7 miler

Today was the perfect day. Everything went right. 


This morning we ran 7 miles-before sunrise-at an 8:10 pace.  Not too shabby.  I found a new appreciation of running old route 66 by the tiny remaining luminescence from the moon and the beginning remnants of another beautiful sunrise.  

Here's the thing, we both felt like a million bucks.  I am still smiling from that accomplishment.


I am track this week.  I have not been lately.  

12 miler

out of this world. awesome. fantastic. superb. fun.
all adequate words to describe our 12 miler this morning. 


i even sported a scarf around my head.  I am sure I looked ridiculous but I felt like a champ. 


thanks goes to UB40 on my ipod, my running partner, the sun, the temperature, and the old pavement on route 66 for this good run.  


I am finding that I have tons of energy at the end of my runs.  that tells me that I need to pick up my overall pace in the beginning. 


yee'go 

hills

I've been thinking about the finer points of running hills. 
I am not a professional, but I have been up and down a few hills by now. 


Running uphill:

• make sure your body is all in line--you should be able to run straight, as if you were running along an imaginary line or piece of string
• pump your arms in a way that is more emphasizing than usual-do this only if your arms are in line, your elbows should not be sticking out
• as you approach the hill do 2 things:  perform a mental check-list of your running form and give yourself a mental boost to get you to the top
• drive your knees-in my opinion, this makes all the difference.  you shouldn't have to run faster to gain ground on a hill, rather more emphasis on quality form
• breathing should be deep-especially the inhales
• at the top do not immediately slow-expect your muscles to ache big time.  use your form, breathing, and mentality to get your physical state back to a more enjoyable place in y our mind

Running downhill:

• it is not a sprint
• I consider this a little intermission in any race.  Use the time to shake your shoulders, fix any straps or clothing defects, and regroup mentally.  
• slow your breathing and enjoy a little boost from the race course
• whatever you do, do not pound your heels and/or sprint.  knee and shin injury central right there. 

4X1200

Dang Gina.  This morning at dark thirty, we ran 4X1200m.  That is a LONG workout for speed work.  

I had a painful bout of nostalgia during this workout.

You see, that last time I did this routine I was on a white sandy beach hearing nothing but crashing waves and feeling completely pumped to be training for a marathon on a beach.  

It was a little challenging to feel the same intensity at dark thirty while running on my home town track. 

However, even that track gives me bouts of nostalgia.  I can't help but remember my high school years.  I trained hard on that track.  That is the place I realized that running was my thing.  

Midway through week 2 and I am feeling great.  I am logging extra miles just because that's what I do.  I am not burnt out in the slightest. 

Cheers

week 1 complete

I logged a total of 18 miles this week.   
All of the workouts went well.  It is minutes after my 10 miler and I am feeling achy.  I guess that's to be expected. 


My biggest fear about this training season is that it will be much  more challenging now that it is getting colder and not warmer.  


I just had a protein shake instead of my usual toast slice.  I think it's a smarter choice for me. 

marathon training DAY 1

And so it begins, 


3 months to race day.  We are using a combination of the Less-is-More plan and another similar plan for our training.  Running days are Tues, Thurs, Sat.  Off days are to be cross training days. For me, that mostly means a gym day.  When winter really starts to be a bust, I'll be swimming laps as part of my cross training.  


I am a little more nervous than usual about this race.  I don't know how it will be to train in cold winter.  I wonder if my times will suffer?? Does cold weather do that?  


I have 2 end goals. 


1.  To have Kimmy make it to race day, injury free
2.  3 hr 35 min

the pink race for my mom

Today I proudly ran a 10K race in my home town, all in the name of conquering breast cancer.  I ran the course in 49 minutes.  I was hoping for a 45 minutes BUT found out that the course was closer to 6.5 miles.  Accordingly, I don't feel bad about my time. 


First and foremost, I'd like to mention that it was a very sweet experience to run for a cause that I legitimately care about. My mom is a cancer survivor.  Her cancer support group organized the race and I wanted to show my support for the most amazing mom in the world. 


Overall, I felt very fast and positive about my finish.  I started strong and held my quick pace for basically the whole race.  I knew I was going out fast but I felt strong enough to hold the pace for the duration of the race. 


There were a few things that I screwed up on.  Per usual, I ate too much before the race.  I had an apple with peanut butter and 1 slice of toast with peanut butter and honey.  It was too much food too close to the race.  By the halfway point I was burping up peanut butter.  Not cool.  I hope that I read this post before my next big race and take notice of my continual problem of eating too much before races.  The only other thing that went wrong was the starting of a blister. Why do I always get blisters? What am I doing wrong?  I am stumped.  Any advice on that is appreciated. 

still feeling out of it

what is with me this week?  I am running consistently and on pace but am feeling down about it all.  I hate those weeks.  tomorrow I am running a 10K in the name of Breast Cancer support/research.  I feel good about the race and feel like I will perform well. However, I am having one of those weeks where I look in the mirror and wonder why I don't look and feel more like a runner this week.  ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh frustrated. 


can I just vent for a minute about America?  I miss the simplicity of a New Zealand grocery store.  it was so easy to eat plainly, inexpensively, and healthy there.  okay, my vent is done. 

the plan for tonight

I am off to the gym.  I love this place. It is my little get away. 
Tonight I plan on the following:


40 minutes tredmill
abs 10 minutes
arms,tri, biceps, lats