A Birthday weekend!

This past weekend was my Golden Birthday!  Ever since I was a kid, I always hated that my Birthday was so late in the month, because that meant I had to wait forever to have my golden Birthday.  Well turns out time goes by pretty fast.  I swear, when I was little, 27 sounded so old!  I don't think I'm "old", but being only 3 years from 30 kinda weirds me out!

Anyway, Friday I got my first bunch of gifts from Stella.  It was so thoughtful of her to go out and get me presents.  I didn't know she could drive a car!  She knows me well though :)  Oh, and that rooster thing is a creamer pitcher.  I have always loved the cow creamer things (usually white porcelain), but I kinda love this rooster more.  Not sure I will ever use it as it's intended, but who knows,  maybe I need to have a coffee/tea party!  Also, a 2lb bag of fish, note that is says "Great for Sharing", I don't know who they think I'm going to share with...I thought the bag was 1 serving....no?


Thanks Stella, you're the greatest!


Saturday was nice too, Jake and I decided we were sick of eating what we usually cook up for dinner, so we looked up a recipe in one of my books from culinary school.  It turned out really good. Super tasty and good for you too.  I will post the recipe soon, so you all can try it :) 

Then Jake surprised me with dessert = cake pops!  SO good.  Note there are only 3 in the picture, there was a 4th one, but I inhaled my half before I realized I should take a picture.  It was red velvet, and I'm pretty sure its what dreams are made of.



sorry for the crappy pic, but there is choc. almond (white drizzle), dark choc.(sprinkles), and choc. chip, which we came to the conclusion was just a giant blob of cookie dough :)



Sunday Jake and I took a trip up to St Paul to go to Grand Avenue.  Its such a great place, one of my favorites in the cities.  Full of cute shops and restaurants.  Jake knows the way to my heart and we stopped at some of my favorite places to stock up on some goodies. 



new protein powder to try & spices from Golden Fig, olive oil from The Oilerie, fancy cheese from St Paul Cheese Shop, and tasty bread from Breadsmith


We also had lunch at what is becoming one of my fav. places, Salut.  Jake ordered the Quiche Lorraine and I had the Quiche Du Jour ( that day it was made with smoked ham, cheddar, and a mix of peppers, onions, celery and garlic).  They both came with a mini croissant and I had a side salad and Jake had the creamy hash browns.  I also had a mimosa.  I can't celebrate my birthday (or any day) without some bubbles!

Of course, the afternoon wouldn't be complete without a fro-yo stop, so we found a place and got our fix :)

When we got back into to town, Jake had invited friends and family over to our place for dinner and cake.  My mom made cheesecake and it was SO good!  I didn't get a pic of it, but she had put 27 Swedish fish on the top :)  I got come more lovely cards and opened gifts from my mom and Paul.  Expect to see a lot of this on the blog in the coming months!

I'm going to have to give it away to friends so I don't gain 50lbs!  Ice cream and training do NOT go well together.  But there are a ton of recipes for sorbet and frozen yogurt, plus, if I just limit myself to a serving size like a normal person I will be just fine I think.  But if you have a favorite flavor, let me know, I might just send you some on dry ice!

please tell me I'm not the only one that would be this excited about an ice cream maker



I would say this was Birthday success!  I'm excited for what my 27th year has in store :)

end of the week and plan for week 4!

Good morning and happy Monday friends!  I will  put up a birthday post later, but I had a great weekend!  So much fun and so thankful for all the well-wishes I received and the nice gifts.  Year 27 is off to a good start :)  But before I get to that, let me recap the end of the week in workouts, and lay down the plan for week #4.

I cant believe I'm starting my 4th week of training/base building for Fargo.  The weeks seem to be flying by, and I know the race will be here before I know it.  As cheesy as it sounds, I'm already starting to picture myself racing,coming into the Fargo Dome to finish (fast, mind you), with a giant smile on my face :)  Lets just hope this positivity hangs on until then!

Thursday - REST DAY!

