Live~Love~Run

Weekly Training Summery

2012-02-27T13:50:00.000-05:00

This weeks training starts the conditioning process for several 5k's, 1 Half, and 1 8k this summer. I am very excited about this race season. It is going to be a fun summer. I am going into the race season with the sole hope to PR my 5K and Half time.

My First 5k is April, 15th and this race will purely be a gauge to see where my fitness level is currently. A lot of laziness has happend since the Marathon and I am unsure of my fitness level right now.

Monday-
2 w/u, 800 x 4 (400 rest), 1 c/d

Since running has been less then consistant since Christmas I chose to not run a *goal* 800 pace. I still wanted to do something in the area of intervals, but didnt want to push it too hard. So what I did was run two miles at a nice and easy pace (leggies felt very heavy) then I picked it up to a comfortably fast pace. I kept my "faster" splits around an 8:15 which still left me sore the next day. It was a beautiful day out and the entire run felt great. Well, with the exception of the first mile or so. But that is to be expected.

Tuesday-
Cross Train

Did 20 minutes on the indoor Spin Bike, 20 minutes Strength, 20 minutes stretching

When it comes to fitness the area I struggle the most with is Cross Training. I will rarely skip a run or a running workout. But for some reason I either do not enjoy cross training as much or do not take it as seriously. Even though on paper I know how important it is. So I am really trying to take it just as serious as I do my running.

Wednesday-
Rest

I was suppose to run today but opted to rest instead. I am concerned that my vitamin d levels might be a bit low again. I have been feeling very lethargic and drained. I started taking my supplement again and I will continue to monitor how I am feeling. I may have to get back on a prescription strength dose again.

Thursday-
5 Mile Tempo

This run was really hard. I had to stop a couple times and that was frustrating. My Legs were fine, but I couldnt get my breathing under control.

Friday-
Cross Train

With the dumping of snow that we received I decided that my cross training for the day would be shoveling snow. Job done!! My arms were very sore afterwards~

Saturday-
7 Miles Easy

I ran this with my friend Alexa. I havent ran further then 6 miles in about 2 months. It was strange to be so sore from running an easy 7 miles.

Sunday-
4 Mile Recovery

I ran this with my friend Cathy who is trying to shift from running on the treadmill to running outside. It is so nice that she is running outside. With both of us having busy schedules this enables us to get something done and hang out!!!

Summery:

With this being my first week back to running I have to say that I am extremely happy to be back at it. I love routine and the past few months were a struggle for me. I have noticed some things that make me a bit sad and that is my fitness level is not what it use to be. I have gained weight and lost muscle tone. Along with losing running endurance.

I am hoping that it will just take some consistency and I will regain what I have lost.

Living In The Fast Lane

2012-02-15T05:23:00.001-05:00

So life has been a bit chaotic lately. Around Christmas time I made the choice to get a job. Since my life is a little complicated and I can not work your normal 8-5 job so I decided to get a job working mid-nights. It has not been easy let me tell you. I knew it would be a challenge, but I figured the extra money floating around would offset the challenges. Despite my husbands strong adversity I chose to take the job anyways.

At first it seemed ok. I was managing, a little sleep deprived but nothing too bad. Then it seems like life just started happening and the past 6 weeks have been hell. I have all but quit running, gained 10+ pounds, and well lets just say 8 hours of sleep is very scarce these days. Even though I do get to see my family I am hardly a peach to be around and or completely blank as I am just trying to make it through the day without passing out.

So with only 8 weeks into the new job Tim and I sat down and decided that it has just become too much. So I put my two weeks in and will be returning to the old "Normal"! I am passionate about many things in life but when I can not even muster the energy for a 4 mile run. There is a problem~ Plus gaining weight is not even an option. I worked way too hard to shed those 62 pounds and there is no way in HELL I will go back to being over weight.

You know it seems as though everything happens at the "right" time. I have been planning or lets say wanting to get my personal training certificate for a while. But to be honest with you I have been putting it off. I have let fear over run me. I succumb to whats easy, SAFE, and what I know. But with that being said it just seems like Life/God/Fate whatever you call it, just keeps shoving me into a career that has something to do with Fitness. I have realized over the past 2 weeks that I need to quit fighting it and just pull up my big girl pants and take the plunge.

I have since gotten a BASIC certification in personal training. Next Tuesday I plan on registering a DBA and purchasing my liability insurance. I have vowed to take this one day at a time and try to not get overwhelmed with the fear of being self employed.

My number one focus will be at Snap Fitness in Holt, MI. The owner is so nice and is committed to helping me achieve my goals. The other personal trainer that was working there has since left and this leaves me with a lot of opportunity.

My second focus will be working under a Personal Trainer in East Lansing. He has since opened a few gyms (also Snap Fitnesses) and has become a little busier then he can handle.

My third focus will be to continue doing clerical work for a local sales rep. He reps for SUGOi, KSwiss, NUUN, Sports Beans, and Fuel Belt to name just a few. The hours are flexible, Im surrounded by TRI and Running gear. Plus I will have the opportunity to be apart of some really fun races/events. Plus he is just a great boss and his sister is one of my closest friends!!

So I am hoping that between these three areas I can still financially contribute to the family, all while doing something I love!! I am still scared, but I have a lot of support so I know everything will be ok!

Now on a SUPER EXCITING NOTE--------> RACE SCHEDULE

With 2 years of running under my belt I am so exited to go into this race season with nothing crucial on my agenda. 2010 was about being a running virgin and making all the rookie mistakes. 2011 was about training under Nick Stanko and learning how to train, plus completing my first marathon. Now 2012 is going to be about having some FUN!

I was going to seek out vengeance on the Marathon as I was not all that happy with my time at Chicago. But I have since let it go, and decided it is time to live it up and have some FUN! So I passed on signing up for the Lansing Marathon.

Our local running store sponsors a series of races. If you complete 6 of the 12 races you get a really nice long sleeved tech T, if you complete 9 you get a free loaf of bread from Great Harvest Bread Co. every month for a year (YUMMY). So I have tentatively picked out 10 races which will include:

April
Race for the Place- 5k
Susan G Komen- 5k

May
Dan Langdon- 5k

June
Bancorp- 5K
Max's Race- 5k

July
Eles Race- 5k

August
Mint City- 10 miler

September
Capital City- Half
Autumn Classic- 8k

October
Dino Dash- 5k

I dont have any expectations. I am not training to achieve anything specific. Im going to follow a simple training plan. I am going to work on speed a little and give it my all on race day. We will see how it turns out. But the focus is to kick butt and have FUN!!!!

My first race will be April 15th. So I have 7 weeks to whip myself into shape. Like I said the mileage has been scarce over the past two months. But Im looking at it as "rest" and hoping it will have given me fresh legs.

I am so excited to get back at it. I havent been "injured" per-say but its been long enough to give me an idea of what it would be like to have gone through an injury. So next Monday starts the beginning of my training cycle. Its time to step away from the junk food and start getting serious about some work outs.

Since mileage has been scarce and cold weather will dictate speed training for a few more weeks. I will be focussing on just putting in the miles, strength training, and shedding this extra baggage that has attached itself to my ARSE and my GUT!

So I am back to blogging and will be getting back to Daily Mile. I have missed it something fierce! You all keep me accountable and inspired!

THE CHICAGO MARATHON

2011-10-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

The Good, The Bad, and The Uncontrollable

I wish that I could write about a fairy tale marathon experience. I wish I could tell you the weather was perfect, we didnt get on the wrong train, and that I wasnt taken to the medical tent after an hour long walk to Charity Village. I CAN tell you that through all the adversity of the chicago marathon I did finish, I did not die, nor did I go into labor and give birth. I can say even though my experience was not of the fairy tale sort I still got my happily ever after.

I woke up Sunday morning about 3:50, which was about 10 minutes before I planned. I jumped out of bed and quickly started my morning routine. I wanted to get to the start finish line no later then 6:30. Everything that early morning went as planned. I got up, showered, ate, stretched, and was out the door with plenty of time to spare. I was in great spirits as I checked my weather app and according to that it was not going to get any warmer then 70* by 11:30. My hopes were high and I was feeling relieved as I had been worrying about the pending HIGH temps.

We walked to the Red Line and got on, not realizing till we got to the end that we had gotten on the Red Line going the opposite direction. We had to get off and wait for it to circle around so we could take it back the other way. I remained very calm even though I had to tinkle worse then I think I ever had before. We got off a train that was packed full of my fellow marathoners. I was calm as I thought to myself "I must not be too late, there are a tun of runners on this train". NOT TRUE..... I was very late and had it not of been for a DetermiNation volunteer who had taken my bag half way to charity village I would have missed gun time. I tinkled very quickly and ran to the entrance of corral D. They literally closed the gate about 2 minutes after I ran through. Oh and I cant forget to tell you about the guy I jogged to the corral with. So he asked me if this was my first and I said yes, and asked him and he said no and somehow he ended up sharing with me that he had ALREADY RAN TWNTY FOUR MILES before the marathon started at 7:30 AM! ARE YOU BLEEPING KIDDING ME (INSANE)! Anyhoo- Luckily my friend Beth and her friend Lori were waiting for me so I still got to start the marathon with my friends. I grabbed a cup of water and settled in till we slowly made our way to the start line. I was quite surprised that it only took about 5-6 minutes till I was off and running my first marathon. Seeded Corral is the only way to go!!!! I can say that being late for the start may have actually been a good thing. Even though I dreamed about being there and watching the sunrise over the city. This gave me no time to freak out! I was actually very calm in the mix of everything!

On the Red Line heading to the Marathon

One last smooch before Timmy and I were separated

The First 5K-

The temps were around 55-60* at the start of the race. Now what I really didnt think about BUT had read about was that if you do too much back and forth you add unnecessary mileage which in the end makes your splits seem slower. By the first 5K my watch was telling me I had gone a lot further then the mile markers suggested. My first 5k marathon pace had me at a 27:16 - 8:47 pace. My Garmin reads 7:12, 6:51, 8:26. Now I was not looking at my watch during this time or else OBVIOUSLY I would not have gone out that fast. I was just running with the flow of the crowd and I never felt as though I was cruising way too fast.

It was an awesome experience. I never turned on my music I was just looking for Tim around the 2 mile mark (I never saw him) and enjoying all the spectators. After the first 5k I scrolled through my garmin screens and saw the my average pace was around a LOW 8 and from there on out I paid a little more attention to my lap pace and tried to run the white line as much as possible.

I didnt see Tim but he saw me

The 10K

After I managed to settle into a much more realistic pace the miles just slipped away. The Marathon 10k had me at a 8:39 and my garmin said these are my following splits- 7:59, 8:24, 8:39. I settled into some music and just enjoyed this time. I was reading signs the spectators had made and I was seriously feeling AMAZING! I have to say that beyond everything else that happened how I felt from mile 1 to mile 14 makes everything worth it. Seeing so many runners by my side and hearing so many cheers is just so inspiring!

The HALF WAY POINT.....

This is were things went from AMAZING to HOT AS HELL! My Splits leading up to the 13.1 were 8:21, 8:09, 8:43, 8:32, 8:32, 8:35, 8:31. Up until I hit about mile 14 I was still feeling great but at around mile 14 we were in the SUN and it was hot. My body was still feeling good, but my head was starting to take a turn for the negative. I do not do well in the sun. My head loves to play mind games with me and with this being my first marathon and not knowing what to expect from the final uncharted 6.2 I was not about to take a chance of not being able to make it to the finish line. I took a walk break and slowed my pace considerably.

The 25K Point

The marathon pace has me at about a 9:23. Here are my splits 8:58, 8:55, 9:41. This is were I had just mentally lost it. I was very hot, I had shed my shirt, and was just trying to NOT walk. Timmy jumped in with me at about mile 16 and ran with me till about 20. It was great to have him by myside even though I hardly said two words to him. Just having him there brought about a sense of comfort and safety. Around this point I was in a zone and just thinking about putting one foot in front of the other was a job in itself! The clocks that were inside of the city said that it was about 85* and that was mentally very challenging. Although the weather forecast says it didnt get above 77*. But of course that was on Lakeshore drive. It felt like 85*!

THE REST OF THE WAY>>>> 26.2

9:06, 9:30, 9:15, 9:13, 9:42, 9:27, 10:14, 10:24, 10:10, 9:57, 9:51

The last 6.2 was tough. Not undoable tough, but it felt absolutely like I HAVE NOT RUN THIS FAR TOUGH..... I walked through every single water station, walked when I had to, and literally chanted to myself the entire time. One foot in front of the other, Dont worry about pace just dont stop, keep calm and stay strong... These were my chants or montras.

By this time it was literally mentally challenging to NOT walk as so many people around me were doing the same thing. My legs were so very heavy and unfortunately the crowds were over stimulating me instead of encouraging me.

When I reached 5 miles to go I did get a pep in my step and I felt good for about 2 miles. I love my 4 mile runs and I just kept thinking that over and over..... But then we got back in the sun again and started climbing some hills and going over grated bridges and I lost my spark. Mile 23 to 24 was the longest and hardest mile of them all. It seemed to never end and in my head I thought I was in mile 24 to 25. When I saw that I had reached mile 24 instead of 25 I literally wanted to walk off the course and I instantly started to cry.... I let out a few tears and then told myself to get over it.... SLOW DOWN and just finish!

Somewhere along the way I had stayed with the 4:50 pace group and they slowly walked away from me. Then the 4:55's came and I tried for about a half mile to keep up with them but I was hit and out of gas and at that point I just wanted to finish!!! During the last mile I met up with a man that was in his 60's and he looked over to me and asked how I was doing. I told him I was tired and he shared some of his issues. We ran together for a minute and then he had to walk. Not even a few steps later, there I was walking. He ran up from behind and said COME ON, lets do this together. So I started to run again and about .25 later he cramped up and had to stop. I stopped with him and he told me NO YOU KEEP RUNNING. So I did! I felt horrible leaving him but I did it anyways (Im still not sure how I feel about that).

After that the next thing I new as I was running through a water station in the last mile. There was my husband running along side of me cheering me on with his iPhone set to video. From there on out there was no more walking. I could see the end and I ran through the finish line.

They wrapped me in the sheet, hung a medal around my neck, and filled my arms with bananas, ice, water, and Gatorade. I drank, threw away the banana, and tried to stop so I could stretch. I could feel every muscle on my left side starting to spasm. They told me not to sit and to keep walking. So I started to make my way to Charity Village.

I am going to stop here and say a few things... I WAS hoping for a sub 4 hour marathon and honestly I was selfishly hoping for closer to a 3:45. BUT in hind sight the weather was what it was and at the end of the day I am perfectly content with my 4:02. I told myself as long as I felt as I GAVE IT MY ALL I would be happy with whatever. I DID THAT! I am more proud of the fact that I listened to my body and even though it was HARD I can still say that I enjoyed every mile of that marathon. At mile 14 I new it wasnt going to be as I wanted. I wrapped my head around that and from there on out I was Ok with it. Thats why you can see a drastic change in my pace. There is only ONE thing that kind of bugs me or leaves me a little uneasy about the day was what happend AFTER I crossed the finish mat.

As I said my entire left side was cramping up. I couldnt lift my left arm and I could hardly put one foot infront of the other. I walked for what seemed like an eternity to charity village. One of the DetermiNation team members met with me somewhere along the way and helped me the remaining way. It was all I could do to keep walking and not scream in pain. BUT an HOUR later when I arrived to the tent and saw my husband and friends I just let go and started to cry. I was in so much pain I couldnt stand it.

They brought me into the tent and sat me down and HOLY COW OUCH! I knew I couldnt stretch myself, I was way too tight so I asked Tim to do it. The moment he moved my leg I wailed in pain. I have never had so much pain beside giving birth to my boys in my entire life. They got the medical team over and they started checking me out. I have no clue what or why but they strapped me to a board and carried me away by golf cart.

When I got to the medical tent they looked me over and finally came to the conclusion that I was severely dehydrated and that was causing the muscle spasms that were pinching a nerve in my neck and in my piriformus. They pumped me full of salt tabs, Gatorade, and water. Finally the medical staff left and the message therapist took over. OUCH! She pressed and pushed and made me sob to no end. But she did enough and I was out of there.

I ended up having to walk about a mile to the post race party to meet up with my family. The next 36 hours were very painful. I couldnt move or get out of the car on my own and stairs were next to impossible. I finally took Timmy's advice and sat in an ice cold bath and low and behold it was like magic. I went to bed and woke up a little sore, but nothing compared to how I had felt.

Now like I said I did not have your fairy tale marathon experience, but I will tell you it was an amazing experience and it was not all bad. The good times definitely over power the hardship and even just a couple days later I have all but forgotten the bad taste I had in my mouth at times. But I think that as runners that what separates us from others. We love the challenge and conquering adversity drives us to look for the next great run. You can look back and say "WOW, that was tough. BUT I did it and I didnt give up"!!! Thats how I feel about this run.

My Nike Chicago Marathon Jacket! Its AWESOME!!!

I WILL take another marathon challenge! This time I will be more prepared for what to expect in those final miles!

So after all was said and done we went back home and my friend Justin made me Cincinnati style Skyline Chili 3 way! It was so yummy!!! I tried to take a nap but I was still too excited and high from the run! I sat, drank a beer, and watched the bengals game.

Here are some cool pics that Timmy got while spectating!

Chicago Marathon- Part 2

2011-10-11T12:56:00.003-04:00

So we arrived in Chicago late Thursday night! I could not have made a better choice to come early! I was a nervous wreck the couple of days leading up to our departure and on Thursday I was very close to literally getting getting sick! The moment we got in the car my nerves chilled out.

Tim and I started our Friday morning drinking coffee and chatting on the outside patio of Starbucks in boys town. From there we went out for a run down Lake Shore Trail. It was a little on the fast side, but it was reassuring to feel how easy the pace felt and the miles clicked away. I wanted to go out at what would be the time I would enter into the final uncharted miles of the marathon. I wanted to FEEL how hot it would be. I just needed to prepare myself. mentally! Now the trail is somewhat shaded and we were right next to the lake so there was a breeze. But it at least calmed down my nerves and mentally relaxed me.

We came home and showered and took off to the expo. I have to say that getting my bib and all the stuff went smoothly. We walked around visiting all booths. I picked up a super cool Chicago Marathon Jacket, a race belt from Hippy runner, and a super awesome piriformus ball that I have been using and am happy to say it works great. The rep showed me the right way to work out your piriformis muscle and I am so thankful cause I was doing it all wrong.

From there walked down Lake Shore for about 2 miles till we reached the start finish line of the Marathon. It was very surreal to walk around and see where everything was. Then we met up with our friend Justin who we are staying with and hit the Puma store. Tim purchased a pretty awesome winter 3/4 zip running shirt. From there we came home and order PIZZA and of course we had to get a Chicago Deep Dish that tasted awesome!

This morning I woke up at around 7:20 Chicago time which in my mind was super awesome to start the 24 hour count down. Timmy took off for his 10 mile long run down Lake Shore and I took off to Starbuck to have some alone time. I took my iPad and a book and got some reading done and got caught up on my words with friends games.

After Timmy got done we awaited the arrival of my two girlfriends and we headed downtown to little italy to grab some carbs! The place we hit up for dinner was a place that we had eaten before so I was confident in eating out the night before. I totally recommend this place to anyone visiting Chicago. It is called Francesca's. I ordered what looked like the most bland thing on the menu which was the rigatoni can broccoli. It was so yummy and I eat every bite which is amazing because the serving was HUGE!

After dinner I headed home for an early bed time. I was in bed by 8:45 and I am happy to say I was so exhausted that I fell right to sleep. I woke up a couple times that night but nothing too bad! Before going to bed I laid out all my clothes and tried every on to make sure I WOULD BE READY IN THE MORNING!

Marathon week- Part 1

2011-10-06T10:53:00.002-04:00

So ready or not Marathon here I come! I have done all the work and there is nothing left to do besides relax and enjoy every moment till I cross that finish line. I am not going to lie, I wish I could say that I am as cool as a cucumber, but I am not!! I cant really pin point what it is that I am nervous about.

I have been a space cadet this week. I have been aimlessly wondering around my house just going through the motions and trying not to freak out! I am 99% packed, my puppy is heading off to aunt Sammy's, Jack Jack is off to aunt Jenny's, and everything I have been worrying about leading up to this point has worked itself out.

