10 miles at 5:15am...80+ degrees...gesh!

I was grateful to have some company this morning.  Tandy & Julie joined me for the first part of my 10 miler.  I was quite surprised that I pulled in 10 miles at a 9:17 pace given the heat. My iPhone read 81 degrees at 5am.  Yikes! 

When I finished I stretched a little & then got the kids up to come back with me to eat at "Mama's Java" with us. (Joe got out an hour later with the "fasties" so we had to wait on them.)  Sleeping beauty (Jessica) will do anything for carbs & that includes getting up at 7:00am.  I had a spinach/feta cheese omelet & wheat toast with a HUGE skinny latte.  Yum!  My weight didn't move one ounce after being away from "my" food for 5 days.  Yes, I'm patting myself on the back for that because the sweets were everywhere.  I didn't deprive myself because I did eat half of a piece of red velvet cake & a few other small treats. I can do that since I met my goal months ago on myfitnesspal.  Yeah, me!  ;-)

Mile 1: 8:39
Mile 2: 9:17
Mile 3: 10:16 (hydrated & waited for Julie!)
Mile 4: 9:33
Mile 5: 9:50 (turned for the negative split back to Mama's & hydrated)
Mile 6: 8:58
Mile 7: 9:30 (hydrate!)
Mile 8: 8:23
Mile 9: 9:30 (hydrate!)
Mile 10: 8:57 (I love that my legs & IT Band allowed me to finish up hill into the Mama's Java's parking lot under a 9 min pace.)

July 4th 20k race in Frankenmuth, Michigan....we are ready for you!

sitting on the couch...staying cool....

I don't just sit on the couch much during the summer. It seems like I'm on constant "go" mode.  I left work early to just "chill".  (and to do laundry & repack for the 4th of July week.)  I did get up & hit the elliptical machine for a short workout before I got ready to leave the hotel. I hope we use the new conference center in the future. That thing makes the old one look like the ghetto.  Apparently, it's going to be connected to an Omni hotel which will be right behind the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

Tomorrow morning, I will be up at "crack-thirty" to hit the streets of Nolensville. I hope to start no later than 5:15am.  (It's normal these days for me to be in bed at 8:30pm & up by 4:30am. ha!) It will probably be mid-70's at that hour.  The plan is to run with the two bottle fuel belt with 2 bottles instead of one like last Saturday.  I did 11 last Saturday at a 9:21 pace.  I have no idea what my pace will be like for the planned 10 miles but I'm sure it will be slower.  Our 20k race is on the 4th of July & I pray Frankenmuth, MI is cooler than here!  If it's around 60 degrees or lower, I know we'll have a decent pace on that supposedly flat course.  I'm fired up for it no matter what. ;-)  Joe, Jake, & I will do that then head back to their hometown for 4th of July festivities.  July 5th, we all head to Canada to South Hampton Beach to take a little boat cruise & spread their grandma's ashes.  A guy I work with used to play on that beach as a kid because his grandparent's lived there.  He's not been back there in 25 years.  I'm tempted to bring him back something from there like sand.  ;-P

Stay cool everyone.  Other than running EARLY, we don't have much going on other than seeing, "Brave" tomorrow.  My work bought out an entire theater for us.  ;-)

80th Attorney General

We all look like zombies! Ha! Alberto Gonzales spoke at our work conference tonight. I love that he ended his speech with "God bless America". So fitting this close to the 4th! I definitely want to read his book when it's finished. :-).

3.7 down town

I did ab ripper & high tailed it out the door this morning for a short, easy 3.7 mile run at a 10:17 pace. I love that a 10:00-10:20 easy pace is feeling REALLY easy right now even with hills & this nutty weather. Tomorrow I will probably jump on an elliptical for a little while before heading to work. Our conference ends tomorrow so no more early morning runs down town Nashville. It was a nice little change from our 'hood, though.

6.6 miles no doubling today....

