Random thoughts from an over caffeinated runner

Hello my dears!

I haven't updated in over a week.  No news is good news on the base building front though. The last month has been 55-60 mile weeks. A few runs where I felt I got off my plateau of boring ass 7:0Xmm pace.

I did a random 12 miler last week. I had no pace in mind. I wanted to chillax. But half way to my run in the car I had this POSSESSED feeling come over me. Like I had to had to lay out some good miles. Like the Nike gods where yelling down at me: you better run! I ended up running 6:50 and pace not really pushing it. That was the sweet part! I took a self picture to document the possession:

No vanity here. I just woke up..I am crazy for posting this. oy

This is necessary:

ok I feel pretty and not so psycho. Phew!

okay, back to running....yes. 

I have added hills again. Probably half my runs are with 450ft+ of elevation. I did a 2 a day as well last week. It was fun. I haven't felt too tired or beat up lately. I am getting a little more serious as January approaches and I will have a training schedule again. The fire is coming back. I haven't wanted it for a while but as I am improving slowly my competitive side is creeping in. Yay for that!

On the ab ripper/bosu ball front. I'm still doing abs maybe 5 times a week. Mostly on the bosu. Still same old crap. I have a feeling diet would rip me up a little more but I don't care enough. I think if I reduced my carbs my running would suffer. 

same ol same ol. 

So my goal is still a May marathon. I haven't committed to anything yet. I have issues with race registration. I'm a race day type of girl but I'm learning that doesn't fly in the marathon world. 

On one more random note here is my yearly mileage to date. Which includes 2 months off for that stress fracture. 

Party on peeps. And Happy New Year!!

Laura

Finally, a reason why I'm slow.

Ah-ha!! I figured it out. Thank god I'm a little OCD with the fitness cam. I found this picture of my calves right before my stress fracture. And then took another now. Clearly, calves are helpful getting up hills and running faster.

Part of me wants to go do calf raises until I pass out. But that will mess with my running. I guess it will just take some time....ho hummm...

peak marathon training this summer. Good calves.

stress fx. day 1

Now. 2 months post broken leg .  Zero right calf.

It will get better. I'm actually surprised I can run without leg muscles. Go me! Clearly, I'm hard headed. Mind over matter. ha.

Party on peeps...

Laura

Happy Sunday my dears!

This week was fabulous m-f. I got some good mileage, some hills, cooler weather. Then the weekend came. I have children, small children. I didn't have anyone to watch them. Clearly, an uncomfortable thought  for any hardcore runner. So this is what I did:

Saturday: I put them in the middle of the track. An empty track. Sure, a soccer ball, a few frisbees. Brilliant! Kinda. All I wanted was 6 miles. The first mile they tested me. Every possible shit ass thing a small child could do they did. I got a frisbee to the legs, had to swerve a lane 1 kid blockade and listen to what a "slow poke" I was. lol.

Each of the first 4 laps I would yell back, "no park", "no smores tonight", "you better hope I keep running!"

So finally they found something to do and chilled out. They started high fiving me and throwing dandelions as I would pass. I was so happy. I could run and do child care!

I ended up doing 6 miles perfectly even at a 6:38 pace. Total surprise to me. I felt good and it was a little entertaining.

can't forget

Sunday, I couldn't deal with more track miles. So I waited all day until I could go out solo at night. Not my favorite especially when it's cold, dark and I want dinner. But hey-->
So I did an 8 miler at 7:29 pace through a hilly neighborhood.

So in the end I got 55 for the week when my goal was 50. I am happy. The thought of being under in my weekly mileage would haunt me all night. I needed to get it done for sanity's sake.

So the BOSU ball rocks. I've been doing ab ripper on the bosu ball when I wake up at 5:30 am.  Half the time I get vertigo because I'm still asleep and tipping all over the place.  But for one week back on abs I see promise. 

NOT a muffin top..I am grateful every day that I don't have one. I've
never had one but heard things. lol

That's about it. January 1st I start marathon training again. I am nervously excited!

Have a great week running!

Laura

A new fitness product!!!

Bosu Time!!

I've got the answer to getting some good core and arms: The Bosu ball!! I used to workout on this thing with my trainer years ago.  I saw it at Dick's Sporting Goods and a light went off. 

I need to up my arm workouts and abs. Now that I'm not swimming I feel weaker. So I put this in front of the fireplace and TV.  Instead of the couch I'm going to sit on my bosu ball and see how that works out..hahaha. I will keep you posted!

