I need to finish up last week's training schedule documentation. Last week was a terrible week for me in so many ways. However, I was able to do my 3 miles on Thursday as scheduled. We also had strength training to do on that day. Here's what I did
Thursday (Week 1):
50 calf raises
50 2-legged bridges
25 squats
10 planks
Run totals:
Total distance = 3 miles: all running
Total time = 30 minutes
Now, for the rest of the week, let's just say it was horrendous. I went to dinner with my husband on Saturday night and got food poisoning. That meant that I was not able to do my 4 mile run on Sunday. I also wasn't able to do the extra cross-training (which I'm substituting with strength training) because of that. I was really busy on Saturday during the day, so I planned on doing it on Sunday. Yeah, that didn't happen. And you know what? I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I was sick, for goodness sakes. There was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I just decided to not worry about it, and take Week 2 as it came.
So, on to Week 2. On Monday, I still wasn't feeling 100%, so I decided to move my stretching and strengthening to Tuesday. I'm glad I did, because I didn't want to push myself too hard, just to be set back again.
I also had a 3 mile run to do on Tuesday. Before the run, I forgot to put on my knee brace. I knew something felt weird about a quarter mile in, and then it hit me that I didn't have my brace on. I felt it, too, after the run was over with. I will not make that mistake again.
Tuesday:
Stretching and strengthening first:
100 oblique crunches
100 calf raises
100 2-legged bridges
50 squats
5 planks
10 minutes stretching
Run totals:
Total distance = 3 miles: all running
Total time = 30 minutes
Today's schedule has us doing a 2 mile run or cross-training. I'm going to do the run. I'll post all the details from that at a later date. I just wanted to catch you up on what's been going on with me.
-Kristin
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Week 1: Wednesday
Yesterday we had the choice to do a 2-mile run or some cross-training. I didn't want to exercise until Billy had left for class, and by that time it was almost dark out (stupid daylight savings!). So, I did a few exercises on the Wii Active.
Nothing fancy.
20 minutes
85 calories burned
Nothing fancy.
20 minutes
85 calories burned
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Kristin: Half-Marathon
I may not always be able to update this on a daily basis like I was able to the last go 'round. School has gotten me quite flustered as of late, and I'm busier with the kids than I have been in awhile. I will do my best, though, to get these on here at least two or three times a week. If I haven't posted, it doesn't mean that I'm not doing the work-outs. I promise.
This is the first official week of half-marathon training. I have been looking forward to this since running the Tulsa Run because I want to know that the end is in sight. I had to take a week off, however, because of a foot injury. That week we had between training could not have come at a better time. I was able to rest, take some steroids and ibuprofen, and really rehab that foot. So, yesterday when I went out for my first official run, I was a little apprehensive with the foot. It was fine, though. I'll get to that later.
Monday:
This is a strength and stretch day. For this, I would do what I normally do. I amped it up a little, though, this week.
I stretched for 5 minuets.
Then, I did 100 of each of these:
oblique crunches
squats
calf raises
2-legged bridges
I also threw in 10 planks. These were very difficult. You have to hold the position for ten seconds. It's supposed to strengthen your core, which I need help with tremendously. I'm going to do this every time we have a strengthening day, as well as to take the place of the one cross-training day (Saturday) we have a week. Our training schedule this time around allows for us to add an extra "light" running day in a week. I'm going to take full advantage of that. I promise to take it easy, though.
Tuesday:
This was supposed to be a 3 mile running day on the schedule. I woke up super early because I had gone to bed really early the night before. I was having a really stressful day, and I needed sleep. Stress does that to me. I love my hubby for allowing me to go to bed while he took care of things around here. He's an angel, really! Back to the run, though. I wanted to get up before my hubby had to go to work. He leaves at 6:30 am, so I got up at 5:30 am. I figured, it's only 3 miles, so I'll be back in plenty of time that he won't have to worry about being late. Everything was going great, until a dog caught sight of me from his back yard and decided he wasn't pleased. He busted his head through his stockade fence and it really freaked me out. I called Ryan to come get me because I was afraid that on my turnaround the dog would bust all the way through the fence and come after me. I'm sure that wouldn't have happened, but I didn't want to take any chances. Needless to say, I only got through 1.6 miles of the 3 mile run. So, since Wednesday's schedule calls for a 2 mile run, I decided to call it a day and use this for Wednesday's run. It doesn't equal 2 miles, but it was also my first day running since the Tulsa Run, and I wanted to baby that foot a little more. Glad I did!
