Dreary Day - Grandpa Dexter

Today was a yucky day in Pittsburgh.

They day started out with lots of flooding on my way to work.  The Yaris does NOT like snow, rain, or even wind.  He is a little baby car and had a rough time today.

Teeny-Tiny car for a Teeny-Tiny woman

School was fine, but the weather was just awful!  It is amazing how much weather impacts your mood.  We took a walk after lunch, and temperature dropped tremendously and the sky was a gross color.  Running an easy 6-miler helped me break out of the yucky mood, but I though these pictures could help you feel better if your Monday was not so wonderful...

Introducing: Penny's Grandfather, Dexter

Dexter is a handsome 12-year old Corgi.  He is much larger than Penny and she likes to terrorize poor Grandpa when we bring her over my in-law's house.  Dexter is Jordan's childhood dog, and he is credited with naming him.

Two Corgs are better than one

hanging out in captivity aka our kitchen

Dexter was a little alarmed by her at first

Happy boy

Having a great time at the dog park

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of our other favorite Corgi! :)

Spring Thaw 20-miler

Spring Thaw 20 Mile Race Report!

Friday, I ran a VERY short run, 4 miles on the treadmill before work.  I even forced myself to stretch before I left.  When I came home, I was very tired and felt a little worn down.  Hoping I wasn't catching whatever the children in my preschool classroom were all out with this week, I took a half an hour nap.  This is something that I am not very skilled at, so I must have needed it. 

Jordan and I made pasta together and I ate a lot of carbs.  We made Chicken in Spinach Vodka Sauce with penne noodles.  I had a big hunk of bread and made banana bread for dessert.  I am a big believer in eating lots of carbs before doing a long run.  I have tried eating a smaller meal, with a low amount of carbs, twice before running a training run of 20+ miles.  HORRIBLE.  I had to cut the run short both times, eat carbs the rest of the day, and do it again the next day.  I guess it could be mental, but I felt extremely weak and tired when I have done that.

Anyways, the race the next day was not until 10am so I didn't wake up till around 7.  I had a pre-race meal that worked very well for me, oatmeal made with milk and a little bit of peanut butter and pecans, and a cup of caffeinated breakfast tea.  I am definitely more of a coffee drinker, but it kind of makes me want to throw up when I run.  It has happened....

Garmin Fiasco.
First of all, I was charging my Gamin last night, and Jordan turned off the power source.  When I woke up, it was dead so I had to charge it in just an hour and a half - not that long, and still on Low Battery.   Next, we got to the race at about 9:15.  Jordan had me jump out of the car at the registration table, and I shouted something about bringing my bag to me at the start.  He did not hear me, so we met up at 9:40 and I did NOT have my Garmin.  I started to get upset, because I really wanted to use it to look at my splits, pace, etc.  Jordan rushed off with Penny in tow, grabbed the next shuttle, rode to the ice rink while the bus driver waited, took the bus back, and gave me my Garmin with 5 minutes to spare, just in time for me to meet up with some friends at the start.  I am so thankful he did this for me!


Garmin Splits: (I know the course is 20 miles and my Garmin just tracks where I go on the race course, but here is what my Garmin said I did)
20.33 miles, 2:26:01, 7:10 pace

7:16

7:20

7:16

7:13

7:17

7:18

7:19

7:11

7:09

7:15

7:14

7:17

7:10

7:08

7:05

6:57

7:13

6:59

7:03

7:05

.33 2:06 @ 6:19

The first 10, I got to run with my friend, Moira, which was awesome.  It really helped me from being bored.  The course is a five mile loop that you run multiple times during the race.  The race has a 10, 15, and 20 mile option.  The first two laps, there are lots of people around because you are not as spread out, and a lot of people do the ten miler.  I had some speedy friends do very well in the 10 mile race. 

I knew mentally after Moira finished I had to break up the last half by laps, because 10 miles is a lot to think about at once.  I wanted to hang on to my pace for the third lap, and that would be my focus.  I passed  a good deal of runners this lap, but not many of them were doing the 20 miler.  I saw my parents twice this lap, which was exciting.  I told them I still felt very good - but had 7 left!

