Half Marathon Training Week 2

Whew! Week 2 in the books. In case you missed Week 1, you can check it out HERE.

I adjusted my original training plan by moving everything back 1 day so that I could have Sunday as a rest day. It worked much better for me so I’ll be making it a permanent adjustment for the rest of my training plan.

Monday: 3 Mile Run, Check!

I ran outside on Monday and felt awesome. I even added a 0.1 on there so I could get a baseline 5K time. It was still a little cold and since we were still at my parent’s, I borrowed my dad’s stylish toboggan.

 Time: 29:29 Pace: 9:30

Tuesday: 30 Minute Tempo Run, Check!

I was back on the treadmill on Tuesday (getting all of the answers correct on Family Feud) for my tempo run. Tempo workouts are made for the treadmill because you can set your pace and increase it incrementally (which is harder to do outside, in my opinion). I forgot I was supposed to run 30 minutes and not 3 miles so I went a tad long…

Time: 30:50 Pace: 10:16

Wednesday: 3 Mile Run + Strength, Sorta Check.

I squeezed in my 3 miles on the treadmill, but didn’t do any strength work. Nothing exciting to report about this run other than I finished the 4^th Harry Potter Movie midway through the third mile. I spent the last 7 minutes of my run reading movie credits.

Time: 30:37 Pace: 10:12 Pace

Thursday: Rest Day, Check!

This rest day was much needed. My calves were pretty sore.

Friday: 3 Mile Pace, Checkish.

I had planned on a 9:30 pace but as soon as I got on the treadmill I knew that was not going to happen. My calves were still really tight and I felt like crap for the entre run. I was so glad when it finally ended. I spent extra time stretching on Friday morning and took a few stretch breaks during the day.

Time: 30:17 Pace: 10:05

Saturday: 6 Miles, Check!

The Professor has been slacking on exercise lately and focusing on that little dissertation thing. He was looking forward to a break and joined me for the first 3 miles of my 6 mile run. I blackmailed asked him nicely to take some pictures of me for the blog. He’s such a good blog fiancé. Splits: 11:01, 10:41, 10:51, 9:53, 9:26, 9:27.

Time: 1:01:25 Pace: 10:14

Sunday: Stretch & Strengthen, Negative.

Does making 25,000 trips up and down to the basement count as anything?

I did a little better (but not much) at pushing myself on the treadmill last week, but it’s a goal I’ll continue to work on this week. Considering Danville is supposed to get 8-12 inches of snow today, I’ll probably be on the treadmill for most of my runs this week!

Weekly Miles: 18.1

2015 Miles: 47

What was your best run last week?

Any advice for pushing harder on the treadmill?

Which Harry Potter movie is your favorite?

Half Marathon Training Week 1

Last Monday was the first day of training for my Spring Half Marathon. One way I’m going to stay accountable is by posting my workout recaps on the blog. Natalie did this last fall over on Never Serious Blog and I’m borrowing her great idea. So here we go! Introducing:

In case you missed it: I’m using Hal Hidgon’s Intermediate training plan this time around. For the record - The Professor did not do these workouts with me, I just don't have a good solo running picture :)

Monday: Stretch & Strengthen, check!

 Admittedly, I forgot my training started on Monday so I googled some YouTube videos for a quick workout: 

10 minute stretching for runners - it's not the best, but it's the first one I found on google.

8 minute arms (this was hard. I’m a weakling)

8 minute abs (I probably topped out at 4 minutes)

Tuesday: 3 Mile Run, check!

This was my first treadmill run, post move. I was terrified that something would happen to my prized possession when they were moving it. I was relieved that The Professor got it put back together!

Time: 33:05 Pace: 11:01

I actually almost cried as they slammed it through the door frames.

Wednesday: 5 x 400 @ 5K Pace, Sorta Check.

I was planning on going to the track for my first speed workout, but I ended up having to do it on the treadmill. I had no idea what I wanted my 5K pace to be and I’ve never done a speed workout on the treadmill so I had to keep adjusting and this happened:

0.5 m warmup = 11:30 m pace

0.5 m = 10 m pace

0.25 m = 11 m pace

0.5 m = 9:40 m pace

0.25 m = 11 m pace

0.25 m = 9:20 m pace

0.25 m = 11 m pace

2.5 miles total

Thursday: 3 Mile Run + Strength, Sorta Check.