I got out just before 5am & ran around down town until it got light enough to go over the pedestrian bridge. 6.6 miles at 9:19 pace...65 degrees felt really good but the heat is by no means gone. I won't be running with our run club today because I don't want to fight drive time traffic so no double for me. I hope to go to the hotel gym for some time with the free weights later. Happy hump day! View of part of downtown from pedestrian bridge at 5:15am. :-)

4.5 miles downtown Monday

In the midst of a heat wave I find it very easy to roll out of bed super early to run. My legs were a little sore from weights on Sunday so I tried to take it easy. 4.5 miles 10:04 pace. Today, Tuesday, I did ab ripper & 47 minutes on an elliptical machine. Below is a view of daylight peeking over the pedestrian bridge next to LP Field. Lots of trash was still left over from the McGraw/Chesney concert that went on Sat night but still a great view.

"Rock of Ages" & my Sunday workout

I bought the "Rock of Ages" sound track so that should tell you how much I LOVED that music & movie.  Who knew Tom Cruise could belt out hair band songs?!  Seriously, I think I'm starting to come back around to being a fan.  The movie was hilarious in parts, I swear Russell Brand & Alec Baldwin pretty much stole the movie.  Kim C & her husband, Michael, saw "Rock of Ages" on Broadway a year or so ago & loved it so I knew I had to see the movie.  If you grew up cruising with the windows down on the weekends with "Poison" or "Guns & Roses" blaring out the windows then you'll love the movie. 

Sunday:  4.36 mile walk around the 'hood talking on my cell with cousin, Patti, & soaking up the sun.  (more heat acclimation)  I did ab ripper, 18 minutes on an elliptical, 15 minutes on a bike, & weight machines at the gym after I walked.

I'm packed & heading downtown Nashville tonight to rub noses with the "grown ups" of our company all week long.  I will get to meet a former Attorney General this week.
I get to come home fairly early in the afternoon on friday.

Hard to believe that next Sunday, we'll be packing for Michigan & Canada.  I cannot wait to run in Frankenmuth.  I did the 5k once a few years ago (while still injured with a stress fracture..stupid!) & declared that I wanted to come back for the 20k race some day.  Some day is almost here & we are excited!

11 miles rolling up, then down...

I started about 5:30am from Mamas Javas for an out & back. 11 miles total. This route is almost completely shaded with some rolling hills. They're worse going out so it's easy to negative split this route. I had planned on a 10 minute pace but ended up with a 9:21. I'm not complaining. It was around 68 degrees when we started but it felt good. I had 3 miles well under a 9 minute pace coming back. Beautiful TN morning & great breakfast afterwards at Mamas Javas with good friends.

5.54 + 3.47 +=9:01 miles for Wednesday

I guess I am acclimated.  I intended to do 3 miles at around a 10 min pace but ended up with 3.47 at a 9:21 pace in 90+ degree weather.  Granted I avoided the hills in Nolensville but I'll take that.  So, 9:01 for the day.

This morning, I burned my buns with Jillian Michael's "Bun Burner" dvd. 
This afternoon, ab ripper, a slow jog to & from the gym for 2 miles, 15 mins on the bike, & weight machines.  Saturdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays seem to be my hardest days right now. 

This weekends long run will be on Saturday with the NRC...11 miles... I hope to keep the pace at 10 mins or faster.  The Saucony rep was there.  We tested the shoes, of course.  Joe didn't like them as much as he liked the Adidas Boston's he ran in last week.  Me..I need a narrower shoe so they didn't fly with me that much.  Food & fun were to be had by all afterwards.

We're going to see "Rock of Ages" this weekend & I've got to pack for my week away, which is just downtown. ha!  Hope to have a low key weekend. 

Acclimated? Maybe?

5.54 miles with hills this morning 9:16 pace...
I pretty much just ran by feel, never really looking at the pace, just the time because I knew I had to be stretching by 5:55am in order to hit the shower on time.
Two months ago, running 5+ miles in this heat/humidity would have definitely put me at or above a 10:00 min pace.  So, maybe I am acclimated? 

NRC is hitting up "Uncle Bud's" after the run. I'm eating a grilled chicken salad & none of the greasy stuff.  My will power is that good!  Actually, I've never liked greasy foods anyway. ha!  I've suggested that we put "Blue Coast Burrito" on our Wed night food rotation so I hope they don't eat there the next two weeks. I won't be there.  ;-( 

I plan to run 3 slow, flat, HOT miles with the group tonight.
Tomorrow is Jillian Michael's Bun Burner day & a gym day for me. 

bring it on!

