LVTC Low Key Poker 5k & Switching up my Routine

Over the weekend I ran a low key 5k.  The premise of the run was to collect 3 poker cards during the run, and after the race their would be a Texas Hold'em game with a flop, turn, and river card. The runners with the best poker had would have their pick of the prizes. The race was intended to raise money for scholarships for local high school runners.

When I arrived at the race location I noticed that their weren't a lot of participants ready to race.  January is a popular month for road races in the Las Vegas Valley, and there were several different events that same morning. Because of this the track club workout had a small turnout.  I wasn't feeling very motivated to do a proper warm up.  In fact I didn't even really warm up. I figured I would try to negative split the 5k.  I also had lofty goals of running a sub 21:00 5k.

I lined up front and when the horn went off, we took off and I found my groove. Two high school boys went flying by me.  I knew I wouldn't be able to hang with them.  I was running with two other male runners and after about 800 meters I looked down at my watch and noticed 7:05 pace. (My goal was 6:45's per mile). I knew that I needed to pick up the pace, I dropped it into another gear and I went around the two guys I was running with.  I also picked up my first poker card.

Mile 1 7:03 (Meh)


One of the guys that I passed just hung on to me.  I was running hard, but I couldn't shake him.  We hit the turn around point and I knew he was still on my heels.

Mile 2 7:06 (D'oh)

Once we passed the 2nd mile marker I decided to put some distance between me and the guy on my heels.  I really tried to open up.  I grabbed the 2nd poker card halfway through this mile

Mile 3 6:36 (Right on!)
During the final 400 meters I got my ass out kicked.

I'm the pink dot in the rear.

Final Time 21:32 (6:53 average)

I'm not disappointed with my time.  I know that I could have ran this a bit faster, if I had done a proper warm-up.   It was a small race and I felt like I was in "no man's land"  for most of the race. I do better at bigger events because there is motivation to catch runners ahead of you.

After all the runners finished the poker hand was dealt.  I didn't have a very good hand, so I went home empty handed.   Overall I'm happy that I got a good workout in.

**Thank you to the Las Vegas Track Club for hosting the event and for the photos!!**

For the past few months I have been working out in the mornings before work and on my lunch breaks I would drive over to my daughter's daycare to nurse and or play with her.  At this stage of her development she is moving from two naps a day down to one long mid day nap.   This is great because her development is progressing right along where it should be, however I am a bit sad because I look forward to seeing my little one and getting some extra cuddle time in with her.

At first I was actually considering trying to work out twice a day because I love to run in the morning.. But, that just sounded like a dumb idea. My workouts before work always felt rushed and hurried.  I would usually try to bang out a 3-5 mile tempo run or do some frenzied circuit training.   Instead I'm going to focus on lunch time workouts.  

I plan on running three days a week, doing circuit training one day, and one day of complete rest.   My weekends will still consist of one long run and one rest day.   I will definitely be upping my mileage and slowing down my pace on some of my runs.   I will be probably switching it up again when the Las Vegas summer heat arrives.

My Latest Workouts and My plans for 2014

I'm glad that things are getting back to normal after a long holiday season. My training has been going okay.. I say this because I'm not training for anything specific right now, but my running has been feeling great. After the half marathon I didn't really take a break from running. My mom and dad came to visit and I took advantage of having a babysitter.  I did take a break from wearing my Garmin.  I ran several times during the week of Christmas and also the week of New Year's eve. Most of my runs were between 3-6 miles  No stats are available.

I treated myself to some new running shoes. I'm a Brooks Adrenelene runner. I love my Brooks but, sometimes I wish they came in bright colors.   I had been coveting these ASICS GT-1000's for awhile.  I had some Kohls Cash left over from Christmas and I got these shoes at a really good price.  They are stability shoes.  I have ran in these a few times and they feel a little different than my Adrenelienes but, thats not a bad thing.  I will be rotating my shoes so both pairs will last longer.

