Mark your calendars!

Fargo Marathon!!

May 19-21st, 2011

Mark Your Calendars!

Rock Fast,

Rock Friendly,

RUN FARGO!

A little background information: The Youth Run kicks off the weekend that Thursday evening. The 5K is on Friday night, and the 10K, Half Marathon, 2- and 4- person relays, and Marathon are Saturday morning!

Did you know that they are going to have live music at every mile?

Did you know that Dean Karnazes will be speaking, not once, but twice, at the Pasta Feed?!

Did you know that registration last year exceeded the goal of 20,000 participants?

Did you know that it is known as one the of Fastest and Friendliest races around?

Did you know that this is a USATF Certified Course that allows you to QUALIFY for BOSTON!?

Okay, enough of that! I just absolutely love this event and want to tell everyone about it! I did the Fargo Half Marathon (my first and only) in 2008, the 5K in 2009, and then the 5K/10K Go Far Challenge this past spring!

A little over a week ago I got the flyer in the mail, with a magnet for my fridge, advertising for this weekend of festivities. You can only imagine how excited I was! I had posted that I have ideas for this race and I would share it at a later date. Well, today's that later date.

I am hoping to do the Fargo Half Marathon once again!

I have almost 8 months to train for this race which is MORE than PLENTY! I plan to train smart and take my time building those long runs. I haven't done much more than 4-5 miles at a time, for my long runs, for the past few months. So, I definitely have a lot of work to do and look forward to training once again!

Also, if all goes well, I would love to do the 5K the night before, in addition to the half marathon, and recieve my 3 medals as part of the GO FAR CHALLENGE once again! That would be sweet!

I have family and some friends already thinking about this race and what they would like to do train for. Who knows, I might be throwing a little post-race party for those that participated (and their significant others)!!

Any of you thinking of participating in the Fargo Marathon weekend events?

Updates All Around!

If you missed my Lifetime Fitness Indoor Triathlon Race Report and are interested in reading it - I posted it yesterday! Click HERE to read it! Thanks to all who have left such kind comments!

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Here's an update on my 3 Changes as part of the 3 Changes Challenge put together by Amanda over at RuntotheFinish:


1. Less Soda/More Water - I am doing really well with the cut-back in soda. Actually, I haven't had soda in 8 days. I am drinking more water and still cutting back on swinging through the drive-thru at Caribou or Starbucks for my coffee fix.

2. No treats at work - I really stunk at this last week. I don't know if it was because I was craving dairy or what not, but I just couldn't turn down a couple drumsticks after lunch with my co-workers. Plus, it didn't help that a co-worker of mine was pretty much shoving them in my face!

3. 4-5 days of 15-20 minutes Core and stretching each week - I only did this 3 days.

1:00-1:45 plank (1 time)

220 side crunches with 8# ball

50 side crunches (scissors)

45 reverse crunches

25 regular crunches

85 pushups

used foam roller two times

It will be interesting to see how week 4 goes. It's Teacher Appreciation Week and there are TREATS everywhere! It's SO annoying and DISGUSTING! Add on birthday treats from students and I am in deep trouble!

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I have done some deep thinking about the Olympic Triathlon I was hoping to do in August. After weighing the pros and cons, taking into account many of your wonderful comments and talking to my swim coach this morning, I decided that I am going to pass on this race....this year.

*sigh*

My swim coach, who did the Oly last year, reminded me that the Oly swim was longer than they stated and the Sprint swim was too short. For it only being my second triathlon, I even noticed that.

Plus, I am really looking forward to doing the YWCA (ALL WOMEN) Triathlon with my sister and a couple friends. It's going to be a great experience!

And, with the summer being jam-packed with weddings and other exciting things, I am okay with only doing a couple triathlons. I look forward to training smart and hard, and building off of what I consider to be a good base built already! And... just maybe....I will find a fall half marathon to do....

I am keeping my options open!

Indoor Triathlon Race Report & Upcoming Races!

Yesterday I completed my first triathlon of 2010! It was an indoor triathlon and I did it with my friend Jill, my sister Steph, and her friend Amanda! This was Steph and Amanda's first triathlon, evah!

