March Review

I can’t believe another month of 2009 is down! Wow ~ time really does fly when you are having fun! And I really, truly am having fun training for this Half Marathon! Good runs and bad – it’s all fun. It’s time for my monthly review, and this review will also include some quarterly stats as well.

So far in 2009, I have run 125 miles! That means I can probably easily surpass 500 miles this year – which is really a cool thing for me. After reviewing my LogYourRun data, it is cool to see my progress this year break down like so:

January: 34 miles Avg. Pace = 16.09 (I’m sure this is not accurate, but I didn’t have time to look at the numbers behind the math ha ha)

February: 41 miles Avg Pace - 13:38

March: 50 miles Avg Pace - 13:00

My goal for April is obviously more miles, and to get that pace down even more! I have noticed in recent runs that I am walking less, so that in itself is going to make a difference in my pace. I am actually running right around 11:00 to 12:00 minute miles, but when I take a 1 or 2 minute walk break here and there, that obviously will throw my bottom line stats off. Yes, this was a light bulb moment for me at 2am in the night - when my eyes popped open and it occurred to me - WHOA! That’s RIGHT – I am not THAT slow….my average pace includes my WALK BREAKS. Duh.

Overall, I am happy about my running progress in just 3 months time! I have some days where I just feel like come ON already….but when I really look at the stats, I really am very proud.

In March, I did 50 minutes of Cross Training and 1:25 hours of strength training. I’m a little slacker on the XT cardio. I do about 15 minutes of stair stepping at a time, and although it is getting easier…I just can’t bring myself to love it like I do running! I tried a bike once and it was hard too. I may have to try Zumba or something else at the gym because the stationary machines are just not cutting it for me!

The strength training, I LOVE. And I’m steppin’ up my game for April! I am digging deeper into the routines in my ‘New Rules of Lifting For Women’ book, and I HAVE to focus more on my core. I do a couple of balance ball / plank type core work, but just twice a week, and I don’t think that is enough. I really felt the fatigue in my upper body during my last long run (7 miler) and made a mental note to ‘fix it’ ha ha. And so, I will!

On the nutrition front…I eat well. Ha ha…I REALLY eat well. I am hungry. All.The.Time. It’s like being pregnant. (dear Lord, no) So….I eat well. I’ve had my moments of indulgence, but nothing concerning. My brief 142 pounds at the end of February was just that….BRIEF. I don’t think I ever saw that number again after that weigh in! I am up 3-5 pounds from that, depending on the day. My scale is broken remember? I really have no idea what I truly weigh anymore. Nor do I care (much). However, I am aware that I need to be a bit more conscious of my calorie intake – at least I’m not eating junk, but I probably have room to cut some calories but still be well fueled for my runs. And so, it’s time to pull out the trusty food journal and start tracking again, because I really would like to drop another 5 pounds before race day in May.

So that's it! March is done. March was good! April will be even better. I am getting revved up for my 8 miler this weekend, and this month will also be my first 10 mile run. What a milestone!

Can it get any better than this?

Well yes ~ I must share this pic of my wonderful family, taken on Alison's Confirmation day (it's a Catholic thing....) this past Sunday. They've been such a great support for me and 'my running' and I absolutely could not have come as far as I have without their encouragement and support!

Aren't they awesome? The Husband (Mike), Grace, Chris, Alison and, yours truly....

Run On~

Taking the Good with the Bad...

The good news....this week in my training plan was a 'drop back' week - and I love how these easy weeks are inserted at just the right time! The bad news is....I only ran twice this week. I skipped my run (5K) today *gasp*! I think I have only 'skipped' a run once since I started training for this race in January. So I am a little disappointed, but ok for the most part.

The good news: I ran my two runs this past week at a significantly faster pace. My run on Friday was awesome - even though I had an upset stomach, I managed to run basically the same run as Tuesday, and my heart rate was lower this time. I kept a steady pace for 4 miles. What's great about Friday's run is that even though I felt a little ill, I still ran and didn't even think about NOT running. Not so great about Friday's run was the SKUNK smell around just about every corner. *ick* I was already feeling nauseous, and then I was gagging skunk fumes to boot. Tis' the season I guess!

Saturday would have been a cross training day. I started spring cleaning my house - so I was on my feet, up and down stairs, reaching, scrubbing moving furniture etc. for about 8 hours straight. THEN I went walking around a mall with my daughter for 2 hours. So needless to say, I did not need to get to the gym - I had plenty of cross training and then some.

