Running in Circles

It is the beginning of April and it is now less than a month away from the Lincoln Half-Marathon! So as expected, the long weekend runs are gettting...well...longer. This week I was scheduled to run 8 miles on Sunday. No problem, right?! WRONG.

First if I could just complain for a brief moment about my busy schedule:

DISCLAIMER: Erin Stoll understands that all events and scheduled appointments mentioned below were brought upon herself. However, she still feels the need to complain, whine, and request sympathy from her husband, family, co-workers, friends and others who are reading this blog. She is simply trying to gain support and understanding from the aforementioned groups listed above.

So Saturday my schedule was crazy--I had to squeeze in a hair appointment and eyebrow wax first thing in the morning before going to set up for the All About Omaha Torchlight Ball later that evening. And of course, in between setting up for the Ball and actually getting there, I had rehearsal. So Saturday was shot.

Then Sunday I of course wanted to sleep in...but alas...the 8 MILES. Sigh. So I get up and it turns out the weather man was right. It DID SNOW...and it was STILL SNOWING! My dear friend and running partner, Stacey called me diligently at 9:30 am--(even though she had been up WAY later than me the night before. She's so dedicated) For a brief, shining moment I thought she would say "Let's just forget it! Its snowing, and I'm tired. We deserve a day off!" But she said just the complete opposite:

"Let's do it! Yes, its snowing but its not sticking to the ground. We'll be fine!"

DAMN! But do I retreat? No. I say "Okay! Let's do it!"

But then.....poor Stacey, while walking to her car, nearly gets blown over by the 25 mile per hour winds that are whipping the snow around. (Weird...It doesn't look THAT bad from my living room window) She calls me back and says, "There is "NO WAY we are running outside...Plan B?"
So what's "Plan B", you ask? Plan B is this: Call Stacey's dad who is retired Air Force....have him meet us at the post office in Bellevue, drive us to Offut Air Force Base and drop us off at the Field house so we can run on the indoor track.
All this for 8 lousy miles? YES! And do I want to do it...HELL NO! But do I? YES!

So Mac drops us off, we put our stuff away and walk out to the track. "At least there are no hills" I think to myself. (A welcome change from the usual hilly route I endure.) Stacey thinks that once around the track is 2 miles. Boy were we wrong! It turns out one time around the track is .4 miles! So 5 times around is 2 miles....so yes...we need to run around that F***ing track 20 times! Ay yi yi.

But...it wasn't too bad. It was flat, it wasn't crowded, no snow or wind to slow us down...in fact, we kept a really great pace! We did about a 10 minute mile for the majority of the run, which is especially good for me!

So needless to say, after all my whining, complaining, tiredness and lack of motivation--I am SO glad we did the run despite all the hoops we had to jump through to get there. This is why I love my dear friend Stacey so much! She doesn't let me give up even though I want to and she keeps me motivated. Thanks Stacey for keeping me on track this week...literally!

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I forgot to talk about my new favorite thing: Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. No ordinary cookies---cookies that are healthy and SO SO SO GOOD!
Last week I read "Naturally Thin: Unleash your Skinny Girl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting" by Bethenny Frankel. (Yes, for all of you Bravo! fans, Bethenny from "Real Housewives of New York City"!) I love that show and I seriously LOVE this book. After reading it I feel like a weight has been lifted! Bethenny's book takes a unique approach to food and eating and basically it says NEVER diet again and never deprive yourself of the foods you really like to eat! There is a lot more to it--she has 10 rules to follow and gives examples of how she eats, etc. Its interesting to read and by no means a "diet" or "food plan" but just a simple and freeing way to eat that focuses on eating in a healthy way, of course but without beating yourself up if you eat a cookie or cheeseburger. I could go on about the book, but really you should just read it because I'm not doing it justice!
Okay, but my FAVORITE part of the book is this recipe! If you know me, you know I love sweets. You know that I even tried to give them up for lent again this year...which only lasted about 3 weeks...okay 2 weeks, but whatever, I tried. But since I read this book I now know that that was a really stupid way to think so imagine how happy I was when I saw this healthy and yummy cookie recipe!
THEY.ARE.AWESOME. But the true test was Jeremy. He LOVES my regular chocolate chip cookies (and really anything I bake because he is just that sweet) but after trying one of these I believe he said "Holy Shit. These are awesome. If you only ever make one thing again, make it these cookies!"
And the best part? They are GOOD FOR YOU! The recipe is below--I hope I don't get in trouble for posting this, but since its in her book it should be okay. I hope you like them as much as Jeremy and I do! I can't take ANY credit except for sharing the recipe with you. THANK YOU Bethenny Frankel....just in case she reads this! :)

