Showing posts with label ORN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ORN. Show all posts

Friday, April 3, 2009

Girls weekend with a Concert!

Here's a quick recap of my workouts this week. It sure feels good to be getting back to a routine after the past couple of weeks!

Monday:
The only workout I did was 2 hours of shoveling 17 inches of heavy snow. That was enough for this chica.

Tuesday:
I ran 3.1 miles on the treadmill. My knee was fine, but started feeling a little tight about 2.75 miles in.

Wednesday:
I hit up the pool for a 1 mile swim while I was still in Bismarck. It felt good to get back in, since it had been about 2 weeks since my last swim. I started Jillian's 30-day shred over again with day 1 today.

Thursday:
After completing day 2 of Jillian's 30-Day shred, I popped in a trainer dvd and went away on the bike for approximately 50 minutes. Afterwards, I did a about 25 minutes of pilates and threw out a few cuss words while getting to know the foam roller.... youch. Reminder... check back early next week for a product review!

Today:
I woke this morning at 445am, trying to get back into an early morning routine. I was suprsed to feel rested and ready for a good workout. I did Day 3 of the shred, had a bowl of cheerios and 1/2 a banana and then hit up the gym. I ran 2.5 miles (with sprints at 7.5mph) and then jumped in the pool for 1000M. I used to do this a lot in the evenings last school year, but it got to be so late since the pool was only open for lap swim in the evening from 8-10pm. This workout felt great overall but I was pretty worn-out when I finished the swim. The knee felt good through the entire run. I am hoping that my newly found friendship with the foam roaller is going to make a difference!

I have done pretty well with eating better and cutting back on the high calorie coffees for the past few days. I truly do love my Dunkin' Donuts coffee with splenda and sugar free creamer, so this transition won't be too big of a deal for me. I have been able to get about 8-8.5 hours of sleep each night. I am sure this has a lot to do with not working at all this past week and no schedule. I hope to be able to continue this once school starts back up again next week.


Well, I am signing off for the weekend. I will be spending the weekend in the cities with my sisters and mom. We've got big plans for this evening... Britney Spears babay!!!! I know you all are soo jealous! This is part of my youngest sisters Christmas gift! I am so pumped! It's been so long since I have been to a concert!

If you could go to any concert, which one would you choose? Another one that I would really like to go is Coldplay!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Preparing for a Flood

Blizzard one week, serious flood threats the next. Does anyone remember hearing about the Flood of '97? With our snowfall this year, and rapid melt this past week, flooding has already begun, much earlier than expected or usual. And, they project it to be as bad as '97. With that in mind, I canned my Saturday run and volunteered most of my afternoon to help do some much needed sand-bagging at a friend's parents house, southeast of town.



There's still lots of snow in some areas, and then lots of standing water in ditches and fields. It's horrible.
Where I live, I shouldn't be affected by the Red River flooding. However, some localized flooding in the streets and yards are most likely going to happen, due to all the heavy snowfall this year, still frozen grounds, fast melting, and rain to come.
And now, their is heavy rain on it's way. It should be here later this afternoon. The river is currently at 21.53 feet, and should crest to 39-41 feet by Friday, a day earlier than predicted 2 days ago. This flood is going to happen, whether people are ready for it or not. I feel like I should be out sand bagging today.

Does anyone else feel completely out of whack when you fall out of routine for a handful of days? That is the way I felt last week. Even though I got in a couple good runs, most of my days consisted of no workouts, and no Jillian.
But, have no fear I am back. Ha!
I was hoping to go out for a run today in the 50 degree weather, but the wind is horrible. I traded an outdoor run for 20 minutes with Jillian, a short run on the treadmill, followed by a nice ride on the bike. I haven't done much of Jillian in the past week, and I really contemplated starting the 30-day shred challenge over, but I don't know if I could do another 30 days, consistently. So, I am just going to pick up where I left off and see how it goes.
Today's Workout:
Jillian - Day 14
Run - 1.55 miles, 16:05, 10:22/mile avg.
Bike - 12.82 miles, 35:00, 21.98mph avg.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

It's Melting

After doing 20 minutes of shredding with Jillian this morning, I ventured outdoors for another run. It was 40 degrees, the snow was melting, and the fresh air felt wonderful. I jumped over snow banks, ran through puddles, and only almost biffed it on a hidden icy patch once. I caught myself, gracefully.

Yesterday Jill and I did a swim/bike brick. My arms were a bit sore from shoveling the snow bank out my front door Friday night (note pics in last post). All considered, swimming loosened up those muscles a bit. I wasn't too impressed with the spin instructor and I didn't want to aggrevate my knee so I just sat on the bike, adjusting the tension here and there, and rode in aero position every once and a while.


