And I Ran...

Running has not been my favorite subject to talk about lately. It is a great topic when you are able to run and everything is going as planned but as you know, that has not been the case for me. The past few weeks have been tough since I have pretty much kissed my goal race goodbye. I have lost three weeks of training and my confidence level is pretty low at this point. I really have to think about how I am going to approach this race. I want to make the smartest choice so I need some time to digest all of this.

On a positive note, I ran this week. It was only a few miles, but I ran. This is better than nothing and the miles were pain free. 

The hip pain seems to be gone and I hope that it does not return. I have been doing all of the things that you great people have recommended to me. I have been icing, foam rolling and doing lots of different stretches which have helped a lot. 

Ragnar Relay is this coming Friday and I really want to run it. I don't have a lot of miles so I think if I keep the pace super easy then I might be okay. I have 12 miles to run and I think I can handle that. Thankfully we run this race for fun and we will be wearing tutus because #tutusrock! 

Who else is running Ragnar So Cal?

It looks like the weather is going to be great this year! Last year it was so hot so I am looking forward to the cooler weather!

Trying to Stay Positive

I have been avoiding blogging lately because I don't want to come here and be super negative because who wants to hear all of that! I am finally coming to terms with what all of this may mean for me so I guess I should talk about it. Life is not always perfect so here it goes..

This past week was probably one of the toughest weeks that I have had in a long time. Why? Because I did not run a single mile! After trying out a new pair of neutral shoes, I developed a bad pain in my hip that kind of radiated to my IT Band. The hip pain has gotten a lot better but the IT Band pain is still there and it has this weird burning sensation. I don't think that I have ever felt that before. I have to say that it was the shoes because I did not have this pain until after I ran in them. It is amazing how shoes can make such a difference in your running!

On a positive note, I think I may have found my Wave Inspire 9's that I have been desperately searching for. Since they are no longer made, I figured that if a website didn't have my size then they were no longer a future prospect for me. It turns out that www.holabirdsports.com was showing my size on their website on Friday night when they had not in the past. The website allowed me to buy two pair so I did. I just need an email confirming my order so I know that this is actually going to happen. The last two stores that claimed to have my shoes did not. After placing my order, they sent me emails stating that their inventory was incorrect and they refunded my money. Amazon seems to get more sizes in on a regular basis but they never seem to have my size. I think they had it once and when I went to buy it, it was no longer available. 

I did hop on the elliptical for 45 minutes on Friday and that was doable. I had no pain but it was painful to be on that treadmill staring all of the runners on the treadmills in front of me. I think they need to put one elliptical for me somewhere in the corner facing the wall for the time being lol!

I have been icing, foam rolling and most of all crying NOT running. Not being able to run is the hardest especially now that the weather has decided to cool down. We have had perfect running weather for the past week and that kills me even more. 

I am really worried about my two races that are coming up in the next couple of weeks. I Ragnar So Cal in a couple of weeks and I don't want to let my team down. I won't run through this pain so hopefully something changes before then. I only have 12 miles to run so that is the positive thing but I need to be able to run. I won't do anything stupid! I also have my goal BQ race on May 25th. I am thinking that is probably not going to happen now since I have lost two weeks of very critical training and the race is just 8 weeks away. I am hoping to be there but will definitely have to adjust my goals and possibly find another marathon to target at a later time. I am hoping to be able to run next week but if not, I will have to sit down and figure all of this out. THIS SUCKS! Sorry, I had to say that...

In the meantime, I am trying to stay as positive as I possibly can and hopefully my family won't move out of the house to avoid me and my mood swings!

How do you stay positive when you are injured?

The Week After and the Shoe Dilemma Continues

I haven't done much at all this week in the running department. This week was spent resting and recovering and trying to get my thoughts together. The most important thing for me was finding a pair of shoes! I was not able to find my beloved Mizuno Wave Inspire 9's so that has been a big issue for me. The pair that I wore for the LA Marathon can no longer be used for running. They have over 400 miles on them and they were not very comfortable during the LA Marathon. 

