My First 10-miler and cross training

So, I'm running the Annapolis Half Marathon as my first half on December 1st. I did so amazingly well with Ragnar. I think I only missed 2 training runs in the entire 5 months. I've been slacking here, though. Sunday, I ran my first 10-miler... well almost. I hit 9.8 before my spasming quad made my knee hurt too much to run anymore. I was running with some friends and all of the starting and stopping messed me up a bit, I think. I was so incredibly proud of myself, though. It was at a 11min/mi pace even with the slowdowns and it looks like if I can stay on track, I might finish my first half at around 2:15-2:30. I did my last 10K at a 9:48min/mi pace with a cold, after all ;)

Anyways, so my knee is hurting a little bit. I did a class at my gym called Group Active on Monday. It combines step, weights, agility and balance. I really enjoy the mixture. I took a rest day yesterday because of rain, a clingy child, and a migraine. Today, I'm trying to decide if I want to run 3-4 miles or do the Arc Trainer at the gym. I would normally have gotten up and run and then done Zumba, but my husband had to work super late and I know Zumba is out until after December 1st. The Arc would be low-impact and help with the quads, but would it be enough to help with the half marathon training.

How much cross-training do you try to incorporate into your workouts? What is your favorite type?

In addition to this, I would like to thank Laura from Mommy, Run Fast. Last week, she emailed me to tell me I won her pink ribbon Reebok drawing and I can't wait to get my new shoes! I thought I'd give her a little shout-out.

Are you a safe runner?

Are you a safe runner? Do you always run with your ID or some emergency contact information? I am unfortunately not a safe runner all the time. I sometimes forget to throw my ID into my pocket or go on such a short run that I don't need my water bottle with the pouch. Ladies, you know how tiny those pockets in your running shorts can be. I can barely fit a key in mine, let alone my photo ID or phone. My reflective vest has an ID tag in it, but I don't always wear that when I run during the day.

Zooma has teamed with Go Sport ID to give away $25 toward the ID band of your choice. You can enter to win here!

Please run safely!

The Breastfeeding Runner

So, in spite of my attempts to wean prior to Milk Dud's second birthday, we are still breastfeeding. It isn't necessarily every day and isn't nursing like a newborn, but I was curious as to the effects of breastfeeding with long distance running.

First of all, breastfeeding requires lots of maternal fluid intake. Running does as well, particularly during the summer. If you are a breastfeeding mother who is doing any sort of exercise, you should be very aware of your fluid intake. Feeling thirst is past the point where you should be drinking. I would encourage all breastfeeding runners to carry water with them while nursing.

I could one real study on breastfeeding and running. That can be found here, but I will summarize it for you. The baby was fussy, but there was no difference in lactic acid concentration in pre- and post-run milk. The researchers concluded that more study was needed. Obviously, if they only had one sample point, the reason could be from anything. I found this great informational site from Kelly Mom where they encouraged exercise and breastfeeding. They have suggestions that if the baby refuses to nurse, you rinse off your breasts or postpone nursing for 30 minutes. I also found this great blog post where she talked about how her breast pump was her most important running accessory ;)

2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist and American record holder for the marathon Deena Kastor breastfed and started back to her training regimen during those months. You can read an interview with her here.

I amazingly didn't need to pump during my relay race, but I'm nearing the end of my breastfeeding journey. Women train and breastfeed all the time. You just have to be aware of your needs and those of your baby.

Bad sleeping patterns and not training

So, between the boys and myself, my sleep patterns have been all over the place. I'm having a tough time working in my training plans. I did great all summer training for Ragnar 4 days a week, but 3 days is killing me, now. I can't seem to get up to run in the morning and I hate running in the evenings. Some nights, I go to bed WAY too late to get up at 5am to run. I hate running in the dark. I haven't been able to go to the gym because Milk Dud has a yucky nose and I'm the good parent who doesn't take their sick kid to the childcare area.

What are your solutions for training when you can't get out the door early?

DC Ragnar -- It's OVER!

So, as y'all know, I ran in the DC Ragnar last weekend. I had a total of 15.1 miles in the 197-mile relay race that started at Rocky Gap State Park near Cumberland, MD and ended at National Harbor.

My first leg was crazy! We are talking about 1076-feet of elevation increase and 804-feet of decrease over 7.9 miles. It was hot, dusty, winding, and they're was a lot of gravel on the road.

Before starting my first leg

Here comes the runner before me

Off I go!

Handed off to the next runner

Checking off the box

My second leg was 5 miles in the middle of the night. It was very eerie. I enjoyed the country part of it, but when I was in a neighborhood, I kept expecting someone to come outside and yell at me.

My third leg was short and I took off like a bat out of Hades. I was so ready to be done, but I worried that the next runner wouldn't be there yet. I'm not sure how soon before I got there that she arrived, but I'm sure it wasn't but a couple of minutes.

All done!

We all crossed the finish line together and I now own my first race medal :)

Me and my medal

Our team

Jen and me. She's the reason I agreed to run up a mountain in the first place :)

Anyways... On to the next challenge... I'm going to run in the TCS Annapolis Half Marathon for my first half marathon this December. Wish me luck!

2 Days Until Ragnar / What's on your Playlist?

My Ragnar team has a Facebook Group and the wonderful person who jumped in to replace a member last week asked for suggestions for her playlist. It got me thinking, what's on your playlist for exercise? Do you have a go-to song that energizes you?

I'm going to address the second question first. I have a couple of songs that will pump up my energy based on my mood. The "Power Song" I have set on my MotoActv is "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson. I downloaded it a few months ago when I was having a rough time and needed something to boost my mood. I really like "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd for the end of a run. I also find that "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys (from The Departed soundtrack) and "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" by Pitbull put my pace solidly around 9:15min/mi (I run between 10 and 11 normally). 

Okay... Playlists.... I have several based on my mood and length of my run. I have some that shuffle and some that don't. I have one that is just called "Running" and has 65 songs on it and randomly shuffles. I have one called "45 Minute Classic Rock" and it is about an hour of music from 20 or more years ago. It kills me that "Mysterious Ways" by U2 is played on our local classic rock station, but it does fit in more there than in my "60 Minute Pop" playlist. That one is full of Katy Perry, Pitbull, and similar stuff. It also is the home to the songs I like from Zumba. Then I have one for a 120-minute run that is a mix of everything. 

I haven't decided to what I am going to listen for my Ragnar runs. My guess is I will go with a straight shuffle for my 7.9-mile leg and 5-mile leg and do the pop playlist for my 2.2-mile leg. I top-loaded that one with my speed-inducing songs ;)

What's on your playlist?  

3 Days Until Ragnar / Trying to Balance It All

So, it's 3 days until Ragnar! Let me tell you that I am terrible at trying to balance everything. I was supposed to run 4 days a week, still try to use my gym membership, work this summer, and hang out with two small children all day. Making it all work has been stressful. I had to get up at 5am to go run, particularly on days that required more than an hour of running. My house is a permanent mess, but I blame that more on having two kids. I haven't been to the gym at all this month because I'm too afraid to get hurt. I am in awe of the people who make it work all the time. Here's to all of you!

On another note, yesterday morning, I woke up with a pinched nerve in my shoulder. It feels better today, but is still kind of painful.