Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Mileage Totals: Up to May

January: 56.8
February: 61.39
March: 52.49
April: 53.5
May: 65.43 *highest mileage month so far! Woop!!


Grand Total: 289.61

 I said I wasn't going to analyze anymore, but oh well here goes:

Total Mileage I should be up to: 416.67

Miles I am behind: 127.5

Miles I have left before the year's end: 710.39

Which means I need to run an average of 101 miles per month for the rest of the year

Which breaks down to 25 miles per week on average, which is totally possible!!

I feel better now.

I needed new goals anyway ;)

Marathon training anyone?



Head For the Hills!

Any day is a good day for hills, right? I haven't done a "hill workout" since the Half and while my runs have included a hill, it's not the same. So today I headed out for some hills!

Run/Workout: 4 miles
Location:Irving St, hills
Run Time (if applicable): I have no idea.
Run Start: 9:00 am
Temperature:  60 degrees
Weather:cloudy but pleasant

Today's run was great! I went out confident but again put on the breaks when my legs wanted to sprint out of the blocks, which helped a lot! The hills were tough, especially the last one up 16th street, but they were good. I don't really have much new to say about the same run I have written about lots of times. The hills are hard, but I handle them better and better as I keep working. 

My app paused when I got a phone call so my stats were all weird. I did not know a phone call would pause the app. Apparently Nike+GPS must not think that the layperson can't run and talk on the phone at the same time-LOL. 

*Update: This ^^^^^ can be changed with a simple click in your settings. You learn something new every day!

Five for The Five

Monday was Memorial Day. I knew I wanted to get out and do somewhere between 4-6 miles, and I read somewhere about doing "Five for The Five" which is one mile in honor of each branch of the military. It wasn't anything official, just something I was instantly sold on. So I did Five for The Five

Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard

Run/Workout: 5 miles
Location:The Prom and Sunset Cove
Run Time (if applicable): 44:16, 8:50 splits
Run Start: 9:00 am
Temperature: Not warm, not cold...?
Weather:Cloudy

The run was great. I honestly did think about the servicemen and women who serve and sacrifice for our country, pretty much the whole run. I didn't wear my ear buds so I wasn't distracted. I just let my mind wander and was thankful. 

 

Sunday, May 27, 2012

A Faith-Restoring 10K


Runner's Lingo: "P.R.": Personal Record...when a runner runs a distance faster than they ever have before. 

 
P.R.!!! My best ever was 51:11













































Today I had a faith-restoring run. Not a faith in God, there isn't much that can shake that for me. I am talking about faith in MYSELF, and my abilities. After my flop in the Portland Half Marathon I had been questioning my ability to run and run well. I wondered if maybe I was doing something wrong, and that it might never start to seem "easy". I ran 4 miles on Thursday, then ran an awesome 10K today. 

It was just one of those beautiful workouts where everything just felt good. I started out carefully monitoring to make sure I did not go out too fast, and fought my instinct to fly when it all felt easy, and held myself back. That is hard! My body felt really good and the weather was mild and overcast. The waves were crashing but I mostly listened to my iPod.

Around mile 2.5 I had the long hill up to the end of Sunset Cove that leads to the Tillamook Head Trail. The elevation line on the graph below sure does not do the hill justice...it is definitely significant when compared to the completely flat rest of the course (which oddly the line also does not show). You can see right before mile 3 where my pace was slowest though. I still felt like I took the hill like a champ and felt great. I didn't even stop at the top, I just touched the gate while turning and headed down.


I saw quite a few runners today. There are tourists in town for Memorial Day Weekend so I assume they are runners from Portland. I welcome them! One guy in particular passed me around mile 4 and I got this idea in my head to let him pace me. I was feeling really good and he wasn't going much faster than me, and with only 2.2 miles left, I could stand to pick up the pace a bit. So I did! I played this game where he was my own personal "rabbit" and followed him almost all the way back home. He had no clue of course because he was wearing earbuds.

