November Rewind and Pile On the Miles

November was a little tough for me since it took me a while to get back on track after the Long Beach Marathon. I had some hamstring issues during that race that scared me to death so I think the thoughts of injury in the back of my mind kept me from really jumping back into things like I really wanted to. My training for the LA Marathon had a rocky start but this past week I finally started to feel like things were getting back to normal again and then the hamstring issue tried to make another appearance.

I ran a total of 104 miles in November and thank God for Monica and Pile on the Miles or else I probably would not have come close to my goal. I set out to run 125 Miles in the month of November which is about average for me but I did not meet my goal. My hamstring started acting up again so I skipped my long run this past weekend and rested for 3 days. It was the smart thing to do even though it ate away at me.

I ran three races in November as well. I ran the Surfer's Point Half Marathon with my other half and I also ran a Turkey Trot (5K) on Thanksgiving Day. I also had the opportunity to run Ragnar Las Vegas with some incredible people. 

I also met one of my Running Goals of 2013 which was to run 1200 miles. I am really happy about having met this goal mid November because I know that I can to increase my mileage in 2014. I am thinking of setting my goal mileage to 1400-1500 for 2014.

What does December have in store for me? Well, I only have one race in December which is a fun run half marathon but LA Marathon training will be in full force and I will use this half as an easy long run. It is sometimes hard to stay on track with training during the holidays and when family is visiting from out of town but I am determined to stick with it!

How was your November?

What does December have in store for you? 

How do you stay on track with training during the holidays?

Three Things Thursday

1. Happy Halloween! My son is going to be Ironman this year and please do not ask how he squeezed into that costume! 

 

Sugar is going to be the Security Guard of the house since she does not take well to unfamiliar people. This costume fits her perfectly and was only $2.47 at Petsmart! DEAL!

2. I signed up for Pile on the Miles for the month of November over at Run Eat Repeat. If you haven't signed up yet, you should because you have a chance to win some pretty nice prizes and it keeps you accountable! My goal is to run 125 miles in the month of November.

Pile on the Miles 2013

3. I thought I was done signing up for races for 2013 but I am thinking about running this local Turkey Trot 5K. It is one of those small races that all of the fast people show up for so it is hard to place even though it is a small race. I ran it in 2012 and ended up placing 4th in AG.

Who else is participating in Pile on the Miles 2013?

What is your goal?

Any plans for running a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving?

I like to run Turkey Trots so that I can feel better about all of the food that I will be eating on Thanksgiving Day!

November Rewind and December Plans

November was a great month for me! I didn't achieve anything great per say but I am running again! The last few months have been less than pretty with very few miles and uncomfortable feelings in my shin.  I was kind of giving up and just getting used to not running. I think I even started getting a little bit lazy!

Look what I did in November! I ran 90 miles! It should have been 100 but due to the rain I missed my last long run of November.  Ninety is a good number for me and I am usually happy if I can get to 90-100 miles.;125 miles is better but 90 works! I have been increasing my long runs very slowly and I am up to about 13 miles right now. My pace is slowly getting better and I am taking it one day at a time and only running about 3-4 days a week. I will keep going until I feel like I need to slow things down.

Pile on the Miles was a success as well and it kept me motivated! My original goal for the month was 50 miles since I wasn't sure what I would be able to do but I ended up almost doubling my goal!

If I can continue to increase my long runs and remain pain free, I may still be able to run the Surf City Marathon in February. I may have to adjust my goal but it would be great to run that marathon in honor of my Dad no matter what time I cross the finish line!

December is looking very promising for me. I will be participating in a virtual race, Race for Recovery 10K, on December 8th to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy. There are some great prizes and NYC Running Mama did a great job putting this together. There is still time to sign up and donate if you haven't already. I am also very tempted to sign up for a Christmas fun run so don't be surprised if I do!

How was your November?

Any holiday themed runs on the agenda for December?

It Was A Busy Week...

I had a really busy week even though I only worked two days this week. I got so used to not working that those two days felt like a full week. I didn't run a ton of miles but my miles are definitely increasing slowly but surely.

Monday: 120 push ups and PT stretches

Tuesday: 6 Miles

Wednesday: 90 push ups and PT stretches

Thursday: 7.05 Miles

Friday: REST DAY

Saturday: 4.1 Miles: I waited for the rain to stop and then ran out of time since I had a hair appointment. 

Sunday: Planned on running but it didn't happen. I did do 120 push ups though!

TOTAL MILES: 17.15

My mileage for November is up to 51 miles which means that I met my goal for Pile on the Miles! Not much but a sign that things are moving along and I am happy with it. I would love to hit 100 Miles this month but not going to push it! I really I wanted to do that Turkey Trot I have been talking about but I think I am going to sit it out this year. I am kind of enjoying the pressure-free running I have been doing lately. I would love to do more but I know I have to slowly work my way back into things.

