Riverdale Runner

Did I give up?

2011-02-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

No, I didn't. In fact, I just completed my 4th 1/2 Marathon this last weekend. So why the long break? I really do not have a good excuse. I was pregnant. Actually, 2 days after my last post in 2009, I had a misscarriage. It was somewhat hard on me, and I will admit that I somewhat blamed all the training (running, swimming, biking) for it. However, within the next month, I was pregnant again. This one went well and I delivered a little boy in March of 2010. He was 6 weeks early and ended up staying in the NICU for a month and having two major surgeries. I started running again, seriously last summer, and started training for my 1/2 marathon in November of 2010. The training this time around went really well. It was not as much of a struggle to get out the door and get the miles in. I don't know why exactly, but there were not the tears that accompanied the training I did after I had my little girl in 2008. That was somewhat surprising to me, especially considering that this time I was pushing a double stroller with over 50lbs of little ones in it for most of my runs. I decided to run the Myrtle Beach 1/2 marathon. 2 reasons: It gets my hubby back close to home for a visit, and it was the first 1/2 I ran (5 years ago). The race went well and I was actually only about 20 secs slower that the first time I ran it (and I think I really could have beat my original time if I had not had some serious GI problems that required me to visit a few of the porta potties (waiting in line) along the route). Now I am in the process of trying to find another 1/2 to run, hopefully with the month. The problem is finding a Saturday race, somewhat local. I do not run on Sundays. I truly believe in a day of rest (both for religious and personal reasons). I am also looking at some more sprint triathlons. I have a friend who will be running a marathon at the end of May, but then would like to try a triathlon. It will be a lot of fun to do one with her.
So, I plan to start writing a little more (if anyone is even interested :0 ) I will also get my mileage uploaded from my Nike+ so that you can see that I really am not slacking :)
Oh, side note. The person who won the Myrtle Beach marathon was a 39 year old woman. I am so impressed. Although I do not have grandeur of winning a marathon, it makes me think of the possibilities, even at 39 (which I still have a few years to get to it), with some training and dedication.

We did it!!

2009-07-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

We rode a little over 21 miles in one morning. My sister, her husband and I met about a quarter to 6am to go. We actually didn't get on the road until about a quarter to 7. I started out on my new road bike, BIL took my mountain bike with the pump and drinks in the toddler seat, and my sister was on my dad's monster bike (my dad is 6'7" so his bike is a big bike, but is is quite light and oh, so comfy). We road like that about the first twelve miles, where we switched. I took the mountain bike, BIL took the monster bike and sis tried the road bike. The mountain bike was making some noises when I first started out, so I yelled back to sis that I had to stop. I guess that she didn't hear me, because I could tell from her reaction that my slowing down to stop was surprising her. I decided to do some quick pedals to get a little more ahead of her before I stopped so that she wouldn't run into the back of me. As I was stopping, I heard BIL yell that they needed some CPR back there. I looked back and sis was on the ground. It seems that when she hit her brakes she only hit the front ones, causing her to go over the handle bars of the road bike. She landed in the ditch. When I got back there, she was laughing. I made her stay on the ground until I could snap a pic with my phone. {Sis had an accident!!!}

She rode the road bike a little more and then switched back to the oh so comfy monster bike.
When we were about 2.5 miles from home, mom met us with BIL's and Sis's two oldest girls who were dying to ride with us. They did an awesome job riding their bikes the rest of the way home with us.{one of my speedy nieces}
BIL and Sis were great sports, especially considering they hadn't done any riding before that day. We were of course a little sore the next day, but it really was a beautiful ride. the weather was nice that morning and it was pretty relaxing. It was also nice to ride my road bike for that long to be able to know that I could go that distance on it before the triathlon on Saturday.

I haven't been slacking, I promise

2009-07-09T14:07:00.001-07:00

I know there has not been a lot of activity on my blog this last week, but it doesn't mean that I haven't been active. I have been running, biking, and swimming. On Monday, I talked my cute cousin into riding bikes with me. We did a little over 9 miles. Tuesday, my brother and the FLTP went riding with me and then my sister went for a jog with me. {FLTP fell asleep on our ride, that is my little brother behind her}
Wednesday, I came and used the rec pool here in Kansas where we have been spending a little time with family. I then ran to the high school track and ran a few laps. It was really nice (especially since my hometown does not allow the public to use the nice high school track). The morning was beautiful. And there were about a dozen other runners/walkers, so I had some company for a little.
Today I took off running on a country road that you could literally run a marathon on without ever having to turn. The road is straight and flat and goes for over 40 miles. I only ran a couple.{corn field and harvested wheat fields for as far as the eye can see}
I then headed into the pool for a few laps.
Tomorrow in a big biking day. I will be riding 20 miles with my brother and sister. My brother has to do it for a merrit badge type thing, so I said I would do it with him. We are starting as soon as it is light in the morning. Should be fun {:

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-07-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

With this Tri for Your Cause just over 2 weeks away, I have put the focus back onto training for it. I have been out on the bike (both mountain and road) at least a little everyday this week so far. I also hit the pool nice and early this morning (5:30am) for some good ol' lap swimming. I am happy to say that my pool time was about 2 minutes faster this morning. I really concentrated on not taking breathers between laps and to just keep moving, even if I had to do a frog kick to do so :) I would like to be in the pool at least twice each week until the race and on the bike at least 3 times a week. Running will stay the same as it has been, hopefully. I just cannot believe how fast this tri in creeping up on me.

{She DID IT!!!}

2009-06-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

Melissa did it!! She ran her first 5k race!!! Way to go girl!!! We ran the Undy 5000 together. This was the inagurual race in here in Denver, but it had a great turnout. And yes, there were people in their undies. I was on the lookout for the team called "Real Men Wear Thongs" but I didn't see them. Most of the undy wearers were high school/early twenty gals. I did see a guy in just his tighty-whities. {Not the best picture, but what can you do}
Melissa had great 1st mile, chopping an entire minute of her training pace. We did great until the end of the 2nd mile where it was uphill for awhile. She has not had the opportunity to train on a hill like that yet, so it took a lot out of her. Luckily, we got to run down that same hill, allowing her time to recover and finish the race well. She finished in 47:14 (by my watch time, I have not found the chip results yet). That is a 15:15 mile which is well under her training mile times.
I cannot tell you how much fun it has been to train her for this race and then to see her complete it. I feel such a sense of accomplishment (and yes I am so proud of her). Her next goal in to increase her speed. I will keep you posted on how we do that. We will be taking the next few weeks easy since we both will be doing a little traveling and I am preparing for the Tri For Your Cause. But once that is done, we will be back in full force and faster than ever :)

Tri For Your Cause

2009-06-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

I went and bought a road bike yesterday (one I saw listed on Craig's List that is actually tall enough for me). Why? Because I am doing a triathlon in July. I have chosen to do the Tri For Your Cause at Mile High. I have a friend that is already signed up for this race and I had been undecided about it. I had looked through their list of charities and did not really recognize any of them. They had a little blurb that said you could email them about adding your charity to the list. I decided to try. I sent them an email with all the required information. They replied. "If you will be participating in the race, we will add your charity." So guess what, I am participating.

