Training Recap: Week Seven: (July 27-August 2)

We had some really hot weather this week in California. I really struggle through my runs in the heat and wish that I could run in the mornings. Since I work full-time, I have to do most of my runs after work so I have to just suck it up and get it done. 

Things are moving right along with my training and my hip pain has stayed away for 7 weeks now! Getting rid of the hip pain is truly my focus this time around and I am hoping that if I stick to the strength training, I will continue to run pain free. July was a good month for me. My mileage is starting to get back up there so I am really happy to have hit over 100 miles this month.

Here is a recap of Week Seven:

Monday: 7 Miles at Marathon Goal Pace. I really had to push myself through this one in the heat. It is amazing how marathon goal pace feels so hard in 90 degree temps. I waited a little too long for things to cool down and ended up running the last two miles in the dark.

Tuesday: Strength Training

Wednesday: 6.65 Mile Speed Workout: I normally do my speed workout on Tuesdays but I had to move my schedule around this week. The track was pretty empty and I was the last one to leave. I pretty much got kicked out and ended up doing the last part of my cool down in the parking lot.

Thursday: REST DAY: I was really needing a day off. I really appreciate these days now that I have added strength training in.

Friday: 16.2 Miles: My long runs are so much slower now and I am struggling with this. I try to include hills on my long runs so that I am forced to slow things down. It actually works and is not so bad plus I can always use the hill workout.

Saturday: Strength Training: The gym was empty so it was nice to get in and out of there and not have to wait for any of the equipment.

Sunday: 30 Minute Workout: This was my choice day where I can do 30  minutes of cross training but no running. I wasn't in the mood to go to the gym so I used what I had at home.  I tried to target all of the major areas (legs, arms, glutes and core) for this one.

TOTAL MILES: 29.85

My long run this week is 13 Miles and my running club is doing 14 miles so I am going to run with them this weekend. Running in a group sure makes the miles fly by and makes it a lot easier to do. Enjoy your week everyone!

Hello June and what I am looking forward to this month..

May came and went so quickly! I think I kind of lost track of May since I had my big race at the end of the month and was really focused. I love the summer months because my son will be on summer vacation in a couple of weeks and we may take some fun trips but June is not a good month for running. That is the part that I do not like. The summer heat is brutal here in California and makes training and running races a pain in the butt!

May was a low mileage month for me since I was tapering for my marathon and for the last week of the month I did not run to allow my body to rest and recover. I know that recovery is an important part of the whole running a marathon process and I don't want to risk an injury either. 

So what else am I looking forward to in June? 

1. I am looking forward to my graduation ceremony on June 16th. Getting my Master's degree is quite an accomplishment for me since I never ever thought I would even go back to school let alone do it while working a full-time job. The graduation ceremony falls on Father's Day this year so I am also looking forward to seeing my Dad and spending the day with him.

2. My niece will be visiting from South Carolina and will be arriving in California on June 11th. We have some fun stuff planned for her. We really want to take her to Disneyland since she has not been to Cars Land yet. By the way, Disneyland is raising their prices again tomorrow!

3. I am also looking forward to getting back to running and maybe picking things up a little bit. As I have unexpectedly gotten closer to that BQ, it makes me want to work for it that much harder. I am also itching to run another marathon but I am not sure when or where. I want to keep my body and mind familiar with the distance and I might just run another as a training run. I have never done that before but I am glad that I am feeling more gutsy when it comes to 26.2 miles! Prior to this last one, I was scared to death to take it on again.

Tell me about your month of May? Any big plans for June?

Things I Am Loving Thursday and One Thing That I Am Not

1. My Nuun Singlet and Watermelon Nuun- I received my Nuun singlet via UPS on Tuesday and I was a little more than excited. I am not sure when or where I am going to wear it but I am excited to show it off! Speaking of Nuun, the new watermelon flavor is the next best thing to…I don’t know what!! It is my favorite flavor of the three new ones that they just released. You have to try the new flavors!

2. Spun Performance Compression Socks-I received the compression socks that I won from a giveaway on Monday and I tried them out. Not too bad and I think I kind of like them. I am thinking that I will use them for recovery since they blend in a lot better with my work attire. They are really comfortable and fit perfectly and are priced much cheaper than most compression socks!

3. Miles for March- I am so excited that I have ran 80 miles so far this month and we still have ten days left in the month. I know that I have to take it easy and not get too excited because when I do I tend to over due it and that can lead to things that I don’t like! The good old “I” word which I am not going to even mention! Bottom line is that I think it is going to be a good month for me!

I do have some really sad news and it is the one things that I am not loving this Thursday. My 12-year old Pom, Roxy, was diagnosed with heart problems. She started coughing over the weekend and after a trip to vet we learned that she has some fluid around her heart and a murmur. She is in the early stages of heart disease so I don’t think she is going to leave me any time soon. Thank the Lord because I love my dogs so much that I can't handle this kind of stuff! We started her on some medications and hopefully they will do the trick and keep her happy and comfortable for a while longer. I have had this girl since she was 8-weeks old and I love her to death. I don’t believe in buying dogs but someone else I know did and she kind of became my dog.

