My Weekly Update 9/9/13-9/15/13 (GETTING BACK ON TRACK!)

My goal this week was to get back on track! So many things have happened in the past week that I felt run down and so unmotivated. I wanted to get out of that mode because it was getting worse by the day. After my Monday run, I felt refreshed and ready to make this week a better week.

Running takes me to another place so I think I just needed to run to think and clear my mind. It was not so much about pace this week, it was just getting out there and that feeling that I get inside when I run. I always feel better after a good run. I am thankful that I have found this outlet to take me away from it all when I need that break.

Monday: 7 Miles on the Treadmill @8:58 pace. I really had to drag myself to the gym. I was feeling bad about having a super low mileage week so I knew that I had to get there and just run. I did not care about the pace. I just needed to run to clear my mind.

  

Tuesday: Strength Training Day

Wednesday: 7.06 Miles on the treadmill @8:29 pace.

Thursday: REST DAY

Friday: 7.55 Miles@9:35 pace. I ran with my other half as he is training for his first half marathon. We dedicated our run to RUN EMZ who set out to run 100 miles in 24 hours to raise money for children in India! The woman is not only an incredible runner but an amazing person with a HUGE HEART!

Saturday: REST DAY

Sunday: 10.5 Miles @ 8:12 pace. I ran the first five miles easy and then ran the last 5 miles hard (8:03, 7:46, 7:38, 7:21 and 7:08.) As I was turning the corner to head home, my son was waiting in the front yard holding a sign that said "Stop." He made me smile.

TOTAL MILES: 32.43 Miles  I actually ran 4 times this week which is almost unheard of. I usually run three times a week since that is pretty much all that I have time for. I woke up early on Sunday and decided that I might as well go for a run. It should have been a cross training day but oh well!

In other news, I have been seriously considering running the Long Beach Marathon on October 13th.  I ran this marathon back in 2011 and it was not the greatest race. I said I would be back for redemption so I am going to give it another shot. I will attempt to beat my 2011 time of 4:05:35. My training has not been aimed at any particular marathon pace, in fact my pace has been a lot slower since I have been helping my other half train for his half marathon. I am not sure if I will have it in me but I am going to try to get out there and run it anyway.

The marathon starts at 6:00 am this year which will be a big plus for me. It normally starts at 7:00 am and ends up being pretty warm at the finish. I love early starts so that I can beat the heat and be done for the day. Long Beach is my last race in the Beach Cities Challenge series so I am pretty excited! Remember this monstrous medal that I have been wanting for the past few years? I think it will be fun to end the series with a bang by running the full marathon since I opted to run the half marathons for the first two races in the series.

What fall race do you have on your race calendar? 

Anybody else running Long Beach with me?

9/1/13: The Disneyland Half Marathon

The Disneyland Half Marathon is one of my favorite races that I look forward to every year! The race started at 5:30 am which meant a 4:00 am wake up time. I get up at this time to go to work so it did not bother me at all. I actually like the fact that the race starts super early because the weather is much better at 5:30 am than it is at 7:30 am! We left the hotel at 4:40 am and started our walk to the corrals. The situation was much like I am used to seeing it and the runners were able to head straight to their corrals since there were no other events before the half marathon. I can usually get pretty close to the front of the corral but I was not able to and ended up somewhere in the middle. I think that all of the Dumbo Double Dare participants headed over to the corrals much earlier after seeing the crowds at the 10K the previous day. 

I regretted not getting closer to the front of the corral because I weaved through the crowds for the first five miles. The course was very crowded and I was unable to find a spot to settle into my comfortable pace and I got really frustrated. Runners were bumping into me, running in front of me or just getting too close. I don't mean to sound arrogant but I like my space and I want to be free to move around a little bit. My pace was 9:30 for the first .55 miles and I was only able to squeeze an 8:37 out of the first mile due to the crowds.