What organization did I choose? I chose Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS). This charity is actually a Colorado based one as well. NILMDTS was first brought to my attention several months ago by a sweet digital scrapbooking friend who benefited from their services. NILMDTS provides an invaluable service to families who will not be bringing their precious baby home from the hospital. They offer gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner that is the heart of this organization. The soft, gentle heirloom photographs of these beautiful babies are an important part of the healing process. They allow families to honor and cherish their babies, and share the spirits of their lives. And they provide this priceless service at no cost to the family.

I urge you to go check out the NILMDTS website. I will warn your that it is an emotional experience. Each time I visit this site I come away vowing to not take the everyday moments for granted because they are truly a blessing.

If you would like to donate to NILMDTS through Tri For Your Cause at Mile High, you can visit my race donation site HERE and make a donation. All money raise will go to NILMDTS to assist them in providing priceless memories for families.

300 Miles

2009-06-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

I have logged over 300 miles of running since I started keeping track of them in mid January. I am amazed at myself for that. Especially considering the last month has not had as many running miles logged. I wonder how long it will take me to get to 400. I'm on my way.
I lost Melissa yesterday. I was actually 5 minutes early (I usually show up right at 7am). When I pulled up to our meeting place, I saw Melissa already walking up ahead towards our running trail. I unloaded FLTP and put her in the jogging stroller, then headed toward the trail. I thought I was going to catch her and I was even moving at a pretty decent pace, but I never did catch her. I knew she was ahead of me because I passed a couple from church that were out for a walk and they said, "You are behind girl." I am guessing Melissa had other stuff going on that morning so she needed to get running over with. I hope her run went well since it was the longest distance she has done so far. One week to the Undy 5000.

Bad Weekend for a Half Marathon

2009-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

{We Ran Around This Mountain. SO Beautiful}

Ouch!! Ouch!! Ouch!!!
I did it, I finished and I survived the Run the Rockies 1/2 Marathon.
Heather did, she finished it and she survived the Rocky Mountain 1/2 Marathon
Just please don't ask us about our times. :) No actually, I will share mine with you. So my race was in conjunction with a 10k. The 10k runners were with us the first 5.5 miles and it was 100% downhill. The gal from DH's work decided to run the 10k part. We started up at Copper Mountain and ran on the bike path that followed the stream and I-70.{Elizabeth and I at the Start}
What an incredible 10k run. I highly recommend it. We ran in the sun for a little and just as you were thinking it was getting too warm, the trail would run into the shade and because it was in the mountains, it cooled you off so wonderfully well. Poor Elizabeth, I don't know how many times I turned to here and said, "This is FANTASTIC" and it really was. And all that beautiful scenery, crisp mountain air and the downhill made for an incredible 6m time for me. When I crossed the 6 mile marker I was at 1:04:00. That is an INCREDIBLE time for me.{Elizabeth at about mile 2}
Oh, how I wish I could have kept it up. At about mile 7 I started to feel some shin splints in my right calf. Now this is only the second time I have ever had shin splints, so I decided, oh, I'll just keep running. I was able to do that for about 2 more miles. But you see, the problem with an injury on one leg/foot is that you start to favor that leg/foot (even if you don't realize it) and that puts strain on your knees and hips. So at the turn around point at the 9 miles, I stopped to walk and drink my water (I drank so much water during the race, a full cup at each pit stop and my entire water bottle, I never drink that much during a race. I think it may have been due to the altitude, +9000ft the entire race). I tried to start running again and I hurt. I hobbled along for a little and just had to walk. Usually I have to make myself walk if injury is threatening, but not this time. It hurt and it was all I could do to even walk. So I ended up walking the majority of the last 4 miles. I would jog for as long as I could stand it and then walk until I felt like I could maybe jog. There was actually a moment when I questioned if I would even be able to finish walking it. I did. My gun time was 2:46:06, my watch time (they did not have chips) was 2:45:49 So it was over 12 minute miles. SOOOOOO SLOW, even for me :)
It is so totally my fault. I did not respect the 1/2 marathon like I should have and did not put the proper training in for it and now I am paying for it. I think I need to just focus. I have been training or trying too much. I do the 5k training with Melissa, I do the tri training, and I try to run a 1/2. What on earth am I thinking? CRAZY LADY. I do love the 1/2 marathon, but before I do another one, I need to put the proper training if for it. However, right now, I am sticking with the 5k distance for a little.

Am I crazy?!

2009-06-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

If any of you know me personally, you are shaking your head affirmatively to that question. The results from the Brighton Sole Stroll are not so great. I did it in 34:09 or 11:01 min/mile. I realize that I should not be upset with it since I had literally done a triathlon the night before. My legs were laughing at me when I started the 5k :) But I made it through, and I am so glad I ran the Sole Stroll. I really think it helped reduce any achyness from the triathlon. I was sore before I started, but really had little to no soreness for the rest of the weekend after running the Sole Stroll.
So for the crazy part. I am running a 1/2 Marathon tomorrow. I decided to run it because a gal at DH's work wanted to run another one (she ran her first about a month ago), so I said, "I'll run the one in Frisco with you." Well, she took me up on it. But now it looks like I will be running it alone since she has been dealing with some pretty serious foot injury this last week. What is it with 1/2 Marathons? I keep having to run them by myself. I am not supper worried about this race, mainly because I don't really have any goals for it besides finishing. It would be nice to beat my Labor of Love 1/2 time, but since I have been focusing on the tri training since then, I have not put in the distance or time needed to really do that (or we will see). The longest distance I have run since my last 1/2 marathon is 6.5 miles. So, we will see how it goes. At I least I was smarter in choosing this one to run since 75% of it is downhill.

