Finally.

I went running yesterday morning. Only a half mile, because it was extremely hot and I hadn't eaten breakfast yet so I was also kinda dizzy when I finished. (I got my butt right over to the nearest Dunkin Donuts ay-sap, though. Promise. =] Breakfast is important!) But it felt so good. I was so happy to be running I sprinted the last bit and then I almost got run over by the park ranger people on their ATV thingie. Seriously! ahahaaha.
Then I walked a mile and a half with Grandpa and Pat. I'm probably going running with G sometime next week too, and maybe Jamie. I have to get back in the habit. I do. I feel like such a lazy butt not running. And I am NOT lazy!
Gotta go. I've got a book to write.
Love,
Caiti

Finally!

I went for a run today, around "the circle" where we now live...it was a short run, because I was a ditz and, um, forgot to stretch before going. And my hair tie kept slipping off my hair and it's hard to run with my hair swishing in my face and plastered to my back. Not good. Blond...yeah. Especially now that it's almost July. Guilty. As. Charged!
Well, it's just nice to be getting back into the, um, swing of things. I have to work on my stamina. Since I currently have no stamina.
And I've been taking Jack on walks. He adores them. I cringe when I have to pick up his poop.
Love,
Caiti

Another Saturday-morning run!

So Saturday, like I planned, my friend and I went on a run at a local park. I was keeping track of the times with my iPod Touch, which has an oh-so-handy stopwatch feature...and I, being blond, accidentally erased all of the data three minutes before we were done. :-( Of course. But we ran for about thirty minutes...I think. So much for being practical. Then we found a secret meadow behind the tennis courts, which was ginormous, and I took some pictures with my aunt's high-tech camera that turned out really well.
Then we had to stop, because there were (dun-dun-dun!) tornado warnings in our area. Yes, our area, somewhere in New Jersey. Like NJ ever gets tornados...well, we went home and took refuge at her aunt's place. No one wants to be outside during tornados, after all!
Love,
Caiti

I missed it.

So lately I've been taking a lil break from running but of course I'm back now. :) Yesterday in gym was a fitness day, which meant we had to do some act of fitness...and ours was to run.
Since I haven't run in a few weeks, I didn't realize how much I missed running. The feeling of my feet slapping the pavement, my hair bouncing along (yes, yes, I have a full head of thick hair that bounces, don't laugh), my breathing measured and sometimes a little heavy. I missed it all.
I was so happy to be running again, I had a permanent grin on my face. My friend and I even sprinted the last lap.
God, it felt good.
Love,
Caiti

Tumbleweeds.

This blog's been looking quite bare lately--apologies. I haven't been running lately. Actually, I took a two-week hiatus as a break from track and just chilled and now I'm ready to start running again. Tomorrow morning my friend and I are going on a run at a local park. And I'm going to start running every day once I actually, you know, get my lazy butt away from the computer and go work my legs--they're looking quite pale and underworked. It is bathing suit season, after all!
Love,
Caiti

Our last track meet!

So I just got back from our last track meet...and the only one I ran in! I ran second heat, which means it didn't count (which is good, I did terribly) but it was so much fun. And I stuck around for a while after my event to watch the high jump/relay/etc. just because the atmosphere was so much fun.
This morning my coach asked what event I wanted to run. I said one-hundred, but I ended up running the 200. I came in last haha, I got 37 which is not good at all, but I was recruited for cross-country next fall...wow. I'm kind of surprised, but I guess now I'm running cross-country!
We won by a bunch of points (I think, I'm pretty sure) because of the relay. Oh, my God, our relay was awesome! I wasn't in it but...wow. Our anchor kicked butt!! Yayy Tiff!
All in all, it was soooo much fun and it was awesome. I can't believe it's over now. I'm gonna keep it up and beat that awful score so next year when I do track I'll kick butt!!
Love,
Caiti

Best inspiration ever.

Saturday morning I went for a run with my best friend Mar. We ran along the waterfront--on a boardwalk/promenade kind of thing--and it was sooo nice. The conversation that preceded our run (Heather is Mar's aunt, Jen is Heather's friend who was so kind as to bring us donuts for breakfast, Mar is my BFF, and Me is me):

Mar: So how far do you think a mile is? Like four times around the block?
Jen: Probably. How far are you going to run?
Mar: Two miles.
Me: Ughh, are you sure?
Mar: Yupp.
Jen: (to me) Gosh, you're so skinny. Eat another donut.
Me: No problem! (And I take another donut and devour it like a starved lion)
Heather: Now just run a mile for every donut you eat.
Me: I guess we're running two miles, then?

