5 weeks and counting

October 17, 2011 by 6 Comments

Wrapped up week 9 of my half training with a return to double digits on Saturday’s long run. It’s been 4 weeks since my left ITB has been willing to go that far so I’m very happy all body parts cooperated!

Just 5 weeks left to go until Philly – 5 weeks to test the legs, hit my target paces, get focused and keep the IT in a cooperative state (read: roll, ice, rest, repeat!).

The plan for this week:

Monday — Easy run (3 or 4) and Yoga
Tuesday — Track work (mile repeats…did you just hear me groan?!)
Wednesday — Recovery (3) and Strength work
Thursday —  Tempo run (6)
Friday — Rest
Saturday — Long run (11)

Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend – it’s been great reading your race reports! Definitely inspiring!

Have a Great Week!
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Filed Under: Philly Half, training

Monday Motivation – Week 5

September 12, 2011 by 7 Comments
“Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.”
— Aristotle
Week 4 was the first solid week of training for me and it was capped off with a fantastic 10 miler yesterday morning. I finished each workout feeling strong…instead of the “What the heck was that?!?” feeling of weeks 1 & 2.

So, it’s on the week 5 and I choose to …..

….hit all my target paces for each workout
….re-introduce my ITB to the foam roller
….do daily core work
….pay better attention to what I’m eating
….get more sleep so I’m not dragging my tail outta bed in the morning
….in addition to my runs, commit to doing yoga and strength training
So what choices will you make today?
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Filed Under: choices, Monday Motivation, training

Training reboot

August 30, 2011 by 7 Comments

While I don’t want to call week 2 a failure it was definitely nothing special and makes me happy there are still 12 weeks to go!

There were good points — hill repeats on the mill and a great strength and core workout; but there was much that was just so-so or worst…non-existent (no yoga, and thanks to Hurricane Irene I missed my 8-miler).

So I’m coming at this week with renewed energy and focus! This morning was a beautiful morning to be at the track – on the plan was 3 sets of 200/200/400 with jogs, plus warm-up and cool-down. There were a lot of us on the track, but despite a little weaving I nailed my target pace for each interval!

For the rest of the week – there’s daily core work, plus:

Wednesday:    Easy run plus strength work
Thursday:        Tempo run
Friday:             Rest
Saturday:         Weekly Pilates Reformer group
Sunday:           Long run (9)

Hopefully this morning’s workout means I’ll get much better results this week.

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Filed Under: refocusing, track work, training

Week 2 Begins & Gotein Winners

August 22, 2011 by 9 Comments

So week 1 of Philly training is complete – it was a little all over the place as I making tweaks. After checking out the boys’ school schedule, adding more hill and speed work, and taking into account a couple of 10ks I hope to run, I think I’ve got a plan that will work.

On the decks for this week:

Monday:          Yoga

Tuesday:          Hill repeats (6)

Wednesday:     Easy run (3) plus Strength work

Thursday:         Tempo run (5)

Friday:               Rest

Saturday:          Pilates Reformer

Sunday:             Long run (8 or 9)

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Gotein Giveaway Winners!

With the help of Random.org, the winners are Danielle (DEM) and Jenna Z! Congrats ladies! Shoot me at email at runningwithattitude (at) yahoo (dot) com.

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Filed Under: giveaways, Gotein, hill work, Philly Half, training

Week 7 – Half Training

July 11, 2011 by 3 Comments

Week 7 already! I feel like the weeks of this training plan are just flying by!

I got some good feedback on my question about step-back weeks – and for the most part I ran the suggested distances on the plan. I did bump Friday’s “long” run up to 6 miles just because I was feeling really good. I even took an extra rest day yesterday cause my legs were just feeling dead – so I decided to sleep in and then head to the beach with my hubs J and the boys. We had a great day!

This week begins the final push to Providence:

Monday — Yoga
Tuesday — Tempo run (5)
Wednesday — Easy run (2 or 3) plus strength training
Thursday — Rest day
Friday — Long run (10)
Saturday — Strength training
Sunday — Easy (4)

I’m also recommitting to doing ab work daily, cause that’s been sliding lately. I’m also gonna tighten up on what I’ve been eating – I’ve been really good during the week and then letting everything slide on the weekend…not exactly an effective strategy to shake these last 5 lbs, right?!

So, what are you up to this week?

Happy Running!

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Filed Under: RnR, step-back, training

Do you want cheese with that whine?

July 5, 2011 by 6 Comments

This morning was one of those runs where I was seriously questioning the sanity of planning to run a half marathon in August!

Despite getting out by 6, the lovely bank display showed the temp was already 70 degrees. Mercifully, it doesn’t give the humidity reading — sometimes ignorance is bliss!

4 1/2 weeks to go until 13 miles of heat-inflicted torture…er, I mean, race day. My training plan has this as a step-back week, but I’m not sure I want to cut back on my mileage too much. I think I’m just going to go by feel and see how far each run takes me – except I probably will cut back my long run to less than double digits. For today, 4 sticky thick miles felt like more than enough – ok I’ll stop whining now 😉

Do you include step-back weeks in your training?

Stay tuned for my McDavid USA compression review and giveaway coming tomorrow!

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Filed Under: step-back, training, weather

How fast is your long run?

June 25, 2011 by 9 Comments

While training for my first half marathon, my main goal during my long runs was to basically “survive” the distance and try to get comfortable with the concept of being on the road for a couple of hours at a time. I tried to run each weekly LSD without stopping, and while there wasn’t much attention to pace, I was always well ahead of the suggested pace from Smart Coach. On the other hand, there was very little difference between my “easy” run pace and the long run pace.

