Ceter Stage at Red Butte Gardens

This week has been great. Running wise I fit in all my runs and strength work outs. They were all pretty normal, which is why I haven’t written too much about there here, but here is a quick summary:

Monday: 8 miles, sluggish first half faster second half, average mile pace 9:06

Tuesday: 6 miles, easy, average pace 8:50

Wednesday: 7.25 miles, 6 X hills aka running up and down the big hill in my neighborhood 6 times, average mile pace 9:05

Thursday: 9 miles, speedy, first 2/3 was a breeze last 1/3 a bit rough and cold, average mile pace 8:43

Oddly enough the most exciting thing in my life this week was not running. Weird I know! I have had a really great week at work with some exciting opportunities. Although it has kept me exceptionally busy it has been a really great chance to be reminded how awesome my job it and how lucky I am to have it. 

The start of the week was pretty normal. The only notable exception was that it officially is cold enough in the mornings that I have to wear a hat, scarf and jacket while I wait for my bus.

Then came Wednesday. Now for my job I work at a PBS affiliate in the programming department. I am actually technically shared 75% programming and 25% creative services. I do fun stuff like write reports on our ratings, preview upcoming programs and coordinate our social media to our programming. I also do not as fun stuff like enter information into databases, copy edit our programming schedule guide and answer viewer phone calls and e-mail. 

When it all comes down to it the bulk of my job lies in the social media arena. I attend most meetings around the building so I can chime in trying to incorporate creative ways to use social media in all different ways. Well this Wednesday I got to use it in the best way so far! I got to go back stage at The Piano Guys concert at Red Butte Gardens to collect content for when we air the official PBS special in December. 

The night started with a delicious pasta dinner, ceaser salad, veggies, rolls and other delicious food. After dinner they put out treats like tootsie rolls, red vines, peppermint patties, trail mix, granola bars and rice krispies. Oh, they also bought pizza. Throughout the night I literally ate some of everything. I almost typed “a little bit of everything”, but I ate way more than a little bit. 

The concert started at 7, but I was there getting behind the scenes stuff from about 5:30 on. I had this idea to give away wrist bands to audience members if they tweeted to us, but it didn’t really work out so I saved them for promotion in December when we air the show. Before the concert started I was able to go on stage and get some shots of the audience. I only felt like a superstar for about a second.

To give just a little background on The Piano Guys they are a recent YouTube sensation that have somewhere around 170 million views. The group got together when the owner of a piano shop down in St. George asked a musician who would frequently come in to visit to make a YouTube video with him. The name is somewhat deceiving because 1) There are only two actual musicians in the band -- although they consider the piano guys to be all 5 of the guys who help manage and produce their videos and album 2) Out of the two musicians, only one actually plays the piano! The other is a cello player. Anyways, the guys are super nice. I didn't officially introduce myself, but they did happily let me follow them around a posed for pictures when I asked. They were also very nice to everyone back stage and would be dancing and smiling between takes.

Oh yeah, that was the other thing. Since this program was being filmed for a PBS special (sort of like the 25th Anniversary Les Miserables special minus 20,000 people give or take) they had to repeat many of the songs to get the shots that they needed, change set pieces, put candles on stage, re-tell stories between songs, integrate an orchestra flashmob oh, and a small cameo from Chewbacca.
 

The concert went until about 10 o'clock. By the end it was very cold and very windy and I had stress eaten my way though cold pizza and rice krispy treats to feed... well to feed a television crew.

Thursday I got to come into work and hour late due to the concert. That hour made all the difference in my day racing by. Not to mention I kept my Diet Coke Thursday tradition alive, which lit a fire under me. That night Ben took me out to a fancy date at Denny's. In all seriousness, Denny's is one of my top 3 favorite restaurants and I had to beg Ben to go there (it is not his favorite). We wrapped up the night watching our returning Thursday night shows! 

