Tag: half marathon training

Medina Half Training: Week Six

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This week turned into a roller coaster for training. I started out with high hopes and had a great plan of attack, but mid week things fell apart. Luckily I was able to turn things around over the weekend.

I started Monday with a short run before Body Fusion. Knowing I was going to be busy Tuesday night, I wanted to try to get some miles in before class. I only had time for two miles, but it was a nice change of pace and pretty refreshing.

Tuesday I was busy, so I was looking forward to Wednesday’s run. It was supposed to be a track workout with about 6.5 miles total. All day I had been excited to get some mile repeats in, until the rain hit hard. I set out on the journey to find an outdoor track, because mentally I couldn’t run the indoor track anymore. The first track had a soccer game, and the second track was rained out. By this point, the other two available tracks weren’t worth the drive and I was just frustrated. I headed home and attempted to get in what I could.

My body wasn’t having it, and I could barely get 2.5 miles in. I tried to brush off the feeling of disappointment, but I couldn’t. I failed at getting my speed work in, and I couldn’t even make it three miles. So I had to remind myself that each run is it’s own. No two workouts will be the same and I have to take the bad workouts to really appreciate the good ones. Take training run by run and move on to the next one once the Garmin stops.

Monday: 2 Miles + Body Fusion Class – 30 minutes of lifting/abs/squats & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 2.5 Miles

Thursday: Off

Friday: Off

Saturday: Strongsville Super 5k

Sunday: Spring TRAINing 10 Miler

Total Miles: 17.5 Miles

So despite my rough patch in the middle of the week, I had big plans for the weekend. I had the Strongsville Super Saturday 5k on my radar for a long time, but after I struggled all week I wasn’t sure I still wanted to do it. I did it anyway, and I was so glad I did. I’ll have a recap later this week, but it was just the thing I needed to boost my confidence.

I also had 10 miles up for my long run this weekend, so I decided I would run long on Sunday. I had been back and forth between a group run or the Spring TRAINing 10 Miler, but decided last moment that if I’m going to run 10 miles, I might as well have fun with it. I’ll have a recap on this race later on as well.

I may have had a bad day this week, but my three other runs were great. I focused too much on Wednesday’s run to enjoy the others. But looking back, I’m exactly where I need to be. I’m just about two months away from the race, and my times are close to where I’d be on a normal half marathon. I’m bringing my 5k time down, cross training and I’m still injury free. I still have time for improvement over the next 10 weeks, and I know I can do it.

Weekly Type 1 Diabetes Fact: March 25th (tomorrow) is the annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day. It’s your chance to take the risk test to find out if you’re at risk for developing Type 2 Diabetes. While my facts have been about Type 1, Type 2 isn’t something to ignore. For every risk test taken, Boar’s Head will donate $5 to the American Diabetes Association. By taking the test, you’re not only helping yourself, but helping others. Take the test here.

If you’d like to donate and help find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, check out my Team JDRF page.

Medina Half Training: Week Five

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What a week. I wish I could blame the weather for how different my schedule was this week. In fact, I think I will. This week was way off schedule, but I did what I could. It wasn’t my best, but luckily it ended on a high  note.

Monday, I skipped my Body Fusion class, but for a good reason. Darren came home after a week in India, so naturally I wanted to spend time with him. Knowing he’d be working late all week and transitioning into a normal time zone again, I knew it would be our best chance to spend time together until the weekend. Selfish yes, regret working out, nope!

I missed the perfect weather on Monday night, but took advantage of the decent weather on Tuesday night. It was a bit chilly and dreary, but I was able to get three miles in on the trails before it got too dark. The trail had some sections that were completely covered in ice and snow so there were a few moments of walking, but it felt so good to get outside, in shorts! I discovered a new section of trail, which was a good way to pass the miles.

Same trail, same run.

Same trail, same run.

Wednesday was a complete mess. With the snowstorm all day, traveling home was a disaster. I opted to switch Thursday’s Yoga or run day with Wednesday’s run. I was absolutely exhausted, but was able to do a 20 minute Power Yoga video in the basement.

