10 Mountains up a Hill

I was not as much of a slacker this week as I wanted to be.  I went to CrossFit on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and I ran, which is a feat in itself because the weather has been absolute crap.  I think I had plans to run on Tuesday, but it was raining and I was a pansy, so I rested instead.  Thursday was also pretty rainy but at some point in time that afternoon, the sun shone through the clouds for a brief period of time and I got out there to pound pavement for the first time in over a week.  My first mile was fast, of course, because I always start out too fast.  Mile 2 was ok and then during miles 3 and 4 the wind blew and blew and made me miserable.  I walked a bit and called it good at 4 miles.

Saturday was my first race of the season!  I woke up to a torrential downpour and had absolutely no desire to race a 5k.  But, I made arm warmers for my friend, Malia, and myself for the race and there was no way I was going to skip it, plus I needed to run.  I really wanted to get in 4+ miles, preferably on hills, but I settled for a one mile (+) warm up (10:42/mile), raced my 5k (averaged 10:07/mile), and then ran a cool-down mile (10:53/mile) back to my car for a total of 5.25 miles Saturday.  Thankfully, the ran subsided during our actual running time and it ended up being a decent day to be on the greenbelt in Boise.  Did I mention the St. Patrick's Day Basic 5 was a Team BEEF run?!  Hooray for sponsored and reimbursed runs!

Malia standing on her tip toes in attempt to be as tall as me...

The kid and I went to my parents' house that night for a St. Patrick's Day/Birthday celebration for a friend of ours.  I was a very responsible lady last night and had two beers (2!) at the beginning of the gathering and that was it.  I ate responsibly until the Boston cream pie was served and I indulged, which is just fine because I knew I had to run 10 miles today.  Upon our early departure, being completely sober, I informed everyone I had to leave early so I could go run 10 mountains up a hill in the morning.  I informed them it would be my mantra for the run the next day.

I made plans to meet up with Lisa and Mike at 11:00 AM and was ever so glad that I was so responsible last night.  I left the house in a complete snow storm wondering if I should just turn around and go to work for a bit so I could run my 10 miles tomorrow during the nicer weather but I didn't.  Mike was nice enough to run alongside me for a few minutes before the ascent up Shaw Mountain Road.  I started my ascent and, as if it were magic, the snow stopped!  My rain jacket worked out alright for the weather, but I'd like to get a better one for running at some point in time.

Instead of walking at distance markers, I walked at heart rate markers.  During most of the uphill climb ran until my HR got to 170, then walked until it got down to 160.  It seemed to work out alright and I averaged 12:40/mile up to mile 5.

Looking uphill at mile 5...

I turned around at my 5 mile marker and started the descent, which I rocked in comparison to the climb.  I was surprised when I turned into the parking lot and found Mike and his friend still standing around in the parking lot waiting for me.  We talked while I stretched and eventually we all parted ways.  I averaged 11:42/mile for my 10 miler today...I'll take it!

I went to pick up the kid from a friend's house and was greeted with red wine, dry clothes, blankets, a fire in the fire place, and dogs to keep me warm.  She even sent us off with dinner and brownies in hand, knowing I would have absolutely no desire to grocery shop or cook tonight.  Thank God for good friends who wait for you at the bottom of a grueling run and for those who wam up you up at the end of a 10 mountain day!

Crossfit, soreness, and trying to run

I was informed the other day that someone actually reads my blog and I semi-promised to post an update, so here it is...

Our department was contacted by Crossfit E3 (in Eagle) to start a program where POs do Crossfit with some probation kids.  I, being overly excited about work providing time to work out, volunteered along with a few other POs to get the ball rolling.  I've been to 5 sessions so far and I don't think I've ever felt so sore for so long.  The number of squats has highly inhibited my ability to do any sort of normal movements and sitting/standing back up from a sitting position has never been so difficult.  For real, people, this stuff is HARD and my muscles are being forced to work in ways I never thought possible.  The program is amazing though and it has been really cool to work out with the kids and not have to be the tough PO who calls them out on not getting things done.  I'm also really excited to see what this does to my running and how it will eventually  make me stronger and (hopefully) faster. 

