Week 12--Check!

Race Day is only 52 days away!  While it may SEEM like there's a lot of time, in reality I know these next few weeks are going to fly by.  Week 12 felt a little bit stronger than Week 11, but I'm still feeling a little tired.  I haven't been settling into the paces that had become the norm for the first half of training as easily (or at all) and it's been a little discouraging.  I think as Race Day approaches I'm just going to have to keep reminding myself that I've put in a lot of hard work and to trust my training.

Tuesday night I hit the 'mill and while it wasn't my fastest 5 miles it felt significantly better than last weeks' did.  I tried to just relax and enjoy my beloved Wait! Wait! podcast and soon I was done.

On Thursday I did the 15 minute Nike Training Club "Butt Buster" workout followed by some various ab and arm exercises I did at random.  Whatever they were they must have done something because my abs were SO sore on Friday! I guess that's what happens when you neglect them for so long.  Oops.

Saturday made me one happy girl because there was a ton of sunshine!  Maddux and I headed out to one of our favorite parks and while we froze our butts off (it was in the low 20s and pretty windy!) we got almost an hour hike in thanks to the shield from the trees.  I loved watching my pup have such a great time!  After I warmed up for a while I bundled up and headed to another of our favorite parks to get in a 5 mile run.  Even though it was cold, it was just too pretty outside to do a treadmill run.  While it took my body quite a while to get warmed up, my last two miles ended up being right around where my pace had been for weeks and the miles seemed to go by really fast despite the cold.

I really love this place.

Sunday was another sunny day!  I had an 8x800 workout on the plan and at first figured I would do them on the treadmill to be sure that I would hit the paces that I needed.  I hated the thought of running inside (especially since it was warmer than Saturday!) and remembered that my Garmin has a virtual pacer option on it.  I had never used it before and wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it ended up being a great tool.  While I'm not sure I'd use it during a race (I could never get it QUITE right and it beeped.  A lot.) I will definitely use it for my upcoming intervals.   It was really nice to have a good, strong workout and I was proud of how well it went.  After a quick nap, Maddux and I headed to the park and got in a nice walk.  He got lots of compliments from a family walking their dog about how cute and well behaved he was.  So proud of my boy!

Today marks the start of Week 13 (I do my weeks Monday-Sunday) and while I would typically take a rest day after a harder run, I knew I had to take advantage of the last sunny, warm day we're supposed to have for a while.  I took a nice easy 5 mile run around my neighborhood and while my quads screamed at me for the majority of it, it was nice to have it checked off.  After a quick shower, Maddux and I headed up to Baltimore to meet up with my cousin and her husband to explore the Soldier's Delight park, one of the trails in our Doggin' Maryland book.  We had a nice, muddy hike and it was a great way to end the long weekend!

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Baby, it's Cold Outside!

Ohhhh my goodness.  I'm not sure I'm going to survive this winter.  The weather reporters are calling this nonsense a polar vortex, which makes it sound about a million times worse than if they just said "freakin' cold."

After I snapped the picture, it dropped to 3 degrees.  I think it was mocking me.
Also, I do wear my seatbelt, I was just waiting for the car to warm up.

Driving back home from Alabama I was none too pleased to see the snow and ice piled up alongside the road, but didn't think too much of it.  Then, on Saturday I geared up for my usual 45 minute run.  I didn't feel like dealing with the treadmill because I really didn't have time to wait around if they weren't available (my nice friend and I had a work event to go to that evening) and since the main roads were mostly clear I figured I would just give it a shot outside.  I would have loved to seen what I looked like attempting to run outside as I'm sure it was quite the sight to see!  While my pace was slow, I definitely worked up a sweat trying to stay on non-slippery areas of the road.  Pretty sure I looked like a track star jumping hurtles of ice.

