Sore

With 8.6 miles yesterday, I wasn't surprised to wake up sore. It is a good sore, but I have to listen to it all the same. I stretched the tiniest amount, which was not enough, and then after work I set out with my friend to tackle 5 miles. We stopped and stretched a couple times, which I needed, and we completed the run in just over 43 minutes.

My quads are hurting. My legs feel somewhat stiff. I hope that a good night's rest and some more stretching will help because I don't want to take a day off just yet...

Kenda is still loving the dog park. Tonight she played with and 8 month old Doberman named Tyson. He liked her. We think she has a boyfriend. ;)

Ideas

Tuesday is the middle of my training week. I call my weeks Saturday to Friday. This is because my race is on a Saturday, and this is just how I want to do it. I skipped my long Saturday run, which really sets me back for the week. I knew I had to get a long run in sometime. I made it happen today!

I went the longest distance yet, but it was slightly broken up. I did 6.1, stopped at the dog park for about 5 minutes, ran 1 mile, stopped at home for about 5 minutes, and then finished up the last 1.5 miles giving me 8.6 miles total. I was running much slower than my usual pace, with some miles over the 9 minute mark. Whatevski, I got it done.

While running, I usually think about something, visualize myself racing, daydream, or talk to God. Most often, I do a little of each. I try NOT to think about stopping or how nice it would feel to walk a little bit. :) I have come up with movie ideas, business ideas, and now, a book idea. This book idea, in my head, is really cool and I do think people would read it. It is essentially a documentary style book that tells the story of homeless people in America (or maybe just the Midwest). I would want to focus on respectfully interviewing and photographing homeless people, and through each of their stories, create an overarching story of the homeless' outlook on non-homeless people, not the other way around. I would want to ask questions about what they think, not about what everyone else thinks of them. I think it would be important to allow them to explain exactly why they are in the situation they are in. I feel like it might take away some of the social stigma surrounding homeless people if we would just give them a chance to explain themselves. I almost think I should start working on it. But, ideas like this come to me all the time, and I have a full time job, a husband, a family, ect...I guess I'm not passionate enough about this idea to see it to fruition. I'll just let it fester in my mind for a few more runs and see where I get with it. If its good enough, I'll record it for later.

Here's a business idea, how about I sell MY ideas to others so they can see them through? I don't know that I have enough good ideas just yet, but with the amount of run time I have to think about things and come up with stuff, I could be on the way to quite an idea bank. Any takers? I would also be ok with someone offering to cover my costs while I took the time, in this example, to go to different cities and find some willing homeless people who would talk to me and share their story...

Why homeless people? When running, why did my brain take me to homeless people? The answer is simple: it is the beauty of running. Running, to me, is like stepping out of the world and into your mind. On days that I am less concerned about my pace, I find myself deeper in my mind then I once thought possible. Running, in and of itself, is addicting. It causes the release of endorphins in your brain. I can feel them. But when I get to experience what it is like deep inside my head, without the numbing noise of the world, the addiction is intensified. It might just sound crazy, but it is one of the best things about the act of going for a run - you get to know yourself better. What did you think all those runners you see were doing?

Slow Start

I skipped Saturday's run and only went 4 on Sunday. Then today I did a whopping 3.6. I'm in for it the rest of the week, but I'm up for the challenge.

August is wrapping up. It is hard to believe its almost fall...

Mission 30: Complete!

Friday's run was a huge success! 7.2 miles to be Garmin exact bringing me to the nice round number of 30.1 on the week. Nice effort, self, nice effort! The run was confidence boosting. I moved pretty quick...

Mile 1: 8:04
Mile 2: 8:22
Mile 3: 7:57
Mile 4: 8:28
Mile 5: 7:45
Mile 6: 8:13
Mile 7: 8:13

Total time 59 minutes and 55 seconds! I meant to push on 3 and 5. I also pushed slightly during the last 0.2 to come in under 1 hour. If I am going to run my race fast, I have to run at a fast pace during training. Needless to say, I am very proud of this run. Mile 4 was the best because I felt totally recovered after 1 mile. I was worried it would take longer to recover from the effort of the previous mile, it honestly felt easy. I plan on doing at least 1 workout like this in the coming week.

