Luck of the Irish 10K- DUNZO!

Well ladies and gents, I (and Vanessa!) have successfully completed the Great Lakes Winter Running Series!  This signifies many firsts for me:
*I've been steadily running for 7 months now (5 of those months in the winter!)
*I've ran 4 10Ks & 4 5Ks, setting new PRs at each race
*My weekly running mileage has increased from 4 miles to 20 miles
*I'm in week 7 of my 12 week training for my first Half Marathon
*AND Vanessa and I finally got our "I raced them all" hoodies (which are quite ugly but I love it anyways!)

after we completed our 5th and final race!

Now to summarize yesterday's run.  I was SUPER nervous going into it.  This race course had been described to us as "the most challenging course yet" and a course of "a long uphill followed by rolling hills."  Plus this run was only 2 weeks after our last race which didn't give us ample time to try and work on our speed/endurance.  We had a week with a few warmer days so I was keeping my fingers crossed for nice weather Saturday morning but unfortunately the only good thing about the weather yesterday was that the sun was shinning.  Other than that, it just hit the 30 degree temperature mark.  So another chilly run was upon us!  

The run started off with a good start.  The first mile went by pretty quickly (probably cause most of this mile was downhill) but then by the second mile things quickly changed.  It was the longest mile everrr!  I was thinking to myself that they just must not have put a mile marker for mile 2 out and then when I eventually saw it I wanted to cry.  Ha.  But seriously, I did.  The mile 2 marker began the loooong steady uphill climb that would take us to the mile 3 marker.  I don't think I ever panted so much and so loud as I did in that uphill climb.  Again, much like the other 10Ks, I soooo wanted to stop running at the 5K mark and screw the 10K's second loop!  But of course I didn't do that and against my will kept going for lap #2.  Mile 3 to 4 felt great cause again, it was mostly downhill.  Then mile 4 to 5 was a bit better than mile 2 was because now I knew that this would feel like the longest mile in the history of miles.  Then mile 5 to 6 was brutal.  The uphill climb was upon us again.  But this time I knew the finish line was at the top.  So I pushed through it.  Put forth whatever energy I had left in my body to hopefully try and set a new PR.  Once we had reached the top we were even able to sprint a few yards through the parking lot to the finish line.  At this time I was eagerly awaiting to see what our times were going to be when the time clock was BLANK!!  This was the most disappointing thing ever!  Then we went inside only to find out that they were having "technical difficulties" with the timing system.  We waited and we waited and still got no answer.  There was talk about how our numbers and names weren't going to match up with our times.  Then a list was finally posted!  But again to our disappointment, with no times on it.  Vanessa and I felt pretty good about things and even though this race kicked our butts', we felt like we gave it our all and had to of shaved off at least one minute from our last race.  After too much waiting around and no answers we decided to just leave.  We had our sweatshirts, finished the series and were proud of what we had accomplished.  We had completed our first season of winter running!

Many hours later I decided to look on the website and see if they were able to resolve their 'timing issue' and see what my final time had been.  And unfortunately, I have to say I disagree with the final timing!  It had both of us coming in about 20 seconds slower than our last race :(  AND it had Vanessa and I finishing 12 seconds apart from one another with someone finishing between us when we strongly crossed that finish line together.  So it was kind of a bummer.  And normally I'd suck it up and face the fact that I can't set a PR at every race I do but because of all the technicalities I'm not sure if I trust their times.  

With all that being said I need to not worry about my time and really embrace all the things I listed at the beginning of this post.  This race symbolizes sooo many accomplishments for myself and I should just be proud of that.  And now I have my Half Marathon to solely focus on.  

