A Week of Workouts and a DNS

The weeks are flying by so fast and summer is in full effect. We kind of had a small break this week from the 90 degree heat but it is going to be back next week. My long runs take some strategic planning when it come to this heat.

This past Saturday I was supposed run the Zooma Napa Valley Half Marathon. The bad news is that I did not make it to the race. When I stepped out of bed on Friday morning, I had the worst pain in my right heel. I could hardly walk on it. I have dealt with a minor case of plantar fasciitis in the past so I know what to do. I decided that I did not want to take the six hour drive and spend $400 on my hotel if I was not going to be able to run the race. It was a difficult decision but I know that I would have felt even worse if pain kept me from finishing the race. I think I prefer a DNS over a DNF!

I had to change my running plans around at the end of the week due to the heel pain. In other words, I missed my long run this week because I didn't want to push it. I was pretty bummed since it kind of killed my mileage for June.

Monday: Rest Day with strength training. I keep these things right by my bed so they are right there when I need to get up and do them. I am really enjoying the medicine ball!

Tuesday: 7.32 Miles@ 8:12/I had a really busy week at work and did not get home from work until almost 11:00 pm on Tuesday. I still made time for my run but I was exhausted by the time I finally got home.  I am very lucky to have the job that I have so I cannot complain.

Wednesday: Rest Day with strength training. I can hold a plank for over three minutes now so I am kind of proud of myself because it's progress. I would really like to get to five minutes one day!

Thursday: 6.02 Miles@9:08/I was not in the mood for the treadmill so I took my chances and ran in the 80 degree heat. It was slow, painful and ugly (9:40, 9:14, 9:12, 9:11, 9:06, 8:26.) I know that every run cannot be a good run so I pushed through it and got it done.

Friday:Rest Day with strength training. 

Saturday: 7.10 Mile Progressive Run @8:39 avg/The weather was perfect and I wanted to test out my foot to see if my heel would hurt while I ran and it did not. Thank God! I started out easy and then picked it up the last few miles. I have been rolling my foot with a frozen water bottle and tennis ball to get it under control. I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

Sunday: 5 Miles Easy@ 8:56/After my run we headed out on a road trip to Las Vegas. My son was pretty bummed that he did not get to go to San Francisco as part of our trip so we made a quick trip to Las Vegas and he was good with that. I will post some pictures of our trip when we return.

Total Miles: 25.44 (Pretty low mileage week, but low miles is better than no miles.)

Have you ever dealt with plantar fasciitis?  Any advice?

Another Week of Training and a Half Marathon

Whatever happened to June gloom? The heat has really picked up this week and it has been 90-95 degrees every single day! The only bad thing about running a fall marathon is training through the summer heat. My long runs must start around 6:00 am or else I am in big trouble.  I can't stress over it. It is what it is and the weather is completely out of my control. 

Here is what my training looked like last week.

Monday: 4.1 Miles@9:54 / I wanted to take things easy so I ran 2 miles uphill and two miles downhill at a controlled pace. This has become one of my favorite places to run since it is shaded and I can run outdoors even if it's really hot. I also did some strength training when I got home.

Tuesday: 6 Miles@8:19/This run was tough. After the first mile, I was exhausted. I kept telling myself that I was going to just run one more mile and then stop. I did not stop and every mile was a huge struggle. I always feel so good after finishing these tough runs because they teach you how to be tough and push through those rough moments.

Wednesday:Rest Day from running but did some strength training.

Thursday: 5.5 Miles@8:26

Friday: 7 Miles@8:07/One things that I love about going to the gym on a Friday night is that it is completely empty. I wanted to get a tempo run in for the week so I forced myself to step it up a bit. I did a 2 mile warm up, followed by 8:00, 8:00, 7:53, 7:47 and then a 1 mile cool down. It wasn't that bad and I felt like I had a really good run when I was done.

Saturday: Rest Day from running but did some strength training.

Sunday: 13 Miles@8:29/I ran the first half easy and then I picked up the pace the last half. Finding the strength to finish my runs strong is something that I am always working on.