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 Cups Oat Flour (I take regular Quaker Oats and blend them in a blender or food processor or your coffee grinder will work too! It takes almost 2 cups of oatmeal to make 1 1/2 cups Oat Flour)
3/4 Cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Cup Raw Sugar (You can find this in the baking isle or organic section of the store)
1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips (I used mini-chips, but regular will work great too)
1 tsp canola oil
1/3 Cup soy milk
1/2 cup mashed banana (1 medium-size banana)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, until well combined.
2. Use a large spoon to scoop batter onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes rotating the pan halfway through cooking, or bake until the edges of the cookies are light brown.

Running with Friends

Okay, so I obviously haven't kept my promise with blog posting. I wanted to post once a week, but...um...well yeah that hasn't happened! Between work, running, and rehearsals for "Fat Girlfriend: The Musical" I haven't really had time to blog. But here I am sitting at home ALONE on a Friday night and now I have time!
Again....not too much new to report on the running front. Yes, the runs are getting somewhat longer. This week I was supposed to do 19 miles. Well....so far I've done 6.5! Whoops! But I will do my long run of 7 miles on Sunday so hopefully I can get back on track next week. (Did I say that last time? Oh God.)
But I'm not too worried yet...I still have a few weeks before the Lincoln 1/2. YES I KNOW I need to kick it into high gear, but I will, I will....I swear.
Okay, so last weekend Kim and David came to Omaha for a visit! I LOVE them and I miss them SO MUCH! So Kim and I are running the Chicago Marathon together, so we planned to do our long run together last Sunday. I should also mention that last weekend was also my good friend Beth's surprise bridal shower--and our other good friend Laura Stevenson (sorry Laura! You will always be Laura Stevenson to me! ) came into town for the shower! Laura is a hard core runner too (aren't we all?!) and we tried to convince her to run with us on Sunday, but she made some excuse about not being able to keep up...WHATEVER Laura--even though she is training for a race herself...any-whooo....
So Stacey came over on Sunday morning and we ran about 5 miles and it was great! Earlier in the week I tried to map out a flat route since Kim has the luxury of NO HILLS in Houston. For anyone not from or familiar with Omaha--a surprising fact: Omaha=HILLS. Seriously.
So I said that I "tried" to find a flat route...but the truth is, where I live you will come across a hill eventually--you either have to start with one or end with one. I won't lie...we sort of had to do both. But for a girl who swears she can't run hills, Kim rocked it! AND she tried to tell me that she couldn't run and talk at the same time too...well...I just couldn't let that one go! We made her talk a LOT! Stacey and I talk the ENTIRE time we run and it makes the runs go waaay faster. So Kim if you still don't want to talk by the time the marathon rolls around then just be warned: you are going to get REALLY sick of my voice for 5 hours and 26.2 miles! :)
But seriously, we all did great and of course after it was over we pigged out on breakfast casserole and blueberry muffins. TOTALLY WORTH IT.
Here is a picture of the three of us before our run--Stacey and Kim weren't too happy that we took this, but at least we didn't take one AFTER the run! Check out Kim's cute pink jacket--LOVE it! I've also posted a picture of my high school friends--Laura is the tall beautiful gal next to me in pink!
So this week my goal is to follow my training plan exactly, which should be interesting....but that is the goal...its good to have goals...right?

