Three Things Thursday

1. It's race week and it looks like the weather is going to be in the mid 60's for the Dumbo Double Dare this weekend. Not the best but it beats the 90 degree heat that we have been having for the last month.

2. My Garmin is back and just in time for my races this weekend. It is a brand new one so  I hope I remember how to set it up all over again! I was seriously considering running naked this weekend but chances are that I won't now do it!

3. My Pom Roxy, who is 13 years old, will be going in for a biopsy and a test for Cushing's disease today. I am a little worried about her health but I have been throwing money at trying to figure out what is wrong with her for the last year and I think I may have finally found a specialized vet who may have figured it out.

My Weekly Update: 8/19/13-8/25/13

What a hot week we had here in Southern California! We did not catch a break at all this week and it looks like this week will be no exception. I know I should not be complaining about the weather because in some parts of the US it is 90 degrees at 6:00 am! I am not sure how you runners do it. I would be dead!

I was not in treadmill mood this week but had to run on it once this week since it is easier for me to stick to a goal pace on the treadmill. Here is a summary of my week.

Monday:REST DAY
 

Tuesday:6 Mile Night Run @8:25 pace. It was not in the mood to run on the treadmill so I decided to run outside in the 88 degree heat. The first three miles were tough but I caught a good breeze on the way home and was able to pick up it up a little. It turned out being a progressive run (9:30, 8:43, 8:32, 8:16, 8:05, and 7:22) that I did not plan on so I will take it!

Wednesday:Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11.50 Miles). My quads were feeling pretty tired but I pushed through it!

Thursday:7.25 Miles on the treadmill. Warm up and Cool Down@10:00 pace and 6.25 Miles@ 8:00 pace.

Friday: REST DAY

Saturday: 22 Miles@8:41ish pace. My Garmin decided to act up so I am not really sure what my actual pace was since I had to reset my watch one I realized it was not longer picking up my pace. In any case, my strategy for this run was to run the first 5 miles easy, miles 6-15 as close to marathon pace as possible and then miles 16-22 with a fast finish. I wanted to keep the pace better than 8:30 the last 7 miles but the heat started getting to me and I knew that it was going to be rough if I pushed too hard. I was close enough.

Sunday:UNPLANNED REST DAY. This should have been a cross-training day but I skipped out on it and ended up at the Happiest Place on Earth instead. Our passes are finally unblocked and my son wanted to go so I figured that walking around Disneyland for hours could possibly be counted at cross-training.

Total Miles: 35.25 Running and 11.5 Cycling 

This weekend is the Dumbo Double Dare and the plan is to keep it easy this week. I feel like I am ready to commit to Marathon #4 but need to get some last minute arrangements together before I can commit. I might have some marathon news for you soon!!

Did you have a good week? What was the most exciting part of your week?

I think the trip to Disneyland was mine!

I Guess I Have to Run Naked for a While!

My pretty little Garmin has lost it's mind and has in turn caused me to lose mine! It has been acting up for the past two weeks and I have been resetting it in the middle of my runs because it either tells me that I am running 15 minutes miles when I know that I am not or it tells me that it took me 2:16 minutes to run .03 miles and completely throws my average pace off!

It has also been searching for the foot pod and does not allow me to turn the foot pod off without resetting it! I am not even sure why the foot pod option is even turning on?? Something is clearly wrong and I would hate for this to happen in the middle of a race, especially a marathon!

I said goodbye to it today and ordered a new one which will not be here until September 3rd! I can buy the black 610 in a store but the white had to be ordered online.

I have two races next weekend so I might end up running them naked or I might have to use my old one!

Have you ever ran a race without your Garmin/watch?

I never have!

One Week to Go and My Dumbo Dare Plans

This whole Dumbo Double Dare 19.3 miles in two days thing came all too quickly! The last time I thought about it, it was like 6 months away and now it is less than a week away. The Disneyland Half Marathon is one of my favorite races and I have PR'd it the last three years that I have raced it. It is a flat and fun course and the weather is great every year. This year my race plans are going to be a little different because I have a 10K to run the day before the half. I rarely run consecutive days since I alternate between running and cross-training. I am thinking that this will be somewhat challenging for me.