Saturday was a flop. I rested. Long run on Monday or Tuesday (8.5 to 9). Today I did 4 slow miles with Alex. It was nice to run with him and talk about the weekend in Bloomington we have coming up :)

33 miles on the roster for this week. Also, an August Roundup and weigh in are in order soon. For now, sleep - goodnight!

7.1 to go to hit 30

I completed 3.7 miles before I had to stop tonight. I didn't have to stop because of my body, I could have kept going, but I had to stop so I could go teach swim lessons. Just an update: they went very well :)

I had planned on doing around 6 miles, so I've got a longer run Friday to get the 30 in for the week. 7.1 to be exact. In addition to a longer run Friday, that puts me at 2 longer runs in a row (Friday & Saturday). At this point, I am planning 8.5 miles on Saturday...

This could potentially be good for my training. To run on slightly tired legs will increase performance when running on fresh legs. This thought alone will propel me through the next 2 days :)

In regards to my pace: I am easing into under 8:30 pace! I seem to be hitting my miles in the 8:20's more & more often. I like.

In regards to dinner: Alex and I have had 2 good food days :) Last night, he grilled white (alfredo) pizza with grilled chicken and turkey bacon - delicious. With that we had mixed herb salad with the lemon/evoo dressing that we mix up & walnuts. Tonight, we got takeout from a place called Al-basha's. Alex got gyro's and I got a chicken touak (?) sandwich. We got an order of their hummus & pita and baklava as well. It was all tasty. We'll be going back in the future. It is walkable distance, so Kenda went with us :)

That's all folks! 2 longer runs ahead of me the next 2 days! I'll update you on how it goes! Obvi!

Heat Shmeat...#2

When I first started blogging I wrote an entry about running in extremely hot weather...click here to read that post. At the time, I was only doing 3-3.5 mile runs. I was just starting out with my training. I've progressed and today my plan was to go 6. I had to cut it short because I was feeling pretty terrible. I ended up with 5 miles. I ran a good pace despite the heat and humidity, but today was the first day where the urge to stop running was unbelievably strong. I did not enjoy that feeling. I so badly wanted to walk. I was running with a friend, and that was probably what saved me from stopping. We finished 5 in 42:45, but it was far from fun.

I have ran in extremely hot conditions many times in the short amount of time I have been training and I ran in the heat back in the day (high school). I think there is a difference between doing something because it will make you stronger and doing something that is crazy. For us runners, I don't think anyone would call me outright crazy for running in this weather, but some people might. I listen to my body and I know when enough is enough. A part of why I enjoy being an endurance athlete is the feeling of being strong and pushing through the pain and the desire to give up. It gives me a sense of accomplishment that fuels me to continue. Endurance athletes regularly have to man-up, or in my case, woman-up in order to get better and gain the elusive endurance that we all seek.

Just like the article I wrote a while back about running in the heat, I am very glad that I completed the run today and I am a stronger runner because of it. I won't forget what running in the heat is like and when I am near mile 9, 10, 11 and so on in my race on November 5th, I will be grateful that it is not above 90 degrees and humid.

I am a firm believer in the statement: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
I am also a firm believer in the Bible verse: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

When I put it that way, bring on the heat!

I couldn't possibly be getting lazy...could I?

I have not ran consecutive days since last Wednesday/Thursday. I have had 2 days off the last 2 weeks and I have already had 2 days off this week, so 3 weeks in a row. My plan from the start was to run 6 days a week. Am I falling off my training?

The answer is not really. I have picked up my mileage quite a bit. I have not had a 3 mile day in a while because I am running more miles per run. I will hit 30 miles this week (in 5 training days). I hope to get back to 6 days a week, but I am ok with what's going on.