I did this same sort of event two years ago, and it was my first triathlon ever, as well! Here's a comparison of what I did in March of 2008, what my goal was for this time, and what I accomplished this time around:


March 2008 ..........May 2010 GOAL.........May 2010 Results
Swim 17.5 lengths .......Swim 19.5 lengths ........ Swim 20 lengths
Bike 11.4 miles .......... Bike 15 miles .............. Bike 14.8 miles
Run 1.55 miles .......... Run 1.75 miles ............ Run 1.75 miles


The Swim: When all was said and done, I thought that I swam 22 lengths, but I guess I should trust those who were counting, right? I pushed myself pretty hard at the end and finished strong!


T1: I swear we didn't get our full 10 minutes for transition, but whatev. When we reached the cycling studio, the guy told us we have 1 minute to get on our shoes, adjust the bike and get on. I had to have the girl adjust my seat and handlebars when I started cycling.


The Bike: I felt really good on the bike. I don't think I could have turned my legs over any faster! It was a great 30 minutes of riding!


T2: We had 5 minutes here. I had to kick of my clipless shoes, put on my tenners, and run upstairs to the treadmill.


The Run: My quads were pretty tight but it probably took less than a minute or two to transition into a good stride on the treadmill. I did a bit of walking here and there but pushed myself really hard in the last 6-8 minutes of the 20 minute run. I ended up sprinting (sprinting for me) the last couple of minutes with a pace less than 8:00 minute mile. As soon as I hit pause on that treadmill and jumped off, I thought was going to puke for coming to a quick stop.

I met my goal in all areas but the bike! But, I must admit that the goal I set for the bike was quite a jump from last time. I placed 29th out of 52 participants and both newbies kicked my butt! Congrats, Steph and Amanda on your first triathlon!


Here are a handful of photos:

My sister and I

(wow, I look rough in the morning...messy hair and no make-up!)

Waiting for our wave to start...

On the bike...

Unfortunately, there are no pics of us on the run. The time went by too fast and I forgot.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If you have a Lifetime Fitness near you and are looking to try a triathlon, this is the place to start! Doing an indoor triathlon is a great way to get a feel for the sport!
There was a lot of discussion about race schedules this weekend with these lovely ladies. So much discussion that I am thinking of revamping my race schedule. I have come to the concensus that I will be doing the Average Joe Sprint Triathlon (June 26th) in Perham, MN, and the YWCA Women's Sprint Triathlon (August 15th) in Minneapolis, MN.

However (there's always my signature "however"), I have had the Younglife Olympic Triathlon (Aug. 21st) stuck in my mind for months. I did the sprint distance at this triathlon last year and loved it. I was really looking forward to doing this one as an olympic distance, since I am familiar with the course. The thing is, it's 6 days after the YWCA Women's Sprint Triathlon and I don't know if it's a good idea to do my first olympic triathlon that soon after a sprint triathlon. I am torn. I was hoping to get in an olympic traithlon this year, but it doesn't look like it will happen.

Sooooo..... calling all triathletes, what are your thoughts? Do you think I should/could do the sprint one weekend and then the olympic 6 days later?!

Rest Days

So many of you commented on my training schedule in my last post and were wondering where my rest days were going to fit in. To be honest, I partly forgot and I partly thought the day I did Turbo Sculpt would be enough.

Not smart.

You're all right. I know for a fact that I will need at least one full rest day of no physical activity, especially when I start to increase my long run distance. It's just a given. Don't worry, I will work in those rest days. The last thing I want to deal with is injury.

