To believe or not to believe...

That is the question.  I have a Nike Plus attachment for my iPod Nano.  It wasn't anything I really planned on purchasing, but I ended up with a $50 gift card for the Nike store, and since I don't run in Nike, this is what I came up with to buy (that and a sports watch).  I started using it in April.  I read some reviews about it and people were pretty happy except for a few thought the mileage was a little off.  I was on the fence.  I run about 4 miles around my little neighborhood (one small loop = 1/2mi, one large loop = 3/4 mi).  I think I start and stop at the same place everyday and it tells me something different everyday... one day with be 4.09 miles and the next day will be 4.15 miles.  One day it was even 3.99 miles.  I thought I had finally decided to believe it at the Labor Day race when I wore it and it measured the 8 mile course as 8.08 miles.  I thought that was pretty accurate and decided to believe what it was telling me. 

Until this morning.

Remember, I have a 10 mile race coming up in less than a month?  It's still 103ºF out here with no relief in sight.  I have a volunteer commitment in the morning for which I have to get up at 4:30am and it won't be over until 7:30am.  I really don't want to run in the heat after that.  My choice today was to squeeze in 5 miles instead of getting through my normal 4.  I thought tacking on 2 more small neighborhood loops to my 4 mile course would easily make 5 miles.  When I finished it told me that I had run 4.85 miles.  This did not make my day.

So do I believe this gadget or not?  Is it one of those things you believe when it is convenient to do so and ignore it when it isn't?  Do I believe I ran 5 miles this morning?  Or did I need to run by a few more houses to make sure of it?

Nothing like the intoxicating smell of...

New shoe rubber!  I'm going to be completely honest here and admit that I ignore when to replace running shoes.  At $100+ a pop, I see no reason to replace them every 300-500 miles unless they are really bothering you.  I have not as of yet had knee/ankle/foot related issues.  Would I like to replace them sooner?  Yes!  Who wouldn't want that new shoe smell wafting out of a beautiful cardboard box at them?  But, until I find a long lost uncle who has died and left his Gates-eque inheritance to me, I will be buying them on a "as needed" basis.  My current shoes have close to 800 miles on them.  They are high end shoes, so I guess you get what you pay for.  I suppose that $40 Kohls shoes wouldn't have fared so well (though wouldn't it be nice to wish for that?!?).

Without further ado, here are the shoes I've been wanting for a while.  They are Saucony Triumphs.  I've been wearing the style for a while, but never in such a cute color.  I think this is acutally the first pair of running shoes I've had that I actually *want* to wear.  I wonder if I will want to wear them more at 4:30am?



Long awaited new shoes!

 And, the other thing this picture tells me?  I need new socks now.  Ick.  I think these socks have been around a really long time and are not as white as I believed!  Now off to run faster, longer, and stronger!

I did what?

Went and signed up for another race.  I must have been out of my mind, but on the euphoria that follows having fun at one race, I thought I might as well.  This time though, it's 10 miles.  And I don't remember the last time I ran 10 miles.  What have I gotten myself into?  It sounds fun... runs through downtown the morning of a huge weekend festival... but all of a sudden, after I have dropped the check in the mail, I am a bit overwhelmed thinking about it.  Well, not the race per se, just the having time to train for it.  I was thinking long run tomorrow.  Probably not going to happen since Son has a cross country race in the morning and has to be at school at 6:45 am, and me watching him at his race at 8am.  Too bad it's still in the 90s here or I'd go afterwards.

The plus to this race?  There is a 5K that is offered as well and Son agreed to do it.  It should be fun with the both of us involved!

Anyone else is welcome to join us - but the early registration deadline has passed... click here for details!

Race results!

The Saguaro race came along sooner than I thought it would - and before I knew it, Labor Day weekend was here and I had only run the 8 mile length once in the last month.  Really, the last few months if we are being completely honest!  I knew I had been doing the hill run every Monday, but it's only a 4.5 mi jaunt, and half of it is downhill!  Yes, I know, the Saguaro course starts and ends in the same place, but that hill... it seems like it just won't stop!

So, out of bed early on Labor Day and out across town.  My husband decided to do it with me, after all, it's more fun with a friend.  The lazy kids didn't want anything to do with being at a race at 6:30 on a day off from school, so, home they stayed!  We made it with only 10 minutes to spare before race time - which is really off for us.  Usually we are there with plenty of time to spare.  At least we didn't have to wait around a long time for the start!

Still standing after the race!
(And notice my cute running skirt?)