Thursday, I somehow ended up with too many options. Our Second Sole has started group runs every Thursday at 6:30. We also had a MCRR group run/bar crawl at 7. Due to traffic, I decided to go to the later run, and was so glad I did.

MCRR decked in Green!

Some MCRR decked in Green!

We started at Johnny Malloy’s and ran the back way through town to a bar called Cin Dee’s Place. I had never heard of it, but we ventured to the other side of the tracks, so I had no idea what I was in for. Once we got there, we had some drinks and decided to venture back to the original bar. By this time it was dark and almost not safe to be out running. The sidewalks were a mess, but luckily the cars were kind enough to share the road. We made it back, had a giant feast and ended up drinking/eating until 11:00pm. It definitely wasn’t a typical run, but it was a lot of fun.

Always be hydrating!

Always be hydrating!

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 3 Miles

Wednesday: 20 Minute Power Yoga

Thursday: 3 Miles- MCRR Group Run/Bar Crawl

Friday: Off

Saturday: St. Malachi 5 Miler + 4

Sunday: Off

Total Miles: 15 Miles

Saturday was St. Malachi, more to come on that later this week. I knew I had between 9-10 on my schedule, so I opted to run 5 miles at the race and finish the rest at home. I was desperately seeking some soft ground to run on, and since most of the snow was gone, I headed to Buckeye Woods.

My legs felt tight and heavy, but after spending an hour in the car post race, I figured they’d just need a little bit of a shake out. My first mile was 8:58, but I felt like I was going so slow. My legs were still tired and stretching wasn’t helping. I ended up doing two loops around the marsh, hoping the longer I stayed on soft ground, the better my legs would feel. By the time I headed back through the woods and towards the car, my legs were screaming. My legs were dead and I couldn’t go a step past 4 miles. With 9 miles total for the day, my last four ended up something like this….2.5 miles under 9:00 minute pace, 1 mile at 9:04 and the last half mile was definitely above 9:15/9:20.

However, considering I spent an hour sitting in between running, I’m not surprised with how tight I was feeling during the last four miles. I am surprised I was able to knock out the last miles at or around a sub 9:00 minute pace.

Just me and the trail

Just me and the trail

I had hopes of doing a shake out run on Sunday, but ended up with a bad migraine that took me out for the rest of the day. I was so miserable, that even doing some light yoga was out of the question. So unfortunately I ended under where I wanted to be for mileage, but all things considered, it was still a pretty good week.

Who else ran St. Malachi? Have you done at home workout videos, which ones are your favorite?

Weekly Type 1 Diabetes Fact: If you or a someone you know has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, you should know that you’re not alone. There are a number of places that you can turn to for support or knowledge about Type 1. Each of these groups can help you understand Diabetes more, help you find others that also share this disease, and ways to help you live your life to the most.

The biggest thing is knowing that you’re not alone, and that you don’t have to go into this blind. There’s always something new to learn and events to reach out to others with Type 1 Diabetes.

If you’re interested in donating to help cure Type 1 Diabetes, you can help here.

Medina Half Training: Week Three

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This week was pretty low key, which was exactly what I needed. I wanted to focus on working on my eating habits, hoping I could find something that would help ease my stomach even when I can’t avoid eating dinner at 9:30 every evening. We usually stick to the same meals, every day of every week. Tacos on Monday, Steak on Tuesday, Chicken on Wednesday, Leftovers or Pasta on Thursday then Friday and Saturday night we go out to eat. It may seem boring, but it’s easy, and we don’t have to spend a half hour trying to figure out what we want to eat (we save that for the weekend). I ate a decently healthy lunch every day, but we’ll save that for another post. This week I switched Monday and Wednesday around and it seemed to help a little, but eating so late will always cause a slight issue. I also wanted to stay hydrated, so I made sure to drink a ton of water and Nuun to make sure I was getting enough fluids in my body. Coincidentally, I somehow managed to stay away from alcohol Monday through Wednesday, which I think helped as well.

Class on Monday was pretty intense. We focused on our legs a lot and I knew I’d be hurting. With the combination of running and lifting, I can definitely tell my muscle is starting to bulk up. Not in a bad way, but I feel that I look more toned. I’m also feeling stronger and quicker when I’m running. After two months of class, I can tell that I’m hooked and plan on taking the class for as long as it’s offered.

