Weekend: Race Re-cap

Saturday

90% - Better than Hearts & Sole 28:34 (9:13 PACE) - CHECK

75% - Lead with a 27 digit (9:02 PACE) - CHECK

50% - PR - 27:46 (8:57 PACE) - CHECK

10% - 2015 Peachtree qualifying time for Wave D -  27:28 (8:52 PACE) - Next time! :)

Distance: 3.11

AvgPace: 8:54

PLUS ... A.G.E. G.R.O.U.P! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

"I hope there are days where you fall in love with being alive!" This is for sure one of those days!!! 

I couldn't decide on one note to self, so I went with all of them!  Desi, Shalane and Cragg were the top female finishers at the Olympic trials.  I pretend MM, KK, and I are them (Kyle has to be a girl .. snicker).  Emi & Ash (my daughters, and of course, my life.  A t-rex for coach Jerry, Bianca's #sostrong hashtag, a cone (because inside joke: we have a lot of selfie fun with our cones! ) I <3 Brandi: the original mantra, a pig nose for the upcoming Flying Pig 1/2, a duck for new mantra, and WWAD (What Would Angelina Do) with a baby potato hidden under the thumb.  It was for sure helpful to see this here and there. I love my tribe!

I ran my hear out, and paced very true to plan: 8:51, 9:05, 8:49, and 7:50 for the .11.  PR time of 27:39! (gun)  I'm BaaaaaAAAaaaack! :) One full minute off of stinky Hearts & Soles run.

It was odd to run such a small race; I think I recognized three people!  I'd better get out more in my own neighborhood!  Total participants for the race were ~500.  After the run, I had to make myself a few friends, because I am not used to running a run and finishing without fan fair! In fact, if there are no Mimosas, its a little odd.  So me and another potential age group recipient hung about and bonded over Peachtree corrals and upcoming races.  The field had gotten faster than last year, she told me.  But with a 27:37 (chip? small race noise .. whatever.  their piece of paper said 27:37 gun, online said 27:39 gun, watch said 27:34), I was very hopeful.  AND BOOM!  Hardware, and a picture with the mayor. :)  I'm so happy I scheduled the rematch! 

Ooof video of finish line at ~10 min, 30 sec mark in video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO6BdxHGou0&feature=youtu.be

Some other photos I want to keep track of:

http://www.photoshow.com/touch/Ej2nG3wY?language=enu?source=em_ps_show_recipient

Sunday

Distance: 3.6

Pace: all in all, about 14, including .5 WU & CD walks

Score!  I talked french fry #2 into coming to Women's 5K training.  Woop!  And she shot it out of the park!  That's my girl. :) I took out a group at 2-1 intervals, and she hung with us until after the first 1.5 and 4 hill repeats.  The repeats, she took too fast, and combined with the heat, she was done(ish) after that.  I think she said she went to the bathroom and then tried for a little more, and ultimately came back and waited for us to finish.  I think I have talked her into coming again one or two more times before Spring Break in early April!  Why its a runners goal to recruit more runners is beyond me, but it is for sure a thing!  And having my baby girl running would be the BESTEST. :) 

... how talking someone into running actually goes ... 

Unfortunately, it is baby girl's schedule for later this year that is beginning to worry me.  She is going to start back up with cheer.  She has always done competitive (All Star) cheer leading.  This past year was the first year she took time off from that; as a high school freshman, she wanted to try the school team.  That is a shorter commitment; just through end of football season.  When Allstar picks up the pace in the Fall, lordy, will I be a busy lady.  But .. there is no option B.  I love my little cheer bug.  The cheer moms were the original tribe.  My entire life used to be Book Club and Cheer Momming.  (As I call it, I am a cheer-mom-lebrity).  And if I think back, the VERY FIRST THING that I can honestly say made me take the weight loss plunge was wanting to be a better cheer mom. Lol.  Those day long competitions used to wear.me.out!  Walking ALL DAY LONG.  Rushing from one end of World Congress Center, and back, running all over the Sports complex and Disney World's parks.  On a daily basis I used to think: shoot, I need to train like she does just to spectate for this sport.  Well, I am certainly there now.  And you bet your bottom dollar I will do everything in my power short of cloning myself to continue with being both the best trainee and the best cheer mom I possibly can be.  

