Weekly Workout Recap!

Happy Weekend! I hope you had some great workouts this week! Here's what I was up to...

Saturday- Race pace run! 12 miles with 9 at pace. You can read about it here.

Sunday- Recovery from my race pace run the day before. Lifting at HOME. Dang I haven't been to Planet Fitness since before I bought my big girl weights!

Bicycles- 4x40

Asst. Wide Grip Pull Ups- 4x15

Donkey Kicks- 4x20

Chest Press- 4x10x25lb

Row- 4x10x25lb

Fire Hydrants- 4x20

Push Ups- 3x10

Kick Backs- 4x20

Shoulder Press- 4x10x20lb

Plank w/ knee tuck- 4x10

Band Asst. Neutral Grip Pull Ups- 4x6

Monday- 5 chilly miles before work. I was excited that I wasn't feel sore or injured from my Saturday run.

Tuesday- My alarm didn't go off at 5:45, so I didn't wake up until 6:00 when Paul's alarm went off. Thank goodness his alarm was set or I would have missed my whole run! It did set me back a bit and I had to choose between running 5 miles and skipping my stretching or running 4 miles and still do my stretching. I am proud to say I made the SMART choice. I shortened my run and still got my stretching in.

Wednesday- 8 miles. My left leg felt jacked up during this run. WTF? 8:29 pace. It was pouring!

Thursday- Lower body rest day, lifting at home.

Bicycles- 3x40

Asst. Wide Grip Pull Ups- 4x15

Donkey Kicks- 4x20

Chest Press- 4x12x25lb

Row- 4x10x25lb

Fire Hydrants- 3x20

Push Ups- 3x10

Kick Backs- 3x20

Shoulder Press- 4x10x20lb

Plank w/ knee tuck- 4x20

Band Asst. Neutral Grip Pull Ups- 4x6

Friday- Speed work! 5x800 including a warm up and a cool down walk. My legs and knee felt strong, but my right glute was sore from the glute stuff I did the day before. Why does only my RIGHT glute get sore? Something must be knotted up in there!

Have you ever had just ONE butt cheek hurt?

Runfessions!

Okay so some blog comments yesterday really had me feeling guilty so this is what I did...

Baby steps!

Onward!

Marcia @ Marcia's Healthy Slice hosts a Runfessions link up on the last Friday of every month. Be sure to check out Marcia's blog and some of the other wonderful blogs that do the Runfessions link up!

Runfession #1: I peed on myself. During my long run a few weeks ago, I really had to pee, but I was in the middle of a business park and there were no toilets and little tree coverage! So I found a big pine tree and ducked into the middle of it. I wasn't completely covered, but no big deal. I wasn't even going to pull down my shorts, just slide the crotch over. Well, my aim was a little off and I ended up peeing all over my hand!

Runfession #2: I realized I haven't run a race since LAST OCTOBER!!! And you know how I am training for a half right now? Guess when my last half was? 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!

Runfession #3: It is hard for me to take scheduled rest days. I have put them into my half marathon training plan and they are highlighted as NONNEGOTIABLE. Yet every time a rest day comes around, I really want to run. I want what I can't have! I know my muscles need recovery, so I am working hard to stick to my two lower body rest days per week. So far I have not "skipped" a rest day.

Runfession #4: I often map out a route for my weekend long runs... and when I get out on the road, change my mind and not even do my planned route! I change my route about 99% of the time. So why do I even bother planning it in the first place? Who knows!?

Tell me one of your Runfessions!

The story of our Halloween candy!

In all my years as an adult, I never handed out candy on trick or treat night. Paul has wanted to, but he worked twilight shift and was never home for trick or treat. Even though he hasn’t worked that shift in a couple years, we still haven’t done the whole trick or treat thing. That’s mostly my fault. After teaching kids all day long, I really don’t feel like spending two hours of my evening handing out candy- even one day a year! Call me a Halloween Scrooge if you want!

A couple weeks ago we were feeling festive and decided, “Hmmm, maybe we will do trick or treat this year!” We bought a huge bag of candy filled with different kinds of Twizzlers, Jolly Ranchers, and Bubble Yum.

