Stray dogs and record times don't mix!

Well I must say that at an earlier time (honestly not that long ago) I swore to myself that I would never be drug into a blog. Marriage changes everything doesn't it. Then I thought to myself, "Why not approach blogging like marathon training?" I will: short and steady at first but as time rolls on, all will see my improvement!

Some of you may be asking, "Why not mix stray dogs with record times?" some of you may even think that it sounds like a great idea. But to those who have convinced themselves that a kitchen aid can blend together any two ingredients I send you this experience.

On Tuesday, when running a record two mile time, I was unfortunate enough to catch sight of a dog of incredible Johnny Knoxville Intelligence running in the middle of the street. I checked with Cassidy for our time only to find out that we were running our record two mile place (sub 20 minutes!) I naively picked this dog up in my arms and attempted to continue on our run. Alas this was to no avail as this small wonder of God's blunder decided that he would rather run on his own. Long story short we finished our 20 minute bi-mile run in just under an hour...enough said.

P.S. The dog ran away from his protective shelter the next morning in an attempt to ruin another runner’s day.

The big one...

For the Dallas branch's first 3-miler, I must say, well done on all fronts. I think after this one everyone felt much more confident about the prospect of long runs to come. Even Sadie is really getting the hang of this whole running thing. Tonight is an easy 2-miler, with another 3-miler coming up Thursday and the big 4 on Sunday. I doubt we'll do it Sunday, since that's Christmas Eve, but maybe we should...and burn off some of those many calories we'll be consuming that evening. David and I have steak teriyaki, shrimp fried rice, chocolate delight, surprise rolls, peanut butter balls, ham, pecan pie, assorted candies and cookies, and more that will be waved in front of our ever-hungry faces. Yeah, I think I'm feeling more ready for that run...

Slow & steady

Last night was another 2-miler, and I must say, I was not tired at all after this one. We took it nice and easy at a 3 & 1 pace, and David, Jaspreet, Sadie and I all felt much better afterward. It was nice to all be on the same pace. I know I can't do that every night or I'll get behind on my own workout, but it's definitely good at least once a week, and it's always good to take the long runs slow. David and I are very excited! This week's "long" run isn't very long at all, and should be very enjoyable. I just hope the weather stays as nice as it was today!

Speaking of Sadie-girl, her workout stamina is getting better and better! Last night she didn't wear herself out nearly as much as she usually does chasing birds and whatnot. We'll have a marathoning puppy soon enough!

Week 3!!!!

We have completed two of the three weekday runs for week 3; we have another 2 mile run tonight, and then the 3-mile run on Sunday. I can one-up Dave's 3-mile run record...last week was the first time in my life I have every run over a mile without stopping for a walk-break. It was AMAZING! I am starting to finally get a taste of that feeling that I could go on forever. Mentally, I don't think that I could be any more prepared; I have learned to push on when it hurts, and overcome my feelings of inadequacy. Physically, I am growing stronger, but my body definitely lets me know when it has had enough. Last night I think we could have jogged the 2 miles without a walk-break, but Sophie's knee is still not back to 100% so we had to slow it down a little for her. We are going to have the 3 fittest pups in Texas!!!
I cannot wait to see everyone, and I hope that maybe we can squeeze in a group run when we are together for Christmas!!! Good Luck finishing off week 3!
Oh yah, Lauren I can't wait to see how the Nike-ipod thing works...I have heard it's pretty cool!

Day, by day, by day

Last night was another 2 mile run, but this one was unique because a) I was able to try out my new Nike+ipod; b) Jaspreet has joined the Rockwall branch of Allisonkrewe runners; and c) we actually weren't that tired afterward. The run was a good one, keeping a nice & easy pace. David and I even went an extra 1/4 mile, just because we could. The Nike+ipod is AWESOME, with the coolest feature by far being the way it measures distance. Now, we can just go out and run, away from the track, without having to plot a route, and still get in the distance for the day. Also, it connects with nikeplus.com and tracks all the info from your runs and lets you set goals and challenges for yourself. Absolutely the best birthday present ever (thanks, David!)

Tonight, the plan is to do another nice & easy run with Jaspreet, doing maybe 3 & 1's to help Jaspreet get back into the running groove after his back surgery-induced running hiatus. We'll all be racking up the miles in no time!

Speaking of racking up miles, something that always makes me feel good about myself is adding up my "mileage." For instance, in the past two weeks, I've already run 8 miles. After this weekend, the number will go up to 13. It's really nice, when you get up to the long distances, to look back at the last month or two and see the 100 miles you put on your shoes.

Lifetime Records

Okay, so I've been bullied into posting by the two most wonderful women in my life. That means this post is going to be an inspirational one.

I've never run more than 3 miles in my entire life at once. That means next weekend I'll be burning up the track and beating my lifetime record. How's that for something to write home about? Not many people can say, "Hey, next weekend, I'm going to beat my lifetime record." That makes me happy inside, and God willing, will keep my spirits up as I begin to dread the Rockwall Highschool track in a couple months.

