Good weekend, stiff muscles

We had a nice weekend just at home, and all 4 of us (me, hubby, 2 kids) spent a lot of time outside weeding and mulching the landscaped area in front of our house. It looks great now, but I must say gardening uses muscles that are a lot different than running! I had a great 6-mile run on the flats on Sunday (11:31 pace), but when I went out for my 2-mile run this morning, my leg muscles were definitely stiff, especially the calf and hamstring areas of my left leg. So I took it slowly (12:15 pace), and did some walking and gentle stretching afterward. I will make sure I'm very attuned to those muscles over the next few days- I do not want to be reckless and get injured!
I've been very happy with the running schedule I've been keeping up lately, but I must say it is also driving my appetite up. I don't want to "diet" in the strict sense of the term while also preparing for a 15K race, but I do need to pay more attention to what I'm consuming - mainly portion size, since most of what I eat is pretty healthy. Back to tracking calories on dietwatch for a few days, just to remind myself of a reasonable intake level...

Unplanned Pace Workout

This morning I set out to do the 3-mile hilly route on the roads near my house. Just as I was finishing the first mile, which ends up a long but somewhat gradual hill, I saw my neighbor - the "real runner" - coming down her driveway about to start her run. As soon as she saw me, she said, "Do you want to run together?" I started telling her I'm very slow and didn't want to slow her down, but she just said, "Well, let's try it, and we can always split up." So I proceeded to do the last 2 miles of my run with her. While I'm sure it was a slow run for her, it was a significantly faster pace than I usually have on that route. Last week I did the same route at a 12:53 pace, and this morning, including a slow first mile, my average pace was 11:38, including some pretty challenging hills! I figure that, while I wouldn't want to do it every day, a run like that is good prep for the Boilermaker, which has quite the hilly first half.
And I must say, it was fun to have someone to chat with, and made the run go by even faster. I don't live close enough to a running club to do scheduled group runs. There were a couple of times going up hills that I was feeling quite winded, but she would be in the middle of telling me a story, and I didn't want to be rude and drop off, so I stuck with it! She has run the Boilermaker several times, so was able to fill me in on some things about that, too - she said it's pretty crowded, but the support along the way from spectators is great, and the second half of the race feels really good after lots of climbs in the first half.
So overall, running with her was a good experience! It also inspired me more about losing weight - I realized that if I had strapped a 25-lb. backpack on her back, she might have been having the same difficulty on the hills that I was. I won't ever have the type of runner's body that she does, but I know from experience that it certainly is easier to run with a little less extra weight on board!

Lost Long Run

Well, I completed 4 out of 5 of my scheduled runs for my first week of Boilermaker training, but unfortunately the one I missed was my long run scheduled for yesterday (6 miles). We had a busy weekend, with my in-laws visiting and a party for my husband on Friday afternoon, which I had spent a lot of time planning and worrying about, since it was a surprise (luckily, everything went well!). In the middle of the night on Saturday (actually 3 a.m. Sunday), my 3-year-old daughter, who had had mild cold symptoms for a couple of days, woke up having severe difficulty breathing. My husband and I rushed her to the local ER, where she was diagnosed with croup. They gave her a dose of steroids and told us to crack her window open for the rest of the night. She is doing fine now, but between that and getting the in-laws to the airport, my long run fell by the wayside yesterday (at least I made up for it by eating lots of empty calories =:-( - darn sleep deprivation!).
I thought about how to handle missing that run, and decided to just chalk it up to one of those "life intervenes" moments, spend today getting back on track with eating, and proceed with my schedule for the week, culminating in a 6-mile run this coming Sunday. I should still be able to get in the mileage I need for my training schedule.
So my plan is to continue running 5 days a week -including 3 early morning runs on weekdays and a long run on Sundays - with the understanding that sometimes, because of incidents like this, it will be 4 days instead of 5.
I am really starting to look forward to the Boilermaker! I even get to meet a fellow blogger! Keeping my fingers crossed to not get injured in the meantime...

In Training!

I think I have worked out a decent training schedule for the Boilermaker, and have started this week. I'm basically using a cross between a half-marathon schedule that I have used successfully before, and a 10K schedule. This puts me at about the right place given where I am at this point in my running, plus gives me a chance for a light (rest) week between now and the race.
So I've run three mornings in a row this week: 2 miles on Tuesday (12:17 pace), 3 miles yesterday (12:53 pace, on a hilly route and with two 1-minute walking breaks included), and 2 miles this morning (12:08 pace). I think that running on 3 mornings a week instead of two will really help me get into the early-morning exercise habit. With the weather we've been having, and the opportunity to see a gorgeous sunrise at 5:15 a.m., it hasn't been hard at all getting up this week! And it really helps to have something specific to train for. Now I just need to keep my fingers crossed and hope I don't get injured in the meantime....

Fast Run Yesterday!

Okay, so I was on a horse at the time, but who's counting? As someone who loves horses, I am lucky to have a friend who has two of them and often invites me to ride with her. What a great feeling, cantering across a beautiful field on an animal for whom running is such a natural thing.
My muscles were a bit stiff this morning - riding definitely uses some different muscles than running - so it felt good to get out for an easy 2-mile run and stretch them a bit.
I bit the bullet and sent in my registration yesterday for the Boilermaker 15K in July. I've been wanting to up my training and have something to focus on to motivate me, so I'm psyched about it. It's supposedly one of the best races in the country, and not too far from where I live! Given my current level of training, I will just focus on finishing comfortably, rather than setting any time goals. But my general approach will include running more days per week and gradually spacing out the walking breaks (e.g., I didn't take any on my 2-miler this morning).
The in-laws are coming to town tomorrow, so I'd better go get some things in order...

