Weekend Wrap Up

Thursdays I strength train at the gym. I have enough workouts from my time with Kelly that I can pick & choose which one to do. But Wednesday evening Kelly emailed me a special workout to do on Thursday. Oh man! You're killing me Kelly. She said it was shorter than normal since I would be incorporating some sprint work on the elliptical. I really need to read between the lines better. If I had done so I would have read the words "more intense". Yes, the workout was shorter in exercises and sets, but it was way more intense! I made it through by telling myself it would be worth it in the end. Also, as Kelly knows, there is no way I'm going to quit or admit a workout is too tough. At the end, after I'd recovered a bit, I felt awesome. Thank you, Kelly.

Also on Thursday I visited my podiatrist about my ankle. Her conclusion is that I sprained the ankle in the plain where I walk (vs. the plain where I run. Did you know that your foot had these 2 different plains?) She prescribed an anti-inflammatory medicine along with wrapping the ankle, and ice after exercise. She recommended keeping it wrapped all the time for about a week, then wrapping it after running for another 2-3 weeks. She also said that for the next week I should ice my ankle after I run. She explained that I could do any exercise that didn't cause pain but if any movement caused any discomfort I shouldn't do it. That eliminated step ups at the gym and yoga. Boo-hoo. No yoga for about a month.

Friday I went back to the gym and worked out on the elliptical machine for 46 min. I went at a brisk pace (150 strides/min) for 15 minutes then did 10 minutes of sprints followed by 20 minutes at the previous brisk pace. The sprints were 30 sec. as fast as I could go (200+ strides/min), followed by 30 sec. of recovery. My legs were quivering when I stepped off the machine, but I was surprised at how I really felt like I had worked hard.

And now, Saturday's LSR:
Time: 1:12:25
Distance: 6.0 mi. 
Pace: 12:04 m/mi
Time of Day: 9 a.m.
Weather: 53°F.

What a great day to run! The sun was shining and there was the tiniest cool breeze. Not a cloud in the sky. The temp was awesome!

But, alas, it was a hard 6 miles. I had 3 or 4 short walks to get through. They were all on hills or inclines so that made me feel a bit better. And another obstacle was that my left hamstring really tightened up on me. I've never had that happen and I'm going to talk to The Coach about how to deal with that on a run. (She's off yachting in the Caribbean right now. Lucky her!) But the good thing is I made it the entire 6 miles AND, I'm looking forward to my next long run which will be Wednesday and 7 miles. (I have to rearrange my training this week due to an ASG Conference next Saturday.)

The Week So Far

Monday mornings I work out with my personal trainer, Kelly. I love Kelly even when she kicks my butt with a tough workout. Of course, sometimes I contribute to a challenging workout. Take yesterday for example. The gym has a big new workout contraption. (Seriously, I do not know what it is called, but it looks like an adult jungle gym.) The weight machines were moved around so that in addition to making room for the big new contraption there is also move personal training workout area. I noticed that in the corner the mirrors had been removed from the wall and I asked Kelly why. She said, "It's so you can use these," and she picked up this weighted ball and tossed it high up against the wall. Silly me, I replied, "That looks like fun." She handed the 12 lb. ball to me and I tossed it up against the wall. As I caught it Kelly said, "Now squat, come back up and toss the ball again." OK. No big deal. Yeah, right. She said, "Now keep that up for 30 seconds." Rest for 10 secs. Repeat. Rest. Repeat. Will that teach me to keep my mouth shut? Probably not, and man, do my shoulders ache today!

Tuesday morning is yoga morning. I've started going at 6 a.m. for Sunrise Yoga at the Agape Yoga Studio near my home. I think this class is actually a bit beyond my skill level, but the time is perfect for my schedule so I sweat my way through. The class instructor is awesome and she patiently helps me. Today as my legs were quivering through a pose I asked myself why I was there, but after class I felt great. So that's why I keep going back.

I Swear I Will Never Miss Another Workout

Treadmill Warmup
Time: 22:20 min.
Distance: 1.75 mi.
Pace: 12:46 m/mi
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.

I did a 30-sec sprint during my warm up for strength training today.

