinks (for me: a skinny vanilla latte, my usual) and I delighted in one of the tasty croissants (yum!). We hung around talking about rock climbing, kayaking, and running races...all of which I'm sure will involve my year in some way...then hit the road.

On our way out, I thought that it might be fun to stop at my sister, Meghan's house, so I gave her a buzz and invited Gregg and I over. My brother-in-law, Ed, answered and just so happened to be making pancakes, so he invited us to join them. My niece, Ella, who is the most adorable thing and says the funniest things (like, perhaps when she told Meghan that she wanted to work at a running store and when she visits me at work, has to help put shoes on my mom or sister) was excited to see us in the morning, and asked me to paint her toenails after she saw that mine were a lovely shade of hot pink (thanks to the pedicure last week).

After breakfast, we got dressed to play in the snow a little and Ella and I swung on the swing for awhile. She thought it was so fun, especially because we were so close to the ground to start.

Hurried home because I had to work (store was opened for a few hours today) and then spent the evening chilling with my lovey...at Target and Dick's Sporting Goods...(okay, I'm not going to lie, I sometimes go there to spy).

It was a great day. Here's to a good habit.

Do You Really Need Snowshoes in Lynchburg?

2010-02-05T22:37:00.001-05:00

Miles today: 4.8

Miles this week: 18.5

Miles in 2010: 137.3

I still can't believe that we've had 15 + 14 + 4 inches of snow in Lynchburg in the past two months!

Right now it's raining ice outside and I'm just glad that I had someone to run with this afternoon.

We closed the store a little early because of the roads, and just before Chris was getting ready to leave, I asked if he needed a ride home (he ran to work). He said no, that he was going to run back, and I suggested that I run with him, being that I hadn't run yet today. He was all for it...and initially we were just going to run a mile to his house and then I would have come back alone...but then we got to talking and decided to run all the way to the end of Peakland.

I was pumped. Why?

A. I never ran with Chris before.
B. It was snowing and I love running in the snow.
C. We closed the store early, so my run would be in daylight.

I kept warning Chris how slow I would be and that he needed to be ready for it, but he said he didn't mind, so we went on our way.

Basically, the roads were covered with slush and the sidewalks were covered with snow, so anywhere we tried to run was messy.

It was fun to run with Chris because we got to talk about things we don't normally...just about running in general.

I was hoping to stop by his house after the run to have some hot chocolate with Lori, his wife, and Noah, Kristen, and Ben, his three kids, but his road wasn't very plowed, so I dropped him at the corner and made my way home...

Thanks for running, Chris! It was splendid.

have you surveyed?

2010-02-05T10:40:00.003-05:00

only a day left to vote...don't forget to check out the poll on the sidebar!

I. Am. Tired.

2010-02-04T19:31:00.002-05:00

Miles today: 2.4

Miles this week: 13.7

Miles in 2010: 132.5

Today's run was just a quick one...I'm tired. My. Ankles. Are. Exhausted. That means that I ran 2 miles...up and back down Rivermont.

Part of the problem is that it's much harder work to run in the snow/slush than it is to run on the regular road/sidewalk.

I am not complaining because I actually love snow running, etc...but I just feel like it's harder on my body--a more difficult workout...

I guess I should be thankful because even though I haven't worn pants this week, just shorts and capris, I haven't fallen on my bad gruesome knee, so that's a good thing. Jeff told me to keep it moist under a band-aid, and so did my sis, so I suppose for it to heal properly, I should listen...

But here we are at Friday, and here's the snowcast:

wish me luck on tomorrow and Saturday and probably Sunday's runs!

the Wave Cabrakan

2010-02-03T23:29:00.006-05:00

Miles today: 3.2

Miles this week: 11.3

Miles in 2010: 130.1

Ran the same route out to Oakwood Country Club and back tonight. My ankles, calves, and shins are tired from all this stabilizing for snow running. I could feel them burning about 3 minutes into the run. I think tomorrow might just be a one mile day...we'll see.