What was rough about the last lap was that no one I passed was doing the 20 mile race.  It was very lonely out there, and I had to motivate myself by reminding myself how hard I worked to keep a good pace: I would hate to blow it in the last few miles.  I was feeling a little heavy-legged, but wasn't feeling too tired till the last mile and a half.  I was pretty tired.  When the boathouse came in view, I was very relieved and appreciated the downhill finish.  I crossed the finish line in an official time of 2:25:57.  The people at the finish line told me I may have actually been the first woman to finish, which was cool.  A little bit later I found out I was second - first place actually crushed me with an amazing time of 2:08:43!  I wasn't disappointed at all because I know I am NOT capable of beating that time! 
Official (non-Garmin) Times  - happy each lap got faster!

36:59           36:50          36:30          35:40      2:25:57

7:17 pace

Overall, I had a great time at this race running with friends, and being cheered on by my puppy and family. 
The race was convenient for me because it was only 15 minutes from my house, and I am (too) familiar with the course.  You got a lot of things for the $25 dollar race fee (Pizza and soup afterwards, gels and water every 1.5miles, people to run with, and the things below)
Shirt for registering, gloves for 15 miles, hat for 20 miles

Ouch

Finally done!

Cute Cheerleaders

She slept the rest of the day after being at the park for four hours!

I definitely pushed myself, but I like to think I had more in the tank because today I got faster each lap, and was not dying on my five mile recovery run this morning.  My calves are sore, but I don't feel like I pushed my body to the breaking point like I try to in a marathon.  This run helps me feel more confident about maintaining a 7:15 pace during the Pittsburgh marathon...I hope I can redeem myself there after last year's disappointing race!

Thank you if you came to watch the race or ran with me :)

Marine Corps Marathon Sold Out!!!

So glad Kate, Leslie and I registered yesterday.  Marine Corps Marathon sold out in a record time of 28 hours, 4 minutes for 30,000 runners.  This year, I really want this teddy bear if I run well:

It is a Vermont teddy bear and you can even get your name personalized on his/her bib.  Yes, it will cost $83.00, but I told Jordan it was a lot cheaper than flying to Chicago for the Chicago marathon.

Anyone know of any other good races in DC?  I can't wait till October to go down, and I want to invite myself to visit Caitlin and Peter :)

Running wise, Penny ran a mile with me today.  She lays down in the middle of the road when she decides to be done.  It really makes me sad when she wants to stop, but my neighbors look at me wierd when I try to drag her to encourage her to stop it.  The Dog Whisperer does it, but I feel a little too mean.  I ran an easy five and did strides and even some form excercises when I was done.  I used to do them in college and I thought it would be something easy to add in.

50% of Parent/Teacher conferences done and tomorrow is Friday.  Only running 4 miles tomorrow morning in preparation for the race Saturday!

Marine Corps Marathon - YES!!!

The best thing 90 bucks can buy.


http://www.marinemarathon.com/

As of 12:05 today, Caitlin E. Rushlander has been registered.  Thanks to Jordan for logging on at noon today to register me while I was eating lunch with my preschoolers.

I LOVE THIS MARATHON.  I have ran it the past two years, and it just keeps getting better.

In 2009, I ran my first marathon here in 3:18

Washington Monument

Capital Building

Washington Monument/Water stop

So happy I finished my first marathon under goal time!

In October 2010, I ran my third marathon here in 3:13

You finish up a steep hill, but the Marines motivate me to NOT be a wimp

New best friend at mile 7

Having friends and family in DC makes the weekend 10x more fun

DC is such an awesome city.  It is crowded, busy, and has lots of cool sites to see, but it is still very scenic and beautiful.  The Marines are amazing and I just love the course.  Not only that, but the weather has been great the past couple years.  Someday, I will try to list all the things I love about this race.  What is even more exciting that this year, my two friends Kate and Leslie are running it as well.  It will be Kate's first marathon, and Leslie's first Marine Corps Marathon.

Helping Kate run part of the 22 miles she did on her 22nd birthday!

With Leslie at the IKEA half marathon

I can't wait for this race and to train with these ladies.  If you are not sure what marathon to sign up for, do Marine Corps!