The first sport I fell in love with (from the sidelines)

Bonus .. Monday

103 February miles.  Woo.  204 2016 miles! 

I felt like a rock star tonight.  I love running with Michele.  Its hard to start with her.  She literally has no warm up.  But once she passes me, I can 'mental lasso' myself to her, and she doesn't usually completely leave me in the dust.  There's something not quite right about that .. you would think we could either stay together, or that she would continue to run at a pace faster than mine, and eventually I would lose her.  But I think that because after I fall back, she ends up with no one to push with her, her pace falls back a bit too.  Or by then, I warm up.  So any way, good for me, not so great for her maybe.  Unfortunately, the people I think she needs to run with meet VERY early in the AM, and I've come to find that MM is more of the night owl. :) She also will wait for me on the turn around, and then my return goal is always to stay with in sight of her butt. hehe.  The McFarland route is super nice, too.  Today it was a bit warm, but it cools off as you're coming back.  Right now, we don't need head lamps, and of course, its very flat.

Up Next:

Gulp!  The weekend will be a doozie!  13.1 mile course run for the Publix 1/2 marathon.  Eeeeeeeep, its getting close!  THEN, as if that wasn't enough fun, we all signed up for the Shamrock and Roll 10k on Sunday morning.  PLUS 3.5 miles with the Women's trainees on Sunday afternoon.  For those of you mathematically inclined, note that that's approaching marathon mileage.  In two days, but still .. marathon mileage!  Eeeeeeeeep!  

Because of that, I am trying hard to keep myself from setting any goal for the Shamrock.  We are going to dress as Hulks, and have fun!  And the course will be hilly.  But ... I'd rather sandbag the 13.1 course run, so that I can at least run sub-60, than kill myself on Saturday, and disappoint myself Sunday.  So here are "light" "water-down" goals, where 50% will really be 75%, and 5% goal is really more like ... lmfao ..... :

90% - have a blast

50% - sub-60

25% - sub-59

10% - sub-58

5 % - sub-57  

Week In Review: Pre-Race Ponderings

Monday

Distance: .5 WU, 3.1, .5 cool down walk

Pace: 9:04 (for the work .. I reset after the WU, and hadn't done the cool down yet when I took the picture. no watch.)

About this run:

I ditched Kyle this afternoon because I am a wimp about running in the rain, and right at about 5pm, it was really coming down.  Whether the excuse of wanting no blisters on race day is legit or not, I can't be sure.  

Because running on the treadmill is boring, I didn't do the cool down to 5-6.  I just did .5 WU, and 3.1 trial run, plus a CD walk after.  I played with the incline: either 1.0, or 0.5 for all except the last 0.1 meters at flat, which in the race will be a good bit of down-hill.  This wasn't exactly so that I could mimic the course, but I didn't want to totally discount the work out in my head for being on a treadmill, and knew that would happen if I didn't at least have a little incline challenge.

This trial run is a nice boost for my ego; it was later in the evening, not a race, not with anyone, on a boring treadmill, no music .. and still faster than at Hearts & Soles.  So I CAN do better.  It still does not 100% lock it up (like say if I had run a 26:07, lol), but it helps me believe that something with a 27 lead digit is very much within the realm of possible again.  So my goals for MJFC5K:

10% - 2015 Peachtree qualifying time for Wave D -  27:28 (8:52 PACE)

50% - PR - 27:46 (8:57 PACE)

75% - Lead with a 27 digit (9:02 PACE)

90% - Better than Hearts & Sole 28:34 (9:13 PACE)

The trickiest question by far for me then is: do I let my body pace the first mile, and bank time, hoping that its not actually banking time, but a happy surprise new pace at which I can run the whole race ..  or force myself to run no more than 8:52 pace for mile 1, and hope I can convince myself to just tear it up with all I've got left in the last mile, after I am tired (?).  The first approach is how most of my other 5K PRs were hit.  I didn't even watch my pace; I ran hard the 1st mile (and I'm not talking like 8:45 .. I'm talking like 8:20s), wall-ed & nursed the second mile (9:30s), then kicked the last mile (whatever math gets me back to 8:58 avg pace).  Not doing that scares me, but it's also nice to imagine a scenario where a 'steady wins the race' approach could make a PR not feel as rough, and I never have to worry about tanking from having gone out too fast.  I suppose the decision will come on race day, and not before.  Its a very small race, and starts down hill.  The gradual incline return makes up most of mile two, and mile 3 is a slight downhill again, except right at the finish, where it flattens, and maybe inclines a tiny bit again.  So the course itself will almost prod me to hit it hard at the start, easy at the middle, and with all I have left at the end.  Decisions, decisions.

