Week 5 in Review

This week seemed to be a massive turning point for me in that I noticed a SUBSTANTIAL improvement in my speed and endurance.  Although I was a little apprehensive about it, I did a total of five runs this week (one more than my planned four), which is also on top of my morning Insanity workout DVDs.

This is what the week looked like:
Mon - 3 miles easy
Tue - OFF
Wed - 4 miles with Fartleks (random intervals)
Thu - OFF
Fri - 3 miles with intervals
Sat - 4 miles easy with running group
Sun - 10 miles at steady pace (the long run)

And I'm happy to report that, for my long run (which I just finished about an hour ago), I had an end time of one minute faster than last week's nine-mile run...which means I added an extra mile and STILL had a faster finish time.  And I did not feel any more fatigued.

In addition to this, I did my weekly weigh-in today and, since the end of December, I've lost 10 lbs. on the scale.  WOO HOO!

This week is my "step back" week, because my long run will only be seven miles to allow my body time to recover.  However, my mid-week semi-long run jumps up to five miles.  AND I have the push-up debilitating mole removal to contend with on Thursday.  But I will keep going and push through it.

I contribute a lot of my progress not only to consistent training, but also to solid nutrition.  As I continue to improve this area and eat more whole, unprocessed, fresh foods, I am slowly weeding out animal products to bring myself closer to a vegan lifestyle.  Last week was my last week of dairy and eggs.  This week is my last week of fish.  I'm doing lots of reading on vegan endurance training and vegan bodybuilding, and will replace my proteins with beans, nuts, peanut butter (in moderation of course)...along with protein-rich grains like quinoa and veggies like broccoli and spinach.

Week 6, here I come!

Getting Antsy for the "Racing Season"

Although there are small local races put on by the Upstate New York running clubs that I could partake in this winter, I'm looking forward to the big events in the spring -- you know, the ones with lots of people, racing chips, and goody bags (and yes, we judge the races based on the loot...we're only human.  The Apple Run has the best loot bag I've ever gotten -- a drawstring bag, a reusable grocery bag, a long-sleeve shirt, gloves, a hardcore waterbottle, an amazing raffle, and so on.  But I digress...)

So far, here are the races I'm planning:

3/12/11 - Runnin' on the Green 4-miler (Troy, NY)
4/2/11 - Spring Ahead 5K (Halfmoon, NY)
4/23/11 - [TENTATIVE] Lake George Half-Marathon (Lake George, NY)
5/15/11 - Shires of Vermont Marathon (Manchester, VT)....a.k.a. "the big day"
5/19/11 - CDPHP Workforce Challenge (Albany, NY)
5/22/11 - SPAC Rock & Run 5K (Saratoga, NY)
6/18/11 - Warrior Run (Queensbury, NY)
7/10/11 - Boilermaker 15K (Utica, NY)
8/14/11 - Warrior Dash (Windham, NY)

Not too shabby...Based on the above, starting in March, I'm running a race approximately every 3-5 weeks.  And this is not considering the YMCA 5K series, for which I usually sign up for every race that I can fit into my schedule (last year I almost did them all except for the East Greenbush one, because it fell on the same day as the Stockade-athon).  And this schedule will lead me right into the fall running season, and the plethora of races to be had at that time.  I think last October I ran a race every single weekend.

You'll also notice above that I have the Lake George Half-Marathon "tentatively" scheduled for 3 weeks before my marathon.  It's tentative because I'm not sure whether or not I should do it.  I WANT to do it, but I've read information for and against doing a half-marathon so close to your target race date.  The "pro" half-marathon racers say that it's a great "test race," a good time to refine your racing plan, your refueling protocols, and really dial-in your mind for the upcoming marathon.  The "anti" half-marathon racers say that you should not partake in a demanding race less than a month out from your target race.

I am as of yet undecided.  The timing would be good, because it would be my last tough effort before I begin tapering.  But then again, do I really want to risk burning myself out for my BIG event in 3 weeks from then?  And then another voice chimes in saying that 13 miles will be cake compared to the 20+ I should be conditioned to tackle by this stage.  So many contradictions!  To race or not to race...

Does anyone have any experience with this?  If so, can you give me some advice?

Week 4 in Review

I can't believe I've already been at it for four weeks now.  My assessment so far is that I'm sticking to my plan, encountering minor hurdles, but adjusting as needed and pushing forward.