Mile 1 :8:37

Mile 2: 8:20

Mile 3: 8:08

Mile 4: 8:17

Mile 5: 8:22 (GU) 

I saw that other runners were jumping up onto the sidewalk to break through the crowds but I didn't need to do that since I was not shooting for a PR. I didn't set a goal for this race but knew I wanted to close it out with a fast finish. I felt like I could run a decent race since I ran my 1oK pretty easy but I pretty much let my body dictate this race. I didn't push myself but just ran by how I felt. My splits were all over the place so I am not sure what that says about how I was feeling.

There was some pretty interesting signage out on the course this year. These were two of my favorites!

I was finally able to get some space from Mile 6 on but by then I was pretty annoyed. I stopped looking at my Garmin and felt like giving up. I had to have a talk with myself and reminded myself that I wasn't attempting to PR the race so it was not that big of a deal. I kept the pace comfortable and never felt fatigued. I walked through some of the water stops and made it a point to stay hydrated. I decided to carry my handheld with me due to the heat and the fact that the water bottles in my hydrating belt end up with warm water when the temps are high. The temperature felt much better than it was the day before but it was still very humid. It was 79 degrees at the Start and the sun did not break through until about Mile 11.5.

Mile 6: 8:03

Mile 7: 8:23

Mile 8: 8:23

Mile 9: 8:02

Mile 10: 8:36 (GU) I need to get better at running and taking GU while running, Can you tell?

I wanted to finish the race strong no matter what. The final miles have always been a struggle for me especially during the marathon so this is one of the areas that I really focused on. I need to able to find my strong in the end of a race since this could make or break a big race. I felt like I did well and was happy with my last 3 miles. No PR for this race but probably one of my strongest finishes on this course. It is pretty amazing how you can finish a race strong when you start conservatively and then save it for the end.

Mile 11: 8:01

Mile 12: 7:48

Mile 13: 7:45

.27 (6:53)

OFFICIAL TIME: 1:48:43

The Dumbo Double Dare was awesome and I glad that I was able to be a part of this inaugural event but I think that I will just go back to running the half marathon next year. I usually PR this course every year and I am looking forward to another Disney PR on the half marathon course next year. Disney races are a lot of fun with tons of course support so if you have never ran a Run Disney event, you have to try at least one and dress up for it. They are pricey but you will definitely enjoy it! 

Did you run the Dumbo Double Dare or any of the Disneyland race this year? Tell me what you thought of the events this year.

More Bad News....

I feel like my faith is really being put to the test lately. So many things are going on and right when I thought I was ready to get back on track, more bad news has come my way.  

 

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my dog Roxy was having some tests done to figure out what was going on with her. On August 19th she had a blood test test done to see if she had Cushing's disease and that came back negative. The doctor also recommended a biopsy of the area of skin on her face that was red and seemed to be getting worse. For the last year, the vet thought she had a food allergy or some type of bacterial infection so we tried different diets and antibiotics. None of those things worked so the last thing to do was the biopsy.

The doctor called me today with the biopsy results and the news was not good. It is devastating to me because I have had this dog for 13 years and she has always been healthy and I take really good care of her. If you know me, you know my love for animals like they are my kids. They are members of my family so my heart was broken into a million pieces when I was told the diagnosis. Roxy has been diagnosed with epitheliotrophic lymphoma. We have an appointment to see an oncologist this Friday to see what options are available to us.

 

I will do what I can do for her to keep her comfortable until her time comes. I don't want her to suffer in any way and I want to make sure she is happy. She is still eating, she seems happy and is able to get around like she normally does. I wish I knew what she was feeling so that I my decision will be the right one.

  

I hope that this is the end of the bad news because I think I have enough to deal with right now. My faith is really being put to the test right now!!

My Weekly Update 9/2/13-9/8/13 (A VERY, VERY TOUGH WEEK!!!)

I had one of the toughest weeks I have had in a long time. Running was not the tough part but the events that conspired that interrupted my life and caused my mind to be in another place made it hard to think about anything else. A running buddy of mine lost her husband on September 5th. He took his own life and gave no real explanation as to why. Witnessing a mother tell her son that his father was gone was the most devastating thing I have ever witnessed in my life. I will never forgot that moment that felt like forever.

