My new best friend (Suz)

So, my running partner had a little work done a few weeks ago (as in elective surgery) so I have been left to exercise on my own.

Luckily I was able to purchase a new running partner on ebay - a Garmin Forerunner 305.

I was spending hours on google maps, measuring distances, creating routes, etc.... so that is how I justified this purchase. Or maybe because I am a sucker for any type of techy gadget (don't get me started on my collection of kitchen odds and ends). This is awesome because it keeps track of your pace, calories burned, distance, etc... even better it allows you to store locations so you don't get lost. (thank you Lisa for the recommendation!)

This came in handy over the weekend. We spent a few days with Scott's sister in Tucson and I was able to go running without having to ask directions or plan my run in advance. I also was able to keep track of my route and not get all lost and dehydrated in the desert.

I think Scott is a little jealous, because I read the manual before I go to bed and leave it on my nightstand before an early morning run.

Yes, this is the first time that I have ever loved a watch

(no, I lied, I loved my Swatch back in 1989)

If only it could do the running for you.

Marianne here:

Thanks Noelle for teaching me how to post! YEAH! Yes, I am a little bit challenged with technology. But I did get up at 5:30 am and ran in Chapultepec Park at the "sope". The first time I went that early, I was worried and a little scared - but I've learned that the place is packed at 6:00 am. It's kind of fun running as the first light hits. It's very quiet until the sun starts to peak out and then all the birds start to sing. Today I ran a little over 4 miles and I feel great. I'm trying to build a strong base like Lisa and Noelle are teaching us - poco a poco.

Now when my girls play dolls or family, they play that they are going running and then work on running a marathon. It's funny and a little scary to see how what I do directly effects them.

As the professional runners yell out at the "sope" - ANIMO! :)

Great info here!

SHIN SPLINTS

Shin splints most often can be captured in just four words: too much, too soon

By Marlene Cimons

PUBLISHED 09/26/2001

Treatment and prevention.

Experts agree that when shin splints strike you should stop running completely or decrease your training depending on the extent and duration of pain. Then, as a first step, ice your shin to reduce inflammation. Here are some other treatments you can try:

Gently stretch your Achilles if you have medial shin splints, and your calves if you have anterior shin splints. Also, try this stretch for your shins: Kneel on a carpeted floor, legs and feet together and toes pointed directly back. Then slowly sit back onto your calves and heels, pushing your ankles into the floor until you feel tension in the muscles of your shin. Hold for 10 to 12 seconds, relax and repeat.

In a sitting position, trace the alphabet on the floor with your toes. Do this with each leg. Or alternate walking on your heels for 30 seconds with 30 seconds of regular walking. Repeat four times. These exercises are good for both recovery and prevention. Try to do them three times a day.

If you continue running, wrap your leg before you go out. Use either tape or an Ace bandage, starting just above the ankle and continuing to just below the knee. Keep wrapping your leg until the pain goes away, which usually takes three to six weeks. "What you're doing is binding the tendons up against the shaft of the shin to prevent stress," Laps says.

Consider cross-training for a while to let your shin heal. Swim, run in the pool or ride a bike.

When you return to running, increase your mileage slowly, no more than 10 percent weekly.

Make sure you wear the correct running shoes for your foot type specifically, overpronators should wear motion-control shoes. Severe overpronators may need orthotics.
Have two pairs of shoes and alternate wearing them to vary the stresses on your legs.

Avoid hills and excessively hard surfaces until shin pain goes away completely, then re-introduce them gradually to prevent a recurrence.

If you frequently run on roads with an obvious camber, run out and back on the same side of the road. "If you don't do this, you'll always be putting stress on only one leg or one hip," says Laps. Likewise, when running on a track, switch directions.

If you are prone to developing shin splints, stretch your calves and Achilles regularly as a preventive measure.

A Question?

Does unpacking count as cross-training? Cause this is what my house looks like. And this is why I am not running as much as I should be. Those of you who have live-in maids...don't judge me on race day.

-Amanda

Angie's addition

Okay, so I'm still high on drugs from the dentist, but let me add my two cents! And first of all I don't want to hear any of this negative talk, because let me tell you- I detested running and I became a runner. And I completed a half marathon. And I'm going to complete two more half marathons. On a side note, I've also decided to NEVER try a full marathon. because that's just crazy.

The first thing that has helped me is to have a good reason to run. In fact, the only reason I started running was because I had a good reason and needed therapy for it! Now I know none of you are going through a divorce right now, but meeting up with all the Lomas Ladies for this special event is reason enough! Or there could be something in your lives that is bugging you as it was me- and I'll tell you again that pounding the pavement is great therapy, and it costs a heck of a lot less than a real therapist! Tell that pavement who's boss! And once you're done with your 13.1, you know you can overcome anything. Seriously, anything.

