Training Updates, Shoe Talk, and some of the Food I Cooked over the Weekend.

Well I didn't get a chance to update this here blog last week. I recently joined a Strava running group, so at least I have been posting my workouts there. There hasn't been anything too exciting to report.... I did get a new pair of shoes... More on that later


The heat has also returned, there will be no running outdoors at lunchtime until it subsides *sob*

Training updates

Wednesday 7/15-Two a days.  Ran 3.5 mile on the street at recovery effort. At lunchtime I ran another 3.6 miles on the treadmill. I also did some strength training but, I can't remember which exercises I did.

Thursday 7/16- Rest

Friday 7/17- 5.9 miles. I had the day off from work, but I didn't head out until almost 8:30 in the morning, the sun was already blazing hot, and the pace just felt harder than usual.

Saturday 7/16- Rest

Sunday 7/17-  9.0 miles with a tempo finish. This run felt great! Here's the data.

Monday 7/18- Two a days- Whitney Mesa Recreation Area in the AM. 3.5 miles of delicious solitude. I love the  topography of this trail.

At lunchtime I headed out for a short run.  I ran 3.5 miles, the weather was just cool enough for a short run.

My brand new Nikes arrived in the mail that night.

Tuesday 7/19- 2.4 miles with some strides at the end. My new Nikes are a bit more firm than my Brooks Ravennas or the Adrenalines.  At first I didn't like this at all.  But, I can tell that this shoe is correcting some of my heel striking/arch collapsing.  I started to have Plantar Fasciitis pains in my feet mostly in my right heel.  I started having these problems, after I started wearing the ASICS Gel Keyano.

I think this shoe provided plenty of cushion, but, I don't think it did a very good job of supporting/correcting my heel striking.  I also feel like the heel to toe drop was too severe. I usually like a 10mm-12mm drop for my shoes. But, I think the  Keyanos may have an even larger drop of about 14mm.  It's almost like wearing a low heeled shoe.

Wednesday 7/20- Two a days. 2.4 miles in the AM. This run almost didn't happen. I was really pressed for time, my new shoes felt really stiff and firm. I headed into Cornerstone park, and I ran into a fellow LVTC runner. I ended up doing the last two intervals of her hill workout with her.

Not from last Tuesday, but this was the hill we were running up.

It was so cool to have run into her. At lunchtime I did some circuit training and then I ran another 2.6 miles in just about 20 minutes.

Thursday 7/21-4 mile tempo progression run. I knew that I wasn't going to be running at lunchtime, so I wanted to push the pace this morning. I ran the first mile sort of easy and the I tried to run each mile faster. Here's the data.

Mile 1-8:33
Mile 2-7:47
Mile 3-7:18
Mile 4-7:09

Friday 7/22-4.5 miles. I ran around Cornerstone park, but then I headed up the long hill up to Horizon Ridge Parkway.

Saturday 7/23 -Rest, but I did do some upper body, and core exercises on my torture rack.

I don't use you nearly as often as I should.

Sunday 7/24  8.8 miles around the neighborhood.  I chose a route that was mostly flat, and I ended up running on an unfamiliar bike path.  I tired to beat feet through this isolated stretch. Here's the data.

I liked how even my splits were.

Interesting things I ate this week

I'm still trying to find new Vegan meals to cook for dinner.   Last night I craved comfort food.  and I made a Caulifour potato mash, with a portabello mushroom and onion gravy. This meal was super tast, and  I'm surprised at how well I was able to mimic the buttery flavor of mashed potatoes using Nutrtional Yeast.

Recovery Smoothie (Vegan, Dairy Free)-After I ran on Sunday, I made a huge smoothie to share with my family.   This had greens, blueberries, banana, pineapple, coconut milk, chia seeds, hemp hearts, hemp oil,  

Beet Juice (Husband juiced this), This picture doesn't do it justice.  This also had carrots, apples, and celery in it.  I also added Chia seeds for extra nutrition.

