Run Potato Run: June 2010

Course Description that I must have failed to read

Okay, so I probably just skimmed over the course description so I really shouldn't say she didn't describe it well as in one of my posts. It does say rolling terrain....I just focused on the whole 1/4 downhill finish...LOL...so maybe the next one will be alot easier...I'm hoping.

5K COURSE** 7:10am START TIME! USATF Certificate # NV08005DCR

Departing Boulder Beach you will climb 1/4 mile until you turn right onto Lakeshore Drive. You will traverse rolling terrain until your turn around at 1.55 miles. Give you bib number to the clipboard volunteer, turn around, and come on back. The left hand turn back down to Boulder Beach will treat you to a 1/4 mile downhill finish.

Was it worth it

Okay, my husband has asked since the finish line of the 5k was it worth it....I said that it was ..... Yesterday....but I can't even walk today so I'm thinking no.....my left knee is so bad I don't know what I did...it didn't hurt until I stopped running....what the heck is wrong with me..? Seriously, why doesn't this happen to everyone...why just me? I can't figure out what to do..I really want to do the 1/2 marathon but this is ridiculous. I don't want to kill myself in the process. I'm thinking that I am going to have to postpone this marathon thing at least until maybe December and that is just pitiful. The only good news is that there is a marathon in Las Vegas in December and it's flat. Maybe I will just concentrate on that one....I have thrown out some serious f-bombs the past two days....and I'm not liking it right now.

And the winner is.....

The winner of my 20.00 gift card is inspiREDtorun13. Using a random generator on the Internet...! Thank you for leaving comments and pushing me forward...!Check your email...you should be receiving your gift card right now from amazon.com

Near death experience...the dreaded first 5k

I cant say it was pretty but I finished the 5k....and I am hot, and tired and my left knee is killing me. So many more hills than I anticipated. I guess she really didn't do a great job describing the course but my fault for not checking it out in person....oh well, live and learn...don't ask about time because I really have no clue...it wasn't posted and I'm sure it's pitiful....again I really am just glad I finished....and yay I wasn't last...nothing against the person that was last I just didn't want it to be me....I was actually just proud of the people that were out there doing it...better than nothing...and now I have my first medal and bib....yippee..!!!

Well I should have waited until the sun went down

Okay it is seriously too hot to run. I don't know what I was thinking going out before the sun went down. I couldn't do it I had to get in the car into the nice cool air conditioning because I thought I was going to throw up....grrrrrr I hate this heat. Hopefully I can hang on Saturday morning....now I'm kind of worried about it. But it shouldn't be as bad seeing it starts at 0700. My lungs were on fire too......when will that end?

Yesterday

Yesterday was my rest day...!!! I am running 2 miles tonight so I won't be tired for the 5k on Saturday morning. Okay, that's not really a guarantee I won't be tired on Saturday morning because it is early but I am glad it is. This way it won't be as hot.

I decided that as long as I don't come in dead last I will be okay. However I know a nay sayer that says I am setting myself up for dissapointment in case I don't do as good as I would like. I say, wait till Saturday and we'll see.

I am also putting together some good running songs for my 5k and for my run tonight...for inspiration and because of the 5k name I have to at least add Running with the Devil...! Anyone have any songs that would be good to add? Let me know. Never Gonna Stop by Rob Zombie was going to be one of the last ones I put on there just to remind me to keep running...and quit whining.

Thanks for listening to me and thanks for all the insipring comments you add. It's good to know that somebody is interested.

I'm back

I am back from vacation.....and boy is it blazing hot here...like well over 100 and I am sooooo not used to this weather right now. We were camping for the last five days and I had no cell service or computer :( so no posting but I did run and it kicked my butt. I only ran a mile down to the lake and then walked back to the campsite three times in the five days while I was in Utah but the altitude was killing me...so only a total of 6 miles...no scratch that...if you count my walking to the lake with my husband to fish I get credit for that two miles too....so a total of 8. Right now I am getting ready to go out and run a couple of miles..I just have to wait for the sun to go down a little further. And yay...I signed up for my first 5k...I have the receipt to prove it. Thank God for my friend Debbie who just ran her first half marathon a few weeks ago in San Diego, she is going to run the 5k with me to keep me going. And how nice is she for saying she won't run ahead of me....or leave me on the side of the road gasping for breath.

Mapmyrun.com

I ran last night and it went well even after eating Mexican food and having a nice mango margarita....probably not ideal, however it's really my last day here seeing my cousin so I had to do it...! Anyway, I really like mapmyrun.com it made it easy to see what I am actually doing since I have not invested in one of those fancy gps watches that I would really like. Anyone have any suggestions on this? I am looking for something that will tell me the distance and pace and also has a heart monitor. I like the heart monitor because I did have an issue with Tachycardia that I had surgery on my heart for so I like to make sure I am not overdoing it...don't want to give myself a stroke.....tell me what you have and if you like it...thanks for the suggestions...