My Monday run was quite good. I ran 6 miles in under 51 minutes meaning under 8:30 average pace :) A little idea of how that looked: Mile 1 = 8:06...Mile 4 = 8:22, Mile 5 = 8:22, Mile 6 = 8:28.Not half bad!

Tuesday I ate a brownie sundae instead of running...yea.

It's Wednesday and I have at least 4 consecutive days ahead of me - no excuses, no being lazy.

Mom Update: She is supposed to be released from the hospital today and she seems to be doing better :)

Weekend in Bedford

As the title says, I was in Bedford this weekend. I went to be with my mom after her colon surgery. She is making it and I am thankful to God and all the doctors that have worked on her. I am hoping that she can put all this behind her soon and recover to be in better shape than she has been in the past 2 years. Who knows...maybe she will even be able to jog a little :)

I capitalized on the not-so-fun reason I was in Bedford and ran with a big group of "townies" on Saturday morning. Let me just say something: Bedford cranks out endurance athletes. For a smaller town, the amount of quality athletes is amazing. It was great to run with the group (over 18 people). We all stuck together, which was nice. I just wish I would have been in better shape so I could have finished out the run with them. They were going 12, I had to stop around 8. I ended up with 8.2. It was a slower pace than what I usually run, but that just meant that I could chat with some people while running. A bunch of them are doing the Indy Monumental Half Marathon! Anytime I am in Bedford, I will try to run with this group!

Other activities worth mentioning: eating at Trojan Horse and Buffalouie's in Bloomington, visiting with my grandparents who just returned from a 75 day trip to Alaska, and a reunion at Indian Creek Baptist Camp where I grew up going to church camp. We got to spend time with my dad and sister (and my sister's fiance). Kenda got to run around a lot. It was a good weekend. I just wish my mom could have been feeling better.

The lazy news: I did not run on Friday or Sunday. I am still on track miles-wise. Back to it this week! Going for my first 30 mile week! :) 8.2 down...21.8 to go!

Pokemon!

My title comes from the gleeful screaming of a 3 year old and a 5 year old jumping into a pool. At swim lessons tonight, the boys were wound up due to 1. being in their swimming pool, 2. the fact that they both recently started new schools and are excited about it, and 3. they are little boys! The 3 year old had been wary of me until tonight... tonight he was all over me as though I was his personal jungle gym! I figured it out, everything has to be his idea for him to be interested. He is slightly afraid of the water and I tried all my tactics to get him to put his face in the water, to try to swim, to just let me hold him in the pool...nothing was working. So the last few lessons, I focused on his brother, who is 5. With him, things are going quite...swimmingly if I do say so myself. He can doggie paddle across the pool without touching the bottom once. He can successfully swim underwater, come up and take a breath, and continue across the pool without touching the bottom. He can float. He could not do any of these things before I started working with him. I'd say I have not lost my touch ;) This must have made the little one crave attention or something because for whatever reason, tonight he wanted to jump off the side of the pool a thousand times while I caught him each time. They jumped and jumped. They would wait for each other so they could jump in together, it was adorable. They screamed "POKEMON!" at the top of their lungs whenever they jumped in. I inquired about this and they said, "because that's the only show we watch." Duh Miss Jenna, why else would they scream POKEMON!

Before the lesson I had a successful 6 miler. It turns out that the other day when I wrote the "Running Blind" entry, I had gone 6 full miles :) I ran to that exact spot with my Garmin and it was 6 miles on the dot! I did slow down some, about 2 minutes, and that is perfectly fine. I got those miles in, and that is what counts! That's not the end of it though, I have a story...

