It is never too late to be great …

Thursday – 6 miles

• 6.03 miles, 1:03’ 57” minutes, 10’ 36” min/mile average pace,

So my plan didn’t work very well this morning. I had every intention of waking up early and doing my 6 mile run before work. The early mornings have actually been really nice outside … another sign that fall is on the way. I think that because my work had slowed down my body has gone into some sort of hibernation mode. Every morning it feels like my body is trying to get me to stay sleeping. One of these days I will win the war of waking up exactly when I want to.

Work today was pretty uneventful and I had plenty of time to stress about my 6 mile run. Because I didn’t wake up early enough to do it before work, I knew that one of two things was going to happen. If I got home early enough, I would be able to run during the sunset/twilight hours. This option also depended on how hungry I was when I got home and if my sister already had dinner ready.

My other option was the treadmill and not starting my run until after 9:30. The thought of running 6 miles on the treadmill made me very nervous because I barely finish 5miles before the machine forces me to start cooling down. I knew that I could adjust the belt pace during the cool down but then I wouldn’t have any type of cool down. I was also going to have to increase the belt pace to make it all possible. Needless to say I really wanted to run outside.

Unfortunately my hopes of running outside were quickly dashed. I left work later than I wanted and I had to get gas and stop at the grocery store on my way home. By the time I got home, my sister was already working on dinner. So with that, I decided my run was going to be on the treadmill. I really don’t mind running on the treadmill as long as the distance is 5 miles or less. Knowing I had a 6 mile run scheduled and that it was going to be on the treadmill absolutely stressed me out. Rather than enjoying my dinner, I spent the entire time trying to figure out what my pace was going to be so that I completed the distance and didn’t kill myself.

Around 9:30, I was ready for my run and headed over to the treadmill. My training program had today’s run scheduled as a 6 mile interval run. I decided that I would listen to my body and push myself as much as possible to complete the distance in less than 65 minutes. I started off at a pace faster than usual and was able to maintain it for the first mile without over exerting myself. I increased the pace in an effort to make sure that I would finish in time.

After the second mile, I started the intervals. My program had 5x3 minute intervals scheduled for today. The treadmill only does intervals in multiples of 2 minutes. I chose to do to 5x2 minute intervals with 2 minutes of easy running in between. I really pushed myself with my tempo effort tonight. I was running at a pace that I have never attempted before. I was thrilled that I managed to push myself that much.

After the intervals, I had run right about 2 more miles. I finished my run at the same pace I started. Before I hit the 6 mile mark, the treadmill tried to get me to cool down. I forced the pace to stay where it was. When my iPod didn’t start the 400 meter countdown one minute into the cool down, I started to get really worried. But there was no need for me to worry because the countdown started and I actually finished the 6 miles with a minute to spare! I was completely thrilled and really exhausted all at once!

Back to my regularly scheduled program!

Tuesday - 5 miles + Strength Training

• 5.51 miles, 59' 55" minutes, 10' 53" min/mile average pace, 146 BPM average heart rate
• Kettlebells - Sculpt & Condition Workout (40 minutes)

Yesterday, I decide to ajust my training schedule in response to how my body felt after a rather intense weekend of running. I didn't want to injure myself because I pushed too hard. I really have a tendency to do that sometimes. When I got up this morning, my legs still felt a little worked over but MUCH better than yesterday so I decided to go ahead and so my kettlebell workout before work. It felt great to do some physical activity again. I know it was only a day but it felt like an eternity.

I would have preferred to do my 5 mile run before my kettlebell workout but I didn't wake up early enough. I figured that sitting at my desk for 8 hours would be plenty of time between workouts. I ended up way more than 8 hours though. When I left work, a huge thunderstorm came rolling through and my hopes of running outside tonight were thwarted. I love Florida weather ... but only when it doesn't interfere with my runs! Its ok though because I can always run on the treadmill. My sister had dinner ready when I got home so I didn't get to run until 10:30.

Today's run was scheduled as an easy 5 mile run. So when I climbed on the treadmill, that is exactly what I did. I started with a super easy warm up pace for five minutes. After that, I bumped it up to en easy pace for the rest of the time. At the beginning of the run, I could definitely tell that my legs were still protesting from the weekend. After 10 minutes of running, I fell into stride and my legs followed suit. No more screaming and protesting. Just the gentle rhythm of my breathing and foot falls.

Long Run No. 8 ... Is Fall on its way?

Saturday - 11 miles

• 10.30 miles, 2:22' 32" minutes, 13' 50" min/mile average pace, 158 BPM average heart rate
• Splits:
  • mile 1 - 11' 26" min/mile
  • mile 2 - 11' 43" min/mile
  • mile 3 - 12' 06" min/mile
  • mile 4 - 12' 10" min/mile
  • mile 5 - 12' 19" min/mile
  • mile 6 - 14' 55" min/mile
  • mile 7 - 12' 57" min/mile
  • mile 8 - 17' 33" min/mile
  • mile 9 - 14' 38" min/mile
  • mile 10 - 17' 27" min/mile

I know that I had an 11 mile run scheduled for today but I only did 10.30 miles. I am not disappointed with myself though because I really listened to my body and focused on the the fact that I have a race tomorrow. I didn’t want to have such worn out legs that I wouldn’t be able to do my best during my race. I also knew that I was going to be on my feet for at least 8 hours at my second job later today. One sign that I know I am a workaholic is that I still work at one of the jobs I had in college. I can’t complain too much though because that is where I met my wonderful boyfriend.

I set my alarm for 5:30 hoping to get an early start to my day. Unfortunately, my alarm cam and went without me. I didn’t actually wake up until 7:20, which was almost two hours after I wanted to. I flew out of bed, inhaled my breakfast and got ready for my run. I was out the door in 25 minutes, which was quite impressive for me to say the least. Before walking out the door, I filled my water bottle with water and loaded up the pocket on my belt with 3 servings of energy gels. I also ate a serving of Mountain Berry flavored Clif Shot Bloks. (I think that were much better than the Strawberry flavored ones.)

As I started walking towards the running trail, I noticed that I wasn’t sweating yet. I was surprised when I checked my phone and the temperature was only 79 degrees! Around 8, I started running and really tried to focus on keeping my pace down and keeping my breathing under control. After the first three miles, I really felt great. My pace was right where I wanted to be and I was still breathing through my nose (no huffing and puffing!). After mile 4, I ate my first serving of energy gels (more Mountain Berry Shot Bloks) and washed it down with my first sips of water. I guess my focus on staying hydrated this week actually worked. At the 4.5 mile mark, I hit the turnaround point on the running trail so I headed back to where I started. About a mile down the road, my brain kicked into high gear and started trying to get me to stop running. Yes, I really run for over an hour before I took my first walk break. Of course when I stopped running my legs felt like jelly. I walked for about a half of a mile before I started running again. I figured that it I could run the first 5.5 miles than the last 5 miles (after my half mile walk) wouldn’t be a problem. After just a mile and a half of running. I was walking again. My legs were starting to scream and my feet weren’t working as well as I wanted to. At that point, I decided to cut my run short and walked the rest of the way.