Today's Workout:  My plan said to finally take a day off of running...ugh.  I had to do something so I wasn't hyperactive and grumpy all day.  I got to the gym at 5:50 ( I was proud because I am not really tired anymore waking up at 5:20 to exercise) and did 30 minutes on the spin bike and 30 minutes of lifting.  I did mostly my beastly arms and abs, since I am racing Saturday and need all the help I can get.

Anyone else doing Marine Corps???

I Love Being Five Years Old

I think I am a preschool teacher because I love being five years old.

A brief list of examples (there are many more)
1) I was very excited to bring my screaming rubber chicken (see below) to school for Show and Tell Friday. I let all my friends squeeze him so they could hear the funny noise he makes. Penny is terrified of the chicken and hides when he appears.

Small 12" Rubber Squawking Chicken Kids Adult Novelty Gag Joke Toy

2) I have over 200 children's books on shelves in our office. I claim they are for the kids at work but I really like to read them.

3) I wore a barbie shirt to work for casual Friday.

4) I have a ten o'clock snack time every morning.

5) I LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Especially with chocolate milk.

6) SNOW DAYS! TODAY IS A SNOW DAY!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO PLAY WITH PENNY IN THE SNOW! Anyone want to sled ride???

What is exciting is that I did NOT find out about the snow day until 7:45. At this point, I was about 2/3 done with my hard (treadmill) workout, running my ladder repeats to Desperate Housewives Season Three. So I was almost done with my hard workout, and I had the day off. AND my awesome husband shoveled the driveway :).

The workout:
Had to use the treadmill, since the roads were very covered. It was a fun treadmill workout, you should try it.

8 miles total
1.5 mile warm-up at about 8:27 pace - I think speed 7.1
Intervals: 2 minutes hard, 1 minute easy, 3 minutes hard, 2 easy, 4 hard, 3 easy, 5 hard, 4 easy, 4 hard, 3 easy, 3 hard, 2 easy, 2 hard
Hard done at 7:03 pace, which was speed 8.5
Easy done at 8:34 pace, speed 7.0
1.5 mile cool down

I was a little afraid of going any faster because I felt like I might fall off the back.

Did some abs, and now I am done with my workouts for today! Cross your fingers my work training tonight will be canceled and that I can spend the day cleaning, writing lessons, doing laundry, and playing with Penny in the snow!

Come over if you want to sled ride!

Cute Penny baby picture for your enjoyment.

Happy President's Day

Corgi in the snow!
I had no idea we were supposed to get a snow storm today. Usually I stalk the weather on my Iphone constantly, but somehow I did not notice the Winter Storm Warning today. Needless to say, I was not able to do my mile repeats on the track this afternoon :(.

I was a little bummed we had school today, but it was a nice, relaxing day. I started the day at Club Julian to lift and it was a great workout. What is equally impressive is how quickly I can lift, shower, put on makeup, fix my hair, and get dressed in the morning. If I get there by 6:30, I can do my lifting routine, take a very short shower, make my hair look presentable, change, and leave by 7:25. Then, of course, it's off for the usual bf at Panera.

Our attendance was much lower at school , since many of the kiddos have parents or older siblings off work and school. We talked about presidents and began working on our Honest Abe hats. The funniest thing was explaining to them that the first presidents actually wore white, fluffy wigs because they thought it made them look handsome. They thought that was great!

During dismissal, all the parents/grandparents/siblings informed me that it was starting to get icy out, and knowing that I have a fairly long commute (50 minutes), they told me I should leave sooner than later. I took their advice, taking my gym bag with me and knowing that the track workout was out of the questions. The roads weren't too covered during my drive home, but the roads were definitly a bit icy in spots. I was relieved to get home just fine, and layed down with Penny on the bed for a while to think what I should run instead of the mile repeats. I just may have fallen asleep for 20 minutes.

Penny advised me to go for a 5 or so mile easy run, and do my hard workout for the week in the morning on the treadmill, especially since there would be a good chance of a two hour delay - which means I don't have to leave the house until almost nine o'clock. I bundeled up, face mask and all, and stepped out into the winter wonderland. The roads were covered in at least two inches of snow, which fell in just the last hour!

The first four miles were just fine and I was really enjoying running in the snow, which was coming down in soft, thick flakes. With two miles left, the wind picked up and the snow turned into hard, round, icy balls. It hurt so bad to even keep my eyes open, so I tried to stare down at the ground completely hunched over - I looked stupid and it didn't even work. I honestly think the next time that happens I might wear ski goggles.

