Ever since the Safari Park half marathon, I have had no desire to run. At all. I don't think I have run during the week (Tuesday-Saturday) once in the last two weeks. Which is abnormal for me. I ran my 6 mile training run (the shortest one yet) on Monday. I have just been so extremely busy. Jeff and I are more than a year away from our desired wedding date (we haven't even set a date in stone!) and I feel like we are completely engulfed in wedding planning. I am not going to lie, I love it. I love planning, as most of my close family and friends know. I am not complaining. But it's not very conducive to a solid running schedule. And on top of that, I have been lazy.
I thought that after taking a vacation I would be totally ready to get back into the full swing of things. The opposite is true. I want to continue the vacation! Ugh. It's frustrating. I have still been spinning and doing yoga and occasionally lifting. But I really need to concentrate on running. The Rock n Roll full marathon is in a little over 2 months and I have yet to do more than 16 miles.
Tomorrow is supposed to be my first 20 mile training run. I am feeling optimistic. This morning was the first morning I have woken up at a reasonable time, 6:45 AM (late for me but still pretty early), and actually have not wanted to keep sleeping for another hour. I don't care how long it takes me to finish my 20 miles tomorrow, I am determined to do it. I think I will stick to Balboa Park. I haven't run there in quite a while, and after visiting the Prado (as a potential wedding venue), I realized that I miss it.
Tonight I am going out with the girls to the gaslamp for the first time in at least six months, which I am stoked about. But again, I don't know how conducive it will be to my running date tomorrow... I guess we will see! When I am determined, I can make myself do something no matter how painful (sometimes a bad thing).
I think the hardest part about training for this marathon is not the mental grit I need to finish my training runs, or the physical toll the runs take on my body, but being able to fit the training runs into my busy schedule. I don't want to give up any other part of my life. I love hanging out with Jeff and Toby and my friends, so I have to make them a priority. Hence why I tend to run at 5 in the morning (not ideal, needless to say). I like feeling busy, but this is a little much. I think it will be worth it though. I may feel differently after running 20 miles tomorrow...
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Best week EVER
So many things happened this past week I don't know where to start. Well okay, yes I do...
Jeff proposed!! On our first night on the cruise, he popped the question! I am so excited, I keep catching myself looking at my new shiny ring...
We had an awesome time in Cabo- we snorkeled, parasailed, shopped, drank, and just enjoyed the sunshine. We met some great people on the cruise, we got extremely lucky. Shout out to the Boyds, we are so lucky to have met you!
Another shout out to Samantha, I am so sad we couldn't celebrate our birthdays together this year but I was definitely thinking of you and I hope you had a drink for me!
Back to focusing on running (if I must)...
Yesterday, March 13th was not only my friend Sarah's birthday but also the San Diego Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park) half marathon. I didn't do much in terms of training this past week since we were on the cruise. I ran once for a mile on the cruise ship and then got worried that I would either barf or spaz out and fall off the treadmill because of the way the ship was rocking. Saturday, Najia the Ninja had a JT-filled 90-minute spin class as a birthday celebration for me and Sarah, which was awesome. So that was a good jump-start to my weekend.
Going into the race, I was not mentally or physically prepared. Physically, I was sore from spinning, and I got 5 hours of sleep. Why they decided to have a 7 AM race on the first day of daylight savings time is beyond me. We had to get up at 5 AM (it's good that we did because traffic was bad on the one lane road getting into the park). Plus I may or may not have stayed up till 11 the night before reading the bridal magazines Jeff's mom got me... Mentally, my only thought about the race was that I wanted to finish. I didn't care about my time, I just wanted to have a good run and be done with it. Sarah and our other friend Ashley and I had a joint birthday celebration planned for after the race, so that's pretty much all I was thinking about.
As it turned out, not caring worked quite well. I beat my previous best time (or as they call it in the running world, personal record) by about half a minute. The course was really hilly so I am still not sure how I did that but I got a time of 2:03:21. Yay! I think it helped that we passed the rhinos and the cheetahs coming into the finish... the cheetah was staring me down haha. I would definitely do that race again, it was probably the most fun half marathon I have run so far. It definitely helped that Jeff was there to cheer me on at multiple points during the race, it made me really happy. I think I was just so excited about being engaged that I wanted to finish and see him!
I can't wait until Sarah plans my bachelorette race. Yes, I said race. In addition to my parties (plural, because I know that will be the case), we are going to run a race to celebrate. I don't know how long of a race, that's up to her as long as it's not a full marathon!
Did I mention yet that I can barely move today? Not only was I the most sore I have ever been after a race, I worked out with Angela. And as I've explained, I always feel like jelly afterward. We did mostly upper body, but with Angela, upper body workouts are always lower body workouts too. But that's fine because other than laundry, I will spending my afternoon cuddling with our dog Toby and catching up on all the shows I missed (currently it's The Bachelor: Women Tell All). Sounds like the perfect end to a vacation to me :-)
Jeff proposed!! On our first night on the cruise, he popped the question! I am so excited, I keep catching myself looking at my new shiny ring...
We had an awesome time in Cabo- we snorkeled, parasailed, shopped, drank, and just enjoyed the sunshine. We met some great people on the cruise, we got extremely lucky. Shout out to the Boyds, we are so lucky to have met you!
Another shout out to Samantha, I am so sad we couldn't celebrate our birthdays together this year but I was definitely thinking of you and I hope you had a drink for me!
Back to focusing on running (if I must)...
Yesterday, March 13th was not only my friend Sarah's birthday but also the San Diego Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park) half marathon. I didn't do much in terms of training this past week since we were on the cruise. I ran once for a mile on the cruise ship and then got worried that I would either barf or spaz out and fall off the treadmill because of the way the ship was rocking. Saturday, Najia the Ninja had a JT-filled 90-minute spin class as a birthday celebration for me and Sarah, which was awesome. So that was a good jump-start to my weekend.
