How Not To Train Your Dragon

Half Marathon #3 is coming up this weekend, and I just realized how truly unprepared I really am. I mean, I knew I was under-prepared, but I just looked at all my running for the past couple of months, and oh, man, is it dismal.

So, I present to you a list of things not to do if you are training for a half marathon.  I call it "Di's Idiocy, part 600."

Step 1:  Sign up for a Half Marathon
Step 2: Run sporadically, maybe 2 or 3 times a week, something like that.
Step 3: Don't do any cross training or strength training.  Except maybe a half-assed attempt at walking lunges that hurt your knee.
Step 4: Gain some weight.
Step 5: Periodically forget you signed up for the race. (You say denial, I say early onset dementia.  Agree to disagree)
Step 6: Do one 10 mile run - but make it a long time before the race, say...... six weeks.
Step 7: Do no other runs longer than, oh, maybe 6 miles.
Step 8: Develop shin pain.
Step 9: Stretch maybe, if you think of it, for a few seconds, sometimes.
Step 10: Wonder, not for the first time, WTF is wrong with you.


Easy peasy, right?

Yeah, pretty much! 

In all honesty, I'm not too worried about this race.  I mean, if nothing else, I will have a new personal worst Half Marathon time.  I'm sure my ego will survive.  Probably.  And I'll have a shiny new medal to put with my other shiny medals.  Of which I do not have nearly enough.  They should give out medals for other stuff.

For example:

• Getting up at 3 a.m. to deal with a half-awake 5 year old who doesn't know why she's screaming. 
• Answering "Why?" for the 3,745th time.  
• Being able to locate every single item that any child has ever said they've looked "EVERYWHERE" for. 
• Cleaning up various bodily fluid (that isn't yours). 
• Being able to unclog an overflowing toilet in under 60 seconds. 
• Knowing all the words to every Disney and/or Pixar movie soundtrack.  
• Not throwing up on your kid when your kid throws up on you. 

I'd have so many frickin' medals.  It would be awesome.  But, no, motherhood is supposed to have its own intrinsic value.  Whatever. I want my bling, darn it.

This post took an odd turn, didn't it?  Hmm.

Anyway.  Train better than I do for races.  Don't be a dummy.  Peace out.

I'm Making It Up As I Go Along

Week 1 of my completely made up and likely-to-be-changed training plan for Endless Summer is in the books, and I am freaking tired.  Granted, it doesn't help that I've been sick for the past couple of days (allergies + a cold or just allergies or maybe it's the black plague, who knows).

What does my made up training plan look like, you ask?  Well, it looks like a whole hell of a lot of running and walking and very little time for things like naps and piñatas.  To be more specific, my week looked like this:

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 1 Hour Run
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - 1.5 Hour Run
Friday - Rest
Saturday - .5 Hour Run
Sunday - 2 Hour Walk + .5 Hour Run

Saturday's run and today's run were supposed to be an hour each, in theory, but with the way I was feeling, it just wasn't going to happen.   So all told I spent 3.5 hours running, 2 hours walking, and covered roughly 24 miles.

Going forward, the runs will increase and the walks will increase and hopefully my tolerance for a piñata free life will increase.  (Please, don't ask what's up with me and piñatas today, because the truth is I have no idea.  Sometimes a word just gets in my  head and since it took me entirely too long to figure out how to type a tilde on this stupid laptop, I'm just going to keep using it, mmkay?)

Though I'm not exactly sure how it'll all flesh out, I think that my training will peak at something like 11 hours of running and walking per week.  After Endless Summer I'll probably scale back for a week or two and then ramp back up even higher before I get to North Coast.

Or, maybe I'm completely full of crap and have no idea what I'm talking about.  This, truthfully, is much more likely.  Fortunately I have lots of very smart friends who have been at this way longer than I have, and I can pick their brains when I realize mine are falling out of my ears.

Aaaannd I have a 5K next weekend and a Half Marathon 2 weeks after that.  I keep forgetting about those races. I am NOT looking forward to the 5K, but the Half Marathon in St. Michael's should be fun.  Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.  We'll see.

I also just registered for another 5K that's in August.

