End of Week 15 Half Marathon training

So you're probably wondering why there was such a jump between my training posts, considering my last post was at the end of week 9.  Oops!  Well between then and now I dealt with my stomach/GI issues for an entire month and not much running (read: none) was getting done.

It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I started running again and building up my mileage.  Since week 9 I have progressed up to running my first ever 10 mile distance.  Something that was no easy feat!

This week, number 15, was a scale back week.  Only 3 miles on the plan.  Wait, what?  3 miles?  I go from running 10 miles down to 3?  So I changed it to 6, seemed like a fair adjustment to me.  So 6 miles it was for my long run.

This week's schedule was just like usual:

Tuesday: 30 minute walk/run
Thursday: 30 minute walk/run
Saturday: 3 6 mile long run

Tuesday and Thursday were lost causes.  Crap got in the way and I never made it out for a run.  No lame excuses, just never happened.  So Saturday would be my run for the week.  Lovely.

Saturday I was up and getting ready for my run, looked outside and saw the very thick layer of frost on the ground.  Frost = slippery run!  Oh boy!  So as I was getting ready, I made the mistake of checking my Twitter feed and I got caught up reading all the tweets from those running the WDW Half Marathon.  An hour later, I got dressed and headed out the door for my run.

It was a leisurely 6 miles up and down hills in Bellevue and my body fought me the whole way.  It was a rough run, I couldn't get into a groove and I just felt off.  I got it done in 1 hour and 20 minutes (ugh), it was a slow and arduous run, but I got it done and I felt good that I was able to keep up with my training.

It is 6 weeks from today that I will be in Disney World for my half marathon and I'm getting excited about it!  (Reading all the tweets from the marathon weekend in WDW has been fueling this excitement for sure!)  I have 11 miles set for next weekend and I'm nervous about it.  Though I also know that when I conquer this run, that means I only need two more miles to reach the half marathon distance, something I feel I could do.  It will hurt, but I can do it.

It's all getting real and the race I've been dreaming about running for about a year is rapidly coming.  I'm nervous and really excited.  This long journey is coming to its fruition and I am so excited for it.

5 more weeks of training.

6 weeks until D-day.

Awesome.

"The Jam" Thursday - what is blowing up my iPod

It is Thursday!  WOOHOO!  Why am I so excited?  It's technically my Friday since I actually have Friday off.  Though I am suffering from race envy right now with all the bloggers and my Team runDisney peeps are all in Disney World, or are on their way, for the 20th Anniversary Marathon weekend.  They are also experiencing unseasonably warm weather there (80's), during the same weekend that the greater Seattle metropolitan area is experiencing snow.  So I am having race envy, location envy and weather envy.  I can't wait to live vicariously through all the tweets and recaps that will be streaming in over the next few days and weeks.

So to distract me from all that, I am here today to give you my "jam" for the week.  The songs that get my legs pumping and my booty bumping.  This weeks song is inspired by all the people running in the huge marathon weekend in Orlando, this is a song for all of you, especially those who are running Goofy. ;)

 

Stronger - Kanye West 

This song personally got me through the last mile of my last long run where I was in so much pain that I just wanted to stop.  The beat keeps me going, the lyrics encourage me to not stop and this is a good song to keep you moving.  Certainly a good song to have on your playlist for a tough run.  Enjoy!

Momentum Monday: The little voice of doubt

It's Monday already?  Didn't we just do this?  The weekend was far too short for me, how about you?  Regardless, welcome to another week and the first FULL week of the New Year!  How is everyone doing on their goals/resolutions?  Good?  Bad?  Haven't started yet? It's never too late to start!

My weekend flew by, like I'm sure most of yours did as well.  Saturday had a large chunk of time dedicated to prepping for, doing and recovering from my scheduled long run.  On the schedule this week?  10 miles, my longest distance yet.  I was trying not to think about it, because the moment I thought about 10 miles, double digit miles, I would start to psych myself out.  That little voice of doubt in the back of your mind that feeds into your psyche started creeping in; and doubt can be a run killer.

"I can't do this, that is just so long!"  "How am I going to do this all by myself?"  "This is going to be so hard, why am I doing this?"  All these and more were streaming through my head that morning faintly in the background of my thinking.  I tried to keep positive and think about what I needed for hydration, what I needed to bring for fuel during the run and where I was going by keeping the route in my head.  Busying my mind from the little voice telling me that I can't do it.

When I got to the park along Lake Washington, I was pleased at what I saw as this route was new to me.  Lots of runners going along the trail, bikes galore and chilly, but comfortable running weather.  I got out, stretched, took a picture to send to Twitter and headed out on the trail.

The first 5 miles were good.  I felt solid and was enjoying the scenery, it really was a beautiful run.  By the time I got to six miles I had looped past my car and was headed toward a 4 mile out and back.  My hips were starting to get stiff but nothing really was bugging me.  When I got into mile 7 I was heavily relying on my music to distract my mind, I was getting sore and I still had over two miles left to go.  When I got to my turn around point I was thinking to myself, it's all downhill from here (because literally it was, I had climbed a bit of a hill during the last mile), and I'd be done before I knew it. 

