My ass was literally freezing

4 miles (uphill workout)
45 minutes
11:15 pace

Do hill work runs ever get easier?  I'm stronger with hills.  I know I am, but they are still so difficult!  Especially when I'm tired.  And cold. And hungry.  And bloated.  And a tad grouchy.

{the good} I've been in somewhat of a "running funk" lately.  I took a couple of weeks off at the first of the year, and lost my mojo during that time. I'm still not sure what happened, but I'm trying to jump back into the ring swinging.  I let the excessive rainy, slushy winter weather get the best of me last week, and ran only 4 miles.  Compared to the 18-26 I should have run.  I'm thinking of it as a little "mini vacation" for my legs.  Anyway, I watched an amazing video that snapped me out of my funk long enough to A) get my self dressed for a chilly run and B) force my sweet husband to go run in the cold with me.  It was a nice reminder to get up off my ass BECAUSE I CAN.  There are so many out there who cannot.  Last night, as miserable as I was, I ran for them.  Check it out if you have a few minutes.



http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2012/02/from-wheelchair-to-running-on-air-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

{the ugly} So we were *almost* home last night when I realized the lower area of my buns were burning and stinging like mad.  I took my gloves off so I could reach around and feel what was happening back there.  My tights were soaked with sweat & freezing cold.  I was getting freezer burn on my tush!  Not OK.  I had a strange mix of under dressed lower body with an over dressed upper body going on last night.  I haven't done that in a loooong time.  The weather has been so - different.  It was a night that said 38, but it felt like a very crisp, windy 28.  I'm ready for spring.

Bob Harper: Kettlebell Sculpted Body (DVD review)

It's all I can do to type this review today.  My arms and back muscles are totally spent after yesterday's kettlebell workout with my trainer, Bob.  

My Current Fitness Level

At this time, I run 15-25 miles per week, participate in 2 to 3 cardio classes at the gym per week, and workout with weights at least three days per week.  With that being said, this DVD had me literally dripping sweat on the garage floor.  Keep in mind, it was in the low 30's outside, and the garage isn't much warmer than the outdoor temp.  I can only imagine what the cardio version of the workout will be like!  I want you to know where I'm coming from as far as fitness level goes so you can determine whether this DVD is a good addition to your home library.

What You'll Need

The Kettlebell Scultped Body DVD

A Kettlebell

A large space with high ceilings & room to move left to right

We use our garage as a workout space.  There's a pull up bar, a TV, DVD player, additional speakers so you can hear all instructions over the noise of the fan, padded floor mats, and miscellaneous work out equipment.  Just back the cars out & get to work.  Here's a picture...

Floor mats

You can buy kettlebells at pretty much any sporting goods store, but we bought our set at Walmart.  You want to make sure the weight is suitable to swing around & lift over your head for an hour nonstop.  Don't go too heavy, or you won't make it through the workout.  I purchased the DVD for $5.00 on Bob Harper's web site, My Trainer Bob.com.

What's The DVD Like

About 90% of the time, he had us swinging the kettlebell from between our legs....all the way up to our chest (or higher).  After you get used to the two handed approach, he switches you to one hand at a time.  Switching back and forth in mid air.  There was lots and lots and lots of that action.  We did squats and lunges a good portion of the time.  We also did push ups.  Then, there were these push ups where you creep your way across the floor on your hands and toes (in military push up position), stop and do a push up (military style), and creep your way back to the other side where you do another push up.  I love that Bob goes into great detail on form.  Over and over again, he reminds you about your form.  It's so easy to do the moves in a way that would end up doing more harm than good.  Reminders along the way help prevent that from happening.

My Overall Thoughts

It was a great workout.  The time flew by.  I'm assuming that was because it was such a different workout than what I'm used to.  I had to think, focus on form, try new moves.  I would love to add this into my weekly routine!

Interested in other Bob Harper DVDs?  I've reviewed one other My Trainer Bob DVD.  Here's a link:

Pure Burn Super Strength

Walk breaks?

Someone asked me about walk breaks.  I don't really address it much because it's such small portion of what I'm doing out there on the road.  However, the breaks are highly beneficial for injury prone individuals like myself.  Again, they're only a fraction of what I'm doing out on the road, yet highly significant.

These days, you'll hear me whining about walk breaks in one of two situations A) during a wicked long run or B) during a hill workout.  To be honest, it really depends on what's going on with my body that day (injuries, energy, length of the run, etc.).  I run 99.4% of the time, but there are times when I need to walk.  Here are a few examples.