This morning I woke up early way before my alarm and ended up heading into work an hour early. Today has been a great day. Tomorrow I only have 14 miles on the agenda so it should hopefully be a pretty easy run. I can't believe Chicago is only two weeks away!

Weekend Run Wrap-Up

When we last left off I was getting existential about my diet coke experience and recovering from an embarrassingly early run Thursday morning. The rest of the day rounded out with two dinners (turkey avocado wrap with chips and chicken stir-fry), a trip to Yogurtland (peanut butter and red velvet yogurt with bananas, resses pieces and cinnamon toast crunch) and a bag (yes a whole bag) of kettle corn. Not a bad way to end a 12 mile day.

Friday nothing happened.

I went to work, I came home, I carbo-loaded for my run and was in bed by 9.

See. Nothing happening.

Then something weird happened. I slept 12 hours. Maybe this is a normal occurrence for some people, but my body does not generally let this happen. However, this also meant that I ended up starting my run way later than I had planned, which lead to my hardest, hottest run of this training cycle.

 

I ended up leaving my apartment by 9:30am and it was already nearing 70 degrees. The voice in my head told me I should only do half outside and finish the rest on the treadmill, but I talked myself out of it, refusing to do my last long run before the marathon indoors.

I ran almost 9 miles around my neighborhood before making it to the trail I've been running on lately. I kept thinking to myself  “I am pretty sure this wasn’t so hard last week”. I could feel myself draining fast as my thirst became harder to quench. I was simultaneously trying to drink enough water and ration my water for the whole run. I knew I had to get to 14.5 miles before I reached my turn around point, but by the time I reached 12 miles I felt DONE. I was so hot and miserable. I could tell that if I just had more water I would be doing fine, but there is no water on the trail. The craziest thing is even though I felt awful I kept going faster. My miles were coming in right around 9 minutes and I wanted them to be around 9:10.

It got to the point where I knew I was not going to make it through this run in the heat with the water and Gatorade that I had. Having run this trail before I knew there was zero water on it, but also that if I kept running forward instead of turning around I would reach a shopping center that had a few restaurants I could re-fill my water at. By the time I reached mile 14 I was feeling pretty awful. I started getting worried I was going to have to call Ben at work and beg him to come get me, but I was DETERMINED to not give up. This was my LAST long run before the marathon. I just had to make it through this and I would be on my way to taper time.

I made it to the shopping complex at mile 15 and ran straight to a Subway there. I got weird looks, but I went in and filled my water bottle and chugged it down. I refilled it, stepped outside and poured it over my head. I felt immediately better. After soaking myself through with the ice cold water I went back in and drank another half a bottle and then refilled the bottle again to help get me through the 7 miles back to the trailhead I had entered from.

Now I had the daughting task of running again in the heat after enjoying to wonderful feeling of cooling down. The first mile running back wasn’t bad. I was still wet from pouring the water over my head and it actually felt nice to be jogging in the breeze. The run got more and more torturous as it went on. It was a weird sensation in that I felt awful, but I was still keeping my speed up and still running each mile faster than the last. As the miles started winding down I started to doubt I could make it all the way to 22, mostly because of the amount of water I had left. I was drinking water or Gatorade every half mile and would still feel dehydrated every quarter of a mile.

I started doing the math in my head and I only had enough to get me to mile 21. This was a problem. Even when I made it to the trailhead I entered from I still had a 3 mile walk home in the 84 degree weather with zero water left, already dehydrated, with no water fill ups for at least two miles.

I made it to 21.5 miles before having to call uncle. I had about 3 sips of Gatorade left and zero water and I knew I needed to stop before I was 100% out.

