1. I didn't run yesterday. I didn't even step foot in the gym. Shame on me, huh. I am not beating myself up over the break. I did a quick 10 minutes at home..crunches on a stability ball and some pushups. Hardly a workout at all! Today I plan to hit the gym for at least a 5k run on the treadmill since I'm a wuss and don't want to run in the chilly drizzle that we are being blessed with today.
2. I had an orthodontist appointment today. They all wished me well on my upcoming race, sweet. It was also time to change both arch wires on the top and bottom of my braces. YIPPPEEEE! I was like a little teeny bopper girl and said, "So, yay! That means you can change my bands to match my race day outfit!!" They laughed. Yep, I am a big ol' dork and totally had my bands changed to pink and black to match the shirt/pants and BICband I plan to run in Sunday.
3. I feel bad for not signing up to volunteer for the events this weekend. I would love to volunteer for the kids run and cheer all the little running kiddies on as they run their 1 mile race. However, we will have family in from out of town and I feel major guilt with having guests in that we don't see often and then me running off (no pun intended) to go do something else. I feel like even though I volunteered a few hours of my time last weekend for the event that it wasn't much especially compared to others and the amount of work(and volunteers) they need. So, that being said...if you read here and are local please let me know if you can volunteer Saturday or Sunday and I will gladly email you the link to sign up! We runners appreciate it!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Taper, carbo loading and my shoes
Taper
I have mentioned before (maybe a day or so ago) that it is taper week. I am loving taper week actually. It is my chance to just run - low miles at a comfy pace without even thinking about training. I've put in the hard work of training for so many weeks/months and now I am just ready for race day.
~Monday I ran a 3 miler at 10:27 pace
~Tuesday I ran 2 miles at 10:42 pace, trying to slow myself down and tell myself slow, steady for the half on Sunday because afterall 13.1 miles is much different than 2-3 miles! ha
Today is my big dilemma. I had planned to run 2 miles at the gym, yes the treadmill. BUT I woke up grumpy mad and fiddle farted around getting myself and Peanut boy ready to leave this morning, which means I did not pack my gym bag. Shame.on.me. I have an appointment tonight at 7:30 and figured I could just dress for the gym, hit my appointment and then go workout. But what would I do??
Run? Eh, don't have to because like I said the training is done and I am ready to let my legs do the work Sunday.
Elliptical? Ooh thrilling.
BodyFlow class? Hmm. Haven't taken it before so it would probably be wise to not enter something new into the routine just days before the race.
Tomorrow I plan to walk an easy couple of miles just to keep my legs feeling loose. IF I feel the need to run, I will go slow. Friday, same thing depending on my schedule with work, hubby's track meet and guests coming in from out of town.
And no, I am not stressing over the taper or even what to do the next few days ( I just needed something to talk about and bore you
with.hahaha).
Carbo loading
I have not started doing this and I am not even sure "how" I should go about it. I remember one time (for a 5k) I had convinced myself I needed to carbo load. Wanna know what this smart girl did? Ha! Maybe you don't.....
I inhaled almost a whole package of Lofthouse frosted cookies. I blame stress.over.a 5k!?!!? Caraaaazyyyy! And seriously, looking back on it, yes I am ashamed I did that but hey, live and learn and thank goodness that I am a totally different girl today or you might see me in line at the local Kroger paying for 2 dozen of those bad boy cookies.
Our actual dinner plan for the night before the race is simple...
grilled chicken and baked potatoes.
Easy peasy and healthy.
How do you carbo load before a big race?
My shoes
So, I have been an Asics girl since I started this running thing a couple years ago. I started in 2140s after being fitted at my local running store. loved them. I ran in 2 pair of 2140s and then of course you know how it goes, they tweak it a bit for the next year and out came the 2150s. Bought those, twice. And here I am in 2011 with a pair of 2160s I've been running in the last few hundred miles and during my half marathon training.
I do love the shoes but have noticed my foot/heel/leg being irritable during the beginning of my run and a wee bit after. So, this week (why this week??) I decided to pull out the last pair of 2150s I ran in before the 2160s. They aren't completely worn out as far as the mileage on them so they feel fine.
Yesterday I packed the 2160s in my bad and wore them for my 2 mile run. My legs felt like they were really working hard to go. Muscles felt tight(ish) but the run was ok. Part of me feels like I should run Sunday in the 2150s because they feel best for these short runs, but the other part of me feels like I should wear the 2160s because they are the shoes I did all my training in. And really, I am not stressing over this because I do not feel like either shoe is a wrong choice. It's just one of those things I noticed in the last week or two.
