11.57 miles

The last double digit run before Chicago is done.  We met at 6am & took off with the fasties.  I requested flat but my version of flat is different from Scotts. LOL!  The first loop wasn't terribly hilly but it was hilly enough.  It was 5.8 miles long.  We came back to Mama's Java's & picked up one more runner.  I refused to stop my garmin for that stop.  I'm stubborn like that.  I took that time to take off my head lamp, which was around my waist, pepper spray, & downed some powerade.  I think I ate only one shot blok & it was at this stop.  I should have had another.  I'm going to eat those early on in Chicago & more often.  The 2nd loop was our "Wednesday Night Hilly Route" only backwards.  Ugh!  Darryl apologized for that choice later.  LOL!  Trust me it felt hillier backwards than it does how we normally run it but I walked most of the hills.  Overall I felt great & chatted a good bit of the way.  We ate breakfast, headed to Manchester to get the Honda serviced, & ran a few errands.  We have all our fuel for the marathon bought.  I have my packing list ready & tomorrow I'm packing.  If I'm anything, I'm organized.  The weather is looking fabulous for us.  Looks like we'll be packing some throw away clothes for the start.  Thank you, God!  I will not have the weather to blame if I bonk. 

11.57 miles-9:12 pace-1:46:23

Mile 1: 8:59
Mile 2: 8:16
Mile 3: 8:48
Mile 4: 8:44
Mile 5: 8:40
Mile 6: 11:17 (shedding gear, fueling, & waiting on the group to catch up)
Mile 7: 9:21 (Big hills started here on the 2nd loop....bleh...)
Mile 8: 10:01
Mile 9: 9:22
Mile 10: 8:56
Mile 11: 8:50
Mile .57: 9:05

I have no doubt that if I did a COLD, FLAT half right now, I would come very close to my PR of 1:51.

Chicago, I'm as ready as I'll ever be.............

a good end of a great week...

It's been a pretty great week overall.
I like how our run club isn't just about running, paces, qualifying, etc...
It's about community.
On Tuesday, a member of the club posted on facebook that she needed 40 shoe boxes for a project that a local church is doing to send some items overseas. Members of the club managed to bring in 32.  One guy brought in 10 boxes. ;-)  She will collect them through next Wednesday so I'm sure she'll get the other 8 boxes no problem.
On Wednesday, the uber cool London guy that I spoke of months ago when I ran with him posted a picture of two black labs that were dropped in his neighborhood.  Long story short, we put our heads together, he called a long list of no kill shelters, & then one of his neighbors who was helping take care of them found them a home. 
And...our club President loaned his convertible, baby blue, toyota solara to Joe to drive Jessica in her high school homecoming parade today. (She's the 9th grade homecoming queen).
We are very blessed.

And I scored free club tickets with a parking pass for the Titans-Steelers game for my boss, who's a HUGE Steeler fan! I told him no terrible towel waving in our HOUSE but I don't think he'll listen.

We've got a pretty busy weekend ahead but not as busy as last weekend, thank you God.
We're running 11 miles at or around a 9 minute pace in the morning.
We are also taking my honda down to Manchester for an oil change/tire rotation.
Bonefish Grill may be calling my name.....Hello Hannah!!!
I've also got to start getting things ready to pack for Chicago. 

Yesterday I cross trained by doing yoga, ab ripper, a 2 mile walk, & 25 minutes on a bike at the gym.
Today I'm not doing a thing, except watching the first 1/2 of a high school football game, their half time homecoming show, then we are heading home.

Happy Weekend!

Run #2: "2 a day Wednesday"

Ran as flat as I could get it in Nolensville. 5 miles at an 8:27 pace. This route will most likely be the route I do most of the time on Wednesday nights since I'm forced to run hills in our 'hood all the time.

Mile 1: 8:46
Mile 2: 8:15
Mile 3: 8:09
Mile 4: 8:36 (I took a short walk break)
Mile 5: 8:30

Amicos afterwards. I had a salad instead of pizza. Love their food!!

Run #1 on "2 a day Wednesday"

I did 4 miles at an 8:48 pace this morning mostly flat. As a matter of fact my last two miles were 8:48 each & that was with several walk breaks the last two miles.  My hip doesn't hurt, either.  Further proof that I just need to run/walk whatever I feel like on Oct 7th. 

We have some non-running events to attend soon.  Friday night homecoming at Jessica's school since she's the 9th grade homecoming attendant & we have a baby shower to attend the weekend after Chicago for Amy O. of the NRC. 

I've decided that I'm going to try to run without my ankle wrap in December & see how it does. This is the same ankle wrap Dr. Holmes gave me at the beginning of the year when we figured out that I was overcompensating for the left IT Band pain by straining the right ankle making it weak. I'm going to resume the IT Band/Glute strengthening exercises at the gym about two weeks after Chicago.  I saw my former trainer making a guy do the same exact exercises yesterday.  Overall strengthening is so important as we get older especially those of us prone to injury.

slow, flat, & not what I'm going to do....