As for the rest of the day, I watched the Tar Heels get beat by Florida State University and almost cried. Fo reals. Then I went with a couple friends to the State basketball tournament. We caught the second half of the girls first place game. The Bismarck Demons, my high school, took first! And, I realized one of the girls on the team was a girl I babysat when I was in middle school. Feelin' a bit old here. Then, we cheered on our West Fargo Boys, but they got beat. It was still a good game and fun basketball.




Some of you asked about the snow bank out my front door and if I was able to get out or how I got out .... I also have another entrance through the garage, from my basement. No worries! However, shoveling it a couple days later was a pain in the ars. It had shrunk about a foot, as it was melting... and heavier then cow pie.

Another made comment how I was running outdoors just a couple days after the blizzard.... For those of you not from the Midwest, let me educate you a bit: This is probably the most frustrating part about living here this time of year. As we progress into "so-called-Spring" we get all kinds of weather: Blizzards, rain, melting snow, temps below freezing, temps 20-30 degrees above freezing, snow, slush, ice, etc. So even though I was out running in 40 degrees this morning, and temps are supposed to stay in the 40's all week, that doesn't mean we are done with snow, or ice, or slush. I have lived here long enough to not get my hopes up, but to take advantage of these nice days!


I am off to take my bike into get a spring tune-up! The temps are rising, and us ND cyclists are anxious to get out there and ride!

***Please head over to Steve's blog and check out the Tales of the Virgin Althete Contest!!! There are some great stories there!***


Yesterday's Workout:
Swim/Bike Brick
Swim 1600M, 33:00, 2:03/100M
Bike 22.31 miles, 57:00, 23.48mph

Today's Workout:
Jillian's 30-day Shred (Day 12 - Level 2)
Run - 3.3 miles, outdoors, no time

Today's Song:
Eminem - Crack a Bottle (ft. Dr. Dre and 50 Cent)
....I secretly HEART Eminem

Friday, March 13, 2009

What a week....

First and foremost, I am currently typing this post from my brand-spankin-new-computer! I am so pumped! I can finally get itunes up and running and update my music, rather than listening to the same 100 songs I had on my ipod for the past 6 months!


I think we all are finally coming out of a funk from this week's blizzard. What did we get, 10-14 inches of snow? Somewhere in there. yuck. Here are a few more pictures from Wednesday, when I was finally able to leave my house!




Yesterday we had a long day with evening conferences. It is so hard to unwind after a day like that. But, I shouldn't complain because it is nothing compared to my sis' busy season. I was really tired this morning and afraid I wasn't going to get in a workout at all today.

However, the temperatures are finally above zero again, and will be above freezing for the next week, so we are hoping for a nice, slow, melt. When I left school at 4pm, I knew that I had to take advantage of the warmer temps and bright sunshine! It's 30 degrees out, man! That's a 60 degree difference from yesterday morning!

Today's Workout:
Run - 2.25 miles (outdoors!) .... knee felt a little quirky.
Shoveling - note picture obove of snow outside front door...

Sunday, March 8, 2009

A Weekend Away

I just returned from a nice relaxing weekend in the twin cities with my sister. It was great to spend some time with her... even if we spent most of Saturday in lounging clothes. We did a little shopping, took the pup for a brisk walk in 30-something temps, played some guitar hero, and grabbed dinner at a Sports Bar that showed the Sioux/Wisconsin hockey game... unfortunately the Sioux didn't play so well that night.

This morning I took a big leap and hopped on her treadmill to test out the knee. I hadn't run since my painful 2 miler last Saturday and was a little leary. But, with all this strength training and almost a week of Jillian's 30-day Shred under my belt, I was ready to test it out.

I was able to run a glorious 3 miler with no pain what-so-ever!! I probably could have gone further, but didn't want to push my luck. I really focused on my running form, and where my feet were landing. Afterwards, I tested out Steph's 30-minute BOSU Ball workout....now that was fun and challenging! I still need to do day 7 of the Shred this evening...

...after the Tar Heel's beat Duke...

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. The week ahead is going to be quite busy with conferences late into Tuesday and Thursday evening. Thankfully, we get compensated for it... getting Friday off.

Today's Workout:
Run - 3.28 miles
(pain free)
BOSU Ball - 30 min.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Physical Therapy and Product Review

WARNING: LONG POST LIES AHEAD....

I had my appointment this morning with the physical therapist to check out my right knee. I hate to admit it, but I was very anxious and afraid of what he was going to tell me. I spent some time giving him a little background information:
The pain started after a short 3 miler the first week of February, about a week and a half after a glorious pain free 7 mile run. The initial pain was mostly tightness and tracking issues, followed by pain going up and down the stairs. Then I laid of from running, only running about 2-3 miles 2 or 3 times per week. Then, the pain was only noticeable after 2 miles of running and was followed by tightness around the knee. At this point in time there was no concern with tracking or pain going up and down the stairs. The past week I didn't run a single mile, until this morning when I ran a little under a mile to "test out" the knee and all was pain free.


