Time Outside

Wow it's been awhile since I posted! So much has been going on I'm not sure where to start. Summer is finally here and I am loving it, we have been busy outside and away from the computer. I realized that I was spending way too much time in front of the computer so I have been spending more time with the kids and doing the other things I want to do. Running has been going well, I have been doing 20-24 miles a week and am hoping to find a new training plan to start next week. I have been enjoying the little break but am ready to have my workouts planned out again. Last night I went for a run at 8:00, I was not fueled properly and tired from the days activities but it felt so good to be out at that time. I didn't realize how much I missed that time, last summer I did most of my runs at night. Running at night is a great way to destress the day, the only problem was that I was up later then usual due to the extra energy boost and didn't want to get up this morning!

Today will be a busy day, running, playdate at the park, cleaning the camper and getting ready to go to the lake when JR comes home. This will be our first camping trip of the year and I think we are all ready. Hope everyone has a great weekend, good luck to all who are racing!

Results are In

The results for the race were posted yesterday, however my time is wrong. My official time is 48:21 which puts me right ahead of a friend that ran and I came in behind her at the race. So I am going with my garmin time, 51:28, which put me 11th overall, 6th woman, and 3rd in my age group. I am happy with that!

This week I have been taking it easy, I tried out a circuit training class on Monday. I had been wanting to do this class for awhile but with my training plan I didn't have time to fit it in. The class was fun, I had a chance to socialize and got in a good workout. Yesterday I ran 2.24 miles on the treadmill before I ran out of time, I planned on running a few more miles when JR came home but he had to work late. I also did yoga, which was focused on the core- ouch! My abs were feeling it after two days in a row. Today my mom took my kids for the day so I did 10 miles this morning, avg 9:28 which was great with all the hills I ran. I was trying to go slow and even let myself walk up one hill, without thinking I need to run it. Now I am off to clean my house and maybe have a chance to enjoy it for a hour or two before my little mess makers come home!

I Did It!

We left for Idaho Falls on Friday, our room was by the river and the kids loved the geese and ducks by the water. The geese have people feeding them all day so they are not afraid of people and will come right up to you. We didn't have any food with us Friday night but I promised that JR would buy some bread so they could feed them while I ran. They were so excited that night it took awhile to get them to go to sleep and then of course Gavin was awake at 5:58. So we were off and running.

After breakfast Brandi and I went looking for the start. We knew the race was around the river but I thought it started by our hotel. We finally asked some runners if they knew where the start was and they told us on the other side, so we booked it over there. The race was small, just a fun run/walk and most of the people were doing the 5k. The course was mostly flat and looped around the river with an out and back section. I felt good for the first 5k, I was going fast and kept thinking I should slow down. The out and back section was hard, it was on a narrow sidewalk next the the highway and I found it hard to keep my pace when you had such a sharp turnaround. The second 5k I passed a few people and then was alone for most of it. I don't have my official time yet(it's not on the website) but according to my garmin I did 6.36 miles in 51:28, avg time 8:05min/mile. I planned on an 8:30 mile, but really wanted 8:00. I am very happy with my time and when I find the official time I'll let you know. Either way that is a new PR for me!

We finished the weekend with the zoo and lots of shopping! It was a lot of fun and great to get out of town. Now I am exhausted so I am off to bed! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Need to Run Fast

Now I know why I was dragging so much after my long run, I am sick! Right now it's all in my chest and I just hope I can kick it by this weekend. I have been taking emergen-c and resting more which usually helps. I don't feel to bad when I run which is good, Tuesday I did intervals and didn't have any problems. Yesterday I ran 4 miles then had 4x200's. I felt tired until the 200s which felt great, maybe I just need to run fast!

Today I am cleaning and packing, tomorrow we'll go to Idaho Falls. The race is on Saturday, afterwards we are going to the zoo, and on Sunday shopping! I can't wait I am ready to get out of town for a few days. I probably won't post again until Monday so I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Mother's Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a good Mother's Day! We had a good weekend. My kids stayed the night with their aunt and uncle on Friday, so I was able to run in the morning. Running in the morning is harder at first but it is nice to be done so I can enjoy the rest of the day. Then it was off to pick up the kids and take Gavin to a birthday party. He had lots of fun and we all crashed when we came home. That nap was just what I needed, I woke up feeling great and cleaned the house.