Yesterday while working around the house, I noticed some soreness in my hamstrings, and even my quads - even though I was moving around, my legs felt sore and tight. I kept bending and stretching my lower back and legs every once in awhile. This morning I was STILL sore, probably due to being on my feet all day the day before without sitting down AT.ALL.

The run for today (drop back week remember) was to be a 5K. We had so much going on though....volleyball game, Alison's Confirmation, a nice dinner out afterwards....(Cheesecake Factory oh my GAWD). I could have snuck in a quick 3.1 early this morning, but I still felt TIRED. As much as I wanted to get the run done, I really felt this tiredness in the legs and my ITB is getting moody on me too. So more periodic stretching...but no run.

I feel a little guilty for missing this one run, as 'small' as it was, but at least I didn't miss an 8 miler, which is on deck for next weekend. I hope again that today's 'rest' will pay off by the time I run again on Tuesday.

So even though I only did 8 miles this week, it WAS a recovery week, and the 8 miles I did run represented a 'new' effort in terms of pace. That is apparent in my sore legs, which doesn't usually happen for me anymore - so I can tell my body is adapting to the larger efforts following my 7 mile run last Sunday.

Not only did I not run today, but I had glorious shrimp and chicken jambalaya at the Cheesecake Factory AND of course....a few bites of Grace's Oreo Cookie CHEESECAKE. Sinful but wonderful...ahhh, back on the wagon tomorrow!

I have 7 weeks of training runs left before the Half Marathon. *gulp*

Run On....

More on Speed (numbers alert!)

Thanks everyone (AGAIN) for the great comments/advice about 'speed'. I am very happy that this week's topic over at Runner's Lounge is about all things speed related! By the way, I have to plug Runner's Lounge here....I knew of it through other blogs, but never really had time to go poke around myself and check it out, and I must say it is a GREAT site with tons of information and a great overall runner's community. I encourage anyone who hasn't, to check it out! See the widget to the right for current happenings at the site.


Tuesday evening I did a strength training/XT workout at the gym because I didn't quite feel like my legs were back after my 7 mile run Sunday. So last night was my first run since Sunday, and it was great! I'm glad I gave my legs one extra day to recover. (I can't say enough about rest and recovery as a key component of adaptation and strength building) I decided to do a sort of tempo run, basically, I ran 'faster' for a longer period, and kept my heart rate mostly in the anaerobic range instead of the aerobic range. When I needed to, I slowed down to recover for 30 seconds to one minute here and there, but after a 15 minute warmup - the remaining 30-35 minutes was done at a faster than 'normal' speed for me. I was pleased with the result and the best part is that I wasn't totally 'spent' after the 50 minute run:

Mile 1: 13:19
Mile 2: 12:35
Mile 3 12:08
Mile 4 11:34


Avg pace: 12:24 Fastest Pace: 10:13 Avg Heart Rate: 153 Max Heart Rate: 166 (woo!)


For one day next week, I will try some intervals and then alternate between tempo runs and intervals every other week. Nothing too crazy, but my feeling is in order to run faster, I need to run faster some times!


So in all of my reading about speedwork this week, I came across the McMillan pace calulator. I punched in my last 5K time (34 minutes) and it gave me all the pace ranges I need for various types of workouts, and also gives me an indicator of how I may do in the half marathon. I will say that based on what I have been running, this calculator has me pretty close to what I'm already running in my workouts.


For example, the recommended long run pace for me is 13:13 - 14:13, and my last long run was run at 13:43. Steady state runs should be between 12:04 - 12:25. I've been doing about 12:18 average pace for the steady runs.


The recommended TEMPO pace is 11:34 - 12:04, and although my average pace last night was 12:24, my max speeds within each mile ranged from 10:13 - 11:49. So I was pretty close to a tempo type run, and most every time I glanced at my watch, I was running around 11:15 - 11:45.


All of this to say, I am reassured that I AM working it hard enough and from what I've been reading, if I keep it up, I WILL see the benefit - basically let science do it's thing while I do my thing. I will continue to trust the process!


Run On ~

Impatient with my Pace (or lack thereof)

First of all, I want to thank everyone for some GREAT suggestions on the hydration packs! I am heading to the local running store this weekend to check some out as well, and hopefully I will find something that works well for me. For now I think I need just one bottle, since I'm not doing any crazy long distance running over 10 miles, and I need to not 'notice' it when I'm running as much as possible. So these were all great suggestions and it's great to some hands on, been there done that suggestions!