Tuesday’s run was a little tough. I was still sore from class, so I took it easy with 3 miles. I expected to loosen up towards the end of the run, but I still felt stiff. I made sure to stretch and foam roll afterward. Wednesday’s run was better than I had expected. I was more sore than Tuesday and felt that I looked like a stick trying to run. I made sure to stretch and foam roll before and after, which did help a little. It was supposed to be a tempo run at 9:17 pace, but I felt I could do much better than that. So instead I tried to keep a solid pace for 4 miles, which I almost pulled off with the following splits: 8:55, 8:56, 8:44, 8:54. I’m not sure what happened in mile three, but I could tell I was speeding up. Overall it was a good run, and hopefully it will help me to keep my miles consistent.

Monday: Body Fusion Class – 30 minutes of lifting/abs/squats & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday: 3 Miles

Wednesday: 4 Miles

Thursday: Off

Friday: Off

Saturday: 8 Miles

Sunday: Off

Total Miles: 15 Miles

Saturday ended up as my long run day this weekend. With the potential storm coming in, I was a little nervous that I wouldn’t be able to run safely on Sunday with the group, so I attempted to run it Saturday by myself. I wasn’t feeling the best when I started, due to my stomach yet again, but this time it was from a bad meal at a restaurant the night before. My legs were finally loose, so I started at a decent pace. I hadn’t planned out a course, but decided on 2 out and back, and then another 2 out and back. I headed out and had to slow down a lot due to giant chunks of ice on the sidewalks, so I alternated from grass to sidewalk a lot. I knew if I did this my entire run, I’d never really enjoy it, so I turned at the 2 mile mark and headed home.

I made a pit stop a little over half way through to use the bathroom and dropped off my gloves and fleece headband. I immediately felt better and headed out on my second out and back. I ran up a familiar back road and couldn’t help but to enjoy the “warm” weather. I ran on some new roads and even found some potential new neighborhoods to run in. The miles were going quick and I felt great. I headed back towards home and around the neighborhood to finish up with 8 miles. Looking back at the splits, my 7th mile was my fastest with 8:58 and mile 8 would have been the same had I not had to stop for some major ice spots. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well I could pull off some quicker miles in the later part of my run. At only 3 weeks in, I can feel that this will be my best training cycle yet!

Next week is a cut back week in training, but I may add in extra miles. I’m also hoping to run a few more days if possible, and hopefully join the Second Sole in Medina for a group run!

Do you change your diet during training? Have you cut out alcohol too or limit yourself more?

 

Weekly fact about Type 1 Diabetes: How common is Type 1 Diabetes and who is being diagnosed? Diabetes as a whole is unfortunately becoming more common, but there is a difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Almost 3 million Americans have Type 1 Diabetes, and more than 15,000 children are diagnosed each year, that’s about 40 kids each day! And unfortunately that rate is only rising. Type 1 Diabetes is also more commonly found in those with lighter skin and is more common in places with colder climates. Each diagnosis is different, it’s on the rise and there is no cure at this time.

Please help find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes and donate today!

Medina Half Training: Week Two

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This was certainly an interesting week. It went nothing like I had expected, but I did learn a lot from it. It all started Monday evening as I was leaving for Body Fusion. I had originally planned on going early to get a few miles in before class. Time got away from me, and I ended up leaving about 10 minutes before class started, and about 5 minutes later than I should have. As I was leaving the development, I came across a car parked funny in a driveway. After taking a second look, I realized there was an accident and quickly turned around. I was the first one there and wasn’t sure what to do, but luckily a neighbor, who was an off duty officer came out to help. Within the next half hour paramedics came, got the man out of the car and started to take note of the accident. There wasn’t much I could do, so I headed to the rec to get half of my class in. Turns out it was a drunk driver who admitted he had a problem, but doesn’t remember much of what happened. Makes you think that even on the sidewalk there can be dangers when running. Drive safe and run safe, no matter where you are.

