Stay close to the lamp, the sidewalk can be very treacherous

So after 20 something years of what I would consider being a mostly functional bi-ped, my streak came to an end this week.

On Thursday, I was out running with my friends Matt and Josh with the Snug. The trail goes from the bar on Colfax, through Cheeseman Park, around the outside of the Botanical Gardens and then back to the bar. Matt, Josh and I made it safely through the park, which is a feat of it's own because the city is doing construction in it during the winter, so there are piles of dirt all over the place and it's hard to find the trail at night depending on what they did during the day. Luckily, I followed the Snug's suggestion and got a headlamp so I could see where I was going after the sun went down. Josh fell behind since he was sore from the day before's workout, but Matt and I followed the 5 Ds of dodgeball: dodge, dip, duck, dive and dodge, to make it over, around, through and under the obstacle course also known as a park.

But once we turned the corner to go by the Botanic Gardens it became clear that I left my bi-ped skills in the park. I stubbed my toe and immediatly proceeded to eat sidewalk. I brused my hands, my knees and my ego, which was made obvious when I yelled many explatives at the top of my lungs! But Matt was right next me, picked me up, helped me brush off, and we were on our way.

I thought this experience was behind me when I decided to go for my regualr run to Wash Park on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and there were a ton of people at the park showing off the new gear they got from Santa and had just unwrapped that morning. On my way back home I ran into my friend Marshall, who was just getting started on his run to the park. We hugged and wished eachother a happy regular old December 25th before Marshall told me about the awful day he'd had at work the day before. "I might be toxic", he said, referring to everything that he touched going wrong, "I probably should have said something before we hugged." I blew it off thinking it was just a coinsidence.

So there I am on Seventh heading back to my apartment, excited and exhausted because I am almost done with the 6.5 mile trail and because the best part, the very end, is all down hill! Clearly my mind was elsewhere, because before I knew it, I was again eating sidewalk. This time I didn't curse, because I remembered just walking past an old man that probably didn't care to hear what was going through my head. So instead I just rolled over and started to cry. I've been running, we'll say regularly because it is certainly not as much as I should be, for almost a whole year and now twice in a matter of 3 days I am flat on my face. This time I banged up my shoulder and hands, hit my head and scrapped up my knees.

The old man I'd just run past came to make sure I was ok and see if I wanted a ride home. I was only a few blocks away, so I declined. But you better bet that on the walk home I was thinking about Marshall and his toxic hug not 20 minutes before.

So now that I am terrified of all the sidewalks in Denver, I think I'll suffer through my time on the treadmill...until either my knees or my ego are back to normal.

Hit the Ground Running

I started training with DC Road Runners this past week. I will admit that I was definitely nervous to start. It's cold here in DC, and I have NEVER run in the cold. So, I borrowed Mike's ear muffs, go on my Patagonia and showed up at Pacers (a local running store) at 8 am. After a quick tutorial we were off. I joined one of the slower groups and was surprised to find I was one of the fastest of the slow. Not bad, right? After a Saturday morning run, it's funny how accomplished you feel. You definitely have this sense that you can tackle anything that day. Well, lucky me I got to tackle finals! Starting to train amidst all the commotion of finals is actually a stress reliever.

Last night, I did my second run of the week, which was on a treadmill. I worked on getting my speed up, which is really easy to do on a treadmill. I didn't study, but some days, just like running, you need a break from studying. The good news is I am not soar. This Saturday I plan to run 5 miles with DC Road Runners!

If I can tackle 5, I can tackle finals, right?...

When the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Train for a half marathon, right?

I can't believe it's already November. It is starting to get cooler in DC, which makes for excellent running weather. Well, until we get a blizzard. Can you believe that I have not run since my last post? With school and work it is tough to make time for running. Now with daylight savings, I imagine many people will hit the gym more instead of running outside.

