Cross Country Race Next Weekend and Fall Half Marathon Plans.

Next Saturday I am racing a Cross Country 5k.  The Las Vegas Track Club hosts this race every summer to raise money for scholarships.  I have been looking forward to racing again and I would love to see what kind of 5k shape I am in.

I ran the Legends of Cross Country Race in 2009.  I also set my 5k PR (20:29) at that race.

The kid next to me smoked me during the last 100 meters.

Since then they have moved the course to another location and I have heard that it is much tougher.


I would love to go under 21 minutes but I know that might be pushing it.  I was stalking last years race results and I noticed that the times were typically  a minute to 90 seconds slower than on a regular road course.  I don't want to go into this race with unrealistic expectations and then be crushed when I don't meet them.  There will be two different heats, an open and a seeded race.  I'm going to try to get into the seeded race because I would rather place lower and run a faster time. I hope I meet the seeded standards.

Fall Half Marathon Plans 

I have two big races on my calendar for the fall.  The first is the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon. This race takes place the last week of September.  I have about eleven weeks to train for this race

I ran this race  last year and had a  fabulous experience.  I didn't really follow a training program.  I was running 4-5 times per week, with two longish runs on Friday and Sunday, with some shorter tempo runs during the week.  I trained while breastfeeding and trying to lose the baby weight and I'm pretty proud of the race that I ran.

Last year I ran a 1:36:01.  I would like to shave about three minutes off of my time.  I have been base building and I hope to get my mileage into the low 40's  by the end of this training cycle.

This year I am going to try to follow a Hal Higdon half marathon training program.  I used the advanced half marathon program while I trained for the Mustang Half Marathon and I liked the flexibility of the program.   The Saints and Sinners half has a mostly downhill course for the first seven miles, then four miles of trail and, finally two more miles of down hill.  I'd say it's a pretty fast course, but this year they moved the race from October to September.  The heat could be an issue...  I hope they start this race at 7am and not 8am

The next race on my calendar is the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon.  I haven't raced this event in a few years.  I know it will be a fast course.  I'm going to bite the bullet and pony up the $$$ for this event.  I am also toying with the idea of running the marathon...   

I know for sure that I am  at least racing the half marathon.  But, I have been thinking that training for a marathon may not be so different than training for a half marathon....  For the last two weekends I have been able to get out of the house before my kids wake up in the morning... That was my biggest issue before.  They would wake up really early and I would feel guilty taking off to run.  If I can get my running in while they are still asleep then its a win-win situation.  I'm not missing out on too much family time.

 I don't plan on very many high volume weeks.I'd like for my mileage to top out at 45-50 miles per week. I'm surprised that I hit 36 miles last week.    We will see how I feel about my mileage in two months.  If I feel like I am sacrificing too much of my family time I will pull back on the marathon.  I apologize to my family and my readers for jerking you guys around.

I think I could wing it with a  Hansons type training program.....  Rock n Roll Vegas is six weeks after Saints and Sinners.  This would give me two weeks to recover, two weeks to run long, and then two weeks to taper...    My goals for this race are up in the air until after the Saints and Sinners Half.  I would love to BQ but, again I don't want to set myself up for unrealistic expectations.  

This is why I hate registering for races so far in advance!!!   I loved being able to show up at an EXPO and pay for a race the day before.  I can't do this because the race may sell out or it will double in price.

My Latest Workouts

Thursday 7/17-Rest

Friday 7/18 Two a Days.  I ran almost thee miles in the morning 2.87 miles at an average of 8:19 per mile.  At lunch time I ran  a little over five and a half miles on the treadmill. I ran the treadmill run at a Tempo pace and with an incline.

Saturday 7/19 I ran 10.11 miles around my neighborhood.  The run had about 440 feet of elevation gain. The run took a little over 90 minutes.  1:28:45 moving time and for 1:32:30 for the elapsed time.  I took my handheld bottle and I just drank water during this run.  

