Race Day - Silver Strand Half Marathon

Saturday was a crazy hectic day.  We were at the soccer fields all day so I was afraid I wouldn't get enough to drink and eat the day before the race.  I made sure to bring water with me though and then we had a good dinner at Spaghetti Factory.  Saturday night I got all my clothes, gear, and food together for Sunday morning.  The plan was for me to pick up Christine at 4:30 and then Kristin a little after 5:00.  I decided to eat breakfast along the way because the idea of swallowing food at 4:00a.m. was not appealing to me so I got all my breakfast stuff situated on Saturday night too.

I tossed and turned all night thinking about the race so I never even needed my alarm.  My alarm was set for 4:10, but I was up at 3:30.   I got dressed, put a ton of foot cream on my feet, drank some Vitamin Water, grabbed my gear, and lubed up my arm because my iPod has been chafing me and I lubed under my bra too...(TMI?) and then I was on my way to get my running partners. 

The drive to Silver Strand wasn't too bad.  We got there around 5:45.  We stayed in the car for a bit getting our stuff situated and figuring out what we would check in our bags and stuff.  This is when I ate my breakfast (peanut butter and honey sandwich).  Then it was time to catch the shuttle.  We scored and got on the double decker bus.  Naturally we sat on the top and in the front...FUN and a little sketchy.  It was on the way to the start line that Christine explained to me we would be running by the car.  That freaked me out because the thought of running past my car might do me in mentally.  We got to the start, went the bathroom, I fixed my bib (I can NOT get those things to go on the right way), took some photos, checked our gear, and got ready to run.  I was super nervous and wasn't exactly sure how I was going to run that far. 

We took off at 7:30 and Christine, Kristin, and I all stayed together for the first mile.  It was at that point we split off.  Around mile 2, I was already giving up and thinking I would need to walk which is insane because I know I can go further than that without stopping, but the first mile was at a faster pace than I usually run.  As soon as I started to walk, I heard some familiar voices.  It was my friends Amy, Rosana, and Lori.  They got me running again and I stayed with them the whole time.  Their running plan worked for me.  They would run to the mile marker and then walk for a bit.  Thank goodness for Amy who kept right with me and encouraged me the whole time.  I told her what my time was for RnR (2:56) so she was bound and determined to help me beat it.  I didn't tell her I was out there to just finish.  I figured if she could push me and my body could take it, why not try to beat my time? 

Around mile 9 is when it got really challenging.  My feet were hurting (they were sliding in my shoes) and my left calf was cramping.  This course didn't have a lot of water/energy drink stations.  I wish they had more of them along the course because that would probably have helped with my cramping.  Mile 9 was through a neighborhood with turns so it seemed to go on forever.  Mile 10 is where I saw a friend from high school, Aaron.  He was at mile 12 and shouted out my name.  (Mile 10 and mile 12 cross paths) It was so cool to see him out there since I haven't seen him since high school.  A little bit later I also saw Kristin and Christine. It was so nice to see their smiling faces and give them high fives.  At this point I knew they were going to make great time because they were already at mile 12.  After I saw them, Amy and I stopped to walk for a bit and she pointed out that there was an incline coming up.  She asked if I could run to the incline and then walk up.  So that's what we did. 

Mile 11 seemed like it was forever away.  During this mile, we encountered a sweet girl, Rebecca, running alone.  She asked if we were trying to make a certain time because her goal was to be under 3 hours.  She stuck with us most of the way.  Thankfully there was a water station at mile 11 so I drank some water and dumped some on myself.  Only two more miles to go.  At 11.5 it was downhill to mile 12 so down we ran.  When we got to the bottom I had to walk again; but at that point it was mental not physical keeping me from running.  We started running again and Amy kept telling me the distance and my time.  So when we got to the final straight away and could see the finish line (it might as well have been a million miles away)  I considered walking, but I knew I could do this.  I picked up my pace a little bit and crossed the finish line with Christine and Kristin cheering me on. My time was 2:49!!!!  Yes to many that is slow, but to me it was just right. 

I did this!!!  Christine pointed out all the obstacles I have been through during the last 10 weeks and how I could have easily used those as excuses to give up, but I didn't.  In 10 weeks, I had an injured foot, Caden was sick, Drake was sick, our house flooded and we're still in a hotel a month later, and my dad died.  But I didn't give up and kept with the run and now I have two half marathons under my belt.  If I didn't have Christine to keep me going with the morning workouts and the training runs, I don't know what I would have done.  Having that support and constant in my life made all the difference in my attitude and in my training.

As for the actual race today, Amy was my angel out there.  If it hadn't been for her pushing me those last couple miles, I wouldn't have beaten my time. She was so selfless to run slower to be my motivator and I don't know how to repay her for doing that for me. 

After the race, I was desperate for some juice and water.  I didn't eat any of the food they had available (muffins, bagels, bananas) because I was more concerned with hydrating myself.  Got my drinks, found my peeps, and chilled for a bit before we started the photo shoot, congratulatory hugs, and war stories.  Kristin beat her RnR time by 6 minutes and Christine ran her first half in 2:36.  Yes, I know, my friends are amazing and they inspire me everyday. 

I'm hobbling around today mostly because my feet are sore and my legs are a little tight.  Overall though I feel good.  I'm proud of myself for doing the run today and I think my kids are proud of me too.  It has been really nice to receive emails and FB posts from all my family and friends.  I feel so lucky to be surrounded by the right people in my life who motivate and encourage me.  So if any of you are reading this, THANK YOU!

So, will I do another half?  Not sure.  I've done two now and today I came close to what my original goal was (2:45) so I'm feeling like I've been there done that with the half marathon stuff.  Running isn't my passion in case you haven't gathered that from my blog.  I would love to try some new things that keep me challenged, excited, and motivated and I know those things will include running, but maybe not such long distances.

Dirty Legs?

I really didn't want to get up today, but I always manage to drag my butt out of bed.  It feels good walking into the gym and seeing my workout partner is feeling the same way.  We worked our arms today and we worked hard!  Our workout included Bob's Boxing Challenge, push ups, burpees, assisted pull ups, curls with the barbell, tricep dips, planks, abs, and cardio mixed in.  We were both sweating and that's a good sign! My arms are a little sore and tired tonight as I sit here and type.  What was funny about today's workout was Christine's legs got dirty some point during our workout.  We aren't exactly sure why, but we're guessing it was from the medicine ball when we did our planks.  It was quite funny!

Tuesday is a 3 mile run on the dreadmill.  My goal this week is to stay hydrated!  They say being hydrated begins the week before the "race", not the day before.  So that's my plan; drink lots of water!!  We're in the homestretch!!!

That's How I Roll...

Here we are another week has passed since I've written about my workouts.  My most recent run was 10 miles on Sunday with Christine.  The weather was great and we did a run/walk combo so it really helped me.  We were all over San Marcos on this run and I saw some new parts of the rail trail that were cool although I wouldn't travel them alone.

Around mile 7 or 8, we saw a shopping cart turned upside down on the secluded part of the rail trail.  It was a little ways ahead and I turned to Christine and said "I'm game if you are."  She immediately knew what I was referring to with my comment.  We laughed at the thought of pushing each other in the cart down Mission Avenue with all our friends driving by honking.  Of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a picture IN the shopping cart so we flipped that bad boy over and I hopped in cuz that's how I roll. As Christine was taking my picture, it dawned on me I was stuck.  It took Christine to tip the cart all the way for me to climb out.  (I won't mention the scrapes on the back of both my legs that Scott says probably require tetanus shots).  We both agreed a camera is a necessity no matter where we go.  With one more mile to go, we encountered a mattress on the side of the road.  If it wasn't at a busy intersection, we might have taken our picture on that too!  That gave us a good laugh. 

The last mile we listened to our music and finished feeling good and strong. During our run we talked about setting our next goal to keep us motivated although we have each other so I'm not sure we need much to keep us going.  After the run, I wasn't sore or tired at all.  In fact, I did a no-no and didn't eat for awhile afterwards because Drake had a soccer game and I was in a rush to get there.  I know my friends will get on me for that once they read this.  I did drink some Vitamin water though. 

What's interesting is that when I trained for the last half marathon (RnR), I would be toast for the rest of the day after running 10 miles.  I remember being shaky and tired all day after a long run.  Not this time.  I don't know what's different, but I'm guessing I'm more in shape.  My eating is different this time around too.  I'm not as consumed with what I'm eating and when.  When I trained for RnR, I was constantly thinking about food combinations and over analyzing every bite I took.  This time I'm just eating "normally." 

