bring it on, Week 8!

Week 7 of training (last week):

Mon....3 miles (street)
Tues...6 miles (treadmill)
Wed....5 miles (trails)
Thurs..6 miles (Eliptical w/ arms)
Fri....Rest
Sat....7 miles (BIX RACE!)
Sun....6 miles

I didn't get a 12-mile run in like the schedule suggested...but I ran the 7 mile race on Saturday at a faster-than-training pace...so I know it "counts for more"...but I still feel bad at slacking. I did, though, run more than the 24 suggested miles this week according to Hal's novice plan....if I take out the 6 miles on the eliptical (and count that as, instead, cross-training), I ran 27 miles this week....so at least that wasn't too terrible. Not the 30-32 or so I had been doing per week....but still not terrible.

I need more time in a day to train/do homework/work/do housework! ARGH!

Bix!

We had a great time running the Bix 7 in Davenport...well, at least I did! ;) I got my best time out of the 6 times I have run it...and finally attained my under-an-hour goal! :)
I got 58 minutes and 36 seconds which put me at 2426 overall and 78th out of 955 in my age group! Top 10%! Woo hoo!!! :)
Jeremy also got his best time of 1:03:06...let me tell you what, he was pretty upset ;) about those extra 3 seconds at the end that put him ever-so-slightly over a 9 minute mile pace! ;) I am proud of him, though!! :)
However...my "long run" this weekend is supposed to be 12 miles...and I haven't exactly done that yet and the weekend is slipping away. I shouldn't slack off on the long runs, I know...but I am freaking tired and sore! Plus we are still in the QCs at my parents' house and have to make the 2 hour drive back to Bloomington soon...
Darn it all!
We'll see :). I guess if I don't get it in I shouldn't totally beat myself up for it...but I should at least do some kind of long-ish run tonight. We'll see what happens!!

trying not to keep up the slacking trend ;)

I need to head to bed, but just wanted to record that I did 6 miles (treadmill) last night and 5 miles (State Farm Park on the trails) tonight.

Woo hoo!

Slacker to the maximal power!

I haven't recorded anything since LAST Monday, July 13th! That doesn't mean I haven't been working out of course ;)....but I am sorry to report I have been slacking a bit more than I would like to have to admit! I did just get back from a 3 mile run (that was my shortest in a long time!), but I finished it with a 7:30 mile for the 3rd of the 3 miles. Lately I have been trying to run the final mile, no matter how far I've gone, the fastest of the miles of that run. It's been kinda fun to see what I have left at the end of each run! I did a short run tonight because I didn't get home from work til after 7....and Jeremy and I are going out to grab dinner together tonight (we spent the weekend apart!).

I took Sunday off, because I was in Rockford visiting friends over the weekend. I had running things with me and had every intention of sneaking away by myself for a bit to get a run or two in...but it just didn't happen. Oh well.

Saturday I did get a 7-mile run in with the Lake Run Club training group....which lends itself to an exciting (in my opinion, anyway!) little story about my run and a great man named Merlin...I'll post about that later!

Honestly, I regret to say that I can't remember what I ran last Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday! I am going to have to ponder that one and try to remember....

No way am I quitting or giving up ;), but this week has definitely not been a good one in the way of training! I WILL do better this week....work and classes beware! If I have to slack, it might be on one of YOU! ;)

Later!

Tired day...

Today was day 4 (and week 2) of the courses I am finishing up this month at ISU. I was tired after class and then work...but after a quick snack made myself go for a quick 4-mile run. I saw one of my Easter Seals kiddos riding his bike with his dad while running, which was kind of fun! :) I ran 4.5 miles and ended up running the last mile in 7:20. Whew! I am not sure what got in to me, but that felt great! Now I need to finish up some homework and hit the hay...

Week 5 down, 13 to go!

So, today marked the end of week 5 of the 18-week marathon training program. I ran with the Lake Run Club Marathon training group again at 6:30 this morning. Today's run was 10 miles for me (it is kind of a do-what-you-want type thing; many people follow either the "novice I" or the "advanced I" Hal Higdon plans so there is typically always someone there who will be running approximately what you are. Today there were 3 people running 14 miles, 8 or so doing 10, and 2 doing a few miles less). Of all of us, the 3 14 milers took the lead and set off quicker than the rest of us, 2 guys running 10 were a bit behind them, and then myself and 2 others followed not far behind that. Behind us were two additional groups of 3 or so each. So, I am not the "slowest", but definitely not the "fastest" either...I am comfortably somewhere smack-dab in the middle of the pack of the training group, which is where I like to be.

