Iron Girl 5k 2007 Recap
2007-04-18 05:10:07
Well, I figured that I should post my experience with the Iron Girl 5k, since it was my very first race of any kind. My mother and stepfather decided at the last minute to watch me race, so we all got up exceptionally early and drove over to Clearwater’s Coachman Park for the race. It was actually pretty chilly out. I met a friend there, and we stood around, waiting nervously for the announcer to call the start. I never realized that they sang the national anthem before a footrace. I commented on this to my mom and added that I guessed it was a sport. She replied that, yes, it was a sport, and I was now an athlete. I sure didn’t feel like one! And I still don’t, but I imagine that some day, I will.
Start/Finish Line
I got pretty lucky for my first race. It was all ladies, and everyone was very supportive. Also, they honored each finisher with a medal, even for just a 5k and a very nice technical t-shirt. However, I was surprised by the fact that we would have to
Read more: Recap
Inaugural Post
2007-04-17 05:44:34
Hello there! I know that there is no one reading this yet, but I figured I should have something written. I’m starting up this blog with the hopes of tracking my running and training for a marathon. I’d eventually love to have a whole bit of the site where I could show graphs of my progress and schedules for runs, etc. Right now, however, it is a simple blog with a template design, and not much going on. I’m running this on Wordpress, which I have no experience with, so as I learn more, hopefully this will get more interesting. I also feel the need to tell you that I will be taking a month-long hiatus from running starting May 1, and probably lasting through the end of May… this is because I have a surgery scheduled that will preclude me from running for a while. It is part of my on-going transformation from a morbidly obese individual to a slim, althletic runner. Luckily, I’m almost there! Hopefully, this will be the last disruption to my life as far as
One Last Thing Before I Study!
2007-04-19 01:36:23
So, I wanted to post one last time before I hunker down and study my property book. I have a few playlists that I use when I run, so I thought I would post my general playlist to solicit comments. I also have one for oldies, dance music, strictly They Might Be Giants, and even some of the nike ones. Anyway, they are by no means perfected… and I’ll probably be adding and deleting songs fairly regularly. Anyway, here is what I have for now. The ones that are hyperlinks lead to iTunes. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m a huge Apple fan, and I’m writing this on a mac, and I like my mac. So, anyway… here it is:
Fly Me Away — Goldfrapp
Doctor Jones — Aqua
Higher Ground — Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ooh La La — Goldfrapp
Get Over It — Ok Go
Suddenly I See — KT Tunstall
Goodnight Goodnight — Hot Hot Heat
Social — Squirt Gun
Build Me Up Buttercup — The Goops
Virtual Insanity — Jamiroquai
Till the End
Read more: Thing
, Study
The Ups and Downs of Weightloss
2007-04-19 00:52:17
Well, I had intended to go running today, but I screwed around too much early in the day, and now it’s raining like nuts… so I will either have to suck it up and go to the gym or wait until tomorrow. Either way, I’m stuck at home for the moment, so I thought I would post a list about the benefits and drawbacks to weightloss. I was thinking about it today, because I mentioned my upcoming surgery to a friend of mine, and he replied that he would likely have to be doing something similar in the future, when he lost weight. So, here’s my list:
Benefits!
Clothes Fit better — Yes, I know this is obvious, but it really makes a huge impact on how you feel and how you perceive yourself. I always thought I had a badly shaped body (which, it’s most certainly not perfect), but really, being fat just accentuates the parts of you that aren’t great. And when you’re not, clothes mask a lot of that… so, here’s to well-fitting clothes! Hurr
Nike+ iPod Sensor Combo
2007-04-18 07:14:54
Well, I wanted to add that I’m pretty excited to have received all my equipment to use my new iPod
Nano with the Nike+ sensor. I don’t own Nike shoes, as I have a very nice pair of Asics Gel-Nimbus VIII shoes, which are excellent quality and pretty much the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever owned. So, I purchased a pouch made by Marware, which can attach to any running shoe and make it compatible with the Nike+ sensor. I have only had a brief opportunity to try it out since receiving it yesterday, but I plan to go for a nice run tomorrow (or later today as it were). I used to run with no music at all, but when I’m on a treadmill, I find it to be too monotonous without music. So, since I was going to invest in a Nano anyway, I chose to also pick up the Nike+ sensor, so that I could track my distance easily, even when outside. Supposedly, the sensor has a 90% accuracy out of the box which improves when you calibrate it. I will have to do some testing at some point
Read more: Sensor
, Combo
Jacob Impresses Me!