Not only did C and I solve our problems during the run, we planned out our workouts in the gym for race week.  Monday we decided to work our arms.  Wednesday would be a light leg workout; no butt burns.  Friday will be abs/core and the elliptical.  It's the final countdown.  It is hard to believe it is less than a week away.

Eventful Weekend

Sorry for not blogging for awhile.  With my dad's death on Friday, it has seemed insignificant to write about my workouts and quite honestly I don't remember much of my workouts with having so much on my mind. 

Since my last entry, we did a workout on Friday morning which was abs and the elliptical machine, a 10 mile run at Miramar Lake on Saturday, a 5k Mud Run on Sunday, and a 3 mile run today. 

The 10 mile run was with Christine and Kristin.  I felt sick the entire time, but it was therapeutic to be out there with nature and my thoughts I suppose. 

The Mud Run was a blast.  It was frickin' exhausting though.  Who knew I would be THAT tired for a 5k?  After the 5k was done, the boys did a mini mud run.  Drake ran on his own and I ran with Caden.  That was just the best.  I loved being able to share a race experience with my kids.  Drake and Caden both had a great time too and we're looking forward to the next one.

Christine and I agreed to take Monday off from the gym since we worked out hard both Saturday and Sunday.  Today we did a 3 mile run in the 'hood.  It was blazing hot at 9:00, but it felt good to be out there. 

I know for sure I will struggle on the 14th with the half marathon.  It happens to be the weekend of my dad's birthday (his birthday is the 13th).  My training this time around has been sub-par because of all the things life has thrown my way.  My race plan will most likely be to run/walk and just be happy to finish it and most importantly to celebrate Christine and her first half marathon!  My original race plan when I signed up was to beat my RnR time.  I'm afraid that won't be happening now and I'm okay with it. 

You Can Do It!

Tuesday I didn't get a chance to go for a run.  Life gets in the way sometimes so I considered it a rest day.  Wednesday was our day to work legs and since C and I both had a day off, I decided to go full force on the workout.  We did box jumps on a bosu ball, lunges, squats with a side kick, butt burns, red cup drill, squats throwing/catching a medicine ball, and also threw in some push ups.  When I put the workout together, it had slipped my mind that I mentally cannot do box jumps.  My brother used to have me try them at the gym and I would just stare at the step or object I was supposed to jump on and could not do it.  My fear is that I'll fall on my face.

The bosu ball was the round side up and I was supposed to jump on top of it, squat, and jump back down and repeat as many times as I could in a minute.  Christine looked at me and said "you can do it!"  I laughed as I stared down the ball.  She said it again "you can do it!"  That's all I needed to hear and up I jumped on to the top of the round bosu.  I did it!!!  I was clumsy for the first round of the circuit, but I was getting the hang of it.

Round one of the circuit wasn't so bad.  One of the trainers we regularly see in the morning came over and corrected my push up form.  He said I "bob my head."  I'm still not understanding what he is saying because I don't think I bob my head.  In fact, I told C it is probably my ponytail he was seeing.  HA!  I'll have to practice these at home and make sure I have the correct form.  Rounds two and three of the circuit were brutal.  My butt all the way down my legs were burning.  When we did the butt burn exercises in rounds 2 and 3, I had to rest part way through. 

The workout today was awesome.  My legs and butt were on fire when we left the gym and they are on fire tonight.  And, aside from the trainer correcting my push up form, we had no other distractions today which makes for a much more effective and efficient workout. 

Tomorrow is a running day.  My plan is to get up early and go to the hotel gym to get some running in before I start my day.

Bare Necessities

Monday morning we decided to work our arms since we had just run nine miles on Sunday and we wanted to give our legs a bit of a rest.  Our arm workout consisted of curls, plank to push ups, tri dips, push ups, and bear crawls to name a few.  Those bear crawls are a great cardio, core, and arm workout.  The entire time I feel like an ass when I'm doing them, but they work me hard! 

At the end of our workout we had some time for a couple ab exercises.  I like having this extra time at the end of each session to focus on abs. 

One thing is for sure, Christine and I are two of the hardest working people in the gym that early.  If I look around, many people look like zombies going through the motions of moving their weights or doing their cardio.  We may look like that the first two exercises of our first circuit, but then we are kicking some serious ass.  It feels good to know we are working hard so early in the morning.  We get the most out of our one hour gym sessions!!

San Marcos Tour

Sunday Christine and I were scheduled to run nine miles.  C mapped out a couple of options and she let me choose our route.  The course I chose took us over to Discovery Hills which is the furthest I've ever run away from my neighborhood.  All my training runs around the neighborhood were either within a few miles of home or I would go to Mission Bay or Carlsbad to run.  So, this was new to me. 

Our first mile took us up an incline.  We did it with no problem, but I was definitely out of breath.  The route was relatively flat with a few hills in just the right places.  About the 4 mile mark, I had to go to the bathroom which conveniently was where C had stashed some ice cold Gatorades for us.  This was about the time I looked up and realized how far away it seemed we were from home.  Thankfully C knew the way because we went down roads I had never traveled before and I saw some really nice homes.

The weather was just beautiful on Sunday.  There was a nice breeze and the sun was out.  I walked more than I wanted, but we still did the full nine miles.    My legs were getting sore around mile seven which I haven't experienced before. 

My left leg (longer, stronger leg) is still sore today.  I'm not sure how I'm going to run 13.1 miles in three weeks.  I'm not ready.  It is so frustrating to not be a good runner.  Why can't I just get out there and run?  So many people make it look effortless including my two running partners, Christine and Kristin.  I feel like I struggle so much.  I need to come up with a race plan that won't leave me disappointed in myself at the end of the half marathon.  For the first time ever, it has crossed my mind to quit the half marathon.  I won't because I'm not a quitter and I want to be there to experience it with C and Kristin, but more and more I'm realizing I'm not cut out for long distance running.

In a Fog

Thursday I was fortunate enough to be able to do my 6 mile run outside with Christine.  We had to move hotel rooms at the hotel so I stayed home from work to help Scott.  This gave me some flexibility to do my workout earlier in the day.  Running outside is soooo much better than running on a treadmill.  I don't really have much to write about our run though.  The last week has felt like I'm watching my life on t.v. rather than actually living it.  It is a feeling like I'm in a fog so I don't remember much of the 6 miles.  I can tell you some of our course, but not all of it.  I can remember some of the things Christine told me, but not all of them.  I know I had to walk a short distance, but I can't tell you how my body felt or how my mind was during the run.  I have learned so much about stress this week and how it impacts your life, mind, body, and soul. 

Friday we did our usual ab workout and 2 miles on the treadmill.  There was nothing out of the ordinary about our workout, but I was again reminded how awesome it is to have a workout buddy there to hold me accountable.  Otherwise, I probably would have stayed in bed all week. 

Saturday is my rest day. Sunday is a nine mile run with Christine.

Yee Haw!

Today was our arm workout.  We were going to do Bob's Boxing Challenge.  His challenge is intended for one time through, but I knew we could do it three times today.  The "challenge" was to get 5 lb weights and do 30 jumping jacks, jump rope for 30, jabs, speed bag, and more jumping jacks.  It definitely made my arms burn.  After the boxing challenge, we moved to push ups, assisted pull ups on the machine, planks, and crab walk. 

When it came time to do pull ups during round 2, someone was on the machine so I thought of a good improvise; wheelbarrows.  I wasn't sure how C would feel about that since it sort of draws attention to you as you are wheelbarrowing across the gym.  When I worked out with my brother last year, he had me do those a lot.  Of course C was game so we did wheelbarrows for round 2 and it was awesome.  They not only work your arms, they are a good cardio workout too. 

For round 3, I let C choose between assisted pull ups or wheelbarrows.  She's so awesome and chose wheelbarrows!  This time we stayed downstairs and went further across the gym.  We each did it twice.  My arms were shaking the last time.  It felt great!

We had extra time to do some abs.  We did our usual; bicycles, reverse crunches, and iron mikes.  Then it occurred to me!  Let's do side planks with a dumbbell on our waist.  Boy was that difficult, but good!  I'm hoping my arms are sore tomorrow.  Thursday is a running day so I'll probably hit the hotel gym to log my miles. 

No Excuses

The stuff going on with the house has taken its toll on me.  It has completely zapped my energy and it probably doesn't help that I haven't been really good about eating.  It is a bad habit of mine that I forget to eat.  Well there was no way I was dragging myself out of bed this morning so I knew I'd have to do the 3 miles on the treadmill tonight. 