Nothing super exciting to note here...I cleaned my house


Friday - 8x60 sec. hills inside a 7 mile run
              overall avg. pace 8:28

I was feeling SO unmotivated for this workout.  I even had Jake ask some of his Ragnar Relay buddies if they wanted to join me....unfortunately nobody was able to, so I was flying solo.  I had a hill in mind that I've done repeats at before, but the last time I did them was last summer, and it didn't go well.  Its about a 1/2 mile from my house, so I ran there and down the hill and did a little warm up.  Then I started the repeats.I really tried to focus on my form and pushing off as I ran up.  I feel like it takes so much energy to really pay attention to my form.  I notice as I get tired I don't run on my toes and tend to stomp down with my whole foot - which I'm sure is whats causing my knee to bug me - that pounding cant be a good thing, plus I'm not as light as I would like to be for Fargo, so the extra weight doesn't help either  As soon as I noticed this and ran on my toes, my knee felt better.  I just HAVE to practice this, on each hill I go up.  My repeats were good, so much better than last summer.  By the last one my legs were toasted though.  I ran the 1/2 mile home for a cool down.

Saturday - 10 mile easy
                  avg. pace 8:47

This was a nice, fun, casual run with the YMCA morning group.  I love running with these folks.  There is never any pressure to run fast.  Everyone goes at their own pace, and just enjoys the run.  Plus the sunrise was super pretty!  My legs could definitely feel the hills from yesterday, but my breathing stayed pretty easy.  One thing I'm learning is that just because my legs feel "tired" doesn't mean I need to stop or take a break.  If the rest of me is fine, my legs can keep going - its all mental.

Sunday - 6.5 easy
               avg. pace 8:46

Happy Birthday to me!  Soooo....this run wasn't exactly the super-wonderful-awesome-speedy birthday run that I was hoping for.  Probably didn't help that the route I picked had a lovely 2 mile hill at the very beginning, whoops!  I felt slow, out of breath, and clunky.  I was breathing way to hard for the pace we were going.  Plus, by about mile 4 my left knee started to act up again.  I felt it a little on Friday, but nothing to bad.  I felt it a little more today.  No sharp pain or anything like I had in the fall, but I could feel it starting to hurt in the same place.  Again, when I would run more on my toes (up an incline or something), it would go away, hmmm, I NEED to figure this out asap.

Now here's whats on tap for this week.

Monday - 8.5 miles total. 1.5mile WU&CD
                5x800m I pace (3:30-3:39) with 2:30 jog recovery, 4x400m R pace (1:35-1:40)
*due to my paces from my previous workouts, Nichole bumped up my paces for this week quite a bit.  I just hope I can hang on!
Tuesday - Cross Training, 45 min.
Wednesday - 4 miles easy ( 9 min. mile)
Thursday - 6 miles total. 1 mile WU&CD
                 sets of ( 2 min. hard, 1 min easy, 1 min hard, 30 sec. easy, 30 sec. easy)
Friday - REST
Saturday - 7 miles easy
Sunday - 5 miles easy

This is obviously a down week so my total mileage is only 30, I'm also going to get some good strength training in this week.  I'm going to shoot for 3 days of that.    I'm also looking to redeeming myself on Thursday since last time that workout didn't go so well. I am going to get it done outside and hopefully that will help.  Also, the temp is pretty good today, but I think there is a chance for things to get icy this afternoon, I'm hoping the weatherman is wrong so I can get my track workout done!

Also, I'm hoping the handful of Swedish fish I just shoveled into my mouth when I was home for lunch doesn't come back to haunt me today....

deep thoughts...

I just had to write a quick note on something I thought about during my run today.  I was out doing my hill repeats when a man yelled out his window at me, "You're not supposed to be out here like this!".  I wanted to yell back at him in defense, "I'm training for a half marathon!" but I just gave him a glance and kept on running. It got me thinking though.  I got what he meant, "like this" meaning in the cold/snow/winter.  For me though I never gave it a second thought. Yes it is cold, and I had to watch where I step for ice, but the sun was shining, and I was dressed warm, so I ran as I normally would.  It all made me think of this quote that I've seen floating around.

