48 Hours to GO!!!

So today we hit a big milestone, only 48 hours until race day.  Today will be my last blog entry until after the race.  I will be on the road heading for Vail in about 3 hours.  I'm not going to lie, the nerves have set in and I'm feeling butterflies in my stomach. I'm excited and have been training hard for the last 5 months.  But one can't help to feel nervous too. 

Today has been full of reflection and packing.  As I pack my suitcase, I've been thinking about my early training days.  The days of when my time to run/walk one mile was 25 minutes.  My current time is between 14-15 minutes per mile.  Boy have I come along way.  My goal for Sunday's race is to stay under a 15 minute mile.   I'm guessing my early miles will be faster than the last miles. 

If you are interested in tracking my progress on race day, the race organizers have created an app that can be download on any Iphones or Android phones.   To download the app, click on the following link:  http://mobile.xlrun.com/SocialResultsSignup.aspx?id=25#     To track my progress, I am bib #573. 

So as I prepare for my trip to Vail, I can't help but think about all the people who have sent me "good luck" wishes along the way during my training days.  Thanks to everyone for all your words of wisdom and support.  Some days were not easy and it was the kind thoughts and support of my friends/family that got me back on my feet and on the treadmill. 

If you are interested in following my progress for the next 48 hours, (pre race day) follow the DivaRunner Facebook page.  I won't have another blog entry until after the race. 

Keep your fingers crossed for me and send me lots of happy thoughts on Sunday morning. 

Happy Running!

Countdown Begins - One Week Until Race Day

Today marks the one week countdown to the Diva's Half Marathon Race.  It's hard to believe that this all began on March 14th.  Boy has this been a great learning lesson on so many mental and physical levels. 

Sunday is a travel day for me. I am returning home from a long weekend in Florida.  My husband had to travel to Florida all week for a business trip. I thought it would be fun to join him mid-week for a long weekend.  I was able to sneak in a couple of workouts during my 4 day mini-vacation.  One day I thought it would be a great workout to run on the beach.  Boy was it a workout.  The sand was a great workout for the legs and the humidity was a huge workout for the lungs.  The humidity was so thick it made my lungs feel very heavy.  The first couple of miles no problem. By the time I hit mile #3, I thought my lungs were going to explode. My final forth mile became a walk back to the hotel to bring my heart rate back to a healthy level.  My remaining days in Florida, I decided to stay inside at the hotel gym. 

Today is also a rest day.  Gotta love the rest days.  Tomorrow begins my last week of training for the race.  The training days will begin strong and then tapper to light workouts at the end of the week. 

Workout Schedule
Monday - Run/Walk (4 miles)
Tuesday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Wednesday - Run/Walk (4 miles)
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - Run/Walk (2 miles)
Saturday - Run / Walk (2 miles)
Sunday - Race Day (13.1 miles)

I will be traveling to Vail on Friday afternoon.  My plan is to complete my Friday and Saturday workouts in Vail so that I can get acclimated to the altitude.  The weather is expected to be in the high 70s and low 80s during the day.  Perfect running temperatures. 

I will have a couple more blog enteries prior to leaving for Vail.  To follow me onsite in Vail, visit the Diva Runner Facebook site.

Happy Running!

Do You Drink Enough Water?

How do you know if you are drinking enough water each day? 
Answer: Do you sweat when you exercise / workout?  If you said yes, then chances are you are drinking enough water.  If you answered-- sometimes or no, then you are probably not getting enough water.  The human body requires water to function and there is a long grocery list of body parts that requires water to function. (brain, heart, liver, lungs, hair, nails, etc)  Your body will only sweat if you have supplied it with enough water. If you are low in your water intake, your body will not sweat but instead it feel deprived and keep the water in the body and not let it out. 

How do you determine how much water to drink each day?  Some experts say a person needs to drink 6-8 glasses.  This leads into the next question:  How many ounces is one glass?  The best solution to determine one's daily intake of water - weight divided by 2.  This is how many ounces you will need each day of water. 

