It didn’t go very well.  It was a nice little 3 miler, but not even a mile in, I was walking.  I was huffing and puffing, even though I’d taken my medicine before I left.  You see, like many other runners, I have exercise induced asthma.  I’ve never (knock on wood) had an attack, but my lungs are awfully tight when I run.  I’ve tried to work through it, but I always end up walking while trying to suck in air.

This time I decided enough is enough.  There is a lot of pressure in the blog world to run races.  Not direct pressure, and maybe it’s all in my head.  But so many people are getting these lovely shiny medals, and it makes you want one to!  And I’ve tried. 

But even during my half marathon, I wasn’t breathing right.  I hadn’t trained enough.  And I walked.  A lot.

The other day after my wheezy 3 miler, I went back to the drawing board.  I called the doctor, and together we are working on the best treatment for my asthma.  I revamped my training plan using the Couch to 5k program, with a goal of running the 3 mile Beachpalooza in New York at the end of August. 

I can’t tell you how excited I am to run this obstacle course.  The hubs is running it with me, and it’s super close to his mom’s house, so we can just roll out of bed and head to the beach. 

After this race, I will be starting the Bridge to 10k program, with a goal of running the “Run the Bridge 10k” that crosses the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philly.  I’ve wanted to run this race for a long time, and I think it will be a great time! 

After this though… my race season for 2011 will be over.  Yes, my longest race for 2011 will be 6.2 miles, which seems to be a blog travesty!  But this brings me back to my original point…

We don’t always have to be over achievers!  Running marathons and half marathons and ironmans is great.  If you can do it, do it.  But if you can’t, there’s nothing wrong with scaling back.  I’m excited to “start over,” and hope that ultimately it will make me faster and stronger.  And maybe next year I’ll get a pretty medal  

If anyone else is in the same boat, I strongly recommend the Couch to 5k program.  I’ve used it before, and it just works for me!  There’s even an iPhone app that tells you when to run and when to walk.  It’s the best.

Do you have asthma?  How has it affected your running?  Have you ever had to “start over” with your running?

You see, I might have gone missing for a while on the blog, and there might be a few Time Machine Tuesday posts left waiting to be written… but a post about the running shoes I bought last fall won’t be coming any time soon.  I bought new shoes last March, as documented here… and that was the last pair of running shoes I bought.  Yes, that means that all of my training for the Broad Street Run was in these shoes… and all the training for the Philadelphia Half Marathon was in these shoes… and all the running I’ve done since then was in these shoes… and well you get the idea.  It’s not pretty.  General rule of thumb is to replace running shoes every 6 months or every 300 miles, whichever comes first.  Well – let’s just say “do as I say, not as I do,” right?

Well without further ado, meet my new running shoes:

The lovely staff at Philadelphia Runner asked me to walk a few paces without my shoes on so that they could see how badly I pronated.  From there, the sales woman selected a few stability shoes that she thought would best support my feet.  I tried on a pair of Adidas shoes (too bulky for me), another pair (Nike maybe?) that had too much support on the outer side of my foot and threw me off balance, and then finally these cuties – the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11.  I know a lot of people/bloggers that swear by Brooks, and now I see why!  These shoes are like walking on clouds.

I took them out for a test run on Sunday, and sure enough it was a great run.  With just a few stops/walking breaks to re-tie my shoes and make a few adjustments, the 4 miles felt like a breeze.  Hopefully this is a good sign for the next few months, as training for my next big race will be starting up soon!

The stats:

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention – the best part about the new shoes?  After my Groupon, they only cost $50!  I was so pumped!!

Do you stick to the 6 month/300 mile rule?  You’d think that I’d love any excuse to buy new shoes right?

2007:  I learn about the broad street run.  I think "damn that’s a long way to run, but it would be freaking sweet if I could do it."  I begin the Couch 2 5k program in hopes to at least run a 5k.

