Over the Half Way Point

Training Week of Feb 18th-24th

Like most weeks, I started it off with a rest and recovery day on Monday. I cannot stress how important a rest day is. And, sometimes I find myself taking an additional rest day. That's exactly what I did this past week. After Tuesday's track workout, I took Wednesday off. The 6x800meters that I ran kicked my ass. I felt so guilty for taking Wednesday off but I had to listen to my body and rest.

I ran 45 minutes easy to start and then ran 40 minutes at marathon pace on Thursday. Marathon pace on an indoor track is pure torture.

I completed a legs and back workout on Friday. I felt a bit beat up by the end of the week, so I made sure to foam roll and self massage. Especially my hips... they were (and still are) pretty knotted up.

I enjoyed a 30 minute stationary cycle ride on Saturday with a variation of push ups and upper body moves for 60 minutes, which kept my heart rate up.

On Sunday, I woke at 6am and by 7am, I set out for a 3:10hr run or 20miles. Which ever came first. The temp was perfect for a long run. There was a light misty rain coming down and at about 1hr 30min into my run, the light rain changed over to a light snow. I was so focused that I was oblivious to the weather. I felt good and my stomach was solid. Stomach issues were no more. It was the perfect opportunity to get my fueling routine right. About 13.45 miles into the run, I was running on uneven &  semi frozen ground. I caught myself once as I almost slipped. It was the last thing I needed... to twist an ankle or worse. My pace slowed from all the zigging and zagging I had to do. But, 20 miles came at 3:01:04! I was thrilled to have had average a 9:03 minute mile for 20miles! I had just under nine minutes to spare. And to think I still have two more 20 milers in my training schedule. I had friends tell me they were jealous of the 20 miles I ran. That made me smile. Sunday, I did this:

Tough Runs= Strong Runner

Week of Feb 12th-16th, 2013

What a rough week it was. It began Tuesday with a one hour and fifteen minute run. The session consisted of a ten minute run at an easy pace. At ten minutes, I ran 400 meters (8 times) with 200 meter jog in between. The remainder of the time was completed at an easy pace. My stomach was not feeling 100%. This past Saturday, I ate something at lunch time that did not agree with me. And still, days later, my stomach felt as if it had a few bricks in it. But I toughed the session out and finished.

Wednesday, it was Plyo XT, which was a whole lot of lunging and squatting. I felt great while I was preforming the high number of lunges and squats, but my hip started to feel sore as night fell. All I could do was hope that I would not be too sore for my track session the next day.

Yup... my hip was sore on Thursday, just as I thought it would be. It wasn't sore enough to side line me, so off to the indoor track I went. I ran 55 minutes at an easy pace and then 30 minutes at marathon pace. Somewhere during the marathon pace, I lost track of time and actually ran for 35 minutes. My stomach felt awful. But, I refused to let my stomach issues take me out. These are the times where I have to dig in and just suck it up because anything can happen during the marathon. Not feeling 100% is good practice. The awfulness in my stomach felt much better when the Boston Athletic Associations gave a sneak peak of this....

On Friday, I cycled for 50 minutes. Afterward, I stretched, foam rolled and self massaged my hips with a lacrosse ball. I was sore but felt pretty good.

I usually do my long runs on Sunday, but Saturday was the better day last weekend. So I ran on Saturday. After I leisurely awoke and made breakfast for myself and my family, I set off for a 2.5hr run or 16 miles, which ever came first. It was cold and windy but I felt good. My stomach felt fine. At 40 minutes, I took in fuel and washed it down with some EFS mixed into my water. As I approached the half way time of 1hr and 15 minutes, my stomach began to knot up. Thankfully, there was a gas station along the route and I was able to make a pit-stop. I continued on my journey, which got tougher. Because my stomach wasn't feeling great, I cut back on the fuel intake. This was not a good thing because I started feeling sluggish. Again, I just hung on and kept running. I felt so miserable. All I wanted to do was get home. I managed to run 16 miles in 2hours, 29minutes and 17seconds. I've never been so happy to get home.

Here's hoping for a better next week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sheila

Week 7 was a Roller Coaster Ride

Week of February 4th-10th:

I started my training week on Tuesday with my first speed workout. It began with 10 minutes at an easy pace. At 10 minutes, I picked up the pace to a 7:30 minute mile for one minute followed with a 1 minute jog. I repeated this 5x's. The workout didn't end there. I finished the session with a 55 minute easy run bring the total time on my legs to 1hr and 15 minutes. I have just survived my first speed workout.

Wednesday, I enjoyed a cross training session in the comfort of my home. This is also the day my oldest daughter, Gabriella became ill with a stomach virus. I kept thinking "please don't get sick".

Gabriella was still not feeling well on Thursday, so this forced me to cancel my running session in the morning. I had to wait for my husband to come home from work that evening to complete my speed workout on the track. I dislike training in the evening. But, to my surprise, once I started the session, I felt great. I started out with a 55 minute easy run followed by a 1 minute pick up at a 7:30 minute mile with a 1 minute jog to follow. I repeated this 5x's. The session ended with a 10 minute easy run totaling 1 hour 15 minutes. What a relief... My first week of speed work was done and I survived it!