3 miles on the treadmill at my parent’s house. I didn’t do any strength, but I did spend 10 minutes stretching.

Time: 33:04 Pace: 11:01

Friday: Rest, Check!

Saturday: 3 Mile Run, Checkish.

I ran outside at my parent’s house (we’ve been staying here since Thursday). I thought I remembered a 3 mile route but when I got home and checked it on mapmyrun.com, I realized I had only gone 2.85 because I left out one of the turns…close enough!

Time: 29:00 Pace: 10:10

 

Pre-Run selfies are cuter with babies in them

Sunday: 5 Mile Run, Check!

Sunday’s run was awesome. 55 degrees out and I got to run in shorts. I have no idea what happened during the third mile, but overall, I was pumped about my splits: 10:34, 9:45, 11:47, 9:48, 9:32

Time: 51:29 Pace: 10:17

I also did a stair workout with this guy on Sunday afternoon. 13 steps, about 100 times. Whew…we were tired!

Clearly, I am not pushing myself hard enough on the treadmill. Since I will be doomed to a few more treadmill runs, I'm going to have to get better at that. Less Harry Potter watching and more running! 

What was your best workout last week?

Are you training for a spring race?

2015 Running Goals

Run 750 miles

Starting in February…because I’ve kinda missed January…that amounts to approximately 67 miles per month or about 17 miles a week.

Run the Louisville Triple Crown

The LTC is made up of three races in March/April. The Anthem 5k, Rhodes 10k, and Papa John 10 miler.

Run the Derby Festival Half Marathon

Check out my training plan HERE.

Speedwork

Starting with half marathon training, I’m going to try to incorporate more speed workouts into my training.

Get Stronger

Thanks to The Professor, I’m going to have access to the college gym. One day a week, I’m going to head over there and incorporate some strength training into my week.

Eat Healthier/Smarter

I starting using MyFitnessPal last year and it has helped my pay closer attention to what I’m eating. I’m not giving up sweets or bread anytime soon ever, but I am going to make sure I’m getting all of the nutrients I need to stay healthy.

Read a Running Book

There are lots of great running books out there and I have read exactly ZERO of them.

Run 12 races

I’m already registered for 4 and I’m looking for 8 more. Mostly 5ks or 10k, but I’m on the lookout for a fall half marathon.

RUN MARATHON #2

This goal is totally tentative, but I’m putting it on here. I am 100% undecided on marathon #2, but it might be a fun race to train for this fall.

What are your 2015 running goals?
What is your favorite book about running?

Running Lately

I did not have as much time as I thought I would to start running again in the latter half of this year so instead of setting more unrealistic training plans for the millionth time, I’ve been trying a new approach – to not have a training plan. Even with just one class this semester, there has still a lot getting in the way of a training plan. Without a training plan, every run is an unexpected bit of happiness in my week. I don’t feel bad for not getting in a scheduled run – instead I’m excited that I actually get to run :)

My friend Catie convinced me to run the Pittsburgh Penguins 6.6K in early October. It actually didn’t take much convincing since I had been looking for a race to run in Pittsburgh. It was my first race even though I have lived here for almost two years!

The course was really neat and ran all through the city of Pittsburgh. My time was 43:35 which is a 10:23 pace. Our race bibs got us into the Penguins practice that day which gave us access to the bazillion food options inside Consol. We’re pretty much experts at refueling….with beer and nachos!

Last month I ran Fast Freddies Five Mile Foot Feast on Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition in my family to run the race before stuffing ourselves full of delicious food and pie! Every year, the top 500 finishers get their names on the next year’s shirt. I was a little bummed going into the race because I knew I wasn’t going to make the top 500 this year. I got over that really quickly though when I realized that given my situation and the amount of time I’ve had to train – I was right where I needed to be. I finished in 48:22 which is a 9:40 pace and was super pumped about it. I finished 580 out of 928 runners.

