WEEK 5! I'm approximately 24% of the way complete with the 21 week training program. 16 weeks left!
When I say it this way it sounds like there is still so far to go....and there is, but at the same time I look at what I've completed and I think wow its already been 5 weeks?! It honestly doesn't feel that long yet. It does not feel like I have been training for over a month! Is it really possible? I guess so because thats what the calendar says. I think its a positive thing though that I can look forward at the next 16 weeks and still feel totally pumped about the race. That I can still look forward to my nightly training and that I'm actually excited to get into my upper mileage runs. A month or two ago and I would've looked at like you as if you'd been sniffing glue or doing SOME kind of drug. Running was NOT my thing....and it kinda feels like its starting to be.
Anyway - this week was the start of another bump up in the mileage. Weekly run nights are now at 3 miles and weekend long runs are at 4 miles. I also tried out a different hot yoga studio (not bikram). It was a 60 minute class....COMPLETELY different than bikram but was still 'oh so good' in oh so many ways. Challenged me to do yoga positions I never thought I'd be able to do (the crow....holy COW! or should I say crow??? Probably, but you get the gist of it). Its one of my three yoga groupons I've purchased to keep me on the yoga train throughout my program. Gotta say I'm still a yoga lover! Whod've thunk!?
We had our first 4 miler on Sunday August 14th and let me tell you I was WAY nervous. I do not believe that in my entire life I've run over 3 miles at any one point in time.....so adding a mile onto that was kinda freaky. Not to mention that throughout the whole week I still felt like I was recovering from the 3 day trek up the west coast and failing. AND...I had signed up to help my brother-in-law build a deck in his front yard.....yeah me...the NOT very handy girl :)
So Sunday night's run came after two days of labor, followed by a beer and some of Nick's famous hot wings....I was thinking my mind, body (especially tummy) would NOT be ready for the run. But I proceeded to Alki Beach to meet my running partner Jenny at 8pm. Not gonna lie...first 2 miles I was constantly thinking I was an idiot for the beer and the wings and for starting so late in the evening....I kept going "we haven't even made it HALF way! HOW am I going to pull this off?!" Not to mention Jenny was kicking my ass! She was way out in front and looked to be faring much better than I was.
And then we hit the half way mark...FINALLY! My mind started turning toward the positive...you're HALF way there. Keep it UP! My legs for the next half mile protested majorly and I continued to trail behind Jenny. But then the glimpse of Alki Beach shops came back into view and I KNEW we were getting closer. And then my stride kicked in. The legs no longer hurt, my iPod had some GREAT tunes keeping me going, and the lovely shoreline reeled me in. It made it even MORE abundantly clear to me that my real obstacle is my HEAD! Freaking mental blocks are the WORST in a run!
But we finished our first 4 miler with an average mile time of 10 minutes/mile. Pretty stellar! We've been able to keep it at the 10 or under pace since our first start week, and typically only bump up to the at 10 minutes/mile mark when we up our mileage.
That run marked the completion of week 4. Onto week 5 and still going strong!
WEEK 5 STATS
Total Miles Run - approximately 11
Total Miles Planned - 10
Total Miles Walked - approximately 6.5
Hot Yoga Classes - 1
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Training Week #4
This last week's training is something I feel is a testament in my ability to be versatile and stay true to my training schedule. The week began as all other training weeks have been so far. My Monday night run with Jenny for a solid 2 miler. Tuesday night, no Bikram this week unfortunately as I was working on getting packed for my trip down to San Diego, the 3 day trip up the coast with mom, and had limited time to get prepped. So instead I pulled another running night, and did 2 miles around Green Lake on my own. Had to say I was proud of myself. When running on my own I tend to be a little less focused and sometimes find it harder to stay on track. But I did the whole two miles on my own! Yay for me!
Wednesday was my travel day, and so no work out (felt REALLY weird!). But since I missed my run on the previous night, I was determined to make it up. So I woke up at the crack of dawn and was on the road running by 6:45am. I hit the downtown SD waterfront and did another 2 mile run. Let me tell ya something ladies and gents, SD is WAY different than Seattle. It was much more humid and it definitely felt more strenuous to run there. But I pulled it out and did the two miles. Give it I was at a much slower pace, but it got done! I also pulled in my cross training as I normally would on a Thursday, and did it by doing an hour and a half dance class with my fave Bridgie! :)
And then we hit the road for the 3 day coastal adventure....14 hour day on the road Friday. (thank GOD it was my rest night!!). Then Saturday am before we hit the road again I went and ran a mile on the treadmill at the hotel, and did another 5-10 minutes of walking (including going backwards on an incline - oh my buttox is going to look FAB!) Then another 9 hours of driving up the coast. Sunday after a short 3 hour drive I spent the day recooping (2 hour nap man!) and then hanging with the fam. Then met up with Jenny for our 3 miler run that evening.
