Running Update

I am in Week 9 of Half Marathon Training, and I think that's kind of crazy.  I gave myself 17 weeks to complete a 15 week plan, and as you may remember I had to skip a week of training right at the beginning because of a stomach bug in our house.  This means I will be more then halfway through my training after this week.  If I get enough runs in to count this week (because of a cold that's working it's way through our home and a Music Ed. Conference on Friday and Saturday).  Luckily, this is supposed to be a fairly laid back week without any hill or speed intervals.  If I can get in three runs I will be able to call it good.  Here's my plan for the rest of the week to make this happen:

Week 9 of Half Marathon Training

Monday, 2/11/13 - Rest

Tuesday, 2/12/13 - Rest (because I was sick)

Wednesday, 2/13/13 - Rest (still sick)

Thursday, 2/14/13 - 4-5 miles easy run

Friday, 2/15/13 - 3 miles

Saturday, 2/16/13 - At a conference all day.  Try to go on a walk during a break.

Sunday, 2/17/13 - Long Run 9 miles

Hopefully, I can get three runs in so I don't need to make this my other "freebie" week because I'd like to save that for Spring Break.  We'll see . . . . 

Quick Running Post

I just wanted to post a short running post.  Training went great last week.  I just did 6 miles for my long run instead of the 7, but that was the only adjustment I made.  It has been so dang cold here, and it has been hard to drag myself outside to run.  Fortunately, it's supposed to warm up this week.  Unfortunately, it's supposed to start raining.  I'm note sure which is worse.

This week's plan doesn't have any intervals or hill runs, and I'm happy about that. 

Week 6 of Half Marathon Training

Monday, 1/21/13 - Rest

Tuesday, 1/22/13 - Rest (because I didn't want to get out of bed)

Wednesday, 1/23/13 - 3 mile run with strides at the end

Thursday, 1/24/13 - Weight Training

Friday, 1/25/13 - 3-4 miles

Saturday, 1/26/13 - Weight Training

Sunday, 1/27/13 - Long Run (total of 8 miles)

"Watch this Mama Fly!"

Well, despite some snow, ice, and very cold weather, training went really well this week.  I got in two rounds of weight training and all three of my runs.  Now I am into Week 5, and I am feeling good.  I feel like my running base is building at just the right pace.  My hips aren't bothering me too much, and my heels seem to be doing pretty good, too.  My speed is building as well.  I am not fast by any means, but I am starting to be able to do a 10 min. 30 sec. mile without too much strain.  Otherwise, I am at about a 11 min. 30 sec. mile when I am just casually running.  Ryan said that I just need to start visualizing myself as a fast runner.  I think he is right.  

I have often put myself into boxes (and maybe not the boxes that I really want to be in), but I have slowly started learning that the power of thought is an amazing thing.  I have recently been working on telling myself various things to help me see myself in a different light.  For example, at work I tell myself, "You are an amazing teacher, who cares deeply about her students and is able to change their lives in positive ways."  Before I speak to my boss I tell myself, "You are a smart and professional educator.  Your ideas are well thought out and valid.  Your boss will appreciate your ideas."    One may call them mantras, but I do not repeat the same phrase each time so I don't see them as mantras.  They are just words that I use to help me begin seeing myself the way that I want others to see me.   

Now when it comes to running I actually do have two mantras that I repeat when a run gets tough.  My first one is, "You are a strong Mama!"  This one has motivated me since day one.  I figure if I can be a Mom each and everyday of my life, I can probably run one more mile even when I'm tired.  My second mantra is, "If the mind believes it, the body can achieve it."  When I am racing, this one often becomes, "Mind believe, body achieve."  This mantra has helped me set a few PR's.  Now I guess I need to come up with one to help me see myself as a fast runner.  Maybe something like, "Watch this Mama fly!"

With all that being said, let's look at what lies ahead for this week of training (and speed building).

Week 5 of Half Marathon Training

Monday, 1/14/13 - Weight Training

Tuesday, 1/15/13 - 4 miles - Easy

Wednesday, 1/9/13 - 2 - 3 miles - Easy - end with strides

Thursday, 1/10/13 - Interval Run (total of 3 miles)

Friday, 1/11/13 - Weight Training

Saturday, 1/12/13 - Rest

Sunday, 1/13/13 - Long Run (total of 7 miles)

It's supposed to be cold all of this week, but sunny.  It should be a great week for running.  

Week 3 of Half Marathon Training

I am a little late in this update.  My second week of half marathon training was AWESOME!  I got all my running in (3 runs) and 2 rounds of weight training.  That was all during the week of Christmas and Christmas Eve, so I was very happy.  Then came the third week.  I had my whole week figured out and then I got a head cold!  Ugh!  I still managed to make it work, though.  The week should of looked like this:

Monday, 12/31/12 - 4 mile run

Tuesday, 1/1/13 - Rest

Wednesday, 1/2/13 - Weight Training

Thursday, 1/3/13 - 3 mile run

Friday, 1/4/13 - Weight Training

Saturday, 1/5/13 - Rest or Fun Workout (Zumba)

Sunday, 1/6/13 - Long Run (total of 5 miles)

Instead the week turned into this:

Monday, 12/31/12 - Weight Training

Tuesday, 1/1/13 - Rest

Wednesday, 1/2/13 - Weight Training

Thursday, 1/3/13 - No Workout

Friday, 1/4/13 - No Workout

Saturday, 1/5/13 - 4 mile run

Sunday, 1/6/13 - 5 mile run

It wasn't a total wash, but I am happy to move into a new week.  Work starts back up this week for me which means more of a routine for me and my family.  I actually think this will help my training stay on track.  We'll see.  Here is what I'm expecting to do this week:

Week 4 of Half Marathon Training

Monday, 1/7/13 - Rest

Tuesday, 1/8/13 - Hill Training (total of 3 miles)

Wednesday, 1/9/13 - Weight Training

Thursday, 1/10/13 - 3 mile run

Friday, 1/11/13 - Weight Training

Saturday, 1/12/13 - Rest or Fun Workout (Zumba)

Sunday, 1/13/13 - Long Run (total of 6 miles)

Cold & Rainy Run

I am just slow, slow, slow right now.  This is my first run this week.  It was cold and rainy, and I only did 2.5 miles.  The way I look at it, though, 2.5 miles is more than 0 miles.  I have also gotten in one weight training session so far this week.  Woo-hoo!