While running on the Monon Trail tonight, I saw a girl with horrifically terrible form. I'm talking running form, I always see riders with awful form, but runners with bad form don't really stick out to me. This girl was somehow swaying from side to side while running forward. Talk about wasted energy. Her arms were crossing over her body like she was punching something, but she wasn't. It did not look intentional, it just looked like that's how she ran, and it looked bad. Needless to say (I'm brushing my shoulder off right now) I passed her, carried on with my run, and that was that...or so I thought. On my way back in, I was finding my rhythm, trying to keep a steady pace, and she was all of the sudden beside me! I thought I was going to get punched! I could tell she wanted to pass me, so I only sped up slightly (evil grin). I allowed her to pass but I put my hook in her back and stayed exactly 7-8 feet behind her for about 0.5 miles - until I had to turn of the Monon. Because of this, I was running slightly faster. All the while I was examining my own form, ensuring that I was not the victim of punchy-run syndrome. I hope that I am not, I don't feel that I am...

If I could jump into a pool and scream anything, it would probably be "THE OFFICE!" or "DEXTER!" I totally see where their logic is in yelling a TV Show title. Definitely.

Cross Country Course

I ran with my co-worker from her apartment to the Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School cross country course. We ran the course almost 2 times. Garmin clocked me in at 4.1 miles in a little over 37 mintues. It was a 9:07 pace according to the watch. I would pretty much agree with that data.

The course was mainly trails, which was awesome, and difficult. It wasn't wearing me out, it was just..."windy." It felt like I was running in a zigzag pattern. Because I didn't know the course, I couldn't anticipate the next turn which, in turn, slowed me down a bit. Even with the unfamiliar course, I was loving it. The ground was just slightly uneven, so my ankles got a workout. There were 4 or so extremely short but extremely steep hills that were a good change of pace. I could tell that I am not in hill shape at all. Sad. I will work on that more. The teams were there preparing the course for a race on Saturday by pruning back tree limbs, weedeating, and filling in some holes with dirt. It brought back some memories of running cross in high school. I'm headed to Bedford this weekend, so I might just have to run on my old course...

I did take the day off yesterday (Tuesday). I got lazy. It means no day off Friday, I'll hope for a motivated mood because I might try to run in the AM...tomorrow= 6 miles around 8:45! The key is changing to go run right when I get home...none of this sitting down business - I sit all day long! The couch just looks so comfortable and inviting somedays...

Running Blind

My Garmin battery finally died, so I had to run without it. First things first, I don't ever want to do that again. Once you experience the data Garmin provides, its hard to unknowingly run. How far have I gone? What direction am I headed (I have zero sense of direction)? What is my current pace? How fast did I complete my last mile? With a Garmin, you know the answer to all these and more at all times.

OK, enough Garmin talk. The run was somewhere between 5.5 and 6 miles. At a future date, when running with the Garmin, I will be able to determine my exact distance (I just can't stop talking about it). I ran with my co-worker and we decided to go until we hit 25 minutes, then turn around. We did this. We hit the 2 mile landmark at 16:50ish. Cool. We continued on to 25 minutes, turned around and stopped for 2 minutes to stretch. We also stopped at a water fountain - it was hot. We must've ran back faster because we arrived at my house in under 50 minutes (barely - 49:30). I was surprised because I felt like I was slowing on the way back. I was definitely not feeling as strong. If I had not been running with someone, I would have slowed. My training partner pushed me :)

Alex finished his ride and we were off to the dog park. I'm serious, I am enjoying it so much! We've met some potential friends and Kenda has a ball. She tries to get the other dogs to chase her, it is beyond adorable to an adoring  fur-mom such as myself. She will go up to a dog, any dog, and push her long nose into their side and then jump back (with butt in air) and wag her entire backside. If they take the bait, she's off like a deer. If they refuse the bait, she tries again until successful or until she is distracted. On the rare occassion that she is the one doing the chasing, it is usually a much smaller dog. Today, it was a Corgi. Alex loved it because he wants a Corgi someday. I'm unsure about that, we'll have to see. They are awful small, but there is something about those ears and that long body that I might be able to fall for...until fur-child numero dos, Kenda will do perfectly :)

At home after the park, we made breakfast for dinner...always a good decision. Tomorrow brings an easier run, probably 4.5 miles at about 8:45 pace. Garmin will help me achieve this :)

Easy Does It

Quick update: I put in 4 miles with another work friend. It was at an easy pace, which was nice. The run was pretty effortless except for a weird 'hurt' on the top of my foot. It was short lived and unless it happens again, I don't plan on thinking about it ever again.