Run totals:
Total distance = 1.6 miles: all running
Total time = 16 minutes: I had a great pace going! Stupid dog!!
Wednesday:
As I said above, I switched Tuesday and Wednesday. Today's run, however, was brutal. It was not a fun run. I haven't been feeling 100% the past two days. My stomach has been really achy and I think it could be the steroids I was taking for my foot. The pharmacist and the doc both said that could happen. Whatever the case, my run was rough. My legs felt like jell-o and my stomach hurt really bad. At some points, it felt like my heart was going to explode. I chose to slow way down when it felt like that, so as to not overdo it. Because of that, I have a much slower time. I really don't care at this point. I'm just glad the run is over. I've taken my last steroid pill, so hopefully I'll start feeling like myself again. Who knows? Anyway, here's the details for today's run:
Run totals:
Total distance = 3.1 miles: 2.9 running, 0.2 walking
Total time = 35 minutes
-Kristin
This is the first official week of half-marathon training. I have been looking forward to this since running the Tulsa Run because I want to know that the end is in sight. I had to take a week off, however, because of a foot injury. That week we had between training could not have come at a better time. I was able to rest, take some steroids and ibuprofen, and really rehab that foot. So, yesterday when I went out for my first official run, I was a little apprehensive with the foot. It was fine, though. I'll get to that later.
Monday:
This is a strength and stretch day. For this, I would do what I normally do. I amped it up a little, though, this week.
I stretched for 5 minuets.
Then, I did 100 of each of these:
oblique crunches
squats
calf raises
2-legged bridges
I also threw in 10 planks. These were very difficult. You have to hold the position for ten seconds. It's supposed to strengthen your core, which I need help with tremendously. I'm going to do this every time we have a strengthening day, as well as to take the place of the one cross-training day (Saturday) we have a week. Our training schedule this time around allows for us to add an extra "light" running day in a week. I'm going to take full advantage of that. I promise to take it easy, though.
Tuesday:
This was supposed to be a 3 mile running day on the schedule. I woke up super early because I had gone to bed really early the night before. I was having a really stressful day, and I needed sleep. Stress does that to me. I love my hubby for allowing me to go to bed while he took care of things around here. He's an angel, really! Back to the run, though. I wanted to get up before my hubby had to go to work. He leaves at 6:30 am, so I got up at 5:30 am. I figured, it's only 3 miles, so I'll be back in plenty of time that he won't have to worry about being late. Everything was going great, until a dog caught sight of me from his back yard and decided he wasn't pleased. He busted his head through his stockade fence and it really freaked me out. I called Ryan to come get me because I was afraid that on my turnaround the dog would bust all the way through the fence and come after me. I'm sure that wouldn't have happened, but I didn't want to take any chances. Needless to say, I only got through 1.6 miles of the 3 mile run. So, since Wednesday's schedule calls for a 2 mile run, I decided to call it a day and use this for Wednesday's run. It doesn't equal 2 miles, but it was also my first day running since the Tulsa Run, and I wanted to baby that foot a little more. Glad I did!
Run totals:
Total distance = 1.6 miles: all running
Total time = 16 minutes: I had a great pace going! Stupid dog!!
Wednesday:
As I said above, I switched Tuesday and Wednesday. Today's run, however, was brutal. It was not a fun run. I haven't been feeling 100% the past two days. My stomach has been really achy and I think it could be the steroids I was taking for my foot. The pharmacist and the doc both said that could happen. Whatever the case, my run was rough. My legs felt like jell-o and my stomach hurt really bad. At some points, it felt like my heart was going to explode. I chose to slow way down when it felt like that, so as to not overdo it. Because of that, I have a much slower time. I really don't care at this point. I'm just glad the run is over. I've taken my last steroid pill, so hopefully I'll start feeling like myself again. Who knows? Anyway, here's the details for today's run:
Run totals:
Total distance = 3.1 miles: 2.9 running, 0.2 walking
Total time = 35 minutes
-Kristin
Week 1, Tuesday: Joyful
On the schedule: 3 mile run
Billy has been trying to find a way to work out with me without having to run (for now). We came up with the idea of him riding a bike alongside me while I run. We tried it out last night, and it was awesome!
I loved having him by my side the whole time. Even though I couldn't really hold a long conversation with him because of my breathing, it was great to be able to spend that time together. Because he was obviously going faster than me, I tried to push my speed a little more to keep up.