Other than running the weekend was pretty busy. On Friday night we attended a Tree Lighting Ceremony at a local mall. We weren't planning on going but we kind of stumbled upon it when we arrived at the mall. It was pretty crowded but we enjoyed it. My son loved the show and the snow fall that took place at the end after Santa Claus arrived. He knows the truth about Santa Claus but he enjoyed the laser show and the fireworks.

Saturday was also busy. I went for a quick run in the morning after he rain stopped and then headed to my hair appointment. I have been considering cutting my hair but too many people have been telling me not to so I didn't. I also started to do a little bit of Christmas shopping. I was surprised at all of the good sales that are going on before Black Friday. I promised myself that I am not going to go crazy this year and just focus on buying for my kids and the other young children in my family. My Saturday also included some preliminary grocery shopping for our Thanksgiving dinner. While grocery shopping, I stumbled upon up the last two packs of Hostess Crumb donuts off of the shelf! I am really bummed that Hostess went bankrupt. I am going to miss my mini 6 packs of Donettes! I grew up eating these things!

Sunday was pretty typical. After church we had lunch and then I took a nap and missed my run with a couple of running buddies :(  It's going to be another short week with only three working days for me this week. I am looking forward to another long weekend!

How was your weekend? Have you started Christmas shopping yet?

I Finally Had a Decent Week!

I am excited to say that I finally had a decent week and I feel like my running is starting to get back on track. I knew things were getting better once I was able to run 18 total miles last week without the shin pain lingering. I wasn't sure how long it would last but I just kept my fingers crossed and prayed for the best!  Not having any committed races for the remainder of 2012 took a lot of stress off of my back and is allowing me to slowly ease my way back into things.

Here is how my week went:

Monday: 6.5 miles on the treadmill at 8:44 average pace (I haven't seen the 8:XX pace in a while so I was excited!) I kind of pushed the last half because the dreadmill  is very boring!

Tuesday: 86 push-ups and PT stretches

Wednesday: REST DAY

Thursday: 6 Miles and ran the first half with Caroline. It was great running with her and I am sure that I talked her head off! 

Friday: 100 push-ups and PT stretches

Saturday: REST DAY

Sunday: 9 Miles

TOTAL MILES: 21.5

Pile on the Miles Update: I completed my first two weeks of Pile on the Miles with only 12 miles each week. Not so great but the good news is that I am running again and I am going to exceed my 50 mile goal for the challenge. At the time I signed up, the shin was still giving me grief and I wasn't about to sign up for a crazy amount of miles knowing that it was not going to happen. 

Moving Forward: I really want to get back to cross training and add spinning back into my routine. I kind of backed off of spinning so that I could rest my legs for running and get myself back up to speed. If things continue to improve, the plan is to increase the long runs and start preparing for the Allstate 13.1 Los Angeles Half Marathon that is coming up on January 13, 2013. I am still hoping to pull of the Surf City Marathon on February 3, 2013 but if not, I will just run the half marathon and plan for another marathon at a later date. 

Are you participating in Pile on the Miles? What is your goal?

A Running Update and Piling on the Miles

I haven't said too much about my lack of running status lately because I don't want to sound like a "Negative Nellie" all of the time but I am going to give you a little update in the most positive way that I can. The last two months since the Disneyland Half Marathon have not been so great. I have been battling some serious issues with my right shin and it just won't seem to go away.  I have icing like crazy, foam rolling, using my stick, taking ibuprofen and doing all of the things that I should be to get rid of the problem. My mileage for the past couple of months kind of says it all and it makes me sad just to look at it so I am not going to look....

I pretty much took a whole three weeks off to give my shins some rest and I think it helped. I have gradually started to run here and there and have been doing lots of cross training like spinning, the elliptical plus other stuff at home like push ups, planks, my PT exercises and stretches. I think I can actually do 50 "real" push ups now and I could only do about 15-20 a couple of months ago. I was lucky enough to run 6.25 miles while on my trip to Santa Barbara and I am feeling really thankful for that. It was a pain free run and I had very little shin pain afterward. That is actually the longest run I have done in almost two months. How pitiful is that? I have really been trying to play it smart this time since I have no races on the books for the remainder of the year. I have high hopes of doing a Thanksgiving 5K and possibly a Christmas 5K with my daughter for fun. We will see what happens but no matter what I promised myself that I will not do anything that I am not fully capable of even though I am craving a run over 10 miles. I should be starting my training for my February marathon right about now but I am not so sure if that is going to happen quite yet so if I have to downgrade to the half marathon or run a slower paced marathon than I would like to, then I have accepted that. 

I have decided that I am going to keep busy whether I am running or walking so I signed up for Pile on the Miles 2012, which takes place from  November 1st through December 1st. Run Eat Repeat is inviting everyone to sign up and you have the chance to win some goodies too! You can read the rules and sign up here. 

Go Ahead and Challenge Yourself!  

I am challenging myself so I won't feel so bad about all of the cupcakes and goodies that I plan to consume during the holidays!

 
If you have ever been injured, what are your alternatives to running to keep yourself sane?