I drove over to the Nolensville elementary school yesterday & told myself to run flat & slow & that's EXACTLY what I did & I hated it.  My left hip even hated it.
I can honestly say my IT Band/left hip area haven't bothered me much at all other than a few "twinges" to let me know it's still there but that was after a hard work out at the gym trying to strengthen it.

After my flat, 7.1 mile 9:48 pace yesterday, my left hip actually hurt.  That tells me that I was running "with the brakes on".  I must have slowed down by changing my stride.  I can't be doing that.  So, yes........hello, Mr. Galloway, I will be using your plan to run Chicago.  Run my natural/feels right pace & take short walk breaks.  I just have to practice patience. 

This morning I did ab ripper, of course...3X a week is how often I do it (Tue/Thur/Sun).
I'm going to do my usual cross training at the gym this afternoon.
Tomorrow I'll more than likely do 3.5-4 miles in the morning & 4 or 5 with the club in the afternoon.
Thursday will be cross training again.
Friday....Rest.
Saturday, I'll most likely end up with 11 miles.
It will feel weird starting a little later & finish up a little earlier.
I get to start stalking the weather on Sunday!  ;-P

much about nothing on monday....

It's the little things with me these days that make me happy. 
It's nice to know that right now I can push 13.1 miles in under 2 hours & then add 2 slow miles to it & not even be the slightest bit sore two days later.
Ice baths & lots of moving around really do help.  Gone are the days where I just go home & "veg" in front of the tv after a long run. Nope, sorry, I've got a lot of "living" that I have to get done on the weekends.  ;-)
Is it "progress" with my training?  I sure hope so. 
I'm not near as paranoid as I was this time last year before the NYC marathon.
That to me was my "comeback to running" marathon....that tibia stress fracture was stubburn but so was I?  If I ever get one of those again, then it will be time to "veg" in front of the tv to allow it to heal FASTER.

Speaking of tv....this week is premiere week & I'm excited!
I may sound like I watch a lot of tv sometimes from what I've put on this blog in the past but I really don't.  I don't have anything at all on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights that I HAVE to watch.  I do watch CBS on Monday, ABC on Wednesday, & there's several shows (like "The Office") that we watch/dvr on Thursday.  I do NOT watch anymore singing shows & I refuse to get caught up in the newers ones and/or the dancing shows.  If I happen to catch "DWTS" on Tuesday then ok, if not, no big deal.  I am excited, though.  I am a sucker for the thirty minute comedies & if we dvr them, we can watch them in 20 minutes. 

This morning I opted out of getting up for my "speed" workout.  We are less than 2 weeks away so I'm rethinking doing anything related to getting me faster this week & I'm certainly not going to do it next week.  The "hay is in the barn" for Chicago.  It's time to avoid injury & get some rest.
(I smile as I type this because if you could've seen me jumping up & down at LP Field yesterday, you would have thought I was being tasered from the back!) 
I did do Jillian Michael's yoga this morning & the plan is for me to run a moderately easy 6 miles after work.  I am thinking I'll go to the ball field area or Crockett park.  I'll decide when I get home to change.  I need to force myself to lock into a VERY comfortable pace & just stay there for 6 miles this afternoon.  I'm totally digging this weather & praying it stays around. 

I've made up my mind about Indianapolis.  If for some reason, I do not come in under 4:17 then I'm going to focus on recovery for a week then I'll get ready for the full marathon in Indy, Nov 3rd.  If I come in under 4:17 in Chicago, then I'll gladly move to the 1/2 marathon in Indy.  I would love to drop my marathon & half marathon times down. It's time....way past time.  I think my training has been solid enough to reach that goal but you just never know what you'll run into on race day morning.  Indy is flat & a lot less crowded.  All I know is that I'm looking forward to both either way. 

All our NRC folks that qualified for Boston in Carmel, IN got their registrations accepted.  So happy for them!  I saw a post on facebook regarding last years Boston marathon.  Boston usually has at least 10,000 runners who re-qualify at the Boston marathon & a good portion of them run it again the next year.  If what I saw was correct, only 2700 re-qualified back in April.  Wow!  That really says something about how hot it was this year.  That really worked well for those that qualified by less than a minute this year that were on pins & needles hoping to get accepted. 

a short work out, tail gating, & a crazy football game....

Our "Food Truck Festival" in our 'hood was chaos.  6 of the 15 trucks didn't show & if you chose to wait in line, it was about an hour wait to get food.  I did get some homemade ice cream fairly quickly, though.  Homemade goo goo cluster ice cream.  I was in heaven.  We ended up with some latin food. I ate a latin grilled cheese. Awesome but not worth the wait.  Needless to say, we called it an early night. 

This morning we got out the door at around 5:30am to do some short recovery runs.  I ran 3.63 miles at a 9:45 pace.  I felt no stiffness or soreness whatsoever.  I got my weights in at the gym, rode the bike for 16 minutes, & did ab ripper. 

We headed downtown with the kids to tail gate with our friends, Erin & Wayne S. The Titans played the Lions & boy what a game. It was definitely the LONGEST game I've ever attended.  The Titans had to win it 2 times to get the job done thanks to the replacement refs.  There were some crazy, awesome plays!  My voice is hoarse & we are beat!  Joe even caught a free t-shirt that T-Rac shot up into our section. Too funny!  It's really cool.  It has the Tennessee State Parks emblem on the back. 