11 mile weekend :)

7 Miles with Garmin = 7 Miles of Fun!

You read correctly, 7 miles done! It was my longest run since I started on July 1. I completed it in 1 hour and 34 seconds. That is 8:36 pace. I was shooting for 8:30 pace, so I have some work to do, but I felt good, and I ran 7 miles! I ran by myself, with Garmin and my iPod shuffle and it was a blast. I felt generally strong and the Garmin data helped me keep my pace up. I love the auto-lap functionality. It beeps every mile and shows my time for that mile. I knew that I was close when it was 8:33 for the first 2 miles, and then I knew I was slowing overall when it was 8:36 and then 8:48 for the next 2 miles. I knew I had sped up when it was under 8:30 for the last couple miles. Loving Garmin!

I did not get up and complete this run with the BlueMile group, I stayed up too late Friday night. Also, I am the opposite of a morning person. I will try to run with the BlueMile crew Monday evening and next Saturday morning...

Back to the dog park again today. I really like it! And Kenda loves it!! She looks so happy chasing and being chased by the other dogs, joining in the sniff trains, and greeting all the dogs as they enter the area. I want to take her everyday to see her explore and socialize. Then we also took her downtown to watch the Mass Ave. Crit. She was an angel!

Happy to have completed a 7 mile run, here's to another good training week!

First Time at the Dog Park

Didn't get it in. Instead we walked Kenda to the park and let her play. I was nervous as could be, and Alex pointed out that I might not be able to handle letting our future children go to Kindergarten, or possibly even play on the play sets that are in malls...he's probably right. Kenda made us more than proud. She played with the other dogs, was sweet and gentle with the other dog owners there, and she came to us when we called. I'll just get on with it and say that I am head over heels in love with that girl, she brightens my everyday! We will be frequenting the Broad Ripple dog park!

Like I said, no run. So not much to report.

Just a Run

This evening's run was nothing special. In fact, it was less than special because I cut it short...it happens. It was great weather which allowed me to breathe a little easier and push the pace. I didn't mean to push the pace but when I was clocking a couple miles well under 8:30 pace, I decided to keep up the intensity. That, and the fact that I started the run a little later than I had hoped and I needed to get ready to teach swim lessons forced my hand...sort of.

I ended up with 3.6 miles in under 29 minuntes. I was pushing. It was pretty fun, although it was not the most comfortable. I will say that it was not that uncomfortable. I had set out to do 5.3, but cut it short. I made it to swim lessons on time :)

I am going for 4 tomorrow sticking to 8:30 pace - really utilizing Garmin! Alex is running with me :) Afterwards, we will be taking Kenda to the dog park for the first time, so that will be interesting. I'll post a pic of our baby girl :)

What's nice about just a run? Just a run means you got it done!

It's safe to say 8:30 is a friend :)

I ran 5 miles tonight after work. I was with my friend and we changed and left for the run from the office, so I was still on the Monon, but farther North. It was a nice change. We discussed other places to run and it seems like we are going to go to some local cross country courses soon. I'm pumped for that. As always, it is nice to run with someone.

Garmin was ever present and I learned a little bit more about it. I think I am going to scale down on the screens that cycle through because currently it is going through 4, that's about 2 too many. We ran a decently even pace, with a quicker first mile followed by 4 slightly slower miles. We ended with an average pace of 8:33. It solidifies that I am consistently hovering right around 8:30 and I'm excited about that. I just have to keep building the miles and becoming more efficient as a runner.

I finally got the courage to post a link to this blog on my facebook page, so if you happen to come across it, thanks for checking it out :)

Last but not least, in the process of writing this entry, I came across a song that is going in my playlist:

Enjoy! :)

Case of the Mondays

Monday was blah. My workday felt slow. I was tired from my busy weekend. I could have used a day off to relax (let's face it, I could use an extra day to relax every week). There was an answer to my "case of the Mondays" though...looking forward to my run. Note: I won't lie...having another run with Garmin increased my anticipation.