I had dinner with the family the night before and he was himself. He was fine. I played UNO with him and his family. He talked about events in the future. I left their house at 8:00 pm. He gave me a hug and that is my last memory of him. I am glad I went to their house and spent that last moment with him. 

He left a lot of people wondering why. He left his wife and child with lots of unanswered questions and a lot of pain. I am lost for words and don't really know how to comfort my friend right now because she is so angry and hurt. She tells me everyday that she hopes that this is nothing but a bad dream. I wish he would have asked for help. I wish he would have shown us a sign. I wish he would have thought of his family and changed his mind. I wish I would have picked up on something when I saw him the night before!

I have known this family about three years and although running brought on our friendship,  I think there was a real reason that I was brought into her life. She is going to need me now since her family is not close by.

So how did my week go....
To put it mildly,my week sucked! I was unmotivated, sad and didn't even do any cross training. It was my birthday and although I tried to be happy it was hard. Another mutual friend of ours got married on my birthday and it made the days before her wedding very hard for her. I finally had to tell her that she needed to step away and focus on her wedding. I could not watch her ruin her special day.

Monday: REST DAY

Tuesday: 6.7 Miles on the treadmill @9:06 pace

Wednesday: REST DAY

Thursday: UNEXPECTED REST DAY

Friday: 6.14 Miles@8:11

Saturday:  MY BIRTHDAY! Went to a friend's wedding. She looked beautiful!

Sunday: UNMOTIVATED!!

Total Miles: 12.84 Miles

I need to get back on track this week. I really do but my friend will remain my priority and if I have another low mileage week so be it. My family and my friends come first!

Please pray for this family. They are hurting beyond what you can imagine. An 11-year old boy has been left without a father. My friend has been left without a husband and lots of unanswered questions!

Three Things Thursday

1. My son's first day of school was Tuesday. Initially he did not want me to drop him off. I mean he is a sixth grader now and is too cool to hang out with me! He told me "no flash photography please" but I managed to convince him to let me take just one picture of him. The rest of pictures I took without his permission.

2. I always know when my birthday is close because I get tons of free offers in my email. I am most excited about the $30.00 free meal at Benihana! My birthday is Saturday and I will be celebrating it by attending a friend's wedding. My family is not too excited about how I chose to celebrate my birthday but I wouldn't miss her wedding for the world. 

 3. There may be a marathon in my near future. I am trying to finalize my plans and I should know more by the weekend! I am excited!!

8/31: The Inaugural Disneyland 10K

Run Disney events are pretty popular and draw lots of people so I always stay at a hotel even though I am about 45 minutes from the theme parks. We arrived at our hotel on Friday evening which happens to be walking distance to the Start. It is very reasonably priced, has all of the amenities that we need such as breakfast, a refrigerator and microwave and saves you the headache of having to find parking on race day. The Mickey and Friends Parking Structure gets pretty crowded on race day so I find this to be a much better solution to parking. The walk to the start is about 10-15 minutes so I didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to get to the race which is always nice.

What I love most about Disney races are the costumes that runners wear. Some of the costumes are so creative and people do some serious planning for their costumes. I saw one lady who was dressed in a full on Dumbo costume from head to toe. I am not sure how she ran in that costume because it was hot out there! I dressed up for the 10K but not so much for the half. 

The Disneyland 10K: This race started at 6:15 am on Saturday morning.The 5K started at 5:30 am so the corrals did not open until 6:00 am. The crowds were pretty large and it was a mad rush to the corrals once they were given the go that the 5K participants had cleared the corrals. 

The race start on time and the pre-race show was pretty entertaining as it usually is. The theme of the 10K was "Wonderland" so the Mad Hatter made an appearance and interacted with the race announcers.

I was able to make it pretty close to the front of the corral. I don't like to do the weave in and out of the crowds thing. 