1. Recovery:  When I was recovering from severe IT band issues back in the fall of 2009/winter of 2010, I used the Galloway walk/run interval method to get back into running.  As time went on, I slowly eliminated the timed breaks & went with what my body was telling me to do.  
2. Feeling The Love: There are days I run 11+ miles without walking.  Other days, I run at the top of each mile.  It really depends on what workouts I've done that week already, how trashed my legs feel, my energy level, my wellness level, etc.
3. Injury Prevention: With these 14+ mile runs coming up for marathon training, I'm incorporating the walk breaks at least every 2nd mile. It's just a 30 - 60 second break, but it makes a world of difference on days I'm not feeling the love.  I try to do it at the top of each mile, but sometimes I go into my own little world.  I don't hear my Garmin beep at the mile mark for several miles.  When I come back into the real world, I take my walk break.
4. For Water:  During my home based long runs, I wear a FuelBelt for hydration.  I don't have to stop to drink because it's basically a no spill hydration system. However, half marathons are different.  I walk through the water stops & that serves as my walk break. Plus, it's easier to drink from a tiny paper cup when I'm walking. If I drink from a cup while running I end up with water all down my front (which causes major chaffing for me - said from multiple times of trying and failing).  As of right now, I plan on wearing the hydration belt during June's full marathon & walking through the water stops.  I'm going to tag team hydration since it's double the distance I'm used to running.  My belt will run out of water by 13 miles if I don't drink at the water stops.  The water stops will also force me to incorporate regularly scheduled walk breaks.
5. Saving (Not Shaving) My Legs:  Sometimes, I'll go for a slow run with walk breaks knowing I'm faced with a longer, hillier, more difficult run within the next day or two.  I try to save my legs any drama or trauma if at all possible, while still logging miles.  For me, this is critical.  I'm injury prone, and playing it smart keeps me out of physical therapy.

When I "walk", it's a fairly brisk walk.  Especially this time of year.  I don't like getting chilled during a run, and it's so easy to walk slow enough & long enough to completely cool down.  It's too difficult to get started again after that.  I seriously try to keep it around the 30 second mark.  Maximum 60 seconds.  There are times where it's no more than 5 or 10 seconds, which cracks my husband up to no end.  

I hope this information is helpful for anyone out there wondering if walking is acceptable during a run.  If you're worried about what others think of taking a walk break during your run, don't.  It's not their run...it's yours.  Who gives a rat's ass what anyone else thinks about what you're doing???  Walk breaks can serve as a Fartlek of sorts, allowing you to get faster, stronger & used to longer distances.  Modify as needed.  

Training plan tweaks (again)

After seeing the flow of how things are going with the whole marathon training thang, we (once again) tweaked the training plan.  If you're keeping track, here's the new one.

Click here to view my plan.

We added a few races into the mix.  Also, you'll notice we've decided to NOT go past the 20 mile mark with training.  This will allow us to stretch out these long runs over a longer period of time.  My IT band hates big changes.  If I can stick close to the similar mileage repeatedly, build it up slowly, and keep within a range of miles, I'll be much better off in the long run.  Come marathon day, I'll slam it with an additional 6.2 miles, but that's just for one day.  I might actually be better off this way.  Only time will tell!

PS, the Shamrock run is actually a 15k. I have no clue why I typed in 12k. I'm too lazy to edit it.  :)

Please note, I am not promoting this plan as my own genius.  I have simply tweaked the plan of a professional runner.  Before you start any running plan or exercise program, check with your doctor to ensure you are healthy enough to do so. :)

Hills, hills, and more....hills

4  miles
46 minutes
11:30 pace

Why did we move to the hilliest part of Vancouver, Washington?  Hills surround my house.  I live at the bottom of what I like to call "Monster Hill".  Uggg.

I suppose there's some good in living in this area (besides the great schools).  The main reason has to be getting hill training more than the average runner.  Even my so called "flat" runs are hilly.  This is pretty important with the Shamrock 15k right around the corner.  Yeah, have I mentioned that the first 6+ miles of that race are....uphill?

I know I can do 2 miles because that's what I did last night with very tired legs (full week of workouts after a 14 mile long run Sunday morning).  I'm hoping 6 miles of uphilliness won't cause any issues for me & my funky hip/butt issue.  It's only 400 feet.  I've deal with way worse on my weekly runs, but those don't last 6 miles.

At least the last 3.31 miles of Shamrock are downhill, right?  Just agree with me so we can move on with life.

