Signs of an "Early" Addiction

I have fallen in love with running early in the mornings.

I never used to run before work (have to be at work at 6:45am).

I never liked getting up to run before the sun was up.

But that's changed, sometime in the last couple weeks.

I have signs of an addiction to "early runs."

AKA runs that take place during a time that I would have once thought impossible.  I am the QUEEN of sleeping in.  Always have been, perhaps always will be?

Perhaps that's why I like the early runs, it's more of a challenge?

Yesterday, I got up at 4:45am to run 5.5 miles at a 7:37 pace.  I ran with a group, which meets a few minutes from my house at 5:15am.  This group is organized by my marathon training coach, meets Tuesday/Thursday mornings.  Small group, about 3 to 10 people, depending on the day.  Nice folks, made the time fly by.

This morning, I got up at 5:10am to run 5.32 miles at a 7:48 pace.  Ran with a different group this time.  This group is an offshoot of my marathon training team group, meets at the baseball diamond every Wednesday am at 5:30am, just a few minutes from my house.

There's an endless supply of group runs in Richmond.

If anyone here is local, comment and let me know if you want to get in on this action!

Anyway, I just love running while the sun is coming up.  The world is so peaceful and most people are still nestled in their beds, hitting the snooze button.

I like how the air still has some moisture that is evaporating.  It's a break before the giant sun-oven turns on for the day.

So I don't think I would have felt this way if we were in the dead of the winter...check back with me in 8 months and see I'm still on the early train :)

Marathon Training Week #4 and "Run Less, Run Faster"

I've pretty much been at work non-stop since I last checked in after the Outer Banks.

Time flies when it's full of busy 12 hour shifts in the trauma ICU.  I'm the type of person who loves being busy at work.  Slow days are tough because the time drags by.  And I'd much rather be using my brain to titrate sedation drips, wean ventilators, titrate blood pressure drips, run CVVHD machines, etc. than to sit there checking my e-mail like on a slow day.

But I hope everyone's been having a great week and weekend so far!

I had a fun run this morning with the Marathon Training Team in Richmond.  We ran 9.00 miles in 1:10:45, which is an average pace of 7:51.

The time FLEW by because I was talking with other people the whole time, until the last quarter mile.  Makes SUCH a difference!

As I've mentioned before, there's a man who stands out during the group runs with a camera to take photos of everyone.  That sounded creeepy when I just re-read that, but it's not, he's affiliated with the training team and he has been involved with the program for like 10 years or something like that.

Anyway, here I am being fuzzy (and floating):

Summary of Week #4:
-Ran 25.7 miles
-Rested 3 full days (worked three in a row...no hope for running after 12 hours of work!)
-"Long run" = 9 miles

I was looking through a fabulous book, during vacation called Run Less, Run Faster.  After I've finished the book, I'm going to do a post about it.  It talks about the FIRST training program.  Has anyone tried this before or read the book?

Blogger Award

Alright, I was feeling a little depressed to be back in town after a vacation at the Outer Banks, NC...but then Amanda at Simple Girl, Simple Pleasures gave me this VERY sweet blog award and it made me feel super special and only half bummed about missing the beach :)

As a recipient, I share seven random facts about myself and then I get to recognize 15 other people with this award.

This is exciting for me because I have a ton of bloggers that I love reading and this is a great way to share the luvin'.

Ok, so here's a little randomness about me:

1)  I cycled across Spain when I was 17.  With a group of six friends and out 26 year old Chemistry teacher.  Yeah, can't believe I did that...it was pretty insane actually.  It took over a month.

2)  I ran my first race (a 10K) in May 2010 and I'm hoping to run my first Marathon Nov 2011.  Am I crazy?  Perhaps, yes.

3)  I can't stand the taste of hamburgers and other red meat stuff.

4)  At UVa, I worked in a lab and did anesthesia experiments on mice and helped manage a knockout mouse colony!  (Yes, I see you cringing...)

5)  I ALWAYS give people the benefit of the doubt and ALWAYS look for the positive in others.  One could argue that I am too forgiving sometimes, but it's really hard to change that.

6)  If I won the lottery, I would want to travel the world and then go to medical school.

