Training recap week of 8/24 (Route 66 Week 6)

This week was not my best - overall.  I got some really quality runs for speedwork and long, but definitely struggled through some of the runs.  Since it was my last week at work, I had more outings/drinks/dinners then I planned and they interfered with my running.  We were out until 1:30am on Wednesday night!  I was dying on Thursday (to say the least).

Really proud of my speedwork this week if nothing else!

I also added some cross training in - workouts from LaurenGleisberg.com.  They were good workouts and I was definitely a bit sore after them!

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: Lauren Gleisberg - Booty Challenge workout

Tuesday
Scheduled: Speedwork - 4 x 1 mile repeats @ 7:50-7:55 pace plus warm up + cool down
Actual: 7.4 mi total
Paces: 7:54, 7:53. 7:51, 7:46
Cross Training: Lauren Gleisberg - Booty Challenge Arms workout

Wednesday
Scheduled: 6 miles easy pace, 9:20-9:50
Actual: 4.5 mi, 42:36, 9:28 pace

Thursday
Scheduled: 7 miles easy pace
Actual: 3.13 mi, 31:19, 10:01 pace

Considering how exhausted I was (and slightly hungover), I am pretty proud I got any of this run done!

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday
Scheduled: 14 miles long run- 4 miles long run pace (9:20-10:20), 6 miles goal marathon pace (GMP = 8:23-8:25), 4 miles long run pace (9:20-10:20)
Actual: 14.01 mi, 2:11:01, 9:21 average pace
GMP paces: 9:20, 8:50, 8:35, 8:26, 8:31, 8:12

I did not plan this run properly - my first 2.5 miles at GMP were up a massive hill (and my pace clearly reflected that).  They weren't quite were I want to be, but I am pretty pleased with how I am progressing.

Sunday
Scheduled: 6 miles easy pace
Actual: 6.0 mi, 57:40, 9:36 pace

Total miles: 35.02

Total August miles: 131.74

Miles until goal (1,250): 500.09
Cross Training: 2/4

Change... is good.

Nothing to do with this post, but still a pretty picture.

The title of this post is true, but doesn't cover everything.  Change is good, but change is also terrifying, time consuming and risky. 

Let me back up a second.

As I am sure you have noticed, I've been a bit MIA this summer on the blog.  At first, it was post-Tinker Bell blues, but in the last 5 weeks or so, it's because some other stuff at been going on.  

Today, Friday, August 28, is my last day at my current job.  I know I don't talk a lot about my job (and outside this post I likely won't again), but I really do like my job (I work in advertising, btw).  But, an opportunity arose that I could not pass up and I start my new job on Monday. 

I don't want to get to much into the details (because this is a running blog after all), but it's really exciting.  It's still in advertising.  I know the people I will be working with so there is a level of trust already there.  They know me and know I love to run and race, which is great for my upcoming racing schedule.

In all truth, it will be a challenging couple of weeks/months as I get settled into the new place and fully up-to-speed there (oh, and you know, continue marathon training).  My posts might be continue to be a little sporadic for the next few months, so bear with me.

I am not sure what this will mean for my training.  The last time I started a new job and trained for a marathon, the marathon training portion did not go well (Montreal - race ended up going really well even with crappy training).

I am going to do my best and re-evaluate my race goals after the Brooklyn half.  How I do in that race will be a good indicator of how training is going.

So, now you know everything that's been going on here!  Wish me luck on Monday!

Training recap week of 8/17 (Route 66 Week 5)

This week was better.  My 16 mile long run felt a million times better then my 15 the week before.  My tempo run on Wednesday also felt more comfortable then it had last time.  Progress is being made!

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest
Cross Training: 21 Day Fix Total Body Cardio Fix

Tuesday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy pace
Actual: 5.00 mi, 48:25, 9:41 pace

Wednesday
Scheduled: 4 mile tempo pace (8:12-8:18) plus warmup + cooldown
Actual: 6.78 miles total
Paces: 8:35, 8:16. 8:06, 8:04

First mile was a little slow, but the last two I really picked it up.

Thursday
Scheduled: 6 miles easy pace
Actual: 2.97 mi, 31:05, 10:28 pace

I had a work thing on Thursday night, so needed to do my run in the AM.  Did not get up early enough to do all the scheduled miles.  Oops.

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday
Scheduled: 16 miles long run pace
Actual: 16.16 mi, 2:40:27, 9:56 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy pace
Actual: 4.01 miles, 40:01, 10:02 pace

I swore my schedule said 4 miles, but realized afterwards that it was 5.  Oh well, only 1 mile short!