10 miles felt great today...however I had some stomach issues right around mile 3. There was a porta-potty in a park there but I refused to stop so early on. I pressed through it and stopped after we turned around and came back past the same porta-potty...around mile 6. I didn't lose my group, though, since I didn't take the water break that they did and basically sprinted between the spot I left them getting water and the spot where the porta-potty was located. Whew, relief! ;) It was a quite normal, non-notable event ;), which was nice for me...because I have DEFINITELY had my share of not-s0-normal bathroom, errr, experiences pre-diagnosis! However, today I was fine...disaster was successfully averted! In case you didn't already know...I am typically thoroughly, unabashedly open with my bathroom experiences...like it or not. The way I see it, I can't/couldn't help it: my issues are/were based on MEDICAL problems I am/was having, so I may as well get a laugh out of them! HA! Enough for now, though ;).

Now, it's time for:

Things that Annoy Me about Runners (part 12908! ;))--
Yeah, I recognize that I am probably far too impatient and far too easily annoyed. But I don't care.
Ok, so some background on the Lake Run Club thing is needed before proceeding. Basically whomever paid the $ to join this group can meet on either Saturday or Sunday mornings (or both) at 6:30 each weekend til sometime in the fall after the marathons people signed up for are done...we meet at this place called "The Triangle" in Blo-No, which is basically a spot on the Constitution Trail here in town (which is AWESOME, by the way) that forms a triangle of paths. We have water/Gatorade waiting for us at the start/finish and also at a few other places on the route as well (depending on how long the run is for that day). That part is definitely really nice. The camaraderie is also a perk...running 10+ miles by yourself can be kinda boring. However, I HATEHATEHATE all of the runner-types comparing race experiences, race times, races recently run in a really obnoxious, competitive manner. Who cares?! This is freaking Bloomington-Normal and we are not freaking Olympic-class runners or anything. I find it annoying. Maybe it's just me and my easily-annoyed personality ;). I mean, I would rather everyone just hung out and compared bowel movements...like me! ;) (I might be kidding! ;)).

I digress.

Don't get me wrong, I think I like the Lake Run Club and am glad I joined....but some of the personalities just rub me the wrong way. It's probably just because I am lacking in that athletic/competitive drive gene. ;)

Mileage this past week:
Monday: 0 (nice car mishap after class/work forced me to miss the gym/run)
Tuesday: 6 miles
Wednesday: 65 minutes elliptical (crosstraining; we'll call this 6 miles since it did on the elliptical)
Thursday: 3.5 miles
Friday: 0 (too lazy to get up before work ;), and we had a wedding in the pm)
Saturday: 6 miles
Sunday: 10 miles
Total: 31.5

OH, today I also broke in a new pair of shoes during the run. I wore my new blue and white Adidas Zoom shoes during the 10 mile run and they felt great. My former shoes were definitely past their prime and had been worn for 300+ miles. I broke them in the day before the half marathon I ran in April which was 3 months ago...and they kind of had an unfortunate run-in with some, errr, bodily fluids after the Steamboat Classic a few weeks ago and subsequent harsh run-in with the hose and various scrubbing devices and have never really returned to their former glory. SO, it was time for new shoes. These new shoes were the same make/style as the previous ones, just a new color...blue this time as opposed to the cute watermelon-y pink before. I like them!

Alright, I've avoided cleaning long enough....have a great day!

Under the weather...

So I started some classes this week; I am in the final leg of a 13-month program through ISU that is training me to be better ready to serving kids who are deaf and hard of hearing. I love it...but it's a lot of work. A "marathon" in its own sense, really. I am working still, obviously, too. So, this week I have been tired. Monday I worked 7:30-9:30, attended class from 10-3:15, had some car trouble (argh!) but worked 4-6, and then dealt with said car trouble...and missed working out due to the car and tiredness. I felt like crap, for a variety of factors! Tuesday I attended class from 8:30-3:15 and then worked til about 7...I forced myself to go to the gym and ran 6 miles on the treadmill doing a variety of intervals....and FELT GREAT! I had some stomach issues before and after, though, which kinda blew. Last night I did 65 minutes on the elliptical...and tonight I hope to go for a run (weather permitting)....we'll see.
I am NOT giving up, but I have definitely felt tired and not myself this week, which is understandable given the new responsibilities for the month...but frustrating all the same. Sat. am I have this week's long run....10 miles! WOO HOO! :)
Have a great day....back to work for me! :)

Bring on week five!

