That's right. Yesterday was my first run since last Monday, thanks to the bronchitis. I was nervous to see how the run would go. I wasn't sure if I would be weak...or just "off" a bit after a week off. I was also concerned about coughing up a lung. But to my surprise, it was actually a pretty good run. The wind could have been a bit calmer. There were times I couldn't even hear the music through my headphones cuz I'll I could hear was storm-like wind. But all in all, the run was good. I was even able to run quite a few hills. I opted to run in my neighborhood again, which is pretty much all hills, so the entire run was either up hill or down hill. It's seldom just flat. But I made through the 4 miles without much trouble. I'm hopeful that this will be a good week.
Monday, March 30, 2009: yoga, 4 mile run
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Update
I'm on my second day of antibiotics and I'm starting to feel better. My chest still hurts and I have a nasty cough, but I'm hopeful that it will pass soon. I haven't ran since Monday, haven't cycled since Saturday, and haven't swam since *GULP* March 10th!!! Yep, going on 3 weeks since my last swim. This is NOT GOOD, people!!! But ever since I decided to do the St Louis half, I've been investing a lot more into running than my other events. Once the half is over, I can focus more on cycling and swimming again.
Anyway, today is a COMPLETE day of rest. No working out whatsoever. My body needs to heal. And apparently we have a blizzard heading our way, which is just awesome considering it was in the 80's last week. :\ Stupid midwest. And the Olathe marathon is tomorrow. Nice weather for it. Good luck to anyone running the Olathe marathon!! I'll be in Olathe tomorrow morning for tri practice. Luckily our practice got moved to Bally's due to the weather. I'm not stoked to ride a stationary bike and then run on a treadmill...but I'd rather be doing that than trying to battle the wind and snow.
Anyway, I hope my body will be ready for practice tomorrow. It's just 10 miles of cycling and 2 miles of running. And since it'll be inside, it'll be even easier. Hopefully my weakened lungs can handle all of that. I plan to spend the rest of the day taking it easy. I'll probably take Sunday off too. I really need to get back to the pool....but I don't want to push it right now. I have 3 months left to prepare for the tri, but only 3 weeks until St Louis....so I need to focus on getting healthy and getting my run up to par.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend...and if you have a blizzard heading your way, try to stay warm!!!
Anyway, today is a COMPLETE day of rest. No working out whatsoever. My body needs to heal. And apparently we have a blizzard heading our way, which is just awesome considering it was in the 80's last week. :\ Stupid midwest. And the Olathe marathon is tomorrow. Nice weather for it. Good luck to anyone running the Olathe marathon!! I'll be in Olathe tomorrow morning for tri practice. Luckily our practice got moved to Bally's due to the weather. I'm not stoked to ride a stationary bike and then run on a treadmill...but I'd rather be doing that than trying to battle the wind and snow.
Anyway, I hope my body will be ready for practice tomorrow. It's just 10 miles of cycling and 2 miles of running. And since it'll be inside, it'll be even easier. Hopefully my weakened lungs can handle all of that. I plan to spend the rest of the day taking it easy. I'll probably take Sunday off too. I really need to get back to the pool....but I don't want to push it right now. I have 3 months left to prepare for the tri, but only 3 weeks until St Louis....so I need to focus on getting healthy and getting my run up to par.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend...and if you have a blizzard heading your way, try to stay warm!!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
It's Official - I Have Bronchitis
I woke up this morning with painful lungs and I've been coughing up some nasty stuff. The doc called me in a z pack....woulda been nice if he could have done that when I went to see him Tuesday cuz I would be half way through it by now. :\ Oh well....
Anyway, my long run is a no go for this week. I've gone over it and over it....but I think in the end, I just need to rest up. I have tri practice on Saturday (which has been moved to Bally's due to the winter weather advisory - cycling in the snow is not particularly safe) and I really need to go since we are cycling AND running this week. The girls decided earlier this week to not do a long run next week and just do 4 miles to give us a bit of a break before the final long run before race day. SO, basically I'm just going to skip this week's long run...but do a long run next week when they are doing a short run to make up for it. It kind of sucks that I'll have to do a long run like that alone. But what can ya do? I just had to make a compromise with myself and it is what it is.
I still went to yoga yesterday, despite feeling like crap. I think I felt better afterwards. I just had a hard time maintaining my breathing since I was sick. Today I still went to muscle conditioning. But no cardio today or tomorrow. I need to rest up for tri practice on Saturday. Hopefully I can bounce back quickly!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009: yoga
Thursday, March 26, 2009: muscle conditioning
Anyway, my long run is a no go for this week. I've gone over it and over it....but I think in the end, I just need to rest up. I have tri practice on Saturday (which has been moved to Bally's due to the winter weather advisory - cycling in the snow is not particularly safe) and I really need to go since we are cycling AND running this week. The girls decided earlier this week to not do a long run next week and just do 4 miles to give us a bit of a break before the final long run before race day. SO, basically I'm just going to skip this week's long run...but do a long run next week when they are doing a short run to make up for it. It kind of sucks that I'll have to do a long run like that alone. But what can ya do? I just had to make a compromise with myself and it is what it is.
