I can do it!

I ran on the road today...TWICE!  And I LIKED it.  :D

This morning I ran with my good friend Gail who recently had a baby.  We did 4.05 miles in 54 minutes...pretty slow for me, but I'm trying to see how my legs do after so long off of them, and I want to be careful not to overdo.  I knew I still needed a good workout after that, so at lunchtime I did P90X Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps with Ben, and followed it up with Ab-RipperX.  It was my first time doing that particular workout, but it was fun - LOADS of push-ups!  Then the running bug got to me, and I hit the road again.  I decided to run for thirty minutes, just to see how far I could go in that amount of time.  I gave a good effort without pushing too hard, and ended up doing 3.57 miles.  I thought for 2 seconds about swimming tonight, but decided against it.  I'm pretty tired now...think I'll go to bed.  :D

Today was a HIIT day, so I started on the recumbant bike and did 5.32 miles in 20 minutes.  That is becoming a very familiar number to me.  I finished the evening at the gym, doing an hour of Zumba and an hour of Yoga. 

This morning I ran with Gail and Jenna again.  We ran for 1:06:41, and did 5.35 miles.  We were taking walk breaks after every three minutes of running, plus we had a couple of stretch stops that I didn't count.  I would love to go out and really try out my legs, but I'm also trying to be prudent about easing back onto the road.  It's hard to be patient, but I'm glad I have some people to run with who will keep me from over-doing at first.  I'm really looking forward to the Dallas Half Marathon on the 14th!  It's going to be fun to see how fast I can go!  I read an article that said that for every 5 pounds gained, you increase your running time by approximately 5%.  If the opposite is true, I should be able to run a sub-four marathon just by virtue of my weight loss alone!  Of course, I have to take into account my lack of training for the last three months...but maybe the increase in strength will make a difference, too.  :D

Today was also a lower-body-workout day, but I was running short on time...so I had to resort to squats, lunges, and calve raises.  I used the BFL method, doing 5 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6, and 12 again, followed by a set of a different type to mix it up.  I kept my weights between 8 and 15 lbs., but it felt SO easy.  I was sweating when I finished, but probably more because of the temperature of my room than because of the weight training.  I finished off that workout with P90X ab-ripperX.

Later....

Ben came home from work early to get a run in, and I had a piano lesson cancellation, so I decided to join him for an "easy" run.  We ended up doing 4 more miles together.  He said he didn't want to go over a nine-minute pace, and it felt really easy.  I would have run faster if I was alone, so it's a good thing I wasn't!  I had a little bit of a pull in my left inner-thigh...probably from the squats and lunges.  We'll see how it feels tomorrow.  On the last mile, we nearly were run down by some punk kids in their daddy's jeep, so Ben shot a well-aimed loogy onto their car as they drove past us.  Well, the kid driving wasn't about to look bad in front of his friends, so he peels out and backs up to try to pick a fight with Ben.  It was hilarious!  After that, of course, Ben was all fired up and began to pick up the pace.  We ended up doing our 4 miles in 37:13, and that includes the little "discussion" we stopped to have with the boys.  I thought about going to the pool to swim, but after all that running, I'd better spend some time on my traction machine, just for good measure.  :D

I did 5.33 miles on the recumbant bike this morning for my HIIT.  Due to the slight strain I feel in my inner thigh, I'm planning to take it easy for the rest of the day, so I don't cause any kind of damage a week before my race.  But you never know what the afternoon might bring...

I got up early today to run with the gals.  We did 3 slow miles in 37:46.  My legs felt tight, but not in pain, so it was probably just what I needed to loosen them up.  After that, I came home and did P90X Core Synergistics.  I haven't done that workout since my diagnosis in Decemebr, so it was fun to try it out again - especially since it was SO easy!  I felt pretty good about those things for my workout, and was planning to be done for the day, but...

This evening I decided that if I didn't do my Upper Body Workout, I'd probably end up skipping it, which would throw off my plan for weight training for next week.  With the race next Sunday, I didn't want to mess up my schedule.  So I went to the recreation center to get it in.  Joshua came with me, and we worked out together.  It's fun to be stronger than my 18-year-old son, but he is a good sport about it.  He knows he could kick my can if he wanted to.  :D  Also, Ben wanted me to meet him at the pool so that he could run there.  I wasn't going to swim, because I hate getting the chlorine in my hair, but...