This week I got in four total runs.  Due to the weather, two of them were on the treadmill, and two were outside.  Today's long run was 9 miles.  And it went really, really well.  I felt great afterwards and it just goes to show that -- despite the windy conditions, minor snowfall, slick roads, and temperatures in the 'teens, you CAN run outside if properly equipped.

The two pieces of equipment that saved my butt in particular were my balaclava and my winter spikes.  The balaclava is basically a fancy word for "ski mask," and I found myself pulling it up over my nose frequently to block the wind and keep my breath warm.  The winter spikes are a very clever product that a friend told me about.  They were about $10 at Wal-mart and they're basically big rubber bands with spikes on the bottom.  They stretch around the bottom of any shoe (in this case, running sneakers), and provide excellent traction for running on snowy and/or wet roads.  They were awesome today, since the road shoulders were not entirely clear of snow, and even when they were clear, they were wet.  In the spikes, I could run without fear of slipping, and I only was mildly aware of them under my feet when I was running on plain, hard, clear roadways. 

So, all in all, I'd say this was an excellent week.  Four running workouts seem to be appropriate, since I don't feel overtrained but I am still making improvements.  My run times are getting faster, the holiday weight is coming off, and I'm feeling more energetic in general.

As for next week, my goals are to keep up with four runs (my long run will be 10 miles).  In addition, I've decided to progressively alter my diet and try out a vegan lifestyle to see if I feel any differently (vegan means eating no animals or animal products).  I'm currently a vegetarian and have been so happy to make that change -- I do not miss meat at all, but I still eat fish, eggs, and dairy (so technically, I am a pesco-vegetarian).  As a result of becoming a vegetarian about a year and a half ago, I've had more energy and felt better in general.

The more I read about the way our food is processed, and the health risks associated with saturated fats and cholesterol, I'm inclined to attempt an entirely plant-based diet, if even just to try it for a couple weeks and determine it's not for me.  In order to get enough protein, beans and tofu will become my friends.

This week, my goal is to take a baby step towards this and cut out all dairy (milk, cheese, and yogurt).  Then next week, I will cut out eggs.  Then fish the next week.  And before you know it, I'll be vegan.

Anyway, I had a good week and am looking forward to improving even more in the upcoming one.

No Push-Ups for TWO WEEKS?!?!?!?!?!?!? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Say it ain't so.  I'm facing a minor hurdle after my doctor's appointment yesterday.  Due to a suspicious mole residing on my chestal-area (new word, no need to look it up), I'm having it removed in two weeks.  Unfortunately, it can't just be "zapped off"...it needs to be tested, so the thing has to come off in one fugly piece.  So for two weeks after the procedure, I'll be nursing some sutures in the place where my mole once was.

The good news:  I can continue to run while recovering.  The bad news:  No pull-ups, chest presses, or *gulp* PUSH-UPS!  WAHHHHHHHHH!

Some of you may be thinking "so what?"  However, if you know me well, you know how much I LOVE push-ups and firmly believe that they're the most effective exercise out there (okay, actually burpees are, but burpees are basically an advanced variation of a push-up, so again push-ups win.  Anyway....)

In addition, if you remember correctly, I am using P90X to cross-train for my marathon.  And since Month 2 of P90X involves workouts like "CHEST, Shoulders and Triceps", "BACK and Biceps", and "Legs and BACK"...my ability to progress with the program during my two-week recovery time has been obstructed. 

My imagination instantly envisioned a sad version of myself, with awesome muscular legs and a withered, pathetic, deflated upper body.

So what did I do in light of this turn of events?  I reacted just as any mature adult would.  I began by throwing a full-blown hissy fit (after all, it's the doctor's fault that the mole is there, right?), then debating with the receptionist that my removal appointment could wait until June, after my marathon, and then, FINALLY, I realized and accepted that my health comes first and that my plans would have to change.

(Anyone who understands my OCD nature knows how big a step this was for me.)

So, how to adapt my training during my two weeks of no upper-body stress?  The answer: switching to Insanity rather than P90X.  I did a test workout this morning and realized that many of the Insanity exercises are lower-body, and the ones that are upper-body can be easily modified (instead of doing push-ups, I can hold planks, or replace them altogether with a jump exercise).

