Week 7 Day 1 and last update for 2 weeks!

This will be my last update for close to 2 weeks. I leave tomorrow morning to spend 12 days on 2 islands in Hawaii!! 5 days on Oahu and then 8 days on Kauai. I am so, so ready for this vacation. I packed all my running gear and will try to run daily. Gotta stay up with the training even if I am on vacation.

Today Hal has me resting...but I can't. I need to get in the gym one last time before leaving for vacation. Since I ran a hard 12 miles yesterday, I plan to cross train on the elliptical and lift weights for bicep & triceps muscles. I want to make sure I get a hard work out in since I am not quite sure of the quality of weights our hotel gym offers. Besides, I plan to run most of the time anyway.

Maybe if I get some time, I can get on line to post but I doubt that will be my priority! lol

Week 6 complete!

Week 6 of my 18 week marathon training program is complete. 12 more weeks!

I had a late start this morning when heading out for my 12 mile run (which actually ended up being 11.56 miles) so it was already sunny and warm. Let's just say, I have a beautiful sports bra tan line on my back. lol Oh well, it won't be there much longer since I leave Tuesday for 12 days in Hawaii!!

I have packed all my running gear in hopes to run everyday. Even if it is only for 30 minutes, I want to stay on top of my training as much as possible. We spend 5 days in Oahu and thankfully, our hotel has a gym so I will have the ability to weight and cross train as well. Then we head to Kauai for 8 days, which we do not have access to a gym since we are staying in a house with friends. But, I will be able to run daily since A). we are staying on 10 acres of property so its in a very secluded area and B). Kauai is known for being a relaxing island full of vegetation, so I won't have to worry about making my way through tourists like I will in Oahu.

Unfortunately, my blog will be ignored during my vacation. We will have limited internet access, so I will try to report how my training has been going and how beautiful Hawaii is!

Week 6 Day 6, 12 miler rescheduled!

I had to reschedule my 12 mile run from this morning to tomorrow morning. They were calling for storms with thunder and lightening. Of course, I could not go without exercising so I headed to the gym. I biked 45 minutes/16 miles, lifted for shoulders and abs.

Tomorrow I will head over to Grosse Ile to run my 12 miles. I am hoping that I feel great after the run, because I would like to get some more strength training in before I leave for vacation on Tuesday. Monday I plan on running and will not have time to spend in the gym.

Rescheduling this run has thrown my next two days off track. Oh well, it is what it is!

Week 6 Day 5- Rest Day!!

Today is a rest day and I am using it! Chris and I are going to head to the driving range this evening. He is golfing in a scramble tomorrow so he wants to hit a bucket. And I want to join him. :-) That will be somewhat of a work out I suppose.

I ran 3.5 miles last night at the track. I also lifted for chest and lower body.

I am running 12 miles tomorrow and really looking forward to it! It will be the longest distance run I have made since I ran my half marathon in April.

Week 6 Day 4

12 weeks & 3 days until the Detroit Freepress Marathon. I have this thing with counting stuff down. :-)

Anyway, I ran 6.28 miles last night in 51:07. I felt great at the end. I could have gone longer and not sure why I didn't? Oh well, it is what it is! I am running 3.5 miles at the gym on the track. I will also add weight training (chest & shoulders) and a few leg exercises.

On another note, I really need to map out a few routes for Oahu and Kaua'i. I leave on Tuesday and I must make sure I get some running in. I'd really like to run everyday while I am on vacation. I don't see why that couldn't be possible. I may have a day here and there where I don't run and I am ok with that. Just as long as I meet, or at least get close to my weekly mileage on my training schedule, then I will be happy!

Stepped on the scale this morning

It wasn't what I wanted to see. I lost 2 pounds. I know it doesn't seem like a lot, but I have been a consistent weight for a couple months now and to see that I lost doesn't make me happy. I am going to have to get back to monitoring my calorie in take to make sure I am eating enough through out the day. I am only into week 6 of my 18 weeks of marathon training...I can't afford to lose anymore weight!!

You are probably thinking "why is she complaining about losing 2lbs?". Well, because of the fact that I am 5'7" in already in a size zero. I have a tough time finding clothes that fit right. Plus, I worry about how I look since I have had people make comments to me like "why don't you eat a cookie". I don't think they realize that I work out and run ALL THE TIME! I am not trying to lose weight. If anything, I wouldn't mind adding a couple pounds (in specific areas, lol!).

Guess I should log back on to sparkpeople! What a PITA!