What a weekend!!  ;-)

And I still don't have a clue?

We started out with Darryl, Wayne P., Tracie B., Jonathon, Danielle, & one other guy at around 5:15am.  I took off way too fast for the first 2 miles & then started backing off.  Honestly, I really need to consider the Galloway plan.  I find my legs locking into a faster than marathon pace then I take a short walk break, fuel, then pick it up again...  I guess that might be a good way to do Chicago.  Honestly, I have no idea what my pace should be & yes, I did avoid a lot of hills this morning but I still don't know what my pace should/could be for a flat marathon.  I told myself to just stick with the run fast/walk method & knock out the first 13.1 then I'd reset the garmin for 2 more miles at a slower pace.  I've got to exercise "patience" on Oct 7th.  The first 1/2 needs to be really comfortable, then I can start picking it up the 2nd half.

13.11 miles-1:57:34-8:58 pace(3rd sub 2 hr 1/2 run during this training cycle. whoot!)

Mile 1: 8:29
Mile 2: 8:16 (way too fast!)
Mile 3: 8:35
Mile 4: 9:26 (fueled & decided to switch the garmin to show pace only)
Mile 5: 9:13
Mile 6: 8:40
Mile 7: 8:54
Mile 8: 9:15
Mile 9: 8:34 (seriously telling myself to slow down....& doing walk breaks)
Mile 10: 9:42 (yep, that's more like it....fueled here too)
Mile 11: 9:14
Mile 12: 9:18
Mile 13: 8:55
.11:         8:33

Two more slow miles immediately after I reset the garmin.
Mile 1: 10:15
Mile 2: 10:13

15.11 miles total for the day, plus I probably walked 3+ miles downtown to see running friends on the Women's 1/2 marathon course.  Saw David H., Cheryl M., Shawn B., Kelli A., & Kellye P. 

The weekend!

I did my usual cross training yesterday...walk, bike, a few weight machines....debating whether or not to do yoga after work....most likely I will. 

Tomorrow we are running 15 miles as flat as we can get it in the Nolensville area. I really need to decide on a "comfortable" race pace.  I really don't know what my body can do on a totally flat course.  Kinda sad isn't it? ha!  So, I know enough areas where I can run flat, some I'll have to run 2X but it will get done.  The little uphill back to Mama's Java's will serve as the "uphill finish" that I keep reading about off the Chicago marathon race reports.  ;-)  I'm seriously considering going downtown to cheer on those that are running the Nashville Women's half.  I will make a decision after I get my 15 miles completed.

We have the Food Truck festival tomorrow evening in our neighborhood & then the Lions vs. Titans game on Sunday.  We're meeting the Smiths from the 'homa early to tail gate.  This will be the kids first "regular" season game. 

I am going to drag myself up early Sunday for a work out because I know I'll be eating GOOD on Sunday.  ;-) 

Happy Weekend Everybody!

Run #2. 5.12 miles flat (10.72 miles for the day)

Almost "progression" but not quite. My 1st mile was bug free & an 8:52 pace. 2nd was 8:29, 3rd was 8:15, 4th was 8:17, 5th was 8:25, & the .12 was 7:44. Overall an 8:27 pace. This was a mostly flat run but unfortunately I had a few small hills towards the end. we celebrated two NRC birthdays at "Uncle Buds" afterwards. Fun Times!

My favorite day of the week....

"2 a day Wednesday" started with 51 degrees per my iPhone & channel 5 news at 5am. 
The plan was try to do a "comfortably hard" tempo run.

5.6 miles - 8:44 pace - 48:57 time

Mile 1: 9:41 (I'm in a sports bra, shorts, compression socks, & trying to warm up. NO complaints!)
Mile 2: 8:55 (finally warmed up & running a few hills at the front of the 'hood)
Mile 3: 8:17 (flattest part of the 'hood)
Mile 4: 8:28
Mile 5: 8:25
       .6: 8:34 (finish up hill at the stretch wall)

Considering I had a barametric pressure migraine yesterday, hence the weather change...I felt great this morning.  All I missed by laying around after work yesterday was a 2 mi walk, some weights, & time on the bike.  It is "taper time" after all.  ;-P  I weighed myself after I drank my recovery drink & low & behold a very healthy, strong 111.6 lbs.  My goal for the marathon was to get as close to 110 as I could without starving myself.  (believe me, I'm not starving myself)  Whoo Hoo!!!

just ramblings...

I managed to do Jillian Michael's yoga after work yesterday.  Work out #1 really works the core HARD!  If there is anything that I've accomplished in the last 6 months it's strengthening. 
I went to bed at 7:30pm last night.  This change in the weather that never seems to come on gradually really wreaks havoc on my sinuses & usually causes a migraine.  I did get up & knock out P90X ab ripper before work this morning.  Tomorrow looks to be very ideal for running here in middle TN.  The high is only going to get up to 71.  All I can say is WOW, that's fantastic for mid-Sept here. 

