Training Day 1: Starting All Over Again!

Date: 30 June 2008 / Distance: 4.12 mi walk + 1 mi run / Time: 1 hr 26 min + 8:11

Today marks the beginning of my official half marathon training! I was supposed to run my 1 mile "Fun Run" yesterday, but I had to delay it by a day. My dad is in town and we went deep sea fishing near the Coronado Islands yesterday. I still had "sea legs" after I got off the boat yesterday evening. I didn't think it would be a good idea to run. I think I would have been zig-zagging all over or possibly running around in circles. Today, I walked my normal running route with my dad and then ran the 1 miler on the treadmill. The weather in SD is breezy today, but running in the sun is still a little too intense for me.

Feeling Good

I went for a run today around 4pm. I decided to take it slow and just run at a slow comfortable pace. I ran 4.6 miles and it felt good the whole way. Today was the OB street festival so I smelled burritos, funnel cake, and hot dogs in the air as I ran. There were lots of people on the sidewalks too, which made for good people watching. I put a new cd on my Ipod, MGMT. Not sure if anyone has heard of them but they have about 4 really good songs. Check them out on youtube.com. I have the cd, so I can make you a copy running girl for your ipod. With the long distance that we are going to be running we will need a lot of good tunes to keep us going.
Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Goofing Off!

Date: 24 June 2008 / Distance: 4.00 mi / Time: 33:11

Ha ha! I sloppily finished the first training schedule. I've since been on a sabbatical from my training. I've run a couple 4 milers, but otherwise, I've been avoiding running like the plague by playing tennis, beach cruising, doing handstands and canon balls in the pool, and vacuuming my condo. And YES, I do consider all of the aforementioned non-running activities bona-fide, legitimate, sport exercises (thank you very much!). I rediscovered surfing last night. I rediscovered that I stink at surfing too. BUT, I've decided to take some surfing lessons because I think it's a pretty darn good cross-training activity. Yay - if I get good enough at surfing, I'll never have to step on the elliptical trainer ever again! Anyhoo, I start my official training schedule this Saturday! Hope everyone is getting excited for the big race!

Hot Hot Heat

Betsy and I went for a 4 mile run today. We left my house at ten am, about halfway through the run we both felt sick. We had to walk for part of the way to avoid getting heat stroke. It was way to hot out!!Lesson learned, we need to go earlier or later in the day. Since our friend lives in the neighborhood we thought next time we could drop by her house for a water break. She could leave a cooler outside her house so if she is not there we can still grab a drink of water.
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

Bellybuster Run......

After gorging myself on hamburgers, hot dogs , and beers at our client summer picnic, I went for my daily run. BAD IDEA!! My stomach was not happy to be running 4.3. miles in the warm SD weather after a feast like that! I kept burping! If Yankee Candle had a scent of my burps it would be called 'Summer's Picnic'. I am sure Running Girl is thankful that she was not next to me during that run.

TD 108-109

hoo hoo! Yesterday I ran 4 miles at the gym. I actually made it the whole way without walking! I think my time was about 38:30. Then I did my strength circuit.

Today I'm planning to do my 60 minutes of cardio on the elliptical, and then go home and finish packing for the beach! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Training Day 105: Freestyle Training! 4 Miles

Date: 18 June 2008 / Distance 4.00 mi / Time: 34:16

The weather has been a little muggy this week.  I decided to run on the treadmill in the nice, air-conditioned gym.  I felt good running - I was sweating profusely though.  I'm glad I was the only person in the gym.  I still have that sweat spraying problem.  Because I was the only person in the gym, I went ahead laughed out loud and made outlandish comments whenever I wanted to while watching Jon Stewart.

921OB WHOOOOOOOOOOO?????????

Hey guys! The super slacker is BACK for good! Sorry I bailed on our TEAM TRAINING. I do feel bad and I am not in shape to run this race. Monday I ran 2 miles, Tuesday I walked 3 miles and Wednesday I rant 2.5 miles. It is not far but its a start to creep back into the swing of things. I definitely missed running and achieving new goals each week when I was not on the training schedule. I have to catch up on the blog and see what you guys have been up to.

Days 106 & 107

Monday was a 3-mile run per the schedule. I was planning to run at least 4, but I barely got through the first quarter mile before I felt this overwhelming sense of fatigue and had to stop and walk for a little bit. I almost thought I would give up on the run altogether and just walk the whole thing, but I forced myself back into a run and completed the 3 miles, though my body felt really awkward and jerky and I did stop to walk again another 2 or 3 times. I probably ran about 2.5 of the 3 miles, and then walked another half mile. Kind of a bummer, but I'm considering the next 2 weeks freebies anyway, so whatever. I'll play lots of tennis at the beach to make up for it :)

Today I've got a bunch of errands to run and a dentist appointment to go to, but will probably do a bit of yoga and maybe take a walk before it gets too hot. Upper 90s all week--yikes!