{tHe ReSuLtS aRe In}

2009-06-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

Teri
Swim-28:17
Transition-3:57
Bike-1:00:44
Transition-0:31
Run-31:14
Total-2:04:40
Heather
Swim-36:00
Transition-1:57
Bike-50:51Transition-0:55
Run- 34:52
Total-2:04:33

As you can see, the biking is where I did the worse. I caught up to H at the end of the run, but she was able to give it one last burst of speed that I just could not find and crossed just seconds before I did. I will admit that it was very, very frustrating. I did so well in the swimming and running, that I should have been out ahead in the lead, but she was able to catch me and pass me in the biking. She also had a great transition time for the first transition. I would really like to try another triathlon with a road bike (or skinny tire bike) just too see if I am that terrible of a cyclist or if my mountain bike is making that big of a difference. I did have the slick tires on my mountain bike and I did notice a difference with them, but still not enough to get me across the finish line first. I want to try it with a road bike to see if I should have been mad at myself last night or mad at my bike :) I am just happy to say I have done it and I can mark that off my goal list. Note to self for triathlon: bring sunglasses, bring two towels, bring water to spray off feet after the swim, check swim goggles (mine broke right before the swim. I was actually the last person in the water because I was trying to fix my goggles, no luck){at least I look like a triathlete :) }{What a GOOFY shot!}
This has been the last 26 hours for me: 6/5 7am, run 2 miles with Melissa, walk 1/2 a mile, 6/5 6pm complete sprint triathlon (.5 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run), 6/6 8am run the Brighton Sole Stroll 5k. I will post more about the Sole Stroll when I get the results. Needless to say I am tired, but in truth, the Sole Stroll has greatly reduced any achy-ness that I was feeling.

{aLmOsT tImE}

2009-06-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

So we are just a few hours away from the triathlon. H just left. She came to get her hair braided for the race and we went over our list of things we needed to take, again (and then one more time). She is getting butterflies now as well. I don't really have butterflies anymore, I am now getting to the point of "Let's get this done." And I am getting a little excited. I did go test ride a road bike this morning and was amazed at how light it was compared to my bike. Wow!
Melissa ran TWO MILES straight this morning. She is 2/3rds of the way there and doing so awesome. It has been great to train with her, because it helps me to keep up with all my training. Why? Because she always asks me about as we are jogging around the track. Knowing she is going to ask (or anyone for that matter) gets me out the door so that I can have something positive to report. We have 3 weeks of training left until the 5k race. I am so excited for Melissa to do her first 5K and she has another friend that is going to join her that day. So cool to having running friends.

Nervous Nelly

2009-06-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

So the Metro Triathlon Friday is less that 48 hours away now and I am so nervous. Why? There are a couple of reasons. 1. Although I have been training for it, I do not feel like I have been able to put in the training time I would like. 2. My bike time is terrible and I really want to do better. 3. I am worried about getting in the way of the veteran triathletes.

I am a very goal oriented person and usually have a schedule or plan for how I will reach my goals. So completing a triathlon in a goal of mine, but I have not been able to follow the training plan as well as I would like. That makes me nervous. I am just very grateful that I tried all three events together a few weekends ago. At least I know I can do, even if I am slow.
I really feel like my bike time should be faster than it is. I have been trying to borrow a road bike to see if it makes a difference, but have had no luck. SO I found one for $10 on craigslist. I knew it needed some work, but when I took it to the bike shop they said it wasn't worth their time or my money :( So I bought these new tires for my mountain bike that are smoother and are supposed to make it more like a road bike. I spent the afternoon putting them on, so I have not tried them out yet. We shall see. The junk bike is back on craigslist to see if there is anyone out there who wants to take the project on for themselves :)
I do worry about getting in the way of the veterans, especially in the biking. There are so many rules about drafting, following, and passing that I am afraid I am going to goof one of them up and cause problems for a veteran. Of course, as slow as I am I should not have too many people around me to worry about :0
So, as you can see, the biking part is what is making me the most nervous. I know my swimming could definitely use improvement, but it is not terrible. I have borrowed a couple of wet suits and need to actually try them on. That will be a little fun project for tomorrow :)
On a completely different note: I bought a pair of roller blades at a garage sale this weekend. I tried them out tonight. I have been ice skating a few times in my life and done ok (except the first time when I passed out when my head made hard contact with the ice :) ) Anyways, I looked like my niece trying out her Heelys this last weekend. Hopefully I can catch on as fast as she did. Just another something I want to try.

Stepping up!

2009-05-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

I was not so good about getting out last week after running the Bolder Boulder. I had family (lots of family) come into town on Thursday for FLTP's birthday. If that was not enough to throw training off, FLTP has been sick since Wednesday (fever, vomiting, not eating or drinking). She is so cuddly right now (when she is healthy, she does not cuddle) and of course all I want to do is hold her and cuddle her and try to make it all better. So needless to say, it has been crazy. And I am still thinking I am crazy for thinking I can do this tri this coming Friday. We'll see how it goes. My efforts to track down a road bike (or simply a bike with smooth tires, not mountain tires like mine) that I can borrow for the race has not proved fruitful yet, so it looks like I may have to haul the mountain bike there and ride it.
Our Undy 5000 training is really stepping it up this week. Take a look at the side bar to see the schedule. Melissa is doing awesome and I feel terrible that she had to do two days on her own this last week. We are now less than a month away from the race.

Random

2009-05-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to include this random picture from my week. We were on our way home from DH's softball game and I saw this guy in the middle of the road. I made DH turn around so I could chase him off the road so he wouldn't get squashed. When we got back, another member of the softball team had already stopped and was scooting him to the side. I decided to grab a picture real quick. That is a quarter on his back. He just sat there while I took his picture and actually caused a little traffic jam as everyone else had to see what we were up to.

Bolder Boulder

2009-05-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

I got up very early on Monday morning, while DH slept in, to go run the Bolder Boulder. I left the house a quarter to 6am. I was worried about where I was going to park and the time it would take to get the the start. You see, the Boulder Bolder does not provide shuttles to the start. RTD (Denver public transit system) does, but the race itself does not. You also have to PAY for the bus ride and in some cases, for parking. Now I realize the Bolder Boulder is a massive race, so the logistics of having parking and shuttle service would be a nightmare, but I have run other massive races where they seemed to pull it off ok (we often would have to park about 6 miles away and then catch a ride on a school bus/shuttle). And they did it for free. I would think that a shuttle fee would be included in the already hefty registration fee.