Then he did some exploring; bending my legs, playing with the kneecap, feeling the muscles and tendons around and behind the knee, rotating my feet, stretching my hips, etc. He had me do some strengthening exercises, and after all this, he noticed the following:
  • My hamstrings are okay, but could be stronger
  • My quadriceps, hips, and glutes are weak
  • My left glutes/hips are weaker than the right
  • My calves are extremely tight

He said I have one disadvantage that I can't do anything about: I am a female. With that, I am wide in the hips, narrow in the knees, and then go out again from there to the feet. He checked my feet and arches and was happy to see that they are pretty strong. No orthotics necessary.

He showed me a handful of strengthening exercises, with and without the bands, and gave me homework to complete prior to my return appointment next week. If your interested, and looking for some strengthening exercises to work similar muscle groups as I am, here are a handful:

  1. Leg lifts (on back, elbows, and sitting up): Start with laying on back, one knee bent, and other leg straight with toes pointed outward. Then raise the leg, stopping when it reaches the height of the other knee, hold for 2 seconds. Do 10 repetitions, 2 times. Repeat with other leg. Do this routine while 1. laying on the back, 2. propped up on the elbows, and 3. sitting up. They will, and should, be more difficult when sitting up. This should be done 2 times per day.
  2. Side Leg lifts: Lie on side with right leg on top. Bend lower leg slightly. Raise top leg straight up, without letting it come forward. Make sure to keep body in a straight line from shoulders, to hips, to feet. Hold for 2 seconds, and relax. Do 10 repetitions, 2 times, on both sides. This should be done 2 times per day.
  3. Knee Strengthening: Using a stretching band, create a loop at one end. Place one leg in the loop, and stick the other end in a closed door. Make sure the band is wrapped around the knee and step away from the door far enough to have some good tension. Begin with knee bent partway, then slowly straighten the knee (into locking position). Slowly bend knee again. Do 15 repetitions, 2 times, with both knees. Do this 2 times per day.
  4. Side-stepping: Use a stretch band with two ends tied together to create a loop. Place both feet inside and wrap it around the legs, halfway up the calves. Side step, keeping tension on the band, and shoulders level. Do NOT let the leg drag as you are stepping to the side. Do 3 sets to fatigue.
  5. IT Band Stretch: There are two different ways you can stretch the IT band. 1.) you can stand with the right leg behind the left, reaching over to the left. It may help to stand near a wall and use your left hand to support the body as your right hand stretches over your head. Hold 5-10 seconds and do 5-10 repetitions. Switch and do the same on the other side. 2.) Lie on your left side, the edge of your bed or a table, with your left knee slightly bent. Lift your right leg and let it hang over the side of the table/bed. You should be able to feel the band stretch in the right leg. Hold for 10 seconds and do 5-10 repetitions. Switch and do the same on the other side. One of these stretches should be done 2 times per day.
  6. Calf Stretch: Position body against the wall with one left foot behind. Point toes straight ahead and hold heal down. Lean into the wall so you feel a stretch in the left calf. Hold for 30 seconds, 1 repetition. Switch and do the other calf. This should be done 4 times per day.

If you are confused with any of these, let me know and I will try my best to clarify!

The PT recommended that I work to strengthen my muscles before really getting back into my half marathon training. He said that I need a good 5-6 weeks of strengthening. He didn't say I couldn't run, but if I do, he said to keep it minimal. He also said to be careful on the bike as well, as that can make knee issues worse, especially when on bikes that are not specifically set for me (ie. upright bikes). He was glad to see that I came in before it got worse and that I didn't continue to run through the pain. He says that with strengthening these muscles, I should be able to run with little to no pain in the future. I left my appointment on cloud nine and ready to strengthen some muscles!



Product Review:

Yesterday I tried my Yoga for Strong Knees video. The total run time is 50:00 and a lot of it is used to explain what kind of muscles do what and why it is important to strengthen those muscles. I thought that was very informative, but don't want to watch it every time I do the video. I think that if I do it a few more times with the video, I will be able to do it without the video in about 30 minutes. So far, I think it is a good video. They recommend doing it every other day, but with my strengthening exercises given by the PT, I will try to incorporate this yoga video a 2-3 times a week.



Today's Workout:
Run - .75 miles,
8:47, 11:42/mile avg.
Bike - 10.81, 31:00, 20.92mph

Today's Song:
Lady Gaga - Poker Face
(in sidebar)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Getting better?!

