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????



Wells Branch and I go long for the first time!!

Never fails. When i run with my husband, I ALWAYS run better. We usually try and run together at the same place, but we typically run our own pace.But about once a month, he runs with me. Now, I am pretty sure this is the FASTEST pace I have run all at once EVER( I have had faster pace, but it was intervals, where i did short speed workouts with lots of breaks) and it is also, the 2ND longest distance I have ever run!!! And actually, if you include the warm-up/cool downs, it is the longest mileage I have done all together( 10.25 miles) but in the interest of not being misleading, I am not counting warmup, cool down as a part of my run because in a real race it wouldnt count.
But yeah, this was really hard for me, I didnt feel like I had much left to give, especially since I didnt go to sleep until like 2.30 in the morning. Im really happy with this run because there was lots of times I felt like giving up, but I didnt!
Below are my splits, they are kinda weird because they include my warm-up, cool down, which is why the distance is a little different as well as the time:
Mile 1- ( including the 6 minute walking warm-up)- 14.59 minutes- 8.59 minutes to run .65 of a mile
Mile 2- 12.37 minutes
Mile 3- 12.25 minutes
Mile 4- 12.29 minutes
Mile 5- 11.45 minutes
Mile 6- 11.43 minutes
Mile 7- 10.53 minutes
Mile 8- 10.50 minutes
Mile 9- 10.28 minutes
Mile 10- 10.23 minutes- .75 miles running in 7 minutes, 23 sec- .25 mile cool down in 3 minutes walking( the last quarter mile of this was a part of my cool down, my cool down was a half a mile total, so the last quarter of this mile, plus an additional quarter mile)
Mile 10-10.25- remaining part of cool down- 3 minutes walking
Thank you for everyone who said my runs would get better and especially thank you to my husband for running with me!







View Training Run in a larger map

End of the Month Recap- October

The symbol above is for Austin's 3M Half-Marathon in January 2011. We have been on a training program for this for now going on 6 weeks.The race is in about 10 weeks!! I really hope that we do run this, although I am really nervous not just about the distance, but also the cold. I havent done a long distance run in a while, so we will see! We are saving up for it in the meantime!

April-
12 runs,34.5 miles,
average run= 2.88 miles per run
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May-
15 runs,43.3 miles,
average run=2.89 miles per run
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June-
12 runs,39.2 miles,
average run=3.27 miles per run
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July-
11 runs, 38.0 miles
Average run= 3.45 miles per run
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August
13 runs, 44.6 miles
Average run= 3.43 miles per run
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September
12 runs, 49 miles
Average run= 4.08 miles per run
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October
16 runs, 59.3 miles
Average run=3.71 miles per run