Any running book recommendations?

Today's a nasty day in Michigan - rain/hail/sleet and now snow. I had my 11 miler all mapped out to run first thing this morning, but woke up to crazy rain storms. I was so excited for the run that I even set an alarm for 645a and still woke up before it! That's a good feeling. With today's weather, I've put the run on hold until tomorrow morning.

The combination of crappy weather and my husband being gone all day had made me pretty productive around the house. I've been cleaning, organizing, doing laundry and catching up on reading. Which is when I realized I need some new running books.

Do you have any running book recommendations? Anything you've ready and enjoyed? I'm looking for something more fun than technical, but anything that you recommend would be awesome. I find that I get more motivation and confidence with more knowledge :)

Here's what I've already read and enjoyed:

The Long Run
Absolute Beginner's Guide to Half-Marathon Training
Fast Track
Living and Loving
How Running Changed my Life

I loved The Long Run! It was a great read and very inspirational. The Guide to Half Training was rather dry and I knew a lot of it already. Fast Track was a great first book although was a bit more technical than I would like. I met the author of Living and Loving at the Detroit Marathon expo, so I got her book. It was cute and inspirational but a bit too "God-dy" for my everyday life. The last book was a great bedtime read and was incredibly inspirational.

If you have any thoughts about great running reads or can point me in the right direction, please share!

4 Miles :)

I got up this morning and drove to the metropark for my 4 miles. It was only me and 2 little old ladies this morning. Again, it was nice to have a cleared, paved area to run without worrying about traffic or uncleared sidewalk.

I never run outside with earbuds in for safety and to be aware of what's going on around me. Lately, I've been turning Pandora on my phone and listening to it on low in the arm pocket of my running jacket. The Black Eyed Peas station has really helped me keep going :)

Today, I ran without any music and just chugged out the 4 miles. It felt really good as I let my brain wander. I rarely think about the mileage, which is nice, and I come up with some really fun ideas and thoughts out of nowhere.

The round trip took me just about an hour and I still had plenty of time to get back home and get ready for work. I think this will be my new outdoor run plan on the weekdays :)

I'm hoping the weather cooperates for this weekend's 11 miler. Please no more freezing rain!!

ABCs of Me :)

Everybody's doing it, so here's the ABCs of Me: a fun glimpse into my life :)

A-Age: just turned 28
B-Bed size: Queen, but California King is what I want next. Jake and Dexter take up all the space!
C-Chore I hate: cleaning the bathroom is the worst
D-Dogs: two rescued mutts that hog the bed, Jake (5) and Dexter (4)
E-Essential start to the day: breakfast - I wake up starving! my current favorite is turkey sausage on a whole wheat english muffin with mozzarella cheese and tomato

F-Favorite colors: blue, blue and blue
G-Gold or silver: Silver
H-Height: 5'8"
I-Instrument I play: HA! I'm tone deaf and have no rhythm
J-Job title: Director, After School and Summer Programs
K-Kids: 375 at school, 3 of my sister's, none of our own yet :) I still cherish sleep
L-Live: Belleville, MI
M-Mother's name: Norma
N-Nickame: Rose is my nickname, some kids call me Rosie, I grew up with Hambone and my sister calls me Babs
O-Overnight hospital stays: never! never even been to the hospital as a patient.
P-Pet peeve: messing up there/their/they're
Q-Quote from a movie: "And here's some crayons in case you get bored." ~Mrs. Potato Head, Toy Story 2
R-Right or left handed? Right
S-Sibling: two older sisters, I'm the baby :)
T-Time you wake up: anywhere between 5a on a good day to run or 930a if I need a sleep-in day
U-Underwear: clean daily ;)
V-Vegetable you dislike: squash
W-What makes you run late? my husband. If I'm not 15 mins early, I think I'm late - I get that from my mom
X-rays I've had: dental and my foot once, but no breaks
Y-Yummy food you make: desserts - cake balls are the best!

Z-Zoo favorite animal: monkeys! my husband loves the sea otters

Now you know everything about me! We can be bffs!

5 Boring Miles

I had 5 miles on the plan today and thought it would be no big deal after the 10 miler this weekend. I couldn't have been more wrong. I did them on the treadmill at the gym and was B-O-R-E-D out of my mind. Even with 4 tvs and 1 movie screen right in front of me and about 10 meat-head gym rats nearby, I was still bored.

I don't know what it is about running inside on a treadmill, but I always want to stop. I'm not hurt or tired, just bored. When I'm running outside, I never stop for walk breaks, but on the treadmill I can come up with a million excuses to walk.

