Oops....I Just Realized I Haven't Blogged in 2 Weeks

Time flys when you are having fun. I am not even sure where the last two weeks have gone. A good bit has gone on since May 4. From what I can remember I had a good running week that first week. The sinus/cold mess finally started to clear and I could breath well enough to run again.   That was also the week the hubs and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. Talk about where has the time gone!!!!  We had a mini vacay to the beach. It was just the two of us. We have not gone away, just us, since the kiddo's arrived. We had some much needed quality time with each other. Here is where we started in 2004 

And here we are 10 years later

I have done some shorter 2-3 mile runs this week and a hill workout. I have been working a stretch of 4 twelve hr shifts in a row, so that prevents much distance running. 

I have also added insanity back into my routine. I hate that workout but, last time I did it I turned out my fastest times to date in 5k's and half marathons. I really think it is a great workout for core strengthening. I am going to give it a month and see what I get. 

We are going back to the beach this weekend and I will be running in a 10 k there on Saturday. I am really excited!  

Weekly Update

This update will be short and sweet because I have done pretty much no workouts!!!  I am pretty sure I have the never ending cough.  I have been through bottles of cough med's and have done nebulizer treatments.  It sucks.  I feel good otherwise but, just not good enough to be able to breath and run much at the same time.  I haven't really pushed it too much because I don't want to over do it and risk not being at 100% for that much longer.  

I did do another 5 K last Saturday and gave it my all.  I felt like I had half of a lung and was about to cough it up.  I ended up finishing in 26:52.  A minute slower than the previous week but, considering the circumstances I am pleased.  I was second in my age division and I think maybe 20th overall.  

Sunday, I packed up to go to the beach for a few days with my little ones.  We had a nice day on the beach Monday and got to spend some quality time with some friends.  We ended up cutting the trip short because there were supposed to be some heavy storms coming through and I decided I would rather be inland.  It was nice while it lasted though.

Wednesday, I did get a short hill workout in for a total of 4 miles with my buddy Nikki.  We did a mile warm up, then 10 hill repeats, followed by 2 miles slow pace.  I coughed most of the time but, was just happy to get some running in.  I did about an hour of strength training Friday and a slooooooow 3 miles Saturday.  Hopefully I am on the mend and can start picking the pace back up in the next few days. 

My Yearly Spring Cold.....please leave now!

I have twice a year that I always seem to get some sort of respiratory bug. It always seems to be late April / early May and again in mid September. This has been a ritual for as long as I can remember. I started feeling achy after last Saturdays 5k. I knew it was a sick ache as soon as it came on. By Saturday night it was fever and chills. I did that for roughly 3 days and now it seems to have settled in my chest and I have a very annoying cough. I am pretty sure most of my lungs have been coughed up by now. Where does all of the mucus come from?  I feel like I have the death rattle when I breath. Sorry, if this is tmi but, I am a nurse and it takes a lot to be tmi for me. 

So, needless to say, I have not been able to breath well enough to get much of any kind of workout done. Monday, I did a little strength training, Tuesday I did a very slow 3 miles with 8 sets of strides at the end, Wednesday I did nothing, and today I did 20 minutes of hills.  I have another 5 k planned for this weekend and am keeping my fingers crossed that I can turn out at least a descent time. 

Overall, I am happy to say that I have done at least a little bit of working out through this misery. 

On another note, how about Mebs win in Boston?!?!?! I am really glad he won. I enjoy following him and Ryan Hall.  Those sketchers that Meb wear are awesome by the way. I got a pair back around Christmas and they are up there in my top 2 favorite running shoes. 

This Weeks Wrap Up

I have had a very productive week with my workouts and thst is a great feeling. Wednesday was a hill workout. I had to do it on my treadmill before getting the boys ready and off to school. I did 7 hill repeats of 40 seconds at a 7% incline. After each climb I would jog for 2 minutes at recovery pace. Total was 2.5 miles. Thursday was a mixed tempo run, and I had to do this on the treadmill as well for the same reasons. I did a two minute warm up followed by 6 minutes at marathon pace, 4 minutes at half marathon pace, and two minutes at long run pace. I did this twice for a total of 3 ish miles. I accidentally knocked the emergency stop key out so it cleared out my miles and time. Friday was a rest day and my first day off of work in what seems to be forever. I spent the majority of the day doing laundry, vacuuming, mopping, and grocery shopping. That doesn't sound like much of a rest day to me 😃. Today I did another 5k. It was at the Govenor's Frog Jump in Springfield, SC.  The rain held off for the race and, I was appreciative of that. I finished 2nd overall female and scored another nice trophy.  I finished in 25:52 on a certified course. Last weeks course was not certified so I think that was were the fast time came from last week. My splits were pretty much identical. It was a fun race and the girl who best me was super fast! 