I still went to yoga yesterday, despite feeling like crap. I think I felt better afterwards. I just had a hard time maintaining my breathing since I was sick. Today I still went to muscle conditioning. But no cardio today or tomorrow. I need to rest up for tri practice on Saturday. Hopefully I can bounce back quickly!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009: yoga
Thursday, March 26, 2009: muscle conditioning
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I May Have Spoken Too Soon....
I had a really awesome weekend of training....but now my body is trying to get back at me. I've felt the onset of a sore throat since Friday. It hasn't gotten any worse...but hasn't gotten better either. Monday I was feeling a bit achy, but went to yoga anyway and went ahead and ran 3 miles that night. The run was undoubtably the worst run of my life. I felt like crap and it took every fiber in my body to finish. I was drenched in sweat and hurting all over when I finished. When I got home, I was thinking I should have skipped the run...but also kept thinking "But what if I feel even worse on Wednesday and I have to skip THAT run too?? Then I'll be going blindly into a 9 mile run on Friday, and that would not be cool."
Well, I woke up yesterday morning drenched in sweat and feeling completely exhausted. I called in sick to work and spent most of the day in bed. I wasn't running a fever, but I just felt completely drained. I finally went up to urgent care last night and sat around for nearly 2 hours just to find out that it was viral and they cannot treat it. The dr also said to take it easy because training this hard breaks down the immune system and my body has to work to repair muscle tissue instead of trying to heal from a viral infection.
So now I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to run 4 miles tonight and 9 on Friday. I'm still feeling like poo and I haven't swam in 2 weeks! I'm supposed to swim tomorrow, but there is a stride workshop I really want to go to. Do I skip running tonight, but swim instead and go to the stride workshop tomorrow? Do I run tonight, swim tomorrow, and skip the workshop? Do I take tonight off again and try to rest? Or do I run tonight, swim tomorrow right after work, and still go to the workshop? I'm so torn... And I still feel incredibly tired and worn out... But St Louis is only 3 1/2 weeks away, so I feel like I can't afford to miss any training. Any advice??
Here's Monday's workout:
Monday, March 23, 2009: yoga, 3 mile run
Well, I woke up yesterday morning drenched in sweat and feeling completely exhausted. I called in sick to work and spent most of the day in bed. I wasn't running a fever, but I just felt completely drained. I finally went up to urgent care last night and sat around for nearly 2 hours just to find out that it was viral and they cannot treat it. The dr also said to take it easy because training this hard breaks down the immune system and my body has to work to repair muscle tissue instead of trying to heal from a viral infection.
So now I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to run 4 miles tonight and 9 on Friday. I'm still feeling like poo and I haven't swam in 2 weeks! I'm supposed to swim tomorrow, but there is a stride workshop I really want to go to. Do I skip running tonight, but swim instead and go to the stride workshop tomorrow? Do I run tonight, swim tomorrow, and skip the workshop? Do I take tonight off again and try to rest? Or do I run tonight, swim tomorrow right after work, and still go to the workshop? I'm so torn... And I still feel incredibly tired and worn out... But St Louis is only 3 1/2 weeks away, so I feel like I can't afford to miss any training. Any advice??
Here's Monday's workout:
Monday, March 23, 2009: yoga, 3 mile run
Saturday, March 21, 2009
I'm Back in the Game!!
I recovered from Wednesday's funk and I am proud to report a few new records today: 8 mile run yesterday - longest run of my life, and 22 mile bike ride today - longest ride of my life. So yes, I am back in the game!!
Yesterday's run was pretty awesome. We did the downtown airport loop and it was my first time to run with the girls that I'm doing the half marathon with. Actually, one of the girls was sick and the other one got there after we did our first loop, so it was just the 2 of us for the first loop. I like it out at the airport because there are only a couple of small hills. The thing is, it is out in the middle of a huge open area, so the wind is pretty crazy. It's not bad on the first half of the loop (running north), but it's wicked crazy on the last half (coming back south). We ran the first 4 miles with only stopping once to walk and it was for just a couple minutes. I was also surprised to discover that I am capable of carrying on a conversation while I'm running. I've never been able to do that before, so that was cool.
We stopped at 4 miles to stretch and take a Hammer Gel shot. We also decided to grab our MP3 players for the last half of the run. We ended up taking 2 walking breaks during the last loop, which actually isn't bad considering it was the first 8 mile run for each of us. Both breaks were quick too. But that last mile was brutal. My knees were both killing me and it was taking every fiber in my body to keep going.
In the end, our average speed for the entire run was around 12 minute miles. Not the greatest, but we're also not seasoned runners, so I think we did pretty well. The most important part is that we FINISHED.
This morning I had tri practice and we had 15 miles on the schedule. I was really hoping it wasn't as bad as the 15 miles we did 2 weeks ago - that route was so hilly, it was just awful!! Well, I got to practice and found out that we were actually doing 20 miles instead of 15. Well, I'm not sure who measured the route, but it ended up being 22 miles (2 loops of just over 11 miles). There were only 2 hills that were really tough. The rest were do-able. I told our coaches at the end that I would much rather do this 22 miler than the mountainous 15 from a couple weeks ago.