Today I am taking a complete rest day. This past week has been pretty decent, not up to par, but after a week of little to no workouts, it was a good week. Here's what it looked like:

Monday: Lift upper/lower body
Tuesday: Swim 2200M, 46:00, 2:05/100M
Wednesday: Run 1.30 miles, 15:00, 11:33/mile;
Bike 9.82 miles, 30:00, 19.64mph
Thursday: Turbo Sculpt, 40:00
Friday: Run 3.27 miles, 38:11, 11:40/mile
Saturday: Brick
Swim 1200M, 23:00, 1:54/100M
Bike 21.34, 1:05:00, 19.69mph

When I look over my schedule for the next coming week, taking into consideration afternoon meetings at work and other extra curricular activities, here is what my week will hopefully look like:

Monday: Swim
Tuesday: Run 3-4 miles
Wednesday: Bike/15 minute run-off
Thursday: Run 3-4 miles (AM)
Turbo Sculpt (PM)
Friday: REST
Saturday: Long Run (5-6 miles)
Sunday: Swim/Bike Brick

If I am too worn out or sore by Sunday, the Brick will just turn into a swim. We'll see how this week goes!

Happy Sunday, y'all!

What's it gonna look like?

First of all.....

Happy Birthday Mom!...

Love, your little angels.... Steph, Susan, & Me

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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

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)

Half Marathon Training will begin in....

Let the countdown begin! In less than 19 weeks I will be participating in the Fargo Half Marathon once again!

The difference this time? I won't be doing it alone! Both my parents, and Steph, will be joining me in the half marathon, and my youngest sister Susan will be walking the 5K with a friend!

This race will most likely be my first race of 2009. I was thinking about doing another indoor triathlon the end of February, but might just save the $35 and put it towards an outdoor tri this summer. You can't find much else for races in these parts this time of year...

With this thought, I have been looking over training plans and my schedule and other training plans and my schedule. You get the point. I guess this is my time to ask you, fellow bloggers, what kind of plan do you like to use?

For last year's race, I used the Jeff Galloway plan and liked it. The longest run I did prior to the half marathon was just a little over 10 miles and that was 3 weeks before the race. Even though I was able to finish the 13.1 miles, I suffered immensely through the last 5 miles or so because of nasty blisters (mostly self inflicted due to the poor choice in changing socks for race day). My quads and calves were very sore for the few days to follow.

In a perfect world, my weekly training schedule would consist of 3 runs (2 short, 1 long), 2 swims (1 long and one short whether it is part of a brick session or not), and 1-2 bike rides. I would really like to keep up with my swimming and cycling as much as I can. I think it is a great form of cross training, even if they are shorter sessions. I would also like to do some more strength training and yoga.

Any ideas? Tips? Thoughts on how to juggle this sensibly?

What has worked for you? What hasn't worked for you?

Any suggestions or comments in regards to what you like and have found to work for you, would be much appreciated!

Still Undecided

On my sidebar is this weeks "training" plan. Now, keep in mind I am attempting to train for the Lifenet Triathlon, although I haven't fully decided whether or not I am going to do it. I am leaner closer to the side of NOT participating. Thus, for the following reasons:

• They have upped the price this year
  
• The registration cite is still unavailable
  
• The training has been inconsistent...
• I have been gone for the past 3 weekends, and
• will be gone for 4 out of the next 6 weekends before the tri
• And it just been crazy busy with finding a house to purchase, finishing up summer school, moving into my new classroom for next year, and the meetings/training for this coming fall have just begun.

This week hasn't helped matters either. Sunday night I had my gym bag packed prior to heading to bed. On Monday after teaching the little kiddos, I was planning on hitting the pool for a short but quick swim. Then I was going to get on the bike and take advantage of the nice weather. Well, I had forgotten that I had a meeting scheduled with my principal to go over some things for the fall, and that didn't get finished before the lap swim hours were up. Damnit.

Then, I just decided to go for a run.

One would have thought I hadn't run in months. My legs were sore this morning. I packed my bag before work this morning with the idea of swimming today. I drove all the way downtown during noon rush hour, and realized I forgot to grab my bag as I left my apartment this morning. Damnit.

I didn't want to ride bike because I have softball tournaments tonight and like I already stated, my quads are a bit sore. I need them in good shape for sprinting the bases. Damnit.

I opted for a nice 3 mile walk.

This, my people, is why I try to make up a schedule, keeping in mind my work schedule, the weather, softball, being out of town, meetings, etc. And when two not-so-great days happen in a row, I can only imagine what the rest of the week will be like.