But, as I’ve started to get into my long runs for my next half, I’ve been wondering what’s the best way to get the most out of these runs. Unlike before, I now know I can do the distance – yet, Smart Coach still suggests a pace 1:30 slower than race day pace. And when I googled long runs, it’s amazing the collection of differing opinions put out by different running coaches. Some argue that the goal of the LSD is just to build mileage, to get time on your feet without straining and risking injury. However, other coaches/programs have target paces that are far from leisurely.

Of course, every runner is different and what works for one won’t necessarily work for another — but I am curious to know:

                How do you treat your long run? 
                Does it change as you move through your training and get closer to race day? 
I’ve got 4 double digit runs left between now and the Providence R’n’R, (combined with tempo runs, track work and easy runs), and I’d like to get the most out of those runs as I can if a PR is possible.

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Filed Under: long runs, Smart Coach, training

Fun in the mail

June 20, 2011 by 5 Comments

I love getting new stuff in the mail!

So first the UPS man showed up with ….more new shoes! I know I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion how much I’m loving my Saucony Mirage. I started rotating these shoes into my runs in March and have steadily increased my miles in them – I even ran the half in them! I’d been thinking that once I put a fair amount of miles on them I’d look to add the Saucony Kinvara into the mix – one more step on the minimalism path.

Well, lucky me, Beth at Shut Up and Run recently hosted a giveaway with Online Shoes.com for a pair of Saucony Running Shoes – and  I won! So yeah it’s not hard to see where this is going…I selected the Kinvara! To say I’m excited to have these shoes to add to the mix is an understatement! Big thanks to Beth for the giveaway and to Online Shoes for getting them to me so quickly!

Then, the folks at McDavid USA sent me a pair of their new True Compression Leg Sleeves to try out! I’ve already used them for recovery after my 8-miler yesterday and will try running in them this week. Stay tuned for a full review and giveaway!
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It was a pretty good training week last week, but I did end up missing one of my easy runs. On tap for this week:

Monday — Rest day. I’ll be spending part of the day at my oldest’s school picnic and then my youngest is having a friend over so I’m not sure how much rest will actually take place!

Tuesday — Tempo run (5)

Wednesday — Easy run (2) and strength training

Thursday — Yoga

Friday — Long run (8)

Saturday — weekly Pilates class

Sunday — Easy (3 or 4). If I make my schedule work, I might try a group run. I always run solo, so running with a group might be a nice change.

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Filed Under: giveaways, Kinvara, McDavid USA, Saucony, training

Monday Motivation – Week 2

June 13, 2011 by 6 Comments
“Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way.
Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be.”
— Marsha Petrie Sue
Week 2 Plan:
Monday – Rest Day — (Much needed since I took advantage of the rainy day yesterday to push my pace a bit)
Tuesday – Track work (4)
Wednesday – Easy run (2) & Strength work
Thursday – Yoga
Friday – Long (8)
Saturday – weekly Pilates reformer session
Sunday – Easy (3 or 4)
My schedule this week could get a little nutty as my boys’ schools continue to jam everything into the final few days of school – Seriously, why do teachers do that? So I may have to play with the days a little to get it all in.
When it becomes a battle of your schedule vs. your training – if you have to give up a workout in your plan, which one do you forfeit?

 

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Filed Under: kids, Monday Motivation, Quotes, Schedule vs Training, track work, training

Lessons learned and training begins again

June 8, 2011 by 12 Comments

I’ve started training this week for the Providence Rock ‘n’ Roll Half! As you can imagine, I’ve been thinking a lot about my last race — both the training and the race itself. Where do I make changes? What do I tweak…or throw out?

A couple of things stand out for me….

  • Without question, I need to make a more dedicated effort to strength training, especially where my left leg is concerned. The imbalance between my quads and hamstrings is a major contributor to my knee woes. Additionally, my right leg is so dominant that it is throwing off my gait – especially when I start to get tired. In looking back at my training, I was understandably most focused on building the miles. While there was some strength training, to be honest it was both minimal and inconsistent. If I do not want a repeat performance of my left leg cashing it in shortly after mile 8, then I have to get serious about strengthening the leg!
  • I’ve got to figure out a hydration plan. All of my long runs leading up to the half were done in cool temps – I never carried water with me. Then bam, race day is hot and humid and I wasn’t use to taking in water while running and as a result I don’t think I managed the water stations as well as I could have. Obviously, no one expected those crazy temps then, but the Providence RnR is in August so heat and humidity is a given! In general I know I need to hydrate better, both on days I run as well as off days. But I also need to use my long runs to figure out a hydration strategy for the race.
  • I need to continue to work on pacing and not be afraid to push it. There were moments during my last training cycle where I’d be running and feeling good then glance at my Garmin and think “whoa is that really my pace, I’ve got to slow it down cause I’ll never make it to the end of the run.” In other words I’d psyche myself out! I realize it’s really easy to fall into this rut of thinking of yourself as an XX min/mile runner – I need to challenge myself to not fall into that rut.

So, now with a better mileage base, my goals leading up to the next race are to strengthen my legs (especially the left), learn to hydrate better and embrace a little speed! And I’m going back to posting my weekly plan because it helps to keep me accountable.

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For this week:
Monday — Yoga  (check)
Tuesday — Strength work (check)
Wednesday — Tempo run (4) (check)
Thursday — Yoga or Rest
Friday — Long run (6)
Saturday — Pilates reformer (counts for strength work)
Sunday — Easy 5

Happy Running!
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Filed Under: goals, Half marathon, hydration, left knee, pace, RnR, training