Anyway, I put my body through a lot in a period of about 18 hours, so the rest of the weekend is for recovery. I'm headed out to the soccer field in a bit for the Wizards home opener (Randy is already there tailgating) so I can hang out with some friends. No drinking for me though. I just can't handle it anymore during training.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! Here are my workout stats for the past 3 days:
Thursday, March19, 2009: muscle conditioning
Friday, March 20, 2009: yoga, 8 mile run
Saturday, March 21, 2009: 22 mile bike ride
Yesterday's run was pretty awesome. We did the downtown airport loop and it was my first time to run with the girls that I'm doing the half marathon with. Actually, one of the girls was sick and the other one got there after we did our first loop, so it was just the 2 of us for the first loop. I like it out at the airport because there are only a couple of small hills. The thing is, it is out in the middle of a huge open area, so the wind is pretty crazy. It's not bad on the first half of the loop (running north), but it's wicked crazy on the last half (coming back south). We ran the first 4 miles with only stopping once to walk and it was for just a couple minutes. I was also surprised to discover that I am capable of carrying on a conversation while I'm running. I've never been able to do that before, so that was cool.
We stopped at 4 miles to stretch and take a Hammer Gel shot. We also decided to grab our MP3 players for the last half of the run. We ended up taking 2 walking breaks during the last loop, which actually isn't bad considering it was the first 8 mile run for each of us. Both breaks were quick too. But that last mile was brutal. My knees were both killing me and it was taking every fiber in my body to keep going.
In the end, our average speed for the entire run was around 12 minute miles. Not the greatest, but we're also not seasoned runners, so I think we did pretty well. The most important part is that we FINISHED.
This morning I had tri practice and we had 15 miles on the schedule. I was really hoping it wasn't as bad as the 15 miles we did 2 weeks ago - that route was so hilly, it was just awful!! Well, I got to practice and found out that we were actually doing 20 miles instead of 15. Well, I'm not sure who measured the route, but it ended up being 22 miles (2 loops of just over 11 miles). There were only 2 hills that were really tough. The rest were do-able. I told our coaches at the end that I would much rather do this 22 miler than the mountainous 15 from a couple weeks ago.
Anyway, I put my body through a lot in a period of about 18 hours, so the rest of the weekend is for recovery. I'm headed out to the soccer field in a bit for the Wizards home opener (Randy is already there tailgating) so I can hang out with some friends. No drinking for me though. I just can't handle it anymore during training.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! Here are my workout stats for the past 3 days:
Thursday, March19, 2009: muscle conditioning
Friday, March 20, 2009: yoga, 8 mile run
Saturday, March 21, 2009: 22 mile bike ride
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Yesterday
Yesterday ended up being a day of rest. Yoga got cancelled (rescheduled for tomorrow) and I just wasn't feeling up to my run. I'm kind of disappointed in myself, but I was just drained and had too many other things to do last night - chiropractor, groceries, housework, etc. I think my body kind of needed the rest anyway. I'm just a little down because this whole week has been off. I haven't swam in over a week. I was supposed to go on Tuesday, but decided it was so nice out on Tuesday that I would rather cycle then and swim tonight. Well, Tuesday ended up being a night of drinking instead, so I did neither. And I forgot that we have dinner plans tonight with Randy's family....so this will basically be the third evening in a row that I will have done nothing. At least I have muscle conditioning today. Better than nothing. But next week, I really need to get focused again.
Tomorrow is my first 8 mile run. I'm already having major anxiety over it. I hope I can do it without any problems...
Tomorrow is my first 8 mile run. I'm already having major anxiety over it. I hope I can do it without any problems...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
*sigh*
I don't always make the best decisions. Case in point: it was not a good decision to drink 2 pitchers of margaritas last night. Especially when I have to run 4 miles tonight...and I had to get up at 4:45 this morning. I'm tired, dehydrated, and not looking forward to running tonight. *sigh* Time to start drinking plenty of water and Powerade.
On the bright side, I had a beautiful run on Monday. I ran the downtown airport loop (3.6 miles) and I ran the ENTIRE thing without walking once! It was a gorgous day out - 75 degrees with a light breeze. Actually, I was running into the wind on the way back around and it was a bit of a challenge, but I've ran in worse. There were only 2 other runners that I saw out there, but about 50 or more cyclists. I intended to take my bike over there yesterday....but then the margaritas came along. :\
Anyway, here's this weeks workouts so far:
Monday, March 16, 2009: 45 minute yoga class, 3.6 mile run
Tuesday, March 17, 2009: muscle conditioning
Hopefully tonight's run won't suck too bad. I might have to leave work a bit early to catch a nap before I go.
