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.

Weekly Recap and The Month of April

My focus these past couple of weeks is making all of my runs count. I don't like to put too much pressure on myself when it comes to running because then it isn't fun to me anymore and it starts to feel like work. I mean it is work but I enjoy it most when I don't feel super pressured about it.

I am not sure how long my speedwork sessions are going to last because I don't really enjoy it. It's hard but I do love the feeling that I get once it is done. I feel more accomplished after a speedwork session than I do after a long run. This week I attempted to do some 800m repeats at the same pace that I did my 12 X 400m workout last week. It was tough and I thought about quitting so many times. I kept telling myself "Don't Quit" and "Stay Strong." I hope I learn to love it soon because I know it will help me become a stronger and faster runner. I finished my workout in 48:02 ( 6 Miles @ 8:00.)

I do enjoy tempo runs but they are also tough. They really challenge me and I always feel great after a nice tempo. My goal is to continue to increase the pace on these tempo runs! I finished this tempo run  in  48:48 (6 Miles@8:08.) I am also hoping that this speedwork will help me improve my 5K and 10K times.

My long run was supposed to be 18 miles this week but I had to cut it short due to the heat. I felt like a loser cutting it short but it was 82 degrees and I was pretty tired. I am happy to have made it the 16 miles that I did. I ran on a shaded trail with a decent incline for a good part of my run and picked it up the last 4 miles heading home (8:23, 8:10, 8.14, 7:46.) I was glad to be done with this one!

TOTAL MILES:28

In other news, April was a good month. It didn't run a lot of miles but at least I am running again and my weekly mileage is getting back to my average. I am still on the fence about running my upcoming marathon and have been trying to come up with a backup plan but solid nothing yet.

 

Did you have a good month?

Goals, Deals, Weekly Recap and a Thunder Shirt!

While I enjoy reading the "November Goals" posted on all of the great blogs that I follow, I haven't posted! Why?  Because I am so focused on my new training plan that I can't even begin to think of any other goals to set for myself.  The title of my blog really says it all for me...I want to run the Boston Marathon one day before I die!  I am very goal oriented but Boston occupies so much of my running goals that working towards it will remain my main goal until I finally get there. 

Super Great Deal:

I am excited to share that I scored another great deal this week!  A local mall near my house just opened a new Sports Authority so they sent $15 discount cards out to all of the local residents.  Well, I have been wanting to buy a hand held water bottle for a while now but just could not get myself to spend $20 on one.  I mean it's a plastic water bottle with a little piece of material on it!  When I saw this discount card, I headed down to Sports Authority to see if they had what I was looking for and they did so I finally have one and I paid $5.00 for it!!  Sometimes I don't feel like wearing my hydration belt and just want to carry water in my hand but water bottles are just too complicated to hold. 

  

Week Three Training Recap:

This week was a very productive week for me in terms of sticking to my planned workouts.  I was able to complete all of my workouts and meet all of my target paces.  I am still having some issues with sticking to the planned paces on my long runs because 9:30+ paces on long runs can take forever to complete.  I guess it's all part of building endurance so I have to get better at sticking to the plan.

Monday: REST DAY

Tuesday: Speed Work= 6 miles...these workouts are challenging the heck out of me but I am starting to kind of like it now. Beside the fact that I feel like passing out and calling 911 during the workout, I think speed work is going to make me a stronger and faster runner.

Wednesday: XT#1: 45 minutes on stationary bike (hills plus workout)= 12.3 Miles 

Thursday: Tempo Run=7.4 miles

Friday: XT#2: Spin Class-great workout and I was sweating like crazy!! I also did some weight training and focused on my arms and legs while waiting for the class to start.

Saturday: 17 miles= It was 44 degrees out there and I had to force myself out the door.  This was the first time I have needed to wear pants and a jacket on a run in a long time!

Sunday: MUCH NEEDED REST DAY/CUPCAKE DAY!

Total Mileage=42.7 (30.4 of those miles were running)

On Sunday I rewarded myself for a productive week and ate cupcakes!!  One of my favorite cupcakes is Vanilla Almond Salted Caramel and it is to die for!! These cupcakes are like heaven in your mouth and and I could live off of them!!  

My plans for next week include a 20 mile run and my first 10K so we will see how my 10K goes especially now that there is a 60% chance of rain in the forecast!  I have no goal in mind but just want to see where I stand at this distance so that I have a goal to work towards.  How should I dress for this race? Any advise?

The Thunder Shirt!

Totally unrelated to running but Buster is still living with us.  I have been told that I should buy him a "Thunder Shirt" to help him with his separation anxiety.  It is supposed to be like wearing a giant hug to relieve some of the anxiety that is associated with many types of disorders that dogs suffer from.  Has anyone ever tried a thunder shirt, as pictured above, on their dog?  I really want to help Buster before he destroys my entire house!  I don't have the heart to take him to the animal shelter because I am such an animal lover.