I'm more than midway through my training and this is where it's going to start to get grueling.  My easy days aren't going to be so easy anymore and I don't have anymore quick 20 minute work out days.  I've been able to stick pretty close to my training schedule still with the exception of adding in an extra rest day.  Not only is it hard to physically try and work out 6 days a week but it takes a toll on you mentally too.  I feel like all I do Monday thru Friday is work, go to the gym, eat something, sleep and do it all over again.  It's forced me to miss out on things and spend a little less time with my friends so hopefully it's all worth it in the end!  I know one way to change some of this would be to start doing my workouts in the AM but at this time the thought of getting up and working out for an hour before work sounds just completely awful.  I don't know how people have the energy to do these types of things before a 9 hour work day!  Plus it's still so dark out in the mornings...excuses, excuses I know.  Maybe, just MAYBE once our days become a little longer I will try and become a morning runner!

From here on out I'm going to continue to try and write more about my Half Marathon Training which I should be able to do BECAUSE I FINALLY BOUGHT MYSELF A NEW LAPTOP!! Yes, it's official.  We just celebrated our one week anniversary yesterday.  We had a rough night one day this week when we were trying to sync my phone and iTunes library but we pulled through it and are very content with one another :)

Ok, that's it for now, until next time!

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!

Great Lakes Expo 10K Run...Check!

Hiii!  So it's been forever again since I last wrote.  My bad.  There just never seems to be enough time or when I do find time I'm reminded of how I still don't have my own laptop (goal is to still buy one by end of April!).  I swear, I don't know how true bloggers find time to write EVERY DAY!  So this post will be another recap of my past week of work outs PLUS an update on my latest 10K. 

Monday, Jan 24th
32 mins of Total Body on the Elliptical at level 8
32 mins of Random Hills on the bike at level 10
30 mins of strength


Tuesday, Jan 25th
ran 4.35 miles on the Treadmill

Wednesday, Jan 26th
15 mins of Total Body on the Elliptical at level 10
2.2 miles on the Treadmill

Thursday, Jan 27th
REST


Friday, Jan 28th
2.01 miles outside

Saturday, Jan 29th
REST

Sunday, Jan 30th
10K RACE DAY!!

Race day was here.  I was EXTREMELY nervous/anxious/scared all at the same time since I hadn't ran 6 (or even 5!) miles since the last 10K a whole month ago.  But I felt mentally prepared for this challenge.  I laid all my clothes out the night before.  Made a decision to lose one layer up top since I've been uncomfortable/getting warm the last few times I ran outside.  Got directions to the race.  Looked up and studied the race route so no big surprises awaited me.  Ate a Carb-loaded dinner.  And went to bed earlier than usual.  I should also note that I had a lot of self control this weekend since we had Kara's big-Beiber-birthday Bash Friday night.  I knew I had to limit myself of adult beverages and 25 cent wontons to not make the race any worse for myself than I was already anticipating it to be. 

Race morning was chilly- 22 degrees and that is what it would remain for the duration of the race.  There was a light wind, the sky was clear and the roads- for the most part- bare.  I got to the race an hour early so I could stretch, go to the bathroom and had plenty of time to walk .4 miles to the starting line.  The crowd for the 10K was not nearly as large as it was the last race.  Probably about 250 people this time.  Part of that had to do with the 5K starting 40 mins before the 10K to avoid over crowded trails.  So after seeing the small-er crowd I began to pray that I do not finish DEAD LAST! 

Once the gun shot, I felt good and ready to do this.  I tried to remain as hopeful/positive/optimistic as possible.  The first mile began and the group began to spread out with some disappearing way off into the distance ahead of me while there were a few others trailing behind.  I felt good once I saw the first mile marker.  1 down and 5 more to go!  Then mile 2 began to feel extremely looong.  I knew that we got to loop back and head towards the start once I hit mile 2 so maybe all my anticipation made it seem a lot longer than it actually was.  Then mile 2 came.  And mile 3 came.  And I realized I knew I had to do this entire 3 mile loop again BUT I remained positive about it.  And I still actually felt pretty good.  I wasn't dying of exhaustion yet.  Then mile 4 seemed ridiculously long again.  But then before I knew it I passed the 5 mile marker.  1 MORE TO GO!  At this time I was starting to get the urge to want to walk a bit BUT I didn't!  I hung in there.  If I made it this far there's no way I could give up and walk now.  Then before you knew it I crossed the finish line at 1:04:18!  And I was shocked!  This was almost 4 whole minutes off of my time from my last 10K!!  And I didn't think I was going any faster than I usually run.  In fact I could've sworn this race's time would be worse than last times because I wasn't feeling so tired and I didn't feel like I was going fast (or my version of fast which is prob pretty slow for most runners).  So I was really, really happy with my results.  Plus Brad was there at the Finish line taking pics of me and Vanessa (which are extremely unflattering so I will NOT be posting them) and it's always nice to know you have people there rooting for you.  I mean, these runs have been HUGE accomplishments for Vanessa and myself!  It's fun to share the experience with others. 