That being said, after week one of Crossfit (3 days) my body ached.  I wanted to run but I could hardly move my legs.  Sunday morning I got up and convinced my dear husband to take me to breakfast and later that day, feeling better and able to walk up and down the stairs without wincing in pain, I went out for what I had hoped would be a 5 mile run...but two things happened:

1) The dog I took with me (we're dog sitting this week) was tuckered out after a mile and we were forced to walk 1/2 of mile 2 and
2) After finishing 2 miles and dropping the dog back off at the house, my body decided it was done with running for the day and I stopped.

I stretched a bit when I got home and thought I would be ok, but my left quad was killing me for the rest of the day and into Monday.  I stretched and took a tennis ball to my muscles.  I went to Crossfit on Monday and thought I would die if they asked me to do another air squat (thankfully, they didn't) but my leg was still killing me on Tuesday.  Eventually, I gave in to pressure and bought myself a foam roller and rolled out that night.  And it worked.  I'm a believer now, I guess. I was even able to get up in the morning and manage 30 minutes on the elliptical at home and I honestly wasn't sure how that was going to work.  Even better, Wednesday's Crossfit session didn't kill me.  I hurt like hell on my legs, but I manged to do some half-assed squats and box jumps!  I'm planning to run this weekend, possibly as early as after work today, but that all depends on what's happening with happy hour!

On another note, Team BEEF is kicking off on March 17th and there are a ton of races listed that I'm super excited about running!  Hooray!

Catching up

I've been running, I swear.  I even had a running partner for one and did some speed work another day.  See, this is what happened after the amazing Pocatello 1/2 Marathon: I ran my typical crappy post-half run (2.14 miles at 11:28 avg pace) and then we went on a week long vacation on the Middlefork of the Salmon River where I did nothing but fish, row a boat, and sit around and drink beer.  It was awesome.  We came back from vacation a day early, so I laced up my running shoes and took myself out for a 7.7 mile run (avg pace 11:33/mile) the day after we got back.  It was a little rough and there was some walking, but I did it.

And then I didn't run for 8 days.  I will say that Josh and I did start going back to bootcamp at Warrior Fit during that week, so I wasn't completely lazy.  I was, however, rather sore.  So the running took a break while my muscles figured out how to function.  It was then that I got the bright idea to run to bootcamp.  Bootcamp starts at 6:00 AM.  We live 3 miles from Warrior Fit which means I need to leave the house by 5:25 to get there in time to cool down before I push myself to the max for another 20-25 minutes.  And that means I need to be out of bed by 5:10 so I feel just the slightest bit awake for the run.  Here are the dates I ran to bootcamp (all at 5:30 AM unless otherwise noted):

9/26 - 10:34 avg pace
10/1 - 10:40 avg pace
10/10 - 11:17 avg pace (after work)
10/12 - 10:52 avg pace

The kid was not doing particularly well with school stuff and there was a lot of lying going on, which is one that that really, really pisses me off.  On 10/3 I couldn't handle being in the house stewing about how much lying was happening that I decided to go out and do some speed work to take my mind off it.  This was what I did without any planning.

1/2 mile run @ 9:55
1/4 mile walk
1/4 mile run @ 8:26
1/4 mile walk
1/4 mile run @ 9:10
1/4 mile walk
1/4 mile run @ 9:11
1/4 mile walk

Josh went rafting the weekend of 10/8.  I wanted to run to bootcamp but that meant I would have to borrow a huge hiking fanny pack from the kid to stuff my boxing gloves and water into it.  I did that once earlier this year and swore I'd never do it again.  Instead, I loaded everything into the truck and drove to Warrior Fit.  Then, I went for a run in that area (2.29 miles at 9:57 avg pace) before heading into punch and kick some stuff.  I drove home and did pretty much nothing for the rest of the day.

On 10/9, I made plans to go for a run with a gal I know.  Tamara has been injured lately, so I figured it would be a nice easy morning even if we had 7 miles planned for the morning.  We walked quite a bit because her doctor demanded it, but even with the run/walk business we averaged 11:37 mile.  It was nice to have a partner for the morning!

On Friday I took my running gear to work and took a long lunch so I could get in 5 miles.  I averaged 10:29 for that run and it was a fairly warm day, so I was surprised at my pace.  I had plans to run 10 miles on Saturday morning but that just didn't happen because it was lefse-making day at our church and I promised my mom I would come help.  Of course, there's always a party after lefse, so Sunday was spent 1) hungover and 2) not running.  I needed to run more than 7 miles and I hadn't.  So today I did something I've never done: I did a long run on Monday morning.  Today's 8.12 mile run felt fantastic!  I was well rested, well hydrated, and took some Clif Shot Bloks with me (I had 2 at mile 6).  I finished in 1:27:11 and an average pace of 10:44/mile.

