Weekly long run & GOOD NEWS about my 100 mile goal! - [HM Training Day 120 4/30/11]

12 miles + 1.83 miles
2:14 time
11:12 pace
{317.97 miles hammered out so far in 2011}

I was hoping to stick around the 11 minute pace since that's my planned race pace for June's half marathon.  That didn't work out the way I planned today (like anything ever does! lol).  I've not had a rest day all week, and my legs were feeling it BIG TIME!  Plus, We had a monster hill to run up.  Check it out...

Going up that hill around mile 7 killed my pace, and I was never able to recover.  Hmph!  All in all, it was a pretty nice run for me considering I was so tired & had to deal with a killer hill.  PS...I was more interested in logging the miles than anything else.  Why?  Because....

~*~*~* I RAN 100 MILES THIS MONTH ~*~*~*

After two years of running & trying to meet this goal, I finally did it.  I've come sooooo close several times.  One time, I miscalculated & ended up at only 92 miles, but thought I was at 100.  I was devastated, but I kept trying.  Through injury. Through phases of not being motivated. Through crappy winter months.  Through family struggles.  I kept running & trying.  It feels so awesome!

{the good} Clearly, the goal! Oh, and it was a really pretty morning to run.  PLUS, I didn't have to run alone today!  I took Kent with me, and that was possibly his longest run to date.  He doesn't know since he refuses to track his miles.  (Zen runners disgust me!)

{the ugly} I forgot to use sunscreen today.  The back of my neck & ears are telling me all about it.  Uggg.

WSU campus run all alone [HM Training Day 119 4/29/11]

4 miles
43:44 minutes
10:56 pace
{304.94 miles run so far in 2011}

It was so strange running all by myself!  That All By Myself song from the '70s kept floating through my head.  Probably because I don't run with an ipod.  I have nothing better to do than sing to myself as I run down the road. lol  It was also sort of strange to be left on my own as far as creating a pace goes.  I got lost in my head & did my own thing.  My body felt tired, and ran at a much slower pace than normal.  It felt good.  All in all, it was nice, but lonely.  Spring finally made its way to the Pacific North West!  Check it out....

I love these blooming bushes.  I have no clue what they are, but they're stunning to run by!  Even if they make my allergies go nuts. lol

{the good} It was a beautiful morning!  Perfect for a training run.  It was nice to go my own speed for a change.  Nobody pushed me to go beyond what I felt like.  No guilt for going faster than planned.  :)

{the ugly}  I had no one to chat with.  I'm a talker. I admit it.

Pathetic TM intervals alllllllll day long until I hit 4 miles [HM Training Day 118 4/28/11]

4 miles
??? pace
??? time
treadmill intervals
{300.94 miles so far in 2011!}

Ummmm, yep.  It's as bad as the subject line of this post sounds. lol  I did it, though.  Glad it's over.  I really dislike running on a treadmill.

{the good}  I am 4 miles closer to my goal!

{the ugly}  It took place on my treadmill.  Oh, and I neglected to slap the IT band strap on my leg.  What was I thinking?  Needless to say, my knee was hurting once the day was done.

Running 6.5 miles in Jody's neck of the woods [HM Training Day 117 4/27]

6.5 miles (maybe?)
1:19 time (is this true?)
12:15 pace (perhaps?)
{296.14 miles run so far in 2011!}

OK, so we're not quite sure about the 6.5 mile part.  We're not even certain how long it took us to run this route? There fore, we for sure have no idea what pace we stuck to.  Why?  Because my Garmin battery crapped out on me around mile 4.5. lol  I knew it was low.  It kept yelling at us in its special beepy way.  We kept on running. Ignoring the beeps.  What else are you gonna do?  Each time I looked at it, we were around the 12:15 pace mark.  So I calculated the 1:19 time over on the cool running site.

{the good} Any run with Jo is fun.  That's always a plus for me.  Even though we were particularly in a "don't want to run" mood this morning.  We did it anyway.  Go us! 

{the ugly} My hip was hurting throughout the entire run.  Especially when going up a hill (and there were several).  This afternoon, I've been sitting on my rump typing my life away, and the hip has stiffened significantly.  I've stretched it, iced it, warm packed it, hit it, shamed it, cussed at it.  None of those worked.  I guess I need to rest it.  :)

PS...I'm only 20.36 miles away from hitting 100 miles in April! Though I've come close several times, I've never logged 100 miles (from running) in a month, and am hoping to finally hit my goal by midnight Saturday.  Wish me luck!!!!!