I have been obsessing thinking about my slow running pace a lot lately. It's really puzzling me! I KNOW pace is relative, and I KNOW it doesn't matter in the whole scheme of things - and yes, I will get faster as I clock more time on my feet. It is a painfully SLOW process though, and I thought by now, 8 months into my illustrious running career, that I could at least be clocking 10 minute miles. So I feel a bit like a 'pre-beginner' sometimes. Take a look at my pace progress chart over the last 10 weeks, at the rate I'm going, it will be 2 years before I can run a 10 minute mile!

There is an ever so slight downward trend, but puhLEEZE...that's it?

With respect to my 1/2 Marathon in May, I am STILL running to finish, and not all that concerned about my time - it's my first big race, who knows what the day will bring, I just want to complete it. So my new pace obsession really has nothing to do with my upcoming 1/2 marathon, this is more of just a general pondering of the whys and wherefores of my slowness.

Why am I still so slow? Is it because I am a former smoker? (off and on for about 15 years) I quit long long ago, so I was hoping I would have little to no ill-effects, but maybe I am having delusions about that....

I weigh 142 pounds but I'm a size 6-8, so I am not such a 'large' runner...I'm hoping to drop 10-12 more pounds, but is it really slowing me down THAT MUCH that I can't even pull out a 10 minute mile?

I am petite, well, border-line petite at 5'4.5" tall. I have short legs, nothing I can do about obviously. So are short legs slowing me down and am I doomed to be slow forever?

I don't even want to be a speedy athlete...because that's not what this is about for me, but I would at least like to get to some sort of 'average' pace for an almost-42-year-old-relatively-fit-woman. Is that too much to ask? Am I not running hard enough? Am I under-estimating my ability and training too conservatively? I use my heart rate to gage effort...are my MHR calculations way off base? Should I be working harder?

These are all hypothetical musings of course, but please feel free to jump in any time to attempt to calm me down, or simply cyber smack some sense into me.

Apparently it's not a 'good idea' for me to do any sort of more formal speedwork right now since I'm still in my first year of running. So other than picking up the pace once in awhile for a minute or two or three, I've got nothin'.

This is my impatient self, my 'perfectionist' self - always wanting to improve a process, make things better, more efficient and, well FASTER. So this is challenging my psyche right now because I'm guessing what I'm going to hear is to 'keep doing what you are doing and the pace will improve in time'.

Please share your thoughts ~ in the meantime, I will just keep running.

Cheers!

Hydration Pack?

I am looking for recommendations for hydration packs/belts. Anyone? Yesterday during my long run the drinking fountains were out of order! I saw a girl run by me with a cool belt around her waist with two mini bottles in the back. THAT is what I need - as long as it doesn't bounce around.

Please hit me up with some links to any great products you've used or know of that would be good to have! Thanks!

Seven on a Sunday

I checked off another milestone on my journey yesterday, as I successfully completed a seven mile run! I say successfully because I attempted this before and, let's just say it didn't go so well 'back then' (which led to changing my training plan).

Yesterday though, I pulled it out and it was a great run! It was also my first 'Valley Run' - FINALLY! I've talked before about our Cleveland Metroparks system and what a great place it would be for a run. So I finally headed down there yesterday and it was awesome. I snapped some pics during my walk breaks, and I couldn't help but think how cool it will be to watch the season unfold week by week. Everything is still 'brown' yet, but I know soon, the green will appear. The main sign of spring yesterday was a lot of fishermen, and a fairly busy golf course!

In fact, there were a lot of people on the path which was nice to see. I had some 'alone' time, but inevitably around the bend would be another family walking along. And of course, quite a few runners (passing me by ha ha).

Not only was this seven miles, it was also a challenging seven miles, because this is the first time really that I have had to deal with 'hills'. But I managed ok...I was able to run most of them on the way out, but I walked them coming back (because I was feeling it in my knees by that point).

The last mile was definitely tough, because I was feeling it in my legs by that point so I definitely did not feel like I could run any more when I finished - so I think it's a good thing that I have a 'recovery' weekend coming up with a 5K run. This morning, I definitely can feel the bod 'rebuilding and repairing' ha ha!