My goal was to run the 10K at a 8:00-8:15 pace but the weather at the Start was 81 degrees and super humid so I immediately dropped the idea of any goal time and enjoyed the course instead. I also knew that I needed to take the 10K easy so that I would be able to run the half marathon the next day without dying. I rarely if ever, run consecutive days so I was already a little nervous about how my body would handle it. My normal routine is alternating between running and cross-training.

I have never taken the time to enjoy a Disney course so this was the perfect opportunity. I stopped and took so many character photos and had a blast! The course was fun and I really liked that 90% of the course was inside of the theme parks. 

We ran through both California Adventure and Disneyland. The half marathon spends much less time in the theme parks so this run was a lot of fun.

My favorite part of the race is running through Cars Land! I love that place because that is where my favorite ride ever, Radiator Springs Racers is located. Can you tell I that I love Cars Land?

OFFICIAL TIME: 52:33. My splits were all over the place (7:36, 8:04, 8:08, 9:20, 8:20, 8:45, and .33 at 7:05) because I was stopping to take pictures. 

Some characters had longer lines than others so I had to wait at times. This race was not a PR but it was definitely the most fun I have ever had! 

Do you like to run fun races like RunDisney events?

My Weekly Update 8/26/13-9/1/13 and A Record Month!!

I took it easy for the most part this week since it was race week. Even though I didn't have any big plans I still wanted to save my legs for running 19.3 miles in two days which is something that I never do. Not only did I have a blast at the Dumbo Double Dare but I had a record month. I ran 147 miles in the month of August and I am pretty proud of that.

Monday: 6 Miles with my other half @9:54 pace. It was warm out there at 6:30 am so we kept any easy pace and powered through it. I had the day off so I always try to get a morning run in on my days off since I am not able to do it during the week. By the way, my other half is still doing good with his half marathon training!

  

Tuesday:Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer. Didn't have my Garmin to track any stats so I have no idea how many miles I rode.

Wednesday: 7.06 Miles on the treadmill @8:29 pace. I started easy and finished with a 7:30 mile.

Thursday: REST DAY

Friday: REST DAY

Saturday: Disneyland 10K: (52:33 / 8:18 pace) RECAP IN PROCESS

Sunday: Disneyland Half Marathon: (1:48:43 / 8:11 pace) RECAP IN PROCESS

Total Miles: 32.66

Time to rest up and get ready for another week. Next time is going to be a super easy week for me. I need a little break right about now because it is too darn hot and humid around here!

How was your week?

Did you race this weekend or do you have any races coming up in September?

I have nothing else on the Race Calendar for September but I just might add a race!

Three Things Thursday

1. It's race week and it looks like the weather is going to be in the mid 60's for the Dumbo Double Dare this weekend. Not the best but it beats the 90 degree heat that we have been having for the last month.

2. My Garmin is back and just in time for my races this weekend. It is a brand new one so  I hope I remember how to set it up all over again! I was seriously considering running naked this weekend but chances are that I won't now do it!

3. My Pom Roxy, who is 13 years old, will be going in for a biopsy and a test for Cushing's disease today. I am a little worried about her health but I have been throwing money at trying to figure out what is wrong with her for the last year and I think I may have finally found a specialized vet who may have figured it out.

My Weekly Update: 8/19/13-8/25/13

What a hot week we had here in Southern California! We did not catch a break at all this week and it looks like this week will be no exception. I know I should not be complaining about the weather because in some parts of the US it is 90 degrees at 6:00 am! I am not sure how you runners do it. I would be dead!

I was not in treadmill mood this week but had to run on it once this week since it is easier for me to stick to a goal pace on the treadmill. Here is a summary of my week.

Monday:REST DAY
 

Tuesday:6 Mile Night Run @8:25 pace. It was not in the mood to run on the treadmill so I decided to run outside in the 88 degree heat. The first three miles were tough but I caught a good breeze on the way home and was able to pick up it up a little. It turned out being a progressive run (9:30, 8:43, 8:32, 8:16, 8:05, and 7:22) that I did not plan on so I will take it!

Wednesday:Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11.50 Miles). My quads were feeling pretty tired but I pushed through it!

