Let it Stop, let it stop, let it stop

12/30/08 (Day 4): 10 miles (10min/mi). 1pm-3pm. Listened to 2 episodes of "Wait, wait, Don't Tell Me" podcast, which is always a dangerous proposition (laughing while running on a treadmill). Slept 4 hours last night, and am going to nap next.

This snow is driving me nut-so. Does it REALLY have to snow twice every week? It makes my commute a living hell. The only consolation is it tends to snow Monday night/Tuesdays, and I've been getting off early most Tuesdays so I at least miss that afternoon hellish commute. I have shoveled my driveway a gazillion times, a chore that my poor fingers and toes don't enjoy--they turn ice cold within about 10 minutes, even with my $35 Cabela's brand gloves.

RR is finishing my garage, insulating and sheet-rocking the remaining wall and a half that wasn't done when I bought the house. A couple more coats of mud and I'll be able to park in the garage again. A week parked outside during 20 degree weather is better than the 3 weeks I parked outside last winter in the coldest of the cold spells as my garage was then the workshop for staining and finishing all new trim and doors for the house.

Voila!

12/29/08: 10 miles (10min/mi). Started at 4am and out of the gym by 6:10a. Listened to 2 episodes of Dave Ramsey podcast and half of "The Story" (about the relationship between a former frat kid and his former frat house cook). Slept 40 minutes last night. Why? Because I haven't been to sleep before 2:30a in a week and half. I knew if I went to bed I'd NEVER get up at 3:30a, so in order to not have to be so tired getting up, I just didn't go to bed. I also was watching a borrowed 2nd season of "The Wire" (good show!). I did sleep between 3:05-3:45a. First 6 miles were so-so, then I had my startling revelation (see below) and my last 4 miles were great.

12/28/08: 10 miles (10min/mi). Started at 7:30a and out the door by 10p. I had been at the tanning booth before running and used some "tingle" lotion that works by bringing all your blood to the skin surface (or something like that). I was a red, overheated mess BEFORE I got to the gym. Listened to 2 episodes of "The Story". I thought the episode entitled "Feeling the Pinch" would be about bank/financial stuff, which I enjoy, but instead it was about the Maine Lobstermen feeling the "pinch" of the economy. Good listen regardless. Slept 7 hours the night before, the least amount in a week.

12/27/08: 10 miles (10min/mi). Started at 1:30p and home by 3:45p. Slept a good 10 hours on my couch the night before (purposefully, as it's not as comfortable as my bed and I didn't want to sleep 12 hours by accident and waste the day). Also went back to the gym at 12:30a that late night with RR and did a upper body workout (bi's, tri's, and chest) and am lucky right now that I'm able to undress.

I couldn't quite figure out why some days at the gym I feel just great on the treadmill, and others are such a struggle. Some days I cruise along at an easy 10min/mi and do 10 miles no problem. Other days I am able to get 10 miles in only by stopping and really NEEDING a break every 2 miles. Those are the days that I am panting, unable to catch my breath, with heavy legs.

Well, I figured it out this morning, and it's very simple. There's a giant fan in the ceiling, and if I'm running on a treadmill underneath it, all is well. The treadmills on the other side of the row, well, I'm suffocating. It must be really poor air circulation under those.

I am thinking my next goal will be to run 10 miles every day. In my mind I find that to be a fairly reasonable goal. 10 miles can be done in under 2 hours, and i could budget 2 hours of time including a shower. And 2 hours a day at the gym is reasonable, right?

(Maybe... but if I'm working 18 hours that day and commuting 1.5hrs, maybe even 2 hours isn't, but I'm not going to think about that right now).

A co-worker, when asked about this potential goal, doesn't like it. Her plan? I should run to Fargo, do the Fargo marathon with her, and then run home. That's dreaming too big for me: I can't afford the time off from work (a week each way, I think).

Update-- I need a sponsor

Well, I did my 9 miles on no sleep on Tuesday, worked until 3:30p, got home, shoveled, and went to bed.

My alarm went off at 2:45 on Wednesday and I said, NO WAY, and slept for 2 more hours. Worked (6:15a-5p) and then did my 10 miles.

Because Thursday was a 2 job day, I had no choice but to do the miles in the morning. So less than 8 hours after I got off the treadmill the night before, back I was at it, doing my 11miles (before work at 6:15a).

