This and that

This is a pic from my long run Sunday at Brushy Creek.

Workouts Last Week:
Monday- Strength/Weight Workouts- 17 minutes
Tuesday- 3.24 miles (run group)
Wednesday- 1408 yds Swimming
Thursday- 2.84 miles (run group)
Friday-  Rest Day
Saturday- 1.15 mile (treadmill)
933 yd swim
Sunday- 8.02 mile long run (Brushy Creek Trail)


Last week thoughts: Happy I ran four times and did core workout. Wish I would have gone swimming at least 3x. 3rd continous week of long runs:
Training Week #1- 6 miles
Training Week #2- 7.01 miles
Training Week #3- 8.02 miles
This week will be a recovery week.

Workouts so far this week:
Monday- 1514 yds swim
Tuesday- 3.74 miles (run group)


Sorry I haven't been updating as much lately, my dog got sick Sunday but luckily, I took her to the doctor today and after some shots and medicine, she seems like she is doing a little better. I feel relieved.

Our run today was a degressive hill workout. You run from one point to the end and then recover coming back a block closer and repeat each time till you are only one block away. I was really tired but didn't give up and did one set.

My body has been pretty tired lately, I am trying to put more time and effort into my workouts and now I feel exhausted all the time. I know that if I keep it up though, I can only improve!

On a side note, I really want to watch the Olympics, but I don't have cable and it's hard to see stuff online. I have seen some places are having race watching parties so maybe I will look into that.

Hope everyone has great workout today!

Ten Things Thursday- Super Ramble edition

This is a pic from the track from this morning's workout. 

Workouts for the Week so far:
Monday- Strength/Weight Workouts- 17 minutes
Tuesday- 3.24 miles (run group)
Wednesday- 1408 yds Swimming
Thursday- 2.84 miles (run group)


So Ten Things:


1. I recently started ( like yesterday) doing a Calorie Counter app along with my husband. I've tried food logs in the past, but didn't really have much success with them. I kinda don't like keeping one, as it is hard to deny, deny,deny when right in front of your face is the COLD, HARD truth that you eat like a pig. :/ Seriously, I know I have a sweets problem but come on!

2. So, thanks to our morning run group, I have been doing longer workouts during the week. I'm hoping eventually that my long runs won't seem so hard if I can build up more mileage during the week.


3. Yesterday, my swim was .80 miles, my furthest swim in the last 6 months. My longest swim this year is .85 miles. Last year, I had my swim distance PR of 1.24 miles. I'm hoping that I can beat that distance by the end of this year!

4. Fall Semester is starting back in a month. It would be nice to  run at Texas State more then last year (I only ran twice although I did use their gym a lot, it's pretty nice) as I think all those hills would really be helpful to prepare for the Austin Marathon.


5. I'm curious to see if my runs get faster if that will have any effect on my swims getting faster. I know endurance helps, but if you gain endurance in running, does that help other sports, or does it just depend?


6.   I have a dream of one day running in just a sport bra. I know, sounds like a lame dream, but I always feel like you have to have confidence in your body to be able to wear one and unfortunately, I'm not there. My stomach is not worth the show. People would demand my shirt be put back on. Although sometimes it gets so damn hot, I feel like wearing one that says I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!


7. Lately when I do my swims at the apt pool, no one is around.  I love having the entire pool to myself. It reminds me of when I lived in Melbourne,Fl as a little girl and had a big pool in our backyard. Whenever I'm done with my workout, I do flips and handstands and walk on my hands and it's great. I feel young again! I have a post I've been going over in my mind  about my relationship with swimming and how I think it affects my running/life. Hopefully, I will write it soon.

8. Does anyone have a specific deodorant they use for their workout clothes? Between me swimming and running and my husband working out, we wash a lot of workout clothes and it seems like you can't ever REALLY get the stench of sweat out. I've heard they have sports detergent but I'm just wondering if that is legit as they seem kinda pricey.