I don’t have any races scheduled for December or January but with graduation right around the corner, I’m excited to have more time to run. Who knows – there might even be time to have an actual training plan :)

How do you fit runs/exercise into your busy schedule?

What races do you have coming up?

A 5K & Track Workout - Who Am I?

This has been an awesome running week. On Saturday, I ran the Strawberry Festival 5K. It’s a hilly course, but you can have strawberry shortcake as soon as you finish…totally worth the 3.1 miles of hills!

I didn’t get to run this race last year so I was super excited to warm up, stretch, and race with my favorite people. The race starts at St. John’s and runs through Starlight, Indiana. I haven’t raced a 5K in a while so I didn’t have many expectations. I knew that I would go out way too fast and most likely struggle with the hills. I didn’t have a goal time, but knew that I wanted to be under 27 minutes.

Race Splits:

Mile 1: 8:04

Mile 2: 8:16

Mile 3: 8:28

Last .1: 0:48

Race time: 25:36

I was pumped. I guess all of that hill running in Pittsburgh is starting to pay off! Also - strawberry Shortcake - perfect for refueling!

The Clarksville Summer Running Series started on Wednesday. When I was living here, you could find me at the Track every Wednesday during the summer. I didn’t get to run any of these events last year either so I was glad the first week of the series fell while I was in town. The workout is a relay/partner event. This week it was a 2 Person 5K. We decided to do 400s. I realized while we were warming up that I hadn’t done a track workout since 2012…yikes! I consulted with the expert, Coach Chuck, who told me I should be around 1:45s. I have no idea how I managed it, but here were my splits:

1:35     1:35     1:38     1:41     1:40     1:42

Whew! My legs were KILLING me on Thursday morning…and now I am craving more speed work. I’m going to have to figure out how to fit it into my routine in the ‘burgh this summer.

What is your favorite summer time dessert?

Church festivals: Love them or hate them?

What’s your favorite track workout?

Cold Weather Running Tips

That darn Polar Vortex is here again. I have never been more thankful for my treadmill than I was this morning. It was 18 degrees and snowing...not my favorite conditions for a long run, especially on the icy hills of Pittsburgh. For those of you who are running outside (you crazy fools!), here are some tips to make sure you are staying safe.

• Make sure you wear the proper clothing. Your outfit should vent - do not run in cotton! It is no fun to be cold AND wet while running. 
• Layer up - but don't wear too many layers. I've always been told the rule of thumb is to dress like it's 20 degrees warmer than it really is. You want to be warm, but you don't want to sweat a lot and catch a chill. Make sure your outer layer is windproof. Also make sure your outer layers are bright and reflective.

Photo from my instagram

• Wear a hat! Heat escapes from your head and you need to retain as much heat as possible when it's negative degrees out. Don't forget your gloves or mittens either - heat also escapes from your hands and feet.
• Make sure your shoes have traction. This is especially important when the roads are slick.
• Protect your eyes. I don't know about you, but the cold and wind really bugs my eyes and makes them water. I recommend investing in a good pair of athletic sunglasses. This is also helpful when the sun is reflecting off of the snow.
• Don't forget fluids! Fluids are just as important when its cold as they are when it is hot out. Cold air dries out your skin and can have a dehydrating effect. 
• As always: carry your ID or cell phone, run with a buddy if possible, and let someone know your route.

Since winter running also means running in the dark, check out these tips too.

Stay warm everyone!

New Year, Same Goals

I've written about goals in the past: fitness goals, educational goals, blogging goals, and New Year’s resolutions. Since it’s January, I figured there is no better time to talk about some of my goals for 2014. As I was thinking about it this morning, I realized that my goals haven’t really changed from last year. A lot of them are long-term goals that are continuing into 2014. The good thing is that I can look back and see the process from where I was in January of 2013. I feel like I’m one step closer on my journey to accomplish all of my goals. Here are some of the goals & milestones I’m working on this year:

Career: I once had a mentor who told me you should never do the same thing for more than two years. I've been in the same role at my company since February 2011. We are quickly approaching the three year mark, but I’m cutting myself some slack since during that three year period, I transferred to our Pittsburgh office (which was definitely a change!). I've been talking to my boss about where I want to focus on my career and I’m hoping that I can make some changes in 2014. It’s time for a new project, a new challenge, and a new opportunity.

