How many 20 milers?

I didn't run this weekend so I had to make up my tempo run on Monday. My plan called for 2 miles at goal pace, 2 miles tempo, and 3 miles goal pace. I ran at the indoor track and was able to stay under 9 minute miles for goal pace and 8:00 and 8:05 for tempo. Yesterday I had a 80 minute run with hills. I ran on the treadmill and realized that I did not want to run that long so I split the workout up. I did the first 40 easy and did another 40 minutes last night. I did a Nike hill workout and my legs felt it, I was very tired and sore afterwards. Today was an easy 3 then I lifted. I was tired when I started but am feeling better now.

My training plan has me running only one 20 miler so I have been thinking about fitting in another. If I do I will have to run 18 this week and 20 next week, otherwise my plan calls for 16 miles this week and next. Does anybody know if I need two 20 milers or is one enough? Thank you for any information you can give me!

Long Run

Training has been going well, I had my first 15 miler yesterday. It was my first long run in a long time that I had to do alone so I was nervous. Running with someone really helps the miles fly by. I woke up to a blizzard, with a couple inches of new snow. I was not looking forward to running outside but I did not want to run 15 on the treadmill so I bundled up and took off. The first 2 miles were horrible, my achilles were so tight and the road was uneven with the snow. I ran around my house and was ok when I was running with the wind but 5 miles in I had to run against the wind and my cheeks were freezing so I decided to finish on the treadmill. I came in at 6 miles and my cheeks were white, I changed into some dry clothes and jumped on the treadmill. I managed 9 more miles, very boring on a treadmill! Afterwards I took an ice bath and felt good the rest of the day. Today I ran 5 easy miles and my legs are tired, thankfully tomorrow is a rest day.

High Mileage Week

It's been awhile since I last posted and I have been busy. Training is going well, I have never ran so much before! Last week was 36 miles and this week will be 38. Last week's long run of 12 miles felt great, however afterwards I was tired all day. Tomorrow I have 14 miles and I am planning on taking a nap when I finish!

Last week I did strength training 3 times, this week I have only managed 1 session and yoga for 20 minutes. Yoga felt great, I am hoping to start doing yoga once a week because it really helped my legs and hips.

I am also thinking of nutrition for the race. I have used gu and sports beans in the past and want to try something else. The consistency of gu makes me gag and sports beans are hard to eat as I get tired. I think I am going to try gu chomps. Anyone have any ideas?

Hour Long Run

The first week of marathon training is going well. I am running the same mileage as I have the last few weeks just different miles each day. Yesterday I had a hour long run with 4-5 minutes uphill. I usually always run a specific distance so I found it hard to run for time. I was fortunate enough to be able to run outside and ended up running 6.7 miles. The last 20 minutes I kept looking at my watch, I never do that when I am outside. I have a time run every week so by the marathon I should be used to it!

The marathon is June 14 in Provo Utah. It starts at around 6000 ft and drops to around 4500 ft, so it should be a fast course. I'm happy for all the downhill, I will take all the help I can get!

Training Begins

Today was my first day of marathon training. I had a 6 mile run with 2 at goal pace, 2 tempo, and 2 at goal pace. I am not sure what my goal pace is so I thought I would try a 9:00 pace and tempo around 8:30. We had a few inches of snow last night so I strapped on my yak trax and took off. The first half mile was hard because the road was bumpy and not plowed, but after that it was fine. I ended up running faster then planned and was tired in the end. I think the pace would have been fine if the roads were better and it wasn't so cold out, I thought my face was going to freeze the first mile. My splits are

mile 1: 8:41
mile 2: 8:47
mile 3: 8:23
mile 4: 8:14
mile 5: 8:51
mile 6: 8:35

Intervals

I officially signed up for the Utah Valley Marathon today, there is no backing out now! My stomach was doing a few flips but I am excited and ready to start training. I found out there will be some more people running the marathon as well, those ladies are trying to BQ and I have no doubt they can do it. My running pals are going to run the half marathon and we are trying to convince a few more to join us.

This week I ran 5 on Monday and 7 yesterday at the track. Today I planned on intervals on the treadmill. I was not sure how that would go since I could not fall asleep last night and only slept 6 hours. I love my sleep and usually average 7.5-8 hours. I started out with a mile warmup and it took the first half mile to calm my breathing. I was feeling a little anxious but decided to try see how many 800s I could do. I ended up with 3 at a 7:54 pace, finishing with a mile cooldown. I felt good afterwards, but I don't think I could have done another 800.

I also received some sunshine from MCM Mama, thank you! I am always ready for sunshine!

Variety Run

Since I still have 2 more weeks before I start my training plan I am trying to up my miles and stay entertained. Today I ran on the treadmill and I have found the best way to run more than 3 miles on it is to vary the speed or incline. I didn't have a plan so I started with a half mile warmup then jumped into intervals. I managed 4x400s in a 7:30 pace before I thought I was going to lose my lunch. Next I decided to run at a 8:35 pace for 10 minutes, then to a 9 minute pace to cool down. I ended up running 4 miles in 33:38, which was great but I didn't make 5 miles like I wanted. After the kids went to bed I decided to run 2 more slow miles. I am feeling good and with a 4.5 mile run tomorrow and 10 miles on Friday I will have a 30 mile week.