Blech.

I hope to be back tomorrow wiht a better attitude!

Shit happens...deal with it ... just don't eat it.

I know that shit happens, but when you are really looking forward to some good races and then find out you probably won't be able to participate in them ... you might say I am getting a bit pissed off. Check this out. Here are races I have been contemplating all winter and whether I put them on my race calendar or not ... boom .... something comes a long and changes that. This is what I mean:

Bismarck Sprint Triathlon, ND (June 8th) - A cousin is having a graduation party the day before ... 7 hours away from the Triathlon...

Lake Kampeska Mini-Triathlon; Watertown, SD (July 12) - I just added this to the list and was super pumped ... but a cousin is having a bachelorette party in the Twin Cities ...

Younglife Olympic Triathlon; Detroit Lakes, MN (August 16) - will be in the cities celebrating Dad's B-day and hitting up a Twins game....

Dick Beardsley Half Marathon; Detroit Lakes, MN (September 7) - I guess this conflicts with the Triathlon I will be doing. NEXT YEAR. I heard the race around the lake is georgous!


But, I guess I can't do them ALL. So, following Lisa's trend, on a positive note ... I will be hopefully participating in the following ... and look forward to it all.

YMCA Chase Race, 10K: (Fargo, June 12) This should be a fun race. It's a thursday evening. I am choosing to do the 10K because I have never done one ... and I think it would be a great way to keep up with my longer runs!

LifeNets Sprint Triathlon: (Mandan, ND; September 7) This will be probably my last (only 2nd) triathlon before 2008 is over. And then it will be back to indoor triathlons and maybe a Danskin in Chicagoland next summer. (Danskin doesn't work with my schedule of teaching summer school this year.)

FM Bridge to Bridge Bash: (Fargo, September 20) I haven't decided if I am going to do the 5 or 10 miler. Maybe I will shoot for the 10 miler. Could be loads of fun. I gotta do this one. It's right here in town.

UND Homecoming 5K/10K: (Grand Forks, October 18) I have done this one the past 2 years, last year breaking my 5K PR. I might just plan to do the 5K unless I get a wild hair up my butt this fall! September/October is the most perfect time of year to race in ND ... along with the months of May/June.

5K Turkey Trot: (Bismarck, November 27) This will be a 5K ... to Shave some of my Stubble... fo sho! This will be the fourth year I have done this race! It keeps growing every year and the cause is wonderful. I am hoping for chips this year. I was contemplating the 10K ... but running that distance in the possibility of cold weather/snow/sleet/rain/etc .. . is not my style. Plus, I got to hurry home and help mom get the turkey dinner on the table for the big fam!

Now that I have it all down .... I am noticing that the remaining 6 months of 2008 are going to be super fun! A few different distances and races I have never done will be awesome! I will just go with this plan and if something else comes a long the way that I can squeeze in ... will do. Otherwise I am going to just focus on getting down a good base and being consistent ... in the pool, on the bike, and hitting the pavement! That and building my tollerance for adult beverages... because according to Jess ... that is what the summer is for!

Anyone know of any good traithlon training schedules? I have a couple I have looked at, but it seems like the distance/duration of all the workouts seem so minimal... less than what I have been doing prior to the half marathon. Any suggestions or ideas would be great. I know some of you make up your own and I would love to hear more about those as well!

Super Saturday AND Sunday

The last 24 hours have consisted of a lot of basketball watching and some Sioux hockey. And it's only just...the...beginning. However, I did manage to get in a couple good workouts, one being a BRICK and the other an indoor 5K, so all is good.
I want to give a shout out to my Tar Heels with their win today giving them the 2008 ACC Championship Title! "Psycho T" and the rest of the gang pulled through and beat the Clemson Tigers. It was too close and there were too many unnecessary fouls in the last minute of the game, but that is all history now! Now I am going to kick back, do some reading, and cheer on Kansas, as I despise the Longhorns. With it being Selection Sunday, it will only be a few more hours before the brackets will be up and ready for me to fill out!

