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
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
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
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
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
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
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
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
Monday, June 14, 2010
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
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
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