Clearly Monday I wasn’t too focused in class and I definitely didn’t get my full hour in, but I figured I’d make up for it on Tuesday. I headed to the rec for an easy run, but ended up with an off feeling in my stomach and couldn’t keep going. I was disappointed, but hoped I’d feel better for my speed work the following day.

Wednesday I attempted my first speed workout of the cycle and my first speed workout on an indoor track. Because 10 laps equals one mile on our track, I was a little nervous on how it would go, but I just tried to imagine myself on an outdoor track. I started my warm up a little quicker than I had hoped, but was still able to kick it up for the first mile. I recovered with an 800m jog and attempted another mile, this time 10 seconds quicker. I finished up with a very slow mile but was pleasantly surprised when I saw that I had done my complete workout in 39 minutes. I felt great and knew that there would be many more amazing speed workouts ahead for me.

4.5 miles on the track, I'll take it!

4.5 miles on the track, I’ll take it!

But as quickly as I finished, my stomach started to disagree. I headed home, but luckily felt back to normal by the time I got there. I usually prefer evening runs because my body almost always works with me. But unfortunately this week it didn’t. I’ve been keeping up with my hydration (during the week), and trying to eat healthier. The problem? Eating dinner at 9:30 every night. I’d like to say this doesn’t happen much, but because of my and D’s work schedule, 9:00-9:30 is typical dinner time. Now that I’m on a regular running schedule I need to figure something out so this doesn’t happen every week. Lesson two of the week, eat earlier so my body can run better the next day.

Monday: Body Fusion Class – 5 minutes of lifting/abs/squats & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday: 2.5 Miles

Wednesday: 4.5 Miles, 1 mile w/u, 1 mile 8:12, 800m recovery 4:38, 1 mile 8:02, 1 mile c/d

Thursday: Off

Friday: Off

Saturday: 1 mile

Sunday: 3.5 miles

Total Miles: 11.5 miles

The week didn’t get better from there. I pretty much failed as a runner this weekend. I only got 1 mile in on Saturday, but I ran with Darren and it was his choice of how far we’d run since it was an optional day for me. The wind was pretty strong, so I’m not sure I would have felt any better after a couple more miles, but it was nice to get outside and not be bundled up in 48 layers.

I knew Sunday would be weird because we spent the night in Wooster celebrating our anniversary. I was in a funk all day and chose Target and wine tastings over my run when we got back home that morning. I never had the motivation to go running, until around 5:00, post nap and a cup of coffee. The only thing to motivate me? The sunset. I had a glimpse of the sun setting over the houses and decided to head out. And I’m so glad I did! I ventured on the back roads, keeping my eye on traffic and decided to venture off road a bit. I climbed around a fence (possibly trespassing) and up a hill to see the most beautiful view.

I live for runs with this view

I live for runs with this view

I headed back down and headed toward home, knowing I had limited minutes left, I stayed on the sidewalks and ended up with 3.5 beautiful sunset runs. It wasn’t a lot, but I felt great and it was exactly what I needed. It wasn’t a good week, but I did have a few good runs. I’m hoping this week will be better and hopefully no surprises! Lesson three, get my runs done early, because putting them off all day won’t help in the end. Although the views can be pretty magical.

Do you prefer runs at night or in the morning? What are your best tips for indoor speed workouts?

 

Weekly Fact about Type 1 Diabetes: What are the symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes? Because Type 1 Diabetes is often diagnosed in young children, the symptoms may be difficult to notice or can be mixed up with another diagnosis. Be on the look out for these symptoms if you think someone may have Type 1 Diabetes.

  • Extreme thirst
  • Frequent urination
  • Sudden vision changes
  • Sugar in urine
  • Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath
  • Increased appetite
  • Sudden weight loss
  • Drowsiness, lethargy
  • Heavy, labored breathing
  • Stupor, unconsciousness

If you notice these symptoms, then contact your doctor immediately. It’s important to test for Diabetes as quickly as you can before it can cause more damage.

Please help me find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes by donating here!

