Training Recap: Week Three (June 29-July 5)

This week was all about balance. I took a few days off of work with the hopes of going to Las Vegas to spend some time with the family but that did not happen. I did not want to leave my Grandma since she has not been feeling well. It is always challenging to stick to the training schedule and balance all of the other stuff in your life but it always comes together in the end.

I also decided on a last minute 10K on Independence Day since we were in town. 10K's are probably my least favorite distance which is why I chose it. I think the last one that I ran was in 2013 and I don't think I have ever ran a race on this holiday because of the summer heat.

Here is a recap of Week Three:

Monday: Strength Training: I am getting more comfortable in the weight area of the gym now but working out with my other half is kind of nice because we spend

Tuesday: Speedwork 3.48 Miles: This week was a little bit harder but I know in the end this stuff is really going to pay off for me. I think the heat has a lot to do with it.

Wednesday: Strength Training: I think squats are one of my favorites but I need to get better at them. I can't lift much but I am determined to get better at it.

Thursday: 12 Miles: This was an easy paced long run so I decided to change things up and run in one of my favorite places. The hills and the scenery were necessary to keep my mind occupied because I knew I was going to be out there longer than I wanted to be. I am really slowing down these longer runs and it can be tough.

Friday: REST DAY

Saturday: La Palma Fitness Run for Fun 10K: I wanted to run a race on Independence Day so I swapped out my goal pace run for this event. I definitely did not race this 10k but did run it at comfortable pace (8:09) that was faster than marathon goal pace. It was overcast and humid so I was seriously sweating after this one. It was a small race and most people run the 5k and not the 10K. I ended up placing 2/8 in AG. Gotta love those small races!

Sunday: REST DAY

TOTAL MILES: 21.73

Independence Day aka "Scare the Crap Out of Dogs Day" was a lot of fun. After the 10k, I went home and rested for a little bit and then spent some time with Grandma and BBQ'd. After Grandma time we spent some time with some other family members and watched fireworks from their front yard since they live near a school that does a firework show.

Did you celebrate Independence Day? If you did, how did you celebrate?

Did you run a race for the holiday?

My Life Lately...

February started off with the Surf City Half Marathon on 2/1/15 and then it seems like things have really been all over the place since then. While my knee continues to approve, my hip bursitis flared back up after my half marathon and I have just been taking it one day at a time. Work has been crazy busy and I feel like I have really been earning my paychecks lately. I love my job but the first time in a log time, I have been feeling a little overwhelmed to the point where I just want to come home and relax and not go for a run. I never thought I would be saying that but I am so mentally exhausted some days that all I can think of is just throwing on my sweats and laying on the couch with my dogs! These fur babies really bring me a sense of peace when I need it. 

Lets move on to something more positive. If you follow me on Instagram then you know that my son has been on a quest to lose a little bit of weight and he has started running on a regular basis. This meant changing his diet and adding more exercise to his daily routine. He is actually training for his first 5K in April and has been doing quite well. The truth is that he doesn't really like running all that much but he has found himself challenged by it. He can run up to 2.5 miles now and his pace is also improving. We tell him that he does not need to really focus on the pace because that is the least important aspect of reaching his goal. I find myself wanting to run with him because I am so impressed by his progress and I want to be a part his goal. I also work at keeping him motivated and feeling proud of himself. 

He has also dropped about 11 pounds and feels really good about that. He signed up for AYSO soccer this season which also help him improve his fitness. We are really proud of him to say the least.

I guess you can say that I am not giving up on running but I am just learning to accept the obstacles that are thrown my way without stressing out too much. Other than Ragnar So Cal in April, I am glad that I do not have any races on my schedule until May. This will allow me some time to think about how I will approach my race. My hopes are that I will be well and ready for my November marathon where I would really like to set some goals.

How has 2015 been treating you so far?

When is your next race?

Mid-Year Goal Check In

Time sure is flying by this year! I figured it was time to check in with my 2014 goals and see where I stand mid year. This is also a good way to keep myself accountable and push myself a little harder where I am lacking. Here is an update on my goals that I set for 2014.