I had the pleasure of receiving a pair of these trail shoes on Tuesday afternoon, right before I headed out for an evening run. Typically, I'm not a huge trail runner, but one of my goals for Project 365 is to run trails more often this year. I know its great for strength, endurance, and hills. So...with that in mind, I ordered a pair of the Cabrakan.

I wasn't expecting to use them before trail-running because I have plenty of road shoes, but Tuesday night's weather unexpectedly dropped an inch or so of snow on us in the matter of an hour and it was right when I needed to run. So I laced them up and went out for a run...and ran in them again tonight.

here's a review:

Mizuno: Women's Wave Cabrakan

Rating: 5 stars

Mizuno makes their shoes a bit differently then all of the other shoe companies. For instance, where most shoe companies handle "stability" shoes with a dual-density EVA foam, with most of the shoe in one soft density, and then a wedge-shaped part of the shoe under the medial side of the arch in a denser foam, Mizuno does not. In dual-density shoes, the dense material acts as a post to slow down a pronating foot.

However, Mizuno's shoes use a different technology, called a wave plate. The wave plate in combination with an EVA midsole, covers the heel and midfoot in all of the shoes, and in some of their maximum protection shoes, the wave extends the whole length of the shoe.

In the Cabrakan, there is a double fan wave, meaning the wave on the medial side of the arch has two pieces, one that kind of fans out toward the top of the EVA, which acts kind of like the post in a dual-density shoe, but does it in a way that uses any overpronation motion to propel the foot forward. It's kind of like the Conservation of Energy from physics...or something like that. The shoe would therefore be considered a stability trail shoe.

Some other great benefits of the Cabrakan are water resistance in the upper and wet traction in the outsole.

The water resistance is definitely awesome. When I ran through snow, slush puddles, and water, my feet stayed perfectly dry. My socks were only wet at the ankles where my shoe didn't cover.

The wet traction is also an awesome feature of these shoes. Basically, wet traction just means the outsole has a "bi-directional rubber compound that breaks through water, improving grip in all conditions." When I ran on snow, ice, and slush, my feet stayed very stable.

The color scheme of the shoes is navy and yellow. Laces are dark navy...overall look of the shoe is pretty cool.

Easy to run in, comfortable, firm cushioning, and fitted upper that holds my feet nicely. Toe bumper isn't huge, but seems more protective than a regular road shoe.

Very functional, great for running in the current crazy Lynchburg snow weather, but I can only imagine how good it will be on trail as well. Can't wait to go out and use it again.

Captain (Snow) Crunch

2010-02-02T23:00:00.003-05:00

Miles today: 4.9

Miles this week: 8.1

Miles in 2010: 126.9

I kind of think of Jeff, my boss, as the Captain of the ship at Riverside Runners. He's been at the helm since the store started nine years ago and he is so good at his job. He knows so much about running a business, selling shoes, and taking care of customers. He's really good with words and always explains himself really well. He spends lots of time meeting and talking with people who want to make a difference by putting on races in their communities. He works with lots of different venues in Lynchburg to help promote wellness and fitness in the community. He sponsors and puts on a bunch of different running events for many great causes. He's dedicated and confident. I really enjoy working for him...and even more than that, I love, love, LOVE that he supports my running project. It makes me feel like I actually have credibility. When he put the link to Project 365 on the Riverside Runners website, I was pumped.

Tonight, when I was getting ready to leave work to go for my run, Jeff got back to the store and was dressed in his running gear. That meant one thing: he was running with me!

We headed out into the blustery weather, which had picked up since earlier in the afternoon...and big huge wet snowflakes were falling down. The porch, stairs, and sidewalks were all covered and the roads were beginning to cover too...

I haven't run with Jeff since Monday, January 4...when I wrote about the Buddy System and my Cold Weather Gear Debut. Since then, we've been pretty busy at the store and then bombed with snow...so I've been getting my miles in and I haven't had a chance to run with him.

