The Big Chill 10K COMPLETE!

4 down, 1 more to go!  And what a relief it's all going to be!  This last run was TOUGH on many levels.  First of all, it was supposed to be 2 Sundays ago but was postponed because of the nasty snow/ice/rain storm that had hit.  Which I suppose was a smart call on their end since they were just looking out for our safety but I honestly think we could have ran it and completed it before all the bad weather hit.  The last 20 mins of the run would've been a bit slippery but it was dry and clear out that morning right up until the end of the event.  So I was kinda bummed that it was cancelled.  I had really psyched myself up for the run that weekend and even made a great spaghetti and meatball dinner that Saturday night.  Plus I knew that now that it was going to be rescheduled the following Sunday I'd have to think about it for another full week, psych myself up for it again, eat more carbs and let it kinda put a damper on any real fun weekend plans.  But I did it.  Made small talk all week long about the upcoming run.  Ate another carb filled dinner Sat night and laid low for the most part saving up whatever energy I could for Sunday morning. 

Race morning.  It was cold!  The weather channel said it was going to be 37 degrees but it was probably more like 17.  It was also super overcast...gray...dreary...and there was a fresh blanket of slush on the ground from the rain/snow the night before.  Then the gunshot.  The running commenced.  The first mile felt L-O-N-G!  But the second mile felt even LONGER!!  I was exhausted at this point and was seriously terrified about being able to finish the rest of the race.  It didn't help that 2 out of the 3 mile loops were a gradual incline the.  entire.  time.  boo!  So needless to say miles 2-3 and 5-6 were the only two miles of the course that I enjoyed cause they were the downhill bits.  The second half of the race were still difficult but somewhat better since the finish was closer in sight.  Not going to lie though, I was tempted to veer off to the left to finish the 5K instead of stay going straight for another loop for the 10K.  Then at one point Vanessa did turn to me and ask me if I wanted to walk and while panting out of breath I managed to utter the words "no" back to her so we kept going finishing our 3rd 10K without walking and by managing to set new PRs!  I don't know how this happened but I was able to cut another 2 minutes and 9 seconds off of my 10K time making my new record 1:02:15!  I was super excited and happy about this especially considering how awful I felt the entire time I was running.  Just means that my time at the gym has been paying off!

We have one more race to go in our 5-Race Winter Run Series which is the Luck of the Irish Race on March 19th and then we'll finally get our sweatshirts that say we completed the series!  Sad that getting a sweatshirt that communicates that I'm now a runner has  been my motivation to complete this series but hey, it's worked and has kept me running!

As for my Half Marathon Training, I can honestly say that I've been pretty good about keeping to the schedule.  I have made slight adjustments here and there either flipping work outs, changing my rest days and because that 10K was rescheduled but nothing too crazy.  I have also been combining my Sunday Strength work out with one of my Easy Runs to allow myself another Rest Day during the week because my body has been begging for some rest.  This past week, especially with my weekly mileage escalating, I've been getting more and more sore adjusting to this amount of running.  One thing that has been a bit surprising for me since I've joined the gym and started my training program is that I'm actually really enjoying running on a Treadmill.  And it's actually been hard for me to run outside in this cold weather!  Even though I probably already made it through the most frigid part of our winter weather while I was only able to run outdoors!  I think I just like being able to track and control my speed and not to mention the TV factor.  I can turn a show on and tell myself that I'm not allowed to stop til this show is over.  Overall though, going to the gym has been going well and I'm beginning to feel somewhat more fit.  My weight has pretty much been staying stable but I just keep telling myself that some of that has to do with my fat turning into muscle and muscle weighs more than fat! 

So that's kinda what I've been up to and how I've been feeling.  Remember you can always keep track of my training progress by clicking on the link in my last post.  I update it regularly with what my weeks of working out look like. 

Today,  I'm debating on taking the day off and adjusting my Rest Days.  I'm a bit more sore from yesterday's 10K than I was hoping to be.  OR if I do go to the gym it will be to primarily do some upper body strength.  I'll keep you posted!

Until next time!

Half Marathon Training Program

Sorry about the delay my friends but it is finally here.  Here's a look at what my 12 week training schedule looks like for my upcoming Half Marathon in May.

Here's the link as well:
Half Marathon Training Program

I seriously started following this program during week 2 (which was 12 weeks out from my run date).  So I've successfully completed week 2 as well as Sun and Mon of this week.  And so far so good!  I'm beginning to have a little more confidence in my running ability.  Although, anything over 7 miles still scares me and seems so impossible. 

I have another 10K this upcoming Sunday (#4 of 5 for the Winter Run Series!  We're almost finished!) so I'll write more in depth about it afterwards.

Until next time!