Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Double Shot Day!

Today I woke up and felt like I had just closed my eyes.  On top of being exhausted it was pouring down rain and cold here today!  I got my little guys up, fed and ready for school and we headed out the door.  On the way to school my old son asked me if we could play lacrosse after school and my little guy chimed in and said "yea mom you are the best coach and lacrosse player".  That conversation and a little Starbucks were exactly what I needed to wake me up and realize how lucky I am!

[caption id="attachment_96" align="alignnone" width="224" caption="Thank you Starbucks and your magic powers!"][/caption]

I sent a text to my best buddy and running partner to see what she had on tap and if she was running on the TM  today.  I had a 10 miler and since it was POURING rain I was heading to the Y for my miles.  She agreed to meet me there and we got our run on!  I have a big problem with sticking to my "easy" run pace while running on the TM.  I just watch the numbers and time tick by instead of just running and enjoying the pace.  Thank goodness Angel met me today because the miles flew by and we got to chit-chat the whole time...Well, mostly I talked and she tried to breathe because she was running some KILLER hills today!  So I ended my run with pushing the pace for my last mile...here are my splits:

 Miles 1...8:12

Miles 2-3...8:06                                                                                                                             

Mile 4...8:00

Mile 5-7...7:47

Mile 8...7:35

Mile 9...7:24

Mile 10...6:48 

I followed up my run with some foam rolling and medicine ball rolls.

Any coffee drinkers out there? What is your favorite coffee drink?

Happy Running!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

TRX Tuesday!

So today is my TRX class and cross training day.   I just got off from work after working 11pm to 7:30 am and I have to say I was dragging a little going into class.  Thank goodness I have such an amazing bunch of women and 1 equally amazing man in my class (poor guy).  Some days I think our trainer is trying to make us barf or kill us!  Todays class was a doozy...We always start out with a quick total body warm up then head right into work mode.  Our new goal for this session is to increase our number of atomic push-ups weekly.  We did a set last week and whatever number we did we had to beat that this week.  My number was 28 atomics in 1 minute so this week i did 30!  She worked every muscle group in the standing position using the straps and some free weights then we did a cardio burst/ball toss segment then she worked every muscle group with us on the floor!!  Lets just say I was super sweaty and shaky after class.  Ouch!   

I love how TRX has strengthened my core and is a great cross training tool!  I started taking class about 3 years ago and definitely feel it does help with targeting muscles I normally wouldn't from just weight lifting alone.  And I get to take class with all my best workout buddies...Bonus!

Does anyone take TRX?  What are your favorite moves?

Happy Running!

Monday, February 27, 2012

10 miles of hills!

Today's run was a 10 miler with lots of hills.   After yesterday's quick pace today called for 10 slower miles.  My hubby is awesome and took the boys to school so I could catch up on some much-needed sleep!
My Boys!
My run started later than I normally do but once I started my legs felt fresh and I felt energized.  I kept my pace around 8:06 for the first 6 miles then increased the pace to 7:47 for the next 2 miles then ran the last 2 miles at 7:18 and 7:13.  I had a lot of rolling hills and some steady .25-.50 mile inclines.  I was happy with my overall run and pace.  I followed up my run with some stretching and foam rolling!  I absolutely LOVE my foam roller and use it multiple times a day.

 

Do you foam roll?

 

Happy Running!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sunday Runday

This week is a lower mileage week for me since last weekend my long run was a 22 miler.  This weekend is also my weekend to work so I am coming off two night shifts and little sleep.  I had a 8 miler on my plan and decided to take it inside on the treadmill today.  Some days when I am tired and don't want to worry about my surroundings I prefer to run on the mill.   I took the first 5 miles a little slower ( 7.3-8.2 ) with some hills ( .5-3.0% ) then the last 3.5 miles were much faster and flat.  My last two miles were 6:39 and 6:30!  I felt great and was pleased with my decision to run on the mill.  

Being a nurse sometimes I feel like I know too much and can get myself worried over things that otherwise wouldn't matter.  Lately I have been noticing that my lips turn a slight shade of blue after I finish my hard runs, if I am cold, or if I eat a full meal.   My resting pulse usually runs between 38-42 bpm and has for years.  I am asymptomatic and haven't experience any problems but now I am wondering what others resting pulses are and if I should be concerned.   So on my run today I also focused on my heart rate.  At my max incline my HR was 142 and at my max speed my HR was 145.   As soon as I reached my cool down pace my HR dropped to 78.  I usually don't wear my heart monitor but I am thinking I am going to start to more often just to see where I range.

Does you heart rate/zone train?  What type of monitor do you use? What is your resting pulse?

