Monday, February 27, 2006

Week 12 - Day 1: Intervals

Schedule said 4 x 1 mile intervals at 5k - 10k pace. I did them at the rec center, the first two with Michele and the last two on my own. Times were as follows:

1. 7:58
2. 7:49
3. 7:52
4. 7:55

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Week 11 - Day 6: 20 Miles!!

I might be motivated again. What an awesome run. For some reason that I'll never understand, Michele decided to run ANOTHER 20 miles today with me (she just ran her 20 Thursday with Tracy). We ran from the rec center to Interstate Dr., took a left and ran down by Batesville and Dwight's mother's house and back out onto Hwy 55. We ran out to and around WillowBrook, then back to town all the way through the Intersection and up to Honeycutt's Dentist Office (That was around 16 miles). We turned around and came back to town, ran down by Sage's house and got onto the greenway and ran back to the rec center and realized we still had a ways to go, so we kept going out by Rayfields, up by Eaton's, then up the hill to the Ada Wright Center. We ran through the ball park over to the greenway where the Babe Ruth field is, and back to the rec center again. We had to keep going a little ways towards Rayfields, then turned back and finished up a little past the door of the rec center. And the time was 3:14:08. I am very proud of that pace(9:42)! We didn't stop one time, and I felt fine pretty much for the entire run. I do think that taking it easier this week helped. And God once again blessed us great weather. Right around 60 degrees and very little wind.
For some odd reason, my GPS mysteriously turned off around mile 8. I didn't notice it for about a half mile, so we had to depend on Michele's. Here's did fine, though, although she was concerned about the battery. I turned mine back on and it was fine...just a half mile behind. But I am concerned about that happening.
I have to give credit to my parents for helping me out today - J.T. had a 3pm appraisal, and Bo had a 2pm birthday party, and the only way I could get this run in today was to start at 2:30, after Briar's b-ball game. So my parents graciously took the boys after Briar's game and let them hang with them. Daddy took Bo to the birthday party and Momma hung out with Briar and cooked us all dinner. Thanks Momma and Daddy!!! I love you both!

Friday, February 24, 2006

Week 11 - Day 5: 3 Miles at Work

I ran 3 miles in 25:57 on my lunch break today. It was like 60 degrees. I would have rather been on my bike, but my rear skewer is broken. I've got to get that fixed. Briar is wanting to start riding some. Running 20 miles tommorrow. Wish me luck...

Week 11 - Day 4: 5 miles instead of 7 or 8

I ran 5 miles on my lunch break today, instead of the 7 or 8 the schedule said to do. I coulda ran 7 or 8, but I really didn't have time, and I am still trying to let my body rest as much as possible. I ran the 5 miles in 47:33 - in beautiful weather. Shorts and long sleeve coolmax top.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Week 11 - Day 3: Unmotivated and Tired

Things didn't go so well on day 3. First of all, when the alarm went off I woke up and was wide awake at 4:45, but I couldn't stand the thought of 8 miles. I was awake, but totally unmotivated and my body just felt tired. So I turned the alarm off and went back to bed. My plan was to run at the rec center after work. So I followed up with that and went to the rec center after work. I ran 2 miles and felt sick. Not to mention I had a side stitch the entire first mile - it started as soon as I started running. So I stopped and took a few minutes to regroup, started back up again and couldn't do it. I ran a few steps...then turned the treadmill off and went home. I don't know if this is mental or physical, but if it's physical I am hoping to fix it. I relaxed all evening, took a warm bubble bath, and went to bed at 9:30 and slept until 7:40. And I didn't even entertain the thought of going back at 5 am. I'm not even going to try and 8 miles today. I have my running clothes with me, and I am going to run 4 or 5 miles at lunch and be done with it. Whether I am physically tired or mentally burned out, I'm hoping this will help. I have 20 miles this weekend, so something's got to give pretty fast.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Week 11 - Day 2: Hills

I ran 6 repeats of jail hill today after work. I started and finished at the rec center. My time was 31:13 for 3.23 miles. I felt kinda tired, but I haven't compared my results to previous hill runs yet.

Ski Trip Pictures




Here are a few pictures of our ski trip:

This was Saturday - it was COLD and SNOWY!!!

Bo getting ready for ski camp.

Bo and Nicholas in ski camp - skiing with one ski.

Briar at the base after mastering skiing without poles.

As many of the crew as we could get together at one time.

Bo and Nicholas after their second day of ski camp.