On the running front. I ran 51 miles this week. 13 of them averaging 6:45 pace. The rest at 7:0X-7:13. My long run was 10 miles. It's slowly coming back to me. I'm getting impatient but then again I'm not doing track or tempo runs or any real training...I'll get there!! Even if I have to run down a hill..lol. Those splits are coming down soon! 

Have a great Sunday!

LaBella!

Q&A with LaBella!

This is where I start most of my runs.

I know some bloggers do the Q&A blog posts every once in a while. I haven't really gotten into any of the average blogger trends. However, a lot of people ask me the same questions. I don't always have the answers. But it has made me think. So here is what I hear from people everywhere I go. Other runners, parents, neighbors, the people at Lowe's Food who see me drag my sweaty ass through their isles post run and so on:

What marathon are you going to do?


I have no idea. I have commitment issues. I plan to officially start training on 1/1 and hope to do a May marathon. I really want to do the American Discovery Trail Marathon in Colorado in Sept as well. Maybe as a long run though. I registered for it this last time and broke my leg 3 weeks before. So I really want to show that bitch who's boss.

What is your weekly mileage and do you still swim/bike?


45-50 on average. And no, for the first time in 3 years I've stopped swimming. And it's far too cold for the bike right now. Swimming killed my hair. I couldn't handle it any more. I can tell I'm not in swim shape. I miss it.

Do you get runner's high?


I've never thought about that. I'm usually happy when I run. But I'm not chasing down any special buzz. lol.

What shoes do you wear?


Right now I am in love with Brooks. I wear the Pure Flow daily. It is the best shoe I've ever owned. And I am a true running shoe snob. Only the best!

Don't you get cold wearing shorts in the winter?


Yes. My legs are typically beat red and numb. However, I don't like tights at all. They restrict my range of motion and I feel like too much fabric is going on. If it's snowing and I'm plowing through snow that touches my legs: tights rock. Otherwise I wear booty shorts for 35 degrees and up or tempo shorts if it's raining or 30ish.

Will you pace me in a race?


YES! Pacing is my favorite thing ever. I'll take 1:45 pacer half over a sub 90 solo half any day.

Do you have a coach?


Yes. I will have a schedule starting January 1.

Are you afraid you're going to break your leg again?


No. Bone heals stronger. I've broken all the popular spots on my tibia and fibula's. There's not much left.  I feel bionic. lol (knock on wood)

When are you going to stop hiding on the flat greenway and run hills again?


Soon. Please remember I was in a boot for a month and lost the majority of my right calf strength. I had no calf. It was traumatic for me when I realized there was nothing there. I limped for 3 weeks of running because I had one good leg. It's still not 100% but so much better. I feel like a runner again. I'm focused on building my base miles right now. Then I lay out some pretty stuff. ; ) Promise.

Did cross training help on your running come back? 


Yes and no. I was in good shape while I swam and biked 15 hours a week. I was unstoppable in the pool and okay on the bike. However...my first run back after my fx gave me a huge reality check. I had ZERO running fitness. I couldn't run half a mile at 9 pace. Total devastation.

Did aqua jogging help?


I did 1 hour 2-3 times a week. It helped with my overall fitness but I can't say it helped with my running. And I kinda half assed it.

What's up with your ab ripper?


Fail, again. I'm just not finding the time for abs. When I get home from my run I'm usually freezing and go straight to the shower. I am going to work on that!

Damn, now I feel lazy. I may go buy a bosu ball....; )

Later peeps. Happy Running!!

Laura

Women's Running Half Marathon

Good Afternoon Loves!

I sit here after skipping my morning run, still in my pj's, and after eating at least 2 full breakfasts...and I'm not pissed off! I ran the Women's Running Magazine Half Marathon in St. Petersburg, FL yesterday. Clearly, I am still just doing BS runs so I figured I'd do my Sunday run in a race...you know, "as a training run" LOL. We all say we want to do that but is it possible??? Yes and no. I have to explain my weekend so you understand how I felt on Sunday during the race.

I woke up friday at 4:15 am to get showered and ready for an early flight. I flew to Tampa, FL and went directly to the expo to get my race packet. It was gorgeous there. This was a huge race. A half and a 5k. 6000 people registered. When I got to the expo I had that feeling of "oh shit, can I really run 7:15 pace? I want to do better, but I'm not trained...ugh"

So, I had planned on staying in town for a Miami v USF game but I talked to my bff's who live in West Palm Beach and decided to go visit them. So from the expo to WPB it took 4 hours. I had not had any food yet that day. I just wanted to get there. I arrived and my friend Michelle had a huge spread of apps, kabobs, lobster etc waiting. And vodka....hehe I was happy, full and feeling pretty good till midnight when we all crashed.

