Category: Geek Girl Runner

Geek Girl Runner Episode 009
Hey, remember when I used to podcast and stuff? Guess what? I MADE A NEW EPISODE! This is basically a catch-up show, filling you in on all my running-related (and not-so-running-related) news from the past two months. The show also includes a race report from last month’s Elkhart County Fair 5K Road Race which features the podcast debut of my husband, the Snook (as well as my Mom, Step-Dad, and little brother). I ended with bit of further discussion about the sports bra topic, as prompted by some new research that’s come up. I hope you like the show!

Show links:
Elkhart County Fair 5K Road Run (official results)
The House on the Rock, Spring Green, Wisconson
Blackmore’s Half-Marathon – part of Sydney Running Festival
Run Yank Run – Paul Abrelat’s podcast
Phys Ed: The Right Kind of Sports Bra from The New York Times

Thanks as usual to Nick Arthur for the use of his song “Little Donut Party”!

Week 33
Well, I ended up taking the rest of last week off due to the cold I caught when I got back to Sydney. I spent the whole weekend just lying on the couch with a killer sinus headache. (Even drugs didn’t help.) I finally managed to get back out there on Tuesday for a shuffle around the neighbourhood. I was tired and snotty, but I survived. I went for another one today. My lungs feel great, but like every muscle of my body is sore. I’m not sure if it’s the lingering effects of the cold – possibly dehydration – but my legs and back and even hands were aching. So I took a lot of walk breaks and tried to just enjoy being out in the nice weather. Spring is finally here!

Aug. 17: 7.55km
Aug. 19: 7.2km
Total this week: 14.75km (9.2mi)
Total in 2010: 605.07km (378mi)

I should be at 634km right now to meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, so I’ve got some ground to make up. However, I finally bit the bullet and signed up for the Blackmore’s Half Marathon next month. My goal is just to finish the race, no matter what the time. I need to make up for the DNF in May. I’m really looking forward to it! The Snook will be running the Bridge Run 9K on the same day. I’m excited for the both of us…

Weeks 31-32
I always knew that the last week of the trip would be hard to get in my runs. We were travelling by ourselves in Wisconsin, and we were doing a lot of sightseeing on our feet. (We spent nearly five hours walking through the House on the Rock, for instance, so there was no way I could run after that.) I did get in a 4-miler on the treadmill at our hotel though. Then we basically lost two full days in transit back to Sydney, and then another two to jet lag. Finally managed a decent run (in the freezing rain) on Tuesday, only to come down with a cold later that same day. I’m hangin’ on. My only consolation is that last week was a scheduled cut-back week anyway, so I haven’t wrecked my training plan too badly. I just need to get back out there as soon as I can.

Aug. 1: 10.05km
Aug. 4: 6.4km
Aug. 10: 7.13km
Total for these two weeks: 23.58km (14.73mi)
Total in 2010: 590.32km (368.95mi)

My tally for 2010 has taken a beating though. I’m now 25km behind where I need to be to meet my goal of running 1000km in the calendar year. Eeek!

Week 30
Saturday’s race wiped me out a bit more than I expected, so my runs this week were rather slow and laboured. I was sore! Tuesday the Snook and I went for a run on country roads near my Aunt Deb’s house, but it was so hot and humid that we gave up halfway and finished the run on a treadmill in her basement. Thursday (today) was less humid, but I’m still feeling quite a lot of soreness in my lower back. My right foot has started to ache again too. I did my four miles, but it was awfully slow. The Snook joined my brother Joey on bicycles and they lapped me again and again.

July 25: 5.04 RACE
July 25: 3.22km run
July 27: 6.4km run
July 29: 6.72km run
Total this week: 21.38km (13.36mi)
Total in 2010: 566.74km (354.2mi)

To meet my goal of running 1000km in 2010, I should be at 576km. I’m only 10km behind pace!

Elkhart Road Race 5K Results
I think this will go down as the HOTTEST race I’ve ever run. The storms that went through over the weekend lowered the humidity, but it was still a very sunny day (probably mid-80s). Nevertheless, I am thrilled to report that I successfully met my goal of finishing within 35 minutes with no walking. The Snook made a valiant effort to catch me in the last half-mile but I outlasted him. Mom also finished strongly near her goal time of 40 minutes. The official results are here. And hey! I actually finished in the top 50% of my age group! That’s a first. 🙂

Week 29
So far vacation hasn’t stopped me from getting in the miles! The Snook and I arrived in Petaluma, California last Saturday morning and spent that first day resting up. On Sunday, I went out for my long run. I used RunKeeper to search for routes in the area, and I noticed that many of them ran alongside the airport. So that’s where I headed! I did my 8km pretty easily that day. Petaluma is flat, and the weather was cool and dry. On Tuesday the Snook joined me for a 6km run through a few parks. Now we’re in Indiana, gearing up for the big Elkhart County Fair 5K Road Run on Sunday. It’s a lot more hot and humid here. We joined Mom today for a nice slow 5K alongside the river in Elkhart. It was probably close to 90F (about 32C). We survived though! Our entry forms for the race have been dropped off. The really funny thing is that the race runs along the parade route and starts 10 minutes before the parade, so we’ll have “thousands” of people cheering us on! (Mom’s worried that if she doesn’t go fast enough, she’ll get run over by a marching band!)