Medina Half Training: Week One

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First week of training is in the books and I’m happy to say it was my final week of traveling! I couldn’t be more excited to get back to a regular schedule because this week threw me for a loop! The hardest part about running and traveling is time management. Even though we had a quick 25 hour trip in St. Louis, time was tight and there was no room for exercise. I knew this week I wouldn’t be able to follow my plan as well as I hoped, but I wanted to try. Instead I took each day as it’s own and focused on that workout alone.

Body Fusion was great this week, there were only two of us in class, but I felt that we were able to do more than we usually could. I also went up in my weights, it’s nice to see that the class is paying off and I can finally lift more without feeling too exhausted. I can’t wait to see how well this class helps me out this year.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was in St. Louis with no time to exercise. By the time I got home from the airport on Wednesday night I knew I wouldn’t make it to the gym, so I ran in the basement, getting a measly two miles in. Not much, but it was better than waiting until another day to run.

Luckily Thursday I was able to get to the gym. I decided that instead of trying to make up for lost miles on the week, I would just stick to whatever the schedule had planned. I had 4 on the schedule and wanted to keep them at a similar pace if I could, as a way to prepare for Sunday’s 5k. I kept the pace just under 9:00 and made sure to check my 1.5 mile time and 2.5 mile time for reference. It seemed easy enough then, so hopefully I could do the same on Sunday.

Monday: Body Fusion Class – 30 minutes of lifting/abs/squats & 30 minutes of yoga

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: 4 Miles

Friday: Off

Saturday: 3 Miles

Sunday: Frosty 5k + 4 Miles

Total Miles: 16 Miles

Saturday was supposed to be my long run of 7 miles, but I woke up with tight calves that just wouldn’t relax. I ran three and even then I struggled to keep my legs going. With all the snow and cold we’ve been getting it’s been hard for neighbors to keep up with shoveling their sidewalks, so only half of them seem to be clear. I attempted to run sidewalks when I could, but ended up on the street after almost twisting my ankle on some ice. After 3 miles and almost a dozen falls, I decided to head in and run my long run Sunday. With the 5k, I’d only have to do an extra 4 miles, which seemed like an easy plan.

Sunday I woke up early, tried to get rid of my nerves and headed to the rec center. They were hosting the Frosty 5k, which I’ll recap on Wednesday. After my three miles were completed, I opted to head home instead of run on the track. I like to take advantage of running outdoors when I can, even when it’s cold and snowy. The snow started to pick up, so I headed through developments where traffic wouldn’t be as busy. My pace was pretty much on spot at 9:30 except for about a half mile where I ended up in the 8:30 range somehow. I was able to explore parts of a new development, but was stuck on the street due to the foot of snow that was on the sidewalks. Most cars were being stand up citizens and driving on the other side of the road to avoid me. All except for a lovely lady in a white mini van, who decided to yell and swerve towards me to show her anger of runners on the road. I pulled into a driveway to collect myself, feeling glad I was ok, but pretty angry. While I understand that winter isn’t the best time for runners and drivers to share the road, there’s no reason to display anger like that. When sidewalks aren’t clear or aren’t available, sometimes the road is the only place to run. I saw a few other runners running the road, in the same development, so I’m sure she was having a wonderful day scaring runners.

After this I headed back towards home, my legs starting to loose traction on the road from the snow. They were also pretty tight from the slight uphill and the random spots of ice that I found. I finished up with 7 for the day, just as my plan showed. Even though I didn’t get all the miles I was supposed to run this week, I still had some good runs. I’m so excited to have a normal week again, so I can ramp up the mileage and work on my speed!

How are battling the elements this winter? Do you prefer sidewalks or road to run on?

 

Weekly Fact about Type 1 Diabetes:

What is Type 1 Diabetes? Sure you’ve heard of it, but do you really know what it means? Type 1 Diabetes happens when the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin. Insulin helps to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy that is needed every day. Without natural insulin, you have to find another way to get insulin into your body, such as using daily injections or an insulin pump. Type 1 Diabetes is diagnosed in children and young adults and is a lifelong challenge.

Want to help cure Type 1 Diabetes? You can donate here!