2008:  My favorite professor tells me about his running endeavors.  He tries to convince me to run Broad Street, and every time he asks, I have t o admit I can only run 2 miles at a time.

2009:  I see my professor at an alumni event 2 days before Broad Street.  I’m resigned to admitting that I’m still only running 2 miles at a time.

2010:  Just like all the other sports teams in Philly, I say to myself "This year is my year!"  Except I’m still running on the treadmill, and when I transition outside, my magic 8 ball says "Outlook not so good."   I resign myself to walking/running Broad Street here.

So I did it!  I met up with Vinny down at the stadiums on Sunday morning and we took the free subway ride up to Olney. I was so nervous!  And I was drinking my water the whole time, expecting there to be water coolers and port-a-potties in a location close to the subway… but no dice.  By 730 my water was almost gone (I’m a nervous drinker), and I had to use the restroom in a serious fashion.  Thank goodness for the wave start (and being in the pink/last corral!)  so I could hit the port-a-potties closer to the start line.

We hit the starting line approximately 30 minutes after the race start.

We had a few mini goals.  Mine was to finish the first mile without stopping.  Vinny didnt want to be last lol.  I’m happy to say we beat both goals!  The first mile never seemed to end, but I was proud of our two undertrained souls.  And the scenery and the people were quite entertaining.  There were a few people running together with shirts that said “In my mind I’m a Kenyan.”  And “I may be slow, but I’m faster than you.”  I loved it!

I couldn’t believe just HOW MANY people there were…

The race seemed to drag on until about the half way point.  Part of the reason was the spibelt  I bought the day before.  I had put my camera and my phone in it, and it bounced like crazy.  When I took my camera out to take pictures around City Hall, it was so much better!  I ended up running the rest of the race while holding my camera.

We hit city hall around mile 5.5, and with City Hall came Robert!  It was so so good to see his face.  I grabbed a quick kiss and kept on running.  Seeing him was so nice though, and it helped us power through.

Another major player in helping us finish were the fire hydrants that they opened to cool us down.  I haven’t mentioned how freaking hot and humid it was that day – I think the temp was 87, and was a new record for the Broad Street Run.  The hydrants were so fun – I felt like a kid every time we ran through.  I should also mention my appreciation for the water stations – the cutie little kids just filled up my water bottle whenever I was running empty.  Much better than little tiny cups!

Miles 7-9 were amazing.  We ran through South Philly which was chock full of bands and gospel choirs and water booths with girls dressed as super heroes.  It was awesome to feel so much energy.  A woman was even giving out free puppy kisses from her three dogs!

The best part of the race was a barbeque by the stadiums,where they were blasting one of my favorite jock jams. (Silly, yes, but tell me this doesn’t pump you up!)  We ran like crazy at this point until we couldn’t hear the song anymore.

With one mile left, a friendly face came bounding out of the crowd!

Despite going the wrong way on the subway, Robert found us and ran with us for the last mile.  I was so excited, and made him take a few pictures of us (and maybe some boats in the navy yard too!)

And soon, there it was- the promised land – the finish line!  2 hours, 27 minutes and 43 seconds after we started, I crossed the finish line of the Broad Street Run for the first time.  (And beat Vinny by 1 second! hehe)  Robert got one picture of us before he got chased off the course by a Marine for not wearing a bib on the course!  Too funny

It might have taken me 3 years, 2:27:43, but I did it.  And it felt awesome, even if it was hot as blazes.  I might be rocking a sweet knee brace tan line, but I was on top of the world.  What a great day!

PS: Next time, remind me of the one-mile “cool-down” walk they have you do from the Navy Yard back to your car at the Stadiums.  I wasn’t quite as excited about rawlking 10 miles after that hike!  

What’s next you ask?  Stay tuned for the details   Until then, it’s time for bed!  Goodnight loves!