Here are my splits (with 30 second to 1 minute walk breaks as neeed)

Mile 1 12.49

Mile 2 13.31

Mile 3 12.43

Mile 4 14.35 (ate some graham crackers and walked a bit at the half way point)

Mile 5 13.07

Mile 6 12.52

Mile 7 13.31

Average Pace 13.19

This morning, when I first awoke, I felt like I had been hit by a train ha ha...but once I got up and moving, I feel pretty good! Mostly my soreness is in my hips/lower back, and for whatever reason, my left foot (bunion) started acting up on me during the run yesterday, and so I'm feeling that today. Otherwise, I feel awesome!

Here are some of my cell phone shots, and suffice it to say, I think all of my long runs will be in the valley from here on out!

Going Up!

Cheering section!

Cool house on the hill

Main road up near where I live...now you can see why we call this 'The Valley"

Swamp

One more quick note, take a click over to Running Through Life for a GREAT giveaway! I have recently added this blog to my Reader so I'd like to share the love!

5AM Warrior

I have to leave my house each morning by 7:30 at the latest, in order to get downtown and at my desk by 8:30. Because I had a lot going on this week on the homefront, I've had to be a 5AM Warrior for both my runs. Technically, it's 4:30 when my alarm goes off, and by the time I have a cup of coffee, get my running clothes on, put in my contacts, munch on some Kashi cereal, reset my stupid Garmin just so I can use the HRM, check my Blackberry for fascinating Facebook updates - it is 5:15 before I get on the 'mill. Incidentally, it was just 27 degrees this morning with a windchill of like 17, so first day of Spring or no, I just could not run outside this morning!

This morning I ran for 45 minutes straight at 75% of my MHR. Pretty sweet! My Friday runs have been consistently great, as I'm coming off a complete rest day on Thursday.

Wednesday evening I worked out at the gym, and have added in some more upper body stuff - mainly shoulders, lats and dumbell rows for the back. I am up to a 50 second plank now ( a very wobbly final 10 seconds ha ha), and I leg press 95#. (2 sets of 15) I am getting stronger, even though I have a long way to go! And it feels great!

Major DOMS for me yesterday starting around 3:00pm. It's funny, muscle soreness always sets in EXACTLY 18 - 20 hours after my workout!

This weekend, my long run is 7 miles. Woot! I am excited! I have not planned my route yet. I would like to get down to the Metroparks but am nervous about going alone. My brother in law is an FBI agent, and he is in town this weekend, so tonight I will ask him where or how I go about getting some mace. I believe our Metroparks area is generally safe...I can only recall one or two 'incidents' in the last 20 years really....but it's different for us women running 'alone'. If it's a nice day, it will be pretty populated down there but I would not go early in the morning like I do around the neighborhood.

After this week is finished, I will have 8 weeks of training left before the 1/2! Yikes...I get a little panicky when I think about it! Some days I feel confident about being 'ready' for 13.1 and other days, not so much! 8 weeks doesn't seem like a long time, but realistically in terms of training, a lot of progress can be made in 8 weeks time. Especially at my level...think about 9 weeks of C25K and how at the beginning, I could barely run 1 minute intervals, and by the end of 9 weeks, I could run 30 minutes straight. So I'm hoping, COUNTING ON, a lot of progress over the next 8 weeks!

Have a great weekend, running on....

Restless

DISCLAIMER: This post may make absolutely no sense, or, it will make perfect sense. All Bloggers reserve the right to brain dump on occasion, right?
************************************************************************************

I'm not sure what to call this feeling I have lately....restless is the first word that comes to mind, but I fear believe it is more than that. "Spring Fever" would be too dismissive, and "Mid-Life Crisis" may be too extreme. So I'm left with Restless.

Do you have those moments when you suddenly *need* to get out and run? A moment where a certain intensity hit your psyche, and you just have to get out the door and go.... either away from something, or to something, whatever it is, you just need to run. It's something like a "fight or flight" response I guess, but in this case, the run serves as both the fight, and the flight.

In my case, my 'moment' has lasted a few weeks now..... I find myself spending a great deal of time thinking about my life, where I am, where I've been, where I see myself going. I credit running for giving me this new found clarity and ability to truly listen to my thoughts and not ignore that which is 'uncomfortable'. It makes me feel immensely happy though - this is not a depressing *moment*, be sure of that, but I am proud that I have come to this place where I can be brave and face things honestly...things that I perhaps glossed over in the past, or didn't have the strength to face. I have that strength now, and it feels great. Now if only I could come up with some resolution to all of this Restless Spring Fever Midlife Crisis CRAP, I'd be even further ahead!