I got fitted for new running shoes and was told that I should go with neutral shoes. When I started running back in 2010, I was wearing neutral shoes but after my injury in 2012, I was told that I should try stability shoes. Now I am heading back into neutral shoes and hoping for the best. I am trying out the Brooks Ghost 6. I ran in them for the first time today and did 3.1 easy miles with my other half.

They felt different and I swear that everything was hurting but we will see how I feel tomorrow. My other half got some new running shoes too. He is now running in the Mizuno Wave Inspire 10's and he like them a lot. I am so jealous of him right now. I guess the 10's work for him but not for me.

I didn't really miss running this week because of my shoes and my calf issue. I am actually a little nervous about running in different shoes because I am afraid of what will happen since I had issues when I tried the new model of my Mizunos. The calf pain is still lingering around and if it doesn't go away real soon I am going to have it checked out. I know it is not normal and it bothers me. My goal race is right around the corner and I don't want to go into this race with this hanging over my head. 

My next event is Ragnar So Cal on April 4-5 so I am glad that I do not have the pressure of a big race hanging over my head until May. I don't have a lot of miles for the relay so I am thankful that I didn't challenge myself with too many miles. My team runs this for fun so there is no pressure in the pace department either :)

Anyone else running Ragnar So Cal? 

What is your team name name/number and what time do you start?

My team number is 57 (Runners High) and we start at 6:45 am.

ASICS LA Marathon: 3/9/14

The LA Marathon was my fifth marathon and my first big race with over 25,000 runners! I would also have to say that it was my most difficult marathon both physically and mentally. For the past few weeks I have been struggling with pain in my calf and shin which returns after every run. It all leads back to my shoe issues but that is whole different story. I had doubts that I would even be able to run this race. I didn't want to do anything dumb and end up feeling worse yet at the same time I did not want to settle for a DNS if I could still run. I thought about it for the week leading up the to race and decided that if I could run at a decent pace on the Thursday before the race and be pain free on race day then I would go for it. This was able to run 5 Miles@8:30 pace on the Thursday before the race which was encouraging.

I talked about it with my other half and he told me that I should run it and not be arrogant and worry about my time. I told him that I can accept a time that is not within my goal range but I did not want to be out on the course for 5-6 hours struggling in the heat that was expected on race day. The course is a point to point so getting back to the Start would not be easy so I had to really think about it. I knew that I could not get my money back for the race or my hotel room so I really wanted to run the race even if I did not finish it.

We checked into the hotel and immediately headed to the expo to pick up my bib and and to see the famous wall with all of the names of the runners. The expo was not all that great for such a big race. I did not buy anything and did not stay for very long at all.

There was still a 5o/50 chance that I would run. My niece and her friend were also running the marathon so we headed out there together. I was still going to go and cheer them on even if I decided not to run. We went to dinner together and boy did we carb load! I haven't had a cupcake from Sprinkles in a long time so it tasted pretty good!

We talked about our race plans for the next day and the plan was that I would call my niece and her friend in the morning and let them know what I was going to do. Our hotel offered shuttle service to and from the race so we were planning to catch the shuttle at 5:45 am. The seeded corrals closed at 7:00 am so I needed to be there on time.

I did not sleep well that night because my mind and thoughts were all over the place. I was also nervous about the time change. I set my alarm but wasn't sure that my phone was going to cooperate. The clock in the hotel was not going to change and upon check in the front desk gave us a memo telling us not to rely on the clocks inside the rooms. I must have woken up every hour to compare the time on my phone to the time on the hotel clock. I woke up at 3:30 am and never went back to sleep. I stayed in bed for an hour thinking and decided that I was going to run the marathon and just accept the outcome no matter what. 

I called my niece and told them the plan and when it was time to head down they were not ready. I ended up catching the shuttle alone because I didn't want to be late and get shut out of my corral. It was a short walk to the get to the shuttle bus and the line was pretty long. It took about 20 minutes to get on a bus and there was standing room only. 

The race was just a few miles away so the ride was quick but crazy. The bus what about half way to Dodger Stadium when a car cut the bus off and the driver slammed on the brakes! Those who were standing lost their balance and pretty much fell into the person next to them. The man next to me slammed into my back and stepped on my foot so hard I wanted to scream.