Yesterday's glass of wine with dinner and asleep before 830pm were a huge help. Today was much better, and I was able to concetrate long enough to actually get some paperwork done.

This morning I hit the thrillmill for a run. I must admit, I was extremely nervous, mostly afraid to see how it would work out. I haven't run since my 3 miles on Saturday, which doesn't seem like that long ago, but believe you me, it was.

Today, I donned a new piece to my running attire. The one and only, knee band. yay. Can you sense my excitement? As much as I was not thrilled to wear it, I was hoping it would help with the knee. Overall, the run was okay, but still not up to par. If I had more time and didn't feel rushed to get home and ice prior to getting ready for work, it probably would have been 3 miles. As for after the run, I didn't have that instant tightening feeling on the outside of my knee like I have the past few runs. Good news, right?

Well, I am off. I have plans tonight. I made a committment with somone to grab a couple drinks. As much as I am excited, I am kicking myself for making plans tonight... and forgeting that the Tar Heels are taking on Duke. I have been looking forward to this game pretty much all season!

This, my friends, is one of the rare occasions in which I wished I had DVR.

Today's Workout:
Run 2.5 miles, 30:49, 12:19/mile avg.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Knee

I tested out the knee again. I did have a 5 miler on the schedule today, but knew that if the knee was going to bother me, I was going to quit right away.

Overall, I was able to run with little to no discomfort, for the first couple of miles. From there on out, I did a lot of walking. It just felt like my knee was getting really tight, causing the knee cap to not track properly. This is a bit of progress from my attempt to run Thursday, however. I came home, popped a few ibuprofen, iced, and stretched.

I know I need to take it easy still. I have plenty of time to build up my long runs. My plan is to take a handful of days off of running completely. I will swim tomorrow, rest Monday, short bike Tuesday, swim Wednesday and then try to run again Thursday. In the meantime, I will continue doing my knee strengthening exercises 2-3 times per day.

Taryn recommended a yoga video that works on knees, so I will look into that too. I know that my knees are the weekest/most injury prone parts of my body, so I really need to work on strengthening them.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Today's Workout:
Run - 3.4 miles
(miserably slow with a lot of walking)

Today's Song:
Coldplay - Lost (in sidebar -->)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Self diagnosis, per say?

I think I am finally starting to feel better. I am not 100% just yet, but only a stuffy nose today is a helluva lot better than what I dealt with the past 5 days. I really should have taken a sick day Monday or Tuesday because they were both brutal. I was miserable and I felt like I was useless to the kids. I left work yesterday shortly after I was done seeing kids at 2:30 and went straight to my bed. I slept for a good couple of hours, layed around all night and drank water like it was going out of style.

This morning I got up for a nice run. I wanted to test out the legs again to see if that weird twingy thing in my left leg/shin/ankle area was still present. No problem with that. I was feeling very queesy and struggled through the run in that aspect. On top of that, my right knee is bothering me a bit. I am having a bit of tracking issues.... looking at all the symptoms, I think I might be suffering from Patella Tracking Disorder. For reals.

Looking back on my half marathon training a year ago, I didn't really deal with this too much. I have in the past, when I first started running. The only difference between training last year and this year, there was regular strength training incorporated then. I need to get this back into my schedule. Bad.

Do you incorporate strength training into your routing? And if so, what does your week usually look like?



Today's Workout:
Run - 3.1 miles, 38:00, 12:15/mile avg. (slow and miserable)

Today's Song:
Britney Spears - Circus (in sidebar)
(Only 2 months until her concert!)

Monday, February 2, 2009

A little bit of this .... and a little bit of that....

....Last week I received a wonderful gift in the mail from my aunt. Supposedly she just found out about my purchase of a home. I don't know how she missed the news, but the gift was very thoughtful! She is totally catering to my addiction. Thank you thank you thank you!

.....Friday I woke with a cold. Remember when I thought I was getting sick a couple weeks ago and I drowned myself in Airborne? That seemed to work then, but this cold came out of no where, and with a bang. It couldn't have come at a worse time, not that there is ever a good time to get sick, but I had busy plans for the weekend.

....my parents, younger sister, and I took a quick trip to the twin cities this weekend for my brother-in-law's going away party. It was bittersweet. He will be leaving in less than 2 weeks for his 2nd tour of active duty. We cannot dwell on the fact that his time in the military was to be up in a matter of days, but support him in every way possible for the next year. We will miss him so so much and will be counting down the days for his return home. Fortunately, my sister has a wonderful support system and plans to keep herself very busy and active while his is away.