Training Day 100 - 104: Zip Dee Do!

Date: 14 June 2008 / Distance: 2.01 mi + Tennis + Yoga / Time: 15:17 + 60:00 + 60:00

Date: 16 June 2008 / Distance: 4.04 mi / Time: 34:57

Nothing new to report.

I think I'm enjoying running in the mornings a lot more.  For the last few weeks when I've run around 4 pm, I've felt really sluggish and generally unmotivated.  This morning, I felt GREAT!

Big thanks to ssssaffron for sending me her Yoga for Women video!

Training Day 104: Long Run

My long run this week was supposed to be 3 miles, followed by 2 more on Sunday, so I just combined the two so that I could take Sunday off.

Warm-up: stretch, bike ride to the gym
Run: 5 miles @ just under 50:00
Cooldown: 1/2-mile walk
Finished up my strength circuit from Thursday

For the next two weeks I'm just going to repeat this past week, and then start the beginners' schedule all over on June 28. I'll be at the beach but will do my best to fit in my runs alongside all the maxing and relaxing!

Day 103: Power Yoga

Holy crap. I've been doing "regular" yoga for a while, but power yoga is a whole different animal. Rodney Yee, who led the workout, is a maniac. Swan dive to standing forward bend! Bounce back to downward-facing dog! Now jump to push-up position! He's like a crazy cartoon character who never just steps or walks when he can jump or bounce. I was able, sometimes just barely, to follow most of the routine, but I tried three times and just cannot do upward bow pose. I've never been able to do back-bends like that--something about them scares me and makes me feel like my spine is going to snap. I've never been able to do cartwheels either. Anyway, it was a good workout, I've definitely never sweated so profusely with any other yoga routine, and my legs are really feeling the after-effects of holding "Warrior II" for like 3 minutes at a time. Sheesh!

Day 102

Cross-training day!

60 minutes of cardio on the elliptical
5-minute cooldown
Strength circuit

This was a loooooooooooong elliptical session. My feet were feeling numb toward the end. I was watching Martha Stewart do something crafty but then some dude changed the channel right in the middle of the show. For some reason I didn't even protest. Then I kind of watched Mandy Moore on the Rachael Ray show on one of the other TVs for a little bit. RR made Mandy slice a shallot and Mandy clumsily complied, almost taking off her own fingers in the process. Kids today!

Training Day 99: 3 Miles - Boooring!

Date: 11 June 2008 / Distance: 3.02 mi / Time: 24:54

I decided to avoid the treadmill today.  I ran my normal flat course outside.  It was a pretty boring run.  I came home, drank water and then stuffed my face with two shrimp tacos, rice and beans.  I don't think I even chewed.  ha ha!

Day 101

4 miles @ 40:00; 1/4-mile walk. Pretty standard. Still have some pain in my left knee; I'm going to ice it for the next couple of days and see how it feels on Friday.

Training Day 100!!!

Wow--100 days of training! I was in pretty good shape before we started training, but I can definitely see a marked improvement just between March and now. I'm the most fit I've ever been in my life and it feels amazing!

My workout today:

Warm-up: 15 minutes on the inclined elliptical
Run: 3 miles @ 28-something
Cooldown: 1/4-mile walk
Strength circuit

I don't think I would have been able to do that run without warming up on the elliptical first; my calves were still feeling super tight from tennis. The run itself was pretty easy/standard, but now I'm feeling pretty tired and sort of nauseated and headache-y. I'm also craving a big fat juicy hamburger.

Today's run is dedicated to Running Girl on the momentous occasion of her 32nd birthday!!! Hope you had a great day!

Training Day 98: I Need a Personal Waterboy

Date: My Barfday / Distance 6.00 mi / Time: 55:35

Whoa.  I wanted to do 6 miles at a 9 or 10 minute/mile pace, perfect for a leisurely run.  No - it was not a leisurely run.  At mile 1.5, I wanted to throw myself off the treadmill.  I felt so fatigued and dehydrated.  At mile 2, I really wanted to stop running.  My entire body felt parched, my head was hurting and dizzy.  I decided I would skip my long run and just to do 4 miles at about mile 2.5.  I couldn't stop thinking about drinking water.  At mile 4, I decided to run 5 miles because I was watching a funny segment on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.  I didn't want to miss the punchline.  At mile 5, I decided to run 6 miles because I was watching a funny segment on The Colbert Report and I didn't want to miss the end of it.  At mile 6, I stopped and kicked the treadmill on my way out.  Right now, I am chugging water.

