Day 3 of Peachy November - Done!

I got up this morning in the hotel in Elgin, IL and did a Boot Camp Cardio workout for 20 minutes today. I am making a real effort to keep working out and making smart choices while on the road. If I can do it while travelling for work, then I certainly can do it at home, right?

This workout was a DVD that I brought from home and is a mixture of plyometrics and cardio with strength laced throughout.

Well, off to the audit!

RG

Welcome to my 2nd Annual Base Building Extravaganza!

Looking over the last two months in my online training log at www.beginnertriathlete.com (BT), I noticed something that became quite evident to me on yesterday's 5k run.

Sucking air should not come at 11:30 minute miles while running on the most perfect of fall days in my favorite city to run in... unless I am running a half marathon. Certainly not in a 5k unless I am red lining... which I was at 189 BPM... at 11:30 minute miles... for real.

Somehow, someway (yet again might I add) I got way off track in my training and I need to find my way back.

ACK!

Sure, I ran two half marathons, the Detroit Relay and a 5k in the meantime. However... I ran on those four days and only those four days.

I have been ACTIVE, but not CONSISTENT. And I will be the preacher to out-preach all other preachers on this one folks. CONSISTENCY... is king.

One of the nice features of the training logs on BT is that they are color coded. White = no activity, yellow = blog with no activity, peach = tri related workout, dark peach = sports activities, and green = race.

I hate seeing the colors of inconsistency and laze. White = nothing, a void. Not good. Yellow is at least better than white in that you thought about something, even if you did not do it. Looking at the logs of the good little triathletes, you see peachy goodness all around.

L9ooking at my logs you see peachy goodness until September then I apparently decided to go on a hiatus and only race on weekends. Or rather, every few weekends.

Breaking down in only the way a numbers nerd such as myself can, September looked light... 13 days of training, 7 days of blogging, and 10 days of nothing.

Awesome.

October looked worse... this month only 3 squares were colored. 1 yellow, and 2 green - my half marathons. Nothing more.

Not a stupendous effort, yet I yeilded two personal records in the half marathon distance. Two!

November, however, now that is a different story. November has only had 1 official day pass and it is peach. Today will be day 2 and it too will be peach. My goal is for 30 colored squares, all of which peach.

Run, swim, bike, weights all count. Every single day I will do something this month.

I am now officially in the "off" season. But this does not mean rest and taking breaks. Oh no... actually this is the part of the season when I work hardest.

Last year around this time I embarked on a super base building extravaganza to make sure that I was ready for my 2009 season. Now while that season went down in a big flying heap of rediculousness, it was not due to my lack of base building.

In fact quite the opposite. I am still feeling the positive effects of putting so much into my base last winter, nearly a whole year later.

I am definitely stronger than I have ever been. I am faster in running than I have ever been. My swimming is stronger than ever and I ended the season faster as well. Only my cycling took a dip in speed however my strength and endurance has risen off the charts.

So this "off" season, or rather the 2nd Annual Base Building Extravaganza, I am focusing on three distinct things.

"Weight-ing around"
Weight loss to get healthier, as well as adding strength training back into my regime. Muscle is good and I am a very muscular person by nature so why fight it, right?

"Consistency is king"
I need to be more consistent in my training. And not only in running and cycling, but in swimming. I tend to go all out, burn out and then fizzle out. Not this year. I am going to start a solid swimming focused routine in November, switching to bike focused in December, then focusing on running in January.

I will be swimming, biking and running each week every month, but I need to spend some time honing in on different skill sets in each sport and alternating the focus will help keep the fruits of my labor on the other activities, while creating new fruit in the focus sport.

Or something along those lines. ;)

And, finally:

"Balance Act"
Finding balance with home life, my life, and work. It is an art form really. It shall happen.


I like looking at my 2nd Annual Base Building Extravaganza as an opportunity to learn new things, bond with new friends over new activities and take lessons into the new year.

While I am happy that 2009 is coming to a close, I am happier about the next leg of this journey. 2010 is the start of not only the next decade... but in the next chapter of my life.

What a wonderful chapter this is going to be... I can just feel it!

})i({RG

"Root! There it is!" And other Musing on Woodstock... Running Fit Style

This is a MUST DO race event.