Hey, it's cheaper than gambling, boozing, or doing drugs.  (And better for you, I'm told.)

Week 13 Recap

Here we are.  It's RACE WEEK!  Before I freak out over that, let's take a look back at last week. 

GMM Half Marathon Week 13 Training Schedule:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 4 miles speedwork
• Wednesday - Cross Train/Rest
• Thursday - 2 miles easy
• Friday - Cross Train/Rest
• Saturday - 10 miles
• Sunday - 2 miles recovery

How it actually went: 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 1.8 miles of painful speedwork (nasty shin pain made me stop)
• Wednesday - Rest
• Thursday - 6 miles of painful running but mostly walking (tried to do the 10 miles that day, due to schedule conflicts on Saturday - turns out it was a bad idea!)
• Friday - Rest 
• Saturday - 2 miles easy (felt fine!)
• Sunday - 2 miles not-so-easy (picked it up in the last mile, felt great to move!) 

Total weekly mileage: 11.84

So.  Not exactly a stellar last week of training. Over six miles short, plus Tuesday and Thursdays miles weren't very high value.  Ugh, ugh, ugh.   But! I am happy enough with all of the rest of my training that I'm just going to say Oh Well and move on.  It is what it is and I'm not going to let a few bad runs get me down!  (Plus I already wallowed for a bit - ya'll just didn't get to hear it!) 

Source

And now it's here.  Race Week.  I will run two more short runs this week, then on Friday morning I will get up, say goodbye to my family, and head to the airport.  I am so, so, so excited for this trip . The actual race?  Well, I still haven't thought about that, to be honest.  I have no idea what pace I'm going to run or whether or not I have a time goal.  I haven't decided what fuel I'm bringing, and whether or not I'm going to carry a handheld.  All those things will get decided later this week.  Right now, I'm just going to try to enjoy the "taper madness" that is slowly settling into my brain, and the fact that I am just four days away from meeting some of the best people I have never actually met in person. =) 

Whoo! =)

What are you excited about today? 

Week 12 Recap

I know I say this every week, but how is it possible I'm writing another one of these things?  I didn't realize time could actually speed up.  I thought that was the whole point of time - that it's constant...  Well, except for Daylight Savings Time, but don't get me started on that.

So.  Two weeks from today, I will be running the Half Marathon at the Green Mountain Marathon in South, Hero, Vermont.  In my last post, I told you how gorgeous Vermont is.  In case you've forgotten, here:

Granted, that picture could have also been taken in Maryland, but in order to get through some rough days lately, I've been rewarding myself with the thoughts that Vermont is BETTER than Maryland, and I just have to hang on to get there! =)

So.  Week 12 of GMM Training.   It was supposed to look like this: 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 5 speed
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross Train
• Thursday - 5 easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross Train
• Saturday - 12 miles
• Sunday - 3 miles easy

What it actually looked like: 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Rest
• Wednesday - 2.25 painful miles (shin issues)
• Thursday - 5 strong miles (running is a fickle beast!)
• Friday - Rest
• Saturday - 12 awesome freaking miles.  So happy with this run! 
• Sunday - 3 miles not so easy. Blah. 

Weekly total:  22.25 miles! 

This was the first week that I deviated wildly from my training, on purpose.   Well, except for the week we spent at Disney, but I had approval from my coach to take it easy that week if I wanted to.  It's not like I didn't do over 40 miles of walking on that trip anyway!   Anyway, after my freak-out over the weekend, I needed an extra rest day on Tuesday, and on Wednesday I'd decided not to try to make up the speedwork, even before I started running and realized my shins were PISSED at me.   It seems weird now, though, that I really only have one week of training left before my taper, and then, boom - the race.   

It also seems weird that after Oct. 13th, I will not have a set schedule to follow any more.  On the other hand, I am so looking forward to being more flexible.  So we'll see.  I do want to stress that my coach, Erin, is freaking AWESOME, and if anyone is looking for a coach, I would highly recommend her.  It just turns out that for me, right now, coaching is not what I need.  I do not regret the experience, though, and I am convinced she's helped make me a stronger runner.