Obstacles don't mean giving up entirely.  They're opportunities to challenge your creativity as you discover solutions to keep you moving towards your goals. So that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Enough with the Frickin' Snow!!!

Sigh, yet again I am resigned this week to performing my Wednesday run on the treadmill.  Having commuted 45 minutes home and witnessing slips, slides, overturned cars, and more tow trucks than I've seen all winter, I deemed the roads unsafe for running.

Since I had my long run set for today (9 miles), and seeing as how doing 5 miles on the dreadmill last week was torture, I decided to push my long run to Sunday and instead change my Wednesday run to a semi-long run (4 miles today).  We'll change this up for a bit and see how it goes.  Sunday is usually my total rest day, but I've been feeling antsy on that day, so maybe this will cure the antsy-ness.

The 4 miles on the treadmill, surprisingly enough, felt good.  Last week I was struggling at the 5.7 mph mark, and this week 6.7 felt comfortable, and I spent several intervals at the 7 and 7.5 marks as well.  I think my body is beginning to adapt.

I was thinking this morning on my commute into work that we often compare our bodies to machines -- fuel the machine, run the machine, maintain the machine, etc.  However, that's not entirely true.  Machines do not adapt.  They are essentially built to wear out.  But the human body -- being the miraculous thing it is -- can become stronger, more efficient, faster, and more skilled if we apply the right stimulus.  And this is true at any age.  I've known 20-year-olds who act like they're 50 and 50-year-olds who act like they're 20 (ahem, Mr. Tony Horton, you know who you are). 

So now that my stimulus is done (the 4 mile run), I'm going to go kick back and "adapt" in front of the TV.  Hopefully in time for the 9 miles on Sunday.  GULP!

Week 3 in Review

Well, three weeks are officially over!  This past week was a little tough regarding motivation.  It was hard to get in all my runs, but I did.  Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday all featured some kind of running.  It was a short week mileage-wise, with my long run on Wednesday only lasting 5 miles (I'm using a two-steps-forward, one-step-back training approach).  Due to the snowstorm, I had to do this on the treadmill, which was not fun AT ALL.  But I was grateful to at least have the treadmill to use so that I could train.

I slipped up a little yesterday with my eating and indulged in some snacks I shouldn't have had.  I'm paying the price today -- I feel bloated and not very energetic, which should make today's 3-mile run particularly un-fun.  Why is nutrition the hardest part?  I find it easier to bust my butt during workouts than to abstain from treats every so often.  All I can do this week is push the "reset" button and begin eating clean again.

This week's long run is 9 miles.  I am very apprehensive about that distance, although I can't pinpoint why.  I'll just take it slowly and do my best.  That's all I can ever do!

(Belated) New Year's Resolutions

I know it's a little on the late side -- but then again, I guess it's never too late to make some resolutions for the upcoming year.  You know what those are -- the "I'm going to lose 5 lbs", "I'm going to learn a new language", "I'm going to travel more" type of goals.  Sometimes they're helpful, and sometimes they slip through the cracks.


I bet everyone can guess one of my resolutions. 


RUN A MARATHON!
(That was for the people who couldn't figure it out on their own...)


That's my major one.  And this new year ushers in four and a half months of training to make sure I'm ready for it.


But other than that, what else do I want to do this year?  Here's my list.


AMANDA'S RESOLUTIONS
1.  Complete a marathon race.
2.  Maintain a better work/life balance.  Don't leave all my "life" stuff for the weekend.  Find ways to puff more "life" into the work week.
3.  Take at least a one-week vacation FROM EVERYTHING (except exercise, hee hee).


It'll be interesting to see how many of these become realities.  Maybe now that they're posted for all the world to see, I'll subconsciously be more diligent about fulfilling them.  What about you?  Write down those goals (not a laundry list, just the top 1, 2, or 3) and get them DONE this year!


