Double Digiter & Wine

Last night I went to my Team Luke's Locker meeting.  I got to meet all the people on the team and we talked about expectations, upcoming events, etc.  I am super excited about my future with the one of the coolest running stores in town!  What I found really endearing about the team and it's leaders is that every single member was different and unique in their own way.  We have triathletes, slow runners, fast runners, beginning runners, professional runners, trail runners...just such a diverse group of people!  I am honored to be a part of it!!

Today we went to a local winery for a buffet lunch and to meet up with some friends. (thank you groupon)  This winery is literally less than 5 minutes from our house, yet we hardly ever go there. 

Sean and I took a self portrait...sadly I didn't get a pic of the other couple that came with us :(

Phene was cranky

And we got some free wine glasses

And really the most exciting part of today was my 12 mile run with Erin....Here are our splits: 8:49, 7:54, 7:58, 8:07, 8:00, 7:46, 7:49, 7:50, 7:48, 7:51, 8:09, 7:48

Right on track for where I want to be for the half marathon next weekend.  My hope is that I get 1:45 or under.

It was very rainy but we got lucky and for the majority of the run it just sprinkled.

I am SO thankful I had Erin to run with...she is so consistent and really kept me going!

 

Wordless Wednesday

Okeeblow-ing

• If you have a cold and you have a runny nose go in to the bathroom and blow your nose.  Please don't okeeblow on your desk.  I don't want to hear it, and I don't want to see it.  (And speaking of okeeblow...I used to love these guys!)
• If you have cold and you have an uncontrollable nasty cough, please cover your mouth.  And I mean every time.  I don't want to get sick.

• A friend of mine posted today something about injuries that really rang true to me.  If it's not one thing it's another.  This last year it has been my hip, and when it wasn't my hip it was my back, and when it wasn't my back it was my shins, and when it wasn't my shins it was my feet.  Really I hate to whine and go on and on about it....but geez I need a break. (And I don't mean a break from running...though I know that would help, I mean a break from feeling hurt all the time!)
• We watched Lawless the other night.  On a Rotten Tomatoes type of scale I give it about a 70%.  Tom Hardy is in it and I couldn't help but think of him in the disturbing buzz feed pics I saw the other day...here.  And I couldn't help but think of Shia Labeouf having real sex scenes...here...which was a little disturbing too.

 

 

 

• I was supposed to run 8 miles today but settled on 6.  I was running all weird because my foot was hurting.  I felt like I was running on the outer edge of my feet...now why would I do that??  Who knows.  So, I have to fit in 8 miles this Thursday at the track, and this Saturday I am gearing up for a 12 mile run....Feet don't fail me now!!!  I am trying the Superfeet inserts and what sucks is that I feel like that they are great for my left foot, and they are really NOT great for my right foot....but I wonder would running with only one make me lopsided?!



 



• Last weeks "cleanse" went fairly well.  I only cheated once with a mocha mid week because I forgot my coffee.  I felt better, more energy, less puffy, and actually started kind of settling in to it mid week.  I will say though that chips and salsa never tasted so good after not having it for a week!  I am going to try to keep up with eating better, no snacking, etc...I know it makes me a better runner, and I know I feel better when I am not all bloated from salt and sugar.
• Have you ever ran with someone who "fudges" their time and paces??  You know this really bothers me...I mean REALLY bothers me.  I was talking to Sean about it the other day and he made a good point....Running is so personal.  If you aren't running a race aren't you really only lying to yourself if you "fudge" your paces or miles?  And lying to yourself...well that's the ultimate lie in my opinion.  Any way, it reminded me of this interesting article I read. 

POSE-ing

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early and met Jessica at a track in Austin for a POSE running class.  Much to my disappointment the actual teacher of the class was out of town.  A few of her students taught the class instead.  I figured since we were already there we might as well give it a try.

The basics of pose are the Pose, the Pull, and the Fall. 

courtest of http://www.posetech.com/training/guide/pull.html



We practiced all of these fundamentals with different drills on the track.  It was interesting but really really awkward to me.  I just felt like I couldn't get the steps right, and I felt all out of balance. I understand the basic idea of it....but it made me realize that untraining (retraining) my body to run....well it's going to be super tough.  I am going to practice the drills they showed us, and there were a few pointers one of the ladies gave me that I will put in to use the next time I run.

By the time the class was over I was mentally done.  I had 8 miles on the plan for my long run this weekend, but settled on 6 with Jessica after the class.  It was not an easy 6 miles, but I guess I was due for a hard run, as I haven't had one for awhile.