So here I am a day after the race still feeling really pleased with my results from yesterday.  And if anything I just feel more motivated now to begin my Half Marathon Training Program.  I'm still ironing out some of the deets but once I have it finalized I'll post it.  I definitely could not have ran another 7 miles after yesterday's race but now I'm beginning to think that it's definitely a possibility in the distant future (meaning May 1st, hopefully!). 

As for the rest of my week, I was going to take a night off tonight and recover from the race.  I'm definitely feeling it in my knees and calves today.  BUT we're under a Severe Winter Advisory until tomorrow and then a Blizzard Watch until Wednesday so if I don't go to the gym tonight I might not be able to get there for a few days.  So tonight I'm hoping to get some good stretching in, some light cardio, and focus more on upper body strength exercises. 

Ok, lunch is over.  Back to work I go.  Until next time!

A Quick Catch-Up!

Hi all!

My apologies for not writing so frequently.  I've been extremely busy but haven't completely lost track of my running schedule.  So I'm gonna give you a quick update on my last few work outs/days.

Beginning with last Tuesday!  Last Tuesday I went to the gym again.  I decided to try the "Random Hills" work out.  I set it for 30 minutes with an additional warm-up and cool-down.  This was good for me!  There were times I was struggling and I had to slow the speed down for a bit but for the most part I was able to complete the work out with minimal adaptations being made.  I'm still adjusting to treadmill speeds/inclines and trying to find the right levels for me for each work out.  For this work out my max speed was set at 5.5 and max incline was 6.5.  I ended the work out by running 2.8 miles of hills in 30 minutes.  I was feeling pretty good after this so I did an additional 20 minutes of "Random Hills" on the bike logging another 5.6 miles at level 10.

Wednesday I surprisingly went on a run in sunny California!  Although, the sun wasn't out anymore by the time I was able to go for a run.  I was hoping to do a nice easy run and well, I suppose it wasn't too difficult but it turned into a 4 mile run.  I guess I can't complain since part of it was through sand and the rest of it was along the beachfront.  Plus it was an opportunity to run in 60+ degree weather!  Who knows when I'll see that again around here... :(

Thursday and Friday were too busy or I was too exhausted to even think about going for a run.  These 3 day trips with one FULL day of location shooting are exhausting BUT tons of fun!  Then Saturday I flat out slacked.  It was in the single digits when I was contemplating on going for a run and after being in warm weather for a few days I couldn't bring myself to do it.  Putting on all those layers and venturing out there seemed like the worst idea ever.

Today I was struggling too.  I really, really didn't want to run.  So I killed time by doing a pilates DVD.  By the time I was done with the DVD it had reached 10 degrees so I figured I better do it while the sun is out.  Plus I figured this might be my only chance to run outside before the 10K Race next Sunday...eek!  Oh, and I figured it would help justify all the yummy Game Day food I'd be inhaling for the Packer Game! Ha...oops.  Surprisingly, I had a pretty pleasant run for taking a couple days off and eating lots of delicious but not so good for me food on location.  I only had planned to do a 2 mile Easy Run and I ended up doing 2.76 miles instead.  I used one of the "coaching" programs on the RunKeeperPro App and it worked out pretty nice.  They give you updates as you run, tell you when you hit a mile and give suggestions for either speeding up, slowing down or even walking for an interval.  I chose the "2 Miles with Rest" program and that consisted of a 5 minute warm-up, 1 Mile at a steady pace, .25 Miles at a slower pace, and 1more Mile at a steady pace.  Like I mentioned before it was chilly out but the sun shinning and lack of wind played a huge part in the success of this run.  It also helped that the sidewalks were fairly clear of snow or it was packed down so hard I felt pretty stable maintaining a good pace on it.

