"CareFree" Long Run of Bliss

Today I was my long run of the week. My head was totally in the game, and the weather was perfect. It was 32, 5 mph winds, and sunny. What more could you want?!

I rocked shorts, a long sleeve and a T-shirt. Call me crazy, but that's just how I roll. I set off on my 100 minutes of amazing-ness and started visualizing the end of my marathon right from the start. After I saw that I was running a sub-10:00 split after two miles I started to visualize the end of my run. I got to where I guessed my halfway mark would be in...30 minutes. So, I decided to veer off of the roads I know into the ones I don't know. The names made me happy. The neighborhoods are "Carefree North/South" and a few of my favorite street names are: Sunshine Way, Leisure Ln, Restin Lane, and of course, Easy St. After the 8ish mile mark the IT bands started to get tight, so I had to slow my pace down a little bit. I finished the last mile and a half hard, and felt amazing. I probably should've done a longer cool down, but chocolate milk and a chewy bar were calling my name. Today I realized I need to start setting up hydrating stations and running with GU or the snazzy energy jelly beans. I was hurting for energy towards the end, and I think an energy boost and some water would've done wonders for my over all pace. I guess we'll see on my next long run!

Tomorrow I'm starting the "One Hundred Push Ups" workout plan. I'm terrible at push ups, and I need to build up my arms and shoulders....so why not work on both at the same time?! I'll be spending more time on the road and less time in the gym, so this will be a great way to build up my arms. Tomorrow I'm also going to rock out in a yoga class! My legs and butt will REALLY appreciate it! I'm excited!

February is the month for change and butt kicking training, and I think I've started the month of great! =)

Long Runs and Chocolate Milk

Sunday was my first long run of 2010...and my first run over three miles since I left Arizona in June. I raved about it all day at work Saturday, so mentally I was totally ready. Was I physically ready? What do you think?

I'm here to tell you....I was! I set my clock for an hour and off I went. And by off I mean running on my sweet treadmill friend. I didn't want to push my little lungs too hard in the cold just yet. I was watching some extreme skiing where guys get dropped out of helicopters and then somehow made it down the most ridiculous peaks in the world; (pfft) and my friends think I'm crazy for training for a marathon! Anyway, I set my pace at a 10:56/mile just as a base because I had no clue how ready I was for a run this long. After 20 minutes my breathing was still steady and relaxed and my legs were feeling great, so I kept going at my pace. After 35 minutes I started bumping up my rate step-by-step every five minutes to push myself. 40 minutes down...45....50....55...the last 5 minutes! My body felt so much better than I had expected! A little tightness kicked in after 45 minutes, but nothing I couldn't push through. My lungs on the other hand were pissed. I was breathing deep and slow, but it felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. That's what happens with little lungs and a little bit of congestion. I finished out the run, walked my two minute cool down and then checked the milage. I knocked out six miles! I impressed myself for than I can even explain! I did a little bit of stretching before I got home. Don't worry, once I got home I devoted a solid 30 minutes for stretching out my legs while I enjoyed my chocolate milk!

Chocolate milk!!! I know, it may sound weird, but that's what my rowing coach recommended my senior year. If you've never rowed before I'll be the one to tell you that it makes every single part of your body hurt. Fingers, toes, back, legs and anything else you can think of...ouch. We were instructed to drink a minimum of 100oz of water a day, but who doesn't know how important staying hydrated is? Once our winter training, erg season, kicked off we not only hated practice but our bodies hated us. That's when we got the secret. Chocolate milk and yogurt within 30-minutes of a hard workout. I know, call me crazy, but it works. Something about the sugars and proteins help your muscles start to heal so they don't feel so bad later, and the chocolate makes you feel better right away. It's amazing how great it works. I drink chocolate milk after most of my runs these days. Combined with all of the stretching I'm rarely sore. My big test will be after I do sprints Thursday morning...I'll let you know Friday if chocolate milk and stretching help prevent soreness!

Today was a rehydrated and stretch out day. My back sure did need it. I don't know what I did, but I had to bust out the Extra Strength Rapid Release Tylonol this morning because my lower back hurt so bad standing was a challenge. Hopefully after yoga and biking tomorrow morning my back will love me again. Wish me luck!

First Workout of 2010

Well, before I get into how much I loved my workout you have to understand one thing about me. My friends don't only think I'm crazy because I love running so much...they think I'm crazy because no matter how cold it is I won't run in pants. I will run in running tights...rarely. I prefer the shorts, soccer socks, Under Armour, gloves and ear band style. I do have a cut off temperature though...wind chills in the single digits. I like to feel my cheeks when I get home, and I'm a big fan of my lungs. So, sadly, I was banished to the gym today.

Being banished to the gym was excellent though. I love working out when there are tons of people at the gym, and since New Years just passed EVERYONE was at the gym today. My competitive genes got fired up, I ran into people from high school, and had a great sweat. Since I was a rower in college I tend to erg (rowing machine) a lot because I know how huge of a workout it is. I did a mini pyramid workout to get my legs and lungs worked out. The pyramid was 1 min on-one min off; two min on-two min off; three min on-three min off; four min on-four min off; and back down again. I will be feeling that work out until Friday I'm pretty sure. I triiiied to run on the treadmill, but I'm so scared of falling off I run into the stupid bar. I'll give it another try or two before I cut it out of my life completely. Hopefully the temperature comes back up so I can just run outside.

For anyone who doesn't normally run or is training for a race, cross training is very important. I use erging/rowing, biking and yoga as my cross training exercises. Swimming is very beneficial as well, so I'm going to blend it into my routine this year. Cross training helps prevent injury and workout out other muscles that running doesn't. Another bonus is that it breaks up the monotony of doing the same thing everyday.