2011's halfway done: 626 miles logged

2011 is halfway done, and thanks to Cleveland Marathon training I've logged 626 miles.

My top week was Apr. 18-24, with 44 miles logged. There was only one week I didn't run at all -- the one after Cleveland. There were only two weeks where I ran fewer than 10 miles, and 5 where I ran fewer than 20.

Miles by the month:

Miles by the week: 

The past year in training: 

The thought of this many donuts and cheezburgers gives me a tummy ache :)

So, lifetime to date I have 1,060 miles. Here are the lifetime stats:

I think 1,200 for 2011 is a reasonable goal!

107 days til Columbus!!

Urban Dare Columbus race report, and other musings

Life has kept me a little busy lately, in good ways, so this is going to be uncharacteristically short (as in -- here's what I can write while inhaling a hummus sandwich on my lunch break).

First up -- the Urban Dare Saturday. This was a fun event -- though it was more scavenger hunt, less dare. I did it with my buddy Jason. We had no idea what to expect when we got there, we were handed blue shirts to wear and told to await further instructions. There were about 80 teams.


First instruction: Run to the statue 20 feet away. That was easy. We got our other instructions -- all clues of places to go around downtown Columbus. In Columbus, I know where the statehouse is. And Einstein's bagels across from the statehouse. And... that's it.

Thanks to a glorious invention called the smartphone (I'm not cool enough for one, but Jason was) we got online and deciphered the clues, and plugged them into the GPS. They were all statues, restaurants and landmarks.

We got turned around a couple times, and almost ran 3 miles out of our way. We ended up having to run a mile back because we missed a landmark. We also had to stop a couple total strangers on the street and ask them to recreate this photo:

Beyond this, though, the "dares" were pretty pathetic. At most landmarks we just had to take a picture to prove we were there. At one we had to do a 3-legged race. At another we had to jump rope. Far from the rock climbing walls and stuff the event advertised! It was still a good day though.

The event was billed as 5-7 miles. I decided to be crazy and I went to MIT that morning and did 6 with Kim, and my hamstrings were screaming from Crossfit two days before. Thanks in part to my superior navigating skills, we ended up covering 9.3 (with lots of stops in between!). Our official time was 3:32 (there were many stops). Total was 15.3 miles for the day, giving me a 27 mile week, my highest since Cleveland.

I'll update later with some more links and stuff. In the meantime, a few other random musings:

Crossfit at Ohio Krav Maga and Fitness

Sorry, Lizzie Dog, I'm not throwing the ball nearly as far tonight. I'm a little sore!


I'm in love with Crossfit! I got a Groupon for Ohio Krav Maga and Fitness awhile back, it was wanting to wait until after my marathon and general laziness that just led to me cashing it in now! I got it for cardio kickboxing classes but everyone has been raving about Crossfit lately so I figured I'd give it a try!!


I was actually there from 6-8:15 tonight! I did the intro class, a lot of standing around and watching them demonstrate things but we did one quick circuit. I decided to check out the Cardio MMA class after that, I caught the last 20 minutes. It was fun to hit stuff. Then I did a full Crossfit class. The full circuit was Thrusts, squats, 200 m run, kettleball swings, pushups in rings knee to elbow (torture), 200 m run, all x4. My HRM said I burned a total of 760 calories through all of it!


Very sleepy now :)

July will be busy!

Major ALERT!!! The price of the Columbus Marathon goes up after June 30. So once I get paid I'll have a few days to decide if I want to seal the deal. I've been tempted by a few other October marathons, but my gut is telling me to go with Columbus!

In the meantime the stars have aligned to show four races in four weeks, all while starting Crossfit classes! (Yay for race comps!)


Two of my local running buddies, including Tracy who blogs here, have raved about Crossfit training. Eons ago I signed up for a Groupon at Ohio Krav Maga and Fitness, which has a location in Gahanna. My intro is today! My legs are screaming at me for running uphills at the bio yesterday, so I hope I survive!

As for the races:

June 25: Urban Dare, an adventure race, 5-7 miles (I'll still go to MIT in the morning!) Our team name is inspired by a Bondiband, "Will Run for Beer".

July 1: Worthington Hills Firecracker Trot 5K... can I beat 24:27?? I'm not sure how hilly it will be. The best thing about this run: It's only $10! It's a Friday evening run, so I'll still go to MIT the next morning :)

July 9: Cinco de Julio cuatro miler, my goal is under 34 (an 8:30 pace)! It's on a Saturday evening so I won't go to MIT, but I will do a 2-mile warmup to get my 6 miles in for the day.

July 17: Greenswell Triathlon relay... guess which part I'm doing! Second opportunity to PR in a 5K. The Manic Mojo's will dominate!!






My next blog will be about the Tough Mudder, which I'm signed up for with Beth! I tried the strength training program for it and it's brutal!!

Sun, fun, and an 8-mile run! (Wow, that was tacky)

I had two free tickets to the Disney parks, and I didn't go.