Well, I have basically 2 1/2 weeks before the Chicago marathon. I really don't know what to expect.  Judging from our paces, Joe & I do stand a good chance of lowering our PRs.  He did 24 miles Saturday at an 8:42 or 8:45 pace.  I think if he lowers his 3:38 from NYC closer to 3:35, he'll be a happy camper.  Me, if I beat my 4:17, of course I'll be happy.  I did some things differently this time around with training & I know it helped tremendously. 

First of all, it helped to shed 12-15 lbs off my 5 ft 2 in body.  I needed to do that even if there was no marathon training going on.  I'll just put the numbers out there.  I was fluctuating between 127-130 lbs.  I now fluctuate between 112-115.  I could probably stand to lose another couple of pounds but that will most likely happen sometime before the holidays kick in because I've got a lot of running on my plate that will happen before Thanksgiving. 

Second, I threw in some speed intervals on Monday mornings.  I will keep these intervals & even head to the ball fields on occasion after I've recovered from Chicago.

Third, I worked for 3 months with a trainer to strengthen my IT Band. I've been using weights way more than I did last year thanks to the gym opening in my 'hood.  It shows & I'm very proud to look in the mirror & see the results. 

Fourth, I didn't just plod along on ALL my runs.  I tried to run with a specific purpose for each & every run.  I'm tired of being a "plodder"...running the same pace all the time.  I've come a long way since the tibia stress fracture.  I learned some lessons last year with the NYC training.  Let's just say I know what I have to do & I will keep doing it until I get it right.  I have kept only positive influences around me while training & it's been really good for me.  ;-)

I know that there will be logistics to deal with on Oct 7th.  The corral system, the masses of people in each & every corral...supposedly 3,700 folks in each corral.  I'm in corral G & I think Joe said he got moved to B.  He starts at 7:30 & I start after 8:00am.  I know that I'll have to watch my footing with all the crap that gets thrown on the course.  I know that there will be folks that will get in my way & that's ok early on because I plan to ease into the first 2-4 miles.  I know that the back half of this course has virtually no shade.  I know that the corrals tend to close up fairly early despite what they've got posted on their website.  I know my garmin will lose it's signal in the first few miles due to overpasses & buildings.  I know I won't sleep great the night before....etc, etc....but we have plans in place.  The only thing I don't know about is how well I'll do & that will depend mostly on the weather. 

We have a back up marathon (Indianapolis Monumental) in place in case the weather SUCKS in Chicago.  We're both smart enough to switch to the 1/2 in Indy if we aren't quite recovered from Chicago in time to run the full.  I've been mentally packing for this trip for weeks & I'm ready for it.  There are a lot of pros & cons with doing a HUGE marathon like Chicago or NYC.  I'm going to focus on making the most of the pros.  I'm going to have fun no matter what because I know I can do it.  It may not be pretty at the end but I know I can do it. 

And as for tapering....I'm glad it's here.  I'm a little sad that it came so fast.  Honestly, this training seemed to fly by for us.  We plan to knock out 15 miles on Saturday.  Joe has to get the kids to soccer so we'll be out early.  We have a Food Truck Festival in our 'hood that starts at 5pm.  In the middle of that I'll be getting another "leg only" massage but at my neighborhood massage therapist office. 

The next weekend, I'm thinking we'll do 10 or 11 miles.  My last "2 a day Wednesday" will be on the 26th.  I've enjoyed those long run days that I split into two runs on Wednesday's. That week of the marathon, I plan to sleep in most of the week....meaning no running or working out in the mornings.

The week after the marathon....my plan is to schedule an appointment to get my car stuff done in Manchester but I may show up in Murfreesboro to cheer on the NRC folks.   
I'll be doing some walking, bike riding (in the gym), yoga, etc...

Nov 2nd, we'll be driving to Indy.  Nov 3rd, we'll be doing either the 1/2 or the full marathon in Indianapolis & yes, it's flat!  Nov 4th, we'll be at Lucas Oil stadium watching the Colts vs Dolphins game. 

The very next weekend, Nov 9th, I will be running the Ragnar relay with a team from the NRC. 
I'm in van 2 this time around so I'll get to run a different part of the course.  We had our first meeting Sunday night.  I found that funny since we just sort of "winged it" the first time we did Ragnar.

Then of course, Thanksgiving in San Antonio, TX.....Christmas in Michigan..... 
By then I'll know what to plan for in 2013. 

No soreness….success!

Yesterday, I took a 2^nd ice bath & a little more ibuprophen. I have almost no soreness at all from Saturday's run. I think staying on my feet Saturday afternoon, evening, & on Sunday certainly helped.

Saturday afternoon, I got a "leg only massage" at the Day Spa & then got a manicure & pedicure to clean everything up. I was way overdue. We even made it to the 2^nd Nolensville run club Arrington Winery outing. Needless to say, Saturday night we crashed. I think I slept a good, solid 9-10 hours.

Yesterday, I did P90X ab ripper & XStretch, walked just over 3 miles, rode a bike at the gym for 40 minutes, & did arm weights only at the gym.

