BUSY!

WOW! I can't believe it's been a month since I've updated. Things have been busy. I have not missed ONE day on my training schedule, and the half marathon is next weekend!

I have a lot to update- this past month I visited Michigan, became a Godmother, completed my training, PLACED (3rd in my age group/ women) in the Lakeland series, celebrated a few friends Birthdays here in Orlando and have prepared for a cruise I am leaving for Thursday.

It's really been a crazy month. Although fall has officially started, it doesn't really seem like it living in Orlando! The weather is starting to cool down and I can especially feel it in my morning runs.

I also have purchased my official RACE DAY outfit for next weekend from Lululemon. I will take pictures and post pictures of everything I've been up to soon!

WEEK 6!

Training is flying by! In fact, summer is flying by. I can't believe I've been training for 6 weeks already. A LOT has happened since my last post. Last Saturday was the Track Shack Celebration of Running 5k it the Orlando Science Center downtown. It was a HOT morning, but two of my friends ran it with me so it was a blast!

My first mile was 7 minutes, my second mile was at 14:46 but then I crossed the finish line at 23.54. I was a little disappointed at first, since my last race was 23:18, however I think I might have pushed myself a little bit too much in the beginning. That is what these races are about, learning! HOWEVER, I was pleasantly surprise to find out I placed! 3rd in my age group! I actually got a trophy for being top in the women age group.

My entire race outfit is Lululemon, head to toe!

I have another race on Saturday which will end the Lakeland series. I have really enjoyed the series, and have really enjoyed running in them!

The Intermediate schedule I have chosen to follow only allows one rest day most of the week. This has kept me busy! I've been trying to do the majority of my workouts in the morning, which I have really enjoyed. The furthest I have ran so far is 8 miles. I did 6 miles tonight, and it was still pretty humid outside.

I'm excited for raceday Saturday, now I need to pick out an outfit!

Week 3 of training.

I've noticed from looking back on this blog that I was running faster while training on the treadmill/ track than I am now. It's hard for me to pace myself, I think I really want to invest in a Garmin Forerunner sometime soon. Sunday I took my rest day, and looking at my schedule for the week I don't get another one until Sunday. Monday I ran 3 miles at Celebration, which was actually pretty neat because I saw a gator there for the first time. (Monday) I ran 3 miles in 30:34. 

I ran the beginning with my roommate, so we did a really easy pace. (Today) I ran 2 miles in 17:41. 

I have my alarm set for 6:10 AM. I am going to run my 7 miles tomorrow morning, which will be the longest distance I've ran in a while. 7 miles before work? Why not.

Where did July go?

 I can't believe I'm already on my 3rd week of training. The results are up from the Lakeland series- it says I am currently in 3rd place in my age division- which doesn't make sense because the top girl is in my age group, but they didn't display her name. I'm not sure how they are doing scoring, but if I remain in the top 3 I will get recognized next race!

Lakeland Series #3

Today was awesome! My alarm went off at 5:20 AM and I jumped out of bed ready for race day. I felt a little more prepared today than the last two races since I have started to incorporate speed into my runs.

The night before I laid my outfit out.

I wore pretty much my exact lululemon outfit that I wore for the Pittsburgh Marathon. 

I am becoming very comfortable with the course, now that I have ran it 3 times and have enjoyed it every time. The weather is bearable in the shade and with a breeze by the water. Today was great. My roommate Beth and I had a extra friend come to this race with us, our friend Brent. It was great to know there were friends running in the race with us. We started together, and although I told him I wanted to start out slow our first mile was 7 minutes!

My Nike watch is completely off, so I'm not going to even go by that but I know my time was 23.18 minutes. This is a huge improvement from last week where my time was 23.59.  I came in 19th of 383 women who competed today, 3 of 50 in my age group (for women) and 131 of 705 overall.

It was a good morning. I'm still waiting for the series results to be posted. I'm confident with more speed training and dedication I can reach a 22 minute 5k :) 

Speed Morning

I attempted a speed morning today.

I ran 3.1 miles in 24:56.