Sick & Tired

So this week me and running haven't been too close. I got some crappy cold at the end of last week and didn't do my long run last Sunday. I was supposed to do 5 miles, but instead I met with some friends for brunch at Upstream and decided to eat my weight in bacon and beer bread french toast. (I know it sounds weird but its super good!) So took Monday off too (of course!) and did a wimpy 2 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday. I seriously wanted to die! Yes I know I was sick but I didn't think 2 miles would hurt, but it did. Sigh. Wednesday I did 3.5 and Friday I did 3 and then I did 5 today. Today was better, my hip didn't start hurting till the end of my run which is good, but it is still bothering me. Okay should I stop complaining now??? The only saving grace is that it seems to FINALLY be getting warmer! And with the time change it doesn't get dark at 4:30 so I can run outside after work! Yay! I also got a new magazine this week: Women's Running. Its pretty good--they have great articles about sports bras, cute running accessories like headbands and stuff and recipes, but the best part is that they also sent me this super cute T-shirt (see picture) I'm very excited about it as you can tell!
So this week I am going to stay positive that my runs will go better since I am feeling TONS better than I did last week and my rehearsal schedule isn't as busy as last week either so I should have more time to run. But the BEST part is that David and Kim are coming to visit next weekend and Kim and I are going to run together! I'm excited to run with her! It will be good practice for when we do the Chicago Marathon together in October! Get ready Kim....Omaha isn't as flat as you think it is! :)

Training

So I'm into my 4th week of training for the Lincoln Half-Marathon on May 3rd. I decided to start completely over since I hardly ran at all over the holidays...okay and after the holidays too! But I'm back on track and despite having to run on the treadmill more than I'd like because of the crap weather, I feel pretty good. I became a "fan" of the Lincoln Half-Marathon on facebook and every week they send me training schedules! So last week I ran 4 days--3 miles on Tuesday, 2 miles on Wednesday, 3 on Friday and 5 today--ALL on the stinkin' treadmill except for Tuesday.

Have I mentioned that I HATE my treadmill? Yes, it is nice to have and yes its convenient, but its SO boring! I watch TV and its still boring. In treadmill time--5 minutes feels like 30. I don't mind running outside when its cold, but I don't really care to run on snow, so needless to say it looks like this week is another date with Mr. Treadmill. Maybe I should name him....what would be a good name for a machine that is stupid, makes time move slowly, and inflicts pain? ...Hmmm....George Bush! Okay bad idea...that will definitely not motivate me. Maybe I should try and give it a more positive spin so that I look forward to jumping on and running in place for 45-60 minutes 4 times a week....Justin Timberlake? Jon Hamm??? "I have to go get on Jon Hamm" That sounds MUCH better than George Bush! :)

Okay, back to actual running talk...if anyone reading this has a way for me to change my negative attitude about my treadmill or has some suggestions on how I can make my runs on that thing more....fun (if humanly possible) then I would LOVE to hear them!
I haven't received the schedule for next week yet, but I imagine it will be similar to this week. All I know is tomorrow is my day off and I'm very excited about that! I am worried about one thing--my hip. I am only 31 years old and I am experiencing hip pain. This is not a new running pain for me. When I started running a few years ago I had the same problem. I saw a physical therapist and it got better, but never really went away. So I've been trying to stretch a LOT and do the exercises he gave me, but it still hurts. So I went to google (my on-line doctor) and typed in "hip pain after running" Apparently this is a common pain that women experience due to poor posture while running. Well I guess if I were an actual "RUNNER" I would have better posture or know the "right" way to run, but....as you know from reading my first entry "I am not a runner" so....do I need a running coach? Maybe I'll have Jeremy video tape me while I run and then post it on this blog and if any of you are actual "runners" you could critique my running style....but please be kind because again...not. a. runner. I just want to get the hip pain to stop so that I can get through training and the marathon. Then if it comes to "you can never run again" at least I can say that I did a marathon! Isn't that why people do it anyway? Just to brag about it? Well...that's at least in the Top 3 reasons I'm doing it.
Well--gotta run!

I am not a Runner.

I run. But I'm not "a runner"

This is what I always say when I hear: "Oh Erin I saw you running in Memorial Park yesterday. I didn't know you were a runner!" "I'm not!" I reply. Yes, technically you did see me in the act of running, but I AM NOT A RUNNER....I'm just a girl who happens to run.