{the good}  I got in a kick ass hill workout!  Only the last two miles of this route were uphill. The first half was fine.  I do find myself worrying about the last half throughout the entire first half, though. lol

{the ugly} My hip/butt area gets really tight going uphill.  VERY tight.  Which starts to cramp like a charlie horse.  Which causes hip pain from overcompensating muscles.  Man does it hurt.  I'm trying to focus on relaxing that area while running.  I'm also rolling on a tennis ball & foam roller after each run...as well as in between runs.

I'm not that strong a swimmer

After much prompting from various physical therapists, I've decided I would like to take swim lessons.  I'm not sure there's such a class for adults, but I'm ready to start investigating this topic.  Why?

1. I need more skilz than the basic "doggy paddle".
2. Swimming is incredible cross training for runners!
3. I think lessons would help me get over my fear of wearing a swim suit in public.
4. I need one more legit reason for the Brazilian "down under" waxing I'm getting tomorrow morning.  (What better way to do that than wearing a swim suit on a regular basis?)
5. I would like to [eventually] participate in a triathlon, and swimming is sort of....required.

So, there you have it.  My kookball reasons for wanting to take my basic swimming skills to the next level.  I actually took lessons for several years as a child.  I wasn't ever very good at it, but I like to think I could save my own life if I fell off a boat.  I cannot seem to swim in a straight line.  I hit the side of the pool wall, and never have a clue how I ended up there.  I have a lot of work to do here.

We'll discuss the cycling part of the tri another day.  Since it's running related, we should also chat about tomorrow's Brazilian waxing appointment after I recovered from the humiliation.  Sigh.  Oh, and for those of you unfortunate souls unfamiliar with the ever so classic Synchronized Swimmers skit from SNL, I leave you with a video snippet.  I watched it the first time it aired, all those many years ago, and it still cracks me up to no end today. 

Video not showing up for you?  Click this link instead:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4122944961711350389

14 miles with an aching hip (and knee)

14 miles
11:40 pace

11:40 wasn't a bad pace considering how much I walked during this run!!!  Especially since all of mile 12 was spent walking.  I made sure to take walk breaks at the top of each mile.  Several tossed in here and there along the way as my hip and knee started aching more and more as the miles rolled along. I would have been perfectly happy walking from mile 8 on, but I knew Kent was waiting for me.  As soon as the Garmin hit the 13 mile mark.  I started running, and I refused to stop until I got to the coffee shop.  (The coffee shop is always our finish line after a long run!  We walk home from there. lol)  I was determined to finish strong, and I did.

I haven't battled the IT band issue in a long while.  Looks like it has come back to bite me in the ass.  The hip issue I'm having is totally IT related.  I will be spending a lot of time stretching and icing and babying this leg throughout marathon training season.  I will beat this.  I will run the race.  I will not lose sight of why I'm doing this.  I will not focus on a timed finish.  I will simply focus on doing it!

I wish I had taken pictures along the way, but it was such a mentally and physically difficult task for me to start & complete this run.  There's no way I could take time to snap a picture.  There were many times I wanted to, though.  I wish you could have been in my head to see all the beautiful waterfalls, streams, signs of spring, critters, etc.  I would write more about it, but I'm off to stretch.....

My first group training run

VUM Group Training Run
3.5 miles
10:00 pace 

So I reached waaaaaaaay outside of my comfort zone last night, and went on a run with the WHAT?  Vancouver USA Marathon training group.  I have no clue why they call it the "WHAT?" run, but that doesn't matter.  Oh.  My.  Hell.  It was so much fun!  

Shelly, me, and Cheryl.  The wine had clearly kicked in by this point.

That guy in the back must be wearing the new Nike Vapor Flash jacket...so cool!

So here's what I liked most about this run.

1.  They fill you full of beer (or wine in my gluten free case) after the run.  Wine is always a good thing in my book.  I still think they should do this BEFORE the run, but nobody else seems to agree with me on that thought.  Hmph.

2.  I won a shirt for being one of the first 10 runners there.

My awesome new training shirt!

3.  The first two miles FLEW by.  That never ever happens on my short runs.  They always seem to take forever even though they don't.  

4.  I saw several people I know there.  [Side Note:  I think it's time for me to stop saying "I don't know anyone here" because I clearly do know people, and they were all at this training run last night. lol]

5.  I was able to get Kent to come with me!!!  He usually dislikes stuff like this, and declines my invitations.  I was shocked that he went with me.  (Thanks, honey!)