The anxiety built throughout the day and when 5 o'clock hit, I headed home with my co-worker to strike out on a run in Broad Ripple. I called Alex on the way home and he said it was raining, but the radar showed it stopping soon. So, we got to my house and had to sprint from our cars to my screened-in porch because it was pouring. Inside, it seemed like it was never going to stop...

I'll stop right there and say a quick thanks to God for the rain, it was desperately needed and it cooled everything off. I've sweated for an entire month, I'm ready for high 80's instead of 90's...

Long story shorter, she left. About 10 minutes later the rain let up. About 20 minutes after that, Alex and I were on our way :) 4 miles (with Garmin, of course). He was impressed by the Garmin 410 and it worked great. It auto-paused, auto-lapped, and did everything but run for me. We held 8:24 average to finish just under 34:00. The last 200-300 feet were the fastest I have ran during this training yet. Alex took off, and because I woke up my competitive side this weekend, I had to stay with him ;) So I did.


I am writing this on Tuesday and today, I took the day off. It was rainy again (thank God again!) and my quads are sore (from lunges, not running). So, I did not run. Alex and I made cous-cous, arugula salad with walnuts and lemon dressing, and grilled salmon. I'm telling you ladies, get yourselves a husband with some cooking skills.

Back to the grind tomorrow and I can't wait!

New Toy

This weekend was busy! Saturday at 7AM I was 0.5 miles from my house at BlueMile getting ready to head out with a large group for a 45 minute run. More on that in a minute. After the run, I taught swim lessons to 2 little boys, then I rushed home, cleaned/spiffed up, and went to my friend's bridal shower. About 2 hours or so later, I was on my way home to relax.

Sunday I taught lessons again (before church, mind you) and rushed home to get ready for church. Church was wonderful. Then I spent a while configuring my new toy (again, more on this in just a second) before heading out for my run. In the evening, we drove downtown to celebrate Alex's dad's birthday. Alex grilled hamburgers (he's a master griller/cook) and Alex's mom made salad, potato salad, and corn on the cobb. I am blessed to have found such a loving family to call my own through marriage, but the fact that they can all cook is beyond amazing. When it comes to meal time at the Frist's, I feel like I bring nothing to the table. They accept me anyway :) There were lemon coconut cupcakes in the mix as well. It was a great food night!

So the runs:

Saturday I went with the group from BlueMile (I should mention that BlueMile is a running store in Broad Ripple and a few other locations). The schedule was for Monumental Runners to do 45 minutes. To me, that's 22:30 out and 22:30 back. I started the run and really no one clung to me as a partner. I didn't cling to anyone to run with either. It all happened so fast. I passed the majority of the runners and a few took off in what looked like a dead sprint and I was unable to catch them. So, again, I was by myself. I thought the group run would yield me a training friend. It did not. About 15 minutes in, I was ok with being alone, the run was feeling great and I was moving forward. There was a girl who I had seen at the shop before we left about 50 feet in front of me...I was closing on her. Here's where it gets silly. A feeling that was lost deep inside of me began to stir. It was my competitive side waking up from its long slumber. I sank a metaphorical hook in her back and reeled her in. Of course, when I passed her, I was as nonchalant as all get out, but on the inside I was filling up with adrenaline...

Time out. I was on a training run. Why in the world was I getting so worked up about passing this one girl? I felt silly, but I felt good at the same time. When I do something, I want to do it right. All I have to say is: ladies running the monumental half marathon better watch out (guys, I'll be after you too).