It was much more amusing at the time... So we ran two miles and laughed our butts off at all the people walking. I love Saturday morning runs...gotta do those more often!
Love,
Caiti

The last practice!

Today was my last track practice and probably my favorite. I'm a little sad track is ending but it was a great experience and I found out that I love running! Haha not always, but I definitely love the feel of it and the sound of sneakers slapping against the track or the grass.
So, yeah, today practice was at the high school and it was really fun. We had to run eight 150s and then that was it--it actually ended like a half hour early. Then, to top off our last practice, the ice cream man stopped by! Omg! It was so awesome. I didn't actually get ice cream because I didn't want to spoil my dinner (I'm such a good girl! haha) and so instead I got some candy, but the whole atmosphere with like fifty kids swarming the ice cream truck was just so awesome.
Tomorrow is our last meet--a home meet--and I might actually be running in it! I think! Well, a lot of people weren't at practice today, for various reasons, and if you aren't at practice the day before the meet, you can't participate in the meet. So that means there are more possibly openings for tomorrow, which means I'm possibly running. If I don't, it's no big deal--but if I do, I'll be soooo happy. We'll see.
Love,
Caiti

Updates again!

Hey, guys! Okay, it's Wednesday...and before I tell you about today's practice I'm gonna update ya about my weekend and last week.

• Thursday: track practice @ school, easy workout (8 15os, cooldown run)
• Thursday: after track, a run around a local park with two of my best friends (so fun! and relaxing! and tiring!)
• Saturday morning: run with another best friend along the water in town--2 miles altogether, probably (a guesstimate), except that I had to use someone else's shoes. I hate using other people's shoes, it totally screws up your feet. TIP: Never wear someone else's shoes! But going on runs with other people is very, very relaxing. And it feels soooo good to pass all the people that are walking.

So that's basically it.... I think I want to get in the habit of Saturday morning runs. It feels nice to wake up on a Saturday morning and go for a run.

Love,

Caiti

An interesting quote.

"If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon."

--Emil Zatopek, 1952 Olympic Marathon gold medalist

Practice again...every Thursday.

Hey, all! I realize it's been a long time--or has it? I don't know. Probably.
Anyway, we had practice today (of course). First we did the warm-up, the ab work, the stretching, blah blah blah. Then we were doing a work-out, which meant that we had to run a six-hundred, two two-hundreds, and two one-hundreds.
Eww, when I was running one of the one-hundreds, I opened my mouth to cough and--gross-- a bug got in there. Nasty nasty nasty! So I spit it out and almost hit the girl right behind me. It made her laugh and slowed her down. It made me laugh and slowed me down. Not my fastest one-hundred.
Then we had to do a quick cool-down run around the school.
I do not like cool-down runs.
Love,
Caiti

Easy practice.

Oh, and today we had practice, of course. It was easy: we skipped over some of our crunches, causing my abs to heave a major sigh of relief, we did our warm-up and our form work, and then we just had to do a "work-out." That means the long-distance had to do a 40-minute run, and the sprinters (me!) had to do 3 sets of 3 30-meters, a.k.a. 9 30-meters. Then we got to go home, so it was a nice, relaxed practice.
The only problem was the heat. Oh, my God, it's so hot out! Not even a month ago I was blogging about how cold it was. Now, my neighbors are prepping to open the pool, and I can't wait. It will be soooo nice to take a long swim after track every day. It'll be awesome!
Love,
Caiti

Hot weather=water, water, water!

The weather here--it's hot.
Actually, it's been hovering near the eighties, which means one thing: it's humid. Very humid. And hot.
So, FYI, if it's hot in your area and you're running, hydrate! Gosh, our coach (and my doctors, and teachers, and blah blah blah) cannot stress water enough. If not water, Gatordade. Something. Seriously, keeping hydrated is so, so important.

Explanation time!

Hey, all. So my last post was a while ago, and I've just got to explain. It's been weighing on my concscious all day--no, really.
So last week, Tuesday, was our first track meet. I didn't compete but my friend Blayke kicked butt in the 100--yay, Blayke! Then we had practice Thursday, but I didn't go because I was at orientation for my new school (which, by the way, is awesome). And we didn't have school for the first 2 days of this week so that's why I've been surreptitiously absent. I love the word surreptitiously, btw, and I overuse it constantly. Sorry bout that.
Anyway, that's what's been going on lately!
Love,
Caiti

A day at the high school=track fever!!