The theme was kitschy but really well pulled off. Trail running is so zen to me, I never have a bad experience on the trails and this race was no exception.

For a recap on what Run Woodstock actually is:

Friday night - 5k trail run
Saturday morning - your choice of a 100 mile, 50 mile, 50k, marathon, half marathon, or 5 mile trail run
Saturday evening - a 10k trail run
Sunday morning - 5 mile trail run

Love love loved this race.

I chose the half marathon over the 5 mile and I am glad that I did. First off I was able to hear some pretty amusing quotes my favorites being "Well this IS Woodstock, I mean we all should be tripping, just probably not over those tree roots" and "Root! There it is!". My absolute favorite was from a girl I was pacing to her first half marathon finish. I asked her why on earth she picked the trail half for her first, and she told me "No one told me it was a trail race!"

This was my first trail half marathon, 16th half marathon all together. SWEET SIXTEEN BABY!!!

This was by far the hardest race EVER. Beats any other race that I have done. Why? TRAIL RUN on the Potto! I love trail running but never get to do it enough, and NEVER have ran more than 5-6 miles on trails, so this was a first for me as well.

No matter how hard it was, it was the best run EVER for me on so many levels.

Why? Did I set a PR? Yes and no. Yes for a trail half, as I have never run one before, and no because being a trail run I was not taking risks and took is SLOW.

It was the best ever because I was blessed to find two runners who ran my pace who were both doing their first half marathons. Actually, they found me and sort of stuck to me. I had a blast keeping them motivated and running the whole way. We only walked up the hills, and ran the rest. We did stop, as I mentioned above, for a few minutes at the last aid station as the girl I was pacing knew one of the volunteers, and then again one other time at mile 11 for a final stretch and fluid intake session before the journey home.

I think the best thing was that we celebrated each and every mile. That was awesome.

The first 4 miles flew right by. I tolkd Susie and Julie, the two women I was pacing, that I knw a race is going well if the first 4 miles fly by. All of a sudden we were half way done, and then before you knew it we were at 10 miles.

I felt so incredibly strong, that in my head I knew that I could not have been more ready for this race. It all clicked this year with going back to celebrating every mile... I was strong 10 miles in and I was grateful for every step, and I knew that the races I do are NEVER about the finishing time but rather the time I have while on my way to the finish line. I was so happy. I ran happy. I am a freaking Brooks commercial!

The last 5k was tough for the three of us, Julie and Susie with their longest runs ever, and me with lack of trail legs, all of our backs were putting in some major work and now they were speaking back to us. Even so, it was so nice just taking it slow and easy and being able to keep upbeat when the pain set in.

I cannot say it enough, this race was just pure AWESOME.

I kept telling Susie and Julie that you only get one first, and they are definitely not wasting theirs on this race... doing a TRAIL half marathon for your first is hard core.

Once we hit 11 miles the fatigue was setting in and the hills and technicality of the course took its toll. The last 2 miles were an exercise in stretching, discussing what we will feel the next few days, and deciding if we should do a cartwheel at the end for the finish.

This my friends is racing at its finest. Just a nice and easy 13.1 miles with a few friends discussing cartwheels and ice baths.

Well, we nixed the cartwheel (FYI - BOOOOOOO), but at that point the music started and we were done like *that*, running it in to In-A-Godda-Da-Vida. Y-E-S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AWESOME downhill finish for a crazy technical race... well, technical for little miss Maybury me. ;)


Man THIS is why I love running! It is not about you, it is about a community.



So what's next? My Super Sweet Seventeenth half marathon next weekend at Brooksie. Hopefully my back will be playing nice by then. ;)

PEACE, LOVE, and RUNNING baby!

})i({ Your RunnerGirl Jenn

Run Woodstock Hippie Half Marathon

OK.

Up until today I have been just thinking that this weekend's half marathon would be a nice training run for brooksie Way, which of course it is.

However this morning I received an email from Running Fit (the race organizer) going over teh last minute details of the runs.

Now, I am very excited to be a part of this awesome weekend! I will be going solo, but that is OK. Part of the fun is just being there and experiencing the run.

This girl has some major running mojo, and keeping fun themed races on my calendar helps me stay motivated and excited about each step.