As far as music goes- I'm a huge Pink fan when it comes to running. Pretty much anything by her does the trick, especially "Rock Star" because she spits at the end. Awesome. I also like songs that say "run" in them- like collective soul's "Run," or Muse's "Resistance." There's a bunch more, but I'll have to post them later if I think of them. Other favorites:

Miley Cyrus- Party in the USA
Gorillaz- Feel Good Inc.
Good Charlotte- I Don't Wanna be in Love
Beyonce- Halo
All-American Rejects- Gives you Hell
Karl Wolf- Africa
Almost anything by Linkin Park

And thanks for your suggestions, too! It's been fun looking them up on iTunes!

Let's do this, Lomas Ladies!

This is Kelly (thanks for the tip Fashion!)

I went running yesterday, for the first time in 7 years, according to my estimation. Although my timing was slow, and I felt awful while doing it I found I had more energy last night and then again today.

When I got home my, umm.....helpful husband had a website for novice runners up for me. One thing that really struck me was the part about motivation. I related to so many of the reasons to do this: getting healthier, losing weight, setting and accomplishing goals. The next sentence " If your only goal is to lose weight, good luck. You´re likely to quit.... You must have the right goals and reasons for running in order to be successful." (marathonrookie.com) made me think. I am excited to lose some "junk in my trunk" (Jenn´s earlier post) but it is not my motivation! You ladies are.

We have all been influenced by good and bad, and sometimes it is easier to be influenced by the bad. However, I feel so lucky to have a group of inspirational ladies in my life who are influencing me for the good. Thank you for representing everything "virtous, lovely, or of good report" (Article of Faith13). And mostly thanks for letting me be a part of this!

Fashion here. I decided to put my name at the top because I found myself scrolling down to see who was writing.

I ran yesterday in the evening because I didn't have time in the morning. It felt great! I think it was probably easier because I had energy from the food I'd eaten all day. Whereas in the morning I go with nothing in my stomach. But alas, today I was quite sore. Its my stupid hip. I don't know what the deal is. It always starts to hurt when I run. I think I really use my right side and not my left as much. Does anyone else feel they use one side more than the other? So today I'll crosstrain on the elliptical. I don't want to get injured this early on. I'm going to the doctor next week because I want to make sure to nip this in the bud. I don't want any excuses to back out later on.

In better news, I have to say, having the goal of the half-marathon is really inspiring me. I get little butterflies everytime I think about it. But its eustress, the good kind. It makes me do things like go running in the evening when I missed my morning workout, and crosstrain when I'm sore. Before these obstacles to my workout regimen would have merely seen me skipping out for the day. But no, I have a goal now. It makes all the difference.

let's get personal

I think it's about 2 a.m. Just so you know, I suffer from gestational insomnia. Anyway...

I've loved all your posts! So great. I get embarrassed sharing what's on my playlist. Because, really, when it comes right down to it, music is kind of personal, you know? And okay, there might be a few, er... explicit words.

So when I teach a group fitness class, music plays a huge role in how I cue the choreography: my voice, my expression, my body language, the motivational words I use to get them excited about what comes next. And when it all comes together, meaning when we are all in sync with the choreography and everyone is just "feeling it", the energy in the room goes sky-high and we call that fitness magic. Humans just love the feeling of being in sync with other humans.

But with running, there's not exactly choreography or the same kind of energy that you might experience when you are surrounded by other people in a room lined with mirrors (though in a sense, we are experiencing that magic here by exciting each other about our training and preparation for the upcoming race). Also, that is part of what makes race day so fun - running alongside other people and headed in the same direction toward the finish line! But during our daily runs, it's really just kind of about... you. What you are feeling, what motivates you, what makes your heart beat and your body move. What your own personal rhythm and tastes are at that moment. It changes from day to day. And it's up to you to fight down your own personal demons and de-motivators each day of your run - you are your own motivator. I think that's why just getting out there and doing it feels like such an accomplishment at the end. So okay. Don't judge me, but... if it's just me and my ipod? This is what makes my feet move:

Poker Face - Lady Gaga
Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
I Just Wanna Live - Good Charlotte
Boom Boom Pow - The Black Eyed Peas
The Way I Are (radio edit) - Timbaland
Human - The Killers
My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson
Like a Prayer (feat. Jonathon Groff) - The Glee Cast
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
What Do You Want From Me - Cascada
Fire Burning - Sean Kingston
Stronger (clean version) - Kanye West
Let's Get It Started (Spike Mix) - Black Eyed Peas
Hold On To Your Heart - Tina Parol
Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson
Here Comes The Hotstepper - Ini Kamoze
Fergalicious (radio edit - clean version) - Fergie
Too Legit to Quit - MC Hammer
Free Your Mind - En Vogue
Glamorous (radio edit - clean version) - Fergie
We Got It Going On - Bon Jovi
I Need a Miracle (Sunflake remix) - KLM Music
You Can't Stop the Beat - Hairspray, the movie soundtrack
All I Ever Wanted (DJ Alex extended mix) - Basshunter
In Love With You - Freestylers
Miracle - Cascada