Briar - relaxing after the second day of skiing.

Week 11 - Day 1: Back from Skiing - Back to Running

As I said earlier, we returned from skiing Monday. We got home around 4:30, and I finally made it to the rec center to run at 7:30. I was supposed to run hill repeats, but since my under armour was stuffed in suit case with dirty clothes, I decided to go ahead do the 5 mile run schedule for the next day. I ran slow and easy on the treadmill, and finished in 48:54. I have some warmer clothes with me today, and plan to run the hills today (Tuesday) after work. I am not going to push myself for speed at all this week - I'm gonna need all the energy I can save up for the 20 mile run scheduled for this weekend.

Ski Trip

I learned how to snow ski!!!! What a great trip. It was just a little too short. We got there Friday night, and stayed in a cabin with Craig, Mary Beth and their boys, and Allison, Brian and Byron. Friday night it snowed like 3 or 4 inches and it was beautiful. So we had lots of good snow to ski on. We finally had a chance to use our 4 wheel drive on the Pathfinder, and boy were we thankful for it - you couldn't get anywhere without it.
Saturday morning we headed out to the Beech Mtn resort, and it was the most crowded day in 2 years for them. It was a mess...but with Sage and Dwight holding our hands, we got through it, got our skis, and got Briar and Bo into their camps. Bo and Nicholas did the 3 year old ski camp and Briar did the 8-12 year old snowboarding camp. J.T. and I, along with the other adults took a 1 hour ski lesson to get us started. We did alright in the lesson, then headed up the ski lift to come down the easiest slope. I took off flying straight down the mountain and out of control - crashing each time! J.T. crashed a lot too. I finally found Gary and Tracy, and Gary helped me get used to going back and forth across the mountain and staying in control. By the afternoon, I was doing alot better. I went up to the top with them and Michele and had some ugly collisions with some snowboarders, but I never got hurt - other than a few purple bruises. When the boys got out of camp at 3:30, we took them(Briar and Brandon) up the lift to let them try out their snowboarding skills and they had a rough time. Bryce did great on his skis with Michele though. So Briar and Brandon decided to trying skiing the next day, and so did most of the other boys.
We got them a one hour lesson, and they all did great. Briar couldn't hardly get it with his poles, so I took them away and he did great too. We got on the quad chair lift and went all the way to the top and came down the IV, V and XI slope you see below:


They are blue slopes, which are labled "more difficult". I had to take my time, and I was still crashing a lot, and Briar ran off and left me. He said it "was the most fun he's ever had"!! He beat me to the bottom and later told me that when he looked up and didn't see me anywhere he said a prayer for me to have a safe journey down!!! Matt, Kyle, Brandon and Byron also mastered the skiing quickly. They went up and came down some blue slopes too, and did great. Mary Beth really caught on the second day too, and before we got done she came down the Powder Bowl (XI) slope, which is a blue. J.T. had enough by the this point, so he hung around and watched us and got Bo from his ski camp. Bo enjoyed his ski camp better the second day, I think. The weather was warmer and it wasn't so crowded. I just wish we could have one more day! I think everybody enjoyed it, and we all want to go out west next year!! It snowed again Sunday night, and we came home Monday morning. I'll post some pictures soon.

Week 10 - Day 5: Feeling Sick

I woke up this morning feeling queezy and sick to my stomach. So I called Michele and told her I wasn't going to make it to the rec center to run 10. I finally got to feeling better a little before noon, and J.T., the boys and myself packed up the car and headed out for Beech Mtn, NC to go snow skiing.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Week 10 - Day 4: I can breath again

Ahhh....65 degrees....I can breath again!! What a nice day God has given us right here in the thick of winter. I didn't make it out at 5 am this morning. So I packed up SHORTS and took them to work. I ran 5 miles during my lunch break outside. It was windy, but I didn't mind. The sun and the warmth made up for any discomfort the wind was causing. I certainly am looking forward to spring. I shoulda been on my bike today. It's a shame to let a day like this go by with out riding. There may not be another one for a month. BUT...something is broken on my rear skewer (I left it sitting on the computer desk after putting my bike on the trainer - mistake) so I'm almost afraid to get on the bike before I buy a new one.
Anyways, I am running 10 miles in the morning, then we are leaving for North Carolina. Let's pray no one gets hurt on the slopes.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Week 10 - Day 3: 8 miles