So, although the physical feeling of 'restlessness' is about to make me insane (like I don't think I could run ENOUGH right now), I am still very happy to be *present* in the moment, and in tune with my life. It may take some time to sort it all out, but I am ready to take it on - patiently, just the same as I have been doing with my running. Slow but sure progress, tweaking things where necessary, to get where I want to be.

How's this for saying a lot without saying anything at all? ;-)

The point of all this is to say, for most people, it's periods of time like this when people turn to alchohol, drugs, food, gambling, shopping...you know the list. We've all talked before about how running makes us feel, how it has changed our lives, the addiction of running etc.

Right now, I'm pretty damn glad to have *my* running, It has brought me to this point, and it will carry me through it and beyond.

Run on....

Chris Update and a Great Sunday Run

First, some of you have asked me offline about how my son Chris has been doing lately. I really appreciate the positive thoughts and I am humbly touched by your concern.

Chris has been doing great~ I almost hesitate to say it 'out loud', but it has been almost one month since his last seizure. By the end of this month, Chris will be up to his maintenance dose of his new med, Lamictal. By that time he will be taking 24 pills a day and 4teaspoons of a liquid drug. Hopefully we will soon be able to start reducing one of the other drugs as we prefer to get his seizures controlled with two meds if possible.
He survived the recent screwy weather patterns seizure free - a week or two of me basically holding my breath just waiting for him to go down. But he didn't, and that is a very, very good sign! The new drug is finally starting to work for him.

We have some meetings coming up at school with his team, to discuss future planning and goals for Chris' future. Even though Chris is a senior next year, he will still remain in the school system until he is 22, doing mostly vocational type training to prepare him for the 'real world'. To be honest, these meetings always make me uncomfortable and I'm not sure we're ready to envision where Chris' life will be 5 years from now. Chris wants to be a history teacher. He wants to go to college. Realistically, I don't see that happening - he is not even close to that, if ever will he be....But, who am I to tell my kid he 'can't' do something, but the hard reality is...Chris is not always aware of his own limitations - that's the autistic side of him. He is the most amazing individual I know in this life ~ and my wish for him is that he is able to find his purpose in this world and be fulfilled in his life. Unfortunately, for the sake of 'business', I'm expected to come up with something to put on paper, like, um....this week?

And that's pretty much the way it goes as a 'special needs parent' - always a mountain to climb it seems. I just thank God every day that Chris takes it like a champ!

As it turns out, Chris' future was what was tumbling around my thoughts during my 6 mile run yesterday. My mind was sort of all over the place on the subject, but I have to say, it feels really good to have that TIME (an hour and eleven minutes to be exact) to really think things through, mull over thoughts, talk to myself...a working mom of three kids does not often get the luxury of time to sit and truly think. This is yet another aspect of running that I love. I have the TIME to think and organize my thoughts. I don't always get a conclusion, or an answer - but I am paying attention to ME for that period of time. Guilt free. I love it.

So yes, 6 miles, 71 minutes. I was pretty pleased with that! I ran early in the morning yesterday, so it was dark when I left, but I heard the birds waking, so I did not even turn on the tunes until about the 4th mile. And the sun was coming up when I got back. It was a perfect morning run! I think I am going to be converting to a morning runner pretty soon!

Have a good week! I'm still catching up with most of you (still no home PC), basically I'm stalking but have not had a lot of opportunity to comment.!

Rest Does A Body Good

It seems that every week that goes by, I am learning something new, or, at a minimum, proving out some of the endless training theories I have read over the months! This week I proved that Rest Does A Body Good!

Let me back-track a bit….last weekend I ran a total of 8.5 miles and did an hour & ½ of fairly intense cross training. Monday evening I did some strength and core work on the balance ball. Tuesday evening, I was tired but managed to eek out a 40 minute run, but because I was pressed for time I could not do all 4 miles. And, because I was ‘pressed for time’, I ran harder than I should have (trying to clock those 4 miles) which basically caught up with me through the week. I was quite frustrated by this.

Wednesday, I was feeling tired and ‘crabby’, and a little sore. I ended up deciding to take a rest day instead of doing the scheduled cross training. This bummed me out but I managed to convince myself that I was listening well to my body and it was OK to skip cross training, at least I wasn’t skipping a run, right?