Back to the run...the adrenaline carried me for a short time and then it was gone. I had probably taken the entire run out too fast and then the spike in speed from my adrenaline rush pushed me harder. This left me pretty worn out and only half way done with the run. I turned around (with no one) and headed back to BlueMile, back towards my house. It was slower than the first half, but I felt ok. I passed a lot of people going the opposite way. No one caught up to me and no one was in front of me to catch all the way back. Being motivated to get up and run at 7AM is worth it though, I will continue to run with the BlueMile group on Saturday mornings!

Before getting to Sunday's run, I better tell you about my new toy...a Garmin Forerunner 410! Alex and I got it Saturday afternoon. I had been looking at them for a couple weeks, investigating the different options, features, and reviews. Unwilling to pay $400 for the 610, I wound up on the 410. I wish the 110 had current pace. If it did, I would have gotten that. Configuring it was easy...I'll post a full review after I use it for a week or two...

Sunday I set out with my new running mate (Garmin) and hit the trail for 4 miles. I was interested to see how accurate it was (based on what Google Maps said the mile markers were). It was pretty darn close. The Garmin would beep to tell me when I had gone 1 mile according to it - awesome. At that instant, I can see how long it took to complete that mile :) Mile 1 = 8:12 :):):) The times went up slightly from there and landed ultimately at 34:34 for 4. I will be including Garmin in every subsequent post I do believe.

This is a lot, that's all for now! Writing a much shorter post about Monday's run in a little bit!

Finishing Out Week 5

My fifth week of training is complete. It was the most confidence building week, as well as the biggest miles week with 27.6 miles under my belt for the week. First of all, I'm proud of that.

Wednesday and Thursday were quality runs. Wednesday I ran with my work friend and we took it a mile further this time going 4.8. I was feeling it (it being my unfit-ness) on this run actually, but I somehow also felt strong (?) Thursday was a super easy 3 mile run. This was confidence boosting because it felt so easy. It was the first time in my training that a run felt easy. I was going extremely easy, but the fact that it was almost effortless for me to run/jog 3 miles is a win to me.

Friday, today, was off. My legs needed a rest day. I feel ancy (sp?) for my run in the morning, but I completely enjoyed this day off of training!

Week 5 is a keeper. A strong long run on Saturday followed up by a couple more longer runs makes me feel like I am continuing to progress. I like it.

I am getting up unbelievably early for me (7AM) to run with a BlueMile group in the morning. I hope its a good run and worth the effort it will take me to put my feet on the floor and get out of bed. Honestly, that will be the hard part about tomorrow for me, the run will be just fine...Goodnight!

Canal Run with Alex :)

Tonight I told Alex I was running 4 miles and that I was going to have to find an alternate route sooner or later because the trail's getting old. I went upstairs to change and when I came back down, he had a 4 mile route mapped out along the canal in Broad Ripple - he's a keeper :) He ran with me too!

It was a little stop and go due to the traffic lights, but that was ok. I felt pretty good. My ankles feel sore or stiff or something...just not right. They feel worked out.

After google mapping it, it was roughly 4.2 miles actually. Overachievers? Nah.

Love Broad Ripple and the fact that our house is in Broad Ripple :)

First BlueMile Monday Run

Tonight I ran with my friend. We started from my house and headed to BlueMile to meet up with a group to run with. We got there and there were a couple ladies and one guy. They were...older than us...by about 20 years or so. They were super sweet and told us that we leave together and do our own thing. We were headed North on the Monon and we were supposed to turn around after 22 and a half minutes so we would all meet back at BlueMile around the same time. My friend and I were much quicker than the ladies, but the guy did pass us pretty quick and stayed in front of us. We ran about 5 miles in about 43:30 with a half mile warm up and cool down. 6 miles total. I think I will do the Monday run again to see if anyone else shows up that will run with me...

I have noticed that my 6 mile runs - so far only 2 - give me the best feeling after the run. I feel relaxed, good, happy...it's that famous "runner's high" that you hear so much about. When I run 3-4 miles, I do not experience the feeling. Sure, I feel good about getting a run in, but its not the same. It sure gives me more motivation to train enough to run longer runs.

I will say this: my legs feel tired/used! It is a good feeling, but its a worn out kind of tired.