I think my new plan is to get up and drive to the nearby metropark to run on their cleared path in the mornings before work. I don't get up early enough for it to still be dark out which is good. Plus, I only run two weekdays right now, so I don't think it will cramp my style too much.

I have to say that I feel great about my running and couldn't be happier that I'm now 'out' to the blogging world. It's such a rush of energy to get re-motivated about my training plan and upcoming races. When I was bored on the treadmill today, I wouldn't let myself get off so I wouldn't let down any of my blogging friends. So, thanks to all of you out there :) I appreciate you all!

10 Miles and Outing Myself

Today was my longest long run to date - 10 miles! I ran them at the nearby metropark and it was great! I can't believe I've never thought of running here in the winter before. It's gorgeous and plowed - unlike most places nearby - and only a ten minute drive from my house. It was nice outside and I didn't even need hat or gloves :) I planned to try another flavor of gu on this run, but I forgot my water in the car. I ended up just fine although I won't make this mistake again.

There were plenty of other people on the path - runners, walkers, dogs, families - that made it more exciting and made me feel like we were all running together.

The real thing I was happy about is that I got out there and ran 10 miles on my own! That's huge, especially this week. I've been sick on the couch with a fever for days and the inactivity was killing me. I then began to doubt myself in my running endeavors and just felt like crap. Good news is that I received some good advice from a fellow blogger and it got me right back out there.

I'm outing myself in that when I began running I told very few people - for a variety of reasons: they wouldn't care, they'd be annoyed by me, they'd think I fail, I would fail, they'd think that I was looking down on them for their sedentary lifestyle, etc.

Through this entire process, I've wanted to do it all by myself and once I [insert any goal here, such as: finished a half marathon, or a full, or I felt like a runner], I'd share it with others. I think I'm just now realizing that this isn't the best way to go about it.

I'm finally just going with it. I'll follow my training plan, blog what I want and feel proud about it. I'm not holding anything back in fear of 'bothering' someone else.

The running blogs have been so absolutely motivating and keep my going each day. I just want to say thanks to all of you!!

Best Day Ever!

This past Friday was amazing for so many reasons:

1) I had the day off as the beginning of my week-long Mid-Winter Break :)

2) It was GORGEOUS!! 50+ degrees outside and sunny

3) Outside long run - in a tank top!

I haven't done a long run outside since 6 miles, so I was thrilled to get back out there. I didn't wear a hat or mittens, only wore one pair of pants and wore one less layer on top - it felt great. The route I take is a huge rectangle from the house. 1 mile east, 1.5 miles south, 3 miles west, 1.5 miles north and 2 miles west back home. Simple, mindless and almost all on dirt roads with no cars. By mile 3 I was so hot, I took of my jacket to just my tank top - I would have never guessed that it would be nice enough in February in Michigan to cut out that many layers! The sun was shining and there was no wind at that point.

Definition of sexy:

Around mile 5, I passed a woman walking and she was so friendly - with a big smile, she said, "look at you go, great job!" It totally made my day and kept me on a high until mile 7. The last two miles were brutal however. Not because I was tired or my left knee was hurting (although my IT band was a little sore), but I was running into the wind. It was so hard to move! Once I got back into the city limits and to sidewalks, it got much better and I was able to complete the entire 9 mile run feeling great.

Once I got home, I felt like I had at least one more mile in me, which is a great feeling to have after a long run. This is my longest at-home training run ever!

My other excitement for this run was that I used Pandora on my cell phone for the run. I don't run with music outside at all - I like to be aware of my surroundings and just take it all in - but just having music on low, without ear buds, was great. About 5 miles of the run are on dirt roads with no traffic, so it kept me from being bored. And I started a new station called "Black Eyed Peas" which kept me going with all the up-tempo music. Lots of fun!!

I can't wait for it to be spring so I can do this all the time :)

Cheap New Running Shoes!

So I didn't get up early Saturday morning and drive back to Ann Arbor to return my new but not perfect running shoes. I chose to sleep in and finish an amazing book I had just started (ROOM by Emma Donoghue - I highly recommend it). I will for sure return them on Monday after work - how romantic for Valentine's Day, I know.

The reason I went with a new shoe, different from the worn out pair I have loved for almost a year now is that the running store I shop at didn't carry the exact same shoe or New Balance's updated version in my size. So, I tried something new and it backfired. Oh well, I'm not permanently damaged :)

This morning I googled my existing running shoes and found them on clearance for $40!! I paid almost $100 for these last year and spent just over $100 on the new pair on Friday and this very morning I ordered TWO pairs of my already favorite running shoes in my size for less than $90! Best day ever!