Decisions, decisions.
And yes, I totally said fiddle farted in this blog post. ;)
I have mentioned before (maybe a day or so ago) that it is taper week. I am loving taper week actually. It is my chance to just run - low miles at a comfy pace without even thinking about training. I've put in the hard work of training for so many weeks/months and now I am just ready for race day.
~Monday I ran a 3 miler at 10:27 pace
~Tuesday I ran 2 miles at 10:42 pace, trying to slow myself down and tell myself slow, steady for the half on Sunday because afterall 13.1 miles is much different than 2-3 miles! ha
Today is my big dilemma. I had planned to run 2 miles at the gym, yes the treadmill. BUT I woke up grumpy mad and fiddle farted around getting myself and Peanut boy ready to leave this morning, which means I did not pack my gym bag. Shame.on.me. I have an appointment tonight at 7:30 and figured I could just dress for the gym, hit my appointment and then go workout. But what would I do??
Run? Eh, don't have to because like I said the training is done and I am ready to let my legs do the work Sunday.
Elliptical? Ooh thrilling.
BodyFlow class? Hmm. Haven't taken it before so it would probably be wise to not enter something new into the routine just days before the race.
Tomorrow I plan to walk an easy couple of miles just to keep my legs feeling loose. IF I feel the need to run, I will go slow. Friday, same thing depending on my schedule with work, hubby's track meet and guests coming in from out of town.
And no, I am not stressing over the taper or even what to do the next few days ( I just needed something to talk about and bore you
with.hahaha).
Carbo loading
I have not started doing this and I am not even sure "how" I should go about it. I remember one time (for a 5k) I had convinced myself I needed to carbo load. Wanna know what this smart girl did? Ha! Maybe you don't.....
I inhaled almost a whole package of Lofthouse frosted cookies. I blame stress.over.a 5k!?!!? Caraaaazyyyy! And seriously, looking back on it, yes I am ashamed I did that but hey, live and learn and thank goodness that I am a totally different girl today or you might see me in line at the local Kroger paying for 2 dozen of those bad boy cookies.
Our actual dinner plan for the night before the race is simple...
grilled chicken and baked potatoes.
Easy peasy and healthy.
How do you carbo load before a big race?
My shoes
So, I have been an Asics girl since I started this running thing a couple years ago. I started in 2140s after being fitted at my local running store. loved them. I ran in 2 pair of 2140s and then of course you know how it goes, they tweak it a bit for the next year and out came the 2150s. Bought those, twice. And here I am in 2011 with a pair of 2160s I've been running in the last few hundred miles and during my half marathon training.
I do love the shoes but have noticed my foot/heel/leg being irritable during the beginning of my run and a wee bit after. So, this week (why this week??) I decided to pull out the last pair of 2150s I ran in before the 2160s. They aren't completely worn out as far as the mileage on them so they feel fine.
Yesterday I packed the 2160s in my bad and wore them for my 2 mile run. My legs felt like they were really working hard to go. Muscles felt tight(ish) but the run was ok. Part of me feels like I should run Sunday in the 2150s because they feel best for these short runs, but the other part of me feels like I should wear the 2160s because they are the shoes I did all my training in. And really, I am not stressing over this because I do not feel like either shoe is a wrong choice. It's just one of those things I noticed in the last week or two.
Decisions, decisions.
And yes, I totally said fiddle farted in this blog post. ;)
Monday, March 28, 2011
One more week!
As of yesterday I have one week before my first half marathon!
Last week I was feeling slightly nervous and said things to myself and aloud to hubby, "I am crazy. Why am I doing this? This is not me, I am not a runner. 13.1?? What was I thinking when I registered for this thing?"
Yep, they all ran through my head.
Every run last week I dreaded. Every run felt tough and like a real piece of work.
And after every run I wondered, is it possible?
Friday was a scheduled rest day which meant that Saturday (or Sunday even) would be my last long run (8 miles). I had signed up to volunteer and help stuff race day goody bags from 10am-1pm. I wasn't sure what all this entailed until I arrived on spot Saturday. Turns out it was just walking in a circle filling bags with goodies spread out on different tables. Then I helped stack multiple sheets of info regarding upcoming races.
I was taking a quick coffee break when the door opened and in walks a familiar face. Up to this point in the day I only recognized a few faces of those volunteering but given the nature of the work for the day it wasn't like there was time for standing around chit-chatting. But I KNEW when this particular familiar face walked in I was going to be doing some talking. I was excited!
