Monday, April 27, 2009

Long Run @ Zorinsky


I snapped this puppy from the top of the dam about 9 miles in (hence the finger covering part of the bottom - I was tired!)

temperature beginning of run: 50F
distance: 11 mi
deer seen: 2
times nose blown in last 4 miles: 10
potty breaks: 1
water breaks: 1
chafing: amazingly little. tiny actual chafe marks where clasps of bra are in the back, reddening (but not actual chafing) in U shape on front (representing top edge of sports bra)
bounce: moderate. I probably should have put it on the next tightest clasp
pains: slight knee pain 3 mi in (disappeared within a mile), horrible stomach ache (secondary to draining sinuses) 7 mi in
times of near vomiting: 5 (all within last 4 miles)
tune-age: first 45 minutes = I listened to a podcast recommended to me by Kevin Green from Just Finish called "Dirt Dawg's Rambling Diatribe Podcast" by an ultrarunner in Michigan. He tapes himself running, interviews other racers, tapes his wife (interview-style or when they run together) who I understand may or may not herself be a top heavy runner!! etc. It was an enjoyable podcast (I listened to episode 11) and I hear episode 10 is hilarious. I think his wife talks about boobs on it a lot, so a MUST for us girls to check out. Anyway he blogs here at blogspot also, with his podcasts linked to his blog. After that was over, I listened to a BPM playlist I created with the help of JogTunes.com. It was a mix of the songs off their 160-190 Alternative list that I had on my iTunes already. I had 44 of the songs and made it through about half. It was pretty enjoyable.
temperature after run: 47F

Overall, an okay run. It was cooler and breezy leading to me having a really bad runny nose and highly draining sinuses. This sucked. At 7 mi in, when I came back around by my car, I stopped for kleenexes and a drink of water. This pit stop was just enough of a stop to get my stomach turning. The last 4 miles SUCKED. My stomach threatened to keel over the entire time. I had to blow my nose (full on blow w/ new kleenex) every half mile, with partial blows/snot wipe ups (this is an attractive entry) about every quarter. Oh well. I almost turned back and made it an 8 mile run, but I forced myself to stick it out. I thought of Jaclyn and our race and how I can't quit now, I had to just finish the damn thing! And I did it. I had to walk a bunch because I thought I was going to throw up, but I never walked for more than a quarter at a time. Go me!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a great week. I am on my LAST week of spring semester! Woo! I have a bunch of misc stuff to go to tomorrow (meetings, honors convocation for the graduating seniors) and a final Wednesday morning at 9 and Thursday morning at 8 and then I'm done! I will be heading to Lincoln Saturday morning to cheer on my friends who are running it (Kristin, Micki, and Kim). I'm going to make a silly sign. Speaking of, Kim when you find out your bib number let me know, and I'll keep an eye open for you!

Run on!
Meg

p.s. Jude stepped on the keyboard about halfway through this post and is currently sleeping on the right edge of it, so I apologize here for any typos. I am too lazy to reread it before posting! :D

Sunday, April 26, 2009

A Quick Update...

Amidst studying JRA, I remembered I haven't posted much lately. I did 5 miles on Wednesday (bra was okay - Garmin died and I tried taking off my heart monitor and noticed the clasps on the bra were kind of itchy without it there blocking) and have been racking up the XT lately. I was scheduled to do my long run today but we have been having thunderstorms up the wazoo here in the Midwest and I didn't want to get pummeled by hail or hit by lightning so I put it off until tomorrow. The weather tomorrow is supposed to be a soft rain, which will be really nice.

And to finally relate my remembering to JRA, Friday was Reese's Run (well, bike for me) and I hope everyone had a chance to donate and/or participate. I completely forgot to email the girls, but I'll do that quick after I post this.

Have a great week! I know I will as it is my last week of class for the semester! I have a week off and then I head to Minnesota for summer semester of clinic. I'll be working at a community hospital in a small town and spending most of my time running and reading (no internet or cable television!).

Run on!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

it. was. awesome.

Well I just got back from my ride. 9 miles in about 35 min. And the bra was great! I jogged out to the car to get my iPod and it held the girls down very well. AND they were not squashed together or anything! It was wonderful. That's all!

they're here!

The bras arrived in the mail today and the "standing and bouncing in my room" fit is great! It's an XT day for me today so I will be heading out on the bike in a little bit to test it out. I'm a little nervous about the underwire, but I will let you all know!

Run (or Bike but definitely not bounce) on!
Meg

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Got a pretty new car yesterday! Lease was up on the old one and I wanted something 4WD and V6. No name yet...



I also got some new shoes! Not running shoes (don't need any yet) but these pretties:


I love shoes. [EDIT]: I love runner's legs in heels almost as much as I love shoes.

Still waiting impatiently for those bras to come. Last I checked, they were in Kansas City, so they should be delivered tomorrow or the next day. Woo!

Haven't run this weekend, been super busy with the car and studying for tomorrow's Ortho final. Hoping to get a good run in tomorrow. 

That's all. Spring is here and I couldn't be more excited. Yay! Good luck to all Boston Marathoners tomorrow! Run hard and fast!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

new brrrrra!

So I ordered TWO of the Maidenform bras (highest level of support, black). I will let you know how they work when I get them. I really hope they are as great as they sound considering I ordered two.