Tonight we're going to set up Lauren's new iPod + Nike iPod attachment which she got for her birthday (how cool am I?). It's going to be a short mile long run to get us back on Schedule for another 2 mile run tomorrow night. It's a good thing tonight is a short run too... it's pizza fondue night! Who else in the room loves to diet?

Call to action

Chris and David, I had better see some posts from you soon. Enough said.

In other news, David and I ran our two miles last night straight, without stopping, and I think finished pretty strong. I know I was feeling much better after last night's run than I was after the runs last week. Sadie is building up her puppy-stamina too; she didn't completely collapse on the couch when we got back like she did last time. She'll be a half-marathoning puppy by April! Ha!

Yes, I know we were off the schedule by running last night instead of tonight, but tonight I plan to celebrate 23 years of life by consuming large amounts of what will probably be Chinese food. Hey, it's tradition. More fuel for tomorrow's run, right?

A friendly distance

"THE HALF MARATHON IS A FRIENDLY DISTANCE. Beginners, who have gotten their introduction to road running in a 5-K or 10-K, can look to the half as the next step upward. Experienced runners like half marathons, because racing 13 miles requires somewhat less time commitment than does a full 26-mile marathon. They can recover more rapidly."

This is the first paragraph of an article on halhigdon.com, a site recommended to me by a coworker who does triathlons. She says it's a great resource for runners, especially those just getting started on a big race. "Hal won’t steer you wrong" were her exact words. So I recommend checking it out. His plan says you can do it in 12 weeks...so we have a great head start!

Run like you mean it

"I ran until my muscles burned and my veins pumped battery acid. Then, I ran some more." - Fight Club

The thing about running is that it never gets easy. Sure, it becomes much more enjoyable. And I would say that smaller distances definitely get easiER as training goes on. But is running easy? No. At least, not for me.

I was not born a runner. Even after my first (and currently only) marathon, no one would look at me and say, "Wow, she must run a lot." I ran my first marathon in October of 2005 with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. I ran for people I knew with the diseases, and for people I didn't. With the help of family and friends, I raised $3800 for LLS and ran the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, and I finished in 5:38...a long time, I know, but I finished.

When I ran the marathon, I was also around 30 lbs overweight as a result of something called "college" and "pizza," with quite a bit of "Ben & Jerry's."

After my marathon, I ran the Baton Rouge Beach Half, and after moving to Texas, the Big Tex 5K. Wanting to finally lose the weight I didn't lose during the marathon, I joined Weight Watchers in July 2006, before my wedding, and have lost 25 lbs. I'm going for around 35 total. Thanks to Weight Watchers, I now know what to eat, and how much of it to eat, and I'm developing healthy habits that I can pass on to my future family.

The Big D Texas Half Marathon will be my first race with my new family: my husband David, his brother Chris, and Chris' wife Cassidy. It will also be my first race at a healthy weight, and hopefully the first of many to come. My goals are to a) finish; b) beat my PR; and c) make this a permanent lifestyle change. I want to be ready and willing to run the Dallas White Rock Marathon next year, and hopefully the Allisonkrewe team will be so pumped after their first half, they'll want to do it with me!

I read this on the back of a shirt at the Big Tex 5K, and it made me laugh, cause I agree with it completely: "In my mind, I'm Kenyan."

"He who moves not forward, goes backward”

Here is a little background info that will give everyone a little more insight on myself: I pretty much hate everything exercise and diet-related! I would say that I have attempted approximately 1,435,825 different workout routines only to have given up 1 week into training. Throughout the last few years I have definitely noticed a change in my motivation for exercise. When I was younger my only motivation was to be thinner. I really didn't care about anything else as long as I was burning more calories than I was taking in! As I have grown older, the underlying need for exercise has changed. For the first time in my life, I am running for my health! Not only my health but the health of my current and future family!!!
"Don't compromise yourself, you're all you got." -Janis Joplin

I have decided to run the 1/2 marathon to prove to myself that I am good enough!! Chris and I are currently in our third week of training, and I have to say I feel as excited as I did on Day 1. I do not always feel that way during the runs, but at the end of every workout, Chris and I give each other a huge high-five and we congratulate each other on a job well-done! That is what keeps me going!!!

Oh yeah, by the way Dave, since I stated you as an official member of the Allisonkrewe team in the inaugural post, you have to follow through. The only way to be removed from the team involves a violent gang of Italian mobsters waiting for you by your car after work one day!! Take your pick!!!

Get Moving

Welcome all to the inaugural post of the official Allisonkrewe 1/2 marathon training blog!! Lauren created this blog so that we have a place to discuss the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of training for a major race. Chris, Lauren, David and myself are curently training for the Big D Texas 1/2 Marathon; it will be held in Dallas, TX on April 1st, 2007 (http://www.texasmarathon.com/TMhalf.htm).
Lauren, the only real runner in the whole group, is the leader of the pack, and she will be sure to keep us all on track for the next four months!! I will hope that our families and friends can use this blog as a tool to stay informed of our progress as well as a place to offer us encouragement (some of us will need it!).
So welcome and feel free to leave us comments!!!