Sunday 7/20 Rest

Monday 7/21 Two a days.  I ran two miles in the morning before work.  I didn't want to run near my office, so I drove to Cornerstone park and I ran two loops quickly and went to work.  At lunch time I ran four miles with some pickups and some incline thrown in.  After that I worked out my upper body. I did cable flys, cable bicep curls, cable press downs, cable bicep curls, shoulder raises and then I did a few one minute planks.

Tuesday 7/22 I ran four miles around the neighborhood before work.  I got out of the house early before the kids woke up.  Yay me!!  I did this as a progression run.  Here's the data.

Mile 1-9:01
Mile 2-8:04
Mile 3-7:47
Mile 4-7:41

Wednesday 7/23  Two a days. I ran three miles in the morning before work.
At lunch time I did another Tempo/Incline workout.  I ran the first mile easy and then I gradually picked up the pace.  It took me 39:14 to run five miles.  I remember hitting the last mile at 7:14.   I also did a few upper body exercises; incline dumbbell bench press, back rows, planks on a Swiss ball, crunches, and I stretched.

Thursday 7/24  Rest

Well that's all I've got for this week.  I hope to report back again soon.

My Latest Workouts and The Runner's World Cover Contest #RWCoverContest

Since the 1600 meter race I haven't been doing any formal speed work.   Instead I have been greedily logging miles and base building for fall half marathon season.  We have been treated to some sort of nice weather due to the monsoon season out here.

During monsoon season our weather systems will come up from Mexico and merge with the Jet Steam causing extra cloud coverage, cooler air, and magnificent thunderstorms. 

Source

Workouts Since My Last Update

I took two rest days after the 1600 meter race to let my body recover and to look over my race performance with a fine tooth comb.

Wednesday 7/2 -Rest 

Thursday 7/3- Rest, I also took the day off from work to get a four day weekend with the kiddos. 

Friday 7/4- 3 miles at recovery pace 9:06 per mile.  That night we stayed up late to watch the fireworks.

Saturday 7/5- Rest

Sunday 7/6- 10 miles.  It seems like it has been forever since I have ran that far.  It was a nice cloudy morning and I took my time. I ran 10.05 miles @ 8:48 per mile. I stopped my Garmin for about 3-4 minutes to stop at a convenience store to refill my handheld bottle with ice and water. 

Monday 7/7- 5 miles at lunch time outdoors.  I must really hate the treadmill... It was 95 degrees when I left, but because of the cloud coverage it felt cooler.  I ran 5 miles and I averaged 8:24 per mile.  I did stop my watch for about a minute or two to purchase  a bottle of water.

Tuesday 7/8-  Treadmill speed work-  I didn't want to do speed work in the morning before work. So I ended up doing it on the treadmill...  I did some 400's and 200's at an incline.  I warmed up by jogging for 7 minutes. I then stopped the treadmill to stretch. I ran 4 x400 meters with a 400 meter jog for recovery.  I did these at 8.8-9.0 mph at 2% incline for the interval and my recovery was 6.5 pace (8:48 per mile) at 1% incline.  After that I switched the intervals to one minute hard effort, one minute recovery effort.  The total workout was about 5 miles.

It's pretty hard to run all out on the treadmill.  The highest speed I will attempt to run on that sucker is 9.0mph (6:36 per mile). I won't go any faster because I am so afraid of tripping and wiping out.

That being said I sometimes don't feel like I am pushing myself as hard as I can go.  So I will kick the incline up on the tread mill to about 1%-3% incline while I run the intervals.

Wednesday 7/9-  I ran a little over 3 miles in the morning at recovery pace. 

Thursday 7/10 - Rest

Friday 7/11 - 8 Miles Tempo Progression Run on the treadmill.  I ran this on my lunch break. I had such a good endorphin buzz that I decided to enter the #RWCoverContest.  More on that below.