Workouts since January 1st.

Wednesday 1/1   7 Mile run around my neighborhood  57:25  (8:12 average pace)

Thursday 1/2    Circuit Training before work.  Full body workout.

Friday    1/3   5 Mile run on my lunch break. I ran 2.5 miles over to my daughter's daycare visited with her and then ran back to work.  I averaged 7:32 pace on the way out, on the way back in I averaged 8:11 pace.

Saturday 1/4 Rest day

Sunday  1/5   7.5 Mile run around my neighborhood  59:50 (8:00 average pace)

Monday 1/6  Circuit Training before work. Full body workout

Tuesday 1/7  4  Miles Tempo before work.  Here are the split times,
Mile 1- 7:29
Mile 2- 7:40
Mile 3- 7:33
Mile 4- 6:51
Later on that same day I had minor gum surgery to remove excess tissue.  A bonus from pregnancy!

Wednesday 1/8 -3 Mile shake out run before work. No garmin, or radio. Just for fun.

Thursday 1/9   3 Mile progression run before work. Here are the split times,
Mile 1- 7:43
Mile 2- 7:45
Mile 3- 7:14

Friday 1/10 Rest Day-  My baby girl wasn't feeling well. We both stayed home.

Saturday 1/11 Rest Day

Sunday  1/12- 6 mile progression run. 47:54  (7:59 average pace)  I started with a 8:26 mile and finished with a 7:24 mile

Monday 1/13  3 Miles before work. No Garmin or radio. Just for fun.

Tuesday 1/14  5 Mile Progression Run/Tempo Run, I feel really good about this run because there was also 241 feet of elevation gain in the first 2 1/2 miles. Here are my split times
Mile 1-8:10
Mile 2-7:43
Mile 3-7:37
Mile 4-7:01
Mile 5-6:48

Wednesday 1/15  4 miles, tempo.  I would like to call it a progression run but I'm not sure what happened that last mile.
Mile 1-7:50
Mile 2-7:22
Mile 3 7:11
Mile 4 7:42

Thursday 1/16 Rest Day

Friday 1/17 Almost 7 miles (6.86) after work.  My average pace was 8:01 per mile.  The weather was a perfect 68 degrees.  The temps have been warmer than average out here in the Las Vegas Valley.  The downside to this is that the pollen that we normally get in March is already starting to appear.  I started the run feeling good, but by the end I was blowing major snot rockets and just not feeling very well. I felt sluggish.  In other news, my little boy turned 3 years old.  We celebrated at home that night with cake and balloons.

Saturday 1/18  Rest Day- To celebrate my son's birthday, my husband and I took our children to a nature preserve called the Springs Preserve.  We walked around for a few hours and wore out the kids. That afternoon I started to feel really bad.  I caught a cold of some sorts and I went to bed really early.

Sunday 1/19 Rest Day.  I felt like garbage. No running.

Monday 1/20 Rest Day. My cold is feeling somewhat better. I'm grateful for the 3 day weekend  and not needing to take a sick day at work.

Tuesday 1/21  After 3 days off, I am feeling really fidgety.  It's a hard feeling to describe. I feel jittery, impatient, and really strong at the same time.  I drop the kids off at daycare and I head to work.  I only had time for a short workout.  I did circuit training at the gym, it was a full body workout with exercises such as:  2 minute sprint on the treadmill, and then  push ups, back rows, shoulder raises, bicep curls, shoulder presses, Romanian dead lifts, kettle bell swings,  sit ups, lat pull downs, and roman chair leg lifts.  I do this entire circuit 3 times. It takes about 25 minutes and it is a killer workout.

I also ran 4 miles at lunchtime.  My daughter's daycare called to let me know she was going to be taking a nap during lunch time. It worked out perfectly.  I ran 4 miles without a Garmin or radio. Just for fun.