Almost every night was against what I'd done the last 3 weeks, but I pulled it out and it felt good. To know that my week could go topsy turvy and that I could maintain my progress, and even go further. The 3 miler on Sunday actually felt the best so far, and thats on top of how tired I was from the whole weekend.
And now - I sit looking over the next 17 weeks (yes SEVENTEEN!) and there are no more easy 1 or 2 mile runs. Its 3+ miles from here on out. Its scary, but at the same time invigorating. To know I've completed a solid MONTH of training. And still feel like I'm going strong. So cheers to me and to my fabulous running partner Jenny! We're trucking on and not looking back!
Month 1 - COMPLETE!
Total Miles Run - approximately 30
Total Miles Walked - approximately 10
Total Mileage Completed - 40
I'll report back on what our average mile time is. Just don't have it with me at the moment! :)
xoxo
Ames
Wednesday was my travel day, and so no work out (felt REALLY weird!). But since I missed my run on the previous night, I was determined to make it up. So I woke up at the crack of dawn and was on the road running by 6:45am. I hit the downtown SD waterfront and did another 2 mile run. Let me tell ya something ladies and gents, SD is WAY different than Seattle. It was much more humid and it definitely felt more strenuous to run there. But I pulled it out and did the two miles. Give it I was at a much slower pace, but it got done! I also pulled in my cross training as I normally would on a Thursday, and did it by doing an hour and a half dance class with my fave Bridgie! :)
And then we hit the road for the 3 day coastal adventure....14 hour day on the road Friday. (thank GOD it was my rest night!!). Then Saturday am before we hit the road again I went and ran a mile on the treadmill at the hotel, and did another 5-10 minutes of walking (including going backwards on an incline - oh my buttox is going to look FAB!) Then another 9 hours of driving up the coast. Sunday after a short 3 hour drive I spent the day recooping (2 hour nap man!) and then hanging with the fam. Then met up with Jenny for our 3 miler run that evening.
Almost every night was against what I'd done the last 3 weeks, but I pulled it out and it felt good. To know that my week could go topsy turvy and that I could maintain my progress, and even go further. The 3 miler on Sunday actually felt the best so far, and thats on top of how tired I was from the whole weekend.
And now - I sit looking over the next 17 weeks (yes SEVENTEEN!) and there are no more easy 1 or 2 mile runs. Its 3+ miles from here on out. Its scary, but at the same time invigorating. To know I've completed a solid MONTH of training. And still feel like I'm going strong. So cheers to me and to my fabulous running partner Jenny! We're trucking on and not looking back!
Month 1 - COMPLETE!
Total Miles Run - approximately 30
Total Miles Walked - approximately 10
Total Mileage Completed - 40
I'll report back on what our average mile time is. Just don't have it with me at the moment! :)
xoxo
Ames
A Coastal Voyage!
It has been nearly two years since I've made my move to the Pacific Northwest. TWO years?! Already!? I feel like I just got here yesterday. There can't possibly have been two years that have lapsed that quickly! But yet its the truth. As evidenced by my nearly 2 year old nephew Alexander who was born just one month after I moved up here.
To say that the last two years have been a rollercoaster would be an understatement, but I feel like I've gotten my footing and am thoroughly enjoying this life I've created for myself. Now to say whether or not my life will stay put in Seattle is hard to say. I've definitely still got the itch to experience life in more cities (New York, Chicago, London, etc.) I could absolutely see myself continuing to skip around states for awhile. There's so much to see and live and experience I almost can't stand it! But all that will come soon enough!
I do know that for at least the next couple of years I will be staying put in Seattle, and that is largely due to the fact that the majority of my immediate family is here. My sister, brother-in-law, nephew.....AND now offiically my MOM! :-)
That is right folks. After this past weekend my mother is now officially moved to Seattle, and needless to say Amanda and I are thrilled to have her here with us. This has been a long time coming (at least 2 years worth of discussion - since I made the move up here). With both daughters and her grandson up here, the logical choice for her was to move close to us. So thats exactly what she did!
I met mom down in San Diego on Thursday, and starting Friday morning we headed off in her little Hyundai and made the coastal voyage up to Seattle. It took 2 1/2 days of driving, lots of quality time, bathroom breaks, hilarious picture taking opportunities, some not so funny traffic jams, but we made it! With all of our hair in place, limbs firmly attached to our bodies, no scrapes or scratches, and the car in one piece! All in all a successful trip!