Education: I just started semester 4 of 6 in the MBA program at Duquesne University. I’m on track to graduate this December and my goal is to finish strong. “Christmas Break” (can you call it that if you still have to work 5 days a week?) could not have come at a better time. I was feeling a bit burnt out at the end of last semester, but felt refreshed when classes started last week. One of my goals for education this year is to find a better balance of school work, work, and a personal life…I really struggled with this one last year, so send me some helpful hints!

Health: I am a pretty healthy person in general, but there are definitely some areas I can work on. Eating healthy is the biggest area where there is room for improvement. My goals for 2014 are to shop healthier, cook more, and stop snacking as much in the evening (or maybe just to snack healthier in the evening), and drink more water. I started using MyFitnessPal.com to log everything I’m eating. It's awesome because I can access my log from the computer, my phone, and my iPad to keep track during the day. It has definitely been eye opening these last two weeks!

Fitness: Continuing on from eating healthy is the fitness goal. Moving to Pittsburgh and starting grad school put a huge damper on my running in 2013. This year, I've already signed up for a 10K and a half marathon in the Spring. Knowing what my work/school schedule looks like, I had to set a realistic plan of running three days a week. It’s tough reminding myself that I’m training not to PR these races, but to keep myself in shape slowly build back up to where I was at in 2012.

A couple that sweats together........eats lots of FroYo together

Those are just a few of the big ones for this year. I’m pretty excited to see what all this year brings. 

What are your goals for 2014?

National Running Safety Month

Running safely is always important, but it’s especially important this time of year. Daylight savings was yesterday and for runners that means running before the sun comes up and after the sun goes down on most days.

Running in the dark is dangerous for many reasons. Drivers aren't looking for runners. Also, in the dark, it’s harder to see other dangers in the road such as potholes, branches, and slippery leaves. If you’re like me though, you have no choice but to run in the dark mornings/evenings. As your head out for your runs this fall, keep these tips in mind.

Run Safe in the Dark:

Be Visible

Wear bright colors and reflective gear. I have my eye on the entire Brooks Nightlife line, but for now, my Target Gear works just fine. I have 2 blinking lights that I clip to my tights for extra visibility.

Obey all traffic laws & run against traffic

We’re all guilty of assuming the car will stop as we cross an intersection as we dart across. Crosswalks, especially the ones regulated by stop signs, are very dangerous for runners. Try to make eye contact with the driver so that you know they see you before crossing

Carry Identification

When I lived close to my parents, I used to write their phone number on the back of my hand before I went on a long run by myself. I’m still trying to get into the habit of carrying my license with me when I run by myself. You could write your name and phone number on the tongue of your running show too.

Pay Attention

If you’re like me, it’s easy to zone out while running. Stay alert and pay attention to your surroundings.  Also, leave the iPod at home when running in the dark. You need to be able to hear traffic and other people who might be out on the road.

Power in Numbers

Schedule your run with a friend. Not only is it safer to run in a group, the conversation will make the run go by faster. If you don’t have a running buddy, ask a friend to bike next to you while you run. If you do have to run solo, make sure to let someone know what time and where you are running.

You can find more nighttime running tips and information about National Running Safety Month here. 

What are your tips for running in the dark?

What is your favorite reflective gear? 

Copycat & Perfect Timing

The new trend on the blogs I read is posting a weekly workout recap. I have every intention of being a copycat because I think it’s a wonderful idea. It’s a great way for me to keep track of my workouts and hold myself accountable to keep up with my workouts.

A few notes:

• I was a bit of a slacker last week. I had class three days and I skipped my run on Friday to go to Happy Hour.
• I've been trying to include arms in my workout rotation this month, but don't really know what I'm doing

Monday

Since it was Labor Day, I could run in the morning which is my favorite time to run!

