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

Monday Motivation – Rain edition

May 16, 2011 by 5 Comments
“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how they can go.”
— T. S. Elliot
A crazy rain system settled over our area yesterday and according to the local weather man, it’s going to camp out all week. So I’m trying to psyche myself up for a lot of running in the rain this week. Yes, I could go to the gym and hit the ‘mill, but as my Hyannis snow race taught me, I need to be prepared for any kind of weather come race day. 
I hit 24 miles last week – my biggest training week to date – and I’m happy to say my legs feel pretty good.
On the plan this week:
Monday — Yoga
Tuesday — Tempo run (6)
Wednesday — Easy run (4) and strength training
Thursday — Rest
Friday — LSD (10)
Saturday — weekly Pilates reformer session
Sunday — Easy run (3 or 4)
What do you planned for this week? Make it a good one!

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Filed Under: Monday Motivation, Quotes, race, training, weather

A little Friday randomness

May 13, 2011 by 5 Comments

Thanks to Blogger’s little meltdown yesterday, my Thursday post vanished into cyberspace and by last night I was googling how to transfer from Blogger to WordPress!

This was one of those weeks that flew by in a blink – there were lots of meetings, school events and sports for the boys, along with all the usual stuff that makes up life. I did manage to hold to my training plan too, though I could have done with more yoga and yamuna body rolling – my hamstrings and calves are ridiculously tight!

And speaking of calves, I have discovered relief in the form of Zensah compression sleeves. After using them post-run a few times, I’m wondering what took me so long to buy a pair!

Another first today – first 11 mile run. I’d be lying if I said it was a pretty run. I haven’t been sleeping great this week and it definitely caught up with me in today’s run. But I got the distance and that’s what counts. Every run teaches you something, and this one taught me most that I can push through when I really feel the tank’s on E.

I have only one more long run before my half. One more “test” run to figure out fueling, clothes options, socks and play list. I’m close on the play list, but if you have any suggestions, especially for those last few miles, please pass them along. I think on the fueling front, I’m going to stick with a couple of Chomps around mile 5 and then depending on how I feel, a couple more around 9. Still working on my chewing and running at the same time 🙂

“It costs nothing to dream…And everything not to.” — this was in my inbox this morning and I love it and just had to share.

Have a Great Weekend!
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Filed Under: fave things, firsts, general musings, Quotes, tough runs, training, Yamuna Body Rolling

Feeling inspired

April 19, 2011 by 2 Comments
  • My hubs J and I took the boys to watch part of the Boston Marathon yesterday. While I try to catch the marathon every year on TV, I haven’t been to see it live in a few years. There is nothing like being there as the runners give it their all. 
  • As I stood out there cheering them on, I thought of all the hours of training, the dreams being realized, the causes being supported, the individual stories being played out. How could you not walk away feeling inspired?!
  • It’s April vacation week for my kiddos, which means getting up extra early to get my runs in before J leaves for work. During the winter I had let my runs slip to late morning to ensure running in daylight — and truthfully because the thought of running in both the dark and bitter cold was really unappealing! But since the clocks turned back I have been meaning to get back to early morning runs…and now with this week I have no excuses.
  • So an easy 3 miles was done before 7 and on deck for tomorrow is a 5 mile tempo run and then another long run of 10 on Friday. I’m hoping to get back on the yoga bandwagon that I fell off of last week and some much needed ab work and strength training. Hopefully the kids will cooperate 🙂

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Filed Under: Boston Marathon, kids, motivation, training

8 weeks and counting

April 4, 2011 by 8 Comments

So forgive the randomness this morning….I’m trying to cut back on how much coffee I’ve been drinking lately. But Monday morning plus lack of caffeine = bullet points

  • It was great to have a step-back week last week – my body really needed the rest!
  •  the pair of Saucony Mirage I ordered showed up on my doorstep and I took them out for the first test run yesterday.  