Anyways, I parked at a park'n'ride and paid my $4 to ride the bus to the start. The bus ride took a 1/2 hour to get there (partly because we had other stops). I was sitting next to a gal that missed her start time. I got to the start and had to use the porta-potty but the line was literally down the block. It looked like there was only 10 porta-potties (for a race of 50,0000+?!) I soon realized that there were MANY more porta-potties and many of them had not line at all (those poor people waiting in that line around the block).
With that taken care of I headed for my starting group. I was in GB, with a start time of 7:39 am. The picture is of the starting area. The Bolder Boulder has 80 starting waves and you have to have a qualifying time of 61:59 to be in the first 20 I believe. I did not have an official qualifying time and I was not going to go run on their treadmill to get one, so I was not in a qualifying wave. When my wave got to start, the race clock was at 40 minutes and 4 seconds. That meant that much time had already passed since the very first runners had headed across the start line. It also meant that most of them were already finished with the race. My first mile was a fast one. By mile 3 I was hurting quite a bit and actually stopped and walked as a drank my Gatorade (I often chug on the run). Once the Gatorade was down, I started running again and tried to make up for the little time of walking. The Bolder Boulder had several bands along the route for entertainment, but the best entertainment was not the Bolder Boulder sponsored ones. There were belly dancers, older women in tutus dancing around, a slip'n'slide, folks handing out bacon and sausage and the beer stands. Yup, there were several groups of guys that had beer stands set up (just like the aid stands along the course) and were handing out free beer to the runners. I will say that the Bolder Boulder was the absolute best marked course I have ever run. They had all miles and kilometers marked with banners over the course. I was so glad to finally get the the 9 kilometer banner. We had a hill to run up and then turned toward the stadium. I thought I was basically done by that point and was somewhat disappointed to enter the stadium and realize I had to run half-way around the field to get to the finish. I was so tired and it just seemed so far. I did it and I also recorded a personal record for a 10k. I finished in 1:06:07. That is a 10:38min/mile rate. I would have liked to have been closer to 62 minutes, but I am still pleased with my time, especially considering that running has not been a focus of my training lately. It was so nice to run a race again though. It got me looking forward to running another.
I picked up my snack back and then visited some of the vendors stands. There was one that had a large poster/banner of a triathlete and I heard these high school age boys next to me say, "Why would anyone do a triathlon?" I just smiled and thought to myself, "Yeah, why?" I am excited to try it next week, but I think running will be my thing. I was asked by a friend this weekend what was harder: doing all three tri-events at once or running a 1/2 marathon. Right now, it is the tri. It is kicking my hind end, but it is good to push myself in that way.

.5 & 11.5 and 3.2

2009-05-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

SwIm.........BiKe.............RuN
DH didn't have his first football game until noon today so that meant that I would be able to have most of the morning for training. I have been wanting to try all three events together, but that is hard since the rec doesn't open until 7 am on Saturdays and DH usually has a game at 9 am. That is not enough time to fit it all in without having to come home and grab the FLTP. This was the morning to try it. I really needed to try it at least once before the actual race. It is a mental thing. So I rode my bike over to the rec and swam my .5 miles there. I didn't worry about form as much, but more about finishing the distance in a decent time. I freestyled, I backstroked, I frog kicked. I just kept telling myself, "Any means necessary to finish the distance." I finished within a 1/2 hour and got ready for the bike ride. I really need to work on my transition. It took 10+ minutes to get going on the bike. I know it will be less on the race day because I will not have to deal with unlocking my locker at the rec and the unlocking my bike and all the in between. The biking....well, I really need to figure it out better. I just get so tired sometimes and feel like I cannot pedal anymore. And I feel like I am soooooooo slow. I don't know what a respectable time is for a 11.5 mile bike ride, but I a sure mine is not ideal. Needless to say, I was happy to have the biking portion over with and finally be at the event I can do. Or so I thought. When I started running it felt like my legs were not moving how they should. It was painful. No, not so much painful as awkward. I seriously doubted if I would be able to run my planned route, but I kept going and it actually got easier as my legs adjusted. I finished the 3.2 mile loop in a decent time for myself, especially considering that I had already exerted myself quite a bit. The bike ride home was a little painful, but not too bad because I was going off the high of knowing I had just completed all three triathlon events back-to-back. What was my time for it all? I would rather not say, but I will say that I could probably run a 1/2 marathon in that same amount of time. It is just a big confidence builder for me as I get closer to my 1st triathlon (less than 2 weeks).

Snakes Alive!!!

2009-05-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

I met up with Melissa again this morning for training. She is doing so well. After she left I did a little speed workout. It is so good that I am meeting Melissa at the track to train. The track is the absolute best place to do speed workouts, but I really do not enjoy running on a track. And on top of that, I am not a super huge fan of speed workouts. However, since I am already at the track to help her train, then I just stick around and get some speed workouts in. It works out great.
After running, FLTP and I headed home, filled up the water bottle and got on the bike to do a bike ride. I wanted to get one in before it got too warm. We did 11.5 miles. FLTP did awesome today. She just watched the world pass by her and took a little nap and then talked to me for a little. We were about 3 miles in on one of the many sidewalk trails that Brighton has to offer when I came up over a little hill and was greeted by this:He startled me, only because I nearly ran over him. I turned around and went back to take his picture and then chased him into the grass towards the canal so that no one would bother him. He was actually the first of two snakes I saw this morning, the second however had already met his fate.
This is the first time I have seen a snake on a run or bike (I have come upon rattle snakes while hiking, but that is out in the country or mountains, not in town). I have been privileged to see some wonderful wildlife on my runs, even in town. On our early morning runs, H and I would often see a fox. I have seen numerous bunnies and swear some of them have been trying to race me (they always win). One morning I saw a mama raccoon with her three little babies following her as she crossed the road. When I lived in the south I saw an osprey eating a luna moth (if you do not know what either of those are, look them up, they are incredible creatures) and he sat in the middle of a residential road. Running (and now biking) has giving me so many opportunities to see what an incredible world we live in.

