A few more workouts and then it's taper time

I have about 10 more days of training before I go into my taper for the half marathon.  In my last post I mentioned that the race may be cancelled due to the national parks being closed.  I contacted the race organizers and they are working on an alternate route if the park is still closed.  The race will go on as planned.

Here are my workouts since my last post:

Thursday- Rest day

Friday- 10 miles

It was a windy afternoon but, I had a really great run. I ran 10 hilly miles near my work.  I love running this route.  It is 5 miles of rolling hilly climb  (698 feet) then I hit the turn around point and have 5 miles of rolling hilly downhill.  I used to run this route a few times a month before I had my babies. Now I only get to run it once in  awhile.  Here are my mile splits.

Mile 1-8:26
Mile 2-9:06
Mile 3-8:19
Mile 4-8:32
Mile 5-8:53
Mile 6-8:13
Mile 7-8:10
Mile 8-8:05
Mile 9-7:59
Mile 10-8:25

This run was a total confidence booster for me.  I feel that I held back during the first 5 miles and I tried to pick up the pace on the way back in.

Saturday - Rest day

Sunday- 10K (1 mile warm up with 5 miles at Tempo pace)  It was a wonderful chilly morning. It's crazy how fast the weather can shift. It was 55 degrees when I left the house, that's down right chilly compared to the 85 degree mornings of July and August.  I ran the first mile easy and then I eased into a faster pace. Here are my mile splits:
Mile 1-8:45
Mile 2-7:51
Mile 3-7:40
Mile 4-7:28
Mile 5-7:40
Mile 6 -7:43
.28-2:07 (7:33 pace)

Can you hurry up and come back already?!

 

 

Monday- 3 miles at recovery pace (9:10 avg pace).  My legs felt like Jello.

Tuesday- I did circuit training/strength training

Today- 4 miles. I ran a one mile warm up, then 3 miles Tempo
Mile 1-8:23
Mile 2-7:26
Mile 3 7:09
Mile 4 7:28

On Friday I have an 11 miler planned. I'm going to try to find a route that isn't as hilly as last weeks 10 miler. I want to try to focus on even pacing with some negative splits for the final miles. 

Half marathon is less than a month away -I'm keeping my fingers crossed

I am getting nervous and excited about the half marathon that I'm running later on this month.  This will be my first big race in 18 months and I really want to run a good race.

My workouts since my last post: 

Tuesday 9/24 - I went for a run before work and I planned only running 4 miles but, I cut through a park for a "shortcut" and I ended up getting turned around and I couldn't cut through the park so I ended up running 5 miles. It was a progression run/tempo run.

Wednesday 9/25- I got off of work early and I went for a run after work. The temps were in the 80's and it was super windy. I ran 7 miles and it felt good. This was my farthest run since my calf injury.

Thursday 9/26-Rest day

Friday 9/27 5 miles tempo (7:53 average pace)

Saturday 9/28 -Rest

Sunday 9/29 - I ran 6 miles.  My parents came to visit for the weekend and I wanted to hurry back home to hang out with everyone.  My stomach was also feeling off so I felt tired and had less energy than normal (8:50 average pace)

Monday 9/30 5 miles at a comfortable pace. So comfortable I took a picture.

Tuesday 10/1- Core work and upper body strength training

Today-  I went for a quick 4 mile tempo run here are my split times (7:59, 7:35, 7:53, 7:12)

I plan on doing a 10 miler on Friday afternoon.  The weather is cooling off in Las Vegas. I am so happy that my days of treadmill 10 milers are over. 

My fingers are crossed that the Lake Mead Recreation area will be open later on this month. Due to the government shut down our National Parks are closed.  I know that there are more important issues to deal with but, I will be so disappointed if the half marathon gets canceled because half of the course and finish line goes through  the Lake Mead Recreation area.  I don't have a back up race planned and Rock n Roll Las Vegas is way too expensive for me to register for.

I Survived a Week of No Running

My week of rest went by much faster than I expected it to. On Thursday and Friday I took two complete days off. My calf was still feeling tender so I wore a compression sleeve on it and tried to keep my activity to a minimal.

On Saturday and Sunday I took advantage of being home and I made chocolate chip pancakes for the family and I took my son to the park instead of running. 

On Monday (Sep 16th) I went to the gym and I lifted weights and did some core work. On Tuesday I did some more core work.