Week 6, Day 3 (and an update about yesterdays work out)

I ended up running the track at my gym last night. I had to get my mileage in but I also wanted to lift weights. I ran 3.5 miles and lifted for biceps & triceps. Running the track was quite different. I have not ran the track in months! I had a good weight lifting work out and have sore arms to prove it! I also added 60 push ups and some abs while watching my favorite show; Deadliest Catch.

Today Hal has me running 5 miles but I have a 6.28 mile route mapped out. I also intend to do core work when I get back from my run. The husband and the son are both gone, so I am taking full advantage of only having to worry about myself. That means I can eat when I want and work out as long as I want. Yay!

I've been awfully hungry today. I am going to eat an apple and a granola bar so I have some running fuel in my system. It's one thing to run on an empty stomach, it's another to be starving!

In 1 week from today....

I will be in Hawaii! We are spending 5 days in Oahu and 8 days in Kaua'i. I am so excited. I only hope I can keep up with my training. I plan to run daily.

I can't wait to go on vacation.

Day 1 & 2 of week 6

Wow, am I ever behind. So much for writing in my blog on a daily basis.

This past weekend I was in Chicago. I was able to get a nice 4 mile run in with a friend on Saturday morning. She called it the 'cultural' tour. We ran through a factory area, run down neighborhood, part of downtow and the loop.

Yesterday was a rest day, but I could not rest after the food and drinks I had over the weekend. So I headed to the gym for 45 minutes of intervals on the elliptical. I also lifted for shoulders and back.

Today is day 2 of week 6. I am scheduled to run 3 miles. I intend to run 3.5 miles and lift for biceps & triceps. I do not think it is a bad thing to add some strength training to my marathon training. There is no way I could go 18 weeks without strength training. I can barely go 1 week without lifting weights!!

Day 5-7, Week 5

Unfortunately, I will not be doing any form of running or exercise today. But it's for a good reason. I am heading to Chicago for a bachelorette party. I think my body needs the break too after what happened last night. You can see my previous post for details.

I do intend on running tomorrow morning. I will be running with my friend Jaclyn and hope that my friend Kristy will join us. We are only doing an easy paced 4 miles, but at least we are getting back out there. I hope I feel ok on Sunday once I get home from Chicago. I will need to cross train!

I am looking forward to shopping and time with the girls!

#6984

#6984...my bib number for the marathon!!

Evening long run review- Mental Break down

I thought running 10 miles last night wouldn't be so bad. Boy was I wrong. I had the worst run that I have ever had in my entire life. I don't know what exactly I did wrong either. I tried to keep a slower pace but felt ill almost from the beginning. I almost vomitted 3 times, had goose bumps and chills half way through and even got so bad that I called Chris at mile 7 to come pick me up. Thankfully he was at the grocery store and said it would be a few minutes. I started running after I got off the phone and mentally prepared myself to finish this run! I called him back and told him not to come get me. I wanted to finish. and I did. I reset my watch because I did not want to know my pace. Not after the numerous stops to walk. I NEVER stop to walk. So this was really hard for me to deal with and really showed how bad I felt. But again, I finished and this run is behind. I know this will happen again. Everyone has a bad run. But never have I ever even thought about quitting and having someone come get me. I had a mental break down. I told myself I couldn't do it and it got to me. I am so glad I found it in me to push those thought aside and finish.

Time to move on and continue with training.

I can do this. I can do this.

first evening long run

Today I will be running 10 miles after work. I am going to be in Chicago for a bachelorette party this weekend and need to get my long run in. usually I do my long runs first thing in the morning when I feel the freshest...not today. I hope it isn't too rough on me!!

Day 1-3 of week 5

Well, I am into week 5 of my 18 week training. Only 13 weeks and 4 days until the marathon!

Monday was a rest day, which I did not do. I ended up biking for 40 minutes and strength training for back muscles & triceps. I also did push ups and abs once I go home from the gym.

Yesterday I ran 5.73 miles with an 8.22 pace. I felt good through out the entire run. Usually my evening runs can be rough but this one was not. yay!

Tonight I am going to run 6 miles, if it is not storming. If for some reason the storms have not cleared up by the time I get home from work, I will head to the gym to run the indoor track and finish with intervals on the elliptical.

This week I have not had the "I don't think I can do this" thoughts. I am sure they will be back next week though.

Day 6 & 7 - Week 4

Saturday was day 6 and was supposed to be a 10 mile run. It was stroming Saturday morning so I began cleaning house and ended up not finishing until 11:30am. So I went to the gym with the hubby and spent 35 minutes on the elliptical doing intervals and strength trained my back and abs.