Aurora Oregon

We are in Oregon for a couple more days visiting my cousin. After the 9 hour trip yesterday in my new car (which by the way the valet in San Francisco wrecked, yes wrecked my car..... we found this out when we were leaving for Oregon at 6:00 AM.....he hit a pole and dented two doors :( and he wasn't going to tell us he did it which really made me angry and frustrated so needless to say, I didn't feel like running yesterday or doing much at all so I drank ....2 drinks and went to bed :) )Today, I did run 1.5 miles and beat my husband...he stopped running and complained about his shoes...(he doesn't have the cute pink ones I have hahaha...I probably should have run more but I guess 1.5 miles is better than nothing. (part of it was up hill does that make it seem better than it really is?) Oh, and we hiked down to one of the waterfalls at Silverton Falls which by the way is awesome....we would have walked alot farther but my daughter has a cast on her foot and she couldn't keep up so we turned around.

I should be Committed...

I am committed...I am going to run the 5k, I know it's not much for all you marathoners but I need some short term goals to keep me going. It's gonna be a hot one !

Running with the Devil Marathon, 1/2, 10K, 5K, & 50M

Saturday, June 26 2010, 7:00am
Lake Mead N.R.A - Boulder City, NV

So I need a Little Motivation

I need motivation...accountability, a couple mother hens, someone breathing down my neck.just not some psycho...LOL....if no one is keeping track of me I have no one to disappoint but myself and I can do that all alone so where's the fun in that..? I am having a contest to kind of keep me on track. You can enter to win my contest by signing up to be a follower. You can get a 2nd entry by posting about this contest on your blog, (you must be a follower 1st then let me know you mentioned this contest on your site by commenting here :) ...I am giving away a 20.00 gift card to Amazon.com so you can spend it on whatever you would like. I'll even let you buy me something if you want haha... I will have a drawing to announce the winner on Saturday June 19th, 2010. If I don't have at least 20 followers I will postpone the drawing until June 26th, 2010. (I realize the pic below shows 100.00 however the contest is for 20.00 ...just clarifying that right now)

So no one is probably listening but.....

So nobody is probably listening or cares but I managed to run/walk my two miles although on the treadmill last night but anyway, I did it. I decided that I would start my ten week training in two weeks but I would get myself up to speed before then (while I'm on vacation) not that I am going to be up to speed by then but I am really starting to get depressed about this weight thing. I know that pictures say a thousand words and today a picture was taken of me that just kept repeating you're so fat over and over a thousand times and it makes me want to just give up but I am not going to. I will complete this half marathon. I can do this. And you can too. By the way, the man that was running behind me on the treadmill was absolutely annoying. The treadmill sounded like it was going to take off...I hate him just for info. HATE....him!

First day of training...haha, okay did I forget to mention that two months ago I had grand visions of this marathon thing and then boom one day on the treadmill on my fourth mile (not really like 4 real miles on the street I learned this from the girl that sold me my shoes) I got off the treadmill and I literally could not walk...here is the reason. a. I'm overweight b. I ran way too far for only being 2 weeks into my training and c. crappy shoes. Talk about embarrasing, I am convinced that only people that are in shape go to the gym (except for me) I was truly the exception in the gym. But, here is the thing they have this place called the movie room where you watch a movie while you run so it's fairly dark in there. My thought was that it was dark so no one could see me in the gym and I could sneak out quickly. That was until I couldn't walk. So, I limped like a baby out to my car and never went back. After self diagnosing on webmd, I determined that I probably had a stress fracture and they wouldn't do anything for me at the doctors so I just suffered for the last two months.

So, tonight I set the incline on the treadmill for 1% because the shoe girl told me that if I didn't it was like running down hill and that was probably what caused my stress fracture. Good news, my foot doesn't hurt although I only ran/walked one mile. I set the treadmill for a slow speed to warm up and then increased it gradually until I couldn't breathe...then lowered it again LOL...you should be able to hold a conversation, or at least be able to say a few sentences (that's what the books say) or you are going to fast. So one measly mile yippy...I am on my way ! What have you done? Besides read my blog...

On the Road

Day two, I am traveling right now as I type. I thank God for my new little iPad. It really is going to make it easier for me to update you on all that we are doing. We have around four hundred and something miles to go today..we are going to San Simeon, California. And, before I lay my head down on my precious little pillow tonight I am going to start on a little run/walk. I'll let you know how I do, and how far I actually go. I am going to post my training program online for you to see what I am doing...so you can start on your own mission ! Oh come on, you can do it too... I'm out of shape and forty pounds overweight and I am going to do it. You have no excuse.