Eggplant and Zucchini Hummus.  I'm a terrible blogger and I didn't snap a picture of this.  We made this with homemade pita bread, and it was delicious.  The vegetables give the hummus a lighter texture.

Well that's all I've got for now folks.  Welcome new readers.  And as always thank you for reading.

Training Updates-RIP Nathan Fanny Pack

RIP old friend (2008-2015)

So my trusty waist pack (fanny pack) bit the dust over the weekend.  I purchased a new one, but I wouldn't feel right without giving acknowledgement to my old friend.  You were with me since 2008, you helped me endure many summers, keeping my dollars from flying away in the wind, keeping my phone secure, sometimes holding my snacks, but always being there for me.

My only complaint about this waist pack, was that it would sometimes slip down while I would run, it was easy to adjust, so it never really bothered me.  I hated racing with my fanny pack, because I felt like the extra weight would hold me back. lol.

I went to Marshall's over the weekend to pick up some new sandals for my kids, and I noticed that they had fitness equipment.  I found a new replacement for my waist pack. It only cost $8.00 too.

smaller and sleeker

So far I have been on one long run with my new pack, and I like it.  There is no bounce, and I didn't have to constantly keep adjusting it during my run. The downsides; There is no inner pocket to stash dollar bills.  So I have to be careful if I shove money in there behind my phone.  Also the pocket is a little smaller, so I had to figure out how to stick my phone back in the pocket without having to come to a complete stop while running.

Training Updates

Thursday 7/9-  Two a days.  I ran 3.3 miles around Cornerstone Park. I stayed on the outer dirt loops, and I ran these miles at recovery pace. 31:35 for 3.3 miles.  At lunch time, I drove out to a trail head and ran 4 miles.

I drove out to the trail head and then I got confused as to which trail was the McCullough Hills trail.  I ended up staying on the Amargosa Trail, which I am familiar with and just ran a looped course.  It was a really neat dirt trail run, with some technical single track for good measure.

 During the last mile of my run, I figured out which trail was which, for the next time I head out.
Here's the data

Friday 7/10-  I ended up running six miles before work, and it was wonderful.  I never have time to run longer than 3-4 miles during the week.  So this felt like a splurge.  My legs were a little sore from the previous day's trail run.


Saturday 7/11- Rest,  I did some ab work; some planks and some sit ups on an incline board.
I do quite a bit of cooking on the weekends.  I have gotten pretty good at making different variates of hummus.  It's quite filling and a great way to supplement a vegetarian diet.   I made a zucchini and red pepper hummus.

Before

After

Sunday 7/12 9 miles,  This was a nice run, It seems like I haven't been out for a long weekend run, in ages.  The temperatures were in the mid 70's.  I know that doesn't sound pleasant, but it was quite the relief from the 90 degrees at 7am, that we had been seeing.

I also stopped to take a picture of the sun peaking between Sunrise and Frenchman Mountains.

Don't I take fabulous pictures?  I'm in love with the mountains
that surround Clark County.  My crap photos sometimes
don't do them justice.

Monday 7/13 Two a days-I ran 3.5 miles before work, at lunch time, I ran 3.6 miles on the treadmill. 

 I also did the following weight training exercises: flat bench bench press with bar, one arm rows, step ups on to a bench with a knee lift, sit-ups, around the worlds (chest exercise), back flys, step ups on to a bench with a back leg lift, & a few close grip pull ups.

Tuesday 7/14-  I  ran 4 miles this morning with a few strides at the end.  4 miles at an 8:30 average pace.  The route I ran this morning used to be my go to route.   The roads have just become so much more congested. More homes, and businesses have been added to the area in the last two years, and the traffic is so much busier, that I just don't do this loop very often anymore. It  sucks.  This route used to be good for tempo paced miles, but I have to be really wary of cars making left turns, or cars flying out of residential areas in a hurry making blind right hand turns....

  I'm not sure if I'm headed to the gym at lunch time today.  I have a few errands that I need to take care of.