Then I started the three-mile death march home. For about the first mile it was semi-shaded and I was doing okay. Then  I made a turn onto a street that had almost no shade and I started getting dizzy. Even walking I had to concentrate to make it to each landmark. At this point Ben was getting off work in about a hour and I was about a half hour from home. I thought about laying on the ground under a tree till he was done with work because walking was getting incredibly difficult. I also kept thinking an upcoming place would have water and then they wouldn't. I knew I would pass tennis courts and thought there would be water fountains. None. I knew I would pass a park and thought there would be a fountain there. Nothing. Eventually I was just 4 blocks from a gas station. I was just staring at the stop light not taking my eyes off it so I wouldn’t fall over. I felt awful. I was wheezing at this point and could barely breath even walking at a slow pace.

FINALLY,  I made it. I filled my water bottle up three times. Once again when I got outside I poured it over my head. Sweet relief. I felt immediately better, again. Megan called while I was finishing my last quarter mile walk and we chatted for a bit before I took a very dizzy shower and a 30 minute nap. I can’t nap more than 30 minutes after my runs – isn’t that somewhat odd? I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and eating.

This is how Veronica relaxes.

 The rest of my Saturday was awesome. Emily and Ryan came over for the BYU-Utah game – and although the game is still a sensitive subject in the household – it was really really fun having them there. We got custard and I got mine with like two cookies worth of coorkie dough on top. It was ridiculously good.

I woke up this morning at 6:30am ravenously hungry and ate four pieces of toast with cinnamon sugar, Pringles and tortilla chips and jelly (sounds gross, tastes amazing). After an hour and a half of eating I went back to sleep for a little before going on an easy 6 mile run. Now I’m enjoying a Once Upon a Time marathon, which is the perfect type of marathon to recover from marathon training. 

Food Network and Diet Coke

So I wasn’t really planning on writing a post today, but it has been a weird day so I thought “why not”? 

The main reason I didn’t want to write today is because I didn’t want to have to admit how early I woke up for my run this morning. Let’s just say I fit in a 12 mile run and 30 minutes of ab work and still caught my 7:20am bus. Do the math if you’d like, but the ending figure is depressing so I don’t recommend it. 

The good news is my run went really well. I did a one mile warm up followed by 10 miles at goal marathon pace and a one mile cool down. I actually was able to increase my speed throughout the run and actually ended the last few miles 20 seconds over my goal pace. Yay! Another piece of good news is that the run was non-challenging enough that I was able to watch TV while running. I did most of my run while watching Dinner: Impossible on the Food Network. 

FUN FACT TIME: I love the Food Network, but not for any of their actual cooking shows (my favorites are Restaurant: Impossible and Chopped). One time Ben and I saw Chef Anne Burrel at O’Hare and totally geeked out. We walked pass her and couldn’t decide if we should talk to her or not. By the time we turned around and decided we should she was already finishing taking a picture with a different couple and walking in the other direction. We decided it was probably best to not chase her down the terminal (and by we I mean Ben – I was totally up for it).

This is Chef Anne for those of you who aren't obsessed with the Food Network.

I got a window seat on the bus, which NEVER happens in the mornings, but my luck was short lived. My bus ended up running a little behind and my train was running a little ahead so even though I tried sprinting the 2.5 blocks (which has crosswalks that are hardly ever in my favor) to make it my attempts were futile. I was so bummed about it I was about *this close* to crying – I’m blaming it on low blood sugar.  I decided to not let it ruin my day and started thinking about the Diet Coke I promised myself I could buy if I got up early for my run… only to remember I forgot to grab a dollar bill for the vending machine… Luckily I pulled myself together, reminded myself I was a grown woman and waited for the next train and only ended up being 15 minutes late for work.

Around 12:30pm I couldn’t stop thinking about the Diet Coke I had prematurely promised myself. I had about 50 cents in my wallet and knew that I only needed out 35 more to buy a can from the vending machine. Thus commenced the great purse/backpack search. My purse turned up nothing, but in my backpack I found two virtually unused hair ties, a pair of earrings, a Maggiano’s mint that I may or may not have eaten (don’t ask me the last time I went there) and the saddest most crumpled up dollar bill I’ve ever seen. Needless to say this happened:

He really really cared. I'm actually not even 100% joking. He said, "I'm glad you found that dollar," which is a full sentence so that means something. I try to limit my Diet Coke consumption, because it easily gets out of control if I don't. Although, I do look back fondly on trips to the Maverick to fill up my daily 32 ounces with my friend Emily and generally splurge after my long runs on the weekend. 