Even though I didn’t go the scheduled distance, I still feel like today’s run was a success. My wall didn’t hit until the 5.5 mile mark, which is a mile past where I was two weeks ago or even last week. After my run, I was literally soaked with sweat. My curiosity peaked and when I checked my phone the temperature was only 82 degrees! Please keep in mind that the weather lately can only be characterized as hot, humid and sticky! Not today though! I just hope it feels this good tomorrow morning. Before taking a shower and getting ready for work, I enjoyed my favorite post run protein shake. I really love the flavor of Mix1’s Acai-Pomegranate Shake. I have tried the grape and blueberry ones but I always come back to the acai-pomegranate flavor. Absolutely yummy!

Off to work I go but I will have plenty of stuff for you tomorrow! 

My bliss ...

Thursday - 3 miles

• 3.58 miles, 40’02” minutes, 11’ 10” min/mile average pace, 140 BPM average heart rate

What is your bliss? My bliss is enjoying my afternoon cup of coffee from Starbucks. My bliss is laying in a pool of my own sweat after a really great workout. My bliss is eating my favorite breakfast while I am curled up reading a book. My bliss is getting my run in no matter what.

As my deadline at work quickly approaches, I realized that my exercise routine has actually suffered. Not in the fact that I am not doing the scheduled workouts. Instead, I feel like I am not giving my all to every single workout. I felt so great after my run on Tuesday night that I wanted to carry that energy forward. I woke up yesterday and did my scheduled kettlebell workout before work but didn’t feel my usual bliss afterwards. After another long and very frustrating day at work, my positive energy from Tuesday’s run was completely gone. So much so that when my alarm went off this morning, I didn’t jump out of bed and change into my running clothes. I didn’t rush out the door to knock out an early morning run on my favorite running trail. I simply turned off the alarm and laid in bed thinking of all the things that I had to get done. This is NOT how I wanted to train for my first half marathon. I promised myself when I started this that work would not get in the way. I guess some promises are meant to be broken even the ones you make to yourself. Luckily, I should be back on track this weekend and I really can’t wait for my upcoming race on Sunday!

I found my bliss tonight on the treadmill. I wasn’t sure that I would be able to find it twice in one week but I did! My run tonight felt wonderful. My training program had today’s run scheduled at an easy 3 miles. I thought this would be a great way for me to test my running strategy for my race on Sunday. I hadn’t realized that I had a strategy until I starting running on the treadmill. My goal for tonight’s run was to keep my heart rate in check and to maintain a relaxed breathing pattern. I figured this would give me a baseline for how I should try to pace myself on Sunday. I am really looking forward to seeing if my time has improved and by how much.

What is your bliss? Do you find it through exercise or through another activity? How do you hold on it that positive energy?

I let my fears get the best of me ...

Tuesday - 5 miles

• 5.25 miles, 59' 41" minutes, 11' 22" min/mile average pace, 150 BPM average heart rate

As much as I wanted to wake up early enough to run before work, I couldn't bring myself to roll out of bed this morning. Yes, I did turn the alarm off but my fears and sleep deprived self got the best of me. I say that my fears got the best of me because I know that a 5 mile run will take me an hour to do. A 12 minute/mile is where I am right now and trying to push myself any faster than that will likely lead to an injury and I don't want that. Taking an hour out of my morning to run 5 miles didn't seem like a good idea this morning. I was afraid that it would take longer than an hour, which would make me really late for work. A silly fear I know but that is what was going through my head this morning when it was time to wake up. I still have days where my confidence disappears and I don't feel like the runner that I am. Instead, I feel like I am not a runner at all because I am no where near the point I want to be or feel I should be. I saw a quote the other day that really helped me deal with my insecurities today.

"I often hear someone say I'm not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I have never met a fake runner." -Bart Yasso

All I can do is continue running and I will improve as time goes on. I know that it won't happen overnight no matter how much my competitive nature wants it to. I have complete confidence that some day I will be a fast runner but that day is not today.

I eventually got to go for my run around 10:15 tonight. According to the Nike+ training program, my run was supposed to be 5 miles with some intervals. After 1 to 2 miles of easy running, I was supposed to do 4x2 minute intervals at tempo effort with 1 to 3 minutes of easy running in between. Before I started my run, I figured out which interval button I needed to push to get the right intervals. I didn't do my usual walking warm up again because I was on the treadmill and I only get 60 minutes of running before it automatically starts the cool down. (Stupid treadmill! I think I need to get my own or strat trying to run outside more ... where are you fall!) To compensate for my lack of walking warm up, I started my run with the belt pace set at 3.5 mph. I felt pretty good after 5 minutes at this pace so I bumped it up to 4.0. I continued running at this pace until my iPod told me that I had completed 2 miles. I felt absolutely fantastic. My heart rate was down and I wsn't breathing heavy. In fact, I was still breathing through my nose! I pressed the interval button and set my tempo effort to 5.0 mph while leaving the easy pace at 4.0 mph. Now I know that I was only supposed to do 4 intervals but I felt so great that I actually did 6 intervals, which ended up being just over 2 miles. I finished off my 5 mile run at an easy pace (4.0 mph) and then did a five minute walking cool down.

After a week of doing this reworked training plan, I really think it was the way to go. I felt fantastic after doing three 5 mile runs and even though I know that my was a little on that fast side (for me) for the longer distances I honestly felt like I could have kept going for at least another mile or two. I truly felt amazing after thonight's run. I am going to try and carry this feeling forward to rest of my runs this week, which is going to be one of the toughest weeks that I have had so far. My long run for this week is scheduled to 11 miles on Saturday. On Sunday (the very next day), I have the Ace of Diamonds 5K, which will be my first race since May and I am really excited about it.

I need to drink more water!

Saturday – 5 miles + Strength Training

• Kettlebells – Joint Mobility Warm Up (6 minutes)
• 5.00 miles, 1:01’ 18” minutes, 12’ 14” min/mile average pace, 164 BPM average heart rate
• Splits:
• mile 1 – 11’ 09” min/mile
• mile 2 – 11’ 06” min/mile
• mile 3 – 13’ 01” min/mile
• mile 4 – 14’ 24” min/mile
• mile 5 – 11’ 33” min/mile

Besides the fact that I am likely dehydrated, I feel like my run went much better today than last Saturday’s. I know that it isn’t really fair to compare a sort of horrible 9.5 mile run to a slightly dehydrated 5 mile run but I think my run today really helped to renew my confidence in my running. I did walk for about a half mile, which is likely the result of being slightly dehydrated. The only way to correct this problem is to make a conscious effort to drink more water every day. With my new training regiment, I am actually working out six to seven days a week much harder than I have been and I need to really focus on keeping myself more hydrated. My goal for next week is to drink at least 12 glasses of water each day.