9. Around the end of the month my first published poem is coming out in the Texas State Literary Journal I was an editor on! If you would like a sneak peek at the poem, it's on my other blog:
http://thgirlwritesright.blogspot.com/2011/07/chocolate-pee.html


10. Tonight we are going to Pluckers for the Wingo Bingo! I'm really looking forward to as I love me some hot wings! I am not looking forward to logging the calories on the Calorie Counter though that's for sure.

Best Part of the Day

Pic from right before the run. I still can't believe I have woken up so early to workout! 3x in a row I've made my run group.

Workouts for the Week:
Monday- Strength/Weight Workouts- 17 minutes
Tuesday- 3.24 miles (run group)


I woke up this morning really not in the mood to run. I was still sore from my run Sunday and still annoyed about not being able to do my long swim yesterday to get out the kinks (pool was closed). But my husband was like GET UP, GET UP. So I woke up and we went to RunGroup.

Really happy I went. I had one of my fastest overall paces in about a month, so that was good. Plus, even though my legs were sore, after a mile or two, my legs started to warmup.


Workout- Time and Pace combined warmup/workout
Warmup- .56 miles- 7 min, 21 sec
One mile- 10K pace
1 min, 20 sec break
One mile- 10k pace
1 min, 20 sec break
Half a mile- 5k pace
additonal distance due to a. taking a wrong turn on the first mile, and not pausing my runkeeper til i got to the water cooler.

I ended up getting bad news later but I didn't let it ruin my day. I'm trying to do a better job keeping things in perspective and I know that running is one of those things that really helps me out.

First run of 3rd week of Marathon Training in the bag! :)

7 miles and the freak-out

Workouts for the Week so far:

Monday: 1285 yd Swim

Tuesday: 3.09 miles Hill Workout (group run)

Evening: 16 min core workout

1.01 mile evening run

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: 2.26 mile speed workout (group run)
Friday- 827 yd
Saturday- Rest/Lots of Walking Day
Sunday- 7 mile run

Before I get into today's run, a short recap of the week workouts- Really happy that I went to group workouts, glad I got a core workout in and I wished I would have gotten another swim in. Also, happy about getting a 7 mile long run in.

***** THIS IS A LONG POST! FYI ! ******

Today's Long Run is Long Run#2 in Marathon Training.

This Week's Splits Compared to last week's long run:

07/15-  12:29/12:46/12:55/14:29/12:42/13:14- 6 miles 1:18:37- 13:06 overall pace
07/22- 13:18 /12:11 /14:13 /13:35 /13:07 /12:56 /12:45- 7 miles- 1:32:14- 13:09 pace


This long run, as I'm sure I will say about every long run leading up to the marathon, was hard. I am out of shape. It's hard for me to believe that I lost so much endurance. I have been running for about 2 and a half years. Although I am not fast and I typically do not do long runs, I have completed two half-marathons and two 10 mile races. Therefore WHY WAS A 7 MILE RUN SO HARD?!

You may notice the 3rd mile split of today's run is in red. I will get to that devil mile in a minute.

We started today's run about 30 minutes earlier then last week, which I was really happy about. I also went to bed earlier and ate a better meal the night before. So going into the run, I was feeling better overall then last week's run. I wasn't having throat problems or allergy issues, I hadn't run in two days, my legs felt fine, the weather felt better. Which was good as I was aiming to run 7 miles today, my longest run of the year (so far).

I was very lucky because I had my husband who was running the entire run with me, I didnt take any music or my runkeeper app and had him take care of the distance, pace, extc. 

I started off with downing a gu as I was planning on running about an hour and a half and gave my husband the second one to hold on for me to take before the turn around. 

So we started off on the run at around where the ducks are at San Gabriel Park. They were actually pretty calm today, which was nice. They can get scary when they come after you quacking like mad, but anyways. 

Everything was going fine the first and second miles. As you can see by my pace, I went a little too fast the second mile compare to the first mile. I was starting to get really tired towards the end of my 2nd mile and was struggling to still keep my intervals up. Right around the three mile mark, I was really getting exhausted for some reason and I think the sun was maybe really coming out. I felt like I was drowning under exhaustion and humidity. 