I do think my watch is off though. According to my watch today though, my splits were 7'43, 8'03 and 8'19. It was tough, and now my hips hurt. I really think I need to take some time OFF until I get my new shoes. The weather is terrible, it's just rainy outside and there isn't much motivation to do anything when it's like this! I was thinking about going to the gym in the morning to use the elliptical before work to give my running legs a break.

I really want to look into the Garmin Forerunner, because I would like to have a little more accuracy with my training. If I'm going to do the work, I'd like to at least know accurate results!

Race.

I was able to go to sleep REALLY early last night. I was in and out of sleep throughout the night, but popped up way before my alarm went off at 5:25 AM- I was up around 4! Maybe I went to bed too early.

I always am excited in the morning when it's a RACE DAY.

Before the race... (still dark outside)

My official chip time today was 23:54

This time put me in #168 of 777 finishers today.

The race results are finally up at www.coolrunning.com. I did NOT use my new shoes today, I'm still in debate if I want to try to get different ones- since the new ones kind of make me feel like I'm walking in moon shoes. I really tried to PACE myself today- however I definitely could have pushed myself a little more. My official chip time last race was 24:04. So I did improve (even if not by much). My stomach was upset during mile 2, but I actually really enjoyed the run today- the weather was nice, my music was great and I felt good during the run. Last race I came in #191 of 835 finishers.

Now, in my age group- I am not doing so bad! Last race I came in 6th place for Women's 25-29 and this race 8th place. Since the girls in the top didn't do both races, I'm in place #5 for the two races so far. Top 3 finishers get prizes!

Race #1

Race #2

I KNOW what this means. I need to do speed workouts. I do! My time is a exact measure of the work I've put in, which for speed is none. I will get better!

After the race...

I'm so proud of my roommate, Beth- she did awesome! She was able to run 1.5 of the race and improved her time by almost 2 minutes. Her goal of running the full 5k by the end will definitely happen- I ran to meet her when I finished my race and run with her and she was able to SPRINT the finish line. Awesome!

After the race I came back and the weather was beautiful and I felt great so I decided to go to Celebration and run 5 more miles. My watch was acting up and wouldn't record the time- but I did the loop I usually do so I can guess it was around 5 miles. When I got back a friend asked if I wanted to play tennis- and I said absolutely! I haven't played since last summer, but it was really fun. We played for about a hour and a half, and now I am exhausted. What a day!

Prep for 5k.

Playlist. Check! Tomorrow will be a Florence + The Machine run.

Here is my layout of race items for tomorrow. Until then, goodnight!

New Shoes!

Yes, I got new shoes. They are Asics and I have never ran in this brand before. Actually it's the first time they haven't been Nike in a long time. I don't know how I feel about this switch, but I think the pain in my feet had a lot to do with the shoe so hopefully this solves the problem. Since I am still running with my Nike watch, I had to buy a Nathan holder for the chip in my shoe for $10. Again, I don't know how I feel about all of these changes, but I guess tomorrows 5k will be the perfect opportunity to find out.

I took a REST day today. I didn't wake up in the morning and considered going swimming after work, but just decided to take today off all together. It's 7:40 PM and I want to be in bed by 9 AM. I have a 5 AM wake up call, and I'm hoping to feel better at tomorrow's race than the last one. Here are some pictures of my new shoes. I haven't done as much speed training as I would have liked since the last race, but I am using tomorrow as a speed workout :)

Morning Run :)

5 runs in 5 mornings.

Today I did the first 1.5 with my roommate again to try to help her achieve her goal of running a full 5k by the end of the summer.

I ran 5 miles in 51:37.

I probably won't run tomorrow morning, but I'd like to do weights or swim. I want to take a day off before the 5k on Saturday.

I'm excited for raceday even though I haven't really done much speed training. I can use the 5k as training! I think I need to go check out my shoes today at Track Shack, my toes are starting to hurt without the inserts. I am planning on going there today! 

Ways to Improve Speed

I am just researching different ways to improve speed. Here are some ideas, I'm not sure what I will try yet...