Going into the race, I was not mentally or physically prepared. Physically, I was sore from spinning, and I got 5 hours of sleep. Why they decided to have a 7 AM race on the first day of daylight savings time is beyond me. We had to get up at 5 AM (it's good that we did because traffic was bad on the one lane road getting into the park). Plus I may or may not have stayed up till 11 the night before reading the bridal magazines Jeff's mom got me... Mentally, my only thought about the race was that I wanted to finish. I didn't care about my time, I just wanted to have a good run and be done with it. Sarah and our other friend Ashley and I had a joint birthday celebration planned for after the race, so that's pretty much all I was thinking about.
As it turned out, not caring worked quite well. I beat my previous best time (or as they call it in the running world, personal record) by about half a minute. The course was really hilly so I am still not sure how I did that but I got a time of 2:03:21. Yay! I think it helped that we passed the rhinos and the cheetahs coming into the finish... the cheetah was staring me down haha. I would definitely do that race again, it was probably the most fun half marathon I have run so far. It definitely helped that Jeff was there to cheer me on at multiple points during the race, it made me really happy. I think I was just so excited about being engaged that I wanted to finish and see him!
I can't wait until Sarah plans my bachelorette race. Yes, I said race. In addition to my parties (plural, because I know that will be the case), we are going to run a race to celebrate. I don't know how long of a race, that's up to her as long as it's not a full marathon!
Did I mention yet that I can barely move today? Not only was I the most sore I have ever been after a race, I worked out with Angela. And as I've explained, I always feel like jelly afterward. We did mostly upper body, but with Angela, upper body workouts are always lower body workouts too. But that's fine because other than laundry, I will spending my afternoon cuddling with our dog Toby and catching up on all the shows I missed (currently it's The Bachelor: Women Tell All). Sounds like the perfect end to a vacation to me :-)
Friday, March 4, 2011
Final Countdown
T-minus less than 2 days until my cruise to Cabo San Lucas. This week has been... taxing to say the least. I am in dire need of a vacation.
So you know how I said in my last post my goal was to run 6 miles the next morning? Yeah... that didn't quite happen. But I did run 5 miles. And considering I had no desire to get out of bed that morning at all, I think that's pretty good. I realized after my run though that my leg muscles were really tight. Tighter than they've been in a long time, despite all my stretching and foam rolling. I think it's because after my race injury, all I could do was yoga... so I did yoga (regular and hot) pretty much every day for a week. I haven't had a chance to do it in a couple weeks, and I think my body was used to having that extra time to stretch. So I decided to go to Carol P's class last night while Jeff lifted weights.
Carol P. can do the splits. That might not sound too impressive, I mean she is a yoga teacher. But she is also 60 years old. How many 60 year olds can say they can do the splits? I have a couple fave yoga teachers at 24 hr fitness and she is one of them. She likes to do "yoga fit" which I really enjoy. I get a little bit bored in the type of yoga that's just breathing and stretching. I need a little bit of a challenge. So throw some pushups, lunges, and crunches in there and I'm all over it. I also love hot yoga, but I used up my trial period at Corepower during my post-injury yoga kick.
Carol decided to focus on core yesterday. I didn't think I would be too sore; I do a lot of core strengthening exercises with Angela. But as the day went on today, I could feel the soreness penetrating more and more. Especially in my obliques (or as I call them, side abs). I love that feeling. Najia also kicked our asses again in spinning this morning, and surprisingly spinning is a really good core workout. I don't love seated climbs, but they do target the abs.
I need to feel like I have been good about working out this week before the cruise, because I know that once we get on the ship all bets are off. I will try to work out a couple of the days, and Jeff and I are going to go running Sunday morning before the cruise, but really I need to have some fun. It's tough for me to let myself take a break, but I have finally convinced myself that I really need one.
My training schedule says that I am supposed to run 4 miles tomorrow. That's not very much in the scheme of things, but I have to work earlier than normal. Not only that but it is also my 25th birthday. I'm thinking I wouldn't mind just sleeping in a little bit and forgetting about all of the bad things I am going to indulge in in the next week...
Before I end this post, I must give a shout out to my sister Katie. Not because she demanded that she be blogged about (she did), but because she is the best sister (and best friend) in the world. And she just turned 23, happy birthday to her!
So you know how I said in my last post my goal was to run 6 miles the next morning? Yeah... that didn't quite happen. But I did run 5 miles. And considering I had no desire to get out of bed that morning at all, I think that's pretty good. I realized after my run though that my leg muscles were really tight. Tighter than they've been in a long time, despite all my stretching and foam rolling. I think it's because after my race injury, all I could do was yoga... so I did yoga (regular and hot) pretty much every day for a week. I haven't had a chance to do it in a couple weeks, and I think my body was used to having that extra time to stretch. So I decided to go to Carol P's class last night while Jeff lifted weights.
Carol P. can do the splits. That might not sound too impressive, I mean she is a yoga teacher. But she is also 60 years old. How many 60 year olds can say they can do the splits? I have a couple fave yoga teachers at 24 hr fitness and she is one of them. She likes to do "yoga fit" which I really enjoy. I get a little bit bored in the type of yoga that's just breathing and stretching. I need a little bit of a challenge. So throw some pushups, lunges, and crunches in there and I'm all over it. I also love hot yoga, but I used up my trial period at Corepower during my post-injury yoga kick.
Carol decided to focus on core yesterday. I didn't think I would be too sore; I do a lot of core strengthening exercises with Angela. But as the day went on today, I could feel the soreness penetrating more and more. Especially in my obliques (or as I call them, side abs). I love that feeling. Najia also kicked our asses again in spinning this morning, and surprisingly spinning is a really good core workout. I don't love seated climbs, but they do target the abs.