Despite the light rain that was falling at 5am this morning, I got out the door. It's supposed to rain all day so I figure I might as well get it done since it wasn't pouring rain. I thought at first I would do a "recovery run" but I did do one mile reasonably hard when I hit the flat portion of our 'hood. I didn't go all out but I did push myself. I ended up with 5.19 miles at an 8:54 pace. Not too awfully bad two days after a 22 mile training run. ;-)

Mile 1: 9:47

Mile 2: 9:26

Mile 3: 7:24 (flat part of the 'hood)

Mile 4: 8:24

Mile 5: 9:10

.19:     10:33

22 mile training run....my longest & fastest ever...

Until today, I've never run a training run longer than 21 miles & that was last year.  Last years 21 miler was at a 9:55 pace. This years 22 miler was at a 9:45 pace. It felt slower than that so I'm surprised.  I'm just glad it is over & we can taper.  I was just not feeling the love much this morning & it took me a while to come alive & wake up.  It had been a long week.  I'm hoping to get some really good, long sleep tonight.  We met Cheryl & Jonathon at about 4:30am-ish.  We had to drop fluids at Ravenwood High School then meet them at the Y.  I ran just over 2 miles with them.  We picked up Tracie & Danielle at 5am at the Y.  I will say one thing, it will be very nice not to have to wear a fuel belt, reflective gear, & a head lamp (around my waist) in Chicago.  In other words, I'll be running a little bit lighter.  We had wanted to run in Shelby but it seemed like everyone had to be somewhere fast after the run, hence, the 4:30am start time.  Parents with kids in sports on Saturdays...marathon training can be done...where there's a will, there's a way to get the long runs done.   I salute you all that accomplish this goal! Needless to say, we didn't run a "pancake flat" 22 miler like we had planned but we'll live.  Crockett is mostly flat but we ran a lot of different neighborhoods that weren't & over near Ravenwood High...that hill just makes me crazy.  When I walked up it, I already had 16.5 miles on my legs.  Not fun!  I took quite a few short walk breaks on most of the hills so I'm A OK with the 9:45 pace.  The key for me will be to not get distracted in Chicago & forget to take in fuel.  You can pretty much tell by my pace when I was taking in hammer gel endurolyte pills, shot bloks, & drinking water/powerade.  I'm not sure about the humidity but my iPhone said 66 degrees when we left the house.  It felt a little cooler than that when we started.  I could feel the temp go down a bit an hour later.  I was soaked to the bone in sweat when we finished but it wasn't anywhere near as bad two weeks ago.

22 miles: Overall time 3:34:44  Overall pace 9:45

Mile 1: 10:20
Mile 2: 10:49 (head lamp fell apart & we're scrambling looking for my batteries)
Mile 3: 10:42 (putting head lamp back together...laugh with me!)
Mile 4: 9:43
Mile 5: 9:21
Mile 6: 10:11 (fueling)
Mile 7: 9:19 (finally finding my groove)
Mile 8: 8:39
Mile 9: 9:01
Mile 10: 9:17
Mile 11: 9:48(fueling)
Mile 12: 9:24
Mile 13: 10:23 (filled up water bottles & guzzled powerade at the high school)
Mile 14: 9:37
Mile 15: 10:11(fueling)
Mile 16: 9:24
Mile 17: 10:41(fueling)
Mile 18: 9:30
Mile 19: 9:28
Mile 20: 8:59(YES!)
Mile 21: 9:38
Mile 22: 9:55 (had to finish up .6 in the parking lot)

Next weekend 14-15 miles......

The weekend....looonnnngggg run...

I'm really looking forward to our 22 miler in the morning because the weather is really going to be great for mid-Sept here in middle TN.  We've had a change in plans on the venue for the run & we're still tweaking the route & logistics.  All is good.  Lots & lots of great things going on & so much so I just couldn't shut my mind off last night. ;-) 

Words to live by today are hydrate, organize, & think positive thoughts.

Run #2 "2 a day Wednesday" 5.12 miles, 8:26 pace (43:10)

My legs were tired so I sure wasn't going to torture myself on the hills. I ran as flat as i could get it. Mile 1 was 9:52 (I had a bug in my eye!). Mile 2 was 8:15 (ran around the elementary school). Mile 3 was 7:54 (apparently I can run a sub 8 in the middle of a run now). Mile 4 was 8:06 & around the ball fields I went. Mile 5 was another 8:06 with Steve K. trying to race me into Martins BBQ & the last .13 was at a 7:51. Fun Times!

Run #1: "2 a day Wednesday"

I had a hard time getting my "giddy-up-n'-go" to go this morning. My legs felt heavy from Monday's "speed work" & the lunges that I did last night at the gym. I took a few short walk breaks on the hills in the last 2 miles.  Felt humid to me this morning but not near as hot.  5.34 miles – 8:54 pace

The plan is to run 5-6 miles or so totally flat tonight with the group.  I'm going to roll out the IT Band & quads really well before I do run #2.  The IT Band has been doing ok & I'd like to keep it that way.  As a matter of fact, the foam roller is coming with me to Chicago. 