Tuesday

Wednesday

Commence selling of souls to devils.  Pre-race rituals span the gamete, but my go-to for "Important Races" is 'to die for.' Alas the dirty work has been done, and I survived to live another day.  Hurrah!

.. begin TMI for the ladies only and/or for the fellows who don't mind funny lady TMI ...

LAWD!  Dear, dear lawd!  Why do I do this to myself???  What possible reason would anyone ever have to WILLINGLY allow (and pay for) the torture and mutilation of ones most intimate of lady parts?

I can't claim ignorance.  I have danced this dance before.  Unfortunately, it is a vague recollection that is quickly muddled in the mind, as is the case with most instances of serious shock.  And I'd put it off for too long ...  Cuba vs. Brazil in the death match of a century, live on pay per view.  DING, DING, DING!

How, pray tell, will this help me?

I spend 45 plus minutes willing myself not to Hadouken kick the sweet lady with a thick accent in the gut, mashing her up against the inspirational quote wall.  At first, I kept myself from doing real damage only barely, but because she is always so very sweet and pleasant when you first walk in.  It would just be in bad form to knock out the person who lovingly covered you in talcum powered, like no one has done since the blessed mother who birthed you.  Ten minutes in, that excuse no longer applies.  Now I will myself not to kick her out of sheer fear.  If this is what she does for a living, I start to imagine that on impact of knee to gut, she'd laugh heartily, grow to a height encompassing the entire building, and breath fire on the whole of our universe.  I keep still when she tells me to, fight back the tears obediently, and try hard to believe her when she says: okay one more and almost done.  

... again, and again.

Ha!  I was playing with writing myself a little message somewhere near my Tom Tom watch for the race, and played with where I would put it this AM.  When I saw it on my hand mid-appointment, hilarious!  Possibly not how Coach Bianca envisioned us using this hashtag! ;)

The most bitter sweet words you'll ever know:  okay, now turn over and spread your cheeks!  LAWD!

... And I have now done all I can ...

In more standard news, since I skipped Tuesday (5-6 miles), I owed SOMETHING tonight.  Enter bargaining.  Treadmill, not rain.  One mile WU.  1 mile PR.  One.one mile walk.  OR, no mile PR = 2 more miles at 10:30ish easy(er) pace.  Result: hit! :)  (nothing makes for motivation like the possibility of shortening a workout!) New unofficial one mile PR: 8:12.  Woop.

Plus .. Coach Bianca's torture-fest (aka Mizuno Wednezday strength training) was virtual today.  Normally, when she is in town, they are too far for me to attend.  But when she is out, she posts them to the training FB site, and I am tempted to try.  Today's madness:

Dynamic Stretching, then warm up:  Lunge walks, Side Shuffle walks, line jumps forward, line jumps side to side, high knees and butt kicks (x2).

I was already dead by here!  Then slow glute activation -- clam shells, fire hydrants, wall hikes (x2).

Finally, before the work out, without knowing why, she had us pick a TWO word reason for why you love to run.  My answer: butt wellness.  I really meant butt envy.  As in, I want Bianca's butt.  I should have gone with that.  Butt wellness translated to:

B - 15 push ups
U - 1 Min Plank
T - 30 Tow Touches
T - 30 Tow Touches
W - 10 Push Ups
E - 40 Mtn Climbers
L - 2 Min Wall Sits
L - 2 Min Wall Sits
N - 10 Jump Squats
E - 40 Mtn Climbers
S - 10 Burpees
S - 10 Burpees

I had to stop there because I was going to puke!  God, for a girl who can run a lot, I am seriously out of shape! lol.  After your own two words, she also wanted: Mizuno WedneZday.  If I did that, buh bye race goal.  Maybe buh bye life! LOL.  But it is a wake up.  I will try to get in at least the same virtual Mizuno Wednesday workout each Wed. until I can get through the whole thing.