MY GOALS FOR 2014

1) Run a Boston Qualifying Time of 3:45 or better. 
Status: This one hasn't happened yet. I think I might have missed my window of opportunity when I missed my goal race back in May. I still have time but I doubt that the race that I have in September not is the perfect race for it to happen. The weather will be a lot warmer so I don't want to get myself too excited about it.

2)  Run 1400 miles in 2014 which is an average of 117 miles/month.

Status: As of the end of June, my total mileage for the year is 661 and I should be at 702. I am coming up a little bit short on this one but I still have time to make it up. I think I can do it if everything continues to go as planned.

3) Run a Half Marathon in 1:45. My PR in the half is 1:46:58 and this year I did not give much focus to the half marathon but mainly used the distance for training runs.

Status: I am so used to using half marathons as part of my marathon training that I don't even know how to push myself in a half marathon. I might have to sign up for a half marathon and actually race it. I think I still have time to sign up for a fall half and see what I am capable of pulling off.

4) Put Speedwork back into my training.

Status:I actually added speedwork back into my training but noticed that I get lots of weird pains in my shins when I do it. I know that I need to do it but all the pains interfere with my other runs for the week so I am not sure how to approach this one. I don't want to risk an injury and end up side lined so I have been putting more focus on my tempo runs versus speedwork.

5) Give trail running a try. I have been wanting to try it for a long time and I think I will go for it in 2014.

Status: This  goal is definitely going to happen this year. I might just sign up for an easy trail run and see what happens. I bought some trail running shoes and they are still sitting there waiting for me to put them on and go for a run.

Did you set goals for 2014? If you did, check in and share how those goals are coming along mid-year!

Goodbye June and My Plans for July

Aside from the major goals that I have set for 2013, I like to come up with mini goals on a monthly basis. Here are some of the goals that I want to accomplish in the month of July:

1) Start using my bike trainer! My other half set it all up for me so now all I have to do is hop on and get going!

2) Choose a marathon to run! I am all over the place with this one. I see so many posts of different marathons that everyone is running and I want to run all of them. Here are some of the ones that I am seriously considering at this point: 1) Big Cottonwood: I love the course   2) Ventura is local and happens to fall the day after my birthday and 3) Long Beach is local and I really want redemption from 2011. I am not sure what to do! My intial thought was to run a marathon on my birthday but since it falls on a Saturday it is hard to find one.

 3) Cut back on the sweets and treats. I have been loving me some Rice Krispie Treats, cupcakes and chocolate covered raisins and I think it is starting to take it's toll.I would really like to be five pounds lighter before my next marathon but I am not good at dieting and probably never will be. I love to eat!

4) Run more than 140 miles this month. My record miles for a month currently stands at 140 miles.

What are your goals for July?

Marathon Training: Week 6

Six weeks flew by pretty darn quickly! I made it to the halfway point of my 12 week training plan which that means that I will be running a marathon in six weeks! SCARY! I am already getting nervous and I started thinking about my goals for this race. I wanted to have Goals A, B, and C but so far I have only come up with Goals A and B so far.

Here are the goals that I have come up with so far:

Goal A: Break Four Hours!! Anything under four hours counts, even it is 3:59:59!

Goal B: PR the race! In this case, anything under 4:05:16 would be a PR for me.

Goal C: ?? If I am in good physical condition I know I can finish the race so I don't want Goal C to be "Finish the Race."  I will have to give Goal C some more thought.
  

Here is a summary of how Week #6 went down:

Run #1: 7.00 Miles @8:38 on the treadmill. I have been finding that my first run of the week has been the hardest for me to do. I have to do some serious self talking to get myself to the gym to get it done. I think it might be the whole treadmill thing.

Run #2: 7.00 Miles @8:49. I took this run a little easier than Run#1 since I had big plans for a 18 miler and wanted to save my legs.