Mile 1: 9:58

Mile 2: 8:55

Mile 3: 8:17

Mile 4: 8:29

Mile 5: 8:23

.34:    10:02

9-11-01.....to 9-11-12

Above is a pic I took last year at the 9-11 memorial fountain pools.  Very humbling...everyone should go there before they die.  Put it on your bucket list of things to do. 

The speed work did get done & "wait for it"....yes, it was actual "measured" 800s.  I only did 4 of them.  If I make it down there again next week, I'll go for six 400s.  I warmed up for 1.25 miles then I reset the garmin & took off.  The cool down after was 1.55 miles. (overall 4.8 miles) I drove to the ball fields in Nolensville & ran around the walking path that goes around the fields.  Got done just as pee wee football practice was starting at 6pm.  I know that 800s are just barely shy of 1/2 a mile but I didn't hit stop till I saw the .5.  I rested for 2 minutes in between each one.  I wonder what the times would've been had I been on a REAL, bouncy, track like the THS track in Tullahoma.  I know you're supposed to try to bring the times down as you do them but that last one, I was toast & the ragweed allergies started to kick in.  I had a sneezing fit as I drove home.  ;-(   I do feel better this morning than I did yesterday, thank goodness.

1st:    3:41
2nd:  3:37
3rd:   3:34
4th:   3:36  (just couldn't push the last one below 3:34)

Did 1/2 an hour of stretching/yoga, too, when I got home.

Today:  ab ripper this morning & this afternoon will be 30 mins yoga, 35 mins bike, IT Band exercises at the gym, & the 2 mi walk to & from gym.

Tomorrow:  "2 a day Wednesday" ;-)

GREAT source of simple track workouts. 

4 Seasons in one day...

Was it me or did we experience 4 seasons all in one day on Saturday?

5am: warm/humid & of course we were running long run

10am: raining/cooler & of course Joe was at soccer games

2:00pm: pleasantly warm, sunny & of course we were all at home inside

7:30pm: cold, almost teeth chattering for me & of course we were outside at the Arrington winery. LOL!

We went to the run club's outing at the local winery Sat night. No, I don't drink wine, never liked it, & it's too sugary anyway… but we had a blast!   We stood around & talked for over 2.5 hours. My legs never felt tired from the early morning 16.5 mile run, which is a good sign I hope…. I noticed that my nose started to run. Ugh….allergies kicked in due to the extreme weather change. I got some good sleep Saturday night & even slept in…..7:00-7:30am is sleeping in for me in a big way!

Sunday, I got in a decent little 5 mile recovery run but I don't know the pace. I left the garmin running while I did arm weights in the gym. (maybe 9:55-10:00 pace) I also did ab ripper, P90X Stretch, & rode a stationary bike for 35 minutes. Let's just say I EARNED my rotel dip that we all scarffed down during the Titans game. I sure didn't expect them to win but I also didn't expect so many injuries either. I think they even broke Brady's nose. Ouch!! The best game on yesterday was the Steelers vs Broncos. Peyton is back & it's like he never left! J

When I went to sleep the sinus drainage started & never stopped. I think I slept about 2 hours, maybe. Needless to say, I didn't get my "speed" in before work but I'm tempted to do it after work then get some yoga in right after. Other than that…..I feel GREAT. And as much as I ate over the weekend, I didn't gain an ounce. (I LOGGED IT ALL in myfitnesspal….no half-arse food logging for me!) All I've got to say is my metabolism must be in overdrive. ;-)

16.5 miles

This was cut back week for us on the long run.  Joe & I both got little sleep because of the storm moving through around 1:00am.  Ugh, so tired....
I'm not sure what the temp or the humidity was but I know it wasn't ideal.  I held back early on & stayed with Jonathon & Danielle until after mile 9 or 10.  Overall I felt ok, definitely better than the 20 miler from last weekend but glad it was ending at 16.5.  I hope the cooling trend extends through till next Saturday morning. I ate all my shot bloks & drank both bottles in my fuel belt all by mile 13-14.  This was our usual rolling course we have been doing from Mama's Javas weaving in & out of Brentwood & Nolensville.  Overall the time was 2:44:32 with the pace at 9:58.

Mile 1:   10:02
Mile 2:    9:47
Mile 3:    9:41
Mile 4:    9:43
Mile 5:   10:10 (fueling)
Mile 6:    9:50
Mile 7:    9:31
Mile 8:   10:36 (walked up a hill)
Mile 9:   10:04
Mile 10: 10:04
Mile 11: 10:27 (fueling)
Mile 12:  9:29
Mile 13:  10:14 (drinking the last of my water/powerade)
Mile 14:   9:54
Mile 15:  10:36 (walked some hills)
Mile 16:   9:24
     .5:       9:43

Next weekend, 22 miles & hopefully MOSTLY FLAT. 

