The name just came to me, out of nowhere...and now that I am typing this I realize it's a perfect name because: 1) it can be either a boy name or a girl name 2) it reminds me of Dr. Seuss, which always make me smile and 3) it goes nicely with the red, white and blue color scheme, as in "Uncle Sam." I briefly toyed with the name "Belle" (as in "ring the bell" on the handlebar and in tribute to Lara's bike "Liberty Belle") but was led to Sam for some reason. So Sam it is.

And now on to more exciting news: the first real ride!

A fellow co-worker and avid mountain biker was kind enough to take pity on my newbie soul and took me out a local state park for my first ride. It was fabulous big fun and some of the hardest crap I've ever had to do (athletically).

Looking back, I should have played with the gears before hitting the actual trail, but I foolishly thought I could figure it all out before the first hill. Wrong, wrong, wrong! By the third hill, I had the hang of the whole "drop it into a low gear and pedal like mad" thing but I struggled with keeping the bike heading in a straight line...kinda wobbled around a bit.

I got hung up on more than one root and plenty of rocks, and I could be heard cussing like a pirate in the middle of the forest. Words like "crap" could be heard muttered under my breath, and a few "ughs" but there were some more choice words that came out later...I won't repeat them here, this is a PG-family show after all!

I did get a stick caught up in my back spokes and chain...luckily I was going so slow that I could stop the bike before the bike stopped itself. Took me a minute or two to wrangle the stick back out...felt like I was being hazed by the powers of nature!

This particular park has this one trail that I had been on once before, on a borrowed bike about a year ago...The Yellow Trail (~ominous music~). It's curvy and skinny and runs along the edge of a small cliff for a portion. I did better this time through, but still got a little, ahem, nervous (read: scared) in certain parts. I did have to play hike-a-bike a few times. More than a few. And then came the hill.

The. Hill.

It's actually an old, dried up river bed...FULL of rocks. F-U-L-L. And we were heading UP it. Of course. Not that going down it would be any fun either.

I backed my bike up to get a running start...and flubbed on a root. Went back again for a running start...and got like twenty feet up, before I flubbed on a rock. My "coach" didn't even need the running start...just hopped up on his pedals and off he went. All the way up. No problem. (Bastard!) So I decided, as I was walking my bike up the hill, that this particular hill, The Hill, would be my "half-marathon" of biking. That's my short term biking goal...to kick that hill's ass.

The rest of the ride was less technical and easier to handle. I've got a lot to learn but DAMN was that fun. My "coach" was great - patient and encouraging, with tons of tips/advice but no too coddling...just what I needed. He talked about how he loves the fact that he cannot think about anything else when he bikes; he HAS to focus on all the roots, rocks and hills which means he doesn't get distracted by thoughts about work or other crap...and it's so cleansing. I'd have to agree.

And I'm happy to report that I am not sore this morning (muscle-wise..there are certain parts that are a bit um, tender) and I handled my 4-miler without any fatigue.

We're already making plans for another ride next Tuesday.

It's official, I'm hooked.

Me too, me too, me too! How crazy is this bike thing? I just bought one this past Thursday (overdue b-day present from March) and I finally get to take it out on a trail tonight!

The only downside to the wonderful wedding weekend was leaving my shiny new bike sitting in the garage, waiting to fulfill its purpose. She's been impatiently tapping her back wheel since I returned home on Sunday!

In about one hour, she'll be living up to her job description.

(Guess she needs a name now, huh?)

Whew! I think this is the longest I've gone without posting since I started this crazy thing! I was starting to get the shakes!

I was a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding this weekend, and I've been on the move since Thursday morning.

I planned my running schedule differently this past week, due to aforementioned wedding, so I took my "long" run on Thursday morning. I was scheduled for 5 miles, but was feeling strong, loving the weather and enjoying the trails (Chris, I also startled a deer!) so I did about 6.25.

I wrapped up my official training for the week on Friday morning with a 3-miler, leaving the weekend clear of any running. My legs were noticeable tired from the longer run the day before, piled on top of "no rest days" since Tuesday. I seemed to handle to lead-filled legs without incident and my pace wasn't as slow as I thought it was going to be, so I guess that's good.

My best friend, the bride, is the original inspiration for me to run distance races...so when she asked me to pack my running gear for the weekend, there was no way I was going to say "No" just because I'd already put in my miles for the week. And I'm glad I didn't turn her down! She and I spent the night before the wedding at a hotel, and when we got up in the morning we hit the road together. It was warm and muggy, but we took it nice and easy and just set out to run for thirty minutes. It was a fabulous way to get an energetic start on the Big Day.

