I have been a slacker :(

I'll admit it. I've been slacking. So I promise that I'm going to run this weekend. I didn't want to leave my house last weekend in the nasty weather. But now it is pretty outside and I have no excuses. Last week started off pretty good. Phil and I went for a nice 20 mile bike ride on Sunday with our friend John Michael. It is always good for me to go with the guys because they like to ride the hills that I hate to make myself do. Tuesday Phil and I went on a 3 mile run and Thanksgiving morning we ran 4.5-5. I'm sure we cancelled it out with all of the good food we ate...but it WAS Thanksgiving!

Nike Women's Half!

I haven't posted in FOREVER. I'm so bad about that. I was traveling the week prior to the Nike half and the week after, and then I was sick the next two weeks. Yikes.

So the Nike half...it was amazing! The weather in San Francisco couldn't have been better. We had so much fun out there and it makes you want to pick up and move there. We picked up my packet in Union Square and went by the Nike Town store where they had a huge wall of names on the window which included all of the names of the people running in the event. It was really neat!

The day of the run started out chilly, and I decided to wear my 3/4 length tights. It was very organized for such a big race and I really appreciated the pace groupings as it was really nice to not have to worry about passing walkers and slower runners at the start of the race. The run itself was the prettiest I've ever participated in. We ran through downtown, through the Presidio where Phil's uncle lives, up by the Golden Gate bridge and then came around and down to the beach. It was just gorgeous. The hills were very long, and I was very sore from them, but they didn't kill me on the day of the race.

I actually had a PR which I was very glad to have since I even stopped to go to the bathroom in the middle of the race. I couldn't find the bathrooms at race start unfortunately or it would have been an even better PR. :) If you are considering a marathon or a half marathon I would highly recommend this race! It is a neat experience to run with that many other women and they have pretty good crowd support as well. And you can't beat the Tiffany's necklace that you receive for finishing rather than a medal. That's pretty cool!

Triathlon #2!!

Triathlon numero dos was this week and it was awesome! I am officially hooked. I've already been scanning the calendar for the next tri and unfortunately most of them are pool tris with short swims :( very sad. I improved my 5k by more than a minute and dropped my pace to 8:27. I'm really happy with that and with a little work I hope to get it down to an 8:00 pace. I improved my bike pace as well although the bike was a bit shorter in this tri. It was really windy so one half of the course was extremely slow and the other half was fast. My swim pace was pretty much the same, slightly faster and it remained my best event. I placed 5th out of 19 in my age group.

Here's what my workout week looked like:

Monday: 3.5 mile run
Tuesday: Shoulders
Wednesday: 4 mile run, 30 minute dog walk
Thursday: 1000 meter swim, 1 hour dog walk with Emily
Friday & Saturday - rest days and lotsa walking at the mall with Liz!
Sunday: Sprint Triathlon (750 meter swim, 12 mile bike, 5k), more walking at the State Fair

Training Update

I am now 1 month out from the Nike Women's Half Marathon! I'm so excited about the whole trip and I think it will be a really neat experience! We will be out there for 6 days. It will be a fun vacation and good to see our relatives.

In other news, I signed up for the Stonebridge Triathlon that is this coming Sunday. I'm super pumped about this race!

This past week was a pretty good training week. I didn't swim and I should have, but I'm going to make an effort to get up to the gym for some combination stationary bike and swim workouts.

Funny story about my long run this past week. I normally run at White Rock, which is what I did on Saturday. If I'm running more than 9 miles, I typically do a loop around the lake and keep running and double back to my car. This time I decided I would go off on a side road and wind my way away from the lake and then come back to it. Well, that didn't work out so well. I got back on the trail and I was running...and running..and running, and suddenly I realize I'm on the trail that we take to get to the lake from our house, only I was running to our house! I was already at 9 miles or so and I chose to just run home and surprise Phil that I was home without my car. Hehe. He took me back to get my car later that day.

