Sunday, January 15, 2012

Holy Tootie~~~ I did it!!!!! 6 miles!

You want me to do what? 6 miles!!!
Today on my training was 6 miles. I will let that sink in for a moment.......6...miles! It was too windy outside today, for my wimpy self. Especially since I would be running alone. I decided to get back on the treadmill. I had bought some new fuel, so that I can start experimenting. Especially since I never know what my stomach will take exception to. I bought Gatorade G2 perform to help keep me from losing too many electrolytes, and a Razz Clif shot.



I mixed the G2 powder into 2 bottles of water. I don't always drink a lot of water, but I was going to try to stay hydrated this time. I also tried to drink lots of water throughout the day.  I ended up drinking about 1 and 1/2 bottles. It was pretty good, didn't have quite the flavor of gatorade that I dislike. It was just fruity. Little bit of an aftertaste. My fingers swelled up during the run. I had to take off my rings. Not sure if I was drinking too much or too little. Maybe some of you experienced runners can help me out?

After about mile 4 I took half of the Clif shot. Rasberryish. yumm. Tasted pretty good, but you have got to have something to wash it down with! If I hadn't been able to get a drink, I think my mouth would have tasted like a desert. Good news? My stomach had no problems with either the Gatorade or the Clif shot. I shouldn't have any bathroom emergencies using these.
At mile 5 I took what was left of the Gel shot. I was pretty impressed with myself at this point. I hit 5 miles slower than with the group run, but faster than the last time I did 4.5 with Eric. I was texting my friend Billie Jo. She was so encouraging, and I don't think she realized how much her encouragement helped!
6 miles in 84:50!! 



The pic is blurry because I was trying to walk and take the pic at the same time. I didn't want to just stop, so I was trying to cool down. I did intervals the entire time. Walk 1 minute, and run 2 minutes. The whole time. It didn't get really difficult until after the 75 minute mark. I wanted to just walk the rest of the way, but I wanted to surpass my goal of finishing in under 1 hour and 30 minutes. I did it! I finished it in 84:50!! I now feel more like a runner, because you don't call someone who does that a walker. I am no longer going to feel guilty about calling myself a runner.

I also have to say that I am one of the luckiest women on the planet. I have some wonderful children. I gave Kylah and Ashleigh a few instructions, and they made dinner. Shepherds pie, and it was awesome. They helped take care of the babies while I was gone too. Eric was supervising, but the girls did the dinner on their own. They only had to call me once. I am so thankful to have such a supportive and helpful family! I would never be able to meet my goal if they weren't here supporting me the whole way!

My wonderful children! In the purple is Kylah (the oldest), holding Erika (the baby) is Elisabethe (middle teen), Holding Amos ( only boy) is Ashleigh ( youngest teen)

13 comments:

  1. My hands swell up, too. I thought it might be because of my weight or maybe a blood pressure thing, but since they always came back down a short time after, I didn't give it too much thought. Of course, I don't have any rings to wear as I am a guy and currently not married, so I don't have to worry about that aspect of it. Still, I've meant to run this by my doc but keep forgetting (maybe because it would give him yet more ammo to tell me not to be running - HA like that is gonna happen!). If it concerns you, you might check with your physician.

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    1. Oh, by the way, Love the bloodhound pic!

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    2. Yeah, They went down pretty quickly. I'm not going to worry about it for now. I don't want to be sidelined either! I thought the dog's face was about the same as mine when I thought about running 6 miles! :)

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    3. the swelling of the fingers is normal it just means you are low on salt. get some salt tablets and take one before your long run you might need another dose after 6 miles. hold you hands up over your head for a minute while running and it helps them to go back down.

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    4. thanks! I thought maybe I had too much salt! Good to know, I will look into getting some of those for next week!

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  2. I've run since I was 17 and my hands swell every time: cold, hot or perfect weather. I always wear my rings but I guess I'm so used to it, they don't bother me.

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    1. Glad to know it isn't something I should overly worry about. My rings are usually very loose, I couldn't handle it. ;)

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  3. I saw you on "People I want to Punch in the Throat." My wife is a runner, I always have mad respect for people that just get out and do it. I know I need to start. Thanks for sharing.
    www.worldfamilytravellers.blogspot.com

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  4. I started running again last summer, and while I don't have the hand swelling thing happen every time, it still does happen from time to time. On the longer runs, I can even tell that they will swell at some point along the way, then be "un-swollen" (is that even a word?) closer to the end. I usually don't run with jewelry on, but if you do I can certainly see how that would be annoying / hurt.

    Way to go on your 6 mile run...that is a very respectable distance !

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  5. Thanks for coming over to check out my blog! I love that she did the link party! I might have to do that for the few readers I have. ;)

    Thanks Michael! It was a milestone for me for sure! I am going to have to stop wearing my rings when I go. I would hate to have to take them off, and then lose them. I only wear my wedding rings and the mother's ring I got for Christmas. They are too special to lose!

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  6. Awesome job! I'm a fairly new runner-wannabe too...such a hard start but SO rewarding. Keep up the good work!

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  7. It is hard, but definitely worth it. If nothing else, at least we have bragging rights!

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