My First Run

Saturday I did my first run since May.  I really wasn't sure what to expect.  A bunch of the girls were running in the canyon so I offered to drop them off at the top and then drove my car down to the Bridal Veil parking lot and started up the canyon.  I planned to walk a full mile before I started to run to make sure my back and legs were nice and warmed up.  I walked up the path then at a mile started running until I hit mile 2 where I turned around and ran back down the trail.  At mile 2 when I turned around I saw 3 of the girls so I ran about 10 steps with them then told them not to go slow with me.  It was so beautiful outside and some of the leaves are even starting to change colors.  I ran 3 miles straight then walked another 3/4 mile after with 2 of the other girls who were finishing their run.  My 3 mile run was just over a 10 min/mile.  

After the run I stretched and drank a recovery shake.  I told Todd it felt so good to need a recovery drink again.  It's been so long since I've worked out.  I was so sore after the run - it felt like I had run 16 miles not 3!  Then yesterday I did another run/walk of 5 miles.  I didn't run 3 miles straight but alternated between 1/2 mile running and walking.  My poor legs were still sore and tired from Saturday's run and I don't want to push my body too hard this soon.  After that run I did my Foundations Training for my back and stretched.  I feel better today than I did after my first run so I'm hoping to just keep feeling better and stronger.  

Today I start my personal training sessions with my crossfit coach and I couldn't be more excited to get back to crossfit!  I have missed working out so much!!

Lessons the Crossfit Open Taught Me

One of the reasons I love racing is to see my hard work pay off.  I love to set goals and train for them then race as hard as I can to make my goal.  I try to make my goals hard but also something that I can accomplish.  So when my trainers at Generator Crossfit challenged us to compete in the 2014 Crossfit Open I thought they were crazy.  Then with more explaining I learned we do the workouts at our own box and then post our scores online.  You get judged and can't scale the workouts.  So I decided this was a great event to participate in.  Check that off my 2014 goals.  

Each week they post a different workout on Thursday and you have until Monday to complete it.  Every single one of them have pushed me to the limit and have uncovered my weaknesses.  So I've come up with my top 5 weaknesses.

Week 1:  

The WOD: 

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
30 double-unders
55-lb. power snatches, 15 reps

My Weakness:  I need to develop the double-under skill.  This will just take practice, practice and more practice.  My goal is to be able to do consistent DU's by the end of the summer.  And I am completely ready for the beatings this will bring. I bought a training rope and have already started practicing a couple times a week.

Week 2: 

The WOD:

Every 3 minutes for as long as possible complete:

From 0:00-3:00

   2 rounds of:

   10 overhead squats (65-lb)

   10 chest-to-bar pull-ups

My Weakness:  I totally suck at overhead squats.  This one was my complete failure.  My mobility and strength are both weak in this area.  Developing this is going to take time and lots of strength training.  One thing I plan to do to get stronger is to go into the box 1 extra time each week to work on strength.  Starting with my front squat my current 1 rep max is 125 pounds.  I would love to get to at least 150 pounds by the end of the year.

Week 3:

The Wod:

Complete as many reps as possible in 8 minutes of:
95-lb. deadlifts, 10 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
135-lb. deadlifts, 15 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
155-lb. deadlifts, 20 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
185-lb. deadlifts, 25 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
205-lb. deadlifts, 30 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
225-lb. deadlifts, 35 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch

My Weakness: Strength again!  I made it to the 155 lb round but just sat at the 185 lbs because it's higher than my current 1 rep max.  Again I will be focusing on building leg strength through 1 extra day of just weights a week.

Week 4: 

The WOD:

Complete as many rounds and repetitions as possible in 14 minutes of:

60-calorie row

50 toes-to-bars

40 wall-ball shots, 14 lb. to 9-foot target

30 cleans, 95 lb.

20 muscle-ups

My weakness:  I hate to admit it but strength again.  I made it to the cleans and couldn't clean 95 lbs.  I'm sensing a pattern here.  I need to lift more weights and get stronger in a bad way.  I had almost 2 minutes left when I got to the cleans and just sat there attempting to lift the bar and had no luck - not even 1 time could I clean that darn bar!! 