At about 4pm today we will be jumping in the car, and heading to Chicago. We decided to head down early to help reduce the anxiety level and to get settled in before the chaos begins. I feel very fortunate to have friends down in Chicago so we will not have to worry about hotel and so on.

The weather forecast has me a little unnerved. If I were not running 26.2 miles it would otherwise be perfect weather. But at this point the low the night before is 53* and the high for Sunday is 77*. Now my husband keeps trying to remind me that for the most part it shouldnt hit the high till around 3pm. BUT the Chicago course offers absolutely NO shade and this can make or break even the strongest runners race!

So I just keep reminding myself that I have trained in this kind of weather and it will be fine. I just need to stay hydrated and try to not over hydrate. Plus there are no expectations since this is MY FIRST marathon. I do have a couple "time" goals and I will attempt to achieve them, but I have promised myself that I will not sacrifice having an amazing first marathon for time. I trained too hard to end up HATING the marathon because I am too stubborn to be realistic.

Friday we plan on hitting the expo, Saturday 2 of my girlfriends are coming down and we are going to hit the shopping scene, then a SAFE dinner, and off to bed no later then 8:30-9:00. I have been in bed asleep no later then 9:30-10:00 every night this week. I have been drowning myself with water, NUUN hydration tabs, and carbs.

The one thing that is relaxing me is knowing on race day I get to start the race with my friend Beth. She is running her first marathon also. It will be calming to see a familiar face. Yesterday we met at Brovo to chat over some yummy carbs and chatted up our excitement and worries.

Ive decided that when I hit the rough spots during the race I am going to think about everything in life that I am thankful for. I am going to think my husband who has been nothing but supportive through my training, my amazing children who are happy and healthy, my friends that drove 4 hours to support me, and those who are supporting me from home. I am going to run the first mile as a typical warm up mile and then progressively start chipping off time as I start to feel confident and I am vowing to allow myself walk breaks if needed.

So other then that I AM SUPER EXCITED! Sorry if this blog post rambles on and make no sense, but that is exactly how my brain has been operating this week....

DetermiNation Giveaway

2011-09-27T12:39:00.000-04:00

This is my last week to raise money for the American Cancer Society. I have raised most of the money that I need for the minimum amount $1,000 but I am a little greedy and I would like to surpass the MINIMUM amount and shoot for a much larger number.

I am doing a giveaway to raise more money. For every donation of $5 you will receive a free "run" Key Chain, or if your not a runner I will have some non-running key chains also or a christmas bulb (please specify running or non-running), or a baby craft item, OR NUUN Optimal Hydration.

For donation larger then $5.00, you will receive a NUUN Optimum hydration along with being entered to win the new Kara Goucher book, Marathoning for Mortals, Marathon the Ultimate Training Guide (All I reviewed and are great books), diaper wipe case, or a Playmaker high quality bag.

Lastly here is a link to my personal donation page. I sincerely want to THANK YOU!!! DONATE HERE!!!

After you have made your donation please e-mail me (jessica_corson@yahoo.com) telling me that you have done so and with the specifics of your choice! If you have already donated and would like to be entered into the drawing please e-mail me your name and address and SPECIFIED running or non-running choice.

Bring on the Taper

2011-09-23T06:12:00.000-04:00

Marathon training has been very taxing lately. There is nothing like the peak of Marathon training to take the wind out of your sails. The past couple weeks I have been very tired, unenthusiastic about running, missing pace targets, and skipping runs all together (well two)!

The past few weeks have been very hard as far as running, but I think I could have handled the running part if it were not for the fact that life decided to get equally as busy. I held another garage sale and my sister's wedding was this past weekend. Plus volunteering to help a friend out and the mental excitement of starting a new job next week (more about that later). Plus I have been trading babysitting with my friend Mic and Kristina a few days a week.

But I made the choice to chill out till the end of October. I am minimizing the commitments I make and by doing that I am taking some time out from the gym that I work at and I am cutting back on the amount of running around I do. Marathon training takes a lot of energy and in order to keep your sanity you have to be aware of your mental status along with your nutritional and physical.

So my last two long runs have been my last 18 miler and the Capital City River Run Half Marathon.

The 18 miler could not have gone any better. I was feeling a little tired of my local routes, so we took an hour drive down to Milford MI and I ran the Kensington/Milford Trail. I have to tell you that it is one of the best trail ways that I have ever ran. I was to run this training run at a nice easy pace. So I took the pace function off my watch and just focused on my music and the scenery. Here are my splits.

9:13, 9:17, 9:34, 9:13, 9:20, 9:05, 9:24, 9:12, 9:12, 9:03, 9:12, 9:02, 8:59, 9:11, 9:14, 9:12, 9:11, 9:10

Then there was the CCRR Half Marathon. My sisters wedding was the night prior and I decided I wanted to enjoy the night. I had 4 glasses of wine (naughty) but still managed to be in bed by midnight (slightly less naughty, but still naughty). The Half was to be a pace workout and not a race.

The first miles 1 - 7 I was to run between ~8:10 - 8:15 and I did = 8:19, 8:07, 8:23, 8:03, 8:26, 8:20, 8:24

The second set I was to run miles 8 - 13 ~8:00 - 8:05 and I did = 9:35, 8:31, 8:03, 8:35, 8:11, 8:07

I told myself that I was throwing the "pace" workout out the window and I was just going to run it at a comfortably fast pace. I was cooking during the first part of the race so I stopped and walked so that I could try and reset my legs, but it wasnt proving to work so at mile 8 I chose to take a bathroom break (9:35). Then there were some hilly section in the last few miles and my legs were a little tired from the first speedy miles. I let my head tell me that it was ok to just slow down (fail). I ended up with a time of 1:50:58 which was only 4ish minutes shy of my first Half in April. I am happy with that considering all the road blocks I put in front of myself.

I am actually really excited to endure some taper madness. I am ready for some rest! Its been an interesting and fun training cycle, but I am excited to run on my training schedule and I am going to cut back to running 3-4 days a week at most. So two weeks from today Ill be in Chicago and enjoying the awesome Expo~

Marathon Training Peak

2011-08-30T08:26:00.000-04:00

I am currently in the middle of my training peak and my legs are absolutely feeling the effects. This past week I ran my last 20 miler along with the most miles in one week. I remember back when I joined the 50 miles in one month challenge on DailyMile and I was so scared that I couldnt possibly run 50 miles in one month. Well last week I put in 50 miles in one week. It was not easy but I did it.

My week looked like this:

Monday- Cross Train : Did- Rode 11 easy miles
Tuesday- 7M Track w/o : Did 3.1 mile Merrel Fun Run
Wednesday- 4 Miles : Did 8.5 mile track w/o
Thursday- 6 Miles : Did 6 Miles
Friday- 4 Miles : Did 4 Miles
Saturday- 20 Miles, 10 Easy 10 sub 9 :
Easy Mile Splits- 9:43, 9:34, 9:28, 9:22, 9:23, 9:35, 9:23, 9:36, 9:20, 9:24
Pace Splits- 8:48, 8:50, 8:50, 8:37, 8:40, 8:37, 8:24, 8:24, 8:19, 9:00
Sunday- 6 Miles : Did 6.2 Miles to make a Marathon distance for the weekend.

My 20 Mile pace work out went awesome:

What worked-
~Gel- I took a gel at every 1 hour mark
~Electrolytes- I used the capsules so I didnt have to worry about drinking it
~Garmin- I took the current pace off my garmin completely and just used the average pace
~I reset my garmin after mile 10 so I would see the big numbers and that seemed to help with the mental aspect of the run.
~I stopped for a short rest at mile 5, 10, 13, 16, 17 (fell). I told myself that if I did well in the pace portion of the run that in mile 19 I could slow down and run it as a cool down mile. But since I had my watch set to average pace I didnt realize that I still hit my pace. I was to run it at a 9 or under and I still averaged a 9:00 min pace for that mile. When I got home and saw that I felt AMAZING!!!!

What didnt work-
Everything went great on this run besides the fact that when I was in mile 17 my legs were very heavy. Our main road is under construction and there are sand bags everywhere. Well I wasnt watching where I was going and I tripped over a sand bag and fell on my left side.

I laid there for a few seconds with my hands over my face. Then walked up some pedestrians to see if I was ok. It was nice of them but it just made me feel like a bigger butt head. But I wiped it off and took off and finished my run.

Im currently really sore and my left side is pretty bruised up. I have a huge knot on my left hip and its pretty bruised up. It will heal and it will be fine but currently it hurts like hell~

My legs are pretty much toast at this point and I am really excited about the 26 miles and 2 cross train days next week. Then the following week will again be pretty taxing. I will run 7 days and my long run that week will be my final 18 miler!

We are officially less then 6 weeks out from the Chicago Marathon. I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!

Marathon Training and Life of Late

2011-08-23T08:35:00.000-04:00

Vacations~
Our vacationing has been limited this summer. We chose to keep it low key this summer. We chose to go on our normal 10 day vacation to Northern Wisconsin and it was delightful and relaxing.

1 LODGE- 20 Adults, 8 kids, 8 dogs - a great week with friends

On the Ferry to Mackinac Island for the day

My little munchkin

Watching a ski show with my big guy

Second vacation was a camping/tubbing trip that was planned last minute. It was Alexas birthday and she asked if we would come along. Tim and I decided it would be a child-free weekend so off the kiddos went on their weekend trips to hang out with family. It was great trip as Timmy and I LOVE to tube down the river.

Work~
Work has been great. Im still teaching classes at Snap Fitness a couple nights a week. The only thing new is I am doing some weighloss consulting on my own and at Snap. I have two weightloss clients that I am working with and I am completely loving it. Im also embarking on a possibility to do some clerical work for a local TRI-athlete rep. I am not sure it will come through, but its a possibility and I am really hopeful and excited!

Family~
Like we all know summer is coming to an end. Timmy and my little guy Ethan are heading back to school and little Jack, well.... He is being a very busy little two year old. The house is going to be quiet soon and I am a little sad about it.

Projects~
Im getting an office. I started paining and organizing a room in our basement to create a space for me to run my business in. I purchased a computer and I am so excited to have a little place of my very own~

This week we also started our kitchen project. Its been LONG overdue and I am really excited about it. We took a trip to the local Menards and made a list of things we needed and picked out what we wanted . We started the demolition today and even though its a nasty project it will be so worth it when it is all done.

Training~
Well after last week I finally feel like I am Marathon Training. Over the past 5 weeks I have run two 16 milers, one 18 miler, and one 20 miler and still I just havent felt any of the things people talk about. The constant fatigue, muscle soreness, and the over whelming feeling of hunger.I had not hit yet..... Untill now!

I am now ALWAYS HUNGRY, by body feels as though I have been hit by a truck, and I am whooped~ I am currently at the peak of my training plan with my last 20 miler this weekend. After this week I will have one more 18 miler, and then a tune up race. My weekly mileage will stay on the higher side, but the only change is my shorter runs are going from 4 miles to 6 and 8....

There have been a few firsts. Last week was my first week of running 6 days (one being an 18 miler) with only having 1 rest day. This week I will have no rest days, 6 days of running (one being a 20 mile pace w/o), and 1 day of cross training. I am really nervous about how my body will feel after the end of the week. I have been stretching and foam rolling a lot in hopes that I will keep the leg gremlins at bay~

Next week I will be heading to Playmakers to look at shoes. My Kinvaras have 160 on them, my Mirage have 350, and my Nike DF are ok for shart runs but they are too small for long runs. I have NO CLUE what I am going to get next. I know I dont want the Mirage or the Kinvara. I have 8 weeks to figure it out. So I guess let the shoe trials begin .I am going to go into Playmakers and tell them how I have been feeling and see what THEY come up with.

I want something with a little bit of stability, more cushion, and I need a wide toe box. I just dont want anthing too heavy...

Well only 8 weeks left till the Chicago Marathon. I am really starting to get excited! This is going to be an experiance of a life time.

My Very First 20 Miler

2011-08-01T09:20:00.000-04:00

So I woke up bright and early at 4:45. I jumped out of bed and I was feeling GREAT! I ate some breakfast and did some stretching. Alexa got here at about 5:55 and we were on the road around 6:10. The weather that morning was absolutely perfect.

I had mapped out a four leaf clover route. I had originally planned on running this by myself so I didnt want to be too far away from home. Plus I thought it would be mentally easier to takle this mileage is smaller routes. All of the routes landed in one spot so that I could have water, gel, and take an electrolyte drink without worrying about dropping it in several different places.

But this is what ended up happening. I over shot the first route by missing the turn. So the first route was was about 8 miles.

I felt really good through this run till about mile 17.

9:53, 9:32, 9:19, 9:15, 9:16,

9:19, 9:12, 9:26, 9:35, 9:19,

9:22, 9:14, 9:04, 8:56, 9:12

My friend Alexa and I ended up parting ways at about mile 13. She was going to run the first 15 with me, but she had done the warrior dash the day before and she was really sore. She has a half marathon next week and she didnt want to push it.

I ran about 2.5 by myself and then met up with my husband who was going to bike with me while I ran for mental support. I was suppose to run the remaining 5 miles at a sub 9 pace. When we got going I felt really good and I couldnt believe how good a sub 9 felt. Then we turned down a road with no shade and I began to fizzle. I kept trying to push harder but I really wanted to finish this run feeling great so I made the choice to throw the pace workout out the window and just run at a comfortable and maintainable pace.

8:31, 8:49, 9:06, 9:20, 9:18

I came home and went for a short walk. I found a shaded tree and did a bunch of stretching. I came home and took about a 10 minute ice bath (which was not pleasant at all) I had to go over to my sisters to help with wedding decorating. I felt "ok" while over there, but all of a sudden around 3pm I just hit rock bottom and wanted to go home. But there would be no resting just yet. I had a meeting with a client that took about an hour and a half.

After my meeting Tim had dinner ready, but I just couldnt eat. I tried to force myself to eat, but I just couldnt. I couldnt even hold my head up and I was freezing. So my husband suggested I go lay down, and so I did. I felt much better after I took some ibuprofen and slept for about 30 minutes.

But this morning when I woke up I felt as though I was attacked and beaten with sticks or whatever. My hands were sore, my ribs hurt, legs, hips, lower back, and calves. Trying to walk is very slow going right now... From what I hear this is completely normal for your first 20 mile run and that it gets easier from here on out.

Im really glad that is week is a major cut back week with very minimal running. I have one 4 miler and one 6 miler and a cross train. I need a down week really bad!

Here are some pics from my 20 miler!

Mile 16

mile 17

mile 18.5

Mile 18.5 and still smiling

I got my next 10 week training plan and I was a little surprised at the fact that I only have 1 more 16, q8, and 20 milers. But on those weeks Ill be running 7 days a week with a cut back week the following week. My coach also wants me to do swimming on my cross train days to help give my legs a break.

Im really excited and grateful that this week is a cut back week. I have a lot of packing to do for our 10 day vacation to Northern WI, and I have a lot of clean up to do in my garage from the garage sale. I signed up with the American Cancer Society to raise $1,000.00. I currently have 100.00 in donations on my website, then my garage sale made 707.00, and on Sunday my Step Mom gave me 100.00 from her garage sale that she had that weekend. So I currently have 907.00, so I think I am going to raise my goal to 1,500 - 2,000. I still have 2 months to do this and I have yet to have my benefit party and to write letter to my family!!! I am so excited!

Eles Race~ 5k PR

2011-07-26T09:51:00.001-04:00

5K inspiration- I love this song!

July 24th, 2011

On Sunday I ran my first race in a long time. Its been a long couple of months since I last raced the Heart Of Michigan 10K. I was really excited, but I did sabotage myself a little. On Saturday our friends Matt and Michelle were getting married in Mt. Pleasant MI. So we headed up to Mt. Pleasant for a beautiful wedding and after the wedding I began to over indulge in the pre-dinner cocktail hour. I tried to alternate drinks with water but I still had a few too many. We then headed home post dinner for a benefit dinner for my friend Alexa and Lainies brother-in-law who has cancer. It was then that I still had another 2 glasses of wine! FAIL!!! BUT>>>>> WE HAD FUN! My perspective is- As much as I LOVE RUNNING there are just times where LIFE comes first!!!

So we got up Sunday morning and I felt pretty good actually. We headed to the race on time. When we got there, we picked up our packets and began our warm up. My legs were very heavy but started to loosen up by the end of our warm up. The temps were slowly starting to creep up, but at that point I still wasnt worried that it was going to be overly warm.

The Race was an out and back and with no shade to be found.

I felt really strong during the first mile, but after I rounded the turn around flag and started to head back I was slowly losing steam. I could tell I wasnt the only one. The lady I had ran with for the previous mile was also losing steam as I ended up leaving her behind. I hadnt really passed that many people but by mile 2 it seemed as I though I was passing a tun. I found myself counting over and over and over again promising myself I WOULD LIVE through this even if it was hurting like hell. The hardest part wasnt my legs... They felt fine and they were not letting me down. It was my breathing that was killing me. The air was so thick with humidity I just felt as though I couldnt catch my breath.

I rounded the corner and headed into the parking lot towards the finish line. I told myself to find someone to pick off. There was a guy infront of me and I just kept repeating "chick" him, "chick" him!! And I did =0) !! As I approached the finish line I slowly saw my 21:XX slip away from me....

Post race I walked around trying to regain my ability to breath. It took a few minutes but I started to feel better. I found my friends and family who had come to watch my husband and I run and it was weird but my lips and both eyes started to twitch. I got up and went over to the food area and grabbed a cup full of blueberries and with a few minutes it quit. Im just assuming my blood sugar had dipped a little low.

My finishing time was 22:39 (7:18 pace) and I got 2nd in my age group out of 25, 17th in the womens field, and 99th out of 1,300. I think thats pretty cool! I am super stoked to have broken into the 22:XX. I was told this morning that the women who beat me in my age group is an Elite runner in the playmakers running group!! That made me feel super great!!!! This was a PR for me by 50 seconds and that is something to be proud of. Although I am very proud of my time I still have goals of trying to break into that 21:XX and there is still time in 2011. But for the next 3 months I will only be thinking about my upcoming Marathon and raising 1,000 for the American Cancer Society!!!

Eles Race, 2011 - 22:39

Eles Race, 2010 - 25:20

I posted last years picture because looking and thinking about these two pictures got me to thinking about HOW MUCH my life has changed over the past year. Its been a real learning experience in my running AND life itself.

Here are a few pictures of my family as everyone in the Corson Household ran a race!!!

My Family!!!!

My Amazing Husband

My little Jack Jack and Ethans sister Charlie
Both ran their first races

Ethan running the 1 Mile for a PR of 8:02

Jack, Ethan, and Ethans sister Charlie
I am pretty good friends with my Ex and his wife.
They came out to watch Ethan race and Jack and Charlie
ran the kids sprint together! So this is a sibling picture!!

Training, Life, and such...

2011-07-18T05:19:00.001-04:00

Wow summer seems to be flying by in rapid speed. I made the commitment that we were not going to be vacationing like usual. I wanted to spend this summer at home and enjoying it locally. It has been great, but I am starting to feen for a trip home to the upper peninsula. Our big family vacation is coming up very soon and I cant wait.

We have been making the trip to Northern Wisconsin every year for the past 4 years where we stay at my sister in laws family Lodge.

We spend the week with a ton of my husbands high school friends.

We spend the week doing absolutely nothing but eating amazing meals, drinking way too much wine, and laying in the sun on the dock!

Game Nights!

Fun on the boat

I am fully anticipating being gone for 10 wonderful days with nothing more to think about besides which book do I want to read, today do I feel like white or red wine, or boat-kayak-or lay in the sun....

Training-

So as far as Marathon training goes things have been going ok. I have been averaging about 30 - 40 miles per week and so far I have done an 18 and 16 miler. These are a couple highlights from the past few months as I have been pretty MIA from the blogasphere.

As I blogged my 18 miler went great. The last 3 miles were a little tough but that is to be expected when embarking on uncharted milage.

Then there was my Time Trial. I was kind of excited about this. If you dont know how to exacute a time trial click on the link and it will explain how to do it. But basically Jeff Galloway came up with a way to predict tentative goal paces off running a 1 mile sprint and also this is a way to test your running fitness as you can do it every so often to see if you are improving.

