Got 5 Miles Today!

I wasn't sure if I'd get to run outside today. When I woke up, it was raining. But I had to get my miles in to somewhat stay on schedule for 1/2 training during the move this weekend. So I started on the treadmill and lo and behold within 5 mins. I could see a bit of sunlight through the basement window. Finished up that mile on the treadmill and headed directly outside to run 4 more. So happy not to run the whole thing on the treadmill!

Today's run was a bit hard for whatever reason. Still managed a 10:36 pace though. On the last mile my knee started to bother me. I've never had that happen before. It hasn't bothered me anymore today after that, so I hope it's nothing to be concerned about. I suppose I'll find out in the morning.

Tomorrow's plan is to get up early and get in 4 miles in enough time to pick up the moving truck by 8:00. Then pack and load the truck all day. We're taking a break later in the day for Paige's birthday party with my inlaws. She's turning 16! We're having another party with my family after we get back HOME/move!

Lots to do....

Catching Up

Life has been a bit hectic lately! I didn't get my 4 miles in Saturday like I had planned. We're getting ready to move and made a trip to our house in another state to clean and make repairs. We had plumbing leaks everywhere! We are very fortunate that my husband can handle these things. But it put us behind because we didn't have water until late on the second day.

I ran 3 miles yesterday. It was quite enjoyable. Ran it in 28:25 mins. at a 9:27 avg. pace. That's about 30 secs slower than race pace which I think qualifies as a tempo run.

Today's run was a 7 miler and not quite as enjoyable. The culprit was my own mind. All I could think of was how long this was going to take. I was able to literally talk myself into liking what I was doing and it turned out just fine. I'm always glad I did it when I'm finished. lol Ran today's 7 miles in 1:14:38 at a 10:39 avg. pace. That's the same pace as last week's 8 mile long run. Next week's long run is 9 miles. eeeek! I wonder how that will go? Anyone have a magic 8 ball?

The rest of the week's running schedule may get tricky. Just found out that if I can change our moving truck reservation we are going to move a week earlier than expected. I'll see how I feel in the morning but I'm tempted to sneak in Friday's 2 miles tomorrow instead of a rest day. Then do the scheduled 4 miles on Thurs. Off Friday. Then it will be up in the air as to whether I get in Saturday's 5 miles. Maybe I'll get it in Sunday. After that I should be back to a more normal life again. Cross your fingers that this all comes together!

I've Got the Tempo in Me...

Did my 4 miles this morning at tempo pace. Ran it in 39:07 at an avg pace of 9:46! That's only 30 secs slower than my best avg. 5K pace. Legs felt great and were pretty much on auto pilot except for a few little hills and inclines. I'm so thankful when that happens. : ) I tried to get the negative split thing going but didn't quite make it happen on mile 2. But the other miles were progressively faster. Really tried to pick it up on the last .25! I read on the RW forums that is a good practice to get into the habit of doing during your training runs to prepare for finishing races.

Caught a glimpse of Mr./Ms. Muskrat again today! He/she refuses to let me get more than that. Lots of Lake County Hwy. Dept. trucks going back and forth on my normally quiet route. I need to find out what they are up to all the way out there.

I have a lot going on this weekend. But I do plan to get another 4 mile run in this weekend! I'll most likely be away from the computer until Monday. I'll catch up with you then!

Taking It Easy Today

Today is a scheduled rest day and it couldn't be more well timed after yesterday's 8 miler. My legs ARE fatigued this morning. But I know they'll be ready to go again tomorrow! My husband knows me so well. He said if this is a rest day then rest. He knows I usually get a little bored and feel lazy when I rest and then say to myself well I'll just do a little. lol I am taking this increase in running seriously though (life experience and wisdom) and don't want to make the rest of the week's training miserable. Thank goodness I have to pack and get ready for our trip. That will keep me busy. But I might just have time to squeeze in an upper body workout! lol

I'm so proud of Lori! She is doing everything she possibly can to get ready for the 1/2 AND she works full time. It is refreshing to finally get to know someone that means what she says and backs it up with action and wisdom. So many say they want to accomplish something but then don't go all out. And then they wonder why it/whatever didn't happen for them.

I figure there's no time to waste! If I'm going to get in the rest of the things I want to do in this lifetime, I better get a move on. Time waits for no wo/man! No regrets for me. : )

First 8 Miler + New Hydration Belt = Oh Boy!