Monthly total miles:  85.42 - a personal best by about 20 miles.  Niiiice. =)   Next month the mileage will be much lower, which I will appreciate, but I will be honest - I kinda love the fact that I've run this much this month.  Makes me feel slightly.... something.  I want to say Badass, but it's not THAT badass.  It's badass for ME, but not for others.  But, as I keep reminding myself, "Comparison is the thief of joy!"  So.  It's badass.  Yay me. =)

Week 11 Recap

Holy moly, how is it possible that I'm writing ANOTHER one of these recaps? I mean, seriously. Are the weeks getting shorter?  Jeepers.

Week 11 of GMM Half Marathon training is officially over.  Only 3 weeks till the race!

How this week's training was supposed to go:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 5 miles speed
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross train 
• Thursday - 4 miles easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross train
• Saturday - 12 miles
• Sunday - 3 miles easy 

Weekly total:  24 miles

Here's how the week actually went: 

• Monday - Rest (of course!)
• Tuesday - 5 miles of crap.  Managed the 3 "tempo" miles in the middle but had to take walk breaks to deal with a side stitch that would.not.go.away!   It was not fun. 
• Wednesday - 1 mile run, plus short lower body segment from my Biggest Loser DVD
• Thursday - 4 geat miles
• Friday - Rest (which was not as restful as it sounds - total hair catastrophe occurred, and I can't even blame it on anyone except myself)
• Saturday - 10 miles that were alternately ok, and horrible.  Didn't manage to finish the 12 I was supposed to.  Came home and was ill.  Blah.  
• Sunday - 3 miles with legs that felt like lead. 

Weekly total: 23 miles

This was my least successful week of training to date.  My coach told me that if after resting tomorrow, I am still feeling tired, then I should take Tuesday as an additional rest day.  That means skipping out on 5 miles, 3 of which are supposed to be at tempo pace.  Part of my brain is going "No! I NEED those miles!"  and another part of my brain is saying "Oh, thank you, baby Jesus! I need a damn NAP!"  

So, we'll see. I have to say, though, that I'm very proud of how my training has gone so far, and I know that I have given it my all, so if I do end up taking a rest day on Tuesday, I know it will not be because I'm lazy, but because I truly need it. 

Now.  Who's wondering what happened to my hair?  No one?  Great! Then I don't have to share pictures. Phew! ;-)

Week 10 Recap

When I started training for the Green Mountain Half Marathon, I felt like the 14 week schedule was so long.  Apparently, time flies when you're having fun, because yesterday marked the end of Week 10! Holy Moly.  This week was a cutback week, which I needed more than I realized! 

What the week was supposed to look like:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 5 miles (speedwork)
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross train
• Thursday - 2 miles easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross train
• Saturday - 7 miles
• Sunday - 2 miles easy 

What the week actually looked like:

• Monday - Rest 
• Tuesday - 5 miles (two of which were faster than my 5K pace! What, what!) & squats
• Wednesday - Squats 
• Thursday - 2 miles (tons of shin pain, yet again.  blah) & squats
• Friday - Squats
• Saturday - 7 miles (5 of which were awesome) & squats
• Sunday - 2 miles easy & squats

Total Miles for the Week:  16 and 150 squats.  (I have now typed "squats" so many times that it does not look like a real word.  Squats. Squats.  Squats.  So weird) 

My 7 mile run looked like this: 

The first two miles were uncomfortable because my right calf (my left one is so good, why can't my right one learn from her sister??) was tight and it took me awhile to warm up.  Once I hit mile 3, though, things loosened up and I just felt great.  Probably the best run I've had in a long, long time.  Don't let the weather icon fool you, though.  This run was at night and it was dark! 

It was funny, actually, because I told my husband "I'll be home around 8:30" and I walked in the door RIGHT at 8:30 and he said "I was starting to get worried about you!"   Um... I was on time!  Jeez.  Good thing that last mile was a bit faster, wouldn't want him to call the cops or anything!  