I am not the most outgoing person and usually it takes me a bit to warm up before just talking to people. Once the ice was broken I introduced myself as "the crazy mom who comments on every single one of your blog posts." Thankfully, (at least I hope) she didn't think I was all that crazy because she high fived me right away and I felt cool. ;)
You wanna know who I am talking about, huh!?
Well, she is a fellow blogger but for me this means so much more because she is local (like practically in my back yard) and she's a fellow runner. And to top that off, she has a boomtastic weight loss story/journey.
Kelsey at The Race is On!
After talking with Kelsey for a while on Saturday my excitement in the half marathon was restored. All negitivity I had about the race was put at ease. Any doubt I had in myself is gone. It isn't about making a goal time. The GOAL is FINISHING! I fully intend to finish this race, even if I have to crawl. I CAN do this. 13.1 is mine! Thank you, Kelsey for being another one of the similing faces that believes in me. Your excitement spilled over to me and I know it does to others as well!
If you have a few minutes you should totally check out her blog. I am glad I did!
And I am thrilled to have met her. We seemed to have hit it off right away and I really enjoyed having a quick lunch with her at the volunteer event for our upcoming race. She is also running the half marathon that I am on Sunday, but she is a pro at the 13.1! This same time last year she ran her first half marathon. I told her on Saturday that we definitely had to get a pre or post race pics as well as a sweaty post race hug. I am so so excited to have met such an amazing young woman. And she may be tired of hearing it but around here she is a local celebrity. I am so proud of her and just feel lucky to have met her. She is quite the inspiration. So, head over to her blog and root her on in her journey. :)
Last week I was feeling slightly nervous and said things to myself and aloud to hubby, "I am crazy. Why am I doing this? This is not me, I am not a runner. 13.1?? What was I thinking when I registered for this thing?"
Yep, they all ran through my head.
Every run last week I dreaded. Every run felt tough and like a real piece of work.
And after every run I wondered, is it possible?
Friday was a scheduled rest day which meant that Saturday (or Sunday even) would be my last long run (8 miles). I had signed up to volunteer and help stuff race day goody bags from 10am-1pm. I wasn't sure what all this entailed until I arrived on spot Saturday. Turns out it was just walking in a circle filling bags with goodies spread out on different tables. Then I helped stack multiple sheets of info regarding upcoming races.
I was taking a quick coffee break when the door opened and in walks a familiar face. Up to this point in the day I only recognized a few faces of those volunteering but given the nature of the work for the day it wasn't like there was time for standing around chit-chatting. But I KNEW when this particular familiar face walked in I was going to be doing some talking. I was excited!
I am not the most outgoing person and usually it takes me a bit to warm up before just talking to people. Once the ice was broken I introduced myself as "the crazy mom who comments on every single one of your blog posts." Thankfully, (at least I hope) she didn't think I was all that crazy because she high fived me right away and I felt cool. ;)
You wanna know who I am talking about, huh!?
Well, she is a fellow blogger but for me this means so much more because she is local (like practically in my back yard) and she's a fellow runner. And to top that off, she has a boomtastic weight loss story/journey.
Kelsey at The Race is On!
After talking with Kelsey for a while on Saturday my excitement in the half marathon was restored. All negitivity I had about the race was put at ease. Any doubt I had in myself is gone. It isn't about making a goal time. The GOAL is FINISHING! I fully intend to finish this race, even if I have to crawl. I CAN do this. 13.1 is mine! Thank you, Kelsey for being another one of the similing faces that believes in me. Your excitement spilled over to me and I know it does to others as well!
If you have a few minutes you should totally check out her blog. I am glad I did!
And I am thrilled to have met her. We seemed to have hit it off right away and I really enjoyed having a quick lunch with her at the volunteer event for our upcoming race. She is also running the half marathon that I am on Sunday, but she is a pro at the 13.1! This same time last year she ran her first half marathon. I told her on Saturday that we definitely had to get a pre or post race pics as well as a sweaty post race hug. I am so so excited to have met such an amazing young woman. And she may be tired of hearing it but around here she is a local celebrity. I am so proud of her and just feel lucky to have met her. She is quite the inspiration. So, head over to her blog and root her on in her journey. :)
Running hair accessories
That's right, I said running hair accessories! Running is all about looking cute or at least having great hair. ;) You mean you didn't know this?? Well, it's true. Last fall I was introduced to
Taken from BICbands at Etsy.com
My first purchase was a turkey BICband to wear in an 8k I was running on Thanskgiving day. From that day on I was completely sold on BICbands. I think my collection now holds 12 ranging from sparkly to striped. My latest purchase was this one...
Again, borrowed from BICbands.
