Self proclaimed rest week

Here it is I skipped a run this week and it felt great to do so. I was supposed to go on a easy 6 mile tempo run on Thursday and I got a call from my friends that were catching a few drinks on the lake I run around. My plan was to park my car at the Cantina and then run around the lake and meet them later... So I found myself a parking spot and had my running skivvies on with my tech t and I was ready to run but I thought that I would say hello first. That was my big mistake, I said hello and never said goodbye and before I knew it the sun was no longer out and our waitress refused to bring us more wine. Obviously this place is new and does not under stand that a table of three girls can put down a bottle of wine or three in a three hour period. Needless to say that we will probably not be going back to the Little Water Cantina anytime soon. So if I have three glasses of wine I'm not going to be running so I skipped it and felt a bit guilty but I have had two 12+ mile bike rides this week so I think that helps. And by helps I mean helps me not feel as guilty. So the great part about skipping this run is that I ran my 9 miles on Sunday ( yes a day later then my usual long runs) and it was my best run to date. I felt my best I have felt yet and my stomach problems were nonexistent. I think/know now that I need to eat more food I had pasta before my run accompanied by a Clif bar and this was with in an 1 and 1/2 from start time and I did great. I had chomps and a gel but I only drank water because I didn't have any sport drinks on hand but it worked. Just three days before my run I was at a bike rally for biking to work. I got the opportunity to chat with a gal that had said she had the same problem with feeling terrible after a run, and for her it was because she was not taking in enough fuel. We started talking and she told me what she takes before and during her training sessions. She starts gels 15mins into a workout and has one pre run as well, and once she upped her calories she felt better. So I followed her lead this weekend and was pleasantly surprised. Love this running/biking world you get to meet such great people and learn a ton about how to be a better athlete. Thanks to my random friend and some gels and chops for a very successful 9 mile this weekend.
-RR-

8 Miles... Check

I have recently bought some new items like Body Glide ( new found love!), wool running socks ( I love them as well), running shorts, and a GU recovery drink. So here's the breakdown. Body Glide rocks the house and the peeps that told me I have to have it were right I can now enjoy a post run shower without crying/screaming which is a high light in my world these days. The reason why it is such a high light is because after running for a solid hour and a half and or two hours the only thing that you want to do is shower off all the grossness on your body, but you know that its going to hurt so you are stuck with the debate of when to get the stinging task over with. Thanks to Body Glide, not anymore!!!!! post game shower happens as soon as I walk in the door. Now for those new shorts, well they were $10.00 bucks and so why not right I mean they were North Face so you have to buy them, right!! So I get home to try them on I bought an XL because I'd rather them be too big then too small for running. So I go to try them on and soon find myself cursing the North Face brand because I can not get them pass my thighs. I was ready to file a law suit for discrimination of fat people like what, they don't want "normal" people wearing there clothes. So I forced them up/on success..ish. I now have to waddle around like a penguin because I can't move my legs. Then I realize I have to get them off. After another round of swearing and scrolling through my phone wondering who I can call to help pull these things off of me I finally have them off. I look at the size one more time and realize I can cancel the lawsuit I bought "girls" shorts, yeah that's right they were not womans they were made for a ten year old girl yeah way to go me! Now that my self image was restored I geared up with my new socks and my recovery drink and I was out the door to my run. Post run the socks were great and the blisters bothered me but not bad getting better and these new socks were amazing. Now for the recovery drink it taste like very lightly flavored water so you can actually drink it and it was perfect no stomach cramps at all!! I have found my answers we shall see if they are still answers after the 9 mile run next week.

-RR-

It was time.

New purchases :) Now at the risk of grossing some of you out I will not go into details ( really not bad but I'll spare you) about by foot blister problem I will just have you know that the arch of my foot is a problem or will be if I do not solve some things like socks or shoes or sweat.
So today I was with my boss and we took a lunch time stroll to my favorite store......REI!!! I got a pep talk from him on the way over, saying that maybe my bad attitude going into this establishment may have something to do with my experiences here. I reluctantly agreed but still a touch apprehensive about it. Of course today the people helping out are walking on sunshine so while I was picking out new gels, socks, chomps, and running shorts I kinda of enjoyed this place called REI....but barely. My running shorts (which I have never run in shorts ever even in Chelan Chelan the magical land when it was 90*) were just 10 bucks so I thought that was a good price for an experimental gear. On to my next item Body Glide aka the best invention in running since the shoe. I spent some time looking at my different options and was convince that this is a must have. So I walked out or REI with some new goodies for my 8 miles I will be doing tomorrow and a little better attitude about the place but we shall see if that holds up.

10 MIles or Bust

I did it and completed my first big big run at least how I look at it. I have 3 big run before the half 2, 10 mile and 1, 12 mile. I really felt a sense of accomplishment and like I said all of these long runs I have to do are the farthest I have ever run before. I did not beat the stomach cramps after the run but I just forced myself to eat and it was a bit better. I made a rookie mistake on this venture though I could not find my running socks so I just went with a pair I thought would work. They were thin and cotton...Cotton I know better but thought it would not be a big deal. Well come mile 4 I could already feel a blister on the arch of my right foot forming. I had 6 miles to go and knew that I would have to fight this the rest of the way. When I was done I had two very large blisters on the arch of my right foot, but I had two days of rest coming so I a was happy I would have time recover. I think that the only other thing that I need to buy for my training is body glide and I will be all set to go as a "runner".
Now on to what feels like a rest week, because all the totals for training this week are smaller then the week before WAHOO!!! Yesterday-4x800, Thursday- 5 mile Tempo, Saturday- 8 Mile long run. All these seem like a breeze now that I have hit the 10 mile mark.
Yesterday's run 0f 4x800 went great I was really able to push myself and each half was under or at 5min for each. That is about 15 secs faster then I am supposed to run them ( which resulted in a PR for me on my green lake course) and I felt wonderful and am excited for tomorrow's 5 mile tempo run.