Today I started looking through my closet looking for two outfits to wear. I found two outfits in the closet that fit the Disney theme perfectly that I have never worn. One of my outfits is fun and the other is not so much but the colors are appropriate. So what are my race plans? Well, the weather is going to be in the mid 60's which is not bad but not great either. 

The 1oK starts at 6:15 am so if I finish within a hour of the start time, I am thinking that I will be okay. My goal is to run in the 8-8:15 range for the 10K. The half marathon starts at 5:30 am which I really like but I don't have a goal pace or time! Disney races are so expensive and I never take the time to stop and enjoy the course or what Disney has to offer. I never stop to take pictures with the characters either so I just might do that this time. I am a little worried about the warm weather so I will make sure that I don't have too much fun out there! Bottom line is that I plan to have fun out there and not put too much pressure on myself.

Anybody else running the Dumbo Double Dare or one of the Disney races next weekend?

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today my Dad turns 62. I am feeling so grateful today that he is still here with us. I am not sure how my Dad handles it all. He is still fighting his battle with cancer but refuses to let it win. This man never complains, he is still able to work and he tries to stay as active as he possibly can. He recently spotted a local weather anchor while he was working and she put him on the Sunday morning news because he was helping her out with her shopping. She told me that he was so nice. I was watching the news on Sunday morning and all of a sudden he was on the TV! He didn't even tell me about it!

My Dad truly inspires me. Whenever I feel like my life is tough, I always think of him and those thoughts quickly disappear from my mind. He motivates me to keep going and he is always in my thoughts when I  run. He is the reason why I never give up! He is the force that pushes me to that Finish Line!

Today I celebrate you Dad and everything that you stand for...everything that you have taught me. Thank you for always believing in me. Please continue to fight. Together we can win this battle. I love you Daddy!

Please wish my Dad a Happy Birthday! I am sure he will love it!

My Weekly Update: 8/12/13-8/18/13

This week was a cut back week for my long run so it was kind of nice since the weather is back to the 90-97 degree range. It looks like it will be a little bit cooler next week which is nice since it will be time to increase the long run again. 

Monday: REST DAY

Tuesday: 8 Miles on the treadmill @8:17 pace. It was my first run on the treadmill in my new pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire's so I had to make it a good one. I almost didn't get up out of my bed (for the second week in a row) to make it to the gym but that little voice in my head reminded me of how I would feel if I skipped my run!

Wednesday: Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11.50 Miles)

Thursday: 7 Miles on the treadmill@9:03 Pace

Friday: REST DAY

Saturday:  15.54 Miles@9:00 pace. This was not a great run for a million reasons but if you follow me on Instagram I listed my top 10 reasons as to why it was not so great. Thankfully I was able to convince myself not to give up and to keep going in spite of how I felt. These types of runs are the worst but they teach us how to fight through difficult situations and pull ourselves through to that finish line!

Sunday: Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11.50 Miles)

Total Miles: 30.54 Running and 23 Cycling 

Next week I will attempt the big 22! I am going to map out a new route for this one, most likely an out and back so I can't cut it short! I haven't ran further than 20 miles since May of this year when I ran my last marathon so I am kind of nervous about it!

How many miles was your longest run this week? How did it go?

Cross-Training-What I Have Been Doing

Cross-Training has been something that I have always been lacking in my training plans. I always felt like I didn't have the time to fit it into my schedule because I barely have time to get my runs done. Having a career and a family can sometimes make it difficult but I try to make it happen without spending too much time away from home. I feel too guilty coming home from work and then taking off to the gym or leaving for a run every day of the week. I wanted to find something that I could do at home or with my family and I found the perfect solution-my bike trainer.

I started riding my road bike, which I bought almost a year ago, on my bike trainer about five weeks ago and I really like it. I have been using my bike trainer twice a week for 45 minutes at a time. I am hoping to take it out of the road one day but I am still kind of nervous about it. Cycling is really helping my legs in so many different ways that running does not since it works different muscles. It is also much easier on my legs and allows for a much quicker recovery since there is no pounding. I love that it so low impact that I can go for a decent run the next day and not feel any kind of soreness from cross-training. I read that cycling helps with leg turnover while running and also helps with speed. Intervals also work your legs just as hard as running hills. I hate hill repeats so this got me all excited!