4 mile run in 39:00 flat

Bicep curls

Tricep dips

Lateral raises

1:00 plank

Saturday

3 mile run

Sunday

5 mile run in 47:54 (2013 PR!)

Bicep curls

Tricep dips

Lateral raises

1:00 plank

I've been struggling with figuring out the best way to keep up with running this semester while juggling everything else. It's really been bumming me out. Last Sunday (perfect timing), Janae posted this article, Maximize Your Training,  and it was exactly what I needed to get out of my funk. While my goal isn't necessarily to run fast on limited miles, it is to run on limited miles. Since I only have 4 days a week, I want to make those 4 days count.

Goals for this week:

• Run all 4 days – don’t skip Friday!
• Figure out how to fit in a small workout (or some kind of physical activity) on days that I have l class. I’m thinking of walking on my lunch hour on Tuesday & Thursday. I hate running at lunch, but I can definitely fit in a 2-3 mile walk and still have time to eat. 

I’m hitting my 15 day mark this week and I think I want yurbuds.

Does anybody out there own a pair?

Are they worth the investment?

Chuck's 5K & I've got some work to do

First things first – Happy Labor Day! I spent the morning doing homework and will be spending the afternoon the same way. I really hope you are doing something more exciting!!

I’m two weeks late with this post, but hey, better late than never. I ran my first race of the year on August 17^th – Chuck’s 5K. My friend Chuck puts on the race and it benefits my high school team, the one I ran on and the one I coached for three years. It was good to be back running with my running community. I had forgotten that feeling of being surrounded by hundreds of your closest friends.

I wore my new green shorts and looked like a watermelon

Justin was still training for his triathlon at that point, so he made the race a brick workout. While he was on his 18 mile bike ride, I was catching up with friends and did a quick half mile warm up.

I LOVE RACING

The adrenaline when the gun goes off, the thrill of passing the person in front of you, knowing at mile 2.5 that you have just enough strength left for a kick….I LOVE RACING.

Post-race "we're so awesome" picture

I ran WAY faster than I expected. I was planning on a 9:00 pace and taking it easy. It turns out running with my friends motivated me.

Chuck's 5K Splits
Mile 1: 8:04

Mile 2: 8:42

Mile 3: 8:25

.1:       0:46

Time: 25:57 – my fastest 5K of the year! The first mile has a lot of downhill and was pretty fast in general. Mile 2 has all of the hills. I also recognized that 8:04 was waaaay too fast so I slowed it down. I rarely have a kick, but when I turned the last corner and saw the time on the clock, I found that kick. I wanted to break 26:00 so bad, and I did!

The race is known for unusual awards..monkey's in a barrel this year!

I was 11^th place for women (there were no age group awards) and Justin was 21^st for the guys. I can’t remember his time, but even after getting off the bike, he ran faster than he thought he would. It was a good running day for both of us.

I don’t have another race on the calendar until November. It’s a 5 Miler on Thanksgiving and I have a big goal: I have to place in the Top 500. This will be my 11^th year running this race (and Justin's first year!). The Top 500 finishers get their name on the back of the T-shirt and I would hate to break that tradition. Last year I was 176^th with a time of 38:31. To make the Top 500, I have to beat last year’s 500th place time of 46:06. I ran 5 miles yesterday in 49:46…I have some work to do before November :)

An Olympic Tri & Saying Goodbye

The past week and a half flew by. I can’t believe my three weeks at home is already over and I’m back in Pittsburgh. I have a “blog list” of all of the things I need to tell you about (including a recap of my first race of the year!), but first I want to tell you about The Boy’s first ever Olympic Triathlon.

I headed down to Knoxville last weekend to spend time with all of our friends there, visit Peyton Manning’s picture on the side of Neyland Stadium, and most importantly: cheer on Justin at his biggest race of the year. He’s been doing triathlons for a little over a year, but this was his first Olympic Tri.

On Friday night, we hydrated, ate at Chuy’s, and had FroYo….maybe not the best pre-race strategy, but it seems to work for us (more on that later). We went to sleep early because we had to be up bright and early to head over to Kingsport, TN.

