First Day in Ohio

In Ohio visiting my dad who went through his 4th chemo treatment on Monday. Hopefully only 2 more after this month. We will know for sure in 2 weeks when he has his next scan to see how much of the cancer has been killed. My step-mom had a scan Monday to confirm no cancer cells had returned (she was diagnosed with breast cancer, had a double mastectomy, and went through chemo, all 6 months before my dad was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). News came back today - all clear so that is a big relief!

I arrived late Monday so luckily I ran in Chicago before I left. 7 miles with 6 x 100 strides. My legs felt heavy and it was warm. I think warmer than any run in August! Which is crazy! I'm glad I put the miles in before the 5 1/2 hour drive. Tuesday was me trying to get used to working from Ohio and not having my full home office. I had breakfast and lunch with dad since he stays home the day after the treatment so that was nice to have some father/daughter one on one time. It's a rarity in this house now! Today I had 10 miles with 4 x 1200 meter repeats on the schedule that I put off until the end of the day. I decided to run around the neighborhood then head up to the Jr. High track/high school soccer stadium to do the repeats. Yeah, I made it through 3 repeats, not so good. These kicked my ass today! I did run the full 10 miles though :). After the 1st repeat I was hurting since I went out too fast. The 2nd I thought I couldn't go on anymore. During the 3rd the boys soccer team started showing up to do some pre-game warm-ups and I starting feeling a little self-conscious so I took off to finish up my remaining miles around town.

I came home and cooked a healthy dinner for the family. All in all a good first full day in Ohio even though I didn't quite hit my speed session this week. It's nice being around the family even though I do miss the hubby who's holding down the fort back in Chi-town.

Crazy Dream

Oh my I just had the craziest dream. It was incredibly vivid and I actually remember most of it. I was wherever (no idea) but getting ready to run my second marathon. I have this feeling that I am in the wrong race and realize at the start that I am. Then we start running and there is this ridiculously huge grass hill that is so steep we have to climb it; can't even run and the race just started. So I say screw this and go find my race (like there would be two marathons close by the same day but whatever it's a dream). So I was instantly transported to the start of the race I had signed up for. Which I come to find out is not your normal race. The marathon was more of a experiment. Instead of a loop or a straight race all the mile crossed over one another and there were mile signs to follow. And you had to go underground and through rooms it was weird. So I kept getting confused and repeating and/or missing miles. Then I ran into some people I knew so we all tried to figure it out together. That didn't work out they seemed to know less than me. Then I looked at my watch as saw that I was nearing 4 hours and I was only on mile 7. I finally finished something like 12 hours later and I was so upset. I didn't even accept the medal because I was depressed that the race didn't turn out as I expected and wasn't fun.

So I think I have some nerves about the upcoming marathon in Dallas :) what do you guys think?!?

On a running note I had a good speed workout yesterday. I wasn't even supposed to be home but got done with work early and caught an earlier flight. I opted for the treadmill not really because of the weather but more because I didn't want to run on a dark track or on a dark trail. So it was a 3x1600 at 8:00 w/ 800 jogs and a warmup and cooldown. 8:00 is really pushing for me and it didn't feel good. But I guess speedwork is about pushing yourself to an uncomfortable level. Anyways, I did it! On the 2nd 1600 I had to put it back down to an 8:05 for the second half. But on the last 1600 I went down to a 7:47 for nearly the whole last 800! Tonight I am supposed to do an easy 7. I may push it off until tomorrow. There is some Christmas shopping I want to do and may be going to dinner for sushi :)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!!! I love the holiday because I like to see everyone else dressed up but do not partake in the dress up activities myself. Like I said yesterday tonight was the annual Red Lion dinner. 5 years now we have been going. Usually with friends but tonight everyone wanted to stay home so it was just us. It is an old English pub that's claim to fame is their poltergeist. Unfortunately for the last 5 years the poltergeist chooses to hide on Halloween. No fish and chips for me tonight - decided to go with the Irish Stew. Mix things up a bit. Plus it came with a salad so I felt like that was the bit of a healthier option. No mind the Stella Artois, or 3... I know I shouldn't drink beer during the training but seriously no records are being broken by me and Stella, it's damn fine beer :)

Before the pub meal I had speed work on the schedule. And I am sore! 6 miles and a 2 x1600 at 8:03 with x800 jogging. My first 1600 - 7:49! What?!? I think the wind may have helped move me along. Or my mile wasn't quite a mile, that absolutely can't be right. The second 1600 - 8:01. Awesome. I felt like I was moving in slow motion. Everything was hurting on the second 1600 and I wasn't sure I was doing very good. Lungs, legs, everything just burning. But a good burn :) I'm really happy with my times for the first speed work session in awhile. Overall I wish I could feel like I did this afternoon on every run.

Also, tonight I tried out some more new Nike apparel. I now love Nike. Have for awhile. I used to think they were just an overpriced company with stuff you could get anywhere for way cheaper. Not so, not so. Their shirts are some of the best (there are exceptions). The shorts are average not always made for a big thigh girl like myself. However, I recently purchased a pair of their Nike dry fit cushioned running socks with the separate foot technology. They even put a little L and R on the bottom of the socks (as if you couldn't figure it out from the shape of the sock) Love them! They turned out to be even better than my Asic running socks. The perfect amount of cushioning so my foot doesn't get to warm but still feels cushioned. Now I want more. But I refuse to pay full price. The pair I bought was one of the last medium sizes at the outlet in Florida. boo...Maybe next time I am in Florida they will have restocked.

Speedwork?!?!

Okay, so I need some help. I am lost when it comes to speedwork. Not that I'm all speedy or anything but I know working on it will improve my overall conditioning which is the main goal for me right now. Does anyone have any suggestions on programs or a schedule to follow for speedwork when training for longer distances? If so, could you leave me a comment or email me? (email link on my profile)