I am Officially Registered!!!

It is official, I am registered to run in my first half, The Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon!!! I caught wind that the race fills up really quickly, so I decided that I better get on it and register. Sure enough, when I went to the site it stated that they are at 80% of capacity.

If all goes well, I really think that I'm going to do a full marathon in either September or October. I'm having a really hard time deciding which one that I want to go for. I have narrowed it down that it has to be within a reasonable distance of the Bay Area and I have a couple of options to choose from. I have been using the Running in the USA website and I love it!! The site basically lists out races by state, distance and month, however you want to find them and it offers links to the race sites. If you haven't checked it out when you are planning your upcoming races, you should. So, my choices are down to the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco or the Silicon Valley Marathon. For now, at least, unless another option pops up in the next month or two. So, have any of you run either or these or know someone who has? Any suggestions as to which one you would pick? I would love to hear your feedback.

Blister, where did YOU come from?

My first official running blister showed up this week on the inside of my left big toe. Not really too bothersome, but still a tad bit annoying. AND, I have been consistently running with synthetic socks.

My bib came in the mail this week for my first ever race! I'm doing a 5K with my husband in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on February 9th. It is the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon and 5K. I'm really looking forward to the experience of running in a race with others around me. I don't know how pretty the 5K portion is, but I heard that the route for the half is supposed to be one of the most scenic in the country. The shirt design is really cool and features the conservatory of flowers which is in Golden Gate park and a beautiful site, a greenhouse made of white glass and iron. It is so striking to see in the middle of the green park.

Training is going well, I ran 5 miles for the first time ever on Sunday morning and felt good the entire run. Not focusing on the pace just yet. I'm going to work on my times further into my training. I ran 3.5 on Tuesday and 2 miles today as per the Hal Higdon Novice Half Marathon Training schedule.

Ross Stores and TJ Maxx Rock!!

After reading up about necessary running equipment on many fellow bloggers pages, I decided to go check out the discount stores for some running gear. All I have to say is, WOW!!! I found some great stuff at CHEAP prices!!
After running in some cotton shirts a few times, I think I learned my lesson. NO MORE!! It is especially uncomfortable when I'm running inside on the mill. Not to be gross, but the sweat goes no where, it just hangs out right on my body. Disgusting!
Ross had the better selection, I got an Adidas white response tee for $12, a pair of Adidas lycra capri's, an Adidas running hat for only $6 and asics and new balance synthetic material running socks. The new balance running socks were only $2 a pair !!!!! Granted, they weren't red like the photo, they were lime green, but who cares!!! I got a new balance l/s tech tee and an Avia short sleeve tech tee at TJ's. TJ's had much better active selection for men, so I bought my husband a tech tee for $7. I was most excited about my running socks and hat find. You see, I have had all one length hair for the longest time and recently I got it layered and took the plunge with bangs. It has proven to be so annoying to run with bangs, without keeping them out of my face. I've tried the goodie elastic headbands and they fall right off my head the minute I start running. So, I have been wearing regular baseball hats. Problem with those is that they just end up getting drenched in sweat, again with the cotton thing. So, I'm super excited to try out my new running hat!!!!!
Needless to say, I will be returning to both of these treasure troves more often when I need to pick up more running gear. Thanks to all of you fellow bloggers who tipped me off to this great discovery!!
Today is cross-train day, I think I'm going to go for a walk, it's not raining in the bay area today!! First time all week. I know, I know, at least it hasn't been snowing :)

Marathon Quest 250

Canadian Martin Parnell is attempting a huge goal. 250 marathons in the year 2010!! The best thing about it is that he has raised and is still raising money to reach a goal of $250K to support the charity Right to Play for kids. His plan is to do 5 marathons a week! That is some serious determination! What a great story! A guy who is doing what he loves: running, all the while supporting a good charity that he believes in.

As I become more and more involved in my training and what exactly it means to become a part of the running community. The more I read, listen to podcasts and observe, the more inspiring stories and lives I come across. These types of stories are just what I need to keep on my schedule and work towards my own, small, but substantial for me, goals!!

3.5 miles on the mill came easy today. I played around with speedwork a little bit. Nothing too heavy, but it helped to make the time go faster.