Week 5: 

The WOD:

WOMEN - includes Masters Women up to 54 years old

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:

65-lb. thrusters

Burpees

My weakness: Muscle stamina.  I was able to do thrusters at the 65 lb mark but my arms got very tired very fast so I had to break it up into chunks.  The more I can do unbroken the faster I can do this.  

I have decided that I am glad I signed up for the 2014 Crossfit Open because it forced me to take an honest look at where I am right now and where I want crossfit to take me.  I have a good benchmark to look back at for next year when none of the workouts end in a 0. 

2013 in Review

Overall this year of running has to be the best ever.  Running in the Boston Marathon was simply amazing and something I never thought I would do.  To top that off I set PR's for my 5K, 10K, half and full marathon distances.  I can't look back at 2013 and be sad.  However, I also ended the year on a sad note with issues on both of my feet and not being able to run pain-free.  I miss running so much and these injuries have helped me see just how much running means to me.  

Top 10 Running moments of 2013:

1.  Running the Boston Marathon with my brother and sister

 

2.  Wasatch Back with the Housewives

3.  Being a pink emissary

 4.  Setting a new PR for every distance race

 5.  Ragnar Trail - and trail running in general

6.  Running the STG marathon in 3:32:00!!

7.   Running the Disney Cruise 5K

 

8.  Running 16 and 20 miles on the treadmill

 

 9.   Wearing pink for every run in October

10.  Running with my new puppy

My 2013 goals:  
My goals for 2013 seemed simple when I set them in January.  However, I only completed 1 of the 3.  Sad. 

1.  Run 1000 miles.  This one I completed and then some.  I ran 1588.80 miles this year.  This is a big deal for several reasons.  First, it's not an even number.  I'm a bit OCD with stuff so that fact that I didn't force myself to run 1600 miles shows I'm a changed woman.  Second, with my injury I barely ran in Nov and Dec - so to have this many miles is awesome. 

2.  Do a half-ironman.  I didn't do a half-ironman because I signed up for the STG marathon and wanted to focus on that.  I think I made the right decision and I'm glad I did because that race was amazing for me.  

3.  Do 2 unassisted pull-ups.  I still can't do these.  But I'm stronger than I was at the start of the year so I'm still happy with my progress.

2013 Races:
I am so glad this year of races is over.  I did more races this year than ever before.  Here's the list:

April:  Boston Marathon
April: Pink Series 5K (PR)
June: Utah Valley Half Marathon (PR)
June:  Ragnar - Wasatch Back
July:  Freedom Run 10K (PR)
August:  Ragnar Trail Race
September:  Disney 5K
October: St George Marathon (PR)
October:  Pink Series Half Marathon
November: Snow Canyon Half Marathon (new PR)
November:  Courage 4Kuu 

Now onto 2014.....

2014 will be a very different year for me with running.  This is the first time in more than 5 years that I haven't already been signed up for a race before the year starts.  I don't even have any races planned out on my calendar.  I'm going to be out of town during Wasatch Back so I'm not even doing that race (sad, sad, sad).  I'm not sure what I want out of my running this year, except that I want to let my body rest and recover and simply get back to the fun part of running.  I don't want to train as hard as I have the last 2 years - instead I want to try new things and have fun. Wish me luck - this is very hard for me.  :)

My goals for 2014:
1.  Run 1200 miles
2.  Do 2 unassisted pull-ups
3. Compete in a new event (anything I haven't done before - distance or type)

2 weeks of no running

I had a bad morning.  I've been fighting my heel hurting since before the marathon last month and it's not getting better.  It hurt more this morning than it did at mile 26 of the marathon.  We were out for a 7 mile run and by mile 2 I knew I shouldn't be running.  So I told the girls I was going to run less miles and walk for a bit and not to wait for me.  I slowed my pace way down and ended up running 6 miles.  By the end of the run I was so mad at myself.  Mad that I can't even run 7 freaking miles.  Mad at myself for not taking care of my foot.  Mad at myself for not being able to run as fast as I wanted to.  Just plain mad at myself.  

It doesn't happen often but when I feel worse after a run than when I started it's really hard  for me to break out of the funk.  Today is one of those days for me.  I'm super emotional and grouchy and hate thinking about the fact that I have to rest my foot.  I've decided that am NOT going to run for the next 2 weeks to see if that will fix my pain.  If it still hurts this much after that then I will go to the doctor.  I'm not a patient person and I don't do rest well so let's hope 2 weeks is all it takes.  I am going to keep doing stem on it at night and tape it up and take motrin during my 2 week running hiatus.  Wish me luck!