It was really fun to run with him tonight. There are several reasons:

A. Jeff is fun to talk to while running because he always has something interesting to say. (For instance, we talked about barefoot running, my recent falling history, reflective vests, etc...)

B. Jeff knows a lot about running and it makes it interesting.

C. Jeff hasn't been running a lot, so he's not going all out crazy and it feels pretty comfortable to run with him.

D. Jeff always makes me wear a reflective vest when I run with him...even though I oppose it. But then I'm always safe.

Those are just some of the reasons. Anyway, we ran down Rivermont to Oakwood Country Club, through the parking lot, and then decided to head down Peakland, too. I was suprised we would do the whole 5 miles, partially because of the weather and partially because I thought he'd want to go easy, but he pushed through and we made it all the way to the end of Peakland and then turned around and came back.

We talked a little about how some people aren't very good at shovelling their sidewalks, ran some on the road, and just kind of enjoyed the run.

It was fun to be out when the weather was kind of bad because it always feels good to hear fresh snow crunching beneath your sneakers and the feeling of snow flakes in your throat as you inhale them. Jeff's a great running partner. I'm glad I work for him.

The pictures are of us on the porch at Riverside Runners after our run.

PS: I read somewhere that: "It is not legal for pedestrians to walk or jog in the street if a sidewalk is available." Interesting.

peroxide and shorts

2010-02-01T11:18:00.024-05:00

Miles today: 3.2
Miles this week: 3.2
Miles in 2010: 122

I've been trying to keep my knee clean since I busted it last week when I fell...and it was always my belief that peroxide was good to pour on an open wound to keep it from getting infected. So for the past 5 days, I've been pouring peroxide on my knee, letting it bubble and fizz and burn, and then putting Neosporin and a Band-aid on it to keep it covered.

I was informed last night by my sister that peroxide is not the best thing for a wound because although it gets rid of bad stuff, it also eats away at good cells and actually slows down the healing process. So, I've been re-trained and know now that I just need to keep my wound clean with soap and water and then keep it moist and covered...via Neosporin.

So, I'm working on taking care of my knee a little better now.

Tonight's run was one that I was dreading, especially because we still had customers in the store after 7:00pm and I hadn't run yet. Much to my surprise, though, Gregg showed up just after 7 with his running gear on and treated me to a nice little buddy run.

We ran from the store to the end of Rivermont where it meets Link Road and back. Since there was a lot of snow Saturday, and this was my first time on Rivermont sidewalks since then, we had to do a little weaving, hopping, and sliding to get around the sidewalks that were maintained and those that weren't.

I've been wearing shorts to run in yesterday and today, and I must say that the cold air gives me a brisk, awakened feeling that I prefer to tights and pants.

Good run, knee is progressing, though I'm glad wedding dresses are long, because if I were wearing a short one, people would wonder how my knees got so cruddy...

100 miles...a Blog-a-versary!

2010-01-31T11:18:00.004-05:00

100 Miles...Footsteps Toward the Goal

Project Three Six Five

A Little Blog-A-Versary!

Miles today: 4.7

Miles this week: 28.1

Miles in 2010: 118.8

I've been meaning to write this post almost 20 miles ago, but I've been so busy writing about other things, that it got saved as a draft and I'm already to 118 miles and I'm way past my goal...

So anyway, when I first started blogging, which was over 2 years ago now, I blogged here. Now, I am blogging here at Project Three Six Five, and I don't have much time for blogging other places. However, back when I blogged at 53millionminutes, about a year into my blogging, I copied an idea a friend of mine had for a "Blog-a-versary" and that meant that I had blogged for one whole year, and I wanted to make a memory of it. So I did this. I think that if you don't know me very well, you should click on that link and learn about a hundred things about me that you didn't know.

And if you do know me, then you should click anyway, because I bet you don't know all those things about me anyway.