The bus arrived at Dodger Stadium around 6:30 am. The lines for the porta potties were so long so I decided to skip the bathroom and head straight to the security check since it closed at 6:45 am. There were so many people and it took me a while to figure out where the seeded corrals were located. 

I was in Corral B and it was not crowded at all. One could easily find a spot to sit, stretch and eat until it was race time. Once I found my corral, I sat and ate my bagel. I said a prayer before the race and left it in His hands. Before I knew it the wheels chairs were off, the Elites were off and then it was everyone else.

The race starts in Dodger's Stadium so the first .40 miles are at an incline. Once you exit the stadium there is a short downhill and then a series of never ending climbs with small areas of flat roads in between. Some of the climbs were steep and some of the climbs were gradual but lasted for a while. If hills were not a big part of your training, it was going to be tough race for you! So yes, it was tough for me. I won't lie to you!

Mile 1: 8:30 (very crowded)

Mile 2:8:02

Mile 3: 8:34

Mile 4: 8:37

It did not help that the weather was 57 at the Start and about 85 at the Finish. I have never ran in this type of weather so I was really nervous about it. I ran into Monica at Mile 2 and we ran together and chatted about the race and the weather for about a bit. I looked at my Garmin and our pace was 7:45 so I told Monica to have a great race because I knew I could not keep up with her. The weather wasn't bad at all for the first half of the race so I had this crazy idea that I would try to maintain an average pace of 8:35-8:40 until the weather dictated otherwise. I was feeling good and only had minimal pain on the inclines. The hills at Mile 4-5 were a little tough but didn't last too long.

Mile 5: 8:49 ( hill)

Mile 6:8:55 (another hill-crap!)

Mile 7: 8:23

Mile 8: 8:31

I basically ran the course according to the elevation. When it was flat or downhill, I used that to make up for the times on the uphill. I did not push myself too much the first half since I knew that I would pay for it in the end. This was the first race that I did not wear my hydration belt which was a big change for me. The course had water every mile so I carried my hand held and refilled it as needed. The course was scenic and there was tons of course support which included the media, cheerleaders, Mickey Mouse, the Pope, hot dogs, oranges, pretzels, Vaseline and drag queens. The course support is the most amazing part of the LA Marathon!

Mile 9: 8:31

Mile 10: 8:28

Mile 11: 8:40 (refilled my water bottle)

Mile 12: 8:28

Mile 13: 8:45

Mile 14: 8:43

I knew that Mile 15 was going to give us a break since it was downhill so I could hardly wait. I needed a small break at this point and it felt great to not see a climb ahead. I swear that all of the mile markers were sitting on top of hills when you spotted them.

Mile 15: 8:16 (downhill!)

Mile 16: 8:33

Mile 17: 8:59 (gradual uphill climb)

Mile 18: 8:51 (gradual uphill climb)

Right after Mile 18, the heat was really starting to set in and I was stopping at every water station to drink and wet my head to stay cool. Shade was scarce so things started to get tough right about this point in the race. I knew that it was time to bring the pace down because I knew that I could no longer maintain sub 9 miles in the heat without crashing.

Mile 19: 9:00

Mile 20: 8:59

Mile 21: 9:29 (uphill and hot)

At Mile 20, I realized that I could run 10:00 miles and still come in under 4 hours and I was good with that. It was hot, I was tired so I told myself that I could ease off a little bit but no walking! 

Mile 22: 9:54 (uphill, hot and serious calf pain..oh crap)

Mile 23: 9:57 (worst mile...hot, tired, salty mess, painful, losing hope and all of that good stuff) 

Mile 24: 9:48

Change of plans! At this point I had to stop and walk even though I didn't want to. The hills were becoming more painful and it was just getting tough out there. I massaged my calf and kept on walking for about a minute or so until the pain lessened. I really wanted to quit but I was so close to the Finish. I saw a friend of mine who was supporting his running group and he gave me that extra push to keep on going. Thank God I saw him. His wife later told me that he said I looked very focused. I guess he was being nice.

