Why Run? (Also, a peek at my inner nerd)

I started running because I needed something active that I could do to:
A. Boost my mood
B. Give myself a short term goal to work towards
C. Improve my over all health

My short term goal is to run in a 5K race by September/October. Deciding to train for a 5K was a way for me to prove to myself that I can start something and finish it. I was going crazy looking at my list of life goals and desires. They never seemed to move forward fast enough. Finishing my degree and paying off debt are two areas that never seem to move forward fast enough. I was finding myself unable to sleep because I was stressing about not being where I want to be. There was nothing I could do to help things move faster, I just needed to be patient. Patience is tough. I needed something else to distract me.

Why would I run? I have never ran in any race and do NOT consider myself an athlete. While in middle school and high school I never participated in any sport. Of course I took the P.E. classes, was in weights and was moderately active but I never went beyond that. Even though I have never considered myself an athlete and have never been committed to an exercise program there are a couple times in my past when I felt better and more positive than at other times. During those positive times I was active. I was walking to school, taking mat pilates and yoga. I was going hiking with my dog, running and walking the trails with him. That was the answer I needed to add the active ingredient back to my life. Setting this goal in place was a way to get me moving forward...literally.

Everyday that I lace up my shoes and leave the house is an achievement. Each mile ran is 1 mile closer to my goal. On October 1, 2011 I will run my first 5K. I will join many others who will run the same route with me. Next I could plan on running a 10K, then a Half Marathon. I am not interested in winning a race. Competing isn't important to me, the races are a date giving me proof that I did it (Don't think this means I wont do my very best!). :)

Ok, now I am going to let my inner geek out. I stumbled across Daily Mile this week and fell in love right away. The graphs and charts make my heart flitter like I have a crush.
Check this out:

I can see what I run at a glance. Now, not only do I have my personal motivation to get out there and run I also have this log that stimulates my love of graphs and charts! It keeps track of how many miles I've ran in 2011! I can see my farthest run, my fastest run, and the days I miss. How cool is that! Yes, I am a chart and graph nerd. I love them.

Anyway, I am really loving life right now and am loving how close I am to my accomplishing my goal!

Running in 93 Degree Weather = SWEATY

Yesterday at 6pm I decided to be brave as I headed out the door to run in the 93F heat. It was supposed to be my rest day but after sitting in my office all day the only thing I felt like doing was running. I needed to get some energy out of my system. The only other activity that would have been accepted was drinking a beer or two! Running is the healthier and cheaper choice so I went for it. :) I ran 2 laps around Mineral Palace Park which is 2 miles. This 2 mile run took me about 23 minutes. Oh my word was it HOT! Michael came home right after I finished and he didn't even want to touch me. He would only give me a peck on the lips nothing more until I showered off. Being sweaty is a good feeling though. It means I did something active.

After checking the heat index (see the chart below) I was right on the line between caution and danger. It was 93 degrees at 6pm last night with a humidity of 18% according to my Weather Channel app. So the air felt like it was between 88F and 90F. Hot, Hot, Hot!

There are things you can do to make running in the heat more bearable. Some of the obvious tips all of the running sites give are to change your route to be to a route with shade, wear an outfit that will keep you cool, and make sure you are well-hydrated. Run with less intensity than usual, listen to your body and run using your effort level as your goal. It takes time to acclimatize your body to running in the heat and if you push yourself too much you could bring on heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Drink water, drink sports drinks to replace electrolytes etc...

I think the best tip is to avoid the heat all together. Wake up early and run before the temperature starts to increase. The hard part about this tip is how hard it is to get yourself off the pillow.

The Squirrels Do not need Peanuts!

Thanks to my persistant cat begging me to open the back room where her food is kept safe from Frankie through the night, I managed to pull myself out of bed by 6am and was out the door by 6:30am. I typically start by running around Mineral Palace Park. It is a nice simple loop that makes for a good warm up before heading into the neighborhood.

Here is one of my pet peeves at the park:

Unfortunately, my picture didn't come out as well as I had wanted since I was running and was trying not to be obvious about taking a photo but I can describe what this lady is doing. We will call this lady Ms. Squirrel. She is feeding the squirrels peanuts. I can hear you saying, "Oh how sweet, it's like feeding the ducks!" No! She is here EVERY morning. The squirrels do not need food! Unless you have a child with you and it is a random Saturday morning activity, feed ing the squirrels is simply NOT cool. They have plenty to keep them alive and there are hundreds at the park and in our neighborhood. I can assure you that these furry rats do not need to be  fed by Ms. Squirrel and another couple who also feeds them EVERYDAY. When I run around the park after this lady has made her couple loops the squirrels actually follow me on the road hoping that I will drop more goodies for them.