First time for everything at the gym [HM Training Day 116 4/26]

Elliptical
30 minutes
2.5 miles
manual intervals

Stair Climber
30 minutes
1.18 miles
57 flights of stairs
(not bad for my first time!)

Today was the day.  I asked one of the personal trainers to instruct me how to use the stair climber machine.  You know the one, right?  It looks like a torture machine stationary escalator.  My intent was to stay on for 5 minutes.  Just to see if I liked it.  I ended up having a fabulous conversation with the trainer about running, she's a fellow runner, and was at the 30 minute mark before I could blink.  I stayed at level1 for about 1 minute.  20 minutes at level 2.  Cranked it up to level 4 just to see what going a bit faster felt like (scary!).  BUT I DID IT!!!!!  Go me.  :)

{the good} I went to the gym even though I didn't want to.  I like to go there and not make eye contact with anyone.  It makes me happy to live in a town where nobody knows me. 

{the ugly} My right IT band is bugging me today.  It hasn't bothered me in a while now.  I can't help but think the stair machine set it off.  Hmmm....

12.11 sunny warm miles [HM Training Day 113 Saturday 4/23/11]

10.11 miles
1:44:51 time
10:23 pace
{289.64 miles traveled so far in 2011!}

Kent has been missing out on most long runs for several weeks now.  Maybe a month or more.  So We decided to get out and run while the weather cooperated.  I could tell I was not running on rested legs. 

{the good} I did it!  I got in a little over 31 miles this week.  It was a beautiful day, and I'm glad I got out & hammered out another 10 miles (plus I walked 2 miles) for the week.

{the ugly} My legs were tired.  They did NOT want to go, and felt heavy during the entire run.

A mighty wind! - HM Training Day 112 (Thursday 4/21/11)

7.25 miles
1:11 time
9:51 pace
{275.53 miles so far in 2011!}

This is actually two runs combined.  I did on my own 2 miler in the morning & 5.5 with my husband after work.  Everything added together made for the stats above.  I do so much better outside vs. the treadmill.  It was nice and windy.  I mean....really, really windy.  Almost blew my visor off my head windy.  It didn't seem to matter which direction we pointed ourselves, the wind was beating us down. It was kind of nice in a way.  It made for a not so sweaty face. 

{the good} That pace after a 14 mile adventure on Tuesday isn't too shabby for me!  Last year, I nearly always run in the 10s.  Now I'm seeing the 9s more and more.  Hard to believe I started in the 13s.  OK, maybe the 16s is you account for all the walking I used to do.  Not that there's anything wrong with walking.  I do love a good walk break!  :)

{the ugly} My right hip got a SHARP needle stabbing pain at the top of my IT band.  Yikes.  That cannot be a good sign.  It hurts to touch it...even without a lot of pressure.  Hmmmmm.  We're aiming for 9 - 12 miles Saturday morning.  The hip thing should make that run interesting.  :-\

14 mile long run - HM Training Day 109 (Tue 4/19/11)

14 Miles Total Today!!!

The Run
12.00 miles
2:22:02 time
11:50 pace

The Walk
1.60 miles
32 minutes
19:46 pace

{270.28 miles so far in 2011!}

Today was absolutely beautiful in many ways.... 

1. I got to run with one of my favorite running buddies, Jody!
2. It was sunny out!
3. I felt good through the entire run!

We ended up running the same 14 mile route as our last long run.  The goal was to make it a 12 mile run day...which means we get to walk the last 2 miles.  [Side note: I am developing a theory regarding drinking a ginormous Coke immediately following a long run.  So we had to stop at McD's for a $1 soda.  YAY for McD's!]  All in all, this was a pretty fabulous run for me.  If you hit Jody's blog, she might be singing a totally different tune.  She wasn't feeling the love.  If there was a way I could have passed some of my love to her, I would have totally done it.  

Our route for the day (same as last week).

Yes, that hill you see really is THAT bad!

We shaved 12 minutes off our first 12 mile run!