And, then the gun went off and out we went.  Because we had gotten there so late, we were pretty far back in the pack.  It just made for a lot of dodging and dashing in and out of groups of people the first mile or so.  It's kind of hard to enjoy that first mile when you are trying not to run into anyone.  It was hotter than I remember past years being at the start.  Maybe because in past years there was a little cloud cover right at sunrise (that would quickly disappear), but there wasn't any to speak of this year.  Then three miles in, the dreaded hill came.  But, I noticed a difference.  This was not the unspeakable hill of Monday mornings.  This didn't seem as bad as I had remembered it and I kept wondering when the pain would start, after all, I was bracing for it as this was my fourth year to do this course.  It never happened.  And the hill ended and I ran on.  Maybe there was something to gettng up and doing the Hill on Monday mornings?  Too bad after the big hill was conquered, I got a side stitch that never really left.

Final results.  Me: 1:12:38.  I lost two minutes somewhere between last year and this year, but, I'm just going to chalk it up to experience... and resolve to do better for my fifth Saguaro run!  After all, there is a year to train for it!  And, thirteenth in my age group doesn't seem so bad, really.  Though, the kids aren't really impressed when I tell them I was 244th overall.  Hubby: Well, he beat me by about 20 seconds or so.  Darn him.  I could see him the entire time, I just couldn't catch him. 

The even better news?  I was not sore on Tuesday.  After the first year of doing this race, I couldn't walk very well for days afterwards.  The next couple of years I could definately feel that I had done something strenuous.  This year, I couldn't tell a thing!  Yay!  I think the Hill is working!

Stay tuned for my next racing decision coming soon.

The end is near!

Not the end of the world - the end of summer!  At least that's what I hear is happening in other parts of the country.  I was very skeptical to hear this until this morning when I got up and while it was still muggy, it was slightly cooler than it has been in the past few blistering weeks.  Trust me, I'm an expert on this.  I've had sweat running down my elbows in the past few weeks while standing completely still in the shade, not to mention the sweat that's run all over me while actually *running*!  There is a change in the air, and while it may not be completely obvious to the average human, because really it's still a good month until the thermometer will be under 100ºF for the year, I am quite confident that fall is on it's way!

Too bad my run this morning was completely me in survival mode.  I was thinking what a great run it would be since it was slightly cooler, but, suddenly, my stomach was hurting.  And not just a little bit.  A lot.  The top, the bottom, and everywhere in between.  It was like having a side stitch and stomach cramps all at the same time.  If I didn't have this race in a week that I've bought and paid for, I would have turned tail and gone home... but, since I haven't run more than 6 miles in quite a while, and my Labor Day race is an 8 miler, I felt the need to prove it to myself that it can be done.  I went into what I fondly call "slog" mode - a slow jog... in which little old ladies and their petite dogs were passing me.  I probably looked as horrible as I felt.  When I was at 8.5 miles, I decided to walk the rest of the way home not needing to feel like I should prove anything else to anyone, even though I was still 3/4 mi away from my house.  I had "slogged" 8.5mi already, so really I had proved it to myself that it could be done.  Hopefully on Labor Day my stomach will cooperate!  And, of course, once I got home, showered, and breakfast in me, I've felt fine ever since.  Figures.

Kicking and screaming!

That's how I dragged myself out the door and up the hill this morning - kicking and screaming all the way.  I thought I was too tired.  I thought I had stayed up too late and gotten up too early this whole weekend.  It was hot.  It was humid.  There were many undone chores at home.  My iPod was dead.  And the sun wasn't up.  My lazy self begged to stay in bed, but my practical self, the one who spent $25 to sign up for a hilly race in 2 weeks and also looks to see how tight or loose my clothes are, made me get up and go.  Like a mean mother, I had to shame myself into doing it this morning.  I bribed myself with the cold car a/c on full blast all the way home.  Thankfully my practical self was stronger than my lazy self this morning!  And that a/c was just perfect!!

Back in the swing of things!

After being in and out of town for most of July, I am back to reality... which really means that I have had to spend the last couple of weeks getting caught up on all those things that pile up while you're gone.  That and it's been back to school for the kids and back to work for me.  And it's about a million degrees outside (only slightly exaggerated!) and at least 99% humidity (it really has to be no matter what the weather guy says!), thus making any running I'm doing right now a true and complete joy (she says with sarcasm dripping off her voice and running on to the floor).  This year is a little tougher as far as morning runs go because schedules have changed, mine and the kids, so, in order to get out the door in the morning on time, I have had to cancel the 5am run.  Yes, you heard right.  But, I did instate the 4:30am run instead, which so far, isn't really as bad as it sounds mostly because I am making myself be in bed at 9:30pm.  Honestly, by that time in the evening, it's not hurting my feelings one little bit to do it either.  I am a bit worried about winter and the motivation factor on this, but I guess I'll jump off that bridge when I get there!

Next up?  I have signed up for the annual local Labor Day run (8mi) I have done for the past 3 years.  I am hoping to get a couple of long runs in soon because that's been the part of my training that has been lacking the most.  But, I have sent the check in, so I'm completely and totally committed!