Fast forward to a couple nights later. I was craving sugar- CANDY to be more specific. We don’t normally have candy in our house, but I remembered the huge bag we bought for trick or treat. I could eat just a couple pieces and it would be no big deal. Paul could have some too. Yes, it was a wonderful solution.

But then a couple nights later we had a few more pieces of candy. And the next night some more. It got to the point where I was like, “Eh, we probably won’t even do trick or treat anyway…”

But it's okay, because now we have this huge bag of candy that we just eat a little bit out of at a time!

Sorry trick or treaters...

Do you hand out candy on trick or treat night?

Anyone can run and feel good.

I never had an "official" running coach, but back in the summer of 2008, I had Coach Mike. 

I met Coach Mike when I first got into distance running. My mother-in-law had a lot of Team in Training buddies (including Coach Mike) who continued to run together even after their season with TnT was over. Luckily, my MIL introduced me to these awesome people and I made some wonderful running friends- many who turned into "normal" friends too!

But let's get back to the summer of 2008! Coach Mike was organizing weekly speed workouts at the track. Anyone could come and it was free. Many of us had the goal of BQ'ing in the fall, so speed training was key! This type of workout was completely new to me.

400s, 800s... whatever Coach Mike told us to do, we did it. We timed each other. We cheered each other on. It was a very special time with special people.

There is one thing Coach Mike said to me that I will always remember. He was explaining to us how to know how hard to push on the speed intervals. "Anyone can run and feel good," he said. 

That flippant little sentence really resonated with me and stuck with me all of these years. One of the main reasons I run is because it feels so good! But Coach Mike's point was that if we want to get better, sometimes running is going to be uncomfortable. It's human nature to want to stop doing something that is uncomfortable, but pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is important if you want to improve.

Even now, I often think of Coach Mike when I am doing speed work or a race pace run. When it gets uncomfortable and I want to stop, I think of what he said and it motivates me to finish my workout strong!

Are there any words of wisdom that have stuck in your head?

Pennsylvania Bucket List

A couple weeks ago, I was doing a long run with my friend Tracy, and she mentioned to me that she had a Pennsylvania Bucket List. This is a list of all the things in Pennsylvania that she wants to do. Of course I wanted to know every single thing she had on her list, and we had fun talking about the places we have been and the places we haven't. 

I decided that I wanted to make my own PA Bucket List, so that's what I did! I wanted to share it with you today. Each location is linked up to it's website, but of course I had to tell you a little but about a couple of them.

Let's start out with some places I have never been...

Mutter Museum- The website asks, "Are you ready to be disturbingly informed?" Um, YES!

Red Rabbit- This is a drive in restaurant that I have lived within 30-45 minutes of my entire life, yet I have never been there!

Source

Kinzua Bridge State Park

Flight 93 National Memorial

Centralia- The town is abandoned due to a mine fire that is still burning underneath the town!

Jim Thorpe

Steamtown Marathon- From everything I have heard, this is a must do PA marathon!

Johnstown Flood Museum- Paul and I listened to a podcast about the Johnstown flood, so now we really want to see the museum.

Horseshoe Curve

Kayak Yellow Breeches- The Yellow Breeches is a creek that winds through central PA. We always see people kayaking on it and we want to do it too!

Christkindl Market- Mifflinburg transforms their town into a little German Christmas market every year! My mom is a crafter here (Hats by Peach!) so it is ridiculous we have not visited yet! Unfortunately, I will be in Florida during Christkindl Market this year, so we will probably have to wait until next year to go.


Places I have been but don't remember/Didn't do to the degree I would like:

Pennsylvania Grand Canyon- I went as a kid but don't remember much. I would love to go back with Paul and explore.

Lake Raystown- We vacationed here when I was a kid and I remember it was fun. We would do to stay in a cabin, though. I don't camp.... and I am steadfast!

Mount Gretna- I ran on trails here but that is it. There is more to do! The lake, Jigger Shoppe, rail trail...

Penn's Cave

Gettysburg- I went for a field trip in 4th grade. Paul and I went a couple years ago but didn't do much because we were too hangry! It is sort of ridiculous what we live 40 minutes away from such a history rich area and we don't take advantage of it!