{the good} I only saw one teeny tiny baby snake & I didn't jump or scream like a girl!  I felt strong throughout the entire run.  12 miles feeling strong.  That's a miracle, people!  UPDATE: And per Ashley's request via blog comment, "gettin' lost in my head" has to be added to the good section of this blog post (see below for more details).  ;-D

{the ugly} I can't say that there was anything ugly about this run other than.... my horrible breath (it smelled like a dead rodent - 'nuff said), my constant runny nose (snot was literally running down my face to my chin- eeeeeew!), and the fact that I left Jody while I went off into my own mind (check out the pace difference during miles 9 & 10).  I get lost in my own head sometimes when I run, and today was one of those days.  This happens to me often during long runs.  I find my groove, and somehow lose miles.  Is that normal?  The Garmin beeps at each mile mark, and I don't even hear it.  Keep in mind, I don't run with an ipod. Anyway, after the weekend  I endured (highly emotional due to one of my kids being in the hospital with an unknown illness), I deserved to be in my own head for a while.  I know Jo understands where I'm coming from with that statement.  However, sorry I left you, Jo!  I am thankful I didn't do my "space out" thing while we were on the trail.  It's one thing to do that on a long road where you can look back & see your buddy, but another thing when you're on a creepy, heavily wooded trail.  I didn't even realize what had happened until I looked back.  :-(

Life is getting in the way

I guess it was time to give my body a rest.  The past week I've managed to get in one workout.  One.  ONE.  At first, I felt as though I was making excuses. However, after spending several days in and out of multiple doctor's offices and the hospital with my oldest child, I realized it was just life throwing rocks at me.  That's the way it goes sometimes. 

I'll get back on track this week.  I'll get in a long run of at least 10 - 12 miles.  I'll get around to answering email.  I'll catch up on laundry & housework.  I might even whip up a blog post or two!  Deep breath.  Let it out.  Unclench the teeth.  Unwrinkle the forehead.  Life must go on.

Until then.....

{PS....the kiddo is feeling better.  His appendix is fine & did not explode.  We are thankful for that!}

HM Training Day 104 (Wed 4/13/11)

5.31 miles
54:08 minutes
10:11 pace
{256.28 miles run so far in 2011}

{the good} It was sunny!  We ran with a 9:40 pace through most of the run.  I sloooooowed down toward the end. 

{the ugly} Part of the route we took was on a country road.  The white line was painted on the very edge of the road.  So there was really no room for us without being on the road.  Cars would come FLYING out of nowhere...nearly plowing into us.  It was scary.  We were glad for that mile to finally be over. lol

100 days of intentional movement (done!)

my sticker chart

The 100 Day Challenge is over.  A challenge like this might not sound like a super big deal to some of you.  For me, however, it's a big deal.  100 days in a row of intentional movement.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  I did it.  I might be a sloppy mess now that it's over, but I followed through to the bitter end. 

There was a time in my life when I would have slacked off with such a challenge.  I would have thrown the accountability chart away so the reminder of what I wasn't doing wouldn't haunt me quite as much.  Not this time.

Check it out what I wrote about it over on my other blog when you have time...

http://www.leadingtheweigh.com/2011/04/100-days-in-row-of-intentional-movement.html

HM Training Day 98 (Fri 4/8/11) - 14 miles, baby!

14 miles today!
{251 miles run so far in 2011!}

Running
12 miles
2:25 time
12:05 pace


Walking
2 miles
39 minutes
20:04 pace
*included a stop at McD's for a giant Coke!

***New route alert!***  I mapped out several new options for us.  With more and more long runs ahead of us, I want out options to be plentiful.  It was well worth the time it took figuring out these routes. The map and elevation chart below are only for our 12 mile run.  We did track the other two miles, but I'm not going to bother posting them here.

Just a few miles into our run, we crossed a bridge that I've driven over a billion times (perhaps a slight exaggeration).  I never noticed that it crosses Salmon Creek.  (That's the creek we run beside while on the trail.)  Anyway, it was really pretty to see what that bridge is suspended over.  It's also nice to see it up close instead of whizzing by it like a crazed mom late to pick up the kids at school (not that I'm that mom or anything). 