A. 30 Toe Touches                                                                           N. 10 Jump Squats

B. 15 Push Ups                                                                                  O. 20 Jumping Jacks

C. 1min Plank Hold                                                                           P. 20 ToeTouches                           

D. 15 Burpees                                                                                    Q. 45s Plank Hold            

E. 40 Mountain Climbers                                                               R. 20 Jump Squats           

F. 15 Push Ups                                                                                   S. 10 Burpees

G. 1 Min Plank Hold                                                                         T. 30 Toe Touches

H. 30 Jump Squats                                                                           U. 1 Min Plank Hold

I. 1 Min Wall Sit                                                                                 V. 30 Mountain Climbers

J. 30 Jumping Jacks                                                                          W. 10 Push Ups

K. 20 Push Ups                                                                                  X. 50 Jumping Jacks

L. 2 Mins Wall Sit                                                                               Y. 90s Wall Sit

M. 50 Mountain Climbers                                                             Z. 20 STAR JUMPS

Thursday 

Distance: 1 mile WU, 2 mile race pace, 1 mile CD (modified from 2 mile WU, 2x2 mile intervals, 1 mile CD .. for race's sake).
Pace for work interval: 8: friggin 52.  BOOM!

The hey is in the barn now, so to speak.  I can hold the race pace for two flat miles at moderate effort.  On race day: hopefully less wind, more adrenaline, and people to chase.  Also 1.1 more miles, a few gradual inclines, and no speedy Coach Gazelle zooming by to give me something to chase hard for 0.5. But clearly, I've set the right goal.  Possible, but tough enough that I have to fight for it.

Good Measure Meals

I am now in the second week of a meal delivery service, Good Measure Meals.  The nutritionists associated with the organization are a partner of the Women's 5K Training program.

For as far as I have come on the exercise front, eating healthy is still a foreign concept. I guess I have made some gains, first with Weight Watchers, and then by joining a text group from my Book Club of a few women who are also working toward weight loss, and get really creative in the kitchen.  

Good Measure Meals was a great first step toward joining them in their efforts.  All of the prep is done for you, and the meals are never frozen.  The pick up location closest to me is very convenient; I am usually on a run close by the YMCA on their Monday / Thursday evening pick up days.

I didn't really start GMM as a time saver.  I started because I feel clueless about dieting.  When I diet, I am the most boring person in the universe, and as such, its very rare that I keep it up for any length of time.  On the other hand, when I am "bad," I am BAD.  Chocolate moon pie?  Yes, please.  Girl scout cookies, mmm hmm.  Salt & Vinegar chips?  Now you're speaking my language.  So suffice it to say this program had its work cut out for it.

The food is surprisingly good.  I thought it would be bland, and scary (i.e. brussel sprouts and tofu), but the meals are actually quite tasty.  I have never been a breakfast eater, but the breakfasts are the best part, and I've noticed since I started that I have far less cravings, most likely because I am getting more quality nutritionally balanced meals.  Healthier food options are also plain ole more.  You can eat A LOT of carrot for the same amount of calories as a girl scout cookie, for example.  In fact, it typically takes me over an hour to eat their standard meal, and for a bit I was worried that I'd actually end up gaining weight because of the portions.  (Not necessarily that they're huge; more that I am very used to small meals + grazing).  I am on the 1200 calorie plan; that gives me a little wiggle room to add my own snacks, if needed.  With the amount of running I get in, that might be too low, but I never just stick to GMM 100% all week long, so so far okay there.

Another great thing about this is its healthy but not boring - usually when I try to start eating healthier it just doesn't last b/c I get sick of salads and grilled chicken, oh after about a day - with this you don't eat the same thing for five weeks which is great!

Lobster Ravioli was by far the best thing I've eaten in a good long time! Yum!! :)

Cons:
Just as with a grocery run, you do end up with food that you can't eat.  Whether it be an unplanned outing, or a last minute invitation, in just two weeks, I ended up tossing at least 3-4 containers.  The thought of freezing it just didn't appeal, either.  Of course, how many times haven't I bought a cucumber, or head of broccoli, and ignored it in favor of less desirable options until it shriveled up and died in my fridge?  So I would venture to say that on the whole, I waste less than before.  I also signed up for the lower of the two possibilities for total calorie consumption; this gives me a little wiggle room if I want to find a snack of my own.  And I like a 5-day plan verses a 7-day plan, so that I can eat up any leftover meals, and then have a cheat meal (or not even necessarily cheat; on Saturday, for example, I ate Salmon and asparagus at dinner.  Plus all the splurges (olive oil, Hollandaise) not perfect, but not a binge fest either.)