I have missed a couple of strength training sessions but I wasn't too worried about the new routine Kelly left for me at the gym. But, boy was I wrong. I managed to get through the routine, but man, it kicked my butt. I will definitely be at the gym again on Friday and I'm thinking about going again Sunday and then run on the treadmill for my easy 3 miles.

It's going to be hot the next few days. A heat advisory has been issued from noon Wednesday until Saturday evening. My training schedule calls for 6 miles tomorrow and 8 on Saturday. I might be able to do the 6 miles early tomorrow, but I'm afraid by Saturday the humidity will be too much for me to run outside. As much as I don't like to do long runs on the treadmill, I think that's where I'll be come Saturday morning.

Cooler Temps are so Cool!

Time: 39:34
Distance: 3.24 mi.
Pace: 12:13 m/mi
Time of Day: 6:34 a.m.
Weather: 61°F.

Easy run today according to the training schedule. The temperatures in the 60's are definitely working in my favor. It is supposed to heat up by Thursday, near 100° again. Yuck!

I had a migraine yesterday and didn't get to work out with Kelly. I'll strength train tomorrow, run Thursday, and strength train on Friday, Monday will be my rest day this week.

A Strong 4 Miles

Time: 50:00 min.
Distance: 3.98 mi.
Pace: 12:33 m/mi
Time of Day: 6:20 a.m.
Weather: 63°F. cloudy, overcast, windy

I can't remember the last time I ran 4 miles. But I am working very hard to stick to my training schedule. I felt so good on my last 2 runs that I figured today would be a comfortable stretch and I was right. I should have eaten a banana before I headed out. I was feeling really hungry by the time I got back, even weak. I quickly ate a banana and drank some water but it took about 15-20 minutes before I felt better.  A lesson to be learned there.

Time To Push The Restart Button

Saturday, 08/21/10
Distance: 2.75 mi.
Time: 36.22 min.
Pace: 13:13 (m/mi)
Time of day: 7:50 a.m.
Weather: 70°F, cloudy, rainy, humid


My goal was to run 4 mi. today but I didn't. I managed to get in the 2.75 miles before I just gave up and walked home. Between the lack of consistent running and the humidity and the polish chipping on my toe nails and the scratch on my arm--well I just gave up. But I did some thinking as I power walked home. And I decided I would go back and start again. I would print off the first training schedule Coach Jeni provided me and rebuild my base and quit worrying about performance. 

Resting

Wednesday was a rest day and today I had business meetings that kept me from running early. Now it's really hot again so I won't be able to run this evening. However---tomorrow morning I'll be out and running again. I can hardly wait.

Another Day, Another Run

Distance: 2.78 mi.
Time: 33:44 min.
Pace: 12:08 m/mi.
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.
Weather: 74°F Humid, yellow air day


Thursday's scheduled run was postponed till Friday. The heat index Thursday at 5:30 a.m. was already 87°F. Too hot for me to run in, especially since the weather guy was predicting cooler temps on Friday. For once he was correct.


I am reading a new book on running, Running Well.This book was highlighted in a weekly email from Borders and since I have this chronic sore left hamstring, I thought I would get this book. It focuses mainly on the mechanics of running and how to prevent injuries. I'm only on chapter 3, but so far I am finding it helpful. 


I used the warm-up sequence the authors offer. I'll give it a few more tries to see if it is more beneficial than the series of stretches I usually do. More importantly I used their stretching routine for after running. I think it was much better than what I usually do, which is the same stretches I use to warm up. All in all, I think the book is going to be a helpful resource in my library of running books, now totaling 3. 

Catching Up Again

I got off track about blogging when I went out of town on business back on June 23rd. I was gone for 5 days and only missed 1 run. It was my long run that I missed though. But I'm back on track with my schedule now. 


The humidity had been just a little lower the last week to 10 days. It returned in force Monday. See the post about today's run. 

