Best way to spend Christmas Day?

Running around the neighborhood you grew up in! Or as I like to call it "The awkward childhood tour." I ran by all the schools I went to, friends houses, and other significant locations. It was hilarious, and oh so quiet. No one else around at all.

The other great part was that I got a super rad water bottle fanny back from my sis and I got to test it out. Unfortunately three steps into the run, the water bottle shot out of its holder. I put it back and it happened again. I pulled it up super high so it wouldn't be resting on my booty and it happened again! Don't worry I ended up Rosie the Riveter-ing the crap out of that thing and it works perfectly!

Who knew that one day my favorite thing about Christmas would be a seven mile run?

Cut yourself a break.

Last week I kind of wussed out on a few of my runs. The week prior I had my two hour run, and then another good 60 mins with Jenne, and four awesome miles on the hills. After that no more. I got kind of sick and then just got busy. I was racked with guilt the entire week. It was all I could think about. I felt so guilty, and then mad at myself for feeling that way. All in all, uncomfortable.

This training program has been awesome at keeping me on track but is also sometimes making it hard for me to live my life and RELAX. I have decided to to lay off myself, or at least try, in the following year. I used to be undisciplined and had a low level of guilt for YEARS because I never worked out consistently and when I did it was half-assed for short periods of time (I had the fat face to prove it). Something changed this year and I have gone completely to the other side and almost over the edge. Gotta chill out, man. Gotta chill.

Hills conquered/Marathon picked!

The hills in my new neighborhood are killer. I never appreciated how flat Tualatin was until now. I have been running on them for a few weeks now and I usually have to stop and walk up this one because its long and steep. Not today my friends, not today. I was determined to get over them and the distance I ran today had me going over them twice. I kinda wanted to cry and it was super slow, but I did it! There was a senior citizen walking club on my ass the entire time. I'm that slow.

My training calendar went from minutes to miles this week. The first six weeks are by minutes, in order to trick your body into thinking its a distance runner, and then it transfers over to miles so you cans tart working on your time, I guess. There are little inspirational quotes and the top of each week from the author and this weeks says, "this is were the fun stops." I am afraid she might be right.

I finally picked a marathon which is very exciting. I am planning on running the Oakland Running Festival Marathon on March 27th, 2011!!!

We need to slow it down.

Just when I thought my runs couldn't get any better, or safer I might add, Jenne got me the best birthday present ever! What up head lamp! We looked so rad in our matching head lamps, and the terrain seemed extra rocky tonight as special added bonus. I actually think Jenne stumbled more than before the head lamps, but whatev. Also it kind of feels like a rubber band around my brain but in a good way. I don't know how we ever got by without them.

We ran for 60 minutes tonight and it was HARD. I am reading this book called Women Who Run, that I picked up at the library last week for some extra motivation. I couldn't finish any runs at the beginning of last week and I was super annoyed with myself. I thought maybe if I read about running it would inspire greatness. It is kind of working I guess. I really appreciated the intro ( I haven't gotten very far obviously) where the author talks about how each run is different and sometimes your legs just feel like lead and the run goes poorly, or something like that. Every day feels different. The hills are KILLING me, but the long runs seem more manageable. I can't quite figure it out but as long as I finish it, who really cares.

To head lamps!

The longest run in the history of Erin...

I read a book about eight weeks ago called The Non-Runners Guide to Running a Marathon for Women. It rocked my world. I started training right away and appreciated how honest the author was. My favorite part (because I am a nerd) was the training calendar. I work best when someone just tells me exactly what to do and a calendar with minutes and miles on it was right up my alley. I could just imagine crossing the days off with my rainbow assortment of Sharpies (and it is all I hoped it would be.) When I first looked at the calendar, the thing that I couldn't get over was that at some point in the near future, I was going to run for 115 minutes. Really, that is just a fancy way of saying two hours. 115 minutes! Scary scary scary! It was even scarier than the 22 miles that come up in a few months because at that point I figure I will be so far off the deep end, it will no longer matter. I will just be some crazy lady waddling down the path for hours on end.

Well, I did it. I ran for 115 minutes ( a lil over 10 miles.) I can't walk today, but I am feeling pretty bad ass none-the-less.  Two hours is a LONG time to be alone with your own thoughts. Yikes.

The worst part was running by Claim Jumper, McDonalds, and freaking Outback...the blooming onions could be smelt from miles around and it was barf inducing the entire time. I also don't like running over dead animals. That part is kind of lame. I also hate it when my ipod craps out on my with like 40 minutes to go. So cruel. I also hate it when short little women speed by me with their stupid dogs. But I love running, I really do.