When writing your goals down, it sometimes help to make them SMART goals (S-M-A-R-T).  They should be:

• S:  SPECIFIC - The smaller and more specific the goal, the easier it is to achieve.  For example, "I want to learn how to have a basic conversation in Italian" rather than "I want to learn Italian."
• M:  MEASURABLE - How will you know you've met your goal?  Set a measurement.  For example, "I want to lose 5 lbs." rather than "I want to lose weight."
• A:  ATTAINABLE - Make sure the goal can be attained within your realm of control.  Things like meeting a celebrity might not be attainable.  Running a sub-2-minute mile might not be attainable.  However, breaking a personal record or playing a song on the piano is attainable.
• R:  REALISTIC - This differs from "attainable" in that your goal is realistic based on the timeframe and your current starting point.  For example, although it might be "attainable" for you to make $100,000 per year SOMEDAY, it might not be "realistic" to set that goal if you're just out of college and your deadline is 3 months.  It might be more realistic to say, "In the next three months, I'm going to earn a 5% pay increase."  You could even break that up into smaller goals that detail how you're going to get that raise.
• T:  TIMELY - Give your goals a deadline.  For New Year's resolutions, this is usually 12/31 of the new year, but it can be sooner if you wish.

Using these guidelines will ensure that your goals can both mentally and physically be achieved.  They make your goals bite-sized, seemingly achievable, and provide you with the motivation to reach them.
With the example of my marathon, I've made it:

Specific:  I set a goal for a particular race, rather than just running more in general.

Measurable:  A marathon is 26.2 miles.  If I traverse that distance on race day, I'll know I've reached my goal.

Attainable:  I know I can run a marathon with proper training, because I know many other people who have done it successfully.

Realistic:  I'm giving myself 20 weeks to train, and I have a solid conditioning plan in place.

Timely:  The race is on a fixed date (see the countdown timer above if you haven't already).


With all that said, welcome to the new year....now let's get going!

Week 2 in Review

Wow, it was a crazy week and I didn't have much time to post.  But here's what my second week looked like.

If you remember from last week, I pretty much burnt myself out and decided to do only 3 main running workouts this week on top of P90X.  I did these as scheduled -- Monday was 3 miles with speed intervals sandwiched in the middle, Wednesday was a 7-mile long run, and on Saturday I met with my running group at the Y.

My long run on Wednesday went very well.  I realized this after the fact, however, because during the run, I ended up missing a mile marker and was VERY depressed that it was taking me almost 20 minutes to do Mile 4 (which actually ended up being Miles 4 AND 5).  After that "whoopsie", I realized I was doing pretty well and ended the run in a little over an hour.  I felt good afterward too, not burned out but I still felt like I worked hard.

On Saturday, due to the remnants of the monster snowstorm we had, we did a fun run with the running group, where we did sprint relays.  We worked hard, but I found myself on Sunday wondering if I'd done enough for the week.  So I strapped on my shoes and did about 2.5 miles easy down the street and back, and finished that off with my X Stretch DVD -- which left me feeling satisfied with my work this week.

So how do I feel?  So far, so good...AND my pants are fitting MUCH better, thank goodness.  I think the most important thing I have to do is listen to my body and supplement my running as needed, focusing at the very minimum of getting 3 solid runs in a week.  Combine this with P90X, and I'm confident I'm going to be fighting fit for the marathon in May.

For the upcoming week, I'm going to stick with my 3 miles on Monday.  My long run on Wednesday is a step back this week -- only 5 miles in order to allow time for muscle recovery (I jump up to 9 next week -- yikes!).  However, I'm subbing for the running group on Saturday, so I really can't count on that as a hard workout, so I'm planning to run about 2 miles on Friday and then gauge how I feel on Sunday and either run or rest as needed.

2 weeks down, 18 more to go...

Week 1 in Review

So, I've officially completed 1/20th of my marathon training.  Week 1 had some ups and downs.  It was rough to get started at the beginning of the week, but now that it's over, I feel energized and ready for week 2.

On top of doing my P90X workouts each morning, I worked 4 training runs into my program.  After this past week however, I'm wondering if 4 is pushing it.  I did 3 miles on Monday, 6 on Wednesday, and then a 5K each on Friday and Saturday.  When I woke up this morning, I barely wanted to get out of bed.  I had an easy 2-3 mile run slated for today, but instead I hung low, did a stretching workout, and went on a 3 mile walk in Saratoga Spa State Park with my mom.  I came home feeling refreshed and with renewed motivation.


That said, I am going to shoot for 3 runs this week -- a speed run on Monday, a long run (7 miles) on Wednesday, and then whatever my running coach on Saturday prescribes for our group.  I reminded myself that when I was at my racing peak this year (around October/November), I was only running twice per week on top of my normal training.  So maybe my body responds to less.  We'll see this week.