Mile Repeat Day

Today we ran mile repeats on Kickapoo's track. It was great. We both ran well and the weather was perfect (please be race day weather!!!). This morning was the first time I felt good while running during this training session; my legs actually were doing what I wanted them to do. I can't describe how good that feels. When my body is cooperating I can tell it when to run harder/faster even if it causes a little pain. Runs like this morning is why I run. I can't wait to get back out and run again. Looking back I am actually surprised that I still want to get up and run because I haven't had this feeling in a while. It's a little late in the training schedule, but maybe that is good for me. I guess better late than never :) Thank you God!
Dustin is teaching motion today in class so he is using his mile times from this morning to give the students real world problems when doing average speed calculations, etc. He knows that the students are more interested in learning when you can give them real data instead of saying "student A ran..." or "if Thelma was driving towards Nothing Town at 60 mph, and Andy was driving away from Nothing Town at 35 mph...". (we all know that one!) He is such a great teacher!
No XC practice today after school so we actually get to hang out! Yay! I went to his meet yesterday and had a great time. It brought me back to high school XC meets, except I don't think I really enjoyed the running as much then. Actually I was thinking about mile repeat day and how it seemed so much more difficult. That is because it was - we ran at 3:30 in the heat through fields. Being at the HS races gave me chills - what a great sport!


Signs of fall: falling leaves, desire for big mug of hot chocolate

It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's TAPER time!

Within 5 minutes of being home from church I had my signature sweatpants and sweatshirt on. It's a little cold in the house right now because we have the windows open, about 65 degrees, but I don't mind because I get to wrap up in my sweats. Normally I hate being cold, but this morning I welcomed it. It really isn't that cold, just cold enough for sweats and hot chocolate. Perfect. Today was the best running conditions for a long run yet! It was in the low 50s with mist that changed in intensity. It was windy, but not too bad. Dustin remarked that "it feels like Chicago". He had to get to a golf tournament so he ran earlier than I. We were running on the trail so I waited to get up so that it would be light by the time I hit the trail so I could see it (and any creatures)! 20 minutes into my run I saw Dustin. He had told me a wrong turn the night before and wanted to make sure I went the right way. How sweet! He went out of his way to make sure I was okay. It was so nice to see him. We shared a kiss good bye under the mist and parted ways. Sounds romantic until you think about how gross we were from running and that we were at a stoplight. Hehe - fun anyways.
I saw 5 running groups on the trail including one group of our friends Teresa, Justin, Rachel, Chris, and Nala. It's fun to see familiar faces :)
We carb loaded last night at DiGiaCinto's. I would highly recommend the spinach lasagna and tirimisu.
This morning's 16 mile run was the longest run we have left until the race. I am excited for the race, but also ready to move on to other events. I have ran slow for most of this marathon training and it has been very frustrating. I'm not quite sure what is going on - I must be having a mental block. Dustin is running well though and I wish him all the best at Chicago! We start taper now...I am going to try and cut out high fatty foods for the next two weeks in hopes that I won't gain weight over taper time :) I am currently eying the snickerdoodle cookies in the kitchen...crap!

On the downhill slope

As I went to take Marlie for his morning walk, I grabbed my sweatshirt to put over a tank top, shorts, and flip flops since it is a cool, crisp day in September. NOT! I had to roll up my sleeves and was sweating by the end of the first road. It is so muggy!!! It was that way for our long run yesterday. We did 22 miles and ran for 1 hour in complete darkness to try and avoid some of the heat. It was 80-97% humidity with temperatures ranging from upper 60's to 70's. Hot, hot, hot! My goal was to maintain and survive and I did as I ran the whole 22 miles (not without complaining). Dustin said he did the "survivor shuffle" the last 2 miles...if you have ever ran a marathon either in high temps or when you have bonked you know exactly what this is!! I sure do (San Antonio 2008)!!! 22 miles is the longest we will run during training. This week we will finish with "race preparation" and next week starts our 2-week taper. After we ran we played 18 holes of golf at Rivercut with Mike and Nathan (Washam). It was fun, but Rivercut is hilly and gave our legs another nice workout. I'm not quite sure how Tuesday's speedwork will go - I have a feeling we will be a bit sore :)
~Aimee
P. S. No signs of fall, its too hot!!