July 18: 8.25km
July 20: 5.96km
July 23: 5.66km
Total this week: 19.87km (12.4mi)
Total in 2010: 545.36km (340.85mi)

I’m only 12km behind my goal to run 1000km in 2010! I’ll let you know how we go with the race…

Week 28
The week did not begin auspiciously. Last Friday night, I was coming home from the shops with the Snook and took a nasty fall on some wet, muddy leaves. I landed heavily on my left knee. I took off a layer of skin and got a massive bruise on the side.(Here’s a photo from Saturday; it actually looked worse a couple days later. Very purple and green.) It was really painful the first day, so I took the weekend off to ice it and recover. On Monday I went out cautiously for my scheduled 4-miler… and I felt okay! It ached a little bit, but I think that was more to do with my running tights constricting around the bruised bit. I managed three runs total this week, and my knee and foot have been feeling better with each one. Today was the least my right foot has bothered me since February! It’s pretty amazing. Each run has been faster than the last, too.

July 12: 6.45km
July 14: 5.69km
July 15: 5.77km
Total this week: 17.91km (11.2mi)
Total in 2010: 525.49km (328.4mi)

I’m still about 13km behind pace in my goal to run 1000km in 2010, but I’ll get there. Each week I’m going a little bit farther. I’m excited that my next run will be back in the U.S.A.! I hope I survive the summer heat…

Week 27
This was a pretty good week for running! We had a houseguest all week so I wasn’t sure whether I’d get in my runs, but luckily Eileen went with me for all three of them. She also pushed me on my pace a bit, which really made me feel the fitness I’ve lost since the Half-Marathon. My right foot hasn’t been bothering me too much. I can still feel a difference from my left foot, but there’s hardly any pain. It’s actually kind of frustrating, because I have no idea what’s prompted the improvement! I guess I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I also managed a session at Spudds on Wednesday, which has left me feeling pretty sore…

July 4: 7.44km
July 6: 5.48km
July 8: 5.50km
Total this week: 18.42km (11.5mi)
Total in 2010: 507.58km (317.2mi)

I have finally crossed the half-way point in my goal to run 1000km in 2010! I should be at 519km right now, so I’m about 11.5km behind. My weekend runs are going to start slowly extending though, so I should make it up over the next few months. The only danger is my three-week vacation to the U.S. looming on the horizon. I’m going to have to work to get the runs in.

Week 26
I told you it could only get better! This week I managed three runs, including two of them actually on workday mornings. They weren’t long and they weren’t fast, but I got out there! Snook even went along with me for two of them. The last two were FREEZING COLD; Sydney has had some of the coldest weather in decades. We actually saw frost on Tuesday! My foot is still bothering me, but the last two runs weren’t too bad. The ultrasound I had last weekend was inconclusive, so I still really don’t know what to do to make it better. My half-marathon prep has started though, and I’m going to keep plodding on as best I can!

June 27: 5.91km
June 29: 5.41km
July 1: 5.43km
Total this week: 16.75km (10.5mi)
Total in 2010: 489.16km (305.7mi)

I am exactly halfway through the year I set myself to run 1000km in 2010, and as you can see I’m only about 10km behind…

Week 25
This is it. This is the low point of the year, I swear it. I only ran once this past week. I didn’t go to Spudds. I feel listless and flabby. I could make excuses – I think I’ve been fighting off a virus for the past week; Rodd didn’t want to run on the weekend; I’ve been busy at work; I haven’t been sleeping well – but really, I could’ve done more if I really wanted to. I haven’t had a weekday morning run in ages. Winter, you know? It’s tough. My half-marathon training starts next week though, so I’m hoping a plan will get me back on course. And it did feel good to go for a longer distance on that single run…

June 20: 10.96km run
Total this week: 10.96km (6.85mi)
Total in 2010: 472.41km (295mi)

Next week will be the halfway point in my goal to run 1000km in 2010, and as you can see I’m a bit behind on making the 500km mark. It’ll all get better from here, right?