Flying Pig Training: Week Eleven & Wrap Up

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Here we are, just a few days out from race day. And well, it’s been an interesting training cycle. Let’s start off and address the elephant in the room. High mileage wasn’t really seen in this training cycle. I had a few days of long runs, but other that that I stuck with base mileage. Am I going to regret this? Maybe, but I just ran a half marathon two weeks ago, so I know I can go the distance. The issue isn’t will I finish, it’s how I run the race. I signed up for this half at the Columbus Marathon expo, I was in great shape and could totally battle the hills. Also, I really wanted the medal and Asics bag a friend had received the year before. I finally checked the elevation chart for the first time in six months and realized this could be a little harder.

In the beginning I mentioned how this would be a different training cycle, focusing on creating solid runs and cross training. And I’ve done that. I’ve had great runs, I’ve learned to  pace myself better and most of the time I never regretted getting out there to run. I also threw in cycling and yoga. I was skeptical, but I think it helped. I’m a lot more flexible that I was three months ago, and my legs feel stronger by using more than just my running muscles. Sometimes it’s quality over quantity. And can we point out the most important thing. I’m not injured! At all. This is pretty much a miracle, considering I’m pretty injury prone. Maybe there really is a connection between cross training and being injury free.

This week I took it easy. The back to back races over the weekend left my legs tired and tight. Tuesday I tried to go for an easy run and it felt like my legs were cement, however, my pace at 8:39 was awesome. I took the rest of the week off from running to let my legs recover and hopefully prepare for this weekend. I tried a new spin class last night, which either destroyed my legs for the race or prepared me for the massive hills. I’ll let you know which one on Sunday. I followed it up with one hour of pure yoga, so relaxing and so needed. I plan to do a short run Saturday morning to shake out the legs and then I’ll see what I have in me come Sunday morning.

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 2 Miles

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: 1 Hour Spin, 1 Hour Yoga

Friday: Off

As of right now, the weather seems to be around 50′ and mostly sunny at the start. Rain is in the forecast, but hopefully it holds off until I’m back home. If you’re at the race, you can look for me and cheer me on. I’ll be wearing this colorful outfit I’ve tried out a few times, Lululemon top, Asics ARD shorts, and Pro Compression purple socks. I love this combination, and wish I found it sooner before it got hot.

photo

If you’re at home, you’re free to track me using this link: http://tracking.endresultcompany.com/2013/pig/index.php

I’m bib 15285, we’ll see if it’s a lucky number. As much as I’m excited for this race, I’m excited for many more races over the next few months. I’ll be sharing my summer/fall plans next week. Have a good weekend, good luck racing and I’ll see you on the other side of half marathon number 12!

 

Flying Pig Half Training: Week Ten

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This week was a total mix. I started off the week by switching my Monday/Tuesday run. Monday was my birthday, so I had a few things planned for after work. It ended up being an absolutely beautiful spring day, and I almost regretted not waking up early to run before work. And then I remembered how much I love sleep. Tuesday’s run was great. Over the past few weeks I’ve found about 10+ parks that are within 10 minutes of my home, so of course my plan was to check these out. I wasn’t familiar with the park or surrounding neighborhood, so I just followed one of the paths. The one I took ended up in a housing development, so it wasn’t exactly a park run, but the neighborhood was new to me so it went by quick. Once I got back, I had about a half mile left until the 3 mile mark. I followed another path and found it was exactly what I was looking for, a wide paved path between trees and beautiful green grass. I’m really excited to come back and run there again, and check out the other parks.

I also switched my Wednesday/Thursday run, so I could spend two hours on Thursday sweating it out. And then 5:00 Thursday came. I have a history of bad migraines, and they always start with tunnel/blurred vision. So when my vision was becoming spotty around 5:00, I knew I was pretty much down for the count. About 45 minutes later, I finally got my vision back and I was able to leave work. I chugged a ton of water and tried to eat a snack. I did a short run around the neighborhood hoping that the fresh air would help. It didn’t. Within 10 minutes of finishing my run, I was feeling worse. I decided to skip yoga and try to get rid of the horrible headache. By 8:00 I was finally feeling a little better so I did some living room yoga. I only lasted about a half hour and was back to laying on the couch.

The weekend however was filled with lots of running and racing! Saturday night I had my first trail 10k and it was such a great experience, I cannot wait to share the recap of this race. I followed it up with another race just 12 hours later. Both recaps will be coming up this week.