Here is a picture of the road after I finished running - look for my feet prints!
One of the nicest things about running in the snow is being DONE running in the snow - for example, coming inside and making french toast and drinking chocolate milk for dinner with your husband.

Any good french toast recipes? I just put together four eggs, vanilla and almond extract, cinnamon, and milk and dipped 8 pieces of bread into it. We loved our breakfast for dinner!

PS Two hour delay tomorrow! Yes!

End of Week 6 Training

Remember how it was sunny and in the sixties Thursday and Friday? Well, it is snowing right now! I guess it was too good to be true that winter was over already and the track was finally cleared! Oh well we have survived this much of Winter already.

I was looking forward to waking up and running Saturday morning because Friday night, I got these new shoes at Dunhams.



I get Asics every time I buy myself running shoes. My last (approximately) 24 pairs of shoes have been Asics. Sometimes I vary the model I get, but they are ALWAYS Asics. My scientific reasoning for choosing them is because the feel very 'springy' to me. What is kind of ridiculous is that Friday I discovered that a size 7.5 fits SO MUCH BETTER than a size 8 does. I have very long, skinny feet (they are not my best feature) and sometimes I would notice my feet slipping if I wore thinner socks. It's kind of embarrassing it took 24 pairs of shoes to figure out that it was because I was wearing the wrong size.

Although Saturday was chilly, the sun was shining and from running in Pittsburgh all winter, 30 degrees really isn't that horrible. North Park was filled with lots of runners at 8:30am, and I guessed a lot of people were training for the Pittsburgh half/full marathon, since many of them had hydration packs on. I really need to order a new one before it gets warm again, since my bad dog chewed on the caps of the bottles this fall...

My workout was a somewhat long run/tempo run rolled into one. I wanted to do a total of 15 miles, and needed to run 4x 10-12 minutes at tempo pace (at least 6:51/mile) with two little minutes of rest in between. I also need to mention that parts of this run would include running into the wind and trying to move but not really being able to. I wore spandex tights and a top with a vest on top, which was a little large for me. When I was running into the wind, the vest would blow out to the sides and I felt a little like a hot pink kite.

I started the first four miles too fast for a warm-up, but I blame the sun and wearing 'springy' new shoes. I averaged 7:52 pace, when I should really be running closer to 8:30. I decided to do my tempo segments near the boathouse area, where part of the run would be sheltered from the wind. Sometimes that was true, but there were definitely times when I felt like the pink kite.

Splits for each 10 minute segment (I decided on just doing ten minute segments when I became annoyed with the wind):

1.46 miles @ 6:50 pace
1.48 miles @ 6:45
1.48 miles @ 6:45
1.50 miles @ 6:40

During the first repeat, I was very negative and hard on myself for having to exert more effort than I wanted to reach my pace goal. Knowing that I planned on writing about the workout here afterwards really motivated me to keep going, because it would definitely be more embarrassing to write that I gave up completely on the workout than writing that I wasn't able to get the times I wanted, but pushed through the workout. The last four miles I ran at about 8:20 pace and was so tired! I did some yoga/abs when I got home to help reduce soreness.

Running this morning, I could tell that the yoga helped my muscles recover from Saturday's hard run. My dad and I ran at the North Allegheny Intermediate track. It was so nice to run on a clear track, I cannot remember the last time I did so. We both felt good this morning and the run went by very fast, especially considering that I never really picture 10 miles as a short run.

I am pretty pleased with how week 6 training went. I ran all planned workouts, all planned miles (my peak - 70) and lifted twice. I even decided to be an overachiever and do a little bit of yoga. I remember reaching my peak mileage in college and feeling very worn down the whole time. I'm so glad that is not the case.

Parent-teacher conferences are this week, the 2o mile Spring Thaw race is Saturday, making this an ideal cut-down week. I'm a little sad that I have to take a day off of running this week, so that I don't go over my assigned miles....maybe I will do something like biking or spinning instead. This week:
Monday: AM lifting, PM 4 x 1 mile repeats (can't do anymore repeats, or else it will be too many miles)
Tuesday: AM 5 miles easy
Wednesday: AM lifting, maybe some cardio, too
Thursday: AM 5 miles, strides
Friday: AM 4 miles EASY!
Saturday: 20 mile race! Spring Thaw @ 10am
Sunday: Easy run! about 5 miles.

