Hey... it actually *was* a FUN run! :)

If you look to your right, you'll notice the countdown clock for the Remission Run 5k is at ZERO. That's right, peeps! Today was the big day! I really had a blast and couldn't have had better people to do it with. Let me run it down for ya:

Alicia and her husband got to the apartment around 7 this morning. We had some boiled eggs (very thoroughly cooked, lol Alicia) and a whole wheat English muffin with a lil' peanut butter on it. I only did half a muffin so I could get in a little 'nanner too. Love me some banana! After we warmed up our trash talking and layered on about 10 more lbs of clothing, we set off for Conroe.

The run was held in a sports complex park so the trail was part cement, part gravel-y stuff, part mud, part play-doh. (Or at least what I called play-doh: gooey, thick mud in already thick grass) The atmosphere was bumpin', mostly because we looked like a scene out of "March of the Penguins" all huddled together trying to soak in the body heat. Luckily, I had made little goody bags for our big day so Alicia and I hoarded the hand warmers to help keep the feeling in our fingers. Being a Remission Run, there were tons of survivors and those running in honor/memory of loved ones with myriad types of cancers. I took a picture of Chris' name so I could embarrass him, like I do best. :) We tied on our timing chips and got ready for opening ceremony!

I wanted to post a picture of "The Naked Russian" here, but I couldn't figure out a way to take his picture without him noticing. This polar bear of a man decided he was going to wear shorts (I'm being generous with that term), and a little t-shirt. It wasn't necessarily his lack of clothing that surprised me, it was the whole picture. You'll just have to make up a mental image and run with it. Another crazy runner came dressed in a can-can girl costume and tights. This "woman of a mature age" decided to put the handwarmers in her chest crack to keep the girls warm. She also made for some entertainment while we waited for the horn to sound. :)

Once off, we let the guys do their own thing while Alicia and I stayed together. We finished at about 31:28, I think. Not too sure of the seconds, but it was something like that. I'll double check once they post the times on the website. This was actually a great time for me since that's hitting right at the 10:30 pace I've been trying to keep. I never really felt tired during the race and ended strong. If it weren't for that dang wind, I think I would have been able to call it a perfect run!

Here are a few pictures. I have always, and will always, look ridiculous in a beanie. I just didn't have a choice in our 34 degree weather. Ignore me looking funk-ti-fied. Focus on the awesomeness. :)

Love y'all!

I'm Kind of a Big Deal (pshhh hahaha!)

Hey guys, guess what? I kicked major butt today!!! Yup, that's right, another well-earned exclamatory sentence with too many exclamation points. Why?

I ran 4 whole miles today without stopping!

Here are the stats: 41:30 for 4 miles, 10:28 pace, plicas still intact. They're pretty swollen right now, but nothing like they were the last run. Looks like the electrode treatment the trainer gave me yesterday might have actually done some good. I do believe I'll be trying that out again!

Ahh... time for bed. :)

It's been a Coke kind of day...

Not the illegal substance, the equally addictive drug in the red can. Those of you who really know me know that I turn to a little "Coke" when times get tough. But you also know that I have given up those evil things! It's been almost exactly a month since I had one... and with a day like this, I could really use one right now!

Those of you wondering where I've been lately-- I'm still here! I've had quite a few of you do exactly what I need you to do, drill me about my progress and ask me where the heck an updated post is. Here it is! Let me fill you in:

My last post was about my plicas (i.e. fat balls squishing under/around kneecap) and some of the issues I've been having with them. This past weekend I went to see my parents back home. Saturday was a great day with some much needed Momma/daughter time and hours and hours of talking. (oh yeah, and Melting Pot!) I came back to Houston Sunday and figured I would do my Saturday run then. Once I got home, that plan flew out the window. Or, I guess a better metaphor would be, "that plan swelled in my legs." I decided I really just needed to take the weekend off and see if my fat balls would fix themselves. Good news was that I bought my new pair of Mizunos Saturday from RunTex and I was looking forward to running in them Monday.

Unfortunately, my Mizuno-bubble burst as I was driving home. I looked over in the seat and realized I somehow managed to buy the wrong size shoe just as I was passing through the half-way point on my drive. Dag-nabit! I still ran Monday, but decided I better try the treadmill so I would have a more controlled environment than the trail. I did pretty well- 2.5 miles in 25 minutes. If you'll notice, I haven't really upped that 10:00 pace, but I'm becoming more and more ok with that. Haha- for now at least!