This was a nice run. We finally had some warmer weather; it was around 41 degrees. Michele and I took off from the rec center at 5:00 a.m. - ran up to Interstate Drive, down Hwy 55 all the way to Oak Dr. We took a left on Oak Dr. and ran back up to through town, down jail hill, back up to the park by the baseball fields, up the steps behind FNB, down jail hill again, onto the greenway and back to the parking lot of the rec center for 8 miles in 1:19:54. A nice, easy pace of 9:59/mile. Although it really felt to me like we were running faster that. I am just glad I felt good during the run. The week before last, when I ran intervals and then 2 - 7 milers in a row - it wore me down. Now I just have a 5 miler tommorrow and a 10 miler Friday. Then it's off to the mountains for some snow skiing!!!

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Week 10 - Day 2: Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is Valentine's Day. J.T. surprised me this morning with a cookbook(I love cookbooks) and a gift certificate for a 1 hour massage. Wasn't that sweet?!?! I am in dire need of that massage.
This is a tough recovery week. I did my 8 miles this morning at the rec center. Michele was running, so I ran the first 3.5 with her...then I had to finish on my own. I felt fine, especially to be early in the morning. But I am craving some warm weather. I want back on my bike, and I wanna feel some sunshine! I ordered a pair sunglasses yesterday that I've been wanting for almost a year. I hope they are worth the wait. Maybe I'll post a picture of myself in them when I get them. I can't post a link to them on the internet though, cause then you'll know what I paid for them.

Monday, February 13, 2006

Week 10 - Day 1: Intervals

This week will mark the halfway point. I must note that I made the statement at the beginning of this training that if I made throught week 10 - I would be definitely be running 26.2 on April 29th, 2006. Anyways, I ran a mile warm-up, then ran 6 x 880s @8.0 mph on the treadmill with 2 min of walking between each. Then I ran another lap and a half to finish off a total distance of 5 miles in 46:32. One run will have to be skipped this week since we are going snow skiing over the weekend, so I guess it will be tommorrow's 5 miler. I'll do an 8 miler instead.
I also got swimming in. I took the kids to the pool and played with them awhile, and then Briar watched Bo while I swam 1000 meters. We all had a good time. Briar did a 100 meter swim just to prove that he could still do it and looked GREAT! I'm gonna see about getting him back on the swim team maybe really soon. Although I worry about how baseball and everything else are going to conflict. But he is pumped up about doing some triathlons this summer...so I'd like to keep his swimming in good shape. Speaking of Briar and triathlons - here's a picture of him in his first and only one:

Isn't he a stud!!??!! You cannot imagine how proud I was of him that day!! He got 2nd place in his age group...and only missed first by like 8 seconds. He says he'll never let that happen again!! But we were all thrilled with 2nd place...I thought he did awesome!

Week 9 - Day 6: 18 Miles in the Snow

Yes!! We did it! 18 miles in the snow. Actually it had already stopped snowing, but just barely. I think it was around 35 degrees (is that right, Michele?). Tracy couldn't swing a babysitter, so she did her run at the rec center, but Michele and I went ahead in the snow. Everything went fine up until about mile 8, when I started feeling sick and light headed. My heart rate was higher than it should have been, and I wasn't sure what was going on. I asked Michele how she felt, and she said she felt fine, and I told her I wasn't feeling so well. We talked about it a little while, and she was convinced I had too many layers on. I had on my UA Coldgear, a coolmax jacket, a fleece jacket, and fleece lined weather resistent vest on top of all that. So when we reached halfway, I agreed to shed something. We walked a quarter of a mile while I stripped on the highway - I took the coolmax jacket off and tied it around my waist and felt MUCH better. We ran the rest of the way back somewhere around a 10 min/mile pace. It wasn't my best run by far. As a matter of fact, the last 5 miles were pretty dad gum painful. When the gps registered 18.0 - I promise I do not think I could have gone another step. It hurt just to walk across the highway to the car. And at that point, I was wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. In a split second, during the last couple of miles, here's what goes on in my head:

"Forward, Leg!" says The Mind.
"I can't! It hurts too bad - I'm tired." cries The Leg.
"I said MOVE!" shouts The Mind agrily. "If you don't move forward at once I will torment you for the rest of your life! I will never let you forget the day you quit!"
"Ok!Ok!" The Leg concedes and moves forward. "I'll go a few more steps!"
And it all starts over after "a few more steps".