Of course a nice spring day is the best, but all that matters is that I was out, gettin' it done.  And I did, I conquered those hills today, and doing it in the cold and snow made it even better.  I know maybe some people might get sick of me talking about running, might think I'm crazy or obsessed, but I don't think I need to defend why I'm out there......beats sitting around on the couch :)


aaaaaand off soapbox!

icicles on my eyelashes and god bless the rest day!

Hallelujah its Thursday!  Man, I am tired today.  I think I need to start being even more of a grandma and go to bed even earlier.  Because going to bed at my usual 8:30pm is clearly WAY to late.  I swear, I don't know how all the "real" runners do it.  They run 70, 80, even 100+ miles a week.  I'm wiped and I'm just squeaking in at 40.  My house is always a mess (which if you know me, I get really stressed about a messy house - you never know who might pop over!), and I need to go to bed like an 80 year old!  I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I feel like the days just go by so fast.  I'm not complaining though, truth is, I like going to bed early, plus I know I would'nt run well if I was tired, and turns out, I kind of like to run :)

This morning started out wonderful with my new favorite breakfast, oats in a jar!


I knew there was a use for almost empty almond butter jars!


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me do a quick mid-week recap for you all, because I know you all come hear to read the riveting details.

Monday - 8 miles total
                1.5 mi. WU & CD
                5x1 mi. at T  pace(tempo = 8:00), 1:30 rest (45 sec. catch breath)

I did this on the t-mill at a 1% incline.  It had been beyond cold this week, so I thought it best to be inside. This workout went really well.  I felt really strong during the tempo miles.  I started the first two at 8 min. pace, the third I started at 8 and bumped it to 7:55 for the last half mile, the fourth I started at 8 and bumped it up every quarter mile, and the last one I started at 7:55 and increased it to end at a 6:53 (!).  My legs felt good too which was surprising because my weekend runs were probably a tad faster than I should have gone, but I didn't feel that in my legs.  I did notice that my shins were starting to hurt, like shin splints.  I had issues with this last summer when I was just starting to run, but haven't had a problem until now.  I iced when I got home so hopefully that helps.  I also did a 30 min. strength circuit at the gym after my run.

Tuesday - 4 miles easy ( 9+ pace)
                 t-mill run 1% incline, 8:55 pace

Nothing exciting to note here, easy and short run, shins still hurt :(

Wednesday - 8 miles total
                     10x400m R pace (1:50) with 400m recovery
                     4 striders before start

I swear to baby Jesus, if I have to do another track workout in negative degree windchill again I will scream!  Mother Nature, throw me a bone here!  Oh well, these are the times that make us stronger right? (just say yes).  I met Nichole, Jake and our friend Matt up at the High School for a good ol' track party!  Matt was there to help work with Nichole and Jake helped me and joined for a few of Nichole's repeats.  It was SO nice having other people at the track.  100% guarantee if I was alone I would have quit.  The wind was nasty and it was just plain cold.  After my warm up it was time to get to work - here are my paces (remember, I had to hit a 1:50 for each 400m)

1 = 1:36 (whoops!  too fast!)
2 = 1:44
3 = 1:46
4 = 1:45 (this is when my eyes started to freeze shut)
5 = 1:52 (hmmm, too slow??)
6 = 1:41
7 = 1:46 (pretty sure I was cursing the wind at this point)
8 = 1:46
9 = 1:32 (thanks to Nichole pushing me!)
10 = 1:41

Crappy weather aside, this was a great workout.  Nichole pushed me my last 2 repeats ( I felt like I was going to barf on that 9th one!).  I felt strong and in control for pretty much all of my repeats. I was breathing hard, but felt good.  I kept telling myself "its only a 400, only once around, you can do it!".  Even Jake said I looked a lot better than my last track workout, so that makes me happy.  I tried to stay aware of my form and not get too sloppy. Also, my shins didn't bother me one bit, yay!  But that also could have been that they were probably numb :)  Friends like these guys are what made hard workouts so great.  I am so thankful I have people who want to help me, and are up for anything.  Even if that means running at the windiest place in town on one of the coldest nights. I told Nichole that if it weren't for her I wouldn't even be up there running, and I mean that in the best way possible :).  Matt, Nichole, and Jake, you guys are rock stars.  Maybe one day I'll be as fast as you :)

I am so glad its my rest day today.  Is it sad I'm excited to catch up on housework and make some chili? (again, just say yes).  My legs are feeling that workout today, so I'm more than happy to give them a break.  I'll be ready to go again tomorrow!

recap and plan!

