Saturday Stuff

This morning, I was looking forward to doing my long run outside but the temps were a bit too cool and rain was in the forecast. Not my cup of tea. So, I did it on the treadmill in the humid & stuffy gym. It was disgusting, but the run went well. I figured since I didn't get my 3 miles in yesterday I could shoot for 7 and would be happy.

The legs were feeling strong and the knees were feeling great - no pain what-so-ever. I decided to break my run into 3 - 30 minute increments and it looked something like this:

First 30 minutes: 2.5 miles
Second 30 minutes: 2.57 miles
Third 30 minutes: 2.65 miles
Cooldown: 0.28 miles

Total: 8 miles!

It was a decent run. The only thing I noticed was my right hip was getting a bit tight in the last .5 mile. I don't think the legs are used to going that distance, but it was a success!

I was done with my run before 9 am, grabbed coffee and a bagel and am now going to work on paperwork/grad school project for a few hours. This afternoon I am heading up to GF for the night - grilling with some family! My cousin who has been living in NYC for the past couple of years, and her husband, are in the process of moving to Chicago! They are slowly working there way back to the midwest, and closer to her family! We are so excited!

Tomorrow I hope to get in a longer bike ride. At least 20 miles and then maybe a 1-mile run off. Oh, and yoga. It's funny how I leave that until the end of the week.

Happy weekend, y'all!

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

Mid-week LONG run

Well that was interesting.

I came home from work. The temperature was 56 degrees with only a slight breeze. I changed into my running clothes, which was quite a difficult decision. Shorts and long sleeve shirt? Shorts and t-shirt? pants and t-shirt? pants and tank top? I ended up going with pants and a tank top. I don't like the feeling of the sleeves of t's on my shoulders, and I wasn't going to wear shorts because, well, it is only April and you can only imagine what true North Dakotan's look like this time of year (asside from those that tan year 'round).

I didn't have a plan in mind. I really didn't know what kind of distance I was going to do. I didn't even know where I was going to run. I didn't want to ruin my good run yesterday. I just left my apartment and started running, making turns and u-turns where necessary. A part of me knew that the weather this afternoon was about 15 degrees warmer than it is going to be this weekend. And we all know what this weekend consisted of.... a 9-10 mile run.

So, I ran. And I ran. I stopped for a powerade at about the 1 hour mark. The first hour felt good. I actually enjoyed it. I couldn't get over the fact of how nice it was and that I was wearing a tank top. The last half hour of the run wasn't so much fun. My right knee was starting to bother me, but I know that has something to do with how fatigue my quads were starting to feel. Time to hit the weights again, on a regular basis. I actually ended up walking most of the last mile. I just wanted to get it done. But I am glad to have it done with for the week. Now I can do some swimming and biking this weekend..... I think I may do that Tri in June... it should be good times.

ORN: 9.82 miles
2:10:00
13:14 min/mile

If anyone is looking for some positivity, head over to Danielle's blog. She has been adding positive quotes to each of her posts this week. My favorite so far is the one she posted yesterday, "Positive Hump Day".

I look forward to the change in colors here in ND. Soon. Soon it will be green, with blue skies and beautiful sunsets. I will wait. Patiently.

The state flower ... Wild Prairie Rose

How FAR will you GO?

The Sioux game last night was pretty fun despite the fact that the game ended in a 1-1 tie in over time. I woke this morning with a sore throat that killed with each cough. But, I sucked it up and headed to the gym this afternoon for my 8 miler. Uf-dah.

There's not much to post about the 8-miler. I had to do it on the thrillmill because, yes, once again, it is snowing here in North Dakota and it was only 18 degress outside. I took it slow, running 3 minutes/walking 1 minute ... for a very long time. My legs became a little tired around the 6 mile marker, but I finished...

And, now? I have officially signed up for the Fargo Half Marathon! I told myself that the 8-miler would be the deciding factor as to whether or not I felt or thought I would be able to do the half. So, it's official!
ORN: 8 miles
1:38:17
12:17 min/mile
Avg HR: 164
Max HR: 177

Peace, y'all!