Marathon Monday: Back on Track

If you will remember from my last marathon Monday post, I struggled with some hip/upper leg pain during my last long run.  I was sure it was bursitis based on everything I had read, but now I am not so sure.  I am thinking it may just be something with the IT band and the quads - I have been using the stick and stretching and it seems to be helping - hooray!  Week 11 of my 18 week training plan is complete.

Tuesday: 4 miles
Wednesday: 2 miles
Thursday: 2.25 miles (plus I swam for 25 minutes)
Saturday: 16 miles
Sunday: 5 mile race (recap tomorrow!)
      Total for the week: 29.25 miles

I deviated from the schedule some this week, I should have had two 4 mile runs and my long run was supposed to be on Thursday.  I decided to switch my long run back to Saturday after the hip issue last weekend - I wanted to give myself a bit more time to heal, plus I can only get two hours of childcare during the week so I wasn't sure what to do with Daniel.  And then a stomach cramp mid run Wednesday kept me from completing 4 miles.  But, overall I got the miles in.  So, its a success!

Besides the hip pain last week, the 16 mile run was glorious.  This weeks long run was miserable to say the least.  I had to stop at the bathroom only 4.5 miles in, by 6-7 miles in I was dragging, I had nothing left in the tank to keep my body moving.  So, I tried to take fuel and that caused more stomach issues.  By mile 9.5 I was struggling with being light headed.  I pushed on though, trying to balance getting enough fuel to keep conscious  while minimizing the stomach issues. Then, the actual stomach cramps started at around mile 13.  By mile 14 I was walking, I ended up walking most of those last 2 miles.  But I finished and on a day where my body was so adamant it didn't want to do the miles, that is a big fat WIN.  Just for fun, lets check out the splits shall we?

Mile 1:       10:01
Mile 2:       9:49
Mile 3:       9:44
Mile 4:       9:51
Mile 5:       9:52
Mile 6:       9:53
Mile 7:       9:42
Mile 8:       10:11
Mile 9:       9:52
Mile 10:     9:42
Mile 11:     9:48
Mile 12:     10:56 (this is where the struggling really started)
Mile 13:     11:42
Mile 14:     11:32
Mile 15:     14:47
Mile 16:     13:14


Anyone else have as many stomach problems as I do?  It seems like even WATER causes problems anymore.  I have NO CLUE how I am going to run a marathon in 6-7 weeks if I can't get this figured out! :( Any suggestions?  I have tried sports drinks, gummys, jelly beans, gu, chomps, and powerbar energy blasts. I used chocolate #9 with some success, but I can't buy that locally and honestly it still caused problems.  HELP! 

Losing it!

There are alot of things I could start my blog out with today, but because I am excited it finally happened... my toenail fell off!  I turned black after my half back in October and its just been hardly hanging on and was actually painful at times.  Does it make you a true runner when you are totally not bothered by your toenails falling off?  Although, I am putting in a request to not lose anymore over the summer - I really love my flip-flops!

So, with that exciting news out of the way... lets get down to this last weekend's long run.  I have been struggling with my stomach again as of late and I am really worried about it.  I have a 20k next weekend and from what I have been told there are no port-a-potties.  I hate to admit it but that could spell disaster if my stomach decides to act up.  That means this weekend will be a dress rehearsal of what I am going to do to prevent any problems. 

Saturday's run was about what I expected... I decided to run outside so I could sleep in a bit plus the weather was supposed to be pretty nice, mid 20s to 30s.  Some people think that is cold but its just about perfect for me!  After a quick slice of bread I was out the door by 7:30... it was beautiful out, cool and sunny.  After a pit stop at mile 3.5, I headed back out to finish my run.  Miles 4-7 seemed so easy, then my stomach started acting up again.  After my last stop at mile 9 I wanted to give up and not finish the run, but I got out there and did it anyways.  You can tell by my splits that I was struggling those last miles.  My stomach was cramping and my heart just wasn't in it, but I didn't want to regret quitting.

When I was done, I HURT.  I knew I had pushed too hard for a long training run.  I knew I would be sore, so we planned a family walk for the next day to stretch things out and help make sure I didn't get too sore.  Sunday rolled around and I wasn't feeling too bad, but it was such a beautiful day that we couldn't just sit inside so we loaded the kids in their strollers and headed out to a local "dream neighborhood" and spent between 2 and 2.5 hours walking around looking at $500k homes.  

Yes, this is one house - it has its OWN cul-de-sac!  The garage was at least a 6 car garage!  I'm imagining this one is probably much more than $500k!