Running has been on the back burner a little as school has me completely swamped. Tomorrow I'm done at 10:00 (one class!) so I am hoping to get out and do about 4 miles. I'm also planning on riding my bike to school, which should be awesome.

Also, due to financials, I will not be running the Lincoln Half Marathon. I could be ready, but I can't afford the registration cost, especially since I needed to get a couple new sports bras. Oh, and I have to buy a new car here in the next few weeks. I will be running in Seattle for sure though, so the training will continue.

Run on, y'all!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

quick update on the iPod...

It's alive! I had to reset it, but it is back to live action and ready for 4 miles tomorrow.

ps. I got chafing on my boobs! The outside, bilaterally. WTF?! I'm ordering one of those new bras pronto.

Run on!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Runner's High

Well, I can give you empirical proof of said runner's high: 8.6 mi into my 9 mi run, feeling GREAT but need a fast song on the pod to get me through the remaining distance. Reach down, unlock the pod, press the > button and the thing freezes. FREEZES!!! I have a first generation iPod nano that is ancient and I can't believe that it still hangs around. It has done this once before, but seriously! Could the timing BE any worse (mad props if you can tell me what that statement reminds them of)???

As you can see, the high that I was running on immediately following the run pushed this from my mind and I didn't even mention it! I didn't even remember until just now, 2+ hours after I got home from the run. Amazing. Or, not. Giving it a couple days (I've got elliptical Wed and a short 4 mi run on Thurs) and then if it still isn't working, I guess I'll have to go invest in a shuffle. They're only about $50 and they clip on! I've kinda wanted one anyway...

Oy!

Greetings! From the (c)ouch!

Today, finally, we had great weather. After my neuro practical (in Lincoln), I took a short nap and headed out for 9 miles. I ran down 72nd street, through Elmwood Park, through Memorial Park, back through Elmwood and then hit the Keystone Trail for the last 4 miles. Finished the 9 at 72nd and Pacific so I walked the rest of the way home. Did 9.6 mi total. It was great! My feet are a little sore (as are my knees) and I got 3 blisters, but only one is painful and hopefully it'll be better by tomorrow.

I am probably going to order one of those bras (see below) this weekend. Will let you all know how it goes!

Le sigh,
Meg

Saturday, April 4, 2009

slacker

Every time school gets crazy, my running gets sporadic. This week was one of those weeks. I put in 3 today on the treadmill since nature decided to hail on us this morning. I didn't want to take any chances, so I pushed my 9 miler to tomorrow and ran a quick 3 on the treadmill. My stomach hurt so I didn't make it any further than those 3.

My sister was telling me about a new site she saw in Shape for bras for "huge boobs" (her words not mine) called the Lilyette in Motion Active Motion bra. It's apparently only $38 and you can find it at maidenform.com. Third link on the top right is for the Lilyette in Motion Sports Bras. It looks like they have three levels - 1: GentleMotion, 2: ActiveMotion (the one my sister was talking about I assume), and 3: PowerMotion. The website also features regular bras, panties, shapewear, swimsuits and accessories. They also have a bra finder. I did some exploring and this is what I found:

Level 1: GentleMotion - softcup ($16.99) or underwire ($16.99), white or beige, 36B - 40DD, fabric content: Body: 75% Nylon, 25% Elastane. I'm not going to go into too much detail, as this bra won't work for me. But it does sound like a pretty good bra with comfort, seamless and moisture wicking fabric.

Level 2: ActiveMotion - softcup ($30.00) 34B-40DD or underwire ($30.00) 34B-42DDD, white w/ gray. According to the site, this bra is recommended for "mid-level sports including biking, golfing and weight training." It has wicking fabric, breathability, wide shoulder straps and there's something about "fold over binding" for comfort and clean aesthetics but I don't know how beneficial that is.

Level 3: PowerMotion - again available in a softcup (34B-40DD) or underwire (34C-40DDD - sizes are slightly more limited) version. Both are $32.00 and are available in black or white w/ gray. This one has much of the same fabric elements as before for wicking and comfort while also using compression and encapsulation for support. I think the shoulder straps are adjustable but I'm not sure. This bra is recommended for "more intense activities including running, soccer, spinning and other aerobics."

Now, I've never run in a bra with underwire before (if you don't count the occasional sprint to the car during a downpour) but it seems like the only option for me, size wise. Also, I would have to go with a 36DDD because they don't have any 34DDDD sizes. God, that's a lotta Ds. Anyway, because I am a runner I would be inclined to try the Level 3. However, I would also consider a Level 2 to wear when biking. If I am not running and don't need to control the bounce as much, it is very uncomfortable to wear a compression bra for long periods of time. And to think, in junior high I wore a sports bra to school EVERY DAY! Ahh, to have those smaller breasts now...but I digress. I am seriously considering trying out this bra. I will keep you updated.

Oh, and the bra finder is actually a pretty good way to find things on the site. You can choose your category (bras, panties, accessories, camisoles, body briefers, swimwear), styles, panty types, bra sizes, and 6 more options (color, brands, materials, price, etc). It's very useful.

Anyway, the weather out here is whacked out. We are currently have a winter storm warning and a wind advisory. York, NE (about 100 miles west of here) has a tornado warning. wtf? The midwest is a crazy place. You should see the insano radar. Well, here's hoping that this blows through tonight so I can run outside tomorrow!

Run on!
Meg