Head for the Hills

Time: 26:53 min.
Distance: 2.15 mi.
Pace: 12:56 m/mi.
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.
Weather: 80°F, humid but breezy


A new route today. Instead of turning left out of my subdivision I turned right and headed out to run some hills. As I've said before, I live half way up a hill. At the bottom of the hill is a river. So I ran almost to the river this morning. I have avoided this area simply because it is all downhill on the outbound, and, of course, uphill all the way back. But it is going to be a good way to get in some hill practice. 


I'm pretty pleased with my performance. I didn't walk at all and to run up a fairly steady incline about a mile long at a 12:56 pace--well, I think that was pretty good. 


BTW, I'm feeling the ab workout yesterday. 


I'm out of town the rest of the week so my workout schedule looks like this:
Wednesday-yoga in the hotel room
Thursday-treadmill for 3-4 miles
Friday-rest
Saturday-Probably an additional rest day since I will be traveling.
Sunday-long run

4 Days Off = Oh My Gosh!

Friday Stats
Distance: 3.78 mi.
Time: 48:14 min.
Pace: 12:46 min/mi
Time of day: 7:05 p.m.
Temperature: 60-ish, overcast, cool; a pretty great evening for running.

Before I get to the running details, I got my nails done Friday evening and then ran home from the nail shop. This wasn't exactly on my list of routes to run, but The Love's car was in getting an oil change and he had to play poker, so I told him to drop me off at the nail shop and I would run home. And I did!

Now for the actual running. Coach Jeni told me that if I didnt get to run this week (while traveliing) I would notice a significant decrease in my level of fitness. Boy was she right! Running Friday night was hard. I had to push myself to not walk. There was lots of Duffy Moon reminders.

It felt great to get out and move again!

Now how do I get back into my training schedule?

A conversation with Coach Jeni this morning offered 2 options to return to focused training. The first option is to walk/run 13 miles today. Run 2 miles, walk 1 mile. This will get in the distance on the schedule. It will also give me an idea of what it is like to utilize a run/walk strategy for my upcoming race. The 2nd option would be to pick a distance I felt was challenging but still doable and run that, then just return to the training schedule tomorrow.

I opted for the first option. Part of our conversation today was that the North Shore race while it will be my 2nd half-marathon, it will be a completely new race. It will be a new course, a more hilly course, much warmer tempertures and I'll be running solo. The only thing the races have in common is the distance.

Caught Up At Last

This is a recap of today's workout, actually posted today!

So the whole car repair issue has played a little havoc with my training schedule this week. I ran yesterday and strength trained today.

Another change is in the offing with regard to strength training. The Love and I have agreed to cancel our gym membership. The Love has started walking (and even running a little) on the school track nearby. He hasn't been to the gym in several weeks. If everything is perfect I go the gym 2 days a week. We feel that right now we can put that money to better use. We've been members of our gym for 10+ years. I feel a little sad about ending our membership, but come winter we can always join again. In the meantime, we will have saved some money which is a good thing.

I have some free weights at home. That won't be a problem. I can do lunges and squats in place of leg extensions and leg curls. That won't be a problem. I actually will do more ab/core work at home because I hate doing those exercises at the gym. The issue becomes how do I get in the warm up miles? Do they matter in the overall training schedule? Feel free to chime in here, Coach Jeni!

A Better 7 Mile Run

Wednesday's Stats
Distance: 7.01 mi.
Time: 1:29:41
Pace: 12:47 min/mi.
Time of day: 8:10 a.m.
Temperature: 50-ish

Wednesday's seven miles were a heck of a lot better than my last seven mile run. The first time I ran 7 miles was back in February when Coach Jeni was in town. I was totally embarrassed by that run. Today's run was really a great run. The ski was blue, the sun was shining, the temperature was pleasant. The smell of honeysuckle and orange blossom filled the air. It was glorious.

So why was I running on a Wednesday? I am out of town and knew I wouldn't be able to get in a long run on Saturday. So I did my long run on Wednesday. After running four miles Tuesday evening I was a little apprehensive about doing a long run Wednesday morning. I knew I would be resting on Thursday, six hours in a car, so I went ahead with the run. It has worked out o.k. I don't think I suffered from any over training.

I Reached My Goal!!!!