My alarm went off at 6:30 this morning but I was not feeling it so I shut the alarm off and rolled over. Not such a bad thing though. If nothing else, I have really learned how important it is to listen to my body and give it what it wants. I slept for another hour and then got out of bed to start getting ready for my run. I ate my breakfast and changed into my running clothes. I decided to use my handheld water bottle today because I knew that my run wasn’t going to last much longer than hour so I wouldn’t need to take any energy gels with me. I filled my water bottle with 16 ounces of Powerade and 6 ounces of water. Before I headed out the door, I did my kettlebell workout. I know that is against everything I have said about my training and the importance of focusing on the most crucial aspect but today it is ok. My strength training workout for today is to just do the Joint Mobility Warm Up. I figured this six minute workout, which doesn’t use the kettlebell at all, would be a great way to loosen before my run. After the warm up, I headed the door and started walking to my running trail. After 15 minutes of walking, I started to run.

My goal for today’s run was to simply run and to not take any walk breaks. Of course, when I set this goal, I didn’t realize that I had not had enough water yesterday. Even though I started off at 8:15, the heat and humidity wasn’t horrible yet so I decided not to run through the residential neighborhood. After the first mile, I was feeling really good and had only taken a small sip from my water bottle. I was confident that I would have plenty of fluids and wouldn’t need to refill along the trail. By the end of the second mile, I started to fear that 22 ounces wouldn’t be enough. The sweat was pouring off of me and I only had half of my fluids left. The next half mile seemed to go on forever and the audiobook I was listening to was not helping me at all. It wasn’t distracting me from the fact that I was not going to have enough fluids to last me the rest of the 5 miles. Finally, my iPod told me that I had reached the halfway point so I turned around and headed back.
About a quarter of a mile later, my brain won the battle with my legs. My brain was working against me trying to get me to stop running and walk for a little bit. I kept telling my brain that I could walk in 2.5 miles after my run but my dwindling supply of fluids only fueled the fire. Much to my dismay, I stopped running and started to walk. Once again, I had hit the wall and couldn’t push past it. I walked until my iPod told me that I only had two miles left. Even though I only had two sips left, I started running again reminding myself that I had already run 2.75 miles today and that these last two shouldn’t be too hard. A half mile later, I was walking again and completely out of water. I thought about going back to water fountain I passed but decided that I didn’t want hot, stale water. After a quarter of a mile trying to figure out what to do, I made my decision. If I run the entire 1.25 miles I had left, then I would go to Starbucks as a treat on my way home. I started running again and actually felt better that last mile than I did during the first one. I successfully accomplished my goal of running the entire 1.25 miles I had left.

At this time, I would like to apologize to everyone that was in the Starbucks for being the gross, sweaty, smelly girl who tainted your morning coffee experience for about 10 minutes. I would also like to thank the employees of Starbucks for making me a damn good iced coffee. I really needed it and you provided it to me. I also bought a bottle of water and pretty much chugged it while waiting for my iced coffee to be ready. I left the Starbucks and walked home sipping on my iced coffee. Just to be on the safe side, I didn’t put any milk or cream in it and had the Sugar Free Cinnamon Dolce syrup instead of the Classic syrup. Oh man was it good. By the way, my audiobook of choice today was not a good one. While I like the book and will listen to the audiobook again, it did not create the desired result. The miles felt like they dragged on and my mind did not stay focused on the book. My mind wandered and was able to start working against me. I will have to choose a much better audiobook next week if I am going to stay distracted from the fact that I am running 11 miles. I am a little intimidated by the fact that my run next week is going to be double digits but I know that I really can run the entire distance. I am going to have to really focus on my hydration and find a audiobook that will help me stay focused my running and not on the mileage.

I also wanted to let you guys know that I will be starting a new featured article next week called A Few of My Favorite Things. Every Sunday (starting next week) I will be posting an article about a favorite thing of mine. It will be related to my healthy living and running lifestyle. I will be using this article to share with you reviews of my favorite books, recipes and anything else that has really inspired me along my healthy living journey.

Oh. My. Gosh!!

Thursday – 5 miles + Strength Training

• 5.20 miles, 59’ 41” minutes, 11’ 28” min/mile average pace, 147 BPM average heart rate
• Kettlebells – 2X Fat Blast Workout (24 minutes)

I didn’t have the energy to get up when my alarm went off to workout. I figured that I could use my run today to get used to running at night, which is what Jeff Galloway suggested in one of the articles in the Official Race Program. Unfortunately, I didn’t really think that through very well because I also had a kettlebell workout scheduled for today. I also didn’t account for the fact that my parents would want to go to dinner. As the day wore on, my workout was being pushed back more and more. I soon realized that I wouldn’t be getting any kind of break between my run and my kettlebell workout if I was going to get to bed at reasonable hour or at least before midnight.

I finally climbed on the treadmill around 9:45. The stupid treadmills that I use have a preset time limit of 60 minutes. From experience, I knew that it was going to take me at least 55 minutes to run 5 mile (probably a few minutes more), which means I didn’t have time to do my normal five minute walking warm up. According to the Nike+ training program, my run today is supposed to be 1 to 2 miles of easy running followed by 5 x 3 minute intervals at tempo effort with 1 to 3 minutes of easy running and then finished off with easy running. I started my run by setting the belt pace to 3.5 mph to compensate for not doing my usual walking warm up. I maintained that pace for 5 minutes and then increased the pace to 4.0, which I stayed at until my iPod told me that I had completed 2 miles. I waited a little bit longer for the next even minute until I pressed the interval button on the treadmill. It isn’t that I pressed the wrong interval type but I didn’t do the math correctly in my head. I ended up selecting the 1-3 interval, which meant 2 minutes easy and 6 minutes tempo. Oops! I continued with my selection anyway setting my tempo effort to 5.0 mph. I also made sure that the belt incline was set to 0%. Because my intervals were not exactly what was called for, I only made sure that I ran for 2 miles instead of the correct number of intervals. After those two miles, I set the belt pace to 4.0 and ran the last mile. I was surprised how well I felt after the intervals. I felt strong and that is something that I haven’t in a while. I finished my run with a five minute walking cool down.

My kettlebell workout scheduled for today was to do the 12 minute Fat Blast Workout twice. I didn’t start this workout until after 11 but I did successfully get through the scheduled workout. When I was done, I was drenched with sweat and completely out of breath. I actually laid on the floor panting for several minutes before getting up and washing up for bed. The 15 lb. kettlebell absolutely kicked my butt tonight! And I totally loved it! I could barely move when I was done so I can only imagine how I will fell tomorrow.