Example:
Weight = 200 lbs

                   ÷ 2

                  100 ounces per day

Sweat isn't going to happen overnight.  Try this new formula for 4-6 weeks.  After this time, check sweat levels during your next workout session.  You should see a dramatic difference.  Daily water intake is great for your skin and will make you feel and look like a whole new person.

Happy Running!

Day After the Lake - Sore Day

It's the day after the adventure at the lake and I am very sore.  I awoke this morning with my knee and arm aching.  I have a nice shiner on my right arm.  My bruise became darker overnight. 

So with my recent injury, I'm going to take it easy today and not over do it in my workout. I was suppose to run/walk 3 miles today but that didn't happen.  Instead, I walked at a slow pace for one mile on the treadmill and stretched for about 20 minutes to try and loosen my knee.  I'm hoping by tomorrow, I can attempt the elliptical machine for a 30 minute workout.  I'm worried that if I over do it, it might get worse which could affect my race in 13 days.  (and I thought the nerves were bad before-- I'm feeling the stress now)

On Wednesday, I leave for Florida to join my husband. He is there all week on business travel and I'm going to join him to enjoy a long weekend at the beach.  Our hotel includes a nice workout facility so I'm definitely going to take advantage of this while I'm away.  Since I will be at sea level, I should have great lung capacity and no problems completing my workouts. (unless my knee is still bothering me) If I can get these injuries healed and continue to complete my workouts, I will be in better spirits by the end of the week. 

I'm going to continue monitoring my injuries and take each day at a time for my workouts. My goal is to complete each daily workout but my intensity level may need to decrease based upon the soreness. 

Happy Running!

Nerves Are Really Setting In - Only 2 weeks left.

Welcome to the last two weeks prior to race day.  I have to admit, my nerves are really starting to set it.  Even though I ran the full race last weekend, I can't help but feel the nerves for the upcoming race. 

Last week's post I mentioned a change in my cross training workouts. This new change included - Zumba.  I attended a
2-hour orientation class to learn about Zumba fitness and the basic steps.  Two days later, I was at my first class.  I have to admit, this is a GREAT workout. It is fun and it definitely gets your heart pumping.  Depending on your activity level, you can modify the steps to increase or decrease your heart rate.  Each class is one full hour.  If you are looking for a fun cardio class that will get your heart pumping and sweat pouring - try Zumba. You don't have to be a dance expert as it is set up for all participaton levels.  I was beginning to get bored with my eliptical machine so this was a great escape for something new a couple nights a week.

So my husband and I decided to enjoy ourself this weekend and we took our boat to the lake on Sunday.  A fun day in the sun turned to a sore ride home.  During our last ride around the lake, we came across a boat and jet skier that wasn't paying attention to the traffice in the lake.  Their lack of attention forced us to make a sharp turn to avoid a possible accident.  This sudden sharp turn literally flipped me out of the boat.  We have a jet boat which sits lower to the water level then a regular ski boat. A sharp turn with a jet boat is a lot different then a sharp turn in a ski boat.  Imagine yourself as a passenger on a jet ski and the driver make a sharp turn and catches you off guard.  What do you think happens?  Answer - you are going for a swim.   The good news is I landed in the water and not back against the boat. The bad news, as I was coming out of the boat, I hit my right arm and knee.  At first I felt fine and climbed back into the boat. However, on the way home, my knee began to ache and a bruise started to form on my right arm.   My first thought - "Crap, what have I done to myself 2 weeks prior to the race?"  My second thought, " I will not let this hamper my training with only 2 weeks until race day."   

Weekly Workout Schedule
Monday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
Tuesday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Wednesday - Run/Walk (5 miles)
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Saturday - Run/Walk (7 miles)
Sunday - Rest Day
Keeping my fingers crossed that I can do my workout tomorrow. Stay tuned... 
Happy Running!

Three Weeks Until Race Day!!!