My day really picked up after that. Every time I looked at the clock, time was actually passing whereas earlier in the day I was formulating a theory that time was slowing down.

Did everyone else have a good day?

Motivation

Let’s talk about motivation. It’s sort of impossible to go through life happily without it, right? It comes in all different shapes and sizes and is essential to carry out an array of activities from getting out of bed in the morning to studying for a big test.  

When it comes to running or exercise it is virtually impossible to get started without some pretty strong motivation. When my friend Kait (who in a way motivated me to write this post) asked me this week about tips for running a 5K it really made me stop to think about motivation to run and what really stimulates us to keep moving forward.

I think I often give off the impression that running is really easy for me or that it is something that I am always up for. Do NOT be fooled. More often than not I spend a run glancing at my watch counting down the tenths of a mile until I get to stop. Sometimes I feel so tired I actually run with my eyes close for a few seconds just so they stop stinging and I have been known to walk up a big hill or resort to a strained shuffle if a run gets tough. Overall I love running and how it makes me feel and the sense of accomplishment it gives me, but usually my favorite part of my run is once it’s over. 

Photo after a particularly hard and sweaty run on my parents treadmill in June.

I know I wax poetic about running most of the time, but it is hard work and sometimes we need a serious push to get out the door. Here are some possible motivation techniques to get your daily sweat on:

• Run or walk with a friend or have someone to talk about your workout with: My sister and I swap stories about our work outs almost every day. More than once I have kept going on a run because I wanted to have a good report for her when we talked.
• Have realistic expectations: If you expect to run 5 miles the first time you step on a treadmill then you’re going to be disappointed and give up. Instead start slowly and give yourself small milestones to work towards.
• Track your progress: As you start to reach those milestones, track how you are doing! If you’re working out longer or running farther than you were the month before it is a great motivator to be aware of that.
• Come up with a mantra: My favorites are "Pain is temporary, Quitting is forever" and "You only regret the workouts you don’t do."
• Use a Post-It: If you want to go one step beyond just the mantra put post-its up with encouraging saying and post them where you'll see them. 
• Give a time limit: If the idea of doing a 30 minute workout sounds daunting, just go for 10 minutes and reassess how you feel. If after 10 minutes you need to slow down or stop, you still exercised 10 minutes more than if you stayed at home!
• New running shoes/clothes/gear: If you buy new, nice stuff you’ll want to use it.
• Work towards a reward: My favorite reward is something food (or Diet Coke) related, but other non-food rewards include a new pair of pants, going to a movie, taking a nap or getting a haircut.
• Make a new playlist: If you know you have some new, fast tunes on your iPod just waiting to be listened to, it will make you want to go to the gym that much more!
• Think about the health benefits: I know it sounds crazy, but I swear running gives you more energy. On days that I don’t run in the mornings I am more lethargic at work throughout the day. Oh and that whole "being good for your heart thing" :-).
• Sign up for a race: Lately my main motivation has been the upcoming marathon. Not to mention this is my last week training at full mileage before I start to taper my miles, which has made me even more inspired to get my runs in. I keep reminding myself how much I’ll be craving these runs over the three weeks before the marathon as I see my mileage drop lower and lower.

So how did I motivate myself for today’s run? After sleeping like a rock last night, having my alarm go off at 5:30am was not pleasant, but I used one of my favorite mantras “you only regret the workouts you don’t do” and dizzily prepared for the gym. Today I was back to intervals (I cycle through intervals, hills and tempo runs once a week), but today I did more and at a faster pace. Tomorrow is a 10 mile run at race pace… I’m hoping it’ll be a breeze (considering I’ll need to do 16 more at that pace for the marathon), but I’m nearing the end of training so I’m pretty worn down. But knowing that after tomorrow is my rest day will be a pretty big motivator!

