Training Update: Week 14 (September 14-September 20)

This week was a tough one and all of my runs seemed harder than they should have been. I felt very fatigued after the Ventura Half Marathon last Sunday and did not have much energy at all this week. My IT bands were sore for a few days which was very odd. I have never experienced that before especially after a race that I did not give 100%. I did not even make it to the gym all week and did all of my strength training at home. I tried to stay positive and thankfully things came together at the end of the week.

Here is a recap of Week Fourteen:

Monday: Strength Training: I have all of the tools that I need at home so when I don't feel like driving to the gym I have no excuse!

Tuesday: 3.25 Miles with 30 second pickups: Thankfully this was a short run because I was just not feeling it. I fought through it and got it done.

Wednesday: Strength Training: I did not make it to the gym again and did my strength training at home.

Thursday: 6.23 Miles: This was my toughest run of the week. I had the day off so I went to the track early and had the toughest time hitting my goal paces. I stopped a few times because I was so frustrated. I finally pulled it together and finished it because quitting was not an option.

Friday: REST DAY: I really needed this day off. I felt like my body needed a day to recover and get back on track.

Saturday: 17.25 Miles: After having such a bad week, the negative thoughts were already stuck in my mind. I also knew it was going to be a hot day so that was not helping my negative thoughts. I started while it was still dark out and finished before the heat set in. This run turned out better than expected and the last three miles were the fastest. I needed that!

Sunday:  REST DAY: Definitely needed this day to relax and that is what I did. We went to the beach and enjoyed the day. I also worked on my compression sock tan which is much needed. I know..it's pretty bad! I am working on it.

TOTAL MILES: 26.73

2015 MILES: 941

This week I really need to focus on getting my mind back in the game. Thankfully it is a easier week and my long run is only ten miles at marathon goal pace. I think I can handle that but if the heat would let up that would make it that much better.

A Beach Trip for a Birthday!

Yesterday was my other half's birthday so we decided to load up the car and spend the day at the beach! I made sure that we had everything packed and didn't forget the important stuff like the kids and my running shoes! We usually take a small trip away to celebrate our birthdays but since we have the puppies we could not this year.

I went on an easy 5 mile run before I enjoyed some family time. The weather was overcast and about 60 degrees.  It was cool but I still worked up a good sweat.  It was nice to have a change in scenery and I really enjoyed myself! Huntington Beach has a really nice bike path and it was pretty busy with runners, walkers, people riding their bikes and lots of people just walking their dogs. Huntington Beach, also known as Surf City, is home to the Surf City Marathon/Half Marathon which takes place every year on Super Bowl Sunday.  

The beach toys somehow got left behind so the kids played in the water, walked on the pier and they even had the chance the sit in a police car.  Overall they really had a good time and worked up quite an appetite!

My daughter and I spend most of the day laying on the sand and reading magazines.  At some point we fell asleep and I think I forgot to put sunscreen on my tummy and I am now paying for it. I have a big red stripe across my stomach!

Today is also an exciting day as I may have a chance to participate in an event that is on my Running Bucket List. 

 Have a great weekend!

HOT HOT HOT!

If the weather is anything like it was this Sunday, I am in big trouble for my half marathon this coming Sunday! I do not do well at anything in the heat and there's just no way around it!  This is what http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USCA1306is predicting for this coming Sunday:

I have seen so many posts lately about Hurricane Irene and how it is affecting the lives of so many people.  I feel for everyone who has been affected by it and wish them well.  I was hesitant to even post my complaints about the weather that we have been having in California but I needed to vent because my running is greatly affected by the extreme heat so please hear me out!  Can you believe that it was 74 degrees at 6:00am?? Having said that, you can just imagine how my long run went on Sunday! This is coming from a girl who is used to and prefers to run in 50-60 degree weather in order to function!

When I set out at 6:00am, the sun was not beaming down on me just yet so it wasn't that bad at first. I think things were pretty tolerable the first four miles and then it started to get ugly by the mile for the remaining 10 miles. I mapped my run out so that I passed the same spot three times so that I did not have to drop water at multiple locations.  I drank all of the water that I dropped and barely made it home before I died of dehydration. There were multiple instances during my Sunday run that I honestly thought that I wasn't going to make it. I have never been so happy to see sprinklers in all of my life.  I normally hate getting my shoes wet but on this particular Sunday I didn't care what got wet! By the time I was done, it was 84 degrees and I was beat!