Thank you for reading.

The Heat Wave is Over, Well Sort of

We recently tied the record for the longest stretch of days for temperatures reaching 105 degrees and above. We tied the record for 21 consecutive days. (June 13-July 3).  I was kind of hoping that we would break the record, so I could always remember this summer

This is pretty close to how it felt the last two weeks of June

On July 4th monsoon season began to make an appearance.

The monsoon season arrives usually the first week of  July in the Las Vegas Valley,  Monsoon season isn't a single event, it lasts a few weeks to two months and this is where two weather systems meet (The Jet Stream & warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico).  The cold air and hot air meet  and sometimes this can lead to dramatic thunderstorms, humidity, and flooding.  The plus side is that it will bring our temperatures down a few degrees.

When the heat wave arrived on June 13th. I had stopped running outside at lunchtime.  If the daytime high is expected to be 110, then at noon the temps are already above 100 degrees.  If the daytime high is only expected to be 102, then at noon the temps are closer to 90-95 degrees, and with cloud coverage it is doable.  I don't run anything longer than 5 miles.  I also  always carry my hand held bottle with me, and I try to err on the side of caution.

You are the wind beneath
my wings in the summer.

Training Updates

Friday-7/3-Rest, I had the day off from work, my husband didn't.  I took the kids out for some fun.  We went to the Splash Pads and then to Chuck E Cheese.  FWIW we don't eat the pizza, we just enjoy the games and rides.

Saturday 7/4 6 miles.  I had wanted to run early, but we needed to grocery shop, and we wanted to knock that out before the day got really warm.  I lucked out because we had some cloud coverage move in, and it dropped the temps down a few degrees.  I ended up leaving at noon.  The temps were in the high 90's but I kept cool, by pouring water on my head and neck throughout the run.  I also took a cold shower as soon as I got home to lower my body temperature.

Sunday 7/5  3.25 miles on the treadmill. I wasn't sure if I was going to get to run today.  We had stayed up late on the 4th, so I didn't get to leave the house early.  I ended up running 3.25 miles on the treadmill.  I have a treadmill out on my back patio. It's the best of both worlds.  I get to run outdoors in the elements, but at least there is shade.  I ran these at recovery pace.

View from the treadmilll

That night I also made homemade pizza

Half Vegitarian Half Vegan

This is what vegan pizza looks like

My husband has gone almost completely vegan.  He still eats Greek yogurt sometimes.  But, he has given up cheese.  I made Spinach Artichoke dip with white beans, and you don't really miss the cheese.  I don't think I can go vegan quite yet.  I like eggs (and cheese) way too much.


Monday 7/6- Two a days 7 miles total.  Before work I ran 3.7 miles along the Pittman Wash,  At the very end of my run I did 4 sets of strides.  The strides were about 25-50 meters long, so they weren't very long strides.  At lunchtime I ran 3.3 miles around my work place on the busy streets.  I had been on the treadmill for three weeks straight, I was itching to go outside at lunchtime.  After my run, I only had time for a little bit of strength training.  I did the following exercises: Flat bench bench press, reverse ab crunches, triceps dips , single leg Bulgarian split squats (body weight only) I mostly did the squats to stretch out my legs.

 I noticed that my right heel was feeling a little sore when I ran early in the morning.  It goes away after a half mile, but it's sometimes really sore first thing in the morning.  I hope this doesn't get worse.

That night we had a huge thunderstorm dump down a half inch of rain (not a lot) but that rain fell in a really short period of time, and there were several water rescues across the valley.

Tuesday 7/7-  Two a days- I ran 3.1 miles before work on the roads. At lunch time I did some circuit training.

