Ladies, Check Your Calves

I had a dermatologist appointment today to get an itchy mole examined. It's fine, but I did learn something interesting. The doctor said that many melanomas in women are on the skin of the calf. The calf of my leg is not a hot spot for me when it comes to smearing on sunscreen. The neck, ears, lips, face, back, shoulders, you know the routine. I guess I will pay a little more attention to protecting my lower legs from sun exposure. So, check you calves for moles. And when you get back from the cow pasture, check you lower legs, too. (That's just a little rural humor for ya!)

Race for the Cure

Saturday was our local Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. My mom is a three year breast cancer survivor, so we went to honor her. My sister and I did the 5K together. We have not run together since October of last year. She has a two year old and not much free time. We ran a little, walked a little, and talked the whole way. I think our mom enjoyed having all of us there with her. We certainly enjoyed having her there with us.

There was a ceremony to recognize the survivors, lots of booths, and lots of friends. When my mom crossed the finish line of the 1 mile walk, they announced that she was a survivor. She was delighted. It was also my sister's first time to go through a finish chute and she got a kick out of that. (I'll make her into a triathlete, yet...) We were very silly all day, but underneath that we were a little teary-eyed with gratitude that we still have our mom. Here's to all the survivors out there!

Long Run Plus Speed Work

I am following my half-marathon training plan and yesterday called for a seven mile run with three one mile repeats at a 9 minute per mile pace. Yeah, right. I haven't run at a 9 minute pace since the spring. I ran the 7 miles and gave a hard effort on three of those miles with a half mile easy jog in between. All of these long runs and easy runs at 11 minute per mile pace are making it very hard to run at a faster pace. Oh, well. My main goal for this first half marathon is to finish. I would love to do it in under 2.5 hours, but that would be icing on the cake. We'll see how tomorrow's Race for the Cure 5K goes. I am running with my sister at her pace, but I have no idea what her pace will be. I'll keep you posted...

Half-Marathon Training

This week begins my fifth week of my 14 week half marathon training plan. The last few weeks have been full of firsts for me. My first 15 mile running week. My first attempt at mile repeats (not pretty) and my first 8 mile run is coming up on Sunday. I am really enjoying running longer distances.
There are two special, running-related events this week. On Friday, Sept. 18th it is National Run@Work Day sponsored by the Road Runners Club of America. Saturday is my local Komen Race for the Cure. I run it in honor of my mom, a three year survivor! This year my mom, sister, and I are going together. My sister and I are running the 5K together with matching shirts and socks (too cute). There will be pictures, so check back on Sunday for a full report. I am not sure how I expect to run 3 miles Saturday and then turn around and run 8 on Sunday. I'll let you know...

10 in 10 update

I have lost 3 pounds in 3 weeks during the 10 in 10 challenge. For some reason, putting your actual weight on a website keeps me very honest. I think that is the case for the other participants as well, because everyone seems to be on track. Check it out at http://www.tenintenchallenge.com

More Than One Gear

Last summer when I started running regularly again with the idea of participating in races, every run was done at the same speed. Think of the person running just in front of the sag wagon in the last mile of a marathon. That was about my speed and probably what my form looked like. More of a lumber than a run.
While I have not gained much actual quickness in the last year or so, I have developed the ability to run at different paces for different types of runs. The first to develop was the "sprint" for speed work of 200 - 400 meters, with walk breaks in between. This is where I learned that you can pick your feet up off the ground while running.
Lately, I have been doing longer tempo style runs and have found a third gear. I can go a little faster than my long run lumber, but not as fast as my "sprint". I have found a middle speed. Incredible. This is another reason that I love triathlon, and running specifically. You are always finding something new within yourself. I wonder what else is in there?