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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Cori --- I Wonder if I'm the Craziest?

Confession:

So we bought our plane tickets to Chicago.....and we're leaving the kids at home.
You know how they never let the President and the Vice President fly on the same plane? Because if Air Force One crashed, who would run the country?
That's how I feel about flying alone with Johnny.
If the plane crashes, our kids would be alone. This thought keeps me up at night.
I almost booked us on separate flights.

But it does make me feel better that my pals will be on the same plane. Because I just don't think that something like that would happen to them. What are the chances?

Do you see my dilemma here? I am knee deep in anxiety, I could desperately use a bottle of wine, (since I don't have any Xanax), and yet due to my new health kick, all I have is water. Water, water, and more water. With a Coke Zero thrown in here and there.

Water is taking a lot of hits on this blog lately.

Traci - Bathroom Breaks

Yesterday marked my first official day of training since I was off all weekend being super dehydrated and basking in the sun. But those days are now over. I have been dreading one part of training for quite a while now. H2O. Agua. Water. I don't like it. Never have. I'm a pop drinking fool. My grandpa owned a Pepsi plant and distributor so I always had all the pop I wanted and (good or bad) my parents never limited me. On an average day, I drink a Slimfast on the way to work, 1-2 cups of coffee upon arriving at my desk, a pop at lunch, sometimes a "get me to 5 0'clock pop," and a pop with dinner. That's it... no water. So as I read in our training manual that I must drink 100 oz. of water a day, I just about passed out. But, Sir Eladio also gave me a tip on how to go about drinking that much water in one day. He says that your body won't hold more than 20 oz. in one hour, it will just flush it out and therefore it doesn't do your body any good. And we gotta do this body good. So, he suggests picking 5 hours of the day and drinking 5 oz. every 15 minutes for those hours. And you know what? It works, and it's pretty darn easy. Yesterday I drank 113 oz. of water and today so far I've had about 70. Oh yeah, and you are only supposed to pee 5-7 times a day. Um, not so much. I was getting my crosstraining in just in my trips to the bathroom! But, since I have 30 more oz. to drink tonight, peace out.

Jennifer Lesson One

To my nightly glass of wine...I'm not sure if you know this or not but I am in training now and because of you my 4 miler Monday was sweaty and smelly (sorry to the lady next to me on the treadmill) so we must part ways for now, see you in about 16 weeks! Hydration is giving me some problems already, up to 100 oz of water a day and trying to limit my pibb zeors to one...boo!

Jennifer - Starting Stats

So my stats are finally up for the whole freaking world to see, I think it may have been easier for the ego if I went to a PTA meeting naked! I have to keep reminding myself that I have a newborn and I am going to ride that as long as I can :)

Measurements are something I have always done in fact I have a speadsheet (no laughing Cori) starting in 1995 and every few years it has been updated. I LOVE EXCEL! I need this for motivation, I have always worked out in some way or another and because I usually stay a comfortable size 10 the only way I could see progress is through inches vs weight. Bad news is during the last 2 marathons I did not lose a single pound, not one..but lost several inches in a few areas so I am hoping for the same result.


Age: 35 for 13 more days
Height: 5'5
Weight: 1^5
Goal Weight: 150

Biceps: 12
Bust: 39 nursing mommy :)
Belly button:33
Hips:42
Inner Thigh:24
Calfs:15

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Cori --- It was Freaking HOT yesterday...

So Jen and I tackled our Day One of training together. The five mile run. It was a mix of good and bad.
It was 86 degrees and very humid. Put a wet, warm washcloth over your mouth and nose and then take a deep breath. And then leave it in place and run 5 miles. That's how it felt.
We discovered that the best way to cool off is not to splash your drinking water on your face, arms, and chest, but to dump it right on your head. This helped considerably. (Seriously.)
We kept our average around 11.5 min/miles. Considering the heat and hills, I was happy with this. And that's another thing that I will never understand. My IT bands did not cause me the slightest bit of discomfort, even while running hills for 5 miles. Yet other days I am taking Ibuprofen just to walk around my house. I don't get it. I did premedicate with 600 mg of Ibuprofen 2 hours before the run, though. I may keep doing this.
Also girls, I don't think Jen and I should be allowed to run unchaperoned. I'm just kidding, Jen. But we might accidentally kill ourselves. We're not sweaty girls, we're "turn red and look like you might die" girls. And neither of us has an ounce of common sense with the heat. We had water stations. We drank 3 times during the run, and then after. But when her heart rate monitor hit 200, did we slow down? No, we stopped looking at it. And when we got back to her house, I said, "You know, I have never been that hot. But I decided that I wasn't stopping no matter what. The only way I was stopping was if I fell over." And then she told me, "Yep. Me, too."
But I wasn't sure how to handle the heat. I never had chills. I didn't get dizzy. It was uncomfortable, but duh, of course it was! I guess I'm just wondering how far we can safely push it. I don't want to cop out early because I'm nervous. I really want to know my limits. But how close do you get to those limits before it's unsafe? I just don't know.... I think part of getting ready for this race is being tough mentally. So I really feel the need to push the envelope at times. Does anyone else ever feel like this?
The Pros of the run: our legs felt good, we could still talk most of the time, not too short of breath. The distance was not a problem.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Cori---PreTraining Stats

So I wrote a whole long whiny post about why I hate being compared to short girls, and why I didn't want random acquaintances who find this blog through Facebook to know how much I weigh....but then I just thought, 'Screw it. I really don't care what anyone thinks. I'm training for a marathon, damn it. Judge me if you dare.' But, on a serious note.....I've got to get some taller friends. They weigh more.

