Saturday May 29, 2010

Workout: 9.29 miles

Time: 1:37:55

Pace: 10:30

Weight: 124.4

I wanted to do a long run outside today because I haven't done one outside since the race. I had intended to do a 10+ mile route, but I cut it short because I was tiring out. I think 8 of the miles I ran this morning were horrible;)

Started out with foot pain... I have a chipped bone at the top of my left foot and it doesn't bother me too often, but it was first thing out this morning. That seemed to dissipate and then, it was the lower back clenching + hip/thigh pain. That went away and then it was my right forearm and hand feeling slightly numb from carpal tunnel. I'm just a 34 year old mess! I ran through all of that - although I stopped and walked a couple of times in the middle to let my arms get some normal feeling back in them.

At about 3 miles I decided that I needed to simply enjoy my time out there instead of worry about pace, mileage, hills, etc. So I took it easy and allowed myself some extended walking breaks. The longest walking break was at the pond - from the water fountain to the top of the hill in front of St. Patrick's. That was the longest I've walked in a long time. I ended up taking several walking breaks in the last 2 1/2 miles. I was tiring out - first thing in the morning, slightly dehydrated, no fuel other than about 8 almonds before I left, my body was giving in even though my mind wasn't. I was happy with my mileage and my time when I got home. Given how much I walked, I must have been running between 9:30 & 10:00.

I need to remember to just be happy that I'm out there and thankful that I'm able to move, run and breathe.

Thursday May 27, 2010

Workout: 5.5 miles (treadmill) - turned into intervals at the end

Time: 52:00

Pace: averaged 9.27/mile

Weight: very interesting question:)

I actually got up to run yesterday morning, but ended up going back to sleep on the couch. My carpal tunnel has been bothering me quite badly since shoveling all of the dirt into the garden a week ago and my forearm and hand were feeling crappy and I decided I just didn't feel like going. I really had no time to make it up that day because my best friend was coming over for the day. I decided at 7:30pm to hit the treadmill while the girls were watching So You Think You Can Dance.

I really only intended to run about 3 miles because of the time and because I had hardly eaten anything during the day and hadn't eaten dinner yet, but 3 turned into 4, which turned into 5, which turned into 6... but the girls needed me for something so I stopped short at 5.5. First 3.5 miles I ran at 6.4, which is 9:30 pace, for the last 2 I increased my speed by .1 with every minute, until I reached 7.0mph, then I decreased my speed by .1 every 30 seconds until I got back to 6.4 and then decreased every minute. I think I ended at 5.8.

I also ran 6 miles on the treadmill on Tuesday afternoon - I have figured out a way to read my book while running and it makes it go so much quicker. The weather has also been terribly hot and humid, which is why I ended up on the treadmill so much in the last week.

Now for my weight... yesterday was such a good example of what water retention does in my body. I have not been drinking enough water - I know this based on how much I have been drinking, but also by how badly my carpel tunnel is bothering me (CTS is inflammation of the nerves in the wrist... dehydration = water retention = inflammation = numbness and pain). I've been intending to drink a gallon of water every day this week, but it never happened - and never even got close. But with Kim here yesterday I literally sat at the table and drank water all day. Not sure how much I drank, but it was nearly a gallon.

Yesterday morning I weighed myself at my normal time - when I woke up, after I went to the bathroom, with no clothes on. I weighed 127.0, which shocked me as thats the highest I've been since Christmas and I haven't been eating badly at all. I weighed myself again after I got done running and I was 121.6. I was 121.6 again this morning (Friday) so it wasn't just all of the sweating. So apparently I lost 5.4 pounds in 12 hours:) I feel like I spend a lot of time chalking up my weight fluctuations to water retention and at least my next door neighbor thinks I'm crazy... but I've been paying attention to my body for so long, I know this is how it goes.

Skipped my workout today. Will decide how many to run tomorrow - I have the morning to myself!

Monday May 24, 2010

Workout: 20:00 warmup run, legs

Weight: 124.4

Workout was fine this morning. I cut out the abs because I was running late... I'm babysitting again, so I definitely try to get home in time in the morning to be able to do my prayer/devotions before he comes over (which could be any time between 7:30 & 8). The 2 miles on the treadmill was a little wonky... just tightness in my lower back and thigh again, but overall, fine. I ran at a 6.0 pace, which felt a little slow and kind of painful. For the last few minutes I upped it to 6.5 and then back down to 6.3 and those felt more comfortable.