Tonight my Sioux take on Michigan Tech for the third game of the playoffs. They were "supposed" to win last night with a score of 2-1 and 5 seconds left in the game, but Michigan tied it up and scored shortly again after overtime began. It's a must that they win tonight!_________________________________________________________________________________
On a training note (half marathon), I am in the process of trying to figure out how and when I am going to execute my longest and most important workout on the schedule .... my 9.5 mile run. I know that once I figure that out, everything else should fall into place around it.

I will be heading home for Easter this weekend, to Bismarck. And if you know anything about the weather difference between Fargo and Bismarck, Bismarck is usually 10-20 degrees warmer. My memories of Easter in the past have consisted of great food, family fun, and the ability to shove the loud little tykes outside because the temps have been so nice. But, this year, Easter is extremely early and the temps here in NoDak continue to hover in the 30's ... even in Bismarck.

I have no desire what-so-ever to do my long run out in temps like that. I would consider doing 3 miles, just for the fresh air, but not 9.5. Sorry. So, I have two options. I can either wait it out, hope for temps to reach near 50 (which is highly unlikely), or do my run prior to leaving town on Friday morning or when I get back Monday afternoon/evening. As of right now, I am going to plan to do the run on a thrillmill here at my gym early Friday morning and then hopping in the car to get home in time for my hair cut and color appointment that afternoon.... I really don't look forward to sitting for almost 3 hours in a car after a run like that, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

It has been a week and a half since I have last been in the pool and I look forward to getting back in there tomorrow morning. Yes, a morning workout! I can't wait!

Yesterday's workout:
BRICK
OCN: 12.1 miles
33:00 minutes
2:44 min/mile
ORN: 2.3 miles
27:00 minutes
11:44 min/mile
STRENGTH : 20 minutes - legs

Today's ORN: 5K
3.1 miles
35:22 minutes
11:24 min/mile
STRENGTH: 20 minutes - arms

Thanks, y'all

First of all, I am super tired today and it's not because I have worked my ars off at the gym. I wish. Today was the first of two training days for work, training dealing with behaviors. I didn't fall asleep last night until close to midnight, mostly due to being anxious. I am like a little school girl at the beginning of the year, or atleast have been for the past 4 years. I am starting yet, another year, at a different school with knowing no-one. But all was good and my brain grew as well. Sounds like I am going to have a lot more behavior kids this year than I have ever... fun fun. Now, I need to work on getting back to a normal sleep, work, and workout schedule....

Today after my long day of training, I decided to get my gym membership. It's time. I went to the downtown location, because that is the one with the pool, and so-called spin classes. They don't call it spin... so I hope it isn't a joke. Tomorrow, if all works out, I am going to attempt getting back into "spin".... we'll see how that goes!

Thanks to all of those who have left comments on my previous post. I truely appreciate it, even if you didn't have any advice as far as training schedules! Thanks to Lisa for the website, and I have looked that one over previously... Thanks to Lisa for the reference to her training schedule, which I have peeked at numerous times, thanks to Lance for his wonderful advice, thanks to Danielle and Mendy for potiential race options, and thanks to Phoenix for reminding me that my first tri should probably consist of a pool, rather than open swim... thanks, thanks, and thanks! And... thanks to my cheer team! I can see Randy with Pom Poms now!!

With all of the resources I have been looking at, as well as the information gathered from you - fellow bloggers, I have chosen to work on building base. I want to become a better swimmer and work on my technique, along with becoming a better runner/cyclist.

In the process of building base, my training will consist of: run 2-3x, bike 2-3x, and swim 2x. I really look forward to incorporating brick workouts into my training as well. This will all depend on the gym schedule (ie. lap swim & spin, which will be changing the end of August), whether I want to do it in the AM/PM, and anything else that is going on in my life.. Along with those three things, I would also like to get back into pilates and attempting some yoga. Each sunday night, I hope to gather my info (events happening that week, and gym schedules), determine my schedule for that week, and post it for blogland to see.... and me to stick to. Ha! I am superly excited to get back into a workout routine!!