2007-04-21 00:16:42
Well, I read a blog today by a guy who was over 300lbs and ran the Boston Marathon (after the registered racers had already started). It really impressed me that this guy, Jacob
, had the guts to take on a challenge like that. Not only did he take on the physical challenge, but he was willing to face possible public humiliation to change for the better. That is the kind of inspiration we all need. I’ve already battled my demons with weight, but we all have sources of weakness and potential shame, and they can be overcome, just as weight can. So, even though I may have already been where Jacob was and gotten through that part of my life, he is an inspiration to tackle future challenges and better myself in other ways. It never ceases to amaze me what people will do to overcome obstacles. I commend you, Jacob, for facing those elite runners and the throngs of people there watching. Even in my small form, I would not have had the guts to run after them, for fear of humiliating mysel
Training Log & Miscellany
2007-04-20 00:38:57
Well, I finall took my nike+ ipod setup out on the open road and logged a 5k. I ran around my neighborhood, which ended up being surprisingly hilly. It didn’t compare to Coachman Park, but it gave me a run for my money (no pun intended). I didn’t run the whole way, which I was fine with. I haven’t been training regularly since I’ve been gearing up for finals, and, if my ipod setup was at all accurate, which I think it was, since I have gauged the area I ran at around 3 miles, then my pace was way down from what it normally is, which explains the huffing, puffing, and feelings of imminent doom. Additionally, after loading the data into NikePlus.com, I was proudly informed that my fasted 1-mile was a little under 10 minutes… lemme tell you, I have NEVER run a ten-minute mile before. I’m sure seasoned runners aren’t impressed, but I sure am, considering I was routinely the last person still on the track when we were forced to run the one and two
Read more: Training
, Miscellany
Training as a Means of Procrastination
2007-04-22 01:14:01
I bet you’ve never heard of procrastinating by running… well, in an effort to put off the hard part of studying for my constitutional law final (the part where I catch up on some reading that I never did), I decided to go for a run. The weather was extremely nice (for Florida). It was 72 degrees and partially cloudy. Normally at this time of the year it would already be in the mid-80s… so I guess this bizarre weather is helping me out in some ways, although having to wear a jacket in the evenings in late April seems unsettling. I managed to beat my personal best, not that I have much of a benchmark to exceed, but I did feel a bit run down at the end, and I think it’s because I’m still not getting enough calories during the day. I should probably look into some kind of meal bars or some kind of ucky carb beverages. If anyone has any suggestions for stuff that doesn’t taste nasty, I’m all ears. I also need to be sure and up my water intake, be
Read more: Training
, Means
, Procrastination
Update
2007-04-30 08:04:01
Well, I’m sorry I haven’t written lately. I had a very dramatic week with finals and some personal turmoil. I will recover (from the finals, at least). So, I am going into surgery bright and early Tuesday morning, so I will not be posting, probably for a few days minimum… I think there’s some kind of “no typing” rule for a bit at least. I’m sad that I won’t be able to resume my training until the end of May, but tearing a stitch would be a bad idea. It’s all part of a process, though, and hopefully this will be the final step, and I won’t have to go through this again. I have all sorts of great running reading material to get me through the next couple of weeks, and then school will be starting up again, and then I’ll be running and training before I know it. I have to start searching for a race in FL during the summer. I’m registered for a 10k in October, but I want to run a race before then, at least a 5k. I mi
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Healing and Hematoma
2007-05-14 06:54:15
Well, my recovery has had some bumps in the road, but hopefully nothing that will keep me from getting back to training on schedule. It turns out I had a hematoma on one side after the surgery. It began oozing thick, black-brown blood and clots yesterday. It was good, though, despite the freakiness of it, because that means that the hematoma is liquifying and draining out on its own. Today, the blood was lighter, but still brown and sometimes clotty. So, that means hopefully, that the worst is over with, and the healing will speed up. There was definitely less pain today than yesterday. The pain hasn’t been too bad, but in the mornings, I was really feeling it. Also, it has reduced the swelling a bit, which I was looking forward to. I’m expecting the spectacular bruising that was left behind to take weeks to go away… hopefully I won’t look like I have a lump of zombie flesh on me for too much longer. For anyone with a weak stomach, I appologize, but if I can&r
Read more: Healing
Back in the Gym
2007-05-30 00:10:20
I got to start my strength training sessions back up today. It was good. I felt really relaxed afterwards, although it was disappointing to lose so much arm strength. I was doing arm presses with 5 lb weights and struggling by the second set. Katie, my trainer, mostly had me work on core and arms today, though, which was good. I definitely need to get back into the lunges, but I’d rather wait a week on it than cause more complications. I’ve also been attending a personal training class on Tuesday nights, for my own benefit. And it’s definitely been useful. The instructor goes over the machines and the proper form for lifts. I don’t see myself using the bar to do powerlifting or anything, but it’s always good to have a refresher on form. And it highlights how if you change your stance a little or your arm position, you work different muscles. I can tell that I’m going to have to bring a stability ball with me to Japan and maybe try to pick up some ch
Training Postponed AGAIN!