I need to feel like I have been good about working out this week before the cruise, because I know that once we get on the ship all bets are off. I will try to work out a couple of the days, and Jeff and I are going to go running Sunday morning before the cruise, but really I need to have some fun. It's tough for me to let myself take a break, but I have finally convinced myself that I really need one.
My training schedule says that I am supposed to run 4 miles tomorrow. That's not very much in the scheme of things, but I have to work earlier than normal. Not only that but it is also my 25th birthday. I'm thinking I wouldn't mind just sleeping in a little bit and forgetting about all of the bad things I am going to indulge in in the next week...
Before I end this post, I must give a shout out to my sister Katie. Not because she demanded that she be blogged about (she did), but because she is the best sister (and best friend) in the world. And she just turned 23, happy birthday to her!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Najia the Ninja
I have already told you about Angela, now let me introduce you to Najia the Ninja.
Najia is my favorite spinning (indoor cycling) teacher. She is awesome. I spin twice a week (Wednesdays and Fridays) at 6 AM. Sometimes I lift weights and/or foam roll before class. So yes I get up between 5 and 5:30 AM depending on the day. I know this sounds a little bit crazy, but honestly it's 10 times better than working out after a 9 hour work day plus an hour (or more) commute each way. Working out in the morning gives me energy for the rest of the day. You may roll your eyes at that but it's true. But yes I do love my coffee, too.
Back to the point. I love spinning. Sarah introduced it to me right before our first half marathon last summer. I am not going to lie, I was skeptical. Indoor cycling? And I can't even read my tabloids while doing it? I wasn't so sure... but then I took one of Najia's classes. I think it was a combination of Najia's energy and the jelly-like feeling in my legs after the class; I loved it. I started going more frequently, and eventually I just started signing myself up for the next couple months at a time (you can do that at 24-hour fitness for $1/class... or if you are friends with the front desk guy you can do it for less than that ;-)).
A few weeks in, Najia started asking me if I was going to get spinning shoes. I wasn't sure, they were kind of expensive. But everyone, including Sarah who got a pair, told me it makes all the difference in the world. The special spinning shoes are cleats and actually clip into the pedals, whereas my running shoes had to fit under the straps. You have less cushion with the clip-ins, which makes your leg muscles work harder and more efficiently. So I invested in some shoes. And WOW what a difference. It not only helped for stability on the bike, but I could feel my legs, and the rest of my body, working harder.
According to my training schedule, I am supposed to run 8 miles on Wednesdays, but that's a lot when I also run 6 miles Tuesdays and Thursdays. So I switch out that mid-week run with spinning. It's great cross training because it works all of the lower body muscle groups in a different way than running does. Plus it's become something Jeff and I do together, which keeps us both motivated to go. Right now a big bonus of spinning is that it's indoors, and the temperature outside at 5 AM is not very conducive to running in early March.
Tomorrow I will suck it up and run my 6 miles before work. I didn't run Tuesday because I was so incredibly sore, so I am in need of a good run. I think I may need a little foam rolling action before bed, my hamstrings are still sore from my workout 2 days ago. But mostly I just need sleep. I have been a little bit stressed, but sleeping and running are two of the things that help most. So if sleeping doesn't do it, I will make sure my run takes care of it in the morning!
Najia is my favorite spinning (indoor cycling) teacher. She is awesome. I spin twice a week (Wednesdays and Fridays) at 6 AM. Sometimes I lift weights and/or foam roll before class. So yes I get up between 5 and 5:30 AM depending on the day. I know this sounds a little bit crazy, but honestly it's 10 times better than working out after a 9 hour work day plus an hour (or more) commute each way. Working out in the morning gives me energy for the rest of the day. You may roll your eyes at that but it's true. But yes I do love my coffee, too.
Back to the point. I love spinning. Sarah introduced it to me right before our first half marathon last summer. I am not going to lie, I was skeptical. Indoor cycling? And I can't even read my tabloids while doing it? I wasn't so sure... but then I took one of Najia's classes. I think it was a combination of Najia's energy and the jelly-like feeling in my legs after the class; I loved it. I started going more frequently, and eventually I just started signing myself up for the next couple months at a time (you can do that at 24-hour fitness for $1/class... or if you are friends with the front desk guy you can do it for less than that ;-)).
A few weeks in, Najia started asking me if I was going to get spinning shoes. I wasn't sure, they were kind of expensive. But everyone, including Sarah who got a pair, told me it makes all the difference in the world. The special spinning shoes are cleats and actually clip into the pedals, whereas my running shoes had to fit under the straps. You have less cushion with the clip-ins, which makes your leg muscles work harder and more efficiently. So I invested in some shoes. And WOW what a difference. It not only helped for stability on the bike, but I could feel my legs, and the rest of my body, working harder.
According to my training schedule, I am supposed to run 8 miles on Wednesdays, but that's a lot when I also run 6 miles Tuesdays and Thursdays. So I switch out that mid-week run with spinning. It's great cross training because it works all of the lower body muscle groups in a different way than running does. Plus it's become something Jeff and I do together, which keeps us both motivated to go. Right now a big bonus of spinning is that it's indoors, and the temperature outside at 5 AM is not very conducive to running in early March.
Tomorrow I will suck it up and run my 6 miles before work. I didn't run Tuesday because I was so incredibly sore, so I am in need of a good run. I think I may need a little foam rolling action before bed, my hamstrings are still sore from my workout 2 days ago. But mostly I just need sleep. I have been a little bit stressed, but sleeping and running are two of the things that help most. So if sleeping doesn't do it, I will make sure my run takes care of it in the morning!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
So... sore...