For a few years now, my personal montra has been "The run is mine. I will embrace each step." Never truer words have been spoken!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
recap of last weekend

I made it through 12.2 miles of my planned 13.1. Shin splints plagued the first 3 miles, then the next 5-6 miles absolutely ROCKED. The last few hurt the balls of my feet, so I decided just to call it quits and go soak in the lake for a cool down.

Once home I took a hot shower, then a cold bath. The cool water running over my sore legs felt awesome. No pain afterwards, only slight tightness.

I skipped on the 10K race on Sunday after realizing the race-day entry fee was super high.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have a great day everyone! :)
})i({ RunnerGirl

Three Half Marathons, One 5k, One 10k all In Three Weeks Time!

I did something cool (to me) back in 2005. I ran 4 half marathons or greater in 4 weeks time.

While the opportunity to do this again has not come my way since, I sort of find myself in a similar situation and I am actually really excited for it.

I feel prepared and excited again.

You see, I have THREE half marathons between tomorrow and 10/4. That would be one a week.
In addition to that, I also have a 5k and a 10k race scheduled.

So I have 4 races, 5 official runs, scheduled in 4 weeks time.

9/19/09 - Brooksie Way Half Marathon Training Run - not a race, but a half marathon none-the-less.
9/20/09 - Run Wild for the Zoo 10k
9/25/09 - Free Love 5k
9/26/09 - Hippie Half Marathon

I am excited mainly because I went back to celebrating every mile that I run, and once I took the expectations out of running and put back in the celebrations, everythign just clicked for me.

I still wonder at which point did the celebrating turn to expectation on my runs, but then again why waste time looking backwards?

Am I going to set a PR this year? Yes. I just do not know when. Will i tbe 2:30 or less? I do not know as Brooksie is hella-hilly, but I have a 2:35 time at this last year and that was with consistent training however not nearly as consistent as this year.

I have three weeks to break a 2:30, and if for some reason I do not do it at Brooksie, I plan on running 13.1 miles every weekend until I go sub 2:30! I have it within me this I know. My natural running pace seems to fall at around an 11:03 when I just let myself go, so I know that I can sustain for 13.1 miles and go well under a 2:30. That is on flat.

If at the end of this year I look back and did not make or break 2:30, I am OK with it - as I know in my heart that I grew so much more than the miles and the clock can ever measure.

Three Half Marathons, One 5k, One 10k all in Three Weeks Time!

So back in 2005 I did something pretty cool (to me.) I ran 4 half marathons in 4 weeks.

While an opportunity such as that has not presented itself to me since, I some how ended up doing something similar starting tomorrow.


9/19/09 - Brooksie Way Half Marathon Training Run - I will be running the actual course at slower than race pace in preperation for the next few weeks. While not a race, it is still a half marathon!

9/20/09 - The Run Wild for the Zoo 10k Race

9/25/09 - The Free Love 5k

9/26/09 - The Hippie Half Marathon

10/4/09 - Brooksie Way Half Marathon

10/18/09 -

Celebration. Make it a daily thing!

This past week was phenomenal for me as far as consistency goes. I bought new running shoes for a motivational pick-me-up and boy did it work!

Monday - 2 miles on the dreadmill to make sure my new Gel Kayano 15's are the ones. They are.
Tuesday - ran 4.5 miles
Wednesday - Rode mountain bike at Maybury, got injured, then ran 3 miles at Indian Springs.
Thursday - Rest day
Friday - Ran/walk 4 miles with my friend Kathleen who is in training fo rher first 10k. Tripped and fell and hurt all remaining appendages.
Saturday - Ran 9 miles averaging 11:28. Not too shabby for an long slow distanced run.
Sunday - Rest day
Monday - Ran 6 miles (goal was 5) out at Maybury on the paved trail, averaging 10:57 pace.

The runs have been fun and attainable while still needing to work at them. While I am still in the mid-range for distances (running between 4.5 and 9 miles at a shot) I am being really consistent.

One thing that I did which really has had a mental impact is that I went back to celebrating each run. I was talking to an old running partner of mine this week and told him about how I missed when we first started running.

Yay we just ran our first half-mile!

Yay we just ran our first mile!