How’s March turning out for you guys?  I’m happy as a clam over here!  I officially kicked off my Team Philly training for the Broad Street run last week, and I’m proud to report that I haven’t missed a run yet.  It’s only been four runs – and I haven’t gotten to run with the group at all courtesy of busy season, but this is HUGE for me!  No matter what the running plan is, I have a hard time sticking to it.  I guess the investment is my motivation this time!

Anyway, my yoga challenge hasn’t been too hot.  After my outside run yesterday, I did 20 minutes of hip-opening flow from yoga download, but that’s been it so far for the month.  It felt darn good though!  I’m hoping to do more yoga this week – I’m shooting for Thursday and Saturday?  Or Friday + Saturday?  I’ve been eyeing a Total Body Conditioning class at the gym for the past few weeks.  I am hoping it’s like the Body Pump I’ve heard so much about!  It’s the only class offered in the mornings before work, so I’d like to see what it’s like.  I’m going to go tomorrow – and if I’m not dead from soreness on Thursday maybe I’ll go again.  If not – yoga

I feel like I have so much to catch you guys up on.  Robert and I had a fantastic weekend with great friends+beer on friday, an impromptu date night on Saturday, and an amazing dinner that helped us decide on our wedding venue last night.  I can’t wait to catch you all up on it… but for now – back to work!

Yee haw!  I owe it all to my knee brace (which is so stylin, I can’t even handle it!) and the week of rest that I unintentionally took all last week lol.  Now that it helped heal my knee, I’ll just pretend it was a week off for the sake of injury.  Sounds good, right?  I’m glad to be back to running normally, now I just have to get back in the swing of going to the gym more than once a week. 

Anyway, yesterday was a true test of the BYOD method of Surviving Busy Season.  I didn’t have a chance to make a new soup for dinner this week, so I am relying on two servings of Butternut Squash soup or salad for the week.  Last night the whole team decided to eat their chinese take-out family style – all 10 of us gathered around one table to eat dinner.  I had so many people ask “why didn’t you order with us?!”  or “what’s in your salad?!”  And I really really really wanted fried rice.  But I stuck with my salad, and made it through… somehow.  I felt accomplished after dinner – really proud for not caving and eating with my emotions.  Besides – my salad was damn good   I’ve got to channel my inner high-schooler and avoid all this peer pressure once and for all!

On a totally random note…. GO HAWKS!  My beloved Saint Joseph’s Hawks are on a 3-game winning streak, including a thriller against Dayton on Saturday.  Robert and I had so much fun being in the crowd for the game, and I’m so bummed out that I’ll be missing the game tonight.  Nothing beats a great game in a LOUD fieldhouse!

What’s your favorite sports team?  I’ve always been partial to the Phillies, and once I got to college I fell in love with the Hawks (obviously!)  Since dating Robert, I’ve also developed a soft spot for the New York Rangers - not quite a popular stance to take here in Philly!

Sorry I’ve been slacking the past two days – I just have not felt motivated at all!  This morning though, Robert dragged us out of bed to get to the gym.  I have to say that I am SO glad he did!  I feel better than I have all week – and I owe it all to my run.

During busy season (and work in general), everyone always puts their health last.  “I don’t have time to work out,” they say.  “I don’t have time to make a good dinner.”  I say MAKE TIME!  Your body is the only thing you really have.  You spend time and money putting oil and gas in your car.  You buy food for your dog and you put effort into your work.  Why don’t you do the same for yourself?

Since I’ve started working, I’ve tried a bunch of things.  I’ve worked out in the evenings, I’ve worked out at 9pm after a long day in the office.  This past summer I decided that I was going to try to workout before work, and I’ve never looked back.  I’ve found that if you wait all day to work out, you will find a million excuses to skip your workout, and you’ll be so tired that you wont be able to work to the best of your abilities.  It also leaves you with no time to spend relaxing and eating a healthy meal with the ones you love.