One Month

Weather:

It's supposed to rain tonight & on into tomorrow morning. I've got the alarm already set for 4am. If it's not raining I'm running...15 miles at around a 9:30-10:00 pace, hopefully. (It's cut back week for us) If it's raining when I wake up, I'm postponing my 15 for early Sunday morning. Sunday morning looks like a great morning to get out for a long run. We are getting the cold air from Canada. Yippee! If I'm going to run in the rain then it will be only because it started raining AFTER I started running. If I'm going to risk blisters by starting a run when it's already raining then I'll risk that in Chicago IF it's raining on the morning of Oct 7^th. (Can't believe it's a MONTH away.)

Clothes:

I have one tote full of sweaters that I never even opened last winter that I need to go through. Other than that I've gone through all my clothes that don't fit anymore. My sister in TX & my cousin in MI got the better clothes; the rest has gone or will be going to Goodwill. Feels good to reach goal weight & it's staying off.

Football:

I'm craving a good football game as if it's a piece of chocolate. We have the kids this weekend & they don't like football. We are taking them to the Detroit Lions – Titans game on the 23^rd whether they like it or not. ;-P I'm even craving football food….rotel dip! Will have to work that into myfitnesspal calorie allowance!

Paul Ryan:

First of all speaking from someone who would LOVE to be faster, more efficient, etc, etc…. You can believe that I have my PRs burned in my brain, where I ran them, the weather that day, who rode with me to the race, etc, etc… Does RR not know that we have the internet to fact check every little thing he says? Ha! This will never be a blog where I bash others. It will never be a political blog because I know next to nothing about politics & find it quite boring……..BUT this is the first time since I registered to vote that I don't even want to vote. From what little I know I don't really care for either candidate. There I'm putting it out there & I own it. ;-P

Check out the link below, cracks me up!

http://www.paulryantimecalculator.com/

Here's to "owning" our long runs this weekend!!

Happy Football weekend!!!

Franklin Classic Video

JP did a GREAT job with making this video below.
For some reason it won't load to blogger but here's the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV-w2PBepNk&feature=youtu.be

Joe shows up right at a minute into it & my sweaty self shows up around 1:07-ish in my purple zensah sports bra.  LOVE those comfy sports bras.

Today's workout:
ab ripper this morning
a 2-3 mile walk/jog to & from gym
35 mins on the bike
a few weight machines

A little unstructured but that's the way my Tuesdays & Thursday's roll.
Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day.
I pray we don't wake up to thunderstorms Saturday morning.
I really want our long run done then rather than Sunday but the weather is what it is...
I realized that I'm only running 3 days a week. 
"Speed" on Monday's, "2 a Day Wednesday" & the long run on Saturday.
I walk a little on Tues & Thurs. I count all time on my feet, btw.
If this "plan" gets me to the start line uninjured, then I'll be VERY happy.

The Titans have their first home game Sunday.  Pat Summitt is to be the 12th Titan.
We don't expect a win against the Patriots but you never know....I'm actually a little more excited to see what the Lions, Broncos, & Colts can do this year.  Yes, I support the home team but I tend to go with the underdogs every year.  I'd like to see this be the year the Detroit Lions go to the Super Bowl.
There, I wrote it, & I own it.  ;-P

Run #2: "2 a Day WET Wednesday"

I jogged 1.51 miles at a 9:34 pace before everyone showed up to run.
It looked like the rain was coming so we got started pretty quickly.  A mile & a half into it, I turned around to go flatter & slower then the rain came down hard.  I got in 3.19 miles at a 9:21 pace by the time I got back to the car. 

4.6 + 1.51 + 3.19 = 9.3 recovery miles for the day (where there's a will there's a way)

Tomorrow will be ab ripper, yoga, the bike, & a short walk. This is a cut back week for us so we're shooting for 15-ish miles on Saturday if we don't get rained out.  If we do, all is not lost, the early morning temp for Sunday is in the high 50's.  ;-)

Run #1: "2 a Day Wednesday" 4.6 mi @ O'dark thirty in 99999% humidity

I got out the door before 5:00am. I'm not going to lie, this morning it was hard to get going in the 74 degree temperature & HIGH humidity. The humidity seemed worse than this past Saturday. I had no problem keeping it slow. I'm considering this morning's 4.6 miles as a "recovery" run. Recovery from the long weekend's festivities. ;-P

Mile 1: 10:32 (so hard to get going)

Mile 2: 9:37

Mile 3: 9:33

Mile 4: 10:15

.6:        10:20

Looks like we might get a break in the weather after Saturday. Whoo Hoo! If we run Saturday, we may get rained on but a little rain has never hurt anybody. I hope this trend continues…BRING ON FALL!!

 

Franklin Classic 10k Race Report

Yesterday, I did my "usual" Sunday work out.

P90X ab ripper
35 minutes on a stationary bike
weight machines (arms only)
Walked some on a treadmill since it was raining
AND, I made myself do P90X Stretch

I had to stretch out the miserable 20 miler from Saturday. I also took two twenty minute ice baths & some ibuprophen.  There was no way I was running this 10k with a lot of soreness.

Our run club was fired up from the inspirational facebook post from Scott, our NRC President. I told him after the race that I kept picturing him spiking his water bottle at the finish line in Carmel, IN when he realized he had qualified for Boston.  :-) 
He has a way with words & he really had us all working hard in order to win "fastest" team, whether it be in the 10k or the 5k, he wanted to win.  Well, we did.  NRC won the award for the "Fastest 5k Team". 