Back to the whole reason I linked to the blog-a-versary...is that I thought that each time I reach a 100-milestone, I should probably do some kind of special blog...so this is going to be my 1st 100 Blog-A-Versary.

I'll explain my run first...today's run, which followed yesterday's big 12-inch snowstorm run, was a little better

because the sun was out...but there was still a ton of snow on the ground, which meant adventure wherever you ran.

Gregg and I had our first pre-marital counseling sesh with Anne, a spiritual life director at Lynchburg College. Afterwards, we changed at the LC locker room and ran from the college. It was my bright idea to run out the main entrance of the school and head up Lakeside Drive. Since there was so much snow on the shoulders though, it probably wasn't the best idea because of the safety issue...but we continued, with Gregg high-stepping it through the snow where there would normally be a sidewalk and me dodging/sharing the road with cars on what remained of the white line closest to the shoulder.

We hung a right on Moorman, ran down the hill to Old Forest Road next to Daddy Bim's (yummy BBQ if you've never had it) and took a right. We ran down to the house next to the side entrance to Monticello Park and I suggested to Gregg that we try to run through the trails in the deep snow. He said we could just run across the soccer field below the park, so we did...high-stepping the whole way.

Now, if you've never run through deep snow and still tried to be quick, I'd suggest you try it for a great workout. Gregg wasn't kidding when he said it'd be good training for me. By the time we made it the 100 yards across the field, I was out of breath and my legs were burning. It was a great feeling.

We headed up the very steep hill entrance to the park, and then took a left out of the park toward the Laurel School on the corner of Lakeside and Oakley Avenue. Gregg suggested that we run the playground field in the deep snow (again!?) across the front of the Laurel School, so we did...out and back and I told him I couldn't do anymore.

Somewhere in there I fell twice, yes, twice! I don't know what's wrong with me lately, because it seems I've been falling a lot...but this time I didn't get hurt. The first fall had me almost into one of those sewer openings on the side of the road next to the curb...it was covered with snow and my feet just happened to push the snow in and then slipped almost into the opening. The second fall was at the top of Oakley Avenue and I almost fell right on my left knee where the big ugly wound/bruise is, but I caught myself just in time.

We headed up Oakley Avenue, hung a right on Memorial, and then took Langhorne Lane and Vernon Street back to campus. It wasn't that long of a run...just over 4 miles, and it took way longer than usual for a 4 mile run, but it was fun, tough, and a great workout...so it was definitely worth it.

Now, back to my blog-a-versary...I think each time I run 100 miles, I'm going to write a special something in honor of that 100.

Here goes:

The First One Hundred

A poem...

I wake.

I plan.

I think.

I waste.

I wonder.

I eat.

I work.

I wait.

I zip.

I button.

I pull.

I lace.

I tie.

I walk.

I push.

I lift.

I move.

I run.

Feet up.

Feet down.

Weave in.

Weave out.

Hair flies.

Shirt moves.

Skirt waves.

Shoes scuff.

Legs burn.

Eyes blink.

Mouth breathes.

Knees bend.

Head turns.

Arms pump.

Feet hit.

Body pushes.

I run.

this is Blanka Vlasic...my Croatian high-jumping body idol.

Icicle Eyelashes

2010-01-30T22:22:00.005-05:00

Miles today: 5.3

Miles this week: 23.4

Miles in 2010: 114.1

I didn't believe it was going to snow.

I kept looking at the radar and it looked like the precipitation was going to stay right to the south of us.

Gregg didn't think it was going to snow either...but by the time I went to bed last night, it had started to snow. I still was a bit skeptical about how much snow was going to fall, so I went to bed with a very small anticipation of snow in the morning.

When Gregg woke me up around 7:00am, he had already been outside to shovel! I was surprised to look out the window to see 4 inches on the ground already...but I knew I had to run at 7:30, so I dragged myself out of bed, put on a hundred layers, including my magenta Smartwool beanie and Gregg and I drove out to Peakland United Methodist to meet his buddies.