So yesterday was track practice at the high school for the sprinters, which means that we were being timed to see who would be participating in the meet next Tuesday. Practice was a little short because we had to take the bus to the high school. At the high school, stuff was being set up for the meet that's taking place this morning. There were hurdles and tents set up, and a few times we had to avoid being being run over by the trucks that were leaving the premise. So we did our warm-up runs and then we did a one hundred and a two hundred. The one hundred, I improved slightly (15.9, down from 16.1) but the two hundred I did awfully in. Then we did a relay. My team didn't get a chance to do the relay, but we learned the basic idea and all, so that was good. The fake turf at the high school football field was soooo cool. It's squishy.
I really liked being at the high school track; it was waaaay better than being at the middle school, which has NO track. I hope I get to go again. ;-)
Love,
Caiti

A tip.

Always keep an extra pair of socks in your track bag.
Oh, and extra hair ties and an extra Gatorade for good measure. Let's just say I know from experience. Those no-pain hair ties are so painful when they snap because they can't fit around your ten tons of hair and then you're stranded without a hair tie on your warm-up run. Yep, experience.

More gorgeous weather!

Today's weather was even gorgeouser than Tuesday's. It's like...hot. I had to keep fanning myself today at practice, and I even wore a baggy shirt today. Of course, I was a bonehead this morning and I forgot a drink (silly me!) so I was thirsty all practice. I'm so lucky I have friends. :-) Anyhoo, practice was actually cut short today because the coach wanted to practice some with the throwers and jumpers. We ran one-hundreds; I came in at fifteen seconds. Not great, but I think I'm getting better (which only tells you how bad I am!). I have to say, when the weather is nice, I think it's much easier to run. It feels better. Happier. You know?
Love,
Caiti

Beautiful weather=one happy runner!

Blahity-blahity-blah....we had practice today...blahity blahity BLAH.
Instead I'm hear to blahity-blahity-blah about the weather.
Today was gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Drop-dead gorgeous. Need I say it again? Wonderful. Stunning. The wind was at the right level, it was sunny and beeeeeee-yooteeful, and it was the perfect temperature. Why doesn't the weather feel like this more often? Why, why, why?? I'd totally be a better runner if the weather wasn't so bad.
Yeah, yeah. I love the warm weather.
Love,
Caiti

Oh, boy.

Today we had practice, but yesterday was pictures. There weren't enough uniforms to go around--the competition team got uniforms first--so we had to wear the competition team's sweatshirts, while they wore their uniforms. I don't think the picture turned out too badly, but you never know. Anyway, today was practice. We were timed on our sprints and I did terribly. It was a horrible time; I don't even want to put it here. So I won't. :-)
Love,
Caiti
P.S. It's April! Why is it so cold?????

More practice.

So today we had practice, and thank God, we skipped our ab work and just did a quick warm-up and some sprints. That's it! That's because we had to do some other stuff, but I have to say it was pretty nice to skip the crunches. And today's weather was beeeeeautiful. It was clear, and warm--although it rained as soon as I set foot on the late bus. I even ran the whole warm-up lap without stopping to walk once. It was a pretty good day, all in all!
Love,
Caiti

A great quote.

"It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you don't stop."

--Confucius

A close-up look at my track bag!

Since I'll have track practice tomorrow, I've decided to allow you an *exclusive* glimpse inside my track bag. And it's usually not this neat--if I were writing this post after track, it would be a crazy mishmash of clothes, empty granola bar wrappers, empty Gatorade bottles, etc.--but since I have it packed for tomorrow's practice already, I present to you: "My Track Bag."

• Navy-blue Soffe shorts
• Mint green and silver Saucony sneakers
• Socks
• Hair ties
• Hair brush
• Headbands
• Deodorant
• Gatorade
• Lotion
• Granola bars
• Gray Hollister sweatshirt
• Turquoise T-shirt

I probably don't even need most of this stuff. I need the clothes. The hair ties have been there since the first day, untouched, since I always have a hair tie around my wrist anyway. The brush--mostly, after track, I just leave my hair in its messy bun and go home, so I don't even really need it. Of course, I do need the granola bars, the clothes, the deodorant, and the sneakers--sneakers are so important!