So week 4 of the 18 week training program is officially over...I ran the 9 mile "long run" with the Lake Run Club this morning. It felt great! I was skeptical as to if I'd actually get up this morning after staying up kinda late the past 2 nights and waking up yesterday at 5:45 to do the Park 2 Park 5 Miler....but I did it! I ran the entire way with John, a "veteran" in the group who has done 5 marathons. We took it slow-ish and ran the 9 miles in 1 hour 27 minutes, so just under a 10 minute mile pace. I need to get it through my head that not every run has to be a "pace" run....it is important to get the miles in, even if they aren't "fast". I felt great afterwards, though. John told me as we were finishing that the key to the long runs during marathon training is that you want to feel as if you can still run a few miles when you are finished...and I definitely felt that way. Whew! ;) It was a cool, overcast morning which was definitely ideal for running! A cool breeze was present at times, but it never felt hot...which was awesome! I felt spoiled by the great running weather (but disappointed that it isn't good pool weather for the afternoon! I wanted to round out the 4th of July weekend with a visit to State Farm pool....but it's kinda yucky).

Milage the past week:
Monday--7 miles
Tuesday--0
Wednesday--0
Thursday--5.5 miles
Friday--4 miles
Saturday--5 miles (Race)
Sunday--9 miles
Total milage for week 4--30.5

14 weeks til Chicago!! :)

Park 2 Park 5 Miler

Whew! What a day! It was a rainy, overcast morning (and it still is gross here, actually)...but the race was a ton of fun!

Jillian ended up coming with me...she originally had 4th of July weekend plans, but ended up having a change of plans due to a variety of factors. She drove to Bloomington last night (she lives in Peoria) and picked up Biaggi's takeout for the two of us on her way to my house. We gorged ourselves on delicious pasta (me, GF of course!!) and Chilean sea bass (her) and chatted for a while before hitting the sack around 11:00 (a bit too late considering we had to get up at 5:45 am, but we are just little gabbers! ;)).

Jeremy had been planning on running with me, but was totally tired out from working on our basement-finishing project (he had worked from basically 8am-9pm at least on both Thursday and Friday this week on framing the basement by himself)...Jillian took one look at him last night around 9:30 and said, "You're not going to feel like running tomorrow are you?"He agreed...and she suggested that, instead of registering herself the next day that she just use his race number. He was far to glad to oblige!! ;) So, he slept in this morning while Jillian and I dragged ourselves out of bed at 5:45 and got ready.

We left around 6:15 am and drove to Fairview Park in Normal where the finish line of the race was...and waited for a shuttle bus to Miller Park where the start of the race (and packet pickup) was. There was a large group of runners waiting for the bus when we arrived at the park and we ended up not being able to take the first bus that arrived due to it filling up. The shuttle took FOREVER to return...we waited for 20 minutes or more in the cold drizzle. Apparently they had only ONE shuttle going back and forth. What the heck?! We got to the packet pickup just a few minutes before 7:30am (which was supposed to be race start time...but it ended up getting delayed a bit) and of course all of the size small shirts were gone, so we were both stuck with XL's. This, of course, brings me to one of my BIGGEST irritations with races: why does it seem like all that are ever left are XL shirts?! Are there really THAT many people who run that are XL?! I mean, COME ON!!!!!!

I got 269th place overall (out of 545 entrants) and 9th in my division (out of 32) with a time of 43 minutes, 12 seconds. My pace was 8:38, which is pretty consistent for my previous races this year (regardless of distance, it seems).

After the race we met up with our friends, Veronica and Christina, for some breakfast at CJ's. YUM! I had a delicious, filling and fatty omelet with Swiss cheese, turkey, spinach, and mushrooms...YUM!!!!

It was a fun day, all in all :). I am glad Jillian ran with me...and I know Jeremy is glad too, since it let him off the hook! It was also AWESOME that Jillian's knee didn't give her any trouble (she has a long history of competitive running and has had knee issues, unfortunately). WOO HOO!