From Active.com

The Speed Workout

The single component that most improves pace in races, according to my experience, is a weekly speed session. Most runners choose Tuesday or Wednesday as a speed day.

At the track, start with 4 to 6 x 400. Increase the number of 400s every week by two more until, 10 days before the race, the final workout is: 14 x 400. Each 400 (one lap around a track) should be run eight seconds faster than you want to average per quarter mile in your 5K race.

For example, if you wanted to run eight minutes per mile, your quarter-mile race pace would need to be two minutes. The workout pace per lap should in this case be 1 minute, 52 seconds. Walk for half a lap between the 400s.

Warm Up

Prepare for the faster running with a thorough warm-up. Walk for two to five minutes at first to get the blood flowing. Then, run half a mile using more frequent walk breaks than you usually use.

For example, if you usually run three minutes and walk a minute, during the half mile (two laps around a track) you should run a minute/walk a minute. Next, jog very slowly for a lap. Finally, do four to eight acceleration-gliders (these are explained in 5K/10K).

Start each with a slow jog for 10 steps, then a faster jog for 10 steps. Over the next 15 steps, gradually speed up to what you feel is your 5K race pace and then gradually glide back to a jog over the next 30 to 40 steps. Gliding is similar to coasting off of momentum gained as you go down a hill and onto the flat.

If you practice this at least once a week, you will learn how to save the running muscles while you are running. Walk for 30 seconds between each glider, and walk for two to three minutes between the last one and the start of your first 400-meter repetition.

Cool Down

After your workout, don't stop. Jog slowly, using as many walk breaks as you need for the next 10 minutes, and then walk for three to five minutes. You're done!

There's Hal Higdon's approach...

Q & A from Running magazine?

I've never trained using any "intervals" or "tempos" I don't even know what they are talking about! I'm going to really have to read this over and find a plan that works for me. 

5k and Ariel Arts

I wanted to get a good nights sleep before the 5k Saturday morning, but I just couldn't fall asleep. I finally fell asleep at 1 AM knowing I would have to wake up 4 hours later. My alarm went off at 5 AM and knowing it was race day got me out of bed, however unprepared I really was. I laid my things out, but still felt tired. We drove the 45 minutes to the start, did a quick registration and made our way to the start line. I felt tired at the start, but ready. When we started the first mile I felt strong until the same foot from the marathon started to really hurt. The same pain came back in my right foot which prevented me keeping up any kind of speed. The first mile flew by but the other two were much more difficult with the pain, and I finally crossed the finish line at 24 minutes. My official time isn't posted yet, but I'll post it when it does.

My splits were 7:01, 8:13, 8:52. I was NOT happy with those last two times, I can usually run that for a NORMAL run, NOT race day run. I was a little disappointed that my run was slower than my last 5k by a minute, however I am going to start speed training, and hopefully my feet will heel, whatever it is going on. (These pictures are after the race, I wore my lululemon skirt and top)

After the 5k my roommate Beth and I decided to try Ariel Arts. I had another girlfriend meet us there too! We bought the deal of living social for $10. It was definitely worth it! I don't think I'll go back but we had a great time at the class and today my arms are really sore and even my abs. We learned basic techniques and even got to do a few moves. It was fun to watch the people who were really good at it.

All of these activities were successfully completed by noon! It's Sunday now and I'm sore all over from the Ariel Arts. You definitely need upper body strength to complete the moves. My parents come this week and are bringing me a set of 8 lb and 10 lb weights- time to start weight training! 

5k tomorrow!

My roommate and I wanted to do a 5k this weekend. The problem with Florida is once summer hits the races seem to die down I hear. We found one 45 minutes away from our apartment and decided to go for it!

It's actually a series of races you can compete in, if you do all 4 you save $10. Since it's 45 minutes away and I don't know my schedule yet, I'm not going to sign up for all 4, if I do end up doing them all it will only be $10 more. There is kind of weird things about it though- the prizes aren't given out until the end and only if you race in them all and you are only guaranteed a shirt if you race in them all. Odd. Anyways, I'm excited. Tonight I ran a little, walked a little. I didn't want to be sore for tomorrow.