I spent my free time in Florida in what I consider to be an ideal manner, pounding the miles out in the early morning breeze, and spending the sweltering afternoons laying out by the pool. Crowds? Frazzled parents? Screaming kids? Not for me!

I went to Orlando for a journalism conference, but had a day and a half to play after the work was done. I really needed to stretch the legs after I got off the plane Thursday so I ran three miles around the lake. There wasn't any time Friday. I attempted my long run Saturday, but let's just say that the combination of an open bar and big dinner the night before, and a big breakfast that morning yielded an epic failure. I managed one lap around the lake at Coronado Springs.

I moved over to the Hyatt Grand Cypress Saturday because I got a better deal, or at least I thought I did... I'll save that rant for later in the post. Important stuff first, though. The hotel was lovely and the decor was very modern. The best part about the place was... ok I won't kid myself here... the three pools which included designated "quiet areas". I finally got good use out of the swimsuit I got at Filene's Basement at Sawmill a few months ago!

Now for the second best part! At Coronado I went to the concierge and asked where I could get a 3 mile run in. They seemed to think I was nuts, "umm, 3 miles, you could circle the lake three times" (it was a very lovely lake).

But at the Cypress, the bellhop perked up. Jogging trails? Yes, we have those! Just follow the red bricks down to the corner and there will be signs to direct you. We'll have water for you when you get back.

Sure enough, I leave the hotel and come to this sign:

 

(continued)

Greetings from Orlando!

It has been a beautiful weekend in sunny Orlando! I'm taking a break from the pool, so enjoy some photos!

(And yes, boss, I did learn lots at the conference.)

I started at the Coronado Springs Resort, the conference hotel for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, which I was attending. I got a really good deal at the Hyatt Grand Cypress on Priceline so I'm here tonight. Both are really nice!

I got a three mile run in Thursday and one mile today. I wanted to do my full 8 this morning but after an open bar, a huge dinner and a huge breakfast... yea... I did one, I'll try 8 again tomorrow!

But... really Mickey???? The evil mouse knows you're a captive audience that can't leave!!

My sunscreen and razor were taken at security since I carried on. The resulting damage:

The lovely lake I ran around:

My room and the view at the Grand Cypress:

Off to Orlando

Off to Florida.

I'll do my long run there.

See you Monday :-P

Cosmetic surgery for 1000 MILES!!!

What, cosmetic surgery for my blog, of course!!

Today I hit 1,000 lifetime miles! 567 of those 1,000 miles were run this year. So, to celebrate, I figured I'd give my blog a facelift. I'm no web designer -- heck I always buy black skirts because I'm inept at coordinating my outfits each morning. But I don't think it came out too badly! I can't change the color of the Daily Mile gadgets so I just made the rest of my blog pink and orange to match. I changed the title and description too. REDUX!! Because I am now on my second go around! 

I'm also updating my blog roll, so if you would like me to link to you please let me know!

I was going to wait until the end of the month to do another numbers post, but since 1,000 is a monumental occasion, we'll do a bit now! The lifetime Daily Mile analytics:

Monthly mileage for the past year (I started running last May): 

Today was another great MIT run. I did seven miles with the 10:30s from Ohio Health in Westerville. We had a little storm delay, but then the run turned out to be very pleasant. It was MIT's 10th anniversary so they had a party at the store after the run. 

Warrior Dash 2011 in Hocking Hills: The real race report, and 30 lessons learned

T-shirt and medal

I kind of skimped on the previous Warrior Dash race report, so here's the no-holds-barred, nitty-gritty detail-ridden, bare-all report!!!

See results and photos here!

Warrior Evelyn

Miss Evelyn H. arrived at my apartment at about 1 p.m. last Sunday and after a brief detour to Quiznos we started the southbound journey to Hocking Hills. We stopped at a Big Lots for duct tape, face paint and band-aids. No face paint, so we settled on magic markers.

Lesson #1: If you hurriedly walk into a Big Lots, approach the clerk and ask where you can find duct tape, face paint and band-aids, you will get looks.

Warrior Beth

I finally touched base with the always-adventurous Beth O., slowly recovering from a wedding the night before. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: "Beth!!"
Beth: "I am soooooo hungover"
Me: **Laughs hysterically** "That's no excuse, you ready??"
Beth: "He77 yea"
(Boring logistical talk)

Lesson #2: A hangover is never an excuse not to run. I set my 5K PR on Jan. 1.

Warrior Jessica

We approach Hocking Hills on a long and windy road and make a pit stop at Wendy's. Very clean people sought race advice from very dirty people celebrating their muddy victories with burgers and Frosties. The consensus: "Dude, that was awesome."

Lesson #3: If you don't like port-a-pottys, stop at Wendy's on your way in to pee.