I was very impressed with my results. I set my watch to record my splits at every .25 of a mile. I wanted to see how much I lost steam through out the 1 mile sprint. I warmed up by slowly jogging for 3 minute then walking for 2 minutes and alternating between doing strides, glides, and backwards running. I did this for 1.5 and then I ran the time trial. My .25 mile splits were 6:06, 6:24, 6:46, 6:40 for an overall time of 6:26. So based on this time trial these are the following predictions for the following races:

5K = 21:39

10K = 45:52

Half Marathon = 1:41:08

Full Marathon = 3:39:07

I can see the first three being a possibility, but the marathon time seems very unreasonable for my first marathon. Ill be very happy with just crossing the finish line with a smile on my face!!

Then there was my 16 mile bonk run. This was the worst run of my life. My stomach was really upset for the first 4 miles, but then subsided till mile 13. The last 3 miles were very hard. I hit the wall and couldn't recover. The last 3 miles were in the blazing sun and it was close to 11 am and I was chugging water like it was my job. I could only keep about a 10 min pace and my legs were heavy and my breathing out of control. I stopped to regain my head at mile 13, 14.5, and from 15 to 16 I had to stop at ever .25.

9:27, 9:16, 9:23, 9:21, 9:28, 9:44, 10:07, 9:47, 9:25, 9:27, 9:33, 9:21, 9:22, 9:47, 9:54, 10:12

When I got home I had severe stomach cramps and back spasms and I was hunched over in pain and in tears. I drank a HUGE glass of water and after being sternly told from my husband I drank my recovery drink about an hour later. Within 20 minutes after I drank my recovery drink I started to slowly feel better.

I sent my running coach a detailed e-mail and he within minutes replied telling me it was in his opinion that I drank WAY too much water, gelled too early and too much, and that I had completely exhausted any and all glucose/carbs.

I had been super busy the previous week and my diets was less then healthy. I lost 5 pounds in one week and then more if you add how much I weighed after the 16 miler. So Nick gave me some suggestions and so what I did was make a 2 week detailed menu that consisted of what I should be eating. Over the past week I have been following it more or less but it seems to work to have something written and visible. When I am busy and rushed it takes the thinking out of what I should or could grab. I'm not certain but Im thinking Nick had contacted the nutritionist he suggested because after I e-mailed him two days later I got an e-mail from her asking me how everything was going. I havent been using her because she wasn't in a place right now where she could do it right now, but I think we are going to meet up via phone so I can ask her a some questions and she can give me some suggestions.

This weekend my long run consisted of a 6 mile pace workout. It was so weird to only have 6 miles on a Saturday. I was to run 2 miles easy and 4 miles between 7:30 - 7:45. I was pretty excited about this pace workout because this workout has been on my schedule before and I had gone out the night before and had a few too many drinks and let me just say the next morning fast was not happening. BUT not this time!!! I nailed it and not only did I nail it I was consistant and it felt great. Well not great... but doable!!!

9:22, 9:16, 7:33, 7:34, 7:40, 7:37

Next weekend I get to RACE!!! I am running the Eles Place 5k. On "goal" race list was my half marathon, a 10K, this 5k, and my marathon.

Im so excited to get to race. I have been really getting the race itch as I have been spectating my butt off lately. Last year Eles race was my second race ever and the first race that I actually felt like I RACED! Its a very boring course but its very fast and flat!!! So I am really looking forward to it!

Well thats it for now. I hope to be a little more diligent with blogging. Thanks for reading!!!

Foodie Friday~ Clean Eating, Marathon eating, calorie counting

2011-07-01T06:04:00.000-04:00

I have come to the conclusion that I will never say never again. Instead I will use the phrase "I am not in a place to make that choice right now". I have gone from thinking being a size 10 jeans would be a far fetch to now wearing a size 2, I have gone from thinking running 30 minutes straight would be a great accomplishment and that running a marathon would NEVER happen, to now training for my first marathon. Also I said "Ill never buy into the whole "eating clean" or being obsessed over clean/organic food choices...

Well as of late I have become very intrigued with the idea of fueling my body with the best possible foods, in order to reduce my body fat percentage, plus the idea of taking so many supplements makes me confused and frustrated. While doing the nutrition portion of my personal training they talk a lot about avoiding supplements and trying to get your daily allowance of vitamin, proteins, and carbohydrates through food instead of supplements. Because you get these vitamins in the foods you eat anyways so to add more through supplements you can end up getting too much and this can cause an adverse effect and undo the good you are trying to achieve. So to me it seems better to learn how to balance my diet with good and healthy eating choices, let alone supplements are expensive and if you have a sensitive gag reflex like I do they are annoying and hard to swallow.

After e-mailing back and forth with the registered dietitian, she recommended any and all books by Nancy Clark. This was great to hear as I had already purchased her book called Food Guide for New Runners. I strongly recommend this book to anyone to who is thinking about running on a daily/weekly/long term basis. It is a very easy read packed with a lot of easy to follow nutritional facts. It talks about adequate hydration, carb loading, proper protein consumption and so on. This book helped me to better understand how to eat well and how to balance it all.

Here are some simple tips that I got out of this book:

Eat 3 kinds of food at each meal ex- grain, veggie, fruit
2 kinds of food at each snack ex- grain, fruit
At least 90% of our calories should come from quality foods and 10% from processed food/junk food
Eat at least 2 cups of fruits and 2 1/2 cups of veggies per day
Choose a verity of colors of fruits and veggies each day: each color or choice offers different vitamins and antioxidants
Enjoy whole-grains at least 2 times per day (whole wheat, rice, oats, corn, and barley)
Drink/Eat 3 cups/ 24 oz of fat free/low fat milk or milk substitute (soy or almond, cheese, yogurt
Choose healthy fats/oils such as olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut butters, or oily fish such as tuna or salmon
Consume oily fish 2/3 times per week
Choose simple carbs and limit complex carbs such as refined sugars
Fruits and Veggies that are darker in color are better for you
They typical female runner needs 50-70 grams of protein a day

Based on my weight of 130 pounds my nutritional needs are:

Basic Needs- 233 carbs 61 fat 91 protein 1866 calories

Mild training-

Protein- 91 grams (calories from protein 364)
Carbs- 286 grams (calories from carbs 1144)
Fat- 44 grams (calories from fat 398)

High Training-

Protein- 111 grams (calories from protein 442)
Carbs- 338 (calories from carbs 1352)
Fat- 52 (calories from fat 468)

These numbers are based off the average needs if I were to be sedentary, low milage training, or long distance training and are based of these rules:

50 - 65% calories from complex carbs
15 - 25% calories from fat, unsaturated as much as possible
20 - 25% calories from protein

I have been really bad about how I eat. I rarely eat breakfast, then little to no lunch, and then I am ravenous by dinner and continue to graze all night long. What I have learned is to divide my calories into 6 meals. This will enable me to stay satisfied all day long and will also increase my ability to feel better and preform better while training. My day will look something like this:

Calorie value will fluctuate based on the workout I have planned

Breakfast- 600 - 800 calories
Grapenuts/raisin bran/oatmeal
fruit based bread- ex- Banana Bread
Almond Milk
Banana/orange/grapefruit/etc

Snack- 100 - 300 calories
trail mix/ fruit & yogurt/ etc
Granola bar
Fig newtons

Lunch- 400 - 600 calories
whole wheat bread or tortilla
meat
cheese
fruit
veggie

Snack- 100 - 300
Hummus & veggie and or pita chips

Bruschetta & wheat thins
Yogurt & fruit
Granola Bar
Fig Newtons

Dinner- 600 - 800 calores
Protein- Meat/ beans
Veggie
Fruit
Carb- pasta, rice, potato

Snack- 100 - 300

Hummus & veggie and or pita chips

Bruschetta & wheat thins

Yogurt & fruit

Granola Bar

Fig Newtons

= 1900 - 3,000 ish calories

After reading this book I became a little intrigued with the idea of Clean Eating. So I purchased the book called The eat clean diet- recharged. I knew when I purchased this book that it was going to be more extreme then I am will to commit to. But the book does offer a lot good info. I at this point can not see myself giving up all processed foods. My personal approach to this is to eat as minimal amount of processed foods as possible. This is what will work for me.

This book offers a lot of helpful information about the different benefits of certain fruits and vegetables. Id really like to get my daily allowance of vitamins from their natural source instead of using supplements. The clean eating book is definitely a great source of info. You just have to take the info for what its worth and disregard the extreme stuff.

I also started reading the book Performance Nutrition For Runners - by Matt Fitzgerald. This book has a lot of great info, but is very medical which I love. I am totally into how the body reacts to running. The physics of it just astounds me and when I am running it really motivate me to think about the awesome things that my body is doing to complete such miles.

So I know I do NOT need to lose "weight" as I am 130 pounds and that is far from being over weight. But after having a body fat analysis done I would like to lower my percentage. Currently I am at 19.8% body fat which is at the HIGH end of the athletic range. I would like to be closer to 15% mark.

So by no means am I "dieting" but I am really watching my trans-fats and saturated-fats. I am trying to only eat "healthy fats" and I am trying to only consume my healthy daily allowance which is 52 grams. So with Marathon training I am keeping a food diary and recording my Calories, Carbs, Proteins, and Fats.

Im sticking with a base line of:

Calories- 1,900
Protein- 111 grams

Carbs- 338

Fat- 52

Then I will add the calories that I burn from the exercise I do for that day. I have just learned that when you are doing hard exercise that it is very important that you consume enough Carbs and Proteins so that your muscle do not end up feeding on themselves which is the number one cause of injury in athletes. All this information has proven to be very beneficial as I am starting a weight-loss clinic at my gym!!

I hope that others may benefit from my research and I do strongly suggest these books.... They are packed with great information. If you exercise in large quantities nutrition is very important!

First 18 Mile Run

2011-06-29T08:35:00.001-04:00

I have been a little MIA from the blogging world for the past couple weeks. With school ending and having my husband and 7 year old home things have been a bit busy and when I am not spending time with them I have had my nose stuck in nutrition books of plenty.

Today (Sunday) I ran my first 18 mile run with 15 miles being my longest run to date before today. I was pretty nervous about making the 3 mile jump. I know I could physically do it, but I worried about the mental challenge the last 3 miles might present me with.

Last night it really hit me as I was trying to get all my stuff around for said run. I think the part that freaked me out the most the actual preparation for the run. I was worrying about where I wanted to drop water/sports drink, or at what times or miles I would take gels. I know this is normal long runs stuff that I I do all the time, but I have never needed so much and have always just taken what I needed with me. This was the first time I have ever had to leave early to drop off my supplies in different locations on my route.

I sat down last night and looked over the route and then packed everything up so I would be all set and ready to go in the AM. As I was getting ready to snuggle into bed for the night I received a text from my friend Alexa telling me to make sure I text her in the morning to make sure she was awake. Alexa was going to meet up with me at mile 6 and run the rest of the 12 miles with me. After texting back and forth and her trying to calm my nerves I finally fell asleep.

THEN.... My 2 year old decided to wake up at 4am an HOUR before the alarm, boo!!! We snuggled in bed till about 4:30 when I decided the likely hood of him falling back to sleep was NOT going to happen. I got up and did my normal pre-long run routine and hit the road about 5:30 to drop water.

Everything went smoothly, although with all the construction on MSU campus I got a little lost and behind. I arrived at Alexas around 6:15 and was on the road by 6:30. The first 6 miles went by super fast and before I knew it she was texting me that she had arrived at our meet up point...

The first 6 miles... 9:27, 9:11, 9:03, 9:04, 9:09, 9:04

Alexa and I took off and the following 9 miles went by as usual. Us chatting about anything and everything under the sun. Alexa has her first TRI next weekend and so we were chatting about that and various other stuff... You can tell by our splits where we were really chatting and not really thinking about running! lol I love running with her, because half the time I forget about actually "running".

The second 9 Miles... 9:46, 9:26, 9:43, 9:36, 9:31, 9:33, 9:21, 9:43, 9:35

Having someone with me that had fresh legs was great, but I knew the last three miles were still going to be challenging. I had already set myself up for this by worrying about it... I felt really good till about 17. The last mile was so hard. I felt really bad because Alexa was trying her hardest to keep my mind off of it by trying to talk to me and ask me questions, but I was in shut down mode and was not really giving her anything back. I appreciated her effort but despite her attempts I just needed to breathe my way through it and focus. The one thing she did do that was so helpful was telling me to QUIT looking at my watch... "Checking the time is not going to make it go any faster"... After a couple times of telling me to quit when she said this I listened and started to count.... With .5 left I told myself I could look at my watch again after I had counted to 100, but when I reached about 47 Alexa started chatting again and I totally lost count and forgot about it till the 18 mile alert went off and. I. was. DONE!!!

The Last 3 miles... 9:09, 9:25, 9:02

Uh, that last mile was hard and it hit me like someone had just turned off the switch. I felt really good till about 1.5 left and I could slowly feel it slipping away! I know this probably is just because it was uncharted territory, but I also wonder about things like did I gel enough? Would it have been different if I had placed the sports drink in the right spot and USED it?

When I got into the car I went to check my Facebook and I had a message!! It was my friend Lainie. She had sent me a message telling me that in my honor she had gone out and ran the remaining 8.2 mile's of the Marathon distance that morning!! That just made my morning that much more special! This whole running a Marathon is very important and special to me! I have been on a self improvement quest for the past 2 years and this is going to be such a huge part of that! I have always let myself become discouraged and self-esteem is something I lack! This to me going to mark accomplishing something AMAZING!!

Water = 60 oz

Sports drink- 3 oz @ mile 6 (Heed sports drink)

Dried Banana = 1/2 cup @ mile 9

gels = 1 (mistake) @ mile 14 (Hammer gel)

I really like the the Heed sports drink made by Hammer. It is almost tasteless and the little bit I did drink didnt bother my tummy, neither did the gel, although the dried fruit did a little but nothing too bad!

So anyways I was pretty tired that night and on Monday I decided instead of my normal bike ride, we just went for a 5 mile walk. I had some shin splints on my left shin and I didnt want to push it. By today my shin splits are gone.

I feel very optimistic about running a Marathon. I at least feel as though I can complete the distance...

Marathon Training Preparations

2011-06-07T13:01:00.000-04:00

I just made a post about my next 10 week training segment and how I will be starting to build up my mileage, working towards those Marathon size miles. Randomly things have been popping in my head, like: Which route should I take, how will I handle the heat, music or no music, Gatorade or ?, and so on....
So as I was thinking about it today I decided the wise thing to do is to write down all the concerns I have AND all the things that I am excited about.

By writing down all my concerns I can problem solve them one by one and write down possible solutions. By writing down all the things I am excited about I can revisit these these things when I am feeling beat down or unenthusiastic to remind myself of the things that are of value. Also it would be nice to get a little feed back about what has or has not worked for others. So I ask you to please share with me any helpful words of wisdom so that I may add them to my list. We can call this a sort of Chicago Marathon training survivors guide!

Worries:
How will I have enough water to stay hydrated: Hydration is a huge concern with the pending HOT HOT HOT temps that I will be training in. My husband has suggested I get a running hydration pack and at first this just sounded tiring. The thought of running with a back pack full of water just seems heavy and hot. The hydration belt is another option, but the weight of the belt makes me feel like I have to tinkle and during past runs when I have had the dreaded intestinal discomfort the pressure of the belt just amplifies it that much more. Plus with the hydration belt there is the dreaded sloshing. So I have been researching a lot of different kinds of Hydration packs and the one I found that I am going to purchase is the Nathan Ultra Hydration Vest-

Music/cadence trance podcast for training: Lately all of my long runs have been pace work outs and now over the next ten weeks I will be running my new distance at an easy pace. So I am going to play with some different options as far as music goes. I am going to rotate between my techno cadence podcasts, regular music, along with ditching music completely. I think this is a great opportunity to shake things up a little.

Gatorade or should I use Endurolytes (made by Hammer): I have been super worried about gel choice, along with the fact that I do not like gatorade. So when I was at Playmakers the other day one of the employees suggested these edurolyte pills. They dissolve in your mouth and you take them just like a gel as you just follow it with water. I just want to take as little as possible out with me on my runs. Its going to be hot out so less is more.

Should I stick with my Saucony Kinvaras or my Saucony Mirage or try something different all together: I have been wearing the Kinvara for the most part, but recently have fallen in love with the Mirage. The little bit of added support in the arch area make a huge difference for me. So I am either going to stick with this or Im going to try something a little different. Ive been considering going back to the Nike Pegasus +28 Breathe. Its light and breathable, but offers a little more cushion. Its worth a try I think!

My Garmin: I think for the next 10 weeks I am going to run all my long runs with my heart rate monitor and I am going to program my watch so that my main screen only shows me time, distance, and avg. heart rate. I say this because I had this same question when I ran my half marathon. Should I see pace or shouldnt I? Well as it turned out I accidentally turned off my GPS when turning on my garmin pre-race and at about mile 6 I took a minute to tun it back on. I have to say that I felt better and ran faster during those first 6 miles. After I knew what pace I was running I started to freak myself out and started playing mind games with myself. So I want to run the first portion of my training plan strictly according to effort and see how I feel. I just think that running for such a long period of time gives you so much opportunity to create mind blocks and so I want to see if this will make a difference.

What Im exited about-

Change- Although my work outs have been testing me, I feel bored. I think it is because I am not working towards anything specific. After coming off the huge milestone of running my first half and not really having many goal races. I am just getting a little bored with what I am currently doing. Racing is kinda a little pat on the back for all your hard work, sorta speak, and I have been lacking that. So with changing things up a little and running "THE DISTANCE" I think it will re-inspire a spark and give me something to look forward to.

Support- I am so excited and a little worried about the support I will receive at said Marathon. I for one am overwhelmed by the amount of friends and family that will be coming into Chicago to support me for this race. It makes me feel so loved that so many people want to support me. But on the other hand it makes me a little nervous... What if I bonk? What if I suck? What if I cant do it? I dont want people there to see me screw up and suck first hand!! I think there is a sense of security in being anonymous. If I do not preform as "I think I should", at least Ill have some time to recover before having to face people and tell them about it...

But, even though I am a little worried about sucking, I know at the end of the day, that I will be so thankful that they are there and it will make the experience that much more memorable. I need to just not allow myself to let it put too much pressure on me. I need to use it as a drive to push through the hard parts and know that they will love me even if I bonk...

So far my sister in law Corey and brother in law Steve are thinking about coming into town, and our friends Justin, Jason C, Ryan, Kristin L, Jason W all live in Chicago and might/will be there, plus my awesome husband, along with that my friends Lainie and Morgan have made mention of making the trip. These are all people who will inspire me to push through and make it happen.

The Expo- I can not wait for the expo. It seems like from what I hear an awesome experience. I fully intend on bringing some spending money to blow at the expo. Just seems ridiculous not to indulge in running gear when surrounded by the best stuff out there!

May Recap~

2011-06-01T08:02:00.000-04:00

Running-
Total Mile Ran- 134 (most mile in one month to date)
Longest- 12 Mile Pace
Hardest- 400's
Favorite- My birthday 6 miler with Alexa & running in the RAIN, and the 2 runs with my husband!
To do- I really need to make sure I am hydrating. I have been doing good so far, but I need to stay on top of it. These 90* are killer on these long runs!
Races- Heart of Michigan 10K PR = 48:20
Next Month- Im going to slowly be starting to build up milage again, working towards those marathon size miles.

Cross Training-
Total Miles Cycling- 32

Total Nike Training Club- 4.5 hours

Next Month- Just going to continue what I am doing. I am very happy with how diligent I was with my cross training this month.

Personal Favorites-
Drink- Water & Iced Tea
Food- ALWAYS Pizza
Snack- Granola bars & trail mix w/ dried cherries and dark chocolate
Running Distance- 8 Miles
Workout- Long distance pace work outs
Cross Train- Nike Training Club
T.V Show- Mad Love & House
Movie- None right now
Pass Time- Spending time with friends
Read- Read the new Kara Goucher book and I LOVED IT

Pictures-

MY FAVORITE PIC of May
Ethan (my 7 year old) reading to Jack (my 2 year old)
Jackson is laying his head on Ethans shoulder

Jackson with head phones on (bandana to keep them from falling off), my
spy belt for the iPod and the Big Boy undies (for potty training) and his crocs. He was running
around the house listening to Sesame Street music on Pandora
screaming "I RUN FAST MOMMY"!!! lol

"I RUN FAST MOMMY"!!!