I ran about 2.5 miles and walked 2.5 in 1 hour 50 seconds. 

My first 2 miles were at a 8:13 pace. It was actually pitch dark on my way home and it was pretty cool to be in Celebration then, but a little scary too.

Here is my annual "night before race" layout. My alarm is set for 5:05 AM, so goodnight!

                                           

And I'm back!

I was starting to get antsy since I haven't ran since Saturday. I've wanted to run all week, I just didn't want to run in the cold. At all. Everyday I contemplated it and it was just too cold for me! Today we moved out of the 30s and into the 40s so I bundled up and went out the door. Really the first few seconds of a cold run is the worst, but at times it can actually be enjoyable because you never get overheated. While training for the half marathon, I would only count the miles I was running, never walking. For the marathon training, I am counting both- including warm up and cool down. I am doing this, because I read it's all about mileage, and walking is mileage too! I walked down my street and back, about two blocks total walking and I ran the rest. I ran at a very comfortable pace today, but even managed to do three short sprints! I am intrigued by interval training, since I have never done it before. Since I did well on the last 5k race I competed it, I figured I could do even better if I added some interval training!

I ran 5.5 miles in 57:15 

My hip felt great, and my knee too. It was a great run! I actually have to jump in the shower, because I'm going to see My Run tonight. I REALLY hope I enjoy it...

My first running prize!

I started to write this yesterday, but got distracted because I had a friend visit. Yesterday was the first day I've missed a post since I started this, so I will have to make up for it today.

Yesterday- There were around 900-1000 runners/ walkers today. I came in 6th place of the girls! It was awesome. The weather was perfect, and it was a really pretty loop.

My official time was 23:04! Pace: 7.43

I was bummed at first because I read the first 5 girl finishers received prizes, but guess what, I GOT A PRIZE TOO! Yes, they called my name at the awards! I got a green Publix bag with two "Fiddler 5k" beer glasses. Perfect.

#6 :) 

A Beer after the run! HAHA 

A sample I got at the 5k 

My prize mug!

After the race I went to the Winter Park Farmers Market. It was really cute and I had a few samples of cheese, sauces, and fruits! It truly was a perfect Saturday morning.

My friend came into town and when I got back we went to lunch and spent the day around downtown Orlando. The Michigan vs. Michigan State basketball game was playing (I didn't really care) so we went to a local bar to watch that. We went out last night to downtown Orlando. It was a fun, exhausting day.

Today we went to brunch at Dexters in Thornton Park. The food wasn't amazing, but it was amazing to sit outside in the beautiful weather. I ordered a cheeseburger with fries, and ate most of it. It was probably around noon by the time we ate, and I didn't eat any breakfast because I thought we were going out for breakfast, which turned into lunch. The area (Thornton Park) is really cute. I love how everyone spends the day brunching outside on Sunday in Florida! It is way to cold in Michigan. I can really see myself living here. My brother and I spent the rest of the day relaxing at the pool and just enjoying the sunshine! It was a pretty low key day, but we are going to HARRY POTTER at Universal Studios tomorrow! This was by no means a healthy eating or drinking week. My brother was in town so we went out to eat a lot, and ate at the parks. Tomorrow is a new day!

I think I need to start posting more of what I am eating- to be more accountable for it. I haven't been recording in my notebook since I got to Florida, I am just too busy! This "relaxing" vacation has been jam packed with activity. (All of it fun...) I barely had any time to relax! I didn't even get to read the books I anticipated reading.

Ready, set, 5k!

I think my brother and I were either drugged at lunch, or just extremely worn out from the last two days at the park. Either way, we got back from lunch and I told him I was going to lay down for 15 minutes, and woke up 2 hours later. When I went to scold him for letting me sleep that long he told me he just woke up as well! What happened to us!

Anyways, today was fun. We went to Fiddler's Green in Winter Park to pick up my race packet. #378! I want to wear a all green outfit, since tomorrow I think is a St. Patrick's day themed run, or at least from the pictures it looks like people will be in green! I'm not really sure. The shirts are long sleeve shirts, and I got a large to give to my dad. I am considering though, saving all of my t-shirts and making a blanket one day. I never really wear t-shirts like this, or long sleeves either. They aren't really comfortable to me!