Legs - I increased weights on a couple of things. Feels good to be lifting heavy again.

Saturday, I ran 10 miles on the treadmill in the basement. I could have waited until Cornbread got home to run outside, but I was a little upset about something and was itching to run it out so I got on the treadmill. I had planned to do between 8 & 9, but as I got closer I figured I might as well just do 10. I really probably could have done a few more, but by that time I had decided to stop at 10, so I did. Felt good... started out at 6.0, but ran most of it at 6.2 or 6.3. I can definitely feel a difference between running on an empty stomach in the morning and running in the afternoon after having eaten breakfast. I should try to eat a few almonds or something before I head out in the mornings from now on.

Thought I might start with WW this week, but then remembered that we have to meet my MIL for dinner tonight - probably Giordano's - and then we have Memorial Day weekend, so I should start up next Tuesday. It will give me some time to psych myself up for it and do some grocery planning. I have to psych myself up for being hungry because I always am for a couple of weeks at the beginning. My subscription ends August 9th, so I'll try to hit it hard at least through June and then when I start training again in July, I'll have a better way of figuring out how to eat while running higher mileage.

It is really hot out. I can't step outside without sweating right now. My face has broken out quite a bit and feels incredibly greasy - like I need to wash it several times a day - due to the humid weather. I hate that more than anything. Ick. I really wish that there was a time limit on zits... like once you hit 30 you magically never had another one. I had 2 good, clear years and now the last 5 months have been horrible - not sure whats going on... kind of sick of it, though!

Thursday May 20, 2010

Workout: 5.28 miles

Time: 52:05

Pace: 9:52

Weight: 126.4

Run was great this morning. Went back to my old 5 mile route, which is an out-and-back route... meaning the hills that are there on the way out are there on the way back, but reversed. My new 5 mile route is less hilly on the back end, this route is hills the entire time.

I very consciously tried to slow my pace down so I wouldn't have to stop to walk. Pain in my lower back/hip/thigh was there, but not as severe as the last couple of times. Other than that, it was a great run - lilacs are blooming, sun was out, perfect weather.

WW - after trying to cancel WW, they tell me that I can do so, but I will only get a refund of $6 - I paid $54 for a 3 month subscription and only used it for 2 weeks. I understand why, but I'm irritated with myself about it. So now I need to decide if I want the $6 or if I want to just hit it hard for a month or so and do the points thing hard core to try to lose the 5-10 pounds. Any weight I lose will make running easier, which is a motivating factor... so I have to think about this. In order to do it successfully, I'm going to need to measure and eat frozen meals so I have to decide if its worth it.

Wednesday May 19, 2010

Workout: 2 mile warm up run + lower body & Abs

Weight: 126.4

Workout was fine. Nothing exciting. Lifting heavy again and it feels kind of good.

I came home from the gym and immediately cancelled my WW membership. I was thinking it over at the gym... I'm comfortable with my weight, with the number. I've been fluctuating a lot over the last several months, but I'm okay with it. I feel good, I look good, my clothes fit. I joined WW again in order to get a better handle and discipline on my eating. I realized this morning, though, that I know how to eat healthy - I just need to do it. I need to be more disciplined myself. What I don't need is the obsession about points and how many I'm eating at any given meal or any given snack. I don't need to do that right now and I don't want that in my life... that aspect of dieting is absolute clutter for me at this point. It works - definitely works, but until I'm 10 pounds heavier, I don't have the motivation to add that clutter back into my life. For the little bit that I'd like to lose, I can do it by tightening up my diet on my own. And if I don't lose that little bit, I'm still okay.

This all came to me because I made a good and quite healthy dinner last night: Turkey meatloaf and steamed dirty broccoli. It was good. It was healthy. And I felt guilty about eating it because it was more points than I wanted to eat at dinner. What is that? That is the clutter that I need to be rid of. I need to focus more on eating plant first and eliminating the junky food that has crept into my diet and into our home... chips, animal crackers, ice cream, etc. THAT is what I need to change.