I usually get sore after long runs, but this is the first time since maybe my first half marathon that I have been this sore 2 days later. It could have something to do with the fact that it was a longer run than I have ever attempted at one time. Or it could have something to do with my trainer Angela.
Let me just explain Angela to you. Angela is about 5'4", 110 lbs, short blonde hair. And she could also probably bench press Jeff while running a marathon. Okay that might be a slight exaggeration, but let's just say looks can be deceiving. She is an awesome trainer. My entire body feels like jelly after seeing her. I only see her once every two weeks now, but she always writes down our workouts for me to do on my own during the week. She is very good about creating workouts for me that are running-centric. Every exercise utilitizes multiple muscle groups, definitely including at least one leg group. About 99% of the exercises involve the glutes (that's what she said).
Here is what we did yesterday in case anyone cares (and I may be forgetting some things):
Weighted step ups (20 lb. dumbbell in each hand)
-8 on each side
Single arm power cleans (20 lb. dumbbell)- haha while I was doing this Angela whispered to me that the guy next to me was doing the same exercise with his trainer- with 10 lb weights!
-12-15 on each side
Single arm bent over rows (20 lb. dumbbell)
-15 on each side
Bosu ball (with flat side up) squat to overhead press (20 lbs in each hand)
-12 reps
Bosu ball (with flat side up) straight leg dead lifts (20 lbs in each hand)
-15 reps
Bosu ball (round side up) single leg bridge position skull crushers (10 lbs in each hand)
-8 on each side
Side plank with leg lifts
-12-15 on each side
Rowing machine plank to pike (feet on seat, hands on box)
-15 reps
Rowing machine moving plank (hands on seat, moving seat back and forth)
-45 seconds
I did most of those 3 times (didn't have time to do a couple of them a third time) and I was DONE. I wanted to not move for the rest of the day, but unfortunately I had a couple errands to do before the cruise. Not complaining! Oh and I got a facial with my fave aesthetician, Shelby. I am sad that she will be going on maternity leave, but happy for her.
Speaking of facials, I scheduled a hot stone massage for the day after my full marathon. So if anything during the race I can keep thinking "hot stone massage, hot stone massage, food, hot stone massage." That will be sure to keep me going!
Let me just explain Angela to you. Angela is about 5'4", 110 lbs, short blonde hair. And she could also probably bench press Jeff while running a marathon. Okay that might be a slight exaggeration, but let's just say looks can be deceiving. She is an awesome trainer. My entire body feels like jelly after seeing her. I only see her once every two weeks now, but she always writes down our workouts for me to do on my own during the week. She is very good about creating workouts for me that are running-centric. Every exercise utilitizes multiple muscle groups, definitely including at least one leg group. About 99% of the exercises involve the glutes (that's what she said).
Here is what we did yesterday in case anyone cares (and I may be forgetting some things):
Weighted step ups (20 lb. dumbbell in each hand)
-8 on each side
Single arm power cleans (20 lb. dumbbell)- haha while I was doing this Angela whispered to me that the guy next to me was doing the same exercise with his trainer- with 10 lb weights!
-12-15 on each side
Single arm bent over rows (20 lb. dumbbell)
-15 on each side
Bosu ball (with flat side up) squat to overhead press (20 lbs in each hand)
-12 reps
Bosu ball (with flat side up) straight leg dead lifts (20 lbs in each hand)
-15 reps
Bosu ball (round side up) single leg bridge position skull crushers (10 lbs in each hand)
-8 on each side
Side plank with leg lifts
-12-15 on each side
Rowing machine plank to pike (feet on seat, hands on box)
-15 reps
Rowing machine moving plank (hands on seat, moving seat back and forth)
-45 seconds
I did most of those 3 times (didn't have time to do a couple of them a third time) and I was DONE. I wanted to not move for the rest of the day, but unfortunately I had a couple errands to do before the cruise. Not complaining! Oh and I got a facial with my fave aesthetician, Shelby. I am sad that she will be going on maternity leave, but happy for her.
Speaking of facials, I scheduled a hot stone massage for the day after my full marathon. So if anything during the race I can keep thinking "hot stone massage, hot stone massage, food, hot stone massage." That will be sure to keep me going!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
20 miles in 20 hours
I ran 16 miles today. At one time. I have never done it before. Up until now the most I have run at one time is 13.1 (well slightly more... if you run the outside of a race course you run slightly more than the actual mileage). I actually realized that I ran 20 hours in 20 hours. Per my training schedule, I ran 4 miles last night. I usually work out before work, but due to pouring rain and a physical need to sleep yesterday morning, that didn't happen. So Sarah and I went to the gym after work and ran on the treadmill (while watching Hoarders- it's like a moth to a flame). And then I ran 16 miles today. 20 miles in 20 hours. Kind of cool :-)
It felt great. Well... emotionally and mentally anyway. Physically it felt both great and painful at the same time. It was a beautiful day for a run. It poured all day yesterday so I was a little worried, but the blue skies came out just for me this morning. So I started in Balboa Park, ran down to the harbor, around Seaport village and the convention center, and back up to the park. Here is my route for anyone interested in running 16 miles (hah):
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/28745524
The first 8 miles were great. I was feeling fantastic- the water was sparkling, the weather was cool but not too cool after the recent rains. Halfway through my run, I decided to eat (drink?) my chocolate Powerade energy goo. I have had the Gu brand chocolate goo before and I didn't think it was too bad. But the Powerade stuff... ugghhhhhh. It ruined the rest of the run for me. I can't even explain it. The aftertaste was worse than the actual taste- it tasted like bad tequila. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I don't recommend it. So after that, I got a stomachache. Figures. I think it was a combination of sore abs (I did some core exercises last night, note to self don't do that before a long run) and the bad goo. And maybe I didn't eat enough before my run this morning. But I pushed through the last 8 miles. The first 8 averaged around 9 minutes/mile. The last 8 averaged around 12... I walked the last 2 miles. My legs were done to the point of being overcooked. My ass hurt. My hamstrings hurt. My hips hurt. My quads hurt. Needless to say, I spent about 20 minutes stretching before I headed home. I have never been so happy to see my car.
