1/2 Marathon Training - 4.5 miles (and I didn't think I was going to die)

It was FINALLY cool enough to run outside today without really feeling like I was going to die of heat stroke.  I had some extra time today to go home, throw on my running clothes, and take off for a jog.  I figured I had about an hour to run, so I planned a route that would allow me to either run 4 miles or about 3 miles depending on how I felt at about mile 1.5.  Today was kind of a big deal because I really didn't struggle with my first 2 miles like I have been over the past few weeks, so that was fan-freaking-tastic!  I got to the 4-mile mark near our subdivision and decided to keep going to 4.25...and when I got there, I decided to move on to 4.5.  At 4.5 I thought, "heh, I bet I could do 5..." and then I realized it was 2:10 pm and I still needed to get back home to stretch, shower, change, and get my arse back to work for my 3pm appointment.  I love the fact that my daily milestones are exciting, but what I love even more is the fact that at the end of most of those longer runs I find myself thinking I could have gone longer...

4.5 miles in 55:55
Avg pace: 12:21
HR high: 173
HR avg: 163

Oh, and my new favorite piece of clothing for running is this little skirt with shorts underneath...aside from the wind hiking it up every now and then, it's freaking amazing....

1/2 Marathon Training - 2 and something miles (at 7850 ft)

We went camping this weekend up near Sun Valley with some of Josh's high school buddies.  I knew I needed to run on Saturday and convinced myself that a quick 30 minute jog would do the trick, despite my lack of ambition and extreme want to start drinking beer at noon.  The boys pointed me in the best direction to run, and I went without much hesitation to the safest route they suggested.  I took the dog for some company and got about 1/4 mile up the road when I realized it was a pretty steady incline.  It took my 13 minutes to run a mile uphill.  I turned around and enjoyed the run back down in significantly less time.  On our drive home Josh pointed out the elevation where we were camping - 7850 ft. No wonder my lungs were working so hard!

1/2 Marathon Training - 4 miles

I'm a little surprised at myself for pushing as hard as I have been lately.  I really wanted to run outside yesterday, but the temps were up to 104 degrees and there was a huge storm expected right around the time I planned to run, so that just didn't happen.  Off to the gym I went after work.  I checked into Anytime Fitness on Foursquare (I've got to keep my mayorship, you know...) and told the world I was going to try for 4 miles...and I did it!  Now Mike, don't go discounting my run on the treadmill by saying it doesn't count.  It does, damn it.  I've been running on an incline, so I say it counts just as much.  So there.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this yet, but our house is void of anything edible right now, and it has been almost all summer due mostly to laziness.  I had to wait for Josh to get home from the grocery store before I could eat anything substantial and then realized I actually had to wait even longer for the steak and potatoes to cook.  We didn't eat until after 9:00 last night, which is not so good after running that much and not eating anything since about 3:00 that afternoon.  I was exhausted and nauseous by the time 8:30 hit and could hardly function.  Note to self: eat.

71 days and counting to the Monumental.  I think I'm gonna make it.

4 miles - 49:50
HR high - 176
HR avg - 169
Calories burned - about 700

1/2 marathon training - 3.75 miles (and effing ELATED!)

I think this is what a runner's high feels like!  I registered for the Monumental 1/2 Marathon last night (missed the stupid $5 discount by something like 30 minutes...argh!) and was semi-motivated to get up this morning and run....and then sleeping just felt so good.  I was able to take a long lunch though, so I hit the gym.  I started out with a quick 2.4 mile bike ride to warm up (on the super-cool interactive bike) and then went to the treadmill.  I decided since I've been running about 37-38 minutes at a time I'd push myself a little further and try out 45 minutes just to see if I could do it.  My friend, Amanda, suggested I change the incline on the treadmill to better simulate running outside, so I started at a 1.0 incline and 5.0 pace (12 minute mile) and eventually changed the incline to .50 and a 4.8 pace (12:30 minute mile), but I don't remember at which mile that happened.  I remember getting to the 25 minute mark and wondering if I could pull it off.  When I got to 44 minutes I picked up the pace from 4.8 to 6.0 for a minute.  I hit 3.75 miles in 45:40.  Admittedly, I'm not the fastest runner, but I felt damn good about hitting that.  I'm guessing I could actually manage 4 miles if I don't put a time frame on the treadmill, but we'll see about that.  For now, I'm super proud of myself! 

HR high 181 (really stayed less than 175 until I pushed myself to the 6.0 pace)
HR avg 169 (true avg - only counted time on the treadmill during the run)
Calories burned: somewhere around 683, but I'm not entirely sure.

1/2 Marathon Training - 2 miles

Quick update!  I decided it was time for a new pair of running shoes so I took an hour out of my morning to go find the perfect pair for my old-lady feet.  Turns out I was already wearing the perfect pair so I bought the same style, same size Saucony Progrid Guide kicks and a few pair of socks with hopes they will make it back to my own sock drawer and not Brooke's.  We'll see how that works out.  I also picked up a copy of Chi Running, as I've heard good things about it helping with pain-free running.  We'll see how that works too! 