7)  If I could have any type of dog, I would want either a Weimaraner or an Akita.  Or a poodle since they don't shed.

And here are 15 people who I love reading and deserve this nod way more than me:

• Britt at Chicago Runner Girl (wonderful writer, very knowledgeable, super fast, huge heart)
• Caitlin at Rose Runner (love this sharp girl who will count and know that I chose more than 15, then will do a post about how blogger awards are not cool.)
• Caitlin at Running with Corgs (very cute, very fast)
• Christy at My Dirt Road Anthem (gotta shout out to my fellow nurse!)
• Emily at Sweat Once A Day (I am always kinda half shocked about her grueling workouts)
• Gwen at Turner Life Around (love her honesty, candidness)
• Heather at The World Through My Eyes (love the world traveler)
• Janae at Hungry Runner Girl (the 2nd blog I ever found, she's SO positive and optimistic)
• Jessica at Little Miss Runshine (she always shares good tips for running/tri stuff)
• Julia at Sleepless in Arlington (love her, we are both a little on the neurotic side, wish I lived in the same town as her)
• Lindsay at Chasing the Kenyans (hardcore runner, but soft and sweet heart (which happens to be on a monitor!))
• Lindsay at Linds Loves Miles (my major blog crush, also love her candidness and I love running with her in real life.)
• Lindsey at Yogi Bear (she warms my heart, always has pretty photos and is super sweet)
• Margs at Faster Bunny (ALWAYS end up laughing when I read her posts, feel like I've known her forever, we'd be friends in real life.)
• Sarah at Once Upon a Lime (love her sense of humor, I wish I were even half as funny as she is...or had the ability to produce such awesome graphics.)
• Sarah at Skinny Runner (the first blog I ever followed, still loyal)
• Susan at Nurse on the Run (very fast, can relate to my ridiculous schedule, nice and positive too.)
• Teamarcia at The Studly Runner (read her Inspired or Defeated post, enough said.)
• Vanessa at Gourmet Runner (very sweet, she somehow always has a really creative, interesting post, usually involving a really great food idea.)
• Xaarlin at Pain is Nothing (an enjoyable read, honest girl, good photos)

Ok, so this just turned into me talking about some blogs that popped into my head.  I got a little carried away!

Vacation and Marathon Training Week #3

I've been on vacation since my last post, so good to get out of town sometimes :)

I went to Duck, North Carolina.  Beautiful beach, I'll do an update on it tomorrow probably.

Highlights since I was last here include:
-10 mile run on Sunday morning

Welp, that's about all the excitement in my running world.  :)

I've done a number of other runs, but that would be too boring to post all the deets.

Here's my summary of Week #3:
Total miles:  27.4
Long run of 10 miles (in 85 degree heat, yuck), average pace of 8:57

I hope everyone had a great weekend, time to do a little catching up on the blog world now!!

Hills and Pool

Yesterday, since the death-like heat wave appears to have taken a break from Richmond, Virginia for a few days, I headed over to the pool for some good relaxation.

Thought I'd maybe work a little on the sports bra tan line too.

Yeah good luck with that, it's not disappearing anytime soon!

This morning, I ran hills with a running group.

I woke up at 4:45am to meet the group at 5:15am and we did 5.38 miles of hills at an 8:55 pace.

Ok, time for bed, working nightshift tonight!

Top 10 Reasons to Take a 6 Day Weekend!

Don't be jealous but....

Ok, I just had a six day weekend!  For the nurses out there (Susan and Christy), you know about making our own schedules.  So I "stacked my days" so that I had a stretch of time off, without having to take vacation.  It was my birthday on Sunday, so obviously I didn't want to be at work.

Oh and don't worry, there are about 1,000 reasons NOT to be jealous of my job and work schedule, so don't take that first line seriously at all.

But anyway, it was an action packed weekend and I'm going to have to do this again next year.

Here are the top 10 reasons to take a 6 day weekend (surrounding your birthday) from work!

10)  There was time to attend a fun Family Lifeline Young Professional (FLYP) happy hour at Conch Republic on Thursday evening.

Check out these paddle boarders that we saw from the deck.  Winning!