After my run I was craving a diet coke. I have noticed that after good runs that happens to me. Does this happen to anyone else? So I went to 7-11 and once there decided that I wanted a Coke slurpee instead. SO GOOD. Just what I needed. And after burning around 1700 calories, I didn't feel bad at all.
I got home and foam rolled. Ugghhhh the joy and the pain. My IT band actually didn't give me trouble during the run, which makes me hopeful for the marathon. But foam rolling was a little bit excruciating. Afterward I felt fantastic. I showered and then plopped down on the couch to watch a movie with my boys. I lazed around the apartment for a good while and then cooked up some salmon, broccoli rabe, and harvest grains (gotta love Trader Joe's) for dinner. Mmmm I couldn't get enough of those grains. Good thing Jeff is on a low carb kick before our cruise, more carbs for me!
After today I am both hopeful and also a little more anxious about the marathon. I know it's still a few months away, but 16 miles was difficult. I am hoping that with training these long runs become easier. I have to say though, no matter how difficult it was, I feel like I accomplished something new today. And in training that feeling is just going to keep on coming.
It felt great. Well... emotionally and mentally anyway. Physically it felt both great and painful at the same time. It was a beautiful day for a run. It poured all day yesterday so I was a little worried, but the blue skies came out just for me this morning. So I started in Balboa Park, ran down to the harbor, around Seaport village and the convention center, and back up to the park. Here is my route for anyone interested in running 16 miles (hah):
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/28745524
The first 8 miles were great. I was feeling fantastic- the water was sparkling, the weather was cool but not too cool after the recent rains. Halfway through my run, I decided to eat (drink?) my chocolate Powerade energy goo. I have had the Gu brand chocolate goo before and I didn't think it was too bad. But the Powerade stuff... ugghhhhhh. It ruined the rest of the run for me. I can't even explain it. The aftertaste was worse than the actual taste- it tasted like bad tequila. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I don't recommend it. So after that, I got a stomachache. Figures. I think it was a combination of sore abs (I did some core exercises last night, note to self don't do that before a long run) and the bad goo. And maybe I didn't eat enough before my run this morning. But I pushed through the last 8 miles. The first 8 averaged around 9 minutes/mile. The last 8 averaged around 12... I walked the last 2 miles. My legs were done to the point of being overcooked. My ass hurt. My hamstrings hurt. My hips hurt. My quads hurt. Needless to say, I spent about 20 minutes stretching before I headed home. I have never been so happy to see my car.
After my run I was craving a diet coke. I have noticed that after good runs that happens to me. Does this happen to anyone else? So I went to 7-11 and once there decided that I wanted a Coke slurpee instead. SO GOOD. Just what I needed. And after burning around 1700 calories, I didn't feel bad at all.
I got home and foam rolled. Ugghhhh the joy and the pain. My IT band actually didn't give me trouble during the run, which makes me hopeful for the marathon. But foam rolling was a little bit excruciating. Afterward I felt fantastic. I showered and then plopped down on the couch to watch a movie with my boys. I lazed around the apartment for a good while and then cooked up some salmon, broccoli rabe, and harvest grains (gotta love Trader Joe's) for dinner. Mmmm I couldn't get enough of those grains. Good thing Jeff is on a low carb kick before our cruise, more carbs for me!
After today I am both hopeful and also a little more anxious about the marathon. I know it's still a few months away, but 16 miles was difficult. I am hoping that with training these long runs become easier. I have to say though, no matter how difficult it was, I feel like I accomplished something new today. And in training that feeling is just going to keep on coming.
Why I Run
I have never blogged before so this will be a first! Many of my friends have been using blogging as an outlet, and I can see why. My e-mails tend to be rather detailed (and perhaps rather annoying to those with little patience), so this may be a good way for me to express my thoughts.
This blog will be about running, to put it simply. But it's about much more than that. Here is some background info to put things into perspective.
Two years ago, I never would have imagined that I would want to be a distance runner. Seven years ago, I would never have imagined that I would want to do anything physical. I had been heavy all my life. I was about 180 lbs. at my heaviest, which I was probably junior year of high school. I still do not know what sparked my desire to lose weight. Maybe it was the years of taunting from my peers. Maybe it was that my dad is a doctor and has always led a healthy lifestyle, and I wanted to make him proud. Or maybe I was just sick of looking at myself in the mirror and hating what I saw. But the summer between junior year and senior year of high school, I lost about 50 pounds. During senior year I lost another 30, and was at my lightest weight of 120. My mom even had to alter my prom dress at the last minute because in the month between buying my dress and prom I lost 5 pounds and it was falling off of me (the pitfall of a strapless dress, I guess).
My weight loss was a combination of healthy eating (thank you, food network and Rachael Ray!) and lots of time at the gym. I did weight training, cardio (no running- oh goodness no, I hated running), and yoga. I am not sure how I balanced completing an IB diploma, being captain of the golf team (yes, laugh all you want but I love golf), and working out, but I loved how I felt so I kept doing it. I am a very stubborn person and once I put my mind to something, I am likely to accomplish it. As a side note, not only did I lose all that weight senior year but I also ended up being valedictorian of my graduating class. Did I mention that not only am I stubborn, but also really competitive?