Yesterday was a true, scheduled *rest day* and I was so so tempted to squeeze in my skipped cross training from Wednesday, but believe it or not, I was still feeling a little fatigued and decided to stick with the plan to rest. Again, by yesterday I was getting a little pissed at myself and antsy and feeling like I ‘should’ be doing this or that, NOT resting…that’s how I roll…. High expectations for myself and a low tolerance for doing ‘less’. I know this about myself, but it’s a hard piece of my nature to change.

So needless to say, I was a little wary about this morning’s run, coming off two days of doing nothing. But at 5am I parked my sleepy-head self on the treadmill and ended up with a sweet 40 minute run, covering 3.6 miles – and that my friends, would be about an 11:11 pace. Again, you all know that for ME, this is quite an improvement over my usual 12:00 – 13:00+ pace.

Lesson learned (again)….Rest Does A Body Good! It was a great run and I felt awesome when I was finished ~ energized, not spent, as I have been lately. The ‘plan’ called for 4 miles today, but I did 40 minutes instead, and here is why:

Effort Based Training

Yet another ‘tweak’ in my training plan. ;-)

My trainer suggested that I read the book ‘Marathoning For Mortals’ (John Bingham) for *homework*. (I’m sure I’m the last mortal runner in Blogland to read this book) While the Hal Higdon novice plan that I am following is great, the plan in Bingham’s book is very similar, and I believe will work even better for me.

Both plans follow a weekly rotation of 2 days on, 1 day rest, 3 days on, 1 day rest. (running and XT)

Bingham emphasizes that the plan is structured this way to maximize effort and then recovery from that effort. Basically he says that if you miss a workout, that workout is gone forever – don’t try to ‘make it up’ or add it in to another workout. Stick with the schedule. This is why I decided not to workout last night and stuck to the scheduled *rest* day.

The main difference between the two plans is that the Bingham plan follows ‘effort based’ training with one long endurance run by miles on the weekend. For example, the Bingham plan at this stage of the plan has 40 minute runs at 65%-75% MHR, with a 6 mile long run this weekend at 60% - 70% MHR.

The Higdon plan has 4 mile runs during the week at this point in the schedule, and that continues through to the end of training (up to 5 miles on some days).

I think the Higdon plan assumes that one is running at least 10 minute miles, which I’m not yet. Therefore, when I have a 4-5 mile run, it takes a good chunk of time, not to mention that the run itself feels more like a ‘long’ run for me considering that it takes me over an hour to run 5 miles still. So I sometimes feel like I have 3 “Long Runs’ a week, and then add in two cross training sessions and I am working pretty hard.

If don’t switch to ‘effort based’ training now, I will burn out quickly (as I started feeling this week), or worse, get injured. So my two runs during the week will now be 40 minute runs (or 50 when the schedule calls for it) at 65% -75% MHR, which for me now is 135-147 bpm.

Over the weeks I will likely start covering more ground in 40-50 minutes – like I did today for example. I stopped at 40 minutes, and even though I didn’t quite cover 4 miles, I knew based on my average heart rate that I had a good run with a good sustained effort that is building my aerobic base. The main thing is that there should be a distinct difference between training runs during the week, and the endurance run on the weekend. That line has gotten a little blurry for me lately.

This weekend I have a 6 mile run at 60-70% MHR, so it will be a true SLOW endurance run for me – not my ‘third-run–of- the-week- that- is- over- one- hour- long’.

The biggest point that Bingham drives home in his training philosophy is that it doesn’t really matter how many miles you cover in training for a half/marathon, as long as the effort relative to *YOU* is there, and of course, you include the gradually increasing long endurance run once a week. I never really understood or bought in to this theory until this week. I have been determined to cover the miles that the ‘plan’ says I should run, but really, the focus should be on the effort and efficiency of my runs – training my heart to get me through the distance on race day. And then of course, one day a week I will train my mind and legs to get me through those miles on race day too.

So this week I have learned (again) that rest is good and leads to better runs, and also, I finally understand what effort based training is all about and why that makes more sense for me right now.

Happy Weekend to all, and to all good long runs! ;-)

Gadgets Galore and Training Updates

RANDOM RANT
I am still without a computer at home – this virus really took a pretty good hold on my hard drive! My work buddy is still working on it in between obviously more important projects. However, the withdrawal is setting in around the household though, and everyone is getting CRANKY without their computer!

In the meantime, my Grace was lucky to be in the right place at the right time on Saturday and ended up getting her first cell phone…so she is quite happy with her new toy and has not really noticed that she is missing ‘Penguin Land’ or whatever that crazy site is she’s always visiting online.