As for the rest of the week, I'm hoping to get to the gym Mon, Tues and Wed, take Thurs off, do a light, easy 2 mile run outside Friday morning (cause I have the day off, yippee!), rest Sat and 10K RACE DAY SUNDAY!  I'm not sure what my work outs will be yet at the gym but hoping to do one run of at least 4-5 miles, another day of at least 3 miles and then either a shorter speed work out or some more random hills.  I'm gonna try and add in some cross training if possible too but I want to make sure I don't over do it and have no energy left for this upcoming weekend's run.  Also this week I need to finalize my 1/2 Marathon Training Schedule.  If any of you have suggestions or have used programs that you really liked please send the tips my way!

Alrighty, that's it for now.  Until next time!

PS: WAY TO GO PACK!!!  SUPERBOWL 2011 HERE WE COME :)

I Be Up In The Gym Workin' On My Fitness

Ok, just because I haven't been writing doesn't mean I haven't been running!  I actually have logged THREE more work outs since the last time I wrote.  Thursday I had my first day at the new gym, Saturday I "attempted" to do a long run, and Monday was another gym day. 

Thursday I was actually excited to go to the gym.  I haven't been to one in probably almost a year since I've been so dedicated to running my runs outside.  So I was looking forward to a nice, indoor treadmill run.  Treadmill running is actually a pretty good training tool for myself since I can really control the pace I'm running and force myself to go faster for longer.  It also just keeps me really in tune with how much my pace fluctuates!  I began by choosing to do a 30-minute run.  I did a 5 minute warm-up, then made myself run a mile at a 10 min/mile pace, then I felt the need to lower my pace to an 11 min/mile pace for the next 5 minutes and then I upped it to a 10 minute pace again and I repeated that for one more mile.  Not gonna lie, I felt a little pooped at the end of my 30 minutes and I couldn't wrap my finger around how the 2 people next to me were able to run so fast!  The one girl was going on 60 minutes of steady running too.  No slowing down for her.  I'm telling you looks can definitely be deceiving when it comes to how fit somebody actually is.  And this is one of my biggest challenges- I need to try and find out how to increase my endurance so I can run faster and longer without feeling so exhausted.  The entire time I was running I kept having visions of myself tripping, falling and causing a huge scene AND I was only running at a fraction of everybody else's speed.  Once my 30 minutes plus a cool down was done on the treadmill I did 15 minutes of hill intervals on the elliptical to just switch it up a bit.  This felt good and it was nice to get a little arm work out in.

Last Wednesday and Friday were my 2 days off last week.

Saturday I knew I had to do a long run since I hadn't done a run over 3 miles since my last 10K.  So my plan was to do 5 and if I felt good to try and do 6.  But the second I stepped outside and started running those plans quickly went down the tubes.  It was one of my most awful runs ever! I felt like I had gone running for the first time!  I was exhausted.  Panting out of breath in the first mile.  Feet were cold and wet.  My face and neck were freeeeezing from the wind and the cold temps.  My thighs were burning and freezing at the same time.  The zipper on my pants was rubbing weird on my ankle.  I felt hot on top at times though thinking I had one too many layers on.  It was just bad all around.  Now I guess I should preface the situation a bit.  It was only 16 degrees out and it did snow the night before so there was a fresh few inches of un-shoveled snow on the sidewalks making it pretty difficult to tread through with the lack of traction.  It was what running through sand probably feels like.  My mom actually made me feel better about this run when she said that if it weren't for those conditions I probably would have been able to run another mile or two.  So my 5-6 miler turned into a 4 miler.  I guess I should also admit that I couldn't run the entire 4 miles.  In fact, I probably walked a combined total of almost one whole mile...boo.  I know.  The only good that came from this was that I felt sore.  And tired.  And like I had actually had a decent work out because of all this exhaustion. 