In other news, I found the limited edition Chapstick that I was looking for! I was so excited when I found them that you would have thought that I won the lottery! Did I ever tell you that if I forget my Chapstick on race day that I will totally have a terrible race?

Have you tried the new Nuun flavors?  Which is your favorite?

How is your March coming along?

13 in 2013

I can’t believe that we are entering the third week of February already! My year has started out great and I am excited to say that I have completed three half marathons to date for 2013. I actually joined "13 in 2013" so my goal will be to complete 13 races of various distances in 2013.

I am still looking for a March race and can’t seem to decide what distance I want to go for or how far I am willing to travel. I am trying to stay local so that I can avoid hotel fees since I still have about nine more months of the year to think about in terms of races. I think i have about exhausted my Vegas winnings on race entries and other running related things!

Everyone is talking about the Chicago Marathon today but as much as I am itching to register for it, I am going to have to pass this year. I am curious to see how soon it will sell out this year. My goal this year is to complete the Beach Cities Challenge so if all goes well I will be registering for Long Beach to complete the series. Long Beach happens to fall on October 13^th, the same day as the Chicago Marathon, and since I can’t be in two places at once, I am going to stick with my goal and run Long Beach instead. I plan to register for Long Beach by the end on the month before the price increase.

I had a good week was able to put in about 27 miles, including the Rock 'n' Roll Pasadena Half Marathon, which is about average for me. My miles are right where I like to see them so I am hoping that February will be a 100-mile plus month for me!

So who is running the Chicago Marathon? 
How long do you think it will take to sell out this year if it hasn't sold out already!

Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Running

What a weekend! My Thanksgiving was great and I think I have been eating and snacking nonstop since Thursday! Our Thanksgiving dinner was delicious and turned out really well. I ran 8 miles in the morning and then showered and finished cooking. The dogs had their own little special meals too! They loved and it and are now wondering why they are back to eating the same old food again.

We relaxed for a little while after dinner and then headed over to Target for the Black Friday sale that started at 9:00 p.m. The line was already wrapped around the building when we arrived at 8:30 p.m but they everyone who was in line in was able to get in when the store opened. I was able to get everything that I wanted including my iPad. I also grabbed a camera for $99.00 and a few DVD for $10.00. We waited in line for about 30 minutes to pay and by the time we left Target it was incredibly packed.

Our next stop was the mall but we only needed to go to one store. The mall was super crowded and most of the stores were not able to let everyone in so they had long waits just to enter the stores. The lines at Victoria's Secret and Coach were over an hour long. We went to Sports Authority and then left the mall. We got up the next morning and headed to Kohls, Petsmart and two malls to see what was left. The Nike Store was a complete mess. I could not believe that people would actually do something like this and not even care. What is so hard about trying on a pair of shoes and then putting them back where you found them?? Very sad...

I was pretty beat after all of that shopping but the good thing is that my Christmas shopping is about 95% complete!  I actually did a lot of my shopping online this year and really focused on the kids in my family. It gets expensive trying to buy for everyone. I wish my family would draw names and make things easier. 

I am still running and had a couple of great runs this week. My pace is getting better and my pain is just about gone! I ran 25 miles this week and I am really happy! I think I am going to hit 100 miles this month! I am 24 miles away from a 100 mile month and will also double my goal for Pile on the Miles! I am still taking it easy though and have not signed up for any races for the remainder of the year. I am really wanting to do a Christmas race but I have not signed up as of yet. I am kind of enjoying this pressure free running right now to be honest with you. I am focusing on increasing my long runs since I do have some races coming up in the beginning of 2013.

Tuesday: 6 Miles

Thanksgiving: 8 Miles (planned on 7 but felt great and kept going)

Saturday: 11 Miles (I planned on 10 but decided that I needed to push it a little since I have been eating too many goodies for the past few days.) Speaking off goodies, this also happened on Saturday. 

Saturday was Small Business Saturday and American Express offered a $25.00 statement credit for any purchase of $25.00 or more at local small businesses who accept their credit card. My favorite cupcakery was on the list so I bought a dozen. I shared them with my running buddies and kept a few for us at home. They were so good and will only cost me $5.00 after the credit from American Express. Can't beat that deal!

Today was spent going to church and picking up some decorations for my front yard and eating again! We have been wanting to try a burger from The Habit and happened to see one while we were out and about. It was good but I was not too impressed. I think In and Out Burger does it ten times better!

Now that Thanksgiving has ended, it is time to get in the Christmas spirit and decorate the house both inside and out! I love it when my house is all decorated but I dread taking it all down and putting it away. I think I am going to get busy on that now!