Workout plans for this week:
Monday - Dane's Lower Body Fusion (done)
Tuesday - RUNGT Group 6 or 7 miles
Wednesday - Dane's Core Fusion
Thursday - RUNGT group 6 miles
Friday - Dane's Upper Body Fusion
Saturday - 12 miles
Sunday - Rest or yoga

I hope you all have a great week!

Three Things Thursday (ok, maybe four)

I thought I would share with you four blogs that I really like lately!  Hope you all are having a great Thursday...almost Friday!!  Yay!!

• Brutalism

What can I say about this blog....funny....clever...and super well written.  Read her most recent "Beaver" post....To frickin funny!

• Two Motivate

Speaking of clever.  This woman is a SUPER athlete...I mean like elite!  And she is my kind of crazy!  She has just the right amount of sense and nonsensical humor.  If you only take a look at one of these from this post...please read this one!  Plus she is a Lululemon ambassador, how cool is that??!!

• Elizathon

I found this blog through another one of my favorites Feet Meet Street.  I love her writing style.  She is training for a marathon and her Daily Mile posts are super funny and inspirational.  This is the first post I read of hers...and after that I was hooked!  My only gripe is I wish she would post more often!

• The Arty Runnerchick

I just recently found this blog and I am really liking it.  She has some good information and I am definitely going to be reading her more!  Plus she does some cool running artwork!

Peanut Butter Pretzels, Pop Tarts, Oh MY!

Last week I ate a lot of junk!  I ate fast food one day, I ate huge portions, I snacked on everything in sight, ate too much sugar, and I even had a diet coke!  I felt like crap....I felt like I needed a break from the junk!  I don't know about you but when I eat like this I start feeling really puffy and bloated, and I have no energy!

Sunday I decided to do a week of eating healthy. Here are my "rules".....
-No sugar
-Only one carb a day...so for example toast in morning counts as my carb, or a baked potato in evening counts as a carb...or a serving of crackers can count as a carb.
-No cheese or dairy (except for the small amount of 1/2 and 1/2 I put in my coffee every morning)

So you see it's not like a complete cleanse....but some of these, like eating less to almost no carbs and not eating cheese is pretty huge for me.  (I have somewhat of an addiction to cheese.)

So far so good.  Monday night we had a great chicken salad with tons of vegetables and Bragg dressing....Last night we had hamburgers without buns and oven baked french fries.  And tonight is baked chicken and....well I haven't figured out our side dish yet.

One thing about eating healthy....or going through a transition from eating junky to eating healthy is that is takes time.  You have to plan ahead, and you have to make sure you have snack options, and that you are still eating, just eating better.  I feel like I really should have given up meat for this week also, but I just didn't plan ahead at the market last week to have another option besides meat for my protein.

Any way....I am hungry....it's hard to break the snacking habit!  Here at my work we have an area with snacks where the sales guys eat.  I keep my ice pack in their freezer and I have to walk by all that food a few times a day....pop tarts, peanut butter filled pretzels, cheese its, chips....there are so many temptations!  My go to now when I am feeling like this is water.  I just drink a big glass of water.  If I am still hungry after that than I will eat some nuts, or a piece of fruit.

Hopefully I can make it through this week and come out on the other end a little detoxed from the sugar, and hopefully I will continue on with the no snacking thing.  I know how I should eat, it's just so easy to indulge!

Fall is here! I am hoping!

Just have time for a quickly bullet post

• Twice a year I do a kid's clothes/toys consignment sale.  Last week and this last weekend I spent most of my free time (like I really have any!!) volunteering at the sale.  Historically I make between $500-$1000 dollars and I meet some nice mothers and all in all it's a pretty good time.  I will say that I was exhausted last week though...between working there, real work all day, home stuff, workouts, running.....I was extremely run down.  I am glad it's over and I have this week to get back to my normal schedule.

• Sunday I was supposed to do a trail run with Luke's Locker but it had been raining for a few days, and being the inexperienced trail runner I am, I knew I would probably fall or hurt myself so I opted to run with Erin and Mick in Georgetown instead.  It was a tough run for me....after a week of weird sleep and junk food I was just not feeling up to running 8 miles.  And this is where my thankfulness to running friends comes in...they kept me going at a great pace, and the miles went by pretty fast with good conversation.  I will say I was done with 8 though...I don't think I could have gone much further!

• Sunday afternoon we took Phene to see finding Nemo.  I convinced Sean to come with me so he could help me keep her in her seat...it was ok...I think Sean and I both agreed that maybe we should hold off on movie theatres until Phene is 4 years old and perhaps has an attention span that last a teeny bit longer.  Again I ate way too much....we stopped at the market before the movie (Yep, I am that type of person!) and got yogurt covered raisins...I probably ate more than 100...better than movie popcorn with butter though right??!!