I eneded up deciding I would do about 40 lengths, since I haven't swum at all since December.  I thought it would be like starting over.  But as soon as I got started, I could tell that I am a different person than I was three months ago.  I swam 80 lengths at a faster pace than I used to swim, and it didn't even feel like I was working out!  Getting stronger is fun.

Even though we stayed up until 1:00 AM like the fools we are, I got up at 6:00 so that I could go try out my legs for 10 miles.  I ran with the gals for the first eight miles, which was probably good for me, since the left adductor is still feeling funny.  It feels like it's going to pop at any time, so I guess I need to be really careful this next week to let it rest up.  I'm not good at being careful, as is evident by my previous behavior.  We ran/walked the first eight miles in 1:40:14.  Joshua and Hyrum were with us, but Hyrum only did 5 miles.  At the end, Joshua and I ran the last two miles in 18:30...no land speed record, but I didn't want to pull a muscle.  I promised Ben that I wouldn't do anything else today to workout, so I'm going to try to keep that promise.  Instead, I'm going to eat candy and junk food like there's no tomorrow!  Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.  :D

I wonder if there's a way to kinesiotape the adductor muscle?  Hmmm....

Ben and I went on a nice, recreational bike ride this afternoon on our mountain bikes.  We did ten miles, so I might as well count it.  It was a very enjoyable ride.  We meant to do it slowly enough to NOT get all sweaty, but there was this one, big hill...  :D

I woke up at 4:50 AM this morning to go running with my girlfriends, but I got a text a few minutes later saying that it was raining outside, so they weren't going.  Well, I can run in the rain, but I can't run in the rain all by myself at 5:00 in the morning!  So I went back to bed for another hour of sleep, which is probably what I needed most, anyway.  At 7:30 I decided that I should probably get to my day, so I ate some breakfast and decided it was time to run.  I wanted to do the 5 miles I was going to do with the girls, but I also needed to hit the gym for a lower body workout.  So I decided to run the 5.5 miles to the gym, and have my son pick me up later.  I talked my daughter into running with me, and told her NOT to let me go too fast.  We ran at a very comfortable conversational pace, and I forced myself to take walk breaks after every five minutes of running.  Even at all that, we ended up doing the 5.5 miles in 52:46 - about the same pace that I was running before I had to quit for ten weeks!  This felt SO much easier than it used to feel.  I don't know if all that water-running made me a better, faster runner, but one thing is certain - it didn't hurt me at all!  And certainly all the weight training I've been doing must be making a difference.  If only I wasn't nursing this tight adductor - I'd really like to find out what I can do!

Anyway, when I arrived at the gym, I decided to jump on the treadmill to play with my speed, just a little - and I ran one more mile in 8:38.  It was really easy.  I was so tempted to do more at a faster pace, but I restrained myself.  I don't want to sacrifice my race this weekend for a few minutes of pleasure now.

Then I did my LBWO - leg extensions, lying leg curls, calve raises, and Ab-RipperX.  My legs felt good and tired when I finished.  That is the only leg workout I plan to do this week, other than running and maybe some biking, so I can rest them up for the race.  I think I'm good for the day.  I might do some swimming later tonight, just for fun.  :D

Later....I ended up going to the pool with Ben.  I started swimming, but wasn't feeling it, and I considered quitting at twenty lengths.  But then I thought I might as well do 40, and by then, 50 sounded doable, so I kept going.  I ended up doing 70 laps - almost a mile.  Ben and I celebrated by going to Bajio's for huge ensaladas.  :D

It was raining again this morning, so I took two of my boys to the gym so they could get their runs in.  Hyrum did 3 miles (he's new to this) and Elijah did 4 miles (he's my 12-yr-old marathoner!).  I did 3.1 miles easy in 28:40, then went immediately to the recumbant bike for my HIIT.  I thought about doing it on the treadmill, but I have to run pretty fast to get my heart rate up high enough, and I don't dare do that yet with the half-marathon this weekend.  I felt a little tired on the bike because I had just run, so I don't think my levels were as high as they should have been, but my mileage was the same as usual...so maybe I did better than I think I did.  :D