Knowing the gym was just downstairs, I really didn't have an excuse to skip working out today. After work, after the kids did their homework, and after dinner, I went downstairs and hopped on the treadmill.  It was so convenient to just pop downstairs and get going.  They even have towels!!  For the first few minutes I was alone in the gym and it was awesome.  I was able to get my personal t.v. going, got my music all set up, and off I went.  Changing the channels on the t.v. was a good distraction and it was nice having the t.v. right up close and in my face.  There was nothing interesting on except news and sports so I put on Sports Center and left it there.  Figured I might as well get up to speed on what's happening in the world of sports and the regular news just depresses me. 

I ran the first 1.5 miles at a 12 minute mile pace and then ran a 10 1/2 minute mile pace to the 2 mile mark.  The last mile I settled back into my 12 min mile pace again, turned up my music, and before I knew it I was at 2.75 miles so I picked up my pace and ran a 10 minute mile to the 3 mile finish.  I slowed my pace to cool down for the next .25 mile.  I did it and I felt fantastic!  I know I could have run longer because I wasn't out of breath at all. 

When I was done, I turned off "my" t.v. and headed back to our room.  Not having to drive anywhere was so convenient.  I'm proud of myself for making it to the gym tonight.  I've been so tired and unmotivated the last few days.  This is just what I needed to jump start my drive again! 

Tomorrow is our early morning workout and we're doing arms.  I was excited to find a new Bob challenge for us to try. 

Monday Already?

Both Saturday and Sunday unexpectedly ended up being "rest" days for me.  I was bummed to miss out on my 9 mile training run on Sunday and felt guilty all day.  In fact, I still feel guilty since I know both Christine and Kristin did their long runs. 

Waking up in a hotel room and getting ready for the gym this morning was a challenge.  First of all I was exhausted from the weekend, so peeling my body out of the bed was not easy. Secondly, I was trying not to wake anyone while I got all my gear together.  But it all worked out and I got myself to the gym and was greeted with a huge smile and awesome hug!  Nothing better than that on an early Monday morning. 

Our workout this morning was a good one.  I found an older workout to reuse for today because I hadn't had the time to put something together.  This definitely made us sweat.  After the first round, I felt lightheaded and had to sit down.  My guess is it was from my lack of eating and drinking all weekend being consumed with house stuff. We got through all three circuits and we were wiped! 

As tired as I was this morning, it felt great to be in the gym with C.  Not only did we burn a lot of calories, I got to relieve a lot of the stress I was feeling all weekend.  It would have been so easy to make an excuse not to go this morning.  Even with all the workouts I've been doing for the last couple years, I could see how easy it would be to slip back into old habits and make excuses not to go.  Thankfully today I had Christine there to hold me accountable. 

Tomorrow would have been Torrey Pines Tuesday, but in light of recent events that won't happen this week.  I'm going to get up and use the hotel gym in the morning and run my 3 miles on the treadmill.  The treadmills here are sweet; they each have their own t.v. Wish me luck!

Don't Drop the Banana!

Boy was I tired this morning when my alarm went off.  I haven't had a day off from working out in over a week. Thursday is usually my day to rest, but not this week so I could feel it in my body.  My muscles aren't sore, but my energy level was lower today.  Got dressed, grabbed a (magical) banana and water, and started for the door.  That's when I dropped everything (except the banana) as I was leaving.  Not sure if I woke the boys or not, but it was a pretty big crash.  Oy!  Walk to my car and can't find my keys and the whole time I'm holding on to my banana for dear life because I had already peeled it and if I dropped it that would be the end of the banana.

In the car, I realize these little setbacks are going to make me late so I send C a text letting her know I was on my way.  When I park my car at the gym, I'm fumbling to collect all my things, open the door and jam my knee into a DVD case I had in the door.  Son of a b**ch I shout and hop around the parking lot.  It was quite an ordeal just to get INTO the gym. 

We did our ab workout including Bob's plank challenge.  I have to say we're rockstars with that workout now!  We did a couple new ab exercises today including the captain's chair and I had an idea to try an ab exercise with the stability ball (plank position, shins on ball, roll ball in one leg at a time to chest).  So I get the ball, try to get into position, the ball rolls out from under me and I fall to the floor.  We could not stop laughing. 

Then it was off to the treadmill for our 2 mile run.  I settled in to my 12 minute mile pace and before I knew it I was almost done.  The last 1/4 mile I picked up the pace to a 10 minute mile and I was feeling good!  Maybe I'm getting used to this treadmill running and eating beforehand is probably helping too! 

Saturday is my much needed day of rest!!!  Sunday is a 9 mile run with C.

It's Dark, Very Dark

Got up early this morning (5:00) to meet Kristin for our run. Got dressed, grabbed a banana and some water, and all my things to get ready for work (clothes, towel, toiletries).  I needed gas so I stopped at the gas station, ate my banana, and then cruised to work.  As I reached Solana Beach I heard something hitting my windshield.  I thought maybe I had driven through some locusts or something.  Nope!  It was rain!  I laughed.  Of course it was raining! 

I pulled into work at 5:40.  It was so dark and my first thought was that it was going to make for a very long day at work. Our plan was to run from work to Torrey Pines Beach and back along Carmel Valley Road starting around 6:00.  We actually were able to start a little earlier than planned.  Thankfully it wasn't raining anymore. 

We warmed up by walking for a bit and then took off on our journey.  It was dark.  Very very dark.  I couldn't see the sidewalk in front of me and I was worried one of us might fall.  We got to a point where the street lights end and so does the sidewalk (ha! Where the Sidewalk Ends) so we made a change in plans and took off up a lighted hill towards Del Mar Heights Road. 

This hill was ridiculously long.  We did our usual ritual of pointing out landmarks to run to and then would walk for a bit and then start running again.  This street took us through a beautiful neighborhood and I felt much safer here than I did on Carmel Valley Road.  It was so dark that at one point I asked Kristin if someone was running towards us and sure enough it was a guy running.  We could not see much out there.

It started getting lighter as we crossed over the I-5.  I had never run or walked on the bridge over the I-5 and it was a bit freaky watching the cars rush by below.  We made it back to work with plenty of time to stretch before our showers. 

Running that early and in the dark is a great distraction!  It didn't feel like we were running because we were so focused on being safe.  What an awesome way to start the day!!!

Tomorrow Christine and I are doing our ab workout and then the two mile run on the treadmill.  I found a few new challenging ab exercises that I'm excited to try.  Hoping they don't require too much coordination.  If they do, at least we'll get some laughs in.

Busy Morning at the Gym

Our Wednesday morning circuit was arms.  When I got to the gym I couldn't believe how packed it was.  I'm convinced there is a connection between when The Biggest Loser is on (Tuesday nights) and the traffic flow at the gym.  We found a small section to do our workout in which is unusual because we usually have the entire workout area.  Luckily today's workout didn't require a lot of space (no steps, no BOSU, no crab walks). 

We did arms using the bands (curls, lateral raises, uppercuts, and overhead presses).  We also did pushups, planks to pushups, mountain climbers, and kettlebell swings.  It was a pretty decent workout and I feel like I really worked my arms good! 

I can tell you I've gotten spoiled going to the gym early in the morning.  It is nice being there without a bunch of people in our way.  Regardless if there was a lot of activity in our part of the gym this morning, I tuned it out and focused on the task at hand. 

Tomorrow is an early morning run to the beach with Kristin. 

Moving Target

Today was our run up Torrey Pines and I was looking forward to it all day.  I love being able to run after work and clear my head.  We are now into a routine of walking a bit to warm up and then running up the hill.  We ran to the same point we did last week, walked for a bit, chose a landmark to run to which was a moving target; a couple walking up the hill.  It made it much more challenging!  Once we reached the couple, we walked for a bit to catch our breath (okay, I caught my breath, Kristin was fine) and then ran the rest of the way which involves a pretty decent incline. 

This week we walked down the hill to give our knees a break.  When we got to the bottom, we ran quickly back to the car and then stretched.  Total workout time was 54 minutes. We had a great run! 

Tomorrow Christine and I are working our arms in our circuit workout.  I love having workout buddies!!!

She's Got Legs

I didn't sleep very well last night so I was not mentally ready to get up and workout today.  But I got my butt in gear, got dressed, and headed to the gym.  Since Christine and I started meeting at the gym M/W/F in June, neither one of us has missed a day!  I think that's a pretty amazing accomplishment.  We hold each other accountable. 

Today's workout was a leg circuit and we tried a new leg blaster challenge I found in Self magazine.  The exercise is a lunge with dumbbells doing a chopping motion with the weights. We did 3 sets of 18 on each leg.  The circuit also included weighted squat jumps, swing kicks, the cup challenge, cardio, and pushups.  At the end of our three circuits we had time to work our abs so we did bicycles and reverse crunches.  I was dripping with sweat by the end of our workout and my stomach was growling.  We worked our tails off.

As much as I didn't want to go, I was so glad I did.  As we made our way out of the gym, I felt how hard I worked today.  My body was tired, but my mind and soul were energized.  Now I was ready to face the day! 

Torrey Pines Tuesday run with Kristin tomorrow! 

Thankful

For some reason it wasn't difficult for me to get up this morning.  I think knowing we had no plans today and I could potentially come home and nap was incentive to get my butt moving.  Christine and I were meeting at our usual spot to do 5 miles.  After I got dressed, I made myself a peanut butter sandwich and drank some water before heading out. 

It was chilly this morning so we warmed up first by walking for a few minutes.  When we started running, my legs were stiff and my hands were freezing.  C and I were chatting and talking about our crazy Saturdays filled with sports.  When we got to the rail trail on Mission, the sun was shining brightly in our eyes.  We hadn't worn sunglasses today since we didn't need them last week.  Before I knew it, we made it to Borden.  I walked for a minute to catch my breath before charging up the hill and it gave us some time to get our music going.

As we started up Borden, I thought this will be a breeze after running up Torrey Pines.  Yeah, not so much.  It was still a challenge.  I had to walk twice on the way up, but I was proud of myself for only walking a short time before running again.  Borden goes like this...up up up, flat flat, down, up up up.  My motivation to get me through the first up up up was knowing I would get to run down and get a break.  When we got to the next and last up up up, I turned on an LMFAO song and it pushed me all the way up.  We did it!!!  We ran back to our cars, stretched and drank our water.  It felt so good to have a 5 mile run done already. 

For some reason today, my heart was just filled with happiness because I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends in my life.  Running at 6:30 on a Sunday morning could be dreadful, but it is one of my favorite hours of the week because I get to spend it with my buddy talking about life. 

My Walk

Saturday morning rolled around and I didn't feel like hopping out of bed to go for a run before the boys' soccer games.  Instead, I decided to go for a walk in the evening.  I didn't want to overdo it because I knew I was running 5 miles the next morning.  The weather is beautiful and I thought I could take a stroll to get some fresh air and listen to my music.

My body and mind have changed because as I started my walk I felt impatient.  I was not content just walking.  So I started to run and as I was running I thought it would be cool to do some speed play. Along the path, I pinpointed a landmark and ran as fast as I could to it.  I did this several times until I reached a shady spot to do lunges, pushups, and planks.  It was a great way to break up the run and I also got some much needed arm exercises in.  After my mini bootcamp, I ran back towards home.  On my return, I kept at a steady pace.  No more speed play until the last 1/4 mile and then I sped up.  The faster running really took my breath away.  Settling into my slower pace was much easier and more comfortable which probably isn't always a good thing.  I learned that going for a walk isn't what it used to be for me.

Well it is time for me to go eat, drink some water, and prepare for my 5 miles with Christine in the morning. 

Bananas are Magic

I have been dreading today's workout.  Last night I told Scott I didn't want to go to the gym in the morning because the thought of running on the treadmill was dreadful.  When my alarm went off this morning, I stayed in bed a little longer than usual thinking of all the reasons I should stay in bed.  In the end, the thought of having the guilt on my mind all day and also leaving my workout buddy stranded, got me up and going. 

I got dressed and the whole time was thinking how I could change the run today.  What would make it better?  Then it occurred to me....I don't usually eat before our morning workouts.  The thought of food at 4:30 just doesn't sit right with me.  YUCK!  But maybe some food would help me not struggle so much through the run.  So, I ate a banana and headed to the gym.  I laughed when I pulled up to the gym because C was wearing a pink top and so was I.  We've been matching a lot lately. 

We started out with our ab/core exercises.  Bob Harper's plank challenge is our standard Friday workout now and each week I feel myself getting stronger.  In fact, this week I didn't struggle at all!  The whole time we were doing our abs, I kept looking at the clock knowing what was coming...the 2 mile run from Hell. 

We made our way to the cardio room.  This week we picked the left side of the room instead of the right where we had been doing our treadmill runs.  The treadmill I was on happened to be positioned in front of a door instead of a mirror.  BONUS!  I didn't have to see myself running.  Started my iPod and treadmill and off I went telling myself I can do anything for 24 minutes.  I started off slowly, I know some of you are saying and that's different from your regular runs, how?  The first mile went by and I was able to distract myself with my music.  When I reached the last 1/4 mile, I stepped it up and went full force to the "finish."  I was done!  Hallelujah!!! 

Not sure what made the difference today.  Was it being away from a mirror?  Was it being on left side of the room?  Was it my music?  Was it because I was so dreading it this week that it ended up not being as bad as my mind made it out to be?  or Was it the magic banana???  Whatever it was, I will try to re-create it next Friday.

Tomorrow I'm torn between taking a rest day or going for a run.  I'll see how I feel in the morning.  Most likely the run will win out. 

Wednesday - Bob's Challenge

Wednesday we decided to focus on our arms.  This time I brought my new Gym Boss interval timer.  It was AWESOME!!  I started it and didn't have to look at my watch once.  It would beep when the minute interval was up.  I didn't set it up to include transition time so I'll need to do that for our next workout. 

Our workout consisted of some band work for our biceps and triceps.  The circuit also included push ups, assisted pull ups on the machine, planks, mountain climbers, and Bob's In and Out Dumbbell Snatch Challenge.  Bob's Challenge was a cardio workout.  Take a dumbbell and lift it straight up to form a straight line with your body.  Hold the weight for a second and then drop down into a squat swinging the dumbbell to your legs and back up.  I'm not describing it well, but it was killer.  We did 30 reps on each side during each circuit (90 reps total for each side).  He has it posted on his website if you want to check it out. 

During the 3rd round of the circuit we were running out of time.  We got a little sidetracked laughing so we cut out the last set of pull ups and mountain climbers, but had a couple minutes for some ab work.  The workout was really great.  My arms felt like jello and I knew we worked hard.

Thursday is my rest day.  Friday is our ab/core workout combined with a 2 mile treadmill run.  I'm already dreading it.  Anyone have some words of encouragement to get me through that torturous run????

Torrey Pines Tuesday

Kristin and I made plans to tackle the hill at Torrey Pines again.  This time we were determined to run much further up the hill than last week.  The weather was cold and was even a little drizzly.  People were dressed in parkas and hats and there we were in our shorts and t-shirts freezing.  We walked a bit to warm up and then began to run.  We started our ascent.  We made it to the point where we had to walk last time and we weren't tired so we kept on going.  Kristin said "let's make it to that sign."  In my head I wanted to say to her "here's your sign."  HA!  We made it to the sign and I felt so accomplished!!  Unfortunately, I don't know how far up that was or how long it took us.  I will need to remember that next time.

We walked a bit and then started running again to the next landmark (a tree).  It felt great to do the intervals and run most of the way up.  When we got to the top, I had to go to the bathroom so Kristin challenged us to sprint there.  She's got these long legs and took off ahead of me.  I couldn't get my short legs to go that fast and had a good laugh about that.  At this point, we were definitely warm and not feeling so silly in our shorts and t-shirts. 

After our mini-break, we continued our run up past part of the golf course.  Before we started our return to the car, we calculated it took us 24 minutes one way and we burned 300 calories.  We ran the rest of the way and I felt great!  Our total run time was 45 minutes and 500 calories.  Of course, we stretched at the end and it felt amazing. 

Can't wait until next week to see how much further we can run up without stopping.

Monday

Monday we decided to focus on legs so we did a leg circuit.  We did a lot of the usual exercises (lunges, weighted jump squats) mixed with cardio in between.  The one new exercise we tried this time was the cup drill.  Christine had done this with a trainer last year and thought it would be a good one to try.  C brought 4 cups for each of us to use.  Standing on one leg you must put one cup down at a time in a semi circle standing up after each cup.  Without putting your foot down, you are to pick each cup up.  It definitely makes the leg and butt burn.  The left side was super easy for me because that's my stronger & longer leg.  My right side was definitely more of a challenge and I found I had to touch the ground with my left foot every once in awhile to get my balance.  This will be a good one to do each time to improve my balance! 

Tomorrow is Torrey Pines Tuesday with Kristin!

The Eminem Run - 8 miles

Some running days are better than others.  Today was a not so good day.  I was mentally tired from the start and the drizzle and fog made me feel heavy. The weather made our glasses steam up and it was hard to see.  A couple times I thought we might trip and fall because I couldn't see if there were bumps on the sidewalk or even if I was near the curb. Usually I can get into a groove with my pace, but today I was just off.  We chatted and shared our amusing stories from the week.  It is pretty amazing being out on these runs because we get to talk about things that we wouldn't normally talk about. 

Mentally I was struggling.  How could I have run 7 miles last time and it seemed almost effortless and yet today, I was telling myself I couldn't do it?  We even tried to analyze my day yesterday to figure out if I ate enough.  After being at the soccer fields all day Saturday, I realized I hadn't eaten enough to sustain my energy for 8 miles.  We changed up our course a little today so we weren't backtracking.  Often times, I find backtracking to be emotionally draining so Christine found a new way for us to go. 

While we were going the new way, I kept thinking maybe backtracking would have been better!  There were some hills on this route which I know are important. I just felt like we were out in the middle of nowhere.  Around mile 6 I realized how thirsty I felt.  Suddenly it occurred to me I hadn't had water in days and my body was going to shrivel up and die (slight exaggeration).  I looked around for drinking fountains and we even considered hopping into someone's yard and drinking from their hose.  It was horrible!!!  It was drizzling out, but not enough to catch in my mouth (yes, I tried).  My hair had collected water and had turned into a big fro on the back of my head (do you remember Friends when Monica's hair poofed out from humidity?).  C suggested I suck on my hair.  Along the homestretch, I kept looking at the different stores and thinking up my sob story to tell them about how I needed water.  Apparently C is a camel and didn't need water.  She was so nice to listen to me complain about it. 

We decided for the last mile or so we would listen to our music as a distraction.  We made it to the light at Las Posas/Mission and I thought we were walking the rest of the way and I told her I knew the guy working at the gas station so maybe he can hook us up with water.  She says to me "we're almost there, let's run to the light at the bottom of the hill."  It was at that moment I thought she was trying to kill me (just kidding).  We got to the 8 mile mark and walked the rest of the way back to our starting point. 

This run was tough for me today.  I didn't physically feel tired, but I did walk a few times along the way.  I'm not going to get down on myself though because we did RUN up all the hills.  We ran most of the way, but there were periods I just needed a rest. 

Tomorrow we're doing a leg circuit at the gym.  I get to try out my new Gym Boss!

Hills

This morning I put on my iPod and headed outside.  I still didn't have a plan in mind, but figured I would walk or run or do whatever my body wanted to do.  There was no pressure to do a certain amount of miles.  I started with my usual 5 minute warm up walk and when I got to the point where I normally run, I looked ahead and noticed a hill.  So I said "why not?" and off I went. During the course of my run, I ran up 7 hills and walked/ran in between each hill to rest.   On my way up each incline, I could see my shadow and let me say it was not a forgiving shadow watching my body trudge up those hills. That motivated me along with my LMFAO songs playing on my iPod.  What I found while I was running in between the hills was that I went much faster when it was flat.

My total run was 49 minutes and I was tired and sweaty afterwards.  The weather was hot and muggy and just plain gross.  But boy did I feel accomplished afterwards!  There was a time when I wouldn't go up any hills and now I'm finding them so necessary and a fun challenge.  I certainly don't want to forget to mention that I stretched after my run.  I walked for a few minutes to cool down at the end and then stretched when I got home.  Kristin was right, it does feel really good!

Tomorrow is our 8 mile run at 6:30 a.m.  Hopefully the humidity goes away before then.

Gym Boss

I've been a slacker this week.  Not slacking on my workouts, just with my blogging. Wednesday was our kettlebell workout.  I was already sore from my hill running on Tuesday night, but I knew working out was the best thing to make my legs feel better.  Holy hamstrings, were my legs sore on Thursday from our kettlebell workout.  For some reason I expected to have sore arms, didn't expect my hamstrings to be sore.  If you haven't tried kettlebells, DO IT!  You can look online and Jillian Michaels has a youtube video of how to do a kettlebell workout.

Thursday was my rest day.  My butt and legs reminded me all day that I worked hard on Tuesday and Wednesday so I didn't feel too guilty for taking the day off.

This morning started with an awesome surprise from my gym partner.  For those that don't know, Christine has nicknamed me Gym Boss.  Well she found a workout interval timer called the Gym Boss and got it for me!  I'm sure she got it for more than the name though.  I use my watch to time our intervals and get distracted when I'm timing us so we often will go long in some of our circuits.  This will help keep us on track and it is a pretty pink color too.  Can't wait to try it on Monday.

Today was our ab/core workout followed by a two mile treadmill run.  Each time I run on the treadmill, I hate it more and more.  Running on it is like running in place - going nowhere!  At least outside there are distractions and beautiful scenery and I can see my progress.  On the treadmill, time might as well stand still.  Running is such a mental sport, but I feel like I get in my head more on the treadmill and try to talk myself into walking.  Although it totally and completely sucked at the time, I was happy to have my workout and run done for the day. 

I don't have a workout planned for Saturday, but I will do something.  Check back to see what suited my fancy on Saturday. 

Sunday morning is our 8 mile run.  C mapped out a new route for us and I'm looking forward to trying it.  I'm nervous about the 8 miles, but I know we can do it because we will support each other along the way. 

Torrey Pines

Sunday was supposed to be a bike ride with Christine.  Unfortunately, Saturday night I was in the ER with Drake (he's okay) and Sunday we had a follow up doctor's appointment, so bike riding was out of the question. Not to mention it was crazy hot that day.  Sunday evening I did manage to go for a walk with Caden and it felt good to be out there although I felt guilty for just walking. 

Monday was our usual a.m. session at the gym.  I did NOT want to get up.  The heat makes me feel lazy and my butt was dragging.  If Christine wasn't there waiting for me, I probably would have gone back to sleep.  But I managed to get there and was half asleep through the first circuit.  By round 2 I was feeling alert and good.  We did a cardio and leg circuit that kicked butt.  Let me tell you, I am sore today. 

This afternoon after work, I had made plans with Kristin to do some fartleks (speed play).  We decided to go to Torrey Pines beach.  The weather was amazingly beautiful with an awesome breeze.  We both kept commenting on how gorgeous it was there.  We started out by warming up with a jog on the flat stretch to the hill.  We got to the hill and started our climb.  Holy crap it was tough.  We got part way up and walked the rest of the way up the hill that seemed to never end.  At one point I had to stop and stretch my calf because it got very tight. 

When we got to the top, we started our run which was flat for a bit and then we hit a gradual incline that seemed to go on forever.  We maintained our pace and ran the whole way.  I set goals for myself on that hill (make it to the sign, make it to the curve, etc.).  We reached the top of that incline and turned around and headed back.  We ran the whole way back to the car which was mostly downhill.  This is where I started rambling to Kristin.  I've realized when I'm starting to get tired, I just start spewing nonsense to whoever is with me to create a distraction.  There was a flat part at the bottom and as soon as we reached that point, I realized how much running down hill requires little effort because my legs were like lead trying to push forward.  It took a couple seconds to adjust, but then got back into a running groove.  Our total run time was 55 minutes and then we stretched.  As I've mentioned before Kristin is my stretching cheerleader.  She drove us there so I had no choice but to stretch (just kidding.  I would have stretched anyway because that's my goal this time).  The stretching did feel good and after the hills, I'm sure it was more necessary than ever. 

Running outdoors like this is so refreshing.  Not only is the scenery amazing (the beach, sunset, the trees, etc.), the people exercising are so nice.  It is like an unspoken bond with runners when you are out there.  Every time we ran by someone running, they would wave and smile.  I can't wait to go back and try this run again and see how I improve over time.  They say hill running helps with long distance running and I can see why.  It completely builds up your endurance.  We didn't do speed play today, but the hills definitely were a challenge and worked me hard! 

Tomorrow is our early morning gym session.  We're doing a lot of cardio in our circuit and for the first time we're using kettlebells.  Can't wait to try something new. 

Sir Yes Sir

I didn't get a chance to write about our Friday morning workout.  We did our ab workout and added the stationary bike at the end for about 30 minutes.  Those workouts are always good and challenging especially when we are in the middle of them. 

Today was the Bootcamp Challenge.  It is a three mile course with about 50 obstacles which includes pushups, over/under crawls, tunnel crawls, wall climbs, and more. My first time doing this race was in 2008 as a five-person team.  I hadn't been running or working out at the time so this course completely kicked my ass.  I think my time was somewhere around 45 minutes and my whole team was waiting at the finish for me (you have to cross the finish line as a complete team).  At that moment, I told myself I would NEVER do a five-person team again because I hated the feeling of holding everyone back.

Last year I did the course as an individual (my brother and Kristin did it too) and completed it in around 39 minutes (from what I recall).  Around the half mile mark, I had to walk for a little bit.  I wasn't running much last year, but I was doing cardio in the gym each morning.  This course again kicked my butt.  In fact, when I crossed the finish line, my heart rate monitor had stopped and I turned to Kristin and asked her if I had died.

This year my friend Cyndi was kind enough to have her work sponsor a five-person team so we got to do this for free and represent a really good organization; Project Not Forgotten.  Our team was Cyndi, Christine, Kristin, Marcy (a last minute sub for us who Cyndi knew from work), and me. Being in a five-person team again made me nervous, but I knew I was doing this with some of my closest friends who  wouldn't judge me. 

The race started at 9:00 and they sent groups off in waves with the five-person teams going last.  We didn't actually start the race until after 10:00.   I hadn't given the run much thought.  In fact, we were doing our photo shoot, hanging out, STRETCHING, and just enjoying our morning.  The running part hadn't actually dawned on me until we were waiting at the start line.  My thoughts were all over the place; would I be last again?  It's hot out here, how will that affect me on the course?  Can my foot handle the jumps?  And then there was no more time to think about it.  We were off. 

When we were at the point on the course where I stopped and walked last year, Kristin said to me "remember you had to walk this part last year?"  It felt so good to know I was already doing better than last year!  My first mile was about a 10 minute mile which for me is FAST.  It felt fast and with the heat I started dragging.  Luckily, at mile 2 when we started the obstacle course, they had put sprinklers out for us to cool off.  The downside to being sprayed off was then we had to crawl in the dirt which created some nice mud spots on my body.  Mile 2 is all obstacles; most of which I did no problem.  The first wall climb, I ran up the hay to the top of the wall and realized what a big jump it was (it seemed like it was 10 feet off the ground).  I jumped, but was afraid I'd hurt my foot even more if I continued to do those.  So the next couple wall climbs, I climbed to the top, but then climbed back down and ran around it.  The one big thing I'm leaving out is all the drill instructors yelling at us as we were moving along the course.  They were standing at the top of obstacles shouting, at the bottom of obstacles yelling, along the running stretches screaming.  I learned that if I didn't make eye contact, they didn't focus on me. 

As we came into the home stretch, I was running with Christine and needed a distraction.  To take my mind and hers too off the run, I started talking about our day ahead and what we had planned after the race.  At first I think she was confused because I just started talking about random things, but then she realized I was creating a distraction.  We finally made it, met Kristin and Cyndi, and then we waited at the waiting spot for our final team member.  We got to this point in just under 35 minutes!!!!!  We were still about a minute from the actual finish line, but we couldn't cross until our final team member was with us.  Once she joined us, we locked arms and ran across the finish line.  I don't know what our final team time was, but I know I did the Bootcamp Challenge in my best time yet and I wasn't as tired as I have been in the past.  Today was a huge accomplishment for me.  It made me realize how hard I've been working in the gym and it feels really good!!!

Tomorrow is supposed to be our long run, but we are doing a bike ride outside instead.  Should be a nice challenge in the heat...

Up, But Not At 'Em

Tried getting out of bed this morning to go to the gym.  Even had all my stuff laid out and ready to go.  For some reason I just couldn't do it this morning.  While I laid in bed awake, I spent the entire hour that I could have been at the gym planning when I could fit a workout in today.  Seems silly now.  Why didn't I just get up and go and get it over with? 

So I packed up my workout clothes and took them to work with me. What I like about early morning workouts is that I don't have to think about exercising the rest of the day.  Now I had the pressure of knowing I needed to do a workout sometime today. Since the ellipitical was on my workout agenda and we have one in our gym at work, I figured I could squeeze it in during my work day. The elliptical machine in this gym is different than the machines I use at 24.  It allowed me to adjust my stride length, but I couldn't adjust the incline.  I did intervals for 45 minutes and it was a decent workout. Definitely got my sweat on, but wasn't feeling overly exerted.

Tomorrow we're doing abs and riding the bike.  Love our early morning workouts!

No Sweat

Coming up with today's workout was a challenge because I knew C and I couldn't put pressure on our feet.  Since pretty much every sort of intense cardio workout involves weight bearing exercises, I thought we could focus on our arms and core.  We tried a couple new things today including reverse planks which were much harder than I anticipated and our cardio consisted of the arm bike.  These exercises combined with curls, overhead presses, triceps, pushups, and planks, made my arms jello by 6:00.

It definitely took more to work up a sweat since we weren't using our "big" muscles (legs and glutes).  In fact, I don't even think I drank my whole bottle of water which is quite unusual for our morning workouts.

Rather than having another rest day tomorrow, I'm going to try to get my butt up and do the elliptical at the gym in the morning.   A site that I'm a fan of on FB asked the question  "Treadmill or elliptical?"  Most people said elliptical as a good cross trainer machine.  Someone responded elliptical and described the treadmill perfectly..soul sucking! 

Wish me luck that I get out of bed in the morning.  Actually, having some new music on my iPod and also knowing you will ask me if I went should motivate me.  See ya on the flip side.

The Results Are In....

Today seemed like the longest day ever.  For some reason I expected the doctor to call me first thing this morning with the results of the x-rays.  Didn't he know how stressed I was about this?  When I didn't hear by noon, I called his office and left a message.  How could he have patients other than me? 

All last night and today I kept thinking of "what if" scenarios.  What if my foot is fractured?  What will I do to stay motivated?  I was already looking into bike races as another option to take the place of running.  What if I can't do squats and lunges at the gym?  So I started researching non-weight bearing workouts for our M/W/F sessions.  So many things went through my mind.  But in all of my thoughts, it never once crossed my mind to stop working out.  The workouts would just need to be more creative. 

At 5:00p.m. I assumed I wouldn't hear from the doctor today, but I got the call at 5:30.  The x-rays did not show a stress fracture, but they did show arthritis.  His recommendation was to stop running permanently and to stop doing weight bearing exercises and start swimming and biking.  Um, doc...I'm not putting on a bathing suit, yes my friends, that was my concern.  I asked him what happens if I continue to run and he said it would cause me more pain.  He did suggest getting some Dr. Scholl's inserts for my shoes, ice my foot, and take Advil.  What happened to the good old days when they prescribed Vicodin?  Just kidding...sort of.

Where do I go from here?  My plan is to continue my M/W/F workouts with Christine and will make them a little more creative so there is a little less impact.  The Silver Strand Half Marathon is in November so I will train for it, run in it, and hang up my long distance running shoes after that event. 

Getting news that you have arthritis would normally be disappointing, but today it was the best thing I could have heard!!  Thankfully Christine got good news today too and she only has to take one week off from running.  Nothing will stop us!  This last day would have been miserable if I didn't have all my friends and family checking in on me, texting me, emailing me, calling me, and laughing with me.  Thank God for each one of you! 

Tomorrow is our early morning Wednesday session.  I have a fun workout surprise for C.  This is an exercise I did with my brother when he was training me and I almost threw up!!   Can't wait!!!!

Foot Pain

When I put the workout together last night I was very aware that both Christine and I were having foot pain and I didn't want us hopping or jumping a lot.  So I created a little bit of a different workout.  Getting to the gym was no problem for me this morning and couldn't wait to get right to it.  I was feeling good aside from the throbbing pain in my right foot. 

We incorporated some bands and worked out our arms.  We did squats, lunges, some cardio and abs, but no jumping jacks today.  It was a good workout and we were both sweating like crazy.  Not to mention, we had some good laughs too! 

After I got home and started getting ready for work, my foot was aching.  Let me give you some history with this....we were in Vegas in August and you all know you walk A LOT in Vegas.  On our drive home, I couldn't get my foot comfortable.  I tried elevating it, taking my shoe off, massaging it, but nothing was helping.  It was this horrible ache on the top of my foot from my ankle to my big toe; almost felt like it was bruised or something.  Since I have my foot issues, I chalked it up to that and didn't think much else of the pain.  When we got home, Kristin kept telling me to go to the doctor and I just ignored her (sorry Kristin).  Each time after the M/W/F circuit workouts the pain would start again and nothing seemed to help. This past week it was worse and I'm assuming it is because I've increased my running miles. 

Last night I was in so much pain after the 7 mile run/hill climb, I was hobbling around the house.  Scott told me I might have a stress fracture and to go to the doctor.  Again, I brushed it off because how in the world would I have a fracture??  At the gym this morning, Christine mentioned the stress fracture to me too because she was doing some online research for her foot.  She agreed to see the doctor for her pain if I went to the doctor for mine. 

I called the doctor and they got me in this afternoon.  The doctor took a look at both my feet and asked how important running is to me.  I told him right now it is important because I'm trying to run my second half marathon and want to do it in better time.  He said it could be a stress fracture which would mean no running for several months.  He said I should take up biking if that's the case.  Gee, thanks doc.  If it isn't a fracture, he said I needed to get Dr. Scholl's arch supports for my shoes and take Aleve.  Down to radiology I marched or more like limped.  They took x-rays of both my feet and I learned I have two screws in my right foot.  Who knew?  And no, they aren't loose.  HA!  Radiology is supposed to send my x-rays to the doc tonight.

Now it is the waiting game to get the results.  Let me tell you though, if my foot is broken, I'm telling the world that I ran 7 miles uphill with a broken foot!   Hahahaha!   BTW - Christine's appt is tomorrow.

Stay tuned...

7 Miles - What?

Today was a 7 mile day.  Christine and I had agreed to run at 6:30, but there was a change of plans and we were able to meet at 8:00 instead.  Mentally 8:00 is easier to absorb than going at the butt crack of dawn on a Sunday.  Our course today had us going up one side of Borden, out to the Twin Oaks trail for a couple miles and back to conquer the backside of Borden. 

We started out up the hill.  We were both commenting about how tired we already were.  Oh no.  How were we going to run 7 miles if we were already tired?  So we started talking about our Saturday events and it distracted us enough to make it up the hill.  Success!  We kept running until we got to the 3.5 mark.  At that point, I had to walk.  Not sure why.  I wasn't tired.  But my brain told me I needed to walk.  So, we walked for about 2 minutes.  We started running again and my motivator was knowing I would get to Borden and would probably get to walk because there was no way I would make it up the backside of Borden running. 

We got to Borden and Christine reminded me that as soon as we turn onto Borden it is an incline.  There is no easing into it.  She asked "are you ready?  you can do this."  So, we started our climb.

It was brutal.  I'm not going to lie.  At one point I started to sing "did you think I'd lay down and die. oh no not I, I will survive."  We tried talking part of the way, but then agreed to listen to music instead.  My iPod died on me so I had to reset it.  That's when I told C I might just sing the whole way up.  She seemed very interested in me resetting my iPod.  LOL.  Once I got the music going, it motivated me to move my body.  Several times on the climb, I told myself I might need to walk, but I kept pushing and did it!  We made it to the top without walking!!!  WHAT????  We gave each other high fives at the top.  It is so nice having someone to share in those successes. 

Thankfully the last part of the run was all downhill.  We got to the school, STRETCHED, and cooled down.  We ran 7 miles today and did two hills in there.  It felt so good to accomplish that today.  Now I sit here icing my foot.  My smaller foot (the right foot) has been giving me problems for a few weeks.  Thankfully it doesn't hurt while I'm running, it only hurts after.  But I don't care.  I ran 7 miles today and climbed a hill I never thought I could.

Rest Day

Today is my day off to rest and I'm trying not to feel guilty about it.  I managed to workout every day this week and now I need to give my body a break to recover.  When I woke up, what a pleasant surprise to feel my abs and my triceps reminding me that those areas were worked out hard on Thursday and Friday!!!  Love that feeling.

Bob posted a new core challenge today.  Can't wait to try that next week. 

Sunday is a 7 mile run at 6:30a.m. C and I are going to try to mix up the course a bit to alleviate boredom setting in.  Don't worry, you'll hear from me after the run.  Oh, my new favorite show is Thintervention.  Thanks Cyndi and Melissa for telling me about it.  Diggin' Jackie the trainer.

Have a great Saturday!!!

Treadmill Running Sucks

Waking up at 4:30 this morning was easier than expected.  Sleep was not my friend last night and it was a long sleepless night.  Not sure why exactly.  Maybe it was from working out late, but that usually isn't a problem for me or it was my mind telling me not to oversleep in the morning.  Whatever it was that kept me up helped me make it to the gym bright and early. 

Our workout today was a core/ab workout followed by our 2 mile treadmill run.  We warmed up on the AMT machine for about 6 minutes and then started our ab workout.  The ab workout was good and Bob's Core Challenge was killer.  At one point I just started laughing because it seemed almost impossible what he expected us to do.  We did about 20 minutes of abs and then headed to the cardio room. 

Christine forgot her headphones so she wasn't going to be listening to music during the run.  I couldn't leave her alone to suffer so I didn't listen to music either.  Besides, we were only running 2 miles; how hard could that be?  It was dreadful, not the lack of music part, but the treadmill.  On a treadmill, you don't go anywhere.  I've really come to love running outdoors.

The first 1/4 mile I thought I would have to walk, but I continued on.  My pace was pretty slow (12:00min/mile), but I was worn out.  Watching the mileage increase slowly was killing me.  Finally, I put a towel over the distance so I wouldn't focus on that so much.  C was great and tried talking to me, but I wasn't having it today.  I was sweating like crazy so eventually I had to remove the towel from covering up the panel so I saw the distance again.  1.6 miles done.  I can do this I told myself.  So, I visually imagined running down Las Posas on the trail.  When I got to 1.8, I told C I had to put my music on to make it through.  So I put my headphones on, increased the pace to 10 min/mile and booked it to get to 2 miles.  When I got to the "finish" I was out of breath, sweating, red faced, and beat.

Don't make me run on that thing again.  Running on the treadmill sucks.  On the brightside, I have a free night to hang with my family and Saturday is a rest day. Long run on Sunday with C!

Bootcamp

Many times I've taken the Turbo Kickboxing (TKB) class at 24 Hour Fitness.  One of my favorite instructors is Liesa.  I facebooked Liesa after a couple TKB classes and discovered she also has her own bootcamp.  My schedule is crazy with the boys' activities so I haven't been able to try her bootcamp, but I've been wanting to do it.  Finally, the stars were aligned this week and Kristin agreed to check it out with me.  The bootcamp was about 10 minutes from work so we changed at the office and headed to the park.

We got there about 30 minutes early so we went for a jog before it began.  And then the magic or was it torture? happened at 6:30.  We got warmed up by doing high knees for a minute, skips for a minute, and then jacks for a minute in a clockwise circle.  I happened to be at the front of the group and I was slow so I was stressing a bit.  Not to mention, this was the warm up and I was already sweating!  We did this one more time around and then went to arms.  We paired up and used resistance bands to do biceps and triceps.  Let me tell you, my arms were on fire! 

From there we did cardio and I struggled with the burpees and mountain climbers.  Why am I struggling?  I kept asking myself.  We did toe taps and high knees for one minute then moved right to burpees for a minute and then mountain climbers for a minute.  Those minutes felt like an eternity.  I had to modify my mountain climbers and take the run out of them.  After the cardio circuit (we did it twice), we moved to legs.  The legs were squats and lunges and then we ended with cardio sprints and lateral squats.  Just when I thought we were done she threw in some abs.  Thank you very much.  Not sure I'll be able to move my arms or legs tomorrow and hopefully I won't have to sneeze. 

Bootcamp was challenging.  The difference between this and the M/W/F workouts Christine and I do is the timing of everything.  Rather than doing cardio for a minute and then moving to strength, this was 3 minutes of cardio, 3 minutes of strength training, etc.  Can't wait to mix things up for C next week. 

Tomorrow C and I are doing abs/core at the gym using another one of Bob's challenges (check out his website for the core challenge) and then we are doing our 2 mile training run on the treadmill to free up our evening!  I'll let you know tomorrow if I'm able to move. My arms are tired just from typing this.   Pretty sure it will be a struggle to get up at 4:30a.m., but I can do it!

Round 3

Boy was it tough waking up this morning at 4:30 after running last night.  How did I manage to drag my butt to the gym?  It was knowing my workout partner would be there waiting for me.  I always create the workout the night before and I have this habit of making it really tough and then in the morning when it comes time to do it, I dread it.  Round 1 is usually the longest round because we're figuring out the flow and the exercises and I think we're still waking up.  Rounds 2 and 3 always go much quicker and usually by round 2 I've come to terms with what we are doing!

This morning's workout was good.  We did step ups, dumbbell curls on the Bosu ball (thanks C for helping me up on the Bosu...I have balance issues), running the stairs, dead lifts on the Bosu, burpee planks on the step with weights, medicine ball squats, and more.  On round 3 of the stairs, thankfully C said to me "you can do this.  Let's race."  That got me through it because by then my legs were t-i-r-e-d. 

