GU winner! Shorts!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:5

Looks like the number 5 is the lucky winner! #5 comment is: Dawn from Musings from the Pigg Pen I love that she is going to share the GU with a friend.

This weekend was awesome! First off it was above freezing and there was SUNshine : ) I meant to take a picture of my run because it was such a beautiful day but I never remember my camera. Saturday morning I ran with shorts (light tights underneath) but on Sunday I wore shorts and felt so free!

Reason #2 this weekend was awesome: PACE! I have been doing a lot of speed work and really wanting to get faster. This summer I could run fast for a 5K but not for long runs. Saturday I hit the pike on two missions: 14 miles and a sub 9:00 pace (hopefully close to 8:35). So I took off and cranked up the music. It was great and I pushed hard the whole time! Sometimes I would look down and see 7:30s! The slowest I was on one hill on the way back and I hit 9:30. If you look at the picture above the gray is elevation and the blue is my speed. I love how it is pretty even for the whole run. My average was an 8:24 which is lower than my "B" goal! I did stop at 9 miles to meet my mom and run an easier 5 miles. The low point was a random foot cramp that shut me down at 12 miles : ( BUT I redeemed myself on Sunday with a nice 5 mile run (sub 45 mins) AND I ran a "fast" mile to see what I could do! 7:35 mile!

Great way to start the week! I did bike and walk today to let the legs heal but will be running again come Wednesday. Tomorrow night is class night : ( And hitting the treadmill at 10:00 pm is for the birds! Hope everyone had a great weekend and I will be back to reading blogs soon. Super busy this weekend with all my fabulous running! We also bought a new couch and my son was super awesome this weekend. I will leave you with a little bit of cuteness:

How to...

First learn to love the treadmill and an 8:34 since pace since that will get you 7 miles in an hour (average nap time). That also happens to be close to BQ pace for me.

Second crank the volume up on the monitor so it can be heard over the treadmill. Pre-nap I change clothes and get the monitor set up so I can lay the kid down and jet downstairs.

DVR lots of TV! Cartoons for when the kid is up during the run and plenty of trashy reality TV should do it.

Surround your treadmill and bike with lots of toys! There are no rules in the playroom besides "Don't bother Mommy"

Today's run was a success! 8 miles all at an 8:34 pace!

Double success when the desired mileage gets done AND the kid is still asleep. Today was a triple bonus because I was able to shower and get clothes on before he woke up. Not all days work out so well but today was perfect. Today was even better because it was a Snow Day so I did not have to work and I did this during nap. Typically Wednesday "medium" runs are done after 7:30pm when the munchkin goes to bed.

Running Like a Mother at it's finest!

GASP.... a Giveaway

Shocking I know but don't worry I have not drank the Kool-aid. I am not one to get all excited about giveaways or do them BUT I have these extra GUs and chomps and hate to see anything go to waste. I have a set eating routine for long runs and my belly can not handle new stuff. Roctane and my belly do not mix and I love my Clif Shot Blocks. SO you can have my left overs from a sample pack : ) If you are new to running this will be a great way to try some stuff without wasting money.

There are 2 Chomps and 5 Gus. I just ask that you spread the word somewhere. Facebook it, blog it, tweet it, e-mail it, call a friend or send a letter. I don't care! Maybe I will get an extra follower or two : ) What you see is what you get. I will use one of those random selector things and post a winner on the night of January 31st.

Long Run Ramblings

Something about long runs make me want to blog. Today was suppose to be a 14 mile run but my belly made me stop : ( It was super cold at the start (14 degrees) but I was not that cold. I wore too many clothes so I ended up getting hot at the end. I think that is one reason I wanted to stop to. But I kept on going when the other girls stopped at their 9 miles. However, it wasn't long after that my belly really started hurting so I headed back and settle for 11 miles.

Cold weather takes a beating on my body. The cold I am can handle in terms of temperature but the cold makes my joints ache and I have more GI issues in the cold. I am ready for a nice warm run! 40 degrees would be wonderful.

I also wore my compression socks outside but I don't think I am going to like running in them. They were great for extra warmth but I think they are going to be more recovery for me. This week was a little "low" in mileage because I did extra cross training due to some soreness from my speed workouts. Oh well! When the body says take it easy you listen.

If I were rich...

I would be motivated to run more often. Tonight I had new compression socks and I wanted to try them out and this weekend I had the new Garmin to try out. It totally helps get you out the door or on the treadmill.

A lot of you had asked about the Garmin and yet it is the 305 : ) I still love it and can not believe how quick it gets a signal. I can't wait to get back outside this weekend. I purchased some CEP compression socks and didn't love them or hate them. I think they are way too hot to wear inside on the treadmill but super excited too wear them this single digit Saturday for some extra warmth. I was worried they were going to be hard to get on. That is not the problem they are hard to get off! Did someone tell me once that CEP sends you a free pair for a race photo with them on??

8 weeks of training to go! Been getting in 3 week day treadmill runs (5 to 7 miles) and then long runs on the weekend (up to 12 now).

New Garmin!

I LOVE my new Garmin! I ran 12 miles today (some with my mom) and was so excited when I came home and uploaded my run. It told me pace, distance, averages, where I ran and the elevation! SO neat : ) Sorta glad the old one broke!