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 3 Miles

Wednesday: Off

Thursday: 1.5 Miles, Living Room Yoga

Friday: Off

Saturday: Yeti Set Go! 10k

Sunday: Love A Stray Fur Fun 5k

Total Miles: 15 Miles

I had a decent number of miles this week and I felt really strong. I’m looking to stay hydrated this week, as well as eat and sleep well. It may be the end of a training cycle, but it’s just the beginning of a great season of racing! Only 6 days until Flying Pig!

Also, great job to all of those who ran Eugene Marathon yesterday! Wonderful to hear about so many PR’s and BQ’s!

Did you race this weekend? Are you racing Flying Pig or have you in the past? Any tips?

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Flying Pig Half Training: Week Eight & Nine

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Last week it didn’t feel right to post my training, so I’ve combined weeks eight and nine into one post. Week eight was a bit of a jumble. I was rushing around to get things done before we left on vacation. We flew to Colorado on Friday and once we got there we made sure to stay active the entire weekend. We walked, hiked and ran in high altitudes. Coming from Ohio, all of these were a challenge at times, but it was good for the body and soul. I was still tight from Yoga though, this week’s class was about 95% Pilates with a focus on legs and about 5% yoga. The best part of training this week was running with Courtney! We got a 5 mile run in around Washington Park, making sure to catch up on running, racing, and life.

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Surprisingly I enjoy running at altitude. It can be hard, but I feel that a few miles up there can really help clean up training. Best part is that it actually seems easier.

Week Eight

Monday: 3 Miles

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: Off

Thursday:  1.5 Mile Run, Yoga-lates

Friday: Off

Saturday: Hiked 1-2 Miles

Sunday: 5 Miles (in 5,280 altitude)

Total Miles: 9.5 Miles

Week nine started with Boston. I was in between plane changes and found out the news through Twitter. It was and still is heartbreaking, but it shows just how strong the running community is. I hadn’t planned on running that night, but it was the first thing I did once I got home. I ran those two miles in silence, thinking of everything that had happened that day. The rest of the week was pretty low key, still playing catch up at work and home from vacation. I had thought of running a half marathon over the weekend, as part of a birthday race. I was up in the air about which race, but finally decided the day of. My legs weren’t tight and I was finally able to get a long run in. More on the race later this week.

Week Nine

Monday: 2 Miles

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 1.5 Miles

Thursday:  Yoga-lates

Friday: Off

Saturday: Tree Trotter Half Marathon, 13.1 Miles

Sunday: Off

Total Miles: 16.5 Miles

I noticed that I’m really struggling with going from indoor running to outdoor running. I know it’s been windy, which hasn’t helped, but my pace seems to be so much slower than I thought it would be. I’m hoping in these next few weeks I can pick it up and get used to running outdoors again. I’m also hoping that we’re over winter, waking up to snow on Saturday wasn’t cool.

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Flying Pig Half Training: Week Seven

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I have to be honest. This training cycle, is completely different than my others, yet, somewhat the same. It came to me Friday, right before lunch, when I do all my worst best thinking. I haven’t been taking my training seriously enough. Not a surprise? I didn’t think so. If you take a look back at the past weeks, I’ve done a ton of base running, but my long runs aren’t exactly there. It doesn’t mean I’m not ready or dreading them, I’ve just taken a new approach.  I’ve limited myself to three days of running, and I’ve added cross training. I’ve never mentioned a goal for this race, but I’ve also never mentioned that I’m injured. Injury free, party of one!

From the get go, I knew that Flying Pig would not be my sub 2:00 half marathon. I’ve been training on an indoor track for 95% of my runs, I am in no shape or place to run a PR on a hilly course. Am I ok with this? Yes. I’ve got other plans for this race year. That doesn’t mean I’m throwing sub 2:00 out the window, it’s still my goal, but it’s not my spring goal. My goal for Flying Pig was to have a healthy training cycle, to run uninjured for the first time in about a year. It’s working, and I’m enjoying what my legs are fully capable of doing.