Here's wondering now if I'll get up to join the Lake Run Club for our 9 mile run tomorrow morning at 6:30!! ;) I really need to...I will do my best to rest up (I think a nap is in order!!) and hope to join them bright and early for a nice run!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!!!

Ok, I think I've found a plan I like

I mentioned that I wasn't sure that the Hal Higdon "Novice" plan was quite right for me in my training regimine...not that I think I am super fit and a super talented runner or anything ;), but the suggested weekly milage was quite a bit lower than what I tended to do (at least in the earlier weeks of the plan). So, this morning I did some internet searching and came up with some great finds:

Hal Higdon's Home Page

Novice I Marathon Training Plan (The Bloomington Lake Run Club suggested the Novice I or Advanced I plan...I was somewhat following the Novice I plan)

Novice II Marathon Training Plan

Intermediate I Marathon Training Plan

So, I think I am going to try to do the Intermediate I training plan because I like the increased milage during the week as compared to Novice I, plus there is only 1 rest day instead of 2. We'll see how this goes ;).

Today I'm going to go on a 4 mile run, tomorrow I have the 5 mile race, and then Sunday I hope to join up with the Lake Run Club group to do the 9 mile run with the "novice" group.

Happy Fourth of July Eve! ;)

Road I.D.

I just ordered a Road I.D. ankle bracelet. Does this make me a paranoid dork?! ;) I'll let you know what I think of it when it arrives...

Happy Holiday Weekend!

I just got back from tonight's training run....5.5 miles. I haven't updated in a while and need to record miles/workouts for the past week-ish...I'll do it just like I did before:
suggested week 4 workout schedule/my actual completed week 4 workouts:

Sunday: Cross train 60 minutes/Cross train 65 minutes (elliptical @ gym)
Monday: Rest/7 mile run
Tuesday: 3 mile run/Rest
Wednesday: 4 mile run/Rest
Thursday: 3 mile run/5.5 mile run

Yet to go for week 4:
Friday: Rest/I already took my 2 rest days for the week, so I am going to do something yet-to-be-determined tomorrow
Saturday: 9 mile run/I have registered for a 5 mile race, so I will do this...and maybe do 4-5 miles later on during the day? Or, I might wait and do the full 9-mile long run with the Lake Run Club marathon group on Sunday am...
Sunday: Cross train 60 minutes/Something yet-t0-be-determined!

I think, basically, I am on the right track still. I ran on Monday instead of taking a rest day as instructed on the training program because I knew I wouldn't have time to run on Tuesday. I did 7 miles instead of the required 3 for the training program because it just felt good and I wanted to make it a long run. It was great! It was awesome weather and a really good run. Tuesday I went to a book club at my friend Jillian's place in Peoria so I took that day off. Wednesday I got home from work and felt like absolute crap and lied on the couch for a good portion of the evening...which is SO not like me. Today, I did my best to make up for 2 days off by doing a 5.5 mile run. I'm slightly over the suggested mileage for the week thus far (10 miles suggested) by having run 12.5 miles. So, I think I am in good shape :).

Honestly, I am kind of torn...I am following the "Novice" training program that the Lake Run Club suggested...the only other option was "Advanced I"...and I am definitely not advanced!! However...I am used to working out on 5-7 days per week (with an average of 6 days on "normal" weeks) for 60-75 minutes (sometimes slightly less, sometimes slightly more)....and I don't want to JUST run 3-4 miles on the assigned nights (Tues/Wed/Thurs at this point in the program) because that's like 30 minutes of cardio when I am used to 60 minutes of cardio. I don't want to GAIN weight! However, I also don't want to HURT myself by "over training"...so I am trying to basically follow the program...and take the rest days, because it has really been stressed about how important rest days are (for your muscles to gain strength, etc.).

So, I am basically following the program ;), but kind of playing it by ear as well! Let's see how this one goes! Maybe when I am done with this I'll google some "intermediate" marathon training plans to see if such a thing exists ;), I would assume that it does!

In other news...I had a crappy stomach-ache today. YUCK. It didn't seem to be gluten-related, but I am not sure what it was. It was located in the lower central area of my abdomen and just kind of annoying. Oh well. I'm still truckin'! ;)

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, all! Happy 4th of July!