The new belt felt great until I put water in the bottle and actually ran with it. lol The water made the belt noticeably heavier. I really felt like this 20 0z. bottle of water was slowing me down. I know that sounds silly! Just past the first mile I stopped to take off the belt and hide it in the weeds. I really did feel much more free and lighter without it. I knew I was coming back the same way and would drink and pick it back up around the 4 mile mark. Once I drank the water the belt felt fine again. I believe the water made a positive difference in this run. I felt refreshed and had a surge of energy right afterward. I was very hot and I felt once again after the water that I could do this!

I also fueled with raisins along with the water. I'm not a big fan of gummies but at first thought I would use them. I think the raisins chewed up much more quickly and were easier to swallow than gummies would have been.

I proceeded to run through town and since there wasn't any water left in the bottle, I ran past the house and dropped off the belt. I'm going to either have to get used to the belt or start driving my route ahead of time to stash water bottles and fuel.

Then I ran in the opposite direction from before through a subdivision armed with my jogger pepper spray. I haven't run through this neighborhood in a few years because I had a dog scare there. A nice man in a car that happened to be driving by blocked the dogs from getting to me. As I was nearing the end of the run, I realized I had gone out too far. I probably had to walk a mile to get back to the house when the run was over. lol

Oh forgot! I ran my first 8 miler in 1 hr 25 mins. The average pace was 10:38. I did a lot better than I expected!

Interval Training

I took Lori's cue and tried out an interval workout today to mix things up. I found it to be challenging and satisfying at the same time.

1 x 800 warm up (6mph, 10:00 pace)
2 x 800 : (7 mph, 8.34 pace) (7.5mph, 8:00 pace)
3 x 400: (7.5 mph, 8:00 pace) (8mph, 7:30 pace) (8mph, 7:30 pace)
2 x 200: (9mph, 6.40 pace) 2x
1 x 800 cool down (6mph, 10:00 pace)

Intervals = 3 miles

1-1.5 min walk @ 3.7 in between

Followed it with 3x dumb bell circuit:
chest , back, shoulders, bis, tris

I feel energetic and alive! Great workout!

Feeling a bit apprehensive about tomorrow's long run. I'm scheduled for 8 miles. I'll just take my time and see what happens. It's just an unknown for me. My longest run yet! Send good vibes my way. : )

Time to Relax

Taking a break today!

Went shopping and had lunch with my husband this afternoon. Found a great deal on a pair of my favorite running shoes. I'll put them away for when my current shoes are worn out. Also got a small pepper spray that straps to your palm so I can feel more secure. I worry about dogs more than people. But I'll have it for them too if the need arises. lol I actually saw a pepper spray online that sprays your attacker bright green. lol

I saw the division results for yesterday's 5k. Many excellent runners came out for the race. Overall winner ran it in 15:00 flat! First place female was in the 16's. Excellent times all around! There were women in their 40's - 60's running in the low 20's. There were so many youthful looking seniors at the race. They make me hopeful!

Rotary Ramble 5K in Demotte, IN

It was challenging. I felt a little nauseous toward the end but didn't throw up thank goodness!Lots of kids today on their own as well as x country and track teams from the region. There were also a lot of senior citizens out there running that did NOT look like senior citizens! I was so proud of them. Could running be the fountain of youth? This was a big race! This is how the race unfolded for me (my splits):



http://connect.garmin.com/splits/10738720



I'm really happy with the 29:04 time and 9:14 pace. I really am. This is a personal record for me. But (and I know there shouldn't be any but) it bugs me that I didn't place in my age group. I placed the last time I ran this same race with a slower time. I haven't seen the age group results yet, but there must have been some really fast women this time. The female winner in the over 40 group at the x country race a few weeks ago ran my current time. She was there today and didn't place either. I'll just keep working at it! Gotta be able to outrun the zombies in an apocalypse. lol You just never know if they are going to be slow as in Night of the Living Dead ('68, no problem) or fast like in the remake of Dawn of the Dead (run for your life). lol They even had a zombie runner in DOD missing an arm. And he was FAST!