Running in Republic

Because of other commitments, Dustin and I had to run 10 miles before his XC practice started, before school. So, we got up at 4:00 and headed to Republic so we could at least get 8 miles in before we finished by running a few miles with the students. It was a great morning. We got lost and ended up on an adventure. We saw a spray paint arrow and decided it must have been from the May day 5K. Then we took a side trail that cut through a neighborhood. Finally, we saw Wal-mart which basically meant that we were no where near where we needed to be. We ended up right where we started and after 3 miles of running around, decided to take a 5 mile loop with which Dustin is familiar. Kinda funny, but we kept up a really good pace. We saw Julie B out for a run with a friend (at least we think it was her - it was dark, and we think she yelled Dustin's name). Who knew Republic's neighborhoods were so windy (I mean curvy, not wind gusts...I guess they are the same words??? Apparently I have never written windy) Anyways...

Should be a great weekend! Taper weeks are coming up. So is the Washam 5K!

More signs of fall: the Halloween candy aisle- I'm not really into candy but the shinny wrappers are fun, ads for Halloween costumes, pumpkin baked goods (did you know that because of last year's bad crop, Libby has NO canned pumpkin until October! I had to get some at Mama Jeans).

And the winner is....

Congratulations to Ashley B, Ilene W, and Mike W for being the first to register for the Washam 5K and Post Party!!! You win all-you-can-drink beer on the night of October 16th! Congrats!

To everyone else- don't wait to send in your forms. I have received forms from others - feel free to email to be sure I received the form. And, yes, you are available....and, yes, you can make it 3.1 miles. I believe in you!
~Aimee

Getting Easier

A week or so ago I got to the point in the marathon training where the runs aren't as scary (at least for me). When I start a training plan, the runs over 13 miles seem so daunting. But now, after I have a few under my belt, it doesn't seem so bad. I am at a point where the schedule tells me how far, and I just say, "ok", and head out for my run. No big deal. It could also be because the end is in sight. Peak week is over and gone. We only have one 20-mile run remaining. This coming Sunday is one month from race day! Yee haw.

Helping others at the Washam 5K

This year the Washam 5K is having an optional food drive. Participants (and nonparticipants!) can bring in nonperishable items which will be donated to the pantry at Grand Oaks Mission. Here are some more ideas for items that you can bring: jelly, mac n cheese, canned goods (spinach, corn, peas, carrots, soups, kidney beans, green beans, chicken), boxes of cereal, cans of tuna (in water), crackers, spaghetti noodles and spaghetti sauce. Those in need really appreciate your donations! If you aren't going to be at the 5K, but still want to donate, you can bring your goods the week before the race and I will make sure it gets to the mission.
Enjoy the weekend!
~Aimee

I beat Dustin this morning by 3 minutes!

That's right! My time beat Dustin's time this morning. Can you believe it?!!??? Ok, so I guess I should tell you that I cheated a little bit. This morning was an 11 mile run. Anything over 10 I always take my belt for hydration and carbs. But, today I didn't feel like filling my belt, wearing the belt, and then cleaning the bottles. So, I decided I would run 9 instead of 11. I felt so devilish. At the 4.5 mile turnaround point I actually caught myself let out a little giggle. I didn't do what the training plan told me to do today, and I felt pretty stinkin cool about it. I don't think come marathon race day it is going to matter if one time I ran 9 instead of 11. hehehehe - I still have a smirk on my face.
Dustin caught up to me with about 1.5 miles to go (he left the house before me). He is lucky my mace was holstered. He ran the rest of the way home with me, which was nice. We both talked about how heavy our legs felt. Peak week took it out of us!
So, yes, I beat Dustin. But I ran 2 less miles than he did :)
~Aimee
P.S. Another sign of fall - the Washam 5K registration forms are out! Do you have favorite signs of fall that you have seen? Email them to me and I will post them - or leave them as a comment. I LOVE fall!
P.S.S. I have officially lost 2 of the 5 pounds that I gained from training. Yeah!!! I have been keeping a food journal and if I can keep it up I will be able to lose the 5 by race day. I took a few steps back because of 417's restaurant month. That month was fun, but sometimes I would get so full that I couldn't sleep at night! Geez. Even though I am writing everything down, I still tend to go over a bit and if I am hungry I will eat. That is my body telling me to refuel. I just try not to refuel with cupcakes (as much) anymore.