6.  It was very well organized from start to finish.

7.  They had a DJ in front of the The Rock Wood Fire Pizza, BLASTING music.  Just like before a race.  It gets the crowd pumped up. Love that.

8.  The route is marked along the way with big signs.  Always a good thing!  I've mention before how much I dislike routes that aren't marked.  Remember the Lyle's Myles 5k where I ended running 5 miles?  I know I haven't forgotten.

9.   The route is actually a little teeny tiny snippet of the marathon route.  It's always nice to practice running parts of the race path.  It just so happens, that's the area during both half marathons I've done in Vancouver where I pooped out.  It was delightful to be able to run it without feeling so exhausted this time!

10.  It was a nice change of scenery.  I tend to run in north Vancouver (Salmon Creek/Mt. Vista) area pretty much exclusively because that's where I dwell.  I didn't realize how bored I've become with the routes!  I think I need to make more of an effort to shake things up.

{the good}  It was a good time.  I honestly didn't think I would enjoy it, but I did.  Now I can't wait for next month's run to roll around.The time flew by, I got in a mid week run with friends, met several new ones (Including someone who actually reads my blog!  How cool is that?).

{the ugly}  I actually felt as though I was pushing it, and going pretty fast....until I looked at the Garmin which told the same old story.  Damn it!  Oh, and I still hate running in the dark no matter how many people are around.

Is there such thing as a Valentine treat?

Yes, there is such thing as a healthy Valentine's Day treat.  Here it is...

My adorable cardio instructor gave everyone a banana before last night's class started.  How cute is she? Nobody has ever given me a healthy Valentine's gift.  Hmph.

Yes, I went to class on Valentine's night.  I was shocked to see how many people weren't there.  Is Valentine's day that big of a deal?   I had no idea.  Hmph.

The highlight of the day was to find a woman standing in the front entry of the gym selling boxes of Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.  It was all I could do to not laugh when she asked me if I had purchased my Valentine's Day goodies yet.  Seriously?  We're at a gym.  To workout.  Hmph.

My love hate relationship with running (Valentine's Day special edition)

We all love to run.  We love to read about it, blog about it, talk about it, think about it, plan it, dwell on it, dwell on it some more.  There are some things I simply loooooove to hate (& hate to love) when it comes to running.  Since it's Valentine's Day, let's talk about love (and hate)....

1.  Sweating.  I typically dislike sweating, but love to sweat if it's happening due to running.  I was born to stay cool.  My comfort zone is shallow.  I literally failed an entire year of gym class in high school for not suiting out.  Why?  Because I lived in Texas.  It was ten billion degrees out.  I didn't want to sweat off all my '80s make up & Aquanet hair spray.  However, when it comes to running, I love to sweat.  I feel as though you're not working hard enough if you're not sweating while exercising.  I had sweat dripping from my elbows my the half mile mark during Sunday morning's 11 mile run.  It's winter!  There is something I just loooove about feeling sweat run down my ass crack, into my eyes, and puddling into my bra.  I know I'm pushing my comfort limits when I sweat that much.  I feel as though I'm sweating the "old me" away during a long, sweaty run.

2.  Running shoes.  Hate the look...love the comfort.  They're pretty much all I own now, in terms of footwear.  They're not pretty, but they sure are comfy.  I have a whole system for keeping track of the multiple pair I have in use.  I also figured out that once they've earned too many miles to run in, they're perfectly good for wearing to the grocery store, mowing the lawn, picking up the mail, etc.  During winter months, you'll find me sporting cute boots from time to time.  In the summer, Merrill flip flops.  Other than that, running shoes.  I own at least two pair of running shoes at any given time.  I track their mileage so I'm sure to get new ones before the old ones start to cause problems / injuries.  There was a time when I didn't even own a pair of athletic shoes.  There was another time where I kept a pair I purchased in high school....for 10 years!  They hurt my feet back then, but I would wear them now and then despite the pain.    

3.  Black toenails.  I have a love hate relationship with these babies.  Let me start by saying, I have the fugliest toes on the planet.  I never wore sandals to school.  Ever.  Kindergarten through high school.  Why?  Because I just knew other kids would make fun of my toes.  They are so jacked up looking.  These days, I don't give a shit & wear sandals when and where I want, but the black nails are atrocious.  Currently, I only have one.  I'm thankful it's winter, and I don't have worry about what the nails look like in public.  Nobody has to see them but me.  There's some sick part of me that loves looking down and seeing black nails.  I work damn hard for that purpley-black shade of nail.  