Total Miles: 35.5 

This weekend I will be running the Zooma Valley Half Marathon. I have already checked the weather and it looks like it is going to be a warm day in Napa. The race starts a little late so hopefully we will miss the heat. I don't have a race day plan and almost never do for half marathons. I pretty much run them and see what happens.

Anyone else running a race this weekend?

12 Weeks From Now and an 80 Minute Plank

Guess what happens 12 weeks from now? It will be my birthday. I am old so I don't really look forward to birthday's anymore but I am actually looking forward to my birthday this year. I started running in the end of 2010 and since then I have never found a local race that takes place on my birthday. I have always wanted to run a race on my birthday and this year it is actually going to happen. What a great way to torture myself on my birthday, right?

I signed up for the full marathon since it was only $70.00 but I am leaving the option of running the half open as well. I want to enjoy the race and not pressure myself too much on my birthday but the other voice in my head has other ideas that I am ignoring at the moment. The thought of a Birthday BQ would be awesome but I don't want to be sad on my birthday if it doesn't happen. Registration for Boston 2015 starts the day after my birthday  so it would make perfect sense to get with it but I am not committing to anything at this point. It makes me nervous to just think about it.

In any case, my training has been aimed at the marathon. September is known to be a hot month here in Southern California so if the forecast is pointing at a hot day I will most likely run the half and then start looking for a fall marathon to run in October or November. I don't do well in the heat. I am not sure how I survived the LA Marathon earlier this year. I just remember it was not pretty and not wanting to ever do it again.

I don't think I mentioned this but I have been kind of challenging myself with planks lately. I am not following any kind of plank challenge or anything like that. i am just doing my own thing. I just try to add 10 seconds every to my record each time. When I first started I think I could hold it for 1:20 and within a week I was up to 2:40. I am kind of proud of myself. I don't really have a goal but I hope I can hold one for 3-4 minutes within a couple of weeks. 

Did you hear about the 16-year old girl from Boulder,Colorado who held a plank for one hour, 20 minutes and five seconds and earned her way into the Guinness Book of World Records? I have some serious work to do if I want to catch up to her!

Source

 Have you ever ran a race on your birthday?

What is your record for a plank?

A Painful Week and a Race-Cation

Th beginning of this week was pretty painful but ended well. My quads were hurting for days from last weeks squats and the half marathon that I ran on Saturday as well. I think I have to chill with the squats because they interfere with my running. I guess I am a wimp :(

Monday: Rest Day-Even though I did not race the half marathon my legs still felt it due to the downhill grade of the course. I needed to take the day off to let my legs recover.

Tuesday: 7 Mile Progressive Run. I certainly was not in the mood to run but I know the feeling of missing a run so I am glad I showed up. My yurbuds died so the last two miles were really hard to finish.

Wednesday: Rest Day from running but still did some strength training. I had a dentist appointment to have some old fillings replaced so I didn't think running with my numb lips flapping in the wind would be a good idea.

Thursday: 7 Mile Progressive Run @8:16 on the treadmill.

Friday: 4 Mile Jog/Walk with my other half, my son and my running buddy. My son wants to train for a 5K since he out of school for the summer. Let's see if he actually sticks to it! I know he can do it but he would probably have to walk more than he could run.

Saturday: Rest Day from Running but did some strength training. We decided to celebrate Father's Day a day early to avoid the crowds. We went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch and it was so good. My favorite things to eat there is the Chicken Madeira. If you have never tried it then you have to!

Sunday: 15 Miles@8:41. I ran the first half easy and then ran the last half at MGP or slightly faster. I try not to stare at my Garmin the entire time since it kinds of stresses me out. I can usually tell when I am going faster than I should be so I check in every once in a while.

Total Miles: 33 Miles

It looks like my friend is probably not going to make it to Napa with me to run the Zooma Napa Valley Half Marathon. I was really looking forward to running with her but I know that she is still going through a lot and I need to be sensitive to that. 