Today I saw this cool video on runners world on how to tape yourself.

Trust the Training

Trust the training.  I've heard it so many times but sometimes I get nervous and think it's too many miles or too few miles.  That the taper is too long or not long enough.  I've changed training programs to "make them my own" so many times over the years.  I've usually had success even when I make small modifications but this last time around I followed my training pretty exact.  Don't get me wrong I missed days along the way or missed the mark on speed work a few times.  But I tried to do what the training said and it worked perfectly for me.  My race time was VERY close to the expected race time in my training.  Several times during the marathon when I was feeling tired I would just tell myself to trust the training and that I trained for this.  I just kept thinking to myself that I knew I could do it because I made it through the months of training.  I can make it through a few hours if I can make it through months and months of hard training.  And you know what?  I did.  I made it!

The program I followed is from runnersworld's website it's called Smart Coach and it takes your current pace and mileage and creates a personal program for you. 

 My last few days of pink gear.  This challenge is going smashing so far - but I'm not even half way into the month.  I hope I can remember what I've worn all month.  Good thing I'm documenting :)

 Tuesday I taught spin and did crossfit

Wednesday was a 6 mile run outside

30 Day Challenge

Day 4:  I am so confident in my wardrobe that I wore 2 pink items today.  I was planning to save these awesome pink shoes as a back-up in case I ran out of pink.  But I am sure I can do this so I busted them out with my pink shorts today.

Day 5:  Race day.  You know I'm wearing pink on race day whether I'm doing a challenge or not.  Pink is my go-to race color.  It makes me run fast!

Day 6:  Since I am still dying from the marathon we went for a walk this morning so I needed to really bundle up.  It was the perfect thing to get my tired sore legs moving a little.

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

T-minus 3 days until the marathon.  Today was a short speed work - done in pink shorts of course.  It was 4 miles total with 2 sets  one mile intervals at a 7:13 pace with a half mile jog between.  It was so short I just ran on my treadmill in my basement.  I hate working out alone so I rarely run on my treadmill.  I'd rather run on the treadmill at the gym so I have friends with me.  But for a run this short I was done in less time than the drive to and from the gym.  

And look at the forecast for this weekend. It looks perfect!!

My October Fitness Challenge

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month so I have decided to do a 30 day challenge.  Unlike most fitness challenges - situps, push ups, planks, etc - I've opted for wearing something pink every workout this month.  And just to really challenge myself it has to be something different and I can't buy anything new.  Don't worry...I've totally got this.  I counted my tops and bottoms last night and came up with 28 items.  I was planning on using accessories too if needed but it doesn't look like I'll need them.   Today I taught spin class and wore this pink skirt. Day 1.  Check.

I am 4 days away from the marathon.  I am so ready to run hard and then rest for a while.  My poor body is starting to feel the high mileage I've been putting in.  My right heel is killing me and I'm pretty sure the only thing to do to fix it is rest.  Why do I have to get old?  Ha.

September where have you gone?

Wow - I haven't posted in a month.  Sorry I've been busy running and getting kids back in school and taking an amazing vacation.  

My training has gone great except for the week when we went to Florida and on a Disney Cruise.  I only ran 10 miles total over 8 days....oops!  I planned to run but the first day on the ship while I was on the treadmill we were coming into port and the movements of the ship turning, slowing down and docking were too much for me so I called it at 5 miles.  The next day I planned on running 9-10 miles outside on the island.  Disney has a 5K so I would have a course to follow and would be safe.  But by the time we got off the ship and started the 5K it was 80 degrees and really humid.  I ran the 5K - and took 2nd overall and 1st woman finishing in 22 minutes and a few seconds (I didn't have my watch so I don't know exactly).  It was so hot I knew without any drinks and nutrition it wouldn't be smart to run more miles so I just ran the course out and back a few times to run in with my sis-in-law and mother-in-law who ran the race.  I'm guessing I put in between 5-6 miles total.  Then the next day I woke up and my low back was killing me so I knew I needed to take it easy and without my mom next door to work on my back I didn't dare put a lot of miles on for risk of injury.  So....I had a nice unplanned week of rest. 