An early morning workout …

Tuesday – 4 miles + Strength Training

• 4.13 miles, 46’ 50” minutes, 11’ 20” min/mile average pace, 145 BPM average heart rate
• Kettlebells – Fat Blast Workout (12 minutes)

What a great morning! I woke up at 6 this morning and actually got both of my workouts done before work. Today was my first day of running and strength training. It was also the first day of my new running plan. I read somewhere that when doing multiple types of training on the same day (i.e. running and strength training) the most important thing to keep in mind is which one is the most important for your fitness goals. Since my running is the most important part, I am going to focus on that when I do two workouts a day. With that being said, I changed into my running clothes as soon as I woke up. Even though I haven’t been running any distance more than 3 miles during the week, I felt confident that wouldn’t be a problem running 4 miles and adding my kettlebell workout after my run.

I headed over to the treadmill and started off with a five minute walking warm up. Since this was the first day of my updated running schedule, I chose do an easy run this morning. The Nike+ training schedule didn’t have any specific type of run assigned for today as I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. After my warm up, I increased the belt pace to 4.0 and started to run. I continued listening to my audio book, which helped me ease into my rhythm. Maybe I am too dependent on my headphones. I think I am still in one of those awkward places in my training where I haven’t quite broken through to my true “inner flame”. I found that it wasn’t too difficult for me to maintain my pace throughout the entire 4 miles. Hopefully as I continue to increase my weekly mileage, it will continue be effortless. I cooled down with a five minute walk before I started my kettlebell workout. Now I have been doing the Fat Blast Workout for about a month with my 8 lb. kettlebell. I have gotten so “comfortable” with it that I have been doing it twice in a row. According to Lauren’s plan, the workout for today is only supposed to be one time through the Fat Blast Workout, which is exactly what I did. Silly me actually thought that it would almost be too easy for me. Boy, I was wrong! Using the 15 lb. kettlebell took this workout to a whole new level for me. I was sweating more after this workout then I ever have before using kettlebells, including doing the 40 minute Sculpt & Condition Workout with the 8 lb. bell.

Immediately after the workout, I didn’t feel any soreness so I became worried that I didn’t get the right sized bell. When I asked my boyfriend about it, he indicated that I am probably out of the “conditioning phase” and into the “training phase”. I was utterly confused by this. He said that in the beginning I was conditioning my muscles for the increased physical activity, which means that I was more likely to be sore all of the time. Now, I am actually training and developing muscles so I won’t be nearly as sore anymore. I think that totally sucks by the way. He also said that I will know when it is time to increase the weight when I can fly through the workouts, which definitely didn’t happen today. When that happens, my muscles will have reached a point of stagnation. Later, I did a  search on the internet found that there actually three phases of fitness conditioning: preparatory, conditioning and maintenance. After reading several articles about this, I determined that I am probably in the conditioning phase because I am no longer asking my body to get used to regular exercise (the preparatory phase). Instead, I am trying to reach my desired fitness level. Of course, I am not quite sure what that is but I am hoping that I will know when I have reached it.

Long Run No. 7 ... a very hot and sweaty 9.5 miles

Saturday - 9.5 miles

• 9.51 miles, 2:08' 48" minutes, 13' 32" min/mile average pace, 152 BPM average heart rate
• Splits:
• Mile 1 - 11' 10" min/mile
• Mile 2 - 11' 12" min/mile
• Mile 3 - 11' 26" min/mile
• Mile 4 - 15' 12" min/mile
• MIle 5 - 14' 06" min/mile
• Mile 6 - 11' 49" min/mile
• Mile 7 - 16' 05" min/mile
• Mile 8 - 14' 48" min/mile
• Mile 9 - 16' 48" min/mile

My run this morning wasn't the best but it was also very far from being the worst. As you can see from my splits, I ran the first three miles without stopping but after that I started taking walk breaks. I am not really happy with myself for taking so many walk breaks but I am happy with the average pace I maintained for the first 3 miles.

My morning started at 4:45 when I woke up trying to rotate only to find myself pinned down by my cat sleeping on my legs. I did fall back asleep but that only lasted until 5:30 when my alarm went off. I slowly started moving around until I managed to have enough energy to get out of bed. I ate my delicious breakfast of yogurt and granola (what else) and then got dressed. Before I went to bed last night, I filled my new water bottle with 12 ounces of Powerade and 10 ounces of water and put it in the fridge. Since the waist pack is insulated, I figured it would be nice to actually have cold water on my run for a change. After I got dressed, I assembled my new hydration belt and the pocket with two of my energy gels (chocolate and razz flavors). I wish there would have been a picture or mannequin in the running store that demonstrated how to actually wear a hydration belt. Every company website depicts it differently, which can lead someone to much aggravation when they are using one for the first time. After messing around with my new belt, I figured that I had it situated correctly. I ate a serving of Clif Shot Bloks and headed out the door.

I started off with a 15 minute walk in the direction of my running trail. Even though it was only 7:30 in the morning, the humidity already in the air made it feel like I was walking through soup. I decided that it would probably be a good idea if I stick to the shade this morning. I was actually hoping that it wouldn't be so sticky because I didn't want to run through the residential neighborhood. I feel like I am more susceptible to stopping when I have to make so many road/driveway crossings. Either that or I have way too many thoughts in my head telling me to turn around because I have many "more" important things to be doing. I really am tired of hitting "the wall" and not being able to push past it. After 15 minutes of walking, I started to run and quickly realized that my new hydration belt is not supposed to sit on my hips. While running, I managed to adjust the belt so that it would not bounce up and down. I was quite impressed with myself for accomplishing this task while still running. I quickly found my stride after that and became completely engulfed in my audio book. This lasted until I started watching my clock and iPod trying to figure out when I should eat my energy gel. When that moment finally came, my mind told my legs to stop running so that I could ingest my energy gel and drink some water. Insert expletives here. From that moment on, I couldn't find my rhythm. It was completely lost to me and no matter how hard I tried to find it I couldn't. What really irks me is the fact that I have run a solid 6 miles already and that was weeks ago. I spent the rest of my run trying to find my groove again and trying to figure out how to get past this wall. By the end of my run, I had determined that my weekly maintenance runs are not giving me enough mileage. When I got back home and cleaned up, I sat down and reworked my training schedule. I used the mileage that Nike+ recommends for their beginner's half marathon program and incorporated the long run distances I already had planned. Hopefully, this revised schedule will help me break through my wall.

After all of that craziness this morning, my boyfriend and I went to lunch. I took him to a little Cuban sandwich shop and we had an absolutely delicious lunch. Then we headed to Target where I found my new kettlebell. Lauren Brooks recommends some great brands on her website but I don't have the money to spend on those brands. I did some research yesterday to see where I could buy an appropriately sized kettlebell to start using on Monday. To my surprise, the Sports Authority by my place didn't offer any kettlebells in the store according to the website. I did find out that Target carries the GoFit brand of kettlebells. When we got to the store, I walked around getting the other stuff I needed before heading to the Fitness section. The only GoFit kettlebells they had were either 25 lb. of the Bob Harper contoured kettlebell. I went ahead and purchased the 15 lb. contoured kettlebell. This wasn't first choice but it was all they had. I will let you know on Monday how it works out after I try it with my workout DVD. Also, this kettlebell comes with a DVD but I am NOT going to use it. I watched the DVD and was not impressed at all. I felt like it was teaching bad form. One thing I have learned is that form is crucial when working with kettlebells, even really lightweight ones. I highly recommend purchasing Lauren's DVDs if you don't have access to an RKC instructor.