I’ve used this training cycle to fall back in love with running and sweating. I’ve discovered that I look forward to my weekly hour of yoga. And that I’m not always bored when I’m on the stationary bike. I’ve also shifted my focus to speed and have already ran my best 5k since college. I’m training for a solid run at Flying Pig, and a solid running year. I’m not disappointed at all with how training is going. I’m listening to my body and doing what is right for me.

Monday: Off

Tuesday: 3 Miles Run, 7 Miles Biked

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: Yoga-Lates

Friday: Off

Saturday: Miles for Madison 5k + 1

Sunday: 5 Miles Run, 7 Miles Biked

Total Miles: 14 Miles Run, 14 Miles Biked

Looking back at this week, I over did it a bit in the beginning. I ran my fastest 3 miles yet and followed it up with some heavy biking. Lesson learned, my legs felt tight all week. I even had to cut my run short on Wednesday, I actually felt worse the more I ran. Stretching didn’t help too much, so I was more than excited for Yoga on Thursday. By the weekend, my legs felt back to normal and I was ready to get some miles in. Saturday morning I ran Miles for Madison, recap to follow, and decided to move my long run to Sunday. I haven’t had a solid long run outside yet, so I wanted to make sure I didn’t chop it up into segments.

Sunday, I took advantage of as much sun as I could get. I also had my first road bike experience of the year. I was a little nervous because I hadn’t been on my bike for months. I also didn’t know how the motorists of Medina would handle someone riding in the street. Surprisingly, the ride went smooth, and the rolling hills were nothing. Good to know that resistance cycling is paying off. I definitely see a lot more bike trips downtown in my future.

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After re-hydrating, I headed out for my long run. I pushed it to the evening to hopefully avoid the wind. It didn’t work, but it added a nice challenge to the run. I combined a few short routes and wanted to get a decent amount of miles in. I went out to the lake to enjoy the soft path, but unfortunately I couldn’t avoid the wind. It was hitting me hard, and slowed down my pace by a lot. The other downfall of running at the lake was running stairs to get to the pathway, and the only way  back home meant I had to tackle a huge hill. Legs were toast.

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I’ve come to realize that my legs have been spoiled. I’ve been running on the indoor track for so long, they forgot how to run outside in real conditions. Mainly hills. I definitely didn’t hit the mileage I wanted, and I plan to fix that this week. Now that the weather is nice, all runs should be outside. I’ve even got a hill workout lined up. Even better bonus of this week’s training? I’ll be hitting high altitude running with Courtney. Expect an interesting training recap next week.

How was your weekend? Did you get out there and enjoy the fabulous weather?

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Flying Pig Half Training: Week Six

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The more I think about this week, I’ve realized it was a necessary evil. It started off strong with my Monday night 3 miler. Each week I’ve seen my pace quicken on these runs, and I can tell it shows in my racing. But that was the only good run I had all week. Wednesday afternoon I started to feel like I was dragging. I was completely exhausted and struggled to make it to the gym. My pace was around 9:15, clearly something was off. By Thursday morning a plague was going around our home and both Darren and I were getting sick. I had no energy and unfortunately had to skip Yoga-lates. I even passed up on the Medina Country Road Runners meeting I’d been hoping to attend. I was in a fog, had a temperature, and my nose was running a whole lot more than I was. But now that this sickness is on its way out, I can focus on running again. I was mentally and physically worn down, and it caught up to me. Running wasn’t wearing me down, but outside influences weren’t letting me enjoy my runs.

Now I’m ready to get back in the gym, I’m ready to spend an hour sweating out everything and leaving with an refreshed mind. I’m craving a long outdoor run and hill repeats. I needed to get sick, so that I could start fresh on everything. I have 5 weeks left until Flying Pig. Not only will these weeks be important to the race, but they’ll set the tone on my summer workouts.

Monday: 3 Miles

Tuesday: Off

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: Sick

Friday: Sick

Saturday: Sick

Sunday: Sick

Total Miles: 5 Miles

This next week brings a fresh start in training, and also a new month to rack up those miles. I’ve got a 5k this weekend that I’m really excited for. We’ll see if another PR is in these legs.

How was your week? Are you glad April is finally here?

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