Six miles in the snow

I have taken many great showers in my life.

My sorority in college had an annual mud party, during which some 60 women and their dates played in a mud pit. The showers immediately following that event were, without a doubt, some of the best of my life.

For spring break my senior year of college, my best friend and I rode a Greyhound bus to Washington, D.C. The ride took 40 hours each way. There was no showering during the journey. We smelled rank by the time we reached our hotel in the nation's capitol. That shower, too, was a memorable one.

But none of those can compare to the amazing shower I took Saturday morning after completing a six-mile run in the snow. The steamy hot water beating on my back, comforting joints and warming body parts I feared I'd never feel again, just can't be beat.

Before I could step in the tub, I spent several minutes disrobing. I had to peel off the layers upon layers of clothing I wore to keep myself warm: underarmor, a cotton T-shirt, a jacket and a hooded sweatshirt on the top; two pairs of pants on the bottom; a pair of gloves coated by a pair of mittens on my hands; and a hat, a scarf and a hood around my face and head.

The top layers were frigid, but the bottom layers were sweaty (and FROZEN), proving that you sweat no matter how cold it is out there. My hair was a matted mess. Ew.

After the shower, though, I can't even describe how accomplished I felt. Six miles is the farthest I have ever run at one time. It felt good.

For much of the run, I jogged alongside my pace group leader, Jason. He's great. He gave all sorts of encouragement and tips.

He said if I can keep up with my current pace, I should be able to not only complete a half marathon in April but also a full marathon in November. That was thrilling to hear.

I am excited to keep up my training this week.

Good news and bad news

I'm a firm believer that the bad news should come first. So here goes.

I chickened out. I decided running at the river last night was just too cold. So I returned to the gym for a treadmill jaunt. I ran my three miles while watching "Law and Order" (NOT the Food Network). Part of me feels like a wimp for skipping, but many family members and friends urged me to be sensible.

Now for the good news! After the gym, I made it to the nutrition meeting at RunnersWorld. I learned so much. It was awesome.

Here are some tips from sports dietitian Sloan Taylor:

• Carbs are not evil. This is great news for me because I love carbs: bread, pasta, bagels, fruit, beans and corn. Yum! Those training for (half)marathons should eat at least one carb at each meal, Taylor says. Count me in! The night before you run 10 miles or more, you should "carb load," or eat a dinner of pretty much all carbs. I can't wait! Spaghetti with red sauce, here I come.

• Breakfast is important, especially on race day. Even if it's just a piece of bread, breakfast gets your metabolism going. Coffee does not count. This won't be hard for me. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

• Do NOT skip meals. Even if you aren't hungry, you should not skip meals, Taylor says. This slows the body's metabolism.

• You can — and should — eat DURING a race. When running long distances (more than 10 miles), runners should snack. RunnersWorld sells carb gels, but Taylor likes variety, so she eats jelly beans, PayDay candy bars and granola on the trail. She made marathons sound like trick-or-treating for adults.

• Everyone needs at least 1,200 calories a day. Starving yourself is silly, especially if you're in a distance-running training program. And it's OK if your body is hungrier than usual during training. It's burning more calories, so it makes sense that it needs more calories.

• Weightloss is another good-news/bad-news situation. The bad news: Women likely will not lose weight during a training program. Their body-fat composition will change, making their clothes fit more loosely (YAY!), but the scale is not likely to reflect that change. The good news: Men typically notice weightloss...immediately. The world isn't fair.

Those are the highlights.

Saturday morning is my six-mile run. That is farther than I have ever run at once before. I'm nervous. Terrified.

It's going to be cold.

To run or not to run?

Is it dangerous to run outside tonight?

A windchill advisory is in effect. But I'd hate to skip day 2 of the training.

Thoughts? Advice? Experience?

He stole my thunder...among other things

I did it. I ran three miles in the cold.

But celebration of my accomplishment was cut short when I returned to my car parked along Riverside.

Apparently, while I was running, someone broke into my Ford Escape.

He shattered my passenger-side window, stole my gym bag (including yesterday's work clothes and one boot — he dropped the other one), my iPod and my coat, and got away without anyone catching his license plate number.

I know the thief was a "he" because one of my fellow runners — Paul, my hero! — saw the whole thing happen.

Paul is a faster runner than I, so he returned to the parking lot minutes before I did. As he was climbing into his car to go home, he heard the sound of glass breaking.

He said he thought the white SUV parking next to my car just got too close and broke the side-view mirror, but he quickly realized this was no accident.

He saw the crook reach into my car, so he shouted at him. The thief, realizing he was caught, jumped into his car and took off.

Paul, being the lightning-fast runner he is, chased after the bandit.

He couldn't catch him, but he did call the police. He then waited with me until the police arrived and told the officer all the information he had about the crime.

I filed a report, but I'm not optimistic. The officer said my case was her FOURTH one in the same parking lot in the past two days.

