5k day

I just got back from what I would consider my first "real" training run. I don't mean to say that the runs I've been going on haven't been "real" and I don't mean to insult anyone; but, in my head for ME it's not really a workout unless I run at least 3 miles. Today was that day!

Let's back up to earlier this weekend. Friday night I stayed in with my roommate, Danielle, and just watched a movie. Okay, okay we watched Titanic...no shame!

When the movie first came out I was in 4th grade and I went to see it with Mom and Dad in theaters. I thought it was the GREATEST movie ever (still kind of do haha) and Dad used to tease me and make fun of the scene at the end where they were all in the water. He would walk around going "bob, bob, bob" and imitate the people in the water. I would get SO mad!

Saturday morning would have been perfect to go for my run because I hadn't done the usual college student Friday night. However, it was so cold that I don't think I would have made it very long. I think the "feels like" temperature was about 8 degrees!!!! So I got some work done (kind of), went to my cousin Connor's basketball game (they won!) and decided that I would run on Sunday instead.

All of this seemed like a good plan, but then I decided to go out last night. We went to Looper's (a cute little bar with fancy martinis). I had a little too much fun. I might have had one of these:

 

2 of my roommates and me

Anyway, the point of all that was that I woke up this morning and was not feeling well at all. I wasn't sure I would be able to get my run in. After sleeping a little longer and drinking lots and lots of water I decided to suck it up and get going! I was motivated to go because of all of YOU who are supporting Vic and me in our adventure! 

Not only was I dreading the run because I didn't feel so hot, but I thought it was going to be really cold again. This time I was pleasantly surprised when I went outside though. It was a beautiful day for running! I was even a little warm in all of my layers! I was also excited about this run because I had a new set of headphones! My old ones broke:

They still worked fine and since I'm a snob when it comes to my headphones (ipod ones only!) I didn't want to go shell out the cash for a new pair. But, my roommate, Mimi, happened to have a spare pair that she wasn't using and she was nice enough to give them to me! 

With my new headphones in, I headed off for my run. I warmed up by walking to the trail, I had 3 miles scheduled for today but as I was running I decided to go for a 5k, and then I decided just to finish off that quarter mile so I ended up running 3.25 today. It felt great! It was fun getting to go further down the trail today too. Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 14:54 (warm up)

Mile 2: 8:33

Mile 3: 8:55

Mile 4: 8:56

Mile 5: 14:06 (ran for .25, walked for .75 for cool down)

.51: 7:43

For a total of 5.51 miles in 1 hour, 3 minutes and 10 seconds

My Garmin is having issues connecting to my computer, so I can't analyze the miles and I'm not sure how fast I ran the .25 but I'm really happy with my stats for today. For ME that is an excellent time for a 5k! Now I only need to add 10 miles to today's run and I'll be ready for race day! 

--Melissa

First Team Run

So yesterday I had my first outdoor run with Team In Training...in sub-zero degree weather!


We met up at 7:50 AM at Valley Forge to do a 2-3 mile loop...which ended up being 2.54 miles according to my Garmin watch.


It was great to meet all of the coaches, and some of the teammates who will be racing at Lehigh Valley in April with my sister and me - including a nurse from Hahnemann who had worked with Dad, and a friend of one of my coworkers.  It is such a small world.  There are also teammates training for other races around the country that will take place in the Spring/Summer season of 2010.


The coaches said that this run would most likely be one of our most challenging:  it was our first run, the coldest day of the year, and at our toughest course - as Valley Forge has more hills and is windier than any other training site.


The running part was fine - and I was able to stay at the front of the second fastest group of runners, and various coaches would come up and run with us for a segment of the run to keep us motivated and energized.  This was nice - but I am definitely not used to talking while running - especially when my face is frozen from the cold!


As for temperature, I had taken an emergency trip to Bryn Mawr Running Company on Friday to stock up on gear.  I got some lightweight but very toasty pants, and a nice jacket to wear over a thin under armor top.  My body temperature was perfect for the run.  My feet were fine too.  My weakest point were my hands - which even a heated steering wheel couldn't help with on the drive home!  It is COLD OUTSIDE!


It was much more entertaining to run with a group than on my own - and I'm so looking forward to training with the team!  This Thursday we have our Kickoff Party in Conshohocken - so I'm looking forward to getting to know my teammates outside of running.