Total miles: 34.92

Total August miles: 96.70

Miles until goal (1,250): 535.16
Cross Training: 1/4

The (mental) games we play

#flystyle

One of the things I am really working on this year is my mental game.  Getting faster requires breaking that mental barrier.

I find I struggle most mentally when I am doing speedwork.  Sometimes I haven't even started speedwork and I'm already psyching myself out.

Last nights speed workout called for 4 x 1 mile repeats at 7:50-7:55 pace.  I had done 1/2 mile repeats two weeks before at that pace and it was hard.

Already doing my warm up, I was psyching myself out.  "My legs feel stiff."  "I am really tired."

You know the drill.

But this time, I decided to do something different.  You know when you hit ice when driving they say to steer into the slide?  Okay, I haven't really driven in 10 years, but I feel like I remember that saying.

Anyway, that's what I decided to do on my repeats yesterday.  I slide into the negative thoughts (just a little, I didn't give myself an out for the workout completely).  I gave myself a little leeway during the first one.  I told myself just to do my best and then I could go from there.

The first one was a little tough, but because I had no pressure on myself for that first one, I loosened up quickly.  And my pace picked up.  In the end, I was able to finish the first mile at 7:54.

From there, the remaining three weren't as mentally challenging.  I knew I could do it, even when originally it had seemed impossible.

I completed my remaining three mile repeats at 7:53. 7:51 and 7:46, getting faster with each one.

I am not sure if I will use this way of thinking all the time, but if it helped me with this speed workout, that works for me! 

What do you do to get over the mental hurdle?

2 on Tuesday

image via runDisney Facebook page

Late last week, runDisney released the medals for Wine & Dine.  As you know, Wine & Dine is one of my FAVORITE runDisney races.  I have always loved this medal - the iconic Spaceship Earth and running waiter Mickey on it.  The new design this year keeps the waiter Mickey, but loses Spaceship Earth.  I am not sure I like this medal as much as I have in years past.  But in my experience, the runDisney medals are never photographed well.  So, I am keeping my hopes up that it is better in person!

image via runDisney Facebook page

And in some awesome news from runDisney that came today - it is official, there will be a Star Wars race weekend in Disney World!  I mentioned after the Star Wars half in Disneyland, that I had some serious FOMO from this race {and side note from that post, I re-watched all the original Star Wars and now love them (I hadn't seen them since elementary school).  How I went so long without re-watching them is beyond comprehension!  My movie tastes have definitely changed since I was 14.}   Unfortunately, a trip this January to Disneyland was not in the cards, so I was sad I wouldn't be able to do it again.  But a Star Wars race in World?  That I can do!

So, what do you think about the Wine & Dine medals as well as the WDW Star Wars half?  

2 on Tuesday

photo from Disney Parks Blog

photo from Disney Parks Blog

Did you follow anything coming out of the D23 expo this past weekend?  I didn't follow too intensely, but definitely caught the highlights.  The most exciting news to me?  A Star Wars and a Toy Story land are coming to Hollywood Studios!  I am sure it will be years before they are open, but that park is in desperate need of new energy.  I know Disney will do it right, so this makes me soooo excited!

This was the first weekend in a while I was home and I was so excited to be able to do some cooking again.  I am really working on eating clean and healthy this marathon training cycle, so I tried a new recipe from Clean Eating magazine.  It was Beef Quinoa Mini Meatballs with Pomegranate Sauce & Mashed Cauliflower.  It was really good!  I had never made mashed cauliflower before, but it was so easy and yummy.  I wouldn't say it tastes exactly the same as mashed potatoes (mmmm heavy cream and butter), but it's a healthier option (and it's still very yummy).  Any healthy recipes you want to recommend for me?

Training recap week of 8/10 (Route 66 Week 4)

So... this was not a good week.  I didn't do Tuesday run because I can home New Orleans exhausted.  It should have been a sign.  The weekday runs I did do weren't too bad, but by Friday, I could tell I was getting a cold of some sort.

I was in bed by 9:30 on Friday night and when my alarm went off for my run, I felt so much better.  I wasn't 100%, but felt much better.

I wasn't prepared for the heat though - holy cow was it hot.  I had to back to pace off at the end of the long run because I was overheating.  I drank close to 60 oz on the run, which seems like a lot (even for 15 miles).  I felt okay during the day, but work up Sunday like a truck hit me.  I tried to get my run in, but had to cut it short because I was dying.

Figured it was better to cut a run short and get healthy sooner, then prolong the sickness.

