Week 3

Week 3 of half marathon training

Monday - Strength
Upper Body - Abs - Little Lower Body
I used some weights for the first time in a really long time.  I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow. 

Tuesday - 3 Miles
3.11 miles - 29:13 - 9:23 pace
An early morning run to kick off the day.  First mile felt solid, second mile felt great, third - not so much.  I started dragging.  I realized over the past few days that it's going to take me a little while to get back to where I was.  So I have to stop comparing this to that.  I'll get back there.  I just can't assume I'm going to do it tomorrow, or this week.  I am not going to beat 27:16 this weekend.  But I will soon.  Last training taught me to be tough and grind away.  This time around is teaching me patience.  It will come. 

Wednesday - 5 x 400m 
Treadmill - 4 reps of .25 miles, 8:00 pace for 2:00, sprint across campus for 1:03
I only had about 15 mins to do this, so I tried to make the most of it.  I am sweaaaatyy

Thursday - 3 Miles
3.11 miles - 28:59 - 9:18 pace 
Pretty good run!  I felt strong for the most part.  I am very optimistic considering I had to stop and walk for a block (thanks Chipotle...), so I probably would have fallen just over the 28:00 mark.  I'm happy with this! 

Friday - Rest
Bikram Yoga - 90 minute class

Saturday - Cross
Climbed Mount Elbert, the tallest mountain in CO - 14,433 feet
About 12 hours round trip, a grueling mountain, but one of the best accomplishments since moving to Denver.  I'll be writing a full post about this soon! :)

Sunday - 5K Race
Rest 
I was totally planning on doing a race today, but I'm still really sore from the climb.  It would kill my legs.

Weekly Weigh In

Peak weight:  284

Training starting weight:  228

Last week: 226.8

Current weight:  221.6

Training goal weight:  209 (75 lb mark)

Comments:  Finally, the first good week of training.  I hit all the runs, have been focusing on my eating, and have just all around felt like my fitness is getting back on track.  This is the week I needed to slingshot me toward where I want to be.

Week 2: A Week 2 Forget

My computer died, so I lost my training plan that I had created for myself

Monday - Stretch & Strengthen
Off

Tuesday - 3 Miles
3.02 miles - 29:06 - 9:36 pace
It has been really tough to get back into the swing of things with this training program.  It feels good to get out, but the lack of running consistently has really caught up with me.  On the bright side, I'm starting out at a MUCH faster pace than when I started for my first half, so I feel like after a few weeks I will be back in saddle.

Wednesday - 30 Minutes Tempo
Off
I spent $350 on my car and have been sulking since my computer died.  Apparently I was looking for excuses so I took the liberty to not run, and I ate ice cream instead.

Thursday - 3 Miles + Strength
Off
Couldn't squeeze it in.  This week is failing miserably. 

Friday - Rest

Saturday - 3 Miles Pace
3.05 miles - 29:06 - 9:31 pace
The competitive side of me says this is a little disappointing.  I am realizing how long it's going to take me to get back to where I was 2 1/2 months ago as I was gearing up for my half.  Running 3 miles became effortless.  I could fly (by my standards) through each mile and crush PRs with every race.  Take 2 months off and I am nowhere near that.  It sucks.  The accomplishment-ive side of me says that at this point when I was in week 2 of my half training the first time around, my pace was around 10:30.  So to still be a full minute below that is great!  At week 2 I was about 10 pounds heavier than I am now, and this is after I've just gained about 10 back.  Overall, I am still definitely headed in the right direction.  And that's what matters.  I am excited to see where this training takes me.  I figure it will take me until the halfway point to get to where I was, and then take my running and fitness to a whole new level. I'm not sure how tomorrow is going to go, but no matter what it will be a step toward the ultimate goal.

Sunday - 6 Miles   
Rest
Over eating and spending the day inside away from the heat is how I spent my day.  Not happy with it, but can't do anything about it now.  I think I'm going to tweak my training program a bit because something is out of whack.

Weekly Weigh In

Peak weight:  284

Training starting weight:  228

Last week: 225.8

Current weight:  226.8

Training goal weight:  209 (75 lb mark)

Comments:  A bad week caught up with me.  I have to pick this up this week.

  

Let the Games Begin

Half Marathon Training round 2.

Week 1.

This week is funky because of the race in the middle of the week, but I've had some fun with it.

Sunday - Stretch & Strengthen
Off
Tough to start out strong while on vacation.  Too busy enjoying the Twins game to get going.

Monday - 3 Trail
2.86 miles - 27:14
When I knew my training was starting in Minnesota, I got excited!  I would return to the woods and the trail I would run on in high school - I feel like I know this trail so well it's scary, so what a great way to start off my training.  I haven't been able to run the whole thing since high school- the hills are killer, and running is always so inconsistent for me.  So I went for it in the heat (lots of upper 90's and humid in MN this week).  At just under the mile point, there is a HUGE 3-section hill that I always struggle with.  But this time, I beat it.  And I never stopped running other than about 10 seconds of crazy downhill to catch my breath (and not trip and die).  I miss running in the woods.

