7/31/09

personality

i am an INFJ. and will is an INFP.

in making new friends here in chicago, people have tended to guess that i am a T. i think i have become more T since being with will, because he is such a huge F (even though i'm very high on the F meter myself). but the funny thing is, he's the nerdier and smarter one. how does that work?

7/27/09

week 8

i ran 12 miles on saturday! i can't believe i did it. i didn't think i could pull it off because i fell off the wagon last week on my shorter runs. but i pulled it off in 1 hour and 54 minutes, which comes out to an average of 9.5 minutes per mile.

afterwards, i waded in the lake to cool off. it felt so nice! i might just jump in one of these days.

so for my long run debrief: the first half felt rough. part of it was the heat, and the other part was because i didn't do my shorter runs during the week. i wanted to walk so badly, but i didn't want to lose the group and run alone. that totally motivated me. but after the first half, i ate one chewy gummy thing and i got my second wind.

pre-run food: i ate a small bowl of my homemade yogurt, fruit and granola before the run. i've done that for the last 2 weeks and it seems to work just fine.

during run food: as mentioned before, i ate one chewy gummy block. i think it was ok, but i did get a small cramp during mile 10. i don't know if it was the chewy thing or too much water.

post run: i was in so much pain! my right knee still hurts when i walk. will made me two ice packs for my knees, and i iced while playing settlers for 2 hours that night. i think that helped, but the pain isn't totally gone, and i'm running 3 miles tonight. i'm gonna have to keep icing.

next week is 13 miles. honestly, part of me is wondering what i was thinking and wishing i had signed up for the half marathon. the second half seems insurmountable! but i know i gotta think positive! that's what people keep telling me.

this week's runs:

mon: 3 mi [done]
tue: 6 mi [done]
thu: 4 mi [done]
sat: 13 mi [done]

7/20/09

week 7

i can't believe i'm actually doing this! seriously. i think anyone can do this. it's about mind over matter, more than anything.

...well, let's see if i can pull the whole thing off, first. :)

i did my 7 last week and it felt great, especially after having 10 under my belt. i also finally ran with the world vision team again, and it was SO nice to run with a group! it made the whole long run experience much more enjoyable and less intense.

i got there after the groups had taken off, so i had to book it until i caught up with my pace group, which was the 10 minute mile group. i think i finished the 7 miles in 65 minutes.

this week is the 12 miler. i'm definitely going to the group run for that one. i will need all the extra help i can get. i'm having an issue with my fourth toe. it turned purple under the toenail. that toe starts feeling cramped in my shoe. i think i need new shoes soon, too. it feels weird getting another pair b/c my shoes seem new, but i think i'm approaching the 400 mile mark with my shoes.

anyways, here are this week's runs:

mon: 3 mi [done]
tue: 6 mi [did 4]
thu: 3 mi [missed]
sat: 12 mi [done]

7/14/09

week 6

caution: this post may contain tmi for some, especially men. :)

first off, i did it! ten miles!!!

i am feeling pretty good about my running. but i am also coming up against some new challenges:

1. my period: i visited will this past weekend in louisville. i was all set to run my 10 miles on saturday morning, but i started my period that day. the cramps began early in the morning, and didn't stop until about noon. when the cramps start, i am pretty much bed-ridden. they are very painful and medication doesn't help. sometimes the pain is so strong that i get nautious and once i even threw up. i REALLY hope i don't start my period on race day! that would suck.

so i actually ended up doing a shorter run on saturday night with will in louisville. it was super humid and we only completed 5 miles because it was getting late, and it was still 80 degrees, and we had to eat.

i did my long run yesterday, here in chicago. i felt really good cardiovascularly. but some new things...

2. knees: my knees started hurting at mile 5, and then got really painful at mile 8. i wanted to run faster my last two miles but my knees were screaming at me. i don't know what to do about this. will says i should ice my knees after the run.

3. calves and ankles: my calves and ankles hurt too. i didn't get what that was about. i think i need to stretch more.

4. blisters: some of my toes got really tender during the run. today i'm really feeling the blisters.

5. goo: i tried goo for the first time. i took it at the halfway point. it tasted nasty, but i knew i needed the extra energy. i think i'll try making my own next time. i heard you can mix honey and cinnamon.

6. watermelon: i have discovered the perfect pre-run food - watermelon! i ate a whole bunch of watermelon before my run. it's basically sugar and water so it gave me energy without the digestion issues that other food gives. i think i'll keep eating watermelon before long runs. i got no side cramps from it at all!

my runs this week:
mon: 3 mi [did 10]
tue: 5 mi [done]
wed: 3 mi [done]
sat: 7 mi [done]

7/10/09

the fourth

my cousins came into town for 6 days last week, over the 4th of july holiday. i had such a great time with them. they pretty much hit all the chicago hot spots: the taste of chicago, architectural boat tour, signature room, steak house, chicago style pizza, chicago style hot dogs, shedd aquarium, north michigan ave, fireworks at grant park and my favorite dessert shop. some of them even did a long run with me by the lake.

also, i went to my first cubs game. yay!

it was so good to be around people who know me and who i have a long history with. some of my cousins even remember me from when i got off the plane when my family immigrated from korea when i was 2 years old.

i was really sad when they left. and then i rented marley & me the movie and bawled through the whole thing.

7/6/09

week 5

with visitors in town, i only did two of my runs last week. but one of them was 8 miles! yay!

i'm getting back on track this week. last week i talked about how i don't like running alone. i've also been learning that i run much better in cooler weather.

here are this week's runs:

mon: 3 mi [done]
tue: 5 mi [done]
thu: 3 mi [done]
sat: 10 mi [did 5]

i'm hitting 10 this week. wish me luck!

7/1/09

week 4

it's been a bit challenging to keep up with my marathon training schedule. with going out of town, and having out of town guests stay with me, i have to work extra hard to stay on track.

i was supposed to do another sixer last weekend but i only had time to do four. i hope it doesn't mess me up. this week's schedule is 3, 4, 3 and 8. but i have modified the schedule for the week to the following:

tue: 5 mi [done]
thu: 4 mi [missed]
sat: 8 mi [done]

8 feels big! i hope i can do it. i think my cousin-in-law is going to run it with me. will picked up some goo and power bar type things for me. i've been saving them for longer runs. i might give them a try for the 8 miler this weekend.

the one nice thing is that the weather has been unusually cool here. today, it is drizzling and in the 60s. perfect for running!