Basic training program for 5K

If you are interested in training for the Washam 5K, but you are totally out of shape, here is a suggested training regiment to help you feel ready. You can jog, run, or walk:

Week 1 (starting september 5): jog 15 minutes three times this week
Week 2 (9/12): 15 minutes (4 times)
Week 3 (9/19): 15 minutes (1 time), 20 minutes (3 times)
Week 4 (9/26): 20 minutes (4 times), 25 minutes (1 time)
Week 5 (10/3): 25 minutes (3 times), 30 minutes (2 times)
week 6 (10/10): 25 minutes (2 times), 30 minutes (2 times towards the beginning of the week), don't run the morning of the Washam 5K - Good luck!
*Cross training (swimming, biking, etc) on off days helps keep your cardio levels up but mixes things up a bit.

Keep in mind this is a VERY basic plan. Feel free to change it around or search the internet for a plan that better fits your fitness needs.
There is one hill in the race, but you go up it twice. It is the bridge that goes over Kansas Expy on the South Creek trail. You may want to add a hill or two into your training.

If you are looking for a PR - this is a great course. It is flat (except for the Kansas hill) and so laid back that many people have run some of their best 5K times. Try adding in a little speed work during your weekly workouts to lower your time.

Best of luck!
~Aimee

The perfect run.

Saturday we had a perfect run. We didn't hit a PR and magical sparks didn't fly as we finished, but in this world it was as perfect as it gets. Perfect weather: in the 50's! Perfect running attire: for me I love when the temperature is perfect for shorts and a long-sleeve tech tee, Dustin prefers his long running shorts (he refuses to wear the short ones that cut up the thigh) and a short-sleeved tech tee. The perfect company: each other, duh! The perfect pace: it didn't even seem like we were running since we chatted the whole way. It also didn't help that we were excited to take off for the MU/Il Arch Rivalry game as soon as we got back. This is why we run.
~Aimee
Btw...A more signs of fall...fall scents (warm amber-wore it today), keeping our windows open, the fall edition of our prayer books at church. Gotta love it!

Signs of fall

I've been taking notice of the signs of fall (my favorite season) lately: temperature lows in the 50's / high's in the 70's, pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks, being able to hear the Parkview band practicing in the morning, seeing pumpkin patches. Soon, the leaves will be turning colors and falling to the ground. My favorite sign is when Andy's has the Great Pumpkin Pie concrete which is the best thing that Andy's makes. It's up there with the Ozark Turtle. All I need now is to check my (e-)mail and see an invitation to a hayride/bonfire, and possibly a Halloween costume party :). I just love fall. It makes me so happy.
Nevertheless, the 12 mile run this morning was very pleasant. I didn't run very fast, especially the first 6 miles, but it was a nice run because the weather was fantastic. We had planned to run the trails but changed that plan after last night's rain. I'm not sure why I felt so weak. I have been known to be deficient in vitamins, minerals, and white blood cells, but it might just be because it is peak week and today makes 30 miles already! I think I might contact my general practitioner (whoever that is - I met him once 3 years ago) and get a little wellness checkup. It never hurts. In the mean time, I'll be sure to add in a sweet potato at lunch (potassium) and leafy greens with chicken for dinner (iron). Maybe that will do the trick :)
I hope you all get to enjoy the amazing weather this weekend! Happy Labor Day!

It's Peak Week!!!

We are running 55 miles this week.
We have not had rain in such a long time that it took us by surprise this morning. I ended up running the full 12 mile tempo run inside of Cox Fitness Center and Dustin decided to split his run between the morning and cross country practice. He should be at practice right now and it is pouring rain! He is still having practice outside- that's a hard core XC coach :) Actually some of my favorite memories of high school XC were when it rained. I hope they are having fun.
(just got a call from Dustin - no XC practice because of lightening)