I want to send a quick shout out to all of our friends and supporters of our race.  We've already raised over $14,000 - in only 2 weeks of having the website posted - which is $10,000 more than we had originally set as a goal.  We can't thank you all enough for supporting our cause!


Happy February!
Victoria

Decisions, decisions

This morning I had 2 goals for my one mile run that I had scheduled. Both of which I failed to accomplish (sort of)...however, the reasons were out of my control so I don't feel bad about it!

Goal 1: Take pictures on the trail I run. I figured that for a 1 mile run it wouldn't be annoying to carry my camera like it might be for a longer run.
Goal 2: Run FAST. I was just curious to see how fast I could do 1 mile, not that I would actually run this fast for the race or anything, just out of curiosity.

This morning I woke up late because I accidently left my phone on silent after my night class last night. Luckily I naturally woke up around 6:50, so I still had plenty of time. This morning was slightly different from Tuesday morning!!

Anyway, last night when I checked the weather it said it wasn't supposed to snow until 5 pm, but Weather.com is a liar! When I walked outside this morning I saw this:

Snow!!!

I almost went back inside, but I really wanted to run this morning. I thought about maybe just walking to the gym and running inside, but was honestly a little afraid because that's where I got my injury in the first place. I immediately decided not to run across the bridge and to the trail where it is not heavily populated. I had a vision of myself ending up like this:

 

I decided that I would run my route from the first few runs-- on the streets off campus. Then while I was doing my warm up walk, I decided that it would be nice to take pictures around campus, so I thought I would do my run through campus today.

 

Alumni Memorial Building

 

Then I changed my mind because I remembered that the ground through campus is mostly brick. 

 

Brick+snow= slippery+running= disaster 

So I went back to Plan A and decided to do the off campus streets. All this decision making was done in the time it took me to do my warm up walking mile! Talk about not being able to make up your mind!!! 

 

Dad was always so good at making a decision and just sticking to it. He helped me make so many major decisions in my life (going to Lehigh, choosing to do my internship last summer at KPMG) and some minor decisions (like what to watch on TV).

Once I made up my mind to run off campus I stuck to it and headed off to run my 1 mile. Here are today's splits:

Mile 1: 17:34 (warm up, stopped to take pictures)

Mile 2: 8:13

Mile 3: 16:09 (cool down)

I definitely ran faster than usual today (goal 2), but because of the snow I had to tread carefully in some areas which definitely slowed me down. Once I got home, I checked out my pace for the whole mile, and at one point I was running at 6:42 pace! I thought that was pretty cool! If it's not snowing next week, I might try this again just to see what I can do, or I might just focus on getting my mileage up. We'll see! Happy Thursday!

--Melissa

What time is it?!

So here's a good one...

I went to bed super early last night because I was tired and I knew I had to wake up early if I wanted to get my run in (which...duh...of course I wanted to get my run in!).

When I woke up I thought to myself: "hm, it doesn't feel like 6:30". 
I squinted at my clock and only looked at the minutes it said something:28. "Oh I guess it is almost 6:30, time to get up!" 
I hopped out of bed and went down the hall to the bathroom to brush my teeth. "Hm, that's weird, my roommate is up at 6:30".
As I'm brushing my teeth I remember that I never heard my alarm on my phone go off and I hustled back to my room to catch it before the annoying beeping started. But when I picked up my phone I saw that it was something:32 and my alarm hadn't gone off. "Well that's strange" I checked to make sure I had set my alarm. 6:30, still set.
Then I looked at my clock again...it was only 12:32!!!!!!!!

I got back in bed, slightly annoyed because I was ready to go for my run. Eventually I fell back to sleep and then I woke up again at 3:30 and was almost fooled again!!

Finally, I woke up at 6:30 and got ready to go for my run. My hips were really bothering me yesterday so I was little nervous about running today, but I stretched for a while before I headed out in hopes that would do the trick. I did the same route as Sunday's run (minus a little running because today was only 2 miles instead of 2.5). Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 16:00 (warm up)
Mile 2: 8:27
Mile 3: 9:03
Mile 4: 17:02 (cool down)
.05: 00:47

I got stuck at a few lights, but my warm up and cool down were super slow today...I'll have to work on that! I didn't do as good of job at pacing today and my legs felt kind of weak. That combination made for a less-than-stellar run, but oh well...there's always Thursday!

