still goin' strong.

Today was my first scheduled run of week 4 of training. I had kind of planned on cutting it short since I did two longer runs on Saturday and Sunday, buuuuuut go figure I couldn't bring myself to cut it down and I did my planned length. I did my standard 3.11 mile route around the neighborhood in 34:56, making it an 11:13 min/mile pace. The exact pace as Sunday, if I remember correctly. I felt good throughout the run, though I think the pup got tired after the first mile. She kept staring up at me, as if to say "are we done yet...?" Luckily she found some cats to chase to keep her occupied.

After the cool down walk, I was coming in through the back gate and pup #2 was waiting there, looking so pitiful and ready to get out of the backyard. So I unhooked pup #1 and grabbed pup #2 and took him for a little stroll around the block. I think he appreciated it.

Now I'm going to figure out what to munch on for dinner, then I'll probably sit around and sew.

My first month of training is almost over, too! Celebration will occur, more than likely.

extra run

Yesterday I decided to pop in an extra run for the week. Since I indulged so much over Thanksgiving I figured it would do me some good. I planned on doing a short, leisurely run of maybe two miles or so. Well, Roommate hadn't done his long run on Saturday so I ended up tagging along while he did it. So it was a 3.72 mile run and we finished in 41:44, making it an 11:13 min/mile. I felt great throughout the whole run. The pace was perfect and I didn't have any leg pain and my breathing was easier than it has been. The run just felt like a breeze.

Since I did two long runs two days in a row, I'm debating how to approach the rest of the week. I do feel that I can still manage my normal scheduled runs, even with that extra 3.72 in there, but I fear injury. So I might switch Tuesday's three miler out for a two miler and call it even. I've got a three mile run scheduled for Thursday and a four miler on Saturday. The four mile run will be the longest I've done in about a year.

So far so good (nay, GREAT) with training.

i'll admit...

...this week wasn't the best. I overate and I missed my Thursday run. I'm really not going to stress, though. I picked right back up with my Saturday long run this morning. I did 3.5 miles in 37:24, averaging at a 10:41 min/mile. I ran this run on the treadmill at the gym. It was pretty boring, but I had to get it done. My first mile was at a 10:10 min pace, and the last two and a half I rotated between 11 minutes and 10:30 minutes. I definitely will be avoiding treadmills at all cost for these longer runs.

Now that I'm back home from the holiday break, I'm sure I'll be back in my normal routine. Unfortunately, I left my heart rate monitor watch at my parents' house. Hopefully they can send it to me pronto!

11.21.2011

Even though I try to do my runs Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, because it is Thanksgiving week, I'm moving things around a bit. I did Tuesday's three miler (3.15, really) today because we are having a pre-Thanksgiving friend dinner at the house tomorrow since everyone will be gone on the actual holiday. I'm most definitely not going to have the time to fit a run in, PLUS I'm all by myself at work tomorrow and I'm going to be exhausted by the end. So I just got it out of out the way tonight. I ran the 3.15 miles in 35:43 minutes, putting me at an 11:20 min/mile pace.

Today I tried something different - I brought BOTH dogs with me. It wasn't as horrible as I expected it to be, though I must admit that I was hoping they'd up my speed a bit. Doesn't seem to have happened. But I did have to deal with 101 Dalmations-style tangles, slight pulling, and a dog wrapped around a stop sign who then decided to plop down in a roadside puddle and cool off for a bit. It's a good thing they're cute...

I plan on doing my Thursday three mile run as scheduled. I'll be back home so I get to revisit an old route from my previous half marathon training. I believe I will do my Saturday long run while I am there, too, which is just another 3.5 miles this week. Maybe I'll even fit in a Zumba class. I miss the fantastic folks out at Studio Vida!

11.19.2011

Today was my long run, completing Week 3 of training. Since my Wednesday run turned out to be longer than anticipated, this run wasn't really my 'long' run. In fact, it turned out to be the same distance as the run on Wednesday. 3.74 miles in 43:30, making my pace an 11:37 min/mile. A little slower than usual but not a big deal, it was a longer distance than I've been doing too. And I felt pretty great throughout the whole thing. It was about five minutes slower than the one I ran on Wednesday, but I'm attributing that to the lack of race energy and my competitive nature. Also, because it was slower, this run was MUCH more pleasant than Wednesday's.

I did have a few knee issues, but no actual pain. I'm mostly feeling what seems like pressure underneath my knee caps. I also felt my IT band twinge a few times but I find that when I really focus on my form, I can prevent that from happening.

Not only was my run damn good, but it perked me up after a long day at work. I have much more energy now. I'm going to eat a salad and a turkey burger for dinner and then possibly go meet up with the gals.

my first '5K'.

This afternoon was the Turkey Trot on campus. It claimed to be a three mile run, costing only a canned good donation to participate. We were on our marks and started the race at 5PM and I started my HRM. This was a tough one. It was more inclines than I was used to and I could feel myself going faster than normal just because I was running with other people. But I was really disappointed when I got to the 'half-mile' marker and checked my timer - 6:30. Wait.. what? Really? There's no way I'm running at a 13:00 min/mile pace when I'm pushing super hard and my HRM is telling me my heart rate is at like 90%. No. Freaking. Way. Plus a bunch of children were kicking my ass, it was very disheartening. So I just continued on my way and continued to be confused as to how my time was so shitty when I was working so hard.

My final time was 38:00 min/mile - a far cry from the 30 minute goal that I had set for myself. I truly felt that there was absolutely no way that I took that long to run three miles. Even at my slowest I'm sitting at a 12:00 min/mile. And this definitely wasn't my slowest. Roommate and I cooled down a bit and drank some water while I bitched about how something was fishy. So we get home and I pull up MapMyRun and... sure enough...