Running may be hazardous to your fashion sense

2009-05-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

I have to laugh at myself, sometimes that is all that I can do. I was up at just after 5:30 this morning. I sorted laundry, worked on a scrapbook project and got myself ready to meet Melissa for her training session this morning. I was so proud that I was getting so much done before even heading out the door. I woke FLTP up and got her dressed and fed and we headed out the door. I was wearing my new Bolder Boulder running top (the race is one week from today) and a pair of running capris. I thought I looked ok for a run, again, thinking I was doing so well to be up and so active by 6:30am. We did our run and it went really well. Melissa is doing great. I went to load the stroller in the trunk and noticed the lettering on the front of my cool, new Bolder Boulder shirt looked really faded. That was weird, it is brand new. Then I realized I had the shirt on inside out. Yup, the tag was sticking out the back advertising to everyone that I have issues dressing myself. I am not sure if Melissa noticed (I'm sure she did, it was pretty obvious). I wish I could use the excuse that I got dressed in the dark, but I cannot. I just need help some mornings.

Trying to be Michael Phelps

2009-05-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ok,not really, but I am trying to swim better. I went to Dick's Sporting Goods yesterday (actually I rode my bike out there) and picked up a pair of swim goggles. (I also picked up my Bolder Boulder packet, the shirt is awesome, there are not ads on the back like there are on every other race shirt I own). Anyways, I have been doing a little online research to see what the best swimming strokes are for a triathlon and then how to improve. Free style seems to be the winner as far as best. What I have learned: I need to keep my head in the water, I should feel like my body is pointing downhill, and I need to keep my arms close to my body. So I got the goggles so I could keep my head in the water and not run into the lane dividers (I would totally do it otherwise). I know how to swim, but have never been formally trained in swimming, so this is all a new adventure for me. I headed to the pool this morning at 5:20 am to try out my new knowledge. How did it go? I think I drank have the pool. I tried really hard, but I kept on sucking in water when I would pull my head up for air and then I would cough and sputter. I am sure the little high school musical life guard was getting a laugh at that. But I am trying. I will admit I did a little better on my last lap.

I then rushed home, put my running shoes on and grabbed FLTP to go meet Melissa for our 5k training. She had gone ahead and started when she got there so as not to allow herself time to talk herself out of it (we all know that mental battle), so she was almost done. Way to go girl!! She did give me some helpful tips about swimming though. Like holding onto the side of the pool and practicing my breathing. I think I will try that, I can't look like to much more of a fool than I already do :0

5k Training Has Begun

2009-05-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

We did it. We started Melissa's 5k training at 6:30 am. She did fabulous. She did have to wait a little for me to get there because I was late the second time I came. I actually had gotten there about 10 minutes before 6:30, went to pop the trunk so I could get the jogging stroller out and realized that I did not have the stroller in the car. What's worse is I had walked right passed it on my way out the door :) So I quickly drove back home and grabbed it. We had a great training session. FLTP was so happy and talkative the whole time, which was good because it made me feel like she had forgiven me for waking her up to go.
My tri training is go well. I was in SLC for the weekend and I even kept up with some training there. One evening I went and swam laps in the hotel pool and was joined by two other ladies swimming laps. On Saturday morning I joined up with a former roommate and her hubby to run in Liberty Park. We did 6.5 miles together. It was so great to see her and chat with her hubby and her. And I felt so good the rest of the day knowing I had run already.

Training for a 5k

2009-05-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we had a service auction at Church. You donated something that your could do and others bid on using fake money they had earned. H put us on the service list to train someone for a 5k and believe it or not people bid on us. We told the lucky winner that we would not be able to start training her until after our half as we were focusing on that. Well, it is after the half now and we will start her training next Monday. I am using a modified version of the Birmingham Track Club's Couch to 10k in 10 Weeks program. I have used this program several times to get myself back into running after having quit after my first 1/2 and after having the little one. It really in a great program. One thing that beginning runners need to remember is that for the first several weeks they will be doing more walking than running, but that is fine. We have the goal of running the Undy 5000 (a brief run to fight colon cancer) the 27th of June. That gives us 7 weeks to get her up to the 5k distance of 3.12 miles. I am so excited. I love to help others run. I figure if I can do it, anyone can.

If you want to train with us, go right ahead. We will be running MWF and I will post each week's training schedule in the sidebar.

Triathlon training: it is going super. I bought a three month pass to the rec this week so I could go swim laps in the morning before the little one rises. I went for my first swim yesterday morning and did 15 laps (almost a 1/2 mile). My FLTP and I have also been out on several bike rides. I need to take a picture of her as she is so adorable in her helmet and sunglasses. I am getting very excited for the triathlon.

What now

2009-04-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

We have accomplished the goal of running the 1/2 marathon within a year of having my little one, now what? My next race will be the Bolder Boulder. This is a 10k race and I guess it is the premier race around these parts. They have 80 heats in this race. The first 21 waves are reserved for those that can prove they can run the race under 62 minutes. Although I do not have proof of it for this year to be able to get into one of those waves, I have set it as my goal to run the race under 62 minutes. So for the next little bit, I will change my training tactics from distance to speed. I am a little excited to not be running so many miles, but working on speed is not treat.
I also have another goal; a sprint triathlon. I will most likely be doing that in July. So I have added biking and swimming to my training. I went on my first training ride yesterday. We have installed the toddler bike seat on the back of my bike for the my FLTP. We did 7+ miles yesterday and she did great and even quit trying to pull her helmet off after the first few minutes.

THE HARDEST COURSE I HAVE EVER RUN

2009-04-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

I did it. I ran a 1/2 marathon within a year of having my little one. I ran the Labor of Love 1/2 marathon near Las Vegas. This is by far the toughest course I have ever run. The fact that it was 13.1 miles was tough, but this course was FULL of hills and one LARGE hill I call the "mountain".