Working out in the morning has solved all of these problems for me.  I wake up, sweat my butt off, and stretch out all before most of my co-workers even wake up.  I feel so accomplished by 7am, and I have a ton more energy than I used to.  I get to come home from work and not worry about anything but spending time with my fiancee… who has recently converted to being an early bird at the gym too.  It’s a QT double whammy  

I know working out in the morning might not be for everyone.  But it’s definitely a good option for those who feel too crunched for time after a grueling 14 hour day at the office… trust me on this one!

Anyway, my workout this morning consisted of a nice 2 mile run on the treadmill.  I was trying out a new knee brace, and it seemed to work pretty well.  No pain during my run, but it still hurt afterwards.  I think with a few adjustments though, the brace will work out pretty well!

I hope this helps you find time to focus on your health for a few minutes every morning.  I was never a morning person (right mom?!) but lately it’s becoming easier and easier.  Waking up early has truly changed my outlook on working out – I almost look forward to it.  Now wake up!  Go for a run!

It’s beautiful today here in Philadelphia – almost 50* and sunny!  I’m a little bummed out because I’m stuck at work right now, but at least I’ll see the sunshine later this afternoon.

Yesterday was gorgeous too.  I started off the day with a run – but it was inside.  I ran on the treadmill, doing Fitness Mag’s Bikini Body “Slim with Intervals” podcast from Motiontraxx. 

[ 1.67 mi : 10:05/mi ]

I was planning on running for 2.5 miles, but my knee started bothering me again.  I really don’t want to push myself too hard and really injure my knee so I walked for a while after that.  It really sucks not being able to finish a workout, but one of my goals for the year is to be better at rolling with the punches.  Sometimes life just doesn’t go as planned!  I made myself feel a little better by taking a little walk at lunchtime.  I hadn’t seen the sunshine in a few days (I’ve been eating my lunches at my desk lately), so it was good to move around… and it was GORGEOUS weather.  I’m hoping to take a quick walk every day I eat at my desk now.  (remind me I said this when it’s 20* outside!)

Lunch was good too.  I’ve come to rely on Annie Chung’s noodle and soup bowls for quick lunches.  I was getting a hunger headache so I supplemented the light soup it with some snap peas, one slice of roasted chicken, and asparagus from the salad bar next door… oh and two dark chocolate covered pretzels!

After work… well thats when things started to go downhill.  Remember date night?  That didn’t work out so well.  I went out with my friends to get a mani/pedi right after work so I’d miss the traffic out of the city, and Robert went to the bar with his work friends too… where I met him after my mani/pedi.  And had 2 beers on an empty stomach.  (Ithaca Apricot Wheat beers at least… my favorite!)  Well I’m usually not the biggest lightweight, but when there is no food in my belly, it hits me like a wall.  Needless to say, I didn’t drive home. 

We were still going to go out and get something healthy-ish… but by the time I got home to get changed, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch… so we got delivery!  Unfortunately it wasn’t my brightest moment, as we got the cheesiest meal ever – mozz sticks and chicken parm stromboli.  Whoops!  It was SO GOOD though… and I guess you could say I did alright… I mean I used to wolf down half of the HUGE stromboli… last night it was only a quarter.  Plus three mozz sticks.  Umm… baby steps towards healthy changes, right?  …Right?!  Oy.

Anyway, we ended up watching some tv (Robert wouldn’t let me watch jersey shore )  and passing out so I could wake up on time for work today.   It was still a great night… tonight will be more fun though!  The asset management teams at my firm are having a beer pong tournament, and then we’ll be celebrating a friend’s birthday later.  I can’t wait!

Gratitude Journal – 1.16.10

1) I’m grateful to have a fiancee who is so willing to come into the city to hang out with my friends from work this afternoon!

2) I’m grateful for the millions of people who have donated their money, time, manpower, and prayers to the people in Haiti. 

3)  I’m grateful for the thought of spring weather… winter always seems too long!