Tuesday May 18, 2010

Workout: 5.21 miles

Time: 50:58

Pace: 9:47/mile

Weight: 126.4

I struggled through this run and was pretty upset with myself about it - until I got home and saw the pace. No wonder I was struggling. That pace included quite a few short walk breaks, so i was actually running quite a bit faster than 9:47/mile.

I had the same lower back/hip/thigh pain as I did last week when I ran outside. It was terrible. I stopped a lot due to that pain - trying to stretch out my lower back - but it didn't go away until quite far into the run. I ran a 2 mile warm up on the treadmill yesterday and didn't have any pain at all. Not sure what is going on with that. Cornbread said he had the same lower back pain on the treadmill yesterday.

I have to say, I don't really enjoy running outside around here. I really struggle with all of the hills and inclines and having it be so tough all the time. I had to remind myself several times this morning that I ran a whole 13.1 miles without stopping. You would never know it from how crappy I run out here. I need to figure out a way to defeat these hills. I can definitely run them, but I'm struggling and laboring afteward... and if it were just one or two hills that struggle and laboring wouldn't be a problem, but since there are so many and so close together it seems like I'm struggling and laboring through the entire run. I have to remind myself that the hills are making me a better and faster runner -- that was proved to me at the Mini.

Yesterday I did 2 miles on the treadmill as a warm up and then 31 minutes of heavy upper body lifting at home. I am pretty sore this morning and could feel it while I was running.

Didn't count my WW points yesterday because it was Ryann's birthday. I did pretty well, but had a couple of pieces of pizza and a small piece of cake. I will begin counting today.

Thursday May 13, 2010

Workout: 3.5 miles

Time: 35:30

Pace: 10:09

Weight: 125.0

Have absolutely no motivation to go to the gym or do any workouts other than running. I had planned on going to the gym to do circuits this morning, but woke up and just didn't feel like it. So I did an easy run on the treadmill in the basement instead.

Started out at 5.5 and quickly increased to 5.7 because 5.5 felt too difficult to maintain. Stayed at 5.7 until 25:00 and then increased to 6.0 and increase .1 each minute until I hit 3.5 miles. I ran the last 30 seconds at 7.0. I felt really good and able to maintain the fast pace until I got to 6.7 and then I had to step off to catch my breath. From that point on I was sucking wind, but I had such a short amount of time left I kept on at the higher paces without stopping. It ended up being a good workout - the easy pace in the beginning was nice and I felt very comfortable.

By Monday I WILL have something together for the stop gap between now and July 5. Having something down on paper will definitely motivate me to do it and having a goal to reach by July 4 will help, too. Maybe that is why WW is important right now (even though I've done nothing other than sign up at this point) - maybe WW will provide the goal motivation and I'll build the workout plan around that. Still thinking.

Wednesday May 12, 2010

Workout: 4.99 miles

Time: 49:58

Pace: 10:01

Weight: 125.0

I ran 5 miles on the treadmill on Monday morning. It felt really good. Today, not so much.

My lower back and my left leg hurt all the way until 4.3 miles. My right foot also felt like it was asleep at times. I had to stop a few times to either shake out my right foot or stretch my back/thigh. In general, I felt like I was laboring for the entire run. The hills really are killing me - I would give anything to run even half of a route on flat streets. BUT I completed it and thats what matters.

I'm kind of taking it easy this week - running a few times and whatever, but not going to kill myself. I need to sit down and put a plan together to get me through to July 5 when training for the next race begins. I just hate the process of putting it together.

I also joined WW again. I'm not all that excited about it, but I need to get a grip on how I should be eating... Monday morning I weighed myself: 124.6 and then after I ran I weighed myself again and I was 122.0. So I have no idea what I weigh. My clothes fit and I feel good about myself so I'm not concerned about that, I just know that I'm not eating well or right and I am getting lazy about being healthy. I need a little refresher course on eating right.

Sunday May 9, 2010

RACE DAY - Yesterday

Wow, yesterday rocked my world. It was awesome. We were so pleased and excited and had an incredible time with Jon & Brandy. It definitely exceeded all of my expectations!

We ended up getting to Indy a lot later than we wanted - we got out 1 1/2 hours later than anticipated and then hit traffic on the way out there. So we hit the expo, grabbed our packets and then met J&B for dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery. We got to bed later than we had wanted to, but it was fine.