The more major con is that its still tough to do this and cater to the needs of a family.  They do not have any family-style enrollment option, except to put everyone on the family on an individual dinner plan.  I'd love it if they did a discounted 'family of four' dinner option.  I've considered putting the girls on just the dinner plan for a week, just to see how well (or not so well) they took to it.

For that reason, I do still see this as very temporary.  Either a few quick weeks until I've lost some more weight, or until I have learned how to eat this way, and then have learned to start doing it myself more out of habit, so that I can take it back and do it for the entire family, too.

The 5-day 1200 calorie plan is about ~$100.  For me, the queen of take out, this is pretty much even Steven.  On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd want to do it if I actually could learn how to cook on my own from it, and then start prepping myself.

Weekend: I Need a Day Between Saturday and Sunday

Saturday
Distance: 12 miles
Course: Hilltastic!
Pace: 10:52 average pace

About this run:
I left the Track Club parking lot with a goal of 10:59 average pace.  I had paced better for 11 miles (~10:34ish, I think) the week before, but not every run needs to hit that moderate effort, and I knew there would be hills.  The 10:50s is very much in line with my indicator pace chart for a true easy long run, so perfect.  And I did not realize just how much hillacious fun they had actually jam packed this course with.  With that, my end average pace is a serious win!  And finally I can tell the difference .. I can confidently say I could have ramped it up to a higher gear for at least the last three miles if that had been the goal, and for sure this did not feel like racing.  There was a long time where I did not know the difference.  I ran the course run for Peachtree last year in the same time as I ran the race a week later.  And not because I wanted to, just because you don't know much about what you can, or are supposed to be doing when you are starting out.

The other major take away:  wow, since when does a 12 mile run NOT put me out of commission for two plus days?  I ran 12, and then went on to host Kyle and Michele for dinner without blinking an eye.  (Well, maybe except when it comes to grilling salmon, but that's a different issue all together! :)

During this run, I also found myself a new mantra.  The one that worked for a very long time was:  I love Brandi ... I hate Brandi ... I love Brandi ... I hate Brandi.  For those of you just tuning in, Brandi is a co-worker, and the person who introduced me to the Atlanta Track Club.  I often tell her she changed / saved my life.  Unfortunately for her .. she also became the person to blame for particularly long hills, particularly wet or cold mornings, and just about everything else that is hard about starting to run.  LOL.  Poor Brandi.  But it worked! ;)

This week, I cracked myself up with: come on little duck.  The run leads wear yellow visors, and no matter what pace group I run with, I always seem to be most comfortable running right behind the bulk of the pod, rather than tight up in with the group.  So I am always that last little baby duck following its momma and siblings along the lake.  That mental image of making sure I kept following actually was so cute and warm, it helped me tons!  (Sorry, I'm the cute, soft half-marathoner .. lol.  I can still run till I puke .. but I like to see myself as a duckie rather than a tiger or a wolf while I do it.  hahaha)

The tribe has your back .. and your glutes!

Post-run recovery breakfast

Breakfast with an Olympic athlete makes me feel all sorts of cool! 

Sunday
Distance: 3.5 (.5 wu, 4 x 800 / 400 recovery, .5 cd)
Pace: ~10:30 800s / walk recoveries)

Wow.  I felt absolutely no 12 miler after affects while out with the Women's 5K trainees what-so-ever.  Whether that's a boo or yay, I will leave to you all.  But I think I'll call it a win.

Since the 12 miles, breakfast, and then dinner with the run buds took up all of Saturday, I was missing momming on Sunday.  My one kid is a bit out of sorts in the boy department.  Instead of taking off early for the course run I was envisioning Saturday night, I hung about the house and took the girls to lunch.  I also gave my 'come to training, you'll love it speech,' but the best I got was: maybe next week.  Granted, I can't cram them in a stroller, but since both can surely keep up, I'm always hopeful that one day they'll take me up on it, and I'd just keep my fingers crossed that they could audit the day without issues.  Next year, I really want to get them signed up .. still working on that! ;)  Until then, finding and keeping balance is key, and I was okay with leaving the last 5k course run for tomorrow (Monday) with Kyle.