On the bright side, I had a beautiful run on Monday. I ran the downtown airport loop (3.6 miles) and I ran the ENTIRE thing without walking once! It was a gorgous day out - 75 degrees with a light breeze. Actually, I was running into the wind on the way back around and it was a bit of a challenge, but I've ran in worse. There were only 2 other runners that I saw out there, but about 50 or more cyclists. I intended to take my bike over there yesterday....but then the margaritas came along. :\
Anyway, here's this weeks workouts so far:
Monday, March 16, 2009: 45 minute yoga class, 3.6 mile run
Tuesday, March 17, 2009: muscle conditioning
Hopefully tonight's run won't suck too bad. I might have to leave work a bit early to catch a nap before I go.
Monday, March 16, 2009
It's Official!
I officially registered for GO! St Louis this morning - there's no turning back now! :)
Under Construction
I'm in the middle of revamping my blog, so my apologies for the funky look of things right now. I started working on it over the weekend and got sidetracked...and now I've got a template I'm not super happy with, but don't have the time to fix. I have countdown widgets to a couple races and they aren't appearing correctly and blah blah blah... So yeah, hopefully I'll get that fixed soon.
I took Saturday off from working out. I obviously needed a rest after Friday's 7 mile run. Yesterday was a nice day, so I took my bike out for a leisurely ride - just 8.1 miles. The highway I take to work every day goes right by the downtown airport. I always see runners and cyclists over there, so I thought I'd go check it out. Oh - did I mention I got a bike rack on Saturday?? So I was excited to get my bike out of my neighborhood for a ride.
So I got down to the airport and started riding around and discovered that the road goes all the way AROUND the airport and the loop is almost 4 miles! How awesome is that?! The back part of the loop is closed to traffic, so it's basically just there for the use of runners and cyclists - awesome! And not even that far from home. And being that it's an airport, it's relatively flat too! I can't wait to take my run there tonight!! :) No traffic + flat route = awesomeness!
It's going to be a busy week ahead now that I'm training for the St Louis half marathon along with my current triathlon training. Today will be yoga and a 3.5 mile run. Tomorrow is muscle conditioning and swimming. Wednesday is yoga and a 4 mile run. Thursday is just muscle conditioning. Friday is an 8 mile run. Saturday is 15 miles on the bike at practice. Wow....should be interesting to see how the rest of the week goes! Wish me luck!!!
Sunday, March 15, 2009: 8.1 mile bike ride
I took Saturday off from working out. I obviously needed a rest after Friday's 7 mile run. Yesterday was a nice day, so I took my bike out for a leisurely ride - just 8.1 miles. The highway I take to work every day goes right by the downtown airport. I always see runners and cyclists over there, so I thought I'd go check it out. Oh - did I mention I got a bike rack on Saturday?? So I was excited to get my bike out of my neighborhood for a ride.
So I got down to the airport and started riding around and discovered that the road goes all the way AROUND the airport and the loop is almost 4 miles! How awesome is that?! The back part of the loop is closed to traffic, so it's basically just there for the use of runners and cyclists - awesome! And not even that far from home. And being that it's an airport, it's relatively flat too! I can't wait to take my run there tonight!! :) No traffic + flat route = awesomeness!
It's going to be a busy week ahead now that I'm training for the St Louis half marathon along with my current triathlon training. Today will be yoga and a 3.5 mile run. Tomorrow is muscle conditioning and swimming. Wednesday is yoga and a 4 mile run. Thursday is just muscle conditioning. Friday is an 8 mile run. Saturday is 15 miles on the bike at practice. Wow....should be interesting to see how the rest of the week goes! Wish me luck!!!
Sunday, March 15, 2009: 8.1 mile bike ride
Friday, March 13, 2009
Guess What?!
I JUST RAN 7 MILES!!!!!!!!!
That's right, 7 miles! (Technically, 7.25) Just 3 days ago I had never ran more than 4 miles in my life. Then I ran 6.3 on Wednesday, although it was in 2 segments. And then tonight I went and did 7! I'm still in shock!
As I said previously, today's run would solidify my decision of whether or not I will be doing the St Louis half marathon....and I've decided to GO FOR IT!
I have to really thank my friend Kristen for getting me through today's run. At 2.5 miles, I was really struggling. My calves and shins felt like they were going to explode. I kept thinking to myself that I was pushing myself too hard and maybe I should take it easy, given the long run (well, long for me) that I had on Wednesday. I sent Kristen a text saying basically that. She texted me back and reminded me that the first 2.5 - 3 miles are the hardest and that maybe I just needed to get past that hump. She also said to listen to my body and not hurt myself. She was right...I just needed to push past that hump.
Around 4.5 miles I stopped to stretch and refuel with a Clif Shot. I remember thinking to myself, "Only 2.5 miles to go. That'll be easy, I can do this!" That's so funny to think that just a couple months ago I could barely even do a 2.5 mile run and now I'm thinking that "only 2.5" left will be a piece of cake! I sent Kristen another text telling her I only had 2.5 to go. She was so encouraging and I really do think that if I didn't have her to remind me in the beginning to just get past the hump, there's no way I would have completed 7 miles.
With just under 2 miles to go, my energy shot hit me, along with the "runner's high." The last 2 miles were the easiest of the entire run and I actually felt like I could keep going after I hit 7. But I knew to go ahead and stop because pushing past that really would put me at risk for injury.
