Saturday, May 17, 2008
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Even if you don't read my lengthy 'Reasons I Run' blog post, you should know that there are two additional posts (new posts) below that one. Please scroll down to read 'Freedom and a 5K' and 'Summertime Running and a Training Plan'. I would just rearrange them, but Blogger won't let me do this. Hope you enjoy these 3 new posts and are motivated to go for a run afterwards!! :)
Reasons I Run
Now that I am making some progress in this new “running adventure”, I have decided it will be good to spell out the reasons I run. I know in my mind the reasons why I chose to do this type of fitness, but writing these reasons down will certainly prove to be helpful and motivational in the future – when I need to remember why I’m doing this I will have this list to reference. These are not in any particular order:
I run for me.
I’m not a selfish person, but running is absolutely something that I do which is first and foremost for me. I enjoy having some alone time, time to clear my thoughts, escape stress, mull over things, etcetera. It’s so hard to get this time in today’s world, where I’m constantly bombarded with ways to entertain myself (e.g., TV) that are completely mindless. Being on the track, treadmill, or open road, gives me this gift of precious alone time and greatly improves my mental well-being.
I run for perspective.
Along the same lines as what I was just saying, it’s so easy for me to get caught up in the stress of school, paying bills, etcetera. Going for a run reminds me that life is really much simpler than we have a tendency to make it. I can observe people around me, from a couple taking a walk with their baby in a stroller, to a homeless man, to kids playing in a park. I can appreciate a beautiful tree, flower, or bird. This is all so simple, but these are things I don’t take the time to take note of unless I run by them. Not only can life seem simple and beautiful, but I can also be reminded how fortunate I am. Unlike the homeless man, for instance, I have someplace to return to after my run. This connection to my surroundings gives me perspective.
I run for my loved ones.
Exercising will give me a longer, healthier life. I can therefore spend these additional days with my family and friends, the ones I love. The idea is that I will achieve not only a longer life, but a fuller life as well. More time with those that I love adds up to a happier life. I can have a longer, fuller life with the man I love. I can experience the joys of watching my future kids and grandkids grow. Who wouldn’t want these things? Moreover, the idea is that my own running and commitment to fitness will motivate my loved ones to take up fitness as well. That way they can be around for longer, fuller lives as well! Our multi-state family fitness effort is a testament to this reason to run – we are all motivating each other.
I run for health.
This is an obvious one, and is directly tied in to the above reason of running for my loved ones. I want to live a longer, healthier, fuller life. In order to do this I need to stick to my fitness plan, lose weight, and combat the many predispositions I have to illness and disease. By starting now, my chances are excellent to avoid things like heart disease, diabetes, and so many other things that have plagued my family. I do not want those things because I’ve seen what they do to individuals and their loved ones!! On a lighthearted not, you might say I’m fighting my genes by trying to fit into smaller jeans. :) Not to mention, running has other health benefits that aren’t necessarily physical, including improvements in mood and energy. The endorphins that come with exercise improve my general mood, making me a happier person who’s more able to deal with the changes, surprises, and rocky times of life. I also have more energy which allows me to do more in a day than the average person can. With this energy I can also keep up with those kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and all those other young ones that I love. :)
I run for inspiration.
When I need inspiration, I can find it all around me. As I run around the track in my gym and see an elderly man just walking the outside track, I think ‘Good for you! You’re going a great thing to stay in shape’. As I watch my friends and family members run races to improve their health and lose weight I am awed by what they accomplish. This inspiration works the other way as well. I can actually give others inspiration as I complete runs and races. People who might not be physically active otherwise can be inspired when they hear about my goals or see me crossing a finish line. That in itself is amazing! Furthermore, when people learn that I’m striving to do these things even with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, they realize that they can absolutely strive for these things as well. To be someone’s motivator in this way is an extraordinary gift that running provides.
I run for t-shirts and medals.
These simple, material things are a symbol of my accomplishment. It’s great to be awarded for the races I complete and these things make me feel very proud and satisfied. They also keep my hungry for more, motivating me to the next challenge and the next award. The t-shirts I can wear every day to showcase my achievements and also to inspire others to do the same races. The medals are just for me, but they are also displayed proudly in my home, where friends and family who come to visit can know what I did and be inspired.
I run for structure.
The goals I have set for myself – 5K’s, half-marathons, eventually marathons – they all require training plans. These plans give me the structure I need so that I know I’m training properly in order to achieve my goal. As my husband has said, they take the guesswork out of running. This is vital in order to keep me running, because if I didn’t have a training plan and a goal in sight I would likely make excuses and still be sedentary. Besides keeping me running, the training plans also give structure to my day in general. If I know I have a five-mile run of schedule I can aim to complete that first thing in the morning. Then I can eat, shower, and have energy to tackle the rest of my day knowing that I’ve already accomplished something. In other words, this structure allows me to manage my time better, which is always a wonderful thing.
I run for charity.
This is a reason for running that I didn’t really discover until I started looking into races. Many local races benefit my community (like the Health for Friends 5K I just did). Many benefit wonderful charities and organization, and it’s great to run these races knowing that I’m supporting a great cause.
I run for food.
To end on a lighthearted note, I love, love, love, to eat! I run to increase my metabolism so that I can still eat great food and not feel too guilty. Whether it’s Maine lobster, Rusty’s Frozen Custard, Dysart’s Poutine, J. Tim’s Dirt Wings, Pat’s Pizza, Olive Garden, chocolate in just about any form, or any of my other favorite foods…I run to eat them. :)
I am sure these reasons that I run will continue to change as I get older. Nonetheless, here they all are. I hope they give you a place to start in making your own list. :)
Happy Running!
Hayley
I run for me.
I’m not a selfish person, but running is absolutely something that I do which is first and foremost for me. I enjoy having some alone time, time to clear my thoughts, escape stress, mull over things, etcetera. It’s so hard to get this time in today’s world, where I’m constantly bombarded with ways to entertain myself (e.g., TV) that are completely mindless. Being on the track, treadmill, or open road, gives me this gift of precious alone time and greatly improves my mental well-being.
I run for perspective.
Along the same lines as what I was just saying, it’s so easy for me to get caught up in the stress of school, paying bills, etcetera. Going for a run reminds me that life is really much simpler than we have a tendency to make it. I can observe people around me, from a couple taking a walk with their baby in a stroller, to a homeless man, to kids playing in a park. I can appreciate a beautiful tree, flower, or bird. This is all so simple, but these are things I don’t take the time to take note of unless I run by them. Not only can life seem simple and beautiful, but I can also be reminded how fortunate I am. Unlike the homeless man, for instance, I have someplace to return to after my run. This connection to my surroundings gives me perspective.
I run for my loved ones.
Exercising will give me a longer, healthier life. I can therefore spend these additional days with my family and friends, the ones I love. The idea is that I will achieve not only a longer life, but a fuller life as well. More time with those that I love adds up to a happier life. I can have a longer, fuller life with the man I love. I can experience the joys of watching my future kids and grandkids grow. Who wouldn’t want these things? Moreover, the idea is that my own running and commitment to fitness will motivate my loved ones to take up fitness as well. That way they can be around for longer, fuller lives as well! Our multi-state family fitness effort is a testament to this reason to run – we are all motivating each other.
I run for health.
This is an obvious one, and is directly tied in to the above reason of running for my loved ones. I want to live a longer, healthier, fuller life. In order to do this I need to stick to my fitness plan, lose weight, and combat the many predispositions I have to illness and disease. By starting now, my chances are excellent to avoid things like heart disease, diabetes, and so many other things that have plagued my family. I do not want those things because I’ve seen what they do to individuals and their loved ones!! On a lighthearted not, you might say I’m fighting my genes by trying to fit into smaller jeans. :) Not to mention, running has other health benefits that aren’t necessarily physical, including improvements in mood and energy. The endorphins that come with exercise improve my general mood, making me a happier person who’s more able to deal with the changes, surprises, and rocky times of life. I also have more energy which allows me to do more in a day than the average person can. With this energy I can also keep up with those kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, and all those other young ones that I love. :)
I run for inspiration.
When I need inspiration, I can find it all around me. As I run around the track in my gym and see an elderly man just walking the outside track, I think ‘Good for you! You’re going a great thing to stay in shape’. As I watch my friends and family members run races to improve their health and lose weight I am awed by what they accomplish. This inspiration works the other way as well. I can actually give others inspiration as I complete runs and races. People who might not be physically active otherwise can be inspired when they hear about my goals or see me crossing a finish line. That in itself is amazing! Furthermore, when people learn that I’m striving to do these things even with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, they realize that they can absolutely strive for these things as well. To be someone’s motivator in this way is an extraordinary gift that running provides.
I run for t-shirts and medals.
These simple, material things are a symbol of my accomplishment. It’s great to be awarded for the races I complete and these things make me feel very proud and satisfied. They also keep my hungry for more, motivating me to the next challenge and the next award. The t-shirts I can wear every day to showcase my achievements and also to inspire others to do the same races. The medals are just for me, but they are also displayed proudly in my home, where friends and family who come to visit can know what I did and be inspired.
I run for structure.
The goals I have set for myself – 5K’s, half-marathons, eventually marathons – they all require training plans. These plans give me the structure I need so that I know I’m training properly in order to achieve my goal. As my husband has said, they take the guesswork out of running. This is vital in order to keep me running, because if I didn’t have a training plan and a goal in sight I would likely make excuses and still be sedentary. Besides keeping me running, the training plans also give structure to my day in general. If I know I have a five-mile run of schedule I can aim to complete that first thing in the morning. Then I can eat, shower, and have energy to tackle the rest of my day knowing that I’ve already accomplished something. In other words, this structure allows me to manage my time better, which is always a wonderful thing.
I run for charity.
This is a reason for running that I didn’t really discover until I started looking into races. Many local races benefit my community (like the Health for Friends 5K I just did). Many benefit wonderful charities and organization, and it’s great to run these races knowing that I’m supporting a great cause.
I run for food.
To end on a lighthearted note, I love, love, love, to eat! I run to increase my metabolism so that I can still eat great food and not feel too guilty. Whether it’s Maine lobster, Rusty’s Frozen Custard, Dysart’s Poutine, J. Tim’s Dirt Wings, Pat’s Pizza, Olive Garden, chocolate in just about any form, or any of my other favorite foods…I run to eat them. :)
I am sure these reasons that I run will continue to change as I get older. Nonetheless, here they all are. I hope they give you a place to start in making your own list. :)
Happy Running!
Hayley
Summertime Running and a Training Plan
The day after my last final exam I decided to get the summer off to a great start. What better way to do this then to go for a run? So, on Saturday May 10th, at about 11:45 am, I set out for the 5K Home Loop. It was a good run all in all – beautiful blue sky, great songs on my Shuffle – the only problem was the extreme heat. It was 71 degrees when I walked out my front door and 82 degrees when I arrived back home! Wow! It’s not unusual at all for Oklahoma, but it certainly slowed me down: I completed 3.28 miles in 53:26 with an average pace of 16:17/mile. It definitely showed me what I already knew – I will have to become a morning person and get these runs out of the way much earlier in order to beat the heat.