H was supposed to run the race with me, but the poor thing got a terrible migraine that morning. She was kind enough to still take me out to the start, but was not feeling well enough to stick around. The race was in the Mountain Springs national forest, which in out in the mountains that surround Vegas, through Lovell Canyon. It was so windy and actually pretty chilly at out there and as we were lining up for the start it started to SNOW. Yes, it was snowing, but we ran out of the snow pretty quickly. The first 5 miles climbed 900 feet in elevation, but it did it through rolling hills so it was not too bad. At mile 5 you had this incredible view of a valley and you saw that the road went quickly downhill between about mile 5 and 5.75. That was not the bad part, it was realizing that you would have to run back up that on the way back. I got to the halfway point, turned and headed back. I was actually feeling good about my time and stopped real quick for a potty break before I tackeled the mountain on the way up. From what I can tell from the course maps and the rough elevation chart it has, we gaining about 350 ft in about ¾’s of a mile, so that is close to a 9% grade. It was rough, but I was encouraged when I was passed by a little white truck filled with campers and their gear and realized it was having trouble making it up the hill/mountain as well. I also kept thinking of the couple I had passed on the way down that were pushing a jogging stroller. I cannot imagine having to push a jogging stroller up that. I have pushed the little one on many a hill while training and those are tough, but they were nothing compared to that. This picture does not do the hill justice. After mile 7 you drop down some before you start the climb up the "mountain". I finally got to the top, thighs burning. I had just over 4 miles to go. At mile 10 I looked at my watch. I was at 1:59:30. I had to book it if I wanted to finish under 2:30. So I did. It was mostly downhill all the way back and I finished the last 3.1 miles in 30 minutes and 35 seconds, my fasted time for a 5k distance so far. I finished my half in 2:30:05 by my watch and 2:30:04 by the chip time. I beat my Myrtle beach time by over 5 minutes, but did not beat Heathers watch time from the SLC ½ of 2:25:00 (her chip time was 2:45:47 I think, she said she had to wait in line for 20 minutes for the potty). However, I was thrilled with my time for such a hard course. I actually have been searching for a nearby 1/2 on a fairly easy course just to see what I can do.

As you can see by the photo of my toes sticking out of the ice water, I took my ice bath after. We filled 4 grovery bags with ice from the hotel ice machine and the hubby dumped them in the bath with me. It was 15 minutes of torture but worth it not to be incredibly sore for several days.

On our way

2009-04-23T14:07:00.001-07:00

We are getting ready to head to Vegas for the Labor of Love 1/2 marathon. My nerves are still getting to me. I have already packed everything (been working on it all week) and I will probably go through it all this evening again just to make sure I have everything. So my strategy. I think I am going to keep my pace between 11:15 and 11:30 for the first 5 miles. This may be difficult because the first five miles are uphill. Because it is an out and back course, I figure if I can keep that kind of a pace during the uphill part, I will really be able to get some speed for the last of it since it will be downhill. I have also already called the hotel to make sure we can do a late check out so that I will be able to go back and take an ice bath (hope they don't mind if I empty out the ice machine :) ) Anyways. wish us luck. I will post our results as soon as I can.

Out of Breath

2009-04-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well the Salt Lake City 1/2 was a pile of crap. I was at the Trax station one hour prior to start time. Utah Transit Authority was not prepared for all the racers because we had to wait for three overflowing trains to pass before we could hop aboard one that had standing room. By the time this slow moving train arrived at the starting line - we had thirty seconds before the start. Therefore a move to the huge port-a-potty line was not possible. Clearly there were not enough!!! I get going fast - dang fast - (the course is mostly downhill) 9:38 minute miles until SugarHouse area where I indeed needed to hit the potty. The past potties had lines of thirty people or more so this construction one under a bridge with only six people seemed reasonable. Again - not enough potties!!! So this ordeal cost me a whopping twenty minutes on my time. The last con was that the last two miles were uphill - that kind of sucked! The good parts were that the police were in full force. It was well mapped out and plenty of volunteers and refreshments. The streets had locals playing instruments and families cheering us on. If the start hadn't gone the way that it did I might want to do it again, but right now I say nay.

T, you have got to be kidding me. You are worried about my time? The only reason that I ran so fast was because it was downhill. You are always kicking my butt when we run and I still have bad IT Band Syndrome. All the pills in the world aren't going to allow me to keep up with you. I have blisters on my feet, road rash on my thighs, and bad knees. You are going to whoop me!!!

I am so nervous

2009-04-20T21:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know why but I am. Every time I really think about the half this weekend I get butterflies in my tummy. I don't know why, it is not like I will be competing for 1st place or even 3rd or even 10th (unless there are only 10 participants). Today was an easy run of only 2 miles. So the entire time I am running and pushing the little one in the jogging stroller, I am trying to come up with a race strategy in my head. I really want to beat the time I had from my first 1/2 at Myrtle Beach 3 years ago. I think it would be great to beat my pre-baby time and I think I can. My time then was 2:35:28. I know some of you out there can do it under 2 hours or even half this time, but I am not fast, I am consistent though and I just keep running/waddling. I would also like to come in ahead of H, sorry gal ;) In most races she is way out ahead of me (one of the issues of running with a jogging stroller is that you have to hold back at the starting line until the crowd thins out enough to get through, H doesn't run with the little one and this will be my first race with H that I am not running with the little one). I must admit that I am a little worried. She ran a 1/2 in SLC last weekend and after hearing how she did, I have some reason to have butterflies. She really needs to hop on here and tell you all about the race. Oh, well. Just a few more days and we will see. The schedule says to run next on Wednesday and then cool it until the race. I think I will run a little tomorrow (just a few miles) just because the weather is so nice and the little one likes to get out. Then I will run on Wednesday and then try to relax and calm myself before Saturday. Maybe I'll hop on again in the next few days and share my strategy (still needs some fine tuning).

Arghhh!!!!

2009-04-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

One week to the big day. My stomach is already turning somersaults. I have no idea why I get nervous for races, I am not a competitive runner, but I still get nervous. I think that is why I try so hard to stay on a training schedule, it helps me stay focused and calms my nerves.
Speaking of staying on a training schedule, today was supposed to be my last long run before the big race. Well....it has been raining all day. And that is after it rained all day yesterday and snowed most of the night. Them temp has been a little over freezing. So combining that with the rain, I just did not go. I have run in the rain before, but not for 8+ miles. I once ran a race in South Carolina that only had about 30 people run it because of the the rain. We had to run through areas where we were running/wading through about 6 inches of water. Needless to say there was not a dry spot on me when I finished. I lie, my mp3 player was dry, but only because I wrapped in in cellophane and then put it in a baggie. Because my feet we so wet for that entire race, I lost a toe nail on each foot. No worry, they needed to go because they were black. This was before I worked for New Balance and learned the cause of black toenail. Improperly fitting shoes. Oh well, I also think it is a rite of passage for many runners to lose a toenail due to black toenail. I have lost 5, I think. I am actually surprised I have not lost any since starting back to running after the little one was born. I guess there is something to having properly fit shoes :)
One week to the big day. My stomach is already turning somersaults. I have no idea why I get nervous for races, I am not a competitive runner, but I still get nervous.