It worked...my last 3 miles were clocked at 8:14, 7:55 and a quick 7:42. It felt awesome!!

More than anything, I just love a day when things go well and I am able to do my very best. It helps restore faith in my ability, and revives the love I have for running.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Four Fine Miles

Run/Workout: 4 miles
Location: Treadmill
Run Time (if applicable): 38:15, 9:33 splits
Run Start: 10:00 am
Temperature: 56 degrees
Weather: N/A

Notes:

Just a typical run on my treadmill. It was my first run back from the half marathon so I started out really easy, 10:00 pace for the first 2 miles, then I upped the mph for the last two miles, going 7mph for the last lap. It felt pretty good! The last two miles felt better than the first.

My body was back with it, no problem! I was surprised at how quickly my body recovered from this half marathon, especially considering how wrecked I felt at the end. By Tuesday I was raring to go again, but my abs were pretty sore from the hour-long tetanus of the side stitch in the race. So gave my core an extra couple of days to recover. By today I was great!

I have been eating a more Paleo-style diet lately, full of fruits, veggies and *ehem* gas-producing foods. I felt it in my gut today...it was bubbly and incomfortable. Not "side-stitch" uncomfortable, just "marbles in my intestines" uncomfortable. Thankfully running helps move gas. :)

I'm looking at running the Helvetia Half Marathon June 9th in North Plains, OR. It's within driving distance from my house and you can pick up your packet day of the race. That coupled with the registration price of only $65 and the good reviews I have read on the race, I'm seriously considering it for a chance to redeem my somewhat negative experience at the Portland Rock n Roll Half. If it works out schedule-wise(hubby doesn't have to work), then I'm doing it for sure. I might get a friend to tag along too.

http://www.runwithpaula.com/helvetia-half-marathon-widmer-brothers-10k

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Portland Rock n Roll Half Marathon 2012

I survived!! Official Race Time 2:03:15, Average Splits 9:25

Check out the bling!!
This half marathon journey began Saturday morning. We'd gotten reservations to bring our travel trailer to Champoeg State Park south of Portland, stay the night, then get up early Sunday morning to run the race. The trick was to get our trailer parked and set up with plenty of time to hit the race expo, which would be closing at 5pm. No race expo, no race bib...and I would not be racing! So we were on a bit of a schedule.

So we arrived in Portland with no problems, drove a little bit out of the way mistakenly to a Camping World to return a large part we'd purchased before. That went over just fine. While we were there, I thought I'd jump in the trailer and make lunch, so we could be on our way. That was when we realized we'd left our trailer keys at home! A mild panic set in and it was one of a few moments that day that I considered backing out and just going home. But...to make a long story short, at least an hour later, we'd gotten into the trailer, finally found gas and were back on the road. We arrived at Champoeg with no reservation confirmation number (because of my airheadedness) but we found our spot just fine nonetheless. It was just a relief to be there. The kids immediately jumped on their bikes and went riding in the sunshine as my husband and I got everything settled. It seems getting to the destination city(or near it) is about 50% of the battle.

Before we had a chance to enjoy the sunshine, we had to hop back into the truck to head to the Oregon Convention Center. I don't know how to drive the dually stick shift yet and we figured in Portland traffic was probably not the best time to learn. So we had no choice but to go as a family. We arrived at the expo at about 3:30


Up until this moment I have to admit, I had been pretty lukewarm about this upcoming race. I have no idea what happened to me! I had been following my training plan, wasn't injured, nada. I just think the stresses in my life were taking a toll, and I had kind of lost my mojo for running. But as I entered the Expo with Journey playing and all kinds of bling going on, I really started to absorb the energy and get pumped!


Getting my bib was a cinch. I had printed out my confirmation sheet and race packet of information prior so all I had to do was get my bib. The lines were virtually nonexistent! I learned that there were 23 corrals based on estimated finish time and I was in corral 5! They must have thought I was fast! They had my estimated finish time at 1:55.

Once I had my bib, I headed over to get my t-shirt and SWAG bag.

