Monday, March 11, 2013

Speed

I had every intention of writing this post last week. Obviously that didn't happen! What can I say? I've been busy working out, preparing and eating clean meals, taking care of a 3 year old, and working a full time job. Oh and of course there's a lovely thing called sleep, which I get 8 hours of. :) If you say you don't have the time, then you need to adjust your priorities.

Okay, back to the topic at hand! I've always considered myself a slow runner. I don't think it makes me any less of a runner though. I can run for 3 hours straight without stopping once, just as long as I'm doing a 12-13 minute per mile pace. Slow and steady!

This year I started doing speed workouts again, something I hadn't done since 2009. I actually love doing sprints. I hate doing anything longer than a 400 (quarter mile or once around a track), but I still do it when it's on the schedule. Last Tuesdays workout called for 4x1600 which is 4 fast miles with a recovery lap in between each one. Holy moly!

I got to the track a little early and decided not to waste any time. It was still light out and I knew it wasn't going to last long. I ran 2 laps and still didn't see anyone so I kept going. I ended up running a full mile then going in to use the restroom. When I came back out still no one had showed! 2nd week in a row!

The weather wasn't bad but the sun had gone down by this point and the track was dark. I started sprinting 200's on the side closest to my car. Another runner showed up and he looked harmless (and I figured with him on the track it would be less likely someone would come after me), so I went back to doing full laps.

We caught up to each other and got to talking. Turns out he works nights and runs on his break. We ended up running together for a mile at a good pace and it went by really fast! He finished warming up and went on to do his thing.

I kept going for another 2 miles or so. I wasn't really following the schedule but I was running at a faster pace than normal. When I finished, I had gone 5 miles in under 49 minutes!! I was completely blown away! And I felt like I could've continued. It's one thing to run a fast mile but 5? And the first mile had been a warm-up!

I have 2 main goals- run a 5k in under 30 minutes and a 10k in under 60. For the first time I really feel like
it could happen. Eating clean, strength training, and speed work is making me a better runner!

Saturday I ran 10 miles in 2 hours and 2 minutes. My last long run before the Rock 'n' Roll Half this Saturday! I can't wait and I'm actually looking forward to it (except for the whole waking up before 5am part). I hope the weather is as nice as it was this weekend. It was gorgeous!

I'm also looking forward to begin running with this little guy again. If not this week then probably next!

Have a great week!!

Monday, March 4, 2013

February Recap

February was a fantastic month!! I wasn't even trying, but it turned out to be my second best month in terms of miles- I logged just over 62! Now I'm determined to hit 70 in either March or April. I also amped up my non-running workouts, waking up early to do a Jillian Michaels workout almost every weekday. I just bought a 4-pack DVD set of Bob Harper workouts and will focus on those this month. I love Jillian, but I need something fresh and different!

Last week I also started a Jamie Eason's 12 week Live Fit Trainer. If you're not familiar with her or the program, please go and watch the introduction video. The program is set up to be done in a gym and I'm modifying it so I can do it at home with just my dumbbells. Gotta work with what you have! I'm also somewhat following her meal plan. I say somewhat because it's difficult for me to eat as often (and as much) as she recommends.

I've really cleaned up my eating though and I feel great! For example for lunch today I'm eating lean ground turkey breast, brown rice, asparagus, and broccoli. It's not fancy but it's filling and delicious! I have a terrible sweet tooth but I've been doing surprisingly well. I've been chewing a ton of gum, drinking buckets of water, and I'm focused on my goals. The only problem is I may have developed a peanut butter addiction. I now crave it instead of chocolate! I usually have a rice cake with some pb as my morning snack. I didn't have that today and all I can think about is getting out the jar and a spoon and digging in! Haha! I'm going to post more about the foods I've been eating in a separate post so stay tuned for that!

Last week I finished week 1 of the trainer and today I'm starting week 2. In the first 4 weeks she doesn't have you doing any cardio whatsoever. Well I love me some cardio (hello, this is Adventures in Running!) and I'm not going to give it up. I like having a set plan already laid out for me though. It makes it so much easier and much more likely that I'll actually do it. And hopefully I'll build some lean muscle in the process!

Speaking of cardio, last Tuesday I was all set to meet my group for our weekly track workout but the weather was awful- rain combined with some serious wind. I sat in my car at the track and no one showed. I considered running a few laps on my own but it was dark, I didn't have any lights, and the wind was ridiculous! I was really bummed because I was physically and mentally prepared for this workout. So I drove across the street to the gym to inquire about a one-day guest pass. I figured it couldn't hurt to ask and you know what? They let me workout and I didn't even have to pay the normal $15 fee! I turned what could've been a crappy night into a great one. I spent 45 minutes on the treadmill doing intervals and I even got up to 8.0mph! After that I spent 20 minutes on an elliptical for something different. It was awesome!

This is my after sweaty gym session pic:

I got my new shoes last week and love them!!

Aren't they pretty?? They're the same model as my previous pair- Nike Vomero, but they're way prettier! I wore them to work on Friday just to break them in a little (and to show them off!) and then took them on an 8 mile run on Saturday.  After the run I wore my new marathon compression socks from Pro Compression for the rest of the day and I felt so good!

And now the countdown to this year's first big race begins- 12 days until the Rock 'n' Roll Half!!