Did you have a great week?  Congratulations to everyone who was lucky enough to run the NYC Marathon!  Did you participate in any other races this weekend beside NYC?

Source

Vanilla Almond Salted Caramel Cupcakes!

Three Things Thursday

Happy Thursday!  It's actually like a Friday for me because I  work a 9/80 schedule and I love it!  I have a few things that I wanted to share with everyone because I am excited about them..

 

1) I finally registered for a 10K!  I will officially be running my first 10K on November 13, 2011!  I registered for the Mission Inn Run and since it's my first 10K it's going to be an instant PR no matter how good/bad it turns out!

2) I updated my Race Schedule and I am overloading myself excited for 2012.  I have quite a few races from 5K's to marathons that I am hoping to participate in.  I haven't committed to all of them quite yet but I am really hopeful that I can squeeze them all in and see some progress!  I am also hoping to redeem myself in Long Beach so wish me luck! I need to stay injury free and make some changes to my training so that I can earn some PR's and move a little bit closer to that BQ that I have been dreaming of!!

No pain...no gain!!

3) Speedwork is not fun! I have decided that I am not a big fan of speedwork because it kicks my butt and challenges the heck out of me!  I tried it for the first time this week and I just about died and thought I was going into cardiac arrest! I know that it is going to payoff for me in the long run because it is hard as hell!  I don't have a track close to my house so my neighbors are probably wonder why I am running up the down the street numerous times gasping for air! I need to be a faster and stronger runner so I am determined to do whatever it takes to get me there!  No more junk mileage!! I am determined to make each run count...quality over quantity, right?

So is anybody doing any fun races for Halloween? Are you running in a fun costume? 

Speedwork, Tacos and Great Deals!

Thank you to everyone who replied to my post about change needed in my training plan!  SPEEDWORK seems to be the most common response to the questions. I am taking your great advice and will now be incorporating speedwork into my training starting this week!  I have a new training plan that I will be following for my next marathon in February, 2012 and believe me, speedwork is definitely a part of it.  I am optimistic that I will see some improvement which will result in a marathon PR!

My long run this week was for a whole 13 miles.  It was the longest run I have completed since my marathon on October 9th.  It felt good to get back out there and start working towards another goal that will bring me a little bit closer to my goal of a BQ.  I am not sure how long I will be chasing Boston but I am determined to get there someday!

My Friday night was pretty fun.  The whole gang took the 45 minute trip to eat carne asada tacos at our favorite taco truck, El Taquito!  I used to live out that way so I grew up eating these tacos.  I ate four tacos and had an agua de pina(pineapple water) to wash it all down. It was delish and then we finished the night off at Yogurtland.  We actually hit up two locations in search of different flavors that we had never tried before. We did find Kona Coffee Blend, Taro and Matcha Green Tea, so my husband took advantage of these flavors and the rest of us waited until the next stop to get ours since they did not have two of my favorites. I had my usual, Red Velvet Cupcake Batter, Devil's Food Cupcake Batter and Pistachio topped off with almonds and walnuts! My daughter and her boyfriend had never been to Yogurtland before so they over-indulged.  Can you guess which ones belong to them?

Buster is still here and boy did he have a surprise waiting for us when we got home on Friday night.  I usually leave him in the garage when I am going to gone for a while but on Friday night he was not having it. When we got home we discovered that Buster had bitten his way through the security screen door and made his way into the house.  I am not sure how he did it but he did!! He did some damage to his little mouth so I think we got the message...Buster wants to be in the house and not the garage! We have been honoring his request as long as he stays in his designated area and he has been good so far.



Buster destroyed the security screen door!!

Notice the redness around his mouth!  Poor Buster!

Buster was hiding out after that episode!!

Other than Buster's incident, I had a pretty relaxing weekend and did my long run in Bonelli Park early Saturday morning which resulted in a pretty lazy Sunday. I missed church and stayed in bed watching David Tutera's "My Fair Wedding."  I think I might have even fallen asleep for a bit here and there!  I can't wait to see Chic Runner's wedding on the show which is due to air in February, 2012. 

Deal of the week!

After my run on Saturday, I took care of all my errands like grocery shopping, pet food shopping and the boys got their haircut.  I also stopped by Kohl's to see what they had and ended up scoring a pretty good deal on some Nike running shorts. They were on clearance for $6.00 and I had a coupon for another 30% off, which resulted in a pretty good deal...$4.20 each!  DEAL!!  I was pretty excited about it since running clothes can be pretty pricey in the absence of a good sale or coupon.

I am excited that the weather has finally decided to cool down a little bit this week since it makes my training a little easier.  The temperature has been in the upper 80's to low 90's lately so the change is appreciated. 

Have a great week!