Thursday:7.25 Miles on the treadmill. Warm up and Cool Down@10:00 pace and 6.25 Miles@ 8:00 pace.

Friday: REST DAY

Saturday: 22 Miles@8:41ish pace. My Garmin decided to act up so I am not really sure what my actual pace was since I had to reset my watch one I realized it was not longer picking up my pace. In any case, my strategy for this run was to run the first 5 miles easy, miles 6-15 as close to marathon pace as possible and then miles 16-22 with a fast finish. I wanted to keep the pace better than 8:30 the last 7 miles but the heat started getting to me and I knew that it was going to be rough if I pushed too hard. I was close enough.

Sunday:UNPLANNED REST DAY. This should have been a cross-training day but I skipped out on it and ended up at the Happiest Place on Earth instead. Our passes are finally unblocked and my son wanted to go so I figured that walking around Disneyland for hours could possibly be counted at cross-training.

Total Miles: 35.25 Running and 11.5 Cycling 

This weekend is the Dumbo Double Dare and the plan is to keep it easy this week. I feel like I am ready to commit to Marathon #4 but need to get some last minute arrangements together before I can commit. I might have some marathon news for you soon!!

Did you have a good week? What was the most exciting part of your week?

I think the trip to Disneyland was mine!

I Guess I Have to Run Naked for a While!

My pretty little Garmin has lost it's mind and has in turn caused me to lose mine! It has been acting up for the past two weeks and I have been resetting it in the middle of my runs because it either tells me that I am running 15 minutes miles when I know that I am not or it tells me that it took me 2:16 minutes to run .03 miles and completely throws my average pace off!

It has also been searching for the foot pod and does not allow me to turn the foot pod off without resetting it! I am not even sure why the foot pod option is even turning on?? Something is clearly wrong and I would hate for this to happen in the middle of a race, especially a marathon!

I said goodbye to it today and ordered a new one which will not be here until September 3rd! I can buy the black 610 in a store but the white had to be ordered online.

I have two races next weekend so I might end up running them naked or I might have to use my old one!

Have you ever ran a race without your Garmin/watch?

I never have!

One Week to Go and My Dumbo Dare Plans

This whole Dumbo Double Dare 19.3 miles in two days thing came all too quickly! The last time I thought about it, it was like 6 months away and now it is less than a week away. The Disneyland Half Marathon is one of my favorite races and I have PR'd it the last three years that I have raced it. It is a flat and fun course and the weather is great every year. This year my race plans are going to be a little different because I have a 10K to run the day before the half. I rarely run consecutive days since I alternate between running and cross-training. I am thinking that this will be somewhat challenging for me.

Today I started looking through my closet looking for two outfits to wear. I found two outfits in the closet that fit the Disney theme perfectly that I have never worn. One of my outfits is fun and the other is not so much but the colors are appropriate. So what are my race plans? Well, the weather is going to be in the mid 60's which is not bad but not great either. 

The 1oK starts at 6:15 am so if I finish within a hour of the start time, I am thinking that I will be okay. My goal is to run in the 8-8:15 range for the 10K. The half marathon starts at 5:30 am which I really like but I don't have a goal pace or time! Disney races are so expensive and I never take the time to stop and enjoy the course or what Disney has to offer. I never stop to take pictures with the characters either so I just might do that this time. I am a little worried about the warm weather so I will make sure that I don't have too much fun out there! Bottom line is that I plan to have fun out there and not put too much pressure on myself.

Anybody else running the Dumbo Double Dare or one of the Disney races next weekend?

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today my Dad turns 62. I am feeling so grateful today that he is still here with us. I am not sure how my Dad handles it all. He is still fighting his battle with cancer but refuses to let it win. This man never complains, he is still able to work and he tries to stay as active as he possibly can. He recently spotted a local weather anchor while he was working and she put him on the Sunday morning news because he was helping her out with her shopping. She told me that he was so nice. I was watching the news on Sunday morning and all of a sudden he was on the TV! He didn't even tell me about it!

