3 rest days = fresh legs!

So True

May!

May is here! Usually this is my favorite Month of the year. Not because it is the Month of my Birthday, but because the weather, the flowers and the feeling that Summer is almost here!! Unfortunately it hasn't started out on the right foot. I am determined to change this though!! Attitude is everything and if you don't like something, change it... thats the motto right now :)

So... after Tuesday night's Track Attack...

Wednesday - 1441

I got up and did my 2 mile run. I was feeling pretty tired from Track the night before

7:53 - 7:33

Then the workout was a lot of pilate like moves. Flutter kicks, V-Ups, planks etc., It didn't feel like a true strength training day, but it was pretty intense at times!

Thursday - Easy run 8 Miles

I started out at  Ballast Point and went 4 out and 4 back. Felt good, but still not back to my normal running self.

Friday - Easy run 9 Miles

The plan was to do 10 miles. For whatever reason I wasn't feeling great. I felt worn down and didn't even want to run. I stopped at 2.5 stretched the legs and kept going. I made it to the hospital, went to the bathroom and started back. I stopped at mile 8 and walked some and made it back. Only 9 miles.

Saturday - 4 Miles

I was planning on taking Saturday off, but woke up and needed some fresh air. I didn't start until after 10 am . It was hot. The pace was actually faster than expected. 7:46 avg.

After the track practice my training went down hill fast. I sometimes wonder if stresses in life hinders my running. Some people say that stress brings out the beast in them. I on the other hand just get defeated. 

The goal this week is to move on, smile and not stress about things that are out my control!!

Night Track!

I think this new obsession with wanting my 5k time to get faster has completly changed my mindset on TRACK!

I dread track every week. This week I was so excited about it that I decdied to go on Tuesday evening! Night track is something I avoid at all costs, but I found myself racing to get there after work to get it in!

The workout was:

400 - 800 - 400 - 400- 400 - 400 - 400 - 800 - 400

It doesn't look like it would be bad, but the recovery was short and the times were FAST

He put my in group 4b. My goal was 91 on the 400's and 3:06 on the 800's

Actual:

85 - 3:06 - 87 - 87 - 87 - 87 - 87 - 3:00 - 84

Not only was I SO pumped about track this week, I was also FAST!!! I was beating group 4 times!!!

My heart rate hated this workout. I felt like it never calmed down, because we literally only had about a minute in between runs!!

I left happy and satisfied

When I got home we took the dogs for their 2 mile walk, but stopped and got ice cream sundaes for dinner!!!

Happy Monday!

It has been a succesful Monday in the training life!  I woke up at 4:30 am - did my 2 fast miles and hit the gym.

Mile Splits:

 7:40 and 7:10

The goal is to get these miles to 7:00 flat, but I need to get a mile easy in before that happens. I just need to get myself out of the house earlier to get 3 miles in and then make it to the gym on time!!

The workout today was weight focus and lots of SQUATS. Hoping i'm not feeling it tomorrw. I have 8 miles on the schedule!



Conquering Fears - TIA 5K

I am a runner and anyone that knows me knows this. There is one thing about running that scares me to death and that I avoid at all costs because of the anxiety it causes.... its called a 5K

Now, with the amount of miles I log a week and the number of races that I place #1 in my age group, it would seem odd that 3.1 miles would cause such panic in me. But, it does. So what typically happens, is the marathon season comes and goes and then I don't register for any races for the entire spring/summer.

This weekend I ran/raced a 5k. I faced the fear and I did it. All week leading up to Saturday I was stressing out and dreading the sound of my alarm clock. I didn't know what to expect, but I was definitely expecting the worst.

Saturday came, the alarm clock went off and I was up. I did my usual coffee and oatmeal and then headed to the race. I met up with my friends Jen and Sarah. They are super speedy with 5k's and have been training hard core for some fast times. They were shocked to see me there because they also know how I feel about these races.

We did our warm up and towed the line. I kept telling myself to just maintain a 7:30 average pace and if I felt good at mile 3 to take off.

First Mile: 6:48

I was feeling good, I wasn't hating life, so I kept it up.

Mile 2: 6:54

Still feeling good and suprised at how fast it was going by

Mile 3: 6:45

I came in at 19:30

The course was short. It only measured 2.9 miles. I was a little upset by this because I wasn't hating the race and would love to see how I could have finished with a true 5k. I predict I would have still finished under 21:00.

I was really happy with how I felt and how I did. I was still in pain from the workout I did on Wednesday at 1441 and I also have not done a tempo run in the past year. I now have this urge to start backing off on the miles and start picking up some speed to see what I have in me. I can't even believe I feel this way!!

When we got back I jumped on my bike and got 16 miles in so I could flush the muscles out.

I am so happy I faced the fear and did the race. I am not as fast as I would like to be, but now I have the desire to get better and to put the fear behind me!!!!

Gasparilla 15K: First Race with Jaime

Today was awesome. I ran my first race with Jaime!!

She and I became friends through running. Something that started out as running friends quickly budded into best friends for life. It is kind of strange how we have never ran a race "together". We have been in the same races, but never stuck by each other's sides.

Jaime is 5 months pregnant. I ran a marathon last weekend. It was the perfect formula to run together. Honestly thinking about it, it is kind of sad that something like this would create such a formula. We should have done this a long time ago. Maybe it takes things like this to happen to realize what you have been missing out on?

All week Jaime kept telling me she was going to be slow. I didn't care, I didn't have any expectations for myself and just wanted to keep it easy because of the recovery. I didn't think about the race all week. I didn't even get registered until race eve. It was 10pm the night before when I found out what time the race started! We were 100% stress free and just looking forward to the race <-- how all races should be!!

I was invited to be on a race team this week. I even had to tell them that I was going to sport their shirt, but was just having fun. This "fun" approach is something very new to me. For the past years I have spent every race trying not to stress and pretending not to care about outcomes. Then pushing myself to no end during races and trying to always be happy with times. Sometimes I am legitimately happy, other times I pretend to be and then beat myself up <-- how races should NOT be.

We got to the race start around 6:10. I decided to carry my phone in case I wanted pictures. People were starting to crowd towards the start. Looking around you notice people's faces. Some very happy, some stressing out and then those looking clueless. Runners were warming up and getting ready. Jaime and I were just taking it all in and laughing and trying to figure out where the start was! We didn't even know!

Once we reached the start we ran into a lot of our friends. Everyone was congratulaing Jaime on her pregnancy and we were wishing everyone good luck. The gun goes off and Jaime immediatly says... I have to go to the bathroom. We literally just started running! So we take off and she decides to wait till after the first mile.

Mile 1 - Porta Potty stop!! I decided to go too. What the heck. Might as well!

Then we were off again. We stopped at a bunch of mile markers to take pictures. I carried her water and made sure she was hydrated. I tried my hardest to talk and keep her entertained the entire time. It was so much fun to spend the time with her this way. Doing something we both loved. Adrenaline flowing. When she wanted to take a walk break we did, but then she found the strength to keep going. She really was a trooper. The humidity was at 93% and the heat was almost reaching 80*! At 5 months pregnant, maintaing a 9:19 average - she did awesome. We watched all of our fast friends run by and we cheered them on. It gave us both a second wind. We talked to runners along the way. We even saw some of our friends and ran with them for a while.

This race was a whole new experience. It gave racing a new meaning. It was fun.

Afterwards we went to Four Green Fields to have a drink with our group. Runners are some of the happiest and fun people around, so of course the bar was packed with high, glowing spirits.

Such a fun day!!