For the 1st Circuit I did the following exercises:

Sit ups on an incline board

Hamstring dead lifts with dumbbells

Bicep Curls

Decline Bench Press with dumbbells

For my 2nd Circuit I did the following exercises:

Chin ups x 2, followed by Lat pull downs w/ 80% of my body weight

Side Step downs off of a flat bench bench

Push Ups

Box Jumps onto a flat bench

For my 3rd Circuit I did the following exercises:

Back extensions

Roman chair leg lifts

Push ups

Mountain climbers

I was going to run another 1.9 garbage miles to round out my daily total to 5 miles, but I decided to stretch instead.  

Wednesday 7/8- Rest-  My right heel was feeling tender last night.  I think a complete day off, is what I needed.

Back at it tomorrow.

Thank you for reading!!

Training Updates-Running in the heat sucks

We just wrapped up the hottest month of June on record out here in the Las Vegas Valley.  I'm trying not to be a Debbie Downer about this heat, but it's hard not to be.

I was supposed to race 1600 meters next Tuesday evening.  But, they moved the location of the race and it's just too far away for me to get to after work.  My next race will be the Legends of Cross Country 5k next month, then a few weeks later marathon training begins..

Latest Workouts

Saturday 6/27- Rest

Sunday 6/28 3.5 miles-Womp Womp-  I had planned on running for an hour, but on Saturday evening one of our AC units decided to die on us.  My husband was able to repair the unit early Sunday morning (He's does HVAC for a living).  But, I didn't get to leave the house for a run, until 9:00 am.  I thought I would run 5 miles, but that sun is no joke.  I would have skipped this run, but my PMS was giving me a rage stroke, and I just felt extra snippy with my kids and husband.  A short run was just what I needed.

Monday 6/29 3.35 miles-  I decided to run on the roads today, and that was kind of a mistake.  I ran outside the parameter of Cornerstone park,  I ended up running through a construction zone, and then because I didn't want to wait for a red light, I ran balls to the wall race pace through a crosswalk to beat a red light.  I felt like I tweaked something in my groin.  I was sore that day,  but it did give me a little scare, and it reminded me why I'm trying to stay off of the roads and in the parks more.


Tuesday 6/30 Two a days AM Circuit Training
I did the following exercises for about 10-12 reps a piece.  I would move quickly from one exercise to the next to keep my heart rate up.  I did a total of three circuits.  I tend to lift heavier with my upper body, and I don't like to add much weight to my lower body exercises.  The EZ curl bar weighs approx 25lbs.

Bicep Curls w/ EZ-curl bar
Upright row w/ EZ Curl bar
Overhead presses w/ EZ curl bar
Hamstring dead lifts w/ EZ curl bar
Good Mornings w/ EZ curl bar
Squats w/EZ curl bar
Single leg lunges w/EZ curl bar

At lunchtime I ran 7 boring miles on the treadmill at lunchtime.

Wednesday 7/1 - I ran a little over 3.5 miles around my work area. The roads were less crowded,

Thursday 7/2  Two a Days 5.2 miles total AM I drove over to the Whitney Mesa Recreation Area, and I did a short run.  It rained the night before and the temps were slightly cooler.  It was nice and quiet on the trail.

At lunchtime I did some more circuit training.  I did three circuits.  The first circuit was a carbon copy of Tuesdays' circuit:

Bicep Curls w/ EZ-curl bar
Upright row w/ EZ Curl bar
Overhead presses w/ EZ curl bar
Hamstring dead lifts w/ EZ curl bar
Good Mornings w/ EZ curl bar
Squats w/EZ curl bar
Single leg lunges w/EZ curl bar

For the 2nd circuit I did the following exercises
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
Back Rows with dumbbells
Single leg step downs from a weight bench

For my 3rd circuit I did the following exercises
Plank-Shoulder Taps-From a straight arm plank position tap alternating shoulders with your palm.
Return to Plank position.
Mountain Climbers
Triceps Bench Dips

Then I ran 2.2 more miles on the treadmill on an incline.  I felt like I was playing treadmill games.  Mostly just kicking up the incline from time to time.  I started out running at 6.4 pace at a 1% incline then I sped up the treadmill to 6.6 2% incline, 3% incline, at the end I was running on a 5% incline.

