Happy Easter! - Week #6 Comes to an End

WELCOME to Sunday!!  Today is many things - Easter, End of Week #6, measurments and Rest Day in the training program.  What a week.  This week's training sessions increased in mileage. Instead of 2-mile Run/Walk days, this week included 3-mile Run/Walk training days.  One would think that by just adding another mile it wouldn't make a difference to the rountine, but as I learned this week, another mile can make all the difference in the world.

Another mile will not only increase my running indurance, but it also means an increase in the my overall workout time.  Instead of a 45 minute workout routine, (2-mile Run/Walk), the workouts have increased to about 60 minutes.  For some of us who are already on a tight schedule, adding more workout time means a change in the daily routine.  Prior to this week, I would wake up around 4:30am to get ready for my daily workouts.  By the time I hit the treadmil, it was approximately 4:45am.  This allowed me 45 minutes to workout plus time to finished getting ready for work, get Ben ready for school, and get out the door by 7:00am each morning.  It's definitely been an adjustment this week with trying to find that "happy medium" with adding another 15 minutes to my morning workout schedule. 

The additional mile and running time has also increased my level of soreness.  I noticed in the early days of the week, a few more aches in my calves and feet.  By the time Friday rolled around, the daily soreness had decreased to minor soreness that passed within a few hours after the workout. 

The next hurdle in the weekly workouts is a 5-mile Run/Walk at the end of each week. Last Saturday, I ran into issues with my legs at the 4 mile mark and wasn't able to finish the 5 miles.  This week I was determined to complete the 5 miles.  In fear that my workout time on Saturday would be interupted by my son's baseball tournament, I decide to do the 5-mile run on Friday afternoon.  I was nervous about this run all day and worried that my legs would not hold up.   The good news - I was able to complete the 5-mile Run/Walk.  I would be lying if I said it was easy.  I definitely was wiped out after the 5 miles and my calves and buttocks areas were really sore.  After the 5-mile workout, I stretched for anohter 10 minutes to keep my muscles from getting tight.   I was able to complete the 5 miles in 90 minutes which gave me a 18 minute/mile pace.  I'm excited that I stayed within my minute/mile pace time.  Now  the goal is to just keep working on increasing my indurance and the ability to keep doing this each week- especially since my Saturday workout will increase to a 6-mile Run/Walk in the next 3 weeks.  

Week #7 workouts remail the same as Week #6.
Monday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
Tuesday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Wednesday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
                                       Saturday - Run/Walk (5 miles)
                                       Sunday - Rest Day

After 6 weeks of my workout routine, I thought it would be a good time to see how I'm doing on my inches and weight loss.  To date - I've lost 12 lbs and 8.75 inches.  For my body inches, I measured everything from my ankles, waist, hips, bust, biceps, etc during Week #1 of my workout plan.  I lost almost 2 full dress sizes in the first 2 weeks of the workout plan. I can only guess that my body fat is turning into muscle and can only hope that the weight and inches will continue to disappear over the next couple of weeks.  The next body measurement will be the end of May. 

Since today is also a Rest Day, I'm going to enjoy the day by spending the holiday enjoying my family and snacking on a small chocolate bunny.  Tomorrow brings a whole new week and tough workout schedule.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter Sunday!.

Happy Running!

Week #6 - Hoping for a Better Week of Training

Happy Monday!
Today begins the start of Week #6.  Last week was not a good week.  It is in the past and I'm moving forward and keeping my sights on having a great week #6.  This week I start increasing the mileage in my workouts.  Instead of 2-mile Run/Walk workouts, I have now graduated to 3-mile Run/Walk workouts with a 5-mile Run/Walk workout on Saturday.   After last week's issues with my feet, I'm looking forward to a fresh start and a good workout week. 

Week #6 Workout Schedule
Monday - Run / Walk 3 miles
Tuesday - Cross Training / 45 minutes
Wednesday - Run/Walk 3 miles
Thursday - REST DAY
Friday - Cross Training / 45 minutes
Saturday - Run/Walk 5 miles
Sunday - REST DAY

This morning I started off with 15 minutes of stretching and light weight lifting to get my body ready for a 3 mile run.  I was a little nervous about my run due to last week's issues.  I held my own and completed the run/walk in 60 minutes. That is a 20 minute / mile pace time - 1 minute/mile increase from 2 weeks ago.   I guess it's not as bad as it could be considering I didn't get any running completed last week.  My goal is to shave off that minute and get back to my 18-19 minute / mile time by the end of this week.  Feeling a little sore this morning but that is only to be expected after no good training last week. 