This morning....3.7 miles with some sprints in the middle of it.  Amazing how much more calorie burn I get when I speed it up rather than slug along. I heard Leland off channel 5 weather say that Chicago is actually 10 degrees warmer than we are today here in Nashville. Oh my, is all I've got to say.  I actually feel better about Chicago's marathon now that we've decided to have Indy as a back up a month later.  As I've stated before:  Plan A: Chicago has 35-40 degree temps at the start & we fly as hard as we can provided neither of us has injuries (meaning ME!).  Plan B: It's hotter than hell in Chicago so it turns into an expensive,  yet fun, well supported 26.2 mile training run for Indianapolis, which is 4 weeks later.  If Plan A happens, we'll still go do the half marathon in Indy. 

My workout with the trainer is always something new & unusual. He actually worked more than just my IT Band yesterday.  I still had enough energy for Jillian Michael's Shred. As a matter of fact, I did level 2 just to do something different.  It's a 20 minute dvd & it only took 20 minutes to turn me into a pile of sweat on my yoga mat. I also did a jog to & from the gym in my newtons. I would love to test them out on a very flat 5k race some day.  JP in our NRC group said he ran the Carmel half marathon in them with no problems after only running in them 5 times.  He ran a 1:41 with his wife. It was her first & she finished with him. He had been having ham string problems but the newtons taught him to change his gait a little so the ham strings are fine now. 

I was eyeballing the RW marathon training program last night. Turns out the training program is geared towards Chicago & several other marathons.  I'm right on track so far so I guess it's "GO Time!"

June is ticking away!

Yesterday, before we left at 6:30am for the Ocoee river in East TN, I did get up to do some form of exercise.  I ran 2 miles in my newton shoes & did ab ripper.  I logged 200 calories burned on myfitnesspal from the rafting trip. By golly, I think I at least earned that much for a 90 minute excursion on the river.  ;-P

Today, I slept in but when I get home, I have to jog to the gym, workout with my trainer, maybe hit the bike for 15 mins, jog home, then I'll do Jillian Michael's shred dvd. I do believe it's her 20 minute Shred dvd that's giving me more definition in my arms.
 
Tomorrow, I'm torn a bit as to whether to join the free speed session that's over near where I work. It's at 6pm. I tend to leave work anywhere between 4:00-4:30pm.  I live 30 minutes away. That would mean that I back track over here, hang out at work, or hang somewhere else until 6:00pm.  I really don't want to get sucked into it.  Right now, I just don't see me paying for speed work when it's not that convenient for me to attend way over here.  My time & gas mean more to me right now than that so I guess I'm leaning towards just running tomorrow morning...throwing in the intervals when it's not 90+ degrees yet.  Summer has officially arrived per the weather forecast here this week.  We are definitely attending the NRC Wednesday night run this week.  I believe the Saucony rep is coming just like the Adidas rep did last week.  I'll miss the group next week since I'll be downtown all week for a conference.  I'll be getting in my runs over the pedistrian bridge, around LP Field, & the downtown area next week.

This weekend, I'm going to attempt 10-11 miles. 
That 4th of July 20k is just around the corner. I can't wait to run it!

Fathers day weekend

At my dads, visiting family & on the Ocoee river...and yes Joey fell in not once but twice! Ha!!

9 miles

3 miles at 5:30am. 10:18 pace. Then the "chance for a change 5k" at 7:30 am at an 8:03 pace. (it actually measured correctly). Then...around 8:15am the last 3 miles at a 10:00 pace. Now to celebrate fathers day with my dad & family.