Maybe what I haven't mentioned is that I have another race planned - the Chicago Monster Dash on 10/29 with my favorite running friend, Jamie!

This is officially the longest post in history and I'm cutting myself off.  I'm promising myself that I will not let my running blog get backed up like this again because the thought of anyone actually reading through this whole thing without falling asleep makes me cringe fall asleep.

Can I get a rest day, please?

Because yesterday was i.n.t.e.n.s.e.....and kind of awesome. 

After a whirlwind morning (quick stop to the office, dog park, picking up Brooke from her sleepover, and a stop at the Spring Thaw sale at Cascade Outfitters), Josh and I decided we would head up to Bogus Basin so Brooke and I could get into a lesson and do some night skiing.  ESD: 3:45 pm.  It was about 2:30 pm. 

I knew I needed to run, so I put on my running shoes, leashed the dog, and we headed out the door at 2:40.  As always, the first little bit was rough, but I was amazed at the end result: 3.22 miles at an average pace of 10:33!  I didn't have my heart rate monitor on, so I don't know what my heart rate high and average ended up being, nor the calorie count.  I'm OK with that given my time!  I'm pretty sure that's my fastest pace yet!

When I got home, I did some quick stretching (and probably too quick), showered, and got my skiing gear together.  We were on the road at our expected time.  Brooke and I did two green runs up at Bogus before our lesson at 6:00.  Even though I signed up for the "group special," I was the only adult signed up, so I had my very own private lesson.  It was amazing how much I learned from this teeny tiny senior in high school.  I needed to break some bad skiing habits I've developed over the past 20 years or so....not that I've skiied regularly over the past 20 years, but I really did develop bad habits wearing bad boots and only taking a handful of lessons as a child.  Anyway, Keoni helped me recognize what I was doing wrong and encouraged me to correct them. Turns out skiing isn't quite so hard on your legs if you use your entire body to turn, etc.  Brooke and I both learned some parallel skiing during the lesson and took the lift up to meet Josh eat dinner.  We skiied two more runs before I had to call it quits.  My body was so worn down from my fastest-paced run ever and learning an entirely new way to learn to ski.  Brooke and I went to the lodge while Josh got a few more runs in, and then we took off for home.  I crashed pretty hard once we got home. 

Josh and I are headed up to boat this afternoon, so long as it's not raining when we get up there....

Tomorrow, I rest.

Hot Yoga

Awhile back I purchased a Living Social deal to get 20 sessions of Hot Yoga for $20.  I had never done yoga before (with the exception of the Wii, and that doesn't really count), and for some reason I decided this would be a good idea.  I went for the first time on a Sunday morning in February and loved it.  I decided to go back about a week later and went to the latest session at 7:30 PM.  I had been in an all-day training for Appropriate Use of Force at work (yes, I can probably take you down if you try to punch me) and just plain didn't eat enough food throughout the day before I went to yoga.  I didn't make it and ended up being "that girl" who walked out of class after 30 minutes.  Then I got sick.  And then I got lazy.  I finally decided to get back to it tonight - almost a month later.  Oops!  Once I decided I was going to go tonight, I ate plenty of food, drank lots of water, and thought I was prepared for doing yoga in a 95+ degree room.  I was kind of right.  I made it the full 75 minutes, but it was damn hard, and I certainly didn't make it through every pose.  I tried my hardest though, and I sat down when I felt light-headed rather than straight up walking out.  After tonight, I think I need to try a different time.  I can't give up.  After all, I have 17 sessions left...and I have to use them by mid-April...and that means I have to go about twice per week (or more) to get the best of the deal I purchased....

It's time to get running again

On a whim last week, I decided I wanted to form a team for the Sawtooth Relay next June.  I posted on facebook and by the end of the week, our team of 6 was formed.  I'm probably nuts for wanting to do this, but even more crazy for thinking about entering to run the See Jane Run 1/2 Marathon in Boise the next weekend.  I figure my training will likely be like training for a 1/2 anyway with a few more hills, so it shouldn't be too out of the question to run the 1/2 the week after the Relay...right?  Right??? 