2007-05-28 14:13:29
Well, I’m started to get frustrated here. I was supposed to be able to start running again tomorrow, but it looks like I have to put it off a week, again. I was feeling some pain in my leg near my sutures, and it was tender and hard there. So, my stepdad did an ultrasound (he owns his own ultrasound company, so he had an ultrasound machine at the house), and they found a loculated fluid sac in there. So, I had it drained this morning. It wasn’t infected, which is good news, but I can’t run on the leg for a week, because my surgeon wants the hole that was left behind when we took the fluid out to seal up properly. So… no more running for yet another week. Luckily, my training plan only requires 16 weeks, so it’s not dire that I start this week. However, given the various things that I have planned this summer, such as my brother’s wedding, a small trip to Vegas, a trip to NYC for my grandmother’s funeral, a trip to Atlanta for DragonCon, I wil
Read more: Training
Nike+ Women’s Half Marathon
2007-06-28 11:04:27
So, I just today decided to register for the Nike+ Women
’s Half Marathon
. At some point, I’d like to run the full marathon for Nike in San Francisco, but this year it was sold out with lightning speed and is at a time when I couldn’t make it anyway. But, Nike is making it possible for 20,000 women (or men even) to run a half marathon using their Nike+ sensors during any time on October 21, 2007. All you do is run/walk the mileage and then upload it to Nike+ by October 28, 2007, and you are considered a finisher. So, basically, it’s a virtual race. This seems like the perfect thing for my first half-marathon. It will be a couple weeks after my Race for the Taste 10k and about a month before the Space Coast Marathon, but it seems like a good race for me to get at least one half marathon distance under my belt. Plus, I’d get a keychain for my effort, so, yeah… cool! Anyway, so if any ladies are interested in this, they should check it out, because it
Tagged by Angie!
2007-06-30 06:11:41
For some weird reason, I failed to notice that Angie
tagged me to list 6 weird things about myself. So, after a brief oversight on my part, here’s what I have come up with:
1. I hate and have always hated (for as long as I can remember) potatoes… most people find this extremely weird, although, I’m not sure why.
2. I also hate creamy things, like whipped cream, eclair filling, etc… this is particularly weird, given that I have a big sweet tooth.
3. I like the beach, but I hate feeling sticky from saltwater, and beach sand annoys me… so, that’s kind of a paradox.
4. I have a mole on my retina which looks like a speck in the iris of my left eye. So, I suppose it would be hard to fake a retinal scan of my eye (or maybe really easy… not sure how the technology works).
5. I still act like a goofy nerd, even though I don’t look like one anymore… and it throws people off sometimes.
6. I sometimes wonder if I have some kind of anxiety
Read more: Tagged
Old School Running Playlist (Mostly 80’s)
2007-07-06 00:00:28
Well, I figured it was time to add a new playlist, since it’s been a while since I posted one. This one I call my Retro playlist, although, it’s mostly comprised of 80’s music with some 60’s and 70’s thrown in. I actually think that this is my preferred playlist to run to at the moment. I guess it is because a lot of these songs have dance appeal. Some of them I even dance to at the local 80’s night. Anyway, here they are in no particular order:
The Longest Time - Bily Joel
Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
Kung Fu Fighting - Bustop / Carl Douglas
Tainted Love - Soft Cell
Love To Hate You - Erasure
The Final Countdown - Europe
Things Can Only Get Better - Howard Jones
Blue Monday - New Order
Sussudio - Phil Collins
Tarzan Boy - Baltimora
Friday I’m in Love - The Cure
You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive
Love Shack - The B-52’s
Panama - Van Halen
Life is a Highway - Tom Cochrane
Poison - Bel Biv DeVoe
Unbelieveable - EMF
Ju
Read more: School
, Playlist
, Old School
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