At training, I ran with a great little group of about 3-5 ladies who could run the entire 800s, and with a little pushing, at a very decent clip.  There was one participant who I almost thought was about to burst into tears when she looked and saw that her pace was a personal best.  #sostrong  I never thought I'd find something as rewarding as running, but cheering and helping others accomplish their goals is almost as much of a runner's high as running itself!

Nutrition
Next week, for sure ..

Struggles
I feel like I am struggling with my mental attitude toward running a bit.  I want to be the type of runner who approaches the sport holistically.  I want to remember what it felt like to just REALLY want to run a race to finish it.  I ran for an entire year without a GPS watch.  I ran for an entire year COMPLETELY okay with knowing that 90% of everyone that I interacted with was going to run a race faster than mine.  It didn't cause me to bat an eye.  Just saying, "that was the FIRST time I ever finished 8 miles," was so enough to make me feel like a serious badass!  If it took me two hours, I was still like HELL YEA, I finished 8 miles in two hours!!! It didn't even cross my mind to think anything else.

Year 2 brought a different and second consistent source of accomplishment.  Every time I ran a race for the 2nd time, I was faster.  Heck, every race I ran was a PR for most of 2015.  And not by seconds.  This year, I'd be shaving 3, 5, 10, .. 40 (whaaat???) minutes off past times.

A good bit of the change was amazing.  I wanted to push myself.  I saw the hard work paying off ten fold, and I adored the feeling.  I found energy in the hopes and accomplishments of others.  Narrowing the gap between myself and others was also now within the realm of possible, and I attacked the goal like a champ.  Doing so brought me some serious joy!

It wasn't until the end of last year that ..

.. I went to a race, and didn't set a record.

And there is no denying .. there is a component of this running thing that IS competitive.  After all, running is the exact place where 'slow down, its not a race' never applies.  Its like telling a rocket scientist that what they're doing is not hard.  Sorry bud, it IS rocket science .. you're the one person in the world who can't take comfort in that saying.  LOL.

In terms of motivation, that doesn't real fair well for the average runner.  Consider my favorite race: the 5K.  My PR is 27:47.  Down from about 45 minutes when I ran my first one in August 2014.  If you look at the math, that's ~ -17 minutes in net.  In ~1.5 years.  For a 5K.  That's some SERIOUS joy potential.  PR-palooza.  Now, consider this .. if all goes well and according to plan, I'd like to be running for oh, another 45 years.  Coach Amy Begley's PR is 14:56.  I will NEVER, EVER, EVER race at the speed of an Olympic athlete.  So that leaves .. at an imaginary case scenario where I approached olympic qualifying speeds .. 11 minutes.  11 MINUTES!  For the REST of my hopefully would-be 45 year running career.  In 45 years, if I did the BEST possible, and some how complete defied aging!  What does that mean? ... DUH, I need to say GOOD BYE to running with hopes of shaving minutes off of a 5K time every time my feet hit the start line!

I need to get there because just running for a personal best will not keeping me running for the next 45 years.  I need to get there  because there will (hopefully?) come a year when even my own PR is unattainable, set aside to be dusted off only for the simple pleasure of a discussion with a grand kid here or there.  I need to get there because there will always be someone faster (and slower) than me. Some of these people will be my friends, and I will like them very much.  In fact, people who run very similar paces to you naturally spend a good bit of time with you and become your good friends.  People who run either much faster or much slower don't even cross the radar in this field of terrible trash self talk.  So pissing people who run similar paces (i.e. good friends) off with stupid competitiveness becomes a very possible "bad thing."

Will I continue to have goals?  Absolutely.  Whether it be to be at top half of my age group, to receive an age group award, to just finish after an injury .. I am sure all of those will keep me gunning for the finish line.  But I also have to keep fighting the thoughts in my brain that, while normal, don't help me.

