Getting Close!

The Al's Run is getting close, and I'm getting nervous! I am not nervous about the distance- I believe that I can go a pace that I can keep for 5 and some miles. I am worried about the weather. Lately it has been so hot and I try to run at night so it is cooler, but I am worried that it will be hot the morning of the race, and that will affect me. Any tips?

Urbanathlon

There's this race in Chicago in the fall called the Urbanathlon. I think it's like 10.something miles, and there's all these obstacles during it. Like running over cars, climbing a small wall with a rope, going across monkey bars, etc.. You can do it by yourself and run the whole thing, or have a team of 3, and each person does 3.something miles. It looks like fun, and Josh and I want to do it next year! You can help each other during the race...like if you can't make it over the wall, someone can help you, etc..

Here's the website for the race this year. http://www.menshealthurbanathlon.com/

We're not going to do it this year, because it's coming up quickly, and there's no way I can 10-something miles right now! But next year, I want to! It'll probably be in October next year. You should doooo it!

No Hank Aaron Run this year.... sad.

I am sad that I cannot do the Hank Aaron run this year (it's tomorrow). It's a nice run and I like that fact that it is at Miller Park. Hopefully next year. I am still training for the Al's Run. I like the fact that I am fundraising for it because that will motivate me to do it even more. I am having some struggles getting ready for it, though. First, working 2 jobs, 2 grad school classes, and numerous summer committments (I know I should not make excuses) I am not having as much time to run as I did last year. I am working on that, however. Also, I am having trouble getting past the 3 mile mark. I know I need to work on my stride and find a pace that I can keep for 5 some miles... yesterday when I was running I all of a sudden became really hot and thirsty and had to stop and walk... how do I keep myself hydrated for that long? Do I just need to drink a lot of water before? Then I feel like I will need to go to the bathroom halfway through! I am still fundraising for the Al's Run, but I lowered my goal amount... if anyone would like to donate to Children's Hospital, it would be much appreciated! I am also looking for others to run with me... so far Ben and Rachel have responded. That's all for now!

i did my first 5k last week! Tyler and I did Storm the Bastille. I am definitely up for another short race... and am struggling a little bit because I am a little bit behind on my marathon training. I don't know what to do because my ankle is still somewhat hurting-- though it's more than fine if I take an ibuprofen before I run and one after I run, and ice it. But is that a good permanent solution? Probably not.... 

Now for the nerdy question, does anyone know any good fiction books about running?

And, I write this from the library. 

You nerd, Sarah Reck.

I am doing the Al's run this year, but also would like to do other run in the near future. A good website to find different runs is www.active.com. You find the event you want, such as running, cycling, etc., and enter in your zip code. A page comes up listing all the events in your area. If you look on here and want to do a run, let me know!

Al's Run

I officially set up my donation page today for Al's Run. I am running on Saturday, September 20th! Please help me reach my fundraising goal of $500. It is easy to help, my webpage is
www.firstgiving.com/paularichardson1. Or check out firstgiving.com and search for my name. I have not officially signed up for the run yet, so if you want to be on my team, let me know!

Races

Reasons why I like to run outside...

In response to Michelle's blog about running inside on a treadmill, these are the reasons why I like to run outside...
- The scenery always changes
- I actually feel like I am running somewhere (because I am!)
- I can control the speed (and I feel faster many times)
- I can run with somebody when running outside
- I can pick my route, it makes the workout more interesting

Of course, the treadmill wins in the winter.

Sorry, I have no idea..

Sorrrry. I have no idea about your Nike thing. But, if you can get it to work, it sounds cool! Maybe Josh can help you...he's good at that kind of thing.

Running related--Josh and I went running last night. Outside. He likes to run outside, and I hate it. I stopped after about 1 1/2 miles and walked the rest. I only like it for races, because they have a different feeling. But, otherwise, I prefer to run on a treadmill at my gym. Here are my top reasons for not liking running outside.
* It's hard to carry water while running, and I like to drink water while running.
* It's hot out.
* My allergies always start up when I'm outside.
* Josh always runs ahead of me.
* I know there's a 5th one, but I can't remember right now. But I rattled off 5 reasons to Josh last night.

Oh, and when I'm on a treadmill, I feel like I run faster, because I can set the pace. And I know how far I ran. And I can do intervals easily.

Our next 5k is July 20th I believe.

what a great idea, paula, to start such a blog! do you have any races coming up? i'm thinking of doing the storm the bastille, i've always wanted to...

i wish i had a nike + thing so that i could help you, but i don't. :(

Nike+ Calibration

I received an ipod for my birthday, I had wanted one forever! I wanted an ipod nano so I could listen to music while I ran, because I cannot stand to run without music. I also received the Nike+ software for my ipod, so I could keep track of workouts, count calories, set playlists to workouts, etc. The problem I am having; however, is how to correctly calibrate my running steps to that Nike+ correctly configures my miles and calories. Right now, when I run 3+ miles, the ipod will tell me I ran a little over 2 miles, with one mile taking me about 13 minutes, and I know this is not right. I have tried re-calibrating my running steps, but it does not seem to be working. I need advice/help on how to correctly set this up so that I can manage my running more effectively.