Running with my FLRP

2009-04-15T23:42:00.000-07:00

My FLTP and I headed out for a scheduled 8 mile run today. But I wanted to try to get to 10 miles. We headed on the normal path, but then I decided to explore. If any of you readers are familiar with out area, I ended up running out to the new Target. If you would have asked me even two weeks ago if I could do that, I probably would have laughed. I had a rough idea of how far I was going. About 8 miles in I was hurting. I don't know if it was from the new hills I had added by running out to Target (I ran up to Tower Road first and then past the hospital to get to Target) or if it was from pushing my FLRP in the stroller for that distance. Eight miles in the farthest I have taken her. I was still pretty determined to go for 10 miles, so I continued on the planned route. I knew I was getting pretty close to 9, but again I was in pain. My feet were aching (I have had two foot surgeries on each foot, so foot pain is expected) and my calf was knotting up again. I was feeling myself start to favor that calf. We all know that favoring a leg can cause injury. I could feel my calf getting harder and harder. I kept saying, "Just over a mile. Just over a mile." Then I chastised myself, "You are way to close to race day to be risking injury, STOP." I actually had to say it a few times before I did. I always tell others to take it easy and not risk injury, but that is hard advice for me to take. I had actually complete 9.3 miles. So close. I still go the distance in, since I had to walk back. It was really hard to walk that last 1/2 mile. That is the favorite part of my runs and is why I always put it at the very last. I had to keep telling my self NO. I came home and took a real ice bath, with ice and all. My calf is still tight today. I need to rub it down better. I cannot believe that we are just over a week until our 1/2 marathon. I am nervous and excited.

ICE BATH

2009-04-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

H and I headed out for a long run last Saturday. I was out to do 12 miles and H was doing 8 miles because she has a 1/2 in SLC this weekend. I was excited to get this distance done, because it meant I am that much closer to finishing this 1/2 marathon. However, after how much the 11 on Monday hurt (I was sore for 3 days and would get very stiff if I sat down for any amount of time). Well, H jumped off at the 8 mile mark and I continued for the last 4 on my own. At about mile 10 I started wearing out, but I was determined to finish. When I turned at mile 11 to head back, my left calf was starting to tighten (this rarely happens to me), my feet were aching and my mouth was just hanging open because I was so tired. But one more mile, that was it and I did do it. My time was not so hot, but I finished the distance. And I could feel it. I had read about taking an ice bath after long distance races. That is right, you get in the tub and have someone dump ice in there with you. Because I had so much going on with Easter being at our home this last weekend, I decided to give it a try if it would help with aches. However, I did not have any ice to spare (it was all allocated for Easter Dinner :) ) so I just turned the faucet to the coldest setting and let it run into the tub. That is pretty cold, at least as cold as water out of the fridge. I sat in it for 15 minutes. Now you are all wondering, did it work? YES. I did still have a few aches, but no real soreness and nothing at all like what I had experienced from Monday's run. I plan on using ice in the next one. Yes, H and I will be the ones cleaning out the hotel ice machine after our 1/2 in Vegas.

Long Break

2009-04-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

It had been a long break from blogging, not running. We have been battling some issues with injury, illness and weather. So the last several weeks we have not been on schedule as we should be. But I think we are back. We tried really hard last week to get back on schedule. For those of you in the Riverdale area, you know that the weather has been up and down. Because of the illness and injury, we were not able to run all our scheduled miles. So Monday came and I was determined to get back on track. We had decided to run at 5:30 am so that we could be done and home before the hubbies had to go (we only had 4 miles scheduled that morning). As I was going out the door, my phone rang. I knew it was H, calling to see if we really were going. Why? Because it was snowing. At that moment, it was just big, fluffy snowflakes. I told her that we were still going, I was determined to get back on track. We got to the park and it was snowing more, but we still headed out because none of it was sticking, yet. Well, as we ran west, the wind was hitting us in the face pretty hard with the snow, so we decided to turn when we got to 27th. That was much better, but by this time the snow was sticking, to the sidewalk, to our clothes, to our hair, to our faces. As we turned east, we were cruising. Then we had to turn back north to finish and that was terrible. The snow was pelting us, the sidewalks were slushy and slick, and we couldn't keep our eyes open because of the snow. So, we only ended up doing 2.5 but it was a great start. Unfortunately, it was just a tell for how the rest of the week would be.
Wednesday I headed out with my little running partner, M. It was cold, so I had all her blankets and the rice bags that I heat in the microwave and put in the stroller with her. Guess what? When we got to the park, it was snowing there and windy. I really just did not have the heart to take M out in that for 8 miles (plus it was a good excuse for me not to go :) ). I called H to see if she was up for running later, she was. We headed out around 6:30 pm. She wasn't feeling to well about 1.5 miles in and I really wanted to get some more miles in. I told her to head back towards the cars, and I would run out a little farther and catch up with her. Well, I did run out farther, but I never caught up with her and she was not at the car when I got back. I tried calling her, but it went to message. I was worried, so I headed back up the way I had come. I should have caught up with her or she should have been at the cars. So I head off running again, to look for her. The reason I was so worried was because it was dark by now. I do not run in the dark by myself and I highly recommend my friends not do it. About halfway back I found her, she was running by now too because she was worried about me. We missed one another because she had thought I had run out to our regular route. We both promised not to leave one another when it is dark or getting dark.
I did go out on Thursday, but I did not get as many miles in as I wanted. I just had absolutely no energy. I am trying now to make sure I get carbohydrates AND protein after I run. I think my diet has been too low in protein, and everything I am reading about running diets say you need it for the muscles to rebuild.
Saturday........we had 11 miles on the schedule. I wanted so desperately to do it. Our race is 3 weeks away and I wanted to get those last long runs in. Well, the weather had 80% precipt chance from 6 am on and high winds (I dislike running in the wind) for the rest of the day. It was also raining when I went to bed. I told H I would wake up around 6 am and see what was going on with the weather and call her. My little running partner woke me up at 3:30am and I saw that it was calm outside. I was so tempted to call H and tell her we were going then and I should have. When I got up at 6 it was windy with gusts that were shaking the windows and it was raining. And it just got worse throughout the day, adding snow. I was tempted to go the the Rec center and run on the treadmill, but I think that would drive me crazy. I also considered having the hubby drive me 11 miles out and I would run in with the wind at my back, but I could not find a road (with little traffic) that was 11 miles straight west. So, no long run on Saturday.
Well, H made the mistake of calling me Sunday evening letting me know that she wanted to go running around 5 am on Monday so that we could get it done. I asked why so early, because we were only scheduled for 2 miles. But then I told her I had been considering running the 11 miles on Monday if she was up to it. We generally have a semi-long run on Wednesdays (this weeks was to be 10) and I suggested just swapping Monday and Wednesday, but doing 11 on Monday. Thank goodness she is an crazy as I am and agreed. The only problem, we both had to be back home by 6:30 am so the hubbies could leave for work/school. So what does that mean? We met at 4am (that mean up at 3:30am) to run. It was so dark. The sun was barely coming up when we were finishing our last two miles. I did it. I ran 11 miles. I was hurting pretty bad the last mile and most of yesterday, but luckily today it is only soreness and not pain. I think the early hour is getting to me more than the run. And I went out and ran the 2 miles today and also took about a 1/2 mile walk with M in the beautiful weather we have today. I will admit it hurt, but it also felt so good. I am constantly amazed and grateful for this body and its abilities, I surprise myself sometimes.