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Tuesday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy pace
Actual: Rest

Wednesday
Scheduled: 6 x 800m in 3:52-3:55 with 400m jogging rest plus warmup + cooldown
Actual: 6.44 miles total
Times: 3:54, 3:51, 3:53, 3:51, 5:52, 3:52

These were a little tough, but got them done!

Thursday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy pace
Actual: 5.25 mi, 51:15, 9:46 pace

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday
Scheduled: 15 miles long run (12 miles easy + 3 miles up-tempo)
Actual: 15.0 mi, 2:30:47, 10:03 pace

I dropped the pace on the 3 miles up-tempo because the heat was killing me.

Sunday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy pace
Actual: 2.16 miles, 23:23, 10:49 pace

Even these 2 miles were rough.  The pace shows it!

Total miles: 28.85

Total August miles: 61.78

Miles until goal (1,250): 570.05
Cross Training: 0/4

Training recap week of 7/27 and 8/3 (Route 66 Weeks 2 & 3)

Little behind, so trying to get catch up!  Week 2 went really well - was on vacation and had plenty of time to get my runs in.  It was nice to run in a different locations!

I always knew week 3 was going to be a down week. I had a girls weekend planned in New Orleans and since it's New Orleans in August, I knew a long run wasn't going to happen (and that I might be a little hungover).

Week 2

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Tuesday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy pace
Actual: 3.0 mi, 29:35, 9:51 pace

Wednesday
Scheduled: 3 miles with 1 minute hard, 2 minutes easy plus warm up + cooldown
Actual: 5.0 miles, 52:40, 10:33 average pace

This one was H-O-T.  I took the 2 minutes very easy since it was ungodly hot out.

Thursday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy pace
Actual: 3.01 mi, 29:20, 9:45 pace

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday
Scheduled: 2 miles easy pace
Actual: 2.0 mi, 19:07, 9:33 pace

Sunday
Scheduled: 14 miles long run
Actual: 14.0 miles, 2:17:57, 9:51 average pace

Another hot one!  Is it fall yet?

Week 3

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Tuesday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy pace
Actual: 4.0 mi, 38:59, 9:44 pace

Wednesday
Scheduled: 3 miles tempo pace (8:25-8:30) plus warm up + cooldown
Actual: 5.65 miles, 52:16, 9:15 average pace
Paces: 8:29, 8:20, 8:26

These paces weren't as bad as I thought!  They weren't easy, but they weren't impossible - which is good since that is goal race pace!

Thursday
Scheduled: 5 miles easy pace
Actual: Rest

I had a work thing so had to move this to Friday AM.

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: 3.18 mi, 30:49, 9:42 pace

Saturday
Scheduled: 13 miles long run
Actual: Rest

This was scheduled, but I always knew it wasn't going to happen.  At least it was at the beginning of the training cycle!

Sunday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy pace
Actual: 4.1 miles, 40:17, 9:50 pace

It was too hot to even do 4 miles outside, so we went did our run on the treadmill (my friend Vanessa runs too and we spent time catching up on the treadmill during our runs).

Total miles: 43.94

Total July miles: 76.56
Total August miles: 32.93

Miles until goal (1,250): 598.90
Cross Training: 0/4

Influenster Sunshine VoxBox

I was so excited to receive another Influenster VoxBox!  This one was packed full of goodies, so let's take a look! 

{Text in italics was provided with the box; all other text is my own personal opinions.}

Infusion 23 Moisture Replenisher Leave-in Smoothing Creme Enhanced with Avocado and Olive Oil 
Intense smoothing for long lasting frizz control and silky softness

I am very lucky that I have relatively smooth hair with minimal frizziness, so this product was not as usual to me as it probably would be to other people.  But, in the spirit of good testing, I tried it anyway!  It went on smooth and didn't weigh my hair down.  I didn't notice any significantly softer hair, but with continued use it might.  In full disclosure, this probably won't get used on a regular basis just because my hair doesn't really need it. 

Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Refreshingly Clean Cleansing Cloth
Perfectly clean skin is now quick and easy!  Our botanical extracts of witch hazel and aloe clean and refresh by gently lifting dirt, oil and makeup from even sensitive skin.  Extra-large, ultra-soft cloths give you a clean, balanced and blemish-free complexion without over-drying or leaving a sticky residue.

I am a big fan of face clothes already.  I use a Clarisonic at night and like to use face clothes in the morning to balance out the intensity of the Clarisonic (I love it, but it is more intense then regular face washing).  I had never heard of this brand, but I am a fan now!  They are a nice size cloth, contain the perfect amount of cleanser and smell amazing.  It reminds me of honeysuckle, which is a great way to start the morning.