What is going to motivate YOU to work out tomorrow?

photo credit

Porta-Potty Monday (literally)

Imagine starting your work day (a Monday no less) to this e-mail:

“There has been a water main break on campus.  Currently there is no water pressure in our building for “essentials”.   We have not been able to determine which parts of campus have water pressure and which don’t at this point, so frankly, if you need to use the bathroom, you will have to drive off campus.”

At first I thought it was a joke. They expect us to drive 15 minutes off campus to use the bathroom and then drive back? Yeah, okay. If that was the case shouldn’t they be sending us home? 

But sure enough not even 5 minutes later they sent out another e-mail saying the water main wouldn't be fixed until at least the early afternoon and then another half hour later that the issue would NOT be fixed before the end of the work day and they were renting porta-potties. Happy Monday everyone! 

This is all on the heels of a very difficult night’s sleep. My Sunday was really relaxed for the most part and spent in some variation of this set up: 

However, when it came time to sleep it just was not happening. Like most people I use the weekends to catch up on sleep I don’t get throughout the week. Only instead of rewarding me for the extra rest, my body boycotts my desired sleep schedule when it comes time to return to work since I slept so well two nights in a row. Essentially, it comes time for me to go to bed at 9 o’clock and my body thinks, “but you’re so well rested! Just stay up another hour or two." I didn’t fall asleep till after 11 and with a 5:30am wake up call I was not pleased...

Let’s talk about something that will put me in a better mood… like my Saturday long run. Saturday’s run was… incredible. It was 16 miles of “I can’t believe I am keeping up this pace and feeling so good doing it”. 

I slept in and got a much needed 10 hours of sleep of Saturday. However, this meant by the time I did Jillian, got my running stuff together and ate my pre-run breakfast it was 10am and getting warm. Treadmill running did not sound appealing so I decided to just go for it. I could use the experience running in the heat just in case the marathon temps were warm. I set out not knowing exactly what route I was going to run and it was somewhat liberating. I ended up doing about 3 miles around my neighborhood before deciding to run the 3.5 miles to the one and only trail near me. The trail is mostly flat with some rolling hills, but it is also 100% wide in the open with no trees to shield from wind or the sun so it can get kind of harsh. I didn’t want to have to deal will all the twists and turns and hills of my neighborhood though. I just wanted to RUN.

A much prettier picture of the trail than I could take.

Time wise my first mile was around 9:20 and my last was 8:30 (my last 5 were all under 9:00). I was honestly trying to go slower at the end, but the slower I went the worse I felt. Not sure if that is good? The temps started out at about 68 degrees and ended hovering right around 80. It actually wasn't too bad. 

Overall, I finished 2:22 minutes or an average of around 9 minute miles. Considering my goal marathon pace is 8:50 per mile and I wasn’t running at 100% on Saturday I am feeling pretty good about my goal.

This morning’s run was weird. I usually get up and do Jillian before my runs to warm up and wake up, but since I slept so poorly last night I decided to take the extra half hour of sleep and just do my run. This resulted in a weird sleepy run for the first few miles. The first mile especially I barely remember running. Regardless I was able to keep up an average pace of 8:49 minute miles for 8 miles with my first mile at 9:04 and my last at 8:39. 

That pretty much catches us up to now… unless you want me to complain more, because if you did I might mention that I’ve had 14 angry PBS viewers call me today or that I was stuck in awful traffic on my way to work which means I got in late, which means I have to stay late... but no one wants to hear that. Instead I’ll talk about how my flight to Chicago leave in almost exactly 24 days!

Anyone else have a story (good or bad) about their Monday?