Running Tidbits from 2007 + Gnat Attack

Attention!  This post was "lost" on Thursday when Blogger was down.  If you've already read/seen this post, my apologies...no sense seeing my gnat covered sweaty neck more times than necessary.  :P

Saturday after the race I was bored and not feeling the greatest (I have the tendency to feel really feverish after I race), so I was just bumming around the apartment watching Project Runway and Gilmore Girls reruns.  I decided to do something productive:  manually enter my 2005-2007 running logs on to the Runners World log I've used for the past 4 years.

Here are a few gems I found in the process:

• It's very clear I did every run as a race, going as fast as I could.  
• I was a good 20 pounds heavier 4 years ago.
• My running times reflect that, at times.  Other times I'm shocked I was able to haul that quickly with that much extra weight on my frame.
• Actual comment on one of my runs: Felt like I was going to barf up my BK the whole run. saweet. I feel like I shouldn't have been that surprised.... I stopped eating fast food a couple of years ago (with the exception of DQ...mmm.... b/c it destroys my stomach.... I can only imagine how it felt to run after eating it.  Sweet Louisiana!

Also, I'm super duper bummed that the Runners World log only goes back to 2007. I guess I'll have to hold on to my paper running log, and excel spreadsheet from 2006 just a wee bit longer.
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Wednesday night I went out for my last speedwork session before Fargo. I was super amped up to do a tempo run, and I wasn't really sure why. They usually freak me out! When I realized that it was 5 miles (with 3 at tempo pace) instead of 6 miles (with 4 at tempo pace), I got even more excited! Easy peasy! The first thing I noticed is that the +30 increased temperatures from Saturday's 10k made it much more difficult to breathe properly for a hard workout. Throw in some heavy humidity, and my lungs felt like they were dyyyyyyyyying. Luckily my legs felt just dandy. I cranked up my iPod so I couldn't hear my deathly gasps for air and off I went!
The hardest part about the tempo run was the cooldown mile. I could not, for the life of me, slow down to an easy pace. I know I know... waaaaaaaaah....woe is me....... etc. etc. But to go from a low 8 minute pace, a 9 minute pace (aka marathon pace) felt like I was walking! (Yes brain, drill that in.... 9 minute pace feels like walking.....)
I did 5 miles in 43:16 for a pace of 8:39. Tempo miles average: 8:13.
1. 9:30
2. 8:20
3. 8:13
4. 8:06
5. 9:09
There was much less gnat activity of the trail than Monday night, so I sucked it up and took a picture after my run. Then I immediately scrubbed the little buggies off before I stretched. Ick.

OOOH! And I also got my hairs hacked off (maybe 4") to make me super fast, and a new darkerhue to up my intimidation factor. I attempted a pre-run photo shoot in my bathroom (AR's fave!  If only I had thrown up a peace sign pose....drat!)


Attempted pose: Intimidation.
Actual pose: Someone's lost her lips.


Attempted pose: Intimidation.
Actual pose: Eating and also smelling a sour lemon.


Attempted pose: Intimidation.
Actual pose: If a rat were a human with rage.

Plus you can barely see my hair color because the lighting in my bathroom is so poor and the shower curtain seems to match my hair. Woe is me.

Hometown 5k and 9 miles + 9 miles

The other day I logged in to facebook to see I had an event invitation......oooh what could this be?  Turns out my hometown is hosting a 5k run and 1 mile walk over the 4th of July weekend for their 125th celebration.  I had previously decided I wasn't heading home for the 125th shenanigans, but now that they've thrown in a race, I'm in!  See how easy that is to get me home friends and family?  Put on a 5k.  Now you all know.  :p  Of course I snooped on the race competition a little.  Should be a darn good time.

I've never done a legit hometown race, as the last one that was held in my town was for the Centennial, and if you do the math, I was...well...one.  I mean, check out the sweet logo, it has a farm in the background for goodness sakes.  I've already decided that if Nick won't attend with me, I'll ask his dad to come.  His dad was a proud Wakondian as well.  Three cheers for that.

When I brought up my trusty race spreadsheet to add this gem aboard, I realized that this would race would have me racing 6 consecutive weekends this summer..... hmmm... overkill?  Naw...perfection. :)  In the great Midwest we don't get the pleasure of racing year round, so I really have to concentrate my efforts to the summer months.  Which I don't mind at all.  :)

Last night I had a tough 9 miler with 7 miles @ tempo pace of 8:39.  For some reason I get really worked up over tempo runs.  I never think I can hit the pace for as long as I need to.  Running is so much of a mental sport isn't it?  I wrote the 8:39 on my hand as a reminder of my pace and I took off.

It.Was.Warm.  But in a good way.  It was in the 70s, yet there were people in long sleeves and pants...uhh...wtf?  My legs hurt.  My calves were tight and my quads felt shredded and I could not find the tempo pace.  Every time I looked at my Garmin it was showing my pace ~7:30-7:50, so then I'd slow down a bit and be in the 9:30 range.  Somehow those first two tempo miles still came in close to my pace.

