Full Marathon Training: Week 6

Week 6 of training is done and in the books. I reached my goal of 1 core strength training this week. I even got 2 core training in! Started this week with new shoes. Not 100% sure they are the shoes for me. I am going to give it a couple more runs before taking them back. This week started strong and had a couple bumps a long the way. Very blessed that, out of 6 weeks of training, I have only only missed one run.


Monday- 4 mile run plus sprints with Jill. 6min-30 sec splits. 4 miles running paced out at 10:53, super fast! Sprints weren't as fast as the last couple weeks but still got well into an 8mpm sprint. Nervous going into this run since having ran 13 miles just a couple days before. Also, first run with my new shoes!! Stuck with Mizuno but the style changed a little.
Tuesday- Lazy day
Wednesday- 6 miles. Walked the first mile alone, middle 4 miles I ran with Katie, and walked the last mile. Did 6-1's for the 4 miles. We ran at 6pm. It was HOT. Paced out at 11:32/mile. Pushed super hard to finish faster. Challenging run but I am always thankful for those runs. I still got out there, kept going even when it was hard. Endurance training.
Thursday- Boot camp a la Jill. I thought she was going to kill me, but I desperately needed the cardio/strength training. We would run a lap at the church then stop for different strength exercises. We did push-ups, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, abs, arms with weights, planks, and more arms. Such a great work out!
Friday- 5 mile run in the morning. Slow run, walked a lot more than I would have liked. Paced out at 11:50. It was a warmer morning than it had been earlier in the week. And because that 5 mile run wasn't enough exercise for the day, made it in for round 2 of Boot camp a la Jill. Did a little bit harder on day 2, we would run 2 laps instead of 1. Very tired and physically exhausted after a crazy intense morning. Thankful for a friend who will push me and help reach my training goals.
Saturday- 8 mile run. Challenging. Paced out at 11:49. Missed my some of my normal Saturday running buddies. However, I loved getting to run with my new running friend, Sara, and also, enjoyed getting to chat with Amanda before her turn around point. Saturdays run was hard. After several days of challenging runs, my body was tired. Felt like I had a strong start to my run but maybe it was too strong and I wore myself out too soon. Mile 5 was my wall. My legs were done, my feet hurt and walking was about all I could do. There were times I wanted to push and force myself to run and I stopped myself. I decided listening to my body was a smarter decision. Still got the full 8 miles I needed, I just listened to my body and took it easy, rather than over doing it and being miserable for the rest of the day and possibly the days to follow. Also, take it easy. Not worth risking an injury to finish one run.
Sunday- Rest day!

Full Marathon Training: Week 4 and 5

The last couple of weeks have been very full and busy between work, school and running. Since I have been so busy, sleep has been cut back. Sadly, in an attempt to catch up on some sleep, I have slacked and haven't done any core or strength training in the last two weeks. That is my goal for next week, at least one day of core or strength training. Still not drinking enough water through out the day but not feeling as dehydrated as I use to. Diet has been better, eating smaller portions, healthier food and not as many sweets. Sweets are my weakness. Last couple of weeks have been a mental roller coaster. Running is a mental thing. During challenging runs I sometimes allow my negative thoughts to take over, I doubt being able to run a full or even a half. And other days runs seem easy and positive thought make me feel like I can totally dominate this full. Such a mental game. Here is a little recap of the week 4 and 5 of training:

Week 4:
Monday- 4 miles run followed by 20sec/2min sprints. Totaled 4.7 miles. Felt very slow. Legs were still a little jelloish from Saturdays long run. Ran an old Woodbridge course and missed Cara and Jen running with me. Miles go by a lot slower when you are running alone. 4 miles paced out at 12:17, I did 10 minutes splits, didn't time my walks but didn't walk more than a minute each. Sprints where much slower than in the past but still helps to train my body that I can physically go faster when I set my mind to it! Running is such a mental thing.

Tuesday- Lazy day :( 

Wednesday- Alarm set for 5:30am wake up and 5:50am run...  ended up not running till 7pm. Hated sleeping in and missing a morning run but had to listen to my body! There is a drastic difference in outside temperature from morning to evening! Did 6 total miles. Walked the first mile in 16:13. Ran the next 4 miles straight paced out at 10:46. So great! Can't remember the last time I ran 4 miles with out walking. It was challenging but it was a great accomplishment! Walked the last mile in 16:39, I was tired! 

Thursday- Back to early morning running despite my bodies desire to sleep another hour or so! 4 miles. Wanted to run 10-1s but couldn't do it. First mile I drug my feet a lot. Long 4 miles. Finished in 49:36, paced out at 12:23/mile. Might have been slow mileage but it was mileage. Nearly stepped on an armadillo, I didn't see it till it scurried away since I was too close for comfort. I've seen more living armadillos in this training than I have ever seen in my entire life. Running 10 miles (6 Wednesday night + 4 Thursday morning) in less than 12 hours was not wise. I need to no do that again. No armadillo sightings but I did see a skunk! Thanks to Marley, I learned to run super faster past those bad boys. Apparently, you smell awful for a while after getting sprayed. Yuck! 