My good friends Jen S, Lainie, Alexa, and I
(My 32nd Birthday Celebration)

My good friends Jen B, Leah, and Joanne
(My 32nd Birthday Celebration)

Memorial Day at the Beach
(My husband and Jack)

We ran 5 miles yesterday. The river trail is flooded from all the
rain we have gotten. My husband and I decided to take our shoes
off on our way back to the car and we walked through this
section. It was so refreshing as I could feel my temps
instantly coming down! It was a hot 87* run!

Personal Highlights-

Turning 32

10K PR = 48:20

Spending lots of time with friends

Soccer season is OVER

My Left Hamstring is FINALLY feeling better, thanks to a couple trips to an AWESOME chiropractor who did more message then chiropracting!!

Personal Challenges-

Tight hamstring since the beginning of April but resolved by the end of May

Not too much this month! I have had a pretty amazing May.

June Goals-

Tackle uncharted miles

Hydrate

Seek out Nutritionist

The next 10 weeks

2011-05-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

I just received my next 10 week training plan from coach Nick. When I asked him when Marathon Training would start he told me we would be doing about a 10/12 week training cycle. So in my head that meant we would stick between 8 - 12 miles till about the end of July and then we would start the dreaded LONG RUNS....

But then I got my next training schedule and low and behold ummmm.... we are starting NOW.... Eeekkk! He is going to have me gradually upping my miles over the next 10 weeks. My long runs go like this 10, 8, 14, 8, 18, 10, 16, 6, 5k, 20, 6..... Holy Moly!

After I received the new training plan I had a mild freak out, sat and stared at the computer screen for about 5 minutes, and then had butterflies in my tummy all day. I currently have butterflies right now as I am thinking about it. I have been thinking about my marathon training but in my head it still seemed like it was light years away, but to actually see it on my current training schedule makes it very real to me.

After working with coach Nick over the past 15 weeks I think I (kinda) know what he is going to do. He is going to have me gradually and SLOWLY work through these uncharted miles early on with lots of rest in between so I dont get too fatigued and then when the "actual" Marathon training starts these long runs will become "PACE" workouts.

Over the past 5 week training segment thats what I have been doing. My 8, 10, and 12 milers are all pace workouts that have been having me hit paces that I never would have thought imaginable or feasible. I have to say I love to train like this. I feel pushed and the feeling of accomplishment when I am done is amazing. I use to dread my easy runs of 4 to 6 miles, but I now welcome them and fully appreciate them entirely!

I love to run, but I also love to push myself. I love and thrive for the feeling of uncertainty and then after the run is over I love the feeling of accomplishment. I truly missed my calling of not running cross country in high school. I think had I of had a better coach I would have stuck with it, and who knows where I would be now.

Im very nervous about Marathon training, but I welcome the challenge. This experience is a once in a life time opportunity. I can guarantee that this will not be my only marathon, but it will be the only time I will ever do it for the first time. I dont know why but I did not feel this level of excitement when I started training for my first Half Marathon. Maybe its because I have grown so much as a runner over the past few months and I have more appreciation and trust in what my body is capable of.

I have been reading Kara Gouchers new book and I am loving every minute of it. I can relate to a lot of stuff that she talks about and I appreciate her honesty about the stuff some runners do not openly talk about. Its refreshing and encouraging and its the best running book I have read thus far. I highly recommend it to everyone.

So here we go.... Next step is contacting the dietitian that Nick recommended and uses. I was going to seek out the one at MSU, but the lady that Nick recommended is an endurance athlete and that brings on a special sense of trust. Her name is Sheryl Lozicki and her website is called E2 for Optimal fitness.

New Books

2011-05-18T12:11:00.000-04:00

I have been having a hard time this week putting the thought of my first Marathon out of my mind. At this point Im not thinking about time goals or anything like that. Im just thinking about summer vacations, fall soccer season, staying HEALTHY and making my next nutrition transition.

I think reading blogs is both a blessing and a curse. As runners we become hypochondriacs, ritual focused and slightly neurotic. Well, maybe this is just me, but through observation I would say Im not too far off saying "most" runners/athletes suffer from this.

Like I said before this whole being athletic thing is new to me, let alone to push past that and become an endurance runner. Ive come a far ways over the past few months, with using a coach and now I can finally trust that my training plan is smart and safe. Now I feel confident in being able to wrap my head around the nutrition changes I would slowly like to start implementing.

Food is a huge area of concern for me. I am a junk food junkie!! Although, I love veggies and such, I am just lazy and I hate to cook. But it is time to stop being lazy and think ahead so that I can start making better healthier choices.

I have been on the hunt for a nutritional food book that is written for runners. I had been unsuccessful until I the other day. On one of the end caps of an isle was a book called Nancy Clark's Food Guide For New Runners. I figured this was perfect since starting slow/easy is my new mantra. I plan to start with this book and see how I like it and then I will maybe move on the Guide for Marathon Runners. I dont want to make too many new changes too soon. So I will work on this and then implement the Marathon guide when I get closer to Marathon training.

The second book I purchased was the new Kara Goucher book. I have just been looking for some running brain candy. I started the book this morning and I can tell you I am already a quarter of the way through it. Now truth be told I did just skim the first chapter or so as it is geared more towards women who are thinking about or just starting running. I am now in the training portion and even though I already know a lot of the stuff she talks about I still find the information interesting.

So far I would very strongly recommend this book to new runners and as for veteran runners. I think this book is a great reminder of some of the things that we tend to forget. I am not done so I am sure I will pick up some good information also that I do not know or find different perspectives that I can appreciate. I will continue to update you on what I learn from her. I got the book at Schulers for the very reasonable price of 16.99.

Heart Of Michigan 10K - Recap

2011-05-16T06:46:00.000-04:00

Me and Alexa

Time- Chip time- 48:20 = PR by 5 minutes
Last 10k was 53:21 2010 Cincinnati Turkey Trot
Placed- 3rd in Age Group, 26th overall, and 6th in overall women
Forecast- 60* and rainy

Garmin Splits

Course- The course was changed last minute due to the 4 inches of rain that Lansing had received the night before. I run this route on a normal basis but once it was changed it presented a lot more challenging course. I am so glad that I am no stranger to hills because this helped me to be able to maintain the pace that I desired.

Elevation (Green)

Pre Race- I woke up wide awake at 4:50 got out of bed and commenced what is now my pre-race ritual. We got to the race about 45 minutes early, I did my warm up and I think I must have tinkled about 7 times. Seriously I don't normally get this weirded out and didn't think I was... But when you gotsta tinkle you gotsta.. even if its a figment of your imagination.. LOL

Mile 1- The first mile was pretty flat heading down Michigan Ave and my 7:33 pace felt awesome. I learned my lesson from the Susan G 5K and got right in the very front at the start line. Mother Nature decided to be nice and the rain subsided before the race started which gave us perfect running weather.

Mile 2- Beginning after mile 1 was when the roller coaster began. When we turned left down Aurelius it was a long hill followed by a drastic decline. I noticed when going down the hill I was slowing myself down and slapping the crap out of my toes (Im a HUGE toe striker). So after that I just let go and went with the momentum. This scared the crap out of me, because I was worried I would have no energy left for the end. The ups were just as hard as the down only a lot faster. So I used every flat surface to rain my pace in and to BREATHE!

The girl in the orange is who I paced for the first 3 miles but at mile 4
I let go for some reason and she gradually dusted me.

Miles 3- 5 I don't remember much about the middle of the race. I was concentrating on form and working myself through the hills. I felt great through out and in hind sight I guess I could have pushed a little harder and tried to maintain the 7:30ish pace, but Id rather run at a slightly painful push and enjoy myself. I love fighting to maintain, but not to the point that I never want to run again!

Mile 6.2 - I thoroughly enjoyed the end of my race. As we were coming through the woods by impressions 5 there was a girl that I was going back and forth with. I wanted to pass her so bad and we were neck n neck for a while. Going up and down the bridges and so on and before I knew it she just let go and I flew past her. I have never enjoyed that before and it was awesome (not in a negative way). I never changed my pace (too much) to get a head of her just stayed with her and then she just dropped back. I had been chasing this chick for a while so to have picked her off after running toe to toe for a while felt good.

After that I noticed I was running next to this late 50's early 60's foreign guy. He asked me if I had a GPS and what mile mark we were at. So I pulled my ear bud out and told him. He asked what pace we were running and I shared that too. He said over and over "You motivate me" "what are you 22" Bahahahahah! I said oh thanks, but no Im going to be 32. He said "Oh darling you are still young chick". HA Ha ! He said "Im so inspired that I can keep up with you". OMG!! Really did he really just say that!!! I looked at him and told him that I look up to him and I can only hope to be in as good of shape and as fast as he is when I get to be his age. He was such an adorable little middle eastern man and his english was horrible which made what he was saying so much cuter then I can portray in this blog. He kept asking me "Do you mind that I run with you"? I told him absolutely not.

I must have lost him because I don't remember much once we came out of the woods. The race was small and there was no one around. The route was not clearly marked and all I could think of was Kevins Last Blog about his 10k where they took the wrong turn. So I was looking for any sign and I saw the race coordinator and started yelling WHICH WAY.... Michelle gave me directions and off I went.

If you took behind the guy in the orange is the guy who I was talking to. He was so cute!

Getting ready to turn the corner and bust butt to the finish line (which was UP HILL)!

Finish Line~ At the finish line was my My Husband (who had busted butt around town snapping shots), 2 of my sisters Carla and Sam and Sammys girlfriend Nichole along with some girls from Daily mile. It was so awesome to have so many people cheering for me as I ran in. The two things that stick out in my mind was seeing Tina and hearing her say You DID IT, you got SUB 50, and hearing my sister say HOLY S*%$ she IS fast, LOLOLOLOLOOLOL!! I just had to laugh... My sister Carla was a cheer leader in high school and my sister Sammy was a soccer player. I don't know if they really think "just" running is a "sport". Tee Hee! Well they give me enough poop about it anyways!! lol

So all in all this was an amazing race for me, no matter how small in size. I loved the route even though it was hilly as crap, I loved having Alexa there with me, and ALL the love at the end. Tim had to take Ethan to his soccer game and couldn't wait for me to pick up MY FIRST MEDAL, yeah I said it I got my FIRST age placing medal this past weekend and bad mom or not I was sticking around to get it (I totally asked Ethan if it was ok and he didn't care). So after we got our medals Alexa and I tromped 2 . 6 miles back to the car. It was so much fun just shooting the crap on our walk back.

Post race we came home, I played Rumikub with Ethan while Tim took off for his 10 miler, then we headed out for a yummy dinner!!!

Dark Horse IPA, Yummy

Spicy Chicken Salad, MMMM!

Post Race Aches- My calves and Achilles are a little tight but besides that Im doing pretty well!
Next Race~ Eles Race 5K, July 24th
Going to just enjoy my training and chill for a bit. Im thinking about getting involved and doing some volunteering. I really have the urge to give back! I know how awesome it feels to have the support so I need to chip in!

AND OMG!!!!! Marathon training starts in 9 weeks! OMG!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Ok theres no need to panic, everything is going to be fine its onLYYYYY 26 POINT TWOOOO miles. I can handle it, its going to be OKAY!!!! Its not too big of a race its only CHICAGO!!!! HOLY CRAP! Ok its ok there are going to be a lot of people to support me through this and its all going to be ok, breathe! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Im starting to lose my ability to push this race out of my head. I am trying to not stress about the LONG RUNS, HEAT, water, PAIN....... OMG AHHHHHH....

Three Things Thursday

2011-05-12T14:24:00.000-04:00

1. Heart of Michigan 10k-
Im getting super excited about my upcoming 10K this weekend. I do not have many races on my schedule this season due to Marathon Training and having to share the spot light with my husband. So I am trying to revel in every race I run.

This race is going to have a couple firsts... The first first is this is the first time I have actually trained to work towards a PR. I have had PR's but this is the first time I have dedicated a specific training regiment to one particular race. I ran 6.2 yesterday and had a PR time already so Im not worried about achieving the PR, but achieving the time I have in mind.

Second first is this is the first time I will start a race with a friend by my side. My friend Alexa and I have been talking a lot lately about that dreaded word "competition"!!! We have been training together pretty steady for the past few months and have had a couple conversations about how sometimes friends start to build an unhealthy competition between each other. At one point she refused to race the same race that I was doing, but we sat down and talked about it and vowed we would NOT allow that to happen to us. We are pretty comprable in pace and ability and determination so for us to run the entire time together is pretty obtainable. We have run most of our speed workouts together and we both keep up really well with each other, plus our 5k time is 10 seconds off of each other. So we will be running our own races, but will be starting together and staying together as long as both of us can do so. No matter what the result I know that we are both capable of not allowing running to interfere with our friendship!!!

2. My BIG 32
I am planning a night out for my birthday. I am so excited we are going to meet up with friends at a local put put golf coarse and then heading out to a local bar/restaurant on East Lansing for drinks. Im so excited to enjoy this time with all my friends. My girlfriend Joanne and I were just talking this morning about how much we love being apart of such a huge group of friends. It is like a small family within a family. Its crazy that all of us are originally connected through one mutual friend, but have built our own separate friendships amongst each other. We are all different in so many ways but all have different common bonds between us. I havent had such a big group of friends since high school and it is just so awesome. ...

3. Give Away
Over at Runnghood Blog there is a great giveaway! It is a signed book by Kara Goucher. Head on over there and become a follower. Let alone is it an awesome book, but Amanda from Runninghood is awesome. She blogs about running and motherhood. I love reading her blog because she writes about more then just running and sometime she rants and she is very insightful. Her posts are meaningful and sometimes deep and full of emotion which I love!

Weekly Recap

2011-05-09T14:03:00.001-04:00

This was a good week for me as far as running goes!

Miles Ran = 30
Cross Train = 0
Strength training = 1 hour 45 min.

Monday- Strength

Tuesday- Track 800's
Splits- 3:20, 3:21, 3:24, 3:23, 3:22, 3:18

I continue to love/hate these track workouts. This one kicked my butt. I didnt realize till after I got home that the last time I did 800's I only did 4, and kept thinking to myself why am I so waisted tired... Well for one I shaved like 10/15 seconds off my last one and I did 2 more sets. Bla, it was hard but it felt great to have gotten through it!

Wednesday- 4 easy

Thursday- 6 easy

Friday- Off
My husband and 4 of my friends ran a local 5k to support the school that my son goes to. Its a fast course as in the first part of the 5k is going down a huge hill, BUT there is a price to pay for that great start. At the end of the 5k there is a HUGE hill to climb back up!!!! It was fun to spectate a race and cheer on all the runners.

Morgan and Spike being great Spectators
(notice the awesome down hill start)

Hubby coming in for an awesome PR
(recap- Here)

Hubby smiling from ear to ear for a great PR
(notice the HUGE hill, this was the last .10 of the 5K)

My little E for a 20 second PR for his mile

Morgan and I being cheerleaders!

Saturday- 8Mile Tempo Run

Goal- 2M sub 9, 4M sub 8, 2M sub 9

Did- 8:42, 8:39, 8:00, 7:52, 7:54, 7:55, 8:31, 8:48

I had been very anxious about this run all week. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. I was a little unsure on if I should GU or not and if I did when should I do it. So my initial plan was to GU at Mile 4, but I felt great and I didnt want to stop in the middle of the tempo. I decided to wait till mile 6, and after I stopped and took my GU and drank water I came down with hard core stomach/intestinal pain. I pushed through the last two miles, but also since I deviated from the route I was planning on taking I was still about 1.5 miles from home. I tried to walk it off for a bit, then I tried to run a couple times and just couldnt do it. So I called my husband and had him come get me. The run was great but I post run sucked! boo!

Sunday- 6 Easy

Mothers Day run! My girlfriends husband had to work on Mothers Day so I invited her over for dinner and to enjoy a run with me. So we all headed out to the local river trail. The boys biked to the park to get dinner started and she and I ran. I only had 4 miles on my schedule but we ran 6. It was so nice out and we just didnt want to quit. We ran the miles nice and easy so there was no reason not too. It was a great day!

Next week is the big 10k that I have been very excited about. I cant wait to see how it goes. Last year I ran a bunch of races but didnt really "train" for them. My last 10k was just about being able to run 6 miles. I had no time goal, so it will be exciting to see how it plays out. I still do not have a time per-say that I am shooting for although a sub 50 would be amazing! Only race day will tell!

April Recap

2011-05-06T13:16:00.000-04:00

A bit late but better late then never!

Running-
Total Miles- 97
Longest run- 13.40
Races:
-Ronald McDonald 5k 25:05
-Martian Invasion Half Marathon 1:47:11
-Susan G. Komen 5k (PR) 23:29
Running Goals- Mastering these Long Run Pace Workouts
Running Challenges- Ambition, Hydration, TIME, strained left adductor muscle

Cross Training-
Total Miles Cycled- 32
Total Hours Strength- 4
Goals-:
-Build Cycling muscles
-1hour of NTC a week
-Maintain at minimum 10 miles a week cycling
Challenges:
-Time, weak cycling muscles

Personal Favorites-
Drink- Water & Water
Food- ALWAYS Pizza
Snack- Granola bars & trail mix w/ dried cherries and dark chocolate
Running Distance- 8 Miles
Workout- Track workouts
Cross Train- Nike Training Camp
T.V Show- Mad Love & House
Movie- None right now
Pass Time- Planning my Personal Training
Read- None right now
Pictures-

Personal Highlights-

Celebrated Jacksons 2 Year Birthday
First Half Marathon
5k PR
Spending lots of time w/ friends
Finally working a little

Personal Challenges-
Missing time with my husband due to coaching
Stress
Time Management
Lack of ambition
Lack of organization

May Goals-
Better time management
Work more
Celebrate my BIG 32
10k
Follow my training schedule exactly
Get is all cross trains
LESS TIME ON THE COMPUTER/INTERNET
Relax more
Get outside
Yard work

Three Things Thursday

2011-04-28T13:28:00.000-04:00

1) A Change of Pace-
This week start my new training segment. I have to say I feel a bit lost and in some ways it feels kinda good. I've been so focused on conquering all these FIRSTS (as far as distance goes) its kinda of nice to still be in "training" mode but without the nervousness of the dreaded long run or the unexpected Half Marathon. It was so great... Kind of like the build up to Christmas. I love the build up to Christmas, but I can say I am very happy to rip that tree down by January 1st and I fully enjoy the releif and down time post Christmas.

Thats kinda how I am feeling right now. I have a few races on my schedule, but nothing that makes my stomach get flip floppy or too worry some. That will come Ooooohhh, probably about the beginning of July when Ill be approaching training for my very first Marathon. Im not even allowing myself to even think about it, until then... Nope just like Christmas I know its coming, I know its going to be crazy and fun... But its there in the distance and Im not allowing myself to get siked up prematurely!

I just want to revel in some stress free training and concentrate on these TRACK WORKOUT! Dude... These are fun! I never in a million years thought I would love them. It wasn't even 4 months ago and I had these fast paces all but sworn off. Now I look forward to them and its the highlight of my week. I guess its the challenge of pushing myself or maybe its because I am bored and this is new....

Workout #1 - 800's/ 1 easy (800 @ 5k, 400 jog)X4, 1 easy
This was a crazy work out. My friend and I headed to the track and pretty much raced and pushed each other for two wicked laps... It was challenging to say the least... I turned my iPhone on speaker for the last one and set it to Till I Collapse - Eminen. Alexa looked at me and we hauled ass. It was the fastest split 3:14 @ 6:32 pace. I cant even believe I was able to maintain that pace, I dont care if was only a half mile. It was awesome and inspiring!

Workout #2 - miles/ 1 easy (1M @ 10K, 400 jog)X4, 1 easy
This I did on a route that I knew would not have much traffic. It was a great w/o and I was very happy to have been pretty consistent with my paces. 7:37, 7:33, 7:43, 7:35 The 7:43 was a little windy, but I have to say that my pace zone was suppose to be between 7:40-7:50. I am not use to try to hit a target per-say anymore. I normally just lock in and go off effort now. Its been engrained into my head so I kept looking at my pace to make sure I was on task and I tell you what Im so glad I dont do that for the most part anymore cause its super annoying. I kept trying to reign myself back and that was good but still annoying!!