The t-shirts rock, and fit so great! That is always something that is so hit-or-miss...whether the shirts will be the right size and sometimes the fit is cut just weird. They had women's fit or unisex fit sizes.






The SWAG bags had lots of fliers as usual, a few coupons, a GU sample and a Biofreeze sample (yes!). The bags themselves were pretty cool!

Peanut Butter GU? Really? Maybe I'll save this for a hike...just seems disgusting for a half marathon.
I browsed around the expo and tried lots of samples of products like Clif shot blocks, Nuun, and yummy vanilla and chocolate So Delicious coconut milk and ice cream bars. The coconut milk place was giving whole jugs away since they were going to be closing soon so I scored one! I probably should have taken 2 or 3... There were other places handing out samples too but I just enjoyed checking it all out. The one place I was really tempted to purchase from was the Sweaty Bands booth, but I really didn't bring money or intend to buy. I did make a mental note about ordering some online though, those bands are C-U-T-E!

I didn't stay at the expo long, my family was waiting and it was so nice out! I wanted to enjoy our campsite and the sunshine. I did get hit on at the expo buy a guy in his 40s...I'll spare the details though. Let's just say it was a mixture of feeling flattered and at the same time it was just embarrassingly funny! And it was definitely my first time being handed the line "So...is this your first half marathon?..." as an opener.

So the rest of the night we let our kids ride bikes, prepared some dinner and hung out. My hubby made some awesome steaks but I ate some leftover chicken parm with lasagna noodles, sweet potato, salad and a roll. Carbo-loading baby! I also hydrated like a madwoman.

We managed to get to bed early even though it was light out. At about 8:30 we were all cozied into bed. I slept surprisingly well. I never sleep well before a race. I usually toss and turn and dream about missing the start until my alarm goes off. It's the most unnerving way to spend a night. But I don't remember waking up once and when my alarm went off at 5:15 I felt quite rested indeed.

I had been stalking the weather that week and all week it had said low 70s and sunshine which I was looking forward to. Saturday, this was what the forecast changed to:
Rain? Yuck!!
Sunday morning, I got up and made a cup of coffee, used the restroom and got ready to go. It's funny, I wasn't nervous. I kept thinking of the race as just something we were doing that morning, like any other run.

I love pinning on my race bib and attaching my chip timer. It's so official. My family got up around 5:50 and we ate breakfast. I had some french toast with syrup, which has been a really good breakfast on days when I have long runs. I drank some Smart Water. We left Champoeg around 6:40 am.

We arrived in downtown Portland around 7:15, my hubby stressing about parking the dually. I don't blame him. Eventually he got me close enough and I just jumped out and walked a few blocks to Tom McCall Waterfront Park. I headed straight for the Port-a-Potties, which were developing some pretty long lines. After using them, I found corral 5 and just waited around. Rock music was playing and I chit-chatted with a girl standing alone from San Diego.

Guns!

Woops! Upside down...and can't edit iPhone pics
Corral 5 was not far from the start line
Two of my cheering squad

8:00am: the elite wheelchair runner (and race winner!) took off and the corrals were staggered one minute apart after that. We started at 8:05.

Mile 1: I was light as a feather! I felt like I could rule the world and I had this thing in the bag. It was great. I was aware of my surroundings, and I was focused on keeping a gentle pace since I was not warmed up.  8:00 split

Mile 2: Still feeling great! We ran across the bridge and past OMSI. Bands were out, cheerleaders were out. I was passing people left and right and it felt really natural. No problem! I did realize that my Nike+GPS was ahead of the actual race mileage though so I made a mental note not to listen when she told me I had reached my mile markers. I remember thinking that I was afraid it would start to feel hard soon... 7:53 split

Mile 3: I started to feel it a little here because we headed up a hill, but I didn't let it phase me. I had been running hills in Astoria, these little hills were nothing! I knew I was going a bit fast, but I figured I would pick miles to slow down on and these faster ones would be good "insurance" for those in order to make sure I maintained an 8:30 average. 8:17 split/5K 26:08