Well, to motivate me I signed up for a half marathon in June. http://www.run4virginiawine.com/ My friend, Vaughn is going to run it with me. My true motivator is having good support. Knowing that Becca is across the country running all the time is a helpful motivator, but having someone in town is also good. I have decided that with my busy schedule I need a hand. So, I have also signed up for a training program with DC Road Runners. They meet every Saturday am. I'll let you know how it goes, but we start on December 4, which will be here before you know it. This also means that for the first time I am really embracing running in the cold and will have to get appropriate attire. I have always been a t-shirt and shorts kind of girl and have never thought about proper wear. That is until I came to DC and almost suffocated myself in the heat. So, just as I learned to run in the humidity, I will learn to run in the cold.

I also told my boyfriend, Mike, who is a born athlete and a fast runner, that he should train or do the marathon with me. I like running with him, since there is little pressure to keep up, but he is so quick that it makes me quicker! I need to work and getting speedier and he is just the guy to help me. While he did say that long distance is not his "cup of beer" he did say that he'll accompany me on some of my jogs. Do workout partners stay together? :)

Happy Early November! I love the leaves!

So this blogging thing is harder than it looks

Let's face it, we have not been awesome at making regular posts to our blog. But, in our defense, the last thing you want to do after a run is sit down at your lap top and punch out a quick, hopefully witty, post about what happened on your latest run. To be honest, if I could nap in a tub full of ice water and do yoga at the same time, I would be content.

But here I am, cooled down after a few 'sun salutations' with a big glass of water and the Broncos game on the tv in the background, writing about my latest attempt to wear myself out.

Today I went from my apartment in LoDo, up 20th street to City Park, around the Mile High Loop, and then back to LoDo on 17th street, all told it came to 9.5 miles, my longest run so far. But I'll admit, I did have to stop and walk several times. My head was apprehensive about actually running that far, my legs were convinced they couldn't do it, and my lungs were rooting for us to go farther. It was very confusing, to say the least.

Now, I'm tired, and because the Broncos are playing SO poorly, I think I'll take a nap.

Getting back on the horse

Obviously Becca is well on her way to her first marathon! I have been in a brutally hot summer and it really hasn't cooled down until the last few weeks. So, finally yesterday I ventured outside for my run! Running on a treadmill is just not the same. I get so bored and get off before I even get started!

So I moved about a month ago and wanted to explore my new neighborhood. I decided to take my iphone because my ipod was out of batteries. Let me tell you I will always run with my iphone now because I can play pandora and my friend told me about a new Nike app that costs $2 but tracks everything about your run. I didn't do it yesterday but I am going to buy it and I'll let you know how that goes!

Well, needless to say I got in a zone and before I knew it I was down by the observatory, where VP Biden lives. I was shocked. That's a far ways from my house. So I took a small break and just kept running. I ended up running 7 miles. Well folks, I'd say I'm back. Now hopefully I can keep this up.

The people you meet along the way

No one ever told me that running was such a social activity, I always thought it was just a bunch of self driven people trying to meet or beat their latest goals. But all this running I've been doing over the past few months has turned that view around. Sure, runners are self-motivated for the most part, but it turns out that there are a lot of people to meet and things to talk about while you're out on a trial or meeting up at a bar afterwards!

Just last week I had plans to meet up with my friend Dane at the Irish Snug run (Which is a 5k run every Thursday at the Irish Snug bar on Colfax) but when I got there, Dane said he wanted to run by himself, so if he went, pounding the pavement to the beat of his own drummer! So there I am, not knowing anyone else stretching out my legs before I take Dane's lead and run solo, when up walk Kevin and Deanna, a couple I met playing kickball this summer, who happen to be good friends with an ex-boyfriend (small world, I know). Deanna and I ended up running together since Kevin took off with some of his friends at a pace much faster than we could handle, and we had so much to talk about (a whole 5k's worth). We ended up covering all the topics new friends would: how long she and Kevin had been dating, how I was handleing the breakup with Ryan, how we both got into running, etc. There were even a few laughs mixed in with our strained breathing along the way!