On Sunday I was forced to the treadmill to do my 6x800 workout.  My nice friend and I headed to a trail that has a nice half mile loop, but it was still completely iced over.  Perhaps my repeats would have been faster had I been able to slide the whole way, but we just weren't in the mood to find out.   I was a little disappointed that I had to stay indoors because I was dying to try out my new running pullover I got for Christmas.  It's made for running in colder weather and is super warm.  I actually ended up changing my long sleeve shirt I was wearing out for a tank top because I figured I would probably be roasting after cranking up my speed for my run!  Despite everything, my workout ended up going really well and I felt strong the whole time.  I think it helped a little that I made a brand new workout playlist (new phone = time to mix it up).  10 weeks down without missing a run!  Officially less than 11 weeks until race day!

Thumbholes and a fleecy inside. Sounds perfect for this cold weather!

I have a feeling I will be sticking to the 'mill for the majority of my miles this week, but I am really hoping the trails are clear (and it doesn't feel like negative anything) for my 10 miler on Sunday!  


*PS: If anyone is thinking of registering for ZOOMA Annapolis (or any 2014 ZOOMA race), you can get a free tech tee if you do it before January 17 and enter the code Tee14.  I got the bonus shirt with my registration last year and LOVE it.  Last year's has a nice slim fit and is really comfortable.  I wear it to the gym all the time.

Happy running!

 

Slow Motion

The past week has been a little crazy.  I was excited to head to my parents' house on Friday to spend time with my family for Mother's Day and the week went by surprisingly fast leading up to it.  I seriously have the best mom in the world and I couldn't have asked for a better weekend with the family.

This is not from this weekend, but gives you a picture of the best mom ever.

I only made it out the door to run once (the time flies when I'm with my family), but those hills kicked my butt.  It may have been from the massive blueberry pancakes I had earlier in the day, but I kept catching a cramp.  It was hard to want to be outside because it was so dreary and was misty the whole time.  I finished a slow 3.1 miles and then called it a day.  Even though my run was less than stellar, I did get a couple good walks in over the weekend.  One of the benefits of having three dogs around means that we have exercise time built into our days.  On Sunday we timed our walk on the trail around Happy Hour at Starbucks so that we could take advantage of the last day of half priced fraps!

Happy Frappies come with gangsta' names.  You can call me Linzle.

This week is going to be another busy one, but I started it off with a run on the 'mill.  While it was pretty nice out today, I really wanted to do some intervals and I push myself so much harder when I'm doing them on the treadmill.  It's that whole if I can't make it another step I just have to crawl back to my apartment thing.  Plus I really needed some water close by.  It has been way too long since the half mile repeats have made an appearance in my life.  I laughed at one point because I felt like I was really flying and I looked over at the mirror and it looked like I was hardly moving at all!  Talk about slow motion.  Oh well.  I ended up doing 3 miles of total running.  Half a mile of warm up and cool down with 4x800 in between.  I walked for 3 minutes after each repeat which made each one significantly less painful than it would have been had I forgone the breaks.  

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Outside Running and Punkin' Ale

The past week every time I went to write, I realized that there was nothing really exciting to say.  I now have two weeks of work back under my belt and it is still taking some getting used to.  Waking up at 5:30 sucks.  I miss my old routine of drinking coffee until I felt like eating and then eating whenever I felt like it throughout the day.  I also really, really miss running at whatever time of the day suits me.

That said, I love my job and I'm thankful to have one.  I just wish summer would stick around a little longer or at least come back to visit from time to time.  I am secretly ready for fall.  I think it might be my favorite season.  Last week I saw the happiest tweet.

I've only been twice this week.  It's totally fine..

Punkin' Ale is back!  I can't think of a better way to end the first week of work.  My nice friend went and drank beer with me and refused to be jealous when the really old singer of the band winked at me.  He says he doesn't feel that the band member was true competition, but it's more likely that he wishes someone would come and whisk me away so he doesn't have to deal with all my craziness ;-)

Last week I ran 3 times (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday).  It's looking like that will be my schedule again this week.  I had originally planned to run on Fridays, but I am going to have to find some motivation from somewhere because the past two it has not happened.  I think once pretty fall days come around I will be more inclined to get out there.