The weather was simply PERFECT today.  Why can't we have more days like this???  I need more days like this.  There were critters running around everywhere today. Spring has for sure sprung.  Check out the turtles in the middle of the pond.  Oh, and the duck family hanging out in the marsh.  They're difficult to see due to the craptastic nature of the camera in my cell phone, but you get the picture (pun intended!).

The first 7 or so miles flew by!  After that, I zoned out for more to fly by.  We made the mistake of stopping for a potty break around mile 11. We knew home was still several miles away, and I wasn't sure if I could make it that far without peeing myself.  So we stopped.  We stiffened up during that time...which made the last mile most unpleasant.

There's a McDonald's on the way back to my house.  It was about half a mile away from our 12 mile mark.  So we stopped and grabbed a giant fountain Coke for the walk home.  I have to say, it might have been the best Coke ever.  I don't drink a lot of pop, but I sure as hell did today - without regret! lol  We spent the next mile and a half limping our sorry asses back to my house...sipping Coke the entire way. 

{the good} The route we chose was simply beautiful.  WAAAAAY less traffic than our normal long run.  It was also not as hilly.  Don't get me wrong....there's no such thing as a "flat" place to run around here.  However, in the grand scheme of hills and flatness, this wasn't so horrible.  Well, there was one really big nasty hill, but luckily one of the kids called me about halfway up it so I had to stop and walk to take her call.  My baby was calling me! It could have been an emergency.  Don't you judge me for walking that big hill! lol  I have a feeling this will for sure be our new go-to route.  The giant 32 ounce (if not bigger) glass of Coke from McD's was a pretty good thing, too!

{the ugly} Two raw spots on my back (where the hook closures are located) that burned like a mother when I hopped in the shower.  I had no idea they were there until I showered.  OUCH!  Oh, and the giant blister on my big toe.  I haven't blistered in a while.  I could feel it rubbing, but there was nothing I could do for it.  Oh, and I saw another giant snake that I'm pretty sure would have killed me had I not ran past it jumping and screaming like a girl.  :)

HM Training Day 97 (4/7/11) - Interval runs while baking cupcakes!

3.1 miles (5k)
29:51 minutes total
9:51 average pace
{237.03 miles run in 2011!}

Earlier, I came up with a new plan for today's run.  A plan of action.  A plan of great thought (not really).  A plan born out of total desperation!  I decided to get all of my chores done today while wearing my running clothes....so I could run 1 mile on the treadmill each hour.  Here's what I ended up doing....

• Mile 1 - I set the treadmill for 11 minutes thinking it would take me that long since I had running on the thing so much. I was done in 10:14.  My speeds ranged from 5.5 (warm up speed) to 7.5.  That's the fastest I've ever gone on the treadmill!  I kept up the 7.5 for 25 seconds.  Woohoo!  I ran most of this mile between 6 & 6.5.  Probably 6 more than 6.5 if I must be totally honest.  That seems to be where I'm most comfortable without having to put out much effort.
• Mile 2 - Only running this one because I stink, I'm sweaty, and I want to get this harebrained routine over with already.  What the hell was I thinking following through with a plan I came up with while sipping my morning coffee???  Everyone knows I don't think clearly until I'm on pot #2 for the day.  I have a million things to do today.  Ran the entire thing at a speed of 6.0.  It took 10 minutes on the nose.
• Mile 3 - I decided to see how fast I could go without flying off the machine.  8.0!!!!!  Woohoo!  I could only keep that up slightly over 1/10th of a mile, but I did it!  GO ME.  The rest of it was spent between the speeds of 6.0 & 6.5.  I finished in 9:37.

So, how did this "breakin' it up" interval routine go for me?  Mehhhhh.  I still hate the treadmill.  It so boring.  I refuse to spend more time on that damn machine today.  I really love running outdoors. I'm to the point where I don't want to run at all if it can't be done outside.  I'm going to give myself a lot of credit here.  There was a time when I would have done nothing at all on a busy day like today.  I would have skipped the workout & moved on with my life.  At least I got in 3 miles amongst the chaos & cupcakes.

[PS...I've decided to call the Lifetime made for TV movie about my life "Chaos & Cupcakes" simply because the title describes my life in perfect detail.]

Hippie Chick Half Marathon Course Map

Calling all Hippie Chicks!  May 8th, 2011 is the big day.  Wow.  That's only a month away.  Time flies.  The course map has been posted (finally).  Check it out....