Just after I finished

My SIL after her finish. 

My MIL's 2nd 5K ever.  She was awesome!

My sweet plastic finishers medal - my kids love it!

When I got back I was a little stressed because it took me 3 days to feel good on a run again.  But by my run on Wednesday when I did my speed work (1 mile intervals) I felt great.  I did a week of good runs and now I'm tapering to get ready for the race.  8 more days!!!  I am so ready to just get it done.

This weeks workouts:
M - 7 miles
T - spin
W - tempo run 6.5 total with 3 at 7:40 pace
Th - 6 miles
F- rest
S - 8 miles

August Recap

My goodness I'm so behind on my posts.  This whole back to school thing takes a while to get used to.  August was a big month for me - my highest mileage month EVER  (191.10 miles) in my life.  Which might be why I've been feeling tired.  But I also feel very ready for the marathon. 

 

Saturday was my 22 mile run.  We got dropped off up the canyon and ran down all the way back to the house.  I felt better on this run than on our last 20.  I did GU chomps at mile 7 and 17 and a roctane gel at mile 11.  We dropped drinks along the trail so that I didn't have to carry anything - one of my gatorades got taken but luckily there was a water fountain near that stop.  I did the whole thing without music too.  

Monday was supposed to be a 10 mile recovery run and even though it was Labor Day there was lots going on so I left my house at 5:30 am to drive up the canyon to meet a friend who was staying at her cabin for the weekend.  It was really dark at 6:00 and the trail just seemed too scary to both of us.  So we ended up running 4 miles up a mountain and back down.  Not the best "recovery" run - it was a tough 8 miles but I finished it.  It rained on us the last mile which was actually really nice. Then yesterday I taught spin and did crossfit.  And today was a 9 mile run. 

Throwback Thursday

Finish line at the UV marathon June 2012

Last year I set the goal to train and qualify for the Boston Marathon.  I had only done 1 marathon in 2009 before.  I found a training program.  Started this blog and made my goal a reality.  In June of 2012 I ran the Utah Valley Marathon and the conditions were horrible - hot and a serious headwind the whole way.  I missed qualifying by a couple of minutes and was heartbroken.  Now I'm almost done training for my 4th marathon in a 16 month period.  I know my body better than ever before and I know how hard to push and train.  But man am I tired and ready for a break.  No matter how tired I am right now I am not going to stop pushing hard and finish my training with a bang so I can race hard in a few weeks at St George - it's 36 days away!!!!

This week's workouts:
Monday:  10 mile run
Tuesday: spin and crossfit
Wednesday: 8 miles total w/ 4 one mile intervals @ 7:20 pace and crossfit
Thursday:  8 mile run 
Friday: rest
Saturday:  22 miles

I'm tired

Today was another 10 mile run.  I really didn't want to get up when my alarm went off at 5:00 am.  But I knew I had to do it so I forced myself to get up, get dressed and go.  And by 8:00 am this morning I had run 10 miles.  Picked up a few things at the grocery store.  Made and served fancy birthday pancakes to my 9 year old and got 3 kids off to school. 

I've realized that I'm starting to get tired and I just keep telling myself 3 more weeks of hard training then I can taper and then it's race day.  I'm ready to not be marathon training for a while.  I think maybe I've done too many races in the last 18 months.  4 out of my 5 marathons and lots of other races in between.  I'm tired and ready to run for fun for a few months.  I love racing and it keeps me motivated....but I am ready to have my races be half marathons or shorter :)

Saturday we did 16 and it was a good run.  I felt fine the whole run and we ran the last 3 miles faster than the first 13.  Always a good sign.  I will stay motivated until St. George and I plan on running hard.

My Bad Habits

 Today on facebook I saw this article from Runners World and it cracked me how many of these bad habits I break.

Here are the highlights of my bad habits (at least some of the ones from their list).


3. Forgoing SPF.  I've had my fair share of red shoulders from runs.  Usually I'm good because I run at the crack of dawn before the sun has a chance to wake up.


6. Being your own doctor.  I am totally at fault for this....but really I took classes in college 20+ years ago so I'm sure I can self diagnose.

7. Skipping stretching. I am horrible at stretching after a workout.  I'm usually in a hurry.  I *try* to stretch at night but I suck at doing it unless I am really really sore.