The good news is that I've been taking my runs outside!  Last Wednesday, Saturday, and this Wednesday I have gone on loops around my neighborhood.  They have been slow, but I haven't had to stop once!  It has been such a confidence boost to be able to just go out and run again without completely wanting to die.  Last Sunday I did 6x800s on the treadmill with a half mile warm up run and  a little over a mile of cool down.  I forgot to start my Nike+ a few times (boo) so I can't say what my times are for sure, but it felt really strong!  I'm really digging these intervals.

Tomorrow I am doing a local race (yay $25 dollar entry fees!).  Hopefully I will be able to say that I met my New Year's resolution of PR-ing in a 15k.  Tomorrow (or Monday, let's be real) you will get a full race recap.  Until then, have a happy weekend!

Like I could really go a whole post without putting a picture of my sweet baboo up.  Come on, people.

Return to the Blog

I think Maddux is feeling a little sad today.

We've had an incredibly busy past couple weeks filled with amazing family and friends and now that summer is officially winding down and we're back to our quiet life, I think he's a little lonely.

If I explained EVERYTHING that has been happening lately, we would be here forever, but basically, this has been a summer of reunions.

I kicked it off with a quick visit to my old college town on my way to a good friend's wedding.  I got to go to my favorite Mexican restaurant and was lucky enough to get to meet up with my best friend and my roomie through all four years of college and her boyfriend, who is a really great guy.

The chip is the real star of this photo.

Although this visit was much quicker than I would have liked, it was great to see them.  It's nice to know that lots of time can go in between visits, but it feels like nothing has changed when we are together.  I was surprised to see how much my school has changed in the few years since I have been gone!  The building I spent the majority of my time in was completely gone!  I might have to make a longer trip soon so I can really explore. 

I finished off the trip by celebrating Jack and Lindsay's wedding with a lot of good friends.  The happy couple's wedding was gorgeous, and I think everybody had a great time dancing the night away.  I was actually a little sore the next day!  My dancing shoes definitely need to make it out more often ;-)

A reception is not complete without a steering wheel.

When I got back from the wedding, Maddux and I rushed off to Pittsburgh to celebrate my dad's birthday.  What better way to celebrate than with a Pirate's win and a Church beer?  I managed to get a couple of workouts in while at my parents' house.  On Tuesday, we went to a park with our pups for a picnic and my dad and I played frisbee with my sister's dog, Barley.  We also decided to practice our Olympic gymnast skills by using a tree as a vault and balance beam.  I'm sure fellow park goers were very impressed with our skills.  

See ya in Rio, Olympics!

After our intense frisbee game, I did my elliptical interval workout, except I only lasted for 30 minutes.  The intensity of my parents' elliptical is crazy tough!  I think I grossed my family out with how incredibly sweaty I was after that short of a workout.  Wednesday night, I ran 3 miles on the hills in the neighborhood.  I was surprised at how good I felt.  The hills didn't seem as bad as they sometimes can.

On Thursday my sister and I said goodbye to my parents and she came back with me to help me out a little before I have to get back to work.  We were lucky enough to get to see our brother's wonderful girlfriend and her sister, a good friend from high school and his son, and my cousin and her new husband!  In between all the eating and festivities I managed to squeeze a run in (I did 30 minutes with some intervals thrown in), but I really just focused on enjoying time with my company and soaking up the last few days of summer.  I figured spending time with people I don't get to see too often was more important than sticking exactly to my training plan.  I made up my intervals today and after a .25 mile warm up did 8 half mile repeats with three minutes of walking in between each.  At first, they felt really tough, but after about 5 of them I finally managed to get into a groove and was able to push myself.  Funny how I can feel a lot stronger at the end that I can at the beginning.  I covered 4.25 miles in 35:58.  Not too shabby :-)

I'm off the rest of the day to finish my book so I can start a new one! I just bought the book Gone Girl (No joke, I was #672 on my library's waiting list for it!!) and can't wait to lie by the pool the next couple days with it!

I Made a New Friend!

