cross training – This Crazy Life of Mine

Tag: cross training

05
Oct
2014

Week 10 Marathon Training

categories: Clearwater Beach, cross training, fall, friends, Hal Higdon, long run, marathon, marathon training, Novice 2, pace run, PiYo, running, Space Coast Marathon, training, weather, Week 10

Holy miles, Batman. It’s getting up there. I am on a runners’ high after this morning’s long run, so let’s get right to all the fun details of the week!

Week 10

Monday – Rest

Tuesday – 4.15 miles

Wednesday – Rest

Thursday – 8.00 miles

Friday – 4.08 miles

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – 17.35 miles

Total for Week 10: 33.58 miles

I took Monday as a rest day again and ran Tuesday instead. This finished off September and I tallied up my miles for the month…

I missed PiYo class on Wednesday, hopefully this week I get back to it. Wednesday’s run, I moved to Thursday because it was raining. We had 8 miles to do instead of 7 so we changed up our route just a little bit. I also found $6 laying on the ground while running – BONUS! Friday, I ran a solo 4 miles a little later in the morning. All 3 weekday runs were good and I ended the week feeling good about going into a new long run distance of 17 miles.

I planned out a 17 mile route and guesstimated it to take about 4 hours, maybe a little less. Amazingly, I had not nerves or jitters going into this run, I was just excited to get out there and do it. Especially since we had our first cold front come through yesterday and I knew it would be cool for this run. I was in bed by 8:45 but didn’t fall asleep until around 10. Before I knew it, the alarm was going off at 3:30am. Good grief that is early but I was ready to go. I ate pumpkin bread for breakfast, packed water and fuel, and headed to the Memorial Causeway for our 4:30am start. I planted my cooler of water in our usual spot, but we ended up not really needing it.

After feeling fantastic on our 15 mile run, I wondered how this one would feel. Maybe that 15 miles was a fluke and this one would stink. Not every run can be great, right? But, we lucked out again. It was a very cool 59 degrees when we started and no humidity. There was crazy wind but it didn’t stop us.

Corinna and I had a great run. Before we knew it, we were 2 hours into it and headed back over the Sand Key Bridge. We stopped when we passed back by the main section of Clearwater Beach to take a few photos and then kept heading north. We ran along a different street and oohed and aahed over the amazing homes before turning around and heading back again.

We realized just before mile 15 that we were about 3 minutes faster than when we did 15 miles two weeks ago and that was a huge confidence boost. Despite my lack of math skills, I calculated that we would be under my guesstimation of just 4-ish hours and that was a huge boost to finish on.

We even went a little over the 17 miles, finishing strong at 17.35 miles in 3:37:30. That is a 12:32 average pace… Ah-mazing! We even had negative splits along the way!

I never thought I could run these kinds of distances. Anything over a half marathon seemed almost far-fetched. But now, I know I can do it. I KNOW I CAN. When I’m out there running, I think about what I’m doing and how amazing it is. It makes me feel incredibly strong and healthy. I am not a fast runner and yes, I take walk breaks along the way. But I have come an incredibly long way since I started running.

And now that Week 10 is done, it’s time to move on to Week 11! Mileage for Week 11 will be 5 miles, 8 miles, and 5 miles during the week, and then 18 miles next Sunday. I am doing the Race For The Cure next Saturday so I need to decide how I’m going to work my mileage in with that.

What is your favorite part of a long run? Do you enjoy the scenery along the way or do you just keep plugging along to get the miles in?

28
Sep
2014

Week 9 Marathon Training

categories: Clearwater Beach, cross training, friends, Hal Higdon, long run, marathon, marathon training, Novice 2, pace run, PiYo, running, Space Coast Marathon, summer, training, Week 9

I am officially halfway through marathon training! 9 week down, 9 more to go. Space Coast Marathon is going to be here before I know it.

Week 9

Monday – Rest

Tuesday – 4.01 miles

Wednesday – Rest / PiYo class

Thursday – 7.04 miles

Friday – 4.12 miles

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – 13.1 miles

Total for Week 9: 28.27 miles

After running 15 miles last Sunday, my legs felt great. I was really shocked because I’ve runner fewer miles and felt it before. I was all set to do my 4 miles Monday morning, but woke up with a sinus headache and decided to do it Tuesday morning. Running with a headache is not fun at all. On Wednesday, I protested when the alarm went off at 4am and decided my 7 miles would wait to the next day. I had to listen to my body and sleep in. I did PiYo that night and then felt good and ready for 7 miles Thursday morning. On Friday, hubby was off, so I took advantage of this and slept in till 7 (heavenly!!!) and then we got our 4 miles in.

