It's so dang hard

Another week another long run.  Well that's not exactly how it went.  Last week I ran 1.5 miles total.  WHY?  I'm really not sure.  The week started out with a half mile run with my friend Stephany and other friend Amber.  Amber hasn't run in a long time and so this particular day she wasn't prepared for her run.  She decided to run around the track with Stephany and I.  She did well for 4 laps, then looked pale.  I asked her how she was feeling and she said she needed water.  Stephany and I went with her to get water.  Amber passed out.  What a scary time for her and for us.  Come to find out she didn't eat enough at the start of the day, so because she did my Body Sculpt class and then ran she didn't have enough in her body for all that exercise.

On Wednesday of last week I ran with Stephany and Amber again, but we only went a mile and Amber was ready to be done.  I could have continued running and didn't.  Not sure why.  Then Friday came and Saturday came and I didn't run.  I was putting off the long run and as a result didn't do any running.

I decided on Sunday that this week would be different for sure.  That starting on Monday I would do my long run and get it over with for the week so at least all week I could say, "I did it!"

So I planned out a 10.5 mile run.  On the computer it looked so far away and it is.  It was from my house on the West side of Iowa City all the way to our old house on the East side of Iowa City and back.  While on the East side I took an extra distance around the block just to check out the old neighborhood.

I came home and mapped out my run on the computer.  I had gone 11 miles exactly.  How cool!!!

The not cool things about this run are these:
I'm really tired and I still have 2 Zumbas to teach tonight
My right knee hurts pretty bad
I'm freezing

But Hey I did it and that is AWESOME!!

Long way, but not long enough

Each week I'm scheduled to run further than the week before in order to properly train for my half marathon.  This past week I kept putting off the long run..  I was very nervous to do it.  I had major anxiety towards it.  Every time I would think about it, I quickly thought of better things I could be doing and then did them.  I cleaned my room and closet so well that I was able to get 3 garbage bags of clothes and other items to either donate at Goodwill or consign at STUFF.  So one could say my room looks awesome.  When I finished cleaning my room on Friday afternoon, Jason said to me, "Aren't you going to do that long run?"  I told him I could still do it on Saturday and it would be in the week.  He suggested I just get it over with because Saturday could be full of things to do as well.  I already knew the route I'd run because I planned it out on the computer on a site called www.mapmyrun.com   It's fun to plan your routes and it's also fun to just go running and come back and see how far you actually went.  Last week I did 8.5 miles so I had to run further than that to meet my goal.  So I left on the run.  My run included Mormon Trek Blvd., Melrose Ave., Westgate St., Benton St., Camp Cardinal Blvd., and  2nd Ave.  It seemed at one point that I was running forever and I guess I kinda was because it took me an hour and a half to run the 9.5 miles.  There are parts of the run I don't quite remember so I guess that means I was focused.  I know I was paying attention to my right knee and trying to land lighter and not strike so hard.

I'm so glad the long run is over and I hope that next week when I have 10-10.5 miles that I can get through it without problems.

8.5

Another week another long run. I had a hard time around mile 4.5, but kept plugging on. At mile 6 I was ready to be done, but still kept going. Somehow I did it. I had to keep telling myself, "you can do it, only 2 miles left."

Next week is 9-9.5 I hope I feel this wonderful next week after the long run cause it's getting so hard.

Did I miss anyone?

I have finally gone in and added all the blog addresses that are in the family and a few of my friends as well. At least I think I have. Did I miss anyone? Did I spell names wrong?

Just let me know and I'll add it, or change it.

Or is there someone that reads this blog on a regular basis that would like their blog displayed on the right side?

it's getting harder

Today was a long run again, this time 7.5 miles. It was so hard and I wonder how I've ever ran further than this.

I feel blessed to have run this far and hope that I'm able to continue to increase my mileage each week.

A few goals for the upcoming racing season

Unlike Michelle who is a bit nuts, I don't like running outside when the temperature is below freezing and there is ice/snow on the ground. Actually, I don't like to run very much. However, I do like to compete.

I will do a few 5K's this year but they will be secondary to my real races. I have two triathlons planned for this summer. The first one will be the Lake Geode Challenge. It is an Olympic distance race (1500 meters swim - about 0.9 miles, 40k bike - about 25 miles, 10k run - 6.2 miles). Last year I did the Okoboji Triathlon which was a near-Olympic distance race so this year I thought I would jump in with both feet and really challenge myself. I did the Okoboji race in 2 hours and 9 minutes on a 97 degree day. My goal for Lake Geode is to be under three hours and hopefully do so with the temperature under 90.

I've done a lot of cross training all winter but now it is time to start stepping it up and get back in the water and actually hit the pavement. My other triathlon is the Crossroads Triathlon. I have done this one twice already and really enjoy the race. It is a sprint distance race which is a 500 meter swim, a 15 mile bike ride, and a 5k. My goal for that race is to break 1 hour and 25 minutes. That will be 5 minutes faster than my best time. There are two things (besides overall fitness and weight management) that I need to work on. First, and this will be particularly true for Lake Geode, will be race management. Since cycling is the strongest part of my race, I tend to push too hard in the bike portion and leave nothing left for the run. I am very competitive on the bike and am always trying to catch the rider in front of me - even during training rides. If I can find the fine line between too hard and just right, I will be much more successful. The second thing I really need to work on is my transitions. I am pretty slow and could potentially save a couple of minutes by speeding up the time between each event.

The last race I am really looking forward to is the Flying Pigs Duathlon in Washington, Iowa. We did it as a team last year and took 2nd in the team category. It is a fun race and gives me the opportunity to really focus on going as fast as I can on my bike without having to worry about running.