2) Personal Training-
Today I got access to the Snap Fitness, Holt facebook page and started to interact with it a little. Its slow going right now till I get a little more familiar with it and get going a bit more, but Im excited to be making strides in the right direction. Wednesday, May 4th will be my first class that I will be holding. Im super excited. Im basing my first couple of classes within my comfort zone and using the Nike Training Camp as a tool to start with. I have so much stuff to get done, but can only do so much with the time I have. If only there were more hours in a day.

3) A.M Runs-
As I have stated previously life has been on the crazy side. With my 7 year old in soccer, plus Tim coaching time has been limited for us to get our training runs in. I had talked about trying to get them done in the morning, but with not being a morning person this was proven as a hard routine to get in. After last weeks constant switching I was left having no energy left for my Long Run pace work out. I was ok with scratching it and just running it with a friend at a conversation pace, but I was still disappointed. I got to thinking that I need to keep my routine, plus with summer coming up I need to get back in the routine of running in the morning to beat the heat and humidity. So my thoughts are to start off running my easy runs in the morning. I figured it would be an easy transition with the thought that there are no expectations of my easy runs besides just getting out there and enjoying myself.

This week I set the alarm for 6am and was able to get out the door for 2- 4 milers. I am very surprised with myself!!! I am not a morning person by nature, but I am actually loving starting my day off like this. The first mile is a bit slower then usual but by mile 2 Im warmed up and feeling good. This has proven to get me going and ready to take on my daily tasks. So Ill keep this routine and see how it goes. My schedule has changed from 2 cross trains and 4 runs a week to 1 cross train and 5 runs so this new routine is going to work out much better I think. It also allows Tim more flexibility to get his training in also. Its just too hard for both of us to get our workouts done in the PM.

I hope your week is going great! We are all just trying to stay DRY!! We have had so much rain over the past week!

Weekly Recap

2011-04-25T13:47:00.001-04:00

Schedule read:
Monday- CT
Tuesday- 5 Mile Track w/o
Wednesday- CT
Thursday- OFF
Friday- 4 Miles easy
Saturday- 12 Mile pace w/o
Sunday- 4 Easy

Miles Ran- 22
Miles Cross Train- 21.6
Strength Train- 1 hour

Did-
Monday- Off (My little guys b-day)
Tuesday- 4 miler at an aerobic pace
Wednesday- Nike Training Camp (ab burner & butt buster)
Thursday- 8.38 mile bike ride
Friday- 5Mile Track w/o (3:39, 3:33, 3:30, 3:14 - 800 splits)
Saturday- 5.3 mile elliptical + Nike Training Camp (ab burner & back definer)
Easter Sunday- 13 miles @ conversation pace @ 9:13 avg.
I ended up just running this one at conversation pace. Although there was at one point I had to quit talking and just make it up the .67 mile gradual climb where I told my friend Alexa I hated her!!! Honestly the hills are just a great excuse for me to blame my dead legs on. I had only had about 3-4 hours of sleep the night before, not very much water, then I didnt Gu and I didnt drink water on the run. So it was just a whole lotta stuff!!! But it was a great run and even tho I felt like crying like a baby and quitting several several times I still had a great run!

End of the week thoughts:

1- I need to take my cross training a little more seriously. I went for a bike ride to substitue a run so I wanted to put a little more into it the ride then a leisurely ride with the kiddo. I was very disappointed in my ability to ride at a work out pace. My legs were very tired and not wanting to cooperate. This only tells me that I need to build up these muscles.

2- Mysterious thigh pain has been determined. Post Half marathon I came down with a weird pain in my left inner thigh. I have not mentioned it because I had absolutely no clue when, what, where, or why. I have been communicating with coach Nick about the issue and was advised that I could still run as long as it did not hurt while I was running.

Symtoms-
- Very sore and tight in the AM, but loosens up through out the day.
- Does not hurt while I am running
- Ive been rolling stretching and so on and nothing seems to be correcting the issue

Saturday I went to the gym and commenced a normal work out. I went to the adduction machine and OUCH. I found the SPOT... Post half marathon I used the hip adduction machine. I did a lot fo reps w/ what use to be a normal weight, but I have not used the machine in a while then you add this to coming off a hella fast half marathon and this = muscle strain.

So from what my coach says and from what Ive read I CAN still remain running, I just need to continue with the R.I.C.E regiment. Even though coach Nick has been telling me this all along I have been skeptical. I didnt know how I did it at the time, but after Saturday I now know what caused it I feel more confident.

3- My schedule has wiggle room, but too much juggling can result in tired legs a poor performance.

Meeting went Great~

2011-04-21T20:43:00.000-04:00

Commence Operation Personal Training

My meeting last night went awesome. I met J at Big B to discuss our next step, expectations, and ideas. I have been drilling myself on tons of ideas. I wrote them all down along with tons of contacts and so on. I walked in there with a binder full of ideas and so on. To my surprise I didn’t even pull them out. We started out just discussing simple things such as availability and so on. He went on to explain his goals for the gym and how the gym was in need of a female personal trainer. The gym already has a one trainer, but come to find out he is a retired guy and really isn’t interested in pursuing cliental.

J could not emphasize enough on how this is my baby and I can pretty much do with it what I want. He expressed his hopes for the program, which are pretty simple really. His aspirations for this gym is to help EDUCATE people on how to live a healthy life style. Which is great cause that was what I have been thinking the entire time. My aspirations for this are just that... You can help people lose 10 pounds easily, but that’s not the end of the job.... You need to teach people how to KEEP it OFF and how to maintain. So many people and in my own previous experience of losing/gaining/losing/gaining it can be a vicious cycle and I was only truly successful when I finally wrapped my head around the entire lifestyle concept.

I truly believe that most people end up quitting because they put too high of expectations on themselves and they end up discouraged and then quitting. J said that in his previous experience most personal trainers set people up for failure at first. When they do their assessment they push them so hard that they feel as though that cant do it and the have to use the trainer so that they can succeed. Or when people come in and want to loose 20 pounds a month, they promise these results and build them a program that is too hard at first and ultimately ends again in failure. This is not my plan. My plan is to encourage, educate people that sometimes we have set backs, but the only true way to succeed is to pick up and start again and again and again till we do succeed. Set REALISTIC goals for ones self. These whole mentalities of I want results YESTERDAY will not be my approach. I for one will be great at explaining how this concept is not a good one, only because in the past this has been my approach on everything in life.

So it was a great meeting and it seems as though we are on the same page as far as our expectations. So the next step is to.... Um..... get started I guess. He instructed me to go home and put together some classes that I could do with 2 to 4 people. I guess there is a fine line of what I can do while working on my certification. Also he wants me to put together a bio so I can share my own story. He feels that relaying my story to others will help them to trust me and that it will help to inspire them and encourage them that they too can achieve their goals. So these are the two things that I will be working on today along with creating an intake form.

After Im done I am headed into the gym to show him what Ive put together and get the info for the social network stuff. J expressed a need for someone to take over the Snap site and managing the social media stuff.... So Ill be picking up that stuff and getting started on working on some themed stuff to push them. I LOVE projects and since this gym is new and there is nothing already started I get to build this program and I am bursting with excitement.

Anticipation

2011-04-20T17:52:00.000-04:00

Tonight is my meeting with the owner of Snap Fitness. I find myself feeling both excited and nervous at the same time. One minute I feel myself knowing this is going to be awesome and feeling as though I will and can be completely successful at this. Then the next minute I feel completely overwhelmed and scared Im going to flop on my face and it will be piled up with past failures....

When I lay awake in bed daydreaming of all the possible ways of promoting myself and programs I would like to start I feel completely confident.... But then my natural ability to be my biggest hater, I start doubting myself. Ive decided that Im just going to keep moving forward and see how things play out. I think the reason I am in such self doubt is due to lack of knowledge of the specifics. First off I need to have one on one time with J to talk about specifics.

A girlfriend suggested targeting stay at home Moms. We all know how us stay at home Moms need outside interaction and to lose that unwanted baby weight, but with the ability to bring along the babies. Not all of us can afford gym membership that offer daycare, so this would be a way to offer some companionship, exercise and so on.

Next thing is to make a list of all my resources. Even though Ill be working for Snap Fitness, Ill still need to work up my own cliental to some point. I dont want to be limited to walking around the gym just doing assessments. Ive lived in this area for about 13 years and I know a lot of the local business owners. So I need to get some flyers made up to pass out. I have a feeling Ill have to suck it up and push past my inability to sell myself. When I worked as a hair dresser this was my biggest draw back. Marketing is huge and I suck at it. The best way to be successful is word of mouth..... So Ill soon be heading out to annoy and harass all my friends, acquaintances, and innocent strangers. Good sign is I have two friends just waiting for me to know the details so I can move forward with helping them.....

I was thinking a good way to drum up business was to target local business's like salons, schools, etc, and offer group work out rates. We all know working out with a friend is much more fun and your more apt to stick with it if you know you'd be letting your friend down if you dont show up and since the gym is open 24/7 this would give me lots of flexibility to work around peoples schedules. Along with that you have all the social media sites like Facebook, cafemom, craigslist, dailymile, and meet up.

So only 2 hours till my meeting! I cant wait to get this part done so I can move on to the next step! Needless to say Im just a bundle of nerves.... It will happen, Im sure Ill do great. Just need to take it one day at a time!

In other news my husband introduced my two year old to the movie Cars and thats about all my life has been. My 7 year old went through this phase already so here we are again. Although I can say it is a welcome change from watching nonstop Little Einsteins!!

Im hoping to post a Blog Post tomorrow about how well everything went.

Happy Birthday Little Jack

2011-04-18T09:11:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday Jack
2 years old

April 18th 2009
6ibs 10 oz

May 2009

June 2009

July 2009

August 2009

September 2009

October 2009

November 2009

December 2009

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

1 years old
April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

Komen 5K - Race Recap

2011-04-17T22:30:00.002-04:00

Results-
Time = 23:29 @ 7:35 pace
Placed-
Age Group = 6th/127
Overall = 127th/ 2,040
Weather-
40* (Feels like 29*)
WINDY 25 - 35mph

Pre-Race:
We showed up for the 5k pretty early. My 7 year old was going to run the Mile. It was freezing cold and very very windy, but he did great. Per his request my husband ran it with and as they were running he confided in him that it was too cold he really wanted to go home. Poor little guy was so cold and I do not blame him one bit! I was standing in the road "TRYING" to take pics of him and I was seriously being blown over.

5K-

Mile 1- 7:17 Pace
Even though this race had 7,500 participants there were NO pace corrals. The field was divided between competitive (chip timed) and noncompetitive. It was a free feral as far as how people lined up. Im not trying to be a negative nancy and I understand that most of the people there do not understand how it all works.... I am very happy that people are getting out and being active and supporting a good cause, but for those of us trying to PR and "race" it, it becomes very difficult to skirt around people. Now I have to admit Timmy and I got back from our warm up run a little late. So we should have lined up earlier and gotten in better position so we could have avoided the congestion.

So the first mile went like this... TOO fast, and in my defense I chose to run without my pace, so I didn't know if I was haul-en butt or if it was the uber windiness that was effecting me. So I just kept going and this left me feeling very EXHAUSTED in mile 2.

Mile 2- 7:36 pace
This was the MILE FROM HELL! This was the WINDIEST mile and I felt like I was going to DIE. I was continuously talking to my legs through mental telepathy. I kept trying to get my breathing under control, but despite my efforts MOTHER NATURES nasty dispositions kept taking every breath from me by shoving her brutal cold wind down my throat!

Mile 3- 7:51 pace
I don't know where in mile 3 that this happened, but as I rounded a corner I attempted to pass another runner by jumping the curb. My legs were very heavy and I didn't pick my foot up high enough and I almost biffed it! I fully anticipated face planting, but some how I recovered and pushed on. After I recovered from my almost spill the last mile actually felt easier. It was a lot slower but I was hit! The wind took everything out of me and I just let myself slow down. I want to finish not feeling completely dead. I knew I already had a PR coming (I had my gamin set on time) and so I just ran at a comfortably fast pace.

.11 - 6:39 pace
I kept telling myself that I didn't need to sprint the last leg, but once I saw the Playmakers Flag I buckled down and ran as fast as I could without falling on my face again.

Post thoughts-
This race was HARD WORK. I know "racing" 5k's are no cake walk and are very physically demanding, but trying to PR in the weather conditions we had today was a HARD WORK. I cant wait to run my next 5k in some less demanding weather conditions.

Good news is that I set a new PR by 1:02. The last 5K I ran was a 24:27. So even though this was a tough run it was very worth it to blow my pr out of the water! I had all but throw 5k's out of the window, cause I hate running till I wanna puke. Even though today was challenging in many different aspects I think I have a new respect for 5k's.

My Big News

2011-04-14T15:22:00.000-04:00

So in my last two blog post I have mentioned briefly that I had some BIG NEWS to share, but didnt want to disclose it till I had ALL the FACTS. I still do not have ALL the FACTS yet, but I feel CONFIDENT in at least sharing the BEGINNING of the PLAN!

Last December Tim and I saw that there was a new gym opening in the plaza that is about a .25 mile jaunt from our house. We decided that this would be a good idea for a combined Christmas gift. The gym is a Snap Fitness franchise. I love "THIS" Snap fitness for a couple reasons-

Reasons:
1. Its very affordable
2. NO CONTRACTS
3. Open 24/7 w/ security cameras
4. Owned by a runner
5. Very close to my house

As much as I would love to be a member at a huge gym that has a million different things to offer. I am 90% runner and only really feel as though I need enough equipment to get in some cross training and have the option to use the treadmill during those harsh weather conditions, so this gym offered exactly what I needed for a price we could afford. During the past 4 months I have spent some time getting to know the owner, swapping running stories and fitness goals. He is a great guy who has huge aspirations for bringing fitness to the Holt area.

Over the past two years I have transformed from a 190ib lazy person to a 127ib runner and fitness enthusiast. This has changed my life and attitude entirely. I have been very open with my journey over the past two years. I used Facebook as a form of accountability to shared every pound I lost and so far every mile Ive ran. It helped me to NOT GIVE UP as I have been so good at doing in previous years. Through sharing this journey so openly I received several messages from friends, asking "How are/did you do it". Ive been very happy to help my friends on their weight loss journeys and aspirations to enter into the world of running. I had/have lots of friends that helped me through my journey, and I want to give back.

I sometimes feel as though I might be a bit obsessed with "Fitness" but when you do a complete transformation as a person, its hard to A- accept that THIS IS NOW WHO YOU ARE and B- That you actually accomplished it. It took a good year of seeing myself in the mirror, buying new clothes, and weighing myself EVERYDAY (scared that you I migh be gaining it back) to accept that Im ok, Im not going back to the OLD me! I finally sold/donated all my old clothes and own nothing that says L/XL or anything larger then a size 6. It was hard letting go of all those clothes, I thought for sure Id end up needing them at some point. Its been a great two years, but its been a process of figuring out WHO THIS NEW PERSON IS and what the FUTURE has in store for me and my family.

Ive been doing a lot of soul searching lately. Trying to figure out what it is that I want/need to do for: ME/My Kids/My Husband. "I" need some social interaction, "I" need to get out of the house, "I" want to earn some extra money. Jackson needs the same things. He is 2 and he needs playmate and so on. Tim wants me to be happy and Im sure he loves the thought of extra money also. Ethan is impartial, as long as it doesnt take away from his time with me, he doesnt care. BUT he Im sure would love a raise in his allowance, lol! So Ive been planning on subbing and I have started to accept job! But its not anything consistant and is nonexistent during the summer months. So Ive been thinking of a way to supplement. Any job I would take would have to meet the following stipulations:

1. FLEXIBLE- My family is first and formost my number one job. There is no dollar amount that would ever draw me away from that.
2. Has to be something I will ENJOY!!!!

So a couple weeks ago I got to thinking. I have been mentoring a couple friends with their weight loss and running and I thought to myself "I ENJOY THIS SO MUCH, I WISH I COULD DO THIS FOR A LIVING"~ The next thought that came to mind was- I wonder how long it takes to get a certificate to be a personal trainer? Ive often thought this would be an amazing job. My friend Emily is a personal Yoga instructor, but she lives in New Jersey and there is a market for something like that there! Michigan is going through a rough economic time right now and the probability of getting a job "I THOUGHT" would be scarce!

Well, I did a little research checking out how expensive the program is and how long it takes to get certified. Then I got to thinking about my gym, there is one personal trainer and its a guy. I was thinking about it and got to thinking about myself and thought well maybe J would be interested in bringing on a women to help out. So I went in there, talked to the receptionist and she told me that in fact he was thinking about adding a female trainer GREAT! I asked her when he was coming in next.... Then she told me he was out for the week (stupid spring break) so I left him a note asking him about it. First thing saturday morning I went to check my messages while in the UP and saw that I had a voicemail IT WAS J. His voicemail alone gave me the answer I was looking/hoping for!! He was all about having me join their team!!!

Tuesday I went into the gym to do my cross train and J was in, and we chit chatted for about 30 minutes! By the end of the conversation he and I were both very inspired by the possibilities. The one thing that just made me feel so great was when he said to me "Jess, Ive gotten to know you a bit over the past few months and I really like you. You have a great story and you radiate a passion for fitness and to have you bring that into this gym would be awesome. I need people like you in here to help get people excited about their fitness goals". He told me to go home think about what I want and brain storm some ideas of programs and so on that I would like to implement.

So this is just the beginning, but its happening!!! I get to help people for a living! Im going to get to guide people towards achieving their goals and hopefully help some work towards changing their life, increasing their self esteem, and to be healthier. My goal at first is to get the basic personal training certificate so I can start ASAP, but after I finish with that Im going for the gold which is called a Masters Certificate. This will allow me to do EVERYTHING including weight management and so on! My girlfriends have been so supportive in helping me come up with so many different ideas of awesome programs. I have been working on a list and cant wait to run it by J.

So stay tuned... Im super excited! Please share any creative ideas you might have!

Recover week

2011-04-11T15:39:00.000-04:00

Official Time: 1:47:11

I had thought about not recapping this past week as it was a recovery week, but it was a great week and as training and running are very much apart of racing, recovery is probably one of the more important key elements to racing. I never fully understood taking a recovery WEEK... Until now! I knew I ran my little hinnie off at the half marathon last weekend, but did not expect to feel as wiped out as I was the week to follow. I am so happy that the half was the week prior to spring break. We as a family didn't have anything "fun/destination" planned, we just stayed home during the week, and then on Friday we took off to my home town in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Our week seriously consisted of sitting on the couch and doing absolutely nothing. If the weather had been nice we might have went for a walk or something, but it was cold so we hardly left the house. Now I am not the type of person who does sitting very well, so to sit on the couch, enjoy my husbands company, and just veg felt completely amazing! I did get some cross training and running in this week. I did everything that Coach Nick had on my schedule and I was even a good girl and ran them all nice and easy (with the acception of one, oops)!

Running Miles- 14
Cycling Miles- 11.25
Strength- 1 Hour

Monday- Cross Train I went to the gym did 5 Miles on the bike and then did the NTC Ab Burner w/o, WOW I have been a slacker on my cross training in the previous two weeks and it shows. I use to be able to rock that ab workout and now I can feel more burn then I was use to. After doing 15 min of that I was pooped, so I desided I was going to cop out of anymore of the NTC and just hit the hip abduction machine. I felt it was better then just going home which was what I felt like doing.

Tuesday- 4M Easy (8:50 pace)
This was naughty and would teach me why you must run almost a min above your normal pace after a big race. When I went out for this run it was super nice out and my legs appeared to feel awesome!!! Low and behold I ended up with a sore left quad in result. I've been nursing it all week. DUM DUM DUM

Wednesday- Cross Train I hit the gym again. Did the NTC Ab Burner and Hip Abductors again and a WHOLE LOT of stretching.

Thursday- 3.5 (11:30) Easy with my sister. Ran with my sister to help pace her for her first tempo run.