Mile 4: I felt great through most of it, which included another small hill. But somewhere in the middle of this mile I got a side stitch. I did my best to slow down and breath right in order to work it out but it did not go away. I got frustrated about my slower pace. 8:42 split

Mile 5: Side stitch was in full force and I was pissed. I had worked so hard, only to have something like this damper my success?? I jogged up a very long hill then walked some hoping that it would help it go away faster. It did not. Going down hill only made it worse too.  9:11 split

Mile 6: I was able to jog some and walk some but the stitch just wouldn't go away. We were running through neighborhoods at this point and I tried really hard to enjoy it. I couldn't believe how much I was walking, and LOTS of people were passing me. I tried to just ignore my time, thinking I might still be able to make up the difference if the stitch would just leave me alone!! 10:23 split/10K 55:30

Mile 7: I decided to throw away my time goals and just try to enjoy the race, try to have fun. My body (my core) just didn't want to cooperate, with the stitch coming and going consistently. I still didn't really have fun...probably because we ended up climbing another huge ass hill. 9:52 split

Mile 8: I guess things got a little better here. My split was better, and probably because I managed to go the whole mile without walking. 9:02 split

Mile 9: Not much new. Run/walk, maybe a water stop?  9:32 split

Mile 10: I felt a sense of hope knowing there was only a 5K left. Unfortunately my body didn't care and I felt like I was dragging it along. I feared it may be the longest 5K of my life. 9:54 split

10-mile mark 1:31:56

Miles 11-13.1 were better but I still had to huff and puff, stopping to guzzle water at every water stop. We passed under a huge Brooks rocker guy archway which looked deceivingly like something they would have up at the finish. I had to keep repeating over and over in my head that it couldn't be the finish line. Maybe they should have posted it somewhere less mentally brutal? Once I reached the peak of the final (SEVENTH) hill, I literally burst out, "SEVEN!! SEVEN HILLS!!! FRIG!!"

However, I enjoyed running across the bridge back to the park side of downtown. It had begun to rain. 10:50/10:16/9:12 splits

The best part of this race was at the very end. I usually have a pretty good kick in any race, no matter how hard I have ran. Not with this one. I was spent and I had nothing left. But I passed my family at the start of the last straight stretch and my husband took some video:

My husband took video of Kara Goucher headed for the finish: I was only just less than an hour behind her...
The best of all was when my 8-year-old son ran alongside of me on the sidewalk the whole straight stretch until we got close to the finish where the crowd thickened. I had to tell him to stop so he wouldn't get lost because he couldn't follow me into the chutes. But what a sweetheart, it meant so much to me that he did that!

Once I crossed the finish, I staggered over to where they were handing out medals and got mine. It's so pretty!! Then I grabbed like 3 bottles of water and followed the crowd to the post-race area where there were fruit cups, Marathon bars(grabbed 3), chocolate milk(grabbed 2), Gatorade(grabbed 1), some sort of goodie box(grabbed 1) and I think bagels(did not have room in my arms!). They were handing out space blankets and I wanted one but I just couldn't muster trying to get it around me with all of my stuff. I staggered over to the stairs by the fountain, dropped my stuff and guzzled a chocolate milk while getting rained on. Then I texted my husband so we could meet. I could hardly manage anything at this point. I was completely spent.

"crazy Olympic runner lady" was Kara Goucher and yeah right...like I can text him at 12 miles in!
Once I met up with my husband, I gave the kids some goodies and kissed everyone and we headed out of there ASAP. The day before I had asked the hubby if he minded if we stayed a while after the race and listened to the bands. At this point I had zero desire to hang out whatsoever. The band was starting but so was the rain and I was quickly losing body heat as well as the will to live. :-/ So we walked a few blocks to the car, I changed into a dry shirt and sweatshirt and we headed out.