Now I can't wait to for them to get here, with free shipping, sometime this week or next. Scheduled for today is an 8 miler which I'll do on the treadmill at the gym with my husband. Yes, he hates the gym and hates it even more for us to go together, but he lost in racquetball yesterday and this is his punishment! Thank God I beat him in multiple deuces in the third game!

My friend Nathan is running his first full marathon today in New Orleans and I can't wait to see how it went! Go, Nathan, Go!!

More than half way there!

Six weeks down on the training plan and they've gone really well. Now, it's only five weeks left until the Grosse Ile Half Marathon - which I'm definitely doing. How could I have doubted that? Anyway, I'm excited for it.

I finally gave in and bought a gym membership for the rest of February and March earlier this week. With the huge snow storm and consecutive below zero days, I just couldn't run outside anymore. Most people stopped shoveling their sidewalks and the ice was getting more difficult to navigate. Running in the street worked just fine in the summer, but with the huge snow piles on the side of the road cutting into the already narrow shoulder, it just stopped being safe.

I did my first long run at the gym - 7 miles. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. There was plenty of junk on the tv and lots of fun people to watch at the gym. I made the mistake of going at 7pm when there were so many people there that I got the last treadmill (with the broken earphone thing for the tv sound). Since then, I've been going after 9pm and that works out great. There's never more than 5 people there at that time.

I got new running shoes tonight and was so excited to try them out for tonight's 4 miler, but they're going back first thing in the morning. The arch is too high and there's a 'bump' under my middle three toes. They caused my heels to hurt and for me to just run weird. I'll take them back and find a perfect pair tomorrow. Good thing I tried them on the treadmill and not outside :)

Half Marathon Training Plan

I'm not really sure what I want out of this blog - I started it to keep track of my running progress mostly because if it was written down I'd be accountable. I've been so nervous to tell anyone about my beginning running in case I fail or quit or just plain suck. It took until I completed my first half-marathon last October that I even shared the blog with most people.

Anywho, since the new year I've been addicted to reading running blogs. It's weird, but I feel more connected with these strangers that blog about running than most people. I haven't joined a local running group as the Belleville one seems full of old people (I have no basis for this claim short of their website) and the Ann Arbor one intimidates me. AA is such a health-nut town and I just don't think I'd fit in.

I really do enjoy checking out everyone else's blogs and it keeps me going and let's me know I'm on the right track. I'm just not that good of a writer/runner/interesting person to have a super-exciting blog like they do and I'm okay with that.

I've been right on track on my training plan for a half-marathon for the past 3 weeks. I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays before work, long run on Saturdays and short recovery run on Sundays. It works out well for me. All runs are outside, since I'm too cheap for a treadmill (anyone wanna trade your treadmill for my elliptical??) and get bored on the TM at the gym and so I canceled my membership. The only part of the outside runs that I hate is the 1/8 mile from my neighborhood to the high school that doesn't have a sidewalk. I literally have to run through the snow in the front yard of 4 houses. It sucks, but it's only that first (and last) part of the run.

I got all sorts of awesome running gear for Christmas, including a long-sleeve tech shirt in obnoxiously bright yellow from my brother-in-law. Love it! It's perfect for my early morning runs when it's sometimes still dark. My mother-in-law is so sweet: she found a thin and silky pair of long underwear that she loved and thought I would love it too, so she ordered a set for me. I just got them from her last week and I LOVE THEM! The pants are perfect for underneath my running tights and my thighs no longer burn from the wind! I'm a bit too embarrassed to mention that I've worn the long sleeve top every day this week to bed, oh well. Thanks Carol - I love them!!

So yeah, three weeks down and feeling great about the training plan :) I have 7 weeks to go until the race - that's nothing! My long run is 6 miles so far and they have felt great. I'm just excited for the snow to melt and it to warm up a bit, since I should get much faster :) I still home home all sweaty and feel great!! So, I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and see how it goes!

Short and Sweet Running Plans for 2011

Races:
Grosse Ile Half Marathon March 20th
Mt. Clemens Half Marathon April 30th
The Crim 10 mile Flint August 27th
Detroit Full Marathon October 16th


Times:
5K under 30 mins
10K under 1 hour
Half under 2 hours, 30 mins
Full just finish :)