Comparisons

This morning I went out for a run around 5:30 a.m., as I've been doing twice a week for quite awhile now (plus a long run on weekends, but not that early!). It always feels good to be out there early, knowing that my neighbors and family are still sleeping - very peaceful, and I feel proud that I'm getting exercise in before most people even wake up. On a couple of occasions, including this morning, I've seen an acquaintance/neighbor of mine also out running (well, she lives about a mile away, but around here that's considered a neighbor, since there might be only 10 houses in between). I usually feel a little embarrassed when I see her, since she is one of those REALLY fit and active people - someone I think of as a REAL runner. Slimmer, faster, better than me. So I started feeling a little frumpy after we passed each other (going in opposite directions) and exchanged pleasantries.
But then I realized that I was looking at things the wrong way, and I made myself change my thought balloon. Instead of thinking "Wow, A*** is such a good runner, what am I doing out here, I'm so slow compared to her, etc." I started thinking "Hey! Maybe this is what people need to do to be so fit, and I'M DOING IT!"
Made for a much more pleasant end of my run. :-)

Mother's Day Gift

I had a great Mother's Day weekend, celebrating with my mom, sister, husband, and kids. One of the highlights was a long run (7 miles) that I took yesterday morning. I took a different direction than usual, on a hillier route, so I was dealing with both major hills (some in the range of 13-15% grade) AND a wicked head wind on the way back, but it was sunny, and the panoramic views I got of farmfields, ponds, and hills in the distance were absolutely stunning. I encountered maybe 2 cars during the whole time I was out (and believe me, it was a LONG time!). These long runs are what make running worth it for me.
And yesterday afternoon we grilled out scallop kebabs and halibut (which we topped with guacomole - yum!). A delicious and reasonably healthy meal. Gotta love when grilling season gets in full swing.
Hope everyone else had a great weekend and enjoyable runs!

There's Something to this Whole Sleep Thing!

I have gotten a couple of GREAT night's sleep this week by abstaining from alcohol and going to bed early (as in ASLEEP by 10). It really makes a difference in how I feel the next day, and how well I'm able to control my eating.
Last night hubby and I had some wine before and during dinner - the first evening he's been able to be home this week - and I just didn't sleep as well. Today I'm feeling tired and craving carbs. So tonight, it's early to bed again, although I can't guarantee an uninterrupted sleep since my husband is on call all night for his ambulance corps. But it's amazing to see such a clear connection between a full night's sleep and how I feel the next day.
On another note, I recently completed a questionnaire for a runner's health study that I've been participating in for something like 15 years now. They send a questionnaire every 5 years to ask about how often you're running, other health habits, and whether you've been diagnosed with anything during that time. Does anyone else out there participate in this? It's called the National Runners' Health Study, and they have some preliminary results on certain issues posted here.
It's interesting stuff, and as a researcher myself, I'm glad to be able to contribute to their response rate.
Happy weekend runs to everyone!

Focus on Progress

Sometimes I've been feeling lately like I'm not making much progress. That's usually when I focus only on the scale - I've lost only a total of about 4 lbs. or so since the beginning of the year. But at least I am consistently on the lower side of 160 now.
And other things make me realize that I have in fact made progress, and the kind of progress that makes me healthier overall. In the fall, my blood pressure was hovering near a dangerous range - my lower number (systolic?) was close to 90 a couple of times. Last night my husband took my blood pressure and it was 112/74. Definitely a good change! Plus, my clothes are looser, I'm doing pretty well controlling my eating, and I've worked out at least 3 days a week every week that I can remember.
I looked back over the goals I set, and plans for how to obtain them, at the beginning of this blog. There are a few things I need to re-commit to: 1) getting a good night's sleep; I had one last night and it was AWESOME. But it meant going to bed quite early - there are no late sleepers in this house! - so I need to just start making myself do that more often. 2) lifting weights - did great on this at the beginning of the year, but have tapered off. Tank top season will be here soon! 3) frequency of alcohol consumption - I rarely have more than one glass of wine on any given day, but I need to have more days when I have none at all. It's empty calories and can potentially disrupt my sleep.
Okay, I just looked out my window, and there is something that looks like wet SNOW coming down. It's May 2nd! WTF?!
Here's hoping there's better weather where you are!

Rainy day

Well, it's a rainy, dreary morning here, but I'm planning to head out for a long run soon. Came down with cold symptoms yesterday, but definitely not bad enough to miss a scheduled run.
I'm still floundering a bit in terms of what I want my running schedule to be. I do love Galloway's schedule, but feel like I need more than 2 runs, and more variety, during the week. I think it would be easier to do my early-morning runs if I did them more than once a week, too. So I might have to tweak things a bit. That will be easier now that the semester is almost over at the college where my husband is a professor and I teach one class.
I spent yesterday morning taking my son to bike shops to look for a new bike for him. He's very tall for his age (he just turned 7 and is almost 4'6"), so it's hard to find a bike that fits but isn't too overwhelming for him to handle. He has been really into hiking and biking lately, though, so we want to encourage that as much as possible.
Well, I'd better not put off my run any longer. Later today I think the husband and kids and I will go for a hike on some nearby trails that are primarily for horses and mountain bikes, but also for hiking. We should each be able to see things we'll be interested in, plus it's fun hiking as a family.
Good luck to anyone else doing a long run today!