I would love some ideas on what to do with my trophy collection. 

What are recommended incline setting for hill workouts?  

Blogging My Way to the Marine Corp Marathon 2014

I have really enjoyed writing the post I have done this far on my blog but, I have been pondering on ways to become more consistent with posting. After a little thought, I have decided to blog my training schedule and how my workouts go leading up to the 2014 Marine Corp Marathon.  I am hoping that this will lead me to establish new friendships and hopefully meet up with others that are doing the MCM. 

I have decided that I am going to take the next few months to work on my speed. I have let that area suffer in the past year because I have focused more on distance. 

I used a local 5k this past Saturday as my starting VDOT test. I actually was pleased with my time and pleased with the fact that I finished first female. My official time was 25:38. Not a PR for me but, it was satisfactory.  Seeing my boys waiting on me at the finish line made me suddenly forget that I felt like I was going to vomit and pass out at the same time. 

Here are a few other pics from the race:

My friend Winter was on my heels and finished first in her age group. There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition right 😁😉

Not only did I get a trophy but, there was a cash prize involved that I was unaware of too 💰💵🏆. 

Sunday, was a long run and my friend Nikki joined me. We did a slow 10 miles on rolling terrain. 

Monday, Nikki joined me again for a 30 minute recovery run with some strides at the end. Let me just say, my legs were spent after this.  

Tuesday, I did about 30 minute of strength training, mainly focusing in the upper body and core. 

I have also met with a Registered Dietician regarding diet.  I have a broad knowledge of health and healthy choices but, am lacking the understanding I eating like an athlete. This subject could be a post of its own so, I will save the details for later. 

Well, again I am really looking forward to getting acquainted with other runners like me and other runners who are doing the 2014 Marine Corp Marathon. 

MCM Class of 2014

Guess who will be running with the Marines.........

It's me!!!!!!!!!!!  

Who would have ever thought that my name would have been drawn?  I certainly didn't. I am super excited. This will be the first of I hope many "big time" marathons for me.  

I have spent a lot of my day looking at flights and hotels. I would love to hear any suggestions near the start or finish that will not break the bank.  Also, I would love to hear from others who are running the MCM.  I  going to definitely need a crew to hold me accountable for training through the southern summer heat. I usually back down on mileage and intensity during the summer but, that's not going to be an option this summer. Well, I would love to hear from others. 

Where should I stay for the MCM?

Who else made it in?

Tips for hard training during the summer?

My Busy Few Weeks

No, I haven't given up on blogging, I have just been living it up the past few weeks 😍. It all started with a little family vacation to Disney World. We had a blast and I want to go back. It is really a magical place. I have been myself before but, to experience it as a parent is truly something else. The boys loved it to say the least. I even fit in one very short run while I was there but, who needs running when you are walking an average of 15 miles per day in the parks. I wore a pedometer and I really did average around 15 miles per day. I felt like my legs were in pretty good shape but, I began to question that after a few days into the trip. 

Here are a few pictures from our trip:

So, a week after getting home from Disney, I ran a half marathon.  It was the Run Hard Columbia Marathon in Coulmbia, SC. First, let me say that the expo was great and I wish that I had had more time to browse around. I did score a pair of Hokas, some arm warmers, a pair of running shorts, and some gels while I was there. 

Next, the race location was perfect for me. It's only an hour from home so it was an easy drive up the morning of race. The start line was only a block away from the building I work in so, I was able to park there and run in to stash my personal belongings into my work locker. 

The weather was perfect also. 

As far as my running, it was kind of blah. It was not my best run but, we can't always expect for everything to turn out perfectly. This was a really tough course, and by that I mean there was one hill after another. These were not just little speed bumps, I  am talking, I thought I was going to get a nosebleed from the elevation gain 😅. The first half of the half went pretty good for me all in all. I felt great and was maintaining a great pace. Then, everything fell apart around mile 7. My left hip got really tight and sore (it band again I am guessing 😡). At this point my pace slowed down by about 20 seconds per mile and I was having to stop and stretch my hip out every so often. 

I was really discouraged with myself at this point, and all I could think about were the wrongs that I had done to myself coming into this run. I had not followed my training plan the few weeks before the run, I didn't practice what I preach about foam rolling, and my stupidest decision was to wear a pair of shoes that I have not done much distance in. How stupid could I be.  All of this negativity was getting me down so, I had to make myself think positive. I still finished in a respectable time (2:07 and some change), I accomplished that day what most people can never say they accomplished, and I didn't give up. This was a really tough course and I loved it. Next year I will be more prepared. All in all this was a great race that I will certainly do again.