Saturday 7/12- 7 miles around the neighborhood. 6.95 miles @ 8:13 pace

Sunday 7/13  8.6 Miles @ 8:52 per mile.  I was able to get out of the house early before both of my kids woke up... I think this was a first for me. 

Monday 7/14- No running, but I lifted weights and worked on my strength during my lunch break.  I'm always trying to find new ways to improve my running economy.  I have been working on increasing my core strength by doing push ups, sit ups, Roman chair leg lifts,  & planks.  

I don't really like to lift heavy when it comes to working out my legs.  Some of my favorite exercises include using a Bosu ball.

I like to do body weight squats and lunges.  I will also take turns balancing on one foot, while standing on top of the BOSU ball.  Its a great way to improve foot and ankle strength.  

Tuesday 7/15- Two a days... I ran 4 miles in the morning before work.  I tried to do this as a tempo run, but I felt sluggish in the morning. Here's the split times.

Mile 1 8:17

Mile 2 8:34

Mile 3 8:27

Mile 4 7:45

I ended up running the same 4 mile route on my lunch break and I did it just a little bit faster.

Mile 1 8:15

Mile 2 8:03

Mile 3 7:59

Mile 4 7:15

Wednesday 7/16

I worked out on my lunch break, I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill and then I did some strength training.

Runners World Cover Contest

I decided to throw my hat into the ring for this contest.  I have been a regular reader of Runner's World for almost as long as I have been a runner.  I'd like to think that I encompass what Runner's World is all about.  I eat, sleep, and breathe this sport. After my husband, and my kids this is what brings me so much joy.

 I tend to spend most of my disposable income on running shoes and race fees.

Here is a link to my entry submission.

 http://covercontest.runnersworld.com/entry/159/8sus97aur8i72bfj36qf8kn0l5 

I'd also like to throw a shout out to my new readers from GOMI.  Welcome to my blog. I love my hamcats!!

ETA: I noticed a few typos and gramatical errors. I was in hurry when I posted this.

Nothing Stings Quite Like The Feeling of Disappointment. 1600 Meter Race Recap

I ran my 1600 meter race last night, and I'm feeling pretty disappointed with myself.  I don't want to turn this post into a whine fest, but I do want to be honest about how I feel this race went.  I'm also a little disappointed with how the track club organized the race heats.

The weather conditions were not ideal

It is what it is. Everyone raced in the same weather conditions,
so I can't really use that as an excuse.

Before the Race

Last Saturday the LVTC was hosting a low key 8k at the Sunrise Picnic Area.  I always want to show my support whenever they host an event there.  If the turn out becomes too low, they may choose to hold less events there.

No Pictures were available from last Saturday., this one is from last May

I ended up running this race as a Tempo progression run.  I accidentally left my Garmin in my desk at work over the weekend, so I got to run this event by feel.... I'm also a complete dork and I erased the time off of my regular sports watch as soon as the race was over... derp...

Here's the splits that I remember.

Mile 1- 7:30

I ran into a fellow track club member/runner friend  and we talked about Tuesday's 1600 meter race. More on that below....

Mile 2- 7:15  I picked up the pace a bit

Mile 3-?
Mile 4-?
Mile 5-?

Finish Time- 35:59  (average 7:15 pace per mile)

I ran into a fellow track club member James Alejandro, whom I always finish just behind or ahead of depending on the day.   He's a great competitor and we don't take things too seriously.

LVTC Members from Left to Right (Toshie, Evan, James, and Me)
James Alejandro gave me his extra Turkey after there was
a mix-up over race results during a low key Turkey trot
last November.

During the first mile of the 8k we were discussing future races that we were training for. I was really hoping that he would run the mile, I told him how I was aiming for low six minute range and he said he would try to help me.

Day of the Race

I went to work and had a typical work day.  I wore my running sneakers to work  because I wanted to keep my feet as comfortable as possible.  I also ate a really big lunch knowing that I wouldn't be eating dinner before the race. My lunch was pita bread with hummus, falafel, and green salad.