Actually, I shouldn't say that.  It's nice that he worries.  I  just would rather have him wait to worry until I'm actually LATER than I said I'd be.  =)

Source

You probably noticed that I actually did something other than just running this week. If you didn't notice, then you're not reading very closely! ;-) It wasn't much, but with me, baby steps are sometimes the only steps I'm capable of!  Every night before bed, I did squats.  I started out with 15 for two days, then I moved up to 30 each night.  This week, I'll continue doing the squats, but I'll add in another exercise.  I have not decided what yet.  Maybe crunches.  Like I said, baby steps.   But I realized that I can't keep expecting my running to get better when I'm not doing any additional work to get my body stronger.  So, I'm trying.  

Source

Did you do anything new this week?  

Week 9 Recap

So! Week 9 of my GMM Half Marathon Training is finished!  Not quite sure how that's possible, but in 5 weeks, I'll  be in Vermont, running through the middle of nowhere with 400 other people.  AND I get to meet some super awesome people that I've been talking to for the past year + on FB.  Yay for  meeting internet peoples! =)


What the week was supposed to look like:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 5 miles (speedwork)
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross train
• Thursday - 3 miles easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross train
• Saturday - 11 miles
• Sunday - 2 miles easy 

What the week actually looked like:

• Monday - Rest (I'm really, really good at Mondays!)
• Tuesday - 5 miles of awesome
• Wednesday - Rest
• Thursday - 2.07 miles (Shin and foot pain, totally caved and cut this one short)
• Friday - Rest
• Saturday - 11 crazy miles, the last 4 of which were the fastest.  Who knew it takes me 7 miles to warm up? 
• Sunday - 3.1 miles easy

Total Miles for the Week:  21.17  Whoot!

More things happened this week, and I know I'm being a slacker blogger, but I am exhausted and there is no way a coherent, interesting entry is happening tonight.  So, I leave you with this thought. 

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?  

No, really. I'm curious.  

Toodles !

Week 8 Recap & A Look Ahead

It's Sunday, which means another week of training is over - and today is September 1st, which means there's a whole new month of training ahead!  First, let's look back.  

GMM Half Marathon Week 8 Training Schedule:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 4 miles speedwork
• Wednesday - Cross Train/Rest
• Thursday -3 miles easy
• Friday - Cross Train/Rest
• Saturday - 10 miles
• Sunday - 3 miles recovery

How it actually went: 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 4 miles speedwork (on the treadmill at the gym, super hard, foot pain, was miserable, blah, blah - but I did it!) 
• Wednesday - Rest
• Thursday - 3.08 miles super easy
• Friday - Rest 
• Saturday - 10 miles (pretty slow overall, and HOT, but I was happy with it!)
• Sunday - 3 miles easy (1st mile super hard, 2nd and 3rd easier - nice way to end the week!)

Total weekly mileage: 20.20

What's funny (well, not really) is that so many people I know run 20 miles in a day.  But to me, 20 miles in a week is a big deal, especially because I've never done it before!  So I'm very pleased with it.  

Looking ahead to September, even bigger numbers are headed my way.  My current schedule has me running 90 miles in September - and my coach is actually changing it tonight to add more mileage (changing a cutback week since I just had a slacker week at Disney).  I have never run more than 70 miles in a month, so the idea of 90 kinda makes me feel...... I don't know, actually.  Not scared.  Excited? Proud?  Well, maybe I should save the pride till I actually do it, but still. 

Considering that a little over a year ago, I could hardly run a mile, I'm feeling pretty darn good right now! 

Week 5 Recap

Didn't I just write a Week 4 Recap?  How can it possibly be the beginning of Week 6 of training already? Time is FLYING by lately!

GMM Half Marathon Week 5 Training Schedule:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 3 miles speedwork
• Wednesday - Cross Train/Rest
• Thursday - 2 miles easy
• Friday - Cross Train/Rest
• Saturday - 5K
• Sunday - 2 miles recovery

How it actually went: 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 3 miles speedwork (on the treadmill at the gym, hit my paces well, had the machine on a 1.0 incline, etc - good run)
• Wednesday - Rest (too scared to go back to my trainer, but I should have done SOMETHING.)
• Thursday - 2 miles easy
• Friday - Rest (lazy girl!) 
• Saturday - 5K (PR! Whoo!) 
• Sunday - 2 miles easy (super slow, but felt really great)

It may be cheesy, but I have to say I'm very proud of myself for sticking with my training this far.  In the past, I've skipped runs or cut things short, but in the past 5 weeks, I've done everything I'm supposed to - except the cross training, but since my coach always puts "slash rest," I don't feel too guilty about that. 