We didn't take the garmin,  but when I got  home I calculated the route to the best of my ability and it looks like we walked between 5.5 and 6 miles!  A HUGE feat for my couch potato, computer loving hubby!  Honestly, I think the walk took more out of me than the run on Saturday.  If we plan to be out that long again I think I will be taking some sort of snack.  It was great to get out as a family and do something active - I hope we can continue this in the future.  The only downside - SUNBURN!   I was wearing a tunic shirt that had a v-neck in the back, so my back, shoulders, and face are all burnt! :( 

Things continue to go moderately well on the food front... I am incorporating veggies and healthy foods and reducing the processed foods.  I am so proud to say that I have basically maintained the same weight since August of last year except for a short lived bump up during the holidays.  I'm still not in love with the body I have been left with as a result of the extra weight I carried around with me for years, but I am slowly coming to grips with it.  I still would love to get to 175,  but for now, I will be happy 5-10 pounds heavier.  I'm healthy and that was my biggest motivation for this whole journey.  

I wanted to blog about a couple other things, but my head is throbbing so I need to find some tylenol and my bed.  I will try to post later in the week. 

One question for my readers:  being that I am new to the whole eating vegetable thing, I would LOVE any creative tasty recipes, do you have any favorites?

I'm back!

I feel like I start all of my blog posts apologizing for being absent for so long.  This time I have a fairly good reason - at least for one week of my absence.  Audrey over at A Mama's Goals is doing weekly challenges and I am joining her on the the journey.  Last week the challenge was to give up facebook and blogging for a week!  Talk about difficult, I use social media to stay somewhat connected to adults.  Without that, my only social interaction comes from my kids.  And, while I love them to pieces, I do need some connection beyond an almost 5 year old and 2 and a half year old.   

Anyway, after that it took me a while to get caught up with everyone on facebook and with the blogs.  I am sorry if I didn't comment on all of them, but I think I am finally caught up! Since I was gone I have been doing pretty good with the training schedule.  I did miss one run due to my kiddos being sick.  My son ended up with double ear infections and my daughter ended up with a sinus infection!  Luckily, the antibiotics are making them less grumpy so I think they are on the mend!   To break up the monotony of this post.. here's a picture of my sweet boy passed out in my arms at the pediatrician.  Poor kid, he cried for hours that day. 

Last weekend, I had 11 miles on the schedule for my long run.  I ended up hitting the treadmill at the Y yet again.  I really dislike doing the long distances on the treadmill, but it really helps me keep my pace slower and more controlled.  I felt like overall this run went much better than the week before.  That is, until the last mile and a half.  My stomach started cramping something awful and everytime I tried to run I just couldn't, so I ended up walking the last mile or so.  The first 10 miles I averaged a 10 min/mile pace.  This included some walking the last half mile or so - but for the majority of the time I kept the treadmill at a 9:49 min/mile (6.1?).  The  good part of this run is that my legs felt fantastic and I even felt okay cardio wise... stupid stomach.  I haven't been watching my diet - guess its back to cracking down before long runs!  I will eventually get my body to stop revolting against me on these long runs... my persistence will pay off someday! 

I have some exciting things coming up in the next month or two running wise... 

March 24: Local 20k race

March 30: going out of state to see my family/run a race

April 7: Oak Barrel Half Marathon - excited to have my whole family there to cheer me on, will be the first time my dad has been there! 

April 15:  Local 5k 

May 5:  Indy Mini 

This week has been interesting weather wise.  We got up to nearly 70, then today it was in the 40s again!  I wish it would pick a season already!  I have been enjoying some outdoor runs though so thats good. Wednesday the wind was CRAZY with 25-35 mph sustained winds with gusts to 45 mph.  I decided to run outside anyways because the temps were awesome.  Today I was feeling chilled to the bone for some reason so I stuck to the treadmill for my scheduled 3 miles.  I got my mileage done but it was slower than when I run outside - this seems to be a common problem!  I did manage to get in a short bit of hill training.  I ran .25 mile on an incline of 7 at 6 mph.  Not much, but a start.  I have a month to get ready for Whiskey Hill!  Hoping I will be ready!  