9)  There was time to go to a work BBQ party on Friday night, all decked out in our Luau gear

 I'm pretending to paddle a neon green kayak...

8)  There was time to peer across the James River from Pony Pasture to see your FAVORITE home in Richmond, the Rice House.  Click HERE to check out my post on the Rice House.

Here's what we're looking at:

7.5)  There was time to do my Marathon Training Team group run on Saturday morning with my two lovely friends.  (This is 7.5 because I already did a post about it, but couldn't leave it out of this post.)

7)  There was time to drink wine at Richmond's Uncorked Wine Festival with great friends on Saturday, literally one block from my house.

6)  There was time to attend my dear friend's early evening BBQ on Saturday.

 Gorgeous sunset.

5)  There was time to go to a Cowboys and Indians Housewarming party later Saturday night.

Where I discovered my new favorite light fixture...

4)  There was time to have delicious Thai food (thanks Tappan!) for lunch on my birthday.  As you all know, Pad Thai is my idea of heaven on a plate.

3)  There was time to go check out my 2nd favorite overlook in Richmond at Chimoborazo Park:

2)  There was time to go a delicious dinner at The Water Grill with Tappan on Sunday night.  Best dinner ever!

1)  There was time to meet up with my girlfriends to have birthday drinks at Lemaire at The Jefferson Hotel and dinner at Delux on Monday night.

So yes, it was officially the best birthday 6-day weekend ever!

Baby Neon: My First Tempo Run

As you all know, I'm a big fan of running with other people.

Time flies, there's good conversation, and you get a little dose of social for the day (which is sometimes difficult to do when you work a schedule that is backwards of the entire world.)

I ran 6.00 miles at a 8:05 pace (do we see a trend here?? 6 miles seems to be my new running distance.)

I've never done a tempo run before, but I think that's what today was (or so said someone in the group mid-run.)  We started off slow and then did a couple faster miles, followed by another slow down.  I was just following along, doing whatever.

I'm learning folks!!

Before we know it, I'll be able to tie my shoes by myself.

Does anyone out there love tempo runs?

Can anyone help me learn more about these sorts of things?

What's a good difference in pace between the fast and slow miles?

Theoretically should my 'fast miles' have been faster?

It was fun, but I didn't really feel like slowing down dramatically after picking up the pace, but perhaps if we had gone all out for the fast part, I would have?

But maybe having some slower miles at the end is part of a good recovery?

First Run as a 28 Year Old...Plus the Giveaway Gods Must Have Known

I went for a fun, relaxed 6.0 mile run today, average pace 8:25.

Good news, the heat wave may have temporarily passed!  It was in the 70's, mild humidity, and it was the first time in a couple weeks that I didn't feel like I was suffocating in the heat.

I ended my run at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  The Picasso exhibit just ended a couple weeks ago and it's been quiet there ever since.

I LOVE the grounds around the VMFA, I wish it were my backyard.

Luckily, it is just less than one block from where I live.

Lots of lovely water features:

And a "floating" outdoor cafe.  I can NOT wait to eat there.

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes!  It really made my day to have little messages from all my dear bloggies.

And the blogging giveaway gods must have realized that it was my birthday and they responded accordingly.  I won three giveaways in the past four days!

• First on Friday June 10th, Amanda at Simple Girl, Simple Pleasures had a $25 dollar iTunes gift card for me!  Can't wait to make some new running playlists.
• Then on Saturday June 12th, Cari at Running a Crazy Life had a cool titanium bracelet and protein drinks for me.  I'm always looking for new protein sources, this will be good.
• Today, Vanessa at Gourmet Runner had a gotein giveaway that I won.  I've been really been wanting to try it out, so this is exciting.

Thank you to Amanda, Cari, and Vanessa for making me feel superrr special!

Has anyone ever been so lucky to win three giveaways in four days?  Something must be rigged around here!

Happy Birthday to Me! Plus Marathon Training Week #2

Today is my birthday and it's been a fab day.

More details to follow tomorrow, but I'm just sooo tired right now so this will be a semi-short post about running.

Today also concluded Week #2 of my training for the Richmond Marathon in November.