--Melissa

ps I stretched a lot after my run and my hips are feeling much better

The Capacity To Love...Running

Today was another "long" run day - which for week two of our training plan consists of a 2.5 mile run.  It's so nice to not be running on a treadmill.  I took a scenic tour around Bala Cynwyd for this run - just running around down to the library and through side streets till I hit the 2.5 mile mark and walked back home.


It started off a little rocky - I had a few technical glitches.  For one thing, I had left my iPod connector at work, so I had a week-old playlist that was too short for this run, and had the same songs I had been listening to for last week's run, 5 hours on a plane, and 6 hours on a train over the weekend, so that was less than perfect, but at least I knew all the words to my 7 songs!


Also, I couldn't get a reading on my heart rate monitor, so I decided to forgo that metric for this week so I could get outside before the rain started here (Meliss - I guess I was luckier than you because it was just lightly drizzling for a few minutes during my run).


When I started to get bored with my playlist, and wondering yet again what the heck we have gotten ourselves into, I began to think about the book I just started "Born to Run"  by Christopher McDougall (Melissa - your copy's in the mail).  I just downloaded this book on Friday, so I'm only 28% through it (Kindle-speak), but there are really some amazing stories of endurance athletes, that make our paltry 13.1 miles look like nothing.  Overall, it's been really inspiring and I can't wait to read more!


Some of the parts that have really stuck with me are the commentary that there "must be some kind of connection between the capacity to love and the capacity to love running."  This made a ton of sense to me - not that I'm quite at the level of claiming to love running - but I do love the fact that Melissa and I are training for this half marathon to show our love for our Dad.


The other part that I've enjoyed so far, was that those who truly excel at running are those who find joy in doing so - not those who use running as a means to a cuter rear end.  


I hope that as I continue on this training journey I can find joy - if not love - in the running itself.  Until then you can find me at least loving my bright yellow sneaks.
Victoria

Rainy Run

Yesterday, it was beautiful, warm, and sunny. I should have gone for my run then! But I had a little too much fun on Friday night and decided that waiting til today for my run would be a better choice. Instead, yesterday I went to my cousin Connor's basketball game and got to spend a little time with my aunt Nancy. Then I ran some errands and did some homework. It's all about balance, remember!

This morning I took my time getting ready and checked the weather, I was happy to see that it said that the rain wouldn't start until 5pm. After stretching, I opened my front door to see that it was raining!!! I didn't even think twice, and headed out for my run. A little rain wasn't going to stop me!

I started with my usual warm up mile and discovered a fun fact: the walk from my house to MacGrady's (a bar, for you non-Bethlehem readers) is only .4 miles! I felt kind of silly for all those times when we whine about walking home (maybe it's because of our heels!).

Roomies' feet!

My plan for today was to find the running path across the bridge by the river. I was glad to find that if I walk a short route to the bridge and across, it's just under 1 mile. I finished off my warm up mile on the trail and then started to run!

Originally, I didn't really feel like going for my run today, maybe it was because I went out again last night...oops! Or maybe it was because of the rain. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I talked myself into actually going for my run because my legs felt great today! I was only scheduled for 2.5 miles today, but it's still the longest distance I've ran since my injury and boy did it feel good! So good in fact that I ran an extra tenth of a mile by accident. Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 15:51 (warm up)

Mile 2: 8:55

Mile 3: 8:55

Mile 4: 12:09 (I'm not 100% sure but I think the .6 that I ran took about 5:32 and the .4 that I walked for cool down took about 6:37)

.53: 8:36 (cool down)

For a total of 4.53 miles in 54:28.

I was thrilled that miles 2 and 3 running were exactly the same pace! It felt comfortable too and I definitely could have kept going (maybe not for 13.1 miles, but for a little while at least). Despite the rain, I would say today's run was a success and I definitely liked running on the path and will be doing that again. I have a 2 miler scheduled for Tuesday, and a 1 miler on Thursday. I'll write back with recaps, have a great week!

--Melissa

Balance

Wow! We've raised over $10,000 in a little more than 1 week! How incredible!! I can't thank you enough for all of your support!

Getting back to school the first week was tough. I had to try to figure out a good balance of all the new things I have going on: my Lehigh class, my CPA review class, work, training, and fun!

Study, study, study

Run, run, run

Play!