Right before the turn around, my husband reached in his pocket to give me my 2nd gel. It was gone. At this point, looking at my water bottle that was almost empty ( we were about 3/4 of a mile away from the nearest water station at that point), lacking in energy and feeling hot, I started to lose it and fell apart.

This was the devil 3rdmile. Here I started freaking out, giving up on my intervals, mad about the gel, thirsty, and really worried. How can I think I can ever run a marathon? I felt ridiculous for even thinking I could run 26.2 miles when I was struggling to finish a 7 mile run. I was struck with how absolutely long a marathon is and told my husband that if we did a marathon, I was probably gonna DNF.

But just as quickly as I was freakin out, after taking a couple longer minutes to walk then normal, I got over it. I gave up on my intervals and just fartleked the rest of the run. Running every 2 light posts, walking one light posts, or running until I felt like it and then walking. All I wanted to do was to get to 7 miles. 

I should mention that in the 2+ years of running and racing, we have probably done about 20 races. I've been slow in all, but never DNF and yet, I am always convinced I am not going to be able to finish. 

Why? I don't know. 

I guess at the beginning of training, I don't have the strength and base that I have towards the end. On my last two half-marathons, I trained for 16 weeks and 17 weeks. I ran all my scheduled long runs and improved my half-marathon time on the second one by 7 minutes. Not a huge accomplishment, I know, but my point is, I know that if you put in the time and the effort, you will see results.

So why did I freak out in the middle of a 7 mile run? The weather? My insecurities as a runner? No gu? Thirsty? Tired? I've had all these before, but not been that upset. 

But in the end, I did it. I ran all 7 miles. If it hadn't of been for my husband, I know I would not have been able to do it. 

Sometimes I feel like because I am not fast, because after 2 years I still walk a lot, that I am not a "real" runner. I mean, I consider myself a runner, but others who run a lot faster then me, would not consider these paces "a runner's pace". I guess I just need to remember something I hear a lot of people say:

You are running your own race, not someone else's. So there. :)

Ten Things Thursday

Pic from my track/speed workout today.

Workouts for the Week so far:

Monday: 1285 yd Swim
Tuesday: 3.09 miles Hill Workout (group run)
Evening: 16 min core workout
1.01 mile evening run
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: 2.26 mile speed workout (group run) 


So, I have seen in a lot of running blogs where people sometimes do short snippets of thoughts, extc. As I am a copycat, I will jump on this bandwagon. By the way, where did " jumping on the bandwagon" come from? It seems that jumping on a bandwagon would be hard, but is the band-wagon moving, is it still, is it even spelled band-wagon? Questions, Questions, but no answers. 


1. Today I did a track/speed workout with the running group. As usual, I SMOKED EVERYONE! NOT! Just checking to see if you are paying attention. In about 30 minutes, I did: 
9 x 160 meters, with 240 recovery in between. It was suppose to be 200 meters run/ 200 meters recovery, but I don't/can't follow directions. My husband did about 5 more then me as he likes to show off. I kid, I kid, love you babe.


2. The last 2 years, my husband and I have run the 10k race at Heels and Hills and Him. Last year, my husband even got first place in his age division! Super proud! :) However, with considering doing a marathon in Feb, I'm wondering if instead of doing the 10k as usual, we should do the half-marathon option? It's kind of nice to have a race where you can consistently see your progress, but it's also cool to do something different. I really like this course as it is in Irving, right by friend's of my husband's and I. Plus, now my sister is moving to Dallas, so we would be able to visit her too. 

http://www.heelsandhills.com/

3. Sometimes I wish I could run like my cat Dorian. He kinda sprints and glides in the air. He runs like he dances only with a lot of jumps. He is very jumpy. I suppose if I was very jumpy, hills would be a lot easier, I'm just sayin.... 