• 3 More weeks until my next half marathon!  I have been sticking to the running plan and so far it's been working pretty well.  Though my hip is flaring up a little...so lots of ice and rolling out for me this week.  I feel confident I will do well, and hopefully best my time 1:52:50 from last year's SUPER hilly Decker 1/2 Marathon.  This Tyler course I am running has some hills though too, so we shall see!  I am getting nervous already and just pray/hope/pray/hope that I stay uninjured and I am able to run it!

• The weather has been cooler which I am loving!!  But now I feel like I have to dig out my winter workout gear.   And of course I am now on the hunt for some more running tights.  I have a pair of Under Armour pants that I wore last year that I really like and I just might buy another pair of those.  Anyone have any recommendations for winter running pants?  I saw these on the Lululemon site this morning that look nice...But Ahhhhhemmm......$98!  And I didn't see one pair of these in my size on ebay :(

• This weekend I ran in to an old friend...and by old I mean we used to be friends awhile back, not that we have been friends for a long time.  We had a falling out and haven't really talked or seen each other for at least a year.  I happened upon her in the parking lot at the consignment sale and I was prepared to say hello and at least be cordial.  I walked around the side of my car headed towards the sale and her car was on the way.  She was sitting in the car with another girl and they looked at me and laughed...I mean like ridiculous high school girl laugh.  It was the weirdest thing.  In a way I felt really hurt, and in another way I felt sad that she had to act that way.  They were obviously laughing at me, and I know she wouldn't have acted that way if she was by herself.  You would think woman in their 30's would start maturing to the point where you can at least be cordial to someone you once had a relationship with.  Ignore me and I am fine with that...but laugh?
• We are on the first season of the show Homeland.  I am loving it!  It's a little twisted and Claire Dane's character is a little wacky and keeps you guessing.  I can't wait to see the next season when it comes out!

• Who do you think the top 2 are going to be on SYTYCD? We think it's going to be Chehon and Eliana.

Alright that's all I have.  I hope everyone has a great week!

Run Less, Run Faster, and Maybe Injury Free?!

I am historically not a good running plan runner. It's hard for me to stick to a weekly plan of mileage and paces. Since I have started running more competitvely I have only loosely followed training plans.

When I had to take some time off due to injury earlier this year I really had to start to re-evaluate my
training. I am 99% sure my injury was due to over training and just running any distance I wanted whenever I wanted without a proper rest and recovery time.

I know I don't really have to train for a 10K, but when I signed up for a few upcoming half marathons I knew I needed to follow some kind of plan, and make a real effort to stick with it.

A fellow blogger (Trailmomma) recommended a training plan much like the less is more plan that is really popular right now. You do 3 quality running workouts a week and cross train the other days, along with one rest day.

The plan for a half marathon is 10 weeks long and I am on week 7 now.
Here is my version of the plan (I had to kind of tailor it to what days my running group does certain types of running.)

week#	Monday	Tuesday	Wed	Thurs (tempo)	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Danes	4x400	Danes	3	Danes	6	rest
2	Danes	4x800	Danes	4	Danes	8	rest
3	Danes	3x1600	Danes	5	Danes	10	rest
4	Danes	6x400	Danes	6	Danes	6	rest
5	Danes	3x1600	Danes	4	Danes	10	rest
6	Danes	4x800	Danes	8	Danes	8	rest
7	Danes	6x400	Danes	6	Danes	10	rest
8	Danes	4x1600	Danes	8	Danes	12	rest
9	Danes	3x800	Danes	3	Danes	6	rest
10	Danes	4x400	Danes	2	Danes	race day	rest

So far this has really been working for me. I get enough time between runs to recover, and the cross training is more scheduled. I feel sore, but I never feel hurt or like I am over doing it. I also think rolling out every day has really helped me. Most days I even roll out twice. What helps even more is that my run group pretty much follows this schedule. Tuesday's we have our tempo runs and Thursdays we have our track workout. It's been great to be held accountable to the group as well as get in these higher weekday miles with other people, which is much easier than running alone.

Will my 1/2 marathon time improve? That I don't know. I feel faster, and stronger, but mostly I am just happy to be running un-injured. Sure I have my complaints...my back hurts at times, and I have been on the verge of plantar fascitis....but all in all I feel good and it's nothing rolling out hasn't helped with!

Stay tuned, let's see how my races go this fall.  As much as I would love to be running every day, I know my body just can't take it.  I have had to change up my plan, and I am really glad I did!

Double Digits

I wish a camera could capture the beauty of a sunrise, the sky was on fire this morning and it was really beautiful!