For example,  right now, I already have a time goal in mind for a race I've never ran .. one that I haven't even signed up for.  "If" I run a marathon, I already know I'll have goal in the back of my head that I would LOVE to finish in under 5 hours.  Having the goal is FINE.  Its maybe a perfectly reasonable one at that.  Forgetting to celebrate RUNNING A MARATHON if I FINISH over that time is NOT FINE.  I am saying this to myself RIGHT NOW, so that there is less potential for brain mutiny later. :)  I don't know what my four plus months of training will be like, for one, what race conditions will be like, what hitting a wall feels like, heck even what course I'll tackle, or how old I'll be when I do it.  So goal, fine. Be all end all time at which happiness is either achieved or lost, not fine.

This is all on my mind for another reason .. If I don't PR at the Milton Jog for a Cause, (my Hearts & Soles rematch race this coming Saturday), I want to be able to shake it off, and run the rest of my 9 miles for the day with a head hung high.  I am saying this to myself early as a step in the right direction.  Not because I don't think I will hit goals I set for myself, but because I have to remember that I owe myself even more than that!  With this one looming so close at hand, it feels so much harder to actually believe myself, but I have to keep telling myself that it is the same thing!

Up Next
Course run tonight, #10kTuesday tomorrow (hopefully), and then wee, taper.  Maybe 2 miles on Thursday, and 1 milers here or there, but otherwise, ready to run!

Week in Review: I Heart Running!

Monday

Distance: 4 miles

Course: Deerfield 5K (windy)

Avg Pace: 9:34

I met Kyle to run my course race again.  Much better than the 1st time.  Having friends around really helps me.  Still a ways off from saying FOR SURE that I can re-hit my PR of 27:47 on race day, but I had a good bit of reserve in the tank after this run. Whether or not I am able to tap into it on race day is the question.  I have to get more comfortable running a better part of this course at full race pace.  I only managed to do that for about the last .6.  Tonight or Sunday, I am hoping to run it again, and will run the first mile under 9, and see for how long I can hold ~8:45 pace.  Then I will pull back to 9:40 for mile 2, and if I have it, run the last mile at race pace again.  If I can hit those workout goals in a training run, I know that on race day, with adrenaline and tapering, I can PR.

Crunches during lunches is still going strong.  We do two planks (1:30 minutes / 2:30 minutes), 10 push ups, 50 crunches, and whatever else we feel like doing for approximately 10 minutes.  It doesn't sound like much, but just getting something in daily that hits muscles I don't touch while running is big for me.  

Tuesday

I needed a pass on #10kTuesday after 11 miles on Saturday, 6.2 on Sunday, 4 on Monday, and Women's scheduled for Tuesday evening.  Glad I let myself off the hook with no guilt. Our pace and distance on Tuesday night was enough.  And I really love the bonding and encouragement that Tuesdays and Sundays bring!  Glad I was at my best to get my little pod through 2-1 intervals for 2.5 miles.

Thursday

Distance: 1 mile wu, 4 mile tempo

Avg Pace: 8:51?

I forgot my watch, but there is noway we averaged 8:51 avg pace, including a mile of warm up.  The warm up was faster than it should have been for me (thanks, one-pace-wonder Michele), and I know I came in before Kyle, who did have his watch, and paced about 9:32, but 8:51 is wishful thinking.  That said .. BOOYAH!  5 moderate / hard miles in the books. :) 

Friday

Oh.em.gee!  Happy dance!!

There's a THREE in the tens digit of my AM weigh-in!  JOY!  JOY!  JOY!  I have been waiting for that "3" since 05/10/1999!  16 years belated, but I have lost the pregnancy weight!  Haha. (and the 1st 'career' job weight, and the 'my thyroid-tried-to-kill-me-but-fuck-you-cancer weight').  I have officially traveled back in time to 1998.  Next step .. 1997, and the college freshman 15.  After that, high school skinny!  (although I now prefer healthy and faster with a body built for speed to skinny!! :))   

Next Up

The long runs are getting looooonger; 12 miles scheduled for Saturday.  And then just a hop, skip and taper to 5K race day.  I also promise to get in a recap of my week on Good Measure Meals over the weekend.

