Running Updates-Oh Boy!

I've been a super lazy blogger.... I've been busy with school but, I did want to update you guys on my running post injury.   I'm sorry if this post ends up being all over the place.  I'm kinda mixed up about how I feel.

Let me get my big announcement out of the way first.....I decided to register for the  Revel Mt. Charelston Marathon.    A part of me is so excited to race at the end of April.  But, another part of me is "WTF are you thinking?"

The Revel Mt. Charelston course is a crazy steep down hill cheater cheater pumpkin eater course.  I will show you the elevation profile.

This makes the St. George Marathon look tame.

I realize that by running this marathon, I may have a really great chance of destroying my legs, and possilby reinjuring my foot.....  So why did I sign up for this?  I'm dumb or smart depending on how I look at this..... My biggest motivation was that I wanted to try to BQ again before registartion opens up in September.   I also do not want to train for a fall marathon this year.   I love Rock N Roll Las Vegas.  (never thought I would say that, but I had a good race last year).  

Training for a fall marathon means lots of long runs during the brutal Summer months.  In Las Vegas, our Summer is on steroids.  And last year she was a beast!   I think I might still race the half but, getting back to Revel.

Another reason that I recklessly registered for this marathon, was because my old running partner/run BFF now lives in Washington, DC and she got me excited and fired up about running, and we were going to run this race together..... Turns out, I registered and then the marathon sold out before she had a chance to. Womp.... Womp......I'm actually still closet training for this race.  I haven't told my husband yet.... Running eats into family time, and I know that marathon training can stress my family out.  My husband knows I'm training for something, but I'll drop this bomb in a few weeks after I finish my MBA program.


Revel is 11 weeks out, and at the beginning of March, I will start working with my coach Brent Bowers again.   He really did a great job of taking the guesswork out of pace, effort, and distance.  I did so much more of my running at an easy/relaxed pace.  But, I also did a crap ton of strides, and he changed my attitude of the long run.  I used to think that I had to do my long runs at marathon goal pace the majority of the training run.  By slowing down I was able to build up my endurance base, but not having to log 50 miles a week either. I was averaging in the high 30's and peaked at 45 mpw.  I really can't fit much more mileage into my schedule.  I also didn't feel exhausted or burnt out.

Running updates
I feel that I sorta eased my way back into training.....Here's what my last six weeks of running have looked like

I did my first long run of 13 miles last Friday, and it felt okay.  I am focusing on base building to build up my gas tank.  I am also being cautious about my pace. About once a week I will head out to different running  trails with big hills.

I will go into further detail about some of these runs in my next post.

Thank you for reading.

Updates on my Fitness-January was much better than December

In December I wrote a list of things that I wanted to accomplish.  I wanted to spend more time in the gym working on my strength and slowly easing back into running.

Here was my list of goals- With brief updates

Bench Press 95lbs  (Earlier this week I did 85lbs for reps)

I'm still hanging out at 85lbs.  I bench press without a spotter.  I could probably go heavier but that is super dangerous without a spotter. I'm going to the gym to lift only about twice a week, However, I am doing a lot more core strength work at home at night and on the weekends.  It sounds silly but, I've been teaching myself to stand on my head.  It really is a great core workout.



Hanging Chin ups.  (I used to be able to do 3-4, but now even one is a struggle)
I can now do two reverse grip hanging chin ups.  YAY!!  In the gym, I have been focusing on lat pull downs with various grips (wide, close, overhand, underhand, etc.)

Increase groin and hip flexibility
At night when I watch TV (if I'm not studying), I will do planks, and stretch my hips, hamstrings, and groin.  Plus, I will do donkey kicks and glute bridges

Increase calf strength
I have been wearing shoes with a slight heel.  I bought a pair of ankle booties, and they have changed my life. lol.

I wear them a couple of times a week, and I forgot how much I enjoy wearing a shoe with a heel. I feel a little sassy, and I like the clicking sound they make when I walk.  They make me two and a half inches taller, and I swear my posture has improved.  And my feet and calves are getting stronger too.

Lose 7-8 lbs. 10-12  (Too much eating and drinking over the summer months ) My goal weight is 122lbs
This will make the chin up goal easier to attain.

I think I may have been lying to myself about how much holiday weight I gained.  My starting weight on Jan 2 was 134lbs. (Damn, I'm only 5 feet tall, so that's a lot for me)... But, after that hard dose of reality. I buckled down and have lost 5lbs my current weight 129lbs.  I still have another 5-7 to go.  But, slow and steady wins the race.   Earlier this month I was wearing my Garmin as an activity tracker to count my steps.  But, then my watch was acting haywire when I would use it for running.  Since the Garmin is my running watch, and I need it for running. I have since stopped using it to count my steps.

Clean up my diet.  Instead of trying to lose weight fast, I'm going to shoot for 1/2 a pound to a pound a week.

Currently, I am using an app to track all of my calories and exercise activities.  The app is called Loseit.  I have given up most junk food, and I'm eating a lot more vegetables.   The first week I lost two pounds and since then it's more like half of a pound a week.

Things are moving in the right direction, and I feel so much more positive than I did in December.  In the next post, I will update you on the running side of things.

Thanks for reading.