We Shall call this Week 5 pre-cap

I have titled this the pre cap because I know I usually give you the run down after my week is over but today not so much. I will break down this weeks earlier workouts but will be giving you the pre run gitters update for today's 10 miles.

Tuesday: 3x1600- I had to do this little work out on the treadmill so I tried to really crank up my speed and I did for the first mile 10 min mile baby!!! Then the second was a 10:20 and the last one went up to a 10:54 with a fast quarter mile at the end. Currently my goal is to run the Half at 11:30. So my speed training for a mile should be 10:45 secs so I need to work on not giving it all to my first miles and learn to save some energy. I will learn. I was thinking to myself that this was such a short run that I would be able to wear whatever I wanted, and I would be fine... Well I was wrong I went with a loose cotton tee and tucked it into my sports bra strap and I would find out during my shower that was a terrible idea. I had rubbed my shoulder area raw NOT FUN. I was at work the next day and chatting with my boss and he asked me what had happened. I said " oh it was from running last night bad shirt choice." He said "well that's good someone asked me if you were sporting a hicky." Oh perfect that had not even crossed my mind so it turns out I have a new reputation at work and its not "oh she's the biker girl who rides to work everyday." Lesson learned!!!

4 Mile tempo:

I did not want to run it was cinco de drink-o and well I had zero motivation and was running behind schedule. My sister saved the day (wahoo sis!) because she was having the same problem and so we met up and did our 4 miles together. 43 mins and I was done. Thanks to a partner in crime I didn't miss a beat and got to chat the first 2 miles while I still had breath enough to chat. Running with someone, so makes a difference I have never ever done it before. I guess running had just been my "me time" turns out I like it when it is "we" time.

10 Mile PRE cap:

Today's goal beat the stomach issues!!! So last night I headed out to REI ( Super Jock and Jill was closed) to get some pre run, during run, post run fuel. I am not REI's biggest fan so I was hoping to in and out in less then 10 mins!! Although it was there for more then 10 mins I picked up what I needed. Cytomax ( my during run hydration), GU 2 packs this time, and GU recovery drink. I was doing research yesterday while I was at work and I think the reason I have stomach pain after is because I don't take enough in during my run. This time I have 2 GU gels and I am counting my water intake before and looking at my carb protein ratios for my pre race meal. Well all this is done and I am sitting on my couch trying to figure out when i should run.... So I blogged so I could put this off a little longer. I always get nervous/anxious before I run I convince myself its excitement so that I have a happy little attitude and that works most of the time. But I have realized I forgot to buy my next life changing product.... Body glide. Once again this is a product that can change your world its the miracle hot spot eraser. I hope that I don't need it but we shall see. Well I am off to run in the beautiful rainy spring weather of Seattle. Wish me luck:)

-RR-

Week3/4 recap

Week 3 Recap
-I skipped my long run and I skipped my tempo run so I Failed at week 3!

Week 4
Monday squeezed in a bonus run because I did so terrible in week 3.
Tuesday- 6x400's loving this training program I like that each work out is different and I don't just run. This was a great little run to get back into things. Pushed myself pretty hard and felt great after.

Thursday- 6 mile tempo- Its begun I am getting hot spots when I run and I don't like it. It is not bad when you are running it is the post run shower that this pain sneaks up on you. So this got me thinking about my 9 miles on Saturday that was fast approaching.

Saturday 9 Miles: Saturday Started with me being nervous because I skipped my long run the week before yeah oops. I know that I will pounding the pavement for about 1 and 45 mins so I need to start thinking about water and fuel on my run. So I went to my running store Super Jock and Jill, and I looked at ergonomically correct hand held water bottles. I tried a few out and settled with a flat 12 oz one. Then I made my way over to the underwear section to see if I could solve some problems there. I found some hot running undies and I was almost set to go but i wanted to speak with the checker first. I asked her if the underwear were going to change my life and she said yeah there is a good chance. So after I dropped 20.00 bucks on my new roos ( under-roos that is). I was out the door and ready to run. I went home and had a chicken sandwich and a baked potato and waited about 2 hours for my run. I filled the water bottle with a sports drink (some running one I can never remember its name it is whatever is on the course during the R&R) and threw on the roos and was out the door. Well I had never run with water/fluid and I did a very good job of just taking a few sips here and there. At mile 5 I ate some GU and kept powering on. I was good to go until about mile 8.5 and the last .5 miles I was getting some pain but I had rationed my fluid perfectly and in 1 hour and 48 mins I was done with my longest run to date. I felt great the next day the worst part of long runs for me is right after they're over I get stomach cramps and can't eat. But I forced down some chomps when I got home and then had a beer ( carbs people!!) or two and those did the trick...ish still had a hard time with real food but got over it. That pretty much wraps up the 9 miler and weeks 3/4.
-RR-
P.S. The underwear saved my world and I would spend up to and including $50.00 for the relief I experienced.