The are some of the views of what I get to look at when I run. The first is of the Rocky Mountains. This picture does not do them justice, sometimes they take my breathe away (or is that the running?!). This is the most faithful running partner I have ever had. No matter what time, what day, the weather or the distance we have to run, she goes with me. Now that she is getting a little older, she likes to sit up and yell at me while I run. I am sure she is yelling words or encouragement :)

Who Let the Dogs Out?!?

2009-03-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday T and I ran our long run as usually down our normal route...but...it became the attack of the killer dogs. We had two dogs in one neighborhood alone try to jump the fence either to chase us or to bite us... who knows but it was freaking scary. The worst is yet to come... Along Bromley, right after 27th, we came upon another house with a dog. It did appear that the dog also wanted to jump over the fence and eat us. This time we weren't so lucky and the dog leaped over the fence. I glanced back as the dog was clearing the fence to see the owner look through the blinds and see the dog, and I am assuming us run down the road. This dog was stupid and ran across Bromley almost meeting his death. Teri suggested that the dog probably does this a lot and we should continue running...but it followed us. So what do we do being the kind runners we are? We flippin stop and try and hunt down the owner. We stop cars asking if they know who's dog it is, but nobody knew. And then... this crappy van pulls up lets the dog in and leaves. That is right!!!!! Leaves without a "hey I'm sorry my dog scared the crap out of you." NO, not even a "thank you for trying to coax my idiot dog out of the street." I am still enraged about this woman not saying anything. All I can say is next time the dog leaps over the fence- I am going to let the freaking dog get run over! It sounds harsh, yes, but we were running at an incredible pace.

10.5 miles

2009-03-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

We are now well on our way to the 13.1 miles needed for our half marathon in April. Technically we were only supposed to run 9 miles this weekend, but we did that last Saturday. I think both H and I were ready to be in double digits. It felt great to reach that mark. We had a discussion about what makes you a runner vs a jogger. We came up with this:

A runner is constantly trying to improve (either distance or speed)
A runner hits the pavement no matter the temperature.
A runner will wake up way before the sun does to get their run in for the day
A runner will often run through pain

So, after coming up with this, we decided we are runners. Now notice I did not say that a runner finishes a mile or a 5k in a set amount of time. I don't think you can classify them like that. We are not fast runners, but we are definitely improving (we have knocked a minute off of our long run time per mile). We are definitely increasing in distance and speed. And if H has her way we will be continuing to increase until we have hit 26.2 miles (I am so not ready for that). We have hit the pavement at some crazy temperatures. This morning we started at 18 degrees F and I think it was about 22 when we finished. But we have gone out when it was near 0. We have also gone out below freezing while pushing our little ones in the jogging strollers. Sometimes I get very jealous of M riding in the jogging stroller, completely covered, with her warm rice bags and so nice and toasty, and I am pushing with my boogers freezing :) . The only time we do not hit the pavement because of temperature is when we think it is too cold or blustery for the little ones to stay warm even. All our near 0 runs have been when we were able to leave the little ones at home with the hubbies. Luckily we are able to do our long runs on Saturdays when the daddies can keep the little ones. But our Wednesday runs are getting 6+ miles and it is difficult sometimes to have the stroller then. M is pretty good for 8 miles and luckily H's sister-in-law is kind enough to watch L for her.
Ok, I'm back from that tangent. A runner will wake up way before the sun does to get their run in for the day. Guess what time we met for our run this morning? 5 am. That meant I had to be up by 4:30 am to get ready (restroom, hydrate, and carb bar). It was so dark and stayed that way until the last 3 miles. I was crazy and told H I was worried about coyote attacks in the more rural areas we were running in. There have been several incidences lately in the area where coyotes have attacked humans and their dogs (large dogs, not the little ones) in daylight. So I am sure in the dark it might be more likely. But mostly, I was just talking to talk and keep our minds off the running. Well, the area we were running at that time had large, new homes on one side and wide, open spaces on the other. I used to live in an apartment not far from the area, and we would often hear coyotes at night, so I am not crazy thinking they were around. Anyways, a little bunny startled us, but we were good. We were nearing a turn in our trail and all the sudden H squealed and jumped across the trail. I reacted by screaming. She had seen a shadow and thought it was coming for us. We kept running and looking over our shoulder, luckily, nothing was after us. My biggest worry was the folks in the large houses nearby, I wonder if anyone heard my scream at 5:30am :0 Needless to say, we were both happy to see the sun coming up.
The last point, a runner will often run through pain, both H and I have some injury. I have some hip issues, that in turn causes knee issues because I favor the hip. H has IT band (knee) injury. (you'll have to ask her why? :) ). We visited a sports therapist at Solepepper (a running shop in Longmont). He let me know mine was caused because my pelvis was out of line from having the little one. He realigned me and I have been much better. I still have aches and mild pain, but not enough to stop me. I was so worried that we would have to take time off, but he said that we didn't have too.
So with all that said, even though we don't finish our miles under 8 minutes and we are not running 30+ miles a week (yet), I think you could consider us runners.