I ALMOST didn't run on Thursday. I started getting a sore throat sometime early Wednesday, and by the end of the day my voice was getting pretty hoarse. I took a bite of my toast on Thursday morning and was met with intense pain. I don't have any interest in getting myself sick, and I hesitated, but decided to do the run.

Well, today, Friday. I guess this is it. No miles for me today. I started coughing overnight, my throat still hurts, and I'm a little stuffed up. I slept for 10+ hours, and again, since I have no desire to get myself sick, I'm not running today.

My legs feel fine, and if not sick, I know I could go on.

I enjoy this goal, and I think for the rest of the month I'll try to run the miles if I'm healthy and if it isn't going to mean no sleep at all. I'll keep trying, but the part time job really means I can't sanely complete this goal. The part time job means I have a couple nights a week that I can only get 3 hours of sleep, and running 15-20 miles day after day instead of sleep just really won't work.

Thanks for all the support of my commenters; I appreciate it!

Additional goal info

This info will be in a slightly mottled form as I'm running on no sleep. Literally, actually.

My Tuesday is a continuation of Monday, that began with a 8 mile run started at 3:45am, an 11h work day, straight through a blizzard to the part-time gig (arrived late due to snow), and then we were so busy we were kept late (until 2:45a!), back into the blizzard and horrible roads. Since I have to be back at work today at 6:30a in Plymouth, I'm going to head out to do my 9 miles now.

To answer a few questions:

--I rejoined Lifetime Fitness, so I'm running on the treadmill there. I could run outside, but I can't stand the cold and am really not that eager or willing to do so. MAYBE on Christmas Day if the gym is closed and I'm still reaching for my goal.

--I'm doing 10min/mi. Usually fairly comfortable for me, but considering my lack of training this fall, not as easy as I'd like.

--I don't have my own personal t.v. at the gym, so I listen to my ipod. Sometimes I listen to music, sometimes to podcasts. Yesterday I almost fell off the treadmill laughing at Denis Leary on "Wait, Wait, Don't tell Me".

--There is no pool at work, although this was discussed. My thoughts were if they were to have a pool they should keep it secret from me so I am unable to consciously/unconsciously choose the outcome.

--I have no idea how long I can keep it up. Physically if it weren't for work I could probably do the mileage. Realistically with the time commitment, who knows.

--Half a dozen people have asked me or insuated that I of course won't run my miles on Christmas Eve/Day, to which I respond, of COURSE I'll run. I'll have the 24th-28th darn close to completely off of work, so I can easily find the time to run the miles if my body hasn't given up on me. It's 29th-31st that worries me, when I have to work many hours while running 5 hours a day? I don't know.

No less than 4 co-workers asked me today if I had ran. And now that I'm running again, I get to return to the typical comments I get from people who don't really know I run... "You ran HOW many miles before work today?!?? WHAT time did you get up?" And of course, "I don't even want to DRIVE 'X' miles"!

That's the end of the update and I'm heading back to the gym (9miles). I work all day Tuesday and then will come home and sleep until Wednesday I'm sure.

December goal

I got the idea in my head a few days ago that in December I'd attempt to run a mile for each day of the month that it was. For example, today, on 12/6, I ran 6 miles. I made the mistake of mentioning the idea to quite a few co-workers, so now I'll have a harder time giving up.

Realistically, I don't know if I have the time or the ability to do it, what with my pretty pathetic training amounts of the last few months. But I'll give it a try.

Days 3-6: Ran 3 miles the evening of the 3rd, 4 miles the morning of the 4th, 5 miles yesterday before working the afternoon, and 6 miles early afternoon today. So far, so good. For some reason yesterday's 5 miles were tough and I thought that I was in for trouble; if I can't even do 5 miles without struggling, how would I get later in the month? But today I did 6 without struggle, so we'll continue on.

Feed my Starving Children

Last night as part of a work Holiday party we went out to volunteer for Feed My Starving Children. We spent about an hour bagging up meals that are sent to missions. The work was fun, although I attribute that more to my co-workers than to the actual "fun quotient" of the work. We also got to sample the food when we were all finished, and the vast majority of my group thought it was disgusting. I didn't think it was too bad. The meals are made up of a chicken flavored nutrient powder, dried vegetables, a soy product, and rice. I might look into going out and volunteering there again.