Cap 10K

This past Saturday we ran the Cap 10K! It's a fun, huge (18,000 people) 10K race. I've done it every year I've lived here.

I ran w/ the roomie and we finished in 59:52! Yay Sub 1 hour!!!!

T got distracted by hills (sprinted), Krispy Kremes (ate), water stops (water fights), and trying to find us, so he jogging in a few minutes after us!

We were a little sore, but it got me motivated. The first half of it was hard... my feet and legs were frozen from waiting for an hour, but the second half felt REALLY good!!! And we ran it all no problem! :-)

Left Leg Weirdness

So I went for my run on Tuesday, just 3 miles. Last weekend my leg knee was a little funny... like if I stepped down a step and put all my weight on my left leg, my knee felt weak.

So when I went for my run, at about 1.5 miles my left leg from knee to ankle felt really tight. I did another mile half walking half running then stretched it out a bunch.

I took yesterday off. I'll do another 3 miles today and see how it goes...

Oh silly leg

Oh! I just realized that this week was the 18th week away so I'm starting at Week 1 of Novice. I realized I was being WAY too amitious thinking about doing the intermediate. I may add a little extra cross training onto the Novice though.

Thoughts?

Staying Somewhat on Track

So I've been running, almost on the plan I set. Last week, I got in my Tuesday 3 miler (on Tuesday) and Wednesdays hard 3 miler on Thursday (3.1 miles: 27 min, ~8:42 pace) The third 3 miler never happened...

This weekend was supposed to be 7 miles. T and I went to the gym last night, running a little late, and I did a nice slow 5.5 mph jog while he did weights. When he got back I had done 5 miles. I stopped there... we were having people over... excuses I know!

Tomorrow is a 3 miler, easy; Wednesday is 4 miles, and Thursday is 3 again. This weekend drops to 5 I think...

Then I have to decide what 18 week program I am going to do. I am going to do the Hal Higdon Novice... or get bold and try to do the Intermediate... (which might be setting myself up to fail)

Stay tuned....!

Long Run Done... not Quite As Long!

We were scheduled for a 6 miler today and head out a little after 8pm.  It was nice and cool and the sun was setting.  :-)  Perfect running conditions.  We brought the NutPuppy which T worked on training as well ran.  We ran nice and slow... just an easy jog, and the run flew by.  We ran about 2.5 to Walgreens so I could pick up subscription, and then we headed home.  We did about 4.9 in just under an hour.  Super slow I know, but it felt easy and I felt strong and steady.

Tomorrow is an off day and T and I are off to the Rodeo (the Cali girl in me just shook her head!)

Then Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are all 3 miles variations :-)

I Think I Have A Plan

I decided to just start doing Hal Higdon's novice plan for the next three weeks to start with. After I see how that goes I'll decide whether to do the novice or the intermediate.

I was supposed to do 3 easy miles at the gym last night. I did 1.5 really easily (5.8 mph), then did some intervals at 8mph (for .25) for the rest of the mileage. While overall, I was tired (boo to being sick), I did it and I'm glad I did! Then I did some stretching and abs and legs. One exciting outcome was I could pretty easily touch my toes with my legs stretched out together. I am one of the least flexible people so this is quite a feat for myself!

Today is a rest day; it is also T and my 8mo anniversary. We are going to dinner tonight then off to a little winery town nearby to see some of his family this weekend. The weekend long run is supposed to be 6 miles...

Wish me luck

Motivation!

So I found this blog from this woman about my age back in my beloved San Francisco area Cali (oh how I miss thee)

http://runnersrambles.blogspot.com/

She has an awesome and intense running plan and I only hope I can get that consistant!

Going to the gym after work today... going to move into it slowly since I've been (make that: am) sick, but I need to MOVE!

Since T and I fell off the inital plan, I need to replan. A friend recommended Hal Higdon's plans which are 18 weeks. We have about 21 weeks left. I am going to come up with a Get Ready For Hal 3 week plan and pick which of Hal Higdon's plans would be best.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Making Progress

So Saturday I dragged myself to the gym in a slightly grumpy mood.  However, when I'm grumpy I'm often stubborn.  Determine to prove myself, I settling in a 6mph on the treadmill and began to watch Iron Chef America.  It was quite a good one and I lasted the whole show!  That's right... I did 6 miles in 59 minutes.

It sucked at the end, and I am completely aware that I still have 20.2 miles to go!  But that's now my furthest run of the training...

Now I just have to keep up with it!

Still going... almost strong!

Firstly, I apoligize for the delays between posts. This weekend was a computer free weekend which was really nice actually.

Saturday I dragged myself to the gym and actually had a great run. I did 5.05 miles in 45 minutes on the treadmill. The first mile was at a 6mph pace, the next 1.5 was 6.5, the next 1.5 was 7.0, then the last mile started at 7.5 and went to 8 at the very very end.