I am all too aware of how reliant we’ve become on technology in general….in my home we have: 5 televisions, a PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, a Nintendo DS, a computer, a GameBoy, 4 cell phones, 1 Blackberry, a PSP, 1 iPod, 2 Sony MP3 players, 2 digital cameras, one photo printer…..this is a sad state of affairs if you ask me!

*sigh* It used to all be so simple! Now my whole life, (work and home) revolves around my computer and other gadgets, and everyone else’s gadgets…I guess being without a computer at home for a few days is a bit of a wake up call. As a kid, I literally left the house in the morning, popped home once in awhile to check in, and was off again – I had not one gadget. My BIKE was my only ‘gadget’. It served a useful purpose. Now, kids (and grown ups!) have all this STUFF. I have all this STUFF. Stuff that we rely on more than we care to admit!

TRAINING UPDATES
I had a great weekend with training. Friday evening I ran 3.5 miles outside – it wasn’t the most stellar of runs, but as always, I felt great at the finish. I was on a sort of unfamiliar sidewalk in the dark, so I couldn’t see well. I was running into the wind for more than half the run…it was just, ‘ok’. I came home a bit grumbly in a general sense that it was a crappy run, and Mike says, 'well then why didn't you just stop and come home?'. HA! THAT made me smile...because, there is NO stopping...that never ocurrs to me. The only stopping would be if I had an injury or pain. Other than that...you just do the best with what you have in you on a given day, but there is no *stopping* a run. Sure, I have cut a run short before (very rarely), but not until I am absolutely sure that I have nothing left to give for a quality run. Bumpy sidewalks and wind are not good enough reasons to *quit* which is exactly what I said to my well-meaning husband.

Saturday I headed to the gym for some cross training. I did 15 minutes of stair stepping, and 10 minutes on a bike, and then strength training. I would just like to say for the record that the BIKE kicked my BUTT. WHOA Nelly! I was thinkin’ I’d take a nice little easy spin on a bike. Ha – what do I know? So that was fun…I’m always up for a new challenge, and while I’m still trying to increase my endurance on the stepper, I think I’m going to mix it up with some bike too.

I think am ready to hook up with my trainer, Cheryl again soon. I’m ready to increase some weights and add to the routine some more. I am loving my gym and I always look forward to gym days! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now…cross train cross train cross train. It has made ALL the difference for me!

Sunday I did 5 miles and that was a great run. My new Brooks are the bomb - I am in love and I am very happy that I finally have found my shoes!

What I love even more is that I.... ME, Cyndi-who-never-ran-unless-I-had-to-for-gym-class...I was able to come to work and say 'I ran 8.5 miles over the weekend'. For FUN....WOW. Some day in the not too far future it will be double that number.

I can't wait!


Here is my plan for the week~

Monday: Strength and Stretch (did this on balance ball)
Tuesday: 4 mile run
Wednesday: Cross Train: cardio/strength
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 4 mile run
Saturday: Cross Train: cardio/strength
Sunday: 6 mile run

A great week to all ~

Weekend Pre-Game! Woot!

I will be leaving my computer at work today in the hands of one of my trusty co-workers who will be working to remove the lovely 'Sasser' virus that has invaded my hard drive. Thank goodness I have my Blackberry so I can keep up comments and my FaceBook friends and at least READ blogs. (It's hard to blog via Blackberry.....)

So this is a quick post to wish everyone a happy 'Spring Forward' weekend, and good weather for outside runs for everyone! I am looking forward to it, starting with a run this evening and then again tomorrow afternoon......

....in my NEW Brooks Glycerin 7's which were delivered to me today! Yippee! And guess what? I LOVE them...I of course had to put them on and do some 'laps' around my office ( I suddenly found all sorts of errands I needed to do away from my desk ha ha) and I am just thrilled with them and can't wait to run tonight! They fit my foot perfectly, the cushion is perfect and the feel broken in and flexible already. There's like a little 'spring' to them when I push off...they are like pillows I am not kidding. I know now what a new shoe is SUPPOSED to feel like, and all of you who told me they should feel great the second you put them on? Of course, you were right!

I have also downloaded BimActive to my cell phone and can't wait to try it out. I ran it while walking to catch my train from work yesterday and this is really quite a nifty little program! It showed my pace/distance/time etc. It also calories burned, you can get weather details, view maps and of course upload and share from a website. I also feel good about having my cell phone with me now when I run.