On another note, Lent is coming soon.  As in, really soon.  As in, Wednesday soon.  I've given up indulgences in the past for Lent and on other seasons have vowed to begin a healthy or positive regimen rather than giving up the negatives.  I pride myself in being able to stick to my plan.  Some years have been more of a struggle than others.  In 2002, I gave up dessert, which was a killer since I was traveling around the country staying at houses of church members around the Pacific Northwest.  I lost 15 pounds that Lenten season.  This year, I'm taking it further than I've ever taken my Lenten sacrifice.  It's going to be hard.  Some days I'm sure I'll ask myself why in the world I decided this would be a good thing for me.  Other days, I'm sure I'll feel empowered for the decision I've made.  Enough is enough.  I'm giving up alcohol for Lent.  It's the truth.  See, I've written it here, so now I have to stick to it.  I've been cutting back on my alcohol intake anyway by limiting my drinking to only weekends and special occasions, so it's not like I'm going from a few drinks a night to absolutely nothing.  But I AM going from several drinks on Friday and/or Saturday to none.  And to make matters even more difficult, my birthday falls on Good Friday.  Good think it's not a milestone celebration, right?  It's cool, I'll celebrate my birthday on my husband's birthday, the day after Easter. 

As I go through this whole journey, I plan to post my progress with training.  I apologize in advance for the posts in which I whine about not being able to have a glass of wine after a hard day of work!

Back in the fast lane...

...kinda.  I FINALLY felt a little better last weekend and got out for a 17.5 mile bike ride....a slooooooooow bike ride, but a ride nonetheless.  It ended up being more of a bar crawl than a bike ride, but I guess that's ok too, I suppose.  Sunday morning I got up and went to my first hot yoga class with my friend, Malia.  It was absolutely crazy, and I've never sweat so much in my life!  I took Monday off from any physical activity because I knew Tuesday would be a little rough.  We had Appropriate Use of Force training at work, which basically ended up being about 5 hours of low-impact activity.  I took Brooke to swimming lessons and then decided to go attempt an evening hot yoga session.  Turns out that wasn't the best decision I've ever made.  I made it through the first 1/2 hour but struggled.  After that, every time I stood up I got light headed.  I determined I would not make it through the rest of the class and called it quits.  I felt like a complete ass walking out, but I couldn't do it.  Later, I realized I hadn't eaten nearly enough food that day for the amount of energy I had exerted.  I use Weight Watchers on-line and for the entire day had only eaten 8 points of food.  I wasn't hungry because I had eaten plenty of fruits and veggies (zero points), but I certainly hadn't consumed enough calories for the amount of physical activity I had done.  Lesson learned.

My week ended on a particularly great note: shopping!  I'm typically not a big shopper, but when I get something in my head that I want or need, I set out to accomplish that goal.  I told myself awhile back that I was not going to buy any new pants until my pants in my closet actually fit me.  Well, over the past few weeks I've been able to wear all of my work pants, which is spectacular.  That being said, I got most of them on clearance 3 years ago and they are all either out of style or just not in good condition anymore.  So I set out yesterday to get some work clothes to replace the ones in my closet.  My favorite realization of the day was that every single pair of size 10 pants I tried on actually fit!  I don't think that has ever happened!  This is not to say they were the best style or fit for me, but they went on my body.  A-maz-ing.  I also realized today that I could use another pair of jeans.  My friend, Randi, had suggested D&B Supply as a place to get cute, long jeans, so I took her suggestion and set out that direction.  Best.jeans.shopping.trip.ever!  I came home with size 9 jeans!  I haven't had size 9 jeans since I was probably in 8th grade!  Whaaaaaat?!?! So awesome!!!

1/2 Marathon Training - cross-training via lefse (?) and 7.1 miles

Wow, less than a week before the Monumental 1/2 Marathon!
After my amazingly fast run on Wednesday I couldn't bring myself to get out for a run (until Sunday)...work has been absolutely insane and I've been working far more than 40 hours/week in order to make up for being gone later this week.  Yesterday was the annual lefse-making day at church and I had to do some work at Public Safety Day for work.  I probably could have made my way out for a late-afternoon run, but after being on my feet all day, I just couldn't do it.  Plus, lefse-making is cross-training, right?  A nice core and arm workout, no?  If you don't know what lefse is, you're missing out...