Last but not least - food!  I have been expanding my horizons and I am SO proud of myself.  I know it sounds like I am bragging here, but I have never been a fan of vegetables.  I would eat corn and lettuce.  If it was a good day I might eat celery and raw broccoli (only the very tops).  About a year ago, I started eating squash as well.  But, the last few weeks I have been incorporating veggies into at least one meal a day (normally two).  I am now eating: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and zucchini (only tried it IN things, but it still counts).  I also ate some other sort of bean and asparagus at the running banquet .. but I didn't like either of them enough to make them again.  It feels great to be setting a good example for my kids even if they won't eat the veggies just yet.  Wednesday night I got brave and tried turkey meatloaf with zucchini in it (I skipped the mashed potato topping) and opted to try making cauliflower fritters.  Shockingly, my daughter who refuses to eat veggies cleaned her plate!   I was so impressed - will definitely be making those again!  I wasn't nearly as gourmet tonight, but I did remember to take a picture!  It was a yummy dinner, and incorporated two different veggies with a bit of brown rice and sauteed chicken with sweet and sour sauce.

I had a huge serving of chicken, but I was craving protein and its relatively healthy!

Once again, I apologize for not posting more often.  But, thank you to my followers who stick around despite my inability to make my blog entertaining!  

Warning: Jumbled Mess Ahead

Necessary warning:  this entry is a disjointed mess, I promise to try harder next time.

Sunday was hubby's birthday, so this whole last week has been a bit of a celebration.  Lots of food that I shouldn't be eating and I have put on a few pounds again.   Just lovely.  Every time I get back on track, life happens and I fall off the band wagon again.  The only good thing I can say about this is that its giving me the proof that no matter how many times you slip up you can get back on track.

I've come to a pretty obvious realization.  Its going to be a hell of a lot harder to keep the weight off than it was to lose it.  I know what you are thinking... well, DUH.  I always knew that it would be, but I didn't realize just HOW hard.  I mean, I think I am safe to say I won't ever get back to where I started, but it is really easy to slip up and gain back 5-15 pounds.  I guess, even at that point I am far better off than I was before... but I so badly want to get to that final goal weight.  Looking in the mirror and being repulsed is no way to keep yourself motivated and on track with weight loss and fitness. One day at a time... I will be stronger than my self doubt.

I took Friday and Saturday off from running, so to make up for it I had 8 miles planned for Sunday.  Friday night we got somewhere between 3-5 inches of snow.  I was annoyed to find out that loop I typically run around our Y had not been plowed at all by Sunday, and my other "fall back" is running through my neighborhood and most of the sidewalks hadn't been shoveled.  I considered running on the streets in my neighborhood but they weren't plowed well either and I don't have my Yak Trax yet.  I was so tempted to not run, but after psyching myself up I headed to the Y to run on the treadmill.  I figured 3-5 miles was better than nothing.  To date, my longest mileage on the treadmill had been 5 miles and that was back in May.  But, I was determined to at least try.

The Y was PACKED, every treadmill was full.  It took everything I had to not walk back out, but I waited and within a few minutes a treadmill opened up.  I hopped on and got everything set for my run.  Two bottles of water, my ipod, two "sweat towels," and a chocolate #9.   Typically when the treadmills are full you are supposed to give them up at 30 minutes, so my plan was that I would probably get 3 miles, maybe 6 if I could get a treadmill quickly the second time.  I started running and decided that the other treadmills were "turning over" enough that I was just going to stick with it as long as I could.  I made it to about 6.25 miles before needing to take a bathroom break.  I left my towel on the treadmill in the hopes that it would still be there when I got back - it worked!  So, I hopped on and did another 1.81 miles.  I ended up doing 8.07 miles in about 1:11.  I was SO proud of myself for sticking it out... I actually ran a much faster pace than most of my recent long run paces.  Needless to say I was sore on Monday and had to take an unplanned rest day.

I did get out there today and get 2 laps done for a total of 3.43 miles in 28:19.  I had hoped to do 5 miles but things just hurt and I couldn't manage it.  I did spend 20 minutes doing strength training, which always makes me feel better.

This week's challenge is AWESOME.  The challenge is to read a book per child per day.  That means, two books a day... this works out PERFECTLY for me because with Tommy being gone I am in charge of his usual bedtime ritual.  Its always been his thing to put the kids to bed, so this is something I have been missing out on - so this is perfect.  It almost feels like I am cheating on this weeks challenges, but honestly if I didn't have the challenge I would probably put them to bed without story time.

Last weeks challenge recap:  sorry this is lengthy, but I wanted to share pictures of what I got accomplished
 - Monday: deep clean bathrooms (pics in previous post)

 - Tuesday: clean fridge/pantry (pics in previous post)

 - Wednesday: change bed sheets on all beds (the washing was easy, I hated remaking them!)