I have 3.5 miles tonight, cross training tomorrow and 5 miles on deck for Sunday. Depending on the weather (rain) I may flip flop XT and the long run.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Show and Tell

It's all about multi-tasking, building fitness in to your daily routine...we are all about running gear and gadgets around here, but I've recently come across some other cool gadgets that have gotten my interest!

I've become good friends with my Balance Ball lately. It's always a good workout when the ball is involved. In fact, my hubby - who was quick to tease and jest when I first bought that ball - is now using it himself for some of his 'ab work'. He refuses to say 'core', so we'll just let him say 'abs' - as long as he's doing it I don't really care what he calls it ha ha. But I digress.....

Then there are stories like this where we see students in a classroom sitting on the balance ball! I remember when Chris was very young - probably at about 2-3 years old, so let's say 15 years ago...his physical therapy consisted of a LOT of work on a balance ball. Back then, this was something you only saw in a medical setting. Recently, I have caught Chris sitting on it while watching tv....he is drawn to it for some reason...if memory serves me correctly, it's something related to 'proprioceptive input'. (sensory input that relates to feeling where your body 'is' in space). It makes him 'feel' grounded and balanced.

Then I came across THIS:

Imagine having THAT as a desk chair? (I seem to remember a certain blogger who experimented with this concept). I need this! I really think I could pull this off in my office too...hmmmm...

Having a chair like that would be the ultimate in 'multi-tasking', as would having THESE:These are called FitFlops.

Product Features
FitFlop midsoles incorporate patent-pending micro-wobbleboard technology, to give you a workout while you walk.
FitFlops work your bum muscles more.
FitFlops have been shown to have a significant effect on the toning muscles of your thighs.
FitFlops make it easier to stay in shape.
Every step you take in your FitFlops helps tone and trim your legs.






I would luv me some FitFlops in my Easter basket! Again, more multi-tasking fitness, reminiscent of Dr. Sholls sandles.

Remember these things? (again, here I am giving away my age) You know something is wrong when people think basically walking on WOOD will give you toned and firm legs. Right. FitFlops will be way more comfortable!






And my final show and tell....this is something I am researching to see if it's worth it. You all know my ongoing frustration with my Garmin 50, and apparently I am not alone in this based on reviews I've seen online and from other bloggers. My foot pod keeps going in and out on me. I am now researching BIM ACTIVE. This program can be downloaded to a cell phone and tracks distance, pace etc. and then uploads for sharing and logging. I never carry my cell while running and I should (I haven't gone very far yet ha ha), and this way I could listen to my OWN music, obsess over my data and have my phone for emergencies! The downside is that the service is $5.99 a month or $72 bucks a year. So I'd have to weigh that against just getting an upgraded Garmin...*sigh* like I said before, I really will need a part time job for all these 'investments'.

In running news....I had a slow not-so-great 3 mile run last night. Had to cut it 1/2 mile short. I've had some sort of stomach 'thing' going on since the weekend and I feel ok, but my stomach seems to still revolt after I eat anything. It was one of 'those' runs that I just got through, logged it and moved on!

I have new shoes coming in the mail! Brooks Glycerin 7's. I can't wait~ This is a neutral cushioned shoe rather than the stability Asics. Hopefully my next post will be a love-fest over my new kicks! (I feel like the Bachelor....first I loved my Asics but then changed my mind and decided to profess my love for Brooks....)

Ba-da-DUM!


Cheers!

Everybody's talkin' about....

Obama's Arms.

There is a lot of talk in the media about obvious things like Michelle Obama's fashion, her 'new hairdo' and all those things that come with being a new First Lady'. Now the focus in recent days has been on her fabulously toned arms. I am thrilled about this focus.

What I am shocked by (or maybe not so much) are the nay-sayers that are apalled by her 'showing of skin', and that wearing a sleeveless outfit in the middle of February is downright 'showing off'.

Well all I can say is, if MY arms looked that fabulous even though I was juggling motherhood, a presidential campaign, moving half way across the country, a new pet, oh , and being the FIRST LADY all with a smile on my face and a calmness within my soul....

I would dayum well be proud of those arms and I would go sleeveless every chance I could. Screw the temperature!

Our First Lady is strong, confident and yet stunningly graceful. Who could ask for a better role model for our girls growing up today? For that matter, for grown women to aspire to as well?

Those women who are blasting Michelle Obama for showing 'too much skin' need to go sit down.

Puh LEEZE...