That being said, I laid around in bed this morning until about 10 and then decided I better get out for my last long run.  I got my shoes on and mapped a route on google maps and opened the door...to rain.  Lots of rain.  I shut the door and turned to Josh.  "It's raining," I said.  "It's just a little water," he replied.  Crap.  I knew he was right and I knew I needed to run and I absolutely knew that I didn't want to run 7 miles on the treadmill.  Ugh.  I opened and closed and opened the door again and finally stepped outside and took off....and without music.  I really wanted to see how it would be to run 7 miles without music, and also to resist the temptation to hear at what pace I was running at every mile.  I didn't even look at my iPhone.  I will say that probably about 2-3 miles in I honestly didn't feel like continuing.  I felt like just turning around and going home and telling myself that I'd be fine next weekend because I've logged a lot of miles...buuuuut, I didn't.  I kept going. And in the end, I ended up with these stats (and I'm really stoked about the results!):

7.1 miles in 1:18:58
Avg pace - 11:07
HR high - 170
HR avg - 160

Back to that music thing - I've been toying with the idea of running the Monumental without music.  I read a few things about people not running to music during big runs like that because it takes away from the cheers and music and other things that happen.  My last two runs I've done without music and I've had a great pace for both of them.  So now I don't know I'm going to do.  Maybe start out without music and be sure to bring headphones in my hydration pack?  Hmm....

1/2 Marathon Training - Dodgeball tournament and 8 miles

Saturday morning was our end of the year dodgeball tournament.  We had a pretty decent season and ended up 3rd before the tournament, but had the crappiest 2 games I think we had played all season and lost both of our games in the double-elimination tournament.  I suppose that was OK for me since I really needed to run that afternoon... 

The tapering business is kind of scary and it makes me nervous.  I'm sure I will be fine, but it's still scary.  Saturday was a decent 8-miler.  Pretty good pace and the random rain drops were actually kind of nice!  My only complaint is that my headphones freaked out on me and I couldn't pause (to hear my pace and distance) or skip to another song unless I took my iPhone out of my pack.  I didn't really feel like doing that, so I didn't.  I will say that it was somewhat nice to just run instead of tracking my pace the entire time.  I'm looking forward to doing that after the 1/2 is over...just running to run and not necessarily worrying about how far I'm running or if I'm keeping a steady pace. 

8.05 miles in 1:36:28
Avg pace 11:59
HR high - 178
HR avg - 164
Calories burned - 1195

1/2 marathon training - 3.2 miles + dodgeball

Let me start by saying that I really didn't feel like running today, especially after the spicy mandarin chicken and fried rice I had for lunch (yum, by the way) and then the redbull I had later this afternoon.  I knew I had to though, and I begrudgingly threw on my shoes and took the dog with me out the door.  I was cramping up pretty bad in my sides within my first mile, which doesn't surprise me at all considering the crappy food I ate.  I ran through it and seriously thought I was running really slowly.  I got to my regular turn point at my 1-mile marker to go around the block and decided to just turn around and run the mile back home.  I figured 2 miles was all I had in me today and was completely fine with not accomplishing my goal for the first time since I started this journey.  Well, I got a little past mile 2 and realized I had a little more energy left in me so I ran a little further.  I got home and ended up running 3.2 - just a little over my goal for the night.  Even better, I went inside to find dinner on the table and had just enough time to eat before heading to dodgeball, where we won 7 - 3!  Hooray! 



The next best thing about my run today is my pace:

3.2 miles in 34:32
Avg pace - 10:48
HR high - 188 (I'm not sure I believe this)
HR avg - 154

Calories burned - 435



And since I mentioned how slow I thought I was running and how I was all cramped up for the first mile, here are my splits:
Mile 1.0 - avg pace 10:46
Mile 2.0 - avg pace 11:24
Mile 3.0 - avg pace 10:15
Mile 3.2 - avg pace 10:41

Ha!

1/2 Marathon Training - dodgeball, elliptical, 4 miles

I wanted to run Thursday...really, I did.  But Thursday was a hard, long day, and I laid upstairs on my bed for a few hours before finally deciding at 7:45 to get on the elliptical before heading to dodgeball for our 8:45 game.  It was a nice little warm up before our game, but I've come to realize that I really kind of suck at dodgeball.  Ha! 