After my very heated run, I went to Huntington Beach with my family and just took it easy.  We had a good time and this seems to be one of our new hang out spots.  It's an inexpensive way to spend time together and keep the kids entertained for hours. HB is also a cool place to run since it is usually 10-15 degrees cooler with a nice ocean breeze.

My husband and I.

My brother in law, me, my husband and my sister.

My son decided to get a beach workout in while we were there!

We tried to keep it somewhat healthy...

I am hoping for better days in September after all of the events that consumed me in August. Friday after work I picked up Baby's ashes and his cute little paw print. It kind of brought the hurt back all over again but I guess it is part of the healing process.  We all miss Baby so much but are at peace knowing that he is no longer suffering.  Dad is gaining his strength back slowly but surely and will be starting his chemotherapy again in September.  I am hoping the best for him because he sure is a fighter.  He inspires me and his will to live reminds me to be thankful for the small things in life on a daily basis. Grandpa also had surgery yesterday and is doing quite well. I just need all of my loved ones to get better so that I can stop being a worry wart and focus on my marathon that is just 39 days away!

My Baby's ashes and his cute little paw print.

It looks like the month of August is going to be a good month as far as miles.  Last month I banked 112 miles and I think I might exceed that by just a pinch this month.  I have also been thinking about buying a bike.  I think it might be fun to add cycling to my cross training but man are those road bikes pricey! I think I need a raise before I can invest in one of those bad boys!

Any suggestions on what type of bike I should buy?  What type/brand of bike do you ride and what would you recommend?

Emotional Roller Coaster Weekend

This weekend was an emotional roller coaster to say the very least!  My best canine friend died on Friday and then we had a surprise 60th birthday party for my Dad, who is battling cancer, on Saturday.  My Dad has been in the hospital for the past two weeks and had surgery to have his gallbladder removed.  He lost a lot of weight and has not been feeling that great.  It is really hard to hide anything from my Dad but we truly surprised him this time!

Me and my Dad!

I have never seen my Dad cry in all of my life and this surprise party actually brought him to tears!  It was really hard to see my Dad cry because he always told us as kids not to cry.  My Dad grew up in a Japanese family that went through a lot of hardship but he never saw either one of his parents cry so he grew up with a very tough heart. Don't get me wrong, my Dad is a great person and he would not strike you as an heartless person but he is just never been one to wear his heart on his sleeve.  I watched both of my grandparents die (his parents) and he never cried at their funerals or during their last moments of life. He even cried when I told him that my dog has passed away. Although it was hard to see my Dad in such an emotional state, it was kind of nice to see the sensitive side of him that I have never seen before.

My Dad and Step mom

It was a small party with mostly family but he had a great time and he really enjoyed himself.  He didn't even seem to mind it when his sister in law put cake all over his face! She really got him good!

My step mom had the priest from her friend's church come to the party to pray for my Dad and to bless him. My Dad is a believer but has never been one to go to church so this was really good for him. He told me that the priest did not try to mislead him to think that he would get better but just reassured him that if he didn't that everything was going to be fine. I think he found some comfort in hearing those words.

So Sunday rolled around and I had a 14 mile run on the agenda.  After enduring all of these emotionally draining events, I was in no mood to run...at all! I woke up at 5:45am on Sunday, put my running clothes on and then thought of my dog and decided not to do it!  My daughter sent me a text a few minutes later and said, "Let's go the beach today."  I wasn't in much of the mood to go to the beach but I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to get out of the house.  I really needed to get my mind off of my dog and my Dad so we got our beach stuff together and headed to Huntington Beach.  I wore my running clothes to the beach and hoped that by the time I got there I would be motivated to do some running. The weather was great and there is a really nice bike trail at Huntington which runners also utilize.  I had never ran on or near the beach before so it was a nice change for me. 

They decided to take it easy and do this, while I ran. They were pretty slow because they could not keep up with me (not that I am fast or anything) for nothing! 

Needless to say, I did not run 14 miles as planned! I called it quits at 6.55 miles and decided to spend some quality time with the family and try to recover from the overwhelming chain of events that had occurred in the previous days. I laid on the sand for the remainder of the day, took it easy and did some people watching.  These two got the "Most Interesting" award of the day!  Yes, that is a male and my nine year old son was sure to point out "the man in the bikini" to all of us!

The man in the bikini!

My mileage for the week sucked to say the least!  I was supposed to put 29 miles in and only managed to bank 22! I am in a very unmotivated state of mind this week and need to pull myself out of this!  The Disneyland Half Marathon is less than two weeks away and I need to get with it if I plan to PR!  No excuses this week, I promise! 

Please tell me what you do when you start to feel unmotivated!! I need some motivation here!!