Decision

I ran a great 4.5 miles on the treadmill today. My legs were tired when I started out (due to 5.5 miles last night) so I ran slower than planned for the first 2 miles. I upped the speed every half mile or so and finished at a 8:34 pace which felt great. Tomorrow I have a long run, hopefully 10 miles which will put me in at 28 miles for the week. I haven't ran that much since early December, it feels good to put in the miles.

I have also decided to run the marathon. I must admit that the long runs scare me! I have never ran more then 13.1 miles before and am very nervous. I am looking forward to the challenge and for the training plan. I have been floating around long enough and am ready for a schedule.

Sugar Overload

The kiddos and I went to my sister's this weekend for my niece's birthday party. We had a great time and my sis and I had a lot of time to catch up which was nice. Sometimes it seems all we do is run around when we see each other and don't really have a lot of time to talk. The party was on Saturday so we made cakes on Friday night. I baked them and Brandi decorated, she made butterfly cakes that were so cute. I couldn't resist and had the cut out pieces that night, yum! The next day we cooked and cleaned until the party. The party was a lot of fun, then we went out for drinks while the kids stayed with Uncle Mike. After 2 margaritas and more cake and ice cream when we came home I had a major sugar hangover on Sunday. Now I am trying to get my eating back on track!

As for the marathon, I am almost ready to commit. I think if I am going to run one this year now is the time to do it. I have about 5 more days before I have to decide and I'm sure I'll change my mind many times before then!

Which race?

My goal this week is 25 miles! I haven't ran more then 23 in over a month and I need to step it up! I looked at marathons the other night and found one close by in June. There is also a half marathon and I am debating which one to run. I still really want to run a marathon, I'm just not sure if I should do it now or wait until the fall. Either way I am thinking I will have to start running outside early in the morning or do a lot of treadmill runs. JR is busy with work and I just started my own business out of my home, so my days are becoming very busy.

I did try a circuit class on Monday and I loved it! I am hoping to add that to my routine on Mondays, it was fun to work out with a group. We did a lot of walking lunges and I really felt it in my legs the next day! I am still planning on lifting 3x a week, just not sure how often to do legs. I need to pick a race so I can pick a training plan!

A Running First

Yesterday I did Jillian's No More Trouble Zones video, it was great for toning your whole body. It is broken into 5 minute circuits where you do 3-4 exercises non stop 2 times. You need light weights(a couple times I had to downsize the weights for the second round), and while there isn't specific cardio your heart rate speeds up because you don't stop. I am going to do it a few more times before I send it back to Netflix and it is one I would buy in the future.

Now today I hung sheet rock all day with my uncle. JR has started his new job and is very busy so Uncle D helped me, maybe we can finish this room this winter! Wow that is a killer shoulder workout though, trying to lift those sheets over my head was hard! Tonight I was wishing it was summer so I could go for a run. Everyone in my house was either sleeping or watching a movie so I decided to check the temp-23 degrees, perfect for daytime running. I have never ran in the dark but I found JR's headlight and decided to try it out. The first half mile was cold but after that I felt good. It is different only being able to see a few feet in front of me so I went slow and tried to stick to roads that aren't to busy. I did have a few cars pass me, they went really slow, probably didn't know what to think about a single light bobbing towards them! I ended up running 4 miles, and I came in feeling great. I will have to run at night again, and when it warms up maybe I can get my runs done in the morning. Right now the coldest time of the day is at daybreak so I will continue to sleep in a few more months!

Fantastic Long Run

Today my friend Carrie and I did our long run, we usually have friend with us but she was busy. The sun was out with blue skies over the snow capped mountains(I never tire of the view), and it was around 9 degrees when we started out. We both felt great the whole time and had a great conversation about everything going on in our lives. We've both been busy so when we do see each other lately we haven't had time to really catch up and talk about more in depth issues. It was just what I needed, I feel relaxed and ready to do all the things I have to do now.

After the run today I am at 24 miles for the week. I am planning on trying out Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones tomorrow. I love the shred video so I can't wait to try it out. Have a great weekend!

Routine

Where has the time gone? I can't believe it's already January 12! The holidays were good, lots of family, friends, and food! The HBBC helped me stay on track and I was doing really well, even down a few pounds until Christmas when I parked myself in front of the buffet and ate the day away. Now I am back on track with eating and have lost those pounds I gained between Christmas and New Year's.

My hubby was off for a month, so I haven't been on the computer much. He went back to work this week so now I am trying to get back into a routine. Running has slipped into the back burner and I am trying to get back into it. I have not ran more than 20 miles a week in a few weeks. I have been doing other activities though, and a lot of walking. I think this has been good for weight loss. I would like to get the mileage back up to 25 miles a week though.

I am planning on posting on a regular basis again. I also want to thank Amanda for the HBBC, it was a lot of fun!