Day 99

After a weekend chock-full of long walks and extreme tennis, I decided I'd earned a break on Monday, especially after getting up at 4:45 am. I should have done a 3-mile run, but instead I did a scant 30 minutes of yoga and then ate my entire box of French Laundry souvenir chocolates. Their deliciousness was worth the splurge. I've definitely got to get back into playing tennis more regularly--my thighs were experiencing soreness in places I'd forgotten even existed. I'll make up for my missed run today; it's another easy week as I'm on the very last week of the beginner's schedule. Starting Sunday, the practice run is over and it's on to the real thing!

Day 96

Instead of getting up super early on Saturday I decided to move my long run to Friday. I had a 4-6 miler and was thinking I'd just run 4 because time was tight and plus my left knee's been hurting a bit this past week. I've really been neglecting my stretching/warm-up and I think the knee's paying the price. Anyway, it's amazing how easy it is to continue to push myself forward by thinking I'll just go one more mile, one more mile. I did the whole 6 and was really glad I did, though my ipod died right around the 5-mile mark and the sound of my ragged breathing and feet pounding on the treadmill wasn't nearly as melodious and motivating as my running playlist. Must...remember...to charge!!!

Training Day 94: 2 Miles

Date: 5 June 2008 / Distance: 2.08 mi / Time: 16:41

I like running 2 miles.  It takes less than 20 minutes.  I wish the half marathon was 2 miles.

This weekend, Mr. Running Girl and I are flying up the Sacramento to see Mr. and Mrs. Ssssaffron.  Ha ha ha ha!  We're going to eat, drink and be merry at the French Laundry! 

Training Day 95

Phew--I'm having an extremely hectic week. We had our floors redone on Tuesday (and part of Wednesday) and as a result my whole household is turned upside down. I intended to do a bit of yoga on Tuesday but ended up starting this crazy belated Spring cleaning project and instead just cleaned for about 48 hours straight. Yesterday I did make it to the gym and just ran an easy 5K (upped from the 2-miler that was on the schedule); today I have a bunch more errands, appointments, etc to deal with, but am planning to head back to the gym for my cross-training and strength circuit. I woke up at 3:30 this morning, however, and couldn't go back to sleep, so if I poop out I hope no one holds it against me. I am SO looking forward to a peaceful and relaxing weekend; this week has really given me a new appreciation for my normally serene and uncluttered schedule!

ETA: I made it to the gym and lumbered through my 45 minutes of cross-training and about 90% of my strength circuit (only did a single set on a couple of the machines). Then I went home and ate an enormous dinner and slept like a baby for the first time in about 4 days. The world sure looks a lot nicer when you've gotten enough sleep!

Training Day 93: 4 Miles without a Timer

Date: 4 June 2008 / Distance: 4.00 mi / Time: ?

It's June Gloom in San Diego.  Gray, drizzly and blah.  Yesterday was Election Day in San Diego - I was busy working as a poll worker all day so I had to push my 4 miler to today.  I decided not to time my run.  I'm not sure why.  I think I just wanted to focus on the act of running today.  I tend to get preoccupied by the numbers.   Tomorrow, I have a 2 miler!  Hurray!

Day 92

Today's workout:

4 miles @ 6.8 mph/8:49 min per mile/35:10 total
Strength circuit

When I got home I happened to look at the training schedule and noticed I was actually only supposed to do 3 miles today. Whoops! I guess that kinda makes up for my shorter-than-expected run on Saturday. I've decided to take it easy on Mrs. and Mr. Running Girl this coming weekend and not turn vacation into boot camp; instead I'm just going to up my weekday runs a little bit and plan for a 4 (or maybe 6) miler this weekend :)

Training Day 91: Night Running

Date: 1 June 2008 / Distance: 4.00 mi / Time: 33:32

Yesterday, I remembered how much I enjoy running at night.  Last night, Joel and I were on the verge of skipping our runs.   However, it was pizza night and we had about an hour to kill before the dough was fully risen and ready to bake.  We decided to run even though it was pretty dark.  We ran 4 miles along the beach.  For the first 10 minutes, we ran at our normal pace.  To spice up the run, we did some speed work or "fartleks" (swedish).  We included a total of 4 speed intervals -- one minute at a full speed and 2 minutes at recovery speed.  After the fourth interval, I was pretty winded.  The final 10 minutes we returned to our normal pace and had the opportunity to relish our night running experience.  The night was cool and quiet and we had the road to ourselves.  I felt a strange strength or energy as I was running in the night.  I felt like a Nike commercial!  It was a fantastic feeling.