We "celebrated" by going to our favorite place in ChinaTown, House of Louis. Now I know what you are thinking and no, I didn't stuff myself with Chinese right after the race. I was actually kind of nauseous. Everyone wanted to go, so I warmed up with hot tea and ate some non-greasy pork-fried rice. It hit the spot and I started to feel a little better.

So anyway, already-long-story short, we got back to the campground in no time, cleaned and packed up and headed back home. The race didn't go as I had hoped but you can't win them all. I don't know why I got a side stitch when I have had such great long runs. I think I just went out much to fast. It's so easy to do that when A) There is a ton of upbeat energy going on, B) You have people around you all running the same pace, which kind of makes you feel like you are going slow and C) You feel super great at the beginning, which makes you feel like you can go out fast. When you slow down, it feels like you are going really, really slow. But nevertheless, it is a lesson I learned the HARD way today!!

I gave myself an hour to beat myself up then I forced myself to put the frustrating details behind me. Dwelling on it does no good! Learning from it is best :) There will be other races, and in the end, I did do pretty well and I got my medal :)

For those not-so-great races

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Jeff Galloway Rocks

Four Sunshiney Miles

Basic stats...shared on Facebook because it went well. No, I don't share my bad ones on  Facebook...who does?? LOL
Today's run rocked! I was really hoping so too because Mondays' run was just so-so, and because my annoying calf/shin thing has been peaking it's annoying little head out. The run went awesome. I aimed for 4 miles, and didn't expect to make it a Race Pace run, but right as I started I thought, let's aim for 8:30 splits, much like I would ideally like to reach in my next half marathon. Not gonna lie, it was tough! 

Splits! This also show my "Acceleration" race personality
Man, I'm not sure if 8:30 per mile is too tough for a full 13.1 miles. I know I will reach that eventually though. I will aim for it this weekend for sure and work hard, even if it hurts. It will be over faster that way too ;)


I like the Nike+GPS analyzation tools like this one above^^^ It's cool how it shows you your diversions and averages. The blue line is pace, the green is altitude. 

This was a great run. I started out smooth, and with a headwind, but I powered through and got to turn back and it all felt good. Smooth and good. My cadence was like a song in my head (especially since I STILL haven't replaced my earbuds...)

View along my route
 Last little run detail that I can't help smiling about...along my route, I passed people walking here and there. There is a cruise ship docked so lots of tourists in town. Well I passed a couple walking and after I had gotten ahead a bit I overheard the man say, "Wow, yeah she's really going fast..." I couldn't help but smile. 

Today I finally bought some Smart Water. I like it so much better than Gatorade! I usually buy Propel which is ok, but still has flavor. Smart Water is ideal because I'd like to be drinking water more than anything else, but this includes the much-needed electrolytes as well, so your blood doesn't get too hypotonic.

Smart Water...simple, effective.
I'm getting so excited for the Portland Rock n Roll Half Marathon THIS SUNDAY! I received and printed all of the waivers and info I need. We're camping (with our travel trailer) the night before at Champoeg State Park. We'll have to head up earlier because I'm hoping to stop in at REI and use our rebate to get some goodies for the race. We also want to get to the Expo of course! Then it will just be carbo-loading and getting some rest!


Also...I just heard the news that Kara Goucher will be the headliner in this race! You don't know how excited that makes me! I am inspired by/jealous of this amazing woman (who is from Portland) who seems to make it all look easy! Who wouldn't be? Running is her job! How cool, plus she's headed to the London Olympics this summer. It would be quite thrilling for me to get a photo with her! I would LOVE to have her autograph my race bib!

Starting the Week Out Right!


Run/Workout: 3.63 miles 
Location: Astoria Riverwalk
Run Time (if applicable): 31:58, 8:48 splits
Run Start: 8:50 am
Temperature: 62 degrees
Weather: sunny and windy


Today wasn't an exciting run per-say. I just have to say how blessed we have been by all of the sunshine! Wind or not, the sun cannot be taken for granted here on the N. Oregon Coast! 