2010 Go! St. Louis Half Marathon
Time: 2:58:56 official time
Distance: 13.1 mi.
Pace: 13:29 min/mi
Time of Day: 7 a.m.
Temperature: 50s-60s, bright sunshine, occasional slight breeze

How does this thing work?

"Do you want to walk or run across the 12 mile mark?" Those were the words Coach Jeni barked at me as I came upon the 12-mile mark. I was walking up the last 50 ft. of the 2nd to last hill on the course. I was spent. Quite honestly, at that point I just wanted to lay down and rest. But I knew I couldn't. I knew I would hate myself later. I knew the 12-mile flag was just a teeny-tiny bit over the crest of the hill, so I reached way down deep and scooped up some reserve and picked up my feet and ran across that 12-mile marker and finished the racing running.

I wish I could say that I got this huge surge of energy and sprinted the last mile, finishing strong, racing across the finish line. But I can't. I did run the entire race except those 50 ft. at mile 12. I met my goal of running the entire race. I met my goal of finishing running. I met my goal of finishing in under 3 hours. But I was out of gas and running on fumes for the last mile and half.

I was unprepared for how sick I would feel after I quit running. I gulped down a bottle of water, stretched with The Son and promptly had to sit down on the curb to keep from throwing up. I felt bad for probably the next hour or more. I laid my head in The Son's lap on the ride home just so I didn't have to sit up. The other overwhelming feeling I had was to get my shoes off. Oh my goodness, my feet hurt!

Heading into the Finish Line!

I was sore. I was stiff. I was so tired. I was so very tired. Did I mention I was tired? It took several hours for me to feel good about what I had accomplished. As we sat around the kitchen table eating delicious grilled hamburgers Coach Jeni, The Son and I shared tidbits of the race with The Love and The Son's Girlfriend. They, in turn, told us of their adventures in watching the race. We had a great time and I quickly realized that not only did I reach my personal goals, but I had a wonderful experience to think back on and revel in the memories made.

So here are my thoughts on the race itself. The whole reason for arriving an hour early to the race is to stand in line at the Porta-Potties. Hmm. Why not just go right before leaving home and arrive closer to race time?

I didn't have trouble in the race until mile 9. In fact, I think I was running strong and pacing well until that point. But being the mental runner I am, when I realized that at mile 9 the course turned away from downtown St. Louis for a couple miles before heading to the finish line, I really got discouraged. Plus, for some weird reason my music stopped playing and I didn't have that distraction. Here are my splits and it obvious that I really struggled through miles 9 and 10 and just wasn't able to completely recover.
Mile  Avg Pace

1        12:25

  Here Comes Mile 8!

2        12:58                                         
3        13:32

4        12:42

5        13:04
6        12:46
7        13:15
8        13:35
9        14:05
10      14:04
11      13:25
12      13:51
13      14:13



So even though I struggled and had some trouble, there were a lot of positives:

• I didn't have to stop to go the bathroom. Even though I drank one bottle of water in the first 6 miles, in addition to at least 2 cups of water at every water station (every 2 miles up to mile 8 & every 1 mile after that) I think I sweated it all out.
• The blister area on my right foot didn't bother me and my fears of having to stop because of blister problems did not materialize.
• I didn't walk. O.K. I did walk 50 ft. right at the top of the 2nd to last hill. But I also walked through each water station. I count that as having run the entire race and so do Coach Jeni & The Son.
• I actually passed some runners—and I passed a lot of walkers. I wasn't the last person to finish the race, I wasn't even the last runner.
• In real terms, this was only my 4th long run. And my longest run before this race was 11 miles. I increased my distance by almost 20% to run the race.

Late in the evening after a 45-minute nap, I took a short walk to help keep my legs from tightening and getting stiff. I slept pretty darn good Sunday night!

So what's ahead? I will take a walk today with The Love and back to running on Tuesday.

Here are my immediate thoughts for long-range goals.

• Work on endurance and stamina. I don't ever want to feel like quitting at mile 12 again!
• Increase upper body strength. I could tell that as I ran out of energy I slumped which, in turn, affected my breathing.
• Work on speed. I don't anticipate being a speed devil. I don't want to train that hard, but I would like to see better times.

