running update (september)

9/1 - I took a break from running today, but I did watch a really cool documentary, "Spirit of the Marathon." Now, as I've told you before, I have absolutely no desire to ever run a marathon. But, this documentary was really inspiring nonetheless. It followed 6 or 8 runners (from every day "penguins" to the elitest of the elite) on their path to the 2005 Chicago Marathon. Deena Kastor, one of the elite, mentioned that she runs about 140 miles per month. Yes, per month. I'm about to hit 60 for the year (granted I'm a newbie and I did have to take several breaks on doctors' orders, so I'm still pretty excited about my total). Yeah, she's pretty good. :)

9/2 - I actually almost enjoyed running today! Seriously. (I know, it shocked me too.) The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, I was neither hungry nor full, the best songs kept coming up on my ipod mix, and some of my perseverative thoughts sorted themselves out. I even did some "horses to the barn" (as my friend Amanda would say) at the very end - sprinting the last 5-6 houses before my cool down. Wow.
Time: 27.5 min
Distance: 2.16 mi
Avg Speed: 4.71 mph
Cumulative distance: 61.5 mi

9/5 - Mike and I went to Appleton to visit my parents over Labor Day weekend. While I mostly went for walks with my mom (and one memorable canoe ride with my dad!), I did also get one run in. I had almost forgotten how nice it is to run in a new location - lots of fun new things to look at, no annoying voice in my mind telling me how slow I was going or how far I had left. All in all it was a nice weekend. I even got to eat ice cream across from the John Birch Society headquarters - but that's a whole different story! ;)
Time: 25 min
Distance: 2.02 mi
Avg Speed: 4.85 mph
Cumulative distance: 63.52 mi

9/8 - I didn't do any actual running today, but I did research different training programs for running. As you may recall, my friend Amanda and I did a 5K on Thanksgiving last year, and we've talked about making it an annual tradition. But now I'm wondering if I can convince her (and myself) to try a 10K this year instead. I looked into 10K training programs online, and I think I could make it work...

9/9 - I really had no desire to go out and run today, but I hadn't run since Saturday and I didn't want to fall off the horse quite so quickly. So off I went on my usual 2-ish mile loop, and (as I probably could have predicted) it wasn't that bad once I was out there. I am starting to get bored with my regular loop, though, so I'm going to have to start considering alternatives...
Time: 27:45 min
Distance: 2.16 mi
Avg Speed: 4.67 mph
Cumulative distance: 65.68 mi

9/12 - I met up with my friend Amanda today and we ran (part of the way) around Lake of the Isles. I'm still going to count the full mileage, however, since the part we did run we did really, really fast (for me).
Time: ? min
Distance: 2.65 mi
Avg Speed: fast
Cumulative distance: 68.33 mi

9/15 - Once again I was not really in the mood to run, so I'm proud that I forced myself out there anyway. (My newly created, unofficial, self-imposed training plan is to run on T/Th/Sa.) It really does feel good when it's done. But note to self: next time try not to run a barely shaded route in the heat of the afternoon. No wonder I started strong but faded so quickly.
Time: 28 min
Distance: 2.16 mi
Avg Speed: 4.63 mph
Cumulative distance: 70.49 mi

9/17 - I was actually almost eager to run today, and I think I went faster than I generally go. I'll never know for sure, though, because my iPod (with stopwatch) died 3/4 of the way through! (Note to self: check the batteries more often!) So I was able to go faster despite having only the sweet sound of my own raspy, gasping breath to entertain me for the last several blocks.
Time: ? min
Distance: 2.16 mi
Avg Speed: ? mph
Cumulative distance: 72.65 mi

9/22 - I skipped my planned weekend run since I was still tired from my long walk on Friday. Today's run started off well, but ended on a sour note. Or, should I say, a stung note. That's right, I got my first-ever bee sting. The good news is that I do not seem to be allergic to the venom, as I am not entering anaphylactic shock. The bad news, though, is that it hurt like hell - and still hurts. Anyone who says "it's not that bad, it's just a little prick and a slight sting" is lying. I guess it did help me to run marginally faster, however - especially at the end, as I was running for ice to numb the pain.
Time: 27:15 min
Distance: 2.16 mi
Avg Speed: 4.76 mph
Cumulative distance: 74.81 mi

9/26 - Well, maybe I am a little allergic. My wrist swelled up so much that it looked broken. It was incredibly itchy, and the neither the benadryl cream nor the benadryl pills seemed to help that much. I skipped my Thursday run because it still hurt so bad, but I did get back out there again today. I went on a different route (pushing myself to 2.5 miles!) and I think the change of scenery actually did some good since I ran markedly faster than usual!
Time: 30 min
Distance: 2.51 mi
Avg Speed: 5.02 mph
Cumulative distance: 77.32 mi