Ok, so I'm a nut. I know. But it's the truth. And I have to confess that this 18 mile run was more difficult than I had thought it was gonna be. I can think of lots of excuses - the cold, the way I dressed, the fact that I haven't exactly been eating right lately...but I'm not even going there. All I know is I have to figure out how to squeeze 2 more miles out of my legs over the next week and a half. One good thing is that I enjoyed my fuel belt. And a lesson learned is to fill one of my containers with Gatoraide. Ofcourse I just had water...and Michele swapped one with me so I could have some gatoraide when I got to feeling sick. It's nice to have training partners!

I'm thinking that my gps said we finished in 3:02:57. I think that's around 10:10/mile. I guess that's not too bad for training, but it coulda been better had I not caused us to walk a quarter of a mile. Let's hope things improve for the 20 miler.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Week 9 - Day 5: 3 miles and some swimming

Ahhh...got back in the pool! I love the way I feel after I swim. I don't know why I don't figure out a way to do it every day. I was suppose to run 4 miles this morning, but I shaved a mile off instead so I could have enough time to swim. I ran 3 miles and swam 1000 meters. The swimming wasn't ideal....I still need to purchase some ear plugs and get my balance right, but atleast I got in the water and tried.

Week 9 - Day 4: 7 Miles

I didn't get out of bed and go to the rec center early like I should have, so instead I had to negotiate with J.T. to get him to do Upwards Basketball practice by himself so that I could go straight home from work to the rec center and get in my 7 miles. He agreed, and I did the 7 miles on the treadmill in 65 minutes. I got to catch the last 30 minutes of Oprah, which was good. I love to run while watching Oprah. I wish they would replay Oprah every morning at 5 a.m. and I might not have such a hard time getting to the rec center on time in the mornings. Not that I am a huge Oprah fan or anything, but I just don't think you can deny that her show is worth watching most of the time. And there's not too many shows on television these days that I can say the same for.

Week 9 - Day 3: Lazy, Lazy, Lazy

Ok, I have to get this blog caught up. I skipped this day, and I have no excuse other than I was just lazy!

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Week 9 - Day 2: 7 miles on the treadmill

It's late and I'm sleepy, so this is short and sweet:
7 miles on the treadmill in 1:04:21

Hill Stats

Ok, here's the stats for the hills we did yesterday according to GPS:
1. Jail Hill: Distance: .23/mile; Time: 1:56; Pace: 8:30/mile
2. Thrill Hill #1: Distance: .10/mile; Time: 0:50; Pace: 8:10/mile
3. Thrill Hill #2: Distance: 271.07 ft; Time: 0:23; Pace: 7:45/mile
4. Jail Hill: Distance: .23/mile; Time: 1:52; Pace: 8:17/mile
5. Thrill Hill #1: Distance: .10/mile; Time: 0:50; Pace: 8:11/mile
6. Thrill Hill #2: Distance: 291.11 ft; Time: 0:26; Pace: 7:58/mile
7. Jail Hill: Distance: .22/mile; Time: 1:45; Pace: 7:49/mile

All the downhill recoveries were around 12:00/mile, and one was 13:00/mile. Overall distance = 3.16 miles. Total Time = 34:10. Average Pace = 10:48. Total Calories = 325. Average Heart Rate = 162 bpm.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Week 9 - Day 1: 7 Hills



Above is the chart for elavation and pace as compared to distance. It was about 36 degrees, and we all 3 ran up jail hill...down, up, down, then up thrill hill...back over and down jail hill...then repeated..then ran up jail hill one last time to make 7 hills...3 long and 4 short. I'll post some more stats later, but I gotta get some sleep right now...

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Mental Fortitude

I said that one day I would write about this...so here goes. When I first started inquiring about doing my first triathlon, I ran across a website that talked about mental fortitude. I was so intrigued that I thought it about constantly. I thought about my lack of it, and how it has affected my life for many years. How a lack of mental fortitude can go all the way back 7th grade track and field when I thought I could barely run a mile. And how it has affected my reactions and decisions in life - as an individual, a wife, and a mother. How could I have missed this for 28 years? I decided that it would no longer be a stumbling block in my life. But just saying that is one thing - actually applying it would be different. Hulaman, on his website, hulaman.com, quotes the selfknowledge.com website as follows about Mental Fortitude:

"That strength or firmness of mind which enables a person to encounter danger with coolness and courage, or to bear pain or adversity without murmuring, depression, or despondency; passive courage; resolute endurance; firmness in confronting or bearing up against danger or enduring trouble. "

