Peanut butter, the sun & a blister

I'm trudging along with my running plan, albeit a missed day here & there due to this annoying thing called work {and spring break}. My schedule gets all crazy when I work later then usual or when I have all the kids home from school. My 7 y/o is high maintenance & demands to know how far I'm running, when I'm coming home, if I'm not home by a certain time should she ride her bike to come find me? make sure I leave a map of my run, etc, etc. So exhausting.

It's been pretty hot outside already and I have an issue with running in heat. Vegas is NOT the town for me to be in if heat is an issue! Ugh! I have to try to get myself up in the mornings again and run before the sun is fully up, but I'm so not a morning person! My body does not cooperate before 10. I've been trying to find foods I can eat before (and during) my runs to help keep my energy up, but if there one thing I seriously lack, it's my nutrition. My husband is a big fan of peanut butter before a race or long run and has urged me to try it on whole wheat toast and blogs I've read say the same thing. I've tried it before and it didn't sit well with me but I thought maybe it's because I didn't give it enough time to digest. I tried it again the other day. I ate it on toast and waited an hour and a half before running...and threw up on the side of the road. Not to mention, it was hot outside too. Yuck. I felt better after it came up, but decided that maybe PB is not the answer for me. I tried a Clif gel last week and it sat fine in my stomach, so I will have to try that again. I sure could have used it today!
I had my long run of the week and did 6 miles. Never ran more than 5.2 before and I did a lot better than I thought I would. Half way through my run, I could feel what I thought was my sock bunching up under my toes but it couldn't be that simple....got a big blister on one of my toes :/ Never had that happen before...is this my right of passage??? LOL! So it looks like I got a lot of little kinks to work out in my running world, but I'm gettin' there...even if it's in baby steps :)

Friendly competition never hurt ;)

I'm officially done with my 1st week of Half training (yay!!!!!!!), 11 more to go. I was scheduled to run 4 miles on Saturday but had to push it back a day due to my daughter's dance competition, so hubby & I decided to "run together" . I say that loosely cause he is way faster than I am, but I always feel bad that he tries to run with me and make this a bonding moment (which is why I started running in the 1st place), but I always turn him down and not allow him to go with me. I thought I'd throw him a bone and allow him this time in my presence ;) Then he had to open his big mouth (like always) and say the wrong thing. He doesn't even have to TRY, it just naturally comes out of his mouth :/ What did he say, you wonder? Well, I started to map out my 4 mile run and he said: "can you add like another 2 miles at the beginning of MY run, and I'll just catch up with you half way." I know!! He had to go there. So I mapped out his run where it would connect with mine after almost 2 miles and while he was getting his stuff together, I left. My only goal during the entire run was to make sure he did not catch up with me LOL!! There was a long stretch of straight road with the wind blowing directly into my face that I thought he'd for sure gain on me, but I was not going to turn around and look or slow down. It kinda reminded me of the old hunting game where the hunters let the fox go and wait a few minutes and then send the blood hounds out after them!

I didn't dare stop!! One foot in front of the other all the way to my stopping point...I made it, Sucka!!! I was so happy! I didn't even see a glimpse of him and that alone made it an awesome victory cause I knew his goal was to catch up with me. I got home and was already in the shower when he walked in..and I did a victory dance (yes, while in the shower)! Score a point for me! But I know the next time we do this, it's on....he's got his game face on now!

Sausage, anyone??

That image grosses me out....but it accurately describes how I felt on my run today. A friend told me that she tried a pair of compression pants for her 1st marathon this past December and really liked them. I figured it can't hurt me to try them. Holy Hell!! They are harder than a pair of Spanx to get on and they are SKIN.TIGHT! They compressed my already flat ass into non-existence; flatter than a pancake. I was also terrified of possibly getting camel-toe (like you've never worried about that!) so I made sure to wear a long shirt, but all was well in that department ;) I texted my friend after my run and she asked me "did they work?" Well, I don't know. I'm not sure how they're supposed to feel. I guess in the grand scheme of things, I felt a lot less jiggle where I would otherwise feel it, and I imagined in my mind that they were super-speedy, super hero pants, so maybe that gave me the extra push to do well today...especially since I couldn't get my run in until 4:30pm: the time when I usually want to pass out on my couch for an hour. I guess in hindsight, I didn't mind the pants. If you can get passed taking a risk in having your muffin-top squeezed up until just under your boobs, I say give 'em a try! Certainly wouldn't hurt....just maybe don't look in the mirror.

So it begins....

82 days, but who's counting? 82...the number of days until I run my first Half Marathon. Today was the 1st "official" day of my Half training program. I so badly wanted to think of every excuse in the world not to run today, but I know I will always regret not doing it. I HAD to get new running shoes first thing though. I've been having major feet pain and my old shoes just weren't cutting it any more.
I only had to go 3 miles today, thank God. It was freakin' hot outside! I wish I was one of those girls who can run and still look cute. My face gets all red and puffy, regardless of the weather. Totally not adorable ;) LOL

My goal for the couple of weeks is to get my nutrition down (timing and how much/little to eat before going on a run). I ate more today than the last time I ran, so I wasn't starving or anything, but I don't know how long (or how much) beforehand I need to eat to give my food enough time to digest. I kept feeling my food wanting to come up today, and that's definitely not the feeling I want to have every time.
I have 63 miles scheduled for April...3 down, 60 more to go. That will be the most I've run in a month, but I'm hoping for the best. May will bring 96 miles, so I better be able to do April's, that's for sure!
I'm hopeful and positive that I can do this. I actually don't have a choice at this point. Quitting is not an option, so I will suck it up and take it day by day. :)