This week's runs are going to be a little wonky since my son's birthday is on Thursday, and we leave for DISNEY!!! on Saturday, but I'll make it work.  

Have you ever followed a specific race training plan?  Did you like it, or do you prefer to "wing it" when training? 

Book Learnin'

I love to read.  I read for pleasure every day, and sometimes stay up entirely too late because I'm reading and I can't put the book down.

With the advent of the "e-reader," I read even more - and all kinds of things that I probably wouldn't read otherwise.   Since I started running, I've been reading books on - you guessed it - running!  I actually started my running journey with a book called Run Your Butt Off.   It's similar in concept to the "Couch to 5K" plans that are everywhere, but it also focuses on nutrition, and has a more personal approach, IMO.

Other books that I've read (in no particular order) are:

• Run Like a Mother
• Train Like a Mother
• The Spirit of The Marathon (not to be confused with the movie of the same name) 
• Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide
• The Ultimate Running Guide
• Runner's World Big Book of of Marathon and Half Marathon Training
• The Do-It-Yourself Half Marathon Plan (more of a pamphlet than a book, really)
• Short Fat Chick to Marathon Runner
• Honey, Do You Need a Ride?
• Confessions of a Fat Marathoner
• Run to Overcome
•  An Accidental Athlete
• Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running
• Runner's World Best: Getting Started
• Runner's World Guide to Road Racing
• Half-Marathon: A Complete Guide For Women
• Marathoning for Mortals
• The Complete Book of Running for Women
• Going Long: Legends, Oddballs, Comebacks & Adventures
• Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness
• Kara Goucher's Running for Women
• Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running
• Running for Mortals
• Running Shoes Are a Girl's Best Friend
• Grandma Wears a Running Skirt
• The Competitive Runner's Handbook 

Holy cow, when I write them all down like that, it seems insane.  But, I told you that I like to read. 

A lot of them I got to read for free (thank you, Amazon Prime!!), others I paid for.  A lot of them were repetitive, and some of them were written so long ago that it's actually amusing to see how much has changed.  All of them, though, were interesting in some way, and helpful in feeding my insatiable appetite for all things running related.    I think "Run to Overcome" was my favorite of the story/novel types - if any of you are Meb fans, you should check it out.  Of the "this is how to run" books....  I'm not sure which is my favorite.  I do know that I am not partial to Kara Goucher's writing (sorry, girl!) or Jeff Galloway's.  Other than that, they were all decent.  It just depends on what you're looking to get out of them, I guess. 

Have you read any running books? Do you think I'm crazy because I have?

Week 4 Recap

I can't believe it! I'm already finished with a whole month of training.  How is that even possible?  I think it's going pretty well so far, but nothing in life is perfect!

Here's how Week 4 was supposed to go:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 3 miles speed
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross Train
• Thursday - 2 miles easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross Train
• Saturday - 7 miles
• Sunday - 2 miles easy

Here's how Week 4 actually went: 

• Monday - Rest (really, is it any surprise that I'm super good at this one?)
• Tuesday - 3 miles speed (hit the paces for my mile repeats, though the second one was a bit of a struggle)
• Wednesday - Hour long gym session (that I'm STILL sore from, nearly a week later. Ugh)
• Thursday - 2 miles easy (super slow, was pretty darn sore)
• Friday - Rest
• Saturday - 7 miles (this run went ok.  really slowly, and the humidity was terrible, but it was ok.) 
• Sunday - 2 miles easy (this felt super easy)

All in all, not bad.  But that hour long training session on Wednesday pretty much killed me.   This was supposed to be my week of getting into strength training, and instead I have been popping pills and laying with a heating pad for the past 5 days.  NOT pretty.  I cancelled the appts I had scheduled for this week - no way am I risking feeling like this for another week.  Lord have mercy.  Ugh.  I guess I'm going to have to workout on my own for awhile - in short, easy bursts - until I'm a bit stronger, then I can go back to seeing Aaron again.  Blah.  