I didn't have a running buddy this morning, so I ran by myself from the church out to Riverside Runners and back. This is what it looked like outside at the start:

As I started running down Peakland, the snow was blowing hard right into my face and pretty quickly the snow that landed on my eyelashes was turning into icicles.

I made it out to Riverside Runners and took another picture:

On the way back down Rivermont Avenue, I ran into a few cars that didn't want to move over for me, which was pretty rude, considering I know they had to see me...I was dressed all in black against a thick, white background. But, I made it back safely, finished about 5 miles, and grabbed my camera so I could get some more shots of the guys and our adventures.

Here's Jeff, Danny (with a snowman beard), Gregg, and Brian:

Gregg and I after we finished:

And we all stopped at Starbucks to warm up with a hot beverage...here's Gregg and I after we dried off a bit:

We had a great run and it probably snowed another 3 inches while we were out. Hope ya'll enjoyed the snow day!

pepper spray?

2010-01-29T23:30:00.005-05:00

Miles today: 1.1

Miles this week: 18.1

Miles in 2010: 108.8

Yup. Listened to the guy (Gregg) who knows more than me and just ran a mile in the hood. Neighborhood, that is. My knee is still sore and a little swollen. Iced it after the run.

Heard that a girl was running on Boonsboro Road this week at 6am and was chased by a guy...she sprinted a mile back to her house and the guy couldn't catch her, but apparently he just slipped back into the woods...ugh.

I've always been pretty lackadaisical about running safety because I've always thought that no one would bother me...whether running alone or with someone. I often would run on Rivermont Avenue past Bedford Ave. all the way down to 5th Street downtown in the dark and think nothing of it. However, stories like the one above and advice from my fiancé encourage me to try not to run alone and to run in well-lit, safe places if I have to run at night.

Ladies...take your pepper spray.

AMBITION

2010-01-28T22:05:00.043-05:00

Miles today: 5.9

Miles this week: 17
Miles in 2010: 107.7

watch this.

Doesn't it make you feel ambitious?

I am ambitious.

I am ambitious for attempting to run for 365 days in a row.

I am ambitious for trying to run right through my fall yesterday.

I am triple ambitious for my run today.

Why?

Well, last night after I got home, my knee was pretty sore and it woke me up a bunch of times throughout the night. This morning, Gregg put an ice pack on my knee when I woke up because it was super stiff and swollen.

It was my day off, so I slept in, walked around, did some chores, and my knee started to feel looser...so I thought I could go for a regular run.

I drove over to Lynchburg College and met up with Gregg and his lunch buddies to say hello and to start my run with them...not because I can keep up, but just because I like seeing them and I don't ever get to run at lunch time since I'm usually at work.

I ran through campus and up Vernon Street and Langhorne Lane, hung a right on Memorial Ave. and another right on Fort Ave. past the Fort Early Building. I was feeling pretty good on the run and my knee wasn't bothering me at all, so I kept running down Fort on what I like to call the "Me & Stacey Run." For some reason, this was a 5 mile loop that she and I did a bunch of times this summer...so it's our loop.

When I got out to Waffle House, I passed one of the lunch guys, Bret, on his way back from the turn-around point. I think my Garmin just had whistled it's 2-mile mark at me and since I wasn't hurting, I figured I could keep running and do the whole loop.

Well as I turned right on Fort Avenue by Grand Furniture, and then another right on Sandusky to head back toward the college, my knee started to kind of just throb. It was like there was a blob inside it that was jiggling around...and the only thing that didn't really give it that blob feeling, was if I just ran purely on my toes. So from about mile 3 (halfway down Sandusky) to the end of the run, I had to improvise my stride because if I let even the smallest part of my left heel touch the ground, it would make my knee just throb. UGH. My stride had to look super weird.

At this point, I was thinking...do I really still have 2 miles to go????