4.  Unflattering gear.  The FuelBelt has to be the worst look ever, but I refuse to go without it.  I already have a roly poly belly from not taking care of myself in the past.  Between big weight loss & having babies, what was once my tummy is now an apron of skin hanging from my body.  It's disturbing, but I cannot afford plastic surgery to chop it off.  Slap a Fuelbelt on me, and I look nuts.  There's muffin top action from every angle, and it's not pretty.  However, I love my Fuelbelt.  It works for me. It's getting so worn out, the inside lining is completely gone.  The elastic bottle holder on the front right is all stretched out from constant use.  I'm so attached to this fashion no-no belt, I don't want a new one.

5.  Weather.  I love running outside when it's cool.  I hate running outside when it's hot & humid.  I don't even mind running in snow & rain.  As a matter of fact, here in Washington, I run in the rain almost every time I run.  For those who aren't familiar with the Pacific North West weather pattern, I'm not kidding.  It rains A DAMN LOT.  I'm good with snow as long as I can see the ground.  I learned the hard way in Cincinnati, just because you see white it doesn't mean there's solid ground under the white.  I don't do ice at all.  Learned that the hard way, too.  I also learned I can run 2.5 miles when it's sub zero out.  I was miserable & my skin was stinging, so I went back home. That was a little TOO cool for my liking.  It doesn't get that cold here, thank goodness.  Anyway, I could tolerate heat and humidity a lot better in Cincinnati.  I guess you get used to it after a while.  It's funny how quickly I lost the tolerance!

6.  Treadmills.  Oh, how I used to looooove the treadmill.  Now it's a device of torture.  I would go the Y every morning.  Leave the house at 4:45am.  Be there waiting for the doors to open by 5am.  On the treadmill by 5:02.  I was walking back then.  Every now and then I would try too jog for a few seconds.  Once I started training to run, I ditched the treadmill for most training sessions.  Of course, it was Cincinnati, and the snow was an issue.  There were times I was treadmill bound.  Now, I only hop on it if the physical therapist makes me.  

7.  Race shirts.  I love them.  I've kept every single one of them.  I don't hate any of them.  Since Kent does so many races with me, we have duplicates of almost every shirt.  Imagine what our closet looks like.  Don't make me take a picture!

8.  The bling.  I love medals.  Thee only thing I hate about them is that I haven't come up with a sweet ass way of showing them off yet.  I'm working on it!  I've seen all the cute little medal racks, but I have too many medals to fit those.  They're kind of spendy, so I don't want to have to buy multiple units.  Kent might need to build me the ultimate medal holder.  I could sell them & make a fortune from other insane runners like me.  Cha-ching!

9.  Knowing that I'm doing something good for myself while setting a good example for my loved ones.  The only thing I hate is that the people I love most won't join me in my crazy adventures (other than my husband).  They don't see what I see.  I have to admit, I used to think people who ran were nut cases.  Perhaps we are.

10.  Feeling stronger.  I wrote about it on my other blog last week.  I feel so much stronger than ever before.  It's amazing.  The only thing I hate about my new found strength is the new shape that goes along with it.  My legs are WAY meatier than they've ever been.  I have jeans that still fit me everywhere but the thighs. I've just never had muscular thighs before.  It's the strangest thing...yet I feel so powerful & wish to show off my muscles to anyone who will look.  Is that nuts?  Don't answer that.

4 miles turned into 11 (like magic)

11  miles
10:52 pace

We started out with a slow 4 mile run in mind.  Somehow, that morphed into a slow 8 mile run.  Before we knew it, we had gone past the turn around point & turned it into a slow 11 miles.  It was great!  This doesn't happen often.  Usually, just a couple of times per year.  Why not take advantage of it?

{the good}  Everything felt great.  I love running at the 11 minute pace.  It's MY pace.  I could run for miles and miles and miles at that pace.  As a matter of fact, that's my plan for the upcoming marathon.  I'm more than willing to knock it back to 12 or 13 if need be!  Whatever it takes to cross that finish line, baby.  Whatever it takes.

{the ugly}  I'm pretty sure I talked Kent's ear off the first 7 miles. lol  At that point, I plugged in my ipod in order to get up the big ugly hill I hate so much.  So I listened to music for the remainder of the run.  I'm sure he was happy to let me zone out for a few miles. lol

PS....please don't forget to vote for me.  I would so appreciate the vote!  Voting closes at midnight February 15th, 2012.  The Best of Clark County will be announced in a special section that publishes on Wed. March 28, 2011, and winners will be listed on www.columbian.com throughout 2012. I've been entered to win the "best blog in Clark County" category, and would be so honored to win!  Here's a link to the voting web page:

 http://www.columbian.com/bestofclarkcounty2012/

You have to sign in (which does take a minute to do so), and then scroll down the page to the "techy stuff" area. From there, enter www.willrunforcoffee.com for best blog.  Thank you!!!! 