Happy Monday and Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day!  If you're lucky enough to have the day off you're probably not reading this and still sleeping - which is what I would like to still be doing.... Its a whopping
-8 degrees outside and I would rather be curled up at home with Stella.


but if i were home i would  force her to wear her sweater and she would just end up hating me..



So instead I'll try to be a productive member of society and talk to you fine people!  Let recap some of last week's workout highlights/lowlights and get on with this weeks plan!

Wednesday (low light) - hard workout

1.5 mile WU & CD

sets of (2 min. hard, 1 min. easy, 1 min. hard, 30 sec. easy, 30 sec. easy)

This workout kicked my butt.  Nichole mentioned earlier that day that she needed to finish her workout and so I got her a pass to my gym so we would get it done together.  We found a couple T-mills and got a nice easy warm up done.  Then it was time to get to work.  I tried to keep my "hard' sections around 7:30-7:20 pace, but it was a struggle.  I had to stop at mile 4ish to use the bathroom.  My legs felt heavy, I was breathing way to hard and my stomach was being a jerk.  My last hard sections I think I was only able to muster up a 8 min. pace.  Not good since they are supposed to be fast!  It was nice having Nichole next to me, because I'm pretty sure if I was alone I would have stopped a lot more.  I just wish I could have done better.  My biggest issue is using the gym and the tmill as a safety net.  I need to get out of my comfort zone and get my speed/hard days done outside.  I always run faster and easier outside then on the tmill.  Anyone else like that??  Anyway, after our run, we got some strength work done.  We ended up being at the Y for 3 hours!  Pretty sure Jake thought I died. 

Saturday (highlight) - 9 miles easy, last 2 at MP (8:35)

                                   avg. overall pace 8:39, last 2 miles 8:01 & 7:41

I don't know if it was the rest day on Thursday or what, but all my runs after were pretty darn good.  Saturday was the best I think.  I started off with J for the first 4 miles and we took it pretty slow.  My legs felt a little sluggish, but my breathing was good.  Once we split (he ended up doing 16 miles that day!  crazy!), I put on my head phones and continued on.  My legs started to feel better, with the exception of my calves being a little tight still.  I felt like I was moving at a pretty effortless pace though.  I kept expecting to look down at my watch and see a 9+ pace, but I never did.  My last three miles were under MP and the last 2 were even better.  I never felt like I had to push to get to those paces, I just naturally sped up and it felt good.  Its been a while since I've gone 9 miles so my legs were a little tired the rest of the day, but all in all it was a good run :)

Here's what's on the menu for this week

Monday - 8 miles total.

                 1.5 mi. WU & CD

                 5x1 mi. at T (tempo pace = 8:00), 1:30 rest (45 sec. catch breath)

Tuesday - 4 miles easy (9 min. pace)

Wednesday - 8 miles total

                     10x400m at R pace (1:50) with 400m recovery.  4 striders before start.

Thursday - REST DAY

Friday - 7 miles total

             8x60 sec. hills inside 7 mile run

Saturday - 10 miles easy

Sunday (Happy Birthday to meeee!) - 6.5 miles easy

I'm excited going into this week.  Wednesday I'll be up at the track again, so I'm looking forward to that.  I also haven't done a hill workout since last summer, so Friday will be interesting.

Oh, also, another highlight of the weekend was on Saturday J and I had a Living Social deal to use up, and so did my mom and Paul.  So we all took a trip to Luna Rossa in Stillwater for dinner.  It was really good food and the service was great.  It was just a bonus that we had a deal, but I would definitely go back.  In the summer they have outdoor seating so it would be nice to go back then.  I had the Italian Chop Salad and Jake had the Mia Maniera pizza.  I didn't take a picture of the meal, but here is what it was.  SO tasty!