So, I ran on, past the $60 spot (this is on Sandusky where, this past October, Gregg and I found 3 separate $20 bills on our run) down the hill (in pain at this point) and back up toward Perrymont and Thomas Road. When I started the uphill toward Perrymont, I was in a lot of pain, so I'll admit, I just stopped and walked for about 5 minutes. When I started back down Thomas Road, I just was trying to be finished, so I ran through the pain.

Finally got back to the top of the hill and ran back down Vernon Street and onto campus. Crossed my fingers that Gregg might still be at the school so I could give him a kiss, but was sad when I realized I had missed him.

Slowed down and walked to my car, looked at my Garmin (5.9 miles!?!), and at this point realized I probably shouldn't have run that far. I hobbled into my car (my knee was swollen and hard to bend) and called Gregg on the drive home.

And what do you think he told me?

He said, "Didn't I tell you just to run a mile on the track?"

Yeah, he did.

Did I listen?

No.

He'd probably call me stubborn.

I call it ambition.

at least it took 25 days...

2010-01-27T23:00:00.037-05:00

Miles today: 3.5

Miles this week: 11.1

Miles in 2010: 101.8

oops. I fell.

again.

seriously, though, it was September when I twisted my ankle and busted my knee while out on a run near Fort Avenue...and it was so bad that it almost caused me a DNF at the Virginia Ten Miler. I ran, slowly, however, and finished my 2nd Ten Miler...that's my knee in September (above).

<--that's me on the left, Austin on the right.

about a month later, in October, at Josh Yeoman's Deep Hollow Half Marathon, at Camp Hydeaway, I fell on the trail, again. I busted open the same knee that I hurt in September, and enjoyed some blood during the rest of the race. Austin, my buddy during the race, also fell, so we thought we deserved the "Best Blood" award...

so you'd think that was enough falling for me in the past 5 months...but it must be Fort Avenue that has bad blood with me...because tonight, while running, I fell again.

I don't know how my knee looks this bad (right) because I was wearing capris and they were covering my knees when I fell, but I hit the sidewalk pretty hard, because it's swollen pretty bad tonight and my palm on my right hand where I caught myself hurts a lot.

I ran about 3.5 miles, with the last mile being after I fell...so it didn't feel great, but at least it took me 25 days into this project to fall...

I probably should be icing it right now...so wish me luck on my run tomorrow. :(

I'm OBSESSED with this song...

2010-01-26T22:15:00.037-05:00

Miles today: 2.4

Miles this week: 7.6
Miles in 2010: 98.3

if you haven't seen the Honda Accord Crosstour commercial, it's my current favorite...not because I like the car or Honda, but because of the music they picked. This song was written and sung by South African, Miriam Makeba (aka Mama Afrika) and released to the US in 1967. "Pata Pata" became a hit worldwide...if you don't know about her...I encourage you to read about her. She was exiled from her own country of South Africa for over ten years because of the statements she made against apartheid and the plight of black citizens in South Africa.

below is a version of "Pata Pata" sung by Daúde, a Brazilian eclectic pop-roots musician, released in 1997. you have to listen...it just makes you want to dance.

and in my case...run.

enjoy!

oh...my run tonight was short. I left work late and was tired...and under-dressed.

Can I look like this? Please?

2010-01-26T01:59:00.003-05:00

gotta go to yoga...

running cause you're angry

2010-01-25T23:30:00.002-05:00

Miles today: 5.2
Miles this week: 5.2
Miles in 2010: 95.9

sometimes you just have to get out there and run through emotions.

i did that tonight.

can't hold it in, so gotta put it somewhere.

i put it in my feet and out on the road.