I left work a little early to pick up my kids, feed them dinner, and get bath time started early.  I left my house at 6:30pm.  I had about 15 minutes to warm up, stretch and do some strides...  I ran into my LVTC friends Toshie and James.

During the registration process James and I both wrote down that we were going to run a 6:20 mile. With the heat it was a conservative estimate that I thought I would easily  come in under.

There ended up being three different heats for the mile.  The track club split the race up into two men's heats and one women's heat....  I should have asked to run in one of the later heats...  I'm kind of bummed about this.....



The women's race ended up being the first heat.  I ended up being the overall Women's winner.  My finish time was 6:24... Womp. Womp.....

Here are my lap splits
Lap 1-87 seconds
Lap 2 98 seconds
Lap 3 100  seconds (WTF happened here)?
Lap 4 98 seconds

I took the lead before the end of the first lap;  the first lap felt easy, the second lap a little harder, the last two laps were a death march, and I started lapping people during the fourth lap.  I lost my focus after I took the lead. It was really hard to push the pace without knowing how fast I was going.  I used my Garmin to time this race and of course my trusty Garmin measured this mile long......  For shits and giggles here's an overhead view of how off I ran the tangents.

I tried to stay on the inside lane as best as possible.

Even sweeter  is the bullshit my Garmin is trying to sell me.

I ran 4 laps around the track and it took me 6:24
but, if I hadn't wasted any energy passing on the outside
then I could have come closer to 6:00?!
My head hurts trying to make sense of this..

After my race I stuck around to watch the guys race.  My friend James ended up killing his mile race!  He ran a 5:42.  He ran the first half almost identical to what I ran, but then he held on and ran a much faster 2nd half.

I really wish that I would have had the nerve to speak up about racing in a later heat. It was hard not having a rabbit in front of me during my race.  The Las Vegas Track club hosts free track meets so I really don't feel right complaining about an event that was free.  

I don't really know when I will have the opportunity to race a mile again.  I almost want to go out to the track on Saturday by myself for a do over.   

Who knew I would have so much to say about such a short race...

Summertime Two a Days

Lately I have been doing some two a day workouts.  I don't think I am so hardcore that I must train twice a day, it just seems that I am only able to workout in short bursts and I would sometimes rather split the workout up then try to cram it all in one session.
I have also been leaning on working out during times of stress.  Long runs are great for getting all of my tension out, however I'm not able to log any double digit runs as of late. Throwing weights around in the gym is almost as good of a stress reliver.

Workouts since my last update

Tuesday 6/19 I am having a total brain fart here and I can't remember if I ran last Tuesday or not.  I may have done speed work, I may not have.  Good God, how could I have forgotten already?!
I do remember that I worked out on my lunch break.  I did some strength training and I really focused on my upper body.

Wednesday 6/18  Two a days  In the AM I ran 4 miles at a recovery pace, at lunchtime  I went to the gym and did some circuit training.  I did sit ups, burpees, kettle bell squats, crunches on the swiss ball and lunges. It was a short but, hard workout.  My legs were smoked after the kettle bell swings and lunges.

Thursday 6/19- Rest Day. I  had an awards banquet to attend for my work so I decided to get dressed nice for work that day. I really liked my outfit.

My husband was standing on the stairs when
he took the picture.  I know this is a photography
trick used to make someone look thinner! Thanks Honey!

Friday 6/20- Two a Days 3 miles in the am (progression run) 5 miles at lunch time treadmill incline run.  My legs felt good from taking a rest day.  Here's the splits for the progression tempo run
Mile 1- 7:55
Mile 2- 7:46
Mile 3- 7:22

Saturday 6/21 -Rest

Sunday 6/22- Track Work!!!  I'm getting used to my new weekend routine.   I wanted to do some 800's and 400's I wasn't sure how to structure this workout so  I did 2 sets of 1 X 800 and 2 x 400.
I have been doing track work for the last month and I'm improving ever so slightly each week..  I was hoping that I could run a few quaters at 85 seconds....That didn't happen... Here's the data.
First Set
1 x 800- 3:03, I was really happy, the first lap was 93 seconds, the second lap was faster at 90 seconds.
I jogged for 2 minutes to recover
2 x 400  (88, 87)  After that 800 I wasn't too surprised that these were not closer to 85. I jogged for a minute to recover.