In college, especially freshman year, I was a workout fanatic. I went from hating working out to becoming obsessed with it (ask my friends). Yet somehow I still gained the freshman 15. 120 was definitely not the right weight for me- 135-140 is definitely more comfortable, I was looking a little "skeletor" at 120 as my friend Sarah would say. My weight fluctuated 5 or 10 pounds here and there, but as of now (6 years later) I have been around 145-150 for about 3 years. It is a happy weight for me. I wouldn't mind shedding a few more pounds (not many people would), but I am very happy and healthy. I love cooking, which helps.
The reason I got into running was because I was in a rut. I am a goal-oriented person and needed something to aim for. I had been going to the gym for how ever many years, I knew my fair share of weight lifting techniques and such. But it was all starting to get a little too routine. And as many different sources will say, switching up the workout routine is paramount to not only keep things interesting, but also to keep your muscles guessing. So I decided one day in early April 2010- hey I want to train for a half marathon. Not a 5K, not a 10K, but a half marathon. 13.1 miles. I guess I figured go big or go home, and as long as I trained properly it would be okay. Now keep in mind I used to hate running. And actually up until that day I still hated running. But I was so set on needing to do something new that I decided to try. And where better to run than beautiful San Diego, where the weather is sunny 95% of the year?
So I looked up a half marathon training guide. Here is the one I used: http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html
After choosing the training schedule, the next step was to sign up for a half marathon. The AFC (America's Finest City, wow San Diego, you are so modest) half was scheduled to be in mid August. I figured perfect, I would have plenty of time to train. So I just signed up. My friend Sarah was just getting back into her workout routine too, and she said "let's do it." So we went only, paid the fee, and it was done. No going back.
I ran every couple days until the training really started. According to the website I used, it was recommended that I be able to run for 3 miles straight. I thought this would be pretty difficult but one day on the treadmill I decided to go for it. And it was surprisingly fine. And actually... fun? The treadmill isn't ideal but if I can watch Dirty Jobs and run at the same time, it's okay by me. I started my real training in June, and the time flew (or ran!) by. I was very strict with myself about my training regimen. Drinking a beer or a glass of wine once a week was okay, but the two weeks before the race there was no drinking and no junk food eating. I also signed up at 24-hour fitness and got a personal trainer. Angela is wonderful, I see her once every week or every other week. She kicks my ass and I love it. I also got into spinning classes and yoga, I now spin twice a week and do yoga as often as I can. I run and/or cross train 5-6 times a week. So I trained and trained. Pretty soon it was mid-August and time for the half.
My only goal was to finish. I didn't have a good running watch at the time so I didn't really know what my pace would be like. I figured 10 minutes per mile was pretty accurate. The AFC half is downhill for a few miles (from the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma down to harbor), flat for most of the race (through the harbor and downtown), and then uphill at mile 11 (up to Balboa Park across the Prado). The first 8 miles I didn't stop to walk at all which felt great. But by mile 11 my legs were toast. I thought to myself "wow, really, self? You couldn't just pace yourself a little better?" But I finished. My boyfriend Jeff and dog Toby were waiting for me at the finish line, which made me pick up the pace through the last few yards. Sarah came in a little after me, and we both had no idea what our times were like. I heard the general time every mile and figured my 10 minute per mile pace was pretty accurate.
Later that day, we looked up our times online. My split time was 55 minutes. Wow. I guess the downhill helped, because 6.6 miles in 55 minutes felt pretty good. My overall time was 2:03:54 which surprised me. It was much better than I thought I could do, especially since my only goal was to finish. It was a great feeling finishing that first race, more emotional than I thought. Having Jeff and Toby there to support me was just what I needed.
My next race was the Fresno half, November 2010. Yes, I know, Fresno? But my sister is going to school there- so there actually WAS a reason to visit. Sarah and I went up there early to hang out with Katie, went to dinner with my parents, and had a pre-race beer with dinner. We had both been sick with colds the week before so we had no expectations for this race. I had been a lot less strict with my training than I had been for the first race. I figured, it's a flat race, I basically just signed up to go up and see my sister and parents, my only goal is again to finish.
Guess what time I got. I bet you won't. 2:03:54. Yep, the same EXACT time, down to the second, as my first half. Who does that?! I couldn't believe it. I think that was more impressive than beating my first time. Unfortunately, I didn't get the same time in the next race...
The next race Sarah and I signed up for was the Carlsbad half at the end of January 2011. Training was a lot better because my mom got me a really nice Garmin running watch so I could see my mileage on every run. Everyone told me it was the easiest race in San Diego, really flat and fast. That got my hopes up- under 2 hours here I come! Um, no. First of all, it was much hillier than the AFC was. Secondly, I hurt myself during the race. It was my own fault- I shouldn't have started with 8 minute miles. I strained my IT (iliotibial) band a few miles into the race, and by mile 10 I was in so much pain I could barely walk. The outside of my left knee was killing me. And there were no medics! I was considering not finishing but I am glad that despite the pain I still finished. I ended up getting a time of about 2:30 which all things considered is actually not bad. But as I said, I am a goal oriented person, so when my goal wasn't met I was disappointed with myself. But Sarah got her PR (personal record) of around 2:06! So that made up for my shortcomings a little bit.
After that half I was a little bit depressed. I went to the doctor and she told me to stay off my legs (and definitely don't run) for at least a week. I HATED it. Ugh. Not running or doing any cardio for a week was worse than the pain. But I did yoga (including hot yoga) a few days that week (if anything was uncomfortable on my knee I stopped), and it went pretty quickly. I had to slowly start running again, and foam rolling was key. If any of you run and don't foam roll- you are missing out. I foam roll on my IT band and quads as often as possible. Sarah just got me a foam roller as an early birthday gift and I love it (or heartses it as we say in Sarah language). A month later the pain is pretty much gone, but I am more cautious.
