Hill training, cross training, and more

Wow, it's been 4 whole days since I blogged last! I apologize for that, but I have been busy lately and went out of town for a couple days. Where do I begin?

Ok, so Tuesday the 7th was my hill workout. Andrew and I ran the hill portion of the CDR again. The hill portion is a little over 5 miles. If you remember, last time I ran the hills was about 3 weeks ago. We ran it in the daytime, with the sun beating down on us. I had to stop several times and walk. Overall, it was a very difficult run. This time was completely different! We ran it about 7:30 in the evening, so it wasn't as hot. I felt so amazing on this run. Something was just different. Actually, the past couple weeks have been pretty amazing for me. It seems I have come to a point where running is no longer very difficult for me and I am able to get my runs in and feel very comfortable. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I can get out there and knock out my runs and feel great. Anyways, back to the hill run. My first goal was to make it to Oakwood Road without having to stop and walk. This is a little over a mile of running at a pretty steep incline. Sure enough, I made it to the top without having to stop to walk. We did walk once we reached the top, but not for very long at all and I was off again. From then on, I never had to stop and walk again. I felt great. I also tested out a new hydration belt I got from the Nike outlet. People had told me that they were annoying and not to use them, but I didn't have one bit of problem with it, and rather enjoyed not having to run with a water bottle in my hand.

Hill run stats:
Distance: 5.34 miles
Time: 56:47
Ave pace: 10:38 min/mile (Look at that pace!!)
Ave HR: 170 BPM

Ok, so next was a cross training day. I went to Becca's Zumba class for an hour. Did I mention how much I love Zumba. It's so fun to break up my usual routine with some Zumba. After Zumba I went into the gym and did a couple sets of dips, pushups, lat pull-downs, and curls, and then did some core training. Didn't lift as much as I wanted to because I was also being social with Becca, as I told her I would lift with her. Overall, it was a good cross training day.

Next, I went to Weston on Thursday (about 110 mile drive from my house) to work for 2 days. I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express (don't you just love their commercials) and luckily they had a "fitness room". Their fitness room was comprised of 1 treadmill, 1 elliptical, and 1 stationary bike. Lol, it was a cute little room. I can't complain, at least they had a treadmill for me to get my run in. I did 4 miles on the treadmill, which felt like it took forever! Since I've been running all my runs outside, I absolutely cannot stand to run on the treadmill anymore. I didn't wear my HR monitor, but I checked my HR at the end, and it was between 145-150. I ran the 4 miles in approximately 45:20 at about an 11:19 pace. Nice, easy run.

I was supposed to run another 4 on Friday, but with work and driving back home afterwards, I opted for a late night dinner and some putt-putt with my husband and some friends. I beat my husband, so that was fun. I'm going to run my 4 miles today after work. Sunday is my long run day, and I'm going to do 10 miles.

So, that is the recap for my week. Again, sorry I've been missing for 4 days.

Total miles so far this week: 15

Easy 6 miler

So, back to the grind after the 4th of July/birthday weekend celebration. It was more like a binge eating fest for me, lol. I ate poorly at a cookout, then I got two birthday cakes and a dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Sheesh! I was supposed to run on my birthday Sunday, but I just couldn't get away. Yesterday, I planned a trip to the outlet mall in Jeffersonville, OH with a friend and new that would be an all-day event. So, I got up and ran 6 miles at 6:00AM. I never get up early and run because I tend to stay up later at night and value my mornings in bed too much, but I had to do it. It actually wasn't too bad. I remember trying to get up early to work out years ago, then giving up after 3 days, but that's when working out was a chore. Now that I enjoy running, I may be able to do the morning thing. It was nice to have it out of the way. I may try it out and see how I like it.

Back to the run itself. I was supposed to run 5, but made it 6 due to my poor eating over the weekend. I felt great, aside from needing to use the bathroom then last 3 miles, lol.