HM Training Day 96 (Wed 4/6/11)

Oops....I got in 1 mile yesterday, but neglected to blog about it.  It was on the treadmill with the incline allllllll the way up.  My legs were like jello by the time  I was done. lol 

1 mile
treadmill
12.0 incline

Head games for the treadmill

Fester Addams
(AKA: Uncle Fester)

I had a light bulb moment this morning.  This is spring break week for my cherubs.  On top of that, my youngest has gone and made me feel old by having another birthday.  I know....right?  The nerve of my her to go and do that to me. 

Anyway, I'm struggling getting in as much activity as I normally do because our schedule is...well...nonexistent this week.  While I sat around this morning [making a birthday cake (gluten free of course), sipping coffee, chomping an apple, slurping my Chobani, and feeling sorry for myself that my mileage totals will suck this week due to lack of effort] a light bulb in my brain started to shine.  There's no rule that says every single run has be be 4 - 400 miles in a row.  I mean, running them separately is unconventional, but it would certainly count as interval training if nothing else.  Not to mention, make my weekly total look somewhat closer to my norm.  So I decided to throw on some running clothes, wear them all day long (eeeeewwww!), and hop on the treadmill to run 1 mile at a time.  My goal is to do this at least once an hour until 5pm.  That's when I have to take a shower & get ready for my daughter's birthday party.

I started this routine at 11:20am.  Set the treadmill for 11 minutes thinking it would take me that long since I had running on the thing so much. I was done in 10:14.  My speeds ranged from 5.5 (warm up speed) to 7.5.  That's the fastest I've ever gone on the treadmill!  I kept up the 7.5 for 25 seconds.  Woohoo!  I ran most of this mile between 6 & 6.5.  Probably 6 more than 6.5 if I must be totally honest.  That seems to be where I'm most comfortable without having to put out much effort. 

Now that I know I can do 7.5, my goal is to stay there for 30 seconds during my next mile run during the noon hour.  I'll be sure to post a grand total early this evening.  It will be incredible if I can pull this off because I really really really really really hate running on a treadmill.  However, running on a treadmill in segments seems less mind numbing.  Wish me luck!

HM Training Day 95 (Tuesday 4/5/11)

4.51 miles
48 minutes
10:41 pace
{233.3 miles run so far this year!}

Yet ANOTHER hilly friggin' run around the WSU campus.  I love hills.  I love hills.  I love hills.  [I'm going to chant that phrase over and over in an attempt to change my inner dialogue into something healthier & more positive than what I usually say regarding hill runs.]

Since it's finally light enough while running through campus, I decided to snap a couple of pictures for you.  There's a bridge in the middle of campus that crosses a stream.  Here's what it looks like from each side of the bridge.

Everything still looks pretty.....dead.  There are tons of little buds all over those trees, though.  Which is the reason I eat allergie pills like they're Pez. lol

{the good} It didn't rain!!!!!!  Man, I need more days like this.

{the ugly} Really, there wasn't anything ugly about this one.  I was tired by that last mile, but that's to be expected with the monster hill behind my house involved.  I looked at the Garmin once I reached the top of that hill, and my average pace was 13:00!  I'm shocked I was able to get it knocked down to 10:41 by the end of our run.

HM Training Day 91 - 12 mile long run (Friday 4/1/11)

12.02 miles
2:34 time
12:52 pace
{216.7 miles in 2011}

Ran this one with my sister in law, Jody.  12 miles is far, but we did it.  Those last few miles involved a lot of walking.  We were more interested in getting this workout in, and getting in the miles than anything else.  Oh, and we stopped multiple times to pee.  Thank GOD there's a Target on our way up that first hill! lol They saved the day for us.

This was my longest run since the Portland Half Marathon back in October.  For Jo, this was her longest run EVER!  Go us!  We rock!

{today's route}

{the elevation}

{the good} #1.  We did it.  #2. It's over.  #3.  I burned 1,300 calories which means I get to eat some pizza  & beer (gluten free of course) tonight!

{the ugly} Other than the fact that this was a really, really long run, I saw two snakes.  One baby.  One BIG grandpa!  It was very traumatic for me.  I must have fallen into a snake pit in my former life or something. I really hate them.  lol