Woes from the land of Nike+iPod...

So the good thing about training for a marathon is you wear out a pair of shoes and get to go SHOE SHOPPING!!! Which I love. I'm a girl that loves a new pair of shoes. I usually prefer snakeskin pumps or shiny navy blue 4 inch t-strap heels (both which I bought while home, pure hotness let me tell ya), but since training I'm all giddy for new running shoes.

So my Nikes were no good for my feet (in fact dare I say I really don't like Nike shoes for sport at all) so I went and got my shoes at a speciality running store back in Indiana. Nothing like jogging around in non-running clothes (aka no sports bra=boobs bouncing while I run) in front of two really hot college track and field guys. Yup. It was a bit mortifying, but they were impressed with me doing a marathon so 10 pts for Lisa there. Anyways, I found a really great shoe for me, New Balance (I believe they were 817 or something like that) and they make my feet feel great!

Downside is this damn Nike+iPod system. So I found all these online products and ways to hack your shoe to make it work with the iPod system. Since I wanted to instantly use my new shoes and not wait for a fancy contraption from online, I bought a little shoe pouch from Nathans, stuffed in the sensor with some tissue paper, and headed out for my 3mile workout yesterday.

It all seemed good at first, until I realized my pace was jumping from 14 mins a mile to 33 mins a mile. I was pissed, but I was laughing my head off because the idea of a 33 minute mile is hilarious to me nowadays. Thankfully I knew the distance of where I was running to, so I was able to complete the 3 miles with no skin off my back. But I have no idea what my pace was (which sucks because I was totally trucking it there for a bit) and also according to my iPod at the end of the 3 miles I had only ran .76 mile. Cindy (the given name of my iPod lady) told me my average pace was 145 mins a mile. HAHA. So thank you Nike+iPod for giving me the worst stats ever. I'm terrified to plug it in and send the info to my Nike profile. It's totally going to screw with my average pace. Eh well.

So I bought one of those handy gadgets online, and I should soon have my dilemma fixed.
Hurrah!

This weekend is 16 miles. Phew. This time I'll remember to charge my iPod all the way :)

Anyone else training? How are things going for you?

Lisa

An awesome milestone!

Sitting at Starbucks ordering my amtrak ticket home and making a fast post to let everyone know...

I DID 15 MILES!!!!

I can't freaking believe it. It just seriously amazes me. And I did it outside in humid weather I'm not use to at all, so I feel especially bad ass. Haha. Oh, and I did 7 miles with no iPod. Genius Lisa didn't charge her iPod so it crapped out at 8.21 miles. I then used my dad's garmin traking device, talked to myself for a bit, sung to myself, and then eventually dedicated the last 4 miles to different people to keep my going and get through it. I tell ya, that iPod of mine is a godsend.

So yes, my trip home has been great. Did a 7 mile, 4 mile, and 15 mile. Pretty awesome for a person that couldn't walk 7 miles, hell even a few miles, a few months ago. And I'm getting up early in the morning to go buy some new shoes. Because I've worn out my shoes. Haha.

Grandma also took me shopping while I was home. I bought shirts 2 sizes smaller than the shirts I wore in May. The capri pants I wore to my high school graduation party are so big that I can take them off without unbuttoning them. I bought 4 inch heels because I actually don't mind wearing heels because I have such strong leg muscles now.

Life is pretty freaking great :)

Back to Chicago tomorrow, and back to training Tuesday.

Lisa

ps Oh yeah, my Nike profile also gave me this link when I logged in. I rock hardcore :)

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/v1/html/milestones/print_certif.html?id=212902374®ion=us&language=en&locale=en_us&dateFormat=MM/DD/YY

Invading the blog again...

Hello all!

It's Emily again, posting because...well, just because I have access and I can. :-)

Lisa is away from Chicago and visiting her family this week, but don't think that means she's also taking a vacation from running. I talked to her on Wednesday, and she's been braving the heat, humidity, hills (ahh, the flat streets of Chicago!), and icky bugs to keep up with her workouts.

She even went on a run with her father. If they were puppies, that run would look kinda like this:


More details from her later!

Also, Lisa...you need to submit to this. (Ignore the deleted comment; I originally posted the link there and later edited the post to include it here instead.)

running running, as fast as you...

What a hectic week. Been working like crazy, a billion parties have gone down, and preparing for a visit from a good friend equals a very tired Lisa.

And a very stressed Lisa. Who is trying to get use to training again. I did 3miles one day this week, and 6.5 another, and a big 15 miles is coming up this weekend.

Really no new news. Just trying to get back into the swing of things and trying to stay positive right now during stressful times.

What's new with you?

I digress...Don't worry, I'll be back to regular post after I get this out :)

In an hour and a half I am meeting up with a running buddy and running for the first time in 2 weeks to the date. The last time I trained it was 10 miles and I felt euphoric. It feels like years ago rather than 2 weeks.

There are times when my mind ages so much faster than my body. I am going through one of those times. I am at a crossroads in my life on so many levels. I can choose which way my career goes, which way my heart goes, which way my health goes. It's all terrifying.

Lately, there are days and moments where I feel so alive. Not extraordinary moments, simple moments, like the smell of wet earth after rain or the gleam of sun on silver chrome on the train as I ride to work, that just absolutely strike me as beautiful, vivid, and alive. There are days when I want to hug the people walking past me on the street, tell them they are amazing to someone and to cheer up, tell them that being alive is enough to make my heart burst sometimes.

Maybe it's just the hormones talking, or maybe it's just that I feel so happy right where I am, despite all the chaos in my life. That for once I can finally step back and realize these small moments, these simple miracles for a change.

I'm off to run. Running to happiness, to better health, and to who I strive to be. I run not only to feel the sweat and blood pump through my body, but I run to truly be alive.

these things are true...

1. I don't want to go to work. I worked a double yesterday, and now I work again today. DON'T WANT TO GO!

2. I'm frustrated with all the hours I have to pull at my job, picking up extra shifts, in order to stay in Chicago. Being poor does not rock at all. At this point I wish I was still in college and not just graduated so I could be going back to class instead of worrying about why I don't have a job anywhere close to my field yet, and why I'm terrified to really try to get a job in my field. (YAY FOR TRANSITIONAL YEAR! or not...)

3. I haven't ran in over a week. Bad news bears. I've been tired from work and PMS-ing which leads to my next thing...

4. I'm on my period. This is good, because this is my 3rd consecutive period in a row, which for someone with polycystic, who never has her period, this is a good sign. BUT, I have horrible cramps, my skin is breaking out, I'm bloated and this is totally not making me want to run AT ALL.

but I did dance my ass off at Lollapalooza. So sweaty, so many calories burned. Gold star for that at least in my week of bad behavior.

QUESTION EVERYONE!!! Well, actually just to the girls out there. How do you all deal with running or training when it's that time of the month? Do you just skip the week? How do you all trudge through?

signing off, to head to work (groan) and hopefully get peppy again, I'm not a fan of grumpy Lisa, she's a bitch to live with...