A Treat for my Feet

So our first step here in all the research I have done is to buy a great pair of shoes. Something that will cushion the heck out of your feet and make it feel like you are just gliding along, with no pain...haha yeah okay, lets just go with that. The experts suggest that we get the best pair of shoes that we can afford because we can't afford not to. Like how I have included you in my mission? I didnt even ask your permission. But you are reading this thinking hey, if she can do it...why cant I, right? Okay maybe youre not. Maybe your just thinking she's crazy,she is out of her mind, she is going to fail, and I'm going to watch her do it....man, you can be so mean ! Lol.., I'm just kidding. We are going to put a lot of miles on these legs and poor little feet so we need to be prepared with the best possible start. Crappy shoes mean crappy performance and maybe even some injury to go along with it and we cant afford to have an injury.

I did a little research and found that the best possible shoes we can be running with are maybe not the most popular brand that you would think....at least not the ones that I would have thought but hey I am not in the "runners circle" so how was I supposed to know. I had been running in a pair or Reebok shoes that were over fifteen years old so I never knew comfort like I am going to tell you about. No Nike or Reebok shoes for us....now I have nothing against either of those brands they just weren't in the top of my recommendations. I went to a place called Athletes Foot in Las Vegas and they were truly awesome. Although, the nice girl that helped me really wanted for me to have my feet tested and fitted to the best shoes for me I just couldn't wait. The man that does the testing was not in, so you need to make an appointment for your feet. Yes, I'm talking to you. I am not really an appointment type person....I kind of wing it all the time including with haircuts which my sister who is a hairdresser absolutely hates...I am the type of person she cant stand because I never make appointments. Who knows what I will be doing in four weeks, hell who knows what I will be doing tomorrow. I needed my shoes today so that I could start my training while on vacation. Yes, I am on vacation for two weeks and what a better time to start. So against her wishes, I bought some shoes that she recommended for the type of feet I told her I had. A little low on the arches but pretty normal otherwise. She recommended some shoes with motion control and stability and brought out a few pairs for me to try. I have to say I was impressed. Not only did she have me try them on she sent me for a little run. Did I mention I am in Las Vegas and it is like over a hundred degrees right now? It was a little hot outside but I was hoping to lose a couple pounds in that brief minute outside from just sweat. Hey, I'll take whatever weight loss I can get... I knew right away that the shoe on my left foot was all wrong and that the one on the right was way more comfortable. Back inside yay ! I tried on another shoe. The sales lady put another shoe on my left foot and right away I could feel that it was too tight over the middle of my foot so she made me take it off immediately and said that if it wasn't comfortable or natural feeling that it was a definite no. She put the matching shoe on my foot and sent me outside for a run again. Holy crap, this is amazing. I truly felt like I was running in a cloud, hey maybe that was the heat outside and I was near death....nah, it was the shoes....I think ! So here's what I ended up with...a pair of beautiful pink and silver Mizuno running shoes specifically I got the Inspire 6 model. Now you need to get yours so we can start this, madness. I have convinced my husband that he too needs to be fitted for some shoes when we get back from vacation and feel what I am talking about. I am sure I got on his nerves because I couldn't stop talking about my shoes. I love them. Now why would I want to get them all dirty and used? Oh thats right, run potato run.....we are on a mission here....I need some people with me to keep me focused. Seriously, please join the madness, I could use some support across the finish line.

Potato on a Mission

Probably not the best idea I have had but hey, it can't be the worst.

My goal here is to lose 30 pounds minimum in let's say three months along with training for a half marathon. Really I would prefer 40 pounds but hey I'm not going to be picky here I'm just hoping that will happen in the process.

Here's the deal. I am so,so,so not in shape. Let's just say I am a couch potato, not a couch potato in the true sense....hey, I don't watch a lot of tv, I just like to read and I don't do any exercise whatsoever so a couch potato but like a high class couch potato, not a dirty unwashed icky couch potato. Now though, I am a couch potato on a mission. Anyone that wants to join me for support is welcome. Actually it's preferred. Since I have never run any type of race and have never run more than five miles in one fail swoop (this was over 20 years ago so don't get all crazy on me) this is going to be an exciting and I am sure painful journey...you are welcome to come along and share in the misery with me. :)

Okay so I did some reading about training for a marathon and my three month goal is not suggested but I am just going to have to make it work since I have little to no patience and a little A.D.D. as well. So I don't want to get distracted in the process or I might take up some other crazy idea instead and listen, I have a goal so don't try to talk me out of it. Anyway, back to three month thing, I am just skipping a few steps here because
a. I can walk at a fast pace, and
b. the whole easing into things is just not my style.....it's all or nothing here.... Go big or don't go at all right?