Friday- OFF/REST/YAY

Saturday- 6.5M Easy (9:21 pace) We were in the U.P. and Mom offered to watch the kiddos so Timmy and I could get a run in together. I love running up there and the dirt road was just what a sore quad needed. I had to rein my husband in as I needed to run slower then usual to help my quad recover. We had a couple sub 9 splits but the first and last mile made up for those as they were about a 9:40. Spring time makes my Moms private road pretty soggy so we were going super slow to not get our pretty white shoes too filthy! Post run my quad feels great! This makes me super happy. I was kinda getting nervous!

Sunday- OFF/REST/YAY
-ended up riding 7.25 at a very easy pace. After a 4 hour car ride, the kids and I needed to stretch our legs. So we cycled to the park, played for a bit, and then headed home. Note: the trailer acts as a parachute when your riding into the wind!

Coach Nick suggested taking it easy for the next couple weeks. I've come a long ways in just 7 weeks of training so now its time to just let the body adjust and absorb the previous training. Im perfectly happy with this thought. I poured everything I had into the last training segment and will happily take a breather. I have a few races on my plate but nothing that requires any hard training. This Sunday is the Susan G- Race for the Cure 5k, then next up is my 10k, but thats not till May 14th! That is my next "goal" race! Since I easily run my last 10k time in training runs Ill be interested to see how many MINUTES I shave off (nock on wood that injury, sickness, and any other hindering possibility stays at bay).

This week my friend Lainie and I are going to start organizing and getting ready for the Cork~N~Run 200 Mile Relay in June! Im so excited to do this with 5 of my friends and 6 strangers that I have never met before. Its been fun accepting new friendships on Facebook and DailyMile. I get to in a way get to know them via social networking and follow their training. I dont really have any particular goals for this race, well other then running 3 legs in 36 hours, eek! Fun Fun Fun! We still need one more member, so if your interested let me know and Ill get you the details!

Oh and a little update: Remember in my last Blog I talked about some things Im working towards, but am unwilling to disclose just yet..... Well, Im still not telling just yet but I got a very EXCITING phone call yesterday and it seems that what was once a dream of mine but never thought of pursuing, then turned into a well maybe it could, to.... Looks like my dream job is becoming a potential reality! Eeeekkkk! I don't want to disclose it and jinks myself till all my ducks are in a row, but Im hoping by the end of next week Ill be able to shout it from the roof tops!

Well, everyone it seems like race season has officially kicked off as Mother Nature is finally going to present us with some spring weather! If you had any races last weekend please let me know how you did! Even tho my race schedule is limited this summer I fully intend on doing A LOT of spectating and cheering! To all my fellow bloggers Im excited to virtually cheer you all on!

New 2011 Goals and Updated Race Schedule

2011-04-06T00:15:00.000-04:00

So I have finally hit perma grin status. I don't know what it was, but I didn't fully absorb my Half Marathon experiance till last night at about 11:30pm. I spent all of Monday still couch bound and in recovery mode. I sat with my Blog roll permanently open all day on my computer eagerly anticipating everyones Martian Recaps. I cant express how much I enjoyed my own experience, so to relive it through what others had experienced in the same race was amazing. So as I read the recaps or read comments on my own recap I found myself talking out loud, saying things like "omg- yes", "I had that same thing happen", "oh I totally forgot about that", and so on. Im sure Tim was quite amusemed with my ability to talk to everyones blog as if they themselves were standing there telling me about their experiance instead of my iMac. Thank You everyone for sharing and being so encouraging with all the comments on my own recap... I have not yet made it around to everyones recap, but I WILL!

So with now fully impacted by the event I feel the need to update some of my 2011 goals. I never really expected to come this far in my training. When Playmakers released their official 2011 race calendar I was like a kid in a candy store. Saying ewww I want to run this one and that one, oh and what about that one, hmmm? Then I hired a coach and a lot of those races got bumped off. Coach Nick helped me to realize "do you want to run quanity or quality" Hmmm? Last year I sure as heck didn't run quanity but I sure as heck didn't run quality either.... So with a Marathon on the schedule I decided that quality is the best choice. Coach Nick asked me to pick a couple events that are important and that I had specific goals for. First was the Half and originally pre-2011 my Half Mar goal was sub 2 hours as in 1:59:59 would have been awesome! The next goal race was a the Heart of Michigan 10k. Last year running a 10k was a HUGE accomplishment. I had a very hard time breaking that 5 mile mark and so when I ran the 10k turkey trot in 53:15, I felt so accomplished. So this year PRing that race seems fitting. My first goal was to sub 53:00 and now that goal is easily accomplished in training runs. So with my need to push myself I feel the need to update my goals.

I started writing this blog this morning, only to reopen my blog roll later and to read Mission to A(nother) Marathon's current Blog. Its funny as I read hers I found myself with a lot of the same feelings. How the heck did I just run a 1:47:11 Half Marathon? Im still amazed and its hard to wrap my head around trying to reevaluate goals based on how far Ive come in my training! One phrase Ive heard a lot lately and that is: trust in your training! But I just can't wrap my head around it tho.....

So with that being said I think I will set some (in my eyes unrealistic) goals, continue to train as instructed by coach Nick and see what the heck happens! Like with every race you can only tell whats going to happen after the race is over!

UPDATED RACE SCHEDULE!!!!

Im am so sad~ But my plan to run the Capital City Half is not going to be able to happen. My soon to be sister in law came over yesterday and told me that their wedding is that Saturday, so I will NOT be going to bed early that night.... So I sent coach Nick an e-mail telling him about it, asking if I needed a "tune up race" before Chicago?!?! His response was "No need for a 1/2 tune up race. Sometimes it works out to do one and sometimes it does not. You can get a lot out of training and no racing. Train consistently and you will be ready to go for the full marathon. No problem at all. " I swear this man was sent to me for a reason.... Through e-mail only I get the impression of a very chill, relaxed, non-obsessive man. THIS IS SO NOT ME.... I think using him is helping to chill me the bleep out!

But still (insert winey voice) I wanna race a little bit this summer. I know Chicago is a HUGE goal and I should just concentrate on saving myself for that BUT... as of now June is 90% race free, and I have nothing planned for July, August, AND September. To me this seems a bit ridiculous. Especially because coach Nick only anticipates a 10/12 week training for Chicago. That puts me to start training August 1st. So now I am looking for SOMETHING to fill July. Im thinking about maybe looking into the Grand Ledge Half in July, but Im not sure. Im thinking it will be something I need to really think about. Maybe a 5k since the recovery time is a little less... Im on the prowl and not limiting myself to anything around the Lansing area.

I just killed my Half, I have plans to kill a 10k, and Chicago... I need a 5k to kill, so maybe that will be my focus!!!! Who knows, I think Ill sit on it a while and make a decision later!

AGAIN thank you to all who have been to diligent with your encouragement through out my training. Thank you to all of my new followers as I have gathered about 10 over the past 24 hours (Im giving full credit to Miss Morgan for tagging me in her Martian recap). I hope I can be as encouraging to you as you have been for me. DailyMile and Blogging has brought about a HUGE sense of community for me and has opened my eyes to a whole new avenue.

Im going to be also researching a possible new focus.... I need to do some more research before I fulling disclose what my hopes and plans are... But stay tuned! They involve running, but not my own shoes per-say.... Through losing 61 pounds and developing a new sense of life and love for running, I find myself with the urge to give back... somehow...

Martian Invasion of Races Half~ Recap

2011-04-03T23:10:00.001-04:00

Where to even Start? I am at a loss! This was just the best race Ive ever had to date!

So the "Goals" I had for this race? I had three-

1- was to finish feeling good
2- Average 8:30 - 8:45
3- Average 8:15 (for the seeded corral at Chicago)

DID- 8:11

Day before/Expo-
We headed out to my sister in laws in Milford to drop the little guy off for a night with the cousins. My sister in law made Timmy and I shirts to sport at the Expo for Autism Awareness Month. They were great and we got a lot of compliments on them. The expo was from what I hear... small, but it was my first so it was fun walking around looking at all the fun stuff! Plus we got to meet Marlene from Mission to "A"nother Marathon and a couple others. Morgan handed out the goodie bags that she put together for everyone! So nice of her. She truly has a heart of gold.

The shirts my sister in law made for us to wear to the expo. My
sister in law has an embroidery business and she does an excellent job,.

Spike, Alexa, Me, and Timmy

Swag from Martian

The flyer Morgan put together for the bag

The goodie bag that Morgan put together for the
DailyMile/Blogger meet up: Included donations from the following people - Bondi Band head band,
Arctic Ease cold compression therapy, running fit donated chafe free,
Punk Rock Racing provided the bags, Morgan purchased the green wrist bands
so we would know who was apart of the meet up.

Girls night with my T in 2010. There is nothing like
snuggling in bed with your BFF while watching
a scary movie!

After the expo we headed over to Bravo and had dinner with my BFF from High School, Taryn. Im kinda bummed I forgot to get a picture with her! It was nice to spend the evening NOT obsessing about running. We sat around chit chatting about "life" stuff.

Race Morning-
We set our alarm for 5am and by 5:05 I had popped out of bed and headed down to eat! Pre race I consumed: Cliff bar, 1c of coffee, 2 packets of oatmeal, banana, 1/4 of Tims waffle and then I started pounding the H20.

Alexa had text me the night before and asked if they could meet up with us in the morning at our hotel. They arrived at our hotel at about 6am. We made our way to the race at about 6:40. Alexa was running the full Marathon and that kicked off at 7:15.

Alexa and her Hubby Chris pre-race

My friend Lainie (Alexas Sister) wasnt going to be able to make it to cheer
Alexa on so I suggested she make her a sign and
Timmy and I would make sure she got CHEERED
IN, in her honor!

Between the Full and the Half the 10k ers took off. I again made no attempt to meet up with Coach Nick- boo on me! I think pre-race jitters had me a little spacey. BTW Coach Nick ran the 10k and got 2nd overall. He and the 1st place winner were 4 seconds off each other. Coach Nick ran his 10k in 30:11. Here is a LINK of an interview with Coach Nick last year at this time. He is an AMAZING runner and this interview is quite interesting.

We sat around chit chatting with some of the blogger/dailyMilers for a while and then Timmy and I ran a warm up back to the hotel to drop off our stuff. Im so happy we did that. My legs felt fresh from the very get go of the Race.

Stephanie from In Stephs shoes.

Gearing up to GET OUR RUN ON!!!

THE RACE-

Clothing choice-
I wore short sleeved tech t, arm sleeves, capri's, and calf sleeves. This combo was perfect. I did end up pushing my arm sleeves down from mile 7 till about mile 11. At mile 11 I was starting to get chilly and pulled them back up. So happy I had them. The bondi Band I purchased at the expo (said "One HOT mess") was awesome and would recommend them to anyone and everyone~

Setting the PACE-
When I turned my garmin on at the Hotel it had asked me if I was inside, so I pressed yes. Low and behold without my knowledge this turned off the GPS. From mile 0-5 I ran blind. I had to clue what my "pace" was. I ran what I thought was comfortable. Low and behold I was running my ass off. My heart rate was good, as I could monitor that and my breathing was still in a 3/2 ratio so I wasnt worried. Im glad I didnt know how fast I was running because it would have siked me out and not in a good way. I pressed the lap button at what I thought were the mile marks (they were not consistently marked, boo). This is by no means "ACCURATE" but this is a rough estimate of my first 5 blind miles = 7:52, 7:40, 7:42, 7:44, 7:53. The 5 mile average = 7:54 Had I of had my pace there is no way I would have started out that fast, but it is what it is.

Right before the turn around I took my garmin off and turned my GPS on. Once it found satellite I reined my pace in and found my groove the next 4 miles and they looked like this 6, 7, 8, 9 miles- 8:12, 8:00, 8:01, 8:16.

Water Stations and Potty Breaks-
As far as I can remember there were 5 stations. I hit all 5 of them. I ran through the first two, drinking on the run. Before drink station #3 I was pacing a guy and he walked through the drink station, and so I followed suit and did so for 3, 4 & 5. I kept telling myself there was no BLAME in taking a 10 sec break.

Porta potties were scarce and as far as I saw there were only two. One within the first 6 miles and one on the way back. I decided I would stop on the way back, but whoever was in there was TAKING FOREVER or at least thats how it seemed. So I said screw it and took off. So my last splits were a little on the slower side, but Im ok with that considering the STOPS I made. Miles 10, 11, 12 were- 8:32(potty break), 8:23, 8:21

The Last 1.5 Miles-
THE TWO BRIDGES FROM HELL- When running on a bridge with a bunch of other people your footing is unsecured. When you "perceive" that your foot should hit the ground is not accurate. These two bridges made me feel like I was going to pass out or puke. The guy that I was pacing was AWESOME, he for some reason took to floating me constant encouragement. This is why I LOVE RUNNING SO MUCH. For the most part runners look out for each other. They give each other constant encouragement even if it inhibits their own time. I dont think or I hope I didnt inhibit this guys time, but he was a great asset to me in those last few miles. After the last water station, he said to me "ok girl, WE GOT THIS". I have no clue if he was running the Full or the Half. I have to say he was running the full, because he just looked in way too good of shape to be running my pace for a half! But it felt awesome to be able to keep up with him!!!
Anyways.... I love to ramble and skip subject!
Then when we were going over the second bridge he just kept saying "BREATH, Get control of your BREATHING". I HATED those two bridges!!!!! Then his last form of support was going up that last hill coming out of the woods. That last hill put my breathing out of rhythm and my foot was starting to ache again. As we were going up the hill he said AGAIN "just get your breathing under control" and I looked at him, got control of my breathing and I felt on top of the world again. As soon as we got out of the woods I was after it. My 8 mile running buddy and I exchanged smiles and then he was GONE.... I just locked in and pounded out the last 1.5 Miles- 8:20, (.54) 7:57 As soon as I saw Morgan I waved at her SMILED and took off like a bat out of hell. I got to see my Timmy and I ran through the shoot. I got a little teary afterward as I headed right to the bathroom. I sat there for a while taking it all in, but by the time I got out I couldnt find my Tim. Thats all I could think of... I WANTED my HUSBAND~ I walked around for a while looking for him and it seemed I could find everyone who I thought I wouldnt end up seeing... Like my friend Sara from dailymile and my friend Katie who ran her FIRST 5K! Yay! Anywhoo, I made my way back to the finish line and there he was! YAY!

Post race picture
Chris (half)- 2:04, Alexa (full)- 4:05, Tim (half)- 1:43, Me (half) 1:49
Chris BTW did no training for this race and it was a last min. decision
to run it. The fact that he ran a 2:04 is AMAZING!

Post Race thoughts-
This was the best race I have ever ran. The way I approached this race was engrained in my head by my running mentor Morgan. I cant even begin to tell you how many times she told me to JUST ENJOY IT, DONT WORRY ABOUT a "TIME" and so on. She knows how statistical I am and how I like to beat my training into the ground. So with her last words to me before the race : I want to see you with a SMILE on your face at the end of this race. I set out with the intentions of ROCKING the HELL out of this run AND doing it with a smile on my face, if that meant running slower then I had anticipated then fine! But I was determined to be in GREAT SPIRITS when I crossed the finish. Mission COMPLETE! I feel so good to have run my ass off, to see how much I achieved through my consistant training. Knowing I ran hard & w/in my potential = a WIN for me.

I know this was my first half and "time" didnt matter, but had I of latida'ed my way through it, I would have not of been happy. I wanted to run at MY potential, not above it and not below it. In my eyes I did that, and I accomplished my goal. I see the fact that my garmin "pace" issue as an aset and a good learning experience. Coach Nick told me that he never races with his garmin and I can see why. I think using your watch can cause mental freak outs. I ran the first half without it and the last half w/it and I didnt not enjoy the last half but I found myself in a different metal place. I dont know what this will do for future races but it was a good learning experience.

As you can see in the picture, I got a little messy with my last GU. Its even on my shoe! lol
Guess my Bondi Band purchase was a TRUE FACT!

The course was long. 13.4 @ 8:11 avg.
Splits- 1:49:39
7:52, 7:40, 7:42, 7:44, 7:53, 8:12, 8:00, 8:01, 8:16, 8:32, 8:23, 8:21, 8:20, (.40) 7:57
Heart rate avg- 176, 93% of Max

Placed-
Age Group- 12th/189
All women- 66th/913
Over All- 368/1835

Post race Aches-
Today I find myself icing my right knee, but nothing bad. Plus my right calf is a little tender. Tim read today that if your not at least icing two parts of your body post race- You didnt push hard enough! lol
Arctic Ease is AMAZING! TRY IT~

Recovery Plan-
Today- 3m SLOW Ran- 3.18 @ 10:20 = Felt great!
Monday- LITE Cross Train
Tuesday- 4m SLOW
Wednesday- LITE cross train
Thursday- REST
Friday- 4m SLOW
Saturday- 6m SLOW
Sunday- REST

The Blogger/DailyMile post race lunch
Timmy and I got there a little late and so we
missed out on meeting everyone! But we enjoyed
the company of those who where still there!

The Girls

The Dudes

Sunday= COUCH DAY!

Working on my recap and loving on my sick baby

The little guy playing with the swag from Morgan

Its in the Bag

2011-03-31T13:32:00.000-04:00

So I started to pack my bag for the BIG MARTIAN INVASION Half this weekend. I made a list of everything I would need as far as food, clothes, ect.

Im feeling pretty dang good about everything as of right now. I talked to Nick about the whole "what should I eat this week/pre-race" and his suggestion was to not change anything. Which really makes sense because I wouldnt want to cause more harm then good. You never know how your body is going to react to change. So Ive just been drinking lots of water and I cut out the junk food, which wasnt hard since I dont eat a whole lot of it anyways. Then he gave me an example of what he does pre-race morning and it was very helpful...

So I think my morning schedule is going to go like this: wake up at 5am, DRINK COFFEE, eat (oatmeal & Banana), shower, stretch & foam roll, then out the door by 6:30.

At first I was a little frustrated or more disappointed in the Half start time, which is 8:45. But now Im excited about it. This gives us a chance to send off the Marathoners and 10kers! I want to be at the start line by 6:45 to give my Alexa a hug and wish her well on the Marathon. Then Nick my running coach is running the 10k and Im hoping to get to meet him and his wife.... I was looking through the Elite list for Martian and Nick and his wife are both listed. She is fricken way fast too!!! I think her Half Marathon time is 1:29 something and her 5k time is 19: something.

Anyways....

I've been so busy this week that last night was really the first time I sat down to think about what I want to wear, bring, eat, and so on. Im going to bring an array of stuff for the just in cases, but I think Im going to stick with a short sleaved tech t, arm sleeves, shorts, calve sleeves, and gloves. I fully intend on going through my old fat clothes and digging out some stuff to wear around that I can ditch before the race! I was fretting mostly about what to wear (as I do for every long run) because the HELLO its MI and you can never trust the weather!!!! Then I remembered THROW AWAY CLOTHES!!! After the idea of throw away clothes came to mind I felt a lot better. I knew I was keeping all those L/XL clothes for some reason.

Option ONE-
Short sleeved Tech T, Shorts, Arm Sleeves

Option TWO-
Short Sleeved Tech T, Arm Sleeves, Capri's

The List is complete! Just need to stop and
get GU~

Today Im fine tuning my playlist. I had considered running it with nothing, but like Nick said don't change anything.... If I decide to not use it Ill take the earbuds out, but I have it just incase. Ive been trying to avoid getting OVER excited too early, but by today its starting to hit home that ITS THIS SATURDAY!!!

Below are pics of my Little guy running around on my bed in my heels while I was getting my stuff around. He is obsessed with wearing them. He might as well, I dont wear them anymore~

I dont have Girls, but my Heels still get abused!

Wintery Wednesday

2011-03-30T10:31:00.000-04:00

The journey from December till now! Im hoping with this post that we can move forward and get some spring pictures and put this first year of wintery weather running behind us and store it in our memories!

Not too cold, but a taste of wearing layers

Sub zero = Hard Core

Hello first 12 miler

First relay!

Too much fun to go out in blizzard conditions, for

a run in the fresh fallen snow

Cold winter running in Chicago

This winter was A LOT of FUN but Hello Im ready for warmer temps and LESS layers!

Week 8 Training~ Done

2011-03-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

I have to admit right away that I was a SLACKER this week when it came to cross training as in I didnt do it at ALL! But Im ok with it, this was the first week of 8 that I choose to slack at all!