....Today was the first day I worked out in 4 days! It was driving me crazy. I went out for a short run to test out my new kicks. It's amazing how wonderful new shoes feel. Aftwards I hopped in the bike for a little while. It felt pretty good.
Today's Workout:
Run 2.5 miles, 31:00, 12:24/mile avg.
Bike 7.11 miles, 20:00, 21.33mph
Today's Song:
Rihanna - S.O.S. (in sidebar)

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Da weekend and shtuff

Week 2 of HM Training:
Monday:
Run 3.25 miles, 37:21, 11:29/mile avg.
Tuesday:
Bike 8.46 miles, 24:22, 20.83mph
Run 1.5 miles, 14:56, 9.57/mile avg.
Wednesday:
REST
Thursday:
Run 3.25 miles, 38:21, 11:48/mile avg.
Friday:
REST
Saturday:
Bike 10 miles, 35:21, 16.97mph (Hill Repeats)
Run 1.27 miles, 15:00, 11:48/mile avg.
Sunday:
Run 7.17 miles, 1:25:00, 11:51/mile avg.

The past week of training went by pretty smoothly. I ended up taking an extra rest day in there, on Friday. I just couldn't get up and to the pool that morning. I had way too much caffiene thursday and really didn't sleep well that night.

My long run today, went a helluva lot better than last week. I took it nice and slow, doing a run 8-9 minute/walk 1 minute ratio. There were absolutely no problems with my knee tracking. I am super stoked!

I can't believe how fast the weekend has gone by. Friday night I went out with a few girl friends to see Hairball play (click this link to see a snipit). For those of you who read my blog and are still unfamiliar with Hairball, they are an 80's rock coverband that dress the part of every song they play. This was probably my fourth time seeing them and they are still fun to watch. There were so many people there, more than usual, and the pushing and shoving in the crowds started too early. It's really annoying; especially when you are standing so close to the stage and you get a splash of beer thrown on you when a girl throws her beer at some random guy. The guy appeared to be completely innocent. The concert was still fun and the music was great!

Saturday afternoon I went up to GF with my parents to catch the Sioux hockey game. We stopped by my aunts for a few hours before the game and enjoyed catching up with everyone. The Sioux beat Denver the Friday night 8-3, but walked away with a tie in overtime last night. They played horribly and are lucky they didn't lose altogether. We are still ranked #2 in the WCHA...

This coming week I am going cut back a bit on my workouts, I think. I plan to get in a couple good swims - one working on endurance and the other working on form and speed, a session on the bike, and a few 3-5 miles runs.

Today's Song:
Kanye West - Heartless

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Physical Fitness Test

This morning I hit up the gym for a nice ride on the bike with atleast 15 minutes to follow on the treadmill. Then, I remembered reading MPA's post from yesterday and just had the desire to see how fast I could do a 1.5 mile run! From there, I was determined to do the rest of the physical fitness test. Remember doing that in grade school? Well, now they have a test set up for adults!
1.5 mile run time: 14:56 (boohyah!)
half sit-ups (1 minute): 69
pushups: 21
height: 5'4"
weight: 147 (eeks, I know)
waist measurement (at the belly button): 32.5 inches
Take your results and enter them into their handy-dandy website and it will show you where you rank with your peers:

1.5 mile run time: 40th %ile
half sit-ups (1 minute): 95th %ile
pushups: 30th %ile
average: 55th %ile
BMI: 25.2 (Overweight, Increased Risk of Disease)
Pretty interesting results. I know what areas are of concern and I know what I need to do to work on them. I would like to do this again in 6 months and see where I am at!
Go ahead, try it for yourself!
Today's Workout:
Bike 8.46 miles, 24:22, 20.83mph
Run 1.5 miles, 14:56, 9:57/mile avg

Monday, January 19, 2009

Attitude is everything

Yesterday, I found out from a good friend of mine, about a death of a guy I know. I didn't know him that well, but well enough for his passing to make me sad. He lost his life in an avalanche, leaving behind a wife and beautiful baby. But like she said, "He died doing what he loved." It sures makes a person think about life and how short it really is. Make the most of it.

"One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching"


After a nice weekend with a healthy balance of sleep and hard workouts, I feel refreshed and energized for the week. I think I have an all-around better attitude. Sometimes you just need to sit back, reflect, calculate, and you'd be suprised at how wonderful and blessed our lives are!

Attitude is everything, right?

I woke this morning after a glorious 8 hours of sleep and hit the thrillmill for a nice run. The run went well, especially after a not-so-well long run Saturday, so I was pleased. I spent the remainder of the day at work in staff development sessions. Sometimes, days like these make me wish I worked for the government and had the days off, but it was a nice change of pace. Back with the kiddos tomorrow.

Today's Workout:
Run - 3.25 miles,
37:21, 11:29/mile avg.