Happy Running!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Rainy Day Running

Today's workout:

9.5 miles on the TM/ 1:12:15

I was prepared to run outside but the pouring down ran shoved me inside!  I do love my treadmill running but mentally I wanted to hit the pavement.  I have an amazing group of friends at my YMCA and once I saw them it was game on!  I set my incline to 1% and started out running 7.5/ 8 minute mile pace.  After 20 minutes I increased my pace to 7.7 and stayed there for 10 minutes then increased speed again and again until my last mile was a 6:39.  It was a total sweat fest and felt great!! 

My mom had text me while I was running and asked if I needed to go to Costco!! Sometimes I think she is psychic!! I ran home showered quickly then we were off to one of my favorite places to shop.   



We always seem to end up at Costco with our carts full on rainy days, go figure!  We had a delicious lunch at California Pizza Kitchen before heading into to Costco.  I think I found my all time favorite salad EVER!  

[caption id="attachment_82" align="alignnone" width="224" caption="Caramelized Peach salad!"][/caption]

It was amazing!! Field greens, spinach, warm caramelized peaches, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, red onions, gorgonzola cheese and I had it topped with sautéed salmon and white balsamic vinaigrette on the side!!!  Wow, I was in heaven! I highly recommend it.

How do you like to refuel after running?

Happy Running!

 

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Running on little sleep

I am a labor and delivery RN and work midnight shift (11pm to 7:30am).  I try to work most of my shifts on the weekend but I also work 2-3 shifts during the week sometimes.  Last night was one of those nights!  As you can imagine it can be pretty hectic and busy in baby land!! Thank goodness for my amazing co-workers and my love of my job. 

[caption id="attachment_75" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="the wolf pack!"][/caption]

 Thank goodness my hubby was able to hang with my 4 year old for a few hours before he had to go to work so that I could sleep!  I find that if I can get 3 solid hours of sleep I am good to go but anything less and I am a zombie!  So after I woke up and hand my "wake me up: coffee it was it was school pick up time from school for my 7 year old!  I had a 6 mile speedwork on tap today and just 60 minutes to fit it in.  I have been alternating two pair of running shoes recently and chose my Brooks pureconnect for speed today.  Problem was my socks must have shrunk or lost elasticity because they kept slipping down and my sneaks were rubbing my ankles!  I finished the 6 miles of Yasso's but noticed my ankles were bleeding!  So those socks immediately went into the trash!!  I think it is time to refresh my running sock collection!

Time to head out for my 1st Lacrosse meeting of the 2012 season! 

What type/brand or running socks do you wear??

Happy Running!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Why I love to run!

Well today I started out not really feeling up to par and was dreading my tempo run.  My muscles were pretty sore from TRX and mentally I was feeling drained.  I got my two little guys off to their school, went to mass, then headed to the Glasgow Park.  When I first started my "marathoning" about 4 years ago I would always run at this park.  It is a great place and very safe.  Although when you get into higher mileage it can become very boring!  There is a 2.6 mile loop around the whole park with the option of running a MASSIVE hill towards the end.

 

 

I started out with just telling myself get around the park once and then I could decide if I wanted to do the full 8 miles on my plan.  Well the first 2.6 flew by and I felt great!  I ended my run with the full 8 miles in 58 minutes and felt so refreshed and proud.  Every mile I reminded myself how blessed I am to be able to run and just enjoy the 60 degree weather we had here today!!  My lesson was definitely learned today....Never give up!

After picking up my boys from school we headed out for some scooter racing and lacrosse action!!  I start coaching my lacrosse team next week and am gearing up for some fun drills and conditioning.  Can't wait! 



Any fellow lacrosse players out there?  If so what is your favorite drill or skill to work on?

Happy running!

 

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Hello my running friends!

Welcome to my Blog!    I hope everyone that visits here will gain insight, understanding, and a liking to running as well as my hectic life!! Please feel free to post comments as you wish, I will do my best to answer accordingly!

I have been debating starting my own blog for a few months now and finally just decided why not!!  I am currently training for the Boston Marathon and want to document my journey.   Today was a cross training/shake out run day for me.  I started with a quick 3 mile warm up before TRX class (total resistance cross training).  TRX was a killer workout today with lots of push-ups, planks, and total body work.  I will definitely be feeling my muscles on my tempo run tomorrow! 

[caption id="attachment_53" align="alignnone" width="224" caption="Thank you legs!!"][/caption]

 I just had my first meeting tonight to help with the C25K program at my YMCA!  I am very excited to help spread my joy and love for running with others especially NEW runners!

If anyone out there has any advice or tips for helping motivate new runners I would love to hear it!! Thank you.

Happy running!