As it turns out, I've developed some impressive skills with all this running, since Dane took off before me he got back before me and felt the need to text me to determine my location, and miracle of miracles, I was able to text him back, even with my stupid phone! It's the little things in life that get us to keep putting one foot after the other.

Once we finally got back to the Snug and had a chance to catch our breath I ended up in search of Dane in the very sweaty basement of the snug, yuck! But Dane wanted to stay down there so he would hear his name during the ceremony honoring the committed Snug runners that make it to their 10th run! Once you get to 10 runs you get a fancy t-shirt, and I haven't witnessed it yet, but I hear you get another one when you hit the century milestone.

While we were waiting downstairs we caught up with more of Dane's friends, Matt (he's the one that is super super tall and hilarious) and Ian (who I'd apparently met before, but needed a reintroduction to). The group of them are all hilarious, a group of young teachers/student teachers, they had all just started the first week of school. Each one of them are so witty and they come up quick quips one right off the other, if you didn't know them you'd probably think it was a skit they'd practiced together before the run.

When Dane's name was called we all cheered and sang "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" which apparently impressed some of our fellow runners at a nearby table, since they thanked us for our spirit on the way out the door.

Tonight is run number 5 for me with the Snug, and I can't wait to see who I'll meet and what we'll talk about!

Early mornings are the best mornings

Last weekend when I went for my run I thought I was going to die. It was hot and humid and my legs were doing everything in their power to not take the next step. So on Thursday when I went to 'Run with the Snug' I was surprised how functional I was on the trail! 'Run with the Snug' is a 5K that the Irish Snug on Colfax puts on every Thursday at 6pm. It's a good time, a great place to meet up with friends after work because you still get in your exercise for the day and you have an excuse to have a beer or two, since you are already at the bar!

That random detour of last week's runs brings us to the point of today's post, waking up early to take advantage of the cool mornings. This morning, even though it's Saturday, I left my alarm on from the week and woke up 6 to start pounding the pavement. It was perfect! A cool breeze, no body on the trail and this is the best part, I ran farther today than I ever have, from my apartment up the Cherry Creek Trail to Clarkson Street, just North of the Denver Country Club, and back, which Google tells me is 6.6 miles!! By the end my knees were aching, but nothing can make that feel better than the glass of chocolate soy milk I had waiting for me back at home. Yum!

It's been a while

Ok, ok, so we haven't posted anything to our blog in more than a month, it doesn't look so good, but I can assure you that even though were not writing, we are running!

Two weeks ago I took on a new part of the Cherry Creek Trail, which I guess at that point is technically the Platte River Trail, with my new friend Matt. Matt is approximately 12 feet tall(probably more like 6'5" but either way that is really tall), which makes my 5'8" frame next to him look super ridiculous as I am trying to keep up with his strides, which would probably be equal to my height if I were to lay down. But dispite what I am sure would have been a serious of odd looks had there been more people on the trail, we had a good time, ran until we were somewhat lost, stopped at Subway for a very refreshing glass of water, then it was back to pounding the pavement so we could get back home. By home, I mean Little Man Ice Cream, which, if you're ever in the Highlands neighborhood you have to try, because it will change your perspective on all dairy products!

Then last weekend I went on my normal run, down the Cherry Creek trail until I am so hot I think I'm going to passout, then turn around and come back! Nothing out of the ordinary, but the next day I convinced my brother, Ben, to go on a hike with me! We started at Echo Lake on Mount Evans and went the 3.5 miles to Lower Chicago Lake and back. Sounds easy enough until you realize that from Echo Lake, you go straight down, for a half mile and then straight up for 3 miles. It's not so bad because the whole time you're thinking aobut the fact that the way back to the car will be mostly downhill. But when you get to that last .5 mile straight up you consider setting up camp and summiting in the morning. This of course was not an option for us since I had a kickball game in Denver that afternoon and we didn't think far enough in advance to actually have camping gear with us. We survived, with a few scrapes from our detour into some shrubberies, but that night we were totally beat! You could have tried to call our phones all night and we wouldn't have heard a peep, we were so tired we were dead to the world! The good thing is that Ben agreed to go hike with me again someother time, so long as we had more than 4 hours to get the hole thing done!