Needless to say, I didn't make it to the nutrition meeting after the run.

But I did learn some tips from the officer to keep my car safe. She said I should hide my valuables, park under a streetlight and leave my car facing the street, not the river.

Anyone know any good glass repairmen?

In the meantime, I'm focusing on the bright side. I ran three miles. And thanks to Paul, the thief didn't get to my purse, wallet or iPhone.

It's good to have fast friends.

Consider me oriented

Jan. 4 has come and gone. I'm alive and optimistic.

I didn't begin training (read: RUNNING) last night. That happens tonight at 5:30. But during orientation, I did meet the folks I'll be training with: Brian and Kathy Hoover, who own RunnersWorld Tulsa.

They're great. Friendly, funny and motivational. It's clear they love to run and want to help others learn to love it, as well.

They talked about the program: how and why it works. I will run with the group three times a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The weekend run is the long one and the most important, Brian and Kathy say.

I met other runners in the group. Many of them were beginners like me. But some were experienced full marathoners just looking for friends to train with. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

We each filled out a questionnaire to place us in the proper pace group. You're supposed to add 60 to 90 seconds to your normal time to find the right distance pace group. I run 11-minute miles on the treadmill, so I signed up for the 12- to 13-minute mile pace group.

My pace group leader is supposed to e-mail this week. This person will lead the long runs, as well as answer questions and encourage (read: NAG) me when I feel like giving up or quit showing up to training. I look forward to meeting this person.

After the orientation meeting, Brian fitted me for new running shoes. (That's them above.)

Tonight, I will run three miles with the group. Afterward, a sports dietitian will give us tips on what to eat throughout training. I am looking forward to that.

I leave you with this:

Things I learned last night

1. I've probably been running too quickly every time I've gotten on a treadmill. The trainers say that if you can't carry on a conversation because you're too busy huffing, puffing or wheezing, you're running too fast. Oops. Maybe that's why running has always been a chore instead of a joy.

2. You can survive a run in the cold, rain, snow, ice, etc. I am still a bit skeptical on this one, but I guess I'll know for sure after tonight. Brian and Kathy say they run in pretty much any condition. They even talked about adding screws to the bottoms of their shoes for traction on ice. That's commitment!

3. If I stick with their plan and complete my training runs, I have about a 99.7 percent shot of completing my half marathon. The long Saturday runs (at 7:45 in the morning, I might add) are the most important, Kathy and Brian say.

4. Running shoes are a pricey investment but definitely worth it. If you're going to run 13 miles, you need good shoes that provide proper support, Brian and Kathy say. Sounds smart to me. I didn't have a clue how to pick the right shoe, but Brian helped me find just the right pair. I also learned running shoes need to be replaced every 300 to 500 miles. I've never thought of my shoes' mileage before.

The Food Network

Don't get me wrong. I love the Food Network.

I'm not much of a cook, so those chefs are magic to me. In my book, Alton Brown is a wizard; Robert Irvine a sorcerer.

That being said, I have a hard time enjoying Gina Neely crafting the perfect sangria-swirled margarita while I'm huffing and puffing on the treadmill. Not to mention the commercials: warm brownies and gooey chocolate-chip cookies, straight from the oven. Mmmm...

Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah. Working out.

At least three of the TVs at the gym were set to the Food Network when I went Jan. 2 to take another stab at three miles on the treadmill. Maybe that's motivational for other people, but I found myself longing to be anywhere but the gym, namely the Neelys' kitchen!

Despite a variety of distractions (do you know how crowded a gym is on Jan. 2?), I managed to complete my three miles.

Confession: I didn't run them straight through. After two miles, I was terribly bored on the treadmill (and wasn't about to plug my earbuds into the FN), so I stopped to do weight training and abs, promising myself I would go back and complete the third mile.

True to my word, I did it. So, there you have it. I can run three miles.

I still have some concerns about this half-marathon (like if I get bored after two miles, how will I ever make it to 13?), but I am feeling much better about Jan. 4.

I'm ready. Bring it on!

Testing the waters

As Jan. 4 approaches, my anxiety grows.

What if I'm not in shape enough to do this? What if I can't keep up with the others in my group? What if I started a blog — shared my goal with everyone I know — only to fail?

This kind of thinking can drive a person crazy.

By New Year's Eve, I knew only one thing could help me calm my fears. I decided to hit the gym, specifically the treadmill.

I'm to run three miles during my first training session, so that was my goal for this gym trip: three miles on the treadmill.

On account of the holiday, the gym closed early. 5 p.m. I managed to sneak out of work a bit early. Unfortunately, not early enough.

By the time I was dressed in my running gear and to the treadmill, I had only 20 or so minutes until the gym closed. I was definitely not about to pull out 6 1/2-minute miles.

I jogged the full 20 minutes, not quite reaching two miles.

I left feeling good but fears not completely assuaged.

I knew I'd have to hit the gym again before Jan. 4.