I woke up and we all hung out until about 1pm when I made my trip back to Tampa so I could rest before my Half in the morning.

Yes, I accidentally blew the SUNPASS lane 2x. But got a pic of it!

However, I was making good time in the car so I went straight to the Miami game in the 2nd quarter. I was exhausted and hung over. I met up with some friends, ate very late and went to bed around 11pm. But we all know how race night eve in a hotel is: 2 alarms set, wake up calls ordered, stressing about directions to the race which was 30 minutes away. Needless to say, not much sleep and still feeling wrecked.

RACE DAY MORNING
I woke up at 4:15am and showered. I made some hotel coffee..It didn't do anything. So I left early to the race. I parked in the dark and meandered the streets of  St. Petersburg looking for a Star Bucks. I found one but It didn't really touch me. Still tired. I wasn't even walking straight. I usually don't drink much and my eating and sleeping was messed up. It wouldn't have bothered me if I was just hanging out but I had to RUN too. At this point it was 70 degrees and full humidity. You know I was livid.

THE RACE

So I was seeded in the front which I wasn't loving it so I stayed back a good 5 rows. This was an all female half. I saw a 1:35 pace group. I thought perfect! So I started to run with them. After like 200 meters I couldn't handle that slower pace. So I just left and figured as long as I could enjoy myself and the scenery I'd hang at whatever that pace that was. I wasn't looking at my garmin that much but noticed every split was about 7:00 pace. I was fine with that. It kinda annoyed me because it tempted me to drop the pace a little bit and get closer to a 90 minute half. I was fine doing 6:50- 7:04 pace until about mile 8. Then I got hungry and thirsty. Like I was at home and wanted a snack. But I happen to be running. lol. So I grabbed a gu, gu chomps, gatorade, not to help my race but because I was hungry. LOL. Then around that time the sun and heat became brutal. So at every aid station I was drinking and pouring a cup of water on my head. Or accidentally gatorade, ugh..

Around mile 11 I was still at 6:59 pace but falling apart. But you all know what happens when I hit 7:00 pace. I try to knock it back into the 6's. Mile 11 and 12 were horrible. Most of it was on the windiest pier ever and then onto very old cobble stones that kept me hopping all around just looking for a flat surface.  At that point I became content with 7 pace.

Also, I have to add I knew I was top 10 from the beginning. No one ever passed me. I ran the race alone. There were many low 1:20 girls out there then me. I kept thinking how lucky I was to run whatever I felt like with no prep and beat so many other people that have busted ass for months. I show up wasted and still statistically do alright. So for the last mile or so I really tried. I think I did like 6:45 pace for most of it. I wanted to earn the right to receive all the cheers and crowd support. But the last 2 miles killed me. I have ran 13 miles once in maybe 3-4 months.

THE FINISH:

1:33:0X. I was fine with that. I didn't care that my garmin measured 13.3 miles and had my pace faster. I was happy to have been done with it. Here's my garmin. I was 9th overall. 3rd Age Group. 450 feet of elevation. I was more than pleased. In fact I was more pleased with a 93 untrained than any of my 88/89's with training. I had fun.

AWARDS:

I love race bling. I saw I placed and was stoked. I also had a flight back to NC in a few hours so I didn't have time to wait. I pestered the race people and after much ado I scored my award and hauled ass out of there.

So overall a GREAT weekend!! I am thanking my body for putting up with the abuse by taking today off. Also because I can barely shuffle around. Everything is sore. Here are some pics:

Um, sure ok!!

I wanted this medal so bad!

So hot out!

These just posted...lol:

not my happy face. At the end of the pier

This is pain.

For Brian! Horns back at ya!

Have a great week peeps.
Peace xoxo
LaBella!

another 50 mile week

I am struggling for witty and cool stories this week. Pretty much another 50 mile week. I've felt great on almost all runs unless it's weather related. I'm just running whatever. I'm not into race mode yet. Most runs come in around 7:0x for the avg. My slowest mile this week was 7:24 and fastest maybe 6:29.

I am slacking again on ab ripper. I have had stuff all week right after my run when I normally do abs. Here are my last ones:

too..many..carbs...

say hello to my little friend: a budding calf! ok, I prob'ly busted a blood vessel forcing that flex but still!