My run went pretty well. It was "warm" by the end of the run. Lots of sun and high 30s so it felt really good. I was able to stay under 10:00 min miles the whole time and ran a couple sub 9:00 min miles. When I ran with mom my pace was a little more all over the place since I would run ahead or her, back to her and then with her. BUT I was still able to get in 12 miles right at 2 hours so I think I would have been a few minutes under if I had ran the whole thing by myself.

Last week I was able to run a lot more thanks to some snow days. Hoping this coming week I can be as motivated and run even thought it will be 7:30 or late before I hop on the treadmill. When it is cold out I want to curl up with a blanket and just be warm.

Much Better Start

So last week I was suffering from the New Years Blues and could not find my love for running anywhere! I did get in a nice chilly 10 mile run on Saturday but that was about it. Well tonight I stepped on the treadmill with a mission... run and run fast! I cranked it straight to 7.0 mph and decided to do a 5K plus see how fast I could get in a mile. I ran my "fast" mile last so I think I could maybe get it a little faster if I was running just a mile. I finished with a time of 24:30 and my "fast" mile was 7:22! GO ME!

I might get in another longer run this week if we have a snow day tomorrow since my parents can watch Parker so I can run. If not I will be getting in 5 to 6 miles on the treadmill while Scott is out of town. This Saturday I will get in my 12 mile run since I ordered my Garmin today. I am so bummed that they were $99 on Cyber Monday but I was being good and didn't buy one just to get a good deal. Little did I know 3 weeks later mine was going to hit the ground and die. OH WELL! I also ordered compression socks since all of my other Christmas gifts (running pants) had to be returned because they were all too short. I am just going to tough out the winter in my tights and raggedy Reebok windbreak pants.

Looks like everyone is off to a great start for the New year!

Out of Whack

I last worked on December 10th! Since I teach I always get a 2 week break for the holidays but I had an extra week thanks to some snow days and a little round of the flu. Going back to work on January 4th had me in a funk! I was all ready to tackle the new year with better eating and big running plans. Well I started the week with a great 5 mile speed work out but hit the wall on Tuesday. I let Tuesday be my rest day since I will have class on Tuesdays. Wednesday I was grumpy and in a MOOD! Ran 1.25 miles and QUIT. Thursday I ran 2 miles and QUIT. Friday I never run : )

Finally Saturday I woke up and said "you will NOT miss a long run!" Needed 12 but it was more like 10 due to snow and still running Garminless.

Anyone get the New Years blues? I think I was over thinking things. Worrying about work and my 2 marathons. I have to remember one day at at time.

Thoughts while running in the cold with no garmin and no music:

snot is more solid in the cold

you face is cold the first mile or so then it looses feeling

running uphill in snow/ice is hard; just walk

potholes are tricky covered in snow

Here is to a better week next week! Less sugar, less freezer food and more "real stuff"

Virgina Beach... umm that is 11 weeks from now!

So after thinking about marathons I really want to do Virginia Beach on March 20th. The travel is not THAT bad and I get to see my brother and super cute nephew. Plus Knoxville looked a little yuck and if I want to ever 50 state it I don't want that to be my Tennessee run. So I am all pumped about this Virginia Beach run when I think "Hey I might need a plan" Well umm.... March 20th is 11 weeks away! That means racking up the mileage QUICK! I have been doing 10 miles all December and did 11 miles for New Years. I have played with a lot of situations and I get my miles up pretty high (1 20 and a 22) and still get a little taper. But what is your opinion??? Think I can be marathon ready in 11 weeks? I just want to get another feel for what my "time" is so I can work towards breaking 4 hours.

My husband's response was "Its not like you don't run all the time"

Last night I did speed work for a 5 mile run and finished in 43:00 minutes which is that 8:34 pace I am longing for! That is what it will take to BQ ONE day : ) Oh we can all dream!

The Plan

Since it is New Years I have been thinking a lot about what this year will bring. I think change should be made immediately not on a day but New Years is a great time to make plans and get serious about making any needed changes. Working out is not something I need to start doing but I would like to change it up a little. Last year it was cardio, cardio, cardio which was great and made me a lot healthier but I need to add in some other stuff. So here is the plan for working out:

Sunday- Short recovery run/walk + strength training (probably Abs)

Monday- rest day (I have night class)

Tuesday- Speed Work and Abs

Wednesday - Strength Training (will run if I need the miles)

Thursday - Medium Length run and Abs

Friday - rest (I have a strict rule about NOT working out on Fridays)

Saturday - long run for Marathon

This is the plan up until the March marathon then I will just just decrease the mileage on Saturdays to get to the half marathon in April. April and May will be maintenance and in the summer I am going to tackle P90X with less running. Then towards the end of the summer I will start retraining for a fall marathon which will probably be Outerbanks.

Other areas of improvement:

Eating less "freezer food" and decreasing the amount of sweets

Decrease cupcake intake (26 or less for the year)

Those are my running/healthy living goals. There are plenty of other goals that are more personal but those are the ones I do mind to share with the world : ) Good luck on all of the goals you have planned for the year.

FYI: If you are a Biggest Loser fan there is a great article in Runner's World (the February issue)