When I ride my bike, I do not focus on the miles but more on time and cadence which is more important to me. My goal is 80-100 pedal revolutions per minute and I am currently at an average of 74. The workout from cycling is great and I can feel definitely feel the burn in my quads! I wear my Garmin which pairs up the cadence/speed sensor which is mounted on my bike frame to help me track my progress. 

This is the data that Garmin Connect provides so I am tracking my progress weekly to see if I am improving and getting closer to my goal.

I have noticed a difference in the way that my legs feel when I run. My quads feel stronger and when I do my hilly routes, my legs are able to handle them a lot better. This is the trainer that I bought from REI for about $340.00. It is a little pricey but my time is worth it and it keeps me at home with my family where I want to be. I can also have food in the oven or a load of laundry going while I do my 45-minute ride. I am determined to stick with my cross-training in hopes of seeing some better results with my running!

What is your favorite method of cross-train? 

How many days a week do you cross train?

Oh and by the way, my son wanted me to tell all of my readers that he says "HI!" Please say "HI" back to him because he will be excited!

My Weekly Update-8/5/13-8/11/13

The Disney Dumbo Double Dare is right around the corner. I don't even have a plan or a goal. I really need to start thinking about it. I can tell you that I will take one of the two races easy since I don't want to get injured pushing myself too hard. I always get nervous about that.

This week was decent. I feel like I am back on track and my long run was great. I wish they all went this well! Long runs never get easy but I feel that my endurance is improving and I don't finish feeling completely exhausted in the end. For me it is all mental. If I talk myself through it then it seems to go much better. 

My other half is still committed to his half marathon and is doing really well. I let him lead when we run together so that he does not feel pressured to run at any pace other than his own. I follow his pace and it helps me to start out easy and actually warm up. He improves on every single run! I am so proud of him. 

Monday: Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11 Miles). I am not too concerned about the miles when I ride my bike but I focus more on cadence.

Tuesday: REST DAY. I had dinner at my friend's house and it was good. Yes, I did finish all of my food. It was YUM! Those are chicken enchiladas buried underneath all of the that salsa verde, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and avocados.

Wednesday: 7 Miles@8:54 pace on the treadmill. My first run of the week always seems to be the hardest. I laid down on my bed for a little nap and it was so hard to get up and head to the gym but I knew I had to.

Thursday: REST DAY

Friday: 20 Miles@8:47 pace. I ran the first 3.25 with my other half @9:42 pace and then we parted ways. I felt bad leaving him but my long run needed to be a fast finish long run today. After we parted ways, my first mile was @ 9:22 pace and my final mile was @ 7:42 pace. He ended up running 6.4 Miles@ 9:29 pace. 

I was bored with my normal route so I took a totally different route and I really liked it. It was kind of challenging for me but the time flew by and the weather was great. I felt really good and just ran without being a slave to my Garmin. I seem to run much better that way. I also like to change my routes every once in a while for safety reasons.

Saturday:  Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11.5 Miles)

Sunday: 8 Miles: 5 Miles with the family@9:39 (my son rode his bike) and the last 3 miles alone @8:23, 7:41 and 6:58.) I seem to have an amazing amount of energy when I start at a slower pace and then pick it up.

TOTAL MILES: 35 Running and 22.5 Cycling and lots of icing, foam rolling and using my Stick!

How was your week?

How often do you change your running routes? 

If you don't, please do for safety reasons.

What a Week It Has Been!

This week has been a little crazy to say the least. I am glad it's Wednesday since tomorrow is the last workday of the week for me. Work has been a little hectic this week but the days have flown by. I manage a small department so when one person goes on vacation we all have to cover for one another. I have been super busy this week doing the job that I used to do before I was promoted to the manager of the division. I almost forgot what doing that job was like but it was good to take a step back and re-train myself on those tasks again. I love my job and I know that I am blessed to have it. I get really annoyed when people complain about their jobs because I know that their lives would be worse if they didn't have a job at all! Don't you agree?