This evening I did an hour of Zumba and an hour of yoga.  I'm starting my "carbing-up" for the race this weekend, but I'm planning to just add extra fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and keep the fat to a minimum.  I plan to avoid junk food altogether until after the race - then...FREE DAY!  :D

I did a five mile run this morning with Gail.  We did it in 1:00:51 - she's getting faster!  Then I followed it up with P90X Back and Biceps and one final round of Ab-RipperX before the race. I had planned on eating good, but I have been starving again all week - I'm hungry before, during, and after every meal! So I got sick of that, and decided I needed a free meal. I guess there's really no such thing as that, but I took one anyway. It feels SO GOOD not to feel hungry for a minute, but I know I'll need to eat again in an hour or so. Ben and I went to the sushi buffet, and even though I ate MOSTLY clean, I ate in LARGE portions. I did eat some chocolate-covered almonds at the end, but I'm calling it "carbing-up" and will go with it. My plan for Dallas is to pack in the majority of my food, and add extra fruits, veggies, and whole grains to build up my glycogen stores. Ben laughed at me and said "You're CARBING UP? It's ONLY a half-marathon!" Thank you, Mr. Ultra-marathon. Anyway, that is my plan...we'll see how good I am at actually DOING it.

I did my 20 minute HIIT on the recumbant bike this morning, finishing 5.35 miles.  Then when I arrived home from the gym, I took two of my boys out running.  We did the first 1.88 miles together, with walk breaks, in the first 21 minutes.  Then I semi-ran home, opening up a little more on the throttle, and finished another 1.27 in 10:54.  It felt good to increase my speed a bit.  After the race, I want to implement just a little bit of speed work.  I'm undecided as to how much to give to this race, since I've only been on the road for two weeks, and I DO still have a marathon to prepare for in May.  We shall see.

I've been experimenting a bit with eating some carbs prior to working out, because of an article I read on active.com, which said that you can get more out of your workouts by fueling up with some carbohydrates about a half hour before your workout.  The article said you can work out much harder, thus burning more fat.  I tried a bit of raisen bran yesterday, and about halfway into my workout, I started feeling really nauseated.  So today I tried some homemade granola, and I felt great for the bike, but about a mile into the run I felt like I was experiencing a little hypoglycemia.  I'm thinking I do better NOT eating before I workout...maybe my crazy blood-sugar issues can't handle the carbs without some balancing protein.  I'm going to play with it some more, and see what I discover.  :D

I spent 22 hours in a car to get to Dallas...does that count as exercise?  Yes.  An exercise in patience and long-suffering.  :D

I only had time today to get in a quickie warm-up for the race tomorrow.  I did a little running on the treadmill, starting out slow and gradually increasing my speed.  I ended up doing 2.15 miles in about 19 minutes.

Yay!  I feel like a real runner again!  I was unsure how to approach this race, knowing that I have only been back on my legs for a couple of weeks, and also knowing that I have a full marathon to run in only a couple of months.  I went back and forth on the issue, because I really feel stronger and think that I could push it harder, but also knowing that my body is unaccustomed to the impact.  Luckily, I met a fellow named Matt at the convention I was attending who was shooting for a sub-two-hour half, and I decided to run with him, to help pace him, and to help pace myself.  His previous race time was 2:11, I think.  We started out with our group, Bill Phillip's Transformers, at the very end of the 9,000 runners.  Needless to say, we did a LOT of weaving!  We ran the first couple of miles in about 18 minutes, and then I told him I was going to start taking walk breaks after every five minutes of running.  He said, "Good, because you're kicking my butt!"  I think I worked him pretty hard, but I felt great the entire race, and was able to converse naturally, even though my pace consistently increased throughout the run.  Poor Matt had to break out his inhaler around mile 10, but I dragged him along until the last mile.  We had about 1.4 to go, and 12 minutes to do it in.  I said, "Do you want to get your sub-two, or do you just want to finish?"  He said, "I just want to curl up and die right now...but whatever."  I could tell he was struggling, but we continued along at an 8 minute pace, until the last 0.4 miles, and then I just had to sprint!  I ended up crossing the finish line with my garmin reading 13.2 miles at 2:00:41.  My official chip time was 2:00:38.  Overall, I placed 2520 out of 9229 runners, was 970 out of 5783 women, and placed 229 out of 1186 in my division.  Not too shabby for two weeks of training, methinks!  I know I could have gone faster, but I think I did the right thing.  We DID take a 2.5 minute potty-break, but sometimes running on an empty bladder is SO much better than sticking it out!  Anyway, Matt decided that if he subtracted the potty-break, he still reached his goal of a sub-two...so I think as soon as he forgives me for running him so hard, he'll be pretty happy with his race.  He finished about 20 seconds behind me.  Maybe I should have waited for him.....nah.  :D