I was supposed to have a 4 mile run today, but once again, the career I've chosen has decided to consume all my time. I just got home from school and it's about 8:30 and just scarfed down some dinner. Looks like I'll be fitting in my 4 miles some time after cheer practice and before my church meeting. Nothing like time management using those time management skills my college years taught me! See Mom and Dad, your money was well spent. :)

Best part of the day: I went to see my trainers at the school again today and they put electrodes on both my knees with ice to see if that would help. I'm hoping for good things! I'll update tomorrow (or maybe Thursday) and let you all know how it goes! Thanks for keeping me accountable, friends. You are all amazing!

"I'll Take a Water with Lemon, Please!"

Plicas are pointless. If I didn't have them, runs would be peachy! But I do, therefore the first few minutes are still a bear. But I went on a little adventure today, that was fun. It's track try-out season so there were about 200 kids swarming over my runnin' grounds. If we learned anything from the previous track incident, it's that I do no like jiggling in front of previous and current students. Not cool. So I decided to take it "off the beaten path" (quite literally) and run on the roads surrounding the school. One notable issue with that idea: there are no sidewalks in the area, just rough, grassy patches. Excellent for trail running practice for the Remission Run 5k next weekend, not so great for keeping up a steady pace. (Also not so great for students walking to school. Come on, CFISD! Pull some weight and get those city planners to build some sidewalks, peeps! But please don't take any more money from my paycheck. Thanks.)

I did get honked at... not quite the anonymous run I was going for. Luckily it was a cheerleader of mine and not some male student with juevos enough to hit on his teacher. My phone and my app's (I know you don't but an apostrophe on plural words, it's just an odd word to pluralize) kept me company and the little talking lady on my running app made sure to keep me updated on my stats. Still kept it a little short; 1.53 mi at about 16 minutes. I would give you the exact time, but I got distracted and forgot to push stop. It happens.

It was hard to concentrate today on my run because I was meeting at friend at 4 for margaritas and Tex-Mex at Chuy's. I was stoked about getting to hang out with a girlfriend and get to catch up on all sorts of Aggie/teacher/Houstonian type things. Don't worry health nuts, my margaritas plan ended up being a few tall glasses of water with lemon. Fancy!

Off to bed... after this episode of Charm City Cakes is over. I wish I was a baker!!!

My Plicas Are What???

Medial Synovial Plica Irritation. Boom. I just hit ya with it.

I got a full evaluation from the trainer today, including fancy knee-centered knowledge I'm guess normal humans don't know. Doc was able to show me exactly what the problem was and wrapped up his exam by handing me two rolls of Ace bandages (to better hold the ice) and some advice, "Quit pretending to be an athlete." This was in the same breath he told me another "Cy" school had cuter cheer coaches, so you can assume the severity in which I took his advice. He's quite the jokester, but the man is good at what he does!

Since I knew what was going on and wasn't stressing over the puffy masses covering my knees, I felt more at ease to go back (however slowly) to my runs. I dragged Michael with me to the park again since my last three runs were treadmills. I pep talked myself up enough to get going, but totally wasn't prepared for the first couple minutes of pain. It was just the stiffness wearing off until my muscles warmed up, but boy oh boy!

WAY COOL part of today: I saved about $300 bucks!!!!!! Totally worthy of an over-abundance of exclamation points. You all know that I've been seriously looking into a Garmin or a Pulsar heart/pace monitor which, even on eBay, start at $250 without the footpod which is yet another $100. There is definitely no way I can shell out those big bucks because I'm really not that ballin'! How did I solve this problem? $5 iPhone App! RunKeeper is exactly what I needed and nothing I didn't want. It tells me my pace and run time along with my distance every 5 minutes. Perfect!

So what did I end up running? I'm still taking the Thorny advice. Instead of 2 miles, I did 1.71 in 19:59. Homegirl voice told me five minutes into my run that I was at a 13 min pace (I told ya... those first few minutes were not cool) but I did the next 15 minutes at 11:30 pace and I felt really good. I'll see where that leaves me on my run tomorrow!