(The wedding itself was amazing and has easily been ranked as my #1 favorite wedding of all time. The reception was a barefoot beach reception, complete with a steel drum band and a raw bar...and the weather cleared up just in time so it was sunny, blue skies and DRY. Plus, their dogs were the ring bearers which I thought was about the cutest thing in the world. Lara, this was on the same beach that you were running near!)

Weekly summary:
Mon: 3.25/26:29
Wed: 4.00/35:51
Thu: 6.25/59:45
Fri: 3.00/26:35
Sat: 3.00/30:00 (approx.)

Total: 19.50

Only fifteen weeks left! Yippee!

Monday evening's run with my new fast partner went really well. We met at my favorite trail and hammered out 3-plus miles in about 26:00 minutes. We caught a glimpse of a little bit of nature - a chipmunk and a rabbit but no turtles this time!

It was strange running on a trail with a partner -- it's so narrow that we had to run in single file. I was in the front position since I was familiar with the trail and it was weird to hear a voice but not be able to see the face that was talking to me from behind. (And what if I fell! What a mess that would have been!!)

This morning was my first weekday 4-miler of the training program and I did an out-and-back loop in 35:51. I was frustrated that the return trip took longer than the first leg of the run...I had to keep reminding myself that it's all uphill on the way back (really, I'm not making that up!). And I still averaged 8:57 per mile which is just where I should be. But still. I want more. Better.

Which leads me to my growing anxiety: am I expecting too much of myself for this marathon? I know I just started training and I need to take it one mile at a time, but I keep reading about how hard the FIRST marathon is, and to concentrate on finishing without worrying about time, etc. But I'm not content with that. I want to finish in four hours. I want to maintain a 9:00 minute mile pace. Am I being unrealistic? I did a 20K and a half-marathon last fall, and kept close to 9:00 min/mile for both races without struggling or bonking...theoretically, I should be able to do that for the marathon, right?

And I know that there are many factors that I cannot control, and I'm OK with that --as long as I know that I worked hard on the things I CAN control, I can accept that sometimes CRAP happens. I guess I need to know that marathon goals like mine can be achieved...I've heard too many stories about how it all falls apart while you're out there. Am I doomed? I'm not fishing for "Oh, you can do it" type comments...I just need to know that the first marathon does not have to be the worst marathon! Give me some positive stories people! I'm lookin' for the love!

Saturday's 7-miler went off without a hitch.

I was not even bitter about the fact that my alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. on a SATURDAY.

It was a muggy morning, but the temps were low enough to keep things comfortable. I ran with my FlashFlo hydration pack and was reminded of how much that extra weight slows me down (I ran about 9:30 per mile, slower than I wanted, but not out of the range I need to train in).

This of course led me to the inevitable contemplation of what to do for the marathon -- wear the pack or just drink the water at the stops? I didn't wear the pack at the half-marathon and I don't recall feeling parched. I guess it will also depend on the weather...this is yet another one of those issues to file under the "take it as it comes" category. (I seem to recall reading someone else's blog about this very topic.)

The highlight of the run: rescuing a turtle from the middle of the road. I was very careful about moving him off the road in the exact direction he seemed to be headed. Didn't want to confuse the poor guy -- looked like he was already having a rough morning. (What was so important on the other side of the road?)

I spent the rest of day moving the mother-in-law to a new house...and I decided to consider that particular activity my "cross training" for the week. Carrying boxes and furniture up and down stairs should count for something, right? And I have to wonder where "chips and beer," eaten as dinner, fit into the nutritional needs?

My legs were totally DEAD yesterday. I think I could have run, but only if I was being chased.

Weekly Summary:

Mon: 3.25/25:52 (3/23:53)
Wed: 3.00/26:40
Thu: 3.25/30:38
Sat: 7.25/1:08:53

Total miles: 16.75

On to the third week of training!

I have to admit, I am really diggin' running in the morning.

The benefits seem endless:

The roads are quiet, just a few cars...which is important where I live since "sidewalks" and "shoulders" are nearly non-existent.

The temperatures are reasonable, regardless of what the weather will be like later in the day.

My husband is still sound asleep when I leave, and since I don't need to rush out for my run after work, we get more time together in the afternoon (and we don't lose any time together in the morning).

I shower immediately after running instead of puttering around the house.

I haven't gotten hungry at all! My energy level feels stable, which is a welcome change for me.

I take it nice and slow while I'm out there, waking up as I run.

It looks like I'll be running Monday evenings with my new running partner, taking Tuesday as a rest day. And it will good to rest, since I know I'll run 8:00 minute miles with her, which is "hard comfortable" for me. I'll stick to morning running on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Just gotta find a time that works for you. Unless you're an elite athlete, the time of day you choose to work out doesn't make that much of a difference.