Tomorrow will be a rest day.  I'm looking forward to the long weekend.  Happy 4th of July
 and thanks for reading.

Circuit Training Rocks

I know it is not really helpful, when I write out training log entries such as this,
Tuesday -Lifted weights at lunch time.

I will try to be more descriptive when I do strength training.  I always like switching up exercises, and finding new body weight exercises to try.

Latest Workouts (since my post earlier this week)

Tuesday 6/23 -I ended up running another 1.3 miles at lunch time to make it an even 5 miles total for the day.  I also stretched, and did some sit ups, Bulgarian split squats, lat pull downs, bench dips, and single leg squats standing on a flat bench.

Wednesday 6/24-  I had a meeting at lunchtime, and I decided to take a rest day

Thursday 6/25  worked out doing circuit training, I really enjoy circuit training because I feel like you get the most bang for your buck, and I enjoy keeping my heart rate up, I did 4 circuits with 3-4 exercises apiece

For my First Circuit I did the following exercises:
Flat bench press with dumbbells
Shoulder presses with dumbbells
Back flys
Step ups onto a bench with a back leg raise

For my 2nd circuit I did the following exercises:
Incline push ups on a bench
Regular push ups on the ground
Decline push ups with my feet up  on a bench
Box jumps onto a bench


For my 3rd circuit I did the following exercises:
Dead hang pull up x 2
Roman chair leg lifts
Roman chair alternating knee ups
Back extensions

For my 4th circuit I did the following exercises:
Seated row
Rope curls
Shoulder raises with the rope

And then I stretched and did a few handstands up against the wall.

Friday 6/26- I ran a little over three miles around Cornerstone Park.  I chose the park, because there is a small man made body of water, and along the water's edge, it is slightly a few degrees cooler.  It was weird, I would be running and then I would run through a cool patch of air, then about 100 meters later I would be swallowed up by much hotter muggy air.  Ewww.   The scenery and the dirt
crunching beneath my feet made up for it.

I'm hoping to head out this weekend.  But this heat is scary.

As always thank you for reading.

Thoughts on the Hoover Dam Marathon, Dietary Changes, and some Workouts.

It has been nice to take things easier, and just enjoy running for what it is.  That is until I start perusing my training logs, blog posts, and Garmin data  from a year ago.  Then I start to feel bad for not running as much as I used to... or running as fast as I used to.   Patience is not my virtue.  but, I really want to exercise my patience, going into this next training cycle and hopefully build myself up to be stronger than I was last year (distance wise) .  I have also made a few adjustments to my diet but,more on that later.

Thoughts on the Hoover Dam Marathon

I still haven't registered for that fall marathon just yet.  But, I'm 90% sure that The Hoover Dam Marathon is going to be the one I register for.

I have started to study the elevation profile of the course, and I'm beginning to day dream about the race itself.  Once the weather begins to cool down, I'm going to do some of my longer runs through the train tunnels to get my legs used to running the trail. This marathon has about 14 miles of dirt trail.    The elevation profile looks pretty intimidating but, because of the tunnels the elevation on this chart isn't accurate.  It appears that there is 4600 feet of climbing, and that sounds awful.

There are about 24 false hills on this elevation profile.

However, when you go through the tunnels the GPS signal gets blocked by the tunnels itself, and it creates a false hill in the elevation profile.  Those 5 hills going through the tunnels are non-existent. So in reality this course only has  about 2200 feet of elevation gain.  This race won't be a walk in the park, but it's not nearly as brutal as the elevation map appears to be.


For training I'm going to try to follow a 16 week training program, I haven't decided which program I'm going to use yet, but I have narrowed down the start date of my training cycle.  I will start officially training for this marathon starting Monday, August 24th.  That gives me two more months to take it easy and base build.  I have one more 5k on the calendar before then, but I don't think I will be doing any hardcore interval training to prepare for that 5k.  My mindset is, "please stay healthy legs, I promise to strength train instead."