Dad taught me the importance of this balance. Anyone who knew Dad knew that he ALWAYS made time for fun! Even if it was the middle of busy season, he somehow found a way to fit in a game of poker. And when the weather got warmer, even though he was far from a morning person, Dad made time for a round of golf at the crack of dawn. Dad worked hard, but he also played hard. I like to think that I've got this balance down pretty well!

I also have found balance in my training program. I think that the reason I got injured in the fall in the first place is because I was running so much--both in distance and in frequency. I think it's good for me mentally and physically to not run on consecutive days. Mixing up my workouts with biking and strength training has been a great change of pace. Hopefully I can fit in a Pilates class too at some point!

Today is my rest day of the week, and then tomorrow I have a run scheduled. (Crossing my fingers for good weather.) With all this talk of balance, I should probably go study! 

--Melissa

Brrr!!!!

Hi! I went for another early morning run today and it went much better than Tuesday's run! I woke up 15 minutes earlier than Tuesday and made sure to stretch before my run. The only problem with today's run was that it was FREEZING! When I walked outside this morning there was frost on all the cars. (I almost went back in to get my camera but decided that I might not want to leave my house again if I did that!)

brrr!!!

It was so cold that by the end of my run my face was numb! When I went inside my lips felt swollen, it was so strange! Let's hope for some warmer weather!

Anyway, once I got over the shock of the cold I headed on my way across the bridge to the north side. I forgot that right across the bridge there is a huge hill. Right now, I'm trying to avoid hills because of my hip. So instead I just ran back and forth across the bridge. (Don't worry mom, there's a path!) It was a lot shorter than I thought it would be and I probably looked crazy running back and forth. When I finished my mile (that's all that was on the schedule for the day) I started to do my cool down mile. At mile 2.5 my hip was feeling good and my legs really wanted to run, so I decided to run again. I originally was going to do another half mile, but my hip started to hurt so I stopped after a quarter mile. Then I walked the rest of the way home and gave myself a decent (not great) stretch. Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 16:01

Mile 2: 8:29

Mile 3: 13:43

.5: 7:47

I got stuck at some lights again today, but my walks still seemed slow. I have a 2.5 mile run scheduled for the weekend. I'll probably do it Sunday and I'm both nervous and excited for it! I'll write back with how that goes after. Tomorrow I'm going to a spinning class for my cross training day (it was canceled on Wednesday) so that should be fun too! 

--Melissa

Solutions

Last night I kept thinking to myself that I wanted to do more than 1 mile today. I was tempted to nix the warm up and cool down miles and run them instead. I know that for my hip doing short runs is important to ease back into running. After I talked myself out of extending today’s run, I checked the weather. It said snow—yuck! I went to bed and luckily it was not snowing or raining when I woke up. I laced up my shoes and was out the door for about 10 seconds when I realized that I forgot to stretch which was really not smart. Since I have class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I felt rushed and decided to just forget it and continued on my way. I got stopped at several lights and was inhaling bus fumes from the millions of buses that drove by. Then I started to run and felt really nauseous. No fun at all! I just powered through my single mile because I wanted it to be over so badly (so much for wanting to run 3). Then I walked a mile back home again getting stuck at several lights. I felt rushed because of class, even though I had plenty of time and I skipped my post-run stretch too.

Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 15:37

Mile 2: 8:34

Mile 3: 16:07

During my run, I honestly doubted myself for the first time since the crazy idea of running a half marathon popped into my head. But, instead of letting this doubt get the best of me, I’ve decided to come up with some positive solutions:

1. Find a different route for my weekday runs. I ran the same route as Sunday, and over the weekend the streets of Bethlehem are definitely less crowded than on a Tuesday morning at 7:30 am when everyone is on their commute to work.

2. Remember to stretch!!! It may be a pain to do it, but I’ll be in more pain if I don’t stretch.

3. Don’t skip out on the mile warm up and cool down. For now. This is important while I’m getting back into the swing of things and even though I didn’t end up skipping it, I definitely considered it.
4. Wake up earlier. I like to give myself a ton of time in the morning and hopefully this will help me to feel less rushed.

5. Remember why I’m doing this. Dad <3

December 2007, Carmines for our annual NYC trip

Anyway, even though this morning didn’t go so great I’m just going to move forward and get excited for Thursday’s run. I think I’ll go over the bridge to the north side. Tomorrow’s cross training is Wonderful Wintry Women’s Workout Wednesday (or the 5 W’s) with one of my friends who just joined the gym!