The run itself was just ok. I was feeling heavy and my left calf/shin was twinging. So instead of 4, I stopped at 3.63 back where my car was parked. 


So it wasn't my best run, but I got some sunshine and burned some calories nonetheless!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Nutrition and Weight Update

Well this last month has been tough! I reached the under-140 mark only to pop right above it again! I've been in this tough flippy-floppy stage and MyFitness Pal has been so hard to follow lately. I can't seem to get my hunger under control and I can't seem to get low enough in the sugar/carb department. It's frustration.

I guess the only thing you can do is keep trying. I have been trying to think about grabbing for veggies more than anything else. Days when I run are pretty good...I usually finish the day under or at my calorie goal. But any other day I get to dinner time and things sort of fall apart. I'm not sure what my problem is. I was doing so good!

Well this week I made 2 goals that I am going to focus on that I'm hoping will help:

1) Go for an hour walk each evening. Aside from health benefits (burns about 250 calories), the weather has been gorgeous and I really enjoy walking the Prom during sunset and afterward, when the Prom lights come on. It's so lovely.

2) Reach for veggies more than fruit/cheese. It's really easy for me to grab an apple, banana, canned peaches, etc. The list goes on. But unfortunately, fruits have lots more carbs and sugars so it's not like you can eat an unlimited amount. It's good to reach for fruit over say, a cupcake but you can overeat even on fruits. Veggies on the other hand are super low cal, low carb and packed full of vitamins and fiber. If I have to, I will buy the prepped bags of veggies and light dip (baby carrots, snow peas, celery, broccoli and cauliflower).

As an aside, I am not super focused on losing the last 5 pounds right now. I lost 5 and it's become so hard to keep those off. So my focus has been more on keeping the balance going and then maybe I'll tackle the other 5 pounds later.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

"Life's about the journey..." Six-Miler

I love the saying, "Life is about the journey, not the destination" (~author unknown) I believe both are true. When we plan a vacation, half the fun for me is in the planning. When I run a half marathon, the training leading up to it is have the fun/battle for me. I gain so much in the way of mental and physical achievements before I even reach my goal race!

Tuesday I mentioned that I broke my earbuds...again. Today the sun was out, I had no class and I planned on a six-miler in Seaside, one of my favorite classic routes. I could have strapped on my iPhone and used my Nike+ app, but heading out the door I realized my phone battery was low and thought, What the he? and left it behind. Unhooked and unplugged I chugged along in the sunshine. It was a lovely journey ;)

One tidbit was that there is a hill at mid-point that has always been a significant challenge for me. Today I ran it like a boss!!! I'm usually huffing and on the verge of puking by the top but since I have been running a ton of hills in Astoria, I took it really smoothly! What a great feeling!!

Oh yeah...stats maybe?


Run/Workout: 6 miles(as far as I know...), Big Hill 
Location: Prom and Sunset Cove, Seaside, Or
Run Time (if applicable): Dunno! Isn't that great?!? :-D
Run Start: 9:20 am
Temperature: 62 degrees
Weather: sunny and clear


Have a great day!! I'm going to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather. 

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Trickle Down Factor

Just a quick note.

I love how running sets me up for good health choices the rest of my day. When I focus myself on a run I have for the day, I am better about what I eat for fuel and how I hydrate. I choose more fruits and veggies and drink a ton of water. 

Funny thing is, the days that I run are usually also the days I remember my vitamins, maybe squeeze in a walk in the evenings, wear additional sunblock, etc. I go the extra mile with my skincare regimen and I brush AND floss twice those days. I may even shave my legs and paint my toenails when on other days I am not a motivated to do so. It's funny!

I think there is something to this. When you purpose yourself to do something healthy, it puts you in a healthy frame of mind that applies to lots of areas of your life. When you complete a workout, it gives you confidence and endorphins make you feel really good about it, and about yourself. So maybe you are more likely to choose the strawberries rather than the strawberry milkshake, or the salad instead of the burger. It just makes you feel so much better. It makes you want to make the effort to take good care of the rest of you too, not just the "running" part.