I took a quick 2-mile run around the block after I got home and am about ready to go hop in the shower so I can take the pooch down to Tour de Fat downtown with my friend, Amanda.  Should prove to be a great day! 

1/2 Marathon Training - 3 miles

I can't seem to keep track of which day of training I'm on so I'm changing the way I title each blog.  I managed another 3 miles today at the gym, hence the title of this blog.  Wow, that's boring. 

Anyway, I really wanted/needed to cross-train yesterday but work got a little crazy and I couldn't just jet out for a long lunch and head to the gym.  I was also committed to playing guitar at church immediately after work and ended up going to dinner/drinks with my mom and Josh, so there was just no way to squeeze in a bike ride or a trip to the gym, etc. 

Anyway, I managed to go to the gym today after work and got in 3 miles of jogging.  I had another 1/2 mile of warm-up/cool-down.  I've decided I really like watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune while I run :)

HR high - 182
HR avg - 153 (but this also includes my entire cool-down period which was something like 15 minutes)
Time - 37 minutes

Wondering if I can actually manage to lift weights tomorrow...hmm...

1/2 Marathon Training - Day 7 (ish)

I got a little off schedule after we finished our Main Salmon trip on 8/11/10.  We got back really late and I cut my heel pretty deeply on about day 2 of our river trip, and it was still pretty raw and hard to walk, let alone run.  So I did a 2.0 mile run around 8/12/10 and called it good.  We were rafting again Saturday and I rested (aka made pickles and drank beer with my mom) on Sunday.  Yesterday was exhausting and I couldn't bring myself to do much of anything but take the dog for a walk.  Fast forward to today where my plan was to run 3.0 miles.  Done and done.  I was quite proud of myself.  My heart rate got pretty high and I really didn't run very fast, but I did it and I did it in under the 15min/mile pace standard for the Monumental...

HR high - 183
HR avg - 155
3.1 miles in 38 minutes

Oh, and we're rafting again today after work...

Until next time....

MM

I didn't do anything today...

...other than work, and that's boring....except that I got a promotion a few weeks ago and I really don't know how to do my job very well anymore because they gave me a new caseload.  I'll figure it out soon enough, but man it's hard to learn new stuff!  Anyway, I meant to go to the gym and lift/cross-train today and it just never happened, so I had an unplanned rest day.  I worked late and didn't take a lunch break, which is really frowned upon when you work for the government, but oh well.  Anyway, tonight we went out with Josh's sister for her b-day and I ate crappy food - cheeseburger and tots - and now I feel all sorts of gross and lazy. Boo for greasy food on days when you don't work out!  You know what is awesome though?  I'm going to be on a dodge ball team starting in September!  Bad ass!

There are no pictures associated with today except for that of Seymour, our dog, who we decided looks phenomenal in a bandanna....even if it is a crappy picture.  He refuses to cooperate with the picture taking right now.

1/2 Marathon Training Day 6

I was getting a little bummed about not being able to ride my bike to work over the past few weeks due to either obligations at work or after work or with the family or church or...you get the point.  I got up this morning in plenty of time to hop on my bike and ride to work, which felt great!  It also happens to be my run day, and I had planned on a 2.5 mile run at the gym (it's still so freaking hot here for me to run outside) on my way home from work.  Everything was and continues to be fine, but I think it will be a better idea for me to leave the biking to and from work (6 miles each way) for the days when I don't have to run.  I figured after 2 miles on the treadmill I was good to call it quits, so I hopped back on my bike and rode home.  I can't quite figure out why I'm still awake right now...

And because blogs with pictures are fun, here's my rad bike:

Cross-training and much needed rest

I think I mentioned before that I was really bad about cross-training the last time I actually trained for an organized run and I ended up with a lot of knee pain.  This time, I'm determined to get in some mode of exercise on my non-run days.  Since we are avid whitewater enthusiasts, most of our weekends during the summer are spent on the river, and yesterday was no exception.  Josh wanted to run the North Fork of the Payette, a solid class IV & V section of the river, to which I am not privy.  So I made my own schedule and called up our friend, Ben, and convinced him that it would be fun to run the South Fork of the Payette (class III & IV) twice and maybe even run the Main Payette (class II & III) afterward, all while Josh ran the NF with his more experienced buddies.  My first SF run was a little bumpy.  My oars didn't seem to want to stay in place and I got sucker-punched in the neck by one when I entered into Staircase rapid (one of the more difficult rapids on that stretch).  I bounced through the rest of the rapid like a pinball and made it through upright, albeit a little stressed out and with a big ol' red mark on my neck making me look like a domestic violence victim.  My second run was a helluva lot more smooth...perhaps picture-perfect?!  When we got down to the confluence our friends, Roger and Anita, were waiting for us with a boat full of bridesmaids from an earlier bridal shower, so we set off for the Main Payette.  I think I got about 3/4 of the way through and decided I was ready to be off the river.  So I turned my boat backwards and backstroked like I was in a freaking boat race.  My body is mad at me today!  I knew that it would be a long day on the river, but didn't expect to get in as much actual exercise and cardio as I did.  Woot!  I'm so glad I chose today to be a rest day; I need it.