Late night easy run ...

Thursday - 3 miles

• 3.56 miles, 39' 50" minutes, 11' 11" min/mile average pace, 134 BPM average heart rate

Work has me so stressed out this week that I can't seem to get up in the morning when my alarm goes off. So even though my alarm went off at 6 AM (as usual), I didn't actually get out of bed until 7:15 except to turn the alarm off of course. I don't think that I am going to be able to wake up early at all this week. With that, I decided to just go into work early and try to have a really productive day. Work literally flew by today and before I knew is the clock on computer said it was 5. I continued working for another two hours before I headed over to my parents' house to look after their cats. When I finally got home, my sister had dinner ready to go so I ended up waiting even longer to get my run in.

At 10:30, I felt like my stomach had settled enough to go knock out my 3 mile run on the treadmill. As much as I enjoy doing my speed workouts, I didn't feel like doing one tonight. My week was shaping up to be just as long and stressful as I had predicted it would be. I even considered not running at all before a random thought popped into my head. There are a bunch of those signs at my local running store that say useful but random information. One of those signs popped into my head and I quickly changed into my running clothes.

"It can take 2 weeks to make up for 1 week of training missed."

Once I started running, I was amazed that I had ever considered missing  my run. My run tonight was nice and easy. After my walking warm up, I set the belt pace for 4.0 mph and I felt like I was on cruise control. Maybe that had to do with the fact that instead of listening to my workout music play list I decided to listen to one of my favorite audio books, "Born to Run". To me, this book is very inspiring and helped me decide how my overall nutrition would work. Now I am not a straight up vegetarian (nor am I saying that I never will be) but I have really switched from eating overly processed foods to eat eating a very large amount of vegetable and lean proteins. This book also helped me realize the importance of running mechanics and how one's stride should look to avoid injury. I am also considering trying out thin soled running shoes (not Vibram Five Fingers though) to help strengthen my foot muscles. After 40 minutes of running, I felt great and the book had successfully distracted me from the fact that I was running. I really do love running but as I get into the longer distances I end up looking for excuses that allow me to stop running and walk for a little bit, which doesn't really jive with my goal for my first half marathon race. I think I will try listening to an audio book during my long run on Saturday and see how that works.

An early morning run and a stressful power outage …

Tuesday – 3 miles

• 3.50 miles, 39’ 57” minutes, 11’ 25” min/mile average pace, 141 BPM average heart rate

Knowing that my day was going to be as rushed as it was yesterday, I made sure that I woke up early enough to get my run in. Let me tell you … I had no desire to get out of bed this morning but I did. I noticed that my knee was a little stiff as I rolled out of bed but I decided to go for my run anyway. I don’t believe that it is actually injured. I have hurt my knee before so I know what an injured knee feels like. I didn’t want to cause anymore soreness in my knee so I didn’t do my normal hill workout. I chose to take it easy on the treadmill this morning. After my five minute walking warm up, I set the belt pace to 4.0 mph and maintained that for 40 minutes. I didn’t adjust the incline on the treadmill and left it at 0% for the duration of my workout. After my run, I shortened my walking cool down to five minutes instead of ten. I made that decision because I was already a little behind schedule. My run felt really good this morning. Hopefully, I will be able to start getting up earlier so that I can run outside more as it closer to the big race.

When I finally got to work, I was completely amped up from my run and ready to get lots of work done today. Unfortunately, that was not in the cards. Apparently, at 7:30 this morning (while I was happily running on the treadmill), the transformer blew and the power went out in the whole building. REALLY! I was so livid and absolutely beyond furious. What really upset me the most was the fact that there was nothing I could do to work around it. I did wait around for a little bit and cleaned my desk but the minimum time to fix the problem was 4 hours. I headed home after my desk was cleaned. My boss had already given us the all clear to leave and I was actually one of the last people left in the office. I guess there is always tomorrow.

After a somewhat lazy at home due to a lack of power at the office, I received a rather exciting email. I am sure that you know how much I love kettlebells by now. So while I was at home today, I emailed Lauren Brooks to see if she would send me her 8 week rotation plan for Volumes 1 and 2 of her Ultimate Body Sculpt and Condition DVD series. She responded to me rather quickly and I am so excited to start her plan. Before I start it, I am going to need a heavier bell so I am going to go get one this weekend. Her program looks very doable and like it will fit well into my current training plan. Of course, I am going to be doing either two-a-days or running and strength training  back to back starting next week.

Magic Mile No. 2 … No one ever drowned in sweat …

Saturday – 4 miles

• 4.01 miles, 48’ 08” minutes, 12’ 00” min/mile average pace, 159 BPM average heart rate
• Splits:
  • Mile 1 – 10’ 34” min/ mile
  • Mile 2 – 10’ 53” min/mile
  • Mile 3 – 14’ 21” min/mile
  • Mile 4 – 12’ 13” min/mile

Today definitely started out rushed. My sister and I were supposed to meet our other sister for breakfast at 9:30. So when I woke up at 7:30 this morning, I had a funny feeling that we were not going to make it to breakfast. In an attempt get my day rolling quickly, I skipped my usual breakfast, which was ok because I was out of granola anyway. I quickly changed into my running clothes, filled up my water bottle, ate a serving of Clif Shot Bloks (to compensate for my lack of breakfast) and was out the door by 8.

The morning was already shaping up to be warm one. By the time I had walked to my running trail, sweat was already starting to bead up on me. Now according to my phone, the temperature was only 80 degrees but the humidity was making it feel like it was at least 90 degrees. Last week’s weekend run was actually very bearable regardless of the heat because I spent most of the time in the shade. Of course, last week’s long run was about completing the distance and this week’s run was about speed. My goal for today’s was to improve my time from my last Magic Mile, which meant I needed an uninterrupted length of trail to run on. Unfortunately, the shaded sidewalk is littered with driveways and side streets, which prevents me from running as fast as I can. Once I made it to the running trail, I started running, trying to push myself as much as possible. After the first mile, I stopped to drink some water and catch my breath. Being in the direct sunlight was brutal and the sweat was really pouring off of me. I continued running after my brief pause and really tried to stay in the shade. It was a little difficult though to run in the shade during mile 2 because I was trying to get to a safe place to cross the street. Most of mile 3 and all of mile 4 was in the shade but the damage of the heat had already been done. I actually walked for a portion of mile 3, which was not what I wanted to do at all. When I finished my run, I was literally drenched with sweat and it wasn’t pretty let me tell you. I was also late for breakfast, which didn’t really matter since my sister was still asleep when I got home. None of that mattered though because I had successfully accomplished my goal for this run. My Magic Mile time was 4 seconds faster than my last one! While I was hoping for more of a difference, I will totally take 4 seconds!

