Sadness, Swimming, and Speed.

Unfortunately my hubby's grandpa passed away this weekend.  He was such an amazing man, husband, father, grandfather and war veteran.  He always had the best smile and loved his family so very much.  It is hard to see a loved one suffer and death is such a difficult thing to handle.  The strength and bond that my hubby's family has is so unique.  We are truly blessed with amazing families and their support for everyone involved.  He will be missed more than words could explain!

Before we left for Pittsburg I was able to swim a few laps and loosen up before the drive.  I swam 1900 meters in 45 minutes with mixed strokes, kick boarding and sprints at the end.  This felt pretty darn good!

I took Tuesday as a rest day......but this was an emotional marathon.  The service and funeral were beautiful and very touching.  Like I said before we are very lucky to have such a close supportive family.

After the 6 hour drive to and from my hips and back were not so happy with me!  I had to be very good with my PT stretching today before my speedwork!!  My plan was to do 4 x 800 meter repeats today.  I started with 2 mile warm up then went right into my repeats @ 3:00 minute/mile per 800 meter.  I also added 2 x 400 meters and a mile cooldown.  So I ended with a total of 8 miles for today.  I felt great and the speed felt good but at the end my feet started to cramp up.  Looks like I have to stretch out my calves and legs a little bit more!

After playing pool football ( yes this is exhausting) we took a trip to Whole Foods.  I found my new favorite place!  It was love at first sight and they have a bar!!!  We just got a few things:



 I am so excited for my Pumpkin Ale....This is one of my all time favorite beers!  I love fall and everything that goes with it!

Do you love Whole Foods too ??

What is your favorite season?

Happy Running!

Swimming, Running, Eating...

Thursday's workout felt great.  Angel and I met and swam a total of 1850 meters for a total of 45 minutes.  We are working on mixed strokes as well as kick boarding.  I feel like swimming is a great way to improve overall fitness and give my legs a break from all the pounding!  Some thing I have noticed since I started swimming are increased ankle and hamstring flexibility and increased endurance.  Swimming allows me to get a great total body workout while recovering from my running.  After swimming I felt like I wanted to get a good weight lifting session in so I did a total body kettlebell workout and was ready to be done at the end!

Friday I did a progression/tempo run.  I warmed up for 10 minutes running at 8:30 pace then set my pace at 7:23 pace for 6 miles then bumped it to 7:19 for the last 2.5 miles and cooled down the last .50 mile at 8:00...so I did a total of 10.25 miles in 75ish minutes.  This run felt great and I was very pleased with my pace.

Saturday and Sunday were fun-filled family/girl time days!  We do quarterly birthday get togethers with all my girlfriends and this one was extra special.  Our amazing friend Debbie is an uber talented personal chef and only uses the finest, freshest ingredients!  She cooked for us girls as we all mingled and drooled over her delicious food.  Dawn hosted the party and has an AMAZING house/pool/spa like backyard!



  Cheryl and a piece of heaven!

I love my girlfriends and the bonds that we all share!   Thank you for such and amazing time!

Sunday we had my hubby's Family Reunion.  This was also a blast.  We played softball and just caught up with family we haven't seen in years!

Today I had my longest run since Boston and my injuries!  I was very nervous to go long especially on the treadmill but the new plan I am following called for a 13 mile run and 8:19 pace.  I started out with a mile warm up @ 8:30 pace then the next mile was @ 8:19 and I went down from there every 10 minutes.  I finished with 14.25 miles in 1:47 minutes and felt pretty darn great!   My right foot was a little sore from playing softball barefoot on sunday but it was ok on the run!  I also swam 1200 meters after my run just to stretch everything out.  Now it is time for some compression and Premier Protein!

Happy Running!

Early Morning Running and New Swimmer in Our House

This morning I made Angel run with me and I enjoyed every second of it!  There is just something so special about running with my runner girls.  The miles flew by and I was so relaxed the whole time.  It has been a long time since I have felt "relaxed" on my runs.  We did 8+ miles with a part of the run on trails and threw in some sprints!  Thanks Angel!