Here are the running stats:
Total miles: 6
Time: 1:09:34
Ave pace: 11:36 min/mile
Ave HR: 147
Calories burned: 713

Next run: Today; hill portion of the Charleston Distance Run (about 6 miles)
Total miles for the week: 5

Easy 5 miler and new shoes

So, last night I impulsively bought a pair of Saucony Progrid Ride 2 running shoes online without every trying them on. I have wide feet, so it's not easy for me to find running shoes locally. I found this website, www.endless.com, that sells all kinds of brands of running shoes. They are having $25 off a purchase of $100 and FREE Overnight Shipping. What?? Free Overnight Shipping, you say?? That's right! I ordered these babies at 7:50 PM yesterday evening and they were on my front porch today. Now, that's awesome! What's even more awesome is they actually fit. I got a 6.5 wide and they fit. Felt pretty good. However, when I started running, I started having doubts. I started having little aches in my achilles area and in a muscle right above my right ankle. The funny feelings went away about 3 miles into my run and then I felt fine. I think I laced them too tight, too. They have lots of cushioning in the heel, but I'm not a heel striker. There wasn't as much flexibility in the mid/forefoot area, and that's wear I land when I run. I'm going to give these shoes a few more tries before I decide if I like them or not. If I decide not to keep them, I may end up selling them.

As for my run, it was great. I did 5 miles on the Kanawha Terrace. I'm already seeing the benefit from my slower paced 10 mile run Sunday, as my heart rate was a lot lower on this run than it usually is. It usually averages around 168, and this evening it was 153 at an 11:30-ish pace. I felt a lot better and didn't feel as drained afterwards. My goal is to get my HR under 150 on my easy runs and still run a decent pace. I have a tempo run scheduled for tomorrow and a 5k on Friday evening. I'm going to try to hit 27:30 on the 5k.

Running stats:
Total miles: 5.01
Pace: 11:34 min/mile
Time: 57:59
Ave HR: 153
Calories burned: 598

Next run: Thursday, 6 miles total, 4 miles @ 9:40
Total miles this week: 15

Easy 2 miler and Wii Active

I took 2 days off from running after Sunday's 8 miler/hill climb. I started to feel like a bum, not running for two days! I did go to Zumba yesterday, so Tuesday wasn't a complete rest day. I went out for an easy 2 miles this evening after dinner before it got dark. I'm not sure if I was just really feeling good today, or the hill climb on Sunday made me stronger, but I felt awesome running today. I ran the Terrace, which usually wears me out, but I hit every incline feeling super strong and ran a faster pace than usual. I didn't pay much attention to the pace on my Garmin today, just went by how I felt. When I got home, I did a 25 minute workout on the Wii Active. Still loving that game. It had me do bicep curls and shoulder presses, as well as some jumping and lunges. It gives me a good workout. In the morning, I have to get up and go do a 6 mile tempo run before work. I hate hate hate getting up early to workout. I highly value my sleep, lol. But, it will be nice to have it out of the way.

Running stats:
Distance: 2.02 miles
Time: 21:10
Pace: 10:27 min/mile
Calories: 245
Ave HR: 162 BPM

Next run: Wedesday, 6 miles total, 4 miles @ 9:39
Total miles this week: 10

4 miler, Zumba, and I want more!

Yesterday I managed to work out twice in one day. This is definitely a first for me. In the morning I ran my easy 4 miler. It didn't go as easy as it should have. I was going to run it on the treadmill at the gym again, but I was determined to run outside on the Terrace. Like I have said before, running the Terrace is more difficult because of all the inclines. However, it puts me in much better running shape than just running on smooth flat course. It was 85 degrees outside and pretty humid. Luckily the sun wasn't beating down on me, or it would've been much harder. My heart rate is still pretty high for an easy run at this pace, but I think the inclines have a lot to do with that. I'm hoping it will come down to the low 150's with more training. My pace was pretty slow, but it's what I'm supposed to be training at. I try to aim for an 11:30 min/mile on the easy runs, but the heat just slowed me down.