     

 - Thursday: clean out junk drawer

After

Before

During

 - Friday: clean  off desk, clean out van (the desk was supposed to be done Thursday but I put it off to go out with a friend)

              

Frontseat Before

Backseat Before

Backseat After

Frontseat After

Saturday: organize clothes (sort clothes, get rid of clothes that don't fit/get worn, put away the rest correctly)

Natalie's toss pile

Natalie's closet after

Me and Hubby's toss pile

My closet after

 - Sunday: Re-arrange room and sort daniels clothes

                           

before

room before

room before

         

closet after

room after

room after

room after

shelf after

toss pile after

Mad Scientists and the Ice Queen

I hope everyone had a pleasant weekend.  This weekend, hubby and I decided to take the kids to the local children's science museum.  Its not very big and there aren't a ton of things to do there, but they had fun and it was a great use of 2-3 hours of our day on Saturday.  Just a few pictures from the museum:

Today I had plans to do a long run.  I hadn't really set any expectations for what I wanted to accomplish, but I was hoping for 6ish miles.  I started out and it was SO cold (I think it said 9* when I started!) and I was trudging through snow on the sidewalks.  My fuel belt was falling of and I had to head home at 2 miles in for a potty break... I was SO ready to give up, but miraculously I made myself head back out the door.  All it took was to remember Sherry Arnold, the runner who never returned from her run... tomorrow is never guaranteed, so don't let fears and doubts hold you back.

It wasn't my fastest run, and it was PAINFUL to run in the snow, I can't believe how much harder it seemed. my quads and calves were burning, so I decided to head to the streets.  I was nervous about running on the streets but since its my neighborhood I figured I would be safe as long as I was aware of my surroundings.  So, I took one of my earbuds out and kept on trucking.  

I had to stop at mile 5 to take my fuel (Chocolate #9) because it was a frozen rock so I had to massage it in my hands to take it.  Then I stopped again at mile 7 because my water was frozen in my fuel belt and it took some wrestling to get water out of it.... But, other than that, it was a pretty uneventful run.

Once I hit mile 6 and I realized my legs weren't really tired I decided to shoot for 8-9 miles, and once I hit 8, I decided I had to push to 10 miles!  This is my first double digit training run since September 8!  Since then I have run 3 halfs, a 9 miler, and a handful of 6 milers.  Mostly though I was running shorter distances due to injury and recovery.   This was a well needed reminder that I have what it takes to run a half marathon.

When I finished my 10 miles, I realized I was covered in ice... my hair, my bondi band, my face, eyebrows, etc...   I guess that makes me the ice queen? hah!  Just a few pics... notice the pepper spray in the second picture, you just can never be too careful!
























My splits were ALL over the place today, but like I said, I was just happy to get it done.. that is a HUGE success regardless of anything else.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	1:33:43.3	10.00	9:22
1	9:29.9	1.00	9:30
2	9:38.2	1.00	9:38
3	9:13.7	1.00	9:14
4	9:22.6	1.00	9:23
5	9:18.7	1.00	9:19
6	9:20.5	1.00	9:21
7	9:27.7	1.00	9:28
8	9:18.7	1.00	9:19
9	9:22.2	1.00	9:22
10	9:07.9	1.00	9:08
11	:03.2	0.01	8:18

A couple last minute thoughts... this weeks challenge over at A Mama's Goals was a success, I managed to get in at least 8 servings of fruits/veggies and 90+ oz of water each day.  I am going to carry this over into the rest of the year, maybe not 8 servings every day but I definitely want to work on increasing my fruit/veggie intake.   This next week's challenge will be interesting, its all about cleaning and organizing... two things I am NOT very good at!

I also realized today that I should be in my official training schedule for my half in April, WHOOPS!  I think I will be okay, but I need to get onto a schedule... I am just not sure what to do, looks like I could start at week 4 and progress from there.  That would have me running 4 days a week this week with my long run  being only 5 miles.  I wonder though if I shouldn't do like 8 instead and then bounce back up to 10 to increase my double digit runs before the half.  In the training schedule I have, there are only 4 double digit runs.  I always struggle towards the end..... decisions decisions!

What would you suggest as my training plan?  My race is April 7 so I have 10 weeks to "prepare." 


Also, anyone have any experience using a treadmill to "mimic" hills on a course?  There is a monster hill at my next half and I want to be ready for it! 

Just what I needed....

All yesterday I was nervous about today's run because my body just aches.  You know, sometimes being a woman is just a painful process... add that to aches and pains from running and I was worried I wouldn't have a strong run today.

I tried out a new diet plan this week.  I cut out most of the protein, dairy, and fiber from my diet for Thursday and Friday.  I did this in hopes of combating my tummy troubles.  I also took 2 Imodium last night and this morning.  Of course, this was  my first try so I don't know if it was pure luck but it seemed to  have worked!  Hooray!  *knock on wood* I am hoping that repeating this next week will lead to a successful half marathon with no tummy problems.  Its frustrating when my tummy holds me back from what the rest of my body is capable of.