This was my first run in over a week, so I had to take more walk breaks than I would have liked, but I felt strong the whole time. I also managed to beat my best time on the route by three minutes! It'd be great to consistently get under a 15-minute mile.
3 mile run, golf course loop, 2x
346 calories
Billy has been trying to find a way to work out with me without having to run (for now). We came up with the idea of him riding a bike alongside me while I run. We tried it out last night, and it was awesome!
I loved having him by my side the whole time. Even though I couldn't really hold a long conversation with him because of my breathing, it was great to be able to spend that time together. Because he was obviously going faster than me, I tried to push my speed a little more to keep up.
This was my first run in over a week, so I had to take more walk breaks than I would have liked, but I felt strong the whole time. I also managed to beat my best time on the route by three minutes! It'd be great to consistently get under a 15-minute mile.
3 mile run, golf course loop, 2x
346 calories
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Week 1, Monday: Joyful
BRAND NEW TRAINING SCHEDULE!
First up on the all-new training schedule for the Half Marathon was a Stretching & Strength Training day.
I chose to do a circuit training workout on the Wii Active. It's a much more intense workout than with the Wii Fit. I did some new exercises - like calf raises while in a squat. Ouch.
By the time I was finished, my legs, back and shoulders were definitely jello.
Some of what I did:
squats
calf raises
tricep extensions
back rows
lateral shoulder raises
bicep curls
47 minutes
274 calories
First up on the all-new training schedule for the Half Marathon was a Stretching & Strength Training day.
I chose to do a circuit training workout on the Wii Active. It's a much more intense workout than with the Wii Fit. I did some new exercises - like calf raises while in a squat. Ouch.
By the time I was finished, my legs, back and shoulders were definitely jello.
Some of what I did:
squats
calf raises
tricep extensions
back rows
lateral shoulder raises
bicep curls
47 minutes
274 calories
Sunday, November 7, 2010
A New Start! - Twelve Weeks to go!
As Kristin posted a few days ago, she and I took this past week of from training in order to rest, recuperate, and gear up for a brand new training schedule. Tomorrow starts our official training for the half marathon in January.
Unlike the training for the Tulsa Run (9.3 miles/15k), this schedule has us running 4 times each week instead of three, plus strength training, stretching, and cross-training. Kristin and I discussed this recently, and we decided to make the cross-training optional. Training for a marathon is very time-consuming, and the other workouts are vital to our success. So we've decided that if any part of this schedule must suffer because of time constraints, it will be the cross-training.
Now, then. Everything I've read about long-distance running has said that a strong core is key to prevent lower back pain in the final miles of a long run. I have definitely found this to be true! However, during the Tulsa Run last week, my shoulders were also particularly sore - more so than my back. As such, I'm going to focus my strength training on my core, shoulders, and legs. I'll still do some arm work to stay "even," but my focus is definitely be for getting strong enough to carry myself for 13.1 miles in January.
I have all the tools right here at home to complete my training, so tomorrow I start this new schedule feeling refreshed, excited, and ready to take on 13.1 miles!!
Here's a taste of the schedule, this is for Week 1. Over the next 12 weeks the times and distances will increase:
Monday - Stretch & Strengthen
Tuesday - 3 mi. run
Wednesday - cross-train or 2 mi run
Thursday - 3 mi. run
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - 30 minutes cross-train
Sunday - 4 mi. run (Long Run Day)
**SIDENOTE: It's weird that even though I've been looking forward to having this past week off from training, there have been several times where I've wanted to get outside and run, bike, etc. Knowing that I've got 12 weeks ahead of me where I'll be working out six days a week kept me from acting on that inclination. I know that by January, I'll feel ready for a training break again, so I made myself take time off regardless this week. Summary: I've become one of "those" people who crave exercise! Who knew?!
Unlike the training for the Tulsa Run (9.3 miles/15k), this schedule has us running 4 times each week instead of three, plus strength training, stretching, and cross-training. Kristin and I discussed this recently, and we decided to make the cross-training optional. Training for a marathon is very time-consuming, and the other workouts are vital to our success. So we've decided that if any part of this schedule must suffer because of time constraints, it will be the cross-training.
Now, then. Everything I've read about long-distance running has said that a strong core is key to prevent lower back pain in the final miles of a long run. I have definitely found this to be true! However, during the Tulsa Run last week, my shoulders were also particularly sore - more so than my back. As such, I'm going to focus my strength training on my core, shoulders, and legs. I'll still do some arm work to stay "even," but my focus is definitely be for getting strong enough to carry myself for 13.1 miles in January.