Workout Recap:

Monday: Recover from Triathlon
Tuesday: Ran 4 miles
Wednesday: Ran 3 miles
Thursday: Off
Friday: Sprints in the morning. 12 mile bike with Missy at the lake in the evening
Saturday: Ran 13 miles

Triathlon Week!!!!

My first triathlon was this past Sunday and it was an amazing experience! I love doing something new and it was really fun and a perfect day weather wise as well. This was a sprint tri consisting of a 500 meter open water swim, 18 mile bike and a 5k. Phil, being the athlete that he is beat me, but I came in 2nd in my age group! I couldn't believe it when we pulled up the results at home that night. So, sometime this weekend I need to drive out to Grapevine and pick up my award. :)

I had a really good workout week and I feel much better about my half marathon training as I've been running more often and more consistently. I need to up my mileage on my weekly runs but at least I'm out there running.

On a crazy note, during my long run on friday morning I saw two coyotes at white rock. I thought I was seeing a stray dog at first and then it turned around. A second later another one popped out from the woods. There was a guy behind me and we both turned around and went the other way. I'm not even going to mess with wild animals!

Monday: 5 mile run
Tuesday: off
Wednesday: 3.5 mile run
Thursday: 500 meter swim
Friday: 11 mile run
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Triathlon!

Back to Training!

A decent week! I should have run one more time, but that's life.

Monday - 18 mile bike ride
Tuesday - 3.5 mile run
Wednesday - Off
Thursday - Played Tennis
Friday - Swam 1000 meters, biceps workout
Saturday - 9 mile run

Vacation & Anniversary

Last week was our anniverary, happy three years E & P! We worked out some but we also relaxed and hung out and did fun stuff! I'll get back to my detailed workout breakdowns next week. :)

Training - Week 3

I need to start writing down my workouts because by the following week it is hard to remember what I did! Here's what I remember:

Monday - Ran 3 miles
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - Ran 4 miles, biked 18
Thursday - Swam 600 meters, back and bi workout, stretching
Friday - Fast bike around the lake starting at David and Missy's - about 11 miles

We went out of town over the weekend for our anniversary and didn't workout. We have this week off and probably won't get that many workouts, but I plan to make the most out of what we do and keep it high intensity.

Training - Week 2

Well, I wasn't able to get all of my running in this week. I ran twice during the week and then my left hamstring was really tight and I didn't want to run on it and aggravate anything. Other than that, I did have a pretty good workout week. I think the running break actually helped me because I ran last night and it felt great!

Phil and I went and looked at road bikes on friday and saturday and settled on the Trek 1500 for me. We went out riding on Saturday and I just love it! It is so much fun! If you are in the market for a road bike go to Richardson Bike Mart. I loved the staff there. We mainly worked with Ken "Woody" Smith and he is such a fun person to be around. I think Phil and I are going to try to go on some of their weekend group rides.

Workout Week Recap:

Monday - 35 minutes on stationary bike, shoulders
Tuesday - off
Wednesday - Ran 3 miles
Thursday - Ran 4 miles in am, pilates and 600 meter swim in pm
Friday - off
Saturday - 18 mile bike ride
Sunday - 1200 meter swim

Nike Half Training - Week 1

So I officially started training for my half last week. I'm on a schedule that will take me through the white rock full if I so choose to continue. I need to start biking 2-3 times a week starting this week to make sure I'm fully prepared for my tri. We're supposed to order my road bike this week. Yay!

Monday - Ran 3 miles
Tuesday - Ran 4 miles, 1000 meter swim
Wednesday - Ran 5 miles
Thursday - 30 min stationary bike, back and bi, 600 meter swim - 9:49 timed on the 500 meter
Friday - chest and tri, 700 meter swim
Saturday - Ran 8 miles
Sunday - Abs

On Friday I was getting out of the pool, and what is walking along the side of the pool but a scorpion. Scary. We killed it with my flip flop.