4. Does anyone know of any good running related movies on Netflix? I have watched Spirit of the Marathon about 50 mlllion times and while I love it, it would be nice to have something different to change up the pace. I have already seen the NYC Marathon one about it's founder, that one is pretty cool, only I don't think they have it on Netflix. 

5. One of my neighbors upstairs has a little white dog that runs 6 MILES A DAY! My poor stubby-legged Scottie, Eva, has never run that far in her life. :( It's not enough that I have to feel slow and lazy, but once you make my poor ottoman of a dog feel that way, you have gone too far! TOO FAR!

She may not be the fastest, but she is the cutest! 

6. Typically, I read Runner's World a lot. But recently my mom got me a magazine subscription to RunningTimes. I have read them before, but always still been more partial to Runner's World. However, I really like the photos in their magazines. The pictures of trail runs really make me think it would be cool to do a trail run one day. I don't know how trail runs compare with road races though, as far as effort and expected decrease in pace. Does anyone have suggestions on how to look into preparing for a trail race?

7. I know people have heard of window-shopping, but when you look at a lot of races, is that race-shopping? Sometimes I put races on my list of races to do that I know I probably won't get around to doing, but it just feels good to pretend I have something exciting to look forward to. Is that lame? Probably. But for me, being signed up and payed for, means I AM DOING THE RACE. Unless I am really injured/sick, which so far hasn't happened. Since I never know what may come up, I usually have races I know I really want to try and be able to do and then I have my "race shopping" ones, you know the " these would be nice to do if I am so inclined to do so" ones.

8. I'm in love with Epsom Salts. Seriously. Today after the speedwork, in which I thought I was going to die or at the very least, vomit my cereal out from, my body was WRECKED. So, I used the epsom salt bath stuff. After soaking for 20 minutes, I felt much better. The first ones I ever used were the Burt's Bees ones, which were about 10.00 ( kinda pricey), but last month, my husband found some at Target for about 5 bucks. I try to save em for when I am feeling particularly tired or sore. Almost always works! Highly recommend them!

9.  I really need some new running shoes. I am currently in a committed relationship with Mizuno's. My last three pairs of running shoes have been Mizuno. However, I have not bought a new pair of running shoes since LAST OCTOBER. Might as well be a million years ago as far as my knees are concerned. But, my mom bought me some trail Nike shoes that I am wearing sometimes lately as although they are not as good ( they aren't as supportive as my Mizuno's, nor as flexible if that makes sense, plus they are heavier), they haven't had the cushion beat out of them. So... I suppose they will have to do until I get some new Mizuno's! Or finally leave Mizuno's if I find something I like better.

10. I've been reading a lot of really good running blogs lately, ones I have read before but didn't mention in my blog, I'll try to remember to mention them more. One of the ones I have been reading a lot of lately is my running friend, Erin. She is awesome. She is very fast and knows a lot about running and designs the great group workouts I have done this week. She also is very funny and really knows how to describe a race to help make you feel like you are there. If you want to learn about running from someone who knows what they are talking about, check out her blog: http://erinsjourneytoironman.blogspot.com/

My First Ever Group Run!!!

This is a pic from my group run this morning. As you can see, it was pretty early.

Workouts for the Week so far:

Monday: 1285 yd Swim
Tuesday: 3.09 miles Hill Workout ( group run)

So... Great News! Today I finally went to OZ and gained some courage! That's right folks, I went on my first group run!
Yep, me and my husband woke up early and went to a group run in our neighborhood. I was really, really nervous. Unlike my husband, who is a pretty decent runner, I am the poky little puppy.

I was concerned that I was going to be left in the dark dust. But when we got there, after Erin gave us the directions for our workout, I was starting to feel better.

Sure, it was a hill workout, but everyone was so nice and encouraging. One of the runners had set up 2 water stops, one at the meet-up and one by the hills.

For the workout, we had the option of short or long warm-up. I choose the short warm-up and was the only one who took it. It was about a half a mile vs. the longer warm-up of 1+ mile.