The only thing was that they were a little heavy handed with the dressing.  I always forget to ask for it on the side.  It was still good, but now I know for next time.  So if your ever in that area of MN I highly recommend it :)

Alright folks, lets get this week started.  Hope everyone has a good one!  I'll be back to check in later this week.  Oh!  I almost forgot, this is my shameless plug that ITS MY BIRTHDAY ON SUNDAY!  My golden birthday to be exact.  I will accept things that are gold or things that come in 27's (ex. 27 bags of Swedish Fish, 27 thousand dollars, etc...)  Email me for my mailing address so you know where to ship it :)

hopefully my birthday wont be this lame... lofty goals

I blame the Rolling Stones...

Happy hump day peeps!  Hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far :)  I also can't believe we are half way through January - hope everyone is doing well with any goals and resolutions that are set!  If not, dont worry, there is still plenty of time left :)

Lets get down to business...

Monday
Hard workout  - 5x(2x200's R pace (equal recovery), 1x400's R pace with equal recovery)
R pace = Repetition pace = FAST! (:51 for 200's and 1:44 for 400's)

I wasnt as nervous about this one, it was more or less I wasnt sure what to expect.  I hadnt run on a track since I was about 14, and back then I didnt care to work hard, I was just on the track team cause my friends were :).  So I was going into it pretty blindly.  Luckily J-bomb was game to tag along, and turns out it was a blast!  I think I'm going to like the track ( I say that now, ask me in a few months if I still like it!).  I was able to pretty much nail all my times, coming within just a second or two faster/slower.  I was surprised that my legs held  up and never really fell apart.  Although Jake did tell my towards the end my form was getting a little sloppy - gotta work on that!  One thing that did happen was that my calves got pretty tight towards the end.  Nichole mentioned that it is probably because I am running more up on my toes for these fast repeats.  I suppose I never really paid attention, but it makes total sense.  They feel better today, but I just need to keep stretching well and foam rolling.


note the red nose, it was cold!


Tuesday
5 miles easy ( 9+pace)
avg. pace 8:25 - OOPS!

I may pay for this today.  Nichole, if you're reading this, yikes!  I hope this doesnt come back to bite me on todays hard workout.  This just shows that I am clueless when it comes to being aware of what certian paces felt like.  I kept looking down at my watch, telling myself to slow down, but just never seemed to be able to.  On the plus side I never felt like I was working really hard.  My breathing was good and I felt in control the whole time.  I did have some sweet tunes on my Ipod though, so that probably made me run bit faster, this song came on when I had about 1.5 miles left - I couldnt help but get in a groove!

                                                 gotta love a young Mick Jagger!


Todays workout is;
7 miles total - 1.5 WU&CD (warm up & cooldown)
                      Sets of ( 2min. hard, 1 min. easy, 1 min. hard, 30 sec.easy, 30 sec.easy), rinse, repeat

Not quite sure yet what my pace will be for the "hard" parts, but I'm sure I'll figure it out as I go along.  I'm doing this workout on the t-mill.  It's a lot easier for me to keep track of time if I have it right in front of me on the tmill screen.  I'm sure once I get the hang of it I will take them outside.



So I'm crossing my fingers that I didnt screw myself today since I went too fast yesterday.  So if my legs cant hack it  I will know why, and it will be all my fault.  I also HAVE to get in a strength session after my run, so I will be at the Y for like a million hours - lord help me...

recap and this weeks plan of action!

Happy Monday friends!  I hope everyone had a lovely weekend.  Mine was filled with naps, Trader Joes shopping, fro-yo, a glass (or 2 of wine), and freezing my buns off running.  It was downright chilly this weekend.  I think Saturday morning was a 17mph windchill making it feel like 1 degree, then last night it was in the single digits too.  I know its winter and I live in MN but I don't think I will ever get used to it, or like it.  I will be one of those retired people that go south for the winter, or I might just move.



in case you didn't know...