I hope everyone has a great Monday!  Don't forget to send in your tax forms.  Afterall - it is TAX DAY!!! 

Happy Running!

End of Week #5 / Day 35 - Not a good week!

It's the end of Week #5 and all I can say is "my feet are killing me."  This entire week I was out of town working a tradeshow for my employer.   Long booth hours and standing on my feet for 12 hours at a time are not good when you are training for a race.  I must say my calves got a great workout but my feet were really sore - too sore and swollen to run.  Even after wearing comfortable shoes in the tradeshow booth all day, I still had issues with my feet.  I attempted a run on the 2nd day but the pounding on the treadmill really took a toll on my feet.  So needless to say, I didn't get any running completed during Week #5 but instead I just did 1-2 mile walks.  I'm still trying to find that "Happy Medium" between traveling and running workouts.   The good news is that I'm not scheduled to travel again until the beginning of July. 

I'm really bummed and feel like I lost a whole week of training due to my feet.  I guess I shouldn't be so hard on myself and just take each week as it comes.  I've been doing some reading about preparing for a race and it appears that I'm not the only "first time racer" that's had issues with their feet. It appears to be a phase that all first time runners go through during their training process.  So for me, my issues have been 1) wrong shoes and 2) standing for too long without movement in my feet.  I fixed the shoe issue a couple of weeks ago and now I just need to remember to keep movement in my feet at all times.  All I can do is take this as a learning lesson and move forward with a new week. 

Today is Sunday, Day #35 in my training and it also happens to be a rest day.  In attempts to keep body & feet from getting stiff, I did 15 minutes of stretching this moring and then went on a 2 mile light walk.   I don't want to be stiff for my run tomorrow morning.

Quote for the Day:

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."  Confucius

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Running!

Week 4 / Day 28 - REST DAY!!!! Bring It On!

Today is the best day of the week - REST DAY!!! Oh how I look forward to my (2) REST DAYS per week.   This has been a tough week between work, home and workouts.  Definitely a challenge for the different schedules, especially since my son is full on with his baseball season. WHEW!! I made it to the end of Week 4 and my reward - REST DAY!!!!

Tomorrow begins Week #5 of training. Training workouts will be the same as Week#4 with a 5 mile run/walk on Saturday.  I struggle to make it to 4.5 miles yesterday so next Saturday "5 miles here I come." 

This week also begins another business travel week for me so the challenge will be getting my workouts completed while I'm on the road.  My schedule isn't so tight with early morning workouts, so I don't anticipate any problems getting my workouts complete by/before 7am each day.  I leave on Monday and won't be back home until Friday.. 

Week #5 Workout Schedule

Monday - Run / Walk (45 minutes + 15 minutes weight training)
Tuesday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Wednesday - Run/Walk (45 minutes + 15 minutes weight training)
Thursday - REST DAY
Friday- Cross Training (45 minutes + 15 minutes of weight training)
Saturday - Run/Walk (5 miles)
Sunday - REST DAY

Quote for the Day
Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day.  It asks you, "are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?"  Peter Maher, Canadian Marathon Runner

Since I will be traveling all this week, I probably won't be able to do a daily report on my blog. I will try and get in a few during the week but will most likely do  report at the end of the week.  I hope everyone has a great week!

Happy Running!

End of Week 4 / Day 27 - One month down!

Today mark's the end of my 4th week.  (well actually tomorrow is the end date - but it's a rest day)    I made it through my first month of training.  Whoooo!!!  I'm not going to lie - the first month has been tough.  To prepare for this half marathon journey, I had to completely change my day to day schedule.  Prior to training, my focus was on the family and work, and now I've added "me" to the focus priorities.  Family and work are very busy so to add "me" into the picture, it took some planning and rearranging of the schedules.  I must say, it took a few weeks to work out the kinks in the schedules.  Now at Week 4, I feel pretty good and stable about my workout schedule.  It's getting easier to get up at 4:30am for my workouts.  I must admit, some mornings I'm tired and struggle to get out of bed.  This results in afternoon workouts.  If I don't make it up in the morning then I always make sure I complete the workouts in the afternoon.  As I stated in a previous weekly blog, I'm not a fan of afternoon workouts, however, sometimes this can't be helped.