Got up at 4am CST on Saturday morning (5am EST) so we could get to the city in time to get in our corral by 6:45. It was colder than we thought it would be and it was WINDY! I was pretty nervous about the wind as it wasn't a breeze, but rather gusts and the wind has proven to defeat me every time. We got into our corral on time and waited and waited. Finally hit the start line at probably 8am (EDS).

We were definitely in the wrong corral. When Cornbread and Brandy signed us up, they signed us up under 12:00 miles... which meant that the 4 of us did A LOT of dodging and jockeying for the first several miles. The first mile was the worst, but I don't think we stopped passing people like that until we got into the speedway.

Before I blinked we had run 6 miles and I told Cornbread that it was the easiest 6 miles I had ever run in my life. There is the difference between training on hills and running on a flat course. The race course was completely flat - the only hill/incline we had was entering the speedway and that hill was comparable to one of the hills on our 151st St. running path.

I felt awesome through 11 miles and then I felt like Cornbread was running slightly too fast for me. By that time we had lost J&B and were on our own. I felt amazing - my hamstrings were a bit tired, but my lungs and heart rate were good. I was not tired, I felt no need to walk at all. I was great. At 11 miles I told Cornbread that if he needed to run faster then he could go ahead and I'd go by myself - I couldn't keep up with the pace he was going for 2 miles. He slowed down a bit and that mile was the longest of the race (I think because there were 2 pit stops in that mile instead of 1). At mile 12 we picked up the pace. There was a slight decline at the beginning of the mile and the wind was at our back - I felt like we were cruising pretty well. I felt strong and in control and extremely confident. When we had 1/4 mile left we started picking up the pace even more and almost sprinted to the finish line. We finished and it felt amazing. I ran the entire thing. I didn't walk with the exception of while I was drinking water at the few water stops I went to (but I didn't even walk the length of the water stop... just the short time it took to drink the 1/4 dixie cup of water). I started crying because I feel like I can finally say that I'm a runner. I ran the entire thing - totally not what I expected. I expected to walk at some points, but we didn't at all. I didn't cry hard, but got a little teary.

A little more than a year ago (April 24, 2009) I ran my first race ever - the 5k at Calvin - and I couldn't even run a whole mile without taking a break. I finished that race and cried, too, but then I cried because I was so disappointed in myself... I had worked so hard to be a runner, I had been consistently running, I was confident - and then I couldn't even run a mile and panicked because of the hills on the course. At that point I started running outside and conquered the hills in the area, I willed myself to run higher mile routes, I increased my mileage, I got up to around 25 miles/week, I was determined to be a runner. At the end of our training program, I struggled. I missed several runs, I missed some long runs, I was conquered by the wind, I battled through a 12 mile run and walked a good portion of the end of it. But I came back and ran the entire 13.1 miles of the Indy Half Marathon. And to top it off, I felt like I could have run 2-5 more miles when I was finished. It was amazing and I am extremely proud of myself.

Final stats:
13.1 miles

2:12:47

10:08/mile

Tuesday May 4, 2010

Workout: 20:00 cross + strength
Weight: 124.6

Did not feel like doing either of these things this morning, but got up and did it anyway. I'm in a taper kind of mindset in terms of everything:) I just want to take the week off, I think. The workout was fine. I actually increased some of my weights in anticipation of being done with this training program.

Yesterday I had 4.5 miles on the schedule and went out and could not complete one mile due to ulcer pain. I had been taking prilosec everyday and was feeling much better. I missed a day or two and didn't feel any different, so I stopped altogether about 1 1/2 weeks ago. Must not have been a good idea. I tried to run through it, but I couldn't. It is a pain that I can't mental my way through... ankle pain I can tough it out, this is different pain and I had to stop. I was too far from home, though, to turn around so I altered my planned route and walked most of the way home. I was able to run the last 1/8 of a mile and felt better about that. I ended up doing 2.5 miles at a 12:22 pace. I wasn't happy about it, but couldn't change it.

This morning I could still feel the pain a bit, but right now I'm feeling better. I'm going to take 2/day this week hoping to calm everything down by the race. Tomorrow I have 2 miles on the schedule so hopefully I'll be able to run them.