Then, on Monday May 12th, B and I left for a very early morning flight to North Carolina, the first of our summer vacations, with all of our running gear in our luggage. We visited my brother, sister-in-law and my 6 month-old niece (who I hadn’t met yet) and had a really nice time. On Tuesday, I had a 2-mile run on my schedule and B had a 5-mile run to complete. These were our first runs in North Carolina and it was my first run on my training plan for Disneyland. Needless to say, I’m psyched. :)
I have coined this the “Snowglobe Run”, because the neighborhood where my brother and his family live seems kind of like a snowglobe – all the houses are very similarly designed, the sky was a clear blue when I was out, it was all so seemingly perfect. Not to mention, it’s a pretty hoity-toity neighborhood, where every house is beautiful and expensive and they’re all nearly right on top of each other….not the kind of place where B and I want to live, but pretty to run in. In fact, the houses all looked so similar that I was worried I’d get lost, so I kept to the same circle for the two miles. :) All in all, I completed 2.04 miles in 37:56 with an average pace of 18:37.
I was going more slowly partly because I had hills to contend with, which we really don’t have in Oklahoma. Also, my training plan (which I just got from http://www.runnersworld.com) calls for me to go at some pretty slow paces. I know speed isn’t nearly as important as endurance, especially for me as a beginner, so originally I intended to stick to the plan. I do want to be sure, however, that I’m prepared to complete Disneyland in August. That race has a required 16:00/mile pace…so I think I’ll be changing up my training plan just slightly to reflect that. B said there’s nothing wrong with making those slight changes because after all, training plans are just guidelines, not hard and fast rules.
After visiting with my brother and his family for a couple days, we’ve now driven out to western NC to visit my parents. Of course since I’m not accustomed to running in hills, much less mountains, I opted to do Thursday’s run (5/15/08) on the treadmill. :) I went for 2 miles at a steady 19:21/mile pace (3.1 mph), which took me about 40 minutes to complete. This was the pace my training plan had set for me, so that’s what I did, but as I said before I’ll be modifying that – I’ll likely change that 19:21/mile pace to a 17:10/mile pace and change future runs accordingly.
Thursday’s run went well, except I got tired very fast. I felt like I was going uphill, so I tried to change the incline on the treadmill…only I pressed the wrong button. I realized after a half a mile that the incline was set at 8.0. Such a Hayley thing to do! :) I quickly changed this and lo and behold the run got easier.
Finally, I’m now all caught up to the present on this blog. Yesterday and today are rest days/cross training days. Does playing with my parents two adorable Labrador retrievers count as cross training? :)
Happy running!
Hayley
Then, on Monday May 12th, B and I left for a very early morning flight to North Carolina, the first of our summer vacations, with all of our running gear in our luggage. We visited my brother, sister-in-law and my 6 month-old niece (who I hadn’t met yet) and had a really nice time. On Tuesday, I had a 2-mile run on my schedule and B had a 5-mile run to complete. These were our first runs in North Carolina and it was my first run on my training plan for Disneyland. Needless to say, I’m psyched. :)
I have coined this the “Snowglobe Run”, because the neighborhood where my brother and his family live seems kind of like a snowglobe – all the houses are very similarly designed, the sky was a clear blue when I was out, it was all so seemingly perfect. Not to mention, it’s a pretty hoity-toity neighborhood, where every house is beautiful and expensive and they’re all nearly right on top of each other….not the kind of place where B and I want to live, but pretty to run in. In fact, the houses all looked so similar that I was worried I’d get lost, so I kept to the same circle for the two miles. :) All in all, I completed 2.04 miles in 37:56 with an average pace of 18:37.
I was going more slowly partly because I had hills to contend with, which we really don’t have in Oklahoma. Also, my training plan (which I just got from http://www.runnersworld.com) calls for me to go at some pretty slow paces. I know speed isn’t nearly as important as endurance, especially for me as a beginner, so originally I intended to stick to the plan. I do want to be sure, however, that I’m prepared to complete Disneyland in August. That race has a required 16:00/mile pace…so I think I’ll be changing up my training plan just slightly to reflect that. B said there’s nothing wrong with making those slight changes because after all, training plans are just guidelines, not hard and fast rules.
After visiting with my brother and his family for a couple days, we’ve now driven out to western NC to visit my parents. Of course since I’m not accustomed to running in hills, much less mountains, I opted to do Thursday’s run (5/15/08) on the treadmill. :) I went for 2 miles at a steady 19:21/mile pace (3.1 mph), which took me about 40 minutes to complete. This was the pace my training plan had set for me, so that’s what I did, but as I said before I’ll be modifying that – I’ll likely change that 19:21/mile pace to a 17:10/mile pace and change future runs accordingly.
Thursday’s run went well, except I got tired very fast. I felt like I was going uphill, so I tried to change the incline on the treadmill…only I pressed the wrong button. I realized after a half a mile that the incline was set at 8.0. Such a Hayley thing to do! :) I quickly changed this and lo and behold the run got easier.
Finally, I’m now all caught up to the present on this blog. Yesterday and today are rest days/cross training days. Does playing with my parents two adorable Labrador retrievers count as cross training? :)
Happy running!
Hayley
Freedom and a 5K
A few days after the OKC Memorial Races, my Marathon Training Class had its last meeting (on Thursday May 1st). We didn’t have a formal speaker, so we simply reflected on the OKC races, discussed what we learned and shared stories of how we did. Not everyone had run in one of the OKC races, but most of us had. Some people even set PRs! Jaime also told us an adorable story. You see, she was one of the people in charge of the Kids Marathon, and as we know kids say the darndest things. One little girl came up to her and asked, with complete seriousness, “Now, when I win, will I be able to break through the tape or will I bounce back?” LOL! How adorable is that? Of course, I’m sure the girl was disappointed to find that the Kids Marathon wouldn’t be timed and there would be no tape to run through. :) Jaime then told us to keep in touch and said it was possibly she might offer an Advanced Marathon Training Class in the fall. This class would involve discussing running topics more in depth, and it would be available for those of us who had taken the regular class and/or people who’ve already completed a marathon.
On this happy note my classes would wrap up for the semester on Friday May 2nd. At this point I still would have finals to take, but the classes would be finished. And freedom from classes means more time to run!!
Thus, on Saturday May 3rd, I participated in my first timed 5K with B, right here in Norman. This was the first annual Health for Friends Historic Norman 5K. There were probably a hundred or so people participating, so it was much smaller than the OKC races and more low-key. The route took us along Main Street, which I drive down all the time, and along many of the beautiful historic neighborhoods where I hadn’t been before. Even as low-budget as it was, they still managed to provide us a water station after 1.5 miles. I didn’t take any, but it was still nice to see it was there. Actually, I probably should have taken some water – very often I get a cramp around my upper left rib cage after a mile of fast walking, and Jaime has told me it might be due to not drinking enough water. She also said it could be due to improper breathing. In other words I need to make sure I expand (not contract) my chest and my stomach when I inhale. I’ve been working on this but it doesn’t make much difference, so maybe water is the key (?). Has anyone else experienced this? Let me know.
Eventually the route brought us back to the railroad tracks, which we ran alongside from mile 2 to mile 3. The headwind at this point was a little fierce, but certainly not as bad as it could have been. Soon the Finish line was in sight and I ran almost the last tenth of a mile. This was really my only “strategy”, if you can call it that. :) I would randomly break into sprints like this, with the goal of ‘Ok, I’ll run past this person’ or ‘I’ll run to that intersection’. I finished in 48:33 (average 15:34/mile pace) with B motivating on the sideline. After announcing the winners in each division, we all got finisher medals – so now I have two race medals in my collection! :)
A week later, on Friday May 9th, my finals would be over and my Spring 2008 semester officially concluded – woohoo! Now I’m free from those obligations and my summer has really kicked off…. I have a lot planned! I will be reading lots of Runner’s World books on running and marathoning. I will be working on improving my cooking skills, so I have more healthy recipes in my repertoire. Most of all, I look forward to starting my training for the Disneyland half-marathon, and as always I’ll keep you all posted.
On this happy note my classes would wrap up for the semester on Friday May 2nd. At this point I still would have finals to take, but the classes would be finished. And freedom from classes means more time to run!!
Thus, on Saturday May 3rd, I participated in my first timed 5K with B, right here in Norman. This was the first annual Health for Friends Historic Norman 5K. There were probably a hundred or so people participating, so it was much smaller than the OKC races and more low-key. The route took us along Main Street, which I drive down all the time, and along many of the beautiful historic neighborhoods where I hadn’t been before. Even as low-budget as it was, they still managed to provide us a water station after 1.5 miles. I didn’t take any, but it was still nice to see it was there. Actually, I probably should have taken some water – very often I get a cramp around my upper left rib cage after a mile of fast walking, and Jaime has told me it might be due to not drinking enough water. She also said it could be due to improper breathing. In other words I need to make sure I expand (not contract) my chest and my stomach when I inhale. I’ve been working on this but it doesn’t make much difference, so maybe water is the key (?). Has anyone else experienced this? Let me know.
Eventually the route brought us back to the railroad tracks, which we ran alongside from mile 2 to mile 3. The headwind at this point was a little fierce, but certainly not as bad as it could have been. Soon the Finish line was in sight and I ran almost the last tenth of a mile. This was really my only “strategy”, if you can call it that. :) I would randomly break into sprints like this, with the goal of ‘Ok, I’ll run past this person’ or ‘I’ll run to that intersection’. I finished in 48:33 (average 15:34/mile pace) with B motivating on the sideline. After announcing the winners in each division, we all got finisher medals – so now I have two race medals in my collection! :)
A week later, on Friday May 9th, my finals would be over and my Spring 2008 semester officially concluded – woohoo! Now I’m free from those obligations and my summer has really kicked off…. I have a lot planned! I will be reading lots of Runner’s World books on running and marathoning. I will be working on improving my cooking skills, so I have more healthy recipes in my repertoire. Most of all, I look forward to starting my training for the Disneyland half-marathon, and as always I’ll keep you all posted.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
My First Medal for an Athletic Accomplishment!
The Oklahoma City Memorial Races went great for everyone. :) After waiting in the car for the rain to let up we finally started making our way to the starting line. In fact, we donned some trash bags as makeshift ponchos. The plan was to just make a whole big enough for our heads so that the bag would cover our arms and the rest of our bodies. This didn’t quite work however, as the tall kitchen-sized bags were too narrow to go over our broad shoulders. Discovering this, I very ungracefully tried to make armholes but ended up creating a bigger hole on one side than I’d planned…it was all very comical. :) So next time we know to bring bigger trash bags. Nonetheless, we made it to our corrals. C stayed in the church, where I told him I’d find him after I was finished. B and A went to their corral while I stayed with all the other 5K’ers.