Yesterday I was able to leave work around 3:40 because I had worked too much for the week, so I decided to get in a 4 mile run before taking Brooke and her cousin to Wild West Night at her school.  The run felt difficult today and I'm not sure why.  I felt like I was really pushing myself and not getting much in return.  I had a healthy breakfast (smoothie, like everyday), and a simple lunch (sandwich), and a lot of water all day. But still, it just felt hard....my lungs felt strained and my legs felt weak and in the end I felt disappointed that I didn't run as fast as Wednesday and at the end of 4 miles all I wanted was to be done.  Maybe it's because Wednesday's run was SO SO good, which is weird to me because despite my healthy breakfast, I had a fairly unhealthy lunch (mmm pork salad from Cafe Rio!).  Perhaps I need to eat Cafe Rio more often?  Oh, ok!  For real, I am in love with that place.  Anyway, onto the stats:

4 miles in 45:52
Avg - 11:25/mile
HR high - 171
HR avg - 166
Calories burned - 599

I got up this morning to make coffee and start on this blog and realized I was being ridiculous about how disappointed I was in myself about yesterday's run.  These are some things I need to remember:
1) I ran 4 miles and just a few weeks ago I was ecstatic that I had worked up to this distance.
2) I still averaged under 12 min/mile which is great!
3) My heart rate was just fine - I wasn't putting too much strain on my body at all, especially for a late afternoon run.
4) I need to relax and and not worry about how fast I'm going.  Really, my goal is to finish the 1/2 marathon and not worry about how fast I'm going to finish it.

As for today, I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to run this morning or if I'm going to wait until tomorrow.  I don't typically like to run 2 days in a row and I have been really careful not to run my long run the day after I've run at all...I'll let you know how that works out!  Oh yeah, I need to go get some more Clif shots, so I'll have to wait until at least later this afternoon....

21 days until the Indy Monumental!

1/2 marathon training - 3.32 miles and 5 miles

Wednesday:
--After work run with the dawg.  He likes to stop and smell things and it's kind of annoying, but it's my dawg and I love getting him out for some exercise!

Stats:
3.32 miles in 38:06
Avg Pace 11:29
HR High - 179
HR Avg - 166
Calories burned - 482



--Post-run dodgeball game!  We were down a player and only had 5 so we had zero subs and the only rest we got was the time we were out of the game or during the 4 minute resting/half-time period.  We were down 4-1 at the half and came back to tie 5-5 by the end of the game!



--Dinner and drinks with my sister and her fiance (yep, fiance!) and my parents at Old Chicago! 

Thursday:
--Mid-day run during my long lunch hour.  It was warmer than I thought it would be and I struggled more than I thought I would.  Ate a Clif Bar right before the run, which probably aided in my crappy run.  Time/pace wasn't so bad...in fact, it was pretty normal, but I just didn't feel great.  Oh well. 
Stats:
5.06 miles in 58:57
Avg pace - 11:39
HR High - 175
HR Avg - 169

Calories burned - 786



I've been contemplating how far I will run on Saturday.  I'm thinking 9 or 10 miles...probably 10 if I can figure out a good route.  I've also been thinking about how far my longest run will be.  I had initially planned on 12 miles, but the more I read, the more I think maybe 10 or 11 is enough.  As of this very moment, I'm thinking 11.  That way I can taper back down to 8 or 9 and 6 miles the next 2 weeks.  Oct. 30 I'll be running a 10k with my sister, which will be a really good way to wind things down the week before the half-marathon and get in that last long run before the big day!

I'm getting super pumped for this!  I can't wait to see my old friends and selfishly show off my size 10 frame (hehe) to those who haven't seen me in 5+ years.  Woah, that's really not very humble at all....but I've had 2 glasses of wine tonight and I'm about to pour another one....

1/2 marathon training - crosstraining and 3.4 mile run

In true form, I didn't run or cross-train on Sunday like I meant to.  Brunch and drinks ruined that one by 1:00 PM.  Oops.  Monday was a super hectic day at work and I didn't get out of the office at lunch to anything productive (except get my registration up to date on one of the cars).  We got KILLED in dodgeball last night but I still had enough umph in me to go home and hop on the elliptical for 20 minutes before devouring a sandwich for dinner. 

