Tag: puppy miles

San Francisco Marathon Training Week 11

Another one bites the dust.

Anyone else just start singing that? Maybe it’s just me. 😛

While my week 11 did not see the start of the strength portion of Hansons, it did see my mileage go back up a little. Little victories, right? There are a few perks to running fewer days though. I suddenly have way less laundry to do on the weekends. Which also means fewer clothing items strewn everywhere while they air dry. Also I can wash my hair less, so that’s a win right?

Monday- Rest day It was a fairly busy day at work and it went a little late. Going straight home was kind of nice.

Tuesday- 6 miles Slow and steady, slow and steady. Outside of long runs, I’ve taken to run/ walk intervals. My walk intervals are always .25 mile and the run portion will vary from .25- .75 miles. It’s slow going but I am getting it done. The shin pain was minimal so I’m calling it a victory.

Wednesday- Rest– We were down 2 people at work so I sure felt like I was running around though.

Thursday-6 miles I had a work meeting in another town and about 3 hours in I started to feel super sick. The room was so hot and stuffy, I thought I was going to lose it. And this is coming from the person who runs her space heater everyday at work. I still felt crappy at the end of the day but I wanted to at least attempt to run. River path this time, so more concrete and baby elevation gains. More run/ walk intervals but my shins were still manageable. I was able to pick up the pace a bit on the downhill portions and things felt pretty good actually. I also saw a bunny or two at the end! 😃

Friday – Rest Another open to close and I was tired. While my shins felt ok, my calf muscles on both legs felt like they were seconds away from a massive charlie horse all day. I was supposed to run with Heather and Ashley the next morning but between being exhausted and my crazy calves, I texted and canceled. I knew I would push harder than I should if I ran with people. 😢

Saturday- Rest Oops. The weekend was supposed to be cooler so I planned for an afternoon run. It was nice not even setting an alarm that morning. I admit I slept until 10. No shame. I needed it. After lunch and a few errands, I was planning on heading out for a run. I started to feel super nauseated though. I waited to see if it would pass but eventually decided that Sunday’s long run was more important.

Sunday-16 miles -Run 1- 11.5, Run 2- 4.5 miles Not the way I planned it but got it done! Once again, I listened to the weather man when they said the weekend would be cooler. I started my long run at 9 shooting for 16 miles. 6 miles in, I was over heating and my form was trashed. My shins were holding up but I knew finishing 16 at that point would probably do more harm than good. The plan had been to meet my mom at the high school after my run and go to lunch. I texted her at mile 6 and let her know that was going to be sooner than planned. With a route change I hit the school at 11.5 miles. Good enough. I felt like ran most of it but my Garmin data shows more than a few dips where I walked.

We ate lunch, then I rested a bit before heading back out to finish my mileage. I was expecting to feel tired and have to concentrate on my form but I felt surprisingly good. My legs actually felt kind of peppy. I knew it was going to be slower due to the heat of the afternoon but I was fine with that. What I didn’t account for was some….ummm… uncomfortable chafing issues that had me taking more walking breaks than planned. I had changed everything I was wearing but my socks so I have no idea what was up with that. I hope it never happens again though because that was not cool. Sorry for the TMI.

Overall- 28 miles.

Not too bad. Better than the previous few weeks at least. Survival mode it is, which means my long runs have become the most important part of my weekly mileage. I do kind of miss the speed work though. #justkeeprunning

Dietary wise– my breakfasts, lunches and most of my snacks have been on point. Dinners have been a whole other ball game. Kind of a mess actually. Grrr. And why does everything have soy in it?! Some of my favorite Crystal Light flavors have soy in them. What the hell does lemonade need soy for?

This week will probably see fewer miles than last week if I stick to the way the long runs are scheduled on my plan. My boss is back though so hopefully things will calm down on the work front a little. Fingers crossed!

How has your week been?

Do you flavor your water with anything?

Tired Legs- Step 1

I finally pulled it off! My head cold may have set me back a bit but I woke up Monday with a plan. I decided I may as well make the most of this last week of vacation running wise. So I headed out for a long run in the afternoon.

I was still feeling a little yucky so I was planning on taking it slow and walking whenever I needed too. I wanted to run between 5-8 and then get the puppy and run/ jog with her for another 2-4. Ok, maybe I was overly ambitious but I was going to run loops around my neighborhood so if I needed to bail I could.