Last Wednesday was my first test run. I was just hoping for no calf pain. I ended up doing a 3 mile progression run....My first mile was in the 8's, my second mile was in the 7's and this was my last mile.

I haven't run a sub 7 minute mile in over three years and I am floored!!

 

On Thursday I took a rest day on Friday I just did weight training. On Saturday I ran 5 miles, on Sunday I was going to run but, it was really windy and I decided to take a rest day again. 

 

This morning I ran 4 miles at tempo pace, I'm going to try to gradually increase my mileage starting this week. We are about 5 weeks out from the half and I was in a panic about losing some of my fitness during this break but, I think I am getting back on track.

 

I haven't posted a weight loss update in a few weeks, I was really worried that I would gain weight by not being able to run. But, it turns out that I wasn't as hungry when I wasn't  running as much.  I think I was also just trying to be more conscious of what and how much I have been eating:

 

Starting Weight: 150lbs

Current Weight:  125lbs

 

I can't believe I am almost where I want to be....

 

 

My new favorite workout / I'm in an utter state of panic!

During the work week I run in the morning after I drop my kids off at daycare. I have about 35 minutes to knock out a run and then I hurry up and get ready as quickly as possible.

My usual workout consists of a 4 mile run at a Tempo pace, I was getting bored of my usual route so, I started running the loop backwards.  This worked for another week or two and then I became bored of that too.

A few weeks ago I discovered a different route to run and I love it!  It's two miles up a hill and then two miles back down then hill.  It's 360 feet of climbing up and then I get to enjoy 360 feet of decent. Most of the climb happens during mile two (201 feet). I really try to hit the uphill hard and then I enjoy the downhill ride. This is what my mile splits look like during the run:

Mile 1 8:56 -I'm just warming up
Mile 2 9:12- Man this hill is a beast
Mile 3 7:31- Enjoy the downhill ride
Mile 4 7:11- Hurry up, you are going to be late for work!!!

This is where the uphill grade begins.

________________________________________________________________________________

I wrote the first part of this post last week. Now I am in a state of panic!!! I have a calf strain on my lower right leg.  It started getting sore last Thursday/Friday.  I took a few vacation days to be at home with my kiddos last week, so I took advantage of my time at home and ran some extra miles.

I ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill on Thursday and then on  Friday I ran another 6 miles on the mill , and I noticed that my calf was feeling weird. I took a rest day on Saturday and on Sunday I ran 8 hilly miles. It was a beautiful rainy morning in Las Vegas. I had to go run in the rain!!

My calf felt sore but, I was able to run on it. On Monday I took another rest day. On Tuesday I ran  5 miles and my calf was still sore (Shocker). Yesterday just for good measure I ran 4 miserable miles on it. My stride just felt off the whole time I was running and I don't know why I forced myself to gut out 4 miles on an injured leg. 

I made the executive decision last night to take a whole week off from running.  I was really feeling sorry for myself yesterday because I need my running! But, I know if I keep screwing around I am going to do serious damage to my calf.  I still plan on running a fast half marathon in October. I know that one week off will not hamper my training. I just have to keep telling myself this....

LVTC Low Key 8k

Last Saturday I ran an 8k that my local track club was hosting at the Sunrise Picnic Area. I am so familiar with the out and back course along the bike trail. I knew this would be a good workout and a way to check out how much I'm improving.

I lined up near the front and my plan was to hold back and then really try to hammer it hard the second half.

I had to reign myself in during the first mile because I was seeing 7:15 pace on my Garmin.  I eased off  and I hit the first mile at 7:35. 

At the  beginning of the second mile a young boy and his father caught up to me, then another man joined our group.  We were all kind of running the same pace so, I ran with this group for the next mile and a half.

When we approached the turn around point I noticed that there was another female ahead of me.   I turned on my ipod when I hit the turn around point and decided to try to catch the lead female.

With a mile to go I was able to catch her and I remember telling myself "okay now we just have to run the fastest mile of the workout. you can do this"  I really felt strong through the whole workout.

Here are my spilt times
Mile 1-7:35
Mile 2-7:33
Mile 3-7:29
Mile 4-7:16
Mile 4.98- 7:00 (7:08 pace)

An 8k is just short of 5 miles.