Wednesday 1/22-  4 miles - 2 miles up a hill and then 2 miles back down the hill.  Here are my split times,
Mile 1-8:35
Mile 2-8:30
Mile 3-7:15
Mile 4-6:57

I'm feeling better since the weekend. I'm still somewhat congested but, it's manageable.

My plans for 2014

 January 25th (This Weekend) - Low Key 5k.  I want to go under 21:00 minutes. Or at least come close.

 March-  1 mile race  A local running club is hosting a 1 mile race.   I haven't raced this distance in a really long time. It's pretty hard to race a mile to your fullest potential if you are also focusing on long distance racing...

April- The Mustang Half Marathon-  I'm eyeballing this race because it is very close to my home, and it appears to be a flat course.  I would really like to make a go of it and run a sub 1:35 half marathon.  The premise of this race is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang. I'm not a big car buff. But, there is a raffle for all of the runners that are racing the half marathon.  The winner of the raffle will win a Shelby Mustang.


Fall Marathon -I'm torn on this decision.  I really want to enter the lottery for the St. George Marathon in October.  The only way you can get in is through the lottery system of if you fund raise.  I'm itching to run a marathon. It has been almost 4 years since I have raced this distance.   However, this marathon falls during the first week of October, so I will need to train throughout the brutal summer.  Also the time commitment needed to really prepare for a marathon is not something I'm looking forward to.

I feel like I'm in a nice "sweet spot" right now. I get to run one day on the weekends and before work. My running isn't cutting into my family time. A marathon is a big commitment time wise. I don't want to half ass train and run a half ass race. When I step to the line for 26.2 miles I want to be as prepared as possible. I want my next marathon to be the one where I finally go under 3:30.  I will elaborate on my marathon plans in a future post.

Holiday Half Marathon Race Recap- A lesson in uneven pacing

1134 elevation loss, and 1134 elevation gain

I ran the Holiday Half Marathon last week. I had a really fun time and I got my tail kicked by the hilly course.  I ended up being the overall women's winner (it was a small race).

The course was along the river mountain trail loop. It's a pretty scenic course that is closed to traffic. There was a regular half marathon and there was also a relay option for runners not wanting to race the half.


I was feeling a little nervous the morning of the race. For my breakfast I had scrambled eggs, a banana, and a slice of buttered toast.  On my way to the race site I ate a caffeinated orange Gu.  I got to the race site 15 minutes before the gun time. I had just enough time for a short warm up jog and quick trip to the bathrooms.


When I signed up for this race I figured that I would be able to run a sub 1:40. I was actually kind of cocky about it.  I told several people that I would run this time or faster.  I like telling people my race goals before hand. I do this for accountability. When I run a race, I try to give it my all.  I don't want to fake the funk and pretend that I just run races for fun.




Right before the start

The gun went off and I felt good. I knew that to run a sub 1:40 half marathon I would need to average 7:38 per mile. I figured that with the climbs and the descents my pace would be all over the place.   I did some rough estimates and I wanted to aim for 8:10 miles for the uphills and 7:10 miles for the downhill stretches. I figured I would be able to adjust my pace if I needed to. 

My original estimates were way off.

Mile 1- 7:52

The course started on an uphill grade.  I may have gone out a little too fast.  The relay runners and half marathoners all started at the same time, and I have a habit of going out with the crowd.

Mile 2- 7:44
 I felt like I was pushing the pace going up this uphill stretch.  My stomach was a little crampy because of the caffeinated Gu.  I just tried to focus on my breathing  and I told myself to relax and wait for the downhill

Mile 3- 7:05
Oh glorious sweet downhill running.  I looked down at my Garmin and I saw 6:50 pace. It was a steep downhill and I slowed it down

I don't take pictures while I race, these photos are courtesy
of the Las Vegas Track Club

Mile 4-7:11
More wonderful downhill running.   The view of the Las Vegas Valley was gorgeous.