--Melissa

POWER

Since Dad passed away, one month ago today, I have felt myself propelled by an internal source of energy that I never knew I always had. I like to think of it as one more gift from Dad to me. This energy is what enabled me to get up and speak with Melissa at Dad’s funeral, and why I didn’t have to think twice about signing on for this running adventure. It’s the energy source that encourages me to live life to the fullest – to be happier, to love harder, and to always aim for success – which is something that Dad and Mom both always set as an example of for us girls.



Dad definitely had the “work hard-play hard” mantra down – and seemed to have an endless supply of energy, especially when it came to fitting in some fun time. He worked his butt off during tax season, but could always sneak in a trip to Atlantic City, Eagles games, a round of golf, or a quick trip up to Lehigh to have dinner with me while I was in school! Even when he was sick and going through treatments, he kept Mom, Melissa, and me propped up with his optimism. He never set up roadblocks for himself to getting what he wanted – he simply figured out what it was he wanted to do, and did what it took to get it.


As I go through this training, I can become a bit overwhelmed at the idea of running 13.1 miles at once – when the max of my life is probably shy of 5 miles. The memories of Dad’s strength to tackle any roadblock – real or imaginary – are what keep me going as those miles get longer.


I’m hoping this energy stays with me – at least long enough for me to cross the finish line!

Victoria

The Tortoise and the Hare

We all know the story...slow and steady wins the race. I was so excited to go on my run this morning that I kind of forgot this rule.

Slow Down!

Once I get into my longer runs I doubt slowing down will be a problem, but I don't want to get in the habit of having 1 fast mile and then 1 slow mile. Ideally my mile splits will be somewhat uniform. Since my run today was only 2 miles pacing myself was kind of on the back burner, but I need to practice going at a steady pace. Here are my stats for today:

Mile 1: (warmup) 15:19

Mile 2: 8:36

Mile 3: 9:02

Mile 4: (cooldown) 15:50

I was shocked when I saw those splits because it was SO windy this morning and I certainly didn't feel like I was going fast. Even though it was just 2 miles, it was tough! 

Last week I bought myself a pair of gloves for running. They even have a cool pocket on the palm for your house key!

 

 

These were on clearance and I was really excited to not spend a fortune on these that I forgot to try them on. Oops! They were a little big, but served their purpose and my fingers stayed toasty warm. 

 

I'm off to go try and fix my computer so I can finally make myself a running mix!

--Melissa

LifeSaver!

I'm back at school for my last semester! So crazy! It was so nice out and I would have liked to run today instead of our scheduled run for tomorrow, but I didn't have time because of unpacking, etc. It's supposed to rain later in the day tomorrow so I'll get up early and do my run. Anyway, Vic and I thought it would be nice to share some stories about dad, and Dad-isms. When we were little Dad always had Pep-O-Mint Life Savers!

But, Dad was also a real life saver--literally! Once when visiting family in Michigan, we were all hanging out by a hotel pool. There was a mother with several children and she didn't notice when one of her kids went out too far and couldn't swim. Dad jumped out of his chair and into the pool with his wallet and shoes on! He saved this little boy's life. Dad was truly a hero on that day and everyday.

I hope that by participating with Team in Training we can be life savers too!

--Melissa

I Think You're Crazy - Just Like Me

Today I went on my first outdoor, long-run of our training program!


Yep - I know what you're thinking...I'm still not following the training schedule.  The weather today was way too nice to pass up an outdoor run.  So when Melissa left to head back to school, I got on all my gear - including heart rate monitor and Garmin FR60 - and hit the road!


I walked the first half mile up to our elementary school, and then ran down to the Staples on Montgomery Ave. in Narberth and back.


I had a new running playlist going - (song suggestions for working out always welcome!) - and literally started laughing out loud when Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" started playing.  This was one of Dad's favorite songs, and I could picture him singing (and dancing to embarrass Melissa and me) "I think you're crazy - just like me."  We all know that's what Dad would say to us taking on this challenge.


So - the first two miles of my outdoor training are done...only have to increase that by 655% in the next three months.  That thought popped into my head when I was starting my second mile, and I started to get a little overwhelmed!  I miss having my sister home to encourage me through these runs.  I'm excited we'll get to run the race together so we can keep one another motivated.  I'm also looking forward to running with Team In Training on the weekends starting at the end of January.


When I got back home I uploaded the stats from my Garmin watch to the computer - which was AWESOME.  It told me my max and average speeds, heart rate, calories burned, etc.


