Traitor

I had big intentions for this weekend.  Since yesterday was supposed to be over 60 degrees in the mountains, I decided it would be worth my time and effort to get my boat put together and head up to the river for a day on the water.  That meant there would be no running on Saturday, so I'd have to get my long run in on Sunday.  I got my first day on the river and it was a perfect day!  My parents were nice enough to make us dinner upon our return to Boise and we still managed to be in bed by 10pm (11pm with the time change).  I set my alarm for 7:10 am...I had devised a semi-perfect plan for Sunday:

7:19 (after one snooze) - rise, eat steel cut oats, drink coffee, drink water, shower, etc.
9:00 - church
10:15 - Husband to take me to meet some friends on to run up Shaw Mountain Road
11:00 to 1:00 - Run my little heart out on some hills and then head home
1:30 until whenever - hang out, nap, eat something, and pride myself in getting in 10 miles on hills.

This is what actually happened:

7:10 - alarm went off and thought I hit snooze
8:04 - woke up and realized I turned the alarm OFF instead of snooze
8:04:30 - woke up the kid
8:05 - showered and ran around like a mad woman
8:35 - asked kid to make me a cup of coffee while I ran around gathering running gear
8:39 - realized I could not find my hydration pack or Clif Shot Bloks for 10 mile run
8:40 to 8:44 - ran around trying to find above items
8:45 - left the house for church
8:46 - realized I left my coffee on the kitchen table
8:46:30 - spilled water all over my dress on the way to church as husband gunned it through a yellow light so we wouldn't be late for church
9 to 10:00 - sat through church wondering if I could keep my eyes open for another minute and if I could manage to run 10 miles today
10:15 - got coffee at Fred Meyer while the kid was at Sunday School
11:10 - picked up the kid, went to Blimpie for lunch (so husband could pick up some pre-packaged mayo and mustard for his upcoming Grand Canyon trip), and came home
12:00 - 3:00 - NAPPED.
3:30 to 4:30 - helped the kid with some tennis stuff
5:15 - went to dinner and drank beer. 

Running was not in the cards today.

So here I am, at 7:40 pm, feeling like a traitor.  I am usually all over my training plans and honestly don't ever remember skipping a long run, but today my body couldn't handle it.  It was obvious that I was beaten down and tired and needed to rest.  I am hopeful that tomorrow will allow me to either get up early to run or that I'll be able to leave work early to do the same.  Either way, I still need to get in about 8 miles tomorrow to be on top of my game for Robie.  On a brighter note, I did go to CrossFit on Wednesday and Friday last week and killed Friday's session.  It was tough and exhausting and I was SO SO SO SO SO sweaty, but it was awesome and I can't wait to get back!

Slacker Blogger (part 1 of 2)

I don't even remember what my run was like last Thursday (8/4/11), but I know I ran because my Garmin tells me so.  I'm quite certain the dog came too.  These past few weeks have been quite the blur in terms of being really busy at work and trying to find out dog a new home and, well, that's really about it.  That being said, I ran 3.73 miles on 8/4 at a 10:30 average pace (39:12). 

And then I rested.  I was busy and lazy and lethargic and not wanting to run, so I just plain didn't.  And then I realized this: if I don't run regularly, getting started back up again is going to suck.  And I like running, I really do.  So this last Friday (as in just a few days ago), knowing that I didn't have to be to work until around 9:00 am, Seymour and I went for another run.  I really wanted to see if Chinden Blvd westbound and Eagle Road southbound had sidewalks, so Seymour and I took off for what I planned to be a four mile run.  Turns out, there ARE sidewalks through that stretch and I have yet another route to run!  Unfortunately, Chinden and Eagle are pretty busy streets so I have to put up with literally thousands of cars driving past me in my running skirts, but I'll take it.  With this stretch having sidewalks, this also means I can attempt an after work run in the heat if I want to, knowing there is a gas station, a few fast food joints, and a Target where I can get water so I don't have to take my hydration pack. 

Friday:
4 miles at 10:21 average pace (41:30)

I wanted to run Saturday, but Friday night turned into a rather amazing evening at home, just Seymour and me.  Josh went up rafting Friday afternoon with a friend from E. Idaho and they camped up near Garden Valley.  My plan was to get some sleep on Friday night and wake up early to run again, then take Seymour to Escape the Crate for daycare and boarding, then meet up with some other folks to go rafting.  Well, Jamie e-mailed me Friday to inform me Ann Brashares has written the final book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, and I had to have it.  Immediately.  So Friday after work, I went down to my local Barnes and Noble store and bought it.  Friday night consisted of a dinner of brie and freshly baked whole wheat bread from the grocery store, a bottle of wine, and Sisterhood Everlasting. Needless to say, there was no running on Saturday morning.  I did, however, paddle my little buns off and climbed rocks like I had never climbed rocks before on the portage.  I certainly got in a workout, which came nowhere close to cover the amount of beer and food I consumed throughout the day....

Rafting, running, and more rafting

I was able to convince to raft the South Fork of the Boise River on Saturday, which is a pretty low-key stretch of whitewater known more for fishing than boating.  It has a few class III rapids but what I like most about it is that it takes a little longer than a typical day run so by the end of the day I'm tired and feel like I'm justified in taking the rest of the day off from physical activity.  Seymour is getting less and less comfortable on the water which is really, really frustrating.  I want so badly for the dog to love rafting as much as we do and I'm afraid that's just not going to happen.  Sigh.