Mile 5-7:44
The downhill stretch came to an end and we were treated to a series of rolling downhill climbs. It was kind of scary.  I couldn't really go any faster without risking a face plant into the asphalt. After the three climbs the course went rocketing back down. 

Mile 6-7:33
I knew the turn around point was coming pretty soon since we were heading down to the bottom of the trail head.  When I reached the turn around point I knew for sure that I was the lead female.  I had probably a 400 meter lead on the 2nd place female.  I started to get a little weak in the knees emotionally. I was getting scared of the ride back to the start line.  I was also worried about being picked off by the 2nd place female.  I told the negative voice in my head to STFU and to just keep running.  "Don't think about, it just run".  I started to climb back up the trail head.

Mile 7- 7:31
I went through the same three hilly climbs but, in reverse.  The climbs were much steeper going in the other direction.  I was also playing hop scotch with a couple of male runners. The climbs were brutal.

Mile 8-9:13

A fellow runner who had out kicked me a few weeks ago during the turkey trot 5k went cruising by me.  He started out slower and smarter than I did. I pulled out another Gu to eat. It was a lemon lime Gu without caffeine.  I nursed it over the next couple of miles. I didn't want to eat the whole thing and have my stomach cramp up again.

Mile 9-8:28
The rolling hills were done and now it is just a straight uphill climb for the next three miles.  I did something that I never do during a race.  I looked over my shoulder to see who was behind me.   The reason I never do this, is because it lets the runners behind you know that you are afraid and that you are falling apart. I kept expecting the 2nd place runner to  blow right by me.

Mile 10-8:56
I told myself to just survive and get through the next two miles.  Focus on the runners in front of you.

Mile 11-9:15

This mile sucked!! But, I was in good company. I passed about three runners on this stretch and only one guy caught me.  The camaraderie was really great. We were all suffering together.  I just kept telling myself to keep it together. There is more downhill on the way.

Mile 12-7:29


Once the downhill began I was aware that we only had about two miles left to the finish. I decided to just run as hard as I could without blowing up.

Mile 13 7:19
I'm starting to close in on the guy that passed me a few minutes ago, but I'm running out of real estate.  During the home stretch in my head I am chanting, "everything, everything, everything...."

Mile 13.1-:054- 7:05 pace

Finish Time 1:44:17



I look like a dork with my arms outstretched over my head.
I was really excited to win that day.

After the race I walked around for a few minutes to cool off. I wasn't able to stick around for the awards.  The race director was really nice and he let me take my trophy home early.

This race was a lot of fun. I'm a little disappointed with how I ran.  I should have taken the first two miles easier.  I also shouldn't have underestimated how hard this half marathon would be.  I'm not running high enough mileage to be able to just crank out a sub  140 half marathon on a whim.

I don't plan on racing another half marathon until the spring time.  I hope that I can increase my mileage base before I attempt to race another half.

***Thank you LVTC for hosting a really kick ass half marathon, and thank you for the photos!!***

10 months postpartum. My final weight loss update

I've been dragging my feet on writing this post because I have mixed feelings about it.



I don't normally take selfies.

My current weight is 122 pounds  I've been at this weight for almost two months with a one pound over or under fluctuation.

My goal weight was 120 and when I started getting close to 120 a little voice in my head said "lets aim for 115". 

In my head I would like to get down to 115 but, I don't want to have to resort to things like diet pills, skipping meals, or just not eating to get down to this magical number.

I've always been what you consider "top heavy" I gain weight in my waist and midsection first and it is the last place I lose it from.  I also came into my adult body pretty early. I was about 14 years old when I went on my first diet.  I was in the eighth grade and I was 116 pounds.   I got down to 112 before I started high school and by the time I was a senior in high school my weight was around 122 .

I used to have serious complex about my height (5 feet even) and weight.  Most short women I knew were petite and small framed and weighed 95lbs.  I always felt stocky and chubby.  I thought that maybe I was doing something wrong.