Since I worked so long yesterday, I was able to come into work late this morning.  I took the dog out for a 3-miler this morning before making coffee and getting ready for the day.  It was probably the only time I've forgotten to take a baggie with me to pick up Seymour's poop, and wouldn't you know it, also probably the only time he's pooped on a walk/run in the last 3 months.  Argh.  I felt terrible just leaving it there, but I had no choice. 

I forgot my HRM watch at home with my HR info on it, but I think I remember my average HR being somewhere around 165 and my high being 171.  Overall, it was a pretty good run this morning.  Oh, and I used a hydration pack for the first time...probably not needed for such a short run, but I wanted to give it a try anyway to see how it would be before I take it on a long run.

Stats:
3.39 miles in 37:17
Avg pace 11:01/mile
Calories burned - 495

1/2 Marathon Training - 3 miles + dodgeball

Whew.  We got back to town last night from our 7 day river trip on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, where I mostly fished, drank beer, read, and sat on a boat.  I rowed a little, but not much.  We had a layover day and I went on a 2 mile hike, but it wasn't strenuous whatsoever.  I haven't run since 9/11/10.  Oops.  I really meant to get my shoes on and take some short runs right before vacation, but packing and prepping for vacation really bogged me down.  Needless to say, I was pretty nervous about running tonight after my 11-day hiatus. 

That being said, I decided to just run 3 miles tonight after work, and it just so happens our dodge ball location is exactly 3 miles from my house!  I strapped on my shoes and headed out the door to run to the game.  It was still about 85 degrees outside when I left, which didn't help the sweat factor, but whatever.  The run itself didn't feel great, but it didn't feel like hell either.  Afterward, of course, I felt amazing.  Also, dodge ball is a great way to stretch...especially when you cream the other team...and also when the other team is the reigning co-ed dodge ball team 2 years in a row.  Mwah ah ah ah ah!

Anyway, when I got into the gym, I checked my splits on my iPhone app (kick ass, by the way) and my overall average, and then realized why I thought it was a little rough; I was running faster than I have been running 3 miles since I started this journey.  Uh, yeah.  Go me...or something like that.  Also my heart rate monitor says my HR peaked at a wicked high level and I refuse to believe it.  My HR was higher than the past few runs, but again, I ran at 6:30 tonight and that's never been my best time of day to do so.

Stats:
3 miles in 34:40 (50 seconds stopped time)
Avg pace - 11:26/mile
Mile 1 - 10:45/mile
Mile 2 - 11:49/mile
Mile 3 - 11:44/mile
HR High 196 (again, I don't believe it)
HR Avg 177
468 calories burned 

Dodgeball league and Probation vs. Detention Softball

Ahh, the joins of competitive sports!  Last night's dodgeball game was a HOOT, for sure!  Plus, we actually won, so that was really nice.  Tonight we had our annual Probation vs. Detention softball game.  We lost, but it was a good time anyway...and I had a helluva fly ball catch while playing 3rd base and a few hits.  Those were pretty much fantastic!

I have a 5 mile run planned for tomorrow but I keep thinking about making it 6 and just can't decide if that's a good idea.  It's exactly 6 miles from our house to my office, and I need to go to the office anyway in the morning to grab a few things.  I'm not gonna lie, it scares the crap out of me to attempt a 6 miles run.  If I do end up with this plan, Josh will pick me up at the office and we'll head straight for the river for a day on the Payette.  Talk about a loaded day...I just hope I can make it.  Guess I'll let you know the outcome tomorrow!

1/2 Marathon Training - Crosstraining (finally)

I got my gym clothes on at the end of the work day yesterday and hopped in my car to go to the gym.  When I got to the stop light just before the turn into the parking lot, I decided I just didn't feel like going in and working out in front of a bunch (well, handful) of people.  I passed the turn in and went home.

I still didn't feel like working out when I got home and half-assed it for a few minutes by doing some crunches and working my arms a little bit with some 5-lb weights that have been collecting dust.  After dragging my feet for some time, I hopped on the elliptical and watched Jeopardy! for 20 minutes.  I didn't push myself too hard, which is probably what my body needed, but at least I did something. 

It's supposed to rain all day (boo) which means it will be more difficult to run outside (double boo).  The bonus is that I have a dodgeball game tonight (I'm on a city league!), which should be entertaining!

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

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.