Things I have done and think everyone should do!

Knoebels- My favorite amusement park in the whole world!

Fallingwater- Paul took me there a couple years ago. It is WONDERFUL and I think most people would enjoy it. You can read about our trip here.

Appalachian Trail- I have run/hiked on a lot of the trail in PA. It is gorgeous!

Rickett's Glen State Park- Paul and I went a few years ago and I went with my family as a child. There is a beautiful trail that follows many waterfalls.

Duquesne Incline- Paul and I went to Pittsburgh for our 1 year anniversary (or was it two years???) and did this.

Source

Millersburg Ferry- I grew up in Millersburg so I road the ferry all the time!

Source

Have you been to any of these places?
What am I missing from my PA Bucket List!?
What is on YOUR state's bucket list?

Weekend Wrap Up!

Happy Monday! If you want to small and laugh out loud this morning, please take a couple minutes and watch this video about the first person to run a marathon without talking about it. I promise, you will not regret it!

Friday morning came fast and HARD. My alarm went off and I started bumbling all over the place. I was awake but I wasn't awake. I dropped my phone, tripped over the cat food bowls... I was a mess! Luckily, I still got in a good lifting workout at home. I really wanted to run, but I was resting for my big RACE PACE run the next day. As I drove out of my neighborhood to work, I told the roads I'd see them tomorrow!

Work was a whirlwind! I don't know why Fridays are so crazy but they are! I love it. 

The third graders never heard the song Achy Breaky Heart, so of course I had to play it for them. I feel like it is my duty to expose them to quality music... (hehe!)

After work, I had several errands to run... including a trip to Bath and Bodyworks to finally get the scent of my dreams! Thanks for the coupon, Kristina!! 

I got the body lotion, fine mist spray, and ultra shea body lotion for just $20!

I really just want to coat myself in this stuff...

That evening, we met up with some running pals and some "normal" pals for Trivioke (Trivia + Karaoke) at Hershey Vineyard and Brewery. It was a ton of fun and we definitely plan on going back on another Friday night.

When I signed up to sing karaoke I was a bit buzzed, but by the time they got to me I was completely sober! This was probably the most inhibited performance of Oops I did It Again ever performed! I definitely am more of a "show tunes" singer. After a dirty martini or two, I can sing the HELL out of Dance: Ten, Looks: Three.

Randy and Michael!

I love this picture of Paul!

Saturday morning was spent prepping for my BIG RUN! It went really well, and you can read about it here! Or take in the short version...

We spent the evening hanging out with Paul's parents for his mom's birthday!

On the way home, I found my dream booties at Target- of all places!

It was a lazy Sunday. I lifted, ran a couple errands, and did a little bit of housework. Paul spends the whole day watching football, so I am kind of on my own on Sundays! Boo hoo. It was quite beautiful outside, but it was a lower body rest day for me! Boo hoo times two!

I think the most notable thing about my Sunday was that I had chili for breakfast. The heart wants what the heart wants...

Did you do anything cool this weekend?
Do you have a go to Karaoke song?
What's your favorite part of the marathon video?

Half Marathon Training: Race Pace Workout... NAILED IT!

I am someone that has to know I can hit the pace I want to hit in my race, so in the plan I wrote myself, I included a race pace run every two weeks. The run will be counted as my long run and my speed training for that week. Two weeks ago, I did 10 miles with 7 at race pace. The plan for this week's run was 12 miles with 9 at race pace.

Preparation for this run began on Friday by RESTING my ass! I know some runners don't rest a lot during training, but I do really well (physically) by resting before challenging runs. I also ate a McDonald's apple pie and drank a vanilla milkshake right before bed for good measure.

On Saturday, I slept until 9:30 and then procrastinated all morning. I finished off the iced coffee...



...charged all my electronics, and downloaded the "good" podcasts...

...ate my old standard- Frosted Shredded Wheat...

... and went to the bathroom 50 times!!!

Eventually, I could procrastinate no more. Donned in orange shoes, orange shorts, orange shirt, and black gloves (too bad I don't own orange gloves!) I hit my neighborhood to run a billion loop dee doops.

I was a little nervous during my warm up miles. I didn't feel like I was going fