Marathon Training Monday - Week #15 and Week #16

Omigosh! It's time for Week #15 and #16 recap in my marathon training and the TAPER!! This recap is in addition to my weekly One Mile a Day challenge updates.

Only three. Count 'em  - three. 1. 2. 3. more weeks until Marathon! That's one and half more updates for Marathon Training Monday! Ahhh!

R = Rest*
# = Miles
CT = Cross Training

*Rest days I don't do anything other than chill/work/walk 1 mile. I may do light core workouts, especially if I missed it on CT day.


WEEK #15
14/R/10/R/10/CT/R

Sunday: 14.02 Miles - This was a ROUGH 14 miler!!! I don't regret going to the concert or anything of the like because if I was at work I could've have done the very same, but on carpet. After spending a couple of days I think that my lower half hit the wall was due in part to the fact that I haven't been doing very well on actually taking my iron supplement, which helps with my muscle fatigue. Then I also think it's just to the point that I ham tired in general, and I'm almost to the peak of my training. Here's to hoping that I surviving November... let alone the marathon it self! 

Monday: 3.1 Miles - Cross Training on Monday! Whoo hoo! I cycled a 5k to help with any residual soreness from the crappy run the day before. Granted it's been so long since I was on a gym cycle that my butt hurts from the saddle (and still does two days later!!).


Tuesday: 5.01 Miles - Ok, so I didn't get my 10 miler in, but I have Friday to hopefully get the last 5 in. I had to run this on the treadmill, so this was definitely a mental strengthening run. The first mile sucked and wanted to quit. After my first 2 mile interval it wasn't because I was technically almost half done. I had to push myself and set the speed of the mill a lot fast to squeeze in a final 5th mile in before the machine hit the 5 minute cool down after an hour timer. Man! That was cool and challenging at the same time!

Thursday: 10.03 Miles - Whew! Compared to the other runs this week, this was a good run. I decided to try out the 1 mile/ 1 minute walk intervals instead of the 2/1 interval that I've been training this entire time. I felt better, or at least didn't didn't get tired as quickly. I think I'm going to give that a try for my 20 miler on Sunday.

Friday: 3.1 Miles - Well, I'm trying on catching up the shortened run on Tuesday. Technically I have still 2 more miles to go, but I decided that I'm not going to run them.


WEEK #16
20/R/8/R/9/CT/R

Sunday: 20.03 Miles - Holy cow! I've reached the peak of my training! And it went really, really well! I never hit the wall in muscle aches or burns or overall fatigue. I decided to run the new 1 mile / 1 minute rest interval instead of 2/1 interval I had been training with. Every other mile (odd miles starting at Mile 5) I would take a bite of my fuel. I did have to stop at a porta potty a few times because I always felt like I had to pee. I was worried I was going to hit the wall at Mile 16 or 18, but I never did. It certainly helped that I mentally broke my run down into sections, which helped in reassuring I had X amount of miles left to go. I was so happy when I finished. I was smiling really big and I did a giant fist pump! After this run I know now that my body can carry me up to the last 10k of the marathon, which is when the race truly begins.

 Tuesday: 8.51 Miles - And so it begins! The taper! Yes! Ran around the park near home. It wasn't a bad run, but I remember that I'm not a huge fan of running longer than 6 at this particular park.

Wednesday - No cross training today.

Thursday: 8.57 Miles - Happy Thanksgiving! I was fully expecting to run on a treadmill today due to the rain. A fact that made me happier that I didn't sign up for the Turkey Trot this year.  However, I woke up and there was NOTHING! So, after a taking my time my mom and sister, and I made it out to the lake do our thing. So nice!

THOUGHTS 
Hello Taper! Even though I feel so accomplished in running 20 miles last Sunday at the peak of my training, I certainly am thankful for the tapering of miles. I'm looking forward to see if I can make it the last 10k of the marathon.

Stay tuned for the recap of Week #17and Week #18! 

OMaD - Week 47 Recap

One Mile A Day challenge update... and the week before Thanksgiving! Whah???? Time is flying!

Oh! And it came to my attention that I've been number my Weekly Recaps wrong for almost two months! So! This recap is actually Week 47!


November 15 - November 21

Day 213: 14.02 Miles - It was the hardest 14 mile run ever today. My mind was starting to get into the game when I parked at the lake, but my body wasn't agreeing with it the moment I began to run. I kept telling myself, once you get past mile 2 it'll get better. It sorta did, but after the turn around it sucked more and more. My legs and hips were definitely feeling the standing for 1.5 hours on a concert floor at that punk rock concert the previous Friday. Ugh. But I pulled through and finished. Then I got home just in time to eat something before heading out to do my turn of working a Sunday.

Day 214: 3.1 Miles - I  finally cross trained!!! Hee hee. I got myself to hit the gym and spin a 5k distance to help with any aches I had left from the Sunday LSD. Then I it was off to do errands and enjoying a day off from work. 

Day 215: 5.01 Miles - It finally stopped raining when I got myself to the gym (I only had time to get to a treadmill before work) to get at least 5 miles in. Now I have to see if I can get an additional 5 in on Friday. Ugh.

Day 216: 0 Miles - No cross training. Running Buddy H was telling me she was switching her intervals from 2 miles down to just 1 mile with a 1 minute walk in between. Apparently her runs have been much better since then. Hmmm. Something to consider.

Day 217: 10.03 Miles - So, yes! I did the 1/1 interval instead of the usual 2/1 during my 10 miler. I have to say that I didn't get tired as quickly and the run didn't feel as torturous, which was quite nice. I think I'll give this a try for my 20 miler on Sunday.

Day 218: 3.1 Miles - Caught up some on my the mileage that I missed on Tuesday. There wasn't enough time to do all 5 miles so the last 2 will be sacrificed so that I could get to work on time then have time to go to the grocery store, eat and relax.

Day 219: 0 Miles - Nothing today. It's called resting up for the 20 miler tomorrow morning!!!!

Total Miles this week: 35.26 Miles

Miles to Date: 802.72 Miles  

How was your week?

OMaD - Week 46 Recap

Second week of November and the 37th week of my One Mile A Day challenge!

November 8 - November 14 

Day 206: 18.01 Miles -  Omigosh! I ran 18 miles! The day before the run I was getting nervous. My Running Buddy H and a fellow runner E (both of whom are training for the same marathon) were in a group chat with and talked about their run. Oy! Jitters were in my tummy! Well, that morning I was up at the lake by 7:30am. I eventually zoned and kept on calculating which distance to run to before I turn around. I turned at Mile 8 then ran a mile on a side trail to make it a total 18 Miles. The last two miles was when my legs and hips were beginning to hit the wall. They were tired. They were achy. I pushed through. I walked a bit more during those two miles, but I'm not complaining too much. After my run I made it hope and rested for a bit before I spent the day with a friend who had a birthday!

Day 207: 0 Miles - I. Did. Nothing. I probably could've hopped on to a cycle to spin for a bit or try out some  yoga again, but I was so lazy. It was a sloth day.

Day 208: 9.08 Miles - Survived rush hour and got to the lake for my run. It's so nice not having to worry about looping at my other park.

Day 209: 0 Miles - I went out with a friend after work so no cross training again.

Day 210: 10.01 Miles - I was finally able to zone in on this run, which made it go way better. I am starting to feel the constant tiredness and the aches more and more the further I go into this marathon training.

Day 211: 0 Miles - I tried to go for a little yoga today, but I failed again. Yoga is hard!!! I had the day off, which was great. I was able to work on getting my apartment cleaner, I got to visit my parents then go hang out with a good friend and experience a punk rock concert with him and his buddy.

Day 212: 0 Miles - Another day off and it was AWESOME not doing anything!

Total Miles this week: 37.10 Miles

Miles to Date: 767.46 Miles  

How was your week?

Marathon Training Monday - Week #13 and Week #14

Sorry, y'all! I'm one day late in my update for Week #13 and #14 finished in my marathon training! This recap is in addition to my weekly One Mile a Day challenge updates.

R = Rest*
# = Miles
CT = Cross Training

*Rest days I don't do anything other than chill/work/walk 1 mile. I may do light core workouts, especially if I missed it on CT day.


WEEK #13
12/R/9/R/9/CT/R

Sunday: 12 Miles - Well, I had contemplated running the Dallas Running Club's annual DRC Half Marathon because I didn't want to see it happen while I was running solo at the lake. But I had some reservations because of costs, timing, and so on. Plus, I knew I'd be eating some junk food at a Halloween Party the night before. So! Instead I went to a park closer to home and found a way to do 12 miles. It was torturous! I didn't have too much trouble, but I felt slow. Plus, at Mile 10 or my achilles was achy, which is new for me. Hmmm.

Tuesday: 5 miles - I woke up late and only had time to run 5 miles. I'll make the 4 later on this week. 

Wednesday: No cross training tonight. 

Thursday: 9 Miles - Well, all week forecast said it was suppose to rain. Thus, I already knew that I'd probably hit the gym's treadmill this morning. I got out of bed and it was wet and gray out. Then as I was walking to the gym and just as I started running it began to rain. Then it stopped. And did rain again from what I could tell. You know what, though, if I had run outside it would have rained. Heehee. I kept the treadmill simple. Flat, flat, flat, flat.

Friday: 0.00 Miles - Yeeeeeah, I didn't finish my training schedule for this week by getting in a 4 miler. Oh well. I think I can get away with slacking off a little bit. I'll just make sure it doesn't happen from now on. 

WEEK #14
18/R/9/R/9/CT/R

Sunday: 18.01 Miles - Oh, yeah!!!! Despite being nervous leading up to the run, I did a really good job! I was worried that I would have to break down my 2 mile intervals into 1 mile intervals. I know that would've been OK to do because it was what my body would, but it deviates from my training plan, which sometimes I don't like. Well, for the most part I did not have to break it up. I did stop at a nasty porta-potty at around Mile 14 (ick). Then when it came to finishing Mile 17 I had to walk a bit longer than my 1 minute rest period. I had to give my quads and hammies a little longer rest before I finished the last mile. For the most part I did not mentally hit the wall, which was great! Running Buddy H lopped the lake twice to get the needed miles and I was sooooo not about to do that because I knew it'd break me mentally more than anything. I'm glad I made it through this run. I do wonder how I'm going to feel when I do 20 miles in two weeks let alone the full 26.2 miles in December!

Tuesday: A good 9 miler this morning. My legs, especially one hammy was sore from Sunday. Even though I was technically within my pace range it felt like I was working harder than normal. I did have a frightening eyeful experience in the porta-potty this morning too. Ick. But when you gotta go you gotta go.

Wednesday: No cross training today. I'm going to try to do some yoga or spinning at least on Friday. I promise! 

Thursday: 10.01 Miles - I had a late start, but it wasn't bad. I got into the zone and didn't have much challenges until a hill close to the 5 mile turn around. My muscles were getting sore towards the end. I didn't have time to foam roll before heading to work since I only had 45 minutes to get clean, get dress and cram some food before heading out again.

Friday: I tried to do a little yoga, but I failed. Herrrumf.

THOUGHTS 
After completing the 18 miler, I've come to the conclusion that my legs will forever be in a state of soreness and the muscles being tight. I recover for the most part only to run another long run that will bring back to achy state again. I tried hard to foam roll the moment I get home and before I hop into a hot shower. Now, I really need to try to get cross training in.

Also, I'm not sure if I feel ready for the marathon. I'm sure that's normal. I do feel that if I can hit 18 miles again (and will have to do so two more times this year) I should be able to go further than that. We shall see! 

Stay tuned for the recap of Week #15 and Week #16!

OMaD - Week 45 Recap

Omigosh! We're right into November!!! Here's my weekly update to my One Mile A Day challenge.

November 1 - November 7 

Day 299:  12.00 Miles - It was the day after Halloween. I tried hard not to pig out on junk food , but I still ate it (and what I had was oh so good!). My 12 miles was less than stellar. I'm glad I managed to do it all in spite of feeling a little off and having to deal with running a park that I think isn't built for long distance miles and was having some trail closures due to high rain water. I did it though. Then I proceeded to have one of the best days I've had in a long while! 

Day 200: 0 Miles - I rested and chilled with my family, some of which were visiting from out of town. 

Day 201: 5.19 Miles - I woke up late because my body didn't want to leave a comfy bed. I only had enough time to comfortably fit in 5 miles before I had to get ready and head out for work. I'll have fit in a 4 miler on Friday sometime. Ugh.

Day 202: 0 Miles - No walking. No cross training. I hung out with a friend after work, and I don't regret it one bit!

Day 203: 9.00 Miles - It was suppose to rain, but it didn't when I was running on the gym's treadmill. After almost two 1 hr sessions I got 9 miles in. Whew! Then I feel asleep after a shower, breakfast and a nap and only had 15 minutes to get ready for work! Agh! I made it just in time.

Day 204: 0 Miles - I didn't make up the last 4 miles that was part of my training schedule. I needed to go shopping for some things (that's right, needed) and by the time I came home I was tired. I think it's OK to slack off just a little right?

Day 205: 0 Miles - No miles or too much cross-training today. I was up on my feet for a few good hours at work, and they're tired. I have to be ready for my 18-miler on Sunday! Aaaah!

Total Miles this week: 26.19 Mile 

Miles to Date: 730.36 Miles 

How was your week?

OMaD - Week 44 Recap

It's the last week of October! What happened to the month? Where did it go! Well, either way here's my weekly update to my One Mile A Day challenge.

October 25 - October 31

Day 292: 16.06 Miles - The rain threatened to ruin my LSD! I kept on waking up in the wee hours of the morning to listen for rain. Then all of a sudden I woke up and there was nothing. I checked the weather. Small percentage of rain. Ah! I got up, prepped and headed out to the lake. Done! Mwahaha! I had a totally awesome breakfast afterwards too.

Day 293: 0 Mile - I slept in. I cleaned my apartment - including dishes! I walked around Barnes and Noble (I hope I'm not the only one who doesn't like the way they organize their books!) and bought a new RW and some yummy coffee. It was a nice relaxing day!

Day 294: 8 Miles - This morning was nuts! I didn't get my but moving fast enough to get out the door for my run. By the time I was able to all I could do was go to the gym and run 4 miles on a treadmill. Then I had to get clean so that I could go to my dentist appointment to keep my teeth awesome. When I got off of work I headed back to the gym and ran for another 4 miles on the treadmill. So, there. I can say I ran 8 miles today! 

Day 295: 0 Mile -No cross training this day. I was tired from my weird training schedule last yesterday. Then after work I went out with a friend, and by the time I was home I wanted to sleeeeep!

Day 296: 9.05 Miles - I got my butt in gear and made it through rush hour traffic so I could run the miles at the lake and not at the smaller park near my home. I got in the zone pretty quickly, which was nice. I also had just enough time to get clean and head out to a Target for some apples that I all of sudden was craving (I was also craving waffles and a full on egg breakfast, but I knew that couldn't happen) and some coffee. But I didn't eat very well because of my time constraints and I had a sugar crash when I got to work. Thankfully my mom came to my rescue and brought me more coffee!

Day 297: 0 Mile - No miles or cross training again. I got catch up with a friend on the phone.

Day 298: 0 Mile - It's Halloween, people! I went to a party instead of doing something fitness wise.

Total Miles this week: 33.11 Mile 

Miles to Date: 704.17 Miles  

How was your week?

Marathon Training Monday - Week #11 and Week #12

Week #11 and #12 finished in my marathon training! This recap is in addition to my weekly One Mile a Day challenge updates. I've decided to mix up my marathon training schedule a little bit (thanks to my running buddy H) to see if it will help me out in timing in relations to getting to work. To know more read here.

R = Rest*
# = Miles
CT = Cross Training

*Rest days I don't do anything other than chill/work/walk 1 mile. I may do light core workouts, especially if I missed it on CT day.


WEEK #11
15/R/8/R/8/CT/R

Sunday: My first 15! Whoo hoo! It was actually went really well, despite the bit of jitters I had leading up to the run. I had a really good night the evening before (I made headway on my apt cleaning and Pandora was on a roll with good tunes.) I ran 7.5 miles around the lake, hitting the trails that I haven't seen for a while. Some the trails weren't smooth, which may have aggravated my hip flexor a bit, but it wasn't too bad. It certainly made me take it nice and steady. Around Mile 10 or so I was starting to feel a bit sore in the hips, but I was still going strong. I totally killed it the last mile though, which felt awesome. I had a big ol' grin on my face when I finished. I did it!

Tuesday: A good 8 miler a the local park. There's a section of the park where there is a bit of a windy road surrounding several soccer fields. It is a mile all the way around. So! today, I ran around it four times to build up the miles to 6 before heading back toward the car for the last 2 miles. Not too bad.

Wednesday: Actually.... I did some light core work and arm work! Whoo hoo! I'm trying!

Thursday: Another 8 miles. I did the same route as I did on Thursday. It was a little harder this morning to get in the groove of running, but once I was in the 1 mile loops it wasn't too bad. There is a bit of humidity in the air since rain is suppose to hit North Texas soon, but about half way through my run a nice strong wind came in and would cool me down. Niiiice.

Friday: A little more cross training done! I did some push ups, sit ups, then a little weights. I tried out the Beginner Class by Rebecca Pacheco with Runners World, but it was difficult. I think part of it because I hardly ever do yoga, and it's hard to do everything the right way when you're trying to watch someone do it on you phone! I'll keep giving it a try to see if I can get use to it!

WEEK #12
16/R/8/R/9/CT/R

Sunday: Whew! 16 miles in the bag! I was worried that the rain was going to stop my weekly plan, which mean I would have to run the LSD on Monday (boo!). I kept on waking up in the wee hours of the morning to listen for rain. I would hear the drip, drip, drip and I would go back to sleep. Then I, all of a sudden, woke up and I heard nothing. I looked at my weather app and saw that there was little to no chance of rain for the rest of the day. Ah! I had to go! The run itself wasn't too bad. I felt good for the most part after the first mile, which was always a little rough. I turned around at Mile 7.60 instead of Mile 8 because I got caught up in a thought in my head, but I made up for it at the end of the run. At about Mile 10 my thighs were definitely becoming sore, but at least it wasn't my hips. The last mile I totally picked up speed to get it done. I certainly felt accomplished!

Tuesday: 8 Miles - Because I had a dentist appointment that I didn't want to move to another day (seriously, there wouldn't have been a better day) and because I did get myself out of bed fast enough I had to split my 8 miles into 4 miles in the morning before the day could begin and 4 miles after the day has ended. All on the treadmill. Oy! It was good. I'm not a huge fan of treadmills, but for today it worked. It would also work on a rainy day (and the run isn't an LSD!!!!).

Wednesday: No cross training today.

Thursday: 9.05 Miles - Dare I say this was slightly easy? I made it out to the lake and just zoned in for most of the run, which was nice.

Friday: No cross training. I had stuff to do! Hee hee.

THOUGHTS 
My mind is a little foggy on this, but I want to say that the last two training weeks weren't so bad! I certainly impressed myself when I ran 15 and 16 miles! Whoo hoo!

Stay tuned for the recap of Week #13 and Week #14!