This morning, I met Corinna and Angelina at our usual spot at the Memorial Causeway. Corinna and I had 13.1 miles to do and Angelina had 7 miles to do. We all ran together until it was time for Angelina to turn around and head back and Corinna and I kept going. We changed it up a bit by running farther south. It was very muggy and humid out, but we pushed through. When we finished, Angelina was waiting for us and Caitlyn had arrived, so we all went for coffee. I’m telling you, knowing that we get that Starbucks treat when we’re all done is a real motivator.

Hubby has been out of town this weekend, so he didn’t join us this morning. He was definitely missed!

Week 10 is another bump up in mileage. During the week, I have 4 miles, 8 miles, and 4 miles. And then my Sunday long run will be 17 miles. 17 miles!!!! We have a group of us heading out at 4:30am. As always, I am so thankful for the support.

How do you prepare for the really long runs?

21
Sep
2014

Week 8 Marathon Training

categories: Clearwater Beach, cross training, friends, Hal Higdon, long run, marathon, marathon training, Novice 2, pace run, PiYo, running, Space Coast Marathon, summer, training, Week 8

Another big week for mileage AND my longest run yet. I did get a day behind due to the rain, but caught back up by Friday. I thought I would really miss having the 2 rest days back to back before my really long run but it ended up being fine. I do, however, like having the rest days to play with and move around as needed for bad weather or crazy schedules.

I say this every single week, but my gosh the weeks really are just flying by. This completed my 8th week of training with just 10 more to go.

Week 8

Monday – 4.01 miles

Tuesday – Rest

Wednesday – Rest / PiYo class

Thursday – 7.01

Friday – 4.02 miles

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – 15.00 miles

Total for Week 8: 30.04 miles

My 4 mile run on Monday was good, but my legs were pretty heavy from the 14 miles the day before. As much as I would love the rest day after a long run, I do feel like using that day for a shake-out run helps keep my legs much looser than they would be otherwise.

Wednesday evening was a blast. My friend Caitlyn taught a PiYo class at a local fitness studio in Palm Harbor (and will be there every Wednesday!). My friends Angelina and Corinna went as well. We had a great time, it was fun to be there and support Caitlyn, and it was a good class. Boy, did we feel it. I really thought I would have a hard time running 7 miles the next morning but it ended up being fine.

Friday morning we were amazingly able to get a run in before the rain started up again. So, I finished the week strong and had a rest day on Saturday, which was nice.

This morning, we got up at 4:30am. I had whole grain Eggos with apple butter for breakfast, my current fave before a long run. We were out at the causeway just before 5:30 to get started. It was a little cooler out and it felt great. I was pumped and ready to go. I had mapped out a route yesterday and knew that it would be close, maybe a little less or a little over. It ended up being exact – I could not have planned it better.

When we got to the north end of our route, we made a pit stop and walked out on the beach. It’s very quiet up there, in a residential neighborhood so it’s not touristy. It was beautiful out there. One of the many reasons I love running by the water.

I tend to have very surreal moments when I am running long distances. It’s almost like I am looking down on myself running and really, I am just amazed. Even now, after completing 10 half marathons, I am still just shocked at my love for running. And with every longer distance I run, I feel that much better about my training and tackling those 26.2 miles on November 30th. This quote is currently one of my favorites and it is SO true…

Challenge excepted! Oct. 13, 1st full marathon.

Week 9 start tomorrow and will be less mileage. I will have 4 miles, 7 miles, and 4 miles again during the week. Then next Sunday my long run will be 13.1 miles.

What is your favorite quote that keeps you going during training?

14
Sep
2014

Week 7 Marathon Training

categories: cross training, friends, Hal Higdon, long run, marathon, marathon training, Novice 2, pace run, PiYo, Run Chew Sparkle, running, Space Coast Marathon, summer, training, Week 7

Welcome to my biggest week yet for mileage! It was a decent week of running. I say decent because mid-week, I was really tired. REALLY tired. Marathon training is no joke, you guys. I knew it was going to be hard, but literally if I am not running or working, I want to be sleeping. Upping the mileage during the week has meant getting up a little earlier. On my 4 mile days, the alarm goes off at 4:45 and on the 7 mile day, it goes off at 4am. That is the hardest day of the week for me because after that run, it’s time to get ready for work.