From Mile 24 on, the course starts to head downhill but I couldn't really feel it until about Mile 25. I had a good talk with myself, pulled myself together and sucked it up. I knew that I was not going to be done until I hit 26.45 miles because I did not run the tangents properly. I tacked on an extra .25 miles by dodging back and forth to find the shade. This probably cost me a couple of minutes but I had to do what I had to do to survive out there.

Mile 25: 9:15

Mile 26: 8:53

.45 (8:19)

I finished in 3:53:40. That finish line never looked so good! It was not a PR but I was not disappointed with my time since I was secretly praying hoping for a 4:00-4:15 finish. I did my best on what I would not consider an easy course for me. Lots of runners had a hard time out there due to the heat so I have a lot of respect for every single one of  them who went any distance of the the LA Marathon! It was really about hanging on and finishing the race and not about the time for most of us.

The medal is really nice and I feel like I really earned it more than any other medal that I own. Running a big race is a tremendous experience! The crowd support is awesome and the event is very well organized. This is a perfect race for a first time marathoner. This marathon taught me what mental toughness is all about. It taught me how to push myself when the conditions are not ideal.  I will take these lessons with me to my goal race in May to push myself to fight for that BQ!

Did you run the LA Marathon this year? Any other year?

Thoughts?

February Recap and My Goal for LA Marathon

These past two weeks have been tough. My whole ordeal with finding shoes has really put a damper for the past two weeks. The pain that I have been having in both my right shin and my left calf are still there and I am not sure where the pain is coming from. I don't feel the pain once I get going on a run but sometimes it takes a while to get into my run and it has been frustrating. It has also been raining her in So Cal so I have been doing most of my runs on the treadmill which I didn't really want to do either. I made it through February with 123 miles since I missed my long run last week. I should have come closer to 140 miles if I would have completed all of my scheduled runs.

On Friday, I just need a good run. It was raining and I headed to the gym for an hour run on the treadmill. It was painful in the beginning but once I got going the pain was gone. It felt good to have a decent run since I have been scaling most of runs back my decreasing the pace.

I am still going to run the LA Marathon but unfortunately I have to go into this race with no big goal. My original thought was to shoot for a 9:00-9:09 pace and attempt to come in under 4 hours but I am not sure if that is going to be possible on Sunday. The last thing that I want to do is injure myself or have a terrible race that lingers in my mind for my goal race in May. Looking back at my last marathon, the Long Beach Marathon, I went into that race feeling pretty confident about my goal because I had such a great race in May. 

I am really feeling thankful right now that I did not choose LA Marathon as my goal BQ race or I would be feeling pretty bummed right now. I am really hoping for a solid race where I don't hit the wall and I can cross the finish line in one piece wearing shoes that have about 400 miles on them! If I can come out of LA Marathon feeling strong even if it is not at the pace that I had originally hoped for, I will be somewhat satisfied. 

This week I will attempt two short and easy runs and hope for the best on Sunday. After this race, I am going to get busy looking for some new shoes and looking into out why I still have this lingering pain in my legs.

WISH ME LUCK!

Sometimes I Get Some Really Crazy Ideas!

I am sure that you already know by now that RunDisney made the announcement of their newest race, the Avengers Half Marathon Weekend, at the Disneyland Resort in California.  I knew a race was coming and I was really hoping that it was going to be a full marathon since we need one on this coast, right? I have not missed an inaugural Disney race since I started running in 2010 and I think I would feel bad if I missed the Avengers Half Marathon. 

The problem is that I am already registered for the Las Vegas Marathon on November 16, 2014 which is the same day as the Avengers Half Marathon. Could I possibly do both?  Yes, it is possible since the Avengers Half Marathon is at 5:30 am and the Las Vegas Marathon is at 4:30 pm. I could also drop down to the Las Vegas Half Marathon which starts at 3:30 pm to make it easier on myself. There are some other issues though. My other half is supposed to run the Las Vegas Marathon and it will be his first marathon. We would have to make some changes to that plan as well if I drop down to the half. I haven't even told him about these crazy thoughts are going through my mind yet. RunDisney races are also pricey. I think this one is $195.00 plus the fees so that is also something I need to consider.

