Long Run

So yesterday was my long run of the week. And I actually did it. Went to the local park, tied up my shoes, put on my cold weather gear (it was a whopping 32 degrees outside) and hit the trail. Finished my 4 miles in 52 minutes, which while its not great its not too shabby either. I'm trying to stay focused on the fact that every day and every run I'm getting stronger and building up my endurance, not that I still can't complete my "long" runs in the minimum required for the St. Jude Marathon (which is 14 min miles).

Today was supposed to be my "rest" day, but since I did nothing on Thursday, I did an hour of Wii Fit instead. It was good, but an hour of that starts to drag about 1/2 way through. Oh well, 200+ calories gone by doing stupid little games is something I'll take.

I've gotten better about eating out lately. I've come to accept that I will eat out, but I am looking up nutrition information before I go. For instance, I learned that at Pei Wei the Dan Dan Noodles (my favorite) is actually a healthier option than any of their sauced dishes made with Tofu and Vegetables! Who would have thought it?? And today Danny and I went to Red Robin (check out their calorie calculator - its really cool and Danny asked if I was playing a video game while figuring out my lunch) and by looking in advance I learned that by switching out the beef patty for the garden veggie patty on my favorite burger there I saved something like 300 some odd calories! Holy Cow, Batman!

Tomorrow is a run day. I'm going to aim for 3.1 miles (a 5k) on my treadmill and see how I do with that. I'm going to keep upping my long runs by 1/2 mile each week, but I'm going to look at stamina and speed on my two weekday runs, try and focus on getting faster and being able to go the whole distance without walking.

Its a short term goal to focus on that is a lot easier in my head than 26.2 miles in under 6 hours!

Doing it slowly.

Last night I went to Pilates in who knows how long, and I am so sore today. But in a good way. My abs and arms esp. are complaining right now. But I went - even tho the little devil on my shoulder was telling me how nice my recliner sounded - and I enjoyed it. There were 5 of us in the class last night, I was definitely the most out of shape one in the room, but it was still good. Through running these races, I've learned not to compare myself to others doing the same activity. I know what my body can do and the advances I make and need to celebrate that, not put myself down because I can't keep up with the 100 pound soaking wet stick figure.

I did my first race of 2011 last weekend. I did the "Run for the Red" 5k that was put on by the Mid-South Red Cross and the Fire Museum. It was a very, very well put on race and I finished in 41:02 for a pace of 13:14 min/mile. I thought I did very well for me. :) Slowly carving time off that distance which will help me over all in the long runs.

Tonight is a 2 mile run and then we're going bowling (prob. 2-3 games). I'm very excited. I got the bowling ball I received for Christmas (Thanks Jason!) drilled this past weekend and now I have my own ball to play with (minds outta the gutter people!). My "long run" on Saturday is going to be 3.5 miles I think. I'm going to try and add 1/2 mile to my long run every week till the end of May which is when I'll need to start my marathon training. That will put me up to 12.5 miles on my long run which should be right for the start of that hell... I mean training.

2011 Here I Come!

Not that I actually think anyone really reads this thing, but I'm going to try and keep up with it to keep me motivated this year.

Since I actually accomplished what I set out to do in 2010 running wise, I'm going to keep it going forward. This year I plan on running a race a month finishing by running as a HERO in the 2011 St. Jude FULL Marathon! To get to that point I have a plan. I'm sure this plan will change and fall away and get picked up again as the year progresses, but I need a starting point to get moving.

My schedule for the next year will be as follows:

Monday: 30 Minutes Wii Fit
Tuesday: Short Run
Wednesday: Pilates
Thursday: Short Run
Friday 30 Minutes Wii Fit
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Rest Day

My friend Dana and I are going to be running (or at first run/walking) together at least one night a week when she's in town. She travels with her job a LOT (she actually works for St. Jude) so I don't know how regularly that will happen, but it will be nice on the weeks she's here. It will also keep me running.

This Saturday is my first race of 2011. I'm doing the Run for the Red 5k that benefits the Memphis area Red Cross' House Fire Prevention teaching. Its a great cause and its a great way to start off the new year.

And So It Begins....

Day One of training for the 1/2 Marathon!

Well, its day one of my 14 week official training program for the 1/2 marathon. Today's run was 30 minutes long and I did 2.11 miles. I really need to work on getting faster. I mean, really. Right now I'm at a 14:12 min/mile which is much too slow. Sigh. Tomorrow morning I get up waaaaay to early and go to the gym for my strength training and then after work is pilates.

My schedule is going to be off this week due to Dragon Con. I ran today, tomorrow is x-train and strength, Wed will be run, Thur strength, Friday off, Sat 2 Mile run at the con, Sunday off, Monday will be a run when I get home. :)

That's my plan. You people need to keep me accountable! I can't slack for the next 14 weeks. If I do, I'm screwed come December and I want this stupid race to be fun, not horrible.

On another note, Gatorade "Recover" is nasty, nasty stuff but its a good way to get a quick shot of protein into the system after a run. Ick.

Next Week!

So next Monday starts my actual 14 week training program. OMG. Its hard to imagine that next week means that it is only 14 weeks away. I think I've got a good base built up for the training tho.

Saying that, I must also admit that the last two days I haven't run. Monday my hip was hurting me all day so I said no, and yesterday I met up with a girlfriend of mine so I didn't get home till after 9:30pm which was too late for me to run.

Today is an amazing day though... High is only 88 and by 8pm it should only be about 80 outside. You know what that means, right? Going to the park! I'm gonna go do my 28 minute run at the park on the 1.2 mile loop. It will be good for me and it will give me a realistic idea of my current pace. The treadmill is okay to build up stamina I think, but you have to run at an enforced pace, not at what you naturally run at.

I'm very curious to see how I will do with the hills and running under my own steam instead of the treadmill. Wish me luck and I'll post on here how I do. :)

Last night was 1.86 miles in 26 minutes. I really didn't want to do it, but I knew I needed to so I gritted my teeth and got it done.

Today I had meant to go to pilates, but I got to work and realized that not only did I forget my cell phone, I also walked out without my workout clothing. Sigh. My right hip has also been bothering me on and off all day. I guess I must have slept funny last night or something.

So now I've got to figure out another day to do pilates this week. . . Tomorrow is out because I am meeting a girlfriend of mine for dinner. I haven't really looked at the schedule yet to see what the times for the other classes are. I'll do that this afternoon and get it locked down.

Sigh.

Yesterday I only did a mile. At that point I was uncomfortable and my heart rate was really high so I called it quits.

Today was much better tho! Did 25 minutes and 1.8 miles. It was good, but my calves were sore after. I stretched really well and that seemed to help some, but they are still uncomfortable. :(

I'm trying to decide if tomorrow should be a rest day to let my legs heal and rest or if I should go ahead and do the 26 minutes. Monday is a pilates day for me so if I take tomorrow off I will not run for 2 days... I guess I'll see how I feel tomorrow. If I'm still sore I'm leaning toward not running, but if I feel super motivated then I'll go ahead and do it. :)