Knees- 1, Julie- 0

Well, guys... Bad news. My body isn't as rugged as we all thought. (Hahahaha... I'm such a jokester)

I woke up this morning the usual groggy self and started getting ready for the day. I went to put on my skirt when I realized I had new friends growing over the tops of my knee caps. (apparently that was what we call "swelling") I kinda flipped out... It seriously looked like I had traded legs with an overweight elderly woman. My knees were all squishy and super sore. Let's just say there was no skirt wearing today; I was not going out in public with that nonsense showing.

I figured it would go away some time during the day, but no such luck. I talked to a few coach friends and the trainer (and even double checked with runnersworld.com) concerning what I should do. All sources said a day's rest, acetaminophen, and ice. Nothing like having my own team of specialists at my fingertips. So I will be pushing today's run to tomorrow.

I know you all will be sitting on the edge of your seats awaiting the updated information coming tomorrow. Do not worry, readers, I will not disappoint! :)

Talk to y'all manana.

Week Three is Mine!

Quick post because I'm muy exhausted!

I took Thornton's advice and decided to tone it down a bit this week in preparation for the next couple. This turned out to be a fabulous idea because about 20 seconds into the run I realized my knees were not in it for the long haul. Not sure what was with that today... maybe the new warm weather? Whatever it was, the Aleve wasn't kickin' it.

I ended up doing a 25 minute workout today. For the first time since I started this endeavor, I allowed myself to do a brisk walk during the run. It really wasn't a failure thing, but more out of respect to the experiment of toning it down this week. I ran a treadmill tonight hitting the first mile on a soft 5.6 pace, walked about 3, then did another mile this time at 5.8-6.2 pace. I wanted to play around with the speed 1) To make sure I got the whole mile in before the 25:00 time frame and 2) Get my body used to going at a bit of a faster pace. I've been pretty "snail" paced lately so I'd like to oomph it up a little.

Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend. If you were lucky, you got today off like me. :)

Thanks again for all the support, y'all. I get awesome feedback on here, on facebook, and in your phone calls. You're definitely keeping me in it!

Flashbacks to Friday Corps Runs

So picture this: it's 5:30 a.m., you're surrounded by 1200 other half-asleep people, and the smell of powdered eggs and greasy bacon penetrates every follicle in your nose. Then you start to run in a ebbing mass "in celebration" of the next day's Aggie football game. Not gonna lie... this was not the most looked-forward-to tradition in my experience in the Corps. Quite the opposite actually. I hated the route, the smell of the breakfast I was about to [not] eat in an hour, and I hated seeing Reveille run the whole thing like it was nothing. Young men training in the military didn't bother me, but seeing her glide through what was usually a struggle for me, did.

Looking back on it, it wasn't a horrible experience; I did get out of it some good memories. For instance, running behind the class of '07 who decided to clean-out Northgate of all whiskey the night/morning before a run. Bad idea for them.... even worse for the juniors (me) who had to smell the alcohol seeping out of their pores for two and a half miles. Another was when Dr. Gates ran with us the day before he left to be the Secretary of Defense. That was pretty moti.

It never failed, though. I always thought at one point I was going to "fall out" of the run. But what also never failed was the support from my buddies and upperclassmen. I constantly heard, "Jules, you can do it!", "Akers, get your ass up here!" (threats do have a motivating factor), "You've got it, Tubbs. Breakfast is next!". (Ten bucks if you know who said that last one) I also loved running onto the quad hearing Alec belt out "I was born in a briar patch!" as we sang our Animal jody. It all added up to get me through it.

It's great to have those memories on runs like today's. It was a long day and my mind was completely overthrown. I started running thinking that it would all clear up, but it didn't. Instead of being able to think through things, I focused on how much I didn't want to do this and spent my 35 minutes reasoning with myself on quitting. A few times I turned down my music and thought back to those Corps Runs and put myself back into that mode. I couldn't stop because I'd look weak in front of my underclassmen and I didn't want to disappoint my buddies or my upperclassmen, so I didn't. I never fell out of a Corps Run and I refused to do it tonight.

So there we go, a 35:40 minute 3.15 mile run. That makes two successful (relatively) weeks of 10k training! Now to see where week three takes me...