I know everyone is wondering how my run went yesterday.  Well................ good news and bad news.  Good news..........I DID IT!!!!!!! I completed the full 13.1 miles in a little over 3 hours - 183 minutes to be exact.  Bad news...... I should have ran earlier in the morning, I was really burning up with heat and sweat the last 3-4 miles. 

A few days prior to my run, I started to map out my running course.  I wanted to stay off the streets with a lot of traffic - especially since I would be running on a Saturday morning.  I was able to map a course within my subdivision.  One lap was 1.1 miles which meant I needed to complete 12 laps for my full 13.1 miles.  The night before my run, I went to bed early to get a good night's sleep.  I knew I was going to need all the energy I could store to complete 13.1 miles.

My morning began at 6:30am.  I had a light breakfast that included a protein bar and banana followed by shot of energy gel. I strapped on my water belt that included one bottle of plain water and the other bottle with Gatorade.   I hit the pavement at 7:00am.  To warm up, I walked the first mile.  After the first mile, my pace included - run 1/2 mile and walk 3 minutes, run 1/2 mile and walk 3 minutes, and so on and so on.  The first 6 miles, I averaged about 14.50 minute mile with my heart rate around 160.  After mile 6, the morning heat began to set it.  It felt like it went from a cool 68 degrees to 85 degrees in a matter of one lap.  By mile #8, my heart rate increased to 193 and I was getting very hot. I started to get concerned that I might over heat and have health issues.  To keep my heat levels lower and my heart rate around 160, I began to run a 1/2 mile and walk a 1/2 mile.  This was a pace that I kept for the last 5 miles of the run.  With the outside temperature rising, this strategy seemed to help me stay in focus and keep my body at a reasonable temperature.  

So I did it. I finished my first 13.1 miles.  After my run, I celebrated with a glass of chocolate milk and went indoors to cool down that included 15 minutes of stretching to keep my muscles loose and warm.  

I read in a running magazine that chocolate milk is a great drink to help in the recovering process after a long run. I will have to admit, it really does work.  You don't have to drink a 1/2 a gallon of chocolate milk to feel it work but instead a 10oz glass is just enough to do the trick.

Weekly Workout Schedule
Monday - Run / Walk (3 miles)
Tuesday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Wednesday - Run/Walk (5 miles)
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Saturday - Run/Walk (7 miles)
Sunday - Rest Day

This week I'm trying a new type of cross training for my workouts - Zumba.  I've heard that this is a great cardio workout so I'm going to give it a try.  Stay tuned for this week's post to see how Becky does with Zumba. 

Happy Running!

One Month to Go!!

So here we are, one month from today it's the big race!!!  It's hard to believe the race is almost here. The last several months have been such a great learning experience.  I have found out so much about myself during this time.  I've learned that life throws you daily obstacles that can affect the outcome of your day but it's how you make the most of each day that matters.

I began this journey with a 5 day workout schedule.  Half way through my training, life throws me an obstacle that forces me to cut my training from 5 days to 3 days for about 6 weeks.  Each week that went by I felt like a failure but as each week passed by, I made the most of the 3 days that I was able to work out.  At the end of the day, I was still getting stronger in my daily runs and lung capacity. 

So with only one month left, the nerves are definitely starting to come into play.  Each day I just keep saying to myself, I know I can do this, I know I can do this. 

This week includes a big hurdle in my training process.  At week's end, I will have to run the full 13.1 miles.  I've been advised by my trainer to complete the full run 3 weeks prior to race day.  This is going to be the "tell all" report card for the last few months of my training.    I thought the nerves were bad before, OMG  they have only just begin. 

Weekly Workout Schedule
Monday - Run/Walk (3 miles)
Tuesday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Wednesday - Run / Walk (4 miles)
Thursday - Rest Day
Friday - Cross Training (45 minutes)
Saturday - Run / Walk (13.1 miles)
Sunday - Rest Day

I hope everyone has a great weekend.  Keep your fingers crossed for me that next weekend I have good news.

Happy Running!