Thursday is supposed to be a running day, but I'm deviating from the schedule to try a new bootcamp with Kristin.  I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to incorporate what I learn into the M/W/F workouts!

A New Goal

Tuesday morning I got a text from Christine telling me she did her three mile run.  I was happy she got it done and at the same time dreading having to run at the end of the day by myself.  Work was crazy busy and exhausting.  At the end of my work day, Christine sent me a text asking if I wanted company on my run.  Really?  She had already run her three miles and she was going to run with me again?!  Of course I said yes!!!
We met at the elementary school, our usual meeting place.  We took off down Borden to Las Posas, and then to the rail trail on Mission.  It was hard to run.  I was tired mentally and it affected me physically.  We didn't walk at all, but I considered it. It baffles me that I can run five miles one day without thinking about it, but then the next time struggle with three miles.  It shows what an affect your day can have on you.  As much as I could have talked myself out of running, I knew it was important to alleviate my stress and it is part of the training plan.  I read in a magazine once that you never regret doing a workout, but you will feel guilty for not doing one.  That sticks with me because it is so true. 

We finished our run.  I was tired and can't imagine how C was feeling since this was her second run of the day.  But I was so grateful she joined me; I needed the motivation.  After this run, I did something I haven't done before but Kristin has been nagging me to do.  STRETCH!  To me stretching seems so time consuming and unnecessary.  But I promised Kristin I would try it.  During my RnR training I didn't stretch at all and maybe that would have helped me do better.  After reading this, all my runner friends are probably saying "I can't believe she didn't stretch...shame on her."  So, my new goal is to stretch before/after each run.  It felt good and it didn't take THAT much more time. 

Got home after our run and immediately started planning our workout for Wednesday morning. 

Bob Harper's Challenges

On Monday at 5:00a.m. Christine and I met at the gym.  Our usual place to rendezvous on Mon/Wed/Fri mornings.  We decided to incorporate some of Bob Harper's workout challenges into our circuit.  For those that don't know, Bob is one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser.  He posted a couple challenges on his website last week that were intriguing. 

Our circuit training workouts consist of about 8-9 exercises alternating cardio (i.e. step ups, jumping jacks, jump rope) with strength training (dumbbell curls, overhead press, squats, lunges, etc.) and we go through the circuit three times for an hour workout. Bob's challenges were a shoulder and lunge workout.  We did both on Monday.  They were tough at the time and I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to lift my arms on Tuesday.  Surprisingly, my arms/shoulders weren't sore, but my butt was feeling it from the lunges.  If you want to check out his challenges go to his website (mytrainerbob.com).  He has some great ideas! 

Every time we complete a workout, I feel so strong.  Amazing what we can do before 6:00a.m. 

Tuesday is a three mile run day...

Five Miles Flew By

Christine and I had planned to run seven miles Sunday morning at 6:30.  We were going out on Saturday night, but neither of us really drink so we knew we could probably get up and run that early.  Dancing the night away at Belly Up, I get a call from my mom at midnight that Caden isn't feeling well.  We load up the minivan and go get him.  As soon as I knew I had to pick him up, I knew our early morning run was not a possibility since Scott was still out of town.  The first thing Christine asked Caden is "did your mom bribe you to pretend to get sick?" 

Thankfully Caden was fine the next day and then there I was trying to figure out how to squeeze in a run.  Scott and Drake were headed home from Vegas and on target for late afternoon arrival.  Christine asked me if I wanted to run with her in the evening.  YES! 

When Scott got home, we headed out for a 5 mile run. I had told C it had been awhile since I ran any distance and would probably have to walk some of it.  We started out from the elementary school and went up Borden.  I've NEVER been able to run up that hill without stopping to walk.  Today was different.  I didn't think about it.  C and I talked and next thing I knew, I was at the top of the hill.  A small accomplishment in just the first five minutes.  We kept running on Borden, turned on Twin Oaks towards Mission, and then to Las Posas for the five mile loop.  We talked about life, our kids, our workouts and before we knew it we had gone the whole way without stopping.  How did it fly by like that? 

This was one time I can remember that I wasn't focused on the running part of what I was doing.  Running is a mental activity and if it gets in my head that I need to walk, then I tell myself I need to walk.  It is a crazy thing.  I was so focused on our conversation that the running was just something we were doing as an aside.  I can't explain it really, but all I know is I hope it is that way on November 14th.

Training Begins

My training for the Silver Strand was supposed to start the week of 9/6.  I ran a couple two or three milers that week, but knew I needed to run 5 miles on Friday.  Unfortunately, Scott and Drake were out of town so I knew I needed to bring Caden along with me.  He was so excited at the chance to ride his bike along the rail trail while I ran.  That's a treat in our house, getting to go with mom on a run. 

Friday evening (9/10) I picked Caden up from school and he says "don't forget Mom, we're doing the 5 miles tonight."  So even if I didn't feel like running, he was holding me accountable.  Awesome!  We head out on the run and not five minutes into it he tells me he has to go to the bathroom.  So we stop at Chevron.  We get back out on the course and as we start the run/ride on the rail trail, Caden says to me "how much longer?"  Really?  We've been out here for a total of 10 minutes with a few of those minutes in the bathroom.  The whole time we're going he's telling me how he joined the running club at school.  I was so proud of him for joining the club and felt a little like he was trying to be like Mom.  Very cool. 

We get about a mile and half out on the rail trail and Caden tells me he is tired.  So we start to head back, but he's too tired to ride and needs to walk his bike.  That's about where my run stopped.  He kept apologizing to me telling me he was tired from the running club.  I thought in my head "well at least one of us ran today."  As we're walking along, we see a bench and I kid you not, that kid laid down on it!!!  He said he needed to rest.  All I could do was laugh and think Christine had offered to watch Caden while I ran.  Why didn't I take her up on that?!  After his rest, we were almost home when he said he couldn't walk his bike anymore so I put my butt on that bike and rode it down the hill.  Let me tell you, riding a little boy's bike is not an easy task.  Our total miles for that "run" was 3.5, but it wasn't pretty.  I love my boys and love having them with me so I won't stop taking them out on runs.  From now on, I will know that if I am running with Caden, that it needs to be on one of my scheduled easy run days and I'll need to be flexible. 

How I Got Here

I'm not a runner.  That's been my stance my whole life.  I'm really bad at running. My feet and legs aren't cut out for it.  My right leg is at least two inches shorter than my left and my right foot is two sizes smaller than my left. This naturally causes some physical issues with running. Because of that, I see running as a challenge.

February this year my friend, Kristin, and I ran in the Race for Literacy.  It is a 5 mile course through Balboa Park and Downtown San Diego.  I remember being nervous about the run and thinking "how in the world will I run 5 miles?"  The most I had ever run was a 5k.  My goal that day was to run the whole thing.  My pace and finish time didn't matter to me.  It was pouring rain on race day and we were drenched, which I think was a distraction from running.  We did it!  We finished those 5 miles without stopping to walk and I was so proud of myself.  Even did a happy dance at the finish line.

After that race, Kristin and I were talking and somehow she convinced me to train for and run in the Rock and Roll (RnR) Half Marathon which was in June.  Running a half marathon was never a goal of mine.  There was never an interest in running 13.1 miles.  But once I agreed to try it, I was consumed with the training schedule and also with finding the right equipment, gadgets, GU, menus, clothes, etc.  We did Shoe Dog at RoadRunner.  We ran in a couple running groups.  We researched things online.  We read running magazines.  I bought all kinds of running socks and running shoes.  Preparing for the RnR took over my life.  I told myself once this was over, I would be proud of myself for the accomplishment and then move on with my life.  NO MORE HALF MARATHONS!  So, the RnR came around.  Ran most and walked some.  Had horrible blisters.  But overall, the run was good.  I was disappointed with my time and thought "I can do better."  Must have been the next day when I said I wanted to try another half marathon.  What was I thinking???? 

Having heard that the Silver Strand Half Marathon is a nice flat run, we decided that was the half marathon for us.  The run is November 14th and two of my bestest friends are signed up to run it too.  You will see their names a lot throughout this journey; Kristin and Christine.  This will be Christine's first half marathon and I'm excited to train with her. 

This time my training will be different.  I'm not going to let it consume me or at least that's my goal.  Many of the books and magazines suggest journaling your runs so I thought why not try it this time around.  Whenever I'm out running, I learn something new about people or myself and I see and hear funny things along the way.  Rather than post a status update on Facebook, I thought this would be a more productive outlet and it would be a way for me to go back and see what worked for a particularly good run and what I was feeling on the days that my runs weren't so good.  Wanna come on the journey with me?