Not only was I a little depressed, I also realized that I was in a lull already with running. Not even a year after I decided to start! So I thought, hmm how do I get out of this lull? Halfs are nice but... a full marathon? My cousin Jenny is a marathon runner and it scares me. She is amazing and built like a runner- I am not. But I needed a new goal. Her first marathon was the Rock N Roll here in San Diego. It's on Sunday June 5th and I am now officially signed up. So I picked a new training regimen. Here is the one I am following, it's 16 weeks:
http://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_sch_2.html
I started training February 6th, superbowl Sunday. I did my 10 miles that day and it felt great. I have had to tweak the schedule and switch runs around because Sundays are my only day off with Jeff (I work Saturdays and he works Mondays when I am off), but in general I have kept to my schedule. I only run twice during the work week instead of 3 times (I spin on Wednesdays instead), but that will probably change in the spring once the sun is out later. I like running after work but I hate running in the dark. I do my long runs on Sundays generally, and see Angela on Mondays. Today is February 27th and I am supposed to do a 14 mile run, but next Sunday Jeff and I leave for a cruise to Cabo (wooo!!) for my birthday (we leave March 6th, the day after my bday), so I am switching this week's run with next week's 16 miler. Sarah and I are also doing a half marathon on her birthday, which is March 13th, 2 days after we get back from the cruise. So if I anything I will be well-rested! It's through the San Diego Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park, no idea why the name changed), it's the first one they have held ever and it will be really fun. It looks hilly but we have dealt with hills before. Jeff will be doing the 5K and cheering us on at the end of our half.
Today I will run (hopefully) 16 miles. Wow. That's the most I will have ever run at one time. Luckily the rain has let up and the San Diego sunshine is out. I think I will run in Balboa park down to the harbor. Running next to the ocean is cathartic. And running through Seaport Village on a Sunday is always interesting because running through the groups of people is almost like an obstacle course. I am pumped (maybe it was the coffee I just finished)- I am feeling like it will be a good run. Time to foam roll and get going!
This blog will be about running, to put it simply. But it's about much more than that. Here is some background info to put things into perspective.
Two years ago, I never would have imagined that I would want to be a distance runner. Seven years ago, I would never have imagined that I would want to do anything physical. I had been heavy all my life. I was about 180 lbs. at my heaviest, which I was probably junior year of high school. I still do not know what sparked my desire to lose weight. Maybe it was the years of taunting from my peers. Maybe it was that my dad is a doctor and has always led a healthy lifestyle, and I wanted to make him proud. Or maybe I was just sick of looking at myself in the mirror and hating what I saw. But the summer between junior year and senior year of high school, I lost about 50 pounds. During senior year I lost another 30, and was at my lightest weight of 120. My mom even had to alter my prom dress at the last minute because in the month between buying my dress and prom I lost 5 pounds and it was falling off of me (the pitfall of a strapless dress, I guess).
My weight loss was a combination of healthy eating (thank you, food network and Rachael Ray!) and lots of time at the gym. I did weight training, cardio (no running- oh goodness no, I hated running), and yoga. I am not sure how I balanced completing an IB diploma, being captain of the golf team (yes, laugh all you want but I love golf), and working out, but I loved how I felt so I kept doing it. I am a very stubborn person and once I put my mind to something, I am likely to accomplish it. As a side note, not only did I lose all that weight senior year but I also ended up being valedictorian of my graduating class. Did I mention that not only am I stubborn, but also really competitive?
In college, especially freshman year, I was a workout fanatic. I went from hating working out to becoming obsessed with it (ask my friends). Yet somehow I still gained the freshman 15. 120 was definitely not the right weight for me- 135-140 is definitely more comfortable, I was looking a little "skeletor" at 120 as my friend Sarah would say. My weight fluctuated 5 or 10 pounds here and there, but as of now (6 years later) I have been around 145-150 for about 3 years. It is a happy weight for me. I wouldn't mind shedding a few more pounds (not many people would), but I am very happy and healthy. I love cooking, which helps.
The reason I got into running was because I was in a rut. I am a goal-oriented person and needed something to aim for. I had been going to the gym for how ever many years, I knew my fair share of weight lifting techniques and such. But it was all starting to get a little too routine. And as many different sources will say, switching up the workout routine is paramount to not only keep things interesting, but also to keep your muscles guessing. So I decided one day in early April 2010- hey I want to train for a half marathon. Not a 5K, not a 10K, but a half marathon. 13.1 miles. I guess I figured go big or go home, and as long as I trained properly it would be okay. Now keep in mind I used to hate running. And actually up until that day I still hated running. But I was so set on needing to do something new that I decided to try. And where better to run than beautiful San Diego, where the weather is sunny 95% of the year?
So I looked up a half marathon training guide. Here is the one I used: http://www.marathonrookie.com/half-marathon-training.html
After choosing the training schedule, the next step was to sign up for a half marathon. The AFC (America's Finest City, wow San Diego, you are so modest) half was scheduled to be in mid August. I figured perfect, I would have plenty of time to train. So I just signed up. My friend Sarah was just getting back into her workout routine too, and she said "let's do it." So we went only, paid the fee, and it was done. No going back.
I ran every couple days until the training really started. According to the website I used, it was recommended that I be able to run for 3 miles straight. I thought this would be pretty difficult but one day on the treadmill I decided to go for it. And it was surprisingly fine. And actually... fun? The treadmill isn't ideal but if I can watch Dirty Jobs and run at the same time, it's okay by me. I started my real training in June, and the time flew (or ran!) by. I was very strict with myself about my training regimen. Drinking a beer or a glass of wine once a week was okay, but the two weeks before the race there was no drinking and no junk food eating. I also signed up at 24-hour fitness and got a personal trainer. Angela is wonderful, I see her once every week or every other week. She kicks my ass and I love it. I also got into spinning classes and yoga, I now spin twice a week and do yoga as often as I can. I run and/or cross train 5-6 times a week. So I trained and trained. Pretty soon it was mid-August and time for the half.