[Here's an estimated route for what the Corps Run entailed]

Rain, Rain, Go.... Eh, Whatever. I'm Running Anyway.

Today was pretty fabulous concerning my 10-week path. Lots of good news to share!

My mom is helping me get my new Mizunos. Being the fabulous mother she is, and knowing the thin line between my "healthy" state and my non-healthy state, she decided the sooner I get them, the better. I will still finish my next two weeks in my current pair and run the trail 5k in them so I don't grudge them right off the cuff.

More great news: My sister is really helping me out with an early birthday present. Yvette has been through it all and has kept her head straight and her beautiful smile on her face throughout it all. She has a resilience and an unshakable commitment to personal growth that would inspire anyone, but especially inspires me. While talking today, she offered to help me with finding a heart/pace monitor to keep my training motivation up! I've got the best family ever!!!!!!

Alright, to the meat of it all, my run. I ended up getting swamped at work so my after-school run didn't so much happen. Ended up being a good thing because Michael came with me to run at the park despite the wet weather. The wind was killer and felt like a brick wall at times, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Overall good workout!

Almost two weeks down, peeps! YAY!

GottaHurryTooMuchToDoAhhhhh!

Quick update:

I couldn't run yesterday on my regularly-scheduled day due to this awesome district finance meeting that pretty much spelled out what I already knew in a two hour format: there's no money. Wonderful way to spend an evening! Good thing about it, though, was my constant want to get out of there and run--and not even from the meeting, just to run! That's a new feeling!

I ran today at the park and tried to stay off the pavement for about 90% of it so I can get used to running on a trail. I can't remember if I mentioned this, but Michael, Alicia, her husband, and I are going to run a fun run 5k on January 30th in Conroe. I'll be sure to post pictures! But it's a trail run, so I definitely need to get the feeling for it.

Today's run didn't quite go as smoothly as I had planned. I have been running about an 18 min 2-mile, but today I slipped back into that 10 minute pace. Yes, I know, I said I didn't care about what my pace was as long as I finished, but y'all know me... I get more competitive with myself than with anyone else. I hadn't eaten hardly anything today (don't know what was up with that) and I started feeling some pains above my right leg (what's new?) but for some reason today, I was really feeling the repercussions of both. But-- I did end up with a little over two miles. All in all, I guess that's considered a pretty good day!

Gotta run to yet another meeting. It's a good thing my cheerleading stipend is sooo huge or else I might actually not look forward to these meetings! [implied sarcasm :)]

Peace out, homefries.

Our Sophomore Team Runs Laps Around Yours! (literally!)

What an awesome run today! Let me rephrase that: It was a fabulous day to run in great weather and with great people, but not my personal best run. Not worried about it though, because here was the great part: Beautiful weather (~58 degrees) AND I had 3 other awesome ladies with me on the track. Pam has all sorts of knee issues (she even had knee replacement last year) so she walked laps while we each did our own thing. Cary jogged and Holly completed her day's training session in accordance with her 10k schedule. It was motivating to have them out there pushing themselves with me. It's pretty impressive when 4 out of 7 people on a team can get out there and motivate each other like that. And the other three help us throughout the day with verbal encouragement. I'm definitely a lucky gal to work in a place like this.

My problem set in with my pace. I really need a heart/pace monitor to help me from going too fast too early. I was only supposed to do a 15 minute run today but I stopped about a minute early because I was one lap from hitting the two-mile mark. I was having fun at the 10 minute pace and I'd like to keep the "fun" in the run! Plus no one likes to do gerbil training and just run around a big loop a billion times. Holly and I are considering running the Cross Country's route around the school to get some change-of-scenery in. I definitely think that should keep my boredom (thus leading to frustration) levels down.

Overall, pretty great day! One definite upside of running throughout the week is that I have way more energy. Should make for a fun 9 weeks! Y'all are awesome. ***Thank you so much for everyone's support so far.*** It is much needed and appreciated!

I Learned How to Tie My Shoes Today!

No really, I did.