After jogging about a mile & a half with Danielle to warm up, we took off almost immediately.  I ran my 2nd fastest 10k ever on some tired legs this morning.  My 10k PR (52:40) is on a hilly course in downtown Nashville & it's from 2007!  That PR needs to come down.  Had this course been flat I have no question in my mind that I could've beaten it today.  Go figure?!  I ran a 53:08 per the official results & that's with me taking short walk breaks on a lot of the hills.  My garmin read 6.3 miles & showed my pace at 8:26, which is a 53:11 per my garmin.  I did this two days after suffering through one of the toughest training runs I've ever done.  Yep, I'm patting myself on the back!

Mile 1: 7:50  (flattest part of the race)
Mile 2: 8:09 
Mile 3: 8:55 (the short walk breaks started here & continued through out the race)
Mile 4: 8:52
Mile 5: 8:30
Mile 6: 8:32
.3:        7:52

As soon as I got home, I put in my "Yoga for Runners" dvd & stretched for 75 minutes. Tomorrow is more yoga, IT Band stretches, ab ripper, & a 30 minute massage with my massage therapist.  Oh happy, easy Tuesday....

I hope everyone had a GREAT Labor Day weekend!!

20 miles of..HELL...

As most of you know, the weather definitely affects my pace.  Heck, it affects my mood most of the time. ha!  I've known since about Tuesday or Wednesday that we were in for a "typical" August TN weekend, which means hot, humid, nasty, sweaty, stinky, bleh....
This particular training run we did last year & I felt exactly the same about last years "Stones River Stroll" as I do this years.  Why did we do it?  It was supported & it fell on a saturday.  No matter where we ran today it would have been brutal but if we had to do it all over again, I think we would have dropped fluids & run flat in Shelby.  We will for our 22 miler in two weeks, by golly.  So, getting to the specifics... We were up at 4:00am.  We hitched a ride with Cheryl & Jonathon at 5:00am.  We met Danielle at 5:30am. 
Joe & I got in 3 miles mostly flat at an easy pace before the striders run actually got started.  As a matter of fact, I heard Peter yell, "Go!" right as I was running up to the group so I never shut my garmin off.  This route is notoriously hilly.  I personally don't think it's as bad as Percy Warner but I've only run Percy Warner a handful of times.  Jonathon ran the 11.2 a few months ago & he said he thought they were about "even" on difficulty but that may have been the humidity he had just endured clouding his judgement. ha!  Anyway, we all slowed it down, including Joe.  I walked a lot of the hills & it's very evident how hilly this route is by my pace.  The last 3-4 miles my calves & glutes started cramping in a bad way even though I had taken 8 enduralyte hammer gel tabs, drank both my 10 oz bottles down, & filled them up 2X, ate an entire pack of shot bloks, put ice in my sports bra, & drank the striders water, too.  I hydrated yesterday & I feel like I drank as much as my system would allow this morning.  Plain & simple, it was just an "ugly" run.  Cheryl, cramped so bad she had to eat two bananas when she finished.  She then stretched her legs by walking around & finally had to have them both massaged by Joe before we could get her into the car without her body twitching into a huge knot.  ha!  We can laugh about it now but it was pretty painful for her.  I can't imagine how I would have been had I not had my enduralytes but I'm thinking I may order some salt tabs this weekend off amazon.  I don't want my 22 miler this miserable.  If Chicago is this hot, I don't want to end up on a stretcher at mile 20.  (btw, I lost 4 lbs of water/salt from my body. Found that out when I got home & got on the scale. Wow!)

Mile 1: 9:40 (holding back yet sweat is already on my brow.)
Mile 2: 9:29
Mile 3: 9:54 (jogging the parking lot until the group started.)
Mile 4: 9:38
Mile 5: 10:11 (saving the IT Band on the hills...walk up/run down)
Mile 6: 10:49 (same as above plus refilling bottles)
Mile 7: 9:50
Mile 8: 10:57 (more walking uphill & eating shot bloks)
Mile 9: 10:44 (tasting sweat in my mouth & it's in both ears like I've been in a pool)
Mile 10: 10:03
Mile 11: 11:11 (same as above, walking hills & fueling)
Mile 12: 9:55
Mile 13: 11:28 (water/powerade fill up & hills)
Mile 14: 9:58
Mile 15: 11:09
Mile 16: 11:16
Mile 17: 11:22 (fueling & walking hills)
Mile 18: 13:38 (major calf & glute cramping coming on)
Mile 19: 12:23 (more of the above)
Mile 20: 11:26 (jogging around the parking lot to add the last mile & hating every step of it.)

Pace 10:45  Overall time 3:35:13  
AGAIN, if it's this bad in Chicago, I will be walking that sucker & saving my legs for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon a month later. 
Happy Labor Day weekend!  I feel like I put in enough "labor" today!  ha!
We celebrated our survival of this training run by going to Murfreesboro to eat wings & watch some football at "Toots".  We then did a little "Christmas" shopping at "Binks" because that's just how we roll.  :-)