I should probably be thinking of a plan for the LA Marathon right now but instead I have been occupying my thoughts with the idea of #Disney2LV instead! It's just a thought right now but it does sound like a lot of fun. Registration for the Avengers Half Marathon starts on March 25th so I have some time to think about it.

Anyone else running the Avengers Half Marathon or Las Vegas Rock "n" Roll?

Anyone having the same crazy idea as me (#Disney2LV) or even worse?

I have also heard that it is possible to run the 5K at Disney at well since it is the day before the half marathon!

Brea 8K Classic: 2/23/14

I haven't seen a PR in a while so it was nice to have a guaranteed PR today. I have never ran an 8K before so I knew it was going to be a PR no matter what! Since an 8K is right under 5 miles, I liked the idea of it being right in the middle of a 5K and a 10K!

This was a pretty local race for me which offered same day race bib pick up which is always a plus! The real reason why I wanted to run this race was because of the food sponsors at the finish line. I know..that's kind of a wrong reason to run a race, right? 

 AND

Packet pick up started at 6:30am so I headed out early to pick up my packet and still had some time to prepare for the race which started at 8:00 am. Packet pick up was well organized and there was no wait at all. There were plenty of porta-potties and the wait was just a few minutes until it got closer to the start of the race. Parking was free and super close to the Start. This race did it all right!

The course was not flat and had a few hills that really challenged me. I started out conservatively since starting out to quickly is a mistake that I always avoid. I had to take it easy on the hills because of the lingering pains that I have been dealing with due to my major shoe problems. Mile 3 was the toughest and is known as "Heartrate Hill." I was okay with my pace because I am keeping my eye on my long term goals and did not want to risk an injury with two marathons coming up in the next few months.

I finished in 38:24 (7:42 pace) and that was good enough for 5th out of 174 in my Age Group. I felt strong the entire time and just kept telling myself to relax and let my legs carry me to the finish line. Here are my splits for those who are interested.

I loved the race and it was well organized. I will definitely be back next year and not just because of all of the awesome food sponsors (hehe!).

Have you ever ran an 8K?

I think this is my new favorite for a short distance!

Shoe Problems and a Less than Stellar Week....

Talk about a crappy week! That is exactly that I had. I have been trying to transition from my Mizuno Wave Inspire 9's to the new Wave Inspire 10's and I have not been so lucky. The 10's seem to be okay when I run under 8 miles but anything more than that causes me to have pain in my left calf and my right shin. I didn't think it was the shoes at first but after seriously evaluating the situation, I know that it is the shoes. The transition from the 8's to the 9's went really well but something feels really different with the 10's. 

I love my Wave Inspire 9's and I cannot find them in my size anywhere! I even emailed Mizuno to see if they could give me some tips on stores to find them but I had already checked all of the stores they suggested. I am bummed and kind of in a panic. LA Marathon is less than two weeks away and my 9's are coming up on 400 miles. I don't think I have ever ran a marathon with shoes that have this many miles on them. I was hoping to be adjusted to the 10's by the time LA Marathon rolled around but that did not happen!

I had to cut my mileage way back this week because I did not want to run while I was still having those lingering pains. Running was not painful but the areas that were bothering me were very painful when I touched them. I am proud of myself for having enough sense to scale back the miles. I was tempted so many times to go for a run but I knew that it was not the smartest thing to do with LA Marathon right around the corner. I also skipped out on my long run but did have a great run with my other half. I love running with him because he is just so easy going about running and I always enjoy my runs with him.

I ran my first 8K today and really wanted to give it my best shot but held back a little because I was afraid that the pain would return and LA Marathon would be out the window for the second time. I had to sit the LA Marathon out back in 2012 due to an injury and watching it on TV was pretty painful!

So I am not sure what I am going to do about my shoes moving forward. I am a big Mizuno fan so maybe a different style of their shoes will work for me. Mizuno suggested that I try the Wave Paradox. Anybody ever ran in them?

Any suggestions on what I should do about my shoe problem?