Anyway, there ya have it - 7 mile run accomplished and I am now planning to run a half marathon in just over 5 weeks. I could not be more proud of myself or more excited right now! I must go ice my shins and bask in the glory of today's run. :)
Friday, March 13, 2009: 7.25 mile run
That's right, 7 miles! (Technically, 7.25) Just 3 days ago I had never ran more than 4 miles in my life. Then I ran 6.3 on Wednesday, although it was in 2 segments. And then tonight I went and did 7! I'm still in shock!
As I said previously, today's run would solidify my decision of whether or not I will be doing the St Louis half marathon....and I've decided to GO FOR IT!
I have to really thank my friend Kristen for getting me through today's run. At 2.5 miles, I was really struggling. My calves and shins felt like they were going to explode. I kept thinking to myself that I was pushing myself too hard and maybe I should take it easy, given the long run (well, long for me) that I had on Wednesday. I sent Kristen a text saying basically that. She texted me back and reminded me that the first 2.5 - 3 miles are the hardest and that maybe I just needed to get past that hump. She also said to listen to my body and not hurt myself. She was right...I just needed to push past that hump.
Around 4.5 miles I stopped to stretch and refuel with a Clif Shot. I remember thinking to myself, "Only 2.5 miles to go. That'll be easy, I can do this!" That's so funny to think that just a couple months ago I could barely even do a 2.5 mile run and now I'm thinking that "only 2.5" left will be a piece of cake! I sent Kristen another text telling her I only had 2.5 to go. She was so encouraging and I really do think that if I didn't have her to remind me in the beginning to just get past the hump, there's no way I would have completed 7 miles.
With just under 2 miles to go, my energy shot hit me, along with the "runner's high." The last 2 miles were the easiest of the entire run and I actually felt like I could keep going after I hit 7. But I knew to go ahead and stop because pushing past that really would put me at risk for injury.
Anyway, there ya have it - 7 mile run accomplished and I am now planning to run a half marathon in just over 5 weeks. I could not be more proud of myself or more excited right now! I must go ice my shins and bask in the glory of today's run. :)
Friday, March 13, 2009: 7.25 mile run
Comments - Keep 'Em Comin'!
Thank you so much to everyone who has been leaving me such positive and encouraging comments and/or emails lately! I can seriously say that nothing truly makes my day brighter than getting such encouragement and support from all of you! We all have our moments where we doubt ourselves and I am really taking on some goals and tasks that are completely unfamiliar to me, so naturally I've had a lot of doubts lately. But sometimes I just need a little support or encouraging words from others to help open my eyes to what I AM capable of doing - so thank you all! I cannot even explain how glad I am that I joined JustFinish and the blogging community. It has really been so positive for me.
So now, speaking of encouragement, I could really use some today. I am going to attempt to run 7 miles either tonight or in the morning. This is basically going to be the deciding factor on whether or not I'm going to do the St Louis half marathon. With such little time left, I really need to jump in there and get focused so this is do or die - either I do 7 miles NOW, or I don't do the half....because next weekend is an 8 mile run, then 9 the weekend after that...then 10, then 11, then the race. I've never ran 7 miles before....so someone please tell me that I CAN DO IT!!
In other news, yesterday was a light tri training day. Just 9.5 miles on the stationary bike. I will have lots of running in my future (3 days a week) if I go ahead and commit to the half marathon. But it won't alter my tri training too much other than I'll just be running more distance during the week and probably one more day a week. Can I do this???
Thursday, March 12, 2009: 9.5 miles cycling
So now, speaking of encouragement, I could really use some today. I am going to attempt to run 7 miles either tonight or in the morning. This is basically going to be the deciding factor on whether or not I'm going to do the St Louis half marathon. With such little time left, I really need to jump in there and get focused so this is do or die - either I do 7 miles NOW, or I don't do the half....because next weekend is an 8 mile run, then 9 the weekend after that...then 10, then 11, then the race. I've never ran 7 miles before....so someone please tell me that I CAN DO IT!!
In other news, yesterday was a light tri training day. Just 9.5 miles on the stationary bike. I will have lots of running in my future (3 days a week) if I go ahead and commit to the half marathon. But it won't alter my tri training too much other than I'll just be running more distance during the week and probably one more day a week. Can I do this???
Thursday, March 12, 2009: 9.5 miles cycling
Thursday, March 12, 2009
I Pretty Much Kick @$$!
:)
Okay, now...hold your applause for just a moment...because I have to explain to you that while I did indeed run 6.3 miles yesterday (a personal best!!), it was not all consecutive. So let me start at the beginning.
My tri schedule only had me running 2 miles yesterday. That's right, a measley 2 miles. My girl friends that are training for the St Louis half marathon were scheduled to run 4 miles yesterday. So, I really wanted to shoot for 4 miles to see if I could do it. Mind you I've only ran 4 miles one other time in my life and I believe I was about 10 years old - true story! But I've really been inspired by everyone on justfinish.com and really felt the need to push myself. So my goal for yesterday was to run 4 miles.