Today's Song:
Brad Paisley - When I Get Where I'm Going (Click Here)

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Sense of accomplishment

Despite feeling a tad bit under the weather this past week, and being knee high in paperwork (what's knew?), I had a pretty successful start to my half marathon training. This was my first week of training for the half, the first week of 18.

Some of you may be thinking, why on earth does she need 18 weeks to train for a half?! I am hoping with this extra time I will get in some really good long runs before the race. On top of that, I know that life happens and there will be a week or two where my long run will be cut short due to life in general. This way, I can remind myself that when that happens, this is why I decided to train for 18 weeks!



Week 1 recap:

Monday: Run 3.5 miles, 40:00, 11:25/mile
I got this run in prior to starting the workday and it felt great.

Tuesday: Bike 10.8 miles, 30:00, 21.6mph; Run 1.28 miles, 14:00, 10:56/mile
Today I was beginning to feel a bit under the weather and didn't have as much energy as I hoped. I took it easy on the bike and finished off with a near 15 minutes on the treadmill.

Wednesday: REST
I felt really icky this day. Decided to move my rest day today and take advantage of extra sleep. 10 hours was great!

Thursday: Run 3.64 miles, 40:00, 10:59/mile
This was the first day this week that I felt great and the run proved it with a bit of sprinting.

Friday: Swim 2200M, 45:00, 2:02/100M
On Friday's, the pool is open for lap swim from 4-630pm in the afternoon, so I took advantage of that instead of getting up early that morning. Another 9 hours of sleep Thursday night!

Saturday: Run 5.76 miles, 1:09:22, 12:02/mile
The gym is still busy with new years resolutioners, and I thought I got there early enough to avoid the crowd. I was wrong. I had to break this run into two sessions on the treadmill. During the 15 minutes I had between the two, I did a bit of stretching and abs. My right knee was bothering me a bit. It felt like the knee cap wasn't tracking properly. Instantly I had a feeling of self-doubt about this half marathon, but reminded myself to take it slow and my knees should get used to these longer distances again. Positive thoughts all the way.

Sunday: Swim 3200M, 1:24:00, 2:37/100M (freestyle 500M/kick 100M x 5, 200M c/d)
I had a brick workout (Swim/Bike routine) planned for today, but knew that if I wasn't feeling up for it I would just swim. Yesterday's run left my quads a little sore, a good sore. Instead, I decided just do to a long swim, hoping for around 2000-2200M. When I got in the pool a friend of mine suggested using the kick boards today. So we planned on swimming freestyle 500M and then 100M of kick, times 5. We finished off with a 200M c/d. 2 miles in the pool was exhausting but exhilarating as well!

All in all, I think this past week was pretty successful! I look forward to another great week of training.

Tomorrow the little kiddo's don't have school and us teachers have a staff development day. It will be a nice change of pace. I have a lot of meetings this week and paperwork that needs to be finished. My goal is to get in my workouts in the morning, and stay at work a little bit longer each day, getting as much paperwork and stuff done as I can. I am sick of bringing it home each night, as well as working on it during the weekend. I have plans for next weekend, so it's not going to happen!

Happy Sunday, y'all! Have a great week!

Friday, January 9, 2009

What's it gonna look like?

First of all.....





Happy Birthday Mom!...
Love, your little angels.... Steph, Susan, & Me


On the training front...again. I think I have figured out what I would like to do with this training business.

A typical week will look something like this:

Monday: Swim (long)
Tuesday: Run 3-4 miles
Wednesday: Spin/15 min. run-off
Thursday: Run 3-4 miles
Friday: AM Yoga/Turbo Sculpt
Saturday: Swim (short)/Spin BRICK
Sunday: Long Run



Obviously this is bound to change with weekends away and such, so things will just have to get shuffled around a bit.



If all goes as I would like, I will be able to get in a handful of 10-14 mile runs in March and April. For the rest of January and into February, I will slowly get used to the longer runs on the weekends, averaging 5-9 miles only. Some strength training (including turbo sculpting) will be incorporated in there, probably on the shorter run days.



Last year, I did most of my long runs on Saturdays and I really liked that. I was able to get to the gym early Saturday morning before it was busy and didn't have to worry about sticking to a 30 minute sign-up time. Sunday's the gym doesn't open as early, so I might be switching this with my brick workouts later on.



If anything gets cut out of my weekly workout, it will be either my Spin/Run-off session, or the Brick workout. If anything one might just be cut in half, preventing any injury. With this Half Marathon, I still want to keep a good base with my swimming and cycling, but will cut back if I need to.



Alright, there it is. I promise my next post will not be about this training. I just needed to get this figured out for my sanity. Ha!



Have a great weekend, y'all!