I'm going to do a quick recap of my last hard workout last week, then get on with this weeks plan.

Friday
6.5 mi. hard run. (on TM)
2 mi. WU, 15 min. test run, 2.5 mi. CD
PACES FOR TEST RUN
started at 7:40, after 5 min. went to 7:35, after 6 min. went to 7:21 to the end.

This about killed me.  I knew it wasn't going to be easy, and on my WU I could tell it wasn't going to be a good day.  One thing I struggle with is staying positive when things aren't going the way they should.  So I feel like I probably psyched myself out before the workout even began.  I was nervous about it all day. When I started at the 7:40 I felt pretty good, but after the first 5 minutes it was such a struggle.  I tell ya, 15 minutes on a treadmill feels like a lifetime!  I was bummed I couldn't really follow the plan exactly ( I was supposed to increase the pace every half mile), but I just couldn't do it!  I'm happy I increased it at all, but am disappointed that I couldn't do exactly what I had to do.  It gives me some numbers to work towards, and I know not all hard days are going to be "easy", I just need to figure out a way to not get so discouraged, and to be proud of myself no matter what.  I am happy I finished, and am happy Jake was there with me.  It helps so much to have someone to work hard with and run with me, at least in the beginning of my training.

Saturday
8 mile easy - not sure on exact pace, 9 min. ??
Ran with the YMCA morning group, cold, and WINDY!

Sunday
6 mile easy - 8:42 pace
Sill cold, but legs seemed to come around a bit, felt better than Saturday.

So here is my plan that Nichole sent me for the week;
R- 200(:51), 400(1:44), M(8:35)
Monday - 1.5 mile WU&CD
                 5x (2x200m R pace (200m recovery), 1x400m R pace with 400m recovery)
                 8 miles total
Tuesday - 5 mi. easy ( 9 min. pace)
Wednesday - 1.5 mile WU&CD, sets of (2 min. hard, 1 min. easy, 1 min. hard, 30 sec. easy, 30
                      sec. easy)
                      7 miles total
Thursday - REST DAY!
Friday - 6 miles easy
Saturday - 9 miles easy, last 2 at MP (8:35)
Sunday - 5.5 miles easy, 6 striders, plyos

For today's workout I'll be going up to our high school track.  I don't think I have been on a track since 8th grade!  This will be interesting for sure :)  If anyone wants to join in the fun feel free!!

Also, Nichole recommends about 1-1.5 hours of strength work a week, so I'm going to get started on that as well, just need to figure out what days this week I want to do that on.

Looking at this week as a whole makes me really excited :)  I also have to note that this is the longest streak that I have run before - it'll be 10 days in a row by my rest day.  I'm kind of surprised my legs are still working.


Also, in an unrelated note, we are getting a frozen yogurt place in town.  I saw the sign up on the building yesterday.  I may have to get a part time job there just to be able to afford the 50 times a week I'll probably go.



gummy bears count as animal protein right?



Well, wish me luck at the track today!  And I'm dead serious, if anyone ever wants to join me PLEASE let me know.  I will travel to come run with you - especially if you live somewhere warm :)  That way J-slice can get a break from listening to me whine about how cold my nose is.

sweat in my eyeballs!

Happy Day everyone!  I'm SO glad its Thursday.  This week has been going by pretty fast, but I am ready for the weekend.  Jake and I still have coughs that wont go away, so I havent really gotten very good sleep this week, so the weekend will be nice to catch up on it.