It was a rock 'n Roll Marathon, so we had live bands every mile or so, and only a few cheerleading squads.  The course was nice...some light up-hills in the first 8 miles through some beautiful neighborhoods, and then mostly gradual down-hills in the last 5 miles.  Just enough of a change in elevation to keep my legs fresh.  I haven't had any soreness...so far.  It was a great race!  I loved it!  :D

I was in the car from 2:30 Sunday afternoon until 3:00 this afternoon...alll after running a half-marathon!  With only two weeks of training!  Miraculously, I feel very little soreness - only some very slight tightness in my hip flexors.  So this evening I did a light try-out-my-legs run.  Britnee and I did 2.5 miles in 24 minutes...but we did have a rather long stop after 1.35 miles.  Whatever.  The legs feel good.  :D

This morning was a HIIT on the recumbant bike.  I did 5.33 miles.  I thought about running, but figured I ought to get a day of rest after the race.  So this evening I did an hour of Zumba class, and then followed it up with an hour of Yoga class.  I'll run again tomorrow....

Wow!  Is it Wednesday already?!?

I ran with the girls this morning, but I dragged along my daughter, Britnee, as well.  We did the 5 mile loop, but Britnee and I decided to go ahead and run the last mile by ourselves at a quicker pace.  So we did the first 4.04 miles in 49:02, and then we did the last .96 mile in 8:09.  It felt good to open it up a little.  When I arrived home, I had some breakfast and warmed up, then did P90X legs and followed it up with ab-ripperX. 

This evening, Ben and I went on a bike ride.  Yes, after all these months, I dusted off my lonely road bike and tried to remember how to use the clips without falling on my face.  I am happy to report that my face is still intact.  We rode to and from the Ironman meeting in town, and ended up doing 15 miles in an hour.  When we got home, we pulled on our running shoes and ran a gentle 4 miles in 36:50.  Now I'm going to go strap myself on the traction unit, since I haven't done my physical therapy in a week!  :D

I woke up this morning with my legs and body feeling SO tired!  I guess I DO need a little recovery time after the race...whatever.  I tried to do my 20 minute HIIT, but it was a little weak, as is reflected in my lower numbers.  I thought about taking the rest of the day off, but Ben wanted to go to the lake and try out the frigid water.  I stuck a toe in, and decided it was NOT for me!  Maybe in a few weeks...or months.  :D  So instead, I put on my running shoes and did a slow, short 2.5 mile run in 23:10, just to keep it loose.  Oh, My!  Those legs are STILL tired!  We'll see how they feel tomorrow.  I'm planning to do 15 - 16 miles on Saturday.

I ran with the girls this morning...a slow 3 miles in 34:54.  I think I'm going to continue to run with them, because I love the company, and I can increase my weekly mileage without killing myself off from going too fast.  Spped work will have to come later, after I've had some more time on my legs.  :D

After the run, I did P90X chest, shoulders, and triceps, and then topped it off with a little bit of ab-ripperX.  I didn't get the entire workout in, because I ran out of time.