Run #3: 18.50 Miles @9:03.  After running a 20 miler a couple of weeks ago, 18 didn't seem too bad from a mental prospective. The plan was to take this one at a slower and steadier pace to work on my endurance but I didn't do so well at following that because I felt so good. My long runs have been in a group setting or at least with one other person lately and I am starting to get used to it. I used to always run alone but longer runs are much better when you have company to pass the miles. The weather was just perfect and I wish that it had been race day!

TOTAL MILES: 32.50

Next week will be an easier week for me. It's RAGNAR RELAY TIME!! I am only running a total of 12 miles since I didn't want to overdue it and end up injured for my marathon. I decided to play it safe and the plan is to have a good time.

Good Luck to everyone who is running the Boston Marathon!!  

I cannot wait until my day comes! I will get there someday..

Recap of My 2012 Goals and My Goals for 2013

I can't believe another year has past! It was not the best year because I lost my Grandpa and my Dad is still battling cancer. I may not have accomplished all of my Running Goals but I did accomplish other important things in my life like finally earning my Master's Degree. 

I battled two injuries this year with my hamstring and then with my shin which really set me back on reaching my goals. When I look back at my Running Goals for 2012, I started out with 3 major goals for 2012:

1) Run 3 marathons in 90 days and become a Bronze level Marathon Maniac.  

Status: Goal not met. Why? That damn hamstring injury that had me sidelined for a few months!

2) Run the remaining two half marathons/marathons needed to earn the Beach Cities Challenge Medal in the OC.  

Status: In Process.  Once again injury stopped me from running and I broke the series which has to be ran consecutively or you must start over! I restarted the series with the OC Half Marathon in May, then broke the series again by not being able to run the Long Beach Half in October due to shin issues. If everything goes as planned, it looks like I will be starting the series for the third time by running the Surf City Marathon on February 3, 2013! 

3) Run a Marathon in under 4 hours.

Status: Goal not met. The plan is to continue to strive for this and February 3, 2013 will be another attempt for me while I run the Surf City Marathon in honor of my Dad.

4) Run 1200 miles in 2012.

Status: Goal not met. I only ran 993 miles. I was shooting for 1000 miles but missed a run. 

Races: I completed 7 races in 2012: 4 Half Marathons, 2-10K's and 1-5K. The only distance that I PR'd was the half marathon with a time of 1:46:58.

 So what are my Running Goals for 2013?

I have to say that my injuries certainly changed things for me in 2012! Slowly working my way back into running has been a challenge because I was coming off of a year where I PR'd in three distances (5K, 10K and 13.1) and I I was so eager to keep that streak going to into the marathon. As I slowly worked my way back from my injury, I had to accept things that I really didn't want to.  I went from running a 1:47 half marathon to an almost 2 hour half marathon. My ultimate goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon so in order to accomplish this goal I have to become a stronger and faster runner. There is just no other way to get to Boston!

 Running Goals for 2013:

1)  Accomplish Goals 2 (Beach Cities Challenge) and Goal 3 (Sub Four Marathon) from 2012.  Goal #1 (Marathon Maniac) will be put on hold until I feel that I am strong enough to take it on and not risk another injury. Three marathons in 90 days is a lot of stress on the body and one needs to be in top shape to take on this challenge.

2) Stay Injury Free and be a smarter runner!  This should be Goal #1! I now know the warning signs of an injury and I need to be smart enough to back off when my body is sending me a message. I am also better at icing, foam rolling, stretching, using my Stick and knowing when a rest day is needed.

3) Continue to work towards that BQ.  I am not sure when it will happen or if it will ever become a reality but I am not giving up yet. 

4) Focus on the marathon!  I have yet to figure out this distance. I struggle the last 6.2 miles and I am not in love with the distance by any means. If only a marathon was just 20 miles!

5)  Earn a PR or 2!  I would love to improve my time in the shorter distances such as the 5K and 10K. I would also like to try a new distance. The 15K or 10 Mile race in 2013 interest me since I have been ran a race of these distances.