Tuesday - Off


Wednesday - Red, White, and BOOM! Twin Cities 1/2 Marathon Relay
5 miles - 51:57 - 10:23 pace
This is all kinds of a crazy story.  My friend and I decided a while ago that we were going to sign up for the half marathon relay on the 4th of July.  Sounds fun, right?  As we get closer, we see the forecast.    Hot.  Crazy-humid.  Miserable.  So I was starting to get nervous since I haven't really been running AND haven't ran in anything that hot since I lived in Florida.  On Monday, we get an email from Twin Cities in Motion saying that the run is shortened.  All participants would be running 5 miles.  Because of the heat & humidity and several factors that are affected as a result, it would be too dangerous for the event to happen as planned.  After lots of disappointed post flooded their facebook page, it was finally race day.  We headed to the start line and it was already HOT.  Mid 80's and humid at the 6:30 start, only increasing as the sun came up.  The first 2 miles were great considering I haven't really ran in a month and the heat.  Mile 3 was ok, but I felt myself starting to slip.  Mile 4 was brutal, and I had to stop for a wee bit at probably the 3.25-3.5 mark.  Then I got myself going again and headed for the home stretch.  The race ended on one of my favorite places in MN, the Stone Arch Bridge.  As I ran the last few hundred yards, I waved at my parents and girlfriend who came to support, and weaved in and out of people, sprinting to the finish line.  The time was not impressive.  The race was great but pretty miserable.  What a great kickoff week to this round of training, and I can't wait to see what's in store for the next 12 weeks!

 

Thursday - 3 + Strength
Do Life 5K - 3.08 Miles - 32:45 - 10:38 pace
This is the reason I woke up at 5AM in MN to drive back to Denver - so I could make it back in time for the Do Life 5K.  After participating last year right after I moved to Denver, I wanted to try to make it back in time, and I did!

What an awesome time!  It felt great to get out for a run, and to chat with people at the race.  Just like last year, I am inspired by the people that showed up to this, and when we talked, their stories of their accomplishments lit another fire inside.  The feeling that I can do this is unbeatable, and this is hopefully another spark that will help lead me to success through this chapter of the journey.  What a great group of people!

Friday - Off


Saturday - 3
2.05 miles - 20:52 - 10:08 pace
2 things made this run a little rocky.  1.  I am dogsitting for one of my coworkers and I decided to take her along for the run.  It was a little hot, so she was panting the whole way.  She made it just fine, but at a fairly slow trot and I didn't want to push her too hard.  2.  I've still been eating like crap this week, so it's tough to get back into training and feeling healthy.


Sunday - 5
0 miles
Today's run did not happen.  I have been feeling super tired and not yet caught up on sleep after my trip to MN.  So a nap happened instead of a run.  Not happy about it, but not the end of the world.  Next week will be better!  Overall, I'm happy with week one.




Weekly Weigh In

Peak weight:  284

Training starting weight:  228

Current weight:  225.8

Training goal weight:  209 (75 lb mark)

Comments:  I am going to be doing my "official" weigh-ins on Friday mornings to monitor my progress.  This was a good week 1.  I know that once I just start getting active again, the weight will drop off pretty quickly.  So this is about what I expected.  These next couple weeks should show some good progress, but the true test will be when I start to hit the next plateau.

Here We Go Again

On September 22, I will be running my second half marathon.  I have found another 12 week training program to get me ready, so I am just waiting for that to start.

Oh wait, it starts today!

For the next 12 weeks, I will complete Hal Higdon's training program.  For my last half, I used the Novice2 level.  For this one, I am stepping it up a bit and doing the intermediate program.  Basically, the only differences are training 5 days/week instead of 4, increasing some of the miles on some of the shorter runs, and adding a little bit of speedwork.

Aside from all of the running that will be done, I am also interested to see what happens to my weight during this time.  During my first training program, I was able to lose about 15 pounds.  Since then, I've put a little back on in my month & a half off since the race.  So my goal for this time around is to end up at 210 by race day.  We'll see how it goes.

Starting weight:  228

Goal weight:  209 (75 lb mark)

Comments:  They say it's hard to lose weight during training because people have to eat more to sustain the endurance.  Since I was able to lose quite a bit last time, I am confident that I can do it again.  Once I actually get into training and make it through the first couple weeks, I will get to 220 no problem.  That will just consist of working off the excess that I have put on.  The difficulty will lie in passing 215 and getting to 210.  That will take a whole lot of effort.  But it will be worth it in the end.  A couple of "vacation" periods have killed my eating habits, but I'm just about ready to get back into the swing of things.  This first week is funky since I am in Minnesota, but it's starting off with a bang.  A trail run in my woods, a half marathon relay on the 4th, then an unofficial 5K with the Do Life  team.  

Time to kick some butt!

Ready, go!