Monday, March 21, 2011

Bring on the Miles!

Well, I did it! I completed a 15 mile run – the longest so far in all of my training. I’m now on week 11 of the 18-week training program!  This week I run four miles Tuesday, eight miles Wednesday, four miles again Thursday, and 16 miles on the weekend.  I have decided to add at least two days of high intensity body weight interval training (www.bodyrock.tv) into my training schedule.  I made this decision for two reasons.  The first is that I’ve noticed a lot of muscle loss after stopping four days a week of this high intensity body weight interval training (I stopped because of the increase in my running.)  This muscle loss often leads to injury in distance runners.  Second, my friend Kelly and I made an agreement that we will each do at least two of these workouts each week.  They are quick, hard, effective and great for men and women!  I did my first one tonight, it was a 12 minute full body workout.  A friend joined me tonight and hopefully more will join when we do our next one on Thursday night. 

On another note, I sent out a few e-mails for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk.  I received 3 donations from family!  I am so lucky and grateful to have such fantastic family and friends that encourage and support me in everything I do!  My 3-Day Profile


SK

P.S. If you go to bodyrock.tv you'll need this site too http://www.speedbagforum.com/timer.html

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Will Run For Food

Somehow I deleted the first post that I made oops!  So here is a quick overview of what I had posted:
My friend Kelly convinced me to make this blog and I am undecided about what it will be about, so I'm thinking mostly my running.
I am currently training for three things; the Capital City Marathon on May 15th, the Warrior Dash on July 16th, and The Susan G. Komen 3 day 60 mile breast cancer walk.


"Will Run For Food" well, Sammie will.  She is the world's best running partner.  Always willing to run whether it is 6:00 AM or 8:00 PM she is always ready to go, never complaining about how far we are running, or how slow I'm going.  Some days she is the only reason that I run (she has such a high energy level that if she doesn't get at least one hour of exercise a day she is a psycho dog). It has taken months of walking/running everyday for her to be calm and submissive during exercise, but man has it paid off!  After Sammie and I return from our runs I feed her, as her reward.  Just like a dog in a pack runs to find food and is rewarded by eating it once the hunt is over.  So I like to joke like she's a homeless man with a sign on the side of the road that reads "Will Run For Food."

Never did I think that I would be a "distance runner." I grew up running, however, ALWAYS sprints. In middle school my track coach asked me to run the mile in a track meet and all I did was laugh.  Soccer tryouts were a full week of two a day practices - workouts in the morning and soccer in the afternoon.  I remember the "Safeway Loop"(maybe 3 miles?)  being one of the hardest parts of the entire week.  Apparently I have overcome the anxiety of distance running, and have started to embrace the quiet time away from the never ending overstimulation that is preschool.  It's amazing to think that just nine weeks ago my long run on the weekend was six miles.  Now, I'm running more than that on a Wednesday night.  My long run this weekend is 15 miles, which I like to tell myself is "only 15 miles!" I am starting to realize that almost no one else agrees with me on that statement.  Ooh well!