Here are my running stats from the 4 miler:
Distance: 4.01 miles
Time: 47:11
Pace: 11:47 min/mile
Calories burned: 485
Average HR: 163 bpm

In the evening I went to Zumba. My good friend/Zumba instructor, Becca, finally came back from her honeymoon, so I was so excited to go to her class because she is the best. I got a good hour long workout there, then a group of us went to Taste of Asia for some dinner. I ate sushi, yum!

I just want to say how different I feel about working out and how working out makes me feel. I used to dread working out. I wanted so badly to just go home and sit in my comfy chair, watch tv, and take a nap. Now, I want to work out as much as I can. I really enjoy my running and training for races. I'm also really lucky to have found Zumba and that Wii Active game. It's so important to find things that you like to do and that keep you interested, and I really feel like Zumba does that for me. It's not like working out at all, and I get to hang out with my girlfriends at the same time. I just feel better all around. I have more energy and I'm in a better mood. I look forward each day to do something physically active. Plus, on true rest days, taking a nap is like a reward for all the hard work I put in all week and I don't feel guilty about it. I just feel so much better about myself!

Next run: Thursday, easy 2 miler
Next Zumba class: Thursday

Next race: Saturday, 5k

Total miles for the week: 8

Easy 4 miler on the treadmill

I almost didn't run today! My husband and I don't get too many days off together, so I was very very tempted to just stay snuggled up with him in the chair. I was strong, though, and went to the gym for an easy 4 mile run on the treadmill. It was way too hot to run outside today...the sun is just beating down out there. Usually I will wait till the evening to run outside, but this evening is Symphony Sunday at the University of Charleston and I've been looking forward to going to that for weeks. The WV Symphony Orchestra will be playing all day, and there will be lots of food vendors and boat events on the river, plus fireworks tonight. I'm so excited! So, I ran on the treadmill. I went about an 11:30 min/mile pace. That pace was nice and easy and I felt great the whole time. I finished my workout with some abs. I really need to put together a good weight lifting routine, especially for my legs. I'm worried that I'm putting too much stress on my knees because my hamstrings are too weak. Any ideas on some leg exercises?

Next workout: Zumba Tuesday
Next run: Wednesday - easy 4 miler

Total miles so far this week: 4

Easy 2 miler with my new Garmin!

I FINALLY got my Garmin Forerunner 405 in today. I find Amazon Super Saving Shipping ridiculous because I placed my order on May 15 and just got it today. I know it's free shipping, but should it take that long?? Anyways, I was so excited to get it!

First impression out of the box: this thing is huge! I mean, I know I'm a girl and all, but I'm not a teeny tiny girl by any means. This watch is big. Wearing it anytime other than while running would be out of the question. Guys may be able to pull this off. I know Garmin is touting how this watch is smaller than previous versions and looks like a watch, but it is still bulky. I don't mind this, however, because of the valuable information it gives you.

Downloading the Garmin software and intalling the wireless stick took no time at all, and the watch linked to the wireless stick very quickly. The heart rate monitor also links up instantly. The software is nothing special. There is desktop software, and an online website that stores your runs, too. The online tool shows your exact route on a Google map, which is really cool.

As far as accuracy, it was spot on. I was concerned about its ability to hold a signal on the Kanawha Terrace because when I had satellite radio, it lost signal frequently on this road. Not the Garmin, though. Held signal the entire time, and was very accurate.

There are lots of bells and whistles on this thing, so I need to sit down and mess with the settings. I am very pleased with it! I was apprehensive about buying it because there are a lot of negative reviews about the watch out there. Now I realize the people that left poor reviews must not be technically savvy. You have to be good with electronics, or be able to read and understand the manual. If you can't do that, then you may have some problems. Bottom line, I love this watch!

Oh, and my 2 mile run was great!