It was hard, but it felt fantastic!!! I have also started strength training a lot more. T and I went and got massages yesterday and his lady gave him some great stretching tips since both of us have really tight calfs.

It's going to be a sleepy, but good week :-)

Woo Hoo! We are back again!

Yes! This morning T went to the gym and did a nice 4 miler around a 10 minute pace. :-) That's his first good run in probably 4 weeks at least if not a full on month.

After work today I was in NO mood to go to the gym. I'm still tired from NYC. But I made myself go... and I'm glad I did. I wanted to do 4, so I set the time for 45 minutes in case I went under a 10 minute pace. Well, I was feeling good, so I upped it a little 20-some minutes in, then a little more, and a little more... then finished out running the 45 minutes and did 3.5 minutes more to hit 5 miles. :-D A nice, not very hard, feeling good 5 miler. Oh yeah baby!!!

Let's hope tomorrow holds more of the same!

Here We Go Again...

So Whitesnake proclaims!

We are back from NYC, had a fantastic time! :-) It was great to see my brother and some friends, and just get a chance to relax and be lazy with T. We did go for one short run (20 short blocks) and walked a ton throughout the weekend. It was cold, so we battled not freezing! We're spoiled here in Texas.

I'm heading to the gym tonight after work... I need to start doing longer slow runs instead of my short fast ones. Tonight's plan is 4 slow miles...

Here we go again...

Not Far but Feels Good!

So I finally started running again after everything. I went back to the gym a few days ago and it felt really good! I didn't run far, just 2-3 miles each day, but I felt strong and it felt good. Due to time the last couple of days, I've just been doing short fast runs. T and I head to NYC tomorrow and are going to bring running gears and jog the park perhaps. It will be nice to do a long slow run. I need to do more of those.

So enjoy Valentine's Day everyone! Here's to getting back to training!

Getting back into the Swing of Things

It's been awhile. T has been sick... like fever and not eating sick, much less evening thinking about running. I was sick, then I had to go home for a family emergency, so I haven't run since last Tuesday. Our friend, A, who is training as well for the marathon got the flu really bad so he's been out for about a week as well.

So this week we are all starting over... I'm really anxious to start working out again. I was home since Wednesday night, and only brought the bare minimum, so no workout clothes. My mom and I did take a couple of 30 minutes walks, but that was it.

Working out really does destress me, and I need some of that right about now. I'm on my layover, and luckily I didn't plan any work for the rest of the day, so I can take me time, get organized, cook a healthy dinner (and have leftovers for tomorrow), and get some sleep. I was up at 3:30 (Cali time) this morning, so I'm going to crash early.

This month, in addition to watching my workouts, I'm watching my spending. In terms of training, this means trying to make a lot of meals at home, packing healthy leftovers, and buying more fruits and veggies.

Wish me luck!

Training Update

Sorry for the delay! Life has gotten away from me a bit, but I'm back.

Last Thursday was XT. I honestly can't for the life of me remember what I did. But I know I did something!

Friday, I finished up at work and went to meet T. We were both exhausted and seriously consisted just resting before a 10pm movie for my other roomie's birthday. We were supposed to do a 40-50 minute run. But we got our butts moving, and went and had a great workout. We did speed intervals on the treadmill. I went between jogging at 5 and running anywhere from 7-8.5 mph. Ran 40 then did a 5 minute cool down walk. I didn't go extrememly far, but I did push myself on the sprints. It felt great! After that was a quick dip in the pool for about 10 minutes of laps, then to the sauna and hottub. :-D

Saturday was a rest day, combined with me working for 8.5 hours, and a birthday party at night. We are also trying hard to eat better as well, and doing a fair job at it.

Sunday was supposed to be a 5K race, then 5-7 miles total. I did the 5K hard... probably my best in 3 years. It wasn't super fast... 26:32, about a 8:30 pace, but I'm happy with it! After that, we walked for a few then stretched. Later that evening we went back and played raquetball for an hour.

Monday, T went to the gym in the morning and ran the additional 2 miles. After work, I met him there, and I biked for 45 minutes. T is sick. He was so sweet to just come to the gym, bike for a few, then sit on the ground and talk to me, and not let me stop at 30 minutes even though he was feeling awful.

I'm pretty sure today is 40-50 minutes on the treadmill. Hopefully, I'll get that done. I'm working late tonight, but I'll head to the gym right after. I hope T is feeling better. I might swim a little as well. Or if he's feeling much better, play raquetball!

Happy Running!

Keeping on Pace

I went to the fancy new gym last night... sadly it's kinda far and up the toll road. It was nice though. Every treadmill had the attached TV; so I watched the Biggest Loser as I ran (and some Scrubs). I did a random hills course, kept it at a slow 5mph pace, and ran for 40 then walked 5 for cool down. (The goal was 40-50 minute of running.) Then I jumped in the pool for about 20 minutes - about 10 minutes of breastroke, and about 10 minutes of floating on my back just kicking. My ankle felt fine which was really exciting!