And now, mom is settling in with me at my Green Lake townhome. Given that my roommate moved to Minneapolis and I was in need of someone to fill the second room until my friend Jillian could move in at the end of her lease, it just happened to work out perfectly that mom was moving up at the time she did. I'm so excited to have her close by and be able to have her around full time! Its amazing how the powers that be can line everything up in a way you don't quite understand at first, but that once you pay attention unfold into the most intertwined series of events!
SO! Now to recap the beautiful journey we took of the coast!!
Day 1 - Coastal California!
Mom and I were on the road by 5am from San Diego! Yes 5am...and for those who know me I am NOT a morning person...AT ALL! But with coffee in hand we headed off on a drive up the California coast. First destination was Concord, CA (About an hour south of Sacramento). It was an estimated 10 1/2 hour drive for the first day!
I took the drivers seat for the first day and we drove up the 1 for majority of the day. Taking our time and enjoying all of the coast. Stopping for breakfast in Pismo Beach, and along the way for little stops and pictures. Mom was in charge of the camera.....needless to say the first days pics were of the inside of the car, her knee, a missed sign :)
I have to give her major crap for it too because its what I do best! I believe the first line in a daughter's job description is to torture her parents mercilessly...and I take my job VERY seriously!
Don't worry though! I've discarded those photos and left those that were discernable here in the blog :)
All in all the day was absolutely amazing. Beautiful scenery, great conversation, limited traffic.....that is until 5pm when we hit the Oakland area....UGH! Let me tell you it took us an hour and a half to go 40 miles...Northern California I HATE YOU!.....California reminded me in just ONE day about how I LOVE it and HATE IT! But we survived....barely. With our stops in Pismo Beach, other spots, and the traffic, we didn't arrive until about 7pm that evening. 14 hours later we enjoyed a beer at dinner and hit the hay early!
Day TWO! Oregon Bound!
We started day two off much happier than we ended day one (Stupid effing traffic!!!). Especially with coffee in hand! Day two was split drivingwise between my mom and I. She started the day finishing up the rest of California, and I took over once we hit Oregon.
I have to say that day two proved to be not as breathtaking on the scenery scale, but no traffic was a HUGE blessing. AND mom and I put our foot down and shaved off a total HOUR or more off the estimated drive time. We left at 8:30am and arrived in Portland by 6:30pm, and this included an hour rest stop for lunch and gasing up (FYI - Oregon is a state in which you CANNOT pump your own gas....remind me NEVER to move there because OH MY WORD...20 minutes to get gas...REALLY PEOPLE?!
Anyway - Concord to Medford took about 5 hours, and then I took the wheel and made it from Medford to Portland in 4 hours. Crazy how the California coast took us approximately 16 hours to drive....Oregon - a mere 4 1/2. WHOA
The mountains along the way though were some of the most gorgeous I've seen, and mom thoroughly enjoyed the downward slopes throughout the drive. Again - at the end of our drive we stopped in Portland for a nice dinner and a beer of course.
Day 3! The final HOURS!
Heading out on our final day, mom took the wheel! Mostly because I wanted to make sure I got good photos of the last pieces of our trip.....sorry mom but its the truth :)
The trip from Portland to Seattle is a very short sweet trip. 3 hours in total (we made in just under 3....speed demons that we are!) And along the way I actually found a LARGE stretch of freeway thats 70 mph! HOLY CRAP?! that happens in WASHINGTON?! the SLOWEST state EVER?! I got pictures to evidence it don't you worry!
Anywho - we made the trip in and immediately found ourselves breakfast at the nearby bar and grill...along with Mimosas to celebrate!
It was a huge accomplishment! Not only to get mom up to Seattle...but I realized during the trip that I have now driven the entire west coast...from the Mexico border to the Canadian Border! Pretty awesome if you ask me! But cheers to new adventures to come! So glad to have you with us mom! I love you and am so glad we made the trip together!
To say that the last two years have been a rollercoaster would be an understatement, but I feel like I've gotten my footing and am thoroughly enjoying this life I've created for myself. Now to say whether or not my life will stay put in Seattle is hard to say. I've definitely still got the itch to experience life in more cities (New York, Chicago, London, etc.) I could absolutely see myself continuing to skip around states for awhile. There's so much to see and live and experience I almost can't stand it! But all that will come soon enough!
I do know that for at least the next couple of years I will be staying put in Seattle, and that is largely due to the fact that the majority of my immediate family is here. My sister, brother-in-law, nephew.....AND now offiically my MOM! :-)
That is right folks. After this past weekend my mother is now officially moved to Seattle, and needless to say Amanda and I are thrilled to have her here with us. This has been a long time coming (at least 2 years worth of discussion - since I made the move up here). With both daughters and her grandson up here, the logical choice for her was to move close to us. So thats exactly what she did!