Another late night run ...

Thursday - 3 miles

• 3.64 miles, 40' 11" minutes, 11' 02" min/mile average pace, 158 BPM average heart rate

I think that my work is starting to affect my sleeping patterns. When I dive into my work or I have a large deadline looming, I end up with a million things still on my mind even after I leave the office. My list of things to do takes over my thoughts and I don't shut it off. No matter how early I intend to go to sleep it doesn't seem to work out the way I want because I can't turn my brain off. One major disadvantage to this is that I usually don't wake up early enough to get my runs in before work. Most days that doesn't really bother me because I can still hit the treadmill after I get home from work. Today I was actually really upset with myself for not waking up early. My sister (the one who doesn't live with me) is moving to Chicago next week and she came over for dinner tonight. I wanted to have as much time as possible with my sister before she leaves. By not waking up early enough for my run, I was afraid that I wouldn't get to have enough time with my sister or I wouldn't get to run until midnight. My sister had a different idea for the evening then I did. After I got home from work, the three of us worked on dinner and played some video games. After we ate dinner, we watched a little bit of television before my sister left for a going away party with some friends. I guess I didn't have to worry about getting everything done tonight after all. I don't have anything against my sister but I must admit that I was more than a little upset with the evening's events.

After I calmed down and my dinner settled in my stomach, I changed into my running clothes and jumped on the treadmill. I really didn’t try to push myself tonight because my knee is still a little sore. I know I shouldn’t run with a knee injury but my knee doesn’t feel injured just tight. It feels like all the muscles around my knee are just really tight and don’t really want to move more than necessary. I still wanted to get in a good tempo run so I didn’t slack off too much. After my five minute walking warm up, I set the belt pace to 4.0 mph and jogged for five minutes to help loosen up my knee some more. Within 15 minutes of starting to run, I had increased the belt pace to 5.0 mph. While I was running, I tried to stay aware of my body and what it was saying to me especially my left knee. During the actual tempo portion of the run, I felt my knee loosen up and without severe pain. I continued at 5.0 mph for 25 minutes and my knee felt really good. I finished my run with the belt pace at 4.0 mph for five minutes and then cooled down with a 10 minute walk. After my run, I tried to really stretch out my knees in hopes that it will avoid anymore soreness tomorrow. I guess I will know if it worked when I wake up tomorrow.

I think I must be completely Goofy!

Tuesday - 3 miles

• 3.58 miles, 40' 02" minutes, 11' 11" min/mile average pace, 155 BPM average heart rate

I already know that I have caught the running bug. What are the clues that tipped me off you might ask? Let's see. (1) I go through withdrawals if I miss just one training run! (2) After I finished my first race, I signed up for 7 more, including 3 half marathons! (3) I am currently going through race withdrawals because I haven't raced in 3 months! I am pretty sure that I have gone from just catching the running bug to being fully infected by it. My proof of this is quite overwhelming.

Today one of my best friends, who is also infected by the running bug, informed me that she is going to be running her first full marathon on February 18th, 2012. She asked me if I wanted to join her. I actually seriously considered it! Now keep in mind that I am running the Rock 'n' Roll St. Petersburg Half Marathon the weekend before that! We decided that wouldn't be the best idea. Then I told her that my goal for 2012 is to train for and run the 2013 Walt Disney World Full Marathon. She thought that sounded really cool and I figured that was the end of it. I didn't stop there though. After we had decided to run the 2013 WDW Marathon, I told her about the Goofy Challenge. The Goofy Challenge is for those people who are brave enough (or just really stupid) to attempt running the WDW Half Marathon on Saturday morning and then run the WDW Marathon the very next morning. That got her even more excited. So she said that she wanted to do the 2013 Goofy Challenge instead and seeing as how I don't like to be out done I said that I would do it too! Am I crazy or what ?!? I haven't even run a half marathon yet, let alone a full marathon and I am already saying that I can run both on back to back mornings. When my boyfriend finds out, he might actually have me committed. I think I might not tell him until we actually commit to it.

After all of that talk about running craziness, I was really excited to get home and jump on the treadmill. I know that treadmill running is not the same as running outside. I actually prefer running outside but it is just way too hot to enjoy the run. Instead of doing my usual hill workout, I did an interval workout. After my five minute walking warm up, I increased the belt pace to 4.0 mph (without building up to it like I normally do) and pressed the interval button on the treadmill. I chose the 1-1 intervals, which set the high and low to the same limit (two minutes each). The low interval had a belt pace of 4.0 mph and an incline of 0%. The high interval had the same belt pace and an incline of 3%. I really liked this workout and I know that I can push myself harder than I did tonight. My average heart rate was well out of the zone that it should have been in. Maybe next time I do this workout , I will increase the belt pace or the incline of the high interval. I am glad that I didn't push myself too much tonight. As I was finishing my run, my left knee started to feel sore. I am thinking that it may be a result of the number of squats that I did during my workout last night. I need to be very careful with my form when it comes to my squats. My knees are crucial to my running.

Long Run No. 6 ... I need a better running strategy ...

Saturday - 8 miles

• 8.01 miles, 98' 15" minutes, 12' 16" min/mile average pace, 167 BPM average heart rate
• Splits:
• mile 1 - 10' 56" min/mile
• mile 2 - 11' 05" min/mile
• mile 3 - 11' 15" min/mile
• mile 4 - 11' 47" min/mile
• mile 5 - 13' 26" min/mile
• mile 6 - 12' 22" min/mile
• mile 7 - 11' 55" min/mile
• mile 8 - 15' 23" min/mile

This morning's run went much better than last week's long run. I did come across some issues along the way but as a whole the run felt and went better. Even though I set my alarm for 5:30, I didn't actually get up until 7:30. I went to bed around 10:30 but I guess I needed the extra sleep. Of course, by sleeping in those extra two hours that meant that I would be running during the heat of the morning. While I was getting ready for my run, I decided that I would adjust my route so that I would spend as much time as possible in the shade. That was the only way that I was going to avoid overheating. I also didn't have the time I normally like to have between when I wake up to when I go for my run. I ate my breakfast as quickly as possible so that it would have some time to digest. I was afraid that the yogurt and granola might actually turn in my stomach because I didn't allow it to digest fully. Once I was dressed and my breakfast was eaten, I filled up my water bottle and ate my first serving of my running food. I chose to eat a serving of strawberry flavored Clif Shot Bloks before my run and a serving of mocha flavored Clif Shot Energy Gel during my run. Last week I tried the vanilla flavored Clif Shot and that was a little too sweet for me so I figured the mocha flavored one may not be as sweet.