Blue Diamond Sriracha Almonds
Be BOLD with new Blue Diamond Sriracha Almonds!  With a hot bite of chili and garlic flavor and 8 grams of protein per 1.5oz pack, these almonds are the perfect way to Get Your Good Going.

I am OBSESSED with these almonds.  They are so good.  They have the perfect amount of sriracha - not too spicy, but even to keep it interesting.  These will definitely be purchased in the future.

barkTHINS
barkTHINS are a twist on traditional chocolate bark.  Packed with real simple ingredients like pretzels, pumpkin seeds, whole blueberries, and toasted quinoa, it's a new way to snack on chocolate that is anything but boring!

We received a coupon for these since it's summer and mailing chocolate is probably not smart.  It took me a bit too find a store that carries them (Bed, Bath and Beyond was the winner!).  I didn't have all the flavors to choose from - which is good, since I had tough enough time to pick from the ones I did!  I decided on Dark Chocolate Coconut with Almonds.  It sounded nice and summery (and beachy).  They were very good!  The coconut was present but not overwhelming.  They were also crazy addicting.  I had trouble controlling myself!

   
SinfulColors Nail Polish
Like to change your nail color as often as you change your mind?  SinfulColors has hundreds of irresistible nail polish shades in creams, glitters, shimmers, mattes, specialty textures and eye popping brights!  

I received a polish from SinfulColors in a previous VoxBox so I knew it was good quality.  I won't lie, I was hoping for a more "bright" color - the purple I received was very pretty, but very 'Spring' like to me.  But that's okay!  This time I used it on my toes and was very impressed with it's staying power.  The above picture was taken after two weeks (I kid you not!) and there was no chipping - that included a weekend spend in a pool!

Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe Spray Moisturizer
Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe Spray Moisturizer is a quick, convenient spray lotion that moisturizes and absorbs in seconds, to heal dry skin.  This variant contains healing micro-droplets of Vaseline Jelly along with pure aloe to leave skin feeling healthy and fresh.

This product freaked me out a little at first.  Spray lotion?  Seemed unusual to me.  But once I gave it a go, I was a fan.  It took me a bit to find the right amount of spray needed for each leg, but once I did, it was easy to spray and go.  Although, in all honestly, I don't think it speed up my lotion routine all that much, but it was still very moisturizing and smelled good.

Thanks Influenster for sending me all these goodies!  I love getting to try out new products!  If you are interested in joining Influenster yourself, you can do so here!

**I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.**

Training recap week of 7/20 (Route 66 Week 1)

Happy Sunday everyone!  Sorry for the week off - I was at the beach on vacation and I promise I had every intention of posting... But the house we were staying at didn't have wifi!  Seriously, I could not believe it.  It was kinda nice to be disconnected for a week though!  But now I am back ready to get back to it.

This was the first week of Route 66 training.  I can't believe it's time to start training already!  My coach has me easing into speedwork and high volume mileage.  It felt good to be following a schedule again.

Before I get into the recap, I wanted to say a word about my schedule/training.  As I said before, I am working with a fellow Oiselle Volee member (Volee is the new name for the Flock!) for my training schedule.  This schedule was created specifically for me, based on my current paces, fitness levels and goals.  I share it here to hold myself accountable.  I do not post this as a schedule for others to follow.  I am not a coach, so please don't follow this as it was not created for universal use (plus, I don't share all the details, so you'd likely be missing key pieces).

That said, let's get to the recap!

Monday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Tuesday
Scheduled: 3 miles easy pace
Actual: 3.0 mi, 29:36, 9:51 pace

Wednesday
Scheduled: 5 miles with 10 x 30 second pickups at up pace
Actual: 5.0 miles, 47:30, 9:30 average pace

First attempt at a faster pace.  Need to remember what those paces feel like - I was all over the place.

Thursday
Scheduled: 4 miles easy pace
Actual: 4.0 mi, 38:33, 9:38 pace

Friday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Saturday
Scheduled: Rest
Actual: Rest

Sunday
Scheduled: 12 miles long run (9 miles easy + 3 miles up tempo)
Actual: 12.0 miles, 1:55:02, 9:35 average pace

Did this run on vacation at the beach - it was hot, hot, HOT!  I wasn't sure if I could do those last 3 miles at the required pace (8:45-9:00), but I pushed through and got it done!

Up tempo paces: 8:52, 8:45, 8:43

Total miles: 24.01

Total July miles: 65.56

Miles until goal (1,250): 642.83
Cross Training: 0/4