When I was 18 I enlisted into the US ARMY and I had to have my body fat measured because I did not meet the height and weight standards. I weighed 123 and I was so embarrassed.  I  had  two months before I left for boot camp and the weight standard for my height was 120.  I managed to  diet down to 116 so I wouldn't have to have my body fat measured.

Throughout my 20's and early 30's my weight bounced between 116-124.  Any time my weight went above 124 I would begin to panic a little bit and I would restrict a bit in order to get down to where I needed to be.

I'm not exactly sure when I had my "aha" moment.  But, a lot of different things contributed to me accepting that there are some things that I just won't be able to change about my body. The first one is pretty obvious, I'm always going to be 5 feet tall.  The second thing that I can't change is my body frame.  I actually have what you would consider a "large frame".   Even though I have small hips, my wrists and rib cage measure much larger than someone with a small bone structure.  I found a chart where I finally had proof that I'm not really small boned.  This helped me not be so obsessed about a goal weight that's not really attainable.

Female Wrist Measurements
	Height less than 5' 2" (Less than 155cms)	Height 5' 2" - 5' 5" (155cms - 163cms)	Height more than 5' 5" (More than 163cms)
Small	Less than 5.5" (140mm)	Less than 6.0" (152mm)	Less than 6.25" (159mm)
Medium	5.5" - 5.75" (140 - 146mm)	6" - 6.25" (152 - 159mms)	6.25" - 6.5" (159 - 165mm)
Large	More than 5.75" (146mm)	More than 6.25" (159mm)	More than 6.5" (165mm)

I'm quite happy with how I look and feel.  My body isn't perfect. But, it's mine and I can either love it or hate it. I choose to love my body and all the things it can do for me, even though I will never have the elasticity back in my skin that I had when I was in my twenties. 

When I say that I love my body, please don't take it to mean that I am so happy and satisfied with how I look and I'm perfect, blah, blah, blah,  or that I'm tiger that earned her stripes.  I'd like to think of it more as of  I'm so grateful that I was able to use this body to create two children and nurse them. I also use this body to run miles that make me feel invincible.

I think having the mentality of hating your body is pretty self indulgent.  If I'm mopey about not having a thigh gap or if my jeans are tight, how fair is that to the people that are around me?  Having a bad day is one thing, but when you constantly beat yourself up that becomes the standard.

If you have read my blog from the beginning you will know that I was still trying to lose the baby weight from my first pregnancy.  I had plenty of I hate my body days.  I think I was really overwhelmed with being a new mom.  I found comfort in food and in alcohol.

I think I am in a much better place now that I have given up alcohol completely.  I'm currently just trying to maintain my weight loss through the holidays. I still track my food points and I weigh in with a friend once a week for accountability.

Starting Weight: 150lbs
Current Weight: 122lbs.

I'm done talking about weight loss. Let's talk about running!!!


I'm racing a half marathon this weekend. I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a much smaller race than I ran in October and with all of the holiday hustle and bustle I haven't had any time to freak out about it. Normally I am bouncing off of the walls from the taper.

The course is also way harder this time around.  Check out the elevation profile:

I am a pretty decent hill runner and I hope I can use this to my advantage.  My goal is to run a smart race and to hold back during the first half.  The second half of the race is mostly uphill with two miles of downhill to the finish.  I really hope I can go under 1:40 and I would also like to place in the top 3 women overall.  



Holiday half marathon later on this month and my latest workouts

I'm feeling pretty excited about a half marathon coming up in two weeks.  Our local track club is hosting a low key half marathon to give local runners a chance to run a half marathon without breaking the bank.  The entry fee is only $20.00 for track club members and race day registration tops out at $40.00. 

I'll admit that I was a little bummed that I couldn't participate in this year's Rock n Roll Las Vegas Marathon.  The price was just way over what I'm able to pay for a race.  It turns out that a lot of my local Las Vegas running friends couldn't afford to run the race either.