Today's Workout:
Run 3.27 miles,
38:11, 11:40/mile

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Training thoughts and such

Thanks to everyone who gave me their two cents in regards to my training plans for my upcoming half marathon. If you haven't read my post, you can check it out here. Feel free to give me any advice you have.

I think I knew what I wanted to do already. I just am trying to decide what to do for my long runs. I woudn't mind trying to do a couple long runs more than 13 miles. I guess I can just start upping my miles and listen to my body and see how it goes. But, like I said, that is still 19 weeks away and plenty of time to think about it.

I did want to clarify one thing. Some of you commented on me motivating my family to join me. I don't think I motivated them. My parents have run more half marathons than I have raced. They have motived me. And Steph has been wanting to train for a half marathon, and I am glad she has bit the bullet and will be joining us on the dark side! LOL.

Yesterday, I DID make it to the pool for a nice morning swim. In fact I could have gone further, but the pool was getting too busy. So after 45 minutes I canned it and went to work early.

This morning in the process of getting ready for work, I stubbed my 2nd and middle toe against my bathroom door, as I was opening it. I compared the pain to childbirth. I know I haven't had any children yet, but I can assume that the pain was similar. My toes kept rubbing in my shoes all day and when I went to the gym I dreaded getting on the treadmill. It felt okay to run, but I think my gait was off a bit as I was trying to avoid pushing off those toes. So I stopped after 15 minutes and hopped on the bike to do some hill repeats. Now, that my friends, was fun.

I have been having a hard time keeping up with blogs lately, only getting to read a few here and there, but I hope to catch up a bit in the next few days!

Yesterday's Workout:
Swim 2200M
, 46:00, 2:05/100M

Today's Workout:
Run 1.3 miles, 15:00, 11:30/mile
Bike 9.82 miles, 30:00, 19.64mph (hill repeats)

Sunday, December 28, 2008

The past few days

Friday morning I ventured to the local YMCA with the 'rents to see if my Fargo Y membership would get me in. Sure enough, I was excited when I found out I was able to use the gym here at home without having to pay anything.

That morning my parents talked about doing 5 miles on the treadmill. I didn't really have any desire to do that distance so I took advantage of the time and did some sprints. I ran 1 mile slow, to warm up and then did 400M sprints with 30 second cool downs. I finish off with a 1 mile slow run. 4 miles done and it felt great.

I spent a good portion of the afternoon at the bowling alley celebrating my god-daughter's 10th birthday. Her birthday reminds me not only of how fast time has gone by, but that this coming year will be my 10 year high school reunion. Eeks.

That evening I was starting to feel a slight pain in my left shin. I knew it was from pounding out the sprints, as my body was not used to that.

Saturday morning I hit the gym again with the 'rents and took it easy. I did a couple 11 minute miles (average) on the treadmill and then about 25 minutes on the bike. As for the rest of the day, I spent reading Twilight, completely addicted and didn't want to put it down.

This morning Dad and I went to the gym. He went to run and I headed for the pool. The Y here actually has two pools, a smaller one and then an Olympic sized pool. My memory of the larger one was the bitter cold water temps, so I jumped into the smaller pool. I kicked out a 100M and the water was so warm I couldn't stand it. So, I went over to the larger pool and was fearful of how cold the water was going to be. All my memories of swimming in that pool when I was 11 or 12 was of how damn cold it was. Either I was just a kid who liked to complain or the water was colder then, but today it wasn't too bad. It was still colder than the pool in Fargo, but better than the hot pool. However, I just couldn't get into a good rhythm and my breathing was off. It took everything in me to swim more than 1000M and I made myself kick out another 200.

As for the rest of the day, I look forward to lounging in my sweats (again) all while watching the Vikings and then the Tar Heels later. Sometime in between the two games I am going to venture over to Barnes and Noble and check out what they might have on sale... maybe pick up the next book in the Twilight series.

Tomorrow morning, I might try a short swim and then hop on the bike for a short brick workout! It's time to start re-focussing my workouts in preparation for the indoor triathlon I want to do the end of February!

Have a great Sunday, y'all!


Friday's Workout:
Run 4.05 miles (400M sprints) - no time - accidentally stopped the treadmill mid-run

Saturday's Workout:
Run 2.11 miles - about 23 minutes
Bike 7 miles - approximately 25 minutes

Sunday's Workout:
Swim 1200M - approximately 25 minutes

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Isn't today a National Holiday?

It's been a busy past couple of days, but I just wanted to post quickly my results of the B-Fit-B-Day Challenge and say thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes today, yesterday and the past few days! My Birthday party was awesome, I received some very unecessary gifts from friends and co-workers, and another wonderful dinner with friends this evening! I have the best friends and family evah!