All in all I had a great weekend....

Friday night I was exhausted, and Jessica texted that she couldn't do a long run on Saturday morning.  I knew my only hope of getting it done, with some company would be to join Mick's group in Terravista.  (Mick is one of the leaders in my Georgetown running group that I go to on Tuesday's and Thursday's)  I was dreading getting up to meet at 530!

As I was driving there I looked at the weather report and it said that there was going to be 20 mph winds increasing to 25mph as the morning went on.  Fun!

I met up with the group and we started out on to the dark country road that runs along the Terravista housing community.  Let me re-iterate it was DARK!  I kept up with Mick and Erin at about a 8:10-8:14 pace.  It felt hard!  The wind was right in our face, and it felt like we were on a gradual uphill the whole time.  I was happy when my garmin chimed on that 5th mile so I could turn around.  But what I didn't realize when I was running with Erin and Mick, is that it was creepy and again super dark out there.  I really picked up the pace my last 5 miles and had a a couple miles there at about a 7:2 pace.  It didn't feel super hard though and I felt pretty strong until the last mile.

11 miles total...my first double digit run since January!!!  And I wasn't too sore the rest of the day and the rest of the weekend I felt great!  I think this 3 days a week running plan is really working for me!

I was so happy to see this on my running log!

Saturday afternoon I cleaned house and did some errands....Sunday a lot more of the same thing.  But one thing that was AWESOME about this weekend is that we had some cool weather!!!  This morning on the way to Dane's it was 60 in Florence and I turned my heater on in my car!  And looks like some cooler weather is in store for us...at least a little cooler!  (I swear when I looked at this yesterday it said 80's all week, hmmm...I wonder why it changed?  Maybe it was my wishful thinking!)

 
My workout plans for this week:
Monday - Dane's Lower Body Squatting hell - done
Tuesday - Run Group hopefully 7+ miles
Wednesday - Dane's Core Fusion
Thursday - Run Group Track Workout
Friday - Dane's Upper Body Fusion
Saturday - 8 miles with Jessica....or
Sunday - Luke's Locker Road Kill Trail Run

I hope everyone has a great week!!

Inspiration

Happy Friday all!
I saw these this morning, and really liked them, so I thought I would share!
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday a Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Tyler Rose Half Marathon Course

 

 

Holiday Weekend Recap

Saturday
Long run with Jessica at Town Lake.  I got there a bit early and did a quick 1/2 mile warm up...met up with Jessica and stretched and then we were off.  All in all a pretty good run.  Town Lake is always interesting because there are so many people and the people watching is great!  Speaking of people watching....mid run we ran in to drunk college kids topless and jumping off a bridge in to the river.  As we ran past them I could smell the REEK of alcohol....you know it made me so happy to be out there...running...and just enjoying the morning.  I am happy to be older and somewhat smarter.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning house, doing laundry, etc...

Sunday
Sunday morning found me bright and early at Goodwill outlet...my favorite guilty pleasure. Some day I will explain the complexity and amazingness of this place.  It's not for everyone but I really like it.

Sunday afternoon we went swimming and out to our favorite mexican food place for dinner.

Monday
Went downtown early to get in a lower body workout at Dane's.  I am still sore from plank twists!

Monday mid day we headed down to Austin and ate at Hopdoddy's a super uber trendy best hamburger place to eat in Austin.  It was so so....It took us about 1/2 hour waiting in line to order...and all in all I just wasn't impressed.  The burger was good, but a little to juicy oily meaty for me...if that makes sense.  I am glad we tried it, but I don't think we will go back.

After lunch we headed out to Zilker Park to ride the kid's train.  It was almost 100 degrees and pretty humid, so it wasn't the best experience with a 3 year old.  I think we will stick to doing this early in the morning, it was just TOO hot.

So, that was my weekend....I have some pics, but I just haven't downloaded them yet. 

I did order some new shoes...the Asics GT2170.  (Thank you Road Runner Sports for having my size and for SUPER fast shipping!)  I get them tomorrow.  I had my feet measured and I guess my feet are narrow??  So, I am trying a narrow width to see if that helps.  Right now in my Adrenalines I really have to crank the lacing to feel snug on my feet, so maybe this narrow width will work.

Has anyone ever tried the POSE method?  I am curious.....today in Austin there is a Living Social deal for a clinic.  I have read about it before and it sounds interesting.

Daily Mile sent me my weekly mileage total from last week...

I am doing the less is more 1/2 marathon plan and only running 3 days a week.  It seems to be working out for me so far.

And last but not least.....

Congratulations to Erin for winning her 10k this weekend!