The Holiday Half won't have a whole lot of bells and whistles.  They are going to provide, aid stations, a cotton T-shirt, and gun timing only.  The course is going to be more challenging than the last half I ran.

Since my last half I have kind of been scaling back my running/working out in the mornings before work. It's been really cold lately and I feel guilty making my kids get in the freezing car extra early.  I'm aiming for 3 days a week instead of all 5 days. 

Workouts Since my Last Post

11/26   Tuesday - 3 miles before work (8:13, 8:00, 7:21)

11/27 Wednesday- Rest (grocery shopping and cooking don't count)

11/28  Thursday (Thanksgiving) 9 miles. My mother in law was in town visiting.  I didn't have to worry about hurrying back.  It was a pretty cold morning.  I picked one of the hilliest routes in my neighborhood. I climbed about 530 feet and I had such a good time running that day.
Mile 1-8:49
Mile 2-8:24
Mile 3-8:30
Mile 4-8:41

I stopped my watch halfway through my run to take a bad picture
of the snow on the mountains.

Mile 5-9:11
Mile 6-7:59
Mile 7-7:54
Mile 8-8:04
Mile 9-8:04

11/29  Black Friday- I ran 3 shake out miles. (9:44, 9:02, 8:51) My legs were beat up from the hills.

11/30 Saturday- Rest

12/1 Sunday  Somewhere between 9 and 10 miles.  My mother in law was still in town. My Garmin was running out of juice so I stopped it at 8 miles.  I ran approximately another mile and half to my house.
Mile 1-8:33
Mile 2-8:13
Mile 3-8:07
Mile 4-8:07
Mile 5-8:16
Mile 6-8:40
Mile 7-8:38
Mile 8-7:51

12/2 Monday-Rest 
My daughter caught her first cold and it really knocked her out. She had a croupy cough and an ear infection. I took her to the doctor and she is doing much better this week.

12/3 Tuesday-Rest

12/4 Wednesday a little over 4 miles before work ( 8:34, 7:54, 8:11, 7:29)

12/5 Thursday a little over 5 miles. I discovered a new route near my work. A cold front moved in and the temps dropped down to 28 degrees that morning.
Mile 1-8:20
Mile 2-7:52
Mile 3-7:47
Mile 4-7:20
Mile 5-7:23

12/6 Friday- It was a rest day and I signed up for the half marathon.


12/7  Saturday- 4 miles  I decided to scrap trying to get a long run in over the weekend. A cold front with possible chance of snow was moving in to the Las Vegas Valley and I didn't want risk running on icy roads. (8:05, 7:47, 7:50, 7:37)

12/8 Sunday  A little over 5 miles.  It was really cold out and I didn't have any specific plans for my run I ran 3 miles at a comfortable pace, then I ran 1 mile up a hill and, then I ran the last mile as fast as I could. 
Mile 1-8:02
Mile 2-8:00
Mile 3-7:59
Mile 4-8:05 ( I'm happy about this uphill mile)
Mile 5-6:45
Mile .28- 1:49 (6:28 pace!!)

12/9 Rest

12/10- Four miles before work (8:19, 7:36, 7:37, 7:29)

I'm hoping I can get one more longish (8-10) miles in before the half marathon.  I'm glad that I  can piggy back this race off of my current running base.  I don't believe I have lost much fitness since the Saints and Sinners half marathon. I think if anything I am trying to run some faster miles when  I do my shorter runs. 

Racing for Turkeys No Garmins Allowed?!

I ran a low key 5k race over the weekend.  The premise of the race was to see how accurate you could guess your 5k time.  The  runners with the closest guesses to their actual time got to bring home the turkeys.


The race was held at the Old Silver Bowl Park.  This is located behind the Sam Boyd UNLV Football stadium and isn't too far from where I live.  The race didn't get started until 8am. That's kind of a late start for me, but it gave me time to eat breakfast and play with my kids for a little bit before the run.