We have had a big week this week..Cameron finally decided to take the swim test at the Y and did amazing.  He would not take the test because he was afraid in the "big" pool even though he is a fish in the water.  He does forward flips in the pool with no fear and has been in swim lessons since he was 5 months old.  I am all for water safety and I was very important for me to make sure my boys would be comfortable in the pool/ocean/bay.  He made me so proud and had a HUGE cheering squad on the deck cheering him on!!  I am talking 20+ people.



I have had some pretty good run this week too which is exciting.

Tuesday:  I had PT which went great.  I feel like I am making progress but still have a few things to work on.  I was able to run 9.6 miles on the TM in 74mins.  I felt heavy most of the run and felt like I was smacking the mill with my feet.  My gait seems to change greatly on the TM vs. outside running.  I think I need to stick with outside running for the most part but with the heat and humidity it is hard to do.

Wednesday:  I was going to lift and do stairmonster but wasn't really feeling it today.  I did 10 minutes of intervals on stairmonster then ran 3.2 miles in 22 minutes and finished with so squats, deadlifts, biceps and triceps.

Here are two of my new favorite things right now:



Cool Lime refresher from Starbucks and Peanut Honey Pretzel luna bar!  Yum!

What are you loving right now?

Happy Running!

St. Andrew's Sprint Tri.....

On Sunday one of my running bestie competed in the St. Andrew's Sprint Triathlon!  I have never been to one of these events but a lot of my friends have been telling me for a while that I would love a triathlon.  They were right this was so inspiring to watch and I think I may have to think about this for the future!  Dawn did amazing...She finished in 1:24 and got 1st in her age group!!!



Dawn is my tri idol!  She totally rock this race and finished so strong!  Dawn has come so far over the past few years and has overcome injuries and is killing all the races she does.  She is such a strong swimmer/cyclist/runner and I definitely know she has way more in the tank to give!   One of the million things I love about Dawn is that she is always the voice of reason.  She firmly believes in the importance of recovery, rest and cross training.  And I have to say she is definitely on to something and seeing how much she has accomplished I am following in her footsteps!

When I am not in a training cycle I tend to go a little crazy and just want to over do my workouts.  I am realizing this recovery time is meant for my body to heal and regroup so that I can come back a lot stronger.  It has taken me quite some time and now this past injury to realize this but it has finally click in my brain!   Quick learner I am...NOT!

My favorite part of the tri was watching the cyclist and all the different techniques to their ride.  And there were some cool helmets!!  So I think maybe I will be drinking the kool-aid and adding a tri to my schedule for next year.  We shall see...



Anyone else considering a tri?

Happy Running!

 

Alter-G

After working my midnight shift and getting my butt kicked at work I headed over to PT.  I was super excited when my therapist said "are you ready to run?"!!  I was grinning from ear to ear and almost cried I was so happy but also nervous.  I was afraid my legs forgot how to run.  So he zipped me into the Alter-G (antigravity) treadmill set my percentage and speed and I was running!  I was allowed run for 30 minutes and loved every second.  This machine makes running feel like it should...light footfalls,quick turnover and amazing!  I was so overwhelmed with emotion I forgot to get a picture of me running on my new BFF!  I followed up with my PT routine and I am already noticing a difference in my strength and flexibility.  Fingers crossed.

Happy Running!

Ouch!!!!!!

Images my be graphic in this post!

Today I ran 6 progression miles and I am trying to ease back into running after taking almost 4 weeks off recovering.  I started at an 8:19 pace and ended at 7:13.  I felt pretty good but was paying close attention to my body.  I have to remind myself that I cannot go "balls to the wall" just yet!

We had our final lacrosse game today which is sad but also a relief because now I can get back into my normal flow!  My team was such a blast this year and I was extremely lucky to have coached them.  I can honestly say the are the nicest girls I have ever coached!!



After the game we met up with the family to grab a bite to eat with our traditional "Mexican Food Monday"!  Mmmmmm it was delish.

