Week 1-2 of Marathon Training
Well, I will start by saying that I didn't completely follow the plan to a tee. I was a bit of a slacker at times but there were some good days too. :) On Father's Day (6/17), my friend Jen came into town and I ran a 5K with her and two other friends from Healthy Kids (Kim and Terri). I have to admit that I did not run my best time. I will blame it on the heat. But, I did do it. Monday (6/18) was supposed to be a cross training day and I did nothing. :( On Tuesday, I forced myself to go out running for 3 miles. It was an OK 3 miles but again, not great. On Wednesday I was working late and it was super hot, so again I did not run. I also did not run on Thursday (6/21) but I did walk around at the museum for the day. I ran another 3 miles on Friday morning with my friend Nancy and then did a 5K on Saturday.
So, here is the synopsis for the week:
Originally Scheduled Plan: Actual Running:
Monday (6/18) - Cross-training Monday (6/18) - Nothing
Tuesday (6/19) - 3-miles Tuesday (6/19) - 3 Miles
Wednesday (6/20) - 5 miles Wednesday (6/20) - Nothing
Thursday (6/21) - 3-mile run Thursday (6/21) - Nothing
Friday (6/22)- Rest Friday (6/22) - 3 Miles
Saturday (6/24) - 5-mile pace Saturday (6/24) - 3.1 Miles
Sunday (6/25)- 8-miles Sunday (6/25) - Nothing
So I ran 3/5 scheduled days and did not do any cross training this week. The good news is that I ran 3 times! That's not exactly sticking to my schedule as much as I would like, but it's a start! I have been busy non-stop for the past week.
As for this week, I ran 4 miles this morning even though the schedule calls for cross-training on Mondays. I am going hiking tomorrow, which will count as my cross-training. :) Here is the projected schedule for this week according to the Hal Higdon Plan:
Monday (6/25) - Cross training
Tuesday (6/26) - 3 Miles
Wednesday (6/27) - 5 Miles
Thursday (6/28) - 3 Miles
Friday (6/29) - Rest
Saturday (6/30) - 9 Miles
As noted above, I have a good start so far on this week. The tough days will be Saturday and Sunday, since I will be traveling. I will keep you posted!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Here I Go Again....
It's been a while since I have "blogged" about anything, but summer is coming and I have a few half-marathons and a full marathon coming up in October! I am very excited about doing the Marine Corps Marathon at the end of October. I just looked at the schedule and if I start next week, that will give me 18 weeks of training, which is exactly how long the Hal Higdon training program is! So, I am going to try this again!
Here is what week 1 looks like and my plan for those days:
Monday (6/18) - Cross-training (Hmmm... Not sure about this one yet)
Tuesday (6/19) - 3-miles (I am meeting my friend Nancy at SCCC bike in the evening)
Wednesday (6/20) - 5 miles (Maybe I will go to Watervliet Bike Path)
Thursday (6/21) - 3-mile run (Either an early morning run or ARE's trail run in the evening)
Friday (6/22)- Rest (I am, however going on a hike - Maybe this can count as my cross-training?) I will keep you posted.
Saturday (6/24) - 5-mile pace (Either post a morning run or sign up for an ARE group run)
Sunday (6/25)- 8-miles (Probably post my own run)
As for the rest of this week and weekend, the only thing on my agenda is the Father's Day 5K on Sunday. Wish me luck on keeping up with my schedule! I am aiming for consistency and a 12-minute pace on marathon day! That will put me at 5:15. I would be happy with 5:30 as well. Can I do it? I am sure gonna try!
Here is what week 1 looks like and my plan for those days:
Monday (6/18) - Cross-training (Hmmm... Not sure about this one yet)
Tuesday (6/19) - 3-miles (I am meeting my friend Nancy at SCCC bike in the evening)
Wednesday (6/20) - 5 miles (Maybe I will go to Watervliet Bike Path)
Thursday (6/21) - 3-mile run (Either an early morning run or ARE's trail run in the evening)
Friday (6/22)- Rest (I am, however going on a hike - Maybe this can count as my cross-training?) I will keep you posted.
Saturday (6/24) - 5-mile pace (Either post a morning run or sign up for an ARE group run)
Sunday (6/25)- 8-miles (Probably post my own run)
As for the rest of this week and weekend, the only thing on my agenda is the Father's Day 5K on Sunday. Wish me luck on keeping up with my schedule! I am aiming for consistency and a 12-minute pace on marathon day! That will put me at 5:15. I would be happy with 5:30 as well. Can I do it? I am sure gonna try!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Hiking!
