miles keep on rolling

My training for the 5k continues. Today I have a 8m speed work out. warm then 4x1600's at 6:40 w 800 jogs then cool. I found a nice flat rout to do, so it should be good after work, although it will be in the rain. Shouldn't be too hard. I"m working on my marathon training. I don't want it to be too hard, but I don't want it to be too easy... it's tricky. I have one done, but i'm going to adjust it with some of the other schedules and also consult runners world schedule once i'm done with the 5k schedule.... This week will be my highest mileage yet. 45 miles. Defiantly doing an ice bath Saturday.

Still training for the 5k

a little over 2 weeks till the 5k. Training is going good. I made it 41 miles last week. Took my first ice bath on Saturday. it actually wasen't as bad as I thought it would be. Next week I will use more ice and fill the tub up more. I had the space heater going, some coffee, and a long sleeved shirt. My dog thought I was going to die and came over to sit with me, that helped my hands stay warm. I just stayed in for 15 minutes and surfed the web on my Iphone, good distraction. My long run that day had been tough. I just wasn't feeling it. Monday I had a GREAT run though. I ran at a little faster than 8minut miles and felt great, it was nice. Tuesday was a tread mill day, yesterday was my tempo run that I actually pulled off. Made it 1 mile warm up up Clatt park hill, then I just decided that I would run comfortably hard and not stress about the exact pace. it was windy and I had hills to run up. I ended up running each mile at at least a 720, 3 of them faster. One of them, the last one, I really pushed myself to the point of gasping for air, it was right up ben street, it was windy and on a hill. it was tough, but I made it. then I had a mile and a half to cool off, ended up being a 7.5 mile run. I feel really good about it, finally I did one of the speed work outs right on, it's a good feeling. Then last night I did some ab stuff in front of the TV, it was kinda nice, something different, I think I will do that more often. Then this morning I ran with Boot camp, Debi actually showed up. we just ran like 5.5 miles, it was nice weather. 31 degrees with no wind. The sun is finally starting to rise early enough, so having some light and watching the sun rise was really nice. Tomorrow I do an easy 5 and I plan on doing some strength training as well. Then Saturday I need 12. Sunday I plan on doing nothing but walk Matilda.

Oh, I also got a new pair of shoes -- Mizuno wave Nirvana -- I really like them so far. Only done 2 runs with them, but they feel really good. they are a little stiff, but I love the raised spot that the end of my foot (before my toes) naturally settles in, it keeps my foot from moving around and mind makes my foot roll on to the next stride faster. I think they will be a good transistion shoe to the newtons because they feel similar, the newton is much more extreme but similar.

The wall

So I had an easy week last week -- I thought I would come back strong this week. Not the case. I'm having a hard time. I feel hungry and tired -- i'm not sleeping well, i'm having trouble going at my goal pace for the run -- before I had to slow down, not it's everything I can do to keep up with the minimum pace. It sucks. I think i need more food -- maybe an iron pill? I don't know, but I need to fix this, i'm just tired, I'm exited about going out to run but then it's just hard... and it didn't use to be. my legs hurt and they shouldn't because i'm going slower than usual. it's just lame.

April 15th -- So I feel better now. Although Thursday I tanked my speed work out, it still seemed to get me out of my slow poke rut. I was supposed to do 5 800's at 3:15 w 400 jogs inbetween, but then I had to go to the bathroom and non were available and I felt like I was going to pee myself if i pushed myself hard enough for the speed work out, so I only made it 3.5 of them... then i just ran faster for the rest of the miles. I felt horribally guilty, but at least I still did the miles. Yesterday I planned on getting up early and running, but when I woke up I hurt, so I went back to bed and ran after work -- actually had 7 miles in 20mph winds in 7:54, that made me feel pretty good. and I didn't even feel that bad. some of the time the wind was at my back which was a pick up, but most of the time it was to my side, some of the time in my face and that was hard, but still.... finally a good run & fast.

yuck speed

So I have done 2 speed work outs so far to train for the 5k. the first was on the tread mill, it was tough. Last week I had  6 mile one, 1 mile warm up, then 4 miles at 7:25 pace. then a mile cool. it was SO tough. I ran my mile and it ended right at the bottom of a hill, so my first one was all a hill. I ran it in 7:11, the next one was 7:11 as well, right into a wind and up another hill, then I started to get tired and ran a 7:30, then I got a HORRIBLE side stitch and doubled over pain and had to walk for a bit, If finished off with the next 2 miles adverting 8ish or a little better. of course that was up another big hill, but a short one. It was though. then I did 6.5 the next day at an easy pace and then Friday was off no running. I did other stuff, Saturday I did a 10 miler. This week I did 6 yesterday, today I will do my track speed work out. it's 7 miles... not sure how it will work it's 1 mile repetes with 400m jogs between. should be interesting, hope I can do it. Then I just have 2 more 6's and a 11 mile long run.

