Recalibration

I recalibrated the nike+ tonight.

I think I am a little closer to where I want to be.

Tonight's run was a short one. I ran the 1/2 mile needed to calibrate the sensor and then did a loop from home that was just under 3 miles...or 2.81. The new Nike+ reading for that distance came to 2.94 in just about 28 minutes. We;ll see what it says for my longer run tomorrow.

Happy Easter

Wonderful Easter weekend up in NJ!

I had a GREAT run Sunday morning. I did just under 6 miles on one of my favorite loops near my Dad's house. It is a beautiful route on mainly dirt roads past horse farms, large country estates, properties that my Dad has for sale, the future home of a former NJ Devils Captain...and one unfortunate golf course. It is not an easy run as no matter which direction you take from our house there are HILLS. Still, I made it through the whole run without stopping to walk, including up the "Dip of Death" on Spook Hollow Rd.

GMaps says the route is 5.66 miles.
Nike Plus says I did 6.06 in 57:42. Clearly something is off. I am going to go for a short run tonight (probably in the rain) and will try to recalibrate it so that it becomes a little more accurate.

While in P'ville I also had the opportunity to go to the local Y with my dad. It was crazy crowded on Saturday morning so he was able to sneak me in past the front desk without incident. It was fun to be back at the place I spent so many nights during high school swim days. The place has definitely changed for the better with a brand new pool and an expanded workout facility. It is huge! I got to workout with my Dad which was a lot of fun. He has been doing really well in getting to the gym at least a couple of times a week and I am very proud of him!

We had a delicious Easter dinner at Guya's Sunday evening. The weekend was a little drama-filled after Arianna spent hours on a gorgeous lamb-shaped cake only to have Jack, Guya's Jack Russel Terrier, jump up onto the kitchen table and eat it's head. No joke! I don't know that I have ever seen A so mad...with the exception of that time we woke her up in Switzerland to the tune of "What's the Story, Morning Glory". She's knows what I'm talking about. Anyways..it all got fixed in the end by a few more hours and another box of cake mix. This time the cake was protected on a higher table.

Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

This past weekend was the Cherry Blossom ten miler. Another race that I wasn't entirely prepared for! It is a sign of spring in DC though and I am glad that I did it. This event has a history of being plagued by terrible weather and cold, rainy races but this year was gorgeous. The blossoms were actually in peak the week of the race as evidened by the photos to the left.

Gorgeous!

I ran the entire ten miles with EL which was great. I think we helped each other out a lot. I am really glad that I raced despite some sore legs for the start of this week. I am definitely ready to officially start my pre-training now!

I went out this week and bought Hal Higdon's book Marathon.

I am hoping it gives me extra inspiration as I get closer to the start of training. I think I'll be following his novice training program so it is good to get an idea of what I'm in for! The basis of the program is 2 short runs, a medium run and a long run per week. The basic schedule might look like 3 miles Tuesday, 4 Wednesday, 3 Thursday and then 6 on Saturday. Starting this week I'm shooting for 4 runs a week to get into the habit. So far so good this week! With Sunday's Cherry Blossom and runs on Tuesday and Wednesday I am well on the way.

It feels good to have a minor success so far.

Shamrock!

Done and done. 13.1 miles.

Now time to get serious with this running thing!

Two weeks till the Cherry Blossom ten miler!

On a roll!

This has been a good week for me.

I got in runs Sunday, Tuesday AND Wednesday! Today's run was just about six miles according to my Nike+. I've been feeling great too which is what really counts. I even signed up for a St. Patrick's Day 8K this weekend! I still have a long way to go until the half marathon even though the time is winding down. T minus eleven days! It's not going to be my best effort but I know I'll get through it and hopefully have some fun too.

It's going to be a long process but it feels good to start making some progress. Sometimes time off from something makes you appreciate it even more. That is definitely the case now. I actually feel great and am excited to get back into a training groove. And with EXACTLY six months to go till Chicago there's no time like the present. 

MARCH!

It is hard to believe that it is already March!

seriously, where does the time go?

After spending much of the last three months on a running/exercise hiatus it is really hard to find the motivation to start up again.  You'd think that a half marathon in 21 days and a ten-miler at the beginning of April would do it. I keep finding excuses...it's snowing outside (today). It's too cold (all last week). I'm too tired (every day). Ugh. This needs to stop! 

I once read that you need 21 days to get into a habit. 21 days of repetition will help jump start whatever it is you are trying to do. For instance, I used to be horrible about 'losing' my keys in my apartment and making my bed every day, in that order. I wrote a post-it on my door and made myself hang my keys on a hook above the light switch every day and make my bed every morning. It worked. I know do both without fail. Hopefully the same will happen with starting up a running routine? I figure that the 21 days until Shamrock will help me. It's worth a try.

I'll get right on it...after a stopover at my grandmother's for coffee and homemade muffins. Maybe running in the snow before lunch with my dad will be fun. I'll keep telling myself that anyways.

Happy March! T minus one week till Daylight Savings Time! 

Stress Test

These past few months have been stressful for many reasons.

I know that I have a history of stress mismanagement. Case in point: getting ready to go to college the summer after High School graduation. Although I was thrilled to go away to school the mere thought of it left me so stressed that I started to feel physically ill and was convinced that I was having a resurgence of heart problems. As a kid, I had open heart surgery to repair a hole between my left and right atria know as an Atrial Septal Defect. It it completely fixed but every now and then I am convinced that something is wrong.

A recent visit to the doctor in turn sent me to the cardiologist. During a routine visit she let me know that my heart was producing extra beats.
The cardiologist put me through a series of tests:

EKG
Electrocardiogram
blood tests
24-hour Holder monitor
Another EKG
and finally...yesterday's Exercise Stress Test.

If you're not familiar with a stress test it is basically a doctor-monitored workout on a treadmill. The patient is hooked up to wires and a belt to monitor heart rate while the doctor checks blood pressure and breathing rate and periodically increases both intensity and incline.

The good news in my case is that my extra heartbeats disappeared with exercise, exactly what is supposed to happen. Even though my 24-hour monitor showed a number of extra beats, the electrocardiogram was also normal..another good sign! The cause of my extra heart beats could be related to my surgery but it could also just mean that my heart has its own unique rhythm (or as SB says, it "marches to it's own rhythm!). Either way, I'll take it. After months of worrying I am finally cleared to return to my normal exercise routine and am in fact encouraged to do so.

It looks like the Chicago Marathon is a definite go!