On another note, I was checking out some other sites with marathon training programs, and some of the "novice programs" just crack me up. Five to six days of running per week, with tempos, speed work and hills mixed in. First week of training with totals of 25-40 miles. Novice programs. Let me repeat that: Novice. Programs.

That's insane.

I love Hal Higdon. He's realistic.

Here's the link to The Official Schedule. I tried to work in my races without compromising the weekly mileage while still being able to "rest."

I'll have to take it week by week and figure out if it works. I managed to race while training for the half-marathon last year, but this is completely different.

On another note, last night's run with my new running partner went by really FAST. Literally. She's a speedy one! We hit the first mile under 8:00 minutes which was a little faster than I wanted to be going for a "training run." We slowed up a teensy, tiny bit, but still finished the 3 miles in 23:53. I'll call it a "tempo" run and next week I'll try to slow her down a bit!

Heck, I'm just happy to have someone to run with for a change!

After spending about 45 minutes trying to get the training schedule to look decent on this blog, I just gave up. In Netscape, there was a hhhuuuuggge space before the table, so you'd have to scroll down for miles before you could see it. And IE was being cranky as well. I guess I don't know as much about html as I thought I did. Sigh.

Basically, my marathon training schedule is Hal Higdon's novice program. I've made a few changes to my version of the schedule in order to accommodate for the 20K on September 6th. And I'll probably mix up the rest days here and there (like this week: I'm running today but will rest or cross train tomorrow).

I'm still trying to figure out how to incorporate the other races into the schedule. I don't really want to give them up, but I will if I discover that the mileage is too much. On one hand, it might not be a bad idea to wear myself out a bit the day before my longer runs--at least I know I'll be less likely to run them too fast if I've already run hard the day prior. On the other hand, I'm afraid that I won't have "enough in the tank" if I expend too much energy the day before. Who knows? The only way to find out is to give it a try, right?

Some of you are probably thinking: "Dianna, just focus on the marathon! Forget about those small town 5Ks!" I've thought of that too, but here's the crux of it: I'm entered into a race "Point Series," and so far I'm in second place for my age division. I just don't want to give that up! What can I say...I'm an only child and an Aries, it's in my nature. Not to mention the fact that I really love the feeling of "race day butterflies" and making "race day friends." As a matter of fact, I made a friend at my last race and she and I are meeting for a run tonight!

Final note: My first week of training went off without any problems. My 6-miler on Saturday was run at target marathon pace (9:00 minute miles)...don't ask me how my body knew what pace was necessary, but it did!

"Morning Runs" just sounded, well, bad.

It has been a couple of years since I have attempted to work out in the morning hours. I used to get up at 4:45 a.m. and drive 25 minutes to the gym for weights and some cardio. Even after FIVE months of doing that regularly, I could never shake the cobwebs from my brain the rest of the day. I always felt like I was walking around in a fog. And since I always weight train prior to cardio, I would have to stop and eat before I jumped on the elliptical or the treadmill or else suffer through my typical sugar crash. It was annoying.

Then I tried after-work workouts and the cobwebs went away. I assumed this meant that I was an "afternoon" person. The eating problem was still the same - I would eat on the drive to the gym and then sometimes halfway through the workout.

As I got more "into" running, the trips to the gym were less frequent, as I could run anywhere. I've stuck with my "afternoon" time slot for running, except on weekends when I fit the run in based on scheduled events and weather.

Until this week.

Starting Week 18 of the marathon training program, knowing that the temperatures were going to be hot, I thought it would be a good week to experiment. I set the alarm for 5:30 a.m. Got up, had a cup of coffee and a banana with all-natural peanut butter, laced up and hit the road by 6:00 a.m.

Tues: 3.25 miles, 32:08
Wed: 3.25 miles, 31:50
Thurs: 3.25 miles, 31:48

Nice, easy pace. Being creaky and tired forces me to take my time and get into a good groove. There were fewer cars on the roads and the world seemed to much quieter. The temps were great except on Wednesday when it was muggy.

My energy levels were good all day long...with the usual, sleepy slump on the drive home (ACK!).

The very best part? I DIDN'T GET HUNGRY!!! I made sure to eat dinner a little later than usual and I made sure to pick foods that would pump up those glycogen stores. I think it worked!

The real test will be when I add on the miles. Aside from the food issues, I'm not sure how much earlier I can get up in order to run the longer distances!

After my run tomorrow, I'll post my tentative training schedule. Your homework tonight is to think about ways Dianna can still run the races she has planned this summer/fall and not compromise her marathon training. (For example: the day I'm supposed to run 15 miles, I have a 5 mile race planned. What the hell!?)