10 years....who knew I could do it???

Today, I celebrate my 10 year goal weight anniversary.  I blogged about it over on Leading The Weigh.  Check it out if you have time to hear a long winded way of me saying how much stronger I feel now!  :)

Runners, meet "Old Heather"....

http://www.leadingtheweigh.com/2012/02/happy-10-year-goal-weight-anniversary.html

Ladybug Run for CDH Awareness (5K & 10K)

'Tis the season of local races, and I couldn't be more inspired.  Inspired....for so many reasons.  The main reason?  During these "blah" winter months, I rarely want to run or cross train.  It's all of the local races I sign up for that keep me going.  In a way, each race is a carrot dangling in front of me.  

Finley turns 2 on race day!

In the past year or two, I've tried to find smaller races that provide some sort of local support.  I mean, if I'm going to pay a race fee, I want my money going toward something that's going to help a local organization, family, cause, etc.  This race is happening because of one Portland area toddler with CDH.  Blog readers, meet Miss Finley!  [Pictured to your left.  Check out that smile!] 


I will admit, I had never heard of CDH before her mom, a fellow running group buddy, told me about a race she set up in honor of Finley.  I could sit here & explain it all to you, but Liz explains it beautifully.  I should probably let her take it from here....

Dad, Mom & Finley in the NICU

The inspiration for this race is our daughter Finley. At our 20 week ultrasound appointment Wednesday March 31st 2010 (ironically CDH Awareness Day), my husband and I were thrilled to get the news we were having our second girl. That news was quickly overshadowed by the fact that our baby had a serious complication. We were told that our baby had a left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (this happens in one in about every 2,500 births) which means the diaphragm didn't close entirely when it was supposed to and some of the lower organs (in our case; stomach, intestines, and spleen) are up where they shouldn't be. As a result, the lungs wouldn't grow to normal size and our baby was at risk for a laundry list of complications that ended with the statement that she had about a 40-50% chance of survival. Finley was in the fortunate 50% that survive. It took 19 days to stabilize her for repair surgery and after another 30 days more in the NICU, she was finally able to come home.

Because this birth defect is rare and not commonly known, it does not have the funding that other more widely known birth defects attract. All money raised by this race will go toward to the Ladybug CDH Foundation which will give funds to both on-going research and to assist families with a child with CDH in the hospital. Hospital expenses average from $500,000 - $1M+ which means families can be bankrupted by CDH. Some families travel thousands of miles to deliver at a hospital such as Emanuel which is equipped to care for a CDH baby. This means incurring additional expenses of travel, housing, and food. Then, imagine having those expenses and also having to cover a funeral? Or for those fortunate children who do come home, costs include at-home nursing, oxygen support, feeding tubes, and numerous medicines. The Ladybug Run will help these families.

Why Is This Race Called Ladybug Run?  At the Randall Emanuel Children's Hospital the section of the NICU where the sickest babies who need ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) are kept is called Ladybug. The isolette in Ladybug 3 is where Finley spent her first 19 days of life.

How touching is that?  I literally teared up while surfing through the race information.  It's not often I sign up for a race & have a good cry at the same time.  We're fortunate to have such a fabulous children's hospital like Emanuel at our fingertips.  Sometimes, it takes a race to remind us how blessed we are.

Race Details
Date: Sunday, August 12, 2012
Time:  9am (8am registration/packet pickup)
Location:  Champoeg State Park, St. Paul, Oregon 97137
Cost: Varies from Free (for kid runs) to $35.00

About This Location
St. Paul is West of  I-5, just north of Woodburn, Oregon.  This makes the race accessible to those from  Portland/Vancouver to Salem!  If you know a runner living near Salem (Keizer, Woodburn, Corvallis, Aumsville, Sublimity, Silverton, Turner, Dallas, Monmouth, Independence), tell them about this event.  They don't have nearly as many race events as we do in the PDX area, and would probably appreciate running something closer to home for a change.  :)

Race Day Swag
The bling for those who preregister includes chip timing, a shirt, free parking (normally $5), two aid stations, accurate mile markers, results posted online within 24 hours, and more.   (I mentioned the mile markers because I've actually run a local race without them....and I got lost.  Mile markers are important!!!)