Not the best picture I've taken but, it's progress :)



I'm really trying to focus on negative splits and holding back during the first half of races.  I have always been a  "kicker" but, I also have a history of going out too fast during a big race and blowing up during the last few miles.  I hope that I have enough discipline to follow my negative split strategy during the upcoming half marathon.

It doesn't get easier, you just get faster- Goodbye 130's

I'm pretty happy right now because things have been going well.  I had a slight cold last week so I bailed on my long run this past Sunday. I only ran 4 miles instead of 8. However, I was able to make up the run a few days later on a Tuesday.  I ran 10 miles. It was hot and muggy but, I felt good.

I did stop my watch twice. Once while, I ran into CVS to buy a bottle of water and the second stop was at a quicky mart to buy another bottle of water.

This morning I ran 4 miles tempo and I was able to lower my 4 mile time down from 31:22 to 31:02.  I also lowered my 5k time down from 23:49 down to 23:29.  It feels good to see the progression of  my times getting lower.  My mile splits were 8:25, 7:35, 7:22, 7:40.

I feel like everything is starting to come together. I have about eight more weeks of training followed by a one week taper.  I am itching to run an actual race to see how fast I could  race a 5k right now. 

This weekend I am running a track club low key race. I'm looking forward to it, but it's an 8k which is a funky distance to race in my opinion.  My goal for this weekend is to hit 7:45 for the first two miles and then drop down into the 7:30-7:20's for the last three miles. 

In weight loss news I smashed through the plateau I was stuck at.

Starting weight: 150
Current weight: 129

I'm happy to finally get below 130! I have about 9 pounds left. I'm hoping to be close to race weight in time for the half marathon.

6 Months Postpartum and I Have Hit a Plateau.

In my last post I described how I felt that I was gaining momentum in my weight loss... Well since then it has slowed down some. I have only lost another pound and at my last weigh in I stayed the same at 132lbs.    It's a little frustrating but, I have decided to roll with the punches and tweak my diet a little bit. 

My daughter has just started to eat solids like baby oatmeal and some pureed veggies and right around this time Weight Watchers suggests that you reduce your daily point allowance because you will not need to breastfeed as much.  It's not a drastic drop in calories I just don't have as much wiggle room in my diet for treats and extra snacks. (FYI I'm not actually signed up with Weight Watchers but, I am using an app that tracks food points and uses the same guidelines.)

For those of you that are curious about what my diet looks like. I will give you a few examples of what I eat during the day.

Breakfast at 5:30am
Protein Smoothie- made with strawberries,  1/2 a banana, protein powder and  1/2 cup of Silk Fruit n Protein
or
2 eggs cooked in cooking spray with 2 pieces of white toast with a little bit of butter

Mid Morning Snack at 9:30
Oatmeal with protein powder and a few almonds
or
Veggie egg scramble made with egg beaters, low cal Swiss cheese, & spinach

2nd Mid Morning Snack at 11am
Chicken Breast
or
Yopalit light Greek yogurt and a banana

I visit my daughter on my lunch break, so I try to eat a little something to tide me over until I can eat lunch.

Lunch 1:30pm
Veggie egg scramble plus a few mini Yukon gold potatoes
or
Huge green salad with chicken breast, low cal Swiss, avocado, and croutons
or
Salmon with potatoes and spinach

Afternoon Snack around 3:30pm
PB Pretzels and an apple
or
yogurt with almonds

Dinner at 6pm
Grilled fish or chicken,a sweet potato with butter, and a green salad

After Dinner Snack 9pm
3 cups of popcorn
or
Cereal with skim & almond milk

I try to eat all through out the day.  I tend to do better if I'm not starving... The breastfeeding really keeps your hunger and thirst going. I am diligent about measuring my food portions and keeping track of everything I eat.  I also cut out alcohol a little over two months ago.  I feel like I'm retaining less water when I don't drink.

In running news I recently lowered my 4 mile time down from 31:31 to 31:22.  I'm happy about this because I was able to do this during a regular tempo training run.  I also lowered my 5k time down from 24:34 down to 23:49. This happened during the same training run.  

Today I am going to run 10 miles on the treadmill after work. I'm not looking forward to it, but we are past the halfway point of the brutal hot summer. Soon I will be able to run outside after work and that makes me happy.  This picture makes me really happy too.

Six months old and look at all that hair!