Friday- Lazy day :(

Saturday- Due to working all weekend, I was unable to get in my long run, 12 miles. Little worried that missing it would effect the following weeks run. I was hoping to get up at 4:30am again to squeeze it in but thought I better now. I've learned a very important lesson: sleep is important. Runs wont be successful if you're well rested.

Week 5:
Monday- 4 miles plus sprints. Ended at 4.7 miles. Ran 4 miles, with an 11:50 pace, ran 6-1's with Katie. Changing up our route was nice. Also running with someone was nice. I usually run in the mornings so I don't get to run with Katie during the week. Fastest sprint was 6:27. Crazy how my sprints are getting faster. Slowly able to see the effects of training.
Tuesday- Lazy  day :(
Wednesday- 6.88 miles with Jill. Walked the first mile, ran 6min-30sec (challenging!) for 4.8 miles, finished with a mile walk. Overall pace was slow due to the walking. But with walking a full 2 miles out if 6.8 miles, a 13:00mpm pace isn't bad at all! Our running portion paced out close to 11:14. Despite the speedy pace, I was hard on my self. Doubt was setting in. I was struggling.  It was a hot morning and a challenge to get use to new interval but it proved to be well worth it come Saturday's run!
Thursday- 4 miles with Jill. 10:34 pace. Ran 6min-30sec splits. Still challenging but it was a little cooler than the day before. Finished with a mile cool down walk around the neighborhood.
Friday- Lazy day :(
Saturday- 13 miles. Paced out at 11:00. Ran the first 4.5 straight and alone. Then, met Katie to run her 7 miles with 6-1 intervals (feeling spoiled after 6-30's). Caught up to Bethany, Michelle and Sarah about a mile before the turn around point. Used a hammer around mile 6 and a guu at mile 11. Ran the last mile straight with more strength than I was anticipating on having. Slowest mile was mile 7 with an 11:36pace, walked a little more during that mile to take the hammer. Fastest mile was mile 13 with a 9:33 pace. Good two minute difference between my fastest and slowest miles. So blessed by this run. Just a .10 miles short of half marathon distance. In the past, after running halves I am exhausted and don't want to walk any more. That was not the case today. Had no plain, no discomfort. I was tired but that could be from not getting a tons of sleep the night before. My body is going to have to get use to longer long runs over the next couple of months. Feeling great after today's run!


It's been a full two weeks.Only 11 weeks left of training till the Dallas Marathon. Registered this week for 2 half marathons and my full. I'll finish this year with 6 half marathons and 1 full under my belt. Some days I still can't believe how far I've come. One of the greatest feelings is the realization that I just ran X amount of miles. It is an overwhelming and breath taking feeling. 2 and a half years ago I struggled to run 20 minutes with walks built in. Feeling so accomplished and blessed. 

Full Marathon Training: Week 3

Feeling much more confident finishing out this week. Didn't have any bad runs this week. So thankful for that. Still feeling a little tightness in my IT band but I know it is from not stretching enough. I need to start waking up even earlier so I have enough time to stretch for a good 20 minutes after my runs before having to rush off to work. Also, need to start making bed a priority again. Too many late nights and early mornings. Thankfully exhaustion didn't hinder my runs this last week and hoping it doesn't catch up with me next. Glad I stuck to all 4 of my run days despite not wanting to wake up early many mornings. I know it will pay off in the end. Training is challenging but I know it will be well worth it in the end. Only 90 days to go! 3 months exactly!

Monday: 4 miles with Katie, followed by 5 set of 20 sec sprints with two minute recovery in between. 56:34. What a great way to star off a holiday! Ran Katy Trail before the sun came up. A wonderful rain shower kept us cool and soaking wet by the end. Ran 4 miles with 5-1 intervals, paced out at 11:42. Sprints were not as fast this week as last, even though I felt like I was going so much faster. The rain made the ground slippery so getting traction was a little harder than normal. I didn't really noticed till I was sprinting down a slight hill. Great run to start the morning and week 3 of running. 

Tuesday: Biggest Loser Cardio Max video. Being exhausted does not give a whole lot of energy to go into a cardio workout but I made myself do something. 

Wednesday: 3 mile straight run sandwiched by a mile walk. Totalling 5 miles, 1:05:38, 13:09 pace. 3 miles running paced out at 10:38 per miles. Little bit slower than my training plan called for but this was a huge success for me. I haven't run 3 miles straight in maybe over a month. Felt like cooler weather this morning. It was 70 when I ended my workout at 7am. 

Thursday: 4 miles run with Jill. 46:18. Paced out at 11:33/mile. Felt like we were running slow but we paced the same as the week before. 

Friday: Rest day before Saturdays long run. 