Sunday I took the day off for my Dad's birthday celebration.

Last night, Monday, I braved the snowstorm we were in the midst of having and went to the gym again.  I set the timer for 50 minutes and hoped to run as much of that time as I could.  I finished the work out with running 4.5 miles at 10, 11 and a few minutes of 9 minute/mile paces.  And it felt good.  Next time I'm going to push myself even further to run more at 9-10 minute paces and less 11.  I think I may even try to do some treadmill speedwork since I'm not able to get to the Pettit Center this week. 

To be honest, I'm not sure what the rest of my week is going to look like as far as working out goes.  I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for a photo shoot in Cali for a few days and the last time we worked a shoot out there I slept for almost an entire day once I got back.  Eeek!  That'll not be good for my training since I've got another 10K coming up!  But who knows, maybe I can fit a beach run into my schedule in sunny California this week! 

Until next time!

Mission...Possible?!?

I know, I know, it's been awhile since I've blogged and I'm sure you all are thinking that means I've fallen off the wagon again and well, that's semi true.  After my last 10K I did decide to take an entire week off of running.  Last Monday I did 'Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred' and thought it'd be good to do that every day last week BUT that plan quickly changed when Brad decided to take the laptop to Madison with him that had the DVD inside it.  So then I looked at it as a sign to just recover mentally and physically for a week and get geared up for some real training (half marathon in May!!!).

I'm going to start following a 'Half Marathon Training Schedule' beginning in February so until then I'm going to keep up with my current schedule: at least 3 runs a week (easy, speed work/hills, long weekend run) AND in addition to these runs I've finally joined a gym so I'll be doing some cross training hopefully at least another 2 days a week. 

Now an update on my week.  So far this week I've ran twice and did the Insanity Fit Test. 

Sunday I did a nice little 3 miler.  I eased into it at a pretty slow pace since I had been off for an entire week and was worried  that the run was going to kick my a**.  The first mile was really difficult.  It was 16 degrees out, sunny and there was a fresh light blanket of snow on the ground.  So I didn't know if I was going to make it for 3 whole miles.  After mile one, I walked for a song and then I felt good and was able to run the rest of the way.  Towards the end I was feeling real good and even added on a lap up the hill! 

Monday I did the Insanity Fit Test.  It's about a 25 minute cardio work out testing 8 different levels of physical fitness.  Brad and I did the Insanity with Shaun T videos last year around this time and they're such good work outs that I thought maybe I'd start doing them every once in awhile as some cross training.  It's sad to admit this but Tuesday I woke up sore just from doing the Fit Test!  I guess I worked some muscles that haven't got much action the last few months. 

Tuesday night I decided to do my hill repeats that I wrote about a few weeks ago AND I was able to add 1 extra lap up the hill!  It was extremely difficult though cause we were in the middle of a snow storm and the sidewalk leading up the hill was only half shoveled.  It was tiring and my thighs were burning but after it was all done I felt good about it. 

One last change I've made this week is finally being more attentive to my diet.  I went to the grocery and bought healthy things that I can make for lunch every week as well as a few nutritious snack options.  Then at night I'm trying to stick with meat or fish and a vegetable.  When possible I'm going to try and stay away from eating carbs at night.  Now, don't get me wrong there will still be nights that I'll probably opt for pasta, tacos or sushi but I will vow to watch my portions.  I think just getting in the habit of eating more balanced meals throughout the day should help me out. 

As the new year begins, I'm feeling good and excited about the changes to my lifestyle.  A few more days of working out and eating better can only do good things for me.  This new mission of mine I believe is very possible to accomplish.

Until next time!