If you've known me for longer than 4 years, you know that I was never a runner and that I never spoke of any desire to do anything that required physical movement Period. (Okay, yes I was in show choir, but that doesn't count.) But here I am starting a blog about...running. Weird! See most people might expect me to write about shoes, or lip gloss, or my love of ABBA, but running? ERIN? Hell-to-the-NO.
But this year I have committed to doing something that I never, ever in my life thought I would do:

Run the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 11, 2009.

4 years ago I started running. I'm not sure why, really. Walking was my exercise of choice and when I moved to the Benson neighborhood in spring of 2005 I would walk to Memorial Park and back. And one day I just decided to run. I could only run to the end of my block. The next week I tried to make it 2 blocks...then 3...then 4 and before I knew it I could run a mile without stopping. It was a really big deal for girl who hated sports, sweating, and who lacked any sort of athletic ability of any kind. Then I was running almost every day, usually about 4 miles. I was constantly amazed that I could do it! My friend Stacey was training at that same time for the Chicago Marathon so we would run together. I was lucky enough to go to Chicago that October and run with her in the race from mile 23 to 25. It was amazing! I was so proud of her! But even after witnessing her amazing accomplishment I still didn't have the desire to run one myself, or even think I could.
After that she convinced me to run the Lincoln Half-Marathon with her. Run 13.1 miles? Whatever sister! The first time I ran 5 miles I thought I would die! How would I make it 8.1 more miles beyond that? But, I signed up and we trained together and in May of 2006 we crossed the finish line together in 2:36.48. (Hey--I just wanted to finish the damn thing so I was VERY happy we did it in just over 2 1/2 hours!....had I not stopped to pee, it would've been under 2 1/2 hours! I'm convinced!)
Since then Stacey and have have vowed to run the Lincoln Half-Marathon together every year! This year will be our 4th time running that race and my 5th Half-Marathon. (I did the Omaha half in 2006....NEVER again. Let me just say--Omaha Nebraska is not as flat as you think it is!)

So in May after I complete the Lincoln Half, I will continue to train for the Chicago marathon. I've also convinced my good friend Anthony to run it, as well as my brother's girlfriend Kim! AND I hear that David might do it too! Anyone else?

So I've decided to write this blog for a few reasons:
1) If I make it through this whole training and the actual marathon, I will want some sort of proof and answer to the "What was I thinking?" question.
2) Motivation--perhaps keeping track of my progress and having an outlet for my ups and downs throughout the training process will keep me on track and motivated to keep going. Yes, I am anticipating that I will really want to quit at times.
3) ...well....maybe my stories and struggles will motivate and inspire someone else like me--The girl who would stand still during dodgeball so that I would get hit and could go sit down in gym class, the girl who was excited when it rained in elementary school so that we couldn't go outside for recess, the girl who "played" volleyball in third grade and never made actual contact with the ball till the final game of the season, the girl who prayed in the outfield during softball "Please don't hit the ball over here. Please don't hit the ball over here."

Am I uncoordinated? YES. Did I flinch and cover my face when a ball came toward me in right field? (which, by the way, I had been told was "hardly ever going to happen") YES. Do I think of every excuse I can to skip cycling, yoga and body pump class on a daily basis. HELL YES.

But I'm also the girl who at one time couldn't run a block without stopping and is now training for a marathon. So maybe somewhere behind the high heels, the lip gloss and undying love of ABBA tunes--is a runner. A runner who will keep going despite losing toenails, her mind and (from what I hear from Stacey), my free time!

So when its all said and done and I've run the damn thing maybe then I will actually be able to call myself "a runner" till then, I'm just a crazy girl who will one day wake up at 5 AM to run 20 miles....what have I gotten myself into?!

We will find out!


P.S. I know that the title of my blog "Gotta Run Gal" doesn't really seem to fit considering I've just spent all this time telling you that "I'm not a runner." But "Gotta Run" is on my favorite Life is Good T-shirt so I thought it would be a good name. Plus, now that I've signed up for the Chicago Marathon--I have no excuse. Even if I don't consider myself "a runner"...I've gotta run!