Just something I have noticed a lot!

Four Miles-Hills, Sunshine, Stress-Relief

The sun has been shining on the good ol' north coast of Oregon! Today was the warmest run I have had in a long time and it felt great! My only regret is that I didn't wear my hat. I don't enjoy having the sun beat down on my forehead and squinting the whole way.

My first mile was easy and felt fast but was really around 10:00 mile. I had several hills along the route and I felt that I took them about the same as I usually do, with a few that felt a tad easier so I guess that's progress!

I broke yet another pair of earbuds somehow however...I'm pretty sure I have gone through at least 5 pairs just this year! I don't know what it is with me and earbuds...

I'm having trouble uploading from my iPhone, a common problem lately I must confess...:( So here are my basic stats from today:

Run/Workout: 4 miles, Hills 
Location: Irving St. Astoria
Run Time (if applicable): 37:09, 9:17 average splits
Run Start: 11:00 am
Temperature: 62 degrees
Weather: sunny and clear

I was just so happy about the sun. I am fully aware of how much I complain (maybe not on this blog but I do) about the lack of sun here. Today and as it appears the rest of the week, I will probably be eating my words. I'm all for it!

It is really, REALLY easy to get a sunburn in Oregon when the sun finally comes out. Everyone soaks up way too much because it is such a treat!  And we're all really white, even the ones who go to tanning beds (true story...and I'm way against them for the record). However, I am not discounted and I have to really be careful. We don't live in Mobile where I had a year-round tan anymore. And I hate sunburns. Instead when I have to start showing skin, whether in workout gear or not, I usually slap on some sunless tanning cream, wear lots of sunblock and call it good. I have got it down to a science.
Today's run was so beneficial. It wasn't about the training of the run, it was about the release. We're covering some really challenging material regarding the urinary system in Anatomy and Physiology (interesting to apply to running with regard to hydration and replacing electrolytes by the way) and my brain was fried by about 11am. Besides that, I am waiting to finish this application process and see if I am getting into the nursing program.

A run was just the ticket. I finished revived, showered and was ready to study some more. Big test tomorrow! Six-mile run afterward(I'm sure I will be blowing off test steam!)

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Eleven Miles-Longest Run This Year! Highest Mileage Week Yet!

Woah, I burned at least 1200 calories!!!
ELEVEN MILES!!! (Eleven-point-TWO miles to be exact) Longest training run this year and ever! My first half marathon, my longest training run was 10 miles, and my second half marathon my longest training run was a pitiful 7 miles. This was the longest I have ever run outside of a race environment. I have a very great feeling of accomplishment in that!

I have really begun to like the feeling after a really long run where you are just spent, and you have expended all of your resources. It is cleansing in a way. Not just that, but I ran a total of 24.5 miles this week! It is the highest mileage week yet!

I haven't run this far in my town so I wasn't sure how to build it all up. I used www.mapmyrun.com this morning to get an idea of which streets to turn on, etc. Then I used Nike+GPS for tracking. I also made sure my phone was fully charged, because the app drains the battery.


Let's see...what else? One of the things that annoys me about trying to keep a blog of my running journey is that during my runs I get all of these great ideas, then once I get to the computer, I have forgotten them! It is true though that running boosts creativity.

The weather was pretty good. It was cloudy with patches of sun, then around mile 9 it was just all clouds, some pretty dark. I was kind of afraid of being rained on at the hardest part of my run, but the rain held off thank goodness!  I wore sunblock on my face but not my body. By the time I got home I had a pretty good tanline, which proves that the sun is just as strong behind clouds!

This weekend is Friends and Family weekend at the Nike Outlet here in town so I got to buy a few new items for working out!