It's just SO hot!

I've been trying to run as often as possible in preperation for this 26.2 mile nonsense, but the summer is making that difficult. Last week I ended up having time to go out twice, both times I made it about halfway down the trail I usually take, and I was convinced I wasn't going to make it! 95 degrees is just WAY too hot to be able to run in, even if it is afterwork! So on top of being totally beat, I end up super dehydrated and not wanting to eat anything by the time get home because I feel so sick.

So over the weekend I decided to try a new tactic in attempting to train over the summer...early mornings! Monday was supposed to be the first day of waking up at 5 am to lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement. The night before I set out an outfit and thought up a quick breakfast, I was totally prepared, but let's just say the snooze button was repeatedly abused that morning, which resulted in me not running! So this morning I HAD to go run, and surprise, surprise, I woke up to my alarm and was not mad at the world for convincing me that this was a good idea! I turned on the news as a part of my morning tradition and Becky Ditchfield, perky weather girl on KUSA, (normally much too excited about the weather for me at that time fo the morning, but I can see how some people would like to wake up to that) let me know it was a cool 61 degrees outside. YES! Perfect temperature for a run!

So this morning, I made it 5 miles and didn't feel like collapsing anywhere along the way, both of which qualify as good news! Hopefully this will be a new morning tradition to add to my need to watch the news as soon as I wake up!
Becca

Hash House Harriers

Today was officially the most fun I've had in a Red Dress! I went to the Hash House Harriers 13th annual Red Dress Run. This was my first time Hashing, so I didn't know what to expect, but it's easy to understand, everyone, both men and women, dress up in red dresses...and then we run. No one really knows where we're running, it's kind of like a scavenger hunt that way. Everyone is looking for marks made of chalk and flour to give us the directions to find the ultimate prize.

We meet up at the Cap City Tavern and went all over the place from there! Twice we found our way through the gay pride festival (which was great!), we went up the 16th Street Mall crossed through alleys, across several streets until we found ourselves in an empty parking lot with a keg of beer! Now, I'm not a beer drinker, but on a hot day like today, it tasted DELICIOUS!

Once we finished the keg, we started up the second half of the race, where I heard the best sound bite of the day. We were running past a restaurant that had patio seating and a little boy, in a loud voice, turned to his parents as we ran by, and said, "Mommy, that boy is wearing a dress!" Apparently 50 or so grown men and women wearing red dresses and running around downtown in the middle of the day is a sight to be seen, even for a preschooler!

In the end we wound up on an amazing roof top for more drinks and socializing. I had to leave early for a kickball game, but I hear things got a little wild!

I have a feeling that tomorrows run isn't going to be nearly as exciting as today's.

My goals and other thoughts

So why do I want to do a marathon on my 26th birthday? Well, like Molly, I think it's good to have goals. For the longest time I wanted to be a news reporter, and then I was. But since I figured out it wasn't as awesome as hoped, I haven't had much of a goal to chase after. So I set this goal for myself so I would have something to keep me focused and driven. Also, like I said in the first post, I saw a story about a man who ran 70 miles for his 70th birthday it seems like if he can run that far, I can run my own age too! Finally, my family isn't really known for their athletic prowess, but I know my Grandfather ran a marathon when my older sister Liz, was a baby, so I can follow in his footsteps.