Yay I just rana 5k straight through!

At what point did the celebration stop and the expectations grow?

I have no idea, but I am reversing this trend.

So on all of my runs this past week I took all expectations off of the table with the exception of celebrating every mile and rejoicing in the run that I accomplished. Each and every run was that much more meaningful to me.

So today, no matter what you do, if you find a rut in your life or your sport try going back to basics like when it was all new and every milestone was to be celebrated.

It is key to remember that while some activities define a moment in your life, they do not define you.

Finding the peace.

Well, as you see I have not had much time to swing buy the old bloggy bloggy. Facebook is a lot easier to update and I have been lame at posting there aside from the random 160 character or less "I am sitting on the porch" updates. I do love this space in the world, so I am returning to blogging here. Mostly because I really want to chronicle what I am going through these days in my life, the good, the bad, the indifferent. Looking back over some posts from 2006 and 2007, I have really enjoyed seeing how far I have come as a runner, but marvel at how far I have to go as a human. I am still fighting the same fights as then, some are in more heated battle, others are just smoldering... but at the end of the day this war march I am in really needs to be treated as the journey it truly is.

So as of August 19th, I have turned in my triathlon hat for the season and have donned the running hat once again. I have decided that this "off" season I am going to dedicate myself to running and swimming. I may also do some trainer rides and some mountain biking, but I need to return to trail running and road running, and to really work on my swim.

This season I would love to improve my freestyle and learn a new stroke or three. I plan on doing some swim meets again, and a long distance postal to kick off the off season right! I am doing the 3,000 or 6,000 yard postal. First off I need the 25 yard pool to do it in, and I think a counter. Volunteers?

Running wise, I secretly would love to do an ultra in 2010 so I need to improve my base miles now so that my body is used to so much time upright, and that includes base miles on trails. I want too many things. However I just need ot not want them all at once.

So, I want an early season fast 5K - 30 minutes or less please, a mid season fast half marathon (thinking Martian for this one), and a late season ultra just to finish happy and strong. Aim big, and if I fall short at least I worked myself beyond my comfort zone. That is what I call growth.

Along the way, due to work conflicts and school obligations, I really need to stick with sprint triathlons for 2010. I know that I called war on Muncie Half Ironman, however... work is crazy. I never know (literally) where I will be in the next 12 hours. I may be in China and Mexico a lot in 2010, and definitely on the road more with audits and supplier issues. Call me a fire fighter because I fight fires all day long.

I am cool with that because I have to be, and as such I plan on taking the sprint circuit by storm! Watch out Athenas/ 30-34 Female AGers of the world... my sights are on you. Yes. YOU. *points wickedly*

I am testing out my trail running abilities 9/25 - 9/27 at Run Woodstock (www.runwoodstock.com). Woodstock is a 3 day festival of running events. The weekend opens with a 5k on friday night, then the big show is Saturday AM, a 10k on Saturday PM, and concluding with a 5 miler on Sunday AM. The options are endless - 5K, 5 miles, 10K, half marathon, marathon, 50K, 50 Miles and the Hallucinating 100 Mile!

The cool thing is that if you sign up for one of the Saturday races, you get the other three evening/Sunday races FREE. Yes, all of them.

I am doing the 5k, 5mile/10k, 5mile (Friday, SaturdayAM/PM, Sunday respectively.)


Talking with a friend tonight about everything really solidified that I am doing the right thing with respect to my life. I know the answers but hate hearing them. Isn't the always the case when we know the answers to the tough questions? I feel out of control and as if one aspect of my life is not supporting another and this imbalance is leading to a spiral of depression, angst, and sickness.

We were discussing our work issues, and oddly enough we have the same ones. The more we talked, he hit something right on the head - there must be better opportunites out there, and somethings are blessings in disguise.

What I walked away with, and actually something that I have been struggling with for a good few years now, is that I feel stuck, unsatisfied, and down right miserable where I am now. In this space I am in. I am different than the happy go lucky girl I was years ago. I am hardened and very unhappy and this makes me sad to admit. So, I am taking steps to fix this, to step away from the misery and get on a path to happiness. I am doing what I need to do. Starting now.

I am tired of feeling like I have no choice in my life anymore. I do. We all do. We just need to make the conscious decision to do something about it and that is scary.