The parking lot, two miles away from the actual event, was a madhouse. Mud tracks went in both directions. Some people were tailgating. I saw some clean people walking back to their cars. "If I come out that clean I'm going to be sorely disappointed", I say. "Don't worry, you won't!" a guy replies. Then I saw the solution to their cleanliness -- a long line of people waiting to be sprayed down by a hose. The parking lot was in a very open area and I saw several people stripping down and changing, chucking their muddy clothes in the trash.

Lesson #4: This should be obvious, but bring a change of clothes!

Muddy shoe pile

We boarded a bus to get to Kaeppner Woods. Walking in we saw a mound of muddy shoes. The event was going to clean them off and donate them to charity.

With 20,000 people participating throughout the weekend I was impressed by the organization. First we had to sign a waiver, the only thing I really remember on the form was "I will not dive headfirst into the mud", beyond that I just wrote "JAs" down the line and scribbled my name at the bottom. Then we got our packets which included a shoe chip, that doubled as our free beer token, a viking hat and a shirt. Evelyn paid extra money for these cool stickers that went under the eyes.

(More after the jump. Much more. Keep reading!!) 

I want to do everything, but my debit card says otherwise

It is going to be a phenomenal summer, especially since I am now doing a 40K at Hocking Hills, I think I just got talked into doing the Ohio/Indiana Tough Mudder (more on that later), and of course training for the Columbus Marathon with MIT.

But, I'm just a single gal living off a reporter's salary in Ohio, and some of these events cost mucho dinero, especially with gas at $4 a gallon. (And at some point I need to buy some new furniture, and a new DVD player/Netflix streamer, and a new phone, and a new laptop, and and and...)

So, today I decided to bow out of Hood to Coast. I'm sad to do it, there are some really phenomenal people on the Spark team and I've always wanted to visit Oregon. After looking at the costs, in order to do Hood to Coast I basically would have to bow out of every other event here in Ohio. It's something I would have considered, except the Coasties and Ghosties have 11 alternates lined up, so I figured I'd let someone else have fun there while I tromp through the woods, the mud, and the streets of Columbus here at home, hopefully with my partner in crime!

After all, I'm young, there will be plenty of other opportunities! 

Race report: Warrior Dash 2011

I just decided to make a new post with the entire report. Check it out here!

Original post:

I emerged from the woods covered head to toe in mud, I later counted seven scrapes and bruises, but I conquered the Warrior Dash.

It was brutal.

It was awesome.

I ran it with my college friend Evelyn and my MIT friend Beth. I honestly don't know our time, and don't care! We took it slow and had fun!

The Warrior Dash was Saturday and Sunday in Hocking Hills (Logan, Ohio). It was a 5K race with some massive hills, a junkyard and tires to run, a pool with logs to conquer, tunnels, planks to walk, a wall to jump over, fire to leap over, a cargo net and several mud pits. All fun. 

Before

After

The only obstacle I couldn't do was the biggest wall. I beat my knee up pretty bad jumping off the previous obstacle, so I went around it.

I'd write more but I am so sleepy. Will update tomorrow, stay tuned :) 

New Rules of Lifting for Women Take 2

I started the New Rules of Lifting for Women program earlier this year, but abandoned strength training altogether when our mileage got really high. My friend Kim reminded me of it last week, so I decided to give it another shot, now that our weekday runs are back to 3-4 miles.

When I tried the program the first time, I made the mistake of using heavier weights right off the bat. The program starts with more reps and then decreases, and the weight is supposed to get heavier. Toward the end of the first set I would have had to lunge with 30 pound weights, and that was just asking for injury.

But, when your weekday runs reach 6-8 miles, it's not like you have much time for anything else, anyway!

I started with Stage 1 this week, and I don't feel like I did to badly. I was sore, but not to the extent I had last week when I was experimenting with a few other programs! I think, too, I started off with a reasonable amount of weight, so I have room to increase.

The thing I love about this program is that it is incredibly efficient. Each move works multiple muscles so it only takes a half hour max.

The nice thing about the Y is that the women's center has most of the equipment I need for this, so I don't need to wade through masses of muscley tattooed men to get a turn on the cross cable machine.

Here's what the first two sessions looked like. Squats and lunges were supposed to be body weight only, but that seemed too easy so I modified it.

TUESDAY: Stage 1 workout A
Squats 2 x 15 w/ 10 lb weights
Pushups 2 x 15 (I've lost a ton of upper body strength, these were hard!)
Seated row (cross cable): 2 x 15 @ level 5 (?)
Stepups 2 x 15 on bench w/ 5 lb weights
Jackknives on ball 2 x 8

FRIDAY: Stage 1 workout B
Deadlifts 2 x 15 @ 25
Lat pulldowns 2 x 15 @ 25
Shoulder presses 2 x 15 w/ 8 lb weights
Lunges 2 x 15 w/ 10 lb weights
Ball crunches 2 x 8

When the reps go down to 12 I'll probably keep the same weight on some, just because it will add up too quickly otherwise!