I'm thinking that I may need to change the title of my blog since I have not written anything about food or finances in a while! I have, however been participating in various fitness activities. I would like to get better about my running during the week, but John and I continue to run at least once every weekend and we just added hiking to the mix!
Yesterday we hiked to the top of Hunter Mountain. It started out as a mild day with the sun shining and about 50 degrees or so. It was sunny as we began climbing up the mountain and John kept commenting on what an easy trail and easy hike it was! It was a nice wide path, grassy in the center and fairly easy to walk. John had mentioned casually that we would most likely be seeing a little bit of snow up at the top of the mountain and about a mile and a half into our hike he turned to me and said, "Did you see the snowflakes?" No, I did not. As we continued to climb, I certainly did see the snowflakes followed by snow on the ground! We were in a winter wonderland! Except it wasn't winter! We thoroughly enjoyed it and kept snapping pictures as we laughed happily up the snow laden trail. It was a bit slow going for me at times because as we continued, there were portions of the trail that were a bit more difficult due to the large incline but we managed nonetheless and made it to the top without incident other than the huge blister on my heel for which I placed a bandaid over and called it good. I definitely did not have the proper shoes on for hiking!
We made it to the top where the temperature was 36 degrees! As we reached the top, there was this large metal structure (also known as a viewing tower). This structure absolutely terrified me because of my fear of heights. I did however climb up with John behind me the entire way. As we almost reached the top, I began to feel the wind and it frightened me a little more at which point, John allowed me to begin the descent back down the tower. I will try this again at some point when it is a clear and sunny day but I do appreciate his support on the tower never leaving my side. I did take a peek at the view and it was beautiful! Due to my fear and my desire to reach the ground, I unfortunately did not get a picture. One more reason to do it again!
We relaxed for a bit and had a few snacks. John found the privy for us off in a distance, which was helpful before beginning our 3 1/2 mile hike back to the car. Going back down hill was tricky at times due to the snow and slippery rocks and leaves. We tried to be careful and I was about to say, "It will be a miracle if neither one of us falls" but I kept that statement to myself until...... One of us fell. :( Thankfully there were no serious injuries and it was overall a really great day! It is the beginning of a new series of adventures for us. It was so nice to be out in the fresh air exploring nature.
Things that we need to do before our next hike:
1) Purchase some hiking shoes (I have a huge painful blister on my heal due to the ratty old sneakers I wore.
2) Get a new backpack (Carried my decorative girly backpack that is not meant for hiking. LOL)
3) Bring a change of clothes (Weather can be unpredictable in the mountains)
Things to think about bringing for longer hikes:
1) Headlamp in case it gets dark before getting back to the car
That's it for now! I will post more after our next adventure!
Yesterday we hiked to the top of Hunter Mountain. It started out as a mild day with the sun shining and about 50 degrees or so. It was sunny as we began climbing up the mountain and John kept commenting on what an easy trail and easy hike it was! It was a nice wide path, grassy in the center and fairly easy to walk. John had mentioned casually that we would most likely be seeing a little bit of snow up at the top of the mountain and about a mile and a half into our hike he turned to me and said, "Did you see the snowflakes?" No, I did not. As we continued to climb, I certainly did see the snowflakes followed by snow on the ground! We were in a winter wonderland! Except it wasn't winter! We thoroughly enjoyed it and kept snapping pictures as we laughed happily up the snow laden trail. It was a bit slow going for me at times because as we continued, there were portions of the trail that were a bit more difficult due to the large incline but we managed nonetheless and made it to the top without incident other than the huge blister on my heel for which I placed a bandaid over and called it good. I definitely did not have the proper shoes on for hiking!
We made it to the top where the temperature was 36 degrees! As we reached the top, there was this large metal structure (also known as a viewing tower). This structure absolutely terrified me because of my fear of heights. I did however climb up with John behind me the entire way. As we almost reached the top, I began to feel the wind and it frightened me a little more at which point, John allowed me to begin the descent back down the tower. I will try this again at some point when it is a clear and sunny day but I do appreciate his support on the tower never leaving my side. I did take a peek at the view and it was beautiful! Due to my fear and my desire to reach the ground, I unfortunately did not get a picture. One more reason to do it again!