Huff. Ok, moving on.

My run was excellent! According to the Map My Run website my route took me just over 4 miles today. I walked a couple times prior to running up the inclines but I am feeling less of a need to walk. To finish my run I decided to sprint the distance of a block. It felt great! I was at the park in the shade when I finished so the sprint actually felt nice and cool.
  
Song(s) from todays run:



I Put My New Shoes on and Suddenly Everything Was Right!

Paolo Nutini describes my run yesterday morning perfectly!!

I felt like I could run all day in my new running shoes! It was a terrific 3+ mile run! I had Slacker Radio playing some great tunes to keep me motivated to press on! When I was at the end of my run the song that helped me finish strong was Keisha's Your Love is My Drug. Any song with a good beat that makes me feel like dancing will also make me run further!

 When I made it to Court and 24th I did walk a couple blocks to Elizabeth and again after running up the incline on Elizabeth so my actual run was just over 3 miles but under 4 miles. Here is a map of my run:

After my run my reward was a boating on Pueblo Reservoir with good friends. The day included swimming, cruising around the water, sun bathing, chatting with friends and just having an amazing time! By the time I got home again I was exhausted! My run today has been pushed back to this evening! I can't wait to lace up my shoes!

Running Stores: Am I the princess and the pea???

Buying running shoes seems like it would be a simple purchase, but Victoria and I found out there is much, much more to it than that! Thanks to our sales associate, Adam from Boulder Running Company in Colorado Springs we came away feeling happy about our purchases and excited for our next run!

On our drive up to Colorado Springs we discussed our running woes and about all we hoped to find in our adventure to Boulder Running Company. Going in I was a little sceptical about what they could do for me. We were excited to find out if this shoe store would live up to their good reviews. Would this be an experience that would change my running experience for the better or would it be an expensive trip with no real benefit. Driving 45 minutes away to buy running shoes is definitely a gamble.

Is having a running store help you pick your shoes necessary or can you pick your own running shoes at a department store alone or even online for $35?
The answer to both questions could be yes, however we found that having an associate help us, having ample shoes to try on and being video taped while running on a treadmill was definitely an amazing experience.

This is what is neat about the Running Company experience. We could actually run on the treadmill while wearing the shoes that we were thinking about purchasing. If I am going to spend about $100 on shoes, I want to be positive of my purchase!

To top running on the treadmill our steps were recorded. How cool is that!?


(Just to prove how engrossed in this experience I was in this whole experience, I didn't notice that our sales person was wearing a shirt with the American Family Insurance logo on it until I was looking at these photos on my computer at home!!!).

The next two photos are of my left ankle.



















Now, giving these photos the leniency of motion, can you see the difference in how my ankle looks in these two photos? The alignment from my heal and up my calf is slightly curved when I am wearing the Nikes. When I am wearing the Asics my ankle looks much better. (My other ankle had excellent form I am proud to say. At least during this recording). I am typically a Nike fan all the way but I had to consider the facts!

One of the more difficult decisions that most girls such as Victoria and I face is:
~ Do you choose the shoe that looks prettier or do you choose the shoe that is functionally better for how you run? We need to pick shoes that will help prevent the typical pains that runners come accross. (The factors considered when you are choosing Steve Madden shoes compaired to running shoes are quite different...)

After trying on a dozen shoes each Victoria and I made our selections.

Although Victoria was looking for shoes with minimal support meaning something close to the barefoot shoes, but with slightly more structure, she ended up going with an Asic shoe with more support.

During the initial phase of trying on shoes I actually preferred the pair of Nikes I tried (I am wearing in the top photo of my left ankle and foot) but after running on the treadmill and seeing how my ankle differed in both shoes I went with the Asics (seen in the bottom photo). They have a slightly asymmetrical lacing which changes the lines of support for feet and ankles...and well, hopefully my knees and IT band too!

Perhaps going to a running company to purchase shoes is an experience similar to the story of The Princess and the Pea, but this princess is sold. I prefer to have help and a video camera when choosing new running shoes! I wonder if the next time I go shopping for heels I can bring along my video camera and TV. Hmmm...

I am excited to go for a run tomorrow morning in my new white and pink Asic running shoes!!!

The search for new running shoes...

My friend Victoria and I are on our way to Colorado Springs this morning to investigate the Boulder Running Company. Here is a video describing their services:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE_UWCZ3bEA&feature=player_embedded

This is my first time searching for new shoes since becoming a runner.

I will keep you posted on how our experience goes!