Today Maddux decided we should get up at 7am, an hour and a half earlier than I set my alarm.  After a quick walk and breakfast, he went promptly to the couch.  Guess he didn't want us to miss any more of the Olympics.

Lookin' good, USA

Today, no lies, is a rest day.  I kicked it off by volunteering with Maddux's mothership, which is where I met my new friend!

Meet Bama :-)

Bama is a sweet, sweet girl and I had so much fun hanging out with her today while she waited to find her forever home.  While she was really nervous around new people (there was A LOT going on, who could blame her?), we quickly became besties.  Even though I love getting to love on the adoptable dogs when I volunteer, I'm always thankful to be back with my pup when I get home.

Maddux, you are OBVIOUSLY my #1

Yesterday I took my speed work to the treadmill.  I was nervous to do it outside after my less than stellar outdoor runs this week, plus I knew that I would be able to push myself to meet my times if I was on the 'mill.  You know, run or fall off.  

My ~55 minute workout looked like this:

1.0 incline

.5 mi warm up at 6.3 

.5 mi 7.1 (3 minutes of walking between each interval)

.5 mi 7.1

.5 mi 7.2

.5mi 7.1-7.2 

.5 mi 7.2

.5 mi 7.2-7.6

.65 mi cool down 6.3

~4.15 miles of running total in 35:11

I was really happy with my effort.  It felt hard, but strong the entire time.  I'm actually surprised at how the intervals kept my interest.  I didn't get bored and it was fun pushing myself.  Hopefully this will come in handy on race day :-)

On a more random note, remember that time I made homemade granola?  Well, I found a recipe that I like more AND it was much easier to make.  

Browned, not burnt

Basically, you melt 2 tbsp of honey and 2 tbsp of peanut butter together, mix in 1 cup of oats, 1/4 tsp of vanilla, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, and bake at 325 degrees for 7-8 minutes on a greased cookie sheet.  No constant stirring required.  Thanks Julie at PB Fingers for making my life better!  Your recipe rocks.

I'll leave you with another picture of the love of my life since I talked about another dog probably more than he would like.  Hope you're having a happy weekend!

The Need for Speed

Exciting news: I did my first speed workout yesterday!  My training plan called for 4 x 800s and to be honest, I was really nervous about this.  I recruited my nice friend to run with me because I knew if I was wearing my watch then I would stare at it the whole time and psych myself out.  I also figured I would push myself harder if I had someone there with me.  I know that 4 isn't a whole lot, but it was a great way to ease into this new element of my training plan and I'm really happy with my effort.  It went so much better and my confidence is definitely up.  It helps that my friend volunteered to do some of the other workouts with me.  I find a loop on the trail I run on that is .5 miles (convenient) and it ends on a nice flat surface.  It makes workouts much more entertaining having a good friend and a good location.  

Here's how the workout went:

.5 mile warm up: 4:45
.5: 4:00
Walk 3 minutes
.5 mile: 4:05
Walk 3 minutes
.5 mile: 4:05
Walk 3 minutes
.5 mile: 3:58
Walk 3 minutes
Cool down until my Nike+ watch said 3 miles, but I'm pretty sure it was a little over that.
Total (according to Nike+): 3.05 in 27:11.

Not bad.  I know for a lot of people an 8 mile pace is not a challenge.  My training plan officially said "half mile repeats 15 seconds faster than goal pace."  My goal race pace is realistically a 9:35-9:40.  I'll be really happy if I can hold that down for 13.1 miles and I'm pretty sure that I will be able to PR if I can do that (AH!).  My friend encouraged me to run faster because in his words "you need to push if you want to be your best."   Good point, Friend.  Thanks for running with me.  By the end of my plan I  have to do 6 miles worth of repeats.  Whoa.  I'm hoping those with my increase in miles and by building up (it's one extra mile each time, every other week) that I will be able to keep hitting these faster paces.

That's the news on the running front!  I was sore today so I did my yoga DVD instead of anything hardcore.  I'm planning on going out and running tomorrow.  Gotta start the week off right. :-)