6) Run 1200 miles in 2013!

Races: So far I have five races on the Race Schedule including the Ragnar Relay which I am most excited about! I am also wanting to take on the Dumbo Double Dare but I am not sure yet.

I think that's it for 2013! I think these goals that are reasonable and achievable for me.

Did you meet your Goals for 2012? 

What are your Goals for 2013?  
I want to hear about them!

Marathon Training Plans

I guess I am committed to running a marathon on Super Bowl Sunday! The thought of it really scares me for some reason! I need to stay injury free for this one because I am running it in honor of my Dad and I don't want to have to sit it out. I have been trying to be a smart runner since my injury but have been battling sore shins lately. I have never had this problem occur as often as it has been so I am not sure what is going on. My shoes are good and no major changes in my running so I am kind of puzzled. Maybe I am just getting old?? In any case, I have been kind of taking it easy since I have the Long Beach Half Marathon coming up in a few weeks and I don't want to risk it. If I have to take it easy for this half I am completely fine with it. I will settle for my mini PR for the year and be happy that I was even able to accomplish that.

I am shooting for a 16 week training plan but have not decided on a plan to follow. I am unable to run more than 3-4 days a week due to my commitments at home and at work so I need to find a plan that fits my schedule. I would really like to fit in some lunch runs but I don't want to be all sweaty at work so that does not work for me or else that would make things a lot easier. My goal for the Surf City Marathon in February is 3:59:59 (9:09 pace). Seems simple enough but my slow death begins at Mile 20 and continues on to Mile 26.2 so I have to conquer these final 6.2 miles of hell this time around.

If I can stay injury free and everything goes as planned, I will begin my marathon training the week of October 14th.

Oh! If you haven't entered my GIVEAWAY to win a few of my favorite running things you can find it HERE!

Any suggestions on marathon training plans? Which marathon training plans have you used that have worked for you? Any tips for tackling those last 6.2 miles?

I usually write up my own training plans and end up changing them to meet the other demands in my life.

I Have a Handful Now and a Weekly Recap!!

Source

I Have a Handful Now!

I am so excited that I won an awesome giveaway from Jennifer over at Running with the Girls.  I won a Handful Bra and I am so excited!  I requested it in pink and I can't wait to receive it and try it out! Unfortunately that is not me in the picture!  Maybe if I use that handful bra enough I might come close to having that kind of body! Wishful thinking...

Week Four Training Recap: I had another  productive week and I am really pushing myself to stay disciplined about my training.  I hit all of my target paces/times and I did much better on my long run.  Sticking to my long run pace kind of happened on it's own because I was just tired and I had done a speed workout the day before.  I normally take a day off after a speed workout but my schedule was really busy last week and I had no choice but to follow it with a long run.

 

Monday: REST DAY

Tuesday: XT#1: 1 hour Spin Class.  The instructor was a substitute and the workout was not as challenging. There were a lot of first-timers in the class so I think he didn't want to scare them off.

Wednesday: Speed Workout: 6.8 miles.  I hit all of my target times but my watch died so I cut my cool down short.  Speed work is still challenging me and my behind always seems to hurt the next day. 

Thursday: 20 miles: I got a late start because I was tired and really wanted to put this run off until the next day but due to the chance of rain, I had to do it. I thought about turning back so many times but I knew that I had to keep going!

Friday: REST DAY

Saturday: XT#2: 45 minutes on Life Cycle (16.16 miles)

Sunday: Mission Inn Run 10K which I substitued for my 6 mile tempo run.

Total Mileage= 49.16 (33 of those miles were running)

I am super close to meeting my goal of running 1000 miles for the year.  I am currently at 997.76! I love meeting my Running Goals but that also means that I have to raise the bar and continue to challenge myself. I was planning on making today a cross training day but now I am tempted to go for a 2.24 run to hit that 1000 mile mark today!

This week will be just a tiny bit easier than last week since I have an 18 miler on the schedule!  Have a great week and congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend!