Emily's training blog

I was feeling the effects of yesterday's workout, plus a night with little sleep. (Due to a family crisis, not a fun New Year's unfortunately.)  I ran an easy six miles on the wonderful treadmill, and then took Boot Camp.  I'm glad that I only ran 6 because the class was really tough.  My favorite instructor, Andrea, was teaching.  She's the only instructor that can kick my butt.  

Some of the ways I was tortured:  2 sets of step ups with weights, followed by a round of intervals in the spinning room,  push-ups from a down dog position, followed by stairs (straight up, jumps, sideways, switch sides),  down to the gym for 5 sets of suicides, and three minutes worth of lunges, up to the treadmills for an increasing pace run (I did enjoy the shocked looks I got when I ran ato 11.3 mph as opposed to their 7mph.  Here's where the extra .75 miles came in)  Back up to the group exercise room for triceps, biceps, shoulders, burpees, and side to side runs.   Of course, we finished with some wonderful core work.  

I'm already sore, and I don't think I needed the extra miles.  But, I'm looking forward to jumping the mileage up next week.  Hopefully, I can keep the supplemental cross training in  without getting too overworked.

I really need to pay more attention to the postings at the Oval. I drove all the way out there again to find the speed skating championships were still going on.  I realized as I left that it was posted right on the front door that the track would be closed.  So, back to the treadmill!

I warmed up two miles and then ran a 30 minute threshold run.  I started at 10 mph and increased every five minutes.  

Mile 1: 6:05

Mile 2: 5:55

Mile 3:  5:51

Mile 4:  5:46

Mile 5:  5:40  Total time: 29:19  30 minutes  5.1 miles

I cooled down two miles.  The total time for nine miles was 57:48.  I really need to get outside to run!  Maybe tomorrow if the roads are clear enough.

I decided to brave the great outdoors this morning.  Not a good idea.  Although I stayed relatively warm, I realized that there are no safe places to run in my neck of the woods during the winter.   There was so much snow and ice on the sidewalks, and most of the roads had too little space on the shoulder.   I spent a lot of time gingerly picking my way through unshoveled stretches of sidewalk.   My plan was 10 miles, but I gave up after 5 and a half.   Hopefully  I'll find some time to get a few more in today, even if it is just an hour of biking.  I'm so ready for winter to be over.

I miss the days when I lived up by the U.   There are so many good roads to run on in that part of town.  Taylorsville kind of sucks for running. 

PM  I made it over to the club for an easy 4.5 miles on the treadmill.  I sent the kids to the daycare, and they did wonderfully.  I will have to utilize it more often now that Cole is past the stage where he screams the entire time.   That's why I haven't brought my kids to the day care too often.  He seems to have outgrown it.

I missed running yesterday. I wish I had a really good excuse for it, but I just slept in, and then never got around to going. If I don't get up and get it done, it is very difficult to go because I never know what's going to happen with the kids or my husband's job and activities. It's only 5 in the morning that I know there is no other conflicts. My mileage goal for this week is 50, which I can still accomplish. I am still working on that consistency! I did a hill run on the treadmill this morning.  I started at 8.6 mph and increased .1 every 5 minutes for the first 20 minutes, every 4 minutes for the next 20, and every 3 for the last 20 minutes.  In addition I increased my incline to 3% every 10 minutes for a two minute hill.  I ran six hills.   The last one about killed me since it was at 10.2 mph.  I gotta get those hills in somehow.  I completed 9.25 miles in an hour.  Maybe I can sneak in a few more miles tonight to make up for yesterday.  

I made it out to the Oval this morning.  (Finally!)  It was even a bargain day; one dollar because it is a red burn day.  So, I did some people dodging on the track, but that is still preferable to yesterday's run on the treadmill where someone left their chewed up gum in the console.  Thank you so much, Considerate Stranger! 

I warmed up 15 minutes.  My legs were a bit tired from yesterday's "hill" run, so I pared down the workout a touch.  I ran 20 sets of 1 minute on 1minute off.  I was pretty consistent, staying between 5:20 and 5:25 pace.  I thought that was pretty good considering it was 5:30 in the morning and I was wearing trainers.  It was actually nice to do some turnover work.  I definitely use different muscles during speedwork than when I'm just logging mileage.  I cooled down 15 more minutes.  

So, I'm debating whether to run an easy 4-5 this afternoon, which will only leave me 7 tomorrow, or save the entire 12 for tomorrow.  If the air quality stays like this, I will be banished to the treadmill again.  I kind of dread the thought of running for an hour and a half on the treadmill.  Hmmm . . . what to do?

I read in the newspaper this morning that going out in the inversion is like smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.  So, I opted to run my long run on the treadmill.  For a change in scenery I went up to the West Jordan 24 Hour Fitness.  The equipment is much nicer there.  Plus, the have tv's attached to each treadmill.  It makes me kind of dizzy to run and watch tv, but it was a nice diversion for an hour and a half of running in place.  I watched stupid, mindless shows the entire run.  First, was Supernanny, ("London, pushing Denver down the stairs is UN-acceptable.  Sit in the naughty chair.)  followed by 16 and Pregnant. ( "I never thought my baby daddy would leave me.  We were gonna live happily ever after)  I may be dumber after running today!

Finishing my run was a mental victory.  I started having stomach cramps after 6.5 miles.  I've been having chronic stomach issues since having Lily.  I won't go into details, but they are not pleasant!  It may be time to see a GI doctor.  Even a bathroom break didn't help matters much.  I was about to call it good at 7 miles, but then sucked it up and finished the last few miles.  I did have to back off of the pace a little bit, but I was proud of myself for finishing.  I know I can be kind of wimpy when the going gets tough.  Giving in to my weaknesses is what keeps me from achieving my goals.

I am pleased with running 50 miles this week.  I know that's not a lot, but it's actually the most I have been able to run since having Lily.  I am also happy that I got a long run in, as well as 2 good speed sessions.

There is still room for improvement.  I didn't work out on Wednesday, and I neglected strength training this week. That gives me some goals to aim for during next week's training. 

Total time for 12 miles: 1:22:30

Nothing too exciting to report today.  Just another exciting treadmill adventure.  I couldn't find my I-pod this morning, so I entertained myself people watching.   There was an extremely overweight couple riding the recumbant bikes.  They must have been starting their New Year's Resolutions.  Good for them!   Then, I amused myself watching a guy in eyeliner check himself out in the mirror while he simultacneously lifted weights and sashayed on the elliptical.  (Great Multi tasker.)  I think I have mentioned him before on my blog.  Finally, I watched in horrified fascination as an extremely thin girl put in about two hours on the elliptical machine.  I'm all for working out to stay healthy and fit, but this poor girl has taken it to a decidedly unhealthy extreme. 

After I was done scoping out the health club patrons, I thought about my upcoming race schedule.  I'm beginning to feel motivated and excited to get racing again.  My agent (that sounds so official and important!)  sent me a list of races to consider.  I will probably debut at the Shamrock  Half Marathon in Virginia Beach in March. (Of course!)  Then, Salt Lake Half in April, followed by the Fargo Half Marathon  at the end of May (not quite as exciting as Virginia Beach!)    All of this will be part of a build up to Grandma's Marathon in June. Grandma's will be my three-years-in-coming marathon debut!  I love having races to look forward to. 

I increased my pace today at half mile increments, starting at 8.0 mph.  I felt comfortable and strong the entire run.  My overall time was 67:22.

I woke up with a tight lower back, so I thought I would give my body a break and cross train.  I think running on the treadmill so much is too much repetitive motion.  It was nice to move in a different way, even though it took a lot longer than simply running does.

AM  I went to the health club and did the elliptical for 1 hour.  I started at level 7 on random, and increased a level every 15 minutes.  My arms probably got a better workout than my legs did.

PM  After putting the kids down for a nap, I hopped on my spinning bike for another hour of cross training.  I increased the resistance on my bike every ten minutes.  My legs were definitely feeling it by the end.

I missed yesterday again.  Dang it!  Teren is working on a huge project at work and didn't get home until late.  I had planned to go when he got home from work, but it was too late.  So, I get to make up mileage with some longer days.   At least 55 miles isn't that much.  It is doable.

I ran a threshold run today.  My goal was to improve on last week's threshold run.  I warmed up for 3 miles and then ran a 30 minute tempo.  I got 5.17 miles in during the 30 minutes.  Then, I cooled down until I hit 10 miles.

Mile 1:  6:03

Mile 2:  5:51

Mile 3:  5:47

Mile 4:  5:43

Mile 5: 5:37  29:03 for 5 miles  30:00 for 5.17

The total time for 10 miles was 63:43

I finally got outside this morning for a run. It was wonderful to breathe the nice fresh red-alert air!  The run was a little slippery due to some light early-morning snow, so I had to run easy.  That was a good thing since I was experiencing some soreness from yesterday.  I plan to run a longer run this afternoon.

P.M.  I only had time for another short run.  My husband's emergency work project is seriously cutting into my training time.  I hope that things settle down next week, so that I can depend on him for some babysitting.  Of course, I'm sure I'm not nearly as frustrated as he is right now! 