IT Band Woes

Right around the time that I was able to run 2 miles straight the tendon that runs from the outer side of my knee to my pelvis began to hurt. If I stopped running it would stop hurting, when I started running again it would begin hurting again... What the hell! I am not going to stop running after 2 miles. That is just pathetic, especially since my goal is to run a 5K (which is about 3.1 miles). After reading articles on Runners World and Google searching about the pain I discovered that it is most likely my IT Band or the Iliotibial Band. Luckily my boyfriend has an athletic sister who I could ask for some quick advice. What do I do??? I don't want to stop running at 2 miles!

She gave me a list of ideas to try:
1. Hey Jessi :0)Ah the IT band pain. Been there, a few times. Here are a few things that I have found help:
1. Stretching after the run helps. If you lay on your back,legs straight, and pull the knee up of the leg that hurts, and then slightly pull it across your chest you can usually get a good stretch.
2. A second option, that is painful but really helps is to use a foam roller (or wine bottle wrapped in a towel). You can probably find diagrams of the exercise on the Internet but it's pretty easy. You lay on the side of the iT pain. Put the foam roller under the thigh. Lift yourself up on your elbow and roll your thigh (hip to knee) over the foam roller. This does hurt but it is really effective for breaking up the crap in the IT band that makes it stiff and improves the circulation so it heals faster. If the pain is bad I will roll over the side 5-10 times, stop. And repeat 2 more times. I would do this even on the days I didn't ride/run.
3. Stretch breaks mid run.
4. Ibuprofen before and after the run. Just keeps the inflammation down.
Hope this helps! ~Becka

She is seriously a life saver. Becka if you ever read this, THANK YOU!! :)

Even with these tips my IT Band still tends to hurt when I run sometimes. This morning was a fantastic run, as you read in my previous blog; however, it also caused ample pain to my IT Band. I have decided that I am going to integrate more hills into my running to help me truly train to be a long distance runner. When you add hills or uneven terrain this can cause your IT band to flair up.

All day I have been stretching my leg muscles at my desk. Forget sitting in the chair I was leaning on the desk stretching my legs anyway possible trying to help the pain go away. When I got home I used the foam roller to help break up the junk causing the pain. I sure hope that I can run tomorrow morning! I am going to try! I suppose I should have gone easier on myself since it was my first morning back after not running for 2 weeks. Oh well, live and learn!

Here is an article on IT Band Stretches:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-241-285--11642-0,00.html

Tomorrow is another day. I wonder what I can accomplish!

Being sexy is an Attitude

Excuses, excuses, excuses. I haven't been running for 2 weeks because of family visits, being sick, and just slacking I suppose... but it is time to get back on track. I have a personal goal to accomplish and I am almost to my deadline. It is time to pick up the pace and really focus my mind on adding miles to my daily run. I can do it!

Since I haven't been running in a couple weeks it was a tough task to talk myself into running this morning. The pillow was just too addicting for me to pull myself away from it. After yelling at my sleepy self for an hour I made the decision to get off my ass and start my run. I ran for 30 minutes and probably about 3 miles. For an extra dose of motivation I ran this morning with my Blackberry's Slacker Radio playing and was pleasantly surprised by how great it was! What a fun way to run! Why have I not done this sooner? Did I think I was being a hardcore runner who only ran o'natural to the sound of the streets??? What the heck!? Well, I had music today and it was awesome!

My motivating songs this song included:

Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous featuring Timberland
Link: http://youtu.be/0J3vgcE5i2o
"You know what I want and you got what I need..."
Hell yea! What a great way to start my run this morning! Running helps me feel sexy. Running with music is like dancing which only enhances the feeling of being sexy. Sure, the sweat may not seem like it would be sexy but when I cause my body to sweat from running or dancing it makes me feel in tune with my body. If you are feeling self conscious I highly recommend running...or dancing! :) Just move your body and feel yourself become sexy. Sexy is an attitude you control in your mind.

"But I'm the only one who'll walk across a fire for you..." by Melissa Etherage
This song helped me finish my first mile this morning. Let this song seep into your mind and feel the power Melissa Etherage gives you! I am the only one that can make it happen...just do it!

"Shock through the Heart and you're to blame, darling you give love a bad name..." By Bon Jovi
How can you not run or feel sexy with Bon Jovi singing to you? Voice crush! lol.

My favorite song to run to this morning was Stuck like Glue by Sugarland. :) It had a good beat for me to help me finish my run strong. Sugarland has a way of putting me in a good mood. I made it to my finish line this morning and feel better for it. Take that you damn addicting pillow! I have a lot of work to do still. My body needs some strength training and I need to keep my mind focused.

No excuses. Just run! Running to feel Sexy. Oh yea baby, being sexy is an attitude you control!
Link: http://vevo.ly/gxPCHM