I had a wonderful experience! I want to thank Coach Jeni and The Son for their training expertise and support. Thanks to The Love for his unending support. Thanks to The Love, The Son's Girlfriend and The Chef for cheering me on during the race. And thanks to all the other spectators and their cheers of encouragemnent.

My Cheer Poster

The Rewards!

Post Race Duds!

See you in June at the North Shore half marathon!

I Hate It When That Happens

I have been unusually busy at work this week. And that's a good thing, don't get me wrong. But, in my line of business busy translates into starting early in the morning. So I haven't made it to the gym yet today. And I won't make it this evening. I need to rethink my workouts and figure out how to get them in.

Tomorrow I will need to run 6 miles in the afternoon. Saturday I am busy all day at a sewing event. Will I be able to hit the gym Saturday evening? That's a definite possibility. I could warm up for 1 mile, strength train, then run 2 miles on the treadmill. Sunday will be the LDR at 11 miles. Gee, I hope it doesn't rain. I think I will like running in the rain as much as I do sweating on the treadmill.

OK so I think that's a plan that will work. Now to implement it.

And, btw, I want to wish good, good luck to my daughter, The Chef. She has a hot food team competition this weekend in Indy. I'll be thinking of you, Sweetie!

Period

Distance: 5.2 mi.
Time: 1:04:06
Pace: 12:19 mi/min
Time of day: 6:50 a.m.
Temp.: 36°F no wind chill, cool but clear. A beautiful morning to run.

Well now I know why I spent 3 days immersed in blackness.

This morning's run was awesome. I set a goal to run 5 miles in 60 minutes and although I missed it by a minute and a half I still shaved more than a minute off my best 5-mile time. That feels good. I also focused on steady breathing. I changed my mantra from 'slow and steady' to 'steady and strong'. I feel that phrase applies not only to my breathing but my pace and effort as well. It helps propel me up hills and keeps me even on flat stretches. I also chant, "I am strong. I run strong". In fact, I chant that alot.

I'm excited to run with Scott tomorrow. These are my goals. 1) Run the first half at a 13:15-13:30 pace. 2) Pick up the pace on the 2nd half to around 13:00. 3) Pick up the pace for the final quarter mile so I finish strong, not stumbling like a drunken sailor.

I'm Workin' On It

Distance: 3.27 mi.
Time: 39:54 min.
Pace: 12:13/mile
Time of day: 7:15 a.m.
Temperature: 45°F, Cloudy & cool

I was able to get my run in this morning before the rain started. I continue to work on my breathing and keeping my arms from crossing in front of my body.

I am really having trouble with my breathing. I realize I am inhaling way too shallow, but when I try to breathe deeply, I seem to take too long and then I get completely out of breath and end up gasping for air. I'm not sure what to do at this point, but I'll keep on working on it.

I think I mentioned after last Saturday's LDR that Scott pointed out to me that instead of keeping my arms going forward when I run, I let them turn inward, crossing them across my body. He & I hit upon the word "pivot" to remind me to keep my arms pointed forward. So I have been very conscious this week of making sure I pivot my arms, keeping my elbows close to my sides, with my hands pointed directly forward. Again, I'm working on it.

On the fashion front…What else could I possibly say about running and fashion you ask? Well, The Love was out of town three days this week. This morning when I put on my jeans he groaned and said, "I wish I could send you to the store right now to buy a smaller pair of jeans." Nice compliment. Thank you, Darlin'. But he also reminded me of a couple of pair of jeans I had put away because they were too tight. I dug them out and one pair fits pretty darn awesome! I can fasten the second pair, but in reality, they are still too tight for my taste. So even though the number on the scale hasn't moved down all that much, running has definitely toned and tightened my body.

And one last item, Happy Birthday to my Favorite Youngest Daughter!

Looking Ahead

Distance: 1.2 mi.
Time: 15:00 min.
Warm up for strength training

First of all, I maybe should have swapped my Thursday/Friday workouts. It is, again, a beautiful day! The forecast was for cloudy skies all day Thursday with possible rain. But the dawn brought clear skies and abundant sunshine with temperatures in the mid-60s. Of course, the forecast for tomorrow is cloudy and rain. Maybe the weather guy will be wrong again.