Week One of Half Marathon Training

Unfortunately, Week 1 of my half marathon training did not really happen.  Owen & Lindy both came down with a stomach bug on the 14th (a Friday).  They were sick for 4 days, and Owen took a few mare days after that to really get back to normal.  I was sick with the bug from Sunday - Wednesday.  The stomach bug knocked us all out pretty good, and left us all scrambling to get everything prepared for Christmas.  This meant I only got 1 run in for the whole week.  Luckily, I've built in two extra weeks to my training plan just for occasions like this.  I am a little scared that I used up one of my extra weeks so early, but this is life.

My one run this week was a 3.5 mile run this morning.  It was decent enough weather, and I actually got to run at 8:00 am (instead of my usual 5:00 am runs).  I was pretty dehydrated still from my stomach bug so I was moving pretty slow.  I had also noticed some tightness in my right hip earlier this week.  I think it stems from holding my daughter while walking around the house.  I think doing some stretching this week should help resolve this issue, but it made my run today a little harder then it needed to be.

Next week's training looks like this:

Monday, 12/24/12 - 3 mile run

Tuesday, 12/25/12 - Rest

Wednesday, 12/26/12 - Weight Training

Thursday, 12/27/12 - Interval Run (total of 3 miles)

Friday, 12/28/12 - Weight Training

Saturday, 12/29/12 - Rest or Possible Run with Ryan & the kids (2.5 miles)

Sunday, 12/30/12 - Long Run (total of 5 miles)

I am optimistic about my training this week, even through I will have a lot of Christmas festivities to contend with.  I just need to stay focused, and remember that every workout will make me that much more prepared for my race.  

And this Mom keeps runnin', runnin', & runnin', runnin'

Some of you may be aware that over the past year I have become a runner.  People who have known me for a long time may find this hard to believe because I was not all that athletic for the first 22 yrs. of my life.  Anyway, I would still not consider myself to be an "athlete" because I feel that an athlete is someone whom participates in sports that involve balls in some way, and I still duck and cover when anything is thrown at me instead of trying to catch it.  However, I really do like running.  I think my favorite part about running is that I am able to push myself to do things I never thought were possible.  Forever, I have thought of myself as the awkward adolescent girl I was in middle school, and running has really taken that feeling away from me.  Running has made me realize that I am capable of anything I put my mind to, and that I am an important person with some pretty great ideas and attributes.  

I began running last year when my kids were 5 months old.  I started doing it as a way to get back into working out and start shedding my baby weight.  I did that Couch to 5k Plan, and I ran my first 5k at the end of October 2011.  In the next 7 months I ran five more 5k's and one 8k.  All this running really helped me start to feel like me again, but more of a new and improved me.  I took a break over the summer, but at the end of August I put back on the running shoes to train for my first 10k.  Now, I plan to run a 12k in February, a 15k in March, and half marathon in April.  My training for my half marathon begins this week, and I plan to keep you all posted on my training as it progresses.  

I know the training process will be tough at times, but I think writing about it every now and then will help me out.  I just need to remember that running makes me feel like a lean, mean, fighting Mama!  I can't wait to share my journey with you (and I hope that my running posts don't bore the socks off of you).

To wrap up this post, here's a pic for your viewing pleasure.  It's from my second 5k.  I did it with Ryan and the twinners in November 2011.

Now, here's to many more!

My First 5k

Well, I did it!  Last weekend I ran my first 5k.  I did it in 39 minutes and 19 seconds, which means I was running about a 13 minute mile.  Ryan got some pics of me running.  They're not the greatest pictures because I was running so fast that I was hard to catch. 

The first picture is of me starting the race.  As you can see it was a Halloween themed race.  There were a lot of people dressed up like zombies.  I didn't dress up because I was really concentrated on finishing the race.  I am to the right of this picture dressed in a pink shirt, black pants and blue hat.

This is my only close up picture.  My head is chopped off, but you can see my awesome running form. 

This is me at the very end of the 5k.  I was almost crying because I was so excited to be done and so proud of myself.

So now I think I'm hooked.  I've got a race planned for every month up until May.  I plan to run an 8k (about 5 miles) at the end of April.  We'll see how it goes.

Let the training begin!

I have started training for a 5K that is at the end of October.  I'm doing this to help me get rid of some of baby weight.  I put on a little more then I wanted to, but when you're pregnant with twins you are always worried about them arriving early and being very tiny, so I ate a ton of meals and snacks loaded with protien while pregnant thinking this would hep bulk up my babies.  (protien shakes, peanut butter, meat, meat, and more meat)  I think this may have caused the weight gain not to mention all the foods loaded with calcium like string cheese, yogurt and ICE CREAM!!!  Anyway, I am not happy with my body at the current moment so I am starting to run and am back on Weight Watchers.  I'm doing the "From Couch to 5K" program, and am in my 3rd week of training.  I am enjoying the time I get to spend with Owen, Lindy, and Marlee (the wonder dog).  The picture below is not of me running, but it is of me with my running crew, and you can see the enourmous stroller I push while I jog. 

Happy jogging!!