The master of ceremonies (or whatever you call him) declared 168 moments of silence to honor those killed in the OKC bombing. Let me tell you, it’s really very powerful to hear almost 20,000 people just shut up for that long a time. Next was the National Anthem, and then the Wheelchair Marathoners took off. Thankfully, by this time, the rain had pretty much dissipated. It was still cloudy, dreary and cold but I think it’s safe to say that everyone there felt happy and energetic, me included. In fact, I didn’t truly feel cold until I took off my hat briefly for the National Anthem – taking it off let my body heat escape from my head! Oh yeah, and by this time I’d ripped off and thrown out the too-tight trash bag. (That was the beauty of the trash bag, the ability to just throw it away. This way none of us needed to worry about checking any gear.)
Before we knew it the Marathon, Half-Marathon, and Relay runners all too off. I never actually saw B and A during this time. There was no way I could pick them out in a crowd like that, not really knowing where they were. I’ll admit I was a teensy bit nervous for them, I mean who knows what can happen? This feeling pretty much passed though. Anyway, a few minutes later it was time for us 5K’ers to go. As I crossed the Start line they were playing ‘Walkin on Sunshine’, a great upbeat song to get me going and also one that gets played on my Shuffle a lot. It was also ironic considering the weather. :) I felt fantastic though, because who would’ve ever thought I’d be there – me, with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis; me, who never participated in anything athletic growing up if I didn’t have to?
I took off running for the first tenth of a mile, not only because I was excited, but also because I wanted to shake people off of me. I walked all the rest, taking in the whole experience, and then I ran the last tenth of a mile for a strong finish. Along the way I took note of all kinds of people doing the 5K with me. It was just fun to be a part of it. One of the coolest people was a Marine running along the course and motivating everyone. He had a big American flag he was carrying and an adorable beagle on a leash running ahead of him. He shouted to us that we were doing great and it was a beautiful morning to be outside – he was a character and, Tracie, I totally thought of you! :)
Finally I finished in 51:16 with an average pace of 15:54. Aragorn said I went for 3.22 miles – the accuracy of all this is questionable anyway since the Garmins don’t do so well in urban environments with tall buildings around (which is exactly where we were running though). Once I crossed the Finish line I was surprised to actually get a medal. After all, since the event wasn’t even officially timed I certainly wasn’t expecting us 5K’ers to get medals…so it was really very cool when a volunteer did give me one. :) It occurred to me much later that this was my very first medal or award of any kind for an athletic accomplishment. All my life my awards have always been for academic achievements, so I was proud of this recognition of my first athletic achievement – here’s hoping it’s the first of many medals!
At this point, more inspiration came. About a minute or two after I crossed the Finish it was announced that the winning half-marathoner for the men had just crossed – Wow. And of course he hardly seemed phased.
After this I headed over to the church where C was right there waiting for me. He showed me where the big screen TV was located in the huge sanctuary. From here we chatted about the race and watched the live broadcast of it, which was mainly focusing on the lead marathon runners. I also went ahead and did my stretches and then got in line for my free pancake breakfast. The wait was worth it as it was really yummy! I also picked up a business card so that I can send the church a donation at some point because it really was great of them to open up their doors – and their kitchen – to all of us.
Once the race clock said the runners had been out for 2.5 hours, C and I made our way to the Finish line to be sure to be there to cheer on B and A. They had projected to finish in about 3 hours, but I knew they could also come in faster than that. We watched from the bleachers as people streamed across the Finish and got their own medals. I also randomly cheered for lots of runners as they finished, who cared if I didn’t personally know them?
B finished in 2:50:30 and A came in just behind him in 2:53:35. I can’t even express how much I was beaming with pride when I saw B. As promised, I gave him a big sweaty hug. :) We made our way to the car, took turns showering when we got home, and relaxed the rest of the day. We celebrated with some Little Debbie Swiss Rolls that really hit the spot. We also watched the local TV coverage of the race, which we’d had Tivo set to record. What turned out to be really awesome was that all three of us runners made it onto TV at some point! The lead marathoner for the women ran by A at one point, so you can see her running in the background. And then while they were interviewing the lead marathoner for the men you can see B and me in the background. Pretty cool.
All in all it was an excellent race and a wonderful experience for me. And what makes it even better is that this is only the beginning.
The master of ceremonies (or whatever you call him) declared 168 moments of silence to honor those killed in the OKC bombing. Let me tell you, it’s really very powerful to hear almost 20,000 people just shut up for that long a time. Next was the National Anthem, and then the Wheelchair Marathoners took off. Thankfully, by this time, the rain had pretty much dissipated. It was still cloudy, dreary and cold but I think it’s safe to say that everyone there felt happy and energetic, me included. In fact, I didn’t truly feel cold until I took off my hat briefly for the National Anthem – taking it off let my body heat escape from my head! Oh yeah, and by this time I’d ripped off and thrown out the too-tight trash bag. (That was the beauty of the trash bag, the ability to just throw it away. This way none of us needed to worry about checking any gear.)
Before we knew it the Marathon, Half-Marathon, and Relay runners all too off. I never actually saw B and A during this time. There was no way I could pick them out in a crowd like that, not really knowing where they were. I’ll admit I was a teensy bit nervous for them, I mean who knows what can happen? This feeling pretty much passed though. Anyway, a few minutes later it was time for us 5K’ers to go. As I crossed the Start line they were playing ‘Walkin on Sunshine’, a great upbeat song to get me going and also one that gets played on my Shuffle a lot. It was also ironic considering the weather. :) I felt fantastic though, because who would’ve ever thought I’d be there – me, with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis; me, who never participated in anything athletic growing up if I didn’t have to?
I took off running for the first tenth of a mile, not only because I was excited, but also because I wanted to shake people off of me. I walked all the rest, taking in the whole experience, and then I ran the last tenth of a mile for a strong finish. Along the way I took note of all kinds of people doing the 5K with me. It was just fun to be a part of it. One of the coolest people was a Marine running along the course and motivating everyone. He had a big American flag he was carrying and an adorable beagle on a leash running ahead of him. He shouted to us that we were doing great and it was a beautiful morning to be outside – he was a character and, Tracie, I totally thought of you! :)
Finally I finished in 51:16 with an average pace of 15:54. Aragorn said I went for 3.22 miles – the accuracy of all this is questionable anyway since the Garmins don’t do so well in urban environments with tall buildings around (which is exactly where we were running though). Once I crossed the Finish line I was surprised to actually get a medal. After all, since the event wasn’t even officially timed I certainly wasn’t expecting us 5K’ers to get medals…so it was really very cool when a volunteer did give me one. :) It occurred to me much later that this was my very first medal or award of any kind for an athletic accomplishment. All my life my awards have always been for academic achievements, so I was proud of this recognition of my first athletic achievement – here’s hoping it’s the first of many medals!
At this point, more inspiration came. About a minute or two after I crossed the Finish it was announced that the winning half-marathoner for the men had just crossed – Wow. And of course he hardly seemed phased.
After this I headed over to the church where C was right there waiting for me. He showed me where the big screen TV was located in the huge sanctuary. From here we chatted about the race and watched the live broadcast of it, which was mainly focusing on the lead marathon runners. I also went ahead and did my stretches and then got in line for my free pancake breakfast. The wait was worth it as it was really yummy! I also picked up a business card so that I can send the church a donation at some point because it really was great of them to open up their doors – and their kitchen – to all of us.
Once the race clock said the runners had been out for 2.5 hours, C and I made our way to the Finish line to be sure to be there to cheer on B and A. They had projected to finish in about 3 hours, but I knew they could also come in faster than that. We watched from the bleachers as people streamed across the Finish and got their own medals. I also randomly cheered for lots of runners as they finished, who cared if I didn’t personally know them?
B finished in 2:50:30 and A came in just behind him in 2:53:35. I can’t even express how much I was beaming with pride when I saw B. As promised, I gave him a big sweaty hug. :) We made our way to the car, took turns showering when we got home, and relaxed the rest of the day. We celebrated with some Little Debbie Swiss Rolls that really hit the spot. We also watched the local TV coverage of the race, which we’d had Tivo set to record. What turned out to be really awesome was that all three of us runners made it onto TV at some point! The lead marathoner for the women ran by A at one point, so you can see her running in the background. And then while they were interviewing the lead marathoner for the men you can see B and me in the background. Pretty cool.
All in all it was an excellent race and a wonderful experience for me. And what makes it even better is that this is only the beginning.
Getting Ready for My First Race!
Sorry for the lack of blogging lately, but I promise I’ll make up for it today…this will be the first of several posts as I get you all caught up on the running news in my life. :)
Getting ready for my first official race was SO exciting!! First, I went out for a ‘practice run’ on Thursday, April 24th. I went around the usual 5K Home Loop (which is actually a little more than a 5K distance). Aragorn (my Garmin) says I completed 3.28 miles in 50:33 with an average pace of 15:25. This was a great run for me, and really just an opportunity to get my body prepared to do the same distance on Sunday.
Andria and Chino arrived on Friday to get ready for our Race Weekend. We talked almost nonstop about running and racing and all of it! Saturday we drove up to OKC to take in the Expo and pick up our running packets/goody bags. This was my first running expo as well as Bobby’s first and we were ecstatic. We first went all the way to the back where we got our racing bibs. Bobby and Andria also picked up their Champion Chips here, but since my 5K wasn’t a timed event I didn’t get a chip. Next we got our official t-shirts and goody bags, which was very cool. I kinda wanted to look through my bag right away, but I also knew I had a whole bunch of booths to explore. :) So, we all set off! Sometimes sticking together, sometimes splitting off to check out different booths and exhibits on our own, we all had fun.
Bobby got some Brooks running clothes to match his shoes, as well as some extra Gu Gel. Andria finally got what she had really been wanting since her first marathon in January – a hat with the 26.2 logo on it. It’s lavender and really cute! She was very excited as I’m sure I will be when that time comes for me. Chino even had fun when he found some free pancake samples at the Expo. At this booth he learned that the First Methodist Church in OKC would be serving a free pancake breakfast during the race. In fact, one of the volunteers at the Expo said the church would be only a block away from the Finish Line and he would be able to stay warm indoors and watch the TV coverage of the race while eating free food – this made him a very happy camper!
As for me, I bought my very first Bondi Band! Andria had highly recommended them to me so I chose a pretty, light blue one which says ‘5K’ with a circle around it. It knew it would be perfect for my first race and for all the future 5K’s I’ve already signed up for in the coming months. I also got a SPIbelt, or a Small Personal Item belt, which basically wraps around your waist and is just big enough to hold all those little necessities one needs when out on a run – your ID, cell phone, house key, etcetera. It’s great when you don’t have any pockets, which I frequently am without.
After a couple hours of exploring we were ready to go and especially ready to eat some lunch. We went to Olive Garden, one of our absolute most favorite restaurants. We often go there when Andria and Chino visit, but at least this time the need to carboload was the perfect excuse. :) Later that night we all explored our goody bags and studied up on where we were able to park on race morning, where the corral was, how our family could track our progress, etcetera. It’s all a very big deal, and just goes to add to the excitement and anxiety we all already felt.
