Another day, another run...

I did four miles today around my neighborhood. That concludes my miles for March. Not as good as February, but I was training for Gate in Feb. I also had my ten days of slacking this month that didn't help my record. ;) I will do better in April!

Beating the Clock

Trying to fit my workouts in on Fridays is very difficult. I just barely was able to get in 2 miles and legs today, but I did it with an 8:30 mile pace (7.0 on the tm). It was an okay run. I was burning it up on the tm in my apartment complex. After I finished, I went home and took out my firm fanny lifter with some eight pound dumbells and did about fifteen minutes on legs. This included lunges and plies. I read up today about training for a triathlon. The first one is at the end of June on the beach. I am so excited! I am going to use my mountain bike in the fat tire competition because I have never done an event like this and I don't want to fork out the money for something I don't even know I would enjoy.

A new partner to run with

Today I ran with a new partner and it was great. She was just a tad bit faster than me which kept me going. It was as though I were almost running on her heels. Unfortunately, she will be leaving for four months out of state. :( We ran around the University twice, making it a four mile run. It felt like an 8:30 pace with spots of 9:00 mixed in. Overall, it was a good run and I look forward to her return.

Yesterday and Today

I am starting to get back into this, both physically and mentally. I challenged myself yesterday and today! Yesterday I did 2 1/2 miles on the treadmill and then I did an intense leg workout. This workout included squats and lunges, the two things I hate to do most while in the gym or anywhere else for that matter. Today, my legs were hating me. Major lactose build-up! Just goes to show how long it has been since I have worked them like that.

I pushed through the pain today and got on the elliptical for about thirty minutes. Felt great, but didn't want to overdue it since I wanted to leave myself some energy to do a hardcore upper body workout to mirror the lower I had done the day before. I did a very good job in the gym today and I am sure I will be paying for it tomorrow morning when I wake up! In any event, soreness is inevitable when you are getting back into a heavy routine. My goal is to lift weights three times a week, two times for either lower or upper body and one time for the other, alternated weekly. My running goal has slimmed down quite a bit compared to the miles I had been doing before to prepare for the Gate. My goal is to run my longer distances on the days I am not lifting. For now, the longest distance I want to do is 7 miles. I realize this is not close to what I was doing before, but my body was tearing apart when I was doing ten miles three times a week. Maybe I will be able to do this in the future without shin splints and ankle problems, but for now it is too much too soon.

Weekly workout schedule (tentative)
Monday: Run 3 miles; intense upper body workout; abs
Tuesday: Run 5 miles; abs
Wednesday: Elliptical; intense lower body workout
Thursday: Run 3 miles; intense upper body workout; abs
Friday: Relax or yoga/pilates
Saturday: Spinning or cycling outside
Sunday: Running Group long run: 5-7 miles.

Yes, I am slacking AGAIN! I am so disappointed in myself. I did go running like I said I would on the 21st, but I did nothing after that until today. I ran a 4 miler today and felt great afterward. I am ready to keep this going. I have still been eating bad though. I have had way too much sugar lately...I really need to cut back!

The first day back in ten days

Back at it again, but started in slow. I ran for twenty minutes outside and then came in and did weights for about thirty. I focused on arms and abs. I could have definitely run some more, but I figured I should start slow to keep from injuring myself. Tomorrow I will run 3 miles and work legs on my stepper/fanny lifter using weights.

Lazy week comes to an end...

Ever since the Gate River Run last Saturday I have been extremely lazy! I have not run all week. I have not even walked or lift weights or done the elliptical. I have ate everything unhealthy you can imagine and in large quantity. I must redeem myself from these habits and get back on the training horse. In other words, I better use it before I lose it. I have not worked so hard since January to give it all up now. Tomorrow I start fresh.

My plan is to get back in the gym tomorrow and give it all I got. I really want to focus on muscle tone and continue to work on my endurance. When I start back this week I will try not to run anything longer than a four miler. I would like to start cross training on the elliptical and bike some more and get into the lap pool to work my upper arms and back. I have listed the races I plan to run up to September. Most of them are no longer than 5K, but my long term goal for January is to be fit for a half marathon.

Stroll down memory lane...today I googled myself and found the results from the Indianapolis Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure in 2003. My time for the 5K was 28:17 , 9:06 mile pace. I don't remember much about the race, just that I felt very ill afterwards. I remember it was very humid that day. I was a finisher, but barely...coming in at the 1000 place out of 10,313 runners.

Gate River Run!