Saturday was our "long run" of 5.83 miles at an average pace of 7:57 with the Marathon Training Team.

I didn't do it on purpose, but the average pace for the last couple miles was quicker than the first few.  Don't know why it happened that way, we were probably super hot and wanted to get back home asap!  We're still enduring a heat wave here in Virginia.  Hoping it'll pass soon!

Here's a photo of my two lovely girlfriends and I before the run.  We're all on the same small team.  Love them and so excited to have buddies on my team :)

Yes, it is 6:40am in the photo, my eyes are barely awake yet!

There's a really nice guy who takes photos every week of everyone during the long runs.  It's fun, and usually you get caught in some awkward running post, but this week I was lucky and didn't look too odd!

Here I am, looking sweaty during the run.  I'm on the right, halfway cut out.  I had been trying to get out a thumbs up, but the timing wasn't right.

This week I ran 20.1 miles and took off three rest days.

Weekend recap to follow.


Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Improvising with Temp and Time

After working THREE nights in a row, I usually really enjoy a nice long run (of course after I get in a nice long day-sleep until early afternoon.)

BUT that didn't happen today because:
1)  temp was 98 degrees outside (heat index 102) when I woke up
2)  I was crunched for time because I was going to a happy hour at 5pm

So I decided to go to the gym and do a short fast run!

Two birds with one stone-- temperature and time crunch issues solved.

I ran a total of 3 miles.

2.5 miles were at a 7:30 pace

the last 0.5 mile was at a 6:53 pace

I worked out at the Cary Street Gym, which I rave about in this post.  It's only $14 per month because the hospital where I work is affiliated with the local university.

Here are some photos to remind you of how much I love this gym.

I love tall ceilings, very important to me!  I ran on one of the treadmills on the balcony up there.

 Salt water pool...didn't go this time but I plan on spending more time in there this summer.

Anyway...

It felt like an efficient workout because I got in a pretty good sweat in a short amount of time.

Alright, time to head out for a little HH with friends!

Nightshift and Easy Sweaty-Hot Run

I am in the middle of a string of three nightshifts at the hospital.

Yesterday afternoon before going into work, I went for a  easy sweaty-hot run, 6.11 miles at a 8:26 pace.

BEFORE:  optimistic look on face.

AFTER:  hot sweaty mess.

It was 86 degrees out, high humidity.  You know how that goes!!

I took off today because I had a meeting after work until 8:30am and didn't get to bed until 9:30am-ish and I wanted to sleep as long as possible before heading back for another night.  When you've been up for that long, you feel tipsy!


Thank goodness I am only a 10 minute drive from work...

Anyway, I'm really excited because once I'm done with these three nights, I'm off work Thursday through next Wednesday!

Fun weekend plans (including my birthday) so I can't wait :)  Having something to look forward to makes work so much more pleasurable for me!

Does anyone else out there have a strange work schedule?
I know my dear Susan from Nurse on the Run does!  And Christy from My Dirt Road Anthem is a nurse too, but she may have a more normal schedule, can't remember?

Marathon Training Week #1

I am back in Richmond Virginia now.  Good times out west, now back to reality.

Saturday night, I had a Thai food picnic with Tappan at my favorite overlook in Richmond.

This morning was the first week of my training for the Richmond Marathon.

I'm running with the Marathon Training Team, it has over 1,100 people on it, broken up into smaller groups.  We do long runs as a group each weekend at 7:00am (and 6:30 when it starts to get warmer.)

Click HERE for my old post about the training team.  I had started it last year before I developed a stress fracture in my pelvis.

I'm usually in the Saturday group, but I was in Santa Fe yesterday so I did the Sunday group today.  I picked up one of my girlfriends who is also on my team and we drove to the stadium start point together.

Since it was the first week, we did 6 miles.  We were about a 7:55 pace.  I forgot to mention, Tappan also came too, he did about a 7:20 pace.

My girlfriend had on a really cute lululemon running outfit on.  I don't own anything by them, but I've heard their stuff is great.

Rainy morning, but it was super fun.  It made me get out of bed.

Loved getting out there and running with a big group again.

Miles for the week were 23.6 and that included taking off three days.

Anyone else starting the process of training for a marathon?