Saturday is the 5K I signed up for, and my coach seems excited for me - she said she'll be sending me a "race plan" in a couple days.  I've never had a race plan before! LOL  I guess I won't be winging it after all. 

What are you up to this week? Anything fun?  12 days till Disney! 

Week 3 Recap

Week 3 of my half marathon training is officially over - I can't believe there are only 11 weeks to go!  When I signed up for this race, it seemed soooooo far away.  Not anymore!


GMM Half Marathon Week 3 Training Schedule:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 3 miles speed
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross Training
• Thursday - 2 miles easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross Training
• Saturday - 6 miles
• Sunday - 2 miles easy

How it actually went: 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 3.25 miles (Hit all my paces, but somehow the math was off, so with the cooldown, this was 3.25 miles)
• Wednesday - 1/2 hour training session at the gym 
• Thursday - 2 miles easy (Super slow, some calf pain)
• Friday - Rest
• Saturday - 6 miles (Nice run, very happy with it)
• Sunday - 2 miles (Faster than I was supposed to, got chastised by my coach)

So, 13.25 miles for the week (plus a 1/2 mile on the treadmill before my training session, which I'm not really counting).   All in all it was a good week, and last night's run made me realize that I'm ready to try another 5K, so I've asked my coach for her blessing. The last one I did was just a miserable day and I know it's in no way indicative of what I can actually do right now.  

I found a local-ish race that supports a good cause that is on a cut-back week in my training cycle, so I'm just waiting to hear back from my coach.  Fingers crossed, people - I'd rather have permission than do it anyway and get yelled at later. LOL

Happy Monday!

In The Long Run

My alarm went off at 5 this morning and in true Di fashion, I turned the bugger off.  No way was I getting up. 7 a.m. rolled around and my son came in to snuggle with his dad for a bit.  Saturdays are my morning to sleep in, but I knew I had 6 miles ahead of me, so I got up.

Last week, my 5 miler was .... crappy.  Too much walking, too many stupid little things going wrong.  I had no real hopes for today's run.  I couldn't stop to think, I just went out.

I had a few aches and pains here and there (the dog tried to kill me last night, but more about that later), but mostly I was fine.  Kept it slow and just plodded along.  Got home feeling quite pleased with myself.

(Avg. pace was 12:52, I think - right in the middle of the pace range I was given. Huzzah!)

Today was the first time I'd run 6 miles without regular walk intervals since January.  It felt damn good.  Though it's cotton and ended up weighing 3,000 lbs by the time I got home, I was so glad I'd worn this shirt:

Don't mind the sweat, it was hot out there!

It was nice to come home and have gone over my "step" goal before 9 a.m.  In fact, my Fitbit rolled over 25,000 steps today, all told - over 12 miles!  It was a good day - except for one thing.  I am in so much pain now, I want to cry. 

Remember when I said my dog tried to kill me last night?  I tried to take pictures of my injuries as proof, but they're not showing up well on my phone right now.  I'm sure they'll be nice and ugly tomorrow. But I digress. 

Last night, I was stepping back into my house from my garage when my foot slid out from under me, my other leg caught on the step up into the house, and my leg buckled and I went down like a ton of bricks.  Why did my foot slide out from under me, you wonder?  Well, I'll tell you.  My lovely dog decided that the best place for her water was not in her bowl, or in her stomach, but all over the tile floor in my kitchen, right in front of the door leading to the garage.  Water + tile floor = Di go boom. 

After the initial "AHHH!!!" and the subsequent crying (because I am a weenie and it HURT!) and the examining where all the skin was scraped off my knee and top of my foot, I realized that I was feeling ok and decided not to worry about it.  (Though I did threaten the dog.  I swear she hates me.)  

Fast forward to mile 4 of my run, when my hip/butt started to hurt.  I figured it was just from having weak glutes and/or adductors.    Fast forward to going out to dinner with my husband tonight, and in the car driving to the restaurant, my legs are hurting.  Fast forward again to walking around the mall and EVERYTHING hurts.  Legs, shoulders, neck, back, you name it.  I talked about DOMS in my last post - this was more like DOPFFOMA (Delayed Onset Pain From Falling On My Ass).

