Discoveries

Below is a list of things that I knew little to nothing about before I started training, but now use and/or do almost every day:

1. Body Glide: Chaffing is both unattractive and painful. Body glide is the miracle product that combats “chub rub” and “bra burn,” and keeps my runs and my skin smooth.

2. GU (pronounced “gooooo”): Coach Adam told us that for our long runs, we should be “refueling” every 30 to 45 minutes, and there are a few different options out there for runners to “eat” during their races in order to keep their glycogen stores up. Winning out over shot blocks (long rods of gummy blocks) and sport beans (jelly beans for runners), my fuel of choice is GU. GU is exactly as it sounds – gooey – and a lot of people are really turned off by its consistency. I, however, love it, especially the chocolate and vanilla flavors. It’s like eating icing, which brings me a little glimmer of happiness in the middle of our hill work.

3. Fuel Belt: One of the main reasons that I avoided running outside in the past was because I had no clue where to put the stuff that I needed during or after my run (i.e., water, ipod, and keys). Well now I know – on or in your fuel belt. It’s like a fanny pack for runners, and I look equally ridiculous wearing it. However, it’s pretty nice not to have to put my keys in my shoe or my ipod in my bra. I bought it today, and I’ll be testing it out tomorrow. I’ll try to remember to report back on how it goes.

4. The Clam: This is perhaps the funniest and most embarrassing exercise that Coach Adam told us to include in our training. You lay on your side with your legs on top of each other with your knees bent. Then you bring the knee on top towards the ceiling and bring it back down while keeping your feet together (making a motion with you legs that looks like a clam opening and closing its mouth). Well, even if you can’t fully appreciate it thanks to my poor description, just know that it’s more than a little embarrassing, especially since I always manage to be sitting next to a hot guy on the gym mats when I’m doing it.

There are probably a few more, but I’m drawing a blank.

I had a great week for training and actually stuck by the schedule pretty closely. Tomorrow our group run is unofficial since we have off for Easter. A few of us who are in town are going to meet up and run our 6 miles together. It’s going to be absolutely beautiful, so I’m looking forward to it.

My Conversion

Once upon a time, I hated naps. I hated shutting off life midway through a beautiful day to make futile attempts to ”turn off” my brain and fall asleep. Even if did I fall asleep, I would be groggy for hours after I woke up, or I would freak out, believing I had woken 14 (as opposed to 2) hours later, missing work or a some other important event.

Typically an honor student, in my early years of education, I was bad ass at nap time. My teachers would hear me thrashing about or chatting with my neighbor and send me out of the room to sit in the hallway in shame (a punishment that I’ll never truly understand since the hallway was much more interesting than our dark playroom). As I progressed in my pursuit of knowledge, my hatred for naps remained unchanged. When I was sick in elementary school, I could never nap despite my mom’s insistence, and I would lay in my room with the lights turned off for the 30 minutes to an hour that my mother insisted on, staring at the ceiling or scuttling around trying to find a Kleenex. In college, while my friends would nap between classes, I would veg out in front of the T.V. or occasionally study. I just couldn’t nap.

However, my training has completed altered my napping beliefs and skills. Every Saturday after our group run, I come home, eat lunch, throw in a DVD, and float into napping bliss. I still wake up in a bit of a fog, but it’s completely worth it. My nap helps get me out of bed that morning, and I’m sad when it’s over that afternoon.

How did it take me 25 years to see the light?!


On a completely different note, I ran 5 miles on Saturday, and we’ve started our “hill work” (i.e., cruel-and-unusual punishment). My post-run nap was incredible.

Drying Out

This morning, I went to put on my sneakers before my morning run, and I realized that they were still wet from Sunday. Today is Tuesday, and since Sunday afternoon, they have been sitting in front of our heater, which has done a fairly good job of drying out everything else that got sopping wet this weekend, including my down parka. But not my running shoes. And they weren’t just a little damp; I took out the insoles to find drops of water on the other side. I had to throw on an old pair, and my blistery feet are not pleased at the moment.

If my shoes aren’t proof enough, let me reiterate: this weekend it rained... A LOT... 7 to 8 inches in fact! And I’m the moron who spent almost all of her weekend outdoors. Thanks to our Saturday morning group run, viewing apartments that afternoon, going on a pub crawl that evening, and running a 5K Sunday morning, I spent most of the weekend looking and feeling like a drowned rat. On top of the rain, there were 35-mile per hour sustained winds, and let me just offer you a word of advice - DO NOT cross the Mass. Ave. bridge in said conditions unless you would like swimmer’s ear without a pool.

However, despite the bleak conditions, I had fun overall. Over two days, I ran over 7 miles, and I had my best 4-mile run so far. Despite the weather and my lack of sleep (thanks to the pub crawl and daylight savings time), I finished the 5K in 32:17, which is not AMAZING but is my personal best.

I’m just crossing my fingers for good weather in San Diego!

The Calm Before The Storm

Another Friday, another early night.

With my 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning group runs, my Friday night social life has been placed on the back burner. The last few weekends, though, I haven't been as responsible as I'd like, and last week's run was a little tough after a few adult beverages at our monthly office happy hour. Tonight, however, I'm planning to hit the sack early and wake up "refreshed" (or somewhat less groggy and grumpy than usual).

My stricter routine this time around is thanks to a big weekend of running and "celebrating." As always, I have my group run tomorrow, but in addition, I'll be running a 5K on Sunday. On top of that, it's St. Patrick's Day weekend, an event that Boston takes seriously. In fact, the name of the race that I'll be running on Sunday translates to mean "the Race of Ireland" (I won't bother trying to spell the actual name, because it looks like gibberish), and our post-race activities are at various bars around Somerville (a suburb of Boston). A few of my teammates will be running it with me, and I convinced my speed-demon roommate, Brianna, to sign up too. Hopefully, there will be pictures that I can post next week.

All of this sounds fabulous, I know, but there's a small hitch: It's meant to rain buckets all weekend. Literally! The weatherman claimed that some areas may get doused with as much as 4 inches in 24 hours. I have friends who claim running in the rain is fun, but since I have yet to do so, I am doubtful. I will report back next week!

Fist Pumpin' Like Champs!

I know, I know! I've been slacking with my blog upkeep! However, I swear that I have legitimate excuses! Work's been beyond hectic, and my free time has been eaten away by various forms of Team In Training-related activities. On top of all that, I'm getting over a short-lived but epic stomach flu, which kept me chained to my bed for a good 24 hours.


This weekend a big weight was lifted off my shoulders, though. Saturday marked the date of my first charity event for TNT, a Jersey Shore (the popular and controversial MTV hit) pub crawl in New York City that I've been planning for about 2 months. You may be wondering, "Why would you plan a bar crawl in NYC when you live in Boston?!" Good question! I figured that most of my college friends lived in NYC and that since they are all immensely more popular than I am (that's not saying much), they would pull in a good-sized crowd. I'm happy to report that they did, even though a few people had to cancel because of yet another snow storm. The whole day was a lot of fun, and I made about $650!!! Here are some pictures:

With all of the funds from the bar crawl and thanks to everyone's generous donations from the start of my training, I've reached over 60% of my fundraising goal!! I need to keep working hard, but it's nice to be past 50%.

As for my training, there is nothing too significant to report. I ran (with some walking) 4 miles on Saturday at the gym before the pub crawl, and it felt pretty good. I need to venture back outside, but it's been hard with all the snow/cold rain/hurricane-force winds. I'm looking forward to San Diego and the summer!