Can't wait for my next outdoor run!
Victoria

Racing to Save Lives

We officially have our fundraising page for Team in Training up and running! Please visit our page and make a donation to support our team and help advance the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's mission!

Thanks for your support!
- Victoria and Melissa

We <3 Team in Training

Tonight, we went to the Team in Training information meeting. It was at the Bryn Mawr Running Co out in Media. The meeting was so inspirational, though it was hard to watch the informational video about racing in honor of survivors, and in memory of those who have lost their battle with leukemia and lymphoma. Team in Training seems like such an incredible organization and we are both so excited to be taking part in something so meaningful. It is truly special.

We found out about all the things Team in Training can do for us as well. They have a training plan which is slightly different than the one we had planned for ourselves, so we might alter ours a bit, or do a combination of the two. Every weekend there is a scheduled team run that we have the option of doing to help us prepare for race day. The best part is that they have water stations on these team runs! We also got mentors to help us through the process of preparing for a half marathon. We also have the benefit of fundraising together, which is nice because every dollar we earn we get to split 50/50. We'll have more information on that shortly. There are many events in the upcoming race season, and we were tempted to change our game plan. However, the Lehigh Valley half marathon is so perfect for us because of location and the date. While competing in any race raises money and awareness for such an important cause, ultimately we are doing this to honor Dad.

After the meeting, we went out for a back-to-school dinner. We brought our folder into dinner to read more about Team in Training because we are so excited about this!

Team in Training and wine!

Goodnight!

--Victoria and Melissa  

Guess Who's Back?!

This morning I went for my first run since my injury ~2 months ago! And it felt so good! Now I only ran a mile, but the fact that my right hip is not in excruciating pain right now is huge progress. I plan on slowly building my mileage back up to where it was...and then some...in preparation for the half marathon.

I layered up with tights on top and bottom, pants, a half-zip top, a windbreaker, ear warmers and gloves. Then I stretched for a little bit. When I left my house my FR60 seemed to be frozen (?!), after a minor panic attack it was working fine (I guess it just needed a minute). I walked for a mile, at first I was quite chilly, but once I got going I started to warm up. My legs were itching to run after about 5 minutes of walking, but I decided to walk the full mile. Then, my Garmin beeped and told me it was time to run!!! I intended on just doing a slow jog, but I got so excited and couldn't help but run a little faster than I probably should have. Oh well. After my mile was up, I walked another 1.3 miles back home. Here are my splits:

Mile 1- 15:43
Mile 2- 9:12
Mile 3- 15:22
.3- 6:36 (I forgot to stop my watch when I got home, so it was actually shorter than this)

Coolest thing ever

Now I know running a 5k in 47 minutes is far from impressive, but I'm quite happy with the mile that I did run. One area where I want to improve is with pacing myself. Since I only had 1 mile to run today this did not apply, but I also know that I can not sustain a 9 minute mile pace for 13.1 miles. 

Overall, the run felt great, during my walk home I paid really close attention to my hip and it felt fine, around mile 3.15 I felt a twinge, but it went away within seconds. After uploading my stats to my computer (again, I love my Garmin), I stretched again and then iced my hip. When we were at Bryn Mawr Running Co. the other day I was flipping through an injury prevention book, and it said not to use the store bought ice packs because they regulate to your body temperature too quickly. 

I used strawberries :)

Tonight Vic and I are going to our first Team in Training meeting. We'll let you know how it goes!

--Melissa

Rebel With A Cause

Not even one week in and I'm already breaking our training schedule!  I ran my first "run" of our routine tonight, even though it wasn't scheduled until tomorrow.  With the Team In Training meeting tomorrow, and an always hectic work schedule, I wanted to make sure I'd get the run in this week.  As we go through our training, I'm sure Melissa will be more diligent following the plan than I, but my primary goals will be to meet our weekly mileage targets - and never skimp on the long run! 


Anyway, the run went well - and I got lots of compliments on my new kicks :)

sweet kicks

After the run, Melissa and  I had a 1 hour personal training session with Terrence.  It was awesome - kettle bells, squats, and all sorts of craziness.

Rebel With A Cause

Not bad for a Monday!
-Victoria

New Toys!