Finally, Gabriella felt well enough to go to school but it was canceled due to the snow blizzard that was predicted. No problem... My basement is set up for days like this. Oh, no, wait... a snow blizzard the day before my first fundraiser?! No problem. The show must go on, and it did.

I woke up in the darkness on Saturday. I had my first fundraiser. With the snow that covered the ground during the overnight hours, I had no idea what to expect. It took me twenty minutes to dig my car out and, to my surprise, the roads were not bad. I arrived at Crossfit Beyond just a bit past 8am. Thirty-two people had signed up in advance for the event and I expected more people to show up and sign up that morning. Registration for the event opened at 8:45 am. Fifteen minutes went by and no new faces showed up. At about 9:30 am people start walking in. What a relief. The work out of the day was "Fight Gone Bad". After a short break we were broken down into teams and did a team workout. What fun was had by all. There were people trying out Crossfit for the first time. No one complained. Every one was having a great time. At about noon time we all enjoyed a delicious chicken lunch along with some pizza and tilapia soup. It turned out to be a great day. We raised $1513 for a great cause.

Crossfit Fundraiser

What a great day Saturday turned out to be. I arrived at my house from the days event just after 2:30pm feeling a bit spent. All of a sudden, I felt very tired. I soaked in a hot epsom salt bath and almost fell asleep. As the time went by, I wasn't feeling to great. I felt very nauseous. I thought, "this can't be happening." All I kept thinking about was the three hour+ run I had to do the next morning. As night set in, I began getting sick. Something did not agree with me at lunch time. I felt so weak. I could not eat nor drink anything and became dehydrated. All I wanted to do was sleep. So off to bed I went, hoping that maybe in the morning I would feel well enough to go for my run.

My watch alarm went off at 5:30 am on Sunday. My body felt weak. Still, I tried to eat something to see how my stomach would react. I toasted a bagel and took a few bites. I began to sweat and shiver then I felt faint. I thought, "get your ass back in bed". And so I did. Sunday came and went and so did my long run. The long run is the one run I hate to miss. I'd rather miss a run during the weekday than miss a long run. But, I also know that missing one long run isn't going to break me. I really believe that it was God's way of slowing me down and forcing me to take a few days off. In the end my body will thank me. I am sure of it. 

Thank you for stopping by,

Sheila

6 weeks of base mileage complete!

Tuesday, January 29th: on the indoor track for my last week of base mileage. I felt great. I was running with ease. My body has adapted. Now that I am used to running between 7 to 8 miles during the weekday, things are about to change next week. So, until then, I will enjoy the easy miles. Later in the day, I completed my strength training at Crossfit Beyond. This was also my last week of strength training.

Wednesday, January 30th: I completed a variety of body weight exercises in my basement for 60 minutes.

Thursday, January 31st: Crossfit beyond for an intense workout and the last day of strength training. I crave that place. I will miss strength training, but it's time to concentrate on speed training.

On Friday, I went back to the indoor track for my last base mile workout. I felt great and ran 8.10 miles in 1hr and 15minutes. I'm so excited for what's ahead of me. The next six weeks will surely make me... because there is no way that I am going to let them break me. It's time to let the horse out of the stable. Getting faster and sustaining pace will be the name of the game.

Saturday, I woke up surprisingly energized. This past week was tough. Between training, work, life in general and preparing for my first fundraiser, I was surprised to have the energy to do anything. But, I was looking forward to doing a little Tapout XT Sprawl and Brawl. I gave it all I had. Sweat was pouring down my face. My heart was racing and I was loving every minute of it. In an instant, all the weeks stresses started to melt away. What a relief.

Super Bowl Sunday!!! Before I got ready for some football, I had to do my long run. It was chillier than last Sunday, and the sun was trying to show its face from behind the clouds. I set out to run for 2hrs and 30 minutes or 16 miles, which ever came first. Although I miss running with a group, I do enjoy the solitude of the run. It allows me to mentally become a stronger runner. I concentrated on my breathing, which has been a challenge for me in this cold weather. The neck warmer I have covers my nose and mouth. After ten minutes, I found that I needed more air, so I pulled it down until I felt I needed to warm up my breath again.

The long runs are a good time to practice fueling and electrolyte replacement. I changed it up a bit this time around. I brought along two ten-ounce bottles of water with Electrolyte Fueling System (EFS) mixed in the water, one ten-ounce bottle of EFS gel, and one ten-ounce  bottle of water. I also had a clif bar, which I divided into two servings and six salt stick caplets. I am still playing around with the timing of the consumption between the EFS gel and the salt stick caplets. On my next long run, I will adjust the timing some more until it is perfect. I ran comfortable for 2hrs and 30mins at a 9:07 min/mile, which turned out to be 16.44miles. I am a B.A.M.R.!!!