My goal for the challenge was to go GOLD; completing the following within 24 hours of my 28th Birthday, and that is just what I did:
  • 8 mile run (1:42:12, 12:46/mile average) - I complete this last night. I didn't think I would get through it, but I did. After the 5K on icy grounds Saturday morning, combined with a tight left calf from bouncing on my left foot while rockin' out on the guitar in Rock Band Saturday night, and not stretching enough after the past few weeks' runs, I was not in the best condition for this run, but I did it, with the help of a lot of walking. The first 4 miles went smooth as a baby's butt, probably averaging almost 11 minute miles, but it went downhill from there. My right knee started to get stiff and bother me, so I did a lot of walking and was able to finish.
  • 2000M Swim (44:00, 2:12/100M average) - This I completed at the butt crack of dawn this morning, while most of you were still sleeping. This was the easiest of my 3 disciplines to do, as this is the distance that I usually do in the pool. However, the last 8 laps I really cranked it out and it felt great!
  • 31.06 mile Bike (1:18:00, 23.89mph average) - This was supposed to be 28 miles. I did this workout today after school. I wanted to do it all on the spin bike but knew I probably wouldn't get 28 miles in spin class, so I jumped on an upright bike prior to spin to get in some miles first (9.36) and then added the results of spin class (21.7). It felt great.

Despite some previous negative comments about turning 28, I am okay with it! I am probably the healthiest and happiest I have ever been and I am thankful for that!

Tomorrow I am taking a rest day. I will be waiting for the arrival of my new dining room table and taking the time to check in on you guys, as well as piecing together my reflections of 2008 and my goals and aspirations for 2009! It's going to be an exciting year, I just know it!

Monday's Workout:
Run - 8 miles
, 1:42:12, 12:46/mile average
Tuesday's Workout:
Swim - 2000M,
44:00, 2:12/100M average
Bike - 31.06 miles, 1:18:00, 23.89mph average

Today's Song: Green Day - Holiday (in sidebar)

Thursday, December 4, 2008

All the productivity

Yesterday's sick day was quite productive. I found out I still have 20/20 vision and no cavities, however I need to floss more frequently and get in for a cleaning twice a year. After talking with my doctor about my headaches, heart palpitations, difficulty sleeping, feeling tired even after 8 hours of sleep, as well as my workout schedule and daily nutrition, she called for blood work to check my thyroid. I should be getting the test results back within the next couple days.

I also spent the rest of the day running from furniture store to furniture store trying to decide on a dining room table. Who know it could be so difficult? I ended up making a purchase and it should arrive next Wednesday! I am excited! I also got some Christmas shopping done, tree up and decorated, as well as the rest of my Christmas decor out and about.

And... I got 9 1/2 hours of sleep last night. I sure felt good and rested this morning. I was able to get a lot done at work today and felt pretty darn productive. I am thinking this is totally due to a day off and a good night's sleep. I highly recommend taking a day off once in a blue moon to rejuvenate yourself!

After work I was able to sneak in a quick workout. The gym was packed and I blame it on the cold weather. It is definitely starting to feel like winter with today's negative 1 degree wind chill. I hopped on a bike for a bit while waiting for a treadmill to open up. Once I got on the treadmill I did some nasty sprint intervals. The 45 minute workout felt good.

I hope everyone has a superb weekend. I hope to get in the pool in the morning for an easy swim the day before the Jingle Bell 5K... only to look foward to celebrating me birthday with a few friends Saturday night!

Good luck to all those racing this weekend... Jess....Aron....Frayed Laces....David...and everyone else I might have missed!


Today's Workout:
Bike - 5.67 miles, 16:00, 21.26mph
Run - 3 miles, 30:03, 10:01/mile (Sprint Intervals)

Today's Song: Beyonce - Single Ladies

Monday, November 17, 2008

Shattered PR?

I forgot to mention this in my race post yesterday, but I couldn't help but wonder if the race course was actually 3.1 miles. I mean, it's easy to doubt the distance when I was able to shatter my PR by 2 minutes. But, they did call it a 5K, so I am going to agree with the time, move on, and be extremely happy with my PR! You'd do the same, wouldn't you?

This afternoon I hit up the gym for a nice run. It was too dark by the time I left work to do it outside. The goal was to do a little speed work. I didn't really have a concrete plan in mind, I wasn't going to do 400's or 800's, but just go with the flow and see what the body could handle. When I would increase the the speed, I would drop the incline; when I would slow down, I would up the incline to about 2%. When all was said and done, I was pleased.

Tomorrow morning the plan is to get wet. It's been a week since I was last in the pool and I am dying to get back in!


Today's Workout: Run 3.56 miles, 37:30, 10:32/mile average
Today's Song: O.A.R. - Shattered (new song!)