Saturday: 11 miles long run. 2:10:33. Paced out at 11:52. So thrilled with my run. First long run that I wasn't hurting by the end of it. I was very nervous going into it this run after only doing 7.6 of my 10 mile run last week. Also, I hadn't set myself up for success by staying up till 12 the night before. I woke up at 4:15am (yes, only 4 hours after going to bed) and ran 5 miles by myself. In case anyone was wondering, most sprinkling systems are set to water around 4:30/5am. Around 1.5 miles I ran past a HUGE spider and his web, had to take a picture. He looks small in the picture but he was HUGE and orange. That is NOT okay! First 5 miles were good! Last 6 miles I relocated to run with Katie, Jill, Jessica, Bethany and Michelle. We looked like a gang of runner about to take over the neighborhood at 6am! Love getting to run with them. I would not be able to do this without them! Getting started after a 30 minute break was a little challenging. Took a while to get back into the groove of things. My body was very confused as to why it was running again so soon. Running a course that I hadn't ever run before was fantastic. I didn't know what was next or dreading seeing the same ol' scenery. Used one hammer around mile 3 of the last 6 miles. Didn't use any on the first 5 miles. Ran 5-1's for all 11 miles. Last mile and a half I got a burst of energy. Mile 11 paced out at 9:51. It was the only mile under 11 minutes. Having a strong finish is very encouraging!

Only got in one cross training/ strength training day this week. Getting ready to start a super busy week with a busy weekend tacked on to it. Not too entirely sure when I will run my 12 miles long run next weekend but I will do it. Can't skip those long runs! They are far too important!

Running with Bunnies

Jill once told me that if you see a bunny while running you will have a great run. I like having good runs and I see bunnies often so I've stuck with the saying! While I am often hard on myself for not running as fast or far as I plan, I am running. That alone is great! Having a great run doesn't mean having the fastest pace or reaching a new goal. Having a great run means I took the time and energy to actually do it.  That alone is great, everything else is icing on the cake.

Full Marathon Training: Week 2

Such a fun week running with many friends. Some runs were encouraging and on the, dare I say it, easier side. Others I wanted to throw in the towel and never run again. Time doesn't matter. Speed doesn't matter. What the person next to me is doing doesn't matter. Doing something is all that matters. 

Monday- 4.5 mile run with Jill. 53:55. Ran the first 4miles 4min/45sec run/walks. The last half mile I did 4 set of 20 second sprints with 2 minutes to recover. My sprints got increasingly faster. 8:51, 7:56, 7:54 7:25. I know I only spent 20 seconds sprinting but holy moly that is fast! :) It was a challenging run- very hot and humid but it was a good run with great company :) 

Tuesday- Slacked and couldn't bring myself to get out of bed early to workout and by the time I got home it was late and didn't want to be too exhausted for my Wednesday morning run. 

Wednesday- 5 mile run. 58:34. Over all pace averaged out at 11:14. Long Interval workouts. Mile 1 slow run/walk. Mile 2 ran straight with a 9:57 pace. 2 minute recovery before mile 3. Ran mile 3 straight as well, felt I had pushed too hard on the second mile so I allowed myself to slow down. Paced mile 3 at 10:16. 2 minute recovery followed by a killer mile 4. 9:16 pace. woah dang, I was booking it!! FYI- running past 50+ construction workers walking to work will make you run fast, clearly. Mile 5 was slow, allowed some walking since I was beat after mile 4, paced out at 12:52.

Thursday- 4 mile run with Lauren. 47:29. Paced out at 11:37. 5-1 splits. Super humid. Mile 3 felt like we were running but not actually going anywhere, our pace reflected it too. Lauren instagramed our stats (picture to the right)
Friday- Rest day.... suppose to be a gym day but sleep dominated at 5:30am.

Saturday- 7.6 miles. First 2.5 with Bethany, Stephanie and Michelle. Last 5.1 miles with Katie. 1:39:38. paced out at 13:08. First 2.5 miles went by fast. No splits but it was hot and challenging. Last 5 miles were brutal! 5-1 intervals with Katie. (Please note that Katie looks like such a killer runner with her hat, water bottle and fanny pack, love it!) Sun was beating down on us. Legs were tired. Body was dehydrated. Walked a full+ mile in the middle. Suppose to run another 2.5 miles after finishing with Katie but my body was screaming "NO, YOU ARE CRAZY!" Since I haven't been feeling any pain, I haven't been bothering to stretch after all of my runs. Bad decision! IT was tight. In the last several miles my right arch gave a weird pain when walking. Reminded me that it has been too long since I bought new shoes. Didn't take long after stretching and cooling off for all the pain to go away, thankfully. Bummed I was unable to finish the full 10 but know pushing it could have done more damage than good.

Sunday- Suppose to be rest day but since Friday was lazy (rest) day I needed I do something. So instead of napping the afternoon away to the gym I went. So thankful for The Blogger App, currently riding the stationary bike and finishing up the post for this week. I will do the same weights as last week 4 reps 10 at 20lbs at arms,  4 reps of 10 at 30lbs for legs.

Tomorrow starts week 3 of Full Marathon Training! And since it's a holiday, Katie and I are going to venture down to Katy Trail for a beautiful and, hopefully, cool morning run!