Age: 35
Height: 5'7"
Current Wt: 146 (Down 12 pounds since 5/12/2010. Another post for another day...)
BMI: 22.9
Goal Wt: 135
Goal BMI: 21.1

Bicep: 12" (Guns, yes, I know.)
Bust: 37"
Waist: 31"
Under Bellybutton: *Who's idea was this???* 34.5"
Hips: 40"
Thighs: 22.5"
Calfs: 14.25"

Yuck. I hate measurements. Why don't we just post naked pictures of ourselves and get it over with???

Traci - Measurements

So I decided to join the measurements train. Mainly because I know that when I'm not losing weight it's nice to see that I lost 1/100th of an inch. :)

Starting stats:
Thigh (thickest part): 23 1/4 inches
Calf (thickest part): 14 3/4 inches
Butt (the junk in the trunk): a whopping 33 inches
Under my belly button: 33 3/4 inches
Waist: 31 1/2 inches
Bust: 36 inches
Bulging bicep: 11 1/4 inches

When I was at Curves I got weighed and measured every month. I rarely lost large amounts of weight, but I would lose inches. That felt good. And trust me, I've got some inches to lose!

Traci - Do or Die

3 miles? You've got to be kidding me! That's how my running "career" started. I signed up for a sprint triathlon. Then I realized I really do have to run 3 miles. So, I forced myself to run 1 mile on the treadmill. It was one of the hardest things I've done. That first mile killed me, and still does. I don't normally start warming up until about mile 3. Needless to say, I ran the 3 miles, and CAUGHT THE BUG! I didn't know what people meant when they said they had the "Runner's Bug". I honestly didn't believe them either. Who would run on purpose?

That brings me to where I am today. I have since ran several 5K's and a 1/2 Marathon. Now my crazy friends have peer pressured me (pretty easily) into running the Chicago Marathon. 2010. This year. In 16 short weeks. Tomorrow marks our first day of official training. And, I'm going to be out of town all weekend. Go figure! So, hopefully we can coordinate the rest of our long runs to be able to do it together. Because that is the main reason I can run. Sure, I can run 3 miles by myself. But that's about it. Why? Because it's boring and I have no motivation. But when I run with my girls we chat it up and before you know it, we're done. Running has become a great way for me to release stress and vent. I am forever grateful for that.

Now, I've heard that true runners don't run to lose weight. I guess I'm still not a true runner because by changing my diet, drinking a ton of water, running 3 days a week and cross training 2 days a week, by God, I better lose some weight. So, my starting weight is 139. Yesterday I was 138 but I'd like to thank the ice cream cone I had at lunch yesterday and the blizzard I had after dinner for the extra pound I start this adventure with.

Good luck girls, we can do this! It doesn't matter where we finish, as long as at the end we can honestly say we trained hard and did our best.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Jennifer- First Attempt

Okay so why am I more nervous to post my very first entry on any blog than to run this crazy race? I'm sure its because I am posting with the funniest girls I know and my stories just aren't that cleaver. Two days until I start this crazy journey again, yes again..this will be my 3rd marathon, 2nd in Chicago. But a lot has changed in the last six years since my last marathon, I've added 2 more children to our family (one just 11 weeks ago) not to mention I am nursing so my challenge this round will be to manage my nutrition and water intake to compensate for all the lost fluid. So a little about the old girl of the group..Mom of three girls, Married to a supportive husband, competitive only not when it comes to running because I am a finisher, I could care less what the clock says when I cross that finish line...in other words I'm slow! At one time in my life I would consider myself athletic but as the years pass so does my ability to do many skills gracefully. I am ready, excited to start this journey and can not wait to stand at the starting line in the Chicago wind blowing in my hair and my ears listening to 40,000 participants screams of excitement, look out here we come!

Cori--- Let's get this party started

T minus 2 days and counting. The last time I started a blog this way I was 38 weeks pregnant. My goal is much scarier this time. The countdown is until training starts. I know how to give birth. I have no earthly idea how to run 26.2 miles in one morning. (One morning plus an afternoon....who am I kidding?) I am going to train for a marathon. I think I have lost my mind. But I am SO excited!
I have considered myself pre-training for 3 months now. I'm not new to work outs. I'm not new to strength training. I have even cleaned up my diet. (Does anyone else hear the hallelujah chorus?) But I haven't run further than 6 miles in 8 months, and that is intimidating to me. I'm worried that old injuries could flare up. I'm scared I'll have some funky, unknown heart condition, and I'll orphan my children at mile 22. I'm scared I'll train for 4 months and then do something stupid like twist my ankle at the airport....
But here's what I know is true. I am going to train seriously. I am going to research this process to death, because that's just what I do. I am going to give 100% in every area. And I am going to ask God for the strength to see this goal through to the glorious end. And if it's His will, it will happen.
My fellow running girls---I would walk through fire for them. Friends for life. Hopefully this blog will document our ups, downs, training stats, humorous anecdotes, and provide us with memories to look back on. After the blessed event, I plan to turn this blog into book form for a keepsake.
I have to be honest. I have also envisioned myself printing out this training log when I have to visit a specialist for whatever injury I incur. I need the stats. I hate that I think like that. My glass is half full in every other area of my life. But I have had to drop out of a race before....and I think I'm scarred.
Okay. No more talking.
Just do it?