5/30 Fart-whats??

Today is a mandatory Rest Day, so I thought I'd share with you my crazy workouts from yesterday...

I like to get my exercise in before work if I can, for a couple different reasons:

1. It's not looming over my head for the rest of the day.
2. A good run, followed by a couple cups of coffee, really wakes me up.
3. I get some solo time so I can think about what I need and want to get done during the day, instead of being thrown head first into the thick of it at work.

According to my training schedule, Thursday I was supposed to do "5 mile fartlek (2 hard x 2 easy).

I'd be lying if I said I didn't giggle and then get grossed out by the term "fartlek" (fart-lick). Basically, "farlek" is just a really awkward way of saying "speed work." I hope the terms isn't taken from someone's last name, and that it was actually invented by a 12 year old boy...

Anyway, I know myself pretty well. I know that I'm not an experienced runner, and I know that I loathe sprinting. I can run for long periods of time at a constant and comfortable pace, but I chose to be a defender in soccer for a reason: I'm terrible at running fast.

I also know that what I hate more than running fast is not upholding my end of a deal. I committed to training for and running a marathon, and so I set out on Thursday morning to do all the fartleking that was asked of me. I decided to run on a treadmill so I'd be able to force myself to actually run fast.

And you know what? It actually wasn't awful. My easy pace was a 10:00 minute mile, and when I was supposed to go "hard" I bumped it up to an 8:30 mile. I was really feeling it by the end and had to stabilize myself on the treadmill a couple times, but I never stopped and I kept alternating my pace every 2 minutes. The time flew by, and I finished my 5 miles in a record 46 minutes and 11 seconds.

And then I did soemthing really stupid.

I've started taking pilates once a week, and I usually do an hour long class on Tuesdays. Due to some schedule conflicts, I moved it to Thursday evening. An hour long class after a 5 mile run isn't a bad idea, but my instructor convinced me to stay for an extra 30 minutes. By the time I got home, all I wanted was some food, a hot shower and my bed.

So, as I hobbled around this morning getting ready, I reminded myself that it's probably best to keep pilates to Tuesday, my cross-training day, and keep my running days void of all crazy strength training sessions. As much as I want the long and lean muscles that pilates provides, I want to be able to get up and out of my chair without groaning even more...

5/24 - New shoes!

After a misty 5 mile run through Clairemont (I'm still waiting on the beautiful runs I was promised!) the team was invited to stay for a shoe clinic at Roadrunner Sports off of Convoy.

Because there were so many of us, there was a wait until we could meet with a shoe expert and get advice on proper footwear. I spent the time browsing the sock section with my new friend Julie, who I ran the 5 with this morning. The two of us ran with Lisa, who was outfitted with a Garmin 305 heartrate monitor that tells you EVERYTHING about your run: distance, mile split times, elevation, heartrate, pace, calories burned... It's an amazing little gadget, and I've been thinking about getting one myself. Mom and dad, if you've found my blog yet, I think the 305's starting to go on sale soon. My birthday is also soon (hint).

Julie and I wandered the sock section for a bit ($25.00 for three pairs of moisture wicking socks? I better be super fast, now!), and finally it was my turn to get fitted. First, my shoe expert, a very attractive guy named Eric who was not talkative at all, had me walk barefoot across a pad and then run barefoot on a treadmill. Somehow he was able to deduce how I distributed my weight, the kind of arch I have and what kind of support I need in a shoe.

With that information in hand, I soon became the proud owner of a pair of Asics! I was running in New Balances before, and although they're comfy, the toe box was way too big. I really feel the difference in support with my new sneakers, and I can't wait to break them in and then bust them out next week on our 6 mile run.

I never thought I'd look forward to giving up my Saturday mornings, but I am having the best time right now. Hope you all are well, too!

Love,
Nina

5/21 - Donation Letter Complete!

I finally got around to writing my donation letter. I wanted to make it a little more personal, and I think I succeeded. It should be in the mail early next week. I'm also hoping to merge the two statements (the letter and the one on my TNT Page) into one, and then put that on a bulletin board I can display in my gym and at restaurants and places Robert really enjoyed. Of course, I still have to set all that up too.

Without further ado, the letter.
Dear Friends & Family:

I am excited to announce that I have joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program! Through TNT I will train for and complete the Nike Women's Marathon this October in San Francisco.

My training began this weekend with a four mile run through Kearny Mesa. Those of you familiar with San Diego geography know that Kearny Mesa is not the epitome of scenic beauty; sans iPod and a good view, I was left with nothing to do but think as I pounded the pavement.

Somewhere between my starting point and the used car lots and strip-clubs scattered down Kearney Villa Road, I thought about the events that brought me to TNT. Call it a symptom of being "young and fearless," but I believed cancer and death were things reserved for the elderly and certainly not anyone that I loved. All of that changed when Robert was diagnosed with leukemia in February. His short battle, though hard fought, was lost on March 18, 2008.