Packing our whole week's of lunches this afternoon while Penny supervised.


I started this method a couple weeks ago, when I decided Jordan should pack his lunch and that I hated packing one for myself every night. Sunday afternoons, I pack enough sandwiches/wraps for both of us the whole week, along with cottage cheese, a fruit, veggie and power bar for after school for me. I am a fan of our new system!

Heat Wave!

Cute Corgi Picture of the Week :
What a good little helper.

The past two days have been unbelievably warm and spring-like. I never really minded running in the winter this season, I have found as long as I wore the right clothes (my Nike face mask!) I warmed up within ten minutes and the cold really didn't bother me, in fact, I found that I really, really liked running when the snow was coming down. But Thursday, I found out how easy it felt to run when it wasn't freezing out and the sun was shining.

Thursday morning, I started my day with lifting at the gym and getting a Power Sandwich and Hazelnut coffee at Panera. The Power Sandwich is delicious and I feel like it actually fills you up and is healthy - it is made on whole wheat bread, with sharp cheddar, lean ham, and one egg - toasted on the panini maker. So good! Lots of protein.
After school, I planned on heading out to North Park for a 12 mile run (pretty long for me during the work week) including hills. I decided doing hills this season was important because the marathon does have a couple decent climbs, although it is still pretty flat for Pittsburgh. The plan was to run 4 miles to the hills behind the tennis courts by the lake, run four miles going up and down them (two different hills) and then run 4 miles back to where my car was. During the run, I decided that I should also try to push any hill I came to, at least keeping my pace the same and not slowing down going up.

During the first two miles of this run, it became clear to me my enthusiasm for wearing shorts, actually seeing other people outside running, and the sun shining down really influenced my pace. Splits (middle four were entirely either up a big hill or down a big hill, first four and last four were around the lake with a few smaller hills): 8:03, 7:21, 7:13, 7:07, 7:34, 7:37, 7:35, 7:27, 7:22, 7:24, 7:17, 6:59. Average Pace: 7:25, Total Time: 1:29:06
This run left me feeling more confident about my fitness and my hill running. I hope this translates into a good 20 mile race time when I race at the Spring Thaw next Saturday......

Even at 5:45 this morning I was able to run in shorts. It was a nice feeling to just roll out of bed and slip into shorts and a light long sleeve shirt instead of layering up, searching for hats, gloves, face mask, etc. I ran 7 miles easy and drank some chocolate milk after to help my muscles recover for my workout tomorrow :).

My corgi typist is tired, so that's it for now!

Valentine's Day, Lots of 1,000 Meter Repeats, and a Big Pot of Chicken Soup

Had a great last couple of days, and we already have made it through "Hump Day" as we call it in preschool.

Monday: Happy Valentine's Day! First Valentine's Day as an old married lady and it was a great one. The only bad thing was Sunday night I had too much chocolate before bed, and couldn't sleep! Penny and I tossed and turned all night. I decided to move my run for after school so I could be better rested for party day at school.

What is better than waking up to a nice Valentine's Day card and Godiva chocolates from your husband? He put them on my treadmill to surprise me :). He got his own treat:
Special donuts!
Party Day at school was so fun. All (18) kids took out their decorated boxes and we exchanged cards and treats. There was an unbelievalbe amount of sweets and candy in my classroom, each kid consumed over 5 cookies before leaving at the end of the day, not including the shoeboxes full of candy they had! For how much sugar the kids had they were so sweet and good. I got cards from all of the kids, plus lots of candy treats. Days like this make me feel lucky to be a teacher.

After school, I had a good mileage run around home. It was rainy and windy so I had a hard time getting motivated, but I actually ran a 8 miles instead of my planned 7. After showering, Jordan and I dropped off Penny at my parents and went to Legends of the North Shore for our Valentine's day dinner. I love this place because you can bring your own wine and everything is so yummy. It's a small place, but we enjoy it - it's probably our favorite restaurant! I had a salad and gnocchi (good carbo-loading) and Jordan had wedding soup and spaghetti and meatball. Not meatballs, because it was just one giant, monster meatball.