Michael and I went to Luke's Locker today to fit new running shoes. Now, don't get me wrong, I am still a Run Tex loyalist, but they're about 200 miles away so that really wasn't an option. I decided to wait just a little while longer for a new pair since my Mizuno Wave Creation 10's still have a few miles to go and $134 for a new pair just isn't happening right this minute. But while I was there, Frankie (tiny sprite runner of a man) showed me how to properly lace my shoes for running. It was quite the eye-opening experience.

Using this new-found knowledge, I completed probably the second "funnest" run in my life tonight! I had to run on a treadmill tonight because there really wasn't a reasonable place to run without completely annihilating my immune system (even further). I had been dreading the run the entire day because that's what I do best--abhor running. But once I started and Yung Joc and Biggie began their serenading, I was on a roll.

I was only supposed to do a 30 min run/walk, but I ended up doing a 34:50 3 mile run, no stopping. I know that's a horrid time when it comes to actual running, but I had a revelation when talking to Holly this week: I'm not doing this to say that I ran a 10k, but that I completed one. Once I realized that, I stopped worrying about my mile pace and just tried to enjoy it. Guess what? It worked! Coming to terms with my "jogger" status cleared my mind enough to listen to my tunes, feel the rhythm of my stride and just let my mind wander wherever it wanted. Fun!

**Gotta give a shout-out to four people: Holly, for letting me know how great her run was today. Definitely helped! Michael, for running on the treadmill next to me. Sonia, for calling today to let me know she'd like in on the whole thing as well! Looks like we're going to have a little team showing up to this bad boy! Chris (Thornton), for emailing me some awesome tips. Thanks, buddy!**

Goodnight, peeps. Much love to all of you!

24° Sounds Like A Good Temp To Run In...

I have very exciting news, peeps!

Two of my fabulous co-workers have decided they are slightly mentally unstable as well. That means I now have two people who are going to train/run with me in a 10k come this April! Holly has even offered (or resolved might be a better term) to train with me when she can during the week! She's actually training to run a 10k with her mom in Louisiana. Cary (my other co-worker) asked me to do a duathlon (like a triathlon, but without the swimming) but since she ran into a snag with those plans, has partnered up with Holly and me. I know it's going to help exponentially to know there are other people in the same boat I am and maybe, just maybe, I won't be the only person hobblin' around the hallways with quads feeling like just-forged iron.

As for today's run, pretty successful! It was a beautiful, however blistery, day after school. Holly and I had planned to run together but we decided against it due to the out of character cold that had crept into the area while we were teaching today. On my way home, I came up to the park near my apartment and couldn't help but turn in. It was so sunny! "Can't be that cold with that bad boy shining like he is, can it?" Answer: Yes. It really can.

But it was too late for reasoning, I was already out of the car. So I tugged my Aggie hoodie tight around my head (see Mom? I take care of myself!) and settled in for the run. It wasn't a very long run, supposed to be a 15 min run/walk, but I went a an extra minute and a half so I could finish the second mile. Although the run itself wasn't that hard, the cold was a little too reminiscent of my FDT days. (Fish Drill Team-Not sure what that is? Check out this video: http://vimeo.com/5784769 I'm the short one holding the big stick at 6:13) I was about a 1/4 mi into my run when I realized the drops hitting the park trail were none other than my own snot. That's right guys, it was a-flowin'! I couldn't tell it had started a journey down my chin because my face was pretty numb from the wind. I guess the soccer team dudes warming up didn't have the heart to tell me, either. Eh, like I said... daily lessons in humility!

I have my longest runs on Saturday, so I'll be mentally pep-talking myself 'til then. Til then, ciao Awesome Readers of the Nonsense That Is My Blog!

Day Two--- and I lived.

Thank goodness for the accountability measures this blog makes me take or today would have been a "To hell with this!" kind of day. We had our teacher inservice today which, while as mindless as it gets (this is a good thing for us), it somehow turned into more hours sitting in front of the computer than anticipated. What can I say.... I always think my students will appreciate the two hours gone into a visual aide. It's an inaccurate thought, but a common one! (this statement will appease my brother who swears although book smart, I have no common sense. Jake, 1. Julie, 0.)