Lately, it's been really hot in Denver. Now, I know what you're going to say, "DUH Becca, it's summer, what did you expect!" But it has been super hot, even for summer. So when I had the brilliant idea to run from my apartment Downtown to my volleyball game in Washington Park, I knew to bring some water with me, but what I didn't take into account is that it was REALLY REALLY HOT! So hot, in fact, that I couldn't actually run the whole thing, approx. 6 miles, I had to stop to walk a half dozen times. And this little nugget will make you laugh, I pulled my ass muscle! So by the time I actually made it to volleyball I'm sure I looked like one hot mess; red in the face, exhausted, and hobbelling along because my ass hurt. I'm sure my team was thrilled to see me! In the end the team won one set and lost the other three, rounding out a solid season of us (our team name was the Grass Killers) working really hard not to be the worst volleyball team in Washington Park! I think it was a success! So, I've spent the past few days with a hot pack to my right cheek in an attempt to prepare myself for tomorrow's big excitement...the Red Dress Run!

More on that tomorrow!

Becca

Awww this is us- pre- marathon

The Motivation Behind the Insanity

I have gone ahead and told several of my coworkers, friends, and family that I am planning on doing a marathon in 1 year and 9 months time. Their reactions range from "good job," to "what the hell are you thinking?" Both legitimate.

I will try and explain a little of the motivation behind why I have chosen to run a marathon, and Becca should share her motivation as well.

A) Goals are good. Especially ones that you can cross off.
B) I want to show people that anyone can do it. Yes, I am not starting from 0, but nor am I the girl you look at and go "Damn that girl is buff." We all have friends like that who inspire me and are part of the reasoning behind the insanity.
C) When else am I going to do it? It's so easy to say maybe one day, which is exactly what I thought when Becca first called me, but then I rethought- what the hell have I got to lose?

I have never considered myself a runner, and the funny thing is, I still don't. I don't really like it, to be honest. But a challenge is a challenge, and a goal is a goal. There are so many other things that life hands us that we can't conquer or predict. But, a marathon now that I will conquer... after I eat the doughnut that has been sitting in my office kitchen all afternoon.

Molly

A little research

So Molly lives at Sea Level in Washington, D.C. and I live in the Mile High City in Denver which leads to a big question...where is this marathon actually going to take place? Since Molly is training at sea level we decided to do it there, which I can't complain about since training at altitude and then running at sea level is like a walk in the park (granted this is a 26.2 mile walk in the park, so it will still be brutal). So I did a little research yesterday and determined that March isn't really marathon season. Despite any common sense answer I can come up with, marathons, like hurricanes, take place between June and October, which in my mind is the hottest and therefore worst time of the year to do anything this active, but I'm not in charge of these things so we will just have to deal.

Luckily for us, I found two marathons in California in March that are officially being added to the list of possibilities. The first is the Napa Valley Marathon, which would be great because there would be wine there for us to have a celebratory drink when were done (God knows if wine is what people want to drink after running that far, but it's good to keep your options open). The other, is the Los Angeles Marathon, this one has pros and cons. The Con is that the air is LA is gross and that thought of running there is enough to bring on an asthma attack, YUCK! But the pro, is a really good pro! The majority of the course is, wait for it, DOWN HILL! Which I think puts the LA Marathon officially in the number one spot. At this point that positioning doesn't mean that much since there are only two in the running. But we will keep you posted on our decision as we get closer!

Becca

You're doing WHAT!?!?!

So you're probably wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to put their body through something as awful as 26.2 miles on their birthday of all days! I decided it was the least I could do after getting home from the Bolder Boulder (aka the most fun you'll ever have running a 10k at altitude) and saw a story run on KUSA about a man who ran 70 miles for his 70 birthday. Compared to that 26.2 miles for my 26th birthday seemed pretty reasonable... plus we had more than a year and a half before this run would have to take place! When I told Molly about it she thought it would be lots of fun...for me to do by myself. But by the next day she decided to join me on my goal to 26.2 miles on our 26th birthdays (luckily our birthday are just a few weeks apart so we can run together).

So here we are, writing a blog about our experiences training and other things that might come to our minds as we train, Molly in DC and myself in Denver.

We hope you enjoy!

Becca