Before the story of the day....two quick things: 1) WOW! Thanks for all the kind words and confidence regarding the marathon. I feel so lucky to have you crazy kids in my life! 2) Ran in the early a.m. today and had no food issues. Will try again tomorrow, and will update with details.

Now, on to the "The Marine in Iraq Writes Back!"

Some of you know that I ran the May 15th Armed Forces Day 5K to honor my friend John in Iraq. I just missed setting a personal best but considering the heat (records temps for May) I was OK with the results.

Last week, I sent John an email, detailing what I had done (I had NOT told him about it ahead of time), complete with excerpts from my blog (including some of the comments) and pictures (the same ones you got to see last week).

I waited patiently for his response and finally got it today!

Here's some of what he had to say:

"I just wanted to thank you for the email and pictures. What a neat surprise, that was pretty cool. I told everyone at work about the race and your “representing” the MAG, they all thought it was a great idea and told me to say thanks. Sorry that you did not beat your personal best but you put up a hell of a showing so you must be happy. However, all I keep hearing about are these hills, hills, hills! I guess I have been away too long but I do not remember that many hills in CT. Sounds like you are whining to me! Suck it up and stop bitching woman!

Seriously I am happy for you that you found something to be so passionate about that is also so good for you. Keep it up and maybe one day you will beat me! OK, well you never will, but keep trying! (How is that for incentive!)

Again thanks for the email and photos and especially for having us in your thoughts. The amount of support we are getting from the states is incredible and really means a lot to everyone over here."

Just thought you'd all want an update...thanks for rootin' for me!

There's been much talk about personal growth and goal setting on the blogs as of late.

Figured I'd add to the chatter.

But first, you must cross your heart not to tell on me. I'm letting you in on a big secret.

I really want to try a marathon.

I'm terrified.

And my husband will tease me until the end of time because I swore I would never, ever, ever want to run that far...only crazy people run 26.2 miles all at once...and he KNEW I would do one. Bastard.

So here's the plan:

Train for a marathon. Assess how I feel--physically, mentally--about halfway through the process. Scale back to a half marathon if my body is not cooperating (I had some bunion and knee trouble last fall that I think I have it under control, but won't be sure until I really start to add the miles). If my body behaves, then I'll continue with the plan to run the Hartford Marathon in October. Bill Rodgers will be there this year, and since he is 1) from Connecticut; 2) an alum of the college I work for; and 3) a legend...I figured that it would be a good marathon to do. Plus I am familiar with a portion of the course from the Half Marathon last year AND I know that it's fairly FLAT (compared to the area of the state that I live/run in). Incentive and inspiration all rolled in one.

So there it is, again..I've put my goal out there so I can't take it back.

And today starts the new training schedule...ONWARD!

I carb-loaded last night...to the point of embarrassment...I finished my bowl of pasta w/meat sauce and then moved on to my friend Tamieka's unfinished bowl...not to mention the two helpings of salad and bread!

This morning I had my classic wheat toast with peanut butter and banana, two cups of coffee and some gatorade.

Once I got to the race, I also had my obligatory pre-race PowerGel about 30 minutes before the start.

Boy, was I a chatterbox pre-race! Made friends with a woman I recognized from the May 15 race -- the one I was trying to keep up with! She's not in my age division, and we run about the same pace so I thought she'd be good to hang out with! And I love making a race-day friend--her name is April.

I forgot my watch. April didn't have one on either and neither one of us had any idea how to pace ourselves. We laughed about it and took off together, hoping for the best.

Course was typically HILLY for this part of Connecticut (I am getting SICK of hills, let me tell you!).

There were a BUNCH of little kids in the race, since this race proceeds support the Chaplin PTO. I practically knocked two girls down, but once we all got to the first hill, the kids thinned out fast!

It was a little warmer than I thought, but not unbearable. More hills than I anticipated, but again, not unbearable. I just chugged along, trying to keep up the woman in front of me and trying to keep an eye on April, who was feeling a little under the weather.

I crossed the finish and totally forgot to check the time.

Just then, my cheering section shows up--yes, AFTER I crossed the finish line...LOL.

Long story short...As we were gathering for the awards ceremony, I discovered that I had finished the race in 24:18. A new PR. I placed second in my age division and even got a fancy trophy! April also placed in her age division, coming in at 24:46.

Before the race, when I was lamenting having forgotten my watch, my friend Charlie said "Some of my best times were when I didn't wear my watch. You'll probably run faster than usual today."

Turns out, he was right!

(as was Richard, who predicted I'd place based on last year's results...there were even fewer participants this year!)