The freaking route was 3.74 miles! I feel much better about a time of 38:00 minutes for that distance. And it makes much more sense. Running a 10:09 pace is good for me, and sustaining it for almost four miles would explain why I was pooped.

So I'll consider my first race a win. Now for a shower and a turkey burger.

11.14.2011

After a very stressful day yesterday, I forced myself to go out and self-medicate with my scheduled run. It was a 2.5 miler that, as usual, ended up being my standard 2.57 mile route around the neighborhood. Roommate and I finished in 28:50, setting us at an 11:13 min/mile pace. I'm glad I actually went because it boosted my endorphins and lord knows I needed that. I had felt really nauseous and overheated and had a terrible headache before, but I felt good afterward. So the first run of week three of training is in the books.

It turns out that Turkey Trot 5K is THIS Wednesday, not next Wednesday. So that will take the place of my scheduled 3 mile run tomorrow. The cost of racing is just a canned good! I'm probably not going to be able to get it under 30 minutes but I'm more than okay with that. I'm also already looking into some 10Ks to run around January-ish, when it would fit into where I am in training.

11.12.2011

Had my second 'long run' of training today. It was just another three miles. I did the 5K loop that I'm familiar with around the neighborhood. The weather was terrific. Nice and breezy and cool. So I did 3.11 miles in 33:20, putting me at a 10:43 min/mile pace. I know my first mile was done in about 10 minutes, but it tired me out and I slowed down for the last two. Boyfriend rode alongside me on the bike and we brought the pup.

So week 2 of training is DONE. I even got an extra run in this week. I'll call that a success. Roommate and I are already planning out our longer routes for when we get up to the five mile-ish mark. Still have a couple of weeks to go until then, though.

We are running a Turkey Trot on campus on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. My tentative goal is to do it in 30 minutes. We'll see what happens.

11.10.2011

Did my second 2.5 miler of the week today. I did the same route as on Tuesday, so it was really 2.57 miles. On Tuesday, my time was 28:30, today it was 26:25! Shaved two minutes off. I partially blame the dog because he was pulling me a bit but, hey, whatever works! No knee issues today, even though I forgot to wear my brace. So all in all a good run. I've got a three mile 'long' run on Saturday and that will complete Week 2 of half-marathon training. Lovin' it.

The boy gets in tonight at midnight! Woohoo!

catching up.

I have neglected this thing for the past week or so! Things have been crazy with work and my mom came into town. I've been keeping up with training, though, don't worry! I did my 3 mile long run on Saturday (which ended up being 3.3 miles) in about 36 minutes. I wasn't supposed to run again until today, but after a stressful day at work yesterday I needed a release. I set out and did a very slow 1.68 mile jog. I was at about a 12 min/mile pace. I think I was going too slow and I ended up causing some knee discomfort.

Today I wore my knee brace for my scheduled 2.5 mile run. Roommate and I did a route around the 'hood and it ended up being 2.57 miles in 28:30, setting us at an 11:05 min/mile pace. It felt really good. It's a good sign that a) my heart rate isn't getting up into the crazy percentages nearly as much during my runs so my fitness is improving and b) we can have short conversations while we run. While I might not be seeing major improvements in my times, these are definitely minor victories for me.

I iced my knee after the run today with some frozen onions. I think I'll take a shower and eat some beans for dinner and then hit the hay early. I worked an eleven hour day today in preparation for our big donor event tomorrow, and I'm sure tomorrow will be almost the same. BUT it will all be over and done with in less than 24 hours and the boy gets into town on Thursday and all will be good.

11.2.2011 workout.

Today was day 2 of half marathon training. Roommate and I went to a local high school track to do this run. We wanted the springiness of the track versus the ouchiness of the road and sidewalks. We did ten laps, 2.5 mile, in 26 minutes. That set us at an average of 10:24 min/mile pace. Not too shabby! We did a few laps harder than others with easier laps in between. It was a challenge but nothing too awful. We walked another half a mile after our run.

So track runs... not awful. But definitely not something that I'd want to do all the time or for more than three mile runs. But now that I know it's there, I might make use of it for some intervals or something.

My eating has been atrocious this past week. Like.. sitting on the couch eating out of a bag of Doritos atrocious. I've gotta work on that.

My momma is coming to visit this weekend, I'm super excited about it. I'm going to show her around work, take her to lunch, make her walk around downtown with me, and cook bread with her!

11.1.2011 workout.

I took yesterday off from working out and as soon as I got home from work, I showered and got ready to hand out candy! We brought the fire pit and chairs out into the front yard and had a fire, some red wine, and our guitars. It was divine. I probably had a little too much wine but I was still in bed at a reasonable hour. I didn't wake up in time to take a shower this morning so my hair smelled of bonfire all day. I secretly didn't really mind too much.

Today is the first day of half-marathon training. I'm starting small and slowly working my mileages up. This first week consists of miles that I have been running for the past few weeks anyways. Today was a two miler (it ended up being 2.08 miles) and I did it in 21:00 mins. THAT PUTS ME AT A 10:05 min/mile. Much, much better than where I have been. So hooray for that. I did a five minute cool down walk afterward, and when I got home I did some squats, planks, and leg lift donkey kick lookin' things (I have no idea what the hell they're called, but it worked my ass).

The rest of the week looks something like this:

• Wednesday: nice, leisurely bike ride
  
• Thursday: 2.5 mile run
• Friday: nice, leisurely walk
  
• Saturday: 3 mile long run

My mom is coming to visit this weekend, as well, so I think I will recruit her for my walk on Saturday! She has been getting more active, as well, and I'm really proud of her! Momma has been tearin' up the gym 4x a week!

I ate a cupcake today.