For the race we were not allowed to wear any watches, Garmins, or wear any headphones.  Also the finish clock wouldn't be on display. 

I guessed that I would be able to run 21:30 for the 5k. I lined up near the front (it was a pretty small race).   I started out pretty quickly for the first 800 meters and then I eased off the pace a little bit.  I didn't feel like I was running all out but, the pace did feel pretty hard. 

When we got to the turn around point I realized that I was the first female overall.  My friend Toshie was also running that day.  She is a fast 5k runner, however she ran the Rock n Roll Marathon the week before so I knew she was still in recovery mode.

After the turn around point the runners had spread out and I think I may have eased off the pace because no one was around me.

I got picked off by two male runners with about a half mile to go.  I tried to finish strong and stay with them but, they had faster finishing kicks than I did.

After the race we had to wait for the official results and then the turkeys were awarded.


Me waiting with Toshie for the results.

There was a slight mix up with the race results and they had initially written my finish time down wrong.


Not very happy to receive a can of green beans.

 

My official time was 21:38.  I was only eight seconds off of my original guess.  After the mix up was corrected I was awarded my turkey.

I am very pleased with how I ran.  I think I could have ran this a little bit faster. I'm not really sore today. 

Thank you to the Las Vegas Track Club for hosting the race, the photos, and the turkeys!!

My glass is always half full

 

I am a pretty optimistic person. The glass is always half full in my world.  I haven't been feeling super cheery and positive lately so the urge to post has left me sitting on my hands because I don't want to whine about incidental problems.  I'm still running, not as often as I'd like but it's better than nothing. I'm averaging about 3 runs a week.

I blame this  feeling on my post race "hangover". After a big race there is always a recovery/cooling off period for me.  I also have post race blues because, there isn't a race to look forward to and I have to give my legs time to heal before I can run fast on them again.

Last weeks workouts:

Monday-Rest


Tuesday- 3 miles easy.  I thought it was neat how even my splits were:

Mile 1-8:22
Mile 2 8:23
Mile 3 8:23


Wednesday-Rest

Thursday- Rest (My baby girl had her 9 month check up in the morning so no run for me.)


Friday- 5 miles (up the hill and back down the hill). For the last mile I ran this all out and  I wanted to see how fast I could run that final mile.

Mile 1 8:40
Mile 2 8:54
Mile 3 7:36
Mile 4 7:31
Mile 5 6:57

On Friday afternoon I treated myself to a new pair of running shoes.  I purchased the Brooks Adrenaline 13.


I got them for 20% from the local running store.  I usually buy my shoes at the end of the season right before the newest model comes out.  The Adrenaline 14 comes out in December, so I will end up buying them next June.  I'm pretty loyal to my Adrenalines.  They last a long time and they feel good straight out of the box.  I still have a few miles left in my old  Adrenalines, I will probably break out the new shoes in a few weeks.


Saturday-Rest


Sunday:  7 miles  (six miles tempo with one cool down mile)  I left the house itching to run fast.  I almost believe I have a pressure release valve inside of me.  When I don't get to run every day I feel the tension build. When I finally get to run it's a wonderful feeling of freedom and release.   The more anxiety I feel leading up the run the faster I want to go.  It's not always like this, it has just felt that way this last week, or two, or three.

Mile 1 8:01
Mile 2 7:39
Mile 3 7:38
Mile 4 7:30
Mile 5 7:38
Mile 6 7:51
Mile 7 8:06

This morning I lifted weights for the first time in over a month.  I sometimes forget how much I enjoy lifting weights.  This cooler running weather is the best and I could have honestly gone for a short run this morning.   I will try not to  forget about the weight room though, because this helps keep me healthy and my core less wobbly.

I haven't posted a weight loss update in awhile.  I think I will save that for the next blog post.