This is my race outfit for tomorrow. The tank is more yellow, but it's a Cool Racerback from Lululemon, the skirt is the one I wore in my Princess race last weekend, a black run skirt from lululemon,  Luckily, I already had a green skinny satin pirouette from lululemon. The jacket is my sisters, and it's a green Define Jacket from a few years ago. I doubt I'll wear it during the race, but I'll keep it in my car for after! I hope I look just like a baby leprechaun. 

After we picked up my race info, we headed to Park Avenue in Winter Park. There were two restaurants on my mind, Bosphorous, a Turkish restaurant where I sampled a few pieces of chicken the other day and was really interested considering I'm not sure if I have ever had Turkish cuisine. The other one, I also walked by, and also saw on a blog is called Briarpatch. It was adorable! We sat outside and the only thing on my mind lately has been BREAKFAST. I don't know why! Anything breakfast! So I ordered the Rasberry and Brie Cheese filled French Toast. I have never seen a combination like this, and it was amazing! The portion was HUGE, I got 3 large pieces of bread and was only able to finish one of them. I brought the rest home and had them for dinner with strawberries on top! 

Tonight I really wanted to go to sleep early, however I don't know if that will happen since I just napped for two hours! We are going to go print our Universal tickets for Monday. We can't decide to get one park, just to see Harry Potter or get both park access and just make a full day of it. Decisions, decisions!

I received a e-mail from active.com that directed me to a article from shape.com. The content was:

"6 Rules for Running Faster"

1. Start Out Slowly

Ironically, the first key to running faster is to start slowly. In both training and racing, take your time to build toward your goal. In training, spend time building your aerobic fitness and strength before racing ahead to speedwork. At the races, include a warmup to activate your muscles and gradually build into your race speed. The gains you make from easing into both training and racing will help keep you injury-free, help your performance progress at a rate your body can handle, and allow you to reach a higher fitness peak.

2. Focus on Form

The time you invest in focusing on your form will pay off in free speed. Proper running form is both efficient and economical. Watch a video of the best runners and you'll notice very little wasted energy, as every movement serves to push them forward. Aim for relaxed arm carry, strong push off and faster cadence to make the most of your running form. Identify any weaknesses in your form, then address them with drills or strength exercises at least once a week.

3. Follow a Plan

Enlist the help of a coach, reputable book or training program. While many athletes are willing to do the work, often the work is inconsistent or improperly timed, which means inconsistent or slow results on race day. Avoid working too hard or too fast too soon. Remember, in training and fitness (and in comedy), timing is everything. A plan will help you reach your goal with the right balance of training so you arrive at your race fit and rested enough to peak.

4. Disconnect to Connect

Every once in awhile, disconnect from technology (pace, heart rate, measured courses) to connect with how running feels. Learn to read your body's cues about what running slow, moderate and hard feels like. Focus on your breathing, the sound of your feet and the conversations in your head. Learning to understand and then manage these will improve your ability to pace yourself and race up to your potential.

5. Redefine Your Comfort Zone

Breaking through to a personal best requires discomfort. Once a week, redefine your comfort zone by getting uncomfortable. Hill work, fartlek runs, speedwork, running with a group or taking your run a little farther are all ways to create challenge and change in your running. With proper challenge, you'll find improved fitness and strength that help you achieve your running goal.

6. Be Limitless

Rather than asking yourself "why," think in terms of "why not?" Even the best runners had to take a first step toward their dreams. Envision yourself at the end of the year, or even a few years: Where would you like to be with your running? Then, determine how you'll get there. Set smaller goals en route to your bigger goals. Reassess your progress after every race or year, then work at your weaknesses until they become strengths.

I will try a few of these. I always start out fast, so I wonder if I should start out slower. Also, I don't really follow any "form", I wonder if I did my wrists would hurt less. And finally, maybe I should try a few runs without a ipod, watch, etc. Just to run. Why not?