I headed out the door around 8:15 and started walking to my running trail. The actual trail runs along a seawall and a road with houses and a shaded sidewalk. Because I was starting out so late this morning, I chose to not run on the actual running trail but rather the shaded sidewalk that runs parallel to it on the other side of the road. I also normally like to start at the beginning of the trail because it has mile markers that make it a little easier to ensure that I am running the correct mileage. Instead, I chose to start earlier so that I would be able to run as much as possible in the shade. I also chose to run through the residential neighborhoos again this week. My run went well for the most part. The first four miles actually seemed fairly easy to me. I didn't feel the desire to stop running and start walking at all. Of course when I reached the four mile mark, it was time to eat my Clif Shot Energy Gel. I haven't quite figured out how to open the Clif Shot packeage while I am running, which means that I actually stop and walk while opening and eating my energy gel. Unfortunately, my mind starts playing games with me at that point. Once I allow myself to take a walk break, it becomes easier for my mind to convince my legs to stop running. I need to come up with a better way to eat my energy gels so that I don't need to take a walk break. This will probably require that I get a running belt that will hold my water bottle instead of me holding it in my hands. Maybe if I have both hands free, it will be easier to get the package open while I'm running. The last fours miles were not terribly hard but if I started feeling too hot or out of breath or like my heart rate was too high I would stop running and walk for a little bit. I know that I could have run the entire distance but I didn't and I let myself down.

Nest week's Saturday run is scheduled to be four miles. One of those four miles is supposed to be another Magic Mile. With all of my recent training and increased long run distances, my Magic Mile time should have improved but I won't find out until next week. The following week I have a 9.5 mile long run scheduled. Before that long run, I am hoping to have a new running belt that should help me free up my hands. I really want to achieve my goal of running the entire race and I need to really focus on that goal during my training if I am going to achieve it. Besides trying out a running belt, I am also going to try a ne strategy. Up to this point, my running strategy has just consisted of lacing up my shoes and listening to my iPod. That hasn't kept me motivated during my last two long runs so I need to switch things up. I read somewhere that some people actually dedicate every mile to a different person and that keeps them going. This technique is usually effective for people during races but I figured I would try it out on my long runs to see if it will work for me. Now I just need to spend the next two weeks coming up with a list of people that motivate me enough to keep running ...

Night time tempo run ...

Thursday - 3 miles

• 3.67 miles, 40' 07" minutes, 10' 55" min/mile average pace, 159 BPM average heart rate

When I didn't wake up early enough to run before work, I decided to take Jeff Galloway's advice and run at 10 pm. It totally threw my schedule off though because I usually like to be in bed by 10 pm so I can wake up early enough to work out. Tonight instead of changing into my pajamas and climbing into bed, I doned my running clothes and climbed onto the treadmill. When I first decided to run at night, one of my concerns was how my stomach would handle it after a day of eating. I also wanted to make sure that I pushed myself without going too far.

Let me just say that I felt great after my run tonight. I got my heart rate up to 172 BPM at its max, which is on the low side of my threshold zone. I could have probably pushed myself a little bit more but I found a new max pace that I am comfortable with. After my five minute walking warm up, I set the belt pace to 4.0 mph, which is where my comfort zone has been. I held that pace for five minutes before I started to slowly increase the belt speed. Before I started running tonight, I actually set a goal for my max pace to be 5.0 mph. I spent 10 minutes increasing the belt pace from 4.0 to 5.0 mph in order to allow my body to adjust to running at the faster speed. Once I reached my max pace goal, I maintained it for 20 minutes and I actually felt like I could continue at that pace. I chose not to though because I had finished my scheduled mileage and I didn't want to push myself too much. I spent 5 minutes slowly bringing the belt pace back down from 5.0 to 4.0 mph before I started my 10 minute walking cool down.

My run tonight went really well. I pushed myself to a faster belt pace, which was very empowering. Throughout my run, I controlled my breathing and never felt out of breath or overexerted. Hopefully, this will translate into my 8 mile long run on Saturday morning. My big concern is that the weather has been so hot recently that I may get overheated. What really sucks about this heat is that by 9 am when I leave for work it is already so hot that I work up a sweat just walking to my car. I am going to have to wake up extra early to try to beat the heat.

Another hill workout ...

Tuesday - 3 miles

• 3.45 miles, 40' 05 minutes, 11' 36" min/mile average pace, 157 BPM average heart rate

This morning's run went fantastically. I needed this one to go well. Saturday's run was really disheartening and I don't know how motivated I would have stayed if this run didn't go well. When the alarm went off this morning, I said to myself as I rolled out of bed to turn it off that I would not go back to sleep. I really wanted to get my run in this morning so I did. I had a funny feeling that I was going to be stuck at work today and I wanted to make sure my day started off on the right foot.

Rather than randomizing the hills, I chose to do a custom hill workout. I steadily increased the belt incline from 0% to 5%, which is about all I can handle. Eventually, I hope be able to increase the incline more but I haven't really set a goal for that. The three half marathons that I am running have fairly flat courses so my hill workouts are for my own personal benefit. Although anyone who has ever walked through the Walt Disney World Theme Parks knows that there are some fairly steep inclines in some areas. Without knowing what the actual race profile is, all I can really do is work towards improving my leg strength and slowly increasing my threshold belt incline. I like doing this style of hill workout because it allowed me to gradually build up to the max incline and then slowly back down to original incline. The randomized hill workout doesn't really do that at all.

Even though last Thursday's easy run suggested that I might be able increase my max belt pace above 4.0 mph, I decided not to for my run today. My heart rate did still get up to an appropriate level for this type of workout. Maybe next week, I will increase the belt pace to 4.5 or even 5.0 during my hill workout. Although if I do that, then my tempo runs should increased to pace to about 5.5 or 6.0 mph.

Long Run No. 5 ... Not such a great run ...

Saturday - 4 miles (changed to 6.5 miles)

• 6.52 miles, 80' 35" minutes, 12' 21" min/mile average pace, 167 BPM average heart rate
• Splits:
• mile 1 - 11' 07" min/mile
• mile 2 - 11' 31" min/mile
• mile 3 - 11' 20" min/mile
• mile 4 - 11' 42" min/mile
• mile 5 - 12' 49" min/mile
• mile 6 - 16' 09" min/mile

When I first start training, I read somewhere that not every run is going to be a great one, not every run is going to be easy and not every run is going to be effortless. My run this morning was not great, easy or effortless. My run was hard and painful but I didn't give up. I will live to run another day.

