Long run on the trail

Did I say long? T, Dana, Michelle and I met at the usual spot this am. Our plan was to run 13 miles. We weren't sure of the route we would take. That all depended on if there was water on the trail once we got out there. Lucky for us there was plenty of water. I will mention that the water was warm but it's not a complaint. I'm sure it was alot cooler the day prior when we usually run.

I really had no expectation other than to complete the miles. The last longer run I completed was 3 weeks prior and I ran 8 miles. I was able to run all 13 without too much fatigue or soreness. I couldn't have done it had it not been for T and her well thought out pacing skills. Dana and Michelle ran with us for about 3 miles and then they picked up the pace. T and I kept it around a 10 minute pace. At mile 4 Katherine, Jenny and friends caught up with us at the water station. We visited with them briefly and got back to it. We didn't stop our Garmins when we walked a few times around mile 8-13. Each step counts!!!!

After we got back to our cars a cold G2 awaited. We both commented on how de-lish it tasted. Nothing like earning an ice cold G2. Maybe another 13 next weekend and then 15 the following:)

mile 1: 9:53
mile 2: 9:57
mile 3: 9:55
mile 4: 9:57
mile 5: 9:42
mile 6: 9:48
mile 7: 10:20
mile 8: 9:53
mile 9: 10:01
mile 10: 12:16 a little bit of walking
mile 11: 11:36
mile 12: 11:08
mile 13: 13:17 I don't think I stopped my watch when we stopped a 1/2 mile short of 13 to get a drink & talk to T's mom before finishing our last 1/2 mile.

Total time: 2:17:50
Ave pace: 10:36 happy with this :)

weights

You would think with my two little ones being away that I would end up with more time to blog. NOPE!! I have, however, been able to get into a weight lifting routine at the gym on the floor. This was a big step for me due to some misconceptions I had about what women do out there. Since I didn't know what I was doing or have a plan the thoughts of working out in front of all those men intimidated me. With alot of help from Dana I was able to go out there with some knowledge of what I could do with the equipment and what to work on. To my suprise the women on the floor, for the most part, were not parading around looking for attention from the "meat-heads". They mean business and I'm impressed with how "tight & toned" they look. That was enough encouragement to keep going. My plan is to have some of this flabby skin alittle tighter by the end of summer. I really feel the soreness after every workout so something might be working. The only fear I have is by the end of the week I may not be able to crawl out of bed and put in 10-13 miles on the trail with my legs so sore. I'm still learning so there is room for improvement in my plan and how/what I work on through the week to leave my legs fresh for Saturdays :)

5 mile run with T

It's been a few months since my last night-run with Teresa. We ran our old route which brought back memories of when Shannon was still living here.

The heat was relentless. No wind to speak of and the sun directly at our face for the first half of the run. T stuck some G-rades in the freezer before we left which offered encouragement to get back. 2 miles into our run we realized that we would need water alot sooner than we'd planned. We ran into her mom's neighborhood, knocked on her door and begged for water. It offered a nice break but made it more difficult to return to the heat. I enjoyed the conversation as usual which always motivates me and makes me look forward to every run. We finished those 5 miles dripping with sweat with a layer of salt on us. We enjoyed our chilled orange G-rade and made plans to run later in the evening next time.

running hills in Atlanta

The picture just doesn't do it justice. 80 degree heat at 7am this hilly run was one of the most difficult I've done this year. This Atlanta neighborhood had steap hills which offered very little time of recovery between them. My calves and back end was on fire. I initially planned to do 5-6 miles until I soon realized that my heart rate staying in the red zone would make for a very miserable longer run. I ran 3.5 miles which felt more difficult than our 13 miles on Saturdays on the flat Florida trails. As I'm posting this blog 3 days after this run my calves are still on fire. I need to do a run like this more often. My next run away from home will be California. Looking forward to 60 degree weather for those runs!

saturdays longer run

Balmiest (if that's a word) morning thus far this year fo sho! Started our run at 6:15am. Andrew, T and I decided 6 would be a good distance considering that Andrew hadn't run consistent for 2 weeks and T has Dunedin Tri tomorrow. I was relieved actually since later today I will be at the gym for my first instructional work out with Dana. We will be hitting the weights. I won't note all the uncomfortable moments of heat we experienced along the way. More memorable was the laughing at ourselves and light-hearted convo. No husband/male bashing today so the pace was slow and steady, although Andrew did mention he wanted to do some w-punching, LOL. Oh the memories we will have for years to come. Here is how it all went down:

Mile 1: 9:31
Mile 2: 9:18
Mile 3: 9:27
Mile 4: 9:24
Mile 5: 9:32
Mile 6: 9:30

Total time: 56:42, burned 540 cal (which I ate more than that after my run :)

Longer run with the Striders

It always amazes me that I won't set the alarm for anything else during the week until Fridays nights preparing for my Saturday run with the Striders. I literally pop right out of bed and get to it. This morning I didn't pick any of my girls up. They decided to meet me there because they had post run errands to run. Just before the sun came up we all met at the trail and joined about 50 others that show to enjoy this morning run. It was me, T & Dana. T was hurting from a spill she took at work and I think some back-to-back Tri soreness as well. We all ran out 3 miles and 3 back to get in the miles T wanted to do. Despite T's injury she pushed through and completed the 6 miles saying that she was "glad she did". From there Dana and I headed back out to put in 2 more. Our plan was to put 8 in and add a mile each week to gradually bring us back to our 13 we were running. From there, who knows, maybe the momentum will take us to a marathon distance.

8 miles: 1:15:06
Ave pace: 9:23 (I'm sure we will see this creep up over the summer)

Holy hamstrings

My hamstrings are really hurting tonight. Yesterday I lifted weights for the first time since I began training for Madiera Beach. Lots of lunges and squats, OUCH!! Tri training left little time for anything other than swim-bike-run. Tonight I had to force myself to run. I've learned that when I'm sore and stiff I need to push through it and eventually it gets better.

Tonights run started out tough due to the tight hamstrings and sore shoulders. The first 2 miles were not enjoyable. By mile 3 I felt myself settle into my comfort pace and relax. By mile 5 my shoulders were stiffening and I was thirsty. Not too many more nights left like this with less humidity. Come summer the night runs wont feel any different than the day ones, yuck. But, I prefer any run outside to the dreadmill. The 5 miles went down like this:

mile 1: 9:35
mile 2: 9:07
mile 3: 9:03
mile 4: 9:03
mile 5: 9:03

A little slower than I had hoped. I'm hoping to regain my pace in the next couple months with my weight training, track runs and intervals.