I fit in my 2 miler in the 30 minutes I had before the JV basketball game. At least I had a track to run on since I was already at school! The track was at least better than the treadmill. I can't help but feeling like a gerbil in a plastic sphere when I run on one. I'm not going to go into too much detail on the run because I'd like to save as much face as possible. I'll give you the Cliff Notes version (once again to the appeasement of my brother): Ran 3 laps, walked a half lap, ran another 2 and a half laps, walked (speedily) a lap, ran the last one. 8 total. I guess 1.5 out of 8 ain't too shabby. <--- This statement directly concerning the "me" of today and not the "me" of yesteryear.

There was some serious doubt in my abilities to sustain a pace that wasn't too embarrassing. Didn't help that there were a few teenage boys out there whizzing past me every 8th of a mile. And, much to the chagrin of my memories of a failed ice-skiing attempt in Poland, there was a 7 year old (I asked his age) out there running laps as well who was WITHOUT the signs of labored breathing that I showed. What is with it with kids sporting their God-given athleticism around me as I almost kill myself/struggle to run just a few laps? (Those 3 year old skiers in Poland surely thought I was dead meat as I sailed down the "black" sans ski poles and came to my abrupt stop [head first] at the fence line. They probably laughed, just like my little 7 yr old counterpart today.)

Can't focus on all that, gotta focus on the positive. I'm still trying to echo the motivational speech our principal gave our staff today about following every complaint (if one must be made) with a "diamond," or a "but" with a positive remark following. So I'll use that to wrap it up for today: It was so cold running outside today that I believe my once-going-away congestion will now turn into pneumonia, BUT at least the cold numbed whatever pain I had going on in my legs. Hurrah!

I'm off 'til Thursday. SWEET!

Whoa nelly!

Three very important lessons learned in my wee bit of a run today (15 minute):
1. I really must hydrate more for these runs, even the little ones! My saliva quickly transformed from its normal consistency to that of pooed-upon sawdust in the first 4 minutes. Fun!

2. I should not wait until almost bed time to go run. I start the pace tired to begin with--no bueno for this chica.

3. MUST NOT eat dinner less than an hour before the run. Balsamic Vinaigrette making its way from stomach to mouth is also a no bueno.

Well... day one down. 69 more to go!

The Calendar [of Doom]

So I spent an hour making my running schedule all awesome-looking and then realized that Blogspot does not allow file uploads. That being the case, I had to upload it to GoogleDocs in a very primitive, and not so moti, form. (those of you who are not service members or former cadets: Moti is something that gets you motivated, rarin' to go) Sorry you can't see my cool version! Here's the link to what you can see: http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AS5bIRF-P3m1ZHE5NmZreF8xbWhtZ3ZwZHY&hl=en

You can see exactly what I'll be doing every day for the next 10 weeks. Upside of the ridiculous amount of running? Getting Wednesday, Friday, and Sundays OFF! Whoop for that!

Here we go...

I'm taking on a "10 Weeks to a 10k" plan in hopes of achieving a new milestone this year. With my own myriad of medical issues and my busy teaching/coaching lifestyle, it's going to be an interesting journey. In making this blog, I realize that the end result could be one of two things: 1) The most embarrassing public display of un-athleticism my friends and family have ever seen OR 2) One (if not the) most rewarding achievement I have accomplished. Let's just say I'm hoping it's more on the side of the latter. Those are two pretty dichotomous results, you might think. So why do this? Accountability. The more people who know I am doing this, the more they expect me to complete the journey. I need that! I've tried this road before and hadn't told a soul out of fear of failure. If there's one thing I've learned teaching, it's that every day is a lesson in humility and it's not a life failure for someone to see the real you.

I'm a teacher, so naturally (or maybe more UN-naturally) I think all years begin in August, all segments of life are separated into semesters, and all weeks begin with Monday. Therefore, I start mañana: Monday, 4 January 2010. I guess you could call this 10k goal my "Spring Semester Resolution."

Disclaimer: I'm sure the only people reading this are going to be people who know me and my quirks. You all know I'm an English teacher and get a ridiculous amount of enjoyment out of finding typing/grammar/sentence errors in everything I read; actually, most of you do as well! However, this blog probably won't be the best example of the verbosity or grammatical capacities of its author. It might be unedited, uncouth, or even down right unkempt of an English teacher at times. Don't analyze, peeps. Just read it and laugh, cry, scream, and maybe even bleed (y'all know how accident prone I am!) right along with me.

Here we go!