Second Set
1 x 800- 3:06- This hurt, I think both laps were 93 seconds each.

2 x 400 (90, 90) I jogged for a minute in between these for recovery. These hurt a lot and I was going to call it a day.

I recovered for a few minutes ran a few strides in the grass and I decided to run one more quater

1 x 400- 87 seconds.  This last quater helped me end things on a high note.

I then jogged slowly back home for a mile and a half cool down.

Monday  6/23  Two a Days 3 miles in the morning around the neighborhood at recovery pace, at lunchtime I met up with a coworker and we did some cross training.  We did some cardio boxing, and we took turns hitting the heavy bag with gloves.  This was really fun and a nice change up.

Tuesday    6/24-Speed work on the street... 4 X 400 with one minute recovery, 1 x  200 and a few strides,

I did this workout in the morning before work.  I did my usual warmup (one mile jog, form drills, strides, and light stretching) I found an empty parking lot with a long stretch of road.  I didn't measure the 400 meters out, but I figured 90 second quarters equals 6:00 minute pace.  I used my garmin to keep track of the pace and then I used a regular stop watch to track the 90 second intervals.  Here's the data  (93, 88, 90, 90).  It was a warm morning.  I only had a little bit of time before I had to get ready for work so I ran a 200 meter interval, and then I did a few short 50 meter strides.

Wednesday 6/25- 4 miles in the morning at recovery pace, No watch or Garmin

Tomorrow I think I might just work out with weights, and give my legs another chance to recover.

I'm starting to look forward to racing 1600 meters

When I first put this race on my calendar two months ago, I didn't think it would be that big of a deal.  I was still obsessing about my last half marathon and thinking about ways to improve on that distance.  I was also trying to find a 5k to race...

Now that I am in the thick of my training for this race, I'm really starting to revamp my goals for this event.

In high school I ran cross country and track.  For the track events I raced the mile, two mile, and I ran the 330 low hurdles for a season (I sucked).

I came very close to breaking the six minute barrier.  My fastest mile was a 6:05.   After high school I joined the Army and I focused on the two mile. That's the distance that is timed on the Army Physical Fitness Test. Man I used to love the APFT. Once I left  the military the shortest distance for me to race was the 5k.

Two months ago, I knew that I had no shot in hell in breaking 6 minutes,  I was hoping to go under 6:30.  But, now I'm thinking how crazy would it be if I finally broke the 6 minute barrier at age 36?  I'm still thinking that I probably won't break 6 minutes. But, I think I can maybe go sub 6:15......

I recently purchased some Brooks Pure Flows.  I had been wanting to try these shoes for awhile but, there were out of my price range and I couldn't justify spending so much money on a shoe that I wasn't sure about...

Pretty Colors

 I ended up buying these at a deep discount-I'm glad because these shoes are perfect for speed workouts and short distance racing only!! I could not imagine trying to do a 10-16 mile long run in these shoes.

 Workouts since my last update

I have been working on my speed!!

Tuesday 6/10- 3x800  I ran a warm up mile, then I did some form drills.  I like to do A-skips, butt kicks, and side skips to warm up.  I also did  a few strides.  Here's the data (3:06, 3:13, 3:12)  I did these on the road, with my Garmin.  It was also 90 degrees out in the morning.  It's so much harder to run fast 800's on the road!

Wednesday 6/11- Treadmill run 5 miles at an incline.  I started my run out at 7.2 pace (8:20 per mile) at 1% incline, with each mile I increased the treadmill by .5 %  by the end of run I was running at 4% incline at 7.2 pace.  Then I also did some circuit training (push ups, sit-ups, dumbbell bench press, back rows, hamstring dead lifts)

Thursday 6/12-Rest- I was really sore.