I only went 3 miles in them but so far I’m in love! I had to resist the urge to go farther. There is definitely a different feel with the lower heel so I know my calves will need to adjust. I’m going to run in them at least once, maybe twice, a week to ease the transition. A full review to come!

    • Only 8 weeks to go until race day! The next few weeks of my training plan are really going to be critical for me both physically and psychologically cause I’ll be crossing into double digit long runs for the first time.
    •  This week I continue my quest to find my inner yogi, while the plan calls for intervals at the track, a couple of shorter runs and a 9 mile LSD. I’d like to get in 2 days of strength training and, as I mentioned last week, more core work.
    Happy Monday!

     

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    Filed Under: Half marathon, Saucony, training

    March Rewind

    April 1, 2011 by 3 Comments
    Good things for the month:
    • Logged 69 miles and for the most part my left leg cooperated.
    • Started my training plan for my first half marathon!
    • Participated in Detroit Runner’s “I Just Felt Like Running” virtual 5k
    • ChiRunning one-on-one workshop — so many good things, (if you missed it, you can check out my post about it here)
    • Continued to add more yoga to my plan.
    • 81 of you now follow this little journey of mine — welcome to the new followers — and to all, thanks for the support!
    Things I could do without:
    • Quite simply…this weather! Seriously…where is Spring? Snow is falling as I type this. If I ever track down that groundhog, he should be very afraid!
    On the decks for April:
    • Continue to build on my ChiRunning practice
    • Start rotating a minimalist shoe into my runs — starting with my shorter runs and then build from there.
    • More strength training and core work.
    • My first double-digit runs!

    What have you got planned for April?

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    Filed Under: ChiRunning, month in review, training, weather

    Enjoying a step-back week

    March 30, 2011 by 4 Comments

    This week is a step back week for me and I’m feeling like it’s come at a good time.

    After logging 22 miles last week (the most for me in a long time), plus cross-training, I was feeling a little beat by the end of the weekend. The good news is that the left leg continues to cooperate, and so short easy runs this week are a welcome change of pace. It’s also giving me a chance to really focus and put into practice some of things I learned in Sunday’s workshop.

    Another Aha for me from Sunday, is that I need to put more effort into strengthening my core. So in addition to my weekly Pilates class I’ve been trying to add more core work with planks, side lateral raises and the “hundreds.”

    What do you do to work your core?

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    Filed Under: core work, Pilates, step-back, training

    Commitment

    March 21, 2011 by 10 Comments
    There’s a difference between interest and commitment. 
    When you’re interested in something, you do it only when it’s convenient. 
    When you’re committed to something, you except no excuses, only results.
    — Kenneth Blanchard
    Just a little something to think about on a Monday morning….

    ——————————–
    On the plan for this week:
    Today:  Yoga
    Tuesday:  Tempo Run (5)
    Wednesday:  Easy Run (3) and Strength Training
    Thursday:  Rest
    Friday:  Long Run (8)
    Saturday:  Pilates and Strength Training
    Sunday:  Easy Run (3) and Chi Running Workshop (much more on that to come!)
    Have a Great Week!
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    Filed Under: ChiRunning, Monday Motivation, Quotes, training

    Lessons from Today’s Run

    March 18, 2011 by 6 Comments

    Today I learned:

    • I must pay more attention to what I eat the night before a long run. Note to self, no more Italian subs with hot peppers…’nuff said!
    • Seeing some friendly faces about half way through a long run gives me a great lift!
    • When negative thoughts start to creep in, I need to remind myself how far I’ve come in just a year of running.
    • Still trying to figure out mid-foot strike on hills – I think I’m up on my toes a lot, which makes my calves tire quickly.

    It was beautiful weather for a run this morning, and with a busy weekend ahead it was great to get my 7 miles done. Just Pilates and strength training tomorrow and a short run on Sunday left on the plan for this week.

    Happy Friday & 
    Shout Outs to anyone racing this weekend!
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    Filed Under: observations, Shout-outs, training