I am wearing this one in my upcoming half marathon (Sun, April 3rd). I love it. It should match my race day outfit perfect (details soon!).
The best thing about BICbands, besides the fact that they stay in place, is that a portion of the proceeds go to charity! Love that!
And you have the chance to win one of your own...
HERE!
Taken from BICbands at Etsy.com
My first purchase was a turkey BICband to wear in an 8k I was running on Thanskgiving day. From that day on I was completely sold on BICbands. I think my collection now holds 12 ranging from sparkly to striped. My latest purchase was this one...
Again, borrowed from BICbands.
I am wearing this one in my upcoming half marathon (Sun, April 3rd). I love it. It should match my race day outfit perfect (details soon!).
The best thing about BICbands, besides the fact that they stay in place, is that a portion of the proceeds go to charity! Love that!
And you have the chance to win one of your own...
HERE!
I dare you to check this out!!
SkinnyRunner is hosting a fabulous giveaway! I've not perfected link sharing on Wordpress yet but check this out.....
And Like I always say... you could just read and not enter, giving me more chances to win. ;)
And Like I always say... you could just read and not enter, giving me more chances to win. ;)
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Excitement restored!
Warning...this post is long!
Let me start by saying this week was tough for me.
My mind wanted to beat me up everyday leaving me with thoughts of doubt and questioning whether or not I could actually run, specifically run a half marathon. My stomach could not get full which in turn left me craving foods that I know will not fuel my body properly. And my legs... yeah, they felt tired and worn down which in turn started playing more tricks on my mind. I felt this week like I had been defeated by my training schedule.
I only ran twice this week before today.
Monday I ran with Annabelle (my almost 8 yr old) around the pond loop at our gym. It was only .61 and with her tagging along we set a decent enough pace (12:52 min/mile), not bad considering her short little legs and the fact that she DID not want to be out there. But the nice mom that I am I wanted her there in the hopes that one day she will enjoy physical activity as much as I do. ;)
After dropping her off with the other kids to play I went inside to finish my run on the treadmill.
3.1 miles 30:14 9:45 min/mile
I was proud of this run as I really pushed myself with some fast intervals. And yeah so it was on the treadmill and not outside but I was okay with that.
WednesdayWhat better way to celebrate 9 years of marriage than to be at the gym on a treadmill next to the love of my life??
5 miles was on my training schedule and because I didn't pack my Garmin in my gym bag I decided to forgo running outside and hopped on my favorite treadmill instead.
5.02 miles 50:49 10:07 min/mile
Another training run done. And then it was off to dinner with my love.
ThursdayThe training schedule called for 4 miles but I was tired, had a headache and just felt the need to go home and rest. So I did.
FridayScheduled rest day and I took it. But I will say that I did feel guilty about taking an unscheduled rest day the day before but reminded myself that it's a taper week anyway and resting my body when my body clearly needed it is OK!
SaturdayThe schedule called for my long run today. 8 miles. The hubby and I decided that since I was going to be volunteering for the upcoming race we would not do a long run today but would run on Sunday. Besides that the forecast called for rain and we wanted to avoid a soggy run. So, I went to the pre-race goody bag stuffing event and he headed to the gym.
I was still feeling slightly bummed about taking extra rest days and wondered if I would even make it to the gym to run today. I had told myself I would at least get there and run a quick 5k. But I knew I would be walking or on my feet a lot while stuffing race goody bags and eating pizza for lunch. Neither of those sounded like loads of fun pre-run but I would see how I felt.
After volunteering (more on my day with that later!), a trip to the grocery store and Fresh Market I made it home in time to change quickly and get to the gym before closing time. It was raining and I did give some thought to just going out and running in the rain but I decided against that and hit up my favorite treadmill instead.
I had every intention of only running a 5k but I was feeling energetic (must have been the extra coffee!) so I went for 4 miles, which made up for the 4 I missed on Thursday.
4 miles 40:24 10:06 min/mile
And my excitement for the upcoming half marathon which is now a week away! More details on my excitement later. I'm headed to bed to rest up for my 8 mile run after church tomorrow!
Let me start by saying this week was tough for me.
My mind wanted to beat me up everyday leaving me with thoughts of doubt and questioning whether or not I could actually run, specifically run a half marathon. My stomach could not get full which in turn left me craving foods that I know will not fuel my body properly. And my legs... yeah, they felt tired and worn down which in turn started playing more tricks on my mind. I felt this week like I had been defeated by my training schedule.
I only ran twice this week before today.
