Promises, promises...

I know you may find this hard to believe, but I've yet to get up early again before work to go running. Shocking.

I did, however, go for my first real run in the rain last Saturday morning. After reading Running Like a Girl, by Ms. Heminsley, I realized that for her, living in England and all, she probably had more rainy outings than not, and that a slight drizzle shouldn't really be a valid excuse anymore. Frankly, it really wasn't bad at all. I think I might do well to leave my rain jacket at home next time, though. Even with my venting zippers it was still a bit too steamy.

So, the most awful part of this particular post is where I confess that I haven't been out to run at all since that rainy Saturday. I did do some hiking and camping, so that's something, I guess. I really am going to start focusing here shortly, I promise...

Also, the new Chromeo album is extremely entertaining and I fully intend to put it on my ipod ASAP so as to give myself the option to run whilst enjoying it. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

The Totals:

Running:

• May: 25.2
• 2014:  98.8

Biking (non-stationary):

• May: 15.5
• 2014: 50.5

Well, that wasn't so bad...

This morning, for the first time ever in my entire life, I got up earlier than I had to, before work, and I ran 3 miles.

I've often heard that you should just get up early and work out in the morning, "before your body even realizes what it's doing!" I have to say, this notion felt all-too-frighteningly accurate as I was hurtling down the street this morning. And by the end of it, it felt almost as if it'd never even happened. I hopped in to the shower thinking I'd just had some really odd, vivid dream with sunshine and lots of people walking dogs. I admit, I was especially pleased with myself upon seeing all the people out running in the 87-degree heat on my drive home from work.

Needless to say, I may be trying this again very soon.

So, I really lost a lot of momentum last week. By which I mean I don't think I ran at all, anywhere, at any point last week...

In an effort to make up for my lack of mileage, I went all-out on a 5-mile run on Sunday afternoon. It was less than lovely, and it became very apparent that my running style may need some work. I think I was just tired and fell in to some unusual sort of strained/strange gait. The more I read about running, I can't help but think I probably need to actually do some legit 'strength-training' type work.

I hope to do some more reading about running, (which sounds kinda silly now that I see it typed out), as it's been pretty useful so far. If nothing else, it's slowly helping me come up with more of a training plan beyond, ya know, just "keep running a lot before the marathon."

I'm looking to start some 'interval/sprint training' and definitely/unfortunately some hill-running.

Stay-tuned. Things could get interesting! (There's a chance they might not...We'll see!)

The Totals:

Running:

• May: 22.2
• 2014:  95.8

Biking (non-stationary):

• May: 15.5
• 2014: 50.5

Duathlon-ed.

Hey! I finished my 1st duathlon! And you know, I dare say that I even enjoyed it. I kept waiting for the awful part, where I'd have to get in to the lake and swim, and it never happened! The park was lovely and I just could not have asked for nicer weather. A little cool, with a decent breeze and lots of sunshine.

While I certainly didn't break any records, I didn't break myself either. Starting out on the last 3-mile run was a bit brutal at first, and frankly, I was probably not sufficiently hydrated. It got easier though, and I almost didn't even mind the hills. It was so very, very encouraging, as I look ahead to the marathon, that I was able to keep up my motivation and will to finish over the entire 2 hours and 2 minutes it took me to complete the course. (My little 'cheering section' was certainly a huge boost, too -- thanks, guys!)

Me and my crew.

Overall, it was just an all-around pretty fantastic experience and I'd really love to give it another go next year.

That being said, do I get to include the miles I rode/ran in the duathlon in my 'Totals' count below? I guess I get to decide, seeing as this is my blog. Ha!

And speaking of miles, the weekend before, I attempted my longest run yet! The course I'd tentatively set out for myself looked to be about 9 miles, but by my best guess, I only completed about 8 total. I'll need to remeasure, but I'm calling it 8 for now. So, that was pretty exciting, too!

So, yeah. Tune in next time for more stuff about my adventures in running, etc.!

The Totals:

Running:

• May: 14.2
• 2014:  87.8

Biking (non-stationary):

• May: 15.5
• 2014: 50.5

"Patience, Iago..."

So, I'm probably going to make a point to not sign up for something so early in the year in the future, but the duathlon is now a measly 10 DAYS away!!

I'm pretty confident that I can do it, but I think I will be doing it very, very slowly. Brother Darren reassured me that that's what these early events are for. If nothing else, hopefully it'll help me see where I'm really 'at.' I think I can already safely assume that where I'm currently 'at' is nowhere near where I'd like to be...

In any case, I ran a solid 7 miles last night, making it my longest "recorded" run EVER. It's still a far cry from a marathon, but at least I'm headed in the right direction. Most surprising/encouraging of all is how relatively normal and pain-free I'm feeling today. (In other news, I've also upgraded from Absorbine to IcyHot!)

I also started flipping through Running Like a Girl: Notes on learning to run by Alexandra Heminsley last night. It chronicles the adventures of a British woman who takes up running in her 30s. Upon hearing her brother mention that he's contemplating signing up for a marathon (the London Marathon, in this case), she suddenly decides to do the same... Sound familiar?  I can't quite relate to all of her initial qualms about running, but the bits about attempting to find the right gear, (and wearing said gear in public while assuming that everyone is judging you for the novice that you clearly are), and the desire to stubbornly try to figure it all out on your own felt very spot-on. It's a quick read, and has so far been very encouraging.

Next up on this ol' blog, I hope to have some contributed content via an interview with a friend and veteran marathon-runner. In the works, coming soon, etc.! Until then...

The Totals:

Running:

• April:  19.0
• 2014:  73.6

Biking (non-stationary):

• April: 18
• 2014: 35

Confirmation.

I was so excited Monday evening after receiving my confirmation email that I ran 6 miles. 

It may have actually been the best run of my whole little life, so far...

The Totals:

Running:

• April:  9.0
• 2014:  63.6

Biking (non-stationary):

• April: 0
• 2014: 17

IT'S HAPPENING!!!

The Lottery...

Welp, a grand total of 7.5 miles makes March my weakest month yet. I at least got in 3 miles so far in this first full week of April. Not great, but better than '0,' which was my mileage total up until last night..

The really crucial thing this week, though, is that I officially registered for the Chicago Marathon lottery!! The selected registrants will be notified this Monday.

JUST FOUR MORE DAYS! Ahhhhh, the suspense...

The Totals

Running:

• April:  3.0
• 2014:  57.6

Biking (non-stationary):

• April: 0
• 2014: 17