Snow-tober. Catchy right? :)

Well waking up to a foot of snow in October wasnt what I was expecting to do this morning! But I got my snow gear on and shoveled the driveway with ge husband. Immediately I felt the burn in my arms and shoulders from boot camp! Hank the wonder dog LoVED the snow as well!! He is just like a little kid in it! and probably ate half of the snow in the back yard.

After we got our power back and I called and checked what time the gym closes I headed down for my Sunday run. I haven't been to the gym on a Sunday in well over a year!! But, I knew I had to break the streak, since I'll be spending many Sunday's there in the upcoming months. It was actually a really great workout! I decided to run a little further since I hadnt run since Wednesday and only had 2 boot camp classes. I ran at 6.5 for 40 minutes instead of my 32 for the week. I ended up getting 4.18 miles so I was pleased with that. And I actually  felt like I could keep going. BUT according to the holy Grail you do not want to over train. "that's a big no no too daffy" (remember that commercial about fire saftey?!) hahah. I also walked for about 20 minutes as well so I could read a Runner's World magazine. 
So this a total change of subject, but has anyone used Shakeology from BeachBody? I have done the Insanity workouts and they always say how amazing the shakes are. I follow a BeachBody coach on Facebook and she is always posting videos about the shakes. I guess they have 20grams of pure protein and a bunch of other healthy for you stuff. It is a little pricey but the coach says it breaks down to $4 a day for a month, not bad at all if you look at it that way right? Ohhh! And then I saw a picture a guy posted on the BeachBody website that showed his calorie burn from a workout on a watch gadget!! I want one of those bad boys!!! Gotta do some research for all of this healthy for you way of life I guess... Does anyone in the running world have any advise?? I'm all ears :) 
"Running has an uncanny ability to mellow the soul, to take the edge off hard feelings, and put things back into a healthy perspective." ~ Karnazes

The snow is coming! The snow is coming!

Welllll, I'll start by stating the obvious: its friggen snowing in october!!! A dang foot!

Anyway.. Today was bootcamp day, what's better than waking up on a Saturday to go get my ass kicked by Paul? Well sleeping in would be, but thats not helping my running game. It is almost 12 hours since class and my shoulders are still on fire!! It is such a great workout and I love how each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are all completely different workouts that work every microfiber in my body. There hasn't been one class that has repeated the same workout. Love it! Tomorrow will be a running day if I can make it out of my street since the 2nd tree branch just fell as we speak...
Since I talked about new runnig gear I braved the storm this afternoon and purchased some new Nike dry fit thermal running pants and some running gloves... Almost got new sneakers but still have a hard time being ok with spending $125 on a pair of sneakers, maybe next time. And thanks to my high tech friends I learned how to prevent the shuffling of songs!! You go into settings, iPod, and shut off the shuffle option. Dur. And thanks.
But since the lights are flickering I am going to cut this short and save some battery. Hopefully I'll be able to enlighten you all on my run tomorrow! :)

If your going to BE the part, you have to LOOK the part, right?

Well I googled the whole knee question from yesterday... I found out that doctors say NO impact sports after a replacement... So I guess I will just have to wait until I can no longer function with the knees I have before getting one... That made me really sad! I know I am not anywhere near getting my knees replaced, but I can only assume I will have to one day. I can only guess that I will continue to remain active throughout my life, and if I wont be able to do the things I love (running) then getting older is going to be even more difficult for me! Lets not focus on that quite yet though! I have to figure out if I am going to start dying my hair or just keep plucking those grey suckers out! :)

Since we got some snow last night, I realized I need to vamp up my running gear collection! My typical gym apparel of tank tops and capris probably wont help out so much while sloshing through snow and sleet... So I guess there is only one thing to do: SHOPPING SPREE!! :) he he he. First: new shoes, a must! I have always worn Asics sneakers for running. I just really like how they fit, however, I have never spent more than $60 on sneakers. But I am thinking I may have to upgrade to help relieve some of the stress on the ole joints. And I am thinking Famous Footwear may not be the store of choice anymore, I think I'm going to have to call in the big dawgs at PR Running for their advise. Maybe they will hook me up to the treadmill to see how I run and then I can have one of those fancy handouts that talks about my gait and stride and all that fun stuff. Isnt there a 50 Cent music video of that? hahah.
 New running pants: of course! (must have a pocket for my inhaler, since running with an inhaler necklace isnt really that cool anymore :) ) And throw in a running jacket while we are it!
How about those belt things that will hold my water? Sure!
Since it will be cold when training starts, and I wont be able to run on the treadmill every day, I will most definatly need some high tech running gloves and hat! And a reflective vest!
Oh and how can I forget a watch? One of those crazy technical ones that even after reading about them online, I still dont think I will be able to ever figure it out. Well, at least I can try to LOOK the part ;). I do have a dilema though. My iPhone skips to a new song every time I run with it in my hand... So at the gym I just put it on the shelf thing. But do they sell an arm band for the iPhone? And if they do, will the swinging motion still cause it to skip songs non stop? 
The next time you are in the Worcester/Shrewsbury area, take a look at the sweet swag I have going on! Just dont mind the horrid expression of pain/disgust/defeat on my face as I am limping up the street behind you! :) In my mind I will be saying, "Dont. Even. Think. About. Quitting!!"

Raining on a Thursday? Shocker

Sign #4246 that I'm getting old: while helping Boy#1 with his soccer kleits, I knelt down next to him, and in his most disgusted voice says "miss Lynne was that your knees!?" (If any of you know Boy#1 he has a thing for the dramatics)so I replied with "yup, happens everytime I bend down buddy". When dad chimes in and says "that's not supposed to happen until you are a lot older miss Lynne". Thanks. I'm aware of this... How many marathon runners have artificial knees? I may have to google this fact.