I have another 5K race tomorrow so I haven't run since Wednesday night...thought I'd post a bit more about my food issues, since my blogging family seems to have advice to share with me...and I could use all the insight I can get on this topic.

As you may know (or not), I have sugar-crashes and "food issues" sometimes when I run. It's never been bad enough to make me fall over, but on at least one occasion, I had to stop running and walk the rest of the way home. Frustrating, as you can imagine.

For the most part, any run 3 miles or shorter I can handle without getting hungry. Most days. Once in a great while, I'll get a little shaky near the end, but nothing outrageous. Anything over 3 miles is a crap-shoot. I can never predict when it will happen--I can eat peanut butter and bananas 30 minutes before I run, and I'll crash. Or it can be an hour and half since my last "meal" and I'll run without incident. (I think a food journal may alert me to the patterns.)

During the winter months, I always carried a power bar in my jacket pocket (power bars WILL FREEZE WHILE IN A POCKET, by the way). Now that I am wearing far fewer pieces of clothing, I'm finding it difficult to stash food in my clothes and I'd rather not wear a belt or pack for any run under 6 miles. (I realize I may have to re-think this strategy).

I have carried gel with me--and diluted gatorade--on longer runs, which always gets consumed, but I really despise taking the gels without any liquid to wash it down which is why I don't take them on shorter runs. It's like putting tasty flavored glue in your mouth!

This upcoming week, I plan to kick off my official "training season" and I've decided that I'll keep a detailed journal about my calorie intake, workouts and how I felt.

I'm also going to work hard to eat more food...not sure HOW I can possibly eat more, but I've already started doing little things, like eating a handful of raw almonds twice a day. I'm a pretty picky eater, so it's been hard for me to find protein that 1) travels well 2) isn't high in BAD fat and 3) isn't fish. I eat a ton of chicken, turkey, beef, eggs and yogurt. And I love fruits and veggies. To check out what I usually eat, check out the the 4/30/04 post titled "Bottomless Pit"

Any advice, suggestions, etc. will be gladly accepted!

We'll see what happens!

In anticipation of some crazy weather, I brought my running gear to work so I could run on the indoor track if it was thunderstorming outside.

Lo and behold, the sun was shining and the birds were chirping when I left work. Hooray, I could run at home!

However, after driving 26 miles and about 55 minutes later, I discovered it was raining at my house.

Sigh.

But then, hooray! it cleared up and I got more of that sun-shining, bird-chirping stuff I had witnessed at work.

So off I went, four miles, nice and easy!

Took a different route than usual...one of my routes from last year's half-marathon training. Mostly flat, mostly level roads. Seemed like the right thing to do, as my legs were still feeling a bit tired.

At the turn-around spot, I started to feel hungry. Clammy and weak hungry. I spied an old orange peel on the side of the road and longed for just one slice! Then an old banana peel! It was like someone was mocking me! And in the midst of all my inner-whining about the impending sugar crash...I looked up and noticed that the sky was no longer sunny.

It. Was. Pitch. Black.

Eeeek.

And as a bit of lightening made itself known, I realized that I was suddenly out in the open, with little cover. I was shuffling through the one and only section of the run near some farmland just as the sky was looking doomsday ominous.

I was sending brain signals to my hubby: "Please come get me if it starts to really storm."

Thankfully, the storm was very slow moving and never really got fully involved. I was spared being caught in the wrath that loomed above me.

On top of that, I noticed that I managed to run through the sugar crash without having to stop (it was a slllooowww run for me though). I guess being distracted by visions of being burnt to a crisp really helped.

I was grateful to get back to the house and for a split second I considered joining my dog Jake in his thunderstorm-hiding-spot (top of the stairs, in the dark) but then thought some dinner would be a much better idea.

(Hope all the Corporate Challenge races went off with any problems!)

First: For those of you wanting a definition of "double-dipping" please see my comment/response in Sunday's post.

Second: Pictures from the May 15th VFW 5-K that I ran to honor my friend in Iraq can be viewed here.

I don't claim to be any good at this web stuff. Hope you can at least see them...if you look closely, you can see "ONWARD" written on my forearm. And please note the ORANGE HAT.

Third: THANK YOU to all of you for your encouraging words and congratulations. The one thing that frustrates me with blogging is I just don't have enough time to comment on all the comments!

Fourth and Last: Yesterday was one of those rare days where I really had to work hard to convince myself to get out there. After the hard race on Saturday, I was feeling a little lackluster...and after some debate, I decided to just lace up and go. I forced myself to take it slow and easy, which made the run totally enjoyable.

As always, I was glad I went.