One Week until Marathon Training....again

I had a really great workout week!!! If I had completed one longer run it would have been perfect, but otherwise it was great. My swimming has really improved and I am now fully confident in my swimming and running for the triathlon. Now, to work on the biking a bit more. Here's what my week ended up looking like:

Monday evening: Ran 3 miles with Phil and the dogs
Tuesday morning: Ran 4 miles
Tuesday evening: Chest and tri workout and ran sprints at home with P and the dogs
Wednesday morning: Ran 4 miles
Thursday morning: Ran 3 miles
Friday: 1000 meter swim
Saturday: 600 meter swim (500 meter timed test - came in at 10:21), 1 hour pilates class, 20 minutes on the stationary bike
Sunday: Back and bi

Another Weekly Update

Last week wasn't the best. I had a two day business trip to Chicago and I also had a girls trip over the weekend with Brooke and Jen. I still managed to get in three decent runs, but it wasn't the workout week I had wanted. I'm back on track for this week so that is good!

Monday - 3 mile run
Thursday - 4.5 mile run
Friday - 4 mile run

I start my new marathon training program in mid August. The long runs in the heat are not going to be fun! Phil and I also signed up for a sprint triathlon. I'm really excited about it since it is something new and different. It is the day after his sister's wedding in September.

Weekly Training Update

I had a really good productive week and I upped my mileage like I said I needed to in my previous post. Now, I didn't make it to the gym enough for my weight workouts but I don't think I will be able to remedy that this week because I have a business trip and then a girls trip this weekend. I will keep up my running though and do my best to get in my weight workouts when possible. I did swim 500 meters straight this past week and used flip turns on all of my turns so I am proud of that!

Monday - Ran 4 miles
Tuesday - Ran 4.5 miles
Wednesday - Ran 5 miles
Thursday - Ran 4 miles
Friday - Ran 4 miles
Saturday - 750 meter swim, back and bi
Sunday - abs and shoulders workout at home

Weekly Training Update

I'm going to start recapping my weekly workouts again. I want to sign up for a sprint triathlon in the fall, so I've recently incorporated swimming into my workouts and will hopefully be getting a road bike in the next few months. This week was a good week. I need to start running a little further but Phil's work schedule is ramping up so I'll just get up earlier with him and run longer than I have been. Here is what the past week looked like:

Monday: 3 mile run in the morning
Tuesday: 3 mile run in the morning, 1000 meter swim and chest and tri at night
Wednesday: 3 mile run in the morning
Thursday: off
Friday: 3.5 mile run in the am
Saturday: off
Sunday: 15 minutes on stationary bike, back and bi, 600 meter swim

Latest Endeavor - Nike Women's Half Marathon!

I'm so excited to say that I will be running in the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco this year! Here is the website if anyone would like more info, although it sold out in the first couple of weeks after registration opened. http://www.nike.com/nikemarathon/

I don't have the mental toughness to train for the full, being an October marathon, it would have meant training in the hottest part of the Texas summer and that is just something I'm not up to! Phil and I are going to spend time with our respective aunts and uncles that live out there and if the soreness I felt after the Austin Marathon is typical, I probably wouldn't want to do any sight seeing after running a full anyway.

I'm going to start a marathon training program at the beginning of August that will lead up to White Rock. I haven't fully committed to running WR, due to the way training tends to control your schedule, but for now it will have me over prepare for San Francisco and if I want to run WR I will be on the right path.

I finally convinced Phil to get fitted for running shoes and since then we've been running together around our neighborhood. I think we live in the only neighborhood in Dallas that has a ton of hills, but it is probably the perfect training ground for San Francisco. This week we've run 4 out of 5 mornings so far, and it has been nice to start our days out with a run. We've seen rain every day for who knows how long, but in the mornings it has been relatively dry. Dodger refused to go today when he saw that it was sprinkling a little hard. The benefit of the rain is that it has been keeping the temperatures outside cooler than normal.