Love,

Caiti

Rainy days means indoor practice!

I had track practice Thursday, and yes, it's Sunday morning, but I've been a real lazy-butt and haven't updated in a while, so apologies for that. It was rainy and yucky Thursday, which meant we basically just did drills and warm-ups inside, along with the daily ab work and form work. To top it off, we ran ten minutes at race-pace, stretched, and went inside. All in all, it was a pretty boring day, but that's okay.
Anyway, according to my coach, the sprinters on the competition team did pretty badly at their first practice alone, so the non-competition team is getting a chance to go to the high school--basically giving us a chance to be on the competition team. We go Wednesday. I'm pretty excited!

I'm in!

Today was the first track practice after that shortened spring break we had. We basically did everything we did from the last practice, but with an added twist: we were all officially on the track team. Without cutting a single girl. Thank God! However, there are two teams: the competition team and the not-yet-competition team. I'm on the not-yet-competition team, but I can tell you, by May 15th (the last day) I'll be a part of the competition team. That's my goal.
Oh, and I think I broke one of my toes. The left ring-toe. (Is there such a thing??) Well, you know the one: it's located right next to my pinky toe and it's twice the size of the right ring-toe. Putting on my track shoes is such a pain nowadays because of that stupid toe. Running is even worse.
Anyway, I'd better be going. Math homework, and all that.
Love,
Caiti
P.S. It's so cold at practice! I think I need to start bringing sweats instead of shorts--it's absolutely frigid!!

Spring break means work, work, work!

We had practice Tuesday--sprinters only. So we sprinted, did ab work, form work, warm-up run, yada yada yada. Blah, blah, blah. Sorry I didn't write about it sooner, but I was busy. Today's the first morning of spring break, and it is quite dismal--nothing at all like spring break should be. It's gray, yucky, and quite depressing. Anyway, I'm still going to be keeping up with my running over break, in the form of jogs around the neighborhood and whatnot. It's probably just better that way. Right?
I'd better go. We're going out to lunch with our grandpa soon and I should probably get dressed.
Love,
Caiti

Ah, much better.

Today was my second track practice. My legs finally lost that icky jelly feeling they had, along with the painful, dull ache. Now they hurt just a bit, which is good enough for me.
Of course we stretched first. Then we did ab work as a warm-up--25 short, 25 long crunches in these three forms: legs flat on the floor, legs straight up in the air, and legs at a 90-degree angle. That's...wait, I'm thinking...150 crunches. Wow.
Then we did a warm-up run, ten minutes around the school. It was funny, because I was expecting it to be kind of painful, but I fell into a routine. I walked about an eighth of each lap and ran the rest (I walked from the corner of one building to a signpost about ten feet away). It was nice to turn the corner and go, "Oh, my God! We're done already?" when I saw about half the team getting ready for our daily sprints/form work/ab work stuff. It was actually really, really cool. Then we did all that daily stuff. I was so proud of myself for actually being able to complete a ladder today--and we had to run farther! Ten minutes of sprinting and jogging up a hill.
After that, we split up to do long-distance and sprinting. It felt so good to sprint, even though my time was kind of screwed up because I tripped. 9 seconds, 3...whatever comes after the seconds. I'm not sure how far we had to go, though, so it makes it kind of pointless to even try to deliniate it. And then we got to stretch and go home! Yay!
I have to say, I really hope I make the team. I've made some friends on the team already and I would hate to have to say good-bye after only two practices.
Anyway, I'd better go. It's getting late (for me, anyway--we have to wake up really early tomorrow morning!) and a good runner gets plenty of rest. Yeah, right.
Love,
Caiti

A reprieve of sorts (yes, already!).

Today was a half-day at school, which means we were granted a reprieve from track. The next practice is Friday.
I ache so much, I can't even walk down the stairs without whimpering. (I'm trying, though.) And my arms, my legs, and even my tummy hurt. I've been stretching, though, and that helps--every night before bed, every morning, and now, whenever I'm watching TV, to help keep myself limber. I don't watch TV that much, though, so it shouldn't be too bad...
I'd just like to mention that, since we jogged around the fields fifteen times yesterday, and one lap sprinting, the total was four miles around the fields and probably another from the warm-up. Can I just say I haven't run five miles, well, ever? To do it and all those warm-ups in three was harsh, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I don't want to discourage myself early on, although being cut from the team probably wouldn't be very fun. We'll have to wait and see, I guess!
Love,
an achy, pained Caiti

I hurt.