My Dad truly inspires me. Whenever I feel like my life is tough, I always think of him and those thoughts quickly disappear from my mind. He motivates me to keep going and he is always in my thoughts when I  run. He is the reason why I never give up! He is the force that pushes me to that Finish Line!

Today I celebrate you Dad and everything that you stand for...everything that you have taught me. Thank you for always believing in me. Please continue to fight. Together we can win this battle. I love you Daddy!

Please wish my Dad a Happy Birthday! I am sure he will love it!

My Weekly Update: 8/12/13-8/18/13

This week was a cut back week for my long run so it was kind of nice since the weather is back to the 90-97 degree range. It looks like it will be a little bit cooler next week which is nice since it will be time to increase the long run again. 

Monday: REST DAY

Tuesday: 8 Miles on the treadmill @8:17 pace. It was my first run on the treadmill in my new pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire's so I had to make it a good one. I almost didn't get up out of my bed (for the second week in a row) to make it to the gym but that little voice in my head reminded me of how I would feel if I skipped my run!

Wednesday: Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11.50 Miles)

Thursday: 7 Miles on the treadmill@9:03 Pace

Friday: REST DAY

Saturday:  15.54 Miles@9:00 pace. This was not a great run for a million reasons but if you follow me on Instagram I listed my top 10 reasons as to why it was not so great. Thankfully I was able to convince myself not to give up and to keep going in spite of how I felt. These types of runs are the worst but they teach us how to fight through difficult situations and pull ourselves through to that finish line!

Sunday: Cross Training Day: 45 minutes on the bike trainer (11.50 Miles)

Total Miles: 30.54 Running and 23 Cycling 

Next week I will attempt the big 22! I am going to map out a new route for this one, most likely an out and back so I can't cut it short! I haven't ran further than 20 miles since May of this year when I ran my last marathon so I am kind of nervous about it!

How many miles was your longest run this week? How did it go?

Cross-Training-What I Have Been Doing

Cross-Training has been something that I have always been lacking in my training plans. I always felt like I didn't have the time to fit it into my schedule because I barely have time to get my runs done. Having a career and a family can sometimes make it difficult but I try to make it happen without spending too much time away from home. I feel too guilty coming home from work and then taking off to the gym or leaving for a run every day of the week. I wanted to find something that I could do at home or with my family and I found the perfect solution-my bike trainer.

I started riding my road bike, which I bought almost a year ago, on my bike trainer about five weeks ago and I really like it. I have been using my bike trainer twice a week for 45 minutes at a time. I am hoping to take it out of the road one day but I am still kind of nervous about it. Cycling is really helping my legs in so many different ways that running does not since it works different muscles. It is also much easier on my legs and allows for a much quicker recovery since there is no pounding. I love that it so low impact that I can go for a decent run the next day and not feel any kind of soreness from cross-training. I read that cycling helps with leg turnover while running and also helps with speed. Intervals also work your legs just as hard as running hills. I hate hill repeats so this got me all excited!

When I ride my bike, I do not focus on the miles but more on time and cadence which is more important to me. My goal is 80-100 pedal revolutions per minute and I am currently at an average of 74. The workout from cycling is great and I can feel definitely feel the burn in my quads! I wear my Garmin which pairs up the cadence/speed sensor which is mounted on my bike frame to help me track my progress. 

This is the data that Garmin Connect provides so I am tracking my progress weekly to see if I am improving and getting closer to my goal.

I have noticed a difference in the way that my legs feel when I run. My quads feel stronger and when I do my hilly routes, my legs are able to handle them a lot better. This is the trainer that I bought from REI for about $340.00. It is a little pricey but my time is worth it and it keeps me at home with my family where I want to be. I can also have food in the oven or a load of laundry going while I do my 45-minute ride. I am determined to stick with my cross-training in hopes of seeing some better results with my running!

What is your favorite method of cross-train? 

How many days a week do you cross train?

Oh and by the way, my son wanted me to tell all of my readers that he says "HI!" Please say "HI" back to him because he will be excited!