We relaxed for a bit and had a few snacks. John found the privy for us off in a distance, which was helpful before beginning our 3 1/2 mile hike back to the car. Going back down hill was tricky at times due to the snow and slippery rocks and leaves. We tried to be careful and I was about to say, "It will be a miracle if neither one of us falls" but I kept that statement to myself until...... One of us fell. :( Thankfully there were no serious injuries and it was overall a really great day! It is the beginning of a new series of adventures for us. It was so nice to be out in the fresh air exploring nature.
Things that we need to do before our next hike:
1) Purchase some hiking shoes (I have a huge painful blister on my heal due to the ratty old sneakers I wore.
2) Get a new backpack (Carried my decorative girly backpack that is not meant for hiking. LOL)
3) Bring a change of clothes (Weather can be unpredictable in the mountains)
Things to think about bringing for longer hikes:
1) Headlamp in case it gets dark before getting back to the car
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Still Running and a PR! :)
Today I ran the Olesak Lumber Half Marathon with John in Westfield, MA. I wasn't feeling well before I started but as I got going I kind of got into a mind set and just kept going. There was a tough hill at mile 3, which I walked. I love having my GPS watch because it keeps me somewhat on track. I would say I did fairly well and was feeling good up until mile 7. Luckily the course from that point was mostly downhill with a few upward slopes and a slightly bigger hill at mile 10. I was getting tired so I did a little bit of the run/walk method in order to get me through. It helped me to decrease my overall time per mile, which helped me reach my PR! :) I have been continuing to exercise once a week, but didn't actually run this week. John and I are working on a plan to get our mileage in during the week. We have been meeting once a week on the Watervliet bike path, which we will continue to do. :) We are also going to make a plan for better, healthier eating habits. Today was a bit difficult after the race as I experienced severe stomach pains and fatigue. Thankfully, I am feeling better now, but I need to make some dietary changes and change my plan of action for pre and post race eating.
I am happy to say that with each subsequent half-marathon I have run this year, I have continued to improve my overall time. I started with the Colchester Half Marathon in February with a time of 2:57:49, then did the D.C. Rock and Roll Half with a time of 2:49:01 and today I completed the Olesak Lumber Half with an approximate time of 2:41:00. Official results have not been posted. I am going by my GPS. Either way it is a PR. My last PR was at the Hangover Half Marathon in 2010 with a time of 2:45:06. This makes my first PR of any distance in 2012. I would also like to say Thank you to John for all of his love, support, and encouragement today! :) He is always waiting at the finish for me and he made me feel very proud of my accomplishment today! Thanks honey!
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Happy St. Patrick's Day and More!
Food:
I lasted about a month on the Paleo diet and have kind of "fallen off the wagon." I would like to get back into better eating habits again. I unfortunately have not been doing the planning that I was doing prior regarding my diet. I am looking forward to planting a garden soon with John so that we can have our own fresh veggies. Yum!! I also had a yummy and nice healthy meal when I was in Virginia with Belynda. We had some tasty salmon and delicious veggies and pasta. Thanks Belynda! Also, lots of fruit and peanut butter for my drive home.
Finances:
Again, I have not really been as vigilant in this area as I was at the beginning of the year. I took a trip to the D.C. area and spent some money on running gear and travel. I have also been stopping for coffee and lunch some days and I have not been keeping track of what I am spending overall. On the positive side, I haven't been making trips to places like Target and Wal-Mart and buying unnecessary odds and ends. I did bring my Pampered Chef products and attempt to do a cooking show at Leah's house to make some extra money to help fund my trip. LOL. I will work harder on this area in the upcoming months.
Fitness:
This is the one area where I can say that I have been doing fairly well. On St. Patrick's Day, I ran a half-marathon in Washington D.C. I have also been running at least once during the week and once on the weekend. John and I have been meeting once a week at the Watervliet Bike Trail after work these past few weeks and I have been running about 4 miles each time. I just purchased a GPS watch with a heart rate monitor so I've been tracking my runs. I have also become one of those people that you see at the end of a race looking down at my watch in the finish-line race photos that I always used to make fun of. Hee hee. I also ran a 2-mile and a 5-mile run with John today in Bristol, CT. It was the Shamrock 2-Mile and 5-Mile run. I was able to run the 2 Mile run with an average 10:17 min mile, which is an improvement for me. :) The 5-Mile run was a struggle for me because I had less energy at times but the best part of the 5-Mile was that John ran the whole thing with me. :) And my official recorded time was 1-second faster than him! There are pictures online to prove it! LOL Check out Bristolct.net. Once I figure out what number our pictures are, I'll comment on my post. :) I will once again try to be better about posting! For now, I'm going to call it a night! I'll try to be more entertaining in my next post. I'm just a little tired today.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Hello Again! :)
Once again, it's been a while since I have posted an entry in my blog. Thanks to John for encouraging and reminding me to blog. :) So glad to have a network of supporters! Thanks to all of you for keeping up with me and providing encouragement and reminders. :) I'll try to give just a brief synopsis in each of the categories. I will admit that I have somewhat "fallen off the wagon" with my habits but plan to get back on. LOL. Here goes...