This evening Ben and I rode our bikes to the recreation center to pick up the packets for tomorrow's race.  Our time for the 13.4 miles, with all the traffic delays (we hit every light!) was 50 minutes.  I ate sugar like it was going out of style to make up for the easy workouts.  :D

It’s been a great day so far! This morning was the Spectrum 10K race. Ben and four of my children registered for it, but I never did, because of the half-marathon last weekend…I wasn’t sure how my legs were going to do, racing after 3 months without running. Anyway, I needed to do a 15 mile run today, in order to continue to prepare for the Ogden marathon in May. So I decided to run 9 miles down hwy 18 (St. George Marathon Route) and then jump into the race in Snow canyon, and “bandit” the run along with my kids. Well, Ben decided that since I would be running so slow, he would join me, and we drove out to Veyo and started the run right on everyone’s favorite hill – one mile up a pretty steep grade, and then two more miles of hill climbing before you FINALLY get to run down!

I really tried to run slowly, taking my walk breaks after every 5 minutes of jogging. When we finally arrived at the race start line, we realized that we had miscalculated the distance, and had already gone 9.86 miles in 1:36:47. I was kind of glad, because I wanted to do 15-16 miles, and now, just to get to the finish line, I would HAVE to do 16! My friend Katie wanted someone to run with for the race, so I agreed to stay with her and chat. We started, and Katie and I went along for about a mile-and-a-half, when I came across my son, Hyrum. He’s 14, slightly asthmatic, and was running his first 6 miles ever. He was walking along the side of the road, acting like he was going to throw up or something. So I sent Katie on, and told her I’d better stick with Hyrum. Well, that was probably a bad idea, because he really turned on the “I can’t do this” act, and after walking a half mile with him, I decided that even though it might hurt his feelings at first, he would do MUCH better using all that energy to run without me, than to continue with the drama. So I told him to walk until he felt better, and that I would go on ahead. I saw a tear forming as I took off, but sometimes you gotta do the hard thing, because it’s right for your child.

I sprinted for awhile, to see if I could catch back up with Katie. Since I was in the back of the pack, I felt like I was flying! I’m sure I scared more than one runner when I came screaming though – but it felt really good to do a little sprinting, so I didn’t care! I caught back up with Katie around mile 2.5, and I ALMOST finished the race with her. It wasn’t her day, and she was struggling. So the last half mile, I took off, and sprinted to the finish, completing the 6.2 miles in 57:04 minutes. My total miles for today – 16.06 in 2:33:51. I guess all that water-running was effective, because I didn’t feel like I had just tacked three more miles onto my long run – I still felt fresh and could have easily continued.

So as for my family – Ben finished the 10K in just over 43 minutes. He said it was easy, and he probably needs to start racing harder, since he PR’ed the race after already running 10 miles and without even trying. My son Joshua (18) surprisingly kept up with his Dad for the whole 6.2 miles, and placed 6th in his division. I was shocked that he can run that fast! My daughter Britnee (17) ran alone and finished in 51 minutes, taking third place in her division, and came home with a lovely new medal for her collection. Hyrum ended up finishing in something just over an hour (not sure yet) but the important thing is that he found his strength and willpower, and finished the race strong and felt really proud of himself afterwards! I KNOW that wouldn’t have happened if I had stayed with him. My son Elijah (12) came in at 46 minutes and took 1st place in his division, which won him a medal, a gift certificate for $20.00 off running shoes, and a free smoothie at Orange Peel. Guess which gift he’s most excited about? Yep. The free smoothie.

I didn't exercise this morning.  It made me feel a little bit like a slacker.  But my adductor muscle was really bothering me again after that long run on Saturday, and since it was a lower-body workout day, I didn't want to mess with it.  I slept in until 7:30, and it was NICE.  This afternoon, Ben came home and invited me for a bike ride.  We did 17 miles in just under an hour.  It was a good pace for me...working, but not TOO hard.  Then we went to the pool, and I did a little bit of water-running (31 minutes), since I didn't dare trust my leg to the road just yet.  I guess it has been a while, because it was a GOOD workout - not like the last few times I went, and hardly felt like I was doing anything!  :D