Friday 6/13-We had a retreat at work.  Another Rest Day

Saturday 6/14- Track Work!!  I went to the track to do some 400's and 200's.   I ran a mile and a half to warm up, I did some form drills, strides and I stretched.  I jogged 200 meter recoveries in between.
Here's the data
4 x 400  (87, 87, 88, 87)

8 x 200 (43,42, 42, 43, 42,42, 43, 41)

I then slowly jogged two miles home.  This workout made my legs tremble.

Sunday 6/15  I sneaked out of the house for a short 3 mile jog.  I dropped the dog off at the groomers and on my way home I stopped at the park and ran 6 laps around the half mile track.  I was glad I got a short run in, to get some of the lactic acid out of my legs.

Monday 6/16  I ran 3 miles recovery, no radio or Garmin in the morning.  On my lunch break I did some strength training.

I have a hectic work day tomorrow. It might be a rest day for me.  Focusing on this 1600 meters has been great. I feel like I'm turning back the clock, it's nice to feel the burn of speed intervals.  I also like that I don't have to hit X amount of miles per week.

My race is in 15 days.  I'm hoping to get a few more quality workouts in.


  

Some Trail Running and a 1600 meter race coming up next month

It's been awhile since my last blog post so I won't bore you with three weeks worth of my training.  Nothing special except I did do a short trail run two weeks ago and I headed out to the track on Saturday instead of doing a long run over the weekend.

Recently two running bloggers I follow both went to the Grand Canyon to do the Rim2Rim and back again.  I was really impressed with their sense of adventure.  I don't run trails much at all.  It's something that I feel is very risky to do alone.  Snakes and heat exposure are no joke.  Anyhow, I was inspired by their running and I found some of my own trail to run.

Is it still a trail run if you can see the houses?

I live pretty close to the foothills and there are some great areas to run. But, I'm too much of a pansy to go venturing off to far.  I ran about 3 miles in the dirt and 3 miles pavement.  My legs were really sore the next day.  I also wore regular road shoes and it wasn't the best idea.


I'm also training for a low key one mile track club race next month.  The training is so much different than training for a half marathon.  It's  a good time for it. My mileage is only around 20-25ish miles per week.

 I've moved my workouts from lunchtime back to before work..  Actually I'm sometimes lifting weights at lunchtime too.  I haven't raced a mile since my early 20's.  I almost broke the 6 minute barrier in high school. I don't think I will come close to breaking 6 minutes.  But, I'd like to see how close I can come.


My running has been pretty frustrating due to the heat. I'm glad that training for this event is letting me switch things up a bit.  Over the weekend I went to the track and I did speed work.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to do 400's or 200's so  I did some of both. Here's the data.

4x400 (93, 90, 88, 89)

I was getting tired of the 400's and I did an 800 to switch things up

1x800 (3:04)

2x400 (92, 89) These hurt after that 800.

4x200 (42,43,42,42) I was hoping that these would be faster

2x100 (18, 19)  I can't sprint to save my life.

For my recovery I jogged 200 meter intervals slowly.
I also did a 1 mile warm up, strides, form drills, and  2 mile cool down.

Sunday was a rest day.

Today I ran 4 miles at a recovery pace.  I have more speed work on the calendar tomorrow.

Mother's Day Low Key 4 Mile Run and my latest workouts

I’m suffering from a little bit of writers block.  Training for a race always gets me excited about running and workouts.  It also makes for easy blog content.

I’d like to race more often but money and time are two things I’m lacking right now.  Lately, my lunch time workouts have been strenuous because I’m fighting with the sun.  