Food:
This past week was February break and I started by going out to dinner and having some wine. Then it was all downhill from there! LOL. The good news is that so far, I have maintained my 10 pound weight loss. I continue to use coconut milk or almond milk instead of dairy. I have enjoyed my week of eating "regular" food, but I'm planning on going back to my better eating habits, but perhaps a bit less strict. I will limit my sweets and my bread intake and try to make better overall choices. I will keep you posted on how I do.
Finances:
This is another area that I have not been keeping track of very well. I haven't gone crazy, but have just not been as careful as I had tried to be at the beginning of the year. My biggest downfall is books I think. LOL. I went to Boston with my friend Sue to visit our friend Jen and we went to this great used book store and I just couldn't resist getting a pile of books. LOL. Then I went to TJ Maxx today and found these particular "Look and Find" toddler books that I have been looking for so I bought three of them and I also bought a pair of running pants. I have been trying to work on refinancing some of my larger bills in order to make my overall financial situation better.
Fitness:
As always, I save the best category for last. Even though I haven't been doing great about attending my boot camp or exercising during the week, I have been running on the weekends with John. Last weekend I ran 5.5 miles as part of a marathon relay team with John and Jessica. We called ourselves "Team Butt Freeze!" LOL. This weekend I did a half-marathon in Colchester, CT and it was very windy with lots of uphills! I completed it in less than 3 hours, which wasn't my best half-marathon time, but it was better than several of my half-marathons. I also attended a yoga class when I was visiting Jen. Starting on March 8th, I will be taking a Zumba class with my sister-in-law. I am looking for a Pilates or Yoga class to take in order to work on my stretching because I keep pulling my calf muscle. Ugh! If anyone knows of any classes that are cheap, please let me know! :)
Food:
This past week was February break and I started by going out to dinner and having some wine. Then it was all downhill from there! LOL. The good news is that so far, I have maintained my 10 pound weight loss. I continue to use coconut milk or almond milk instead of dairy. I have enjoyed my week of eating "regular" food, but I'm planning on going back to my better eating habits, but perhaps a bit less strict. I will limit my sweets and my bread intake and try to make better overall choices. I will keep you posted on how I do.
Finances:
This is another area that I have not been keeping track of very well. I haven't gone crazy, but have just not been as careful as I had tried to be at the beginning of the year. My biggest downfall is books I think. LOL. I went to Boston with my friend Sue to visit our friend Jen and we went to this great used book store and I just couldn't resist getting a pile of books. LOL. Then I went to TJ Maxx today and found these particular "Look and Find" toddler books that I have been looking for so I bought three of them and I also bought a pair of running pants. I have been trying to work on refinancing some of my larger bills in order to make my overall financial situation better.
Fitness:
As always, I save the best category for last. Even though I haven't been doing great about attending my boot camp or exercising during the week, I have been running on the weekends with John. Last weekend I ran 5.5 miles as part of a marathon relay team with John and Jessica. We called ourselves "Team Butt Freeze!" LOL. This weekend I did a half-marathon in Colchester, CT and it was very windy with lots of uphills! I completed it in less than 3 hours, which wasn't my best half-marathon time, but it was better than several of my half-marathons. I also attended a yoga class when I was visiting Jen. Starting on March 8th, I will be taking a Zumba class with my sister-in-law. I am looking for a Pilates or Yoga class to take in order to work on my stretching because I keep pulling my calf muscle. Ugh! If anyone knows of any classes that are cheap, please let me know! :)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
I'm Still Here. :)
Hi there! If anyone has checked in on my blog lately, you've probably noticed that I haven't written in a while. Oops! I will try to do better. This will be a short one (I think! LOL) but I wanted to at least add an update.