5.2 miles worth.

football Sunday

2010-01-24T23:00:00.026-05:00

Miles today: 3
Miles this week: 27.6
Miles in 2010: 90.7

woke up to rain today and realized today was a day where it would be a lot easier not to run...but even after sleeping in, wasting time, and procrastinating, the rain slowed and I got a short run in.

just off Wiggington Road, there's a neighborhood called Boxwood that I often run to from mine and then run through...it has 3 steep hills going out and coming back and i hate them, but I know they're good for me...kind of like brushing your teeth after you wake up from accidentally falling asleep on the couch...

ran 3 miles with Gregg while it drizzled, but had to get back home quickly because football came on at 3 and Gregg's running buddies were coming over...so i got home, did some cleaning, and worked on buffalo chicken dip and chili for the guys.

watched the first game and tried to root for Gregg's team, so we were both sad when the Jets lost...still can't believe the Vikings even made it to the playoffs with Bret driving, but am kind of happy to see New Orleans go to the Super Bowl. should be an interesting match-up in two weeks.

did a marathon of laundry.

now it's off to start a busy week.

The Last Poll

2010-01-24T11:06:00.004-05:00

If you didn't see the results, in my last poll, I asked which of the 5 Major Marathons you'd want to run. I was a little surprised by the results:

Most people would want to travel to London to run a marathon, with New York City being a close second.

Check out my latest poll...and keep in mind that I have to run everyday of our honeymoon :)

elevation change?

2010-01-23T21:17:00.002-05:00

Miles today: 7.1

Miles in 2010: 87.7

For those of you trail runners out there, this change in elevation is nothin'. But, for me, a tried and true road runner, I'll tell you what...running hills like this makes my butt hurt. Anyway, I ran from one of Gregg's friend's house off Hawkins Mill Road, out Coffee Road and up Old Farm Road. You can see by the elevation change that at the 4 mile mark on Old Farm Road I was at almost 1100 feet...and just after the 6 mile mark I was almost down to 700 feet.

Running Coffee Road is fun because it has a bunch of switchbacks that help you climb the hills, and Old Farm Road is great because it's an all-gravel road and is super soft. I definitely recommend running it if you haven't.

So my run ended up being about 7 miles and it was pretty slow because, quite honestly, I'm not a good climber...but hopefully in this year of running I can work on that...in fact, I'll be posting some goals for Project Three Six Five soon...that way I'll have something to aim for.

Maybe.

Like getting faster.

Cross your fingers.

Why I Run...

2010-01-22T23:18:00.002-05:00

Miles today: 2.4

Miles in 2010: 80.6

I run because...

it clears my head.
it makes me feel beautiful.
it keeps me healthy.
it is challenging.
it makes me sweat.
I can feel the benefits.
I want to.
I want to be faster.
I am inspired by others.
it gives me energy.
I love to.
I have goals.
I have determination.
I want to get better.
I want to eat some junk food.
I like strong legs.
my legs were made to.
I want to inspire others.
it makes me happy.
it relieves my stress.
I like the rhythm.
if I hadn't, I would never have met Gregg.
I like to feel the pavement.
I like to push harder.
I like to try out new shoes and gear.
I work at a running store.
it's worth it.

Today after work I was really hungry and couldn't stop thinking about Olive Garden's salad and breadsticks. I asked Gregg if he would run just a couple miles with me and if we could go to OG afterwards, both of which he agreed to. I have to be totally honest...the majority of my 20 minute run was spent thinking about both of those food items.

Gregg and I just ran from the store down Rivermont Avenue to the Virginia Baptist Hospital and back...a quick couple of miles. I can't help but continue to notice that every time I run, things seem to get easier and sometimes more intentional. I love how my feet move a little faster than they did a month ago and how my breathing is less labored and how I feel pushing it out on hills. It's so invigorating.

While we were out, just before we passed Magnolia Foods, we passed Margaret running in the opposite direction. Now if any of you don't know, Margaret is a local new anchor here in Lynchburg and she was the girl who started this whole thing...she told me about her committment to run 365 days in a row and I thought it was such a good idea, I decided to do it too. She blogs, too, at a blog called Runningitis.

I imagined that I'd probably run into her sometime in this upcoming year, but I was surprised to see her tonight. I'm glad we ran into each other...it's the first time we talked since I've started the project myself. She offered that we could run sometime. I hope this happens. I'd love to.