Failure!

Tried to go buy a bike today at Target. They had a super cute comfort bike (one that you don't have to hunch forward to use) with 7 gears for a price I wanted to pay. Well, Danny and I got it down and started wheeling it through the store and one of the tires was screwed up. I get a helpful associate to take it to the bike man who happens to be there that day. Turns out it was a defective tire.

So I go, with Danny, to another Target. This time the bike is on the top rack, so I have to get an associate to get it down for me. Well, I'm all excited, but this time when I start to wheel it around, when I go backwards it squeals. I mean, super loud, something wrong kinda squeal. Needless to say that one was a no go as well.

The problem is, Walmart doesn't carry a "comfort" style bike with any kind of gears, and its been 2 for 2 on problem bikes at Target. The bike stores all start at over $300 (way outta my price range). Where's a happy medium?? I really wanted bike riding to be my second form of cross training since its such a wonderfully low impact sport, but its looking like that is a no go. I can not use a mountain bike or a road bike anymore, the hunching over bothers my back way too much. Sigh. I'll have to figure something else out I guess.

I'm Free!

So, today I got cleared from Physical Therapy! Huzzah and happy day! I go back to Dr. Phillips on Monday at 1:30pm and hopefully he will clear me to go back to my regular running program. I know I'm gonna have to ease into it again to make sure the knee holds like it should. Today they got me up to a 5% incline on the treadmill (granted, walking fast, not running) but there was no discomfort or pain! I looked at my training schedule closer last night and the schedule I am gonna go with is as follows:

Monday: strength training and running
Tuesday: cross training
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: cross training and strength training
Friday: running
Saturday: long run
Sunday: rest

I know my Tuesday cross-training will be Pi-Lo (Pilates/Yoga mix) and I think on Thursdays I will be doing bike riding. My plan for this weekend is to get a new bike (a comfort one that I don't have to hunch over on) and Danny said he would ride with me once a week. Its great having such a supportive b/f. He has not once said I can't do something, but instead stood by me and given me the kick to the behind that I need when I need it.

So for the next month and a half, I will focus more on the strength training and cross training - but still run on my assigned days - so when my training starts in earnest the first week of September I will be strong and healed and ready to kick some asphalt! :)

Not Dead Yet

But am taking a break from running on Doctor's orders. I managed to strain my hamstring in my left knee right before the 10k race, and while they said I could go ahead and race it would hurt (and boy did it). So I'm in the middle of a two week hiatus from running which should (hopefully) end on Monday, July 12th when I go back to the orthopedic doctor.

I have my training schedule picked out for the 1/2 marathon training. I am going to be following John "The Penguin" Bingham's Run/Walk 1/2 marathon schedule. I think that will be the most realistic choice for me and I won't kill myself trying to do it. :)

I will be doing 4 days of running, two days of resting and then two days of strength training and x-training weekly. I think. I don't have the schedule in front of my right at this moment tho. I'll post my schedule weekly. My two kinds of cross training I'm going to be doing are Pilates/Yoga and bike riding. I'll be doing strength training at my circuit gym I already am a member of.

Just wanted to let you know (the few that read this) that I am still alive and I am still doing the 1/2 Marathon.

I've paid for it, dang it! ;)

4 Miler Tonight

So today at 6:30 pm is the 4 mile Zoom Through the Zoo race.

I do not feel ready at all, but my goal time will be 52 minutes which will give me an average pace of 13:00 minutes/mile. Hopefully I can keep that up in the awful hot that is the outside right now. It'll be in the mid-80's when the race starts. Ugh. I'll post the results on here tonight. Hopefully I don't die or anything. ;)

Who's idea was this anyway? LOL

4 miler Coming Quick!

Ran 1.15 miles in 14:10 @ 12:19 min/miles pace, weather was partly cloudy, temperature around 66 degrees, done on my super cool new treadmill. :)

It felt pretty good. I really had to get myself motivated to do it though... I was all set and ready to run on my way home from work, but when I got here I found out my crockpot dinner was half ruined. Sigh. So that took a lot of wind out of my sails today. But I did it and am very glad I did.

The 4 Mile "Zoom Through the Zoo" is next Thursday evening. And then I get up Friday morning to be at the airport by 5:30am to go to Las Vegas for a long weekend with Danny. And then its just one month till my 10k! EEP!!

Gotta get more regular about this running thing again. Will be doing another mile tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have a better day and will get out onto the street for it. :) Got to do it. Gonna do it.

Ran 1.06 miles in 13:25 @ 12:39 min/miles pace, weather was partly cloudy, temperature around 79 degrees, I realized today that I MUST have music while I run. My mood and recovery depends on it.

I think part of Wednesday's problem was that I didn't have music going. I also think its not just music that I need, I think I have trained myself to run to Cruxshadows. LOL That's what I ran to while training for the 5k and I think I have trained myself to react positively to that music when I run.

My mood and recovery was much, much improved today and I think that is mainly due to the music. I also have recovered from the Nashville stress which helped a lot too. :)

Date: 05/04/2010 5:56 PM
Type: Run (Interval run)
Distance: 0.69 miles
Time: 0 hr 08 min 55 secs
Pace: 12:55 min/miles
Shoes: Nike Zoom Elite+ 4

Ugh. Not good. I blame it on the hell that was the last two days trapped in Nashville floods. I got to that point and my body was done. I just could not go any further. Tomorrow will be better. It has to be.

I have offically signed up for the "Zoom Through The Zoo" 4 mile run that will be taking place on May 26th, "UPS Ultimate 10K" at the end of June, and the St. Jude 1/2 Marathon in December. Oh boy. The money is paid and non-refundable on all of these races so I'm stuck. Can't back out now!!!