One really great thing about the taper is that Cornbread and I can both run in the morning because the run is so much shorter. He ran first yesterday and then I went out when he got home. Scheduling our runs has been kind of troublesome at times throughout the training... its one thing when you have only one person training, its another when two people are trying to figure out how to work things out. However, with both of us training, it has been much easier to be understanding toward one another when we have to figure out a way to get a training run worked into our families schedule. Knowing that I ran 6 miles in a day and Cornbread has to work it in somewhere, too, makes it much easier for me to be understanding if he needs to do it during non-work hours. We didn't run into issues often - during the week I mostly ran in the morning and he ran during the day at the gym. Our biggest issues were the long runs on Saturdays and figuring those out. He has worked every Saturday since we got back from Colorado which ties up 4-5 hours during the morning and early afternoon. We leave for church at 3:30, so it left a small window open for either of us to run - one of us had to get up early to run and the other would have to leave immediately after he got home in the afternoon in order to be back in time for church. There were a couple of Saturdays that he went to church with the girls while I finished showering and getting ready and I would drive separately and meet him there. It certainly was not ideal, but we worked it out. And having us both training meant that we prioritized everything around our Saturday long runs... if only one of us was training it would have been harder to give something up on Friday in order to get to bed on time, or to not be upset if yard work didn't get done on Saturday because one of us had to run. I think it was all around a good thing that we were training on the same schedule... we also encouraged each other a lot throughout because we each did the same run each day. Ultimately, I just love it that we're both interested in the same things... we may not start out interested in the same things, but because we love eachother and love spending time together we support eachother in our respective interests and ultimately are won over, too.

I'm currently contemplating a training plan for the race in the fall. Trying to figure out how many weeks I want to train and what exactly I want to do. I want to increase my weekly mileage for sure. I want to include some speedwork, too. Not sure if I want to run 5 days or 4 days or what. Have to peruse the training plans and get an idea. Before the training starts, though, I'd like to focus a little more on strength training and core conditioning. Back and arms are important to form and I want to hit them pretty hard. I've also skipped every form of ab/core training for the last 4 months, so I should probably add some of that back in. Maybe I'll do a 12 week program and before that starts I can really concentrate on building a base of muscles - which would mean a higher protein diet, which I hate. So I have to really think about it and figure out what I want to do and what I want to accomplish in the next race. First, I should probably get through this one :)

Saturday May 1, 2010

Workout: 8.55 miles
Time: 1:29:08
Pace: 10:25
Weight: 122.6

It has been incredibly windy for the last few days. Very high wind gusts going in all directions. I was very scared to do my run today and actually asked Cornbread if I could run in the morning instead of the afternoon (we would switch times) so I'd have more likelihood of calmer weather. It rained sideways last night. Terrible! When I went out this morning, though, it was pretty calm. The wind picked up a little bit into my run, but it wasn't terrible and by the time it picked up I didn't have much longer to go in the direction that was against it.

I wanted to do 8 - 8 1/2 miles today as we are tapering, but I wanted to keep a pretty long run in there. I had a route planned out before I left, but 2 1/2 miles into it I decided I didn't want to do that route and changed my plans - but I didn't have another 8 1/2 mile route in mind that I could do from where I was at. So I basically meandered through the neighborhood adding some streets here and there. I ended up with an 8.55 mile route by sheer luck. I probably would have done better and enjoyed my originally planned route, but it didn't have any drinking fountains so I didn't want to do it. I should have done it, though.

I could tell I was running a pretty fast pace again and would consciously try to slow myself down, but it was hard. I ended up with a 10:25 pace, but I made several walking breaks in the last 3 miles. Not intentionally... all of the sudden I would find myself stopped and walking and would get mad at myself! Especially if I was running against the wind. I was surprised that my pace ended up being around my normal run-outside pace of 10:20. With the amount of walking I did, I figured I would have up near 11:00 or higher. I was very pleased with the 10:25.

My weight has come down and has stayed down for 3 days straight. I think I've done a better job of drinking water, but I have also been eating more (and running less). I really think that I've been in starvation mode for a while - not eating enough. If I'm going to run another race in the fall, I'm going to have to be a lot more intentional about my nutrition... I just hate figuring that all out.

As of today, I hate the idea of running 13.1 miles. I think doing a long run first thing in the morning is a bad idea. I remember running 8 1/2 miles the day after we got back from Colorado and feeling pretty good about it. Not as much the case today. That was in the afternoon - this was in the morning. I'm sure it will be fine.