I have all the tools right here at home to complete my training, so tomorrow I start this new schedule feeling refreshed, excited, and ready to take on 13.1 miles!!
Here's a taste of the schedule, this is for Week 1. Over the next 12 weeks the times and distances will increase:
Monday - Stretch & Strengthen
Tuesday - 3 mi. run
Wednesday - cross-train or 2 mi run
Thursday - 3 mi. run
Friday - Rest day
Saturday - 30 minutes cross-train
Sunday - 4 mi. run (Long Run Day)
**SIDENOTE: It's weird that even though I've been looking forward to having this past week off from training, there have been several times where I've wanted to get outside and run, bike, etc. Knowing that I've got 12 weeks ahead of me where I'll be working out six days a week kept me from acting on that inclination. I know that by January, I'll feel ready for a training break again, so I made myself take time off regardless this week. Summary: I've become one of "those" people who crave exercise! Who knew?!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Taking a Week Off
This week is kind of an in-between week for us. We have 13 weeks until the half-marathon, and our training schedule is 12 weeks long. So, we decided to take a week off. It couldn't have come at a better time for both of us, too. Joy has been really sick this week, possibly with some virus or infection or something. And I hurt my foot after the Tulsa Run. It's still sore, and I'm kind of worried about a possible stress fracture. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it's better by next Monday, that way I can start running on it again. I had planned to run once or twice this week, just 2 or 3 miles. That's not going to happen now. If I have a stress fracture in my foot, that means I'm not going to be able to do the half-marathon. I am praying very hard right now that it's not. It's slowly getting better. It doesn't hurt nearly as bad as it did on Sunday, so that's good...right? Please keep both Joy and me in your prayers for the next few days. We both need them right now!
-Kristin
-Kristin
Monday, November 1, 2010
Catching up and the TULSA RUN!
The big workouts - the long runs. I did the 7 miler with Kristin two weeks ago and the 8 miler last week by myself at Hunter Park. The latter was tremendously successful. I continue to improve my pace with each and every run.
When I decided to start running this past January, I wrote down specific goals to keep me working throughout the year and I put them on the fridge so I'd see them every time I opened it. The first goal was to complete a 5k - and I've completed three of those now. The second goal was to complete the Tulsa Run. Saturday I got to mark that one off my list as well.
I ran almost all of the entire 9.3 miles through hilly downtown Tulsa. It was a beautiful day despite a chilly start. I was at the end of the pack, but I still managed to increase my speed by one minute per mile! I was shocked to find this out! This was the longest run I've ever done, and with the hills, I would have been pleased to have just matched my previous best pace.
Unfortunately, almost immediately after I crossed the finish line, I started having horrible stomach pains & nausea. Come to find out, I had a stomach bug that was holding itself off during the race because my body had to devote its energy to the running until I stopped. So, I spent the rest of the weekend sick as a dog! There were many times that I said I was never going to run again, because I thought it was the run that had made me sick. I am feeling a lot better today, and I can tell you that I am NOT going to stop running.
I've been able to mark the items off my 2010 list, and next week Kristin and I officially begin the training program for the Half Marathon in Miami. We'll be running 13.1 miles at sunrise on January 30, 2011!
Week 12, Day 6: Kristin
This post is about the amazing TULSA RUN!! This was on Saturday, and I've been ultra busy since then, so I haven't had time to post this until right now. Halloween was yesterday, so I was super busy taking my kids all around town, all day!!
Here's the good stuff. I woke up in a not so great mood Saturday, mostly because I had a horrible nightmare about the race. I tossed and turned all night, so I was extremely tired that morning. That dream was so stupid, but it scared me because everything that happened in it was possible. I went the wrong way. Something went wrong with my timing chip. I twisted my ankle. All possibilities for an actual race, and I knew if it could happen to anyone, it would be me. Luckily that stuff didn't happen, though.
I started off the race at a good pace. My friend, Monique, has a faster pace than I do, so I told myself that I would always keep her in my sight. This would give me something to strive for. As long as I could see Monique, I knew I was doing well. There was a point, though, where it became clear to me that I might be able to catch up to her and run with her for a little bit. So I did! And we ran together for about 5K of the total 15K. Running with her pushed me harder than I thought was possible for me. I am so glad I did, though, because it paid off in the end.