I met mom down in San Diego on Thursday, and starting Friday morning we headed off in her little Hyundai and made the coastal voyage up to Seattle. It took 2 1/2 days of driving, lots of quality time, bathroom breaks, hilarious picture taking opportunities, some not so funny traffic jams, but we made it! With all of our hair in place, limbs firmly attached to our bodies, no scrapes or scratches, and the car in one piece! All in all a successful trip!
And now, mom is settling in with me at my Green Lake townhome. Given that my roommate moved to Minneapolis and I was in need of someone to fill the second room until my friend Jillian could move in at the end of her lease, it just happened to work out perfectly that mom was moving up at the time she did. I'm so excited to have her close by and be able to have her around full time! Its amazing how the powers that be can line everything up in a way you don't quite understand at first, but that once you pay attention unfold into the most intertwined series of events!
SO! Now to recap the beautiful journey we took of the coast!!
Day 1 - Coastal California!
Mom and I were on the road by 5am from San Diego! Yes 5am...and for those who know me I am NOT a morning person...AT ALL! But with coffee in hand we headed off on a drive up the California coast. First destination was Concord, CA (About an hour south of Sacramento). It was an estimated 10 1/2 hour drive for the first day!
I took the drivers seat for the first day and we drove up the 1 for majority of the day. Taking our time and enjoying all of the coast. Stopping for breakfast in Pismo Beach, and along the way for little stops and pictures. Mom was in charge of the camera.....needless to say the first days pics were of the inside of the car, her knee, a missed sign :)
I have to give her major crap for it too because its what I do best! I believe the first line in a daughter's job description is to torture her parents mercilessly...and I take my job VERY seriously!
Don't worry though! I've discarded those photos and left those that were discernable here in the blog :)
All in all the day was absolutely amazing. Beautiful scenery, great conversation, limited traffic.....that is until 5pm when we hit the Oakland area....UGH! Let me tell you it took us an hour and a half to go 40 miles...Northern California I HATE YOU!.....California reminded me in just ONE day about how I LOVE it and HATE IT! But we survived....barely. With our stops in Pismo Beach, other spots, and the traffic, we didn't arrive until about 7pm that evening. 14 hours later we enjoyed a beer at dinner and hit the hay early!
We started day two off much happier than we ended day one (Stupid effing traffic!!!). Especially with coffee in hand! Day two was split drivingwise between my mom and I. She started the day finishing up the rest of California, and I took over once we hit Oregon.
I have to say that day two proved to be not as breathtaking on the scenery scale, but no traffic was a HUGE blessing. AND mom and I put our foot down and shaved off a total HOUR or more off the estimated drive time. We left at 8:30am and arrived in Portland by 6:30pm, and this included an hour rest stop for lunch and gasing up (FYI - Oregon is a state in which you CANNOT pump your own gas....remind me NEVER to move there because OH MY WORD...20 minutes to get gas...REALLY PEOPLE?!
Anyway - Concord to Medford took about 5 hours, and then I took the wheel and made it from Medford to Portland in 4 hours. Crazy how the California coast took us approximately 16 hours to drive....Oregon - a mere 4 1/2. WHOA
The mountains along the way though were some of the most gorgeous I've seen, and mom thoroughly enjoyed the downward slopes throughout the drive. Again - at the end of our drive we stopped in Portland for a nice dinner and a beer of course.
ALL the crap in the car! AHHH!!!!
Can you tell that I was in charge of the camera at this point?! :)
SUNFLOWER FIELDS!
starting to get goofy.....
wait....Phoenix?! I thought we were in OREGON!?
FINALLY IN PORTLAND!
Heading out on our final day, mom took the wheel! Mostly because I wanted to make sure I got good photos of the last pieces of our trip.....sorry mom but its the truth :)
The trip from Portland to Seattle is a very short sweet trip. 3 hours in total (we made in just under 3....speed demons that we are!) And along the way I actually found a LARGE stretch of freeway thats 70 mph! HOLY CRAP?! that happens in WASHINGTON?! the SLOWEST state EVER?! I got pictures to evidence it don't you worry!
Anywho - we made the trip in and immediately found ourselves breakfast at the nearby bar and grill...along with Mimosas to celebrate!
It was a huge accomplishment! Not only to get mom up to Seattle...but I realized during the trip that I have now driven the entire west coast...from the Mexico border to the Canadian Border! Pretty awesome if you ask me! But cheers to new adventures to come! So glad to have you with us mom! I love you and am so glad we made the trip together!
I'm ready to get this show on the ROAD!
Goofy times again...go figure
First views of her new city!
Welcome to Seattle!
Mom was camera shy at the end of the trip....but CHEERS!
And me...I'm the ham...SMILE and CHEERS!
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