I really need to do some longer runs of 7+ miles but I haven't had the time. I have to volunteer this Saturday at 9:00, so maybe I can convince myself to get up early enough to get in 7 miles but that would be quite a feat. ;)

Random thought, but I will lap my training for the Half from last year pretty soon. I think that will be a year that I've run every week except for the week after the marathon. That is crazy to me!

Marathon Recap!

I realize that I was lazy and never gave a proper marathon recap!

The morning started out quite cool and I dressed in layers that could be easily shed. My dear friend Mar and Phil stayed with me until the start of the race. It was daunting to know that I had 26.2 miles ahead of me, but the weather couldn't have been better and I felt prepared and only slightly worried about my knee.

The first six miles went by quite fast and I was feeling really good. I started shedding some layers as it warmed up. It was so fun to spot Phil and Mar in the crowd cheering for me with my giant sparkly E sign that Mar had made. The hills weren't nearly as hard on me as I thought they might be. My time was pretty decent and my half marathon split was a PR so I was happy about that. The miles between the half and the low 20's were relatively boring and weren't run in the prettiest area of Austin, but it was pretty flat which was nice. It started getting harder after about 20 and I had to load up on the Gu. Mar joined me around mile 22 and it was so nice to have her there by my side. She carried water for me and I really relied on her to keep me going mentally. I can only remember flashes of those last few miles and it is really amazing how you can only have 2 more miles to go and have done so much training and yet your brain is telling you STOP. I was dead tired. But I kept going. Mar left me to run the last bit on my own. It was neat to run around the capital and finish to my name being called out. I was so happy to be finished and to have that medal around my neck!

My official time was 4:31. I was extremely pleased because my first goal was just to finish, my second was to finish in 4:45 and my "extreme goal" was 4:30, so to be one minute off of that made it even better.

The week after the race I was really REALLY sore. It was amazing how once I finally felt back to normal, running still did not feel natural. I felt stiff and like there was something wrong with my gait. It slowly got better and I got back to my usual running routine and definitely enjoyed some time off for other things besides running!

20 Miles - February 4th

Third and final 18+ mile run is done. Woohoo! I was exhausted on Sunday. We had D-Now with church all weekend so we were up late on friday and saturday night, I didn't eat my normal pre long run meal, etc. I normally stop at the water fountains and keep running, but I incorporated more walking into this long run. I think it was for the best because my knee didn't hurt nearly as much, and it extended the time I was out there which I think was for the best endurance wise. It was a beautiful day to run, and I would love it if the marathon weather could be just as nice. I'm proud of myself for completing my long runs no matter what the weather. I've run in rain, heat, wind, cold and mist. It gave me the chance to experiment with my apparel too which is good.

This week I'm focusing on strength training and getting in some shorter runs. Hopefully I can get in a few swims too. Yay for the taper. :)

19 Miles - January 27th

Yes! I know I can run the marathon now. I now have two out of three of my 18 + long runs down...I don't really want to run another long run but almost every marathon training site has said that 3 runs of that length are needed to prepare you for the marathon. My knee is definitely improving...it hurt the last few miles, but it was much improved over my 9 mile run the previous week.

The weather was actually really crazy during this run. It started out much warmer than I like, so after my first loop around the lake I put my long sleeve top in my car....of course I make it to the other side of the lake and it starts to get really chilly...then, the clouds roll in and I get rained on. I make it out of the rain, and finish my run. By the time I get home it is FREEZING. It was strange!

9 Miles - January 21st

This was my first "long run" since I hurt myself. I was pleasantly surprised that my physical therapy seemed to be working, as there was no immediate sharp pain while running. It did start to hurt towards the end, so I decided to stop my run at 9 miles rather than continuing on. It's hard to determine the right balance of pushing myself and allowing myself to heal. I came home and wrapped ice around my knee immediately. I think this really helped keep the inflammation at bay.