Today was my first track practice, along with the news that, since the track team has grown exponentially since last year, twenty of the fifty-two girls that showed up will be cut from the team.
Fingers crossed that it's not me--fingers crossed that it's me--oh, I'm going to go back and forth all day.
For warm-ups, we ran around the school for ten minutes and stretched (although stretching isn't recommended by professionals). Then we did ab work, form work, and sprinting--ladders. Ladders are, basically, sprinting up a hill and jogging back down, first in thirty seconds, then in twenty-five, and so forth. After that, we ran around the football field, softball field, and baseball field probably ten times. Then we stretched out and did a hundred crunches to top off this delicious ice cream sundae of pain.
My brand-new shoes are so muddy.
Love,
Caiti

A slight setback, but all systems go!

Yesterday was my first track meeting. I wish I could tell you about it, but I didn't go. I had to get a physical first. There was a slight inter-family conflict (i.e., it was believed I'd had a physical and I really hadn't) so I got a physical yesterday.
I'll be going today after school, which is good. I'm very excited about it!
Love,
Caiti
P.S. I just checked the weather. At 3 p.m. today, according to weather.com, it should be about 47 degrees Fahreinheit--but it will feel like 43. Grr!

My rainy day blues.

I was itching to get out and run today, maybe for a half hour or so. Itching, right down to the core of my bones. Unfortunately, it was horribly rainy and disgusting all day today, so my exercise was limited to stretching, pressing the buttons on the remote, and dashing into Best Buy with my hood flipped up because it was raining so hard.
I just hope this rain stops before Monday, because that's my first track practice. If I can't have my first track practice, I'll be so discouraged.
Love,
Caiti

A good habit.

Recently, partly to get myself ready for track and partly because I just like to, I've been walking my dog Jack around the block every night around six o'clock. It's good for me because I get exercise, and I've also been breaking in my new running sneakers. It's good for Jack because today I had to loosen his harness to fit it around his big belly--apparently he needs exercise more than I do!
It's a great habit to get into, and I know it'll pay off in the long run.
Love,
Caiti

One down, another to go.

So today Dad and I went shopping for some of my track stuff at Sports Authority. I got a bunch of Soffe shorts--three pairs in coordinating colors--and a pair of Saucony running sneakers. They're super-comfy. The guy at Sports Authorty was really helpful--he brought out about ten pairs of sneakers for me to try. I tried every single pair on, and these were definitely the best. A good hint: even though it's suggested you go try shoes later in the day (your feet are bigger then), stores are much less crowded in the first hour they're open, especially on a Sunday morning. That way, there's room for you to test-drive the shoes. I got to run down the aisles and stuff to see how the shoes felt, which was really helpful.
Either later today or next Wednesday we're going to the mall to get a few things at American Eagle: we compromised. That's the best way, after all.
Love,
Caiti

Bargain shopping?! Yeah, right.

They say running is the cheapest sport.
It's not.
My dad and I have been debating where to purchase my track clothes (American Eagle vs. Modell's or Sports Authority) and really, it doesn't matter where we buy them. It's still going to cost us a fortune. Sneakers aside--and I realize those are meant to be expensive--it's pretty darn expensive to run, when you're only supposed to need yourself, some clothes, and some good shoes to keep you running well. Dad made a deal that if we go to American Eagle, I pay for half. I can't! I'm broke! I didn't realize track would cause a strain on my wallet and my feet.
Grrr. Tomorrow I'll be out there shopping for all this stuff I need. I'll keep you posted.
Love,
Caiti

Keeping track with Caiti!

Hey! I'm Caiti and you probably know me from my other blog (it's in a slightly different format). But this one is strictly for my running, since I'm starting track March 10. I've been reading up on different running sites and it's recommended to keep a blog about your running. I decided to do just that. :-) I'll be posting my times every...single...day, and I'm assuring you it'll probably be boring. But it's a solid way for me to keep track of what I'll actually be doing every single day after school. I'll also be bringing you my news, and reviews on gear and drinks and energy bars and all that good stuff.
I better get to bed. Apparently good runners get lots of sleep, too. This is going to be one rough season!
Love,
Caiti