Remember I lost all my calf strength while in the boot. I don't think they are symmetrical yet but very close.

So hi-ho. Another week of running for fun. My old coach used to say, "LaBella, you're not running for fun, you're training" Well, not right now! I am not complaining. I kinda miss that fire to want to race but I don't miss the stress that goes with it. 

Ciao my loves. Maybe I'll have something more exciting this week. Maybe one of those greenway deer will finally kick my ass. lol. PS Dan saw the BUCK. I'm not losing it!!

Laura : )

The City of Oaks Half Marathon

Happy Sunday My Loves!!

This morning was quite possibly the best race experience ever!:

*This was my first race back since my (last) stress fracture. It solidified that I nailed my recovery in that bleepin boot.
*My two great friends Pauline and Pam pr'd massively with a little help from yours truly. Pacer Satisfaction!!
*Seeing 200 of my best running friends at once.
*OMG, crowd support! I LOVE you guys! I heard:

"I read your blog!!!"                                                                                
"I see you on greenway every morning!!"                                                                                  
"LABELLA!"

*I was able to meet another blogger friend TP!!
*2 of my equally hard core friends Marty and John "jumped on" the full and laid out mid 3's.I guess it's possible ; )

That stuff is so cool. Thank you for every fist pump and shout out. It's a runner's dream to hear that.  I spent last weekend screaming my lungs out for friends at a half iron. It was so nice to get it back!! xoxo

Here are some great pics taken by some of my friends. Thank you so much!

This happened a lot. My friends were busting ass. We appreciated the support!

Yes, I don't mind asking my friends to jump in and take our picture. Thanks B!

 

 

The pre race posse!

We have paced this race for a few years. It always gets better!

I've been waiting for this all year!!

Another one for the rack...woot!

Thank you all for making my day! I will see you on Greenway in the morning!

XOXO
Laura

Don't stop, get it, get it!

Hey All!

Just checking in. Another good weekend of running. Actually, I took Saturday off to go watch my sister race in Beach to Battleship half ironman. That was my first day off since I started running about 6 weeks or so ago.

Sunday I did a 12 miler. It was a practice run for a half I'm pacing my friends in next Sunday. I am beamingly proud to report that I ran exactly to the second 7:45 (goal) pace for 12 miles. Without stopping. Without running down the clock or having jacked up splits. Check it out. I even had 560 feet of elevation which is huge for me. When I was done I thought a few things:

*how the hell did I ever run 18 milers at 7 pace and enjoy it??
*I have waaay too much 50 cent on my ipod
*Holy f***, I just ran 12 miles. I can't wait to tell Pauline! I'm solid. It's confirmed!

The run before this one I had wanted an easy 6 miler. I was chill and ready for it because I've been running a few too many 6:40-6:50's than I should be. I was mentally set but then I put this on:

BAD idea for an easy run. Who the hell wears that and thinks they can schlep out 7:30 pace. Not me. So I ended up with 7 miles at 6:59 pace. haha. Enough to get the 6:xx but not kill myself. I am not wearing that unless it's tempo day. lol. But seriously. because I'm not on a schedule yet I tend to chase my own splits. It's so addicting and a lot of fun. I know I won't be able to do this come training time. Eh, fun for now.

Oh, oh!! As if all of cyber-land isn't sick of my bikini pictures I am super stoked to have these bad ass renditions! My super fast, elite runner friend Benny helped me out by pimping out my Miami Hurricane photos. Here are a few. I love the colors! Thanks Benny!

Happy Running Peeps!
Laura

I'm here, I'm here!

Dearest neglected loves! I am so sorry I haven't updated in over a week. I get your "wtf" emails and messages. I'm on it, I'm on it!!

The good news continues! I'm about a month and a half out of the BOOT:

I did 50 miles last week and looking at the same for this week. I run 7 days a week. Every morning I do 6, 8 or 10 milers. Pretty much all sub 7:20 pace. I feel like I already said this...anyways...no pain, my muscles are doing much better.

I had my first 8 mile sub 7 run today. Huge milestone. I did four with my running partner Dan. He wigged out a bit because he ran with compression for the first time. So the first 4 miles were 7:02 pace including a warm up mile. I was confused. He was talking about Halloween stuff like we were sitting at Starbucks. But my ego said, hang tight, it'll be over soon. Then Dan left and I reset my watch to do 4 more but easy...that didn't happen. 4 @ 6:51 pace. It's good to know my legs will go but I in no way enjoyed any of the footsteps from mile 7.5-8. In fact the only reason I didn't stop at 7.91 when I was gagging on my tongue was because I post my garmin's on FB. Ha.