I had a great conversation with Coach Jeni this morning about what happens after the half-marathon which is only 4 weeks, 3 days away. I have a couple of busy weeks following the race and I wasn't sure how much running I need to schedule. Also, what kind of training schedule should I be developing for after the race. We have no idea how I will feel about racing. So Coach Jeni suggested the following:

• Keep running every other day after the race. The week after the race will be a rest & recuperate week so the distances will be shorter, but I definitely need to keep running. I haven't built up my fitness level to a point where I can take off several days so I need to keep to my every other day routine. If I am traveling someplace where I can't get outside to run, find a treadmill and do 2-3 miles on it.
• After the race I can decide if I want to keep up the distance to run races or just want to run for the joy of it and the health benefit.

As usual, great advice from my coach and mentor. She's so smart!

On the fashion front, I went shopping last night with mixed results. The skort is out. Let me just say, I do not have Tina Turner legs. I ended up with 2 pair of capris and 1 pair of shorts. I couldn't find any shorts that I was comfortable in except for this one pair. I was reminded by the radio that it is only March and we can still have some really cool weather before it gets summer. So I decided that capris would carry me well into warmer months. Everything I bought was black which was a bit of a disappointment. Not that I was looking for a bright, look-at-me color, but I thought I might find something in a nice blue or maybe dark purple, but it wasn't to be. So I'm set now for a while.

Modifications

Resting today.

Had a great session with Coach Jeni today. I won't mention all the things we discussed, but it was a ton of fun!

We modified my training schedule because I realized yesterday it included 1 too many weeks before the half-marathon. Out the window went this week's schedule. Which means I run 7 miles on Saturday. I've been looking forward to longer distances and here's my chance. I'm kinda excited. Now if only it will be a decent day to run. I'm not asking for sunshine and warmth, just wind chills above 15°F and no big snow. Is that too much to ask?

Sweatin' Away

4.00 mi. in 50:51 min. Top speed 4.9 mph.
Temp: 24°F, 12°F wind chill.
Time of day: 6:30 a.m.

Too cold to run outside this morning so me & my best friend, The Treadmill, worked out together at the gym! I know I've mentioned how much I sweat on the treadmill, but today I felt like I might float away. But be that as it may, I ran my 4 miles in good form and good time.

Recently Scott and I were talking about how he passes the time on the treadmill. He doesn't watch TV, nor does he listen to music. Kudos to him! He told me he picks a spot, just focuses on it and runs. I tried something similar today. No way I'm not listening to music, but I did pick a spot on a poster and focused on it and just ran. I didn't watch television; I didn't watch the treadmill display; I didn't look around at what was going on in the gym. I just focused on that orange spot and ran.

I found that when I did that I was able to focus on my form and breathing. I think my feet and legs are working great, but my arm movement needs helps. I don't keep my elbows close to my body when I run and that allows my arms to cross my body in front, rather than move straight ahead. Part of this problem relates to my carpel tunnel. I have to be careful how I hold my right thumb or my fingers begin to go numb on my right hand. So I took some time today to keep reminding myself to hold my elbows close in to my body and figure out how to relax my right hand. I wasn't 100% successful, but I'm making progress.

Another issue I have is hunching my shoulders. I know that when I keep my shoulders down and relaxed I run much better, but they tend to creep up into that hunched up position. So I worked on keeping my shoulders down and relaxed.

I wasn't focused on my "spot" 100% of the time. I had to keep reminding myself to focus and keep bringing my attention back to my spot. But I strung together about 6 songs of good focus time. One of the biggest distractions was the sweat. I told myself, "You can wipe your face only at the end of each song." A couple of times I had to wipe off my face mid-song. I read somewhere about weighing yourself before and after running to see how much sweat you are losing. Maybe I should do that just to satisfy my own curiousity.

I'm a little stiff today after strength training yesterday. Not surprising since I missed last Thursday's workout due to a migraine.

The weather forecast is for sunshine on Thursday and more snow Friday. I may swap workouts so I can run outside on Thursday, then strength train on Friday at the gym.