Running in the rain

I did my weekly long run outside yesterday. I ran 4.3 miles and felt good throughout the run. Only problem was that it started drizzling before I even got finished warming up. It wasn't a heavy rain, so that was good. But, as I was running I came to the realization that the rainy season is about to begin here in Northern California and I need to get a rain jacket for my runs. I don't want to sacrifice running my long runs outside because of the rain.
I challenged myself to a Julia Child recipe last night out of the Art of French Cooking cookbook that my husband bought me after we watched the movie. I just haven't had the courage to take on the tedious and time-consuming project of making a recipe from the book before last night. I made the beef bourguignon. We didn't eat until 10:30, but boy was that a delicious meal. Plus I didn't feel as bad about eating it, after running yesterday. Kudos to Julia, the recipe was super easy and delicious.
Next week my training schedule bumps up to 14 miles and I think I'm ready to go for it.

111 Marathons in my life?

I am now listening to some interesting podcasts and this week I heard the Run Run Live podcast interview with famed runner Hal Higdon. Very interesting interview but as I was panting through mile number 2 on Monday, I couldn't believe what he stated. He has run 111 marathons in his lifetime. Granted he is an older fellow, I'm guessing in his 70's but still!!! Here I am 33 years old and have been in good health my whole life, which I'm totally thankful for, and am just now attempting not even a full, but the first HALF marathon of my life. That would be a lot of catching up to do!! My point being, that although, I can't see myself crossing 111 marathon finish lines in the life ahead of me, I was inspired!! My wheels began to turn and I'm thinking, why can't I attempt to train for a full marathon after I complete my first half?? I'm enjoying the training and I think I would enjoy accomplishing something that I have been toying with in my head for quite a few years. Now, I'm starting to seek out marathons in potentially September or October that would help to make 2010 a monumental year in personal achievements for me.
Training is going good. Sunday's 4 mile long run was a challenge to get used to. I've been training on the treadmill and running outside feels completely different to me. I thought I was going to pass out before I even hit the first mile, but after that, it seemed to roll by much faster. I like it outside much better, I'm not constantly looking at the miles to go and the clock. I can enjoy the fresh air and the scenery of the bay around me.

Rest Day and Yoga!!

I did another three miles yesterday on the treadmill and today is a rest day on the schedule. I'm using Hal Higdon's half marathon novice training schedule, by the way.
Rest days are perfect!!! I did a little yoga today for about a half an hour, hoping to stretch and loosen my muscles and back. I've been feeling a little pain in my lower back and my right hip. I'm hoping it will fade as I'm totally resting today. My finance class for my master's program starts tonight. We'll see how bad Friday night classes suck!!!
Tomorrow is cross-training day. I dvr'd a cardio program from fit TV, so I'm thinking I'll do that in the comfort of my own living room. I started listening to podcasts again on my ipod. I'm hoping these will help to pass the time more quickly during my long runs on Sundays.

BodyGlide???

Yeah, I've never heard of the stuff either, before reading about it in the book I mentioned in my previous blog. I decided to take a look online, it basically looks like a man's deodorant stick, but is supposed to do wonders for those long runs that are facing me later in my training. Haven't broken down yet to make the purchase, but I would really like to avoid blisters at all costs! Which brings me to the next thing on my running gear purchase list, a few good pairs of synthetic runner's socks. These are supposed to be another key to comfortable runs during training. According to most serious runners, cotton is the enemy when it comes to anything related to what you wear while running.
I have so much to learn, but I figure I need to read up now, so I won't be down for the count later on with blisters and chafing.
Did another 3 miles today and found some good stretches to do after my run. Apparently, stretching is only good when your muscles are warm.
So far so good for day two of training.

You've Got to Start Somewhere!!

Technically, I've began running in a serious way about 6 weeks ago. I wanted to get myself to a point that I didn't have to start training for the half with a run/walk mix. I wanted to start running from the beginning. Today was the official first day on the schedule, I logged in 3 miles and ran them on the treadmill in the gym. I'm still so new to this that I have yet to keep track of my runs with pace tracking. I just know that I ran at about 5.7 miles per hour on the treadmill. As I progress further into my training, I will make my pace a more important priority.
I'm fighting off the beginnings of a cold, so I'm keeping my fingers and shoelaces crossed that I can fight this thing off and it won't interrupt my training schedule.
i just finished the book, The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide For Women by Dawn Dais and enjoyed reading it. She adds great humor to the whole experience of training for a marathon.
I'm excited to train for this, knowing I won't be alone. My sister and my best friend will be training for other marathons around the same time as mine back in Ohio, we are going to e-mail and chat to each other about our experiences. A great way for us to hold each other accountable, and both of them have already done marathons so they will be able to share their expertise with me.
I'm excited to check off one of those to-do's on my life list that I've been wanting to do for a LONG time! Here's to a successful training week #1!!!