My only goal was to finish. I didn't have a good running watch at the time so I didn't really know what my pace would be like. I figured 10 minutes per mile was pretty accurate. The AFC half is downhill for a few miles (from the Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma down to harbor), flat for most of the race (through the harbor and downtown), and then uphill at mile 11 (up to Balboa Park across the Prado). The first 8 miles I didn't stop to walk at all which felt great. But by mile 11 my legs were toast. I thought to myself "wow, really, self? You couldn't just pace yourself a little better?" But I finished. My boyfriend Jeff and dog Toby were waiting for me at the finish line, which made me pick up the pace through the last few yards. Sarah came in a little after me, and we both had no idea what our times were like. I heard the general time every mile and figured my 10 minute per mile pace was pretty accurate.
Later that day, we looked up our times online. My split time was 55 minutes. Wow. I guess the downhill helped, because 6.6 miles in 55 minutes felt pretty good. My overall time was 2:03:54 which surprised me. It was much better than I thought I could do, especially since my only goal was to finish. It was a great feeling finishing that first race, more emotional than I thought. Having Jeff and Toby there to support me was just what I needed.
My next race was the Fresno half, November 2010. Yes, I know, Fresno? But my sister is going to school there- so there actually WAS a reason to visit. Sarah and I went up there early to hang out with Katie, went to dinner with my parents, and had a pre-race beer with dinner. We had both been sick with colds the week before so we had no expectations for this race. I had been a lot less strict with my training than I had been for the first race. I figured, it's a flat race, I basically just signed up to go up and see my sister and parents, my only goal is again to finish.
Guess what time I got. I bet you won't. 2:03:54. Yep, the same EXACT time, down to the second, as my first half. Who does that?! I couldn't believe it. I think that was more impressive than beating my first time. Unfortunately, I didn't get the same time in the next race...
The next race Sarah and I signed up for was the Carlsbad half at the end of January 2011. Training was a lot better because my mom got me a really nice Garmin running watch so I could see my mileage on every run. Everyone told me it was the easiest race in San Diego, really flat and fast. That got my hopes up- under 2 hours here I come! Um, no. First of all, it was much hillier than the AFC was. Secondly, I hurt myself during the race. It was my own fault- I shouldn't have started with 8 minute miles. I strained my IT (iliotibial) band a few miles into the race, and by mile 10 I was in so much pain I could barely walk. The outside of my left knee was killing me. And there were no medics! I was considering not finishing but I am glad that despite the pain I still finished. I ended up getting a time of about 2:30 which all things considered is actually not bad. But as I said, I am a goal oriented person, so when my goal wasn't met I was disappointed with myself. But Sarah got her PR (personal record) of around 2:06! So that made up for my shortcomings a little bit.
After that half I was a little bit depressed. I went to the doctor and she told me to stay off my legs (and definitely don't run) for at least a week. I HATED it. Ugh. Not running or doing any cardio for a week was worse than the pain. But I did yoga (including hot yoga) a few days that week (if anything was uncomfortable on my knee I stopped), and it went pretty quickly. I had to slowly start running again, and foam rolling was key. If any of you run and don't foam roll- you are missing out. I foam roll on my IT band and quads as often as possible. Sarah just got me a foam roller as an early birthday gift and I love it (or heartses it as we say in Sarah language). A month later the pain is pretty much gone, but I am more cautious.
Not only was I a little depressed, I also realized that I was in a lull already with running. Not even a year after I decided to start! So I thought, hmm how do I get out of this lull? Halfs are nice but... a full marathon? My cousin Jenny is a marathon runner and it scares me. She is amazing and built like a runner- I am not. But I needed a new goal. Her first marathon was the Rock N Roll here in San Diego. It's on Sunday June 5th and I am now officially signed up. So I picked a new training regimen. Here is the one I am following, it's 16 weeks:
http://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_sch_2.html
I started training February 6th, superbowl Sunday. I did my 10 miles that day and it felt great. I have had to tweak the schedule and switch runs around because Sundays are my only day off with Jeff (I work Saturdays and he works Mondays when I am off), but in general I have kept to my schedule. I only run twice during the work week instead of 3 times (I spin on Wednesdays instead), but that will probably change in the spring once the sun is out later. I like running after work but I hate running in the dark. I do my long runs on Sundays generally, and see Angela on Mondays. Today is February 27th and I am supposed to do a 14 mile run, but next Sunday Jeff and I leave for a cruise to Cabo (wooo!!) for my birthday (we leave March 6th, the day after my bday), so I am switching this week's run with next week's 16 miler. Sarah and I are also doing a half marathon on her birthday, which is March 13th, 2 days after we get back from the cruise. So if I anything I will be well-rested! It's through the San Diego Safari Park (formerly the Wild Animal Park, no idea why the name changed), it's the first one they have held ever and it will be really fun. It looks hilly but we have dealt with hills before. Jeff will be doing the 5K and cheering us on at the end of our half.
Today I will run (hopefully) 16 miles. Wow. That's the most I will have ever run at one time. Luckily the rain has let up and the San Diego sunshine is out. I think I will run in Balboa park down to the harbor. Running next to the ocean is cathartic. And running through Seaport Village on a Sunday is always interesting because running through the groups of people is almost like an obstacle course. I am pumped (maybe it was the coffee I just finished)- I am feeling like it will be a good run. Time to foam roll and get going!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)