Well, I missed my morning workout today because I had to make an early morning trip to visit my accountant. So this evening, I did my 20 minute HIIT on the recumbant bike, getting in 5.31 miles.  After that, I thought I'd try out the treadmill for a couple of miles, just to see how the adductor was feeling.  Ooooo!  I felt it right away.  Such a bummer.  I ended up running only one mile, then deciding that I'd better quit and save the muscle for another day.  Plus, my shins were SOOO tight!  I guess all that downhill running affected me more than I thought it did.  I'm going to try to be smart, and skip my early morning run with the ladies tomorrow.  I need to heal, so that I can do 18 miles in 11 days.  Maybe I'll try another mile or two tomorrow.  Anyway, after that, I went to yoga class.  I only lasted 30 minutes.  I couldn't figure out why my upper body felt so tired, and then I remembered yesterday's bike ride!  It's shameful that I felt so tired because of that!  I need to start building up my miles on the bike again, I guess.

Today was an upper-body-work-out.  I used the dumbells to work chest, shoulders, back, triceps, and biceps.  I thought I might try running again, or some sort of cardio, but getting ready to leave town took all my time, so I never got around to it.  :(

After spending 7 hours in the car, I finally made it to the gym of the resort I'm staying in and had myself a nice cardio workout!  I did my 20 minute HIIT on the recumbant bike, finishing with 5.45 miles.  Then I hit the treadmill for a 3.1 mile run in 30:43.  I started the run at 5.0 MPH, and worked slowly up to 8.0 MPH.  Near the end, I really started feeling that adductor muscle pulling, so I backed off and called it a day. 

I took an easy run along the beach this morning - LOVE IT!!!  It's GREAT running at sea level.  :D  I kept it slow and easy, taking my walk breaks after every 5 minutes, and finished my run in 41:06.  The leg felt fine the whole time.  Tomorrow I'd like to try doing 10 miles, while Ben is racing.  :D  Later, we took a 2.5 mile walk along the beach.  Absolutely beautiful!  I love being on vacation.  :)

Today was the Oceanside Ironman competition.  Ben did awesome!  I was able to see him several times during the competition, since we are staying at a resort right on the harbor, where the competition started and the transistion area is.  Elijah and I took an 11.50 mile run during the bike portion of the competition.  We found a trail and followed it up a canyon.  It was slow and easy, with walk breaks.  My legs felt fine the whole time - no adductor problems at all.  I'll be ready for 18-20 next weekend.  :D

We spent all day at Disneyland.  I wore my sketcher's shape-up shoes, and my feet were KILLING me at the end of the day!  Other than that, I ate granola bars all day long and didn't get any exercise...  :D

Ben and I went for a run along the coast this morning.  We decided to run the first loop of the Ironman run.  It was REALLY slow going at first.  My shins totally locked up after about four minutes of running, and I had to stop.  I tried again, but had to sit down for a while.  I think it was the walking all day in my sketchers.  I thought I'd have to quit after a couple of miles, but by the end of the third mile, I was feeling better, so we kept going.  I took my walk breaks after every five minutes of running, but was able to finish the 7.05 miles in 1:12:23.  My legs actually felt better the longer I ran.  What a relief!  Tomorrow we're supposed to be at another amusement park all day - I think I'll wear my running shoes instead.  :D

Later on, I hit the gym for a mild HIIT on the recumbant bike - I did 5.07 in 20 minutes.  Then I did a little upper body work out - a set each of chest, back, biceps and shoulders.  I finished with a little bit of ab-ripper.  I'm trying to eat a little better today, but vacationing is tough on the nutrition plan.  :D

Ben and I did another run along the coast this morning.  I was hoping my shins would be feeling better, but they were doing the same thing as yesterday.  I ended up doing 4.2 miles in 42:01.  I'm thinking I'll have to take it pretty easy from this point on so that I can get my 18-20 miles in on Saturday.  :D

Tonight I did a 20 minute HIIT on the recumbant bike.  I did 5.27 miles.  I'm not sure if I'm sweating so hard because I'm hitting a "10," or if it's because it is so stinkin' HOT in the gym here!!!  Well, at least my sweat glands are getting a good workout....  :-)