I was a little nervous, as I'm not really use to running in the dark and especially if I am running in the dark, it is usually at a race with a lot of people around me, not by myself.

But it was fine. It's very quiet that early out and the air is kinda still.There's not much traffic to deal with, which is nice and I got there before everyone else did since I took the shorter route and was able to calm my nervousness.

Erin was giving us route directions for the hills. Basically we did 2 hills, for ten minutes or so each with a .10 jog in between the two. My total mileage reflects the .5 mile warm-up to the first hill, hill repeats #1, .10 mile jog to the 2nd hill, hill repeats #2 and .70 mile cool-down back.

I ran the ups and walked the downs. This is VERY different from my norm, as I usually walk the ups and run the downs. It was really cool to do something different and every minute I stopped feeling so self-conscious about being slow, and just started to enjoy my workout.

I was very surprised by how nice and encouraging all the runners were. I never felt like they were judging my turtle tendencies. I think having an opportunity to work different muscles (FOR FREE) around people who know more then me is awesome. I also am grateful for getting in a workout so early, as I was able to go further then I normally do during the week.

I'm pretty surprised not only that I went out of my comfort zone, but that I woke up in enough time to make it to the workout. I hope I do another one again. I think I could really improve as a runner if I try to at least attend some of the workouts.

The kind of run where you get a blister on your thumb

This is a pic from my long run at Brushy Creek today. We started by Olson Meadows Park. 

Workouts for the week:

Monday- 1.42 miles at Lake Pflugerville
.64 open water swim
Tuesday- 1.57 miles- (early morning route)
Wednesday- 862 yd swim
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- 1.79 miles- treadmill
933 yd swim
Saturday- Rest Day
Sunday- 6.0 miles run at Brushy Creek

So, pretty happy with my workouts for the week overall with two caveats: I didn't do any core work and I wish some of my runs during the week would have been longer. 

But, I really want to talk about my long run today. 

This was a difficult run for me but ultimately good. We stayed up late eating pizza and pasta and as such started the run late. When we started, it was about 8 am after my warmup. I would have liked to start about an hour earlier. My allergies were hurting me and my throat felt like it was closing up. I felt heavy and tired and didn't know if I would be able to make my goal of running 5.85 miles in 1:15:00.

And (duh)  I didn't run at that pace. To make up for not running the speed I wish I did, I ran .15 miles more. 

My splits for the run were:

12:29
12:46
12:55
14:29- bathroom break
12:42
13:14-

So, I think my splits were decent as I was happy they were pretty consistent, other than the bathroom break and the last mile.

I ended the run with a blister on my thumb and a blister on my right foot. How do you get a blister on your thumb during a run?!

I know it sounds like I am complaining about the run. And it sounds like that I guess because I AM! Honestly though, I ended up putting the smiley face on this run for 3 reasons:
1. I haven't run 6 miles in over 3 months.
2. I finished and went further then planned.
3. It was so nice to see all the runners out today.

I think seeing other runners out there when I am doing long runs helps a lot. Although I have done races and have run about 12 times in 2 and a half years with my husband, I generally am a solitary runner. I run by myself because I like to be alone mostly during runs, I'm not that fast and I take walk breaks and I know that's not other people's style necessarily and it's good stress relief.

However, sometimes when you are in a "bad place" during a run, i.e. you have a blister on your thumb and sweat dripping from your ears ( why is my body so weird?!) it can be helpful to see people on the trail. The variety is amazing and distracting and inspiring. Today I saw a group of young guys booking it, lots of girl friends walking and talking and several steady, smooth runners.

When I see these people, I remember that running isn't just about me. I am not the only one dealing with the heat and humidity. I am not the only one who is tired. I am not the only one who appreciates how great and hard at the same time running can be. I think running helps you to develop a respect for the effort it takes to do the sport, even if from some people, it looks like they are exerting little effort, I know that having the discipline and drive to get to the point where they CAN go that fast is worth something.

LONG TRAINING RUN #1 for the marathon IN THE BOOKS!

