Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Tuesday Inspiration: Blog Roll



It's Tuesday, and I'm still feeling super charged after an incredible run this afternoon.  What better way to end the evening than with the return of Tuesday Inspiration?

The NikeWomen feed on Twitter linked to a Fitblr (Fitness + Tumblr...wait, really? Is that a real internet term or did someone just make it up?) today with tons of inspiring images -- like this one:


Submitted for your inspiration: Til I Collapse 

Enjoy!


Monday, August 29, 2011

Crystal Ball

I have a confession: I read my horoscope weekly.

I don't think that there's any truth to horoscopes, but I do think that it's a fun distraction. It's more fun when the purposely vague description seems like it might actually apply to what's going on in my life. So, I giggled a little bit when I read this week's Shine prediction for Gemini:

"As for the weekend, you'll do best if you slow your pace -- burnout of one sort or another is a distinct possibility."


The stars must know that I'm racing this weekend. What the stars don't know is that I'm fully prepared to give this my all and am willing to work toward setting a new personal record. ;)

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Fall Four: Weekly Round-Up (9)

My cold is lingering, but I was able to get in a few runs last week.  Tuesday was a little hard after a few days of not running, but I felt great on my long run with Stef on Saturday.

Training this week will be fairly light in preparation for the race this Sunday.  I'm so looking forward to this weekend!

Week 10:
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Speed workout and strength training
Wednesday: 4 miles
Thursday: 3 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Travel Day
Sunday: Rock and Roll Virginia Beach Half-Marathon

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Fall Four: Weekly Round-Up (8)

In training, you're bound to have one or more weeks that don't go exactly as planned. It looks like I've hit my first (and, hopefully, last) of those. Congratulations, Week 8!

Recap of this week:

I was in desperate need of a run on Monday and decided to go out and really push myself. The run was great! I ran through the National Zoo and up one hell of a hill before looping back to my apartment. After my shower, I started to feel a little weird – the way that I feel before I come down with a cold. I woke up feeling fine on Tuesday and didn’t really think that I might be sick until I hit the treadmill for a quick warm-up before strength training. About 10 minutes in, running started to feel more challenging than it should have. I didn't think anything of it and kept working through it.

Wednesday was the absolute worst. I was congested and pretty sure that I was going to cough up a lung. To be safe, I took a day off from running and went to bed early. Thursday was the same, and I started to feel a little antsy about not working out. Maybe I would try for a Friday morning run before work? That, of course, requires improvement on Friday. I took the day off in hopes that I would be able to run on Saturday.

I thought I felt better when I woke up on Saturday. I met Stef and we started our run through the zoo. Once we hit our first uphill stretch, my breathing was completely off and I started to feel winded. (This was less than two miles in.) Things started to feel okay, but I couldn’t have imagined going on for 17 more miles. Two miles in, we turned around and headed back to my apartment. I felt terrible about having to cut my run short. But, Stef reminded me that it was okay to miss a run to give my body some time to rest. After all, the marathon is still three months away, and we have plenty of time to run 18 miles (and farther).

After a very slothful Saturday, I hit the gym this morning. I started on the elliptical, which was fine, and did some lifting. I can tell that I'm not 100% better, but it felt good to do something other than sit on the couch.

Fourteen days to go until Virginia Beach! I probably won’t try to run again until Tuesday, and even then I’m going to take it easy. Here’s Week 9:

Monday: X-Train and Strength Training
Tuesday: 3 miles
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: Tempo Run – 60 minutes
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 8 Miles
Sunday: X-Train and Strength Training

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Fall Four: Weekly Round-Up (7)

It's hard to believe that it's time to start the countdown to my first race -- three weeks until the Rock and Roll Half in Virginia Beach.  My travel is booked, and I'm so looking forward to heading down to the beach for a few days.

Here's the plan for Week 8:

Monday: 3 Miles
Tuesday: 4 Miles + Strength Training
Wednesday: 5 Miles
Thursday: Speed Workout
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 18 Miles
Sunday: Stretching and Strength Training

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Fall Four: Weekly Round-Up (6)

Hi folks! 

Another slightly delayed post -- hooray! 

Training is going well.  I have no complaints, and I seem to be making some major improvements.  This morning, Stef and I met for a speed session: 6 half-mile intervals.  Again, my target pace was 8:30 but I managed to run all of my intervals well under that pace.  I even maintained a 7:50 pace for one of my intervals!

Here's the plan for Week 6:

Wednesday: AM Workout - 5 Miles
Thursday: 4 miles planned, but it might be a rest day
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 16 Miles
Sunday: 4 miles and strength training

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places

I spotted this image on the sidewalk on my walk home from work.  It brought a smile to my face, and I couldn't wait to get home and change into my gear.


Inspiration is everywhere.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Fall Four: Weekly Round-Up (5)

I’m a little late with the weekly round-up.  Sorry folks!
Week 5 went very well. Stef and I met up last week for a chill 4-miler on Tuesday and a 15-miler on Saturday. Both runs were excellent! (Having such amazing company makes the miles fly by!)

This week’s workouts are off to a fantastic start. Stef and I met this morning for a speed session. Instead of heading to the track, Stef brilliantly suggested that we run half-mile intervals on a flat stretch between neighborhoods. (The first time I did a speed workout outside, I planned a route without factoring in hills. Most fun I’ve ever had doing a speed workout, let me tell you. This morning’s approach was so much better.)

My target pace for the workout was 8:30, which works out to 4:15 for each interval. Here’s the breakdown by split.

Interval            Time           Avg. Pace
1                        04:03           08:06
2                        04:07           08:14
3                        04:16           08:32
4                        04:13           08:26
5                        04:21           08:42
6                        04:05           08:10

Just to be clear, I’m not at all disappointed that I ran slower than I intended for two of the six splits. In fact, I continue to be amazed at how much faster I can run these days. A little over a year ago, running faster than a 10-minute pace was something that I could only do for a minute or two.

Here’s what I have for the rest of Week 6:
Tuesday: Speed Workout AM, Strength Training PM
Wednesday: 5 Miles
Thursday: 3 Miles
Friday: Off
Saturday: 10 Miles
Sunday: X-Train + Strength