We went to sleep early after setting out our outfits and running gear, trying to think of everything possible we might need and trying to wrestle with the nagging question of ‘Am I forgetting something???’.
I know I slept great, but then again my race would require only 3.1 miles – that’s 10 miles less than Bobby and Andria would be doing. On Sunday we literally woke up well before the crack of dawn. I don’t remember when exactly we got up, but I know it was early enough that it would have been more typical of Bobby and I to still be awake at that hour rather than for us to have actually been waking up at that hour. Though I’m not a morning person I was very excited and it was this excitement that kept me positive. Once we were all ready we set out the door and drove up to OKC in rainy, yucky weather.
Did the rain clear out? Did the race go well? Read the next post to find out…
Getting ready for my first official race was SO exciting!! First, I went out for a ‘practice run’ on Thursday, April 24th. I went around the usual 5K Home Loop (which is actually a little more than a 5K distance). Aragorn (my Garmin) says I completed 3.28 miles in 50:33 with an average pace of 15:25. This was a great run for me, and really just an opportunity to get my body prepared to do the same distance on Sunday.
Andria and Chino arrived on Friday to get ready for our Race Weekend. We talked almost nonstop about running and racing and all of it! Saturday we drove up to OKC to take in the Expo and pick up our running packets/goody bags. This was my first running expo as well as Bobby’s first and we were ecstatic. We first went all the way to the back where we got our racing bibs. Bobby and Andria also picked up their Champion Chips here, but since my 5K wasn’t a timed event I didn’t get a chip. Next we got our official t-shirts and goody bags, which was very cool. I kinda wanted to look through my bag right away, but I also knew I had a whole bunch of booths to explore. :) So, we all set off! Sometimes sticking together, sometimes splitting off to check out different booths and exhibits on our own, we all had fun.
Bobby got some Brooks running clothes to match his shoes, as well as some extra Gu Gel. Andria finally got what she had really been wanting since her first marathon in January – a hat with the 26.2 logo on it. It’s lavender and really cute! She was very excited as I’m sure I will be when that time comes for me. Chino even had fun when he found some free pancake samples at the Expo. At this booth he learned that the First Methodist Church in OKC would be serving a free pancake breakfast during the race. In fact, one of the volunteers at the Expo said the church would be only a block away from the Finish Line and he would be able to stay warm indoors and watch the TV coverage of the race while eating free food – this made him a very happy camper!
As for me, I bought my very first Bondi Band! Andria had highly recommended them to me so I chose a pretty, light blue one which says ‘5K’ with a circle around it. It knew it would be perfect for my first race and for all the future 5K’s I’ve already signed up for in the coming months. I also got a SPIbelt, or a Small Personal Item belt, which basically wraps around your waist and is just big enough to hold all those little necessities one needs when out on a run – your ID, cell phone, house key, etcetera. It’s great when you don’t have any pockets, which I frequently am without.
After a couple hours of exploring we were ready to go and especially ready to eat some lunch. We went to Olive Garden, one of our absolute most favorite restaurants. We often go there when Andria and Chino visit, but at least this time the need to carboload was the perfect excuse. :) Later that night we all explored our goody bags and studied up on where we were able to park on race morning, where the corral was, how our family could track our progress, etcetera. It’s all a very big deal, and just goes to add to the excitement and anxiety we all already felt.
We went to sleep early after setting out our outfits and running gear, trying to think of everything possible we might need and trying to wrestle with the nagging question of ‘Am I forgetting something???’.
I know I slept great, but then again my race would require only 3.1 miles – that’s 10 miles less than Bobby and Andria would be doing. On Sunday we literally woke up well before the crack of dawn. I don’t remember when exactly we got up, but I know it was early enough that it would have been more typical of Bobby and I to still be awake at that hour rather than for us to have actually been waking up at that hour. Though I’m not a morning person I was very excited and it was this excitement that kept me positive. Once we were all ready we set out the door and drove up to OKC in rainy, yucky weather.
Did the rain clear out? Did the race go well? Read the next post to find out…
Friday, May 2, 2008
Coming Soon to a Computer Screen Near You...
Hi everyone! I have a lot to blog about, including details from before, during, and after the OKC Memorial 5K Race. I also want to write about the reasons I run, the last Marathon Training Class of the semester, my plans for the summer, and much more. All of this, though, will likely have to wait for about a week, as I will be very busy studying and writing papers for my final exams. I will happily get back to blogging once finals are finished on Friday, May 9th. See you all then!! :)
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Training with Jaime and Milestone Birthdays
On Friday, April 18, I had a really fun and informative hour of training with Jaime, the teacher of my Marathon Training Class. (Oh yeah, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before but I’ve been taking this class at my school’s gym. It’s basically a series of lectures with guest speakers talking about marathon nutrition, buying the right running shoes, preventing injuries, etcetera. Part of the class is an hour of personal training time with Jaime to discuss our personal goals, questions or other issues.)
I discussed several things with her, including all the goals I have in mind and the races I have signed up for (see the sidebar). We also discussed some strength training exercises for the upper body and talked about the other fitness classes offered at the gym that are best for runners (she loves spin class and pilates).
I also asked Jaime how I could get my dad interested in running. It’s a goal of mine I’ve been thinking about lately, especially since my dad did used to run a few races when my brother Marc was in track in college. He did some 5Ks, 10Ks, and even a 15K once and he enjoyed them. I think it would be a wonderful gift to get him (and maybe even my mom, although she’s more of a long shot) into running again, just like Andria has done for much of the Eaton family. He’s 66 years old, a diabetic, and has had multi-vessel heart bypass surgery – so he’ll probably immediately tell me it’s impossible. Obviously it isn’t, with the proper training (like the Galloway method, which Jaime recommended). He’s still healthy and active, and I think I can get him on board eventually. It’ll allow them to relate to my discussions about running – and I think my parents, especially my mom, really need to accomplish something like a marathon that’s just for them. They’ve spent their lives taking care of everyone else and they’ve given me so much – it’s my turn to give them something back. :)
Anyway, to get back on track (pun intended), the day after my training with Jaime was my 21st birthday (Saturday, April 19th)!! Usually, people get really drunk on their 21st, but I had no such plans. I’m not much of a drinker, I had lots of homework to do, and that night was also the start of my favorite Jewish holiday, Passover. Needless to say, I didn’t want to show up with my husband at the prayer services that night even remotely tipsy. My hubby did take me out to lunch, where I ordered a yummy raspberry margarita – and they didn’t even card me! Oh well. That was the end of the festivities for me, and a few hours later it was off to my school’s Hillel for the Passover Seder. This was a milestone birthday though, and it did get me to thinking about the next milestone: 30. There are several goals I want to accomplish by the time I’m thirty years of age…notice I didn’t say ‘thirty years old’, because thirty is not old! Anyway, here they are:
- Graduating from OU (which should happen in two years/four semesters)
- Completing a half-marathon, and then a full, and then many more. I want to eventually qualify for Boston and complete it, and eventually complete marathons in all 50 states and several foreign countries
- Getting a technical degree from a photography school (like the Oklahoma School of Photography, with it’s wonderful eight month program)
- Beginning my photography business
- Possibly establishing a career as a writer as well (short stories, and who knows what else?)
- Achieve my bat mitzvah and learn more about my religion in general
- Build a home (in Oklahoma? Colorado?) outside this college town, where my husband and I can really settle down
- Have two kids (a girl and a boy) with my incredible husband
A couple of these are career goals but most are personal goals – a very dramatic shift from the goals I’d set earlier in my life which were extremely career-oriented! Seeing this shift in my goals and priorities makes me very happy. Even though my progress with running is slow, I’m learning to be patient about it. I know can do it!! These goals will not be easy to accomplish (especially before I’m thirty), but they’ll be incredibly fulfilling – therefore I predict that these next nine years will be some of the best of my life. After all, I’m off to a great start – after marrying the love of my life and going on an incredible honeymoon last year, I’d say my 20th year was pretty amazing! Anyway, for whoever’s reading this now, I’m glad you’ll be running along on the journey with me. :)
Happy Running,
Hayley
Monday, April 14, 2008
Inspiration
With a great deal of schoolwork and papers due these past two weeks, I’ve had to take a little hiatus from running/walking. I definitely missed it though, and the very fact that I wanted to get out and exercise was great. This means my lifestyle is slowly but surely changing to where fitness has become a much higher priority and it’s become something I enjoy, which I never used to say about any kind of exercise.
Yesterday morning and evening I got back into the swing of things. In fact, I logged enough miles so that I eventually completed a 10K. :) Bobby and I went out around 11am to complete what we call our 5K Home Loop, which is a distance a little more than a 5K that we do around our condo complex, a few side streets, and then looping back home. According to Aragorn (that’s what I’ve named my Garmin…), I did 3.42 miles in 55 minutes at an average pace of 16:07 per mile. Obviously we weren’t out to set any land speed records, but Bobby had done a 7-mile run on Friday and had a 10-mile run on schedule for today (Sunday) so he understandably wanted to take it easy yesterday. Even though it wasn’t very fast, I was still breathing a little harder since I hadn’t been out in awhile. We also faced a serious wind at about 20mph, gusting to about 30mph.
Anyway, Bobby and I had a lot of fun, just walking and talking and spending time together – have I mentioned how much I love my husband? :) I also mentioned to him that I felt so much better this time compared to how I felt the last time we did this walk together (March 2nd). The differences were not slight. First of all, Bobby was up-front about the pace we would be aiming for, so I had no false assumptions about that. More importantly, by this time the school semester is coming to a close very fast and I have accumulated much more experience in terms of being an English major. At the time of the previous run I was still trying to figure everything out, all the new reading and writing requirements, getting accustomed to having to constantly write papers, etcetera. It’s all very new and different from when I was a Meteorology major, but it’s a lot more enjoyable and I’m a lot better at it! I’m still adjusting of course, but by now I’ve completed a 10-page paper and an 11-page paper for a couple of my classes in a two-week time span – I feel very euphoric, as though I can do anything now!! So needless to say, I’m in a much better state of mind. :)
After going out in the morning with Bobby, I participated in my university’s Relay for Life last night. We all watched and were inspired by the Survivor’s Lap, and then we had to have at least one member of our team walking the track at all times until the end of the event at 7am. We all took turns walking laps, and of course some people walked more than others. Luckily, I thought to bring my Garmin to keep track of my mileage (but of course I forgot to bring a hat and gloves…it was soooo cold!). Over the course of the night I did 3.35 miles according to Aragorn. That’s pretty accurate, although for the first lap I hadn’t put it on yet – so my actual total accrual would be closer to 3.60 miles. That brought my daily total to 6.77 miles, a little more than a 10K distance!! That’s pretty darn cool and made me feel proud. :) My shins are a little sore, but it’s no surprise since that’s more mileage than I’m accustomed to at this point.