Well, I normally do yoga during my lunch break on Wednesdays, but we didn't have class yesterday, so I decided to go ahead and get my run over with during my lunch break. Well, it was 24 degrees out with a wind chill of 14. I was not prepared for this - not enough warm clothing. I didn't let this stop me. I went down to the fitness center and hopped on a treadmill. Well, let me explain something about the fitness center here at work. It is extremely tiny and not very well designed. Basically, the heat vents are right in front of the cardio equipment, so you get a nice blast of hot air in your face as you run. I was able to run 2 miles before I finally said "$crew this!" I was drenched in sweat, which is an uncomfortable feeling considering I was at work. So I made a compromise with myself - I would let myself off the hook and out of this sauna of a training room as long as I promised to go do 2 more miles at 24 Hour Fitness after work.
I dropped Rylie off at gymnastics at 6:30 last night and headed to the gym with a 2 mile run in mind as my goal. I started running....and something just came over me and I couldn't stop! As I mentioned before, I've only ran 4 miles one other time in my life. But I had this overwhelming feeling to finish a full 4 miles all at once....and I DID! I finished off with a .3 mile cool down of walking and left the gym feeling better about myself than I have in a really long time. 6.3 miles yesterday, folks! Like I said before, I pretty much kick @$$! :)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009: ran 6.3 miles
Okay, now...hold your applause for just a moment...because I have to explain to you that while I did indeed run 6.3 miles yesterday (a personal best!!), it was not all consecutive. So let me start at the beginning.
My tri schedule only had me running 2 miles yesterday. That's right, a measley 2 miles. My girl friends that are training for the St Louis half marathon were scheduled to run 4 miles yesterday. So, I really wanted to shoot for 4 miles to see if I could do it. Mind you I've only ran 4 miles one other time in my life and I believe I was about 10 years old - true story! But I've really been inspired by everyone on justfinish.com and really felt the need to push myself. So my goal for yesterday was to run 4 miles.
Well, I normally do yoga during my lunch break on Wednesdays, but we didn't have class yesterday, so I decided to go ahead and get my run over with during my lunch break. Well, it was 24 degrees out with a wind chill of 14. I was not prepared for this - not enough warm clothing. I didn't let this stop me. I went down to the fitness center and hopped on a treadmill. Well, let me explain something about the fitness center here at work. It is extremely tiny and not very well designed. Basically, the heat vents are right in front of the cardio equipment, so you get a nice blast of hot air in your face as you run. I was able to run 2 miles before I finally said "$crew this!" I was drenched in sweat, which is an uncomfortable feeling considering I was at work. So I made a compromise with myself - I would let myself off the hook and out of this sauna of a training room as long as I promised to go do 2 more miles at 24 Hour Fitness after work.
I dropped Rylie off at gymnastics at 6:30 last night and headed to the gym with a 2 mile run in mind as my goal. I started running....and something just came over me and I couldn't stop! As I mentioned before, I've only ran 4 miles one other time in my life. But I had this overwhelming feeling to finish a full 4 miles all at once....and I DID! I finished off with a .3 mile cool down of walking and left the gym feeling better about myself than I have in a really long time. 6.3 miles yesterday, folks! Like I said before, I pretty much kick @$$! :)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009: ran 6.3 miles
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Training Update
Sunday is my rest day, so I didn't do anything on Sunday other than about 300 crunches, but I'm not even counting that as a workout. Monday I went to yoga, but I was too tired Monday night to do my swimming and cycling. I felt horribly guilty about it, so I did it last night instead. Yesterday was a pretty grueling day - muscle conditioning during my lunch break, 10 mile bike ride and 1/2 swim in the evening. Tonight I have to run. I'm only scheduled to do 2 miles, but I think I'm going to shoot for 4. I am contemplating doing the St Louis half marathon...but it's just a little over 5 weeks away. So if I'm going to train for that, I really need to jump in and get going. We'll see how running goes the rest of this week and go from there. Regardless of whether I do St Louis or not, I am definitely doing the Trolley Run next month on the 26th. It's just 4 miles, so it won't be that bad.
Here are my workouts for this week so far:
Monday, March 9, 2009: 45 minute yoga class
Tuesday, March 10, 2009: muscle conditioning, 10 miles of cycling, 1/2 mile swim
I'm still frustrated that I'm not losing any weight....but I'm trying to get past that. I know that I am still doing great things for my body and at some point I really hope that some of this weight will start coming off. What I AM excited about is the fact that I'm getting involved and actually doing some races for the first time in my life - this is exciting to me! This is all new to me and I'm really enjoying taking on new challenges and adventures. :)
Here are my workouts for this week so far:
Monday, March 9, 2009: 45 minute yoga class
Tuesday, March 10, 2009: muscle conditioning, 10 miles of cycling, 1/2 mile swim
I'm still frustrated that I'm not losing any weight....but I'm trying to get past that. I know that I am still doing great things for my body and at some point I really hope that some of this weight will start coming off. What I AM excited about is the fact that I'm getting involved and actually doing some races for the first time in my life - this is exciting to me! This is all new to me and I'm really enjoying taking on new challenges and adventures. :)
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Today's Tri Practice
Let's just say I got my ass handed to me today. It's actually kind of embarrassing to say considering we only cycled 15 miles...but trust me, it felt like a whole lot more!