-- my speed work last night went pretty good. my shin/calf is starting to hurt though, probably from running at 5pm 7m speed work then 5am 6 mile easy run. I wanted to do the speed work out on the track, but the high school kids were using it,so I had to run past it and just go down a country road... it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but the 2 miles after the 1 mile repeats was pretty tough. my legs were dead. I'm looking forward to not doing anything today after work that involves legs, except walking Matilda of course.

5k speed

Right now I am training for the EFRC 5k on may 15th. Debi and my mom are going to drive up, spend the night, run the race (I think my mom is going to walk it) then do something fun on the way home. I have done a lot of running lately and my legs are paying the price. Not too bad but i'm a little concerned that my old injury is coming back. it felt pretty much ok yesterday and today, but the day before that both of my calves were highly un happy. This week I did a 6.5miler, a 5 on the mill, a 6.5 out side in the wind and then yesterday a 6 mile tempo run. 1m warm up and 4 miles of speed. I made 2 7:11's one was up a hill, then I had to slow down I was dieing next was a 7:30 and then I got a horrible side stitch so I had to double over and walk... then I picked it up again and did a couple of 8's. I was supposed to have 4 miles at 7:25, but I didn't quite make it... Close though, I don't feel too bad. Cant' help a side stitch. today is a day of rest so I went to the gymn. tomorrow i'm running with people on the WCC Gilman trail... should be fun. nice slow long run. I need to work on more weights though....

Run Run Run

Yes, I have been running. I have been logging about 30 miles a week -- I'm thinking about passing on this next boot camp session and doing my running and working out alone. I'm just feeling like I want to run my own schedule -- if I want to run at night, then I will, If I want to run on a work out day (Mon, Wed, Fri) then I will.... Mix things up a little, do different work outs. I know i'm motivated enough to do it... just haven't decided. I love that group, I like seeing everyone every morning and talking to them, I just wonder if always running with the group is holding me back -- I always seem to push harder and run faster and farther when I run alone, so maybe I should do that for a while. Find my own pace, my own style. It's finally getting warmer, so that is good. I just got back from Mexico, I got about 12 miles in their. I ran out side, it was nice, but I forgot how hard running in the heat is. I found a girl who said she would meet with me to run, but she stood me up, I wanted to go on this 9 mile dirt loop through the desert, but I didn't want to go alone.... Sadly I was not able to find any one else so I didn't get to do the loop. Jerry hurt his hip, so he couldn't go although I did think of renting a horse for him to ride along while I ran. This morning I ran 10.4 miles -- it was pretty good. Since I start from home and don't drive I can get 10 miles in and still get back at the same time I would get back if I want to boot camp. I'm sure i'll get sick of running alone, but for now I like it.

Oh no, more Snow

This weeks running went pretty good. We had some good boot camp strength training sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I logged 1.5ish miles on all of those days plus some springing. Tuesday was icy, so we ran inside, I did 7, Thursday no one wanted to run outside and Jer skipped, so I decided to run from home to the YMCA. I ran to clatt park, the Needman road, and back through Shafer woods then through Lakewood Springs. It was nice, Cold, somewhere around 15 degrees, but no wind. As usual I put one too many layers on. On Saturday I went on a almost 9 miler alone. I left around 8:30 and headed down Hale street, down to black hawk, to river and over to Eldamain, down shafer, through Lakewood Springs, down 34 and back through Clatt park to home. It was hard. It was snowing, so the roads were slippery, it slowed me down a LOT. my average was 8:55 I think, quite a bit slower than usual. I just wasn't feeling it. I"m hoping that I am not having a burn out. When I went through Lakewood it was really snowie and hard to run, then when I got to 34 I was SO cold, my face was numb, tons of cars were driving by, snow was landing on my face and melting, making me even colder.... it was windy. Not fun. But I made it back, I cut out a little part of it that has a hill that I knew would not be plowed at all, so it ended up being 8.70... That's alright.

When I got back I had a protine drink, rolled out on the roller and stretched. I skipped Yoga because my parents were coming over with some stuff for my house. After that I shoved the driveway, and took Matilda for a walk. Today I took her to the forest preserve for a 2 mile walk. That's my excersize for the week -- I plan to do no more.

My diet through out the week wasent TOO bad. I had some candy at Jers house that I probably didn't need, yesterday I ate too many crackers and 2 muffins, and some chips. Through out the week I just struggle, I want to eat all the time, but I can't eat as much as I use to because I'm not running as much, and i'd really rather not put extra miles in just so I can stuff my face more. Today will be 23 days with no alcohol, 4 more days of the January challenge. The annoying thing is that I have not lost any weight from it. You'd think that cutting out 700 or so calories a week for 4 weeks would do something. I think i've just been more stressed so I've wanted to snack on lots of food instead of a couple of glasses of wine. I am looking forward to the 27th, finally I can have wine in my new hosue.