The race was part of the Touch of Dutch Festival. Afterwards we got really nice, lean pork sandwiches at a booth on a big kaiser roll. Really yummy but too much bread. Took the bottom of the roll off and ate it that way. There were quite a few craft booths, lots of food available, and a parade. Nice town! I hear that many of the residents are related and their families have lived there for generations. Almost all have Dutch heritage. An insider told me the saying in their town is: If you're not Dutch, you're not much. lol

I'm really happy that Lori had a successful 8 miles today. She is amazing. Her times are improving too. We are just going to be Mah-velous Dah-ling at the 1/2 marathon!

Now I have to get my head around doing 8 miles myself this coming Tuesday!

Testing My Speed

My original intention was to take the day off to rest up for tomorrow's 5K. But I woke up feeling energetic and went with the 1/2 marathon program's scheduled 2 miles. My purpose today was to see what a sub 9:00 mile feels like. And I did it! I ran the first mile at an 8:40 pace and the second in the 9:00+ range. Average pace for the whole run was 8:59! I'm very happy with that as my goal for tomorrow is to come in under 30 mins. I'm feeling optimistic!

So the plan for the rest of the day is to not skimp on calories and pay attention to my carb consumption. Not talking about overdoing it but including a carb with each meal and eating when hungry.

Well off to the grocery store!

Woohoo! New Watch = Faster Pace

I am ecstatic and in love with my new gps watch! Thank you, Lori!!! I'm looking forward to sharing our workouts. It will also be nice to just start running and let the watch take care of figuring out the distance.

I went out for 4 miles this morning and found out because of the watch that my van's odometer is off. If the satellite is correct. And I would assume it is. : ) I've been running slightly farther than I thought which has made my pace calculate as slower than it really is. So today according to the watch, I ran 4 miles in 38:43 at an avg. pace of 9:40!!!!!!

I'm positive the rest day I had yesterday really helped today's run. I've also been studying through RW mag and their online forums how runners eat, hydrate, and fuel for their runs. I would have never believed that carbs are my friend a few months ago. lol

First I've found that if I eat oatmeal 45-60 mins before a run and then a kashi cookie 15 mins before I go out that I have a constant stream of fuel for 45-50mins. Next I want to experiment with gummi bears for fuel on the long run. Sounds funny doesn't it? I've been told that 10 gummis 45 mins into the run and then every hour after that will do the same job as gels and cliff shots without the stomach distress and expense. I looked at the nutrition info for gummis and calorie wise it's doable and provides about 20g of carbs. Can't hurt anything to try it! I'm getting concerned about next week's 8 mile, long run. That's uncharted territory for me. I think I'll feel better about it if I've done what I can to prepare.

This brings me to the topic of running belts. I want to find a small belt to carry a small amount of fuel, maybe some water, and my phone. It's really a drag to run with my phone in my hand. So I at least want an arm strap for the phone. But a belt would be better if I am thinking of carrying fuel. I'll have to investigate the possibilities.

Lori just had her best run in long while last night. She's burning up the roads in Columbus! There's no stopping her now. : ) She just needed a cut back week for recovery and to gather her thoughts. She's doing great!

We are thinking about a team name for the 1/2 marathon. So far we like Team OM. Any ideas or suggestion are welcome! Make a comment and cheer us on!

Rest Day - Listening to My Body

Originally I planned for this to be a weight training day with no running. But if I am truly honest about this, my body is tired this morning. It's really good that I acknowledge this. It's progress! My past history is to push anyway. And that has led to injury. I'm not going to do that this time. Besides I weight trained Sunday. I may have to settle for weights once a week during this 1/2 marathon training or at least until my endurance acclimates to the new demands of running so much.

Tomorrow's 4 miles should be much easier after some rest! And I am ALL in for Saturday's 5K regardless of the heat. I''ll have rested today (not scheduled) and Friday (scheduled day off). I can deal with it. lol

Tomorrow is Another Day! : )

The plan for today was to run 4 miles but, but my legs are tired. I wouldn't say they are sore just fatigued. Should I take a day off? HA! Gotcha! I did it anyway. : )

It's a little warmer today and I hear it's going to be blazing this weekend. I can't say we've had any really hot weather yet this summer. So here it comes...finally. I may reconsider the 5K on Sat. I could get up early while it's more cool and do my own thing. It just wouldn't be as fun. I did this same race last year and it was burning hot that time. It made me a little sick afterward. I say that now but I know in the back of my mind I'll probably do it anyway. lol