I ran a warm up mile with Justin and then creepily took pictures while he stretched. He probably wouldn't admit this to you all (but it’s my blog & I’m telling the story), but he was really nervous! He hadn't ever swam the race distance in open water. The swim was 1.5K…an out and back. The course wasn't really a spectator course, but I was able to run along the shore line and keep an eye on my guy.

He's swimming the start here - I couldn't get a good picture during the race

Ok - Let’s be honest – I had no idea which green cap he was, but as long as none of the green caps disappeared under water, I knew we were good :) I managed to get 1.5 miles in during the swim and make it back to the finish line to see Justin come out of the water in 36:12.

He then took off on a 40K bike ride (just under 25 miles) so I had some time to kill. I took off on the run course and got some miles in. It was a good course and I was taking it easy. Before I new it, I had run 3.5 miles, bringing my total for the day to 6 miles. 6 MILES! That is officially my longest day of the year. I gave myself a pat of the back and then grabbed the camera to head over to the transition zone.

Justin finished the bike 1:18:48 and took off on the 10K run. His swim time and his bike time were a bit slower than he had planned, but his main goal was to finish and he felt great going into the run. I stretched (a lot) and then walked the mile towards the finish line (my legs were starting to feel those 6 miles at this point haha). I caught Justin at the 5 mile mark where he yelled “my left foot is completely numb!” I yelled back something along the lines of “rub some dirt in it, ya wuss!” and took off to meet him at the finish line.

The picture is literally mid-yell about the numb foot

He KILLED it on the run – 47:42 and finished in a total time of 2:44:55 – well under his goal of 2:50:00. He was 7^th in his age group and got an awesome visor to prove it. I am so proud of him!

"Get a picture of my number" ...yea...the number...sure

On a separate note, my 6 miles was under an hour so I am proud of me too :)

The rest of our Saturday was spent at Justin’s fantasy football draft and a cookout for his Economics department. Suddenly, it was Sunday and I packed up the car for that loooooong 9 hour drive. I am so ready for 2015 to roll around, you have no idea.

What did you do last weekend?

Any thoughts on why Justin’s foot goes numb while running long distances?

WWNPP – The Two Ps

I know you've been patiently waiting to hear about the two Ps, so we’ll get right to it.

The First P = Pen

I know – a bit of a let down, but the next P is much more interesting. The pen, of course, is so that you can write everything in your Notebook . I have a personal preference for black pens. I DON’T like switching colors. It annoys me. Unless I have a really special day…then I use a purple pen.

The Second P = Positive Attitude

This might just be the most important letter of the bunch. Let’s be real for a minute: running hurts. There are a bazillion reasons to slow down, start walking, or stop altogether when it gets tough. There are also a bazillion reasons not to do those things.

I first read ‘An Elite State of Mind’ when it was posted on The Hungry Runner Girl in March and I really liked it. I went back and revisited it this week and it still resonates. It discusses how runners are always trying to emulate the training methods of elite runners and how we should emulate their attitudes about running as well.

The author says that there are 4 Keys to an Elite Attitude. Numbers 1 & 3 are key for me as I get back into the running routine. Last summer I finally broke 22 minutes for my 5K and I was so excited. I ran my second timed 5K in over 9 months last week at a 29:56 (the first was back in May and I was a 30:29). I’m not gonna lie, I was pretty bummed at first. Then I reminded myself that I just had a 33 second PR from earlier this year and that I would get another PR on the next run….and I did. On Monday I ran a 29:01…and I was happy (and totally would have gotten that last second if I hadn't gotten stopped by a car)!

The next time you start feeling down about your run or your time, remember this quote from Kara Goucher, "That's the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing successes. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is."

Did you miss the last three posts in this series? You can check out Water, Watch, and Notebook by clicking the links.

What is your favorite motivational running quote?