Sunday I woke up early and headed out for my 10 miler. I felt great through out the entire run. I could have kept going, but since I already added on an additional mile (Hal had me running 9 miles) I decided not to.

I have found that I feel so much better running in the morning versus the evening. I wish I could make myself wake up early during the week and head out for my runs before work. I really want to give it a shot, but I also enjoy my sleep. I'm torn. I am going to try to set my alarm to run one morning this week. Wish me luck.

Day 5 Week 4

Rest day. And that is what I intend to do! The closest thing to exercise will be walking around the mall shopping with Chris.

Tomorrow is long run day. Hal says 9 miles, but I mapped out 10. 10.01 to be exact!

Day 3 & 4 of Week 4

I really need to try to update after I get my training in for the day.

Anyway, yesterday was day 3. I spent 35 minutes doing intervals on the AMT and lifted weights with Chris. We did our biceps. I then came home and did 85 push ups. Not consecutively. I did 5 sets of 15 and 1 set of 10.

Today I will be running 6.25 miles and hope to squeeze in some abs too. I need to research some new places to run. Running through my city is not all that exciting. I love new scenery. It's makes running fun and longer distances go by so fast.

I leave for Hawaii in less than 3 weeks. I need to coordinate my traning with my vacation. I also need to map out a few running routes. I am scheduled to run a total of 24 miles the first week I am there and 25 miles the 2nd week I am there. I will probably just divide out each week into 3 longer runs versus 3 shorter runs and one long run. Hopefully Chris is up for a couple long runs with me! I wonder if I can count the climb up and down Diamond Head as a run? lol

Day 2, Week 4

Yesterday was day 2 and Hal had me scheduled to run 3 miles. I ran 5.64 with an 8.28 pace. For some reason, it was slightly rough. I am assuming that it had to do with the 4 days of hills and not taking a rest day on Monday. Either way, I completed it with a pace better than I anticipated.

My plan has a total of 19 miles this week. 3 miles tuesday, 4 miles wednesday, 3 miles thursday and 9 miles saturday. I have taken the mid week 10 mile total and will divide it up in two longer runs to total just over that amount. Then I will do my scheduled 9 on saturday. I plan to do 45 minutes on the stationary bike tonight along with some strength training. Then tomorrow I will run 5.5-6 miles.

On a side note, I some times think to myself that I may not be able to complete the marathon. I have these 'what if' thoughts. I really need to stop this nonsense!

Week 4, Day 1

Well, here I am. Going into week 4 of my marathon training program. Of course, Mondays are always a rest day but after the weekend I had, I fully intend to do full body strength training and abs...in the form of 1 hour of pilates. Then it's back to hitting the pavement.

I had a few great runs over the weekend. I ran 24+ miles in 4 days on terrain that had a lot of hills!! Thursday I ran roughly 7 miles, Friday I ran close to 5 miles, Saturday I ran 9 miles and Sunday I ran 3 miles. Each time I headed out I felt great, except for Sunday. I decided to run at 6pm after laying in the sun by the lake for 6.5 hours. So I was hot, slightly burnt, hungry, tired but had to get a run in.

And I just signed up Bethany, my sister in-law, for her first ever half marathon! She will be running the Detroit Free Press half. This was my first half and I had so much fun running it. I really hope she enjoys it too.

Slightly behind...Week 3

Oops, looks like I missed a couple days. I am really trying to be good about updating daily. It's only week 3 and I am already falling behind. I am also leaving to head to my in-law's lake house today after work.

Monday was day 1 of week 3. It was supposed to be a rest day, but I just can't seem to do that so early in this training. I ended up doing about 40 minutes of total body strength training.

Tuesday was day 2. I was scheduled to run 3 miles, but I had a horrible head ache and will be running 27+ miles for the weekend so I opted for pilates & core work. I also did 6 sets of 10 push ups.

Today is day 3 and I am leaving to go out of town. I plan on running an easy and short 2.61 miler when I get to the lake. I could just skip, but why not get a short run in? Besides, I just love running up there. It never gets old or boring!!

I have the following distances planned for Wednesday - Sunday. The terrain will be a nice challenge and change of pace from the flat roads I run at home.

Wednesday: 2.61 miles
Thursday: 6.16 miles (day 4)
Friday: 4.89 miles (day 5)
Saturday: 8.62 miles (day 6)
Sunday: 4.89 miles (day 7)
Total Mileage: 27.17 miles, plus we love taking walks in the evenings. so that will add some mileage but in a relaxing form.

I will be using my resistance bands, perfect push up, ab lounge (it's my mother in-law's), swimming in the lake and plenty of kayaking with Chris. I will definitely be getting in good quality exercise.