I decided to combine my "long run" with a fartlek run today.  I went out to the Oval, though I kind of wished that I had run outside.  The weather was so nice, even though the air quality was terrible.  So, I ended up playing "Dodge the Spectator" at the indoor track.  I ran during Open Skate time, which made my workout even more challenging.  There was a polygamous family (families?)  enjoying Open Skate.  It looked like an episode of "Little House on the Prairie" on the ice.  I was fine until ten girls with poofy bangs, long braids, and pioneer dresses decided to stand in lane one.  

I warmed up three miles and noticed my legs were still pretty tired from the other day's workout.  I definitely need one more recovery day between speed sessions.  My plan was 3 sets of 1-2-3-2-1 with 1-1-2-1-1- recovery.  I was highly motivated by the dream I had last night where high school superstar Susannah Hurst beat me by two seconds in a 5k.  (She could definitely be capable of that.  She's in tremendous shape right now!)  I pushed the first set pretty hard, but didn't feel like I was recovering between intervals very well.  I made it through one more set, and then decided to change up the workout.  To finish the six miles of the workout, I ran 7 sets of 200 m on 200 m off.   That way I got a little more recovery, and could work on my turnover on a shorter interval.  I hit the 200's between 37-38 seconds.  My speed needs work!  

I cooled down three miles, and then had an energy crash.  So, I cleared my dizzy head with a pretzel from Concessions. 

This week was kind of up and down.   I still missed one day of training, and didn't hit 55 miles, which was my goal.  On the upside, I got in two good fast workouts, and I didn't let the entire week fall apart.  I maintained mileage during a crazy week with the family.  Sometimes I miss the days when all I had to do was concentrate on running and work, or running and school! 

My legs were so dead this morning!  I'm still feeling Saturday's workout.  Hopefully I can get recovered through today.  On the up side, I was able to run outside, and it was a beautiful morning.  It is the first time I have been down on the river trail since about October.  There were a few icy spots, but overall, it was nice and clear.  The soreness in my legs seemed to work out, but not the heavy feeling.  I'll admit, I was letting negative thoughts into my mind.  Sometimes I feel doubtful that I will ever be able to gain the fitness I need to achieve my goals.  Sometimes I think it is time to throw in the towel and just run for the fun of it.  But, I keep at it, and try to turn the negatives to positives. 

I ran 4800 S to River trail, out to Winchester, Up to 1300 West, over to 5300 S and back home.  I plan on running another easy four this afternoon.

PM:  4 miles at the club.  I took it very easy.  I felt better than this morning except for a sore spot in my right quad.  Hope that goes away quickly!

I hired a babysitter so that I could go do a workout in the "sunlight" this afternoon.  It was actually kind of gray and gloomy, but still fairly warm.  It was not as nice as yesterday was, but for winter, I'll take it!   I ran down to the River trail for a warm up, and then ran out to Gardner Village.  I ran 3 sets of 5 min, 3 min, 2 min, with 2 minute recovery between each interval.  The five minute intervals were really hard.   It reminded me why mile repeats are my least favorite workout.   Of course, that is one workout that is a great test of fitness.   I still had one more interval when I made it back to the park, so I went about a quarter mile out the other direction.  Then, I ran home for a cooldown.  

The spot in my quad is still sore.  I could feel it, but it seemed to warm out as I ran.  Either that, or the body's natural pain killers kicked in.  It's toward the inside of my quad, almost my groin.  I can't tell if the pain is originating from tight hips, or if it is really a quad injury.  I'm just hoping that it doesn't turn into a femoral stress reaction/fracture. 

I felt better mentally today. I think that yesterday's doom and gloom stemmed from tired legs.  I guess we all have those days.  It is a challenge to stay positive all the time.

Yay! I got over the "No Running on Wednesday" hump!   It was pouring out when I got up this morning, so I went to the club to run on the treadmill.  Wouldn't you know it?  As soon as I walked out the health club door an hour later, the rain had stopped.  Grrr!   My leg is not liking the treadmill.  I think it pulls on my hips, which  in turn seems to pull my inner quadricep.  I need to run on other surfaces more often.  If the weather isn't cooperative in the morning, I may be cross training instead.  

I decided to step on the scale after running.   I wasn't surprised to be a pound an a half heavier than a week or so ago.   I've been eating everything in sight!   Harder training increases my appetite, but I need to make sure I'm fueling correctly.  I don't worry too much about my weight, but I should be concerned with eating properly.  It is definitely time to be more aware of my food intake.

6.5 miles in 42:33