Yesterday, Vic and I went to Bryn Mawr Running Company (aka FAO Schwartz for runners). We spent such a long time there, we practically closed the store! The people who work there were so awesome and helped us find shoes that were best for us. We each ended up getting new running shoes. I wore mine this morning to physical therapy and I am in love! I can't wait to wear them on my run tomorrow (more on that in a bit).

You can see my old kicks in the background, and my spinning shoes

 

<3

Vic's shoes are beyond cool too. Next, we looked at Garmin Forerunners for a while. We debated over a few different models, but ended up getting the more economical FR60 since we aren't exactly hardcore runners. 

 

 

Ignore the poor quality, but isn't he beautiful!?!?!

 

I can NOT wait to use this baby tomorrow! Anyway, the plan for tomorrow's run (per my physical therapist's instructions) is to streeeeeetttttcccccchhhhhhhh a ridiculous amount first. Then I'm going to walk a mile. Then I'm going RUN a mile (and when I say run I really mean slow jog because this is just a "test run"). Next, I'll cool down with another mile walk and then once home again I'll stretch again. Even though I'm sure I'll be freezing, I'll ice my IT band. I am so so so excited to be running for the first time in almost 2 months! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!  

--Melissa

Here Goes Nothing!

Well...unlike Melissa I have more of a hate/hate relationship with running...and until March 2009 when I was living in Puerto Rico for a rotation for work - and bathing suit season was *imminent and extended* - you couldn't pay me to get on a treadmill. Here I was - stranded on an island in the Caribbean, with no cardio equipment in sight - with the exception of a treadmill at the gym at work. Slowly I moved from a speed walker to a jogger, and I've kind of plateaued at that point.


I "ran" two races while living in PR - the 5K Race for the Cure in San Juan, and a Turkey Trot that was held at work - but nothing of the magnitude of adventure of which Melissa and I are about to embark!


I'm excited to chronicle our trials and tribulations with you. Our first "training" day kicks off this Tuesday! Melissa and I developed our own training plan, so that's more than a little scary. We'll post that up here as we progress.


I know this will be an uphill battle for my body to adjust to a regimented running routine...but I'm excited to be able to devote myself for the next four months to this cause and for Dad's memory.

--Victoria

Crazy idea!

Hello blogworld! (or maybe just Vic…and I’m guessing aunt Joan will read this once we tell her about it)

I’m so excited to be starting this blog! I’m even more excited to say that my sister and I are officially training for a half marathon!!!!

A little background…

I started running “seriously” in August of 2009. I was logging about 25-30 miles a week, but on the treadmill only. I’m scared of road running! Eek! I dabbled with the idea of running a 5k. In October, I decided to try to go for a road run while I was home on fall break to prep for doing a race. It was hard, way harder than running on my beloved treadmill (unlike most people, I don’t think of it as the dreadmill). Dad was in the hospital, post bone marrow transplant, and I called him before my run to figure out where to go for about a 3 mile run. He was so impressed with my 30-ish miles a week. I decided road running wasn’t really for me and went back to my treadmill <3. I was running faster! I was running longer! My longest run to date is 8 and half miles, and I could have kept going (I had a really great playlist going and could have jammed out for another mile at least), but I had somewhere to be so decided 8.5 was enough for one day. Then one day about 2 weeks later I had a nagging pain in my leg during a run. But being my crazy self I ran through the pain for at least another week. Next thing I know it’s January and I haven’t ran in almost 2 months and I’ve been going to physical therapy for my IT band.

Daddy and Me, December 2008

Anyway, when Daddy died in December I knew I would be signing up for the first race I could find that supported the Leukemia and Lymphoma society (CANCER SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!). I just never, ever in a million years thought I would be crazy enough to make my first race be a HALF MARATHON! I mean sure I ran a lot all fall but I’m not a real runner! Seriously, this is crazy! But this race is perfect. It’s in Allentown (right by school), it’s on April 25^th which is far enough away that I can train and gradually build up my mileage, and it is 2 days after Daddy’s birthday. I spoke to my physical therapist and with his approval I am allowed to go for a run on Tuesday!

Daddy, Mom, Me and Vic at Buddakan, August 2007

I’m really nervous to try road running again, but it’s time I conquered my “fear”. I’m going to suck up any negative feelings I have about running on the road instead of the treadmill and do this for my Daddy. I know he would say anyone running for 13.1 miles is nuts, but I also know he would be so proud of Vic and me. So in 16 weeks, I will (hopefully) be crossing the finish line for him.