Finances:
I haven't been spending willy nilly, but I haven't really been keeping track very well either. I could definitely do better with my money if I would plan my lunches better. Even though the weather has been warmer than usual, I think I lose some of my motivation in the winter to do the things I need to do. Yikes! For example, if I were to take the time to make my lunch the night before, I would not need to stop for lunch to buy a salad because I would already have it made. I take the time to go to the grocery store, so I should take the time to make my lunch. Sounds simple, right? Now I just need to DO IT! I will keep you posted on that! :)
Fitness:
Here is another area where I have been lacking. :( Can I just say that I HATE to get up in the morning. Ugh! Sometimes I feel like I could sleep all day! It is hard enough to get up and get ready for work, but to get up and exercise - YUCK! That being said, I know I just need to DO IT! I went to boot camp once last week and am planning on going tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! I did do a 4.34 mile run on Sunday for the HMRRC Winter Series and John and I are doing a Sweetheart run on Saturday. Thankfully we do at least one run a week so I do get in some exercise along the way. I just need to become more consistent. If any of you are reading this, feel free to harass me to exercise! LOL
Food:
I did save the best part for last, because for the most part this has been an area of success. I began the Paleo Diet on January 17th and have been doing well. I have lost about 10 pounds so far and its been about 3 weeks. I will admit that I have cheated on some things, such as cream and sugar in my coffee and I have had two pieces of cheese over the three-week period. I have even had hot cocoa a few times. I will say that I try not to make these "cheats" a habit. I am happy to say that I haven't had any bread or bread type foods at all. I almost always have salad for lunch with some kind of meat on top and usually meat or fish for dinner with veggies and sometimes sweet potato fries. I coat them in melted coconut butter and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the top, put them in the oven for about 20 minutes and yummy! Ask my niece Jamie (she LOVED them when I made them last night! :)). I also have not had dessert other than the dark chocolate that is allowed on this diet. Here are my two little dessert cheats. I had literally 1 bite of John's cheesecake and I ate the leftover strawberries with sugar and whipped cream that my niece left last night. I resisted until the end when it was left on the table. I even gave Taylor the whipped cream spoon to lick so I wouldn't be tempted to do it myself. LOL. That's all for now! I will try to do better about posting. It's not always very exciting, but I'm trying to make progress! :)
Finances:
I haven't been spending willy nilly, but I haven't really been keeping track very well either. I could definitely do better with my money if I would plan my lunches better. Even though the weather has been warmer than usual, I think I lose some of my motivation in the winter to do the things I need to do. Yikes! For example, if I were to take the time to make my lunch the night before, I would not need to stop for lunch to buy a salad because I would already have it made. I take the time to go to the grocery store, so I should take the time to make my lunch. Sounds simple, right? Now I just need to DO IT! I will keep you posted on that! :)
Fitness:
Here is another area where I have been lacking. :( Can I just say that I HATE to get up in the morning. Ugh! Sometimes I feel like I could sleep all day! It is hard enough to get up and get ready for work, but to get up and exercise - YUCK! That being said, I know I just need to DO IT! I went to boot camp once last week and am planning on going tomorrow morning. Wish me luck! I did do a 4.34 mile run on Sunday for the HMRRC Winter Series and John and I are doing a Sweetheart run on Saturday. Thankfully we do at least one run a week so I do get in some exercise along the way. I just need to become more consistent. If any of you are reading this, feel free to harass me to exercise! LOL
Food:
I did save the best part for last, because for the most part this has been an area of success. I began the Paleo Diet on January 17th and have been doing well. I have lost about 10 pounds so far and its been about 3 weeks. I will admit that I have cheated on some things, such as cream and sugar in my coffee and I have had two pieces of cheese over the three-week period. I have even had hot cocoa a few times. I will say that I try not to make these "cheats" a habit. I am happy to say that I haven't had any bread or bread type foods at all. I almost always have salad for lunch with some kind of meat on top and usually meat or fish for dinner with veggies and sometimes sweet potato fries. I coat them in melted coconut butter and sprinkle some salt and pepper on the top, put them in the oven for about 20 minutes and yummy! Ask my niece Jamie (she LOVED them when I made them last night! :)). I also have not had dessert other than the dark chocolate that is allowed on this diet. Here are my two little dessert cheats. I had literally 1 bite of John's cheesecake and I ate the leftover strawberries with sugar and whipped cream that my niece left last night. I resisted until the end when it was left on the table. I even gave Taylor the whipped cream spoon to lick so I wouldn't be tempted to do it myself. LOL. That's all for now! I will try to do better about posting. It's not always very exciting, but I'm trying to make progress! :)
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