How about that?! The thought of being able to "encounter danger with coolness and courage"...or to "bear pain or adversity without murmuring, depression, or despondency" became something I craved. Mainly because I could look back on my life and see that I was just a big wimp. I encountered danger with screams and tears - not coolness and courage. And I reacted to pain and adversity with much murmuring and some depression and despondency. I was weak. I was always "afraid" to tackle a mileage that I'd never done before, for fear that it might hurt a little. And I decided it was time to start changing that. The training that I did for my first season of triathlons helped alot. Wading out into the lake to train for an open water swim...pushing myself to ride longer and farther on the bike...and forcing my legs to keep moving during that bike to run transition - when I wanted to skip out, or whine and murmur - I had to remember that I was increasing my mental fortitude. And what a great feeling! I love that feeling...the one where you are scared of something, but you reach down deep and take on the challange anyways. I think it's the increase of mental fortitude there causes you to come back again...push harder...push further. And it's addictive. I know that I have much more mental fortitude now than before I ever did a triathlon. And I have more now than before I started this marathon training. And I can't wait to see the mental fortitude I will have after running the 26.2 miles in April.
All I know is, I don't want Briar and Bo to grow up with little mental fortitude. I want them to not be afraid to take a risk...to not be afraid to fail...to live life to the absolute fullest and enjoy every minute of it...to be confident in themselves...cool and calm under pressure and able to deal with defeat and let downs without falling apart. I can't shelter them from failure and let downs in this world, I can only train them on how to deal with them. They have to know how to be patient, because your reward may not come when you deserve it. They have to know that pain is only temporary. And time heals all things. So the only way I know how to teach them this is to live it out myself. I still have a really long way to go. I still murmur and complain alot. I still get scared and act like a baby. But we're making progress. And that's why I love this training. I love triathlons. They are increasing my mental fortitude. They are making me a stronger person. And hopefully it will in some way, somehow, rub off a little on the two most precious boys in the world. Hopefully.

Week 8 - Day 5: How quickly the body recovers...

Wow...I was feeling so tired this week...then I took Thursday off (4 miler), and I feel much better. I did this weeks long run - 9 miles - and felt great, it was almost effortless. I didn't run this morning at 6:30 am like I had planned. The weather was bad - it was cold, windy and sleeting/snowing. So instead I slept late, tooking Bo to a birthday party at noon, coached Briar's basketball game at 2:00, and by the time we got home it had warmed up a little, the sun was out, and it wasn't nearly as windy. So I got dressed and took off. I wore my UA, a fleece turtleneck and a cycling vest that's wind proof, and I felt great. I ran from my house down to the park, through the greenway, up Hwy 55 all the way through the main intersection and to the Coffee County Administrative Plaza, then back to the intersection where I took a left and headed back home. I ended up with 9.06 miles in 1:29:17...pace: 9:51/mile. Wrapping up this week I had 31.1 miles. I am going to try and get a reading of my resting heart rate in the morning...so I can make sure I am training in the right heart rate zones.
I have to say this...Michele, Tracy and I have been pleasently surprised with what good weather we have had each time we go out for our really long runs. A few weeks ago I told them I really believe God must be in favor of our decision to run this marathon because no matter how bad the weather has been during the week - it seems like it always clears up nicely when we have to be out in it for a long run. Isn't that amazing? What a nice thought, ya know? Who better have your back than God??? Life is good.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Week 8 - Day 4: 5 miles

I didn't do anything yesterday. I had to work late Wednesday night, and really just felt like I needed some rest Thursday. And boy did that rest feel good! So today I went to the rec center and ran the 5 miler on the treadmill and did some weight training. I wanted to swim but I had forgotten that the pool closes at 1:00 so I didn't get to do that. I'll have a 9 miler tommorrow to finish up Week 8.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Week 8 - Day 3: 7 Cold, Grueling Miles

I just barely made it through this one. I met Michele at the rec center at 5:00 a.m., and we took off in 26 degree weather for 7 miles. We finished 1:10:47 later frozen and tired...or atleast I was. It didn't sure didn't feel a 10min+/mile pace...but I guess it was. Whew...atleast the 7s are over with this week. That leaves a 5, a 4, and long run of 9. I guess I'll do the 5 tommorrow. By the way, I signed up for the Tom King half marathon on March 18th, and I signed Briar up for the Country Music Kids marathon...so expect for me to be talking about his running!