Now I have fun bruises and my everything is sore and I have a run scheduled tomorrow and I don't wanna and waaaaaa!!  

Insert pouty face here. 

So, I am going to go take some anti-inflammatories and toddle off to bed hoping that tomorrow, I will be able to walk without limping.  If I can do that, I can run, right?  RIGHT?!??  

Stupid dog.  *sniffle*  

Week 2 Recap

I've been a very lazy blogger this week, mostly due to the fact that my parents were staying with us and I tend to let everything slide when we have house guests.

I was not a lazy runner, though, and I did all of the workouts that my coach laid out for me.

GMM Half Marathon Training Week 2 Schedule:

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - 3 speed
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross Train
• Thursday - 2 easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross Train
• Saturday - 5 miles
• Sunday - 2 easy

How the week actually went: 

• Monday - Rest
• Tuesday - Rest (Tuesdays have not worked out lately! Grr!) 
• Wednesday - 3 speed (hit my paces PERFECTLY, if I do say so myself)
• Thursday - 2 easy (not a great run, but it was ok)
• Friday - Rest
• Saturday - 4.8 miles (major malfunctions all over the place, including my watch dying, hence the short run since I didn't know exactly where I was supposed to turn around)
• Sunday - 2.2 easy (possibly the easiest run I've ever had)

I'm over being upset about Saturday's run (it was UGLY and I walked a lot), but if I were a newer newb, I'd be pretty disheartened and would be questioning my ability to do a HM in a few months.  Fortunately, I know I can complete the distance because I've done it before.  The question now is just whether I'll be running it or run/walking.  I'm hoping for the former!   We'll see.  Lots of time still!  

So, Week 3 begins today - fortunately with a rest day, because I'm feeling blah today (and I'm taking my parents to the airport this morning).    No new weight loss to report - but no gain, either, so that's good.  At least I know I can stop tracking calories for a few days and keep off what I've lost so far.  Actually, I think it's good to relax for a few days every once in awhile - otherwise it all ends up feeling like such a chore that you might say "Forget this!" and stop trying altogether.  Not what I want!   So I'm back to counting calories today and paying a little bit more attention.  5 months left in 2013, and I am 5 lbs from the goal I set for myself in January.  Pretty sure I can do it, but only time will tell. 

Fitbit Zip Update - Last week I accidentally wore my Zip in the pool for about 5 minutes.  NO HARM DONE!  I was shocked (and totally relieved) to see that it still worked perfectly, and has had no issues since.  Phew!  Well done, Fitbit, for creating something that is Diana-proof! 

Happy Monday, all! 

 

Week 1 Recap

This past week was my first week of training for my Oct. Half Marathon.  This was also my first week of following any kind of a real training plan, so I wasn't sure how things would go.  The plan was pretty simple.

• Monday - Rest Day
• Tuesday - 3 miles speedwork (400m repeats)
• Wednesday - Rest/Cross Train
• Thursday - 2 miles Easy
• Friday - Rest/Cross Train
• Saturday - 4 miles
• Sunday - 2 miles easy 

Since nothing in my life ever goes exactly to plan, here's how my week actually looked: 

• Monday - Rest Day
• Tuesday - Rest Day
• Wednesday - 3 miles speedwork (hit my prescribed paces, was very pleased)
• Thursday - 2 miles easy (did not feel easy)
• Friday - Rest Day
• Saturday - 4 miles (blah)
• Sunday - 2 miles easy (felt just fine) 

I got absolutely no cross training done this week (I'm supposed to be doing core/strength work!), and the 11 miles that I ran did not feel spectacular.  But.  I got it done, and that's the important part.  

This week, my parents will be visiting, so I'm hoping that most of my runs will get done in the a.m. (when I prefer to run) instead of in the evening (which is when my last few runs have been).    I'm also hoping that if I tell my mom "I'm supposed to work out every day," maybe she'll give me that "mom look" until I've done so. LOL  

So.  1 week down, 13 to go.  October seemed so far away when I signed up for this silly thing! =)