Do you run in several different types of shoes or do you stick to one?

I usually run in one type of shoe and that is it so I am not one to rotate from style of shoe to another. 

Taper Time and A Crazy Goal!

LA Marathon is less than three weeks away and that means that it is taper time! My long runs for the past two weeks have been 22 miles and this last one was pretty good. I ran with a friend from work (and her friend) who are members of the Snail's Pace running club and it was so nice not to have to run 22 miles alone. They are both going for a sub-four marathon and I think they are more than ready to make it happen! I think I am going to seriously consider joining a running club. It was really nice to have the support out on the course and the snacks were the best! I never eat while out on my runs but I did on Saturday and those pretzels tasted sooo good!

We ran out by the beach and the weather was great! I was expecting it to be much warmer but it was really nice. I pushed myself the last couple of miles (8:08 and 7:35) and even after that I could have kept going. I was pretty surprised since that rarely happens. It must have been the snacks!

I am planning to do somewhat of a long run this weekend but will be cutting my mileage way back. I am starting to get some ideas of what my goal for LA Marathon will be. I have a pretty crazy goal in mind but chances are that I am going to move forward with it. I will share it when I am 100% sure that I am ready to take the chance! 

Do you eat during your long runs?

If you do, what do you eat? I never do. GU is about all I take during my long runs.

Four Weeks and Counting!

I can't believe that LA Marathon is just four weeks away! The weather has been so great lately so I am hoping that race day is the same. I have been thinking about a goal for this marathon but I honestly don't want to put pressure on myself for this race. I have never ran a big race like like LA before so I am already a little bit nervous as it is. I guess I will start thinking of a plan as race day gets closer.

My mileage was a little higher than usual this past week. My longest run is usually 4 weeks before race day and this week it was 22.29 miles. The weather was perfect and it drizzled the entire time. The sun did not come out for even a minute and it was great. I have to admit that after mile 20 I was pretty tired. That worries me a little but mile 20-26.2 are always a battle for me.

I also had a great 11 mile run this week. I had planned on 7 miles but the weather was so great that I decided to take it easy and keep on going at a relaxed pace. Sometimes I feel like I really need to slow it down and enjoy the run.

I wrapped up my week with about 40 miles and I am hoping to get another 20 miler in this weekend at an easier pace. I wasn't too satisfied with how I felt during my 22 miler so I think I need one more push before LA Marathon to get my confidence level up. After that, I will start tapering and bringing the miles way down! I hate tapering because it makes me feel like I am doing nothing!

How many miles in your longest run when training for a marathon?

I have never ran more than 22 miles but have heard that some people actually run 26!

Why January Was a Good Month

January was a pretty good month for me. Lots of good things happened and I am feeling ever so grateful to have had another good month of running as well.  So why was it a good month?

1) I ran a total of 150 miles! It was a record month for me. I did get some help from January since there are 31 days in the month but I will take it!

2) I won a ton of giveaways and I feel so lucky! I can't wait to run Zooma Napa Valley in June. I think it is going to be a lot of fun. You can read about all of the stuff that I won here.

Speaking of giveaways, you can win an Allied Medal Display from Marcia's Healthy Slice. Head on over and enter!

3)  I was told by two people on Instagram that I inspired them! Some people probably hear these words all of time but it means a lot of me when I hear these words! What a great feeling! I think this is one of the greatest compliments that you can receive as a runner or as a person for that matter. We all have goals that we are chasing but if I can be a part of someone else's success in meeting their goal, that is an even better feeling for me. I hope that these two ladies accomplish great things!

If someone inspires you to do something or to push yourself that extra mile when you feel like giving up, reach out to them today and tell them so! I am sure it will make their day!

Tell me how January went for you!

Feeling Lucky!

My luck for winning giveaways has struck again! I won three giveaways this past week which include some Justin's Nut Butter from Marcia's Healthy Slice! Can't wait to eat this right up!