Then this occurred:

 

So my hubby left an unprotected box cutter/scraper thing in the driver side door and when I got out my knee landed right on the blade!  I am soooooooooooooo frustrated right now because I have just started running again and now I cannot bend my knee for 10-14 days!!!  The ER doctor must think I am cray cray because I asked him 7x about exercising!!  This makes cross training difficult too because I cannot do the bike or aqua jog or squat!  And to top it all off it ripped my favorite khakis!!  Thank God for my Aunt Ora who is an ER nurse because I was in and out in less than an hour!



Still smiling through the pain and madness!

Anyone know any great workouts that don't bend you knee??

I may go insane if I cannot release my sweat!

Happy Running!

Trail Running

My runner girls and I decided to hit the trails this morning and it was amazing!!  This run was exactly what I needed especially after the past few weeks I have had.  We did a total of 9 miles and never looked at our paces.  We walked when we needed to and just chatted the whole time.  These are the type of runs that make me so grateful for my runner girlfriends!!  Thanks for sharing my "birthday run" with me Dawn and Angel!

Happy Running!

The week that was...

Monday: Rest Day ( few drills at lacrosse practice but no REAL working out )

Tuesday: 10 miles/ 75 minutes....Out and about through town before our lacrosse game.  This run worked out perfectly.  We had a lacrosse game where I normally run so I squeezed it in before the game and met my team at the school.  So glad I ran before the game because it was a very frustrating game and my girls crumbled!

Wednesday: 70 minutes on the stair monster!  This machine and I have a total love/hate relationship!  I know it is great for me but man it is hard and I sweat sooooooo much!

Thursday:  5.2 miles/ 36:34min....Thanks to Angel I was able to sneak in a few miles outside at the park while my boys and he little one played on the playground!  My boys started spring break yesterday so they are full of energy and excitement!  We had another lacrosse game down by me today so I was able to meet them there again!  We won and the girls looked much better.  After the game I ran 3 more miles in 22 minutes before coaching the 10K running group.  I set the pace for the front of the group and stayed there for the run which was 4 miles in 33:37 minutes.  Grand total of 12.2 miles for the day!

Friday:  Chiropractor appointment and retail therapy!

Hope everyone had a great week!

Happy Running!

Sunday Runday...

Today's workout: 10.3 miles in 73:46!

Yesterday's workout: 9 miles in 72 mins.

So yesterday I had planned on getting up early and run prior to my little guys 1st soccer game.  Well....that didn't happen!  My oldest son had his BFF sleepover so we were up late having fun and I was quite tired when my alarm went off and it was COLD and raining.  We went to the game and my little soccer star did so well.  He is very good at soccer and such great game sense all ready!

After the game I decided to head to the gym for a less than stellar treadmill run!  I normally don't have GI issue from eating before I run but today was awful!  I was running about 8:00 min/mile pace and doing a hill program on the TM but had to stop around 4 miles to take a potty break.  I just kept feeling like I was going to barf!  I hopped back on and trudged away for another 5 miles...the whole time staring at the mileage!

On top of the GI problems my peroneal tendons were not happy!  I followed the run up with some major rolling and stretching.

My oldest and I went to the mall for a little shopping then it was family time!

Today's run was spot on!  I ate my usual breakfast and had my cup of coffee then tied up my sneaks and out the door I went.  My first mile was an 8:03 after that I found my stride and I was off!  My average pace was a 7:09 min/mile and I felt like I could have kept going.  It is crazy what a difference a day makes!!  Let's hope and pray Boston goes as well!

How was your weekend?

Happy Running!

 

Bowling and Step-down Tempo Run

This morning my little man had a bowling field trip!  We had so much fun and it is hysterical to watch a bunch of 4 year olds bowl!  I definitely think I need the bumpers next time I bowl!  Mr. Leo, the bowling attendant, definitely got his workout in this morning!