Dietary Changes

I dont' talk about food, my diet, or nutrition much on this blog.  I think there are much more valuable resources online to discuss how to eat properly.  I also take shitty food photos, and do you guys really care about my daily oatmeal?   I do feel however it is necessary to bring up  this topic.

For Mother's day, my husband and I purchased a juicer, and since then we have been juicing daily.

Green Drink with Chia Seeds
(Kale, Spinach, Carrots, Celery, and Apples)

I'm not really drinking juice as a meal replacement, but more like a supplement to my existing diet.  However, this has caused me to think differently about the food that I eat and the chemicals that I sometimes put into my body.  My goal has been to eat less processed foods, and less animal products.
I'm not vegan, but I am pretty close to being locto ovo vegetarian.  I haven't had any meat in the last couple of weeks, and I don't really miss it.

My husband also tried to go gluten free, but we both like bread way too much, and our bodies don't seem to reject gluten, or feel any ill effects from it.  No need to go too crazy with the restriction.

I'm also trying to cut back on my beloved diet soda.  I am a self proclaimed diet coke whore.  I love this awful stuff.   I have about one soda a day now.  But, that's much better than my usual 2-3 cans a day.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm hoping to drop a pound or two, by switching up my diet.  But, I don't really have a whole lot of weight to lose.   My weight has always stayed in the low to mid 120's and  I don't see myself dropping 10lbs before the end of the year.  I just hope this translates into recovering faster from my runs, and using better foods for fueling the muscles during training.

Okay enough weight talk... Let's talk running.

Last Week's Training Updates

Monday 6/15- Two a days -I was pressed for time in the morning, I didn't have time to run,  but, I did  a few exercises for upper body and core.  I did the following exercises in a circuit:

• Sit ups on an incline board
• Chin ups- I can do two chin-ups, but then I hop down and switch to lat pull downs with 80% of my body weight
• Side Step-down Lunges on a bench
• Rope Curls

I did a total of four circuits

At lunch time, I ran five miles on the treadmill,  I did this as a progression run, where each mile gets faster than the last.  I started out running 6.4 (9:23 pace), and by then end I was running 7.7 pace (7:49 per mile) I also set the treadmill to a 1% incline.

Tuesday  6/16 Two a days-  I ran two miles in the dirt at Cornerstone Park.  There are quite a few ducks in this park, and other than the duck poop, I have to dodge sometimes, I don't mind the ducks.  I leave them alone, they leave me alone. This morning I was running along a path, and I noticed a lone duck, and she started hissing at me...  I stopped running, and she made a clearance for her babies.  I had to take a picture.

Mama duck and her babies.  

At lunchtime I lifted weights, and I can't remember which exercises. I did.

Wednesday 6/17 -Rest- I took the day off from work. My kids had various dr's appointments for check ups.   We then went to Chuck e Cheese as a treat.  I hate this place with a passion, but my kids enjoy it.

It was too hot to go play outside.

Thursday 6/18 Two a days- I ran three miles before work, I ran these in the business park area. It was flat roads, with little to no traffic.  It was quiet and nice.  Except for the fact that it was 90 degrees at 7:30 in the morning!  

At  lunchtime, I did some core work, lower body, and a few upper body exercises.

Friday 6/19  I ran five boring miles on the treadmill and then I stretched.

Saturday 6/20-Rest

Sunday 6/21 Rest- It was too damn hot to go outside.

Monday 6/22-  Two a days 8.25 miles.  I ran 2.25 miles before work, and at lunchtime I ran six more miles on the treadmill.  I felt bad for being lazy over the weekend.

Tuesday 6/23- I ran a little over 3.5 miles this morning. I stayed away from traffic, and I ran along the Pittman Wash Trail.  At least the weather wasn't as bad.

I will probably head to the weight room, at lunchtime.  

That's all I've got for now.  Thank you for reading.