One truly inspiring story to take note of: Over the course of the night my friends and I noticed two guys who were running around the track, and running very fast. They blazed past us time and again. At one point I shouted out “You want us to get you some water or something?”. They yelled back, “Thank you, but we’re good!”. And then they just kept going, never seeming to lose steam. They had started running when the event started, after opening ceremonies, so probably around 8pm-ish. At 1:20am a woman was making a few announcements over the loudspeaker, and at the end she announced: “By the way, everyone, these two guys just completed a marathon!” Oh! My! God! Wow!!! J Isn’t that just amazing?! That’s truly something to aspire to, and very in keeping with the spirit of the whole event. :)
The most inspiring story of all, though, is the wonderful family that I’m so proud to be a part of. We are all making a group effort to get in shape and keep up a healthy lifestyle, and we are all motivating each other to accomplish our goals, no matter how big or small. You see, it all started a few weeks ago when my husband and a few of my sister-in-laws went out for a run together – together in spirit at least. They all lived in various states and time zones, but they texted and called each other so that they set out together at roughly the same time. Knowing that family was running or walking with them, in a sense, made it really fun and motivational for everyone. Now this ‘family fitness relay’ has expanded…. a lot. Last weekend the movement grew to 15 participants from 7 states logging 46.18 miles in one big day. Getting all the emails from siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, spouses, etcetera, all of whom were taking part in this, no matter the distance each person covered or how long it took each person to cover it – it’s all very inspiring. This weekend has been even bigger and better, with more participants and more mileage. With Bobby and I contributing 20.15 total miles over yesterday morning and evening and today (Sunday), we did our part to add to the “running” total for the weekend. Final report: 18 participants logging 65.04 miles over Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th. Needless to say, as with so much else in this big family, this has now become a tradition, a weekly tradition in fact. You can keep track of us and our progress on our multi-state fitness blog (see the sidebar). Anyway, it’s quite extraordinary what we’re doing, but then again we are an extraordinary family. :)
Thanks for reading another very long post. It seems like I always have a lot to say…my professors would attest to this. :) Happy running!
Yesterday morning and evening I got back into the swing of things. In fact, I logged enough miles so that I eventually completed a 10K. :) Bobby and I went out around 11am to complete what we call our 5K Home Loop, which is a distance a little more than a 5K that we do around our condo complex, a few side streets, and then looping back home. According to Aragorn (that’s what I’ve named my Garmin…), I did 3.42 miles in 55 minutes at an average pace of 16:07 per mile. Obviously we weren’t out to set any land speed records, but Bobby had done a 7-mile run on Friday and had a 10-mile run on schedule for today (Sunday) so he understandably wanted to take it easy yesterday. Even though it wasn’t very fast, I was still breathing a little harder since I hadn’t been out in awhile. We also faced a serious wind at about 20mph, gusting to about 30mph.
Anyway, Bobby and I had a lot of fun, just walking and talking and spending time together – have I mentioned how much I love my husband? :) I also mentioned to him that I felt so much better this time compared to how I felt the last time we did this walk together (March 2nd). The differences were not slight. First of all, Bobby was up-front about the pace we would be aiming for, so I had no false assumptions about that. More importantly, by this time the school semester is coming to a close very fast and I have accumulated much more experience in terms of being an English major. At the time of the previous run I was still trying to figure everything out, all the new reading and writing requirements, getting accustomed to having to constantly write papers, etcetera. It’s all very new and different from when I was a Meteorology major, but it’s a lot more enjoyable and I’m a lot better at it! I’m still adjusting of course, but by now I’ve completed a 10-page paper and an 11-page paper for a couple of my classes in a two-week time span – I feel very euphoric, as though I can do anything now!! So needless to say, I’m in a much better state of mind. :)
After going out in the morning with Bobby, I participated in my university’s Relay for Life last night. We all watched and were inspired by the Survivor’s Lap, and then we had to have at least one member of our team walking the track at all times until the end of the event at 7am. We all took turns walking laps, and of course some people walked more than others. Luckily, I thought to bring my Garmin to keep track of my mileage (but of course I forgot to bring a hat and gloves…it was soooo cold!). Over the course of the night I did 3.35 miles according to Aragorn. That’s pretty accurate, although for the first lap I hadn’t put it on yet – so my actual total accrual would be closer to 3.60 miles. That brought my daily total to 6.77 miles, a little more than a 10K distance!! That’s pretty darn cool and made me feel proud. :) My shins are a little sore, but it’s no surprise since that’s more mileage than I’m accustomed to at this point.
One truly inspiring story to take note of: Over the course of the night my friends and I noticed two guys who were running around the track, and running very fast. They blazed past us time and again. At one point I shouted out “You want us to get you some water or something?”. They yelled back, “Thank you, but we’re good!”. And then they just kept going, never seeming to lose steam. They had started running when the event started, after opening ceremonies, so probably around 8pm-ish. At 1:20am a woman was making a few announcements over the loudspeaker, and at the end she announced: “By the way, everyone, these two guys just completed a marathon!” Oh! My! God! Wow!!! J Isn’t that just amazing?! That’s truly something to aspire to, and very in keeping with the spirit of the whole event. :)
The most inspiring story of all, though, is the wonderful family that I’m so proud to be a part of. We are all making a group effort to get in shape and keep up a healthy lifestyle, and we are all motivating each other to accomplish our goals, no matter how big or small. You see, it all started a few weeks ago when my husband and a few of my sister-in-laws went out for a run together – together in spirit at least. They all lived in various states and time zones, but they texted and called each other so that they set out together at roughly the same time. Knowing that family was running or walking with them, in a sense, made it really fun and motivational for everyone. Now this ‘family fitness relay’ has expanded…. a lot. Last weekend the movement grew to 15 participants from 7 states logging 46.18 miles in one big day. Getting all the emails from siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, spouses, etcetera, all of whom were taking part in this, no matter the distance each person covered or how long it took each person to cover it – it’s all very inspiring. This weekend has been even bigger and better, with more participants and more mileage. With Bobby and I contributing 20.15 total miles over yesterday morning and evening and today (Sunday), we did our part to add to the “running” total for the weekend. Final report: 18 participants logging 65.04 miles over Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th. Needless to say, as with so much else in this big family, this has now become a tradition, a weekly tradition in fact. You can keep track of us and our progress on our multi-state fitness blog (see the sidebar). Anyway, it’s quite extraordinary what we’re doing, but then again we are an extraordinary family. :)
Thanks for reading another very long post. It seems like I always have a lot to say…my professors would attest to this. :) Happy running!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Running Some New Routes
I’m sorry I haven’t posted anything in so long – school has been really hectic. I have been getting in some runs, though.
One really unique run, on March 4th, was my two-mile jaunt around the University of Oklahoma campus. I had planned on running that day, but I knew it would be hard to fit it in due to my schedule of classes. I went to the amazing gym my school has (the Huffman Center) and started to warm-up for a run around the indoor track. Unfortunately my Garmin couldn’t pick up a satellite signal inside the gym. I had forgotten to turn it on before I went inside, and even if I had I don’t think it would’ve been able to hang onto the signal. Oh well. I waited a few minutes for it to try and acquire a signal and decided it wouldn’t work. At this point it was 6:50pm and I had a meeting to go to at 7:30pm, so I had to decide fast what I was going to do. I figured out a game plan that ended up being really fun – I parked my truck on campus and just ran around the campus until it was time for the meeting! One of the things I love about my school is how beautiful the campus is, from the architecture to the landscaping. Anyway, it made for a fun, scenic run of about 2 miles. Because I was in a hurry and stressed out from school I did do a combination run/walk/run which really helps me just blow off steam. It was also cool that by this time it was getting dark outside, it lent a new, unusual element to the run. Then when I finished I ran right into the building for my meeting. :)
The next two runs were on March 8th and March 11th, and they were each 2 mile loops around my condo complex. I thought of Andria and Peanut when I rounded the corner of the farthest building and all of a sudden there was an unleashed dog right there! It was fine though, he was on his porch, just growling a little because I was close to his turf. It did screw up my pace though, so I see why my SILs get annoyed at these dogs. A few more interesting sights along these runs included… a crazy woman on a nearby sidewalk randomly and loudly screaming curse words at no one in particular (I changed directions and stayed away from her) and then suddenly seeing a couple making out through their first floor bedroom window. It’s amazing the things you notice while out for a run.
Finally Spring Break was here on Friday the 14th! Bobby and I went to visit Andria and Chino that weekend. We did lots of eating and being lazy, us usual, but we also got in a run on Saturday morning and again on Sunday morning. For me, the first run was 2 miles and the second run was 3 miles, both around their neighborhood. It was neat to run on a totally new route, even though the weather was really cold and windy. I also figured out that it really takes about 2 miles for me into get into the groove of running, so I enjoyed the 3 mile run a lot more.
After visiting with the Kansas clan, Bobby and I left for Florida to visit my brother and grandmother and then go to Disney World for a few days. As we rode the shuttle buses from park to park Bobby pointed out the marathon route to me, which got me really excited for next January. :) Anyway, I did get in a run while we were staying with my brother, Paul. I made a few laps around his housing complex to complete 3 miles. It was pretty exhausting, though, since the temperature was in the low 80s and it was SO HUMID! It definitely reminded me why I never want to live in Florida again, and why I’m so grateful the Disney marathon weekend is in January. (It’ll still be humid of course, but not as bad.) Because the weather kept tiring me out my pace was much more varied, but I did it!
Now that we’re back from Spring Break and my school workload is higher than ever, it’s been over a week since I’ve run. I really want to get back out there, it’ll just be very hard to make it work from now until the end of the semester (May 9th).
I’ll do my best to keep you all updated. Thanks for reading!!
One really unique run, on March 4th, was my two-mile jaunt around the University of Oklahoma campus. I had planned on running that day, but I knew it would be hard to fit it in due to my schedule of classes. I went to the amazing gym my school has (the Huffman Center) and started to warm-up for a run around the indoor track. Unfortunately my Garmin couldn’t pick up a satellite signal inside the gym. I had forgotten to turn it on before I went inside, and even if I had I don’t think it would’ve been able to hang onto the signal. Oh well. I waited a few minutes for it to try and acquire a signal and decided it wouldn’t work. At this point it was 6:50pm and I had a meeting to go to at 7:30pm, so I had to decide fast what I was going to do. I figured out a game plan that ended up being really fun – I parked my truck on campus and just ran around the campus until it was time for the meeting! One of the things I love about my school is how beautiful the campus is, from the architecture to the landscaping. Anyway, it made for a fun, scenic run of about 2 miles. Because I was in a hurry and stressed out from school I did do a combination run/walk/run which really helps me just blow off steam. It was also cool that by this time it was getting dark outside, it lent a new, unusual element to the run. Then when I finished I ran right into the building for my meeting. :)
The next two runs were on March 8th and March 11th, and they were each 2 mile loops around my condo complex. I thought of Andria and Peanut when I rounded the corner of the farthest building and all of a sudden there was an unleashed dog right there! It was fine though, he was on his porch, just growling a little because I was close to his turf. It did screw up my pace though, so I see why my SILs get annoyed at these dogs. A few more interesting sights along these runs included… a crazy woman on a nearby sidewalk randomly and loudly screaming curse words at no one in particular (I changed directions and stayed away from her) and then suddenly seeing a couple making out through their first floor bedroom window. It’s amazing the things you notice while out for a run.