After our field trip I squeezed in my 10 mile step-down tempo run.  This is one of my favorite runs to do!  I started out with a 1 mile warm up @ 8:06 pace than bumped the pace down to 7:53, 7:47, 7:41, 7:35, 7:30, 7:24, 7:18, 7:13, 6:40...My first 6 miles were on an incline of .5% and my last 4 were on a decline of  -1 to -2.5%.  I am an awful downhill runner!!  I have started to get a lot better but holy moly may quads and hamstrings really dislike the decline!

After my run I refueled with a protein shake and then headed out to lacrosse practice!  It is BEAUTIFUL here today with perfect weather!  I gave the girls a challenge and had them run 2.5 miles in 20 minutes.  They panic themselves out about the "distance" but 2.5 miles in 20 minutes is nothing compared to the hard work and running they do in a game!  So to provide some motivation I ran with them..I was ahead of them by a half a mile and even lapped a few.  But they did very well and all but 6 of them finished under 20 minutes!  We had a great practice and our 1st official game is this Thursday.

I cannot believe it is less than 1 month away from Boston and now my nerves are starting to kick in.  We are going with two amazing friends and I know we are going to have a blast!  My super awesome friends had t-shirts made for the race also and I cannot wait to see them.  We are visiting the Sam Adams Brewery and definitely going to try the 26.2 brew!  I am very thankful to have the support system and family that I have.  Bring on Boston 2012!!



Getting in the spirit!!

Anyone heading to Bean town??

Happy Running!

First Scrimmage of 2012

Today's workout was a 9 mile tempo run in 66 minutes with my average pace of 7:19.  I started off this run feeling very sore especially in my hamstrings and quads.  I think my hill pyramid from yesterday and TRX from Tuesday really worked out my lower body!  After the first mile things started to loosen up and I found my pace.  I finished with a 6:40 mile and was glad to hop off the treadmill and go through some stretches.  I am really starting to like dynamic stretching  and have noticed increased mobility. 

Today is our first lacrosse scrimmage of the season!!!!!!!!!!!  We have only had 6 days of practice and a lot of the girls have never ever picked up a lacrosse stick before the first day of the season.  I am nervous for them but I know this will be a learning experience and it will help us to narrow down the skills we truly need to focus on.  One good thing about my team is that they are the nicest group of girls I have met and they really never complain!!  Lets Go Raiders!!

After lacrosse I am helping coach a 10K running club at our Y.  Tonight is a 2-3 mile run and I am super excited to share my love for running with this group!  I just hope I don't scare them with my energy. 

Happy Running!

 

Love getting the Mail

Today's workout : 9 recovery miles in 1 hr 10 mins.

I tried to keep my miles between 7:40 - 7:50 to help shake out my legs from yesterday's long run.  Everything felt great and I really wanted to pick up the pace but I reminded my self to look at the big picture and stick with the pace.  I have been trying to train smarter this marathon cycle and listen to my body.  In the fall I was in physical therapy from September to December for an SI ( sacroiliac ) joint injury that was pretty tough to overcome.  Thank goodness I had amazing resources and great therapists that got my to the staring line of the Philadelphia marathon (Nov. 20), the Rehoboth Beach half marathon (Dec. 10), and Disney's Goofy's Challenge (Jan. 7-8). 



So when I got the mail today I was beyond excited!  I love when my runner's world comes as well as anything that is not a bill.  I was even more excited when I saw the Newton's article.  When I was in Disney for Goofy's Challenge I was able to talk to the Newton's shoe rep and learned a great deal about the shoes.  I had thought about getting a pair for a while but I couldn't find a store that carried them here in Delaware.  I am the type of person who has to try things on before I buy them especially running shoes!!  So when the rep told my to take the shoes and were them around the expo for a while I was in love.  I still wanted to get the feel of running in them so we went outside to the Wide World of Sports and I went for a little run.  They just felt "right" and I got a great price for them also. 



Now after reading the article I love them even more.  I felt like I was at a crossroads in my running shoes prior to trying on the Newton's Distance but now I feel like I have found my stride!



And I love the bright colors too!

What shoes do you train in??

Happy Running!