Lazy Sundays Are My Favorite

Ok – so this post really starts on Friday, but I’ll get to Sunday eventually. I kicked off my weekend by packing up my entire apartment and attempting to fit it all in the Mazda. I’m so excited because I am spending the next THREE WEEKS in Southern Indiana with my family and friends. I was so not excited to pack. Do you know how hard it is to pack for three weeks? I was having a panic attack thinking I was going to forget something important like a pair of shoes or my toothbrush (which I absolutely did forget). I ended up fitting everything into two suitcases and a duffle bag. For me…that is impressive :)

I made the trip to Southern Indiana in 6 hours and 20 minutes on Saturday morning. A new record! I made it home just in time to go to church with the family and head out to my cousin’s new house for a house warming party. I forgot to take pictures so I snagged these pictures of the cookout from Facebook. Their new house has way too much closet space and I am insanely jealous. She has an entire closet dedicated to shoes (it’s a tad obvious we’re related). When I grow up and buy a house, it will have way too much closet space and there will be a closet (or 2) dedicated to shoes.

Now we can finally get to the lazy Sunday that I enjoyed so much. I kick started the day with a walk through the neighborhood with my mom. After I was warmed up, I decided that I wanted to see how fast I could run a mile. After hardly running for 6 months and some slow training runs in July, I wasn't expecting much. I ran an 8:09 and was PUMPED. After lying in the driveway for few minutes and chugging some water, I went on an 8 mile bike ride with the Bobster. Don’t we look cool in our matching helmets?

Next up was a visit to my favorite shoe store. We got my dad laced up in a new pair of running kicks so he can train for Fast Freddies. He ran a 1:03 last year and wants to break an hour this year. My mom bought her very first pair of running shoes too…a pair of Brooks, a woman after my own heart. It might have taken 12 years, but I finally got my entire family into running :) My sister recently ran her first mile too!!

Sunday evening we had a mini-cookout to celebrate my grandparents 42^nd wedding anniversary. We ate way too much food, chipped golf balls around the back yard, attempted to hula hoop, and almost broke the window a few times with the football. After everyone left, we tried to watch a few episodes of Friends but I kept falling asleep. My “lazy Sunday” was exhausting.

Do you have a closet dedicated to shoes?

Is there anyway to not have a sore tush after a long bike ride? How do you spell tush?

What did you do this weekend?

WWNPP - "N"otebook

About two weeks ago I pulled out a pair of shorts that I hadn't worn since last summer and thought they would look really cute to wear to a cookout. As I buttoned the top button I thought to myself, “man, these shorts must have shrunk in the dryer.” Then I remember that I had not worn them since last summer… and that I have not been running as much lately or eating healthy. So I apologized to my dryer and then went and had a long talk with my treadmill (yes, I talk to my appliances. no, I am not crazy).

I’ll skip the long conversation and just sum it up for you: 

I’m going to run more. 

I’m going to record my runs.

 I’m going to buy new running clothes.

In 2011 & 2012 I kept a running log. I wrote down my workout every day. My distance, my time, mile splits, the conditions, how I felt, etc. The log hung on my refrigerator. I looked at it every day, multiple times a day. It reminded me that I was one step closer to my goal every day, whatever the goal was that week/month/year. It reminded me that I was continually improving my time, distance, and weekly mileage. It reminded me that the hard days were few and far between and that even the hard days were good running days.

I actually started logging my runs in high school. NOTEBOOK is the “N” in WWNPP. My Cross Country coach taught me the importance of logging runs many years ago; I just forgot how important it was for a few years in college and then for a few months after moving to Pittsburgh.

SO: I’m going to start a log again. I actually started it two weeks ago but I haven’t had time to blog about it. The 8 miles on the log that first week didn’t look like much, but is was a start. This week the goal is 10 miles, and it will increase every week after that.

I've also developed a new way to keep myself motivated (besides the obvious motivation of being healthy and fit). For every day I complete a workout, I’m putting a sticker on the log. For every 15 stickers, I’m buying a new running shirt…or shorts...or sports bra. Given how obsessed I am with new running clothes, I think this is a BRILLIANT idea. Added benefit: by the end of the summer, I won’t have to suck it in when I wear my non-elastic shorts :)

Did you miss the W’s? Check them out by clicking the links below and stay tuned for the P’s!

Water

Watch

For more reading, check out these two links on Runners World:

Running Log Power

What Should I Record in my Training Log