So while reading my handy dandy marathon book I came to realize the diet the boot camp people tell me to do is WAY different than what the holy Grail of running says... Boot camp let's you have carbs next to never (needless to say I suck at this diet) and marathon book says you need carbs (obviously)... Just another reason why running for this race will be way better! But I'm guessing by carbs they don't mean French fries and potato chips, dang it! Lol. But in all honesty I know I'm going to have to strt eating to fuel my body... For all of those who know me, know I'm not a huge fan of "diets". So I am going to keep in mind it will only help me run easier... Anything to keep me going right?

Magic 8 Ball...

Last night was boot camp. I don't run on those nights yet. I started boot camp in the beginning of the month and have grown to really love it!! However come January, I know I'll only be able to go 1, or max 2, times a week. It is such a great overall workout, AND it's not before the sun comes up! They offer classes at night. (check them out- peakfitness) I'm not a fan of lifting (thank you uncc) but the way they mix in circuits and intervals and light weights and sometimes no weights, is just right for me :). And each morning after, I am reminded of the workout by how my body says "thanks" in a VERY slow moving type of way :).  (also another reminder of just how not so young my body is slowly becoming, grrr!  "I remember when I was a young whipper-snapper" at Charlotte and would lift, practice, and condition all in one day! That was after I walked UPHILL to the fields and back! hahaha) But I honestly think that this bootcamp nonsense that Jessica talked me into will only help with my endurance once the training picks up :) So thanks for suckering me into it Jessica! :)

I hope these painful run on sentences, poor grammar, wrong punctuation marks, and overall babbling will shed some light into this crazy thing I call my life... Do I have the most fascinating job in the world? No. (I'm a nanny!!) Do I have the most glamourous house in the world? No. (Have you seen the horsehair plaster?!) But what I do have is an incredibly competitive side that is competing with the doubts I have... I'm not too worried, I know I can do this. I just have to be patient and shut off the negative thoughts I am conjuring up about running 26 miles and 385 yards...
Will my knees be able to make it past a 13 mile run, not just once, but 8 times BEFORE the big day!?!? Will my asthma hinder any of this?! Will I have the discipline to get out and run an obscene amount of miles week after week!? We shall see. The magic 8 ball says "all signs point to yes" :) And I'm counting on that black sphere to be correct!
Until tomorrow...  :)

Grey hair #5

Well last night I started my "training". Since I have 7 months until the actual race, I am going to focus more on just runnig for longer time periods regardless of distance or pace. My goal until January is to just run. Each week I will add 5 more minutes to my runs. This week I am starting at 32 minutes with 5ish minutes of walking after. I ran on the treadmill and ended up getting 3.52 miles done... Not the furthest I've run in that time but I only ran at 6.3 as opposed to my usual 6.9... I am trying to focus on just going without stopping. I actually felt really good, I focused on my form with my shoulders back and my left foot not turning too much. It's crazy how much easier running is when you put your shoulders back!! On Saturday my boot camp instructor made me realize how much I actually slouch over, gotta work on that!! I am glad I have until january to really focus on form and getting back to the love of running.

And then!! Hahaha I woke up this morning and found more evidence of getting older!! As I was brushing my teeth I spotted it! Gray hair number 5!!!! I have already pulled 4 others out! And now number 5!? What is going on here!! I still have 8 months in my 20's, am I really going to end up being all grey before I'm 40!?!? If this is any indication of what my 30's are going to be like, I am in trouble for the dreaded 40! Is it really time for hair dye and face lifts!? Am I going to look like a real houswife of Beverly hills before I even think about giving birth!? This isn't good... But than again, is all this stressing of turning thirty giving me these grey's?! Man oh man... Deep breaths, nobody will notice the white string mixed into my almost black hair will they!? :)

Coming to terms...

Well here is my first ever blog... The reason for this is to keep me on track while training for my first ever full marathon before turning the big 3-0... That's right I will no longer be a "20something year old". This has me freaking out more and more... The past year and a half has brought on a LOT of changes for me. First I got engaged, bought a house, bought a dog, quit my job, and got married... Am I having a quarter century life crisis and the only reasonable thing is to run 26 miles and 385 yards?? I dont really know. But what I do know is that this is one thing I can do for myself without worrying about answering to anyone else for the past year plus. This will be the one journey I can take ALONE. The one thing I can accomplish by myself... Selfish? Maybe. But I dont care. I am going to be going into my 3rd decade on this earth and if running a crazy amount of miles will keep me sane between mortgage payments, family gatherings, dodging the increasingly annoying "when are you having a baby?" question, and making sure the dog has food, then I'll take it!
I bought "the ultimate guide to training for a marathon" book today... It definately has me super excited to start this process... Am I an elite runner? No way. I have run 3 half marathons over the past 4 years, all with ok times. I am not looking to break records in Providence in May, rather attain my personal goals. For the past few years I have grown to really enjoy running, so hasnt my waistline. However, with the stress of planning my wedding this year I stopped running... I've been married for almost 3 months now and realized last night that I'm upset with myself for giving up something that meant a lot to me prior. So at 12:30AM I scrolled the coolrunning.com website and decided May would be perfect timing before my birthday to get this goal accomplished.
I hope everyone who reads this can take something away with it, whether it's humor or empathy about the whole process. I will try to keep everyone up to date each day on my progress! Here is to coming to terms with the dreaded third decade...