Making goals

This week's workouts so far:

Monday- 1.42 miles at Lake Pflugerville
.64 open water swim
Tuesday- 1.57 miles- (early morning route)
Wednesday- 862 yd swim
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- 1.79 miles- treadmill
933 yd swim


So something I have noticed is that being a runner is a very goal centered endeavor. People want to run certain paces, certain races, certain distances, extc.
But for this marathon training process, I think I am going to keep it simple. I often have so much that I want to do that I feel I get nothing accomplished.
We are training for 7 months. That sounds like a long time, but I am very behind on my endurance and have never run more then 13.1 miles.
I think for right now, this is what I want to try and do:
1. Run four times a week ( 3 short- mid runs and 1 long run/ 4 short runs on easy weeks)
2. Swim three times a week
3. Core workout once/twice a week

Are these goals for right now too simple? I feel that the distance of 26.2 is so intimidating, that I don't want to freak myself out with more elaborate plans. Plus, I think goals, like many things in life, are fluid and flexible depending on where you are in your life.

More then anything, I struggle to do core work. But I think doing more core workouts might help me lost more weight, which would help me run faster. Well, that and not eating hot wings at midnight... sigh.

How successful and important are goals in running to you? I think it can matter more during times of training for a big race then during other times, but maybe that's just me.

The long run vs. every other run in training

Today before work I had a short run of 1.57 miles. This is a picture from one of the entrances to San Gabriel Park.
This week's workouts so far:
Monday- 1.42 miles at Lake Pflugerville
.64 open water swim
Tuesday- 1.57 miles- (early morning route)

So, I noticed I tend to do a good job with slowly increasing my distance for my long runs when training. For example, for our last half-marathon, we had a 17 week training plan where we did long runs like such:
A- long run
B- little bit longer
C- little bit longer than B
D- rest week- easy runs, all shorter then the 3 previous weeks.
then repeat x times however

In the 17 weeks, we didn't really miss any of our scheduled long runs.
However, other then the long runs, we didn't really stick to any plan. Sure, I had pipe dreams of speed runs, hill repeats, mid-length runs and easy runs. But consistently, I just did a lot of short runs with a sprinkle of hill repeats, short/faster runs and occasional mid-length runs.
To get to my point sometime this century, I guess what I am saying is that I need to figure out a way to increase my distance of my runs during the week. I feel like on Sunday ( the day we usually do long runs) distance is the main event. I look forward and appreciate going further. I think the solution is to wake up earlier but does anyone else suffer from this during the week? I know that when preparing for a marathon, it is important to establish a good base, but I don't know the best way to do this when I feel like I'm not really  (yet) in enough shape to run a lot of miles during the week and during the weekend, and manage to have rest days.
Also, I really enjoy swimming as it makes my body feel better after a run and I don't want to sacrifice it that much but does that conflict with becoming a better runner? I feel like I hear so many mix messages on time advantage of cross-training vs. running more miles.

Bringing Back the Running Blog with some Kinda Maybe Big News!!

This is a pic from my run at Lake Pflugerville today. I ran only 1.42 miles, but I followed it up with a .67 mile swim in the lake, so not that bad.
Anyways, today is the FIRST day of me and Vince training for the Austin Marathon in February. Now, before I get carried away, let me issue a big disclaimer-WE HAVE NOT YET REGISTERED FOR THE RACE. The major reason is because the race is $$$. Also, I am out of shape since my last half in November. Also, 26.2 miles is a lot. However, training for a marathon is not the same as doing a marathon or committing to do one. So, since the marathon is about 7 months away, we have been running for over 2 years, I think if we stay committed to a training schedule, I should be able to at least FINISH a marathon. So, while we are not a 100% sure we are doing this race ( I think when I pay for it, I will be 100% sure lol) I am going to start training till I make up my mind!  The Austin Marathon has a time limit of 7 hours, so I want to train for 6 hours and 30 minutes, to give me some breathing room for being tired and for bathroom breaks.
Is it weird to be excited for a training plan and not an actual race yet????