Tuesday, September 09, 2008

A little bit of Miami in Philadelphia

You know, one of the reasons I was excited about moving out of Miami was the idea of enjoying a long run in crisp, clear weather with LOW humidity and dry clothes. That and getting the hell out of dodge right before hurricane season hit. Five years in Miami and dealing with Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma were enough to drive me over the edge.

So imagine my surprise when I woke up Saturday morning to Tropical Storm Hannah coming for us!

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Maybe I am an idiot, but I really had no idea these storms sometimes made their way all the way up here. When you live in Hurricane Alley you get so much media overload every time a storm comes through that once the storm passes you stop paying attention to it. I guess I just never noticed.

Well I noticed Saturday on my 14 mile run. Not because of the nonstop rain and wind, that would come later. I noticed because of the insanely HIGH humidity that suffocated us during our miserable run. I guess I have quickly become acclimated to the lower humidity because I seriously forgot how difficult it was to run in those conditions. I really have no idea how I did it for so long.

Probably the most irritating aspect of the run was my shorts. Lately I have been having a really hard time with my running shorts creeping up on my runs to the point where I am spending half of the time trying to yank them out from between my legs. Saturday I switched to an older pair that was fine until I became SOAKED my from sweat. After that, forget about it. There was a moment at about mile ten where I seriously thought about just ripping them off and running home in my underwear. What a sight that would have been. A bitchy, wet woman running down the street in running shoes and white underwear.

So the next day I broke down and did something I told myself I would never do. I bought a running skirt. I have no idea why I figured I would never get one. I guess maybe the fact I don't like being "girly" while I run had something to do with it. When I'm running I like to feel like a superhero, not a cheerleader. Of course, lately I was feeling less superhero-like and more nerd-who's-fat-thighs-can't-keep-her-shorts-down. I guess cheerleaders aren't so bad.

I ventured to Target since I figured I would buy one on the cheap before making a commitment. To add insult to injury, the only one they had in my size had PINK shorts and waistband.

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Anyone who knows me knows I am not really a "pink" type of girl, but whatever. Hopefully the skirt wont be blowing up for everyone to see anyway.

I took it out for a test run tonight and I have to say, I am pretty much sold on it. I had a fantastic 6 mile run and no digging out material every 10 seconds. YAY, SUCCESS!

Not only that, but I have to admit, I felt kind of cute in it. Hehe...

Other than that, my game plan is going pretty well. I had to rearrange my workouts a little bit due to birthday plans last Thursday (my 33rd...ouch) and a job interview I had yesterday (YAY!) But I got some good workouts and decent mileage in.

And after my run tonight (in my cute, pink cheerleader skirt) I am sold on running again.

Monday, 9/1 - 7 miles/1:06:46 - 9:32 pace, core workout
Tuesday, 9/2 - Bike Ride/18 miles, weights, core workout
Wednesday, 9/3 - 7 miles/1:04:32 - 9:17 pace, core workout
Thursday, 9/4 - Bike Ride/17 miles
Friday, 9/5 - off
Saturday, 9/6 - 13.72 miles/2:20:47 - 10:15 pace
Sunday, 9/7 - off

Total Weekly Mileage: 27.72

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay for getting the feeling for running back. Great job on your runs. Hope all goes well with the job.

Marcy said...

The first one I got was from Target as well. They're super cute. I don't like them on long runs though. The shorts tend to get jammed up "there" (you know what I mean :P)

Great job chica!

Unknown said...

I guess the Hurricanes miss you! They were probably trying to follow wherever you go! As of today (9/10), isn't the weather glorious right now in Philly? Cool ?? Less humid? Its an ideal condition to run right now.

Happy Belated Birthday to you!

Sonia said...

Once you try a skirt you never look back!!! I just wish I could fit into mine again, lol, it's a work in progress!!

Great running week! I'm so jealous. My foot is still bothering me.

N.D. said...

wow - I don't think that I left the house on Sat.. it was so nasty out! to run 14 miles is amazing!And nuts! Do you like the skirt? I have an adidas one but the shorts ride up so I can only wear them on short runs.

Unknown said...

I wasn`t sure if skirts were cool either, but once I bought one, I became a believer. I too had lots of issues with my shorts bunching up. If you hit runningskirts.com you can buy skirts in all sorts of colors, including something a little less girly - camoflage!

Before I'm 35 said...

1. Happy Birthday!

2. I love the running skirt. I wear it for comfort, but the cute is an added bonus. Before reading that article a while back in Runner's World, I had no idea the running women of the world were so polarized over the issue!

zanne said...

the humidity is a killer. and having grown up in new england, i can tell you - yes, the hurricance go all the way up there!

before i scrolled down to read that you had bought a running skirt, i was planning my comment: get a running skirt!

i got mine from runningskirts.com & love it. you'll never go back!

no worries on the weather though -you'll be enjoying runs in crisp fall air soon enough!

P.O.M. said...

Man I have a lot of catching up to do you!

First - nice job getting back on the distance running.

And the move - when did that happen? I will read more.

So, the Target skirt worked for you? It TORE me up - inner thigh rash madness. There was seam there that just didn't agree with my thighs. BUT the Skirt Sports one that I wore in that last 5k was really comfy.

Tall Girl Running said...

Laurel,

It's been a long time since I've popped into your blog but I enjoyed doing some catching up tonight.

I'm so sorry to hear about the heartache you endured earlier this year. I've never had a miscarriage but I did go through years of infertility and it really messed with my mind and heart. I hope time has been doing its magic for you and you've been able to do some healing, both physically and emotionally.

So glad to hear you're back into running! And a full marathon, no less. Best of luck to you with your training this go 'round!

I'm a fan of the running skirts myself, although I still find myself a little self-conscious whenever I wear them. Just can't deny the comfort they provide, though, and halfway into a tough race, I'd much rather be feeling comfortable than worrying about wardrobe malfunctions. :-P

Irish Blue said...

I think you just sold me on the running skirt idea.

Sounds like you had a great week. That is a bummer about Ike. He's impacting our weather in Ohio too. Sucks cause I had to run in a rainstorm yesterday and my thighs are not happy about it.

 
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