I haven't thought about any goals for the half marathon yet. I don't think I have raced a half in quite some time. All of my half marathons always seem to become part of my marathon training. I am not sure if I am ready to race a half but I guess I will see how I feel as it gets closer to race week. In any case, I want to enjoy the run since we will be making a short race-cation out of the trip up to Napa. I am looking forward to it since we are always so busy and haven't taken a vacation in a long time. My son wants to see Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge but is not excited about the long drive.

How was your week?

Did you do anything special for Father's Day?

A Week of Workouts and What's Better than a PR to me

This week was not as great as last week in terms of running. I overdid it on leg day and I was sore for a couple of days. I missed a run and was forced to take a rest day and missed a run but I am okay with it since it was for a good reason. 

Here is a recap of my week.

Monday: Rest Day- My son had his last band concert and that was the priority of the evening.

Tuesday: 7.39 Mile Tempo Run on the treadmill. It was way too hot to run outdoors but it ended up being a really good run. I could have kept going but I only had an hour to get it done.

Wednesday: Since it was National Running Day, I went for a 4 Mile run with my other half. It was rough in the 85 degree temps but we survived.

Thursday: Squats, Planks and Push Ups. I think I added too much weight for my squats and ended up being really sore for a couple of days.

Friday: I had to take a forced Rest Day since my quads and my rear end were in too much pain to do anything.

Saturday: I paced my friend to a sub two hour half marathon finish. It was a great day! She PR'd by 12 minutes and she was incredibly happy! I love seeing others reach their goals. It is a better feeling to me than when I earn a PR! I got my long run done at MGP so it worked out for both of us! 

Congratulations to Megan who also smashed her goal and ran a sub two half! She is proof that you never know what you are capable of until you step out of your comfort zone! I am so darn happy for her! I gave her the biggest hug ever and couldn't get enough of the big smile on her face! I am telling you, it was one of the best days ever!

Sunday: I attended my annual family reunion and took a break from running but I did work my arms and my back.

Total Miles: 24.56

How was your week? Did you race this weekend?

Getting Back on Track and a Much Better Week

After missing my race last week, I was determined to get back on track. I keep telling myself that goals don't get met by just thinking about them. My motivation was really low the previous week and I don't even want to tell you how many times I planned to go for a run and simply did not. It was pretty sad. Roxy wasn't feeling so well last week but I am happy to say that Roxy is kind of back to normal again. She is eating and was even playing with toys the other night. I think she didn't want me to go to my race but it's all good. I am just happy that she is feeling better. I have to say that this was the best week that I have had in a long time. I needed this.

Monday: REST DAY to enjoy Memorial Day with my family.

Tuesday: I  took the day off and started my week off by going for a 9 mile run. I didn't worry about my pace at all. I just ran. I have kind of been in that mood lately. I don't want the pressure of pace every time I run. I feel a lot more at ease when I just enjoy my run. I am saving the pressure for those runs when I have a set distance and time. I am still not in love with speedwork by the way.

Wednesday: I met up with a friend for dinner but I was determined to stop at the gym, which is on the way to her house, to get a few miles in. It felt nice to do what I set my mind to do and I had a good run even if it was only 4 miles. 

Thursday: REST DAY

Friday: 6 mile tempo run on the treadmill. 

Saturday: 4 Miles with my other half. He has not been running lately and is trying to get back into it. We ran this same route together last week in 39:53 (9:53 avg) and on Saturday we ran it in 37:10 (9:17 avg.) 

Sunday: 12.5 mile run on some pretty tired legs. I rarely run consecutive days but this 12.5 miler was day three without a rest day. I am in the middle of drafting my training plan so this week I played around with different things so I can finalize my plan.

Total Miles: 35.61

Zooma Napa Valley Half Marathon is at the end of this month and I am looking forward to it. I know it is going to be a beautiful run. Hopefully the weather cooperates but if not it's okay. I am going to enjoy my race either way.

Anyone else running the Zooma Napa Valley Half Marathon?