I can only run 4-5 miles at time on my lunch break outdoors. Before it started getting too warm I could usually fit in 5-8 miles.  If I try to run any longer than 5 miles I’m dancing into heat stress territory.  I know when I’ve gotten too much sun, if I’m still sweating an hour after my run and my stomach feels crampy.

I’m trying to make do by driving to a park and running for a half hour. I still enjoy running but, I’m not getting as much mileage in as I would like.

Friday 5/9  I drove to Sunset Park and ran just under 3 miles (2.78 miles @ 8:20 pace).  It was pretty warm out.

Saturday 5/10 LVTC Low Key 4 Miler-
This was held at the Sunrise Picnic Area near my home.  I got there and I ran a mile to warm up and did some strides and stretched.

There were several other events being held that morning so this event had a very small turnout. I ended up being the overall leader.  Here are my split times.
Mile 1-7:06
Mile 2-7:06
Mile 3-7:07
Mile 4-6:47

I liked how even my splits were.

Sunday 5/11 Rest Day (Mother's Day)- I had a nice day with my family. We took the kids to the park and had a picnic and then we let them play in the splash pads.

Monday 5/12     I ran 6.2 miles @ 8:34 pace.  This run was not fun. I think I was still sore from Saturday's 4 miler.  I felt like I was running way harder than what my Garmin was telling me.  It was 75 degrees when I took off and close to 80 when I came back.  The heat sucks a lot of energy out of you, I'm just too stubborn to realize it at the time.  I felt like crap the rest of the afternoon.  My stomach was crampy from the heat.

Tuesday 5/13 4 mile treadmill run and strength training.  I ran a progression run on the treadmill.  I started out at 7.2 miles per hour then after 2 minutes I kicked up to 7.5, I kept increasing the speed every few minutes.  I ran 4 miles in just over 30 minutes.  I also ran at a 1% incline.  After that I did some lat pull downs, push ups, rope bicep curls, push ups, and kettle bell squats, and some sit ups.

Wednesday 5/14  5 Miles @ 8:15 pace  I felt like an extra from the walking dead.  I drove over to Cornerstone Park.  I ran two loops in the park and then I headed off on a jogging path.

 Normally I see other runners and walkers out but there was no one else around and it felt creepy.  It was 79 degrees when I left and closer to 85 when I finished.  This was another frustrating run.  I love running outdoors but, the heat is getting to me.

Thursday 5/15  Rest

Friday 5/16  4 Mile treadmill run and strength training.  I ran another progression run and then I did some Roman Chair leg lifts, push ups, lat pull downs, lunges, kettle  bell swings and some sit ups.

Saturday 5/17  Rest, a heat wave came in and the afternoon temps hit 100 degrees for the first time in Las Vegas for 2014.

Sunday 5/18  6 miles in the heat..... I almost didn't take my hand held bottle with me. I'm glad I did  The humidity was only 9% and it felt like a blow dryer was blowing on me.  Your sweat just dries almost instantly so I was just pouring water on my head and drinking water all throughout the run.  6.11 miles @ 8:44 pace.

Monday 5/19  I drove out to the Pittman wash and I ran a 4 mile progression run. I ran 2 miles out and 2 miles back in.  There was 162 feet of elevation gain on the way out and 155 feet loss on the way back in, which explains the faster second half.  Here are the split times:
Mile 1-9:05
Mile 2-8:40
Mile 3-8:03
Mile 4-7:24

Tuesday 5/20 Rest- I got a surprise invitation to lunch from my husband.  We don't get to meet to often for lunch so it was a nice surprise.  We didn't do anything fancy.  We went to Port of Subs.

Wednesday 5/21  Another Rest Day-  I didn't feel like running...... I couldn't decide what to do. I didn't want to go to the gym at my workplace. I also didn't want to fight with the sun.

Today I'm ready to just go outside for a few miles.  I promise I won't keep complaining about the sun. I'll come to terms with it next month when it really gets hot.  We have about a month left before the school year ends. Traffic will be much lighter in the mornings, I’m thinking of switching back to AM workouts before work next month.