The LOWS:
--ridiculously insane winds that about blew me over more than once and were a b**** to ride into
--the most treacherous hills (I'm talking MOUNTAIN-LIKE!!!) that will make you regret ever saying that Kansas is FLAT!!!
--witnessing my team mate bite it and roll down a ditch
--being the last one to finish (only by a few minutes)
--not being able to make it up a couple of the hills and having to get off my bike and walk the rest of the way up
The HIGHS:
--it was in the 50's (even tho the wind made it feel cooler, it was actually pretty nice out)
--we only had to ride 15 miles (the cycling team had to ride 30....I really felt bad for them, lol)
--um, that's about it on the highs...the ride was pretty brutal, LOL!
--OH YEAH - I FINISHED!! :)
One nice thing though is that our race route for our tri actually does not have that many hills, so training in all these hills is really just going to give us an advantage in the end...even though it sucks, lol. It took us over an hour today (probably an hour and 15 minutes, maybe more) so our average speed was obviously not that great. But considering all the hills...what can you expect? I just keep thinking....if 15 miles kicked my ass, how is 24 miles gonna be....with a .9 mile swim before it and a 6 mile run after it?!?! But hey, I'll get there. Each day I am improving, and right now that's all I can keep on doing.
Saturday, March 7, 2009: 15 mile bike ride
The LOWS:
--ridiculously insane winds that about blew me over more than once and were a b**** to ride into
--the most treacherous hills (I'm talking MOUNTAIN-LIKE!!!) that will make you regret ever saying that Kansas is FLAT!!!
--witnessing my team mate bite it and roll down a ditch
--being the last one to finish (only by a few minutes)
--not being able to make it up a couple of the hills and having to get off my bike and walk the rest of the way up
The HIGHS:
--it was in the 50's (even tho the wind made it feel cooler, it was actually pretty nice out)
--we only had to ride 15 miles (the cycling team had to ride 30....I really felt bad for them, lol)
--um, that's about it on the highs...the ride was pretty brutal, LOL!
--OH YEAH - I FINISHED!! :)
One nice thing though is that our race route for our tri actually does not have that many hills, so training in all these hills is really just going to give us an advantage in the end...even though it sucks, lol. It took us over an hour today (probably an hour and 15 minutes, maybe more) so our average speed was obviously not that great. But considering all the hills...what can you expect? I just keep thinking....if 15 miles kicked my ass, how is 24 miles gonna be....with a .9 mile swim before it and a 6 mile run after it?!?! But hey, I'll get there. Each day I am improving, and right now that's all I can keep on doing.
Saturday, March 7, 2009: 15 mile bike ride
Friday, March 6, 2009
Taking Today Off!
I mean it this time, today really is a rest day! My body needs it! I might take Rylie and the dogs for a walk this afternoon, but it will be leisurely and non-strenuous. This week has been hardcore and tomorrow is gonna be no joke either. So today is definitely a rest day. Here's yesterday:
Thursday, March 5, 2009: 45 minute muscle conditioning class, 3 mile run
My legs have been killing me from all the squats and lunges we did in class on on Tuesday, but the run yesterday really helped loosen them up. Since I had been so sore, I thought I'd go run the trail at English Landing Park last night. It's pretty much flat and it's also not paved, so I thought that would help too since it wouldn't be a hard surface. I normally run in my neighborhood, which is REALLY hilly, and I just didn't think I could take the hills yesterday.
Well, that trail literally felt like quick sand to me. :( My body just felt heavy and I couldn't get in the groove. I thought for sure it would be an easy run since there were no hills and it was such a nice day out (lower 80's). Well, the combination of the trail surface and the CRAZY wind just made it a challenge. I really had to push myself to finish, which was disappointing....but I did it anyway.
The weekend is supposed to be beautiful, so I'm looking forward to cycling tomorrow and maybe some park time on Sunday!
Thursday, March 5, 2009: 45 minute muscle conditioning class, 3 mile run
My legs have been killing me from all the squats and lunges we did in class on on Tuesday, but the run yesterday really helped loosen them up. Since I had been so sore, I thought I'd go run the trail at English Landing Park last night. It's pretty much flat and it's also not paved, so I thought that would help too since it wouldn't be a hard surface. I normally run in my neighborhood, which is REALLY hilly, and I just didn't think I could take the hills yesterday.
Well, that trail literally felt like quick sand to me. :( My body just felt heavy and I couldn't get in the groove. I thought for sure it would be an easy run since there were no hills and it was such a nice day out (lower 80's). Well, the combination of the trail surface and the CRAZY wind just made it a challenge. I really had to push myself to finish, which was disappointing....but I did it anyway.