I finally bought a running skirt! It's so cute and I only paid $20 :)
I wasn't sure about these because they hit my calf in a weird place but I wore them today and LOVE them!!
Don't you love this shirt? I couldn't pass it up!!
Back to the run...I guess I mentioned the clothing because I wore the pants and was glad that they worked out. No chafing or bunching anywhere :) I will also love wearing it to power yoga. However, my tank was not as great. I usually wear a t-shirt.  My inner arms near the armpit chafed around mile 9 on...not fun! Time to buy some:
Or maybe try these out:


We'll see. But overall the run went great. I love longer runs, they are so relaxed and chill. The last few miles are always a challenge, but I didn't feel The Wall at mile 9 or 10. I just had to make myself keep going. I was kind of aiming to reach higher to 12 miles but I got a sideache and went ahead and stopped at 11.3. I ate these while running:


Note to self...filling my little accessory pants pocket with beans doesn't work very well. As I started to sweat, the sweat whicked away but still got to the beans and they stuck together and to my pants... 
I was really focused on proper hydration. We've been studying the Urinary system lately so I am acutely aware of the importance of water/electrolyte balance. I hydrated the night before, the morning of and I stopped at every water fountain along my route. I ate the beans every few miles too (even with sweat on them). After the run I still felt out of balance. I was slightly nauseous for a few hours post-run and my shower never felt so great!

My body felt so great overall though. I didn't have any problems at all! I'm pretty tired though and resting/recovering. As a post-race celebratory treat, I ordered one of these from Fultano's pizza:

Yummy Chicken Pesto Pizza w/ Sun-dried Tomatoes and Artichokes!
Off to take a nap people...I'm pooped!! 

Friday, May 4, 2012

Another Four Miles

Run/Workout: 4 miles
Location: My garage, treadmill
Run Time (if applicable): 35:58, 8:59 average splits
Run Start: 8:30 am
Temperature: 56 degrees
Weather: N/A

Notes:

This morning we all woke up exhausted. DH had to head North to pick up our travel trailer and I decided to play hookie this morning and run instead.  I have a class at 11am so technically I didn't play hookie, I just didn't take my Kindergartner to school until around 11am (so he played hookie). That being said, I don't condone this decision and wouldn't make it a habit. It worked out best for everyone today though. DS was also very tired. Our morning routine is crazy stressful, and it was nice to ignore it this morning.

So the run...it was good, not great. The first mile was awesome and I thought it was just going to be the best run ever. Then around mile 2.5 it got hard! The last miles were tough. I think the treadmill is a huge mental challenge for me. A 4-miler on the road or trail would not feel nearly as tough as my treadmill 4-milers. It's probably in my head, or it could very well be the physiology behind running on the treadmill.

I wore compression socks and rolled out my muscles, showered and headed out! It was the weirdest day being totally out of my routine, but I think these days are needed sometimes. Tomorrow is long run day!

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Four For the Books

Run/Workout: 4 miles
Location: My garage, treadmill
Run Time (if applicable): 36:04, 9:01 average splits
Run Start: 3:00 pm
Temperature: 56 degrees
Weather: N/A

Notes:

No pictures today :( It's been one of those lucky-I-got-the-run-in days. It all started out well but has gotten complicated as the day went on. Kid stuff mostly. Kids are tough!

But the run went really well. My first mile flew by and the second did too. I felt like I was light as a feather. These kinds of runs are great. Mile 3 and 4 were challenging, but I also had increased the speed on the 'mill because I was feeling good. I'm happy with the results.

I'm mostly happy because based on my workout plan for the week, I have the potential to run about 25-26 miles just this week! That will be a week max for me this year. I'm determined to do it! Rock n Roll Half Marathon is in less than 3 weeks and I've got my head back in the game (thank goodness!).

I'm pretty sure I have decided to do the North Olympic Discovery Half Marathon two weeks after the Rock n Roll Half. It's up where my in-laws live which would be a really easy race start to get to (no travel arrangements-yay!). Plus the course is on a segment of the Olympic Discovery Trail (remember my Idyllepic run?) that I have yet to cover! I'm pumped. Two Half Marathons in 2 weeks!

Just For Laughs

Click the pic and read...so funny! And shockingly true...