I got two new Pandora charms from my boo and we got to watch part of the Westminster dog show - we were very excited to see the pretty corgi, Molly. She was so cute. Penny was very festive for her first Valentine's Day with us.
Tuesday: Woke up early to hit the weights at the gym, followed by having my favorite hazelnut coffee at Panera. After school, I was disappointed to see that the track at the NAI complex was not clear all the way around. I had 7 x1,000 meter repeats to get in, with 3 minutes rest. I wanted to run at least 10 miles so I could get in my weekly mileage of 70. I had to be creative and create my own 1,000 meter track around the two schools' parking lots. Such a hard workout! I did not hit my goal times (3:55) , but was pretty close and my legs were aching at the end so I feel like it was a great workout, especially since it was not as flat or fast as a track. I almost ran into a kid walking to his carpool and had to go around other teachers leaving the school for the day. My splits: 4:00, 4:02, 3:57, 3:57, 3:56, 3:57, 3:58. Most 1,000 meter repeats ever (before I usually did 5-6) and I got 11 miles out of it.
My reward: BF Caitlin (yes, we have the same name) was in town for a training in Cranberry so we went to Olive Garden for soup, salad, and breadsticks, followed by dessert at the best frozen yogurt place, Simply Yogurt (in Cranberry). Good but busy day!

Today: Dragged my butt out of bed at 5:30 to run an easy 7 around my nieghborhood. After school, I did lots of laundry and made a massive pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. I was a fan, and I have enough to freeze for about 8 more dinners with Jordan, haha. Here is a picture of the big pot:Tomorrow it looks like it's going to be 59 degrees when I'm running!

End of Week 5 Training

13 weeks until the Pittsburgh Marathon!

Cute Corgi Picture of The Week:

I am very happy with how my training went this week. I did a workout every morning before I went to work. It was very chilly this week, so I was lucky enough to have a two hour delay both Wednesday and Thursday. I am glad to be a teacher and that I got to go to work an hour later than normal!

Monday: 5 miles at 8:27 pace on the treadmill. Watched an episode of Desperate Housewives. I was proud I did this in the morning because it was the morning after the Super Bowl. We didn't get to bed until after Midnight! Was glad I set out my clothes the night before. Did some abs that afternoon.

Tuesday: Lifted in the AM (at home, roads were snowy) Wanted to go to Hounds practice at CMU, but the track was covered with snow. Took a half hour nap after school (Super Bowl night caught up with me) then forced myself out of bed to run at the Brookmeade Track (a 1,000 meter loop in a residential area.) Ended up having a great workout, despite being a bit slower in the snow and cold. Ran 6x1,000 with 4 minutes of rest, totaling 10 miles. Despite running for a long time, I enjoyed it because intervals make the time go faster. My goal pace for these was 3:55, but considering it was on a slight slushy, hill route, I wasn't upset with the results: 4:05, 4:05, 4:04, 4:06, 4:08, 4:06.

Wednesday: AM treadmill run with, of course, Desperate Housewives. Normally, I would have ran outside but since we had a delay due to the -4 degree weather, I thought it was kind of dumb not to take advantage of the treadmill. Ran an easy 6 at 8:27 pace, speeding up at the end. Abs!

Thursday: AM lifting at the gym - another two hour delay :). Was again nervous for the afternoon workout at North Park. Had a longer run planned, with 5 miles at tempo pace (7:05). In college, I was great at tempo runs but the past marathon season I struggled with them for whatever reason. I was thrilled when I was able to run the 5 mile lake loop at 6:52 pace, on such a cold day. Definitely felt sore that night!!! Splits were 7:06, 6:47, 6:53, 6:47, 6:44. The whole first half I ran fast because I was afraid of failing at this workout, and once I got to the halfway point I felt like I had it in the bag.

Friday: Usually easy run on the treadmill in the morning (5 miles) followed by abs.

Saturday: Was excited to meet up with my friend Kate (college running friend) to do my 20 miler. I was thrilled to have her run the first 15 with me. It is so nice when you can talk to a friend the entire long run, especially when you haven't seen them in a month. The roads were totally snow covered most of the run, and it was definitely hard on my legs - they were pretty tired! We covered a big hill during the 20 milers and averaged 8:25 pace. Normally, I wouldn't be happy with this pace but the effort running through the snow convinced me I should be happy with this run.