Monday I ran with Annabelle (my almost 8 yr old) around the pond loop at our gym. It was only .61 and with her tagging along we set a decent enough pace (12:52 min/mile), not bad considering her short little legs and the fact that she DID not want to be out there. But the nice mom that I am I wanted her there in the hopes that one day she will enjoy physical activity as much as I do. ;)
After dropping her off with the other kids to play I went inside to finish my run on the treadmill.
3.1 miles 30:14 9:45 min/mile
I was proud of this run as I really pushed myself with some fast intervals. And yeah so it was on the treadmill and not outside but I was okay with that.
WednesdayWhat better way to celebrate 9 years of marriage than to be at the gym on a treadmill next to the love of my life??
5 miles was on my training schedule and because I didn't pack my Garmin in my gym bag I decided to forgo running outside and hopped on my favorite treadmill instead.
5.02 miles 50:49 10:07 min/mile
Another training run done. And then it was off to dinner with my love.
ThursdayThe training schedule called for 4 miles but I was tired, had a headache and just felt the need to go home and rest. So I did.
FridayScheduled rest day and I took it. But I will say that I did feel guilty about taking an unscheduled rest day the day before but reminded myself that it's a taper week anyway and resting my body when my body clearly needed it is OK!
SaturdayThe schedule called for my long run today. 8 miles. The hubby and I decided that since I was going to be volunteering for the upcoming race we would not do a long run today but would run on Sunday. Besides that the forecast called for rain and we wanted to avoid a soggy run. So, I went to the pre-race goody bag stuffing event and he headed to the gym.
I was still feeling slightly bummed about taking extra rest days and wondered if I would even make it to the gym to run today. I had told myself I would at least get there and run a quick 5k. But I knew I would be walking or on my feet a lot while stuffing race goody bags and eating pizza for lunch. Neither of those sounded like loads of fun pre-run but I would see how I felt.
After volunteering (more on my day with that later!), a trip to the grocery store and Fresh Market I made it home in time to change quickly and get to the gym before closing time. It was raining and I did give some thought to just going out and running in the rain but I decided against that and hit up my favorite treadmill instead.
I had every intention of only running a 5k but I was feeling energetic (must have been the extra coffee!) so I went for 4 miles, which made up for the 4 I missed on Thursday.
4 miles 40:24 10:06 min/mile
And my excitement for the upcoming half marathon which is now a week away! More details on my excitement later. I'm headed to bed to rest up for my 8 mile run after church tomorrow!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
TTT
1. I am taking an unscheduled rest day today. My training plan calls for 4 miles BUT I am tired. I didn't get enough sleep last night and my muscles are achy. SO, I think that is my body's way of telling me to just relax a bit. I do feel guilty about it especially after saying in yesterday's post that I feel weak but am going to work harder to be strong. While taking a rest day sounds weak it really does take strength to actually do it. You believe me, right!?
2. I am really starting to get kind of nervous about this half marathon. 10 days away..or is it 9 now?? Either way it is getting CLOSE! And my excitement from a week or so ago is turning into nervousness. I am beginning to really think I am crazy after all. Why am I doing this? CAN I do this? What will the weather be? Have I prepared myself enough? Tell me all of these thoughts are normal for a first timer. Deep down I know I can do this and I know it will be fun. I know that no matter how I cross the finish line I WILL cross the finish line. That is the goal. But then I start toying with the idea of a timed goal. Yeah, no, I shouldn't do that. Calm down, breathe, relax and just run.
3. I read this quote today...
All it takes is all you got.
I'm going to keep reminding myself that until I cross the finish line. And heck, even beyond the finish line. If I give all I've got to my running, my weight loss efforts and even beyond I will be successful and reach all of my goals. If I only give a little I am going to get a little. Give it my all and I know I have done my very best.
2. I am really starting to get kind of nervous about this half marathon. 10 days away..or is it 9 now?? Either way it is getting CLOSE! And my excitement from a week or so ago is turning into nervousness. I am beginning to really think I am crazy after all. Why am I doing this? CAN I do this? What will the weather be? Have I prepared myself enough? Tell me all of these thoughts are normal for a first timer. Deep down I know I can do this and I know it will be fun. I know that no matter how I cross the finish line I WILL cross the finish line. That is the goal. But then I start toying with the idea of a timed goal. Yeah, no, I shouldn't do that. Calm down, breathe, relax and just run.
3. I read this quote today...
All it takes is all you got.
I'm going to keep reminding myself that until I cross the finish line. And heck, even beyond the finish line. If I give all I've got to my running, my weight loss efforts and even beyond I will be successful and reach all of my goals. If I only give a little I am going to get a little. Give it my all and I know I have done my very best.
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