Today was my first 15K race...the day began bright and early at 6AM. My husband drove over with me for support and I saw several familiar faces at the race. My goal for the race was 1:33, but mainly I just wanted to keep running. The start of the race dragged on because I had lined up under my pace time, but didn't cross the start mat until after 3 minutes of the gun going off. I have discovered through this race that it is virtually impossible to run with someone else and one, keep from tripping or two, keep your pace. I tried to run with two different friends at two different times in the race. People were driving me crazy at the water stands! They would cut in front of you, steal the cup you are reaching out for, stop right in front of you to drink it and then throw it in your face or in front of your stride to trip on. I know they were not doing these acts on purpose, but nevertheless, it was at most times inexcusable.

At the 5K marker my ipod froze up on me...no more music to pump me up or get me over the Hart bridge at the 7.5 mile marker. I was determined to not let this stop me and I pushed on at a pace that I am convinced was slower than my potential. It was just so hard to get around all the people without risking injury. Live bands played throughout several portions of the path and the faithful spectators cheered us on. Some of which, had even bought goodies to pass out (orange slices, ice pops, lemonade, etc.)

The most memorable part of the race was tackling the Hart Bridge. It was half a mile up-hill with the hot sun offering us no mercy in that six minutes that seemed like it would never end. When I reached the top I had a great view of the city to look upon and was thankful that the rest of the run would be downhill. My ankles started to bother me a bit on the way down, but I shrugged it off and finished the race with a chip time of 1:31:25 (about 9:49 avg minute mile). I beat my goal I had set for myself, but I was surprisingly unfulfilled. I wanted to do better and I think that is the reason I am addicted to running. I am very competitive, especially with myself. I want to go longer, faster and feel better while doing it. The rational side of me realizes I have only been running for a short time now and there is so much room left for improvement. I am ready to start planning my next race and I am thinking ahead for a half-marathon.

Day before Gate

Well, nothing too exciting is going on today. However, yesterday I picked up my race packet from the Jax fairgrounds and the line was insane! There were sooo many people out there and there were loads of free stuff. I got my ipod armband from UPS yesterday...not too shabby. I'm crossing my fingers that I will be able to use it on race day because I took the time to get the perfect playlist for it.

I did 30 minutes on the elliptical yesterday and then did legs. No pain whatsoever when I do the elliptical. Today I am going to take it easy and rest up for the big day tomorrow...9.3 miles! If I can get off of work early I will be heading over to Sweet Tomatoes with my running group for a nice before-the-race dinner.

Update

I've been so busy lately, I haven't had the time to blog. So, this is to update everything I have done since the 2nd. Saturday and Sunday I went over to the in-laws and ate like a pig all weekend with no exercise! When I say pig...I mean PIG...I ate all you can eat BBQ, greasy pizza, chili, lasagna, a couple big breakfast meals and one big steak dinner from roadhouse.

When Monday came around I knew I had to start eating better because my stomach was sooo bloated from the couple days before. I made sure this time that I stretched every part of my body, especially my legs and the inside parts of my calves. I found a new stretch that I remember seeing a lot of people doing, but never thought it worked for me. The one where you put you hands on a wall and put one flat foot back and the other foot forward to stretch the back of the leg (see image). I did 45 minutes on the elliptical and did legs on Monday (fyi: first time I have done my legs since getting into my new running regimen). I had thought that weight lifting for my legs was useless because of all the muscle running builds, but recently I read that it can prevent injuries. It's a wonder why I have been in pain lately...between not stretching the back of my legs properly to neglecting the weightlifting for my lower body.

On Tuesday, I woke up very sore. The back of my legs behind my knees was terribly sore and I could barely extend them to stand up straight. I guess that stretch was well overdue and I should not have done calf raises yesterday for the first time in a long time, right before running a major race. Tuesday night I ran 3 miles on the tm (although I needed to run more), and my legs started bothering me again.

When Wednesday rolled around I was still sore, but I ran 5.5 miles and had about the same amount of pain as I did from the 3 miler the night before. I did my arms after the 5.5 miler and felt great after a good stretch. It seems as though the back of my legs only hurt when I wake up in the morning or after period of sitting down. I guess the muscles need time to warm up.

A little worried...

Yesterday I took it easy and decided to stay off the legs. After I did my seven mile on Weds my right lower leg on the inside started hurting. After doing some research, it sounds like it is shin splints. I ran three miles today at a little slower pace than my norm, but after the run my leg started hurting again. I iced it and the pain subsided a bit. I really hope I can still run the Gate River Run in the time I am hoping for.