Finally Spring Break was here on Friday the 14th! Bobby and I went to visit Andria and Chino that weekend. We did lots of eating and being lazy, us usual, but we also got in a run on Saturday morning and again on Sunday morning. For me, the first run was 2 miles and the second run was 3 miles, both around their neighborhood. It was neat to run on a totally new route, even though the weather was really cold and windy. I also figured out that it really takes about 2 miles for me into get into the groove of running, so I enjoyed the 3 mile run a lot more.
After visiting with the Kansas clan, Bobby and I left for Florida to visit my brother and grandmother and then go to Disney World for a few days. As we rode the shuttle buses from park to park Bobby pointed out the marathon route to me, which got me really excited for next January. :) Anyway, I did get in a run while we were staying with my brother, Paul. I made a few laps around his housing complex to complete 3 miles. It was pretty exhausting, though, since the temperature was in the low 80s and it was SO HUMID! It definitely reminded me why I never want to live in Florida again, and why I’m so grateful the Disney marathon weekend is in January. (It’ll still be humid of course, but not as bad.) Because the weather kept tiring me out my pace was much more varied, but I did it!
Now that we’re back from Spring Break and my school workload is higher than ever, it’s been over a week since I’ve run. I really want to get back out there, it’ll just be very hard to make it work from now until the end of the semester (May 9th).
I’ll do my best to keep you all updated. Thanks for reading!!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Raining (and Running) on Sunday
Andria, I thought you'd appreciate the title of this post. :) Yesterday was a rainy day, but thankfully the rain held off until after Bobby and I went for our run. In fact, a few hours after getting home an honest-to-God downpour passed over us, with lightning and a little bit of small hail. We're just glad the tornado watch expired and the power didn't go out.
I had charged my new Garmin in the morning, while Bobby was working, and by the time he got home I was just about ready to go! After donning our running clothes, shoes, Garmins, and bottled waters, we went outside and started walking. Starting out on Classen Boulevard, we went north to Lindsey Street, west to Georges Street, and then turned south until we got to Stinson Street. From here we went west to Jenkins Street, turned south until we hit Constitution Street, and then went east to Classen Boulevard. Then it was a straight shot north back home to the condo complex.
It was great to get outside, and in fact it was my first time doing a run outside, not on a track. The scenery was okay. What was fun was to go past Reeves Park and then the golf course and get a closer look at them. Sadly, I also noted how much trash there was along the road, because fines for littering aren't enforced.
It was a somewhat fast walk, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Unfortunately, I had gotten all psyched up to do my usual routine of run/walk/run, whereas Bobby had planned on fast walking the whole route. It was a bummer for me, but then Bobby explained that slower is sometimes better. He said that by doing the fast walk we will burn much more fat, and thus lose weight quicker - he's already lost nine pounds!
Here's how the Garmin summed it up: 3.31 miles in 54:35, with an average pace of 16:30/mile, an average speed of 3.6 mph, 335 calories burned, and a maximum speed of 6.1 mph (when I couldn't take it any longer and broke into a jog for less than tenth of a mile).
Obviously there's still much room for improvement, and any advice anyone can give me on what they did when they were first starting to run would be much appreciated. I plan on doing lots of reading this summer from the books we've purchased by Runner's World.
Talk to you all later!
Hayley
I had charged my new Garmin in the morning, while Bobby was working, and by the time he got home I was just about ready to go! After donning our running clothes, shoes, Garmins, and bottled waters, we went outside and started walking. Starting out on Classen Boulevard, we went north to Lindsey Street, west to Georges Street, and then turned south until we got to Stinson Street. From here we went west to Jenkins Street, turned south until we hit Constitution Street, and then went east to Classen Boulevard. Then it was a straight shot north back home to the condo complex.
It was great to get outside, and in fact it was my first time doing a run outside, not on a track. The scenery was okay. What was fun was to go past Reeves Park and then the golf course and get a closer look at them. Sadly, I also noted how much trash there was along the road, because fines for littering aren't enforced.
It was a somewhat fast walk, but it wasn't at all what I was expecting. Unfortunately, I had gotten all psyched up to do my usual routine of run/walk/run, whereas Bobby had planned on fast walking the whole route. It was a bummer for me, but then Bobby explained that slower is sometimes better. He said that by doing the fast walk we will burn much more fat, and thus lose weight quicker - he's already lost nine pounds!
Here's how the Garmin summed it up: 3.31 miles in 54:35, with an average pace of 16:30/mile, an average speed of 3.6 mph, 335 calories burned, and a maximum speed of 6.1 mph (when I couldn't take it any longer and broke into a jog for less than tenth of a mile).
Obviously there's still much room for improvement, and any advice anyone can give me on what they did when they were first starting to run would be much appreciated. I plan on doing lots of reading this summer from the books we've purchased by Runner's World.
Talk to you all later!
Hayley
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Free Fitness Training
Finally I’m caught up to the present day on this blog! :) On Saturday (March 1st) I met with a guy named Jarod Virden, a personal trainer here in Norman. This isn’t something I’d normally do, but I had a gift certificate for a free hour of training with him. (It was a free gift that Bobby received after he bought me a gift card for a massage at my favorite salon/spa – this was one of my Christmas presents!)
Jarod came over around 2pm and we got to work. He asked me how old I was, what my fitness goals were, did I have any injuries, and what were my eating habits like. Surprisingly, he never asked me how much I weighed, which I appreciated. He taught me lots of different exercises I could do right at home – core work, exercises to strengthen my back, tone my thighs, etc. Some of them I had done before or had seen other people doing at the gym, but some were new to me. I learned…..the stationary lunge, the side step, the inner thigh squeeze with the stability ball, the leg curl with the stability ball (which was really, really hard because I have no coordination!), the reverse crunch, the bird-dog on the stability ball, the ‘cobra on the ball’, the side crunch, and the glute raise on the stability ball. Over the course of the hour I did 2 sets of 15-20 reps of each of those…I was a little tired afterwards. :)
He also gave me some specifics on how often I should do these exercises and how much cardio I should be doing in order to lose weight. Thankfully, he wrote all this information down for me as he talked and I exercised. Ultimately, my goal is to get my weight down to 150 lbs. According to a few different online ‘fitness calculators’, the ideal weight for my age/height/frame is between 137-155 lbs. I will let you all know once I start seeing consistent losses.
Around 3pm, I thanked Jarod and said goodbye. He said to call him and let him know when I complete my first marathon. :)
I’ve got to say that I am enjoying this new lifestyle I’m trying to establish. I’ll tell you one thing, if I were still a Meteorology major there’s no way I’d have the time for this. So I really feel like this all started at the perfect time in my life – I had just switched to an English major when Andria completed her first marathon and inspired a lot of the rest of the family to complete our own marathons. It was meant to be, in a way, and so I’m optimistic about accomplishing these goals. :)
Time to go to sleep now. After Bobby gets home from work tomorrow we’re going to go for a run together – my first run with the new shoes and the Garmin!! I’m really excited! Talk to you all soon.
Jarod came over around 2pm and we got to work. He asked me how old I was, what my fitness goals were, did I have any injuries, and what were my eating habits like. Surprisingly, he never asked me how much I weighed, which I appreciated. He taught me lots of different exercises I could do right at home – core work, exercises to strengthen my back, tone my thighs, etc. Some of them I had done before or had seen other people doing at the gym, but some were new to me. I learned…..the stationary lunge, the side step, the inner thigh squeeze with the stability ball, the leg curl with the stability ball (which was really, really hard because I have no coordination!), the reverse crunch, the bird-dog on the stability ball, the ‘cobra on the ball’, the side crunch, and the glute raise on the stability ball. Over the course of the hour I did 2 sets of 15-20 reps of each of those…I was a little tired afterwards. :)
He also gave me some specifics on how often I should do these exercises and how much cardio I should be doing in order to lose weight. Thankfully, he wrote all this information down for me as he talked and I exercised. Ultimately, my goal is to get my weight down to 150 lbs. According to a few different online ‘fitness calculators’, the ideal weight for my age/height/frame is between 137-155 lbs. I will let you all know once I start seeing consistent losses.
Around 3pm, I thanked Jarod and said goodbye. He said to call him and let him know when I complete my first marathon. :)
I’ve got to say that I am enjoying this new lifestyle I’m trying to establish. I’ll tell you one thing, if I were still a Meteorology major there’s no way I’d have the time for this. So I really feel like this all started at the perfect time in my life – I had just switched to an English major when Andria completed her first marathon and inspired a lot of the rest of the family to complete our own marathons. It was meant to be, in a way, and so I’m optimistic about accomplishing these goals. :)
Time to go to sleep now. After Bobby gets home from work tomorrow we’re going to go for a run together – my first run with the new shoes and the Garmin!! I’m really excited! Talk to you all soon.
New Running Shoes and Toys!!
Friday was such a fun day! After class I headed up to ‘The Runner’, the running store in Oklahoma City. I showed the salesman my shoes and he immediately said, ‘Oh yeah, this isn’t right!’ (See the previous post). He had no problem exchanging them, and was glad to check and see if they had any more of that model in my size.
When he went back to check this I realized I love the smell of new shoes. :) It totally beats a new car smell!
There were none of that model in my size, so, oh darn, I had to pick out a new pair. Bobby’s cousin, Kenny, had recommended I try out Brooks Beast running shoes. He’s also a pronator and he’s been a runner for a long time, so I asked the salesman to try them out. He knew exactly what I meant, even though he did say they have different model names now. I tried on the Brooks Ariel and they felt AWESOME! I was so psyched. In fact, they felt really similar to the other shoes, but with much better cushioning. I went for a run around the parking lot, like last time, and I was sold. :) It’s also kind cool that my name in Hebrew class is Ariel. (We all had to pick out Hebrew names, just for fun, to use in class). So I think it was meant to be, for these shoes to be ‘Ariel’. :) Of course, they were a little more expensive than the last shoes ($119 versus $89), but it was fine by me.
Once that was decided on, I got two pairs of Injinji socks for Bobby that he’d asked me to pick up….And I got my very own Garmin Forerunner 205!!! I had intended on doing this, so I knew the credit card would melt a little that day. It’s so worth it though, and I can’t wait to put it to use! Bobby and I had thought we would share the one he got a couple weeks ago, but that wouldn’t have really been do-able. It won’t let you create more than one user, so our histories would’ve gotten all mixed up. Anyway, between the shoes and the Garmin, now I really feel like I’m good-to-go. I can’t wait for my next run!
On a side note, speaking of running toys, I am loving my new iPod shuffle. That was one of my Valentines’ Day gifts from Bobby, a purple iPod shuffle that is perfect for workouts and runs! It’s a lot better than strapping my video iPod around my bicep and constantly readjusting it!
Hope everyone’s having a great weekend so far. Happy running!