I don't normally run with music anymore because I run alone and I need to be aware of my surroundings. However, on race day, I don't tend to worry about that so much. So I wore my iPod. I used a new running band, and it rubbed my arm raw, to the point of bleeding and now it hurts pretty badly. I'm dealing with it. One great thing happened during the race, though, that involved my iPod. I was listening to the ever-so-fascinating shuffle my iPod was giving me, and the song "Linus and Lucy" came on. I have it on there to lighten the mood up a bit when I'm running. It gives a light-hearted feel to races. Well, when this song came on, I was at a spot in the race where I was at the top of one hill and could see the mass of runners before me as they were cresting another hill. Everyone was bobbing up and down, seemingly to the tune of the music, and I literally laughed out loud. It was AWESOME! I couldn't stop laughing. It was like I was in on this joke that no one else got. The joke was that this was a movie and the soundtrack to the race was "Linus and Lucy" but no one was watching this movie but me. I loved it!
I tried Gu for the first time on this run. It was not my favorite thing in the world. And I gagged while taking it. I don't quite have the hang of it yet, but hopefully I'll get it down before the half-marathon. :-\
So, all of this is to say that my Tulsa Run was an amazing experience! The highlight being that my husband got to see me finish. He works all the time, and usually has to work on Saturdays when most of the races are. So he never gets to see me race. This time, he had told me months ago that if I did the Tulsa Run, he would do whatever it took to see me finish. And he lived up to that deal. He took a long lunch (at 10:30 in the morning, mind you) just to come see me cross that finish line. It was one of the best days of my life, definitely my best race day ever. I cried when I hugged him, and I know he got emotional, too. I just can't even tell you how awesome it was to see him there cheering me on!
Here are my stats:
Total distance = 9.3 miles: ALL RUNNING!!!!
Total time = 1:39:43 (my chip time), which made my pace 10:42 min/mile
-Kristin
Here's the good stuff. I woke up in a not so great mood Saturday, mostly because I had a horrible nightmare about the race. I tossed and turned all night, so I was extremely tired that morning. That dream was so stupid, but it scared me because everything that happened in it was possible. I went the wrong way. Something went wrong with my timing chip. I twisted my ankle. All possibilities for an actual race, and I knew if it could happen to anyone, it would be me. Luckily that stuff didn't happen, though.
I started off the race at a good pace. My friend, Monique, has a faster pace than I do, so I told myself that I would always keep her in my sight. This would give me something to strive for. As long as I could see Monique, I knew I was doing well. There was a point, though, where it became clear to me that I might be able to catch up to her and run with her for a little bit. So I did! And we ran together for about 5K of the total 15K. Running with her pushed me harder than I thought was possible for me. I am so glad I did, though, because it paid off in the end.
I don't normally run with music anymore because I run alone and I need to be aware of my surroundings. However, on race day, I don't tend to worry about that so much. So I wore my iPod. I used a new running band, and it rubbed my arm raw, to the point of bleeding and now it hurts pretty badly. I'm dealing with it. One great thing happened during the race, though, that involved my iPod. I was listening to the ever-so-fascinating shuffle my iPod was giving me, and the song "Linus and Lucy" came on. I have it on there to lighten the mood up a bit when I'm running. It gives a light-hearted feel to races. Well, when this song came on, I was at a spot in the race where I was at the top of one hill and could see the mass of runners before me as they were cresting another hill. Everyone was bobbing up and down, seemingly to the tune of the music, and I literally laughed out loud. It was AWESOME! I couldn't stop laughing. It was like I was in on this joke that no one else got. The joke was that this was a movie and the soundtrack to the race was "Linus and Lucy" but no one was watching this movie but me. I loved it!
I tried Gu for the first time on this run. It was not my favorite thing in the world. And I gagged while taking it. I don't quite have the hang of it yet, but hopefully I'll get it down before the half-marathon. :-\
So, all of this is to say that my Tulsa Run was an amazing experience! The highlight being that my husband got to see me finish. He works all the time, and usually has to work on Saturdays when most of the races are. So he never gets to see me race. This time, he had told me months ago that if I did the Tulsa Run, he would do whatever it took to see me finish. And he lived up to that deal. He took a long lunch (at 10:30 in the morning, mind you) just to come see me cross that finish line. It was one of the best days of my life, definitely my best race day ever. I cried when I hugged him, and I know he got emotional, too. I just can't even tell you how awesome it was to see him there cheering me on!
Here are my stats:
Total distance = 9.3 miles: ALL RUNNING!!!!
Total time = 1:39:43 (my chip time), which made my pace 10:42 min/mile
-Kristin
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