Muscles

Yep, muscles....my IT Band may not be 100% yet but my deltoid, trapezius, & deltopectoral trangle are getting more defined. They've always been pretty defined but they're getting to the point where even I'm going, "wow!". It takes a lot to "wow" me. :-)
Who am I giving credit? Well, the gym has been open for a month now, I'm working with a personal trainer, & I'm doing Jillian Michael's Shred, Bun Burner, & Yoga dvds at least once each a week. That woman knows her stuff. She uses body weight training, hand weights, yoga mat, & that's pretty much it! She kicks my butt! The best thing is her dvds are only 20-35 mins long. There's really no excuse not to keep them on rotation along with the P90X ab ripper dvd. I am totally loving mixing up the workouts right now & confusing the muscles. As we start cranking up the mileage for Chicago and Indianapolis, I'm sure I'll have to let go of some of it. For one thing, my trainer sessions end some time in August. I am learning a few things from him, though, that I hope to keep in the memory bank. I don't want to be one of those people that constantly gives $ away & then they never use the knowledge/skills given to them. Seriously!?

I've got roughly 9 miles to log tomorrow, broken down into 3 segments so it will be interesting.
3 mile slow jog at 5:30am before the 5k at 7:30am, then another 3 miles cool down.
We've got a fun Father's day weekend plan in place. White Water Rafting on the Ocoee!!
Happy Friday folks!

5 + 3.65 = 8.65

I wanted 9 miles but that just didn't happen. I ran in a pair of "Boston" Addias shoes. (The rep was there & putting everyone in the appropriate shoe to test.) By mile 2, I took walk breaks but still ended up with 3.65 miles at a 9:39 pace. I was tired & a bit dizzy from taking a migraine pill. About 2:30pm I could feel a little hint of a headache coming on so I took one of my generic "big dawg" pills. They can make you a bit dizzy. Thank God, I don't get migraines as often as I used to...whew! I think I started the run a little too thirsty. With the excitement of us all changing our shoes & talking, I should have been drinking a little something. We ate mexican & I allowed for a chicken enchillada, some chips, & salsa on my calorie count. Protein, thankyouverymuch!   It's feels good to see that straight line going across my progress on myfitnesspal.  I'm maintaining my weight with NO PROBLEM.
This morning, I did ab ripper & plan to walk/jog in the newtons round trip to the gym for 2 miles, do some weights, & a short bike ride....the weekly "Bun Burner" dvd will have to happen tomorrow morning. I'll make sure I stretch it out really well before Saturday's 5k plus 6 miles. ;-P

Doubling it on Wednesday....

Since last Wednesday worked so well with 4 miles in the AM & 4+ miles in the PM, I'm doing it again this Wednesday. Whoo Hoooo!

I ran 5 miles with hills this morning in our 'hood at a 9:05 pace. I could tell the humidity was low because of my pace. This afternoon, we are joining the NRC for a run so I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm thinking I'll start with the 10:00 min pace group like last week & just hang with them then push it on back by myself. I usually have someone running along with me by that point anyway. Not sure how many miles but hoping for at least 4. I wish I could count today as a "long run" but from what I've read there's a 12 hour rule with that. LOL! Supposedly, if you split a run into, there shouldn't be more than 12 hours between the two runs. Don't ask me where I read it or heard it but for some reason that's stuck in my brain. I started running at 5am this morning & finished at 5:45. We usually don't start running until 6:30pm on Wednesday's. I was reading something Bart Yasso posted on Facebook about the mid-week run being pretty important & that you should run it faster than your long run of the week. I think with this "new" marathon training schedule, Wednesday's will be my mid-week long run day. Wednesday's tend to be slow at work & we tend to eat more of a "dinner" if we eat with the run club so I know that will help. Speaking of food, I ordered a box of Organic Honey Stingers in Chocolate flavor. LOVE!!!

Jillian & Tony kinda morning

I'm trying not to post every little workout I do on here because if you've been reading long enough, you know I do plenty of Jillian Michael's dvds, some P90X (mostly ab ripper right now), & I'm going to my new gym.  LOVE IT!   But here is today's anyway....
Today's workout: 
30 mins yoga with Jillian Michael's & 16 minutes ab ripping with Tony Horton.
This afternoon, I'm doing more yoga & IT Band stretching.