When he went back to check this I realized I love the smell of new shoes. :) It totally beats a new car smell!
There were none of that model in my size, so, oh darn, I had to pick out a new pair. Bobby’s cousin, Kenny, had recommended I try out Brooks Beast running shoes. He’s also a pronator and he’s been a runner for a long time, so I asked the salesman to try them out. He knew exactly what I meant, even though he did say they have different model names now. I tried on the Brooks Ariel and they felt AWESOME! I was so psyched. In fact, they felt really similar to the other shoes, but with much better cushioning. I went for a run around the parking lot, like last time, and I was sold. :) It’s also kind cool that my name in Hebrew class is Ariel. (We all had to pick out Hebrew names, just for fun, to use in class). So I think it was meant to be, for these shoes to be ‘Ariel’. :) Of course, they were a little more expensive than the last shoes ($119 versus $89), but it was fine by me.
Once that was decided on, I got two pairs of Injinji socks for Bobby that he’d asked me to pick up….And I got my very own Garmin Forerunner 205!!! I had intended on doing this, so I knew the credit card would melt a little that day. It’s so worth it though, and I can’t wait to put it to use! Bobby and I had thought we would share the one he got a couple weeks ago, but that wouldn’t have really been do-able. It won’t let you create more than one user, so our histories would’ve gotten all mixed up. Anyway, between the shoes and the Garmin, now I really feel like I’m good-to-go. I can’t wait for my next run!
On a side note, speaking of running toys, I am loving my new iPod shuffle. That was one of my Valentines’ Day gifts from Bobby, a purple iPod shuffle that is perfect for workouts and runs! It’s a lot better than strapping my video iPod around my bicep and constantly readjusting it!
Hope everyone’s having a great weekend so far. Happy running!
Battling Some Road Blocks
After the run at the outdoor track with Bobby and Andria, I have since completed two more two-mile runs with my new running shoes. These runs (on February 14th and 19th) were done indoors, around the track at the Huston Huffman Center – that’s my school’s awesome exercise facility. The first run was great, it was certainly infinitely better because I wasn’t wearing old, worn-out shoes.
Midway through the second run on the 19th, however, my right ankle started to hurt. I tried retying the laces, I checked to make sure my socks weren’t bunching up, etc. Then I noticed the problem – there was extra cushioning on the right side of the right ankle that wasn’t supposed to be there and wasn’t equally distributed. It basically rubbed the skin on my ankle really, really raw in that one spot. :( Aside from being painful, it was also just a big bummer to have new shoes that were now useless. I finished the run that day, but since then I’ve only worked out a couple times in my regular sneakers (walking on the treadmill or using the elliptical).
Other than battling the defective shoes, I’ve been battling some very annoying shoulder pain. Bobby and I went blackwater rafting when we were on our honeymoon in New Zealand, and the morning after that I woke up with really sharp neck pains. It then slowly moved to my shoulder and my upper arm and it’s more or less been there ever since – for a little more than two months now. Needless to say, I’m really sick of it. My doctor thinks it is probably a case of bursitis, which is apparently an inflammation of the bursae, a small tissue in the shoulder. He prescribed a steroid medicine to me a few weeks ago, which helped for the first two days, but then made no difference after that. Finally, I had an MRI done on Wednesday. Hopefully it will either confirm bursitis, or maybe show a torn rotator cuff, or something. I’ll feel less crazy once we know what it is, we fix it, and I can finally move on. I’ll let you all know when I get the results.
Anyway, about the shoes, I plan on going back to the OKC running store on Friday (the 29th). Maybe they can fix the shoe, but more than likely I’ll exchange them. I’ll also do some more shopping while I’m there – I’ll keep you all posted!
Midway through the second run on the 19th, however, my right ankle started to hurt. I tried retying the laces, I checked to make sure my socks weren’t bunching up, etc. Then I noticed the problem – there was extra cushioning on the right side of the right ankle that wasn’t supposed to be there and wasn’t equally distributed. It basically rubbed the skin on my ankle really, really raw in that one spot. :( Aside from being painful, it was also just a big bummer to have new shoes that were now useless. I finished the run that day, but since then I’ve only worked out a couple times in my regular sneakers (walking on the treadmill or using the elliptical).
Other than battling the defective shoes, I’ve been battling some very annoying shoulder pain. Bobby and I went blackwater rafting when we were on our honeymoon in New Zealand, and the morning after that I woke up with really sharp neck pains. It then slowly moved to my shoulder and my upper arm and it’s more or less been there ever since – for a little more than two months now. Needless to say, I’m really sick of it. My doctor thinks it is probably a case of bursitis, which is apparently an inflammation of the bursae, a small tissue in the shoulder. He prescribed a steroid medicine to me a few weeks ago, which helped for the first two days, but then made no difference after that. Finally, I had an MRI done on Wednesday. Hopefully it will either confirm bursitis, or maybe show a torn rotator cuff, or something. I’ll feel less crazy once we know what it is, we fix it, and I can finally move on. I’ll let you all know when I get the results.
Anyway, about the shoes, I plan on going back to the OKC running store on Friday (the 29th). Maybe they can fix the shoe, but more than likely I’ll exchange them. I’ll also do some more shopping while I’m there – I’ll keep you all posted!
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Running in Circles, but with Better Scenery
I apologize for not keeping up with this blog very much thus far. I know you all understand, though, that being a full-time student doesn’t give me much free time to actually write for pleasure.
Anyway, I left you all hanging at the point when Bobby, Andria, and I all went for a run at the local high school outdoor track. It was on Sunday, Feb. 10th in the late morning/early afternoon that we went, so we had the whole track to ourselves. After we all ate Powerbars (the first one I’d ever eaten; it wasn’t bad), we headed off for our run. I ran 3.5 miles in total and it felt awesome!! I started to play my iPod and recorded the date in my workout log and then began to stretch, like usual. A few yards away, Andria immediately told me to hold it right there! She told me I should never stretch cold muscles because that only increases the chance that I’ll end up pulling a muscle. This was news to me, so I’m grateful she was there to catch my mistake! I know I still have a lot to learn about running, but thankfully I have great family and some great books from Runner’s World to learn from. :)
After fast-walking a warm-up lap (a quarter mile), I did my usual stretches with Andria, including a couple new ones she taught me. Then I took off with my usual routine of run/walk/run. I don’t have any specifics about my pace or anything – like I said I’m really just starting out. I did the first mile in 15 minutes, the second in 16 minutes, and then the third in 14 minutes. All the times are according to my good ‘ol cell phone clock (no runner’s watch yet). What was cool was that my third mile was the fastest one, and during the last lap I was really into a great running grove.
Part of what made the run so great was all the new factors that were introduced – new shoes, new socks, a new bra, and it was my first time running outdoors. The shoes and the bra were awesome but the socks actually weren’t so great. They were thicker than the usual socks I wear, so they felt pretty weird. Also, doing the run outdoors was a lot of fun. For one thing the scenery was much more interesting than running around indoor tracks! The wind was also pretty intense, and this added a whole new element to the run. It sped me up and slowed me down at times, so it was a fun challenge. More than this, it was just great to be outside in the fresh air. Those who know me know how much I love bring outdoors and enjoying nature, so now this whole running thing is a new way to do that. :)
Finally, I walked a quarter mile cooldown lap, stretched again, and by then we headed towards the car. After getting home and showering, we filled our bellies with yummy barbeque from a great place in town. (We figured we should eat lunch while our metabolism was good and high).
That’s it for now, stay tuned for another post!
Hayley
Anyway, I left you all hanging at the point when Bobby, Andria, and I all went for a run at the local high school outdoor track. It was on Sunday, Feb. 10th in the late morning/early afternoon that we went, so we had the whole track to ourselves. After we all ate Powerbars (the first one I’d ever eaten; it wasn’t bad), we headed off for our run. I ran 3.5 miles in total and it felt awesome!! I started to play my iPod and recorded the date in my workout log and then began to stretch, like usual. A few yards away, Andria immediately told me to hold it right there! She told me I should never stretch cold muscles because that only increases the chance that I’ll end up pulling a muscle. This was news to me, so I’m grateful she was there to catch my mistake! I know I still have a lot to learn about running, but thankfully I have great family and some great books from Runner’s World to learn from. :)
After fast-walking a warm-up lap (a quarter mile), I did my usual stretches with Andria, including a couple new ones she taught me. Then I took off with my usual routine of run/walk/run. I don’t have any specifics about my pace or anything – like I said I’m really just starting out. I did the first mile in 15 minutes, the second in 16 minutes, and then the third in 14 minutes. All the times are according to my good ‘ol cell phone clock (no runner’s watch yet). What was cool was that my third mile was the fastest one, and during the last lap I was really into a great running grove.
Part of what made the run so great was all the new factors that were introduced – new shoes, new socks, a new bra, and it was my first time running outdoors. The shoes and the bra were awesome but the socks actually weren’t so great. They were thicker than the usual socks I wear, so they felt pretty weird. Also, doing the run outdoors was a lot of fun. For one thing the scenery was much more interesting than running around indoor tracks! The wind was also pretty intense, and this added a whole new element to the run. It sped me up and slowed me down at times, so it was a fun challenge. More than this, it was just great to be outside in the fresh air. Those who know me know how much I love bring outdoors and enjoying nature, so now this whole running thing is a new way to do that. :)
Finally, I walked a quarter mile cooldown lap, stretched again, and by then we headed towards the car. After getting home and showering, we filled our bellies with yummy barbeque from a great place in town. (We figured we should eat lunch while our metabolism was good and high).
That’s it for now, stay tuned for another post!
Hayley
Saturday, February 23, 2008
A Well-Endowed Woman...
*WARNING* -- This post discusses boobs, bras, and cup sizes. If you’re shy, you might not want to read this. :)
As I mentioned in the first post, Andria and I did some bra shopping when she came to visit a couple weeks ago (after shopping at the running store). We were on a mission to find sports bras, an important piece of running gear that we ladies need to invest in. Specifically, we wanted to get some Enell bras, they’re one of the best brands that specializes in sports bras. I also wanted to get some regular bras because all of mine are pretty pathetic in terms of support, coverage, comfort, and well, every other standard. So, we set off on our search for bras, going to two different stores in OKC.
First I should state some facts – 1) if you take one look at me it’ll be immediately obvious that I’m pretty, umm, well-endowed, and 2) most women wish they had bigger boobs, but they don’t realize that having them can be both frustrating and costly! I hadn’t been measured in several years, and I’d been buying bras on the assumption that I was a DDD cup. After all, at one point I was a DDD, but my bras just didn’t fit me the right way anymore, and I knew I needed to get a new measurement. We started off by going to a place called Women’s Health Boutique, which turned out to be a really hoity-toity place (for lack of a better adjective). It turned out they didn’t carry any Enell sports bras, but we figured we could at least get measured and try on some regular bras.