I stopped at a water fountain to take in some H2O (yay for water fountains being on!!) and took a second to stretch on the calves and quads.  Wow did this make a world of difference, maybe they just needed to run out all the junk that have been in them since Saturdays run, but they felt great.  Suddenly my "easy/strong" pace was right in the 8:35 range.  After this point the run was just fun.

Bug count:  I managed to swallow two bugs *simultaneously*.  I'm as impressed as you are.  As one flew in and I tried to close the throat a second one followed suit.  Blech.  Also, I managed to get something moth-like with much larger (and much more noticeable on the tongue) wings.  Double blech.

With my final cooldown lap to go, I was walking through the "detour" area of the trail.  (This detour is completely made by runners/bikers, and really it's just a very small path through some thin trees.  I always walk because I'm not able to lose an eyeball to a tree branch gouging.)  As I was walking, a biker came up behind me and asked if this was the trail.  And then I realized it was a guy I went to college with that is verrrrrry attractive.  We chatted for a minute or two and then went on our way.  Of course when I got home, I realized I had 10-15 dead gnats stuck to my neck/chest.  Classy Jeri.  Soooo classy.

I did the 9 miles in 1:18:26 for a pace of 8:43.  My tempo pace was 8:31.

1. 9:33
2. 8:33
3. 8:40
4. 8:32
5. 8:34
6. 8:34
7. 8:36
8. 8:10
9. 9:10


When I got home I was shocked to discover I wasn't craving ice cream.  I immediately took my temperature.  Jk.  I actually had normal food, it was really earth shattering.


This morning I rolled out of bed early to get my 9 mile easy run done so my legs would have ample time to recover before the LAST 20 MILER OF MARATHON TRAINING to be completed on Saturday.  I made sure to take the run easy, but was very surprised at how good my legs felt after a tough tempo run 12 hours prior.  


Not much occurred on this run, other than the fact that I was scared I would get yelled at by the construction workers for running through the area that was clearly marked with "Bike trail CLOSED!  Jeri this means you!" signs.  I don't have any problem running through there any other time because it's always after they've left for the day, but I could totally see them getting upset (and rightly so) when they're in there with machinery/tractors/etc.  Luckily they were working on the other side so I didn't encounter any danger or yelling.  Phew.


I did 9 miles in 1:25:09 for a pace of 9:25.
1. 9:34
2. 9:28
3. 9:32
4. 9:32
5. 9:29
6. 9:33
7. 9:25
8. 9:14
9. 9:17

I guess I should buy a lotto ticket

Saturday night I headed out for my very first roller derby experience.  Random note:  I was going to try out for the local roller derby team about two years ago.  Had contacted the captains, priced skates, pads, etc. and then I found out the mandatory orientation/newbie meeting was when I was to be in Portland visting my BFFF.  I was sooooo bummed.  Luckily I got back in to running about 6 months later.  :)

Friday I won tickets to the Roller Dollz double header bout for Saturday night and I was so excited to go.  During the warm up, I started to get "the itch" again.....uh oh... I wanna be a roller doll!  Oh well, running first.  I've already decided that if I ever retire from running, I will hang up my running shoes for some skates.  The bouts were so much fun.  And intense.

Sunday I had an easy 5 miler to attend to.  My legs were sooooo not excited about this run.  I've never felt like I've "waddled" so much during a run.  Wowsers.  I putzed along and was just genuinely happy when the miles were over.  I did the 5 miles in 48:16 for an average pace of 9:40.  This run also put my weekly mileage at another new PR with 43.  Heck ya!  No wonder I've been eating like a horse.  (Wait...do horses eat ice cream?  :P)

Monday I had an easy 9 miler to take care of after work.  Before heading out, I read a couple of blogs.  I found out I won Erica's Pop Chip giveaway and was super excited, and tweeted that I should buy a lottery ticket.  When I got back Sam (P.S. I swear Sam is my office hubby's real-life gf.  She looks sooo much like her!) had responded that I sure as heck better because I ALSO won Bobbi's summer dress giveaway.  Now if you're keeping track this is 3 sweet prizes that I have won in 4 days!!  Craziness.  When I won the roller derby tickets on Friday I was ecstatic and telling all of my co-workers that I never win anything.  Um...not true anymore.  :)

Oh yeah, the run.  It wasn't very fun.  My legs were still very very fatigued/sore/you name it, they weren't loving it.  Within 2 miles in, I made a deal with them that if they could survive the run (at whatever pace they deemed necessary) we'd take Tuesday off.  They must've listened because other than the first 2 miles the rest of the run wasn't all that bad.

One part I didn't enjoy.  The bugs!  Apparently it's spring time here.  Yuck.  During the run, I had a gnat lodge itself in my eye (to stay there until I got home), roughly 10 gnats inhaled, only 4-5 were coughed up, spit out, the rest RIP, and many others snorted up my sniffling nose.  When I got home, I noticed I had a dead gnat stuck in between my front teeth.  GROSS.  I seriously almost threw up.  Also, made me pose a question, "If I were still a vegetarian, would I could this as failing?"  Vegheads?  What are your thoughts on when you inhale bugs?

I did the 9 miles in 1:25:28 for a pace of 9:30.