Gear Check 101 (Continued)

Besides sneakers, most runners will need a handful of other items:

Core Items

• Singlet, short-sleeve and/or long sleeve drytec apparel
• Sports bra (ladies)

Gear can span the spectrum of price ranges.  Depending on how often you're running, you'll need more or less of it.  You will also need different items for different seasons.  The first and foremost tip: Cotton is not your friend!  Tip two: as the miles creep up, you will be doing more laundry than ever.  I have not run more loads since having a newborn!  Back up a few key luxury go-to items with some cheaper buys to get you through the week.  My well-loved items will typically come from Dick's sporting goods, Athleta, Victoria's Secret and Lulu Lemon.  To supplement, I'm a big fan of Old Navy and Target.  Keep in mind that you will probably receive many a tech t-shirt as part of race finisher swag.  (Most of my sports wardrobe comes from this source!).  Unfortunately, if the objective is weight loss, you more likely than not will also have to replenish in new sizes eventually, too.  Keep both of these things in mind as you make purchasing decisions.

Fave running tights for winter: Under Armour Cold Gear

Not me, but you get the idea .. gear goals! :) 

• Schedule / Calendar

There are many ways to track your progress during the year.  Be it an excel spreadsheet, an app, a print out of your work out log, or a calendar, find a training schedule that will help you meet your goals.  When I first started, I used the app: Couch to 5K.  After signing up with the Atlanta Track Club for a half-training program, I also had a printed log for each training session / season.  One favorite visual is this calendar:

It is not intended to be a streak.  Most runners need rest days. But I love visuals!  This doesn't just help me when I am on a roll, but more importantly, when I am NOT on a roll.  Two years ago, I'd work out for four days straight (woo), and then take 3 days off (boo), and then because I took 3 days off, would guilt trip myself into not looking at a treadmill again for two months!  With the calendar, I see the 4 days on, the 3 days off, 2 days back on, one day off, and it says to me: look, you're okay.  you're human, and you're inconsistent, but consistently inconsistent.  yes, you pushed that one work out off, but you're doing fine, and you don't need to give up running.  If the calendar stops working, start taking selfies.  If your friends threaten to unfriend you on Facebook for taking too many run selfies, start a blog.  Keep it fresh, cross it off, and you'll never get bored!
mile emo



(in this version of the calendar, the sneakers are races).

• Hydration

For longer runs, you'll eventually need to consider where you will carry essential items, and how you will hydrate and fuel your efforts.  I use:

Fitletic 12-oz Hydration Belt  (I will typically have this with me for any run longer than a 10k)

And I will use this little handheld for race mileage between 3.1 and 6.2.  I'll also use it for short training runs.

That will cover you immediate Running 101 needs.  

What I'll call running 2.0 gear will come in handy as you progress deeper and deeper into the sport of running.  These items include:

• Pace / distance app or GPS watch - I have a Tom Tom Runner GPS Navigator in Pink ($89.99)

• gym bag
• Body glide

Avoid this ...

... get this

• Gloves

I've had great success with both tech gloves that let you type on a phone, but are pricier, and the Walmart 2 for a $1.00 version.  I stock up on the latter, and feel completely at peace when I decide to ditch them on the side of the road at mile 3 of 13.1 during a race.

• Head bands/ pony tails
• Headlamps, lights, safety vests

Its hard to imagine that you will be so hard core that you will want to run before the sun comes up, or after it goes down.  As a busy adult, believe me, it will come sooner than you think.  My tip:  you will be wearing this on your head for mile upon mile.  Spend a little more, and buy something that you won't dread using.  I have this guy: Led Lenser SEO7R Rechargeable Headlamp, and totally geek about how awesome it is to anyone who asks me!  You can also get lights that attach to your sneaker laces, or that you wear on your knuckles.  Do not skimp on having something.  Safety first!

• Headphones / phone case
• Specialty running socks
• Compression socks
• Foam roller
• Fuel
• Duck tape

Runner pro tip.. last season's sneaker + a bit of duct tape = a rain runner's best friend! :)

• Scarf
• Ear warmers
• Face mask
• Trash bag, old blanket, and/or good will items

If you can wear it in the corral, and then ditch it on the run, its worth having! :)

Apps & Other Great Tools

• Couch to 5K
• My Fitness Pal
• Fitbit (obsession much!  daily step trackers, with friend lists and daily challenges are ALMOST as energizing as a training schedule.  I highly recommend knowing the FULL SCOOP on how active you are!)

And that's almost everything I know about gear. :)