Tuesday
4 miles easy - avg. pace 8:40

Yesterday
6.5 mi. total; 2.5 mi. WU - 4x2min. hard (1:30 rest) - 2.5 mi. CD

Well yesterday was my first hard workout of this cycle, and it went better than I expected.  Honestly I was really nervous going into it.  I wasnt sure what my paces would be, and was afraid I would feel like a big oaf clomping along.  Jake met me at the gym to run along side me.  It was nice having him there for moral support, and knowing I wasnt the only one suffering though the workout :)  I also figured, I will do most of my speed/hard days on the t-mill for awhile, just to get a handle on my paces, and to get comfortable with them.  Nichole also added 4 "striders" (dont worry, I had to look it up too!) into the warm up.  I felt this helped ALOT.  Especially since I havent run fast in a few months, it really got my legs warmed up to run fast during the workout.  But let me break it down for you...
1.0% incline
2.5 mile warm up - easy pace, 4 striders at 7:12 pace (probably could have gone faster though)
4x2min. (1:30min. rest). 1) 7:12 pace, 2) 7:12 pace, 3) 7:08 pace 4) 6:58 pace
2.5 mile cool down

I could have gone faster on the first two repeats, but wasnt sure about pacing.  Now I know that next time I can push it a little more.  But on the 3rd one I literally had sweat coming into my eyes!  I've never had that before - made me feel badass :), and on the last one I wanted to barf at the end.  I had to lean on the side bars to catch my breath.  I figured if I'm sweating that much and ready to toss my cookies then it was a good workout.  Also, inbetween each repeat, I would stop for 30-45 sec. to catch my breath, then slow jog to get to a minute and a half before starting again.

I do have to note that a hard workout makes you feel super awesome.  Maybe I just had a good day, and maybe I wont feel awesome the next time around, but it gave me alot of confidence going into my next hard day on Friday.  This workout also made me feel that I was, and still am pretty clueless about what its like to really work hard.  In the past I would just run, at a pretty moderate pace, and would think it was hard, but in reality it wasnt.  I was doing mediocre workouts and telling myself that it was enough.  It feels nice to know that I can push myself, and am excited to see where I can go :)




red arrow =how i felt before workout, green arrow = how i felt after!


Today is an easy day. 4 miles at 9+ pace.  Sounds lovely and I'm looking forward to it!

Back from the dead and first training week!

Happy Tuesday friends!  I was out of commission most of last week and the weekend with the nasty cold/flu that everyone seems to be getting.  So I was pretty out of it for a few days.  I was supposed to start my first week of training last week, but because I was sick, we moved it to start this week.  Whenever I am sick I always lose my appetite, so my energy is still pretty low from not eating much.  Still have a stuffy nose and a nagging cough, but all in all, feeling better! 

Also, we are pretty much having a heat wave here and its in the mid 30's all week!  Perfect temps to be outside.

Yesterday
4 mile run outside, easy pace (avg. 8:49).

This felt a lot harder that it should have, but I'm guessing its because of being sick.  My legs started out feeling pretty heavy, but by mile 3 (per usual!) they started to loosen up.

Here is the plan for the week that Nichole sent me.  I'm thinking the hard days might just kill me!  I haven't had to run fast in a long time (haven't done a race since Sept!)  So it will be interesting to see how it goes - I will report back, if I'm still alive...

Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: 4 miles easy
Wednesday: 6.5 miles total, 4x2 minutes hard ( 1:30 rest)
Thursday: 4 miles easy (9+ min/mile pace)
Friday: 2 mile WU - 15 min. test run - 2 mile CD
Saturday: 8 miles easy
Sunday: 6 miles easy
Total week mileage = 39.5


For my 15 min. test, basically its an all out effort, to see how far I can get within that time frame.  She has me down to start at a 7:40 pace and increase it every half mile.  Like I said, I haven't run fast in a long time, so this will be tough, but it's supposed to be right :)

Also, it felt very strange to *only run 4 miles yesterday, and at a slower pace.  Its weird, because when I was running on my own, I would make myself feel guilty for not running longer/faster and feel like I should be doing more.  Now that I have someone basically telling me what to do, I don't question it at all and just run.  I feel like the pressure is off and I can just do the work.  Does that make sense?  It does to me....

*"only" is relative.  I understand that even 4 miles is not a short distance.  So as I work to try and not compare myself to other runners, please don't compare yourself to me.  My slow pace may be someones fast, and my fast is probably someones slow, but we are all out there moving along, and that's what matters :)

ok, ugh, sometimes I get WAY to cheesy for my own good, yuck! 