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you Turkey Trot?

Mine was great but I have to stop eating so much! Thanksgiving is over!

Did you get any good Black Friday deals? What did you buy?

Who makes the best burgers? 

I am voting for In and Out!

South Carolina Bound and a Weekly Recap

I will be packing up my bags and heading out to South Carolina for a few days in mid August. It will be just me and my niece since we have a house full of puppies and cannot leave them alone. I asked my son if he wanted to come along but he did not want to leave his Daddy behind. My sister and her family are now residing in Charleston and I have not seen them since January. My brother-in-law is in the Navy so this is where they are calling home for the next couple of years. We are hopeful that once he finishes school they will be able to move closer to California so that we can see them more often. 

My niece is here visiting and we will be flying to South Carolina together so that she does not have to fly back home alone. I am also excited to see my nephew who just celebrated his first birthday. Jazzy, the family Pitbull Yorkie may or may not be excited about my presence so hopefully I come back home in one piece! She is only four pounds but swears that she is ten times her size!

Last night I was busy searching  for a race to squeeze in while I am in South Carolina but no such luck. I was only able to find triathlons and I am not ready for that yet. I am still very excited to go for a couple of runs while I am there since I enjoy the change of scenery and running in new places. I have heard that South Carolina is a beautiful place so I am looking forward to visiting a state that I have never experienced.  I am a California girl at heart but I do enjoy visiting new places.

Weekly Recap: I had a good week.  I finally ran 100 miles in the month of June!  I have not seen a decent month since December due to my injury.  I am slowly increasing my mileage and hoping to return to better days again.  

I ran 25.55 miles last week and I had a great long run on Saturday with an average pace of 8:19.  The warm weather does not make it all that enjoyable but I guess I will get used to it . When the sun is out, 61 degrees feels like 80 degrees to me! I have been avoiding the treadmill this week for some reason that I can't seem to explain. 

Any ideas of fun things to do, or places to visit while in South Carolina?

Long Training Run Number 6: NOT!

Weekend Recap
 

This was a very interesting week as my far as running to say the least.  I didn't run for five consecutive days and no long Sunday run for me either. It was more like a long walk at the House of Mouse. My family and I took a trip to Disneyland on Friday and we walked for hours and hours.  We had a great time and we met Duffy, Russell and Doug and checked out all of the new rides at California Adventure. I also enjoyed the new Mickey's Soundsational Parade while I iced my shins!  

Duffy the Disney Bear

Up is one of our favorite movies!

 Yes, I iced my shins at Disneyland....

The plan was to run 15 miles on Sunday but of course it did not happen due to my shin splints.  I promised myself that as long as I felt pain, I would not run and I didn't.  I was starting to feel really irritated and grouchy by Friday due to lack of running so I am glad that the pain went away. I think that my family is glad that I am running again too :) I also made an executive decision to go back to my old Nike Vomero's and be done with it. No more switching shoes, especially in the middle of training! Duh!  I iced like crazy, took Advil and just waited for the pain to go away!  I was pain free on Friday and went for a quick run before visiting Mickey Mouse.

My oldies but goodies!

I basically crammed as much running as I possibly could into a three-day period.  I ran 3 miles on Friday, 8 miles on Saturday and 8 miles on Sunday.  I did not complete my scheduled mileage for the week but I feel lucky to be on the road again. Running three consecutive days for me is pretty difficult.  My pace is not as great and my shins don't appreciate it. I usually run every other day so completing 8 miles for two consecutive days is pretty good for me. I really felt challenged on Sunday to say the least! I was dripping with sweat after my run even after I opted to run on the shadiest side of the street. It was kind of gross but it made me feel like I worked hard!

Oh how I love the shade when I'm lazy!

I am still on track for achieving a 100-mile month so I am really excited about it! I am ending this week with 84 miles on the books.  I am 16 miles short of reaching my goal and I think it's going to happen this month.  Can't wait to see that 100-mile month happen!

 Oh and by the way....my new compression sleeves came yesterday so I am excited to give them a try and see how they work for me.

The 100 Mile Club

For the month of June I ran a total of 89.34 miles, which is short of my goal of 100 miles per month.  Due to the my injuries, I was forced to cut back on my running, get a little physical therapy, and let myself heal to prevent my injuries from getting worse. I am happy to report that my ITBS and shin splint issues are much better and I am able to run more often with minimal pain or none at all. I am still taking good care of myself and icing after every run and taking Advil to prevent any swelling.

I am looking forward to getting back in the swing of things and hoping for a 100 mile month in July.  Now that I am in training for the Long Beach Marathon in October, I should be able to achieve a 100 miles in July without a problem.  The last time that I had a 100 mile month was January 2011, so I am excited abut getting back in the “100 mile club” and hitting a minimum of 1000 miles for the year.  Wish me luck!