5k route
http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=465212

10k route
http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=465213


Register
http://www.reasontorun.com/races/ladybugreg.html


Ladybug Info & Registration:
http://www.reasontorun.com/races/ladybug.html

PS, race day is Finley's birthday, and Liz is providing cupcakes (or some other sort of fun treat) for all of the racers.


PSS, If you haven't done so already, please cast your vote!  I'm hoping to win the "best blog in Clark County" award, and could use every vote I can get.  You can read more about this here:

http://www.willrunforcoffee.com/2012/02/vote-for-me-to-win-best-local-clark.html

Bob Harper: Pure Burn / Super Strength (DVD review)

My Trainer Bob, Bob Harper has his collection of workout DVDs on sale for just $5.00 each!  That's an incredible 75% savings.  There were two DVDs I had been wanting from this collection, but couldn't justify $40.00 for two DVDs.  However, with the big sale going on, I decided I could get 8 DVDs for the price two would normally cost me.  That's an entire home library of Bob Harper.  BOB HARPER, people!  I couldn't pass it up. 

8 new DVDs!

Pure Burn / Super Strength

 I wasn't sure where to start with this new collection.  I knew it couldn't be the two kettlebell DVDs because I don't own kettlebells. I keep saying I'm going to get some....then never do.  I guess I have to now that I own two DVDS that require such items.   So, since I don't have kettlebells, I randomly picked one from the stack.  Blindly.  Stupidly.  The one I chose was Pure Burn / Super Strength.  My arms hurt so bad today, I can barely type this review.  You might think I'm kidding, but I'm not.

The DVD suggests 1 or 2 pound hand weights.  I chose to use 8 pound weights because I normally choose 8 to 10 pound weights during my cardio/toning classes at the gym.  Ummmmm....that was a HUGE mistake on my part.  There's a ton more arm work in this DVD than what we ever do in class.  It's pretty much non stop arm work.  Over and over and over and over again. Until midway through the DVD.  That's when my arms were shaking so hard, they eventually gave out.  I bumped it down to 5 pound weights at that point, and even those were killing me.  My goal was to make it through the rest of the workout with 5 pounds weights.  I did it, but I wonder if I should have moved down to my 2.5 pound weights instead.  Oh, well.

Anyway, this DVD has lots & lots of lunges.  Continuous arm work with weights (he seriously never lets you stop with the arms).  Push ups, planks, dead lifts, some ab work.  Mainly.....arms.   The muscles under my arm pits / beside my boobs hurt so so so much today.  Same with the muscles on top of my shoulders.  I have to go to class tonight, and I have no clue how I'm going to get through it.  Sigh.

So, we realized we need to buy nicer weights.  Kent made our set out of PVC pip & concrete.  Yes, I just admitted we have homemade weights.  They do the trick, but they're round.  So we can't do any of the weighted push ups without rolling away.  We also need kettlebells.  Another mat would be nice so we don't have to share the one we have during the ab work sessions.


Here's a link if you want to see what Bob has on sale:
https://www.mytrainerbob.com/store/home.php?cat=251

UPDATES:
2/26/12 Kettlebell Sculpted Body DVD Review

A Fartleking we go (because Fartleks make me faster)

3 miles
9:52 pace

I did not, did not, did not want to do this run today.  I've not been looking forward to my runs lately, and I'm not sure what the problem is.  It's beautiful out.  Sunny.  Dry.  Temps in the low 40s.  Perfect for running!  Once I'm out there, I'm fine.  It's the concept of "getting going" that seems to be the problem.  Hmph.


Uphill....
Anyway, I took off, and realized my pace was a bit peppier than it has been lately.  I went with it.  The first half of this run is uphill.  Yes, 1.5 miles of uphill.  It really feels as horrible as it sounds.  To top if off, I was doing Fartleks (speed intervals).  [With the Shamrock 15k coming up in March, hill training is a must.  The first 6 miles or so of that race is uphill.]   I had a pace of 10:06...until I got tired.  After that, I saw 10:38.  I wasn't discouraged, though.  That was going uphill, pushing as hard as I could.

Downhill....
On the way back, I made the decision to end in the 9s.  No more intervals, though.  Just running pushing a little harder than what was comfortable.  I haven't seen a finish time in the 9s since last year's Race For The Cure, where I finished with a 9:07 (my fastest 5k time to date).  I started slacking off on interval runs last June.  It shows.  As much as I had to admit it, Fartleks do help with my speed, and I need that one day per week of dedicated speed intervals in order to do my best during races.