When I posted on Saturday night I was uncertain if I would be able to get up for my five mile run in the morning.  I'm happy to report that I did!  I was out the door before 6:30 and managed just over five for the morning and got back just in time to make a cup of coffee, shower, and take Seymour to Escape the Crate before heading out to meet up with the crew running the Canyon stretch of the South Fork of the Payette.  Sunday was my first official long run for my training which meant I didn't have to keep any particular pace.  I decided to try to keep myself under 11:00/mile which I did until my fifth mile.  I love my Garmin because it keeps me at such a steady pace.  I ran miles 1-4 at a 10:51 pace/mile and my fifth at 11:04.  I'll take it.  Final stats for the morning:

5.13 miles in 55:47
10:53 average pace

It was a spectacular day on the SF Payette after the run!  I'm used to running my own cataraft on the river and rarely sit in a paddle boat for river trips, but this stretch has a mandatory portage and the less boats the better as far as I'm concerned, so I paddled my heart out for the day.  Paddle boating works out such different muscles than I'm used to on my cat and I am SORE today through my neck and shoulders.  I decided to take a rest day today, since I had one scheduled for Sunday but rafted, ran, and rafted some more throughout the weekend.   Tomorrow: 4 miles.

I've been dreading the 4 mile run...

...Mostly because I haven't felt like I've been running often enough to even make it 4 miles.  I've been off my schedule lately and haven't been running on the days I planned to run on the calendar and even though I've run 3.5, I've been ridiculously exhausted when I got home.  I realize now that taking the dog with me really slows my pace and makes me more tired.  After what felt like the longest day EVER today, I finally bit the bullet and set out to run 4 miles without Seymour.  Poor thing...I know he needs to get out for a walk, but I needed to do this alone today and clear my head.  I finished my run and felt like I could have gone out for another 1/2 mile to a mile, but I turned into the subdivision and came home. 

Stats for the run:
4.15 miles in 44:55
10:49 avg pace
HR high - 177
HR avg - 155

Although I haven't been running as much as I should (I vow to get better), I have been busy busy busy working out and doing other stuff.  Here's the run down:

Saturday - Boot Camp in the morning, then a quick day trip rafting the South Fork of the Payette.  It was my first boating trip of the season, and it felt amazing to be on the water.

Sunday - Last day of skiing at Bogus Basin which ended with us in the emergency room with my step-daughter, who got plowed over by an out-of-control snowboarder on Silver Queen, an easy green run for beginners.  SD is ok, just a little sore...but it took a ride down the ski hill in a sled with ski patrol, a stop in the medic area, and then a 2+ hour stint in the ER to find that out.  Oh, and Seymour had his first obedience lesson on Sunday afternoon.   We have a lot to learn! 

Monday - Boot camp at 6am.  

Today - Boot camp at 6am, 4 mile run at 7:00 pm. 

That's it!  The plan is to get to boot camp everyday this week and get down to my goal weight by Friday, which really shouldn't be too difficult. 

1/2 Marathon Training - 6 miles!

I probably could have run 7, and I'm hoping that's how all of my long runs feel from here on out.  I am continually amazed at the distance my body can go and the length of time I am able to exercise without stopping.   What surprises me most about today's run is that I took some extra time to look at the "splits" on my app on my iPhone and realized that my fastest miles were miles 2, 5, and 6 with my slowest mile being 3. 

Rewind: I knew I had to run fairly early (early on a Saturday is before 10am) but still wanted to make sure I had enough calories in me to burn and I really wanted some coffee.  I got up around 8:00 and made coffee.  I had one cup of coffee and ate 2 "breakfast cookies" (which are completely delicious) and sat in bed reading my book while I did so.  I finally got out of bed around 9:00 and get my rafting gear ready, then threw on my running gear and headed out the door, with the plan that Josh would pick me up at my end point and then we'd head up to the river.  It all worked out, thank God! 

Another nice thing?  Oh, my HR was spectacular through the entire run!  And yes,  I did go rafting this afternoon...which I think gives me every right to go to bed by 8:30 on a Saturday night...

6.02 miles - 1:14:05
Avg Pace - 12:19
HR High - 170
HR Avg - 162

Note to self: Running in the morning totally kicks ass.

1/2 Marathon Training - 5.3 miles

Does shopping count as cross-training?  If so, I did a great job of that last night and this morning...new jeans last night (and some new tennis shoes and socks for Brooke!) and some new running gear this morning (super cheap 1/3s at Sierra Trading Post!).  I'm most excited about my new running tank with a big pocket in the back to hold my iPhone so I don't have to hold it while I run.  I tried it out this afternoon, and it's nice to just throw it in the pocket with the earphones running up the back of the tank.  It also helps focus on a comfortable pace rather than how fast I'm running because I'm not constantly looking at the running app that indicates my pace, time, and distance. 

I probably should have eaten more this morning, but by the time I thought about it, I was ready to head out the door, so I didn't.  It's funny because for the past 2+ years I've been buying breakfast items with minimal calories for weight loss purposes.  Last night I was at the grocery store looking for granola bars, etc. with the most calories so that when I want to run in the morning I actually have some calories in my system and have some extra energy.  I ate a "breakfast cookie" this morning around 9 with my coffee but didn't run until after 1pm.  Oops. 

I'm getting to the point where I think I need to start carrying water with me when I run.  I was parched by mile 3.  The good news about today is that I ran 3/10 mile farther than Wednesday in only about 30 seconds more time. 

5.3 miles in 1:08 (Avg pace - 12:51)
HR Max 178
HR Avg 169

I'm getting a little nervous about mid-September and the lack of training I'll be able to do from 9/16 to 9/22 when we're on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.  I'm super excited about my (likely) final rafting trip of the year, but that's a lot of time to take off from running when I've been working out so regularly.  Hopefully I'll be rowing a lot and will have some time for hiking, etc.