My goal is that by the end of 2012 I will be through my career transformation and graduating with my new degree. The next 2 years are going to be tough, there is no doubt. But I need the hell that is forthcoming to make everything else balanced.


That is where I am right now. As much as I am afraid of failure, of sabotage (self imposed of course), or the unknown that lies ahead of me... I really am ready to work for what I want personally and professionally.

A long overdue update from RunnerGirl. I am alive and well!

I've got my running mojo back y'all! I am in so much pain today that I have learned a very valuable lesson.

Run so it doesn't hurt any more. For, it is when I quit running that it hurts. ;)


I was afraid to get back into running after not being where I know I should be for so long. Now I know that I have not really regressed but somehow made progress. I managed to be able to pull a good run out after all this time. I hurt but it is a good hurt.

I am excited to go out for another run. I have missed that excitement. I have felt stagnant for so long that I needed change of pace. That change came with runnin gwith someone again. I am a competent runner solo, but when I can just follow my body and run with soemoen who is faster than I am, it helps me harden up and see what I can relally pull out.

I have realized that I need to work on the following things. These are my lessons learned after 6 years of running. You would think that a girl who has ran 16 half marathons, 3 fulls, and countless 5, 10, and 15k's would know how to run by now. NOPE!

1. Consistency in running. Near daily if I can manage it. Nothing crazy, just base building mileage - 2-3 miles a day, 5-6 days a week minimum.

2. Go longer, smarter. Increase weekly long runs by 1 mile every two weeks or so until the half, then keep runs at the 10k - half mary distance to vary it up.

3. Run in the AM. I miss this one. I used to love getting up early and running into the sunrise. I bore witness to many amazing things that you just do not see during the day/early evening. Bonus fo rme, if work craziness gets in the way, I already have at least one workout completed. I will keep swimming and biking after work.

4. Keep running long even after the races end. I tend to just stop all activity mid-October after Detroit. I am always building back up the same base mileage come January - why not have the base built and work on speed for once?!

5. Limit myself to the half marathon/HIM distance in 2010, and work on getting way faster at the 5k. I am going to stave off going any longer than 13.1 for a while. After the talk with Danger Ranger yesterday, I have too many goals - too many wants. I need to pick one (or two?... three?) and go for it. So -2010 is the year of half ironman early - and then speed speed speed at the 5k, and half marathon levels. Marathon can wait until after I hit sub-10 minute miles in a half.


So my plan for this year is to nail solid sub-2:30s at US AF, Brooksie Way, and Woodstock Half Marathons. in 2010 - I want to go 2:20.


I would like to be in the 10 minute mile range for my longer runs and sub-10 for shorter distances. 2010 is the year of speedwork!!!

Triceratops Triathlon Results

1st off - it was HOT last night! 94 degrees, 90% humidity. With that being said, I completed the first tri of my 2009 season.

Last week was rough for me personally. My mother was rushed to the ER with heart failure at 1AM on 6/14... the AM of what was supposed to be my first Oly tri.

Needless to say, I spent all week up in Sagniaw at St. Mary's of Michigan by her side while she was in CCU.

Mom had a pacemaker in yesterday, and now we are just trying to figure out how this all happened.


I did the race last night as a fun little something, and a way to blow off steam. I think I was in more steam than I was able to blow off. WOW.



0.5 mile swim: SWAM IT!!! 22:47 2:37 / 100 yards

Felt good, quicker than last year's first OWS without a wetsuit, but slower on the same course. Heat possibly? Or maybe my lack of swimming as of late!

T1 time - 1:28. Felt like 3 minutes


11.8 mile bike: NAILED IT!!! 38:44 18.28 mph

T2 time - 1:39 Felt more like 5.

3.1 mile run: WALKED IT!!! 45:18 14:37/mile

OMFG.... Had an asthma attack at the start of the run, then walked the run portion. Not too shabby for walking and not breathing.

I need to invest in a nice water belt. NEEDED MORE WATER!


It was AWESOME seeing Dave, Kristen, Trish, Smoke, xcourtx, MSUDan, and the others! I missed my BT Rawk Squaders this past spring!!!!! I love you all!

TTFN,
Runnergirl