Tomorrow is Wednesday & it's another 2 run day for me.
If I can get out early enough, probably 5 before work & at least 3 or 4 miles with the Nolensville Run club after work.  Everyone is gearing up for the little 5k in Nolensville this Saturday.
Lots of "trash talking".  LOL!  It's not timed so I really don't know what to expect since it's been a long time since I've run a race with no timing device. I've got to sandwich 5.9 miles around it somehow because Sunday, we are heading to the Ocoee River to white water raft with the kids. This will be their first time so it should be pretty fun!

Southwest is having a GREAT deal on flights today.  I get their Tuesday updates every week.  I knew if I waited long enough I would see something that fit our needs for Chicago.  If I didn't then we would just drive there that friday before the marathon & drive back Monday the day after the marathon.  It really isn't that bad of a drive but the flights I got for us were perfect. I LOVE Southwest!!  :-) 

Hot, sweaty, salty Monday work out

I ran just over 3 miles this morning but I looked like I had run 6 in a humid, muggy fog. Blah! I did throw in some speed intervals. This afternoon I jogged round trip to the gym for another 2 miles & worked with my trainer. He had me working nonstop, which really gave me a good 2nd sweat of the day. :-)

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Ferris Bueller

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know my all time favorite movie is probably "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".  Every once in a while I try to do something a little spontaneous, a little crazy, & a whole lotta fun!  I let the day take me where it wants to take me sometimes.  Sometimes we all get hung up in schedules, our "to do lists", & what not... Breathe, relax, laugh, & let fun happen, I say!

Joe sprang out of bed Friday morning declaring he wanted to go to Cincinnati Saturday  to watch Verlander pitch for the Tigers.  If you know him at all you know he has a lot of useless sports information crammed into his head.  (He, his brother, & dad) ha!  But it is quite charming at times.  I'm a HUGE sports fan & the hardest part of Chicago training for me this summer will be during the Summer Olympics.  I will be doing a lot of after work runs, I'm sure during that time because I know me.  I won't be able to turn off the tv & go to bed early to run early morning.  I LOVE the OLYMPICS!  If you've been reading this blog for several years, you'll know that my friend, Hannah & I dreamed up an idea of saving our $ & going to London.  Well, a lot has happened since then.  "Life" happened...but one day, I swear I will attend some Olympic events whether it be winter or summer.  It's on my Bucket List....I digress.....

So, Saturday morning, I hauled my butt out of bed & ran my 8 miles at a decent pace in our 'hood, which as you know is NOT flat. (9:24 pace).  Joe ran 10 miles & we got cleaned up, threw a cooler in the back seat & took off for "The Great American Ball Park"....better known as the home of the Cincinnati Reds.  Neither one of us was very familiar with the downtown area or Cincy for that matter but we left Nashville a little before 8am & got downtown Cincy about 1:30pm.  The game started at 4:10pm so we walked across the bridge, walked around "Paul Brown" stadium, Bengals Stadium, & took lots of pictures.  Turns out there was some sort of charity event going on at the football stadium & of course we walked right in & took photos of the inside of the Bengals home field.  Pretty dang Cool! 
We hung out there & at the Reds stadium, got the famous "skyline" hot dog, which is NOT near as good as Wrigley's "drug through the garden" hot dog, but it was good. We sat next to some nice folks who drove from Indianapolis.  The game ended about 6:15pm central time, we were in the car by 6:30-ish & home by about 10:50pm.  Not a bad drive at all but we were tired since we had got up at crack-thirty in the morning to run.  The Tigers won 3-2!  (Some random pictures below)

Today's workout: 16 mins on the bike, 23 mins on elliptical, 2 mi walk, & Jillian Michael's shred dvd

Inside Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati

Paul Brown Stadium front of building

Walking to Bengals home

On bridge walking to the stadiums

Joe walking across bridge

At the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati

Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati

Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame

View from our Seats

Verlander pitching

8 miles with hills!

My I T Band is cussing me a little but I did it.  I ran hills this morning & I ran them faster than I have in a long time.  ;-)   1:15:16  9:24 pace

Mile 1:  9:49
Mile 2:  9:42
Mile 3:  9:17
Mile 4:  9:16
Mile 5:  8:42
Mile 6:  9:32
Mile 7:  9:06
Mile 8:  9:47

I missed running & eating breakfast with the NRC this morning but we had to stay in our 'hood to get an early start to our day in Cincy.  Go Tigers!