 

 

9. You never rest.  Big issue for me.  I am always afraid that if I skip a workout I'll get behind.  I know this is something I need to be better about.  I'm getting old and tired and need to rest a little more.

 

Not bad only having 4 of the 10 they listed.  I'm sure I do the other ones too - but I like to think they aren't soooo bad I need to fix them.  Ha. 

 

Update on past workouts:

Today:  trail run with a few extra road miles

Yesterday: spin and crossfit

Moday: ran 5.5 treadmill/crossfit in the morning then ran 4.5 miles on the trail at night 

Saturday:  20 miles (I was too tired to take pictures or post about this)

Running Tag

Today's workout was a 9 mile run.  My legs are tired today so I only ran and skipped out on crossfit.  (P.S. This month I ran 162.5 miles - not too shabby).

I saw this running tag a while ago on HungryRunnerGirl's blog and I thought it looked fun.  I never had time to do it but today I finally got around to it.  Enjoy.


1.  On average how many races do you run a year?
4 or 5 normally.  But this year I am doing 9 or 10.  And it's wearing me out a bit.  Back in 2009 I set a goal to do a race a month and did 12 races that year which was also a bit overwhelming.  I think for me 4 is the perfect number of races.

Races I've done so far....

Boston Marathon- April 2013

Pink Series 5K - April 2013

Utah Valley Half Marathon - June 2013

Ragnar Relay - June 2013

2.  Head accessories, things you have to run with:  a hat, a visor, sunglasses, chapstick, sunscreen, head band, ponytail, braids, sweat band?
I'm at hat girl these days.  My hair is just so short.  I own lots of headbands and visors but with morning hair the hat is really the best option. I usually forget to wear sunscreen and I put chapstick on before a long run but I rarely carry it with me.

3.  Where do your workouts come from?  A training plan, a coach, whatever you feel like doing that day or what your training partner is doing that day?
I love training plans - really I love them.  I look online and read books and read articles then write them up on paper.  I have done so many different training plans over the years and have combined different ones and created my own.  Once I have my training plan down I schedule my weekly workouts in my calendar so that I always have it on my phone.  I might be slightly OCD when it comes to plans.  Right now I am following the SmartCoach plan from Runner's World. I really like the plan because I feel like it has pushed me to run faster while still working with my weekly mileage needs and current pace.

St George Marathon course map with my gu's, times, elevation change, etc.

4.  How many miles on average do you put on a pair of shoes?  
I have way too many running shoes and I usually rotate through 3-4 pair at a time.  I have a pair for speedwork a pair for running off roads and then a few pair for just runs.  I always wear my newest shoes on long runs.  I don't track exactly how many miles I put on each pair but I would guess 300-400 miles.

5.  Cell phone=  do you bring it with you on your run or leave it at home?
Always if I'm running alone and sometimes on group runs.  I bring my phone if I think I'm going to want to snap a picture mid-run or if my kids might need to call me.

You never know when you'll want to snap a pic.

6.  What was your last running related injury or have you been an injury free runner?
I am a pretty injury free runner - if you take out losing toe nails, blisters, falling and stuff like that.  I do a lot to prevent injuries.  I get deep tissue massage every other week during heavy training.  I do ice baths and advil and Udo's oil which all help me with recovery and I try really hard to listen to my body and stop before it's too bad. 

 

7.  Is your current running goal about running a farther distance (adding more mileage) or getting faster or BOTH?!?
Faster!

8.  Speedwork—->  at the track, on the treadmill, on the roads or never do it?
I do speedwork once a week on the treadmill.  I alternate between tempo runs and mile intervals and occasionally I will do HIIT workouts that I find online to mix it up.  

9.  Stretching after a run:  hit the ground after a run and get stretching, stretch in the shower, stretch once you get to work/school, skip the stretching?
I do a little bit of stretching right when I finish a run and if it's a really hard or long run I do an ice bath after.  I also love to use my roller or my stick at night for sore muscles. 

10.  What was your reason(S) for starting to run?  
 I started running in high school just because my sister ran.  Then I gave it up then I started again in college.  I have way more reasons for running now then I did then but really the main reason I started was because of Sherry.

Danny, Sherry and I - STG marathon 2012