I use some of these songs in my classes, and so a lot of times I'm running the choreography in my head while the song is playing. I'm sure you're like, "MC Hammer? Really?" But I've used this song for a wicked leg conditioning track in my BodyStep class and it just... works. But that's just me. :)

Peace out,
Noe

why i run

okay, so what i love about running, especially as it gets easier is it clears my mind. i totally space out and get into almost a hypnotic state... a type of relaxation that i can't even enjoy during sleep.

i think a lot, space out, think some more.

lately i have been thinking a lot about my litter sister Julie, who died 10 yrs ago this past april.

when her cancer was in remission for a year, she rallied friends, families, neighbors to participate in the "relay for life" event that she single-handedly organized in our home town. she organized this fundraiser in honor of a good friend, alexandra graham, who after several treatments, amputations & illness died from the same disease a year before julie.

my sister alison, wrote a lovely entry about julie on her blog today. for those interested here is the link

http://mommymita.blogspot.com/2010/05/to-smile-in-face-of-challenge.html

so, for those of us in the US - i'm going to put a little plug in for all the small local races that allow you to get some race experience while supporting a good cause.

oh ya, this is Suz :)

Socks

Ok, I am blogging on here way to much. Forgive me.

Jenn K. mentioned blisters, which made me think of the best thing that ever happened to my feet during the last half marathon training. SOCKS!

A good pair of socks can save you. I was getting blisters every time I ran 5 + miles. After some suggestions from running friends I invested in some good dri-fit socks and never saw another blister again! Wahoo!

My personal favorite dri-fit socks are these Nike ones that come in a "no show", low cut, and mid cut rise:
http://store.nike.com/index.jsp?country=GB&lang_locale=en_GB&l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-102001/pid-211207#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-102001/pid-254634

Xoxo,

Lauren

First Training Day...yikes!!

OK, so I went to the gym like a good LL ("Lomas Lady") and was so pumped to start my training program. "10.5 weeks to go...I can totally do this!" I confidently thought. Never mind the extra junk in the trunk I've been carrying around for the past few years, or the fact that I'm more of a swimmer than a runner. I got on the treadmill and looked around to see if anyone was watching this important moment--the first run of my first day of training....three miles, 32 minutes and 37 seconds later I crawled off the treadmill and had to go lay down on a mat in the corner for, like, 15 minutes. I seriously could barely run 1/4 of a mile without feeling like I was going to pass out. In fact, I actually walked more than I ran. "How sad is this!?! I thought, "At this rate it will take me more than 2.5 hours to complete this 1/2 marathon...! "

For just a moment I thought that maybe I should back out now, before I was in too deep. "I can just tell the ladies that I'm "too busy"...or maybe I can come up with a plausible physical ailment ("I'm 47!")...but no, that pregnant lady is going to run with us, so I really have no excuse that anyone will buy. (Maybe if I say I'm 47 AND pregnant I can get out of this race...?) Hmmm, don't want to give my husband a heart attack, so I guess I'm in...all the way. So, here's to the next 10.5 weeks, lots of miles under my feet, hopefully unload some of that extra "me" I'm carrying around, and do something that I never imagined I could do...with ladies I love and am inspired by. A pretty good deal, even if I earn a few blisters and pulled muscles along the way.
-Jenn Kambourian

Rock Out!

I like Annie's song suggestion idea.

Here are few more:

Cobrastyle - Teddybears
Lets Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez
Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti and Spearhead
Whine Up - Kat de Luna
Amor la a Mexicana - Thalia (We are partly Mexicana here now) ;-)


Now, what are you all jamming out to while you hit the pavement?!?!?!? Share, por favor!

Xoxo,
Lauren

A little ssssssore.

So I think we should start a little "my run was creepier/weirder/funnier than yours" contest. I'll start. Today I was grossed out by a dead snake on my run. This IS Texas, people, but I am in the city. My route is from my house to City Hall and back. There should not be snakes in these parts. All the broken glass, used syringes, and other used (ahem) latex products. . .well those don't surprise me. But snakes? Get me outta there!

Also, let's start a "songs I currently like for my runs" series of posts. I'll start: Canned Heat by Jamiroquai. (You know, the Napoleon Dynamite song.) Why? There's a line that goes, "You know that you can go much faster. . ."

Love,
Annie P.

dearest lauren

I love you with all my heart and soul. I also think you would make a great pyramid-scheme salesperson. I don't know anyone else who could convince a bunch of non-runners and pregnant chicas to do a half-marathon in the dead heat of summer... and be excited about it. You have a gift.

And do I really have to chart my progress on here? I am getting slower and fatter while everyone else gets faster and slimmer. There is no justice in the world.

Yours forever,
The Beached Whale

A Blog is Born!

Hello ladies,

Unforgettable! That is what this adventure and reunion already is! As Jenn K. suggested, we should document this event. Let us all use this blog to:

document our progress
share our advice
cheer each other on
vent ;-)
etc.

Lets have at it!

Xoxo,
Lauren