Spontaneous fun!

After our early morning run we are heading to Cincinnati to watch the Detroit Tiger play the Reds. Can't wait! Sometimes the best times just aren't planned ahead of time. :-)

8.15 miles on National Running Day

So, I ended up with an extra 1.15 for 8:15 miles yesterday.  The weather was great (low 80's), the group I ran with was awesome, & I felt good. (ran with some new runners from London & we talked about Paula Radcliffe, of course).

I ended up with 4 miles yesterday morning at 9:16 pace & 4.15 miles at 9:00 pace.  Our group ran flat & I was ok with that since I had some hills in the morning. I'm still torn on whether to train in the New Balance for Chicago or just stick with the Mizunos.  There's a slight difference in weight & I notice it.  There's a difference with the New Balance having more cushion than the Mizunos.  So, we'll see....Saturday, I will do 8 miles in the New Balance before I overthink this anymore.  ;-P

We had "door" prizes at the NRC Wed night run. Joe, of course, won a cake, & I won a $15 gift card to Martin's BBQ.  Martin's was actually featured on the Today Show yesterday morning.  After the run, we all gathered at "Amico's" .  Joe & I shared a large veggie pizza that was totally yummy!

Today, it's 2 miles in the newtons to & from the gym.  I'm going to do weight machines & ride a stationary bike there.  This morning I did ab ripper.  Now that the gym is open, I'm getting to mix things up a bit but I still keep Jillian Michael's & a little bit of Tony Horton on the schedule.

Wednesday Double

It's time to start "up'ing" the mileage a bit so I decided today I would do two short runs.
I ran 4 miles this morning at a 9:13 pace.  (took a few walk breaks on hills)
This afternoon, the plan is to run 3 miles with the NRC & eat at "Amico's" afterwards.
It's National Running Day so 7 miles today will do me just fine.  ;-)
I've definitely got to get in 8 miles Saturday morning. 
Father's Day weekend will be sketchy...a 5k race in Nolensville on Saturday & on Sunday, we'll be rafting the Ocoee. (I always seem to go white water rafting around the time the Bonnaroonie's show up & the CMA festival is going on.)
Ummm, may have to run before & after the 5k to get in 9 miles Father's Day weekend.....

skinny foot, hip strengthening, and myfitnesspal...

I've always had long skinny feet for a short girl. I fully realize that not all shoes (or clothes) size the same, especially running shoes.  Apparently, I needed a narrow in the New Balance.  What's so funny is that the Wave Rider Mizunos I've been wearing are fine in a regular width but when I tried on a different style of Mizuno with a little more padding they were way too wide.  Mizunos typically don't come in a Narrow according to the guy who fit me this time around.  I know I've dropped 10-12 lbs but surely not in my feet, too. ha!  Our feet change as we age, much like everything else.  I guess mine are just loosing baby fat finally.  (laugh with me!)  I ran in the new shoes this morning...just 3 miles, threw in some speed in the middle & they are going to be ok. My "turn over" in the these shoes isn't quite the same as in the Wave Riders but I guess that will come with me getting used to them.

Met my personal trainer last week. He's a model & aspiring actor...(again, laugh with me).  I almost laughed when he told me.  Needless to say he gave me a good work out focusing on the hips.  Between him & the "Jillian Michael's Bun Burner" DVD that I'm doing once a week, something will get stronger! 

I like that we have a gym now a mile from the front door.  I like that we have a cool new burger place, too, right next door to it.  ha!  They have GREAT shakes there.  The kids seem to like it & of course Joe does too.  I've taken sips off all their shakes but not going to eat one all by myself.  I'm still very mindful of what I'm eating even though I've set http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ to "maintain" my weight.  It's been working like a charm. I lost just a tinsy bit of weight as of this morning but it was probably water weight.  I've cleaned out all the "too big" for me clothes & replaced my summer clothes.  Come October, I'll have to buy Fall pants.
This weight is staying off & hopefully, less of me will eventually turn into a faster me.  ;-)