Sunday: Easy 6 miler with my Dad at North Park. Felt very tired, but not as much in my legs as my body in general. Took a nap for an hour later in the day because I just couldn't stay awake any longer.

Happy that I was able to hit my weekly mileage goal of 63 this week, and also that I got in three quality workouts. I am especially happy with my tempo run, and that I was able to work with the bad weather and still do what I needed to do.

This week will be a challenge getting in a total of 70 miles, but without a very long run (20) to help chip away at the amount of mileage to run. This week's plan:
Monday: 7 miles in the AM, abs
Tuesday: 11 miles total, 7 x 1,000 meters - hoping a track might be cleared for this workout! Aiming for 3:55. AM lifting.
Wednesday: 8 miles in the AM, abs.
Thursday: AM lifting, PM 12 mile distance run
Friday: 7 miles easy, abs
Saturday: 15 miles, 4 x 12 miles at tempo pace (6:51/mile) with 2 minutes rest
Sunday: 10 miles easy

End of Week 4 Training

The sickness has gone! Thank God. I hate being sick - see previous post. I started back in action Wednesday morning, 5:45 am I stepped out into my neighborhood, donning my new reflector vest, head lamp, and red blinking light pinned to my back. I definitely felt a little weak, but I managed to make it through 7 miles before the sun came up. I LOVE MORNING RUNS!

Thursday: AM lifting at club Julian. Running- I was really nervous about this workout all day! The workout was 5x5 min at tempo pace (6:51 pace) with only one minute rest. This sounded so hard to me. I did a long warm-up, and started the workout. I was amazed at how easy it felt! I got in ten for the day and the pace per interval were as follows:
6:46, 6:51, 6:46, 6:47, 6:45
I felt strong while doing these, not like I was killing myself to run them. I felt so happy and relieved that it wasn't too hard and I got in a solid ten for the day.

Friday: 5:50 am - ran 5 miles on the treadmill - easy pace - 8:27 - while watching Desperate Housewives DVDS. Early morning treadmill run + Desperate Housewives is an amazing combination. Each episode last approximately 5 miles as well. Did some abs.

Saturday: Was set on getting my butt out the door in the morning to do a long run all by myself. I thought it would be a good test of discipline and I was proud of myself. I did 18 at 7:53 pace. Honestly, the first 14 felt so easy! The last four miles I got very competitive and ran in the 7:15-7:35 range. I had to pass this man who kept speeding up when I got close. I got him! I felt so good all day after completing this run :). There is nothing better than a post-long run happy feeling. My reward? Having my old roomie, Lisa and her boyfriend over for dinner. Wine, Spaghetti, Jordan's family sauce and meatball recipe, biscotti, wine...and a Corgi. Perfect!



Sunday: Got a chance to run with dear old Dad and Penny! Penny was really tired and lasted only a mile. I ran 7 easy miles around the neighborhoods with my Dad and was a little sore. It was nice, though!


Ready for another week of hard training. I have a 20 miler planned this weekend, a tempo run Thursday, and longer intervals Tuesday. Hopefully everything goes according to plan!

Sick Days

My Corgi Caretaker when I was home sick from work. She laid with me all day to keep me company. :)


I hate being sick! Not necessarily for the reasons most normal people would.....but because it means I can't/shouldn't run. It drives me nuts to have to write a 'zero' in my running log and just lay around. I also HATE not hitting my weekly mileage goal, according to my training plan.

I know it is ridiculous to be so annoyed because my marathon is not until MAY 15th, but I am a perfectionist and like things to go according to plan.

On the positive side of things, sick days help me to appreciate the runs that do go well and how much better I feel doing them when I'm not sick. I'm looking forward to running tomorrow morning at 5:30 am, in the dark, rain, and cold, and I can't always say I'm that excited to get out there. I am SO looking forward to the feeling of heading home after a great run before most of the world has even woken up.

Does anyone absolutely HATE missing a run? Sometimes it's hard to get out there after a stressful day at work, but you can't really skip without hating yourself. The feeling during and after pretty much ALWAYS motivates me to go do it. Running can definitely be a love/hate relationship somedays!