Mile 9 hit me like a brickwall and all I wanted to do was stop.  My hips were screaming, my knees were angry, my ankles were tired and I was just done running.  My mind kept saying "I'm done", "I don't have anymore left to give", "just stop and walk the rest of the way".  Then ironically, I busted out with this Momentum Monday quote all on my own, so when I saw this todayI knew I had to use it:

I did.  I called myself a liar.  I kept saying "You're lying to me, you've got more, show me." "You are almost done, you've got this", "Can't Stop, Won't Stop!"  Good thing I was all by myself and there were no other runners around because I was talking up a storm to myself.  That last mile I wasn't going to stop, I was almost to the promise land and I didn't want to stop short.

And I did it.  10 Miles.  Done.  I felt elated!  I had done it.  I did not let my head win and stop me from running.  I knew I could get that last mile in and I wasn't going to let myself stop until I was done.  It was a triumph over 10 miles and more importantly, over my little voice.

Question for you: Have you had a time where the little voice of doubt won? If not, how did you fight back? 

Slackerdom and a kick in the pants!

Holy cow...I just looked at the posts (or rather lack of posts) that occurred in December.  I feel like a total slacker because of it.  Although I strive for quality over quantity, I know there were some important topics that I did not discuss that could have been therapeutic for me and helpful for others who may be going through that same thing.

Typically December is a month full of gatherings, events and lots of joy and happiness.  Not so for me this year.  My health issues made it difficult for me to participate in any activity or even get wrapped up in the Christmas spirit like I usually do.  This past December I battled a stomach issue that sidelined me from running and ultimately lead to a few pound weight gain.  Crappity-crap-crap!

I did all I could to make my tummy and digestive system not go on the fritz and when you just look at lovely green veggies and your stomach turns, it's never a good feeling. Carbs ruled my diet for about 2 weeks, then as my stomach started to feel better, I was able to reintroduce the veggies I love to eat.

Because I was so down on myself, I didn't want to post, worrying that all I would be was Debbie Downer and too much of that is just no good.  Even for the person going through it.

So I apologize for my absence and look forward to a much more productive January and 2013 as a whole!

This year I have really set myself up to have a busy year.  In February I have my first half marathon at the Princess Half Marathon in Disney World, then my second half marathon in June for the Rock n' Roll Seattle Half and then a third half marathon in August at the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend.  I'm going from never having run farther than 10K to running three half marathons in one year.  Talk about stacking the cards against you!  With this lineup of races, I have to work on keeping up my endurance and working on getting fitter.

This leads me to my goals for this year!  YAY GOALS!!!  (Don't everyone get excited now!)

1) Continue with my half marathon training all winter, spring and summer.  I have a few months inbetween races, so I need to keep my distances up and work on being more consistent with my time at the longer distances.

2) Work on my strength training.  I need to incorporate more weight work into my running schedule.  I know this cross training will help to keep me from getting injured as well as assist me in the long run for improving my endurance and time. 

3) Try something new.  I got a Groupon for 20 CrossFit classes at a local Box.  (That's what they call their locations, right?)  I've heard from many people, both close to me and in my blogging community about how much people love and have been changed for the better by CrossFit.  I am willing to try something new where people are there to help you improve and will encourage your growth.  I hope that this will be a positive experience.

4) Change my eating habits.  During the previous year I had lost 40 pounds, mainly from improving my diet and cutting out white sugar and white flour.  This past year I let those two things back into my daily diet and I've suffered from it.  I wasn't losing like I should with all the running I was doing and I wasn't feeling as good as I had when those things were out of my daily intake.  My goal this year is to make the positive strides in my daily diet and find recipes that I can use in replacement of poor food choices.  Cutting out the processed food will make me feel and function better.

and finally, 5) To be more consistent with my workouts and running.  I struggle with this all the time, I have a goal or even a workout schedule and I can't seem to keep up with it.  I always let something get in the way or some excuse keep me from my workout.  It's troubling to me too because I always feel great after a workout/run and I always tell myself to remember this feeling.  But then the lazy settles in and I give in to it.  I will make the commitment to myself to workout or run when I say I will and not give up on myself or let the lazy get me.

So these are my 5 goals for this year and I am really excited about all of them. Being excited about your goals will help you in your pursuit of them.  If you are not excited or ready to attack your goals, then you need to think about why you have those goals and if they are right for you at this point in time.  Use your time and energy in the pursuit of what you want to accomplish and in doing so you will have one hell of a ride. 

So let's attack this year together and push ourselves in accomplishing our goals! 

Question for you: What are your goals for this year?

"The Jam" Thursday - What is blowing up my iPod

Today is the first "Jam" session of the New Year!  I'm excited to be sharing some good tunes with you and hope that you find some good music to add to your list as well!

Today's "Jam" is a song that I rocked out to a few years ago and hadn't heard in a while.  It wasn't until I was at a Flywheel session that I heard this song again and it made me jam out during that particular sweat session!  Which is saying a lot because I normally get my butt handed to me every time I take their class!

So enjoy today's "Jam":

Let Me Think About It - Ida Corr

This has got such a fun and funky beat that I find myself grooving out to it wherever I am.  It's just a good song to have on your list when you need a pick me up in whatever you are doing.  Enjoy!