1 Mile - Whoop! January 15

I haven't posted since I went to the doctor. I loved my doctor. Dr. Medlock for anyone who needs an orthopedist. He was just great, and I loved his nurse, Travis. They were very supportive of me continuing to train which I love! He confirmed that it is my IT band, and I went to physical therapy once last week. My therapist is named Deirdre, and she is very knowledgable. She showed me how to stretch my IT band, and WHY it was so tight. She gave me several strengthening exercises to do, and she has a positive outlook on my training. She told me to run once to test it out, which is what I did today.

I went to the gym and went through my Omar stretches. Then I ran one mile on the treadmill. I could slightly feel my knee...it was a low pain, around a 1-2 on a 1-10 scale. Deirdre said I should be fine up to a 5. I just went a mile to make sure it didn't hurt when I stopped running and to see how it feels the rest of the day. After I ran, I did a chest and tri workout, abs, 20 minutes on the bike, stretching, and my strengthening exercises. I went home and iced my knee. Tomorrow I'm planning on running 3 miles, swimming on Wednesday, then 4-5 on Thursday, then around the lake (at least) on Saturday.

I feel really good about things. My long runs have come really easily to me, so the endurance is not what I'm worried about so much. I want to get in another 18 mile run and a 20-22 before the race, which I think I can do and be fine. I'm trying to really focus on my stretches, strengthening and cross training. It sounds silly, but this injury may have been good for me in the long run. I think the cross training and strength training I've been able to focus on will really help me.

Swimming Again - January 8th

I have a junior league meeting tonight so I woke up early and hit the gym. I did all of my stretches that Omar gave me and swam 750 meters. After my meeting I'm going to do abs and shoulders at home, and stretch again. Tomorrow is my doctors appointment. I really really hope he says I can run. I have been dying to run! I get jealous when I see other people out for a run. It's bad.

Training w/ Omar - January 4th

I love love love Omar! He is one of the managers at 24 hour. He met with me for about an hour last night and went over all of these great stretches and exercises that I can do. He was simply fabulous! I loved how he could tell me how building up one muscle and the tension placed on it would effect other areas of my body. It was very interesting!

Today was also the first day that I woke up and my knee didn't hurt at all to walk on. Yay! So tonight I'm going to swim and do all of my new exercises, plus a shoulder workout. I'm planning on walking around the lake tomorrow. I'm going to take Dodger since he never gets to go with me anymore. I really hope I will be better by Austin...but if I'm not, I'm thinking of running the St. Louis marathon in April. The weather should be perfect, and it would give me another two months to recover and prepare. For now I'm taking things a day at a time though.

Swimming! January 3rd

One of the best crosstraining exercises and things to do when you are injured is to swim. So just call me a fish...or a dolphin..or whatever. I did a back and bi workout and then hopped into the pool. Running 18 miles is way easier than swimming to me! I swam 550 meters on my first outing. I'm hoping to do 750 tonight.

One of the trainers at the gym is going to meet with me tonight and go over some exercises I can do to strengthen my knees and legs. He has trained marathon runners and triathletes so hopefully he can give me some good advice. We're treating this as an IT band injury until I get to the doctor, since that is what things seem to point to.

9 Miles - January 1st

Bad bad day. I hurt my right knee...I stopped to get a drink three miles in to my run, and as I was getting back on the trail and starting to run again, I had a sharp pain in my knee. I was able to run through it, and it wasn't horrible as I was running, but anytime I stopped for a drink and started again it would hurt really bad. I was supposed to run 14, but I just completed the loop around white rock and left. It hurt to walk on and is till tender.

I was pretty upset by it, but I have a doctor's appointment next week, and if he tells me I won't be able to run Austin, I'm going to pick a late March or April marathon that I can hopefully be healed by. Right now I'm focusing on getting better though.