I entered a Hump Day Running Giveaway from Another Mother Runner for two entries to a Zooma Race of my choice. To enter the giveaway all you had to do was tell them who you would take with you and why. I entered with my friend who lost her husband in mind and we won! Her and I will be running Zooma Napa Valley because she loves it there. I had dinner with her on Sunday night and told her that she will be going to Napa with me in June and she was excited. She ran her PR half there a few years back and she celebrated her last wedding anniversary with her husband there as well. The plan is to enjoy the trip and run the race with no pressure and to enjoy the course. I am really excited about it and I hope it brings her some peace and relaxation because she love her wine and there is plenty of it in Napa!

I also find out today from Run with Jess that I won the prize for Week#3 of Winter Miles Challenge. I won a running shirt from Milestones Sports Jewelery & Apparel. It is super cute and I can't wait to wear it! This is the design on the shirt!

In other news, I survived my 20 miler this past weekend and I am looking forward to an easier week. I closed the week with 33 miles and my long run for this week will be 15 miles. I think my body is looking forward to cutting back this week.

How long is your long run this week?

I am feeling sad that I did not register for anything this weekend since the weather is going to be perfect for racing!

Treadmill Tell-All

Since I am such a big fan of the treadmill (NOT) I thought I would chime in with Marcia over at Marcia's Healthy Slice on her post about treadmill running.

As much as I dislike running on the treadmill it is a necessary evil for me. In California we have really hot summers and if you are not out there at 5:00 am it is going to be a tough run. We don't get much rain here but when we do, the treadmill is always a way for me to get my runs in and stick to my training plan. Working a full-time job also makes it difficult to get a run in before dark so I often have to run on the treadmill on the days that I work. So yes, the treadmill is a must for me!

 

1. What’s your favorite workout to do on a treadmill? I can't say that I have a favorite workout because I really dislike the dreadmill! I usually do progressive runs or speedwork since it is easier to hold the pace without having to sop for traffic lights when you run outdoors.

2. How many miles, on average, do you run on the mill each week?  I average about 14 miles a week on the treadmill.

3. What was the most mileage you’ve ever completed on the mill in one workout? When? Why?  My record treadmill run is 13.11 miles  back in May, 2013. My friend was injured and was running the OC Half Marathon and since we were going to the race together, I did not want to leave her out on the course alone. I was also training for a big race so I knew that I could not miss my long run so I got it done on the treadmill.

4. Do you mill at home, the gym or both?  I mill at the gym since I don't have a treadmill at home.

 

5. What distractions or entertainment (if any) do you use to help pass the time? Some of the treadmills at the gym have TV's but they make me dizzy so I cannot watch them. To pass the time, I listen to my music or I just people watch. People watching is probably the best way to pass time since I have some interesting people at my gym to say the least. Some of the regulars are pretty darn entertaining!

6. If you have a treadmill at home, what kind is it? How old is it?   I used to have a treadmill at home but never used it so I sold it. I am the kind of person who will put my run off if the treadmill is in the house so I have to get out the door to get it done. The minute I sold my treadmill I regretted it. Then Pro-Form came out with the Boston Marathon treadmill  and I have been wanting it ever since but simply can't afford it!

7. Do you fuel any differently for a treadmill workout than an outside one? I never GU on the treadmill but probably drink the same amount of water. Sometimes the gym feels warm so I might even drink more.

8. Any treadmill mishaps to report? Thankfully none! I always think about how embarrassing that would be so I am pretty careful.
 
9. Do you mill at incline to compensate for not being outside? Barely. I set the incline to .5 and that is about it. I have heard that you have to adjust it or else you are running slower than you think you are. Oh well, that's fine with me because I am sweating like a pig when I get off  the mill.

10. Describe your perfect (if there is such an animal) treadmill conditions:I always try to find a machine that is close to the AC vent. I usually have a favorite machine that is in the right place but then they re-arrange the equipment and I am on the hunt again.

Feel free to write your own  "Treadmill Tell-All" post on your blog or share your treadmill love/hate stories with me in the comments! Thank you for the idea Marcia!

You Have to Read This!

I received this at a conference that I attended last week and I love it. It is so meaningful to me and is so very true! Hope you enjoy it too!

Source: Michael Josephson of the Josephson Institute (www.CharacterCounts.org)