I haven't mentioned this on the blog because I have been trying to let it settle into my mind but I just found out about a month ago that my step-father now has cancer. So now both my father and my step-father have cancer. I am pretty bummed about it to say the least. My parents divorced when I was really young so I spent a lot of years with my step-father. He is a good man and accepted us as his own. I feel bad that this has happened to yet another person in my life that I love. Please keep him in your prayers as he is really worried and scared about what is going to happen to him. I am sure that must be a terrible feeling and must consume his every thought.

Thank God for running which gives me an outlet to relieve some of the stress in my life. Having said that, I have been absolutely obsessed with the 7-Day Forecast lately! I can't believe that the lows have been in the mid 50's this week. I seriously try to plan my runs around the weather, especially my longer runs. I can't hardly wait to go for a long run on Friday and be able to enjoy the cooler weather! I have been dragging my other half along on most of my run lately or at least a part of them until he increases his mileage and I am kind of enjoying it. Yesterday he mentioned that he doesn't mind if I have to run without him because he doesn't want to mess up my training. Isn't he smart sweet? I might just have to do this on my long run this week. I think I might feel bad leaving him behind. I have a hard time with that.

So how is the weather where you live? Has it started to cool down at all?

My Weekly Update: 7/29/13-8/4/13

This week was somewhat of an easy week. I kept my paces easy and it kind of felt nice to be honest. I think I kind of needed a little break which kind of motivated me to get back at it next week. With the Dumbo Double Dare right around the corner, I really need to be prepared to tackle those back to back races regardless of pace.

Monday: REST DAY

Tuesday: Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (10.59 Miles)

Wednesday: 7.04 Miles@8:46 pace on the treadmill

Thursday: REST DAY

Friday: 8.0 Miles@9:11 (First 5 miles with my other half and that last three miles alone @9:20, 8:24 and 7:22 pace.) We ran the same 5 mile course as last week and his pace went from an average of 10:04 with a few breaks last week to an average of 9:48 with no breaks at all this week.  He is so focused when he runs and he doesn't even talk to me!

Saturday:  Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11 Miles)

Sunday: 19 Miles@9:07 pace. I decided to kick my own behind for skipping out on my long run last week! I threw a little 3 mile climb in there and boy did it feel good to go back down! I also chose this route so that I would be forced to keep the pace easy. The plan was to run a long and steady run for the first ten miles to work on my endurance.

I ran the first 6 miles with the other half and the last 13 on my own. You guessed that right...Monday will definitely be a rest day for me!

TOTAL MILES: 34.04 Miles

If you follow me on Instagram then you probably already know that I signed up for a marathon. I am going to give Mountains 2 Beach Marathon another shot next May. I am planning to make this my goal race for a BQ! The race director mentioned on Facebook that is trying to change the last 6 miles of the course which is an out and back that everyone hates! If it actually happens then I think I can run a better race if all the stars align on race day.

Did you have a good week? What was the highlight of your week?

July Rewind

Another month has past and before we know it Thanksgiving will be here and then Christmas will sneak up us on too! July was a good month. I ran a decent amount of miles and I also started riding my bike trainer to get some cross training into my routine. I am actually really enjoying riding my bike and I am up to 45 minutes now! I bought a Garmin speed/cadence sensor so I can track my mileage on the bike and that makes it even more fun!

I had some great weeks and then I kind of fell of the wagon during Week Four after my ugly 5k. I skipped my long run and didn't make July record month as I had hoped for. There is always next month so I am hoping to reach a record month in August.

I ran a total of 127 miles in July and during my best week I ran 35 miles which is probably as good as it gets for me. I am not a high mileage runner and always try to stay under 40 miles a week since I am an injury prone runner! I also ran a 5K that I really don't want to think about anymore but you can read about it here.

So what does August have in store for me? The Disney Dumbo Double Dare starts on August 31st and I will be running the 10K followed by the Disneyland Half Marathon the next morning. I am kind of excited and nervous all at the same time for this one! I haven't set any goals for these races yet. I might just run them for fun since it will be a lot of miles for me!

I am still up in the air about my next marathon but I can tell you that registration for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon opened today and I am definitely registering for this one! I love everything about this race and I think this is the race that I have a big chance to get that BQ!

How was your July? 

Did you reach any new goals or earn any PR's?