I made a hard decision about swimming too. I'm not doing it anymore. I've been swimming for years. Minimum of 1-2 times a week. I love it but the reason is financial. My HAIR IS EXPENSIVE! I can't afford to maintain good hair with that swim schedule. I was looking ratty, dry, brittle, dull and frizzed out. Two words came to mind F**k THIS! So sad. It hurts, but my hair looks good. lol.

I also haven't been on the bike. That blows as well, but my body is adjusting to the run again and I am tired! I did a 90 degree head bob while getting my hair blown out this week. Embarrassing and it hurts. lol. So until I can hang with my new mileage I am sticking to running only.

So that's about it....WAIT, no, that's right...AB UPDATE!!! BROWNCHICKENBROWNCOW! (lmao) I've been doing a half ass version of ab ripper every day after my run. I seem to get distracted and bullshit my way through most of it. But some is better than none! Here ya go!

I dunno about you but I see some fledgling abs poking out!

Maybe?

ok, I'm out peeps..party on, run well and have a good one. PS should you become bored around 8pm eastern tonight watch the HURRICANES do some sick shit! go []_[]!!!

SWAGGERANCE!

XOXO
Laura

I'm not a has been, I'm not a has been!

Finally, my legs are turning over with a little more ease! This is week 4 after I was cleared to start running again after a tibia stress fracture. This week I did 48 miles. All betw 6:40-7:27 pace. Yes, FOUR glorious sub 7's!! They kinda just happened. I didn't realize it until I saw my garmin. I can't tell you how exciting it is to see a 6:xx for the first time in 4 months. So exciting I did 2 more miles slightly faster. Then crumbled to the pavement happy and exhausted.

This week I did my first 10 miler. I was a tad nervous about hitting the wall. The first 5 miles were 7:45 pace up the north end of ATT and then we stopped and turned for 5 more also up ATT. lol..I hate that place! A really good negative though. I was trying to chase down my friend Chaz so my 7:45 pace turned to 7:0x's and he still won. Moral of the story: ultra runners can have sick speed and kick. Chase with caution.

I have to thank these dudes and dudette's above who woke super early and drove forever to run my first 10 miler with (or ahead) of me!! You guys rock. That was the best run ever! We need to do this more often!

Ab Ripper Update*****ding ding ding...I'm still a skinny white girl and probably will never have abs. Whatever!

2 weeks of ab ripper

On a cross training note. I haven't. I didn't ride my bike or swim. I did speed bag to keep my arms toned. I just don't have enough time or energy to do it all right now. Running is my priority. Once I get a handle on that I hope to stop running 7 days and drop to 6 with one cross training day.

So all is great in the land of post injury fitness and The MIAMI HURRICANES!!

24/30 win to UNC

Happy Running Peeps!

Laura

xoxo

Naked Ab workout?? errrr....

Dearest Loves, I have a serious warning for you tonight. As runners, or even just people getting their workout on, we've all been in this sitch.

The scene: You just got home from a workout or run. You're nasty sweaty. You strip down and throw your clothes in the washer and head for the shower.  Cool, eh? 

Ah, uh, uhhhh, not so fast. You walk by the living room and see your ab mat laying there. (My routine is abs post run.)

Well, ya'll know I'm kinda psycho about routine. So, in an effort for everyone to learn from my mistake. PLEASE DO NOT DO ABS NAKED WITH RUNNING SHOES ON!

Yes, I did it. I just didn't see the need to dirty more clothes for a 15 minute workout. But clearly, you need the weight of shoes to do abs.  So that right there folks is pure horror.


Skip the abs, do em later but don't think you can do V up situps or bicycles without experiencing extreme laughter while simultaneously vomiting a little in your mouth.


Well, that is my intro to Laura's Abalicious Comeback Part II!!

Most of my blog followers remember when I did ab updates before. I sort of gave up after a few weeks. Well, in an effort to "keep that shit tight" I'm doing ab ripper X again.

Here are some pics from this week:

fat...

skinny ...KIDDING!

 So ya'll know my baseline of nothingness...we'll see how it goes. 15 minutes about 4-5 times a week.

As for my running. It's getting easier. 6-8 miles a day at roughly 7:15 pace. 

Thanks for reading. Later Peeps!
Laura