Of course with today being a taper week I had a shorter long run than normal - only 8 miles.  Typically my tummy troubles crop up between miles 5 and 7.5 though so I am hopeful.  I have been venturing a bit further from the Y and enjoying some nice trails in the housing areas to keep from feeling so bored during the long runs.

8.05 miles in 1:10:28 - YES!

Just what I needed to build confidence for my half - a strong run! 

Nothing much of importance to note today as far as the run goes.  It was a bit chilly today, but I still ran in my planned  F4F outfit (plus my calf sleeves and some knee high socks cut into arm warmers.  I took the arm warmers off at around mile 3 or so.  Took fuel at mile 4.5 (chocolate #9).  I didn't drink much since it wasn't hot and I didn't feel like I needed as much.  I think I only drank 20 oz of water during the run and immediately after.

I did break the rules a bit today - at our class on Wednesday our running coach warned that we should keep our intensity the same and just decrease distance.  He said that often times people increase their intensity because they are feeling more refreshed.  I think I fell into that trap.  Most of my long runs I average between 9:10 and 9:30 pace per mile.  Today, my pace was 8:45 per mile.  oops.

Pace and elevation chart as well as splits below:

Sending my buddy "Wells L" over at My Story...Chapter 2 good luck as she goes to her Girls Night Out today.  She previously won her age group and is hoping to repeat - I totally think you can do it!  Go get 'em!

Hope the rest of you have a great weekend, I am going to scope out the route for my half marathon today and my dad will be stopping in tonight on his way home to Alabama from Michigan.  And of course, tomorrow, I run another 5k!  And my daughter will be running her first "real" run - a 1 mile fun run.  She did one other one,but it was probably like 100 yards - this will be huge!  Hoping she makes it the full mile!

Accountability.

Accountability is getting on the scale this morning even after I had a melt-down diet wise yesterday.  My diet yesterday consisted of chocolate frosted mini wheats with skim milk, chicken with spaghetti squash, granola bar, and the following:

source

source

 source

For the record, thats a chocolate milkshake, 2 chocolate chip cookies, and dinner was wings, soft pretzels, and potato wedges from buffalo wild wings.

Yes, I am ashamed.  It was one of those days,  I actually sat in my car and cried for almost an hour.  I turned to food to comfort me when I felt like nothing was going right.  I know this was a huge step backwards for me as far as my diet goes, so I forced myself on the scale this morning.  Strangely enough my weight went down... though I suspect it may go up tomorrow.

Now that my confession time is over, I have to apologize about not posting and commenting much.  My daughter started preschool last week and I am still getting used to the time that requires.  I spend 1-2 hours in the car every day between taking her, getting her home, and the pickup/drop off line.  I haven't quite figured out a schedule that works for me. Here is a photo of her on her first day of school showing off the card that Grandma made for her and our attempt at being crafty (her school bag).  It's not the greatest picture, she doesn't cooperate for me- I will try to update with a better one later.


I was supposed to do a post about my long run, but unfortunately since that was almost a week ago I don't remember much about the actual run.  I will do a quick summary here, not that it will be interesting to most of you guys, but I want it more for my reference.  The schedule called for 9-10 miles, I was secretly hoping to do 12 to get me closer to the half-marathon distance.  The farthest I have gone is 11 miles and I am secretly afraid that I won't be able to go 13.1!   I overslept and got a late start so I decided I would shoot for 10.  I forgot to eat an english muffin before heading out - whoops!  I fueled with Chocolate #9 at about 4 miles and about 7.5 miles (not the greatest decisions but they worked) and drank water and black cherry propel.   I ended up stopping by the house at about 7.5 miles to use the bathroom and headed back out. I had some problems with my gps running app on my phone.  Although, I didnt realize it until I was done with my run.  Luckily, despite the problems the mileage ended up being right.  The splits however, were screwed up.  Which is sad because I would have liked to analyze them before the half.  Ah well!  The splits being off is what made me realize there was a problem...it showed I ran one mile in 7 minutes - yeah I think NOT!  Somehow while it got the overall mileage right it showed me running all over creation, random lines that I did not run etc.  I know the overall mileage is right because I double checked it.... yeah, so confused!
My overall time for 10.04 miles was 1:31:45

 Hah.  For giggles, here are my splits from that long run:

I promise to try to do better about updating the blog and including some more interesting content.  Hope you all are having a good Tuesday!