Today's run was a little rough. As I mentioned, my legs are really tired from yesterday's 6 miles. Once I got going I was fine up to the 2 mile mark. The 3rd mile was hard. Then by 3.5, I decided to walk. Did that in 40 mins. After .25 of walking, I started running again to my 4 mile mark. By then 48 mins. had elapsed. I wonder if I ate enough yesterday? I exerted myself more yesterday but didn't eat any more than usual. I just wasn't any more hungry than normal. I may have to experiment with my food on long run day. Hmmmm. Oh well! After all, tomorrow's another day. : )

I experienced blue skies and sunshine. Saw some jewel weed along the way as well as chicory, queen annes lace, and daisies. The woodpeckers were hard at work. And yesterday's road kill stunk to high heaven today. lol Saw a huge ball of black tadpoles in the creek and stopped for just few seconds to watch a muskrat. I would have watched longer but he didn't oblige me. He took off lickety split!

Now I AM hungry. I'm thinking egg whites with chopped mushrooms, spinach, and onions with cottage cheese and whole wheat toast. Yum!

My 6 Mile Victory

When I got up this morning, I KNEW I was going to run. But I didn't know how far I would run. I was scheduled to run 4 miles but the 6 miles scheduled for tomorrow was really on my mind. Could I do it? It's been so long since I've gone that far. At first I thought I would go out 2 miles and come home, take a drink, then go back out a mile and come back to make six miles. Sounds good. But was I REALLY going to go back out once I got home? I think NOT! I know myself. lol So the next plan was just do the scheduled 4 miles. Then I had the dilemma of whether I needed to go to the bathroom or not. lol I felt like I did, but then I didn't. So I waited about 30 mins. Still had that feeling. Nope! It was getting late and I needed to leave.

Out the door I went! Ran through town and then finally I was on my favorite country road still wondering if I needed to go. lol It's beautiful out there with lots of trees and even more corn, soybeans and wide open spaces. I had a friendly breeze from the S-SW to keep me cool. And it made the best white noise rustling through the trees and the corn. I never even turned on my shuffle it was so nice. At one point, a great big hawk flew out of a tree right over my head. I love hawks!

Once I got to the 2 mile point, I knew I wasn't turning back. I would keep going. I knew where the 2.5 mile mark was but would have to estimate the extra .5 mile it would take to make the 6 mile round trip. And do you know what? I got it right! I went back out in the van afterward to make sure. I was just a tad over. I continuously ran 6 miles in 1hr 9mins 48 secs! And now THAT long run is behind me. I feel really good. My pace was 11:37 which is OK considering that I know it will improve. I can't wait to see how the extra mileage over the last few weeks is going to affect my 5K time this coming Sat. at the Rotary Ramble/Dutchfest in Demotte! I think it's going to be a "good for me" time!

Just a funny side note: During the last few miles I started thinking about a Christmas song from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Put one foot in front of the other and soon you'll be walking out the door.... I replaced out the door with in the door. lol

My friend Lori is doing speed work at the track tonight! She's carbing up today. That's some rough work. But I just know she is going to do well. : )

The Journey Begins

Having been a health and fitness enthusiast most of my adult life, I think I've tried most commonly known forms of cardiovascular exercise including running. AND for the record I still love Billy Blanks and Tae Bo. Billy and I have spent many a winter workout together in my living room over the years.

But even before Billy there was weight training! Deep in my heart I love the gym even though at times it may not seem that way. Things can get a little dull sometimes. I've been in that place for awhile now and had to find something to keep me interested. My friend Lori from Columbus has been training hard for the Columbus Marathon. Her courage and determination sparked my interest in running once again! She is a joy and an inspiration!

Lori in the meantime has decided through much soul searching that the marathon is not the right fit for her at this time and is going to do the half marathon instead. So even though my longest run in many years is 5 miles, I'm going for 13.1 WITH Lori! We're going to encourage and support each other through the miles ahead. Why do 13.1? Because I CAN! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..... We are going to rock this race. Look Out!

Lori's husband Abiy (2x Boston qualifer) said a really cool and insightful thing. That each run should have a purpose whether it be a long run for mileage, track work for speed, etc. Anything else is just "junk miles." I like that and intend to make each run purposeful.

I am so excited to do something new. To do it with a good friend is a wonderful bonus beyond my expectations!