Also, I'm slowly realizing this is turning into a running blog.  When I first started it I had the idea that I would cover more of my daily life/eats, but it kind of fell by the wayside.  Turns out I will write about what it taking up most of my thoughts, and that's running.  So I'm toying with the idea of changing my blog title, any ideas??

(Insert cliched New Years quote here), I'm not that nice, and GOALS!

Happy 2013 guys!  I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season.  But now that its all over, its time to sweep up the glitter and confetti and get down to business in the new year!  I know everyone comes up with goals, resolutions, to-do lists and deep down I really hope that everyone can accomplish a few things on their lists.  But the sad part is not many people do.  This time of year my gym is always packed to the brim with new members.  Thats great, but come February over half of them have left and the gym is back to normal with its regulars and a few newbies that stuck it out.  I could be selfish and call them jerks for taking up a parking spot and a treadmill from me, or I could be nice and say good for them and hope they stick it out.  I will try and choose that option.

Maybe that should be a resolution for myself.....be nice :) Eh, my list is long enough, maybe next year

Since we're talking about goals, I'm just going to get it over with and let you all in on my 2013 goals!  Now last year my "theme" was "Treat Yo Self!" ala Parks and Rec.

basically I was "treating" myself to a year of being healthy and getting fit and maintaining my weightloss.  I tried a few new things, found running and never looked back.  It was a good year :)

This year I decided my theme would be from another of my favorite shows Rob and Big...

(disregard the quality, the best video i could find!)

So needless to say, this years theme is "Do Work Son!".  I plan on getting a little tougher this year and working really hard.  Hopefully I dont end up on the floor like Rob in the above clip.  So with that, here are my 2013 goals:

*  Run with purpose: for me this means to stop dilly-dallying around.  I realized I have my whole life to be a "casual" runner, and right now I really want to work hard and find my potential.  I think I may have some ability when it comes to running and I want to see what I can do with it - I'm excited to find out!

* Start working with a coach:  this goes hand in hand with the above goal.  In order for me to find out what I can really do I need help.  I really have no clue what I should/shouldnt be doing and with going over a few things/options fellow blogger, friend, running superstar Nichole offered to help and coach me.  I am beyond happy that she wants to work with me, and am just hoping to make her proud :)

* Train for & race the Fargo Half Marathon!:  On Saturday May 18th I will be toeing the line at my first half marathon.  This has been a goal of mine for over a year, and I am so excited to know that this time I will actually do it, and hopefully with a great time.

*PR in the 5k and 10k: I did a few 5k's last year and one 10k, and would really like to improve my times to some new PR's this year

*Save $XXX/month:  I really would like to get better about saving, plus a vacation would be nice!

*Champagne date night once/month:  J and I tried this last year on the 3rd Thursday of each month, but fell short a few times.  Leaving it at once a month, anytime, I think will work better.  I love champagne and dates with J so I think this will be an easy goal to stick to.

*Throw away the scale:  I plan on doing this at the end of the month.  I need to get back on track with eating well and get back to my "comfortable" weight so I want it there to keep track, but hopefully at the end of the month I will toss it!

*Read (and finish!) 3 books:  Last year I had the goal of reading more and I totally failed.  I really do like to read, I just have a hard time finding books that keep me interrested.  I am hoping by putting a number on it that it will help me.

* Stop comparing myself to others: This is a big issue for me.  I need to remind myself that the grass isnt always greener, and that sizing myself up against other people just isnt fair.  Mentally it causes to much stress and I need to let it go.  There is a quote that I like that says "Do something today that your future self will be proud of".  I need to start thinking in a way that will myself  happy, and speak to myself in a positive voice.

*Blog once a week:  lucky you...

So far this is my list.  I like it, there are some short term goals and long term ones.  I'm sure as the year goes on I will have little monthly goals to work on, but for now I like what I have.  If you have goals or things you want to accomplish get it out there!  Tell people, post it on your fridge, whatever you can do to hold yourself accountable and go after them.  Guaranteed your friends and family will support you whether you achieve them all or not :)