This week, I'm finally finding the workouts to get easier and not a struggle. I'm still feeling some aches in my calves during my run but it's starting to decrease with each workout.   I've started to add my weight lifting into my training routines.  I try to lift weights about 3-4 times a week for 15 minutes.  I'm not doing heavy lifting but instead moderate weights with lots of repetitions.  It's all about the reps and feeling the burn and not necessarily the amount of weight that you lift.   I'm hoping this will eventually strengthening my arms and increase my muscle. 

To be honest - I haven't noticed a huge weight loss yet.  To date - I've lost 8lbs.   My monthly goal was 10lbs/ per month so I'm only 2lbs short.  I'm really starting to notice the inches.  I've lost 1 1/2 sizes.  I'm not quite ready to get into that 2nd size yet. I could see this coming very soon - probably in the next 7-10 days.   At the end of next week, I will take my monthly measurements to see how many inches are gone.  My calorie intake has averaged about 1800-2000 per day. I'm trying to limit my sugars, carbs and starches and increase fruits and veggies.  I'm definitely drinking A LOT of water this month. I'm averaging about 70-85 ounces per day.   The trainer keeps telling me - stay hydrated!

Today's Workout - Run/Walk - 5 miles 
I was very nervous about today's workout. This will be my longest run to date.  I'm worried that my calves would not hold up to the challenge.  Did I make it?  It was close - I finished 4.5 miles.  My calves began to cramp and I just couldn't run anymore today. No worries, I have to hit 5 miles again next Saturday.  This time I will make it.   I had a great time today. I averaged about 18.65 minutes per mile.  Not bad.  I know I will do better next week.

Thanks again for everyones thoughts, prayers and support.  This is life changing experience for me and I'm looking forward to my first finish line.  I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Happy Running!

Week 4- Almost a Month Under My Belt!

Welcome to Week 4!  Wow!  I'm getting  very close to having one month of training completed.  I just can't believe that it is week #4.  Next week I will take my monthly measurements and let everyone know how I'm doing with my pounds and inches. 

This week's workout are similar in format as the previous weeks - however, we are now at 3 miles for the Run/Walk workout days. 


Week 4 Workout Schedule
Monday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
Tuesday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Wednesday - Run / Walk (3 miles)
Thursday - REST DAY
Friday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Saturday - Run/Walk (5 miles)
Sunday - REST DAY

I'm feeling a little sore after today's 3 mile workout. I'm hoping that it is due to increase of miles this week.  This is going to be a very busy week with work and my son's baseball schedule so the last thing I need to add to my schedule is a sore body. 

Trainer Tip:    Are we there yet?   Starting any journey is fun. Sometime, though, as the first blush of excitement fades, we realize just how far we actually have to go.   Don't look too far ahead in your training. For now it's enough to do what you need to do today and this week. The weeks to come will be here soon enough.

Happy Running!!

End of Week 3 - What a Challenge!

What a week!!  It is definitely a challenge when you are traveling and have a workout routine that needs to be incorporated into your travel plans.   This week was definitely a learning experience and I'm glad to be home. 

I was able to complete my workouts during my trip, however, it wasn't an easy task. The hotel provided a wonderful workout facility. The Trick:  To get an early morning workout, I had to arrive at the hotel workout room by 5:15am, otherwise, the machines were booked until 7am.  There were a couple of days that I overslept and by the time I arrived to the workout room, every machine was full. This meant I would have to reschedule my workout for the evening.   One morning I did my workout in my hotel room. I brought a yoga DVD with me just in case of an emergency.  The yoga workout was good but I could have used a soft mat instead of a hard hotel floor.

Overall, the travel week went well.  This was a good trial run for my next travel week - April 11-15.  I can only hope that workouts and traveling gets easier with practice. 

Tomorrow is a rest day and then it is back to Run/Walk on Monday.  Have a great weekend!

Happy Running!