I woke up this morning at 5:30. The summer heat is in full swing so I figured that if I woke up early enough I would be able to beat the heat  ... most of it anyway. After I woke up, I made my breakfast of yogurt and granola. My sister always asks me if I get bored with eating the same thing every morning. My response to her is no because while I always eat yogurt and granola the flavors are never the same. I also feel like I have loads of energy in the morning after I eat my breakfast. After eating my breakfast, I started getting ready for my run but I hit a bit of a snag. Since my boyfriend was still sleeping, I didn't want to turn any lights on in the bedroom. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the outfit I wanted. I must have spent 20 minutes rooting through my clothes looking (or rather feeling) for the clothes I wanted to wear. My day didn't start off on the right foot. Finally, I found the clothes I had been searching for. I quickly changed, finished getting ready, and my first serving of Clif Shot Bloks. I know that my schedule only called for 4 miles but I decided that I should make up the long run I missed last week. I figured that trying to run 8 miles next week would be much easier if I ran the 6.5 miles today. My runs this week went really well. I know they were on a treadmill but I stll felt really good about my run today.

The first two miles were actually great. I went a different route on my running trail. The route brought me throught a residential neighborhood, which had nice scenery and wonderfully shaded sidewalks. Once I made the loop throught the neighborhood, I ended up back on my normal route, which does not have shaded sidewalks at all. This was at about 7:45, which means that the sun was already well on its way to being high in the sky. From that point on, I felt labored and extremely uncomfortable. I started counting the minutes until I was supposed to eat my energy gel. I also continued to guzzle my water. At the halfway point (3.25 miles in), I ate my Clif Shot energy gel in hopes that it might help me power through to the end of my run. I am still experimenting with my nutrition during my run so I decided to try the Clif Shot energy gel today. I tried the vanilla flavored one and while it was delicious it was also sickly sweet. After finishing my energy gel, I continued running hoping that I would have some crazy jolt of energy but it never came. I also must have been dehydrated because I couldn't get enough water. By the end of mile 4, I had finished 22 oz. of water and heading stright for the water fountain. During mile 6, I actually stopped running and walked most of it. I did run the last half mile of my run, which felt good.

Even though I completed the distance, I don't feel like it was a really good run. After my run, I sat down and tried to figure out what went wrong so that I can make the proper adjustments for my run next week. I looked at my food diary and realized that I more than likely didn't eat enough carbs last night. Next Friday, I will have to make sure that I am eating more carbs and protein so that I have enough stored energy for my body to perform the way that it should. I also only had 8 cups of water, which was obviously not enough. I am going to have to really drink more water next Friday and try and get at least 12 cups in me efore I go to sleep. Hopefully, my 8 mile run next week will go much better.

Another Official Race Email from Disney!

Only two and a half months left until my very first half marathon! Just thinking about it makes me so nervous that my stomach gets butterflies. If you were planning on running the Wine & Dine Half Marathon and haven't signed up yet, then you may be out of luck. The Half Marthon has sold out but there are other options if you are interested. According to the runDisney website, there are still still spaces available for the Half Marathon Relay and several charity organizations still have spaces available. So if you are still holding out or even considering running in this event, then hurry up and sign up before it is completely sold out!


2011 Commemorative Pin

It has been about a month since I received the last email from Disney. The last one informed me that the course map was finally available. I am a complete control freak and I am the first to admit it. I am also a very impatient person and I really wanted to know what the course looked like when I registered for the race. Unfortunately, I had to wait almost two months from the time I registered to the time I was able to view the map. This race email provided even more information. Most important of all is that the 2011 Race Program is available! Another piece of crucial information is that bib numbers and waivers will be coming with the next email, which I am assuming will be coming sometime next month. Also, Disney has switched from using the ChronoTrack D-Tag to using the B-Tag. I have never used either system so I can not comment on the advantages or disadvantage of them but hopefully the switch won't affect my race. The D-Tag is the most similar to what I have used for my other races. It is a timing tag that attachs to your shoe. The B-Tag, however, is actually attached to the bib and is very sensitive apparently.

After getting over my initial excitement about receiving another race email from Disney, I checked out the race program to see what valuable information I could gleam from its PDF pages. The list of exhibitors is in the program as well as a layout for the expo hall. I have never been to race expo before so I really hope that I am able to take advantage of everything they have to offer. There are also several articles that contain some interesting information. One in particular by Jeff Galloway was about racing/running at night. Since I am still quite new at this whole racing thing, the running at night aspect of this race is one of the most nerve racking aspects for me. At first, I was nervous about the distance but I really feel like I can do it. Racing at night on the other hand is an idea I am still struggling with. In the article, Galloway suggests scheduling at least two runs in August and September at 10 PM to ensure that you aclimated to running at night. While I had actually thought of this, I am not sure when I will be able to do it. I guess I am nervous about running on the streets by myself at 10 PM, which eliminates scheduling my long runs at night. That leaves me with running some of my treadmill workouts at night. Somehow though, treadmill running doesn't seem like enough when it comes to aclimating to racing at night.

You know it is going to be a good day when ...

Thursday - 3 miles

• 3.49 miles, 40' 07" minutes, 11' 28" min/mile average pace, 148 BPM average heart rate

You know it is going to be a good day when you rock out an early morning run and then you see a rainbow on your way into work. I don't think I could have asked for a better day. Shockingly, I was able to get up this morning for my run. It felt great to get my run in before work this morning and I really hoped that it would help start my day off on the right foot.

Normally on Thursdays I like to do tempo runs but since I am still trying to take it easy this week I didn't do one this morning. I think my run went really well this morning and showed me that I am improving and might be ready for the next level. I set the belt pace to 4.0 mph and I felt like it was really easy. I didn't have any difficulty with my breathing and my body didn't reject me or give me any problems. When I finished my run and found out that my average heart rate was so low, I was really shocked and really happy. When I first started running, I thought that getting my pace down to a 10 minute/mile would be easy. I was wrong ... very, very wrong. I have spent the last several months trying to focus on my technique and getting my body ready for the longer distances. Some where in all of that, I was also conditioning my body for speed. With my average heart rate that low, it likely means that I was not pushing my body to its limit and that I will be able to go faster next week during my tempo run. I never thought that day would come.



On my way into work this morning, I saw a rainbow. It hadn't rained yet today but there it was in the sky. I could see all seven colors of the rainbow, which brought a smile to my face. I have been really stressed at work lately so I figured that the rainbow was good sign that my day would be better than it has been. Unfortunately, I had no such luck. Today actually was worse than any other day at work this week. Maybe the situations I was dealing with at work just rubbed me the wrong way but I felt really irritable all day long. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.



Ultimate Body Sculpt and
Conditioning with
Kettlebells DVD Vol. 1

The other highlight of my day (besides going for my run and seeing a rainbow) was receiving my new Kettlebell DVD in the mail. I was stoked when I checked the mailbox and saw the package. I couldn't wait to open it up and pop it into my DVD player. I just wanted to preview the workouts. I think that this DVD has to be one of the best workout DVDs I have found. The instruction is very thorough and informative. I think my 8 lb. kettlebell may be too light so before I start using this DVD I am going to have to kettlebell shopping. Darn I absolutely hate shopping ... just kidding! Then again I may just have to try out the video with my 8 lb. bell.