We were assisted by a saleswoman who wanted to do just that – make a sale. She measured both Andria and I and promptly told me that I was a an ‘I’ cup…that’s 6 D’s…three D’s more than I’d been wearing everyday! I knew this just couldn’t be right and yet it seemed believable. It was all a little traumatizing and discouraging. I tried on bra after bra after bra none of them fit me very well. The saleswoman even told me she could order a bra she thought might work, and I could pay for it that day. I wasn’t about to do this though, I wanted to be able to try on the bra before buying it. Anyway, she then told me that one particular bra looked great on me when it actually looked terrible. I looked back at Andria’s facial expression in the mirror, and she confirmed that the woman was just trying to earn some commission on a sale. Needless to say, we headed off to another store where we hoped to have better luck.
Off to The Lingerie Store we went, with my wonderful husband having to be not only the chauffeur but also the listening ear for all of our venting about bras and big boobs. Poor guy!! He put up with us and he was very patient, one of the things I admire most about him. When we got to this other store we had a much better time. They did carry Enell, and it was pretty quick and easy to find a perfect fit for both of us. We had more comical times in the dressing room – trying to wrestle these things on is no easy task! They basically have no underwire and really no cups, but they have the hook closure in the front which goes pretty far up on the chest and it gives great coverage and support. My brother-in-law, Curtis, says on first glance they kind of look like running shorts! :)
Next, I told the saleswoman I also wanted to try on some regular bras. She took a quick measurement and said I was a size ‘H’cup, not an ‘I’ cup. This was a little relief, to be down by one letter. Sure enough, she brought out a bra for me which turned out to be absolutely perfect. And on the first try! This was a real confidence boost that I really needed. I felt like Cinderella finding her glass slipper, it was just great! To top it off, they were having a sale that day, so I invested in 4 regular bras and one Enell sports bra. Andria also got an Enell bra as well, so we left with, as we said, ‘Happy Boobs!’. I used the word ‘invest’ before because each bra was in the neighborhood of $48…You see how lucky all you A to C cuppers have it? You guys can just go to Wal-Mart and get them for cheap. Anyway, that’s enough out of me, besides I don’t want to give off a wrong impression. I really do love my boobs and my body in general! I have curves and there’s nothing wrong with that. Bottom line: every woman, regardless of her figure, should be happy with her reflection in the mirror.
Finally, after all this shopping, we headed back to Norman (about a 30 minute drive) and got a late lunch/early dinner. The rest of the weekend would be a ton of fun, as usual. On the day after the shopping, we all went for a great run at the local high school outdoor track. I’ll leave you hanging on this note, however, because this post has gotten way too long. Hope you enjoyed it though!
Hayley
As I mentioned in the first post, Andria and I did some bra shopping when she came to visit a couple weeks ago (after shopping at the running store). We were on a mission to find sports bras, an important piece of running gear that we ladies need to invest in. Specifically, we wanted to get some Enell bras, they’re one of the best brands that specializes in sports bras. I also wanted to get some regular bras because all of mine are pretty pathetic in terms of support, coverage, comfort, and well, every other standard. So, we set off on our search for bras, going to two different stores in OKC.
First I should state some facts – 1) if you take one look at me it’ll be immediately obvious that I’m pretty, umm, well-endowed, and 2) most women wish they had bigger boobs, but they don’t realize that having them can be both frustrating and costly! I hadn’t been measured in several years, and I’d been buying bras on the assumption that I was a DDD cup. After all, at one point I was a DDD, but my bras just didn’t fit me the right way anymore, and I knew I needed to get a new measurement. We started off by going to a place called Women’s Health Boutique, which turned out to be a really hoity-toity place (for lack of a better adjective). It turned out they didn’t carry any Enell sports bras, but we figured we could at least get measured and try on some regular bras.
We were assisted by a saleswoman who wanted to do just that – make a sale. She measured both Andria and I and promptly told me that I was a an ‘I’ cup…that’s 6 D’s…three D’s more than I’d been wearing everyday! I knew this just couldn’t be right and yet it seemed believable. It was all a little traumatizing and discouraging. I tried on bra after bra after bra none of them fit me very well. The saleswoman even told me she could order a bra she thought might work, and I could pay for it that day. I wasn’t about to do this though, I wanted to be able to try on the bra before buying it. Anyway, she then told me that one particular bra looked great on me when it actually looked terrible. I looked back at Andria’s facial expression in the mirror, and she confirmed that the woman was just trying to earn some commission on a sale. Needless to say, we headed off to another store where we hoped to have better luck.
Off to The Lingerie Store we went, with my wonderful husband having to be not only the chauffeur but also the listening ear for all of our venting about bras and big boobs. Poor guy!! He put up with us and he was very patient, one of the things I admire most about him. When we got to this other store we had a much better time. They did carry Enell, and it was pretty quick and easy to find a perfect fit for both of us. We had more comical times in the dressing room – trying to wrestle these things on is no easy task! They basically have no underwire and really no cups, but they have the hook closure in the front which goes pretty far up on the chest and it gives great coverage and support. My brother-in-law, Curtis, says on first glance they kind of look like running shorts! :)
Next, I told the saleswoman I also wanted to try on some regular bras. She took a quick measurement and said I was a size ‘H’cup, not an ‘I’ cup. This was a little relief, to be down by one letter. Sure enough, she brought out a bra for me which turned out to be absolutely perfect. And on the first try! This was a real confidence boost that I really needed. I felt like Cinderella finding her glass slipper, it was just great! To top it off, they were having a sale that day, so I invested in 4 regular bras and one Enell sports bra. Andria also got an Enell bra as well, so we left with, as we said, ‘Happy Boobs!’. I used the word ‘invest’ before because each bra was in the neighborhood of $48…You see how lucky all you A to C cuppers have it? You guys can just go to Wal-Mart and get them for cheap. Anyway, that’s enough out of me, besides I don’t want to give off a wrong impression. I really do love my boobs and my body in general! I have curves and there’s nothing wrong with that. Bottom line: every woman, regardless of her figure, should be happy with her reflection in the mirror.
Finally, after all this shopping, we headed back to Norman (about a 30 minute drive) and got a late lunch/early dinner. The rest of the weekend would be a ton of fun, as usual. On the day after the shopping, we all went for a great run at the local high school outdoor track. I’ll leave you hanging on this note, however, because this post has gotten way too long. Hope you enjoyed it though!
Hayley
Friday, February 15, 2008
A New Adventure, Now With New Shoes!
Well, the title of the blog says it all. I'm beginning a whole new lifestyle with the overall goal of losing weight and the long-term goal of becoming a marathoner. After my sister-in-law, Andria, completed her first marathon in January, she inspired lots of her family (including me) to complete our own marathons. And so the newest adventure of my life begins! :)
I've never been a runner or an athlete of any kind- not even close. Throughout my academic life I was always the one couped up in my room, studying, and I made stellar grades. I ate my mom's amazing cooking, gained weight, and never made the time to exercise. Essentially, it's caught up with me now, and I'm changing my habits.
So far I've been running 2 miles a day about 4-6 days a week, around the track at the gym. It's been going well, and I've really enjoyed it - something I never thought I would say about exercise! I started out just running in my old sneakers, the same shoes I wore everyday to class. I knew the shoes were totally inadequate for running, and I was at the point where I needed new everyday sneakers anyway. So, when A and C came down to visit this past weekend, we finally went shoe shopping! Andria had found a great running store in OKC, 'The Runner', so we basically went up there and dropped a couple hundred dollars on all kinds of goodies. :) Bobby picked out a pair of Asics and I got a pair of New Balance 817 with phantom liner. They're motion control sneakers, because I found out that I'm a severe pronator. (Kenny, too bad we have that in common!) We also bought some clothing, and, best of all, Bobby bought a Garmin 205 for us to share - a very awesome toy that I'll let him tell you more about.
When we got the shoes I had the feeling that I was like Harry Potter, buying supplies for wizard school. He had to get a proper magic wand, so he went to the best store and spoke with the owner. On all the walls was a huge selection of many kinds of wands, and the owner picked one out that he thought might work. Harry held the wand, said a spell, and the wand went totally haywire! It flew around the room, made a mess, broke things - it wasn't the right 'fit' for Harry. The next wand, though, was perfect. It felt right when he held it, and would turn out to be a great companion for him on his adventures. This was how it felt to put on my new shoes - they were a fantastic fit and made my feet really happy! The guy who helped me at the store was great, he let me try on three or four pairs and let me run around outside in them to get a feel for each one. Anyway, I chose the New Balance after some careful consideration, and now that I've run in them a few times I'm even more happy with them. :)
Over the weekend I also bought two pairs of sneakers at Rack Room Shoes for everyday use...so basically I bought more sneakers over this past weekend than over the past year! Needless to say, now that I'm a runner I'm taking a much greater interest in shoes. Andria and I also did some bra shopping, but that's a whole other story that I'll cover in a later blog. Right now it's time to do some homework.
Thanks for reading!
Hayley
I've never been a runner or an athlete of any kind- not even close. Throughout my academic life I was always the one couped up in my room, studying, and I made stellar grades. I ate my mom's amazing cooking, gained weight, and never made the time to exercise. Essentially, it's caught up with me now, and I'm changing my habits.
So far I've been running 2 miles a day about 4-6 days a week, around the track at the gym. It's been going well, and I've really enjoyed it - something I never thought I would say about exercise! I started out just running in my old sneakers, the same shoes I wore everyday to class. I knew the shoes were totally inadequate for running, and I was at the point where I needed new everyday sneakers anyway. So, when A and C came down to visit this past weekend, we finally went shoe shopping! Andria had found a great running store in OKC, 'The Runner', so we basically went up there and dropped a couple hundred dollars on all kinds of goodies. :) Bobby picked out a pair of Asics and I got a pair of New Balance 817 with phantom liner. They're motion control sneakers, because I found out that I'm a severe pronator. (Kenny, too bad we have that in common!) We also bought some clothing, and, best of all, Bobby bought a Garmin 205 for us to share - a very awesome toy that I'll let him tell you more about.
When we got the shoes I had the feeling that I was like Harry Potter, buying supplies for wizard school. He had to get a proper magic wand, so he went to the best store and spoke with the owner. On all the walls was a huge selection of many kinds of wands, and the owner picked one out that he thought might work. Harry held the wand, said a spell, and the wand went totally haywire! It flew around the room, made a mess, broke things - it wasn't the right 'fit' for Harry. The next wand, though, was perfect. It felt right when he held it, and would turn out to be a great companion for him on his adventures. This was how it felt to put on my new shoes - they were a fantastic fit and made my feet really happy! The guy who helped me at the store was great, he let me try on three or four pairs and let me run around outside in them to get a feel for each one. Anyway, I chose the New Balance after some careful consideration, and now that I've run in them a few times I'm even more happy with them. :)
Over the weekend I also bought two pairs of sneakers at Rack Room Shoes for everyday use...so basically I bought more sneakers over this past weekend than over the past year! Needless to say, now that I'm a runner I'm taking a much greater interest in shoes. Andria and I also did some bra shopping, but that's a whole other story that I'll cover in a later blog. Right now it's time to do some homework.
Thanks for reading!
Hayley
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