Yesterday my hubby forgot it was Mother's Day. He was suppose to get up with the kids so I could go for my long run, however he is not a morning person and I could not get him out of bed. When he finally got up Gavin reminded him that it was Mother's Day. Then we just played outside, JR worked on my garden beds (needed to be level), and I cleaned my car. I went for my run in the afternoon, my plan called for 9 miles which I did in 1:19:21. That is an average of 8:57 pace, by far the fastest long run I have ever done. The run felt good but afterwards I was very tired, I should have backed off a little. I also had a negative split, yeah! This week I have shorter, faster runs and my 10k is on Saturday.

Sunny Morning

We woke up to sunny, blue skies yesterday morning after a week and a half of clouds. I really didn't want to run inside so after dropping Gavin off at preschool I decided to try pushing Brooklyn in the stroller. She didn't want to ride of course, she prefers to walk so I had to bribe her with a sucker. Once we were off she had fun looking at all the trees and birds, she loved the bridge over the creek and chattered the whole time. I walk with the kids in the stroller all the time, however I have not run with the stroller since last summer and I remember why, it is hard! It is amazing how much you use your arms in running and it is really difficult when you can't. I tried not to worry about speed and just enjoyed the morning with my little girl, after 2 miles she was done. She wanted to walk and was not going to stay in the stroller anymore! My training plan called for 4 miles so I planned on finishing on the treadmill. On the way home my friend C called and we made plans to take the kids to the park and take turns watching them so we could run outside. That worked out great, we were able to enjoy running outside, the kids had fun and since the clouds and rain rolled in by 12 we were really happy we played outside in the morning.

Slide Workout

As my miles have increased I felt like I could use a day off on Monday, usually on my off days I strength train or do yoga. Finally by Monday night I was feeling better and wasn't tired anymore. Gavin and I needed some one on one time so I took him swimming. I ended up getting in a workout after all. He wanted to go down the big slide so we did, with 32 steps we went up 7 times it was a good leg workout. On the way down my abs were working by half sitting up as we spun around, my abs were actually sore yesterday!

Yesterday was tempo run which I did on the treadmill. I did 2 10 min and 1 5 min at 8:12-8:07pace, I was suppose to do 3or4 10 minute tempos but out of boredom I quit. I did 2 miles warmup and about 1 1/4 mile cooldown for 7 miles at 8:42 pace. Today I have 4 miles and I would love to run outside, but not sure if that's going to happen.

I have been trying different recipes for energy bars and haven't found one that is really good. The batch I made yesterday is ok but only if I am really hungry, otherwise I am not sure I would eat it. If anyone has a great recipe let me know!

Long Run

My kids and I spent Saturday at home so I had to run on the treadmill during naptime. I did 5.5 miles at 8:49avg and felt really good afterwards. It was a very challenging weekend with the kids and that run really helped put me in a better mood.

Yesterday my MIL watched my kids for my long run. Outside was cloudy but not cold and was only a little muddy after raining/snowing the night before. I zigzaged my way through 4 miles before I decided to run on the highway due to mud, mangaging 9 miles at 9:09avg pace. That is a really good time for me. The run felt really good and I am getting excited for my 10k. My times have improved and I am loving all the speedwork.

Intervals

My mom wanted my kids yesterday so I was able to run outside,yay! I thought about doing the intervals outside but it was hard last week because I kept looking at my garmin to see how far I had gone and what my pace was. Instead I decided to run outside for the warmup and cooldown and run on the treadmill for my intervals. The clouds were starting to blow in during my warmup but it was the perfect temp, around 45 degrees. The intervals went great, I did not have any problems. Although I don't think I could keep this pace for miles it didn't feel hard to run at a 7:30 pace.
1x1200
1x800
2x400
2x200
4x100 strides

Then I headed outside for a cooldown. Since I didn't have to hurry back for the kids I went for a couple miles. By this time the wind was blowing, I had 1 mile that felt like I was going backwards. I still managed a 9:05 but I was tired. Overall I did 6.62 miles in 57:35 so I am happy.

Today is an off day for running and my legs were sore so I decided to do some yoga. Since I needed to squeeze in a strength workout I decided to do Jillian's Shred video as well. I felt good after doing the video(level 1), but the yoga was hard! I did yoga for runners and my quads were burning with all of the warrior poses. My legs feel much better though, I really need to add more yoga or stretching to my routine.