Great start to Tuesday's run before the storm came back- — Great start to Tuesday’s run before the storm came back-

It wasn’t exactly cold but it wasn’t warm either. We have been enjoying some lingering rain systems here which is great because we desperately need it but hard because it’s so not the norm. I figured I would be ok in shorts and I decided to test out the new long-sleeved top that I has picked up. I knew I had to make myself keep it on though. 🙂 I figured I would get hot soon and I did around mile 3. I kept an easy pace and took some walk breaks. I felt tired but pretty good. I have been running the same 5 mile route lately so I know where all the splits should be. I noticed that my Garmin was lagging a bit, guess it didn’t appreciate the cloud cover. The mileage geek in me had to re-map my route after my run since it seemed off. Oh, and while I may have felt warmer on top, my legs stayed a little cold. I had a minor chafing issue? What gives, it wasn’t 100º and that is usually the only time I have issues with my legs- ugh!

Puppies don't do selfies or pose very well — Puppies don’t do selfies or pose very well

It took me a little longer (1:15:58) to complete 7 miles than I thought so I had to hustle to get the puppy. My mom had her ready so I grabbed her and off we went. Due to the rain and setting sun we only managed a little over 3 miles. We were slower than the day before but that was all me and not the dog. 🙂 When we turned around to head back she looked sad that we weren’t going farther. 😦 But long run officially done!!

Tuesday was another rainy one- woo hoo! In keeping with my plan to get used to running on tired legs, I headed out for a run. I have never run the day after a longer run so I wasn’t too sure how it was going to go. My pace was actually better than I thought it would be but wow, my ankles were kind of tired. That was the only part of me that was really achy. There were clouds rolling in and ridiculous wind- I damn near lost my hat3x- so I called it at 5 instead of 6. I am kind of digging this 5 mile route. Too bad I am about to only get it on the weekends.

So 3 days in a row meant Wednesday was a rest day for me. I don’t want to push it too much. Plus that worked out well because my mother had her end of season tennis banquet and I help her a little with that. Oh and if we are counting- I have now watched 4 cheesy Christmas movies- love it!

How’s your weather? Do you like running in the wind?

Am I the only one watching an excess amount of holiday movies right now?

Happy Wednesday!

Night Night November

Where did November go?! Today should not be the first day of December- I’m not ready! But, time marches on so here is my November Recap.

Miles- 55.1
Race- GREW From the Vines 5KHikes- 2 East Cuesta and Cerro Alto So November was kind of a toss-up. I started the month feeling a little under the weather, so only logged 3.4 miles the first week. I also figured that meant I finally wouldn’t be sick on vacation. The following week I started my training plan but the first 2 weeks were fairly easy. Last week was supposed to step up the mileage and it coincided with my first week of vacation. I tried really hard to stick to the plan but the stupid head cold of Thanksgiving came back with a vengeance Saturday and Sunday. Saturday wasn’t wasted because I did enjoy some shopping with my mother. I was a little confused- where were all the people who were supposed to be out and about? I may have treated myself to a new running outfit. Both pieces are by Reebok and the pants are super warm. The top is long-sleeved and the exact style of an original clearance rack cheapie I picked up almost 2 years ago. I have worn that light pink one so many times, my mother can no longer stand the sight of it. 🙂 Sunday dawned gray and rainy, and I had been up coughing most of the night. Between my asthma and GERD, every time I get a little cold I develop a hacking cough. Geez, I have issues, nice. I knew there was no way a long run was happening but I thought I could handle a good puppy walk. Except the puppy didn’t want to walk, she wanted to run. I finally just decided to jog with her. Every so often she would look my way like – “see, I can run with you”. It was a pretty good run. I also bundled up before heading out. I tested out the new pants and wore multiple layers on top plus an ear warmer over my ears. My bottom half was the warmest part of me, though. It only rained on us for a short while. Those 4 puppy miles brought my November total to 55.1 miles. Not what I had hoped for but better than October (by a mile)! Another bonus about November? I hit my yearly goal of 750 miles!!! Miles to date for 2014- 776.8!!

Woo hoo! Time to move on to December. I have one last week of forced vacation 😦 and then it’s back to work for me. There is Christmas to prepare for, both of my parents have birthdays this week plus the plethora of Christmas/ end of the year parties are starting. I also have my colonoscopy to look forward to in a couple of weeks. All that being said, it’s time to step up the mileage.. and see if I can really follow through! Oh and it’s time to watch a bunch of silly made for tv Christmas movies. 🙂

How was your November? Are you ready for December?

Any Reindeer runs in your future or are you done racing for 2014?