Following Rob's death, I changed in a way that I was not proud of: I became angry. How could this happen to my family? How could something this awful happen to someone as kind-hearted and loving as Robert? I was consumed by this unfamiliar feeling of rage, and I felt like I had nowhere to direct it: I couldn't call leukemia on the telephone and scream at it. I couldn't hunt it down and hurt it like it had hurt my brother and my family. For the very first time in my life I felt truly helpless– and then I joined Team in Training.

I started thinking about the type of person Robert was, and it became obvious that joining TNT to run the Nike Women's Marathon was the perfect way to honor Robert's life. An athlete himself, he enjoyed being part of a team; his social nature would have made him a perfect fit at our group training sessions; he would have loved going to San Francisco to watch thousands of ladies run by him; and his generous spirit would have made him a natural at fund-raising money to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma society.

My race is October 19, 2008. In addition to training for the event for the next five months, I have committed to raising a minimum of $3,300. Seventy-five percent of that amount goes directly to fund research to cure blood cancers. TNT has raised over $850 million since its formation in 1988, and I want nothing more than to contribute everything I can to their cause.

I send you this letter in hopes that you can donate to the cause. Donations can be made by check or on-line at my web page: pages.teamintraining.org/sd/nikesf08/ngriffin.
If you would like to follow my progress, I've also created a blog to document my experience. Check on me there at ninarunsforrob.blogspot.com.

I hope you are able to donate today. Your generosity will not go unappreciated.

Love,
Nina

5/18 - One Saturday down...

Yesterday was my first long run with the Central Run Team. Well, it would have been, but I actually didn't get to run with them...

We gathered at 7:45am on Saturday morning at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society office in Kearny Mesa. For the next hour we did a meet and greet with fellow teammates and mentors (my mentor is Tammy, and she has a fraternal twin sister!), and then listened to our coach give valuable tips about marathon training, i.e., start hydrating for our long Saturday runs before Saturday... As in Friday. Given our summer training schedule, I am certain this will be a very crucial tip to follow.

Unfortunately I had to "run" (hah!) to class at 10:00am, so I left and returned on my own to run the course that afternoon. It was a nice and flat four miles through scenic Kearny Mesa: I passed several reputable looking strip-clubs, and enjoyed my job through the well manicured lawns of the Spectrum center. I was assured that morning that our longer long runs would feature much more scenic routes.

I finished the four miles with no problem, and rode the recumbent bike for 30 minutes this morning to "recover" my legs. Tomorrow morning I'll get in 4mi on the treadmill before work, and I'll be right on schedule with training. This coming Saturday we do 6mi- definitely the longest I've run in a while! We also have a shoe clinic at Road Runner Sports, where their experts will help us find the correct shoes, socks and clothing to wear when we run. I love buying stuff, and this is the perfect excuse to drop some cash on cute new running gear!

5/15/08 - Training Schedule!

I just got a look at the schedule for the first month of training!

It looks like we're supposed to put ourselves into Team A, B or C, depending on our fitness/experience level. Since I've been running for about 6 months and used to have a pretty decent weekly mileage, I went with Team B.

This last week my training didn't exactly sync up with the recommendation (i.e., I should have run 4mi this morning instead of sleeping in and doing pilates this afternoon), but I will be getting in my 4mi run Saturday!

From there, it looks like I run four days a week: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The long runs on Saturday start at 4mi and increase every week up to 8mi on June 7! Luckily the M, W, Th runs stay between 3 and 5 miles. I'm glad I have coaches telling me what miles to run- I'd totally burn myself out and do way too many during the week in addition to long run.

I am REALLY excited now. It's all becoming much more tangible. Can't wait to meet the rest of my team on Saturday!

Thanks for checking in. And please, any past marathoners out there, feel free to give me advice!

5/12/08 - Day 1

Today is my first official day of training for the Nike Women's Marathon and fundraising for TNT!

Since it's still so early in the season, I'm not changing my current running schedule too much. After increasing my mileage way too quickly in the beginning of this year (from about 10mpw to 25mpw in only a month!), I've been keeping it pretty low at 10 to 12mpw spread out over 3 to 4 days.

I've been running intervals on the treadmill lately, rotating between fast walk/jog/run/sprint. I think at this point I should focus on my endurance, so I warmed up with a 10 minute jog, and then finished out the rest of my mileage in a sub-10min/mi pace. I felt challenge but not exhausted, so I think I'll stick to that for now. I can't wait to meet up with the coaches and get our training schedule. I'm so new at this type of athletic training- I don't want to go about it the wrong way and do something that will end up being detrimental!

Our long run this week on Saturday, but I have to miss it due to LSAT class. I'll have to get 5 miles in on my own, but luckily it's supposed to be gorgeous all weekend. Getting outside won't be a problem. :)

Thanks for checking in on my progress. I'll try and update more as things get interesting!