Miles scheduled- 24
Miles ran- 27
Cross train- 0
Strength train- 0

Monday- Elected Rest Day

Tuesday- 5.5 Tempo
Goal 1E, 1M tempo, .25 E, 1M tempo, .25 E, 1M tempo, 1M Easy
Did 8:46, 7:54, 8:52, 8:02, 8:48, 8:13, 9:18

Wednesday- Elected Rest Day

Thursday- Rest

Friday- 6M Steady
Goal 1M Easy, 4M Steady, 1M Easy
Did 8:55, 8:25, 8:19, 8:20, 8:28, 9:09

I was looking for one last challenge before the martian half. I had a steady run which is a level 3 effort out of 5 on my training scale. I havent done hills in a while after my big soleus issue a couple weeks. My goal was to push myself but still feel like I had just a little left in reserve. Goal accomplished! I rocked it! Ive been working really hard on feeling my pace. From Mile 2 - 4.5 was a hilly hell ride! Even though I am way excited about how fast I ran it, I am MORE excited about how consistant they are. I would have been just as excited had they have been closer to a 9 and just as consistant.

Saturday- 5k Run for the House

Goal- Fun Run

Did- 25:05

See recap here

Sunday- 10M Aerobic

Goal- 5m easy 9+, 5m aerobic -9:00 HR 80%

Did- 9:22, 9:20, 9:17, 9:15, 9:13, 8:45, 8:49, 8:47, 8:50, 8:47 HR 85%

I was procrastinating this run last night and this morning. I just didnt want to be cold. I saw that it was only going to be 20* and I really just didnt want to go, but by 11am I forced my butt out the door and got it done. The first 8 mile were good, but the last two were killer for me. It went from feeling tolerable to my hands were freezing, my lips were frozen, the wind was blowing in my face and I just wanted to cry! When I got home I dusted it off, and was happy it was done! Ill concentrate on the fact that 8 out of 10 were good and those are good odds! Ill take it! THEN when I went to upload my run onto Garmin connect and the website was being HORRIBLE! Then Daily Mile wouldnt upload. It was one of those days where I can honestly say I just wanted to chuck something! BUT finally garmin connect let me upload my w/o and then all was right in the world of running! lol

So with that we are 6 days away from the Half! If you ask if I have a "Goal" time, honestly if I can come close to maintaining the last 10 miles of the 14 miler I did, I would be perfectly pleased! But who knows race day will tell the story and I will be happy with a safe run! Next week Im going to be taking some of Nicks advice about eating raw foods and NO alcohol. Ill be counting every calorie I burn and eat to make sure Im consuming enough to ensure that I did my part by properly fueling up!

Next week Looks like this:

Monday- Cross Train

Tuesday- 5M Pace

Wednesday- Cross Train

Thursday- 4M EASY

Friday- REST

Saturday- RACE

Sunday- 3M RECOVERY

*PLEASE: If anyone has any words of wisdom about their routine preweekrace PLZ share!

So far temps are prdicted to be: a low of 37 the night before and a high of 43 the day of!

*Any clothing suggestions?

Run for the House 5k recap

2011-03-26T22:33:00.000-04:00

Race: Run For the House 5k

Benefited: Ronald McDonald House of Lansing

Time: 25:05

Splits: 7:55, 8:14, 7:52, (.10) 7:09

Age Group: 9th

Over All: 92 out of 800

Goal: Fun Run

On Friday I volunteered at playmakers to help hand out race packets for this run. I had offered to my friend Lisa who is the head director for the house to help out. I am so glad I did because it was a great experience. A lot of people who came in to pick up their packets were more then generous to share their story of why they were running/walking. If your not familiar with the Ronald McDonald House, it is a non-profit organization that houses the families of sick children while they are in the hospital.

This is the real Story behind the organization:

The Legacy
The first Ronald McDonald House opened in 1974 in Philadelphia through the unlikely partnership between a professional football team, a pediatric oncologist and a fast food restaurant. When the daughter of Fred Hill, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles football team, developed leukemia, he and his wife spent their days and nights at the hospital. He came up with an idea to make things better for families just like his own. A house was found that could be remodeled and it was purchased with funds donated by the football team but it still had to be made into the home-away-from-home Mr. Hill envisioned. The team managers and owners approached McDonald's owner/operators in Philadelphia who agreed to donate the needed funds if the house was called the Ronald McDonald House. There are now over 300 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide in 30 countries providing tens-of-thousands of sleeping rooms each night to ill children and their families

Last year this was my very first 5k EVER, so regardless if I had another race next weekend I was running this one. I had planned on pacing my little sister Patty for her first race ever but she ended up wanting to run it on her own. She by the way she ran her fastest run thus far and never walked which is more then I can say for my first 5k race. Today I ran with my friends Alexa who is running the Martian Full Marathon, so we were both wanting to keep it on the "safe" side. My goal for the race was to run at conversation pace and I did that. Alexa and I chit chatted till she went for a push at the end. My legs were feeling a little heavy from yesterday so I told my competitive side to shut up and stayed at the pace I felt good at! Even though I really wanted to "RACE" this, I really dislike the course. I do not like down and back where you run around the flag and head back.

This September I am going to join the Run for the House team in planning the 2012 race. Im really excited that my friend Lisa asked me if Id like to join. Next year they are going to try and move the race to a better location. The park where this race is held is kind of small and this race has been growing larger every year. This year had over 200 more participants then last year. So I am really excited to have that to look forward to. Its going to be awesome to work with a team from the beginning to end of organizing a race. Id like to see what all goes into putting on a race.

I love the shirts from this race. They are at least a tech shirt material instead of a cotton T-Shirt! Although the small is HUGE! Oh and cant forget the AWESOME socks! Their slogan for this is "Rock the socks"! Its cute!

My Sister Patty- Time 33:47
She is now at 30+ pounds lost since January!
Amazing!

Trivial Tuesday~ Shoes

2011-03-22T14:38:00.000-04:00

New Shoes-
So Ive been thinking about training this summer and the thought of shoes just astounds me. The thought of how often you have to retire them and replace them is obscene. Think about it... The average pair of shoes can handle 3-500 miles depending on the brand, person wearing them, environmental conditions, and so on. Then you take these new styles like the Saucony Kinvara which has been rated for approximately max 300. So even in one training cycle, let say for a half marathon, I will have ran approximately 200+ miles just in this training cycle.

Now don't get me wrong I am a HUGE fan of the Kinvara and will replace them as often as needed. Also I understand that's why you alternate. But with still only having 1 year of running under my belt, my shoe collection is small, well considering some of the blogs I read. So far I have been alternating my Kinvaras with the Saucony Mirage. But this leads me to my point.... Trying to find "YOUR SHOES" on sale. My Kinvaras have about 260 on them, so it is time to get some new ones into the rotation. I normally remain VERY loyal to Playmakers (our local running store) but with having to replace shoes so often I need to look for deals when I can. So I was very excited when I found my beloved Kinvaras at Eastbay for 69.99 which is a good deal since they are normally $90.00. Now I would never buy a new pair of shoes from any other store then our local running store, reason 1 being that they have a 1 month refund policy if the shoes do not work for you and 2- this company goes above and beyond to try and put you in the right shoes. They offer a free running clinic called good form running and they will at any time put you on the treadmill and watch you run and they will give you unlimited advise. So remaining faithful in supporting my local store that provides us with so much is important. But again sometimes a girls gotta find a deal here and there.

So I ordered my new shoes yesterday and I am eagerly awaiting their arrival. I have been looking at these for about a week before I actually ordered them. Reason being I JUST COULDN'T CHOOSE A COLOR! My dilemma was- stick with the same color or go for something new. I am by nature very boring. I always order the SAME food, ice-cream, etc whenever we go anywhere. I shop at the same stores, buy the same brand of jeans, and so on. I do not like change to say the least. lol I know what works and I stick with it. Im NOT adventurous.

Current Shoe-

I honestly think the shoe colors for the Kinvara are little to be desired and Ive kind of taken to the same idea that my husband has, as far as I think my running/racing shoes should be a FUN color that I wouldn't normally wear everyday. Its my chance to do something fun! So these are the only colors I would even consider:

Orange- I think these are a crazy FUN color
But Im not really an orange kinda girl!

These in my opinion are FUN and CUTE, but still
didn't know if I was all about how BRIGHT they are! lol

These are what I ended up getting. No they are not CRAZY or as FUN as
I was hoping but I still like them a lot and cant wait for them
to get here! Im hoping to get them in time to
break them in before the half.

Its crazy to think about how many pairs of perfectly good shoes I am going to go through just this summer. I have 3 hefty races on my plate this summer 1- Martian Invasion Half 2- Cork N Run 200 Mile Relay 3- CHICAGO MARATHON. So Im pretty sure Ill have earned a small army in running shoes by the time 2011 comes to a close!

What do you look for when purchasing a new pair of shoes?
Are you prone to buying a certain color?
How do you alternate you shoes?

Week 7 Training~ Done

2011-03-20T21:16:00.001-04:00

Miles Planned- 28
Miles Ran-25
Cross Training- 8.5 miles cycling
Strength Training- 1hour

Monday- 30min. Cross Training
Nike Training Club- 30 Min, Flex Machine-
2min- Straight leg kicks, 2min- light jog, 1min- back pedal, 1min- recover, 1min- squats w/ rib dumbbells, 1min- flutter kicks, 2min- crazy ivans w/ 8ib med ball, 2min- plank row w/ rib dumbbell, 1min- toe touches w/ 8ib med ball, 1min ski jumps w/ 8ib med ball, 30sec- split jumps, 2min- light jog, 2min- single leg deadliest dumbbell row w/ rib dumbbells, 30sec- bicycles, 2min- 2 feet lateral hops, 1min- forgers, 1min- toe touches w/ 8ib med ball, 2min- standing hamstring stretch, 1min lower back stretch, 2min- pretzel stretch

Tuesday- 5M Tempo
Goal- 1M E, 3M Pace, 1M E / avg. HR 90% 169
Did- 9:17, 8:02, 7:39, 7:42, 8:37 / Avg. HR 88% 166 bpm

We were soaked, but we were happy!

This run was super awesome!!! I went out with my little E. He rode his bike and I ran. It was 40* and RAINING!! I wore capris, a tank, and my brooks lite running jacket. I was a perfect temp, although E got a little cold =( but he had fun nonetheless. He is super excited to go out with me again! I see us doing this a lot in the future! My middle 3.1 was 24:16 and my last 5k PR time was 24:20! Gotta love breaking a PR in a training run!!! My strength training is really paying off! Im very happy with my progress since January!

Wednesday- 30min Cross Training
Nike Training Club- 15min. Butt Buster, 15min. Shoulder Ripper

Thursday- 5M Intervals

Goal- 1M E, 1M 10k, 1M aerobic, 1M 10k, 1M E / avg. HR- 88- 90% 168- 187 bpm

Did- 8:39, 7:30, 8:30, 7:55, 9:01 avg.HR- 88% 166bpm
This run was hard. Everything felt off, my legs were heavy, my breathing erratic, I wanted to quit every .10. It was just one of those days and the saddest part about it was it was absolutely gorgeous outside, well besides the gusting winds from mile 2.5 - 4. But its over with and I survived.

Friday- REST

Saturday- 14.55 M Long Run 2h 10 min. @ 8:55 pace avg. (LONGEST RUN TO DATE)
Goal- 4 E, 10M Aerobic Avg. HR- 80% 155 bpm
Did- (9:51, 9:34, 9:16, 9:17) 8:47, 8:35, 8:45, 8:46, 8:38, 8:39, 8:37, 8:44, 8:39, 8:34 (.55) 9:29 / avg. hr - 85% 160bpm

When I started my run it was 27* and when I ended my run it was 35*. This is my longest run to date. Previous long run was 12 miles so this was a 2 mile jump which is also the farthest Ive ever jumped. Ive always done it a mile at a time.

This was a great run I felt good throughout, at about mile 13 I was feeling it though (13.1 time - 1h 58min.). I over shot my distance by about 3/4 of a mile. Some of the roads I took are not easily mapped and I took a wrong turn at mile 13.

The best part of this run was when my husband and kids went out to drop water for me. They came and drove a couple circles around the neighborhood and cheered me on as I climbed a pretty long, but gradual hill around mile 10. It was just what I needed, as it renewed my spirit and allowed me to dump off my headband and vest.

I mapped this run out so that I didn't have a lot of HILLatious challenges and so that I didn't spend more then a mile or two on one road. It work out great as far as the mental aspect of the run. First time wearing my new recofit calve sleeves and I love them. Thanks to Kevin for recommending them. I feel good, a little sore and very tired, but good over all!

Sunday- 4M Recovery Run ended up being a 8.5 Recovery Ride on my new bike!!!

My new Chariot Jogger/Bike Trailer
I ended up finding one on craigs list for
350.00 which is half the price of them
Brand new. This one is even a double
so if we end up w/ an extra kiddo we can
take'em along!

My New Schwinn YaY! It rides dreamy! Im embarrassed to
say I haven't owned a bike in over 5 years! =0(

We rode along with my husband during his long run
for the weekend! It was a lot of fun although it was pretty cold outside!

SO, with that wrap up we are officially TWO WEEKS away from my FIRST half and starting our taper. I am SUPERY DUPERY STOKED! Training has been awesome and no matter what the "TIME" of my race is it will all be worth it and fun in the end. There WILL be NO regrets! Ive worked very hard over the past few weeks and have come a far ways in my training! I will forever look back at this time in my running and be thankful for everything Ive learned along the way. Im so thankful for my friend Duane for recommending my running coach to me! Its been an interesting experience to say the least. I am beside myself with excitement! Its going to be a fun journey as I get to meet up w/ some Daily Mile and fellow blogging peeps and I get to race w/ some good friends. It will be a first of many!

Next week-
Monday- Cross Train
Tuesday- 5.5M Interval
Wednesday- Cross Train
Thursday- 6Mile Tempo
Friday- REST
Saturday- 5k
Sunday- 10 mile pace specific

Balance

2011-03-15T13:09:00.002-04:00

Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990) 
You have brains in your head. 
You have feet in your shoes. 
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go. 
You won’t lag behind,
because you’ll have the speed. 
You’ll pass the whole gang
and you’ll soon take the lead. 
Wherever you fly,
you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
I’m sorry to say so
But, sadly it's true
That bang-ups and hang-ups 
Can happen to you. 
On and on you will hike,
And I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems whatever they are. 
You’ll get mixed up of course,
as you already know. 
You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.
 So be sure when you step. 
Step with care and great tact 
And remember that Life’s a great balancing act. 
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. 
And never mix up your right foot with your left. 
Will you succeed?
Yes you will indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)
~ Dr. Seuss

So like everything, all good things must come to an end! It has been so nice over the past few months of having my husband all to myself. See last year Tim had a different job, well it was with the same school district, but he was at a different location. With his new job his hours changed and the distance to and from work was cut in half. So needless to say its been very nice having him home by 3:15 which allows both of us to run BEFORE dinner! AWESOME!

Well, as of this week that will be coming to a halt. Timmy coaches 9th grade girls and boys soccer and the girls season kicks off this week. Now I am being a cry baby because he will still be home by 5:15 like most normal people. BUT IM SPOILED HERE PEOPLE! lol So along with practice 5 days a week, he will also have games. So this will make getting our runs in, very interesting.

I have ALWAYS said "I WILL NEVER wake up early to go run. I will quit running before that happens" tee hee So guess who will be getting up at 5:45 soon so that she can get her runs in?!?! Yes, you guessed it THIS GIRL! Can I tell you how much I LOVE running that I am going to A- go to bed early and B-get my lazy butt out of bed before 7AM. Uh, but with the half being only 3 weeks away we need to do something and Im only going to have to do it one day a week since I take Jack to Daycare on Fridays. YAY!

Im just overwhelmed at the moment because between having a kid in sports, both Timmy and I very active, and a little guy its just overwhelming to think about how it is all going to fit in. Its all about balance so that everyones needs can be fulfilled. It takes creativity and so today, I will be running with Ethan (my 7 year old). I am going to take him and his bike and he is going to ride my run with me. I cant tell you enough how excited I am about the weather changing as Im sure everyone else is also!

I bought the magic bullet this past week and all I can do is rave about it. It is so awesome! I have been incorporating a protein shake into my diet everyday for lunch. Im not a huge eater and I have been struggling with eating during the day. So I figured having a shake will ensure I am consuming enough calories plus its packed full of yummy nutrients! I have been so annoyed with how to mix the shake, my blender is a P.O.S and so I need a new one anyways,. This baby is SWEET!!! I can blend and more. Woo Hoo! lol I picked it up at Wal-Mart for 40.00 which is cheap when you think about everything that came with it. I got a chopper, blender, and well this baby does lots of cool stuff!

Naomi, Me, and Lainie

Speaking of balance, this last Saturday night I got a night out w/ my girls! My friend Naomi moved to Denver, CO. and I have been missing her something fierce. Well, she is in town and we all went out for a night of fun! I haven't been out in soooo long so this was long over do! Cant wait, this week we are going to all meet up at Jumpin' Jax for a little inflatable fun with the kiddos! I think having one of your best friends move away can be really hard. She and I use to have play dates all the time and I MISS IT SO MUCH! She is just one of those friends that I can call and no matter if I am right or wrong she is supportive and encouraging. I just love and miss her terribly!!

Micole, Naomi, and I when she came into

town in October!

So with all that, I find myself remaining optimistic and creative! Because if you take life too seriously you will most certainly end up sad and depressed. Life is too short and you have to make the best out of every situation. If you don't like something, then change it!

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? (1973)

And suppose that you lived 

In that forest in France 

Where the average young person 

Just hasn't a chance 

To escape from the perilous 

Pants eating plants!

You oughta be thankful 

A whole heaping lot 

For the people and places 

You're lucky you're not.

~Dr. Seuss

Week 6 Training~ DONE

2011-03-13T22:24:00.000-04:00

Cut Back Week:

Total Miles planned- 20
Total Ran- 19
Cross Training- 7.5 cycling
Strength Training- 1hour 30 min

So the beginning of this week was a little on the rocky side. On my 12 miler last week I strained my left calf (soleus). So the beginning of the week I was feeling pretty nervous, Ive never had an issue like this and as a runner you start running all the different reasons WHY you could possibly be hurt. Did I run too fast, was it the hills, my Kinvaras have 280 miles on them and there known for only going 250-350, and on and on.

Monday- Cross Training
Nike Training Club- 30 Min Abs and Butt
Cycling- 5. 5 miles
Stretching- 30 min (concentration on soleus)

Tuesday- 4M Tempo
Goal- 1E, 2 Steady, 1E Avg. HR 163 87%
Did- 8:46, 8:21, 8:18, 9:07 HR/ avg 164 - 87%
My calf started bugging me in mile 3. It wasn't sharp pain but I could feel it getting really stiff and seizing up.

Wednesday- Cross Training
Nike Training Club- 30 Min Abs & Back
Cycling- 2 miles

Thursday- REST

Friday- 5M Easy @ 10:10
I did two miles by myself and then I ran the other 3 with my sister Pitter Pat. I had been dreading this run all week. I was so scared to have to pull the plug on my long run. I felt good through out the run, I only had some stiffness in my calf later. I had talked to Nick earlier in the week and he had suggested that I do my long run on the elliptical if my calve was bothering me, but if the leg was fine it would be wise to keep to the treadmill so ensure safe footing, no hills, slow and steady pace. So needless to say I was pretty happy when I got through my run w/ no pain. Id rather run on the treadmill then on the elliptical anyway!

Saturday- TM 8M Aerobic @ 9:02
Felt great after this run! Made sure I stretched and iced this week.

Sunday- 2.25E @ 10:10
I elected to only run 2 with my sister instead of the scheduled 4. I had a friend come into town to celebrate another friends birthday and we all went out so needless to say I had a few too many ips's and with the time change I think my head finally hit the pillow at about 3:30-4am and my little stinker was wide awake about 4 hours later!!!

So needless to say before and after every run Im a stretching and icing crazy lady. So far my calf is doing great, but Im not holding my breath till I get through my week. This week is going to be my toughest week so far. As long as everything goes ok Im super excited about my pace w/o's.