{the good} I ran before noon.  Stuck to my plan of getting my shorter training runs in earlier in the day.  I've noticed I just won't do them at all if I don't get them done early.  So...I did it. Yay.

{the ugly} I guess there wasn't anything ugly this time.  That's always a plus.

PS....If you haven't done so already, please cast your vote!  I'm hoping to win the "best blog in Clark County" award, and could use every vote I can get.  You can read more about this here: 

http://www.willrunforcoffee.com/2012/02/vote-for-me-to-win-best-local-clark.html

High winds really.....BLOW

12 miles 
2:06 time
10:30 pace

The training plan called for 12 miles.  I mapped out what was supposed to be 12.5, but we ended up running 12 anyway.  Why stop at 12?

1. This was a very hilly route.  I was pushing hard and fast during my run intervals (running in the mid to upper 9 pace range)...which wore me out.  I made sure to take a walk break at the top of each mile.  As usual, sometimes I walked a little more than I should have.  
2.  I felt barfy throughout the entire run.  There were several times I thought I needed to stop for a hurl break.  I'm sure pushing myself a little harder didn't help this feeling any.  It is what it is.  For the record,  never did it.  Hold it in, we all win!  By the time 12 miles rolled around, I was ready for that feeling to go away.
3. We had a 25 to 30 mile an hour headwind the entire way home.  It was exhausting!  By the time we hit mile 12, we were both done.  My hands & face felt burned from the wind.  My ears were ringing from the sound of the wind.  Kent had a MAJOR calf cramp that would not let up.  So we walked about a quarter of a mile to the coffee shop.  

{the good}  I was able to push a little harder for this run.  Oh, and my knee felt perfectly fine this time around!  I'm going to continue rolling my quads.  That seems to have helped the issue.  

{the ulgy}  The wind and the funky tummy.  I could have done without both!

Fartleks, hills, and a little bit of walkin'

3.12 miles
32:23 time
10:23 pace

You know, this pace was not bad considering I was doing hill work AND fartleks (up the hills & on the flats) the entire way.  It is a sunny, beautiful day, and I wanted to take advantage of the nice weather.

My knee felt sore by the end of this 5k...so I walked the rest of the way home.  Normally, I'd slog (slow jog) my way back, but there's no need to push it at this point.  My IT band is really tight today so I'm going to be rolllllling & stretching the rest of the day.

{the good}  Running in the sun!

{the ugly}  Knowing the knee pain isn't totally gone yet.

Vote for me to win best local (Clark County) blog!

And so the begging begins
I'm asking a ton.  I'm fully aware of it.  The Columbian is hosting the annual Best of Clark County 2012, and I would like my blog, www.WillRunForCoffee.com,  to win the "best blog" category (listed under "techie stuff"/local blog).

Why should you vote for me?
As you know from reading my blog posts, I support a lot of local racing events (13 local events in 2011 alone), refuel after a long run in local restaurants (runners need carbs!), run all of the local trails & roads (multiple times per week), volunteer to help out at local running events (I'm a fabulous goody bag stuffer), and shop for gear at local running stores (I heart FitRight NW!).  

That's me giving a big old....YES!!! as I crossed the finish line
at the inaugural 2011 Vancouver USA Half Marathon!

Why am I pimping myself out this way?
Running is my outlet, and I wish more local peeps would join me in my adventures!  I am not the fastest runner.  I am an average person, and I feel as though I represent the general population of those striving to change their ways & live healthier.  The only official local running club here in Vancouver is a race based club.  Every run is timed, ranked, & archived.  They are all very fast. Now, there's certainly nothing wrong with the way they do things, but through the eyes of an average person...they are not at all the norm.  It would be amazing to have a Vancouver based running group/club for the average Joe.  I feel as though I could spread that message & organize such a group by winning the "best local blog" award.  I mean, what better way to get a message across than having it printed in the local paper, right?  When we moved here in June of 2010, I thought this city would never feel like home.  In an odd way, I feel as though running the ever-so-rainy streets, trails, and races of Vancouver, Washington has allowed me to feel like I belong here.

The nitty-gritty details
In order to vote, you have to register on the Columbian's web site.  It takes just a few seconds (name and email address), then activate your account via a link they send to your inbox.  The category I'm hoping to win is listed under "techie stuff" as "local blog".  Add me as www.willrunforcoffee.com .   I would so appreciate the vote!!!  Thanks for your support.

Click here to vote:
http://www.columbian.com/bestofclarkcounty2012/