After our respective workouts, Alex and I went to Red Mango. I had been before and we love the Pomegranate Blueberry smoothie. I had coupons so I got a small raspberry cheesecake yogurt with mochi, coconut shavings, and blackberries. It was so delicious. I'm officially a Red Mango convert. Then for dinner we had spaghetti with turkey marinara sauce and roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes. Totally mmmm.

Run tomorrow!

July Roundup!

I did it! I trained consistently throughout the entire month of July! This is a milestone for me - I mentioned in a previous post that I have not trained for an entire month since March 2009...it has been 27 months! I'm back at it and in full swing. I am going to breakdown my training for the month of July, make a few comments about it, and divulge a little about where I see my training going in the future.

Weekly Breakdown:

Week 1: July 1 - July 8
7/1: 3.2 miles [0:29:54]
7/2: Bike Ride 20 miles
7/3: 3 miles
7/4: Bike Ride 19.5 miles
7/5: 3 miles
7/6: Day Off 
7/7: 3.2 miles [0:27:25]
7/8: 3.2 miles

Total - 7/1 - 7/8: 15.6 miles

Week 2: July 9 - July 15
7/9: 4 miles [0:38:00]
7/10: 3 miles [0:30:12] & Bike Ride 21 miles
7/11: Day Off
7/12: 3.2 miles [0:26:21]
7/13: 3.8 miles [0:35:16]
7/14: 3.2 miles
7/15: 3 miles

Total - 7/9 - 7/15: 20.2 miles

Week 3: July 16 - July 22
7/16: 5 miles [0:46:53]
7/17: Day Off
7/18: 3.2 miles [0:27:32]
7/19: 4 miles [0:37:00]
7/20: 3.2 miles [0:30:03]
7/21: 4 miles [0:34:30]
7/22: Day Off

Total - 7/16 - 7/22: 19.4 miles

Week 4: July 23 - July 29
7/23: 4 miles [0:40:00]
7/24: 3 miles
7/25: 4 miles [0:33:53]
7/26: 3.8 miles [0:33:30]
7/27: Day Off
7/28: 3.2 miles [0:26:31]
7/29: Day Off

Total - 7/23 - 7/29: 18 miles

Start of Week 5: July 30 - July 31
7/30: 6.6 miles [0:57:16]
7/31: 3 miles

Total - 7/30 - 7/31: 9.6 miles
July Milage: 82.8 miles

All in all, I am pleased with the month. I had some quick runs, good miles, and I feel like I got myself in the habit of running. I will count it a success. I did have 2 days off that I was not supposed to have off, but I am not bothered by this. Had I ran on those 2 days, I would be closer to the 90 mile range. I do want to try to have only 1 day off each week, but 2 is ok if it is unavoidable. I am happy that I did not have to have 2 consecutive days off and I will continue to make that a goal.

I completed 12 strength/core workouts during the month of July. These are just abs, pushups, light weights,   lunges, and other quick exercises done during the day. I have a strength/core workout planned everyday except off days. I will make it a goal going forward to complete this small workout more often.

Lastly, I will note that I can feel myself becoming more efficient. I can run faster and feel better. I can tell that running is becoming more natural for my body. I can tell that I want to go running. The more I train, the more efficient I will become. The more efficient I become, the faster I will be able to run :)

So going forward, I will just be slowly upping my miles. I will add in some tempo work and some fartlek runs. I will be changing the pace some and trying to run in different places/courses. I want to add more strength/core workouts. I will continue to ride infrequently and focus more on running. As for blogging, I have enjoyed it so far, so I will continue. I will try to blog about my day's training and whatever other random thoughts I might have.

1 month down, many more to go!

Not as important, but something I do not want to leave out: I started my training weighing 154.6 lbs. I weighed myself this morning and was 151.0 lbs. :) I am not focused on losing any weight, but with good diet and exercise lifestyle changes, shedding weight is almost inevitable. I will keep you posted!