The weekend is supposed to be beautiful, so I'm looking forward to cycling tomorrow and maybe some park time on Sunday!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Must Keep Going
My legs are still pretty sore from muscle conditioning on Tuesday, but I can't let that get in the way of my training for the week. I have muscle conditioning again today and I'm also running tonight. It's supposed to reach the 70's today!!! Funny considering there's still some snow on the ground from Saturday.... I'm loving this nice weather, tho! It's even supposed to be nice this weekend, so I'm looking forward to my 15 mile bike ride on Saturday. And I'm thinking a run is in order for Sunday. Anyway, here's yesterdays's workout:
Wednesday, March 4, 2009: 45 minute yoga class, swam 1/2 mile
Wednesday, March 4, 2009: 45 minute yoga class, swam 1/2 mile
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Yesterday's Workout
First let me say that I'm pretty sore - mostly my legs. I had muscle conditioning yesterday and we did about eleventy bajillion squats and lunges. Add that to the fact that I missed muscle conditioning all last week due to scheduling conflicts and yeah....I'm feeling it. PLUS I had to cycle 9 miles last night too. I cheated and rode the stationary bike at the gym due to the bad road conditions (snow & ice), but I put it on a very hilly route to make sure I was really getting a good workout. Um yeah, it took me 30 minutes just to ride 8 miles, so it was definitely a tough course!
I have yoga today, so hopefully that will help stretch me out. I also swim tonight and that will be good for sore muscles too. Tomorrow I run and it's supposed to get up in the 70's tomorrow, so that will be awesome!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009: 45 minute muscle conditioning class, 9 mile bike ride
I have yoga today, so hopefully that will help stretch me out. I also swim tonight and that will be good for sore muscles too. Tomorrow I run and it's supposed to get up in the 70's tomorrow, so that will be awesome!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009: 45 minute muscle conditioning class, 9 mile bike ride
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
February Totals
FEBRUARY TOTALS:
Cycle: 3 days of cycling, 22.5 miles total
Run: 5 days of running, 13.55 miles total
Swim: 4 days of swimming, 62 laps (3100 meters = 1.9375 miles)
Weight Training: 7 days
Yoga: 5 days
Total days of cardio: 12
Total days worked out: 19
YEAR-TO-DATE TOTALS:
Cycle: 4 days of cycling, 29.5 miles total
Run: 14 days of running, 30.25 miles total
Swim: 4 days of swimming, 62 laps (3100 meters = 1.9375 miles)
Weight Training: 14 days
Yoga: 9 days
Total days of cardio: 25
Total days worked out: 37
Cycle: 3 days of cycling, 22.5 miles total
Run: 5 days of running, 13.55 miles total
Swim: 4 days of swimming, 62 laps (3100 meters = 1.9375 miles)
Weight Training: 7 days
Yoga: 5 days
Total days of cardio: 12
Total days worked out: 19
YEAR-TO-DATE TOTALS:
Cycle: 4 days of cycling, 29.5 miles total
Run: 14 days of running, 30.25 miles total
Swim: 4 days of swimming, 62 laps (3100 meters = 1.9375 miles)
Weight Training: 14 days
Yoga: 9 days
Total days of cardio: 25
Total days worked out: 37
Obstacles
Okay, so I ended up not working out Friday, Saturday, or Sunday..... :\ Friday and Saturday were just too busy with all the birthday events and Sunday I was not only hungover...but also sore from the wreck I was in Saturday night. Let me stress that everyone is fine. But Randy, the girls, and I were involved in a wreck Saturday night on our way to take the girls to his brother's house for the night so we could go out for my birthday. I went to the chiropractor and the doctor yesterday. My neck is pretty messed up, but thankfully there are no serious injuries.
I went ahead and swam a half mile yesterday. I was hoping the water would help...but I use a lot of neck muscles to turn my head to breathe when I swim. But I really need to focus on my training and I had already taken 3 days off. I know, I don't want to over do it either... But I think I'll be okay. I've got some good anti inflammatories and I'll be seeing my chirpractor regularly for the next couple months I'm sure.
So, all in all, despite being in a wreck and also consuming enough booze to kill a small horse Saturday night, I'm back on track with my training. Oh, and a few girlfriends and my birthday party Saturday asked me if I would want to run a half marathon with them in St. Louis in April. I emailed my coach about it this morning to see what she says about it. If she thinks it's too much with my tri training, then I'll have to say no. But if she says it's okay that I'm going for it!
So, here's yesterday's workout and I'll post February's totals here in a bit:
Monday, March 2, 2009: swam 1/2 mile
I went ahead and swam a half mile yesterday. I was hoping the water would help...but I use a lot of neck muscles to turn my head to breathe when I swim. But I really need to focus on my training and I had already taken 3 days off. I know, I don't want to over do it either... But I think I'll be okay. I've got some good anti inflammatories and I'll be seeing my chirpractor regularly for the next couple months I'm sure.
So, all in all, despite being in a wreck and also consuming enough booze to kill a small horse Saturday night, I'm back on track with my training. Oh, and a few girlfriends and my birthday party Saturday asked me if I would want to run a half marathon with them in St. Louis in April. I emailed my coach about it this morning to see what she says about it. If she thinks it's too much with my tri training, then I'll have to say no. But if she says it's okay that I'm going for it!
So, here's yesterday's workout and I'll post February's totals here in a bit:
Monday, March 2, 2009: swam 1/2 mile
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