Next weeks Plate- 28 Mile Peak
M- Cross train
T- 5M Pace
W- Cross Train
TH- 1 Rest day
F- 5M Pace w/o
S-14M long run (EEEKKK!!!)
S- recovery run

Injury, Bike, Baby Video

2011-03-09T14:40:00.000-05:00

Well unfortunately I get to report that injury has reared its ugly head. My last Long run of 12 miles provided me with some substantial hillage and has left me with a strained calf/soleus. Its not too bad, which has left me feeling very grateful. I was in quite a bit of pain all day Saturday, and Sunday I could feel it but it didn't hurt too bad. Then during yesterdays 4 mile tempo run I could feel it seizing up in mile 3 and it left me a little sore last night. Although after proper care, I feel great again today!!!

Nick and I have been e-mailing back and forth about it and we have decided that taking it easy this week is the best option. So Im going on Friday (my next scheduled run) and I am going to run 2 miles by myself and then Im going to run 2 miles with my sister and see how it feels. If its better I am going to run my scheduled 8 miler on Saturday, but Im going to do it on the treadmill. This will ensure NO HILLS and I can set a pace of 9:30ish and not be tempted to over do it. If it is the same or worse I am going to substitute my long run with a comparable elliptical work out so that there is no impact, but I still get the endurance part of the training.

Im a little sad as I have been so excited to stay injury free so far, but I guess when training sometimes these things just happen and you have to make the best out of it. Im just lucky *fingers crossed* that it isn't too bad. I have been VERY diligent about resting, icing, elevating, compressing, stretching, messaging, and mortining it. Hopefully Im doing everything right and it will heal just fine before next week.

Ladies Schwinn 700C Trail Way Hybrid

So my hubby went yesterday and ordered his new bike. I am so excited for him and for our family. I am so excited for him, because I know how much he LOVES to ride for pleasure and because I get to watch him conquer some duathlons and possibly a triathlon this summer. Im super stoked because this means lots of family bike rides this summer. Tim and I are avid outdoors people and walk about 3 miles or more every night after dinner during the spring/summer/fall months. So to be able to incorporate some riding will be a lot of fun. My 7 year old loves to ride and has been bugging us about getting bikes, so this will be a great activity that we can all enjoy. We are going to also invest in one of those Chariot Cougar bike trailers/joggers so that we can take our little Jack along.

Having baby #2 was awesome, but when they are so little its hard to get outside or do anything active. The past two summers have been hard for me as I love to garden and so on, but haven't really been able to with having a little one. So this summer Jack will be 2 and Im fully expecting this summer to rock. He loves being outside and I think he is just going to have a blast in his little trailer. So my Tim got a super nice road bike and I am so happy for him, but when I was thinking about a bike for myself it just didn't seem realistic to spend that much money on mine. Ill mostly be using it with the kids and so I found a great bike at Target for around 200ish (pic above). Tim looked at the specs of the bike and said it looked like a good one and that it would last a long time. I didn't want an expensive bike, but I most certainly didn't want a POS! So Im super excited Tims bike should be in, in a week or so and then we will go and pick up my little beauty! Yay! Im so stoked

Below is my little Jack babbling on about running. It is so cute! Everyday when Tim gets home from work, the first thing out of Jacks mouth is "Daddy go RUN" or "Mommy go run"! Its funny because it just goes to show how much we run and how much in a ritual we are. I come in and Tim goes out.

Week 5 Training - Done

2011-03-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

Total Running Mile- 28.75
Cross Training- 4 miles/Bike
Strength Training- 1 hour 15 min

Monday- Cross Train
45 min Nike training App - 15 min. Back Defender, 15 min. Ab Burner, 15 min. Butt Buster

Tuesday- 5 Mile Tempo @ 8:45
9:38, 8:20, 8:18, 8:05, 9:25

Wednesday- Cross train
4 Miles on the seated Bike
Nike Training App- 30 min Curve Carver

Thursday- Rest

Friday- 7 Mile Pace @8:30
1m E, 1m Aerobic, 4 m steady, 1 E
Goal was to keep my average heart rate between 155-163 / 83%- 87% of max
9:02, 8:34, 8:20, 8:25, 8:22, 8:10, 8:43 / avg. hr- 162 86% of max

Saturday- 12.25 Mile Aerobic @ 8:37

Conditions- 33* (feels like 22*) Rain, Sleet, Snow, Wind. The temps were dropping as time went on.
Goals- 12 Miles at an aerobic pace, Stay within 80% of Max HR, around avg 150bpm

Splits- 9:16, 8:45, 8:43, 8:35, 8:45, 8:32, 8:29, 8:31, 8:44, 8:23, 8:28, 8:18, (.25) 8:57
Avg. HR- 86% avg. bpm- 162

The first 6 ish miles were awesome. The rain didn't bother me and everything felt great. After I turned the corner onto Nichols Rd the rain turned to sleet and I was getting BLASTED by the wind. Mile 6-9 were a little environmentally challenging. I just kept my spirits in check and trugged on. By the time I hit mile 9, the thought crossed my mind that I only had three left and my spirit was renewed. Although mile 12 sucked because I was about ankle deep running through puddles. I was over dodging them, I was already soaked from head to toe. All I cared about at that point was getting home, and getting out of my wet clothes.

Saturday long runs are always post run challenging. My sons basket ball games are at 11:30 and can never seem to get out early enough to give myself enough time post run to mentally and physically come down from my run. This week it caused my left calve to knot up really bad. It was pretty painful!

I ran naked on this run, as in I only had distance showing. So the fact that I went over my goal as far as HR goes was frustrating BUT understandable, post run looking at the elevation of the run and the weather conditions Im going to stick this run in the win category.

Green = Elevation / Blue = Pace

Post run- I finally did a good foam rolling and R.I.C.Eing which helped work out MOST of the knots that had built up in my left calve. Had it of been perfect weather wise I would have been ecstatic with how well my run went, but with finally seeing how well my splits turned out considering the HILLasious route I ran and the weather I endured I am ON TOP of the world. Even though this run should be on the sucktastic list, Im going to slide it to the awesome list!! These are the runs that make you stronger and help you to appreciate the little things.

I was at Playmakers Saturday night hoping that they would have the new Kinvara 2 (which they didn't have) and was looking through the clearance rack and found the Brooks lsd light jacket marked down to 40.00 from 75.00. Ive been looking for something the would be light weight/ vented/ rain repellant/ wind breaking. This jacket is everything Ive been looking for and very nice addition for this run. The material is very very light almost like a parachute material. It kept me dry for most of my run. I wore this, my light weight smart wool base layer shirt, arm sleeves, lined tights, gloves, billed hat, head band, smart wool socks, and my Kinvaras. I was perfect temp wise although I could have done without the arm sleeves. Im really excited about how well this jacket kept me warm, and blocked the wind without being bulky or restrictive. Plus the color matches my current Kinvaras and Mirage, my Brooks vest and headband! AWESOME! Yes I like to be all matchy matchy!!

Fit: Semi-fitted

Water- and wind-resistant shell
Weighs just 4.3 ounces
Brooks' new retroreflective "See Me" logo on back
Hood adds shelter, back vent adds breathability
Full front zipper with storm guard and zipper garage

Sunday- 4.45 Mile Recovery @9:16
This recovery run was just what the doctor ordered after a speedy week. The sun was shining and I enjoyed every minute of it! As of right now my calves are happier, not completely heeled but I can walk without feeling like crying.

Next week- Is a cut back week and consists of

2- Cross Train days

2- 4 mile runs @ Easy pace

1- 4 mile pace

8 Mile aerobic Long Run

1 Rest Day

Weekly thoughts-
We are 4 weeks away from the Martian Half and I seem to grow with more and more excitement every week. I cant even begin to think how I will be race week. This is by far the most serious Ive ever been about a race. I am enjoying training so much and can say that this is only going to add to my first Half Marathon experience. Week 5 = SMILES with a little bit of OUCH! Ill take it!

1st Runnerversary- A runner in the making

2011-03-02T08:20:00.006-05:00

So today marks my 1 year anniversary of running. On March 2nd I set out to run 1.5 miles. This would be the day that would literally change my life.

Little Back Story- Pre- 2010 I had never played sports and had always been mildly over weight. I have never had the will power or focus to stick with anything, this was one of the factors that contributed to my divorce. It drove my ex husband crazy to say the least, and I dont blame him. It drove me nuts but I had no clue how to change it. This amongst several other factors on both sides of the relationship lead to a divorce. I was lost for a while as I had no clue who I was. I met my ex at 19 and had never really been on my own.

So after taking a yearish I slowly put my head back on my shoulders with the help of my amazing husband Tim. My husband has been huge contributor to my success. Apart from my own personal struggles I have never felt the love, acceptance, encouragement, and support from anyone as I have felt from this man. It is truly amazing what you can accomplish when you have someone who undoubtably makes sacrifices for you, supports you, and loves you for WHO you ARE, not for who they think you could be. Being loved for me is what gave me the strength to become better.

In February of 2010 my son was diagnosed with ADHD. We did a lot of research before having him put on meds. While doing research about my son it hit me like a tun a bricks. THIS IS SO ME! I was hesatant at first as I have little faith in perscription meds and their effect on mood or depression. Ive been on anti-depressants and they have never worked. So after my son started on the meds and I saw how HUGE the change was I decided to give it a try. Being put on ADHD meds has given me a whole new perspective. Im able to focus, commit, decide, stick with a goal. It has reduced my anxiety and has given me new perspective.

Between having an amazing husband, baby #2, buying a house, and turning 30 I was starting to feel stronger personally and had new self confidence Ive never had. I decided I was ready to "feel""look" better. Ive always been "over weight" and I decided this is it. Its got to stop, I have to get healthy. In May 2009 I decided IM LOSING WEIGHT and I did. I for the first time in my life lost more then 10 pounds. I lost 61!!! I went from a size 14/15 to a 4.

In March 2010 I started running. Id seen a couple friends DailyMile posts on facebook and decided hey I should try that. Ive always thought chicks looked HOT running. lol So I set out to run the 1.5 mile loop around my neighbor hood. I then signed up for a 5k that was at the end of March. I ran most of it and finished in 31 minutes. I was hooked from there on out.

The first 6 months of running was spent as I hear is normal, running like a crazy person. Running every run like I was running from Aliens or something. I thought I had to run as fast as possible and inevitably I ended up with a pist off ITB and Piriformus. I had no clue what the pain was and thought it was par for the course. I kept running and running and running. Till my knee told me YOUR DONE. I went to an injury clinic and was told how to get the fluid that was built up under my knee cap gone and given stretches to help with the issue.

This was at the same time I met Morgan. She took the time to explain how to train, she explained to me about how its ok to run slow, its ok to actually enjoy yourself on a run. I started taking her advise along with reading about anything I could get my hands on. This is when I started to feel like a runner. From September through January I finally got past the 5 mile hump that I was struggling with, I ran a 10k, and killed my goal of running a sub 25 5k.

Since January I have been taking the opportunity of reading blogs, getting a gym membership, and hiring a running coach. I take my running very seriously and this is why-

What running means to ME:

It seems to silly to me sometimes how I view running. To me running is a profound experience, a religious experience, and better then any therapist. Im finally starting to feel a sense of confidence not only in my ability to run, but in life. With having ADHD running has helped me to over come mental obsticles that I have never in the past been able to conqure. It has created a bond between my husband and I that I cant even explain. It has forced me to to learn how to eat to fuel my body. It gives me the ability to be a good influence on others and most importantly my children. I have a better outlook on life and it has helped me to accept and lay to rest the demons of my past.

As I come to the end of my first year of running I can look back and smile and be proud of the spiritual and physical journey this past year has provided for me. I now look back with fond memories of trials and accomplishments, and cherish the new friendships I have forged.

But more importantly I look to the future with a giddyness and excitement over what the future has in store for me, my family, and my running community. With my first half marathon soon on the horizon, and my first full marathon coming in 8 months. I am full excitement, new fears, and am constantly find myself daydreaming about what this year has in store. Let alone will I be forging my way through new challenges. I get to embark on new journeys with my running community. The possibilities are endless. Morgan with her upcoming task of getting a BQ in Cleveland, Timmy entering into Duathlons and triathlons, making a journey with Jen B to our first half marathons and her conquering raising 700 for cancer and running her first 25k. Then there is Lainie who I will forge into a 200 mile ultra relay with, and then I get to watch her trudge through obstacles of a warrior dash. Then there is my sister Patty. This is somewhat the one thing I am most excited about. I get to watch her blossom into a runner and see her over come the obsticles and triumphs of being a new runner. This gives me an opportunity to give back, by helping, mentoring, and offering support to someone else as it was such a god sent to me.

Running has brought about so many new things for me. It has created new beginnings and forged great bonds. I find it so amazing that something as simple as running can be such a huge force and can affect our lives with such magnitude.

Sometime I think about all the money/time/sacrafise we put into running; race fees, clothes, trainers/training and I think wow what is the pay off? No, no one pays me a monetary prize for my running accomplishments. You know what... I get far more of a prize from running. A prize that cant be summed up with a monetary value. You cant put a price on how good it feels to raise money for charity, or how good it feels to know you are living a healthy lifestyle. My prize is much more.... New friendship's are my prize, accomplishing person goals is my prize. Mental health is my prize. Setting a good example is my prize. These are all things that are important to me.

So what all that being said I look to the future where the sky is the limit and the possibilities are endless. With the past proving that there is much to accomplish with a determined heart. I have already come so far personally and I still have a ways to go. So looking forward I am excited to slowly work on becoming a better person and a better runner! I have a lot of work still left to do and a lifetime to accomplish it!

Life is about the journey not the destination. I seek out finish lines, but each finish line is the starting line. Every day is an opportunity to make good choices and to make mistakes. The goal is to learn from both.

Longest Run- 12 miles
Most miles in a month- 100
Most miles in a week- 30
Year to date- 641
Pounds Lost- 15
Current PR- 5k 24:27

Current Goal- Half Marathon
Future Goals- Cork~N~Run Ultra Relay and Chicago Marathon

Chicago Trip / Feb Recap

2011-02-28T22:31:00.000-05:00

Our Trip to Chicago was a lot of fun. Mostly it was relaxing. Friday morning I set out to the gym to get my heart rate run in, I came home, I showered, and we were on the road by 9:30. We dropped Jack off and headed to the outlet mall that is located pretty close to my sister. I am so happy we stopped because Nike was having a great sale. I got 2 new running tops, capris, and a cute little tennis jacket. From Nike we hit Old Navy where I scored a cute little sweater and tank.

My new top! I love it!

I spent the entire car ride down on my iPad catching up on some fellow bloggers and reading some various other running articles. I stumbled upon a book that I am dying to read. It is called Marathon:The Ultimate Training Guide and is written by Hal Higdon. The part that I read The Mystique of the Marathon just captured me and I cant wait to read the rest.

When we got to Chicago we spent Friday night relaxing and hanging out with Justin and Jason. We watched the movieThe Last Air Bender and it was a really good movie. I have inadvertently watched the cartoon series with Ethan and so I knew a lot of the story line. Its actually a great story!

Saturday morning as you all know Tim and I headed out for our 8 mile run down Lake Shore which was absolutely awesome. I couldn't help but keep my mind from daydreaming about the Marathon. I kept looking at the tall buildings and I just was so inspired. I really cant wait! After our run we jumped on the L and headed out for some shopping. The coolest thing ever happened on the L. There was a guy sitting there with a huge pad of paper. Tim told me "hey he is drawing you" I was like whatever. Um, yeah he was. I was half tempted to ask he if I could buy it from him, but chickened out. So Timmy snuck a few picks of the drawing.

From there we hit the Puma store which is always a must when in Chi town and we also hit

Norfstroms Rack. Which I can tell you was way over whelming. Plus me being the simple girl that I am HAD to hit the two story Old Navy! YAY! I know me = simple and inexpensive. But I did end up snagging a super cool Puma hat.

Super cool Chandelier.

My awesome Hat! That Ive worn everyday!

After Shopping we headed home to meet up with some other friends, and headed out to Dinner at Mia Francesca. Which was an awesome Italian restaurant. It was restaurant week in Chicago and the participating restaurants were putting out special menus. It was super yummy!

Lava cake w/ mint chocolate chip ice cream w/ a raspberry sauce.

Me and my hotty totty hubby

During Dinner I had to take off my boots. My feet had swollen up like a balloon. It was painfully obvious that I had not been drinking enough water and as Morgan and I talked tonight it was probably a combination of not enough water and the "warmer" temps. This is an issue that I need to resolve. When I am training I can not NOT drink water. This summer it will be very important.

My smart wool socks were cutting off my circulation

So Less of this

and More of this

February Recap-

This month I put in the most miles in one month that I ever have. I rounded the month off with a solid 100 miles. WOW! So excited! Training is going great! Only 5 weeks left till my first half. Its going to be awesome.

Curent struggle- Water intake when Im out and about

Current triumph- Body changes. Ive been hitting the gym like a champ and today I took my measurements and it shows that my hard work is paying off. Plus my heart rate vs pace has improved a lot. Which means faster pace with less effort.

8 week improvements-
Shoulders- 37.5 = 39.5/ +2
Chest- 34.75 = 32.5/ -2.25 =( I hope that came off the back, lol
Bicept- 11 = 10/ -1
forearm- 9 = 9.25/ +.25
waist- 28.5 = 28/ -.50
hips- 33.5 = 32/ -1.5
butt- 36.5 = 36/ -.50
thigh- 21.5 = 20.25/ -1.5
calves- 14.25 = 14.74/ +.50

Things Im thankful for- My coach, supportive friends and husband, quality runs, No sign of ITB or Piriformus pain!!!!!

Week 4 Training - Done

2011-02-27T21:38:00.000-05:00

This weeks schedule was about recovery and heart rate max.

4 mile- Easy@ 8:57 avg
4 mile- Easy@ 10:57 avg-
This was the super fun 4 mile run that we ran for Playmakers 30th anniversary. It was super fun to participate and get to try out a new pair of shoes. I enjoyed running this with my sister also.

5.25 mile- Heart Rate check-
TM - Max HR (recheck) 5.25 mi 00:45 08:32 pace

Nick wanted to check my max heart again. As far as heart rate vs speed/pace goes I have improved a lot over the past 5 weeks! This makes me super happy!

1 mile @ easy 6.6 .5% 9:14:00 avg- 151
1 mile @ steady 7.0 .5% 8:42:00 avg- 163
1 mile @ tempo 7.2 .5% 8:20:00 avg- 175
1 mile @ fast 7.6 0% 7:31:00 avg- 182
.25 @ (all out) 9.0 - 9.3 -0% 1:44:00 MAX- 187
1 mile easy 6.3 - 0% 9:28:00 avg- 175

Long Run- aerobic 8 miler
Chicago 8 Miler w/ Timmy 8.01 mi 01:09 08:39 pace
This 8 mile tempo- 9:16 w/u, 8:30, 8:29, 8:26, 8:47, 8:44, 8:16, 8:46 c/d
Average h/r 163 right where it was suppose to be!

Run was awesome w/ a little bit of suckiness. It was awesome because it was 30* w/ no wind. But it had snowed just enough that the trail was covered with some areas being clear like the first 4 miles, then mile 5 and 6 were either snow covered and the kind of snow that sicks to your shoes or a wet slushy mess. My feet were soaked by the time we got to clear trail again and I just felt a burst of energy in mile 7. Was a great run with my hubs we laughed and chatted about all the people who were out all the while trying to not get hit by RUDE cyclists. The feeling of running down lakeshore is awesome. There are SOOOO MANY people out getting their run on! I could live here! Chicago is by far my favorite big city out of the places I have visited!

Cross Train x1-
Was suppose to cross train twice this week but Im opting for an extra rest day. I was super naughty this w/end and hardly drank any water and I ate a tun of junk food. So since this is a rest week. Im opting out of Cross Train #2.

As we come to the end of training week 4 and with only 5 weeks left I am feeling pretty good about how my training is going. Ive been toying with the thought of goal race pace and have come to the conclusion of "whatever happens, happens"! After seeing the results of my Heart Rate Test and comparing them with last the one 5 weeks ago. My training is speaking for itself. So I will continue to follow Nicks instructions and enjoy my training and just let myself be pleasantly surprised with whatever happens come race day. It will be awesome either way! Im going to run as fast as my training takes me, and feel out how the morning goes! Goal for the next 5 weeks is to remain strong and stay injury free! So far so good!

New goal- Keep it simple!