My legs have been sore so I didn't want to push it to much last night. Slow and steady wins the race, right? Today is just a 20-30 minute run. The plan is to take the dog out after work and do a slow 5 minute warm up, run hard for 20, then a slow 5 minute cool down. :-) Maybe I'll get motivated and do some abs at home too!

Happy Hump Day to All!

Accepting the Process

Yesterday, I had a schedule chance so I ran to the gym between clients and did a 45 minute hill course on the bike.  I even put the resistance a little higher than usual.  It was tough at points, but felt good afterwards as usual.

One things I'm struggling with is being patient.  The marathon is still a whopping 194 days away, so I have plenty of time.  It just is frustrating when I can't run as fast or as far as I want to.  I know from previous half marathon races, that the endurance part of running is very much a mental game for me.  All three times, I was always able to run further and stronger than I thought.  I have lots some of my base that I had 3 years ago since I rarely run anymore.  T has a really strong base; he can consistantly do a 6 mile path outdoors in under 45 minutes.  Speed-wise he has me easily.  My fastest 1 mile ever was 6:58!  Just gotta keep plugging away I guess.

Today is 40-50 minutes of running, and then hopefully, I'll be at the new gym and can use the pool for some lazy laps.

Runner's High!

So after being at the house all day, helping a 6th grader with homework, going through paperwork, etc, the roomie and I finally went to the gym tonight.  My calf was a little sore, so I was just going to do 45 minutes of a semi hill courese (so I thought.)

Well, it started me out just walking and then did a big hill, then I upped the speed so I was running.  After about 20 minutes, I decided to just do 30 minutes, then walk the rest.  Right before I hit 30, T sent me a lovely email, and I decided I could make it to 45.  I got to 45 and decided I wanted to hit the 5 mile mark (since today was 5-7 miles).  So I kept going... and even at 5 I kinda wanted to continue!  It's my first Runner's High since I started training!  YAY!!!  I did stop at 5 miles (about 53 minutes) and walk the remaining time to 1hr.  Then the roomie and I did some stretching.

But it felt so good!  And it went by quick, didn't seem like an hour at all, and I didn't even have any magazines or anything to look at.  Legs all tingly and such :-)  Yes!

Actually did it...

I had planned to do the 40-50 minute run today.  After working from 8:45-5:30, and sneezing from allergies all day I was not in the mood to run.  Although, only one or two (if any!) people read this, I still felt bad about having to write that I didn't run.

So I ran.

I tried to do a little bit of interval running (or tempo, still figuring out the difference).  For the first 25 minutes, I would do a slow job for one song, then a quicker run for the next song.  After that, I just slowly upped my speed every few minutes.

I ended up doing 4 miles in 40 minutes.  And now I know I nice flat 4 mi course!  :-)

Tomorrow is supposed to be hills, 5-7 miles total (so warmup, hills, cool down, etc.)  I'm starting a free trial at T's gym as well. 

XT: Rock Climbing!

Last night we went to T's gym to do some XT. We decided to do some rock climbing, something he is into, but something I've only half tried once. Overall, it was pretty fun! A great arms workout and a little nerve-racking at times. We did that for about an hour, then did 15 minutes on the bike and a minute or two of abs. We went and had salads afterwards.

Today is supposed to be a 40-50 minute run. T isn't working today, so he'll probably do it at some point. I am exhausted and working from 7:30-7:00pm or later and just know it's not going to happen. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, and I'll try to fit it in then instead. (I'm working 8:45-5:30.) As the runs get longer, I'm going to have to work on my time management skills to make sure I fit them in!

Happy Friday!

HEALED!

Yay!!!  I did 25 minutes on the treadmill today during my lunch break.   The first 20 were at 5mph, and the last 5 at 6mph.  No pain at all.  Felt a little stiff in the beginning, but no problems by the end or after!!!

Now its time to get fully back on the wagon!  :-D

200 days left!

Moving towards a stronger training

Went to the gym yesterday after work... according to the plan it was a 40-50 minute run.  So I did 30 minutes on the elliptical, then 25 minutes on the bike.  I followed it up with some stretching and some abs.  T went to the gym in the morning and did 30 minutes on the treadmill, then a lot of weight training.  

Today is 20-30 minutes of running.  I'm going to try running for another 10-15 minutes on the treadmill (slowly) at the gym today.  Then I'll finish the rest on the ellptical or the bike.  T is working today, so he'll try to get some XT done at the station.  It just depends how busy it is.

The biggest move towards a stronger training was food shopping yesterday.  I went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of fish, some more veggies, rice instead of pasta.  Tonight T and I are having cod (I think) that's marinated and cheese risotto and green beans.  Yummy :-)

Here's to a pain free run today!