My Sunday long runs also require waking up early, mostly because it’s still so hot and humid outside. I long for cooler, less humid temperatures. But, I’d likely still run early anyway because I do like getting it done and having the rest of my Sunday left to do whatever.

Week 7

Monday – 4.01 miles

Tuesday – Rest

Wednesday – 7.02 miles

Thursday – Rest

Friday – 4.01 miles

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – 14.01 miles

Total for Week 7: 29.04 miles

My week day runs went well, but I switched a rest day around. While I like having two rest days in a row before my long run on Sunday, I really needed to sleep Thursday morning. I also skipped Weight Watchers Saturday morning to sleep in. I felt a little guilty, but sleep won.

I did not do PiYo during the week like I had wanted just because we were so busy, but this coming week I am looking forward to live class on Wednesday. The stretching will be great!

My biggest accomplishment this week was my 14 mile long run. To date, I have never run more than a half marathon. So it was very exciting going into this long run knowing I was going into unchartered territory. After running for almost two years now, it was fun to run a distance I had not done yet.

My amazing friend Angelina had her last 20 mile training run so I decided to meet her in downtown St. Pete and run with her. My alarm went off at 3:45am and we started our run just after 5am at Coffee Pot Bayou. We ran 14 miles together and considering it was 3 hours of running, it really went by quickly. Having someone to run with makes such a HUGE difference, especially on the long runs. Angelina is just 4 weeks away from her first marathon, so when I finished my 14 miles, she kept going for another 6 miles. She inspires me so much!

I was pretty darn impressed with our pace for this long run. As I’ve mentioned before, I have not been running for speed at all. This training is all about endurance and making it through the miles safely and injury-free. So a 13:05 pace is fine with me for 14 miles.

Not to mention, we saw this incredible sunrise along the way. I am so drawn to the water and sunrises and this view did not disappoint this morning. It is so peaceful. There was also a nice breeze, almost cool at times. A tease of things to come….

All in all, I am happy with Week 7. I am happy with my choice of fuel during my long runs and I have been drinking sports water. I will do another post of fuel and hydration.

Week 8 starts dark and early tomorrow with a 4 mile run. I am a little bit anxious about it just because my legs are pretty darn heavy now from the 14 miles. In addition to the 4 tomorrow, I also have 7 on Wednesday and 4 on Thursday, and then next Sunday I’ll be running 15 miles. Only 11 weeks until Space Coast Marathon!

Do you get nervous about new longer distances or excited?

07
Sep
2014

Week 6 Marathon Training

categories: cross training, Hal Higdon, long run, marathon, marathon training, Novice 2, pace run, PiYo, running, Space Coast Marathon, summer, training, Week 6

Happy Sunday! As I sit here and type this post, I can’t believe that 6 weeks of marathon training has passed and there are only 12 to go until Space Coast Marathon. I had a bit of a surreal moment as I was running this morning, I felt like I was looking down on myself, amazed at this challenge I’ve given myself. It’s still hard to believe that I am training for this.

Week 6

Monday – 3.09 miles

Tuesday – Rest

Wednesday – 6.02 miles

Thursday – 3.16 miles

Friday – Rest

Saturday – Rest

Sunday – 9.36 miles

Total for Week 6: 21.63 miles

For the most part, this week went well. My ultimate goal is to not get hurt while training so I am trying to be very mindful of my body and listening to it when something is bothering me. There is no shame in me saying that I absolutely LOVE rest days. They are just as important as running all the miles. During our 9 mile run this morning, my knees were bothering me which never happens, so I’ll be propping my legs up today and enjoying the laziness of the rest of the day.

I see the first 6 weeks of training as a bit of a milestone. It has given me a sense of commitment and discipline to get up early and run 4 days a week. I haven’t missed a single run yet and while I don’t always want to get out up when that alarm goes off at 4 or 5 am, I do it. Training for a marathon is not just about running. It’s so much more than the physical aspect of it, it’s also a very mental thing to lace up your shoes and get out there and go even if you don’t necessarily want to. It’s building endurance and figuring out how your body tolerates different fuel and drinks. It’s about seeing how strong you are.

As I start Week 7, I will be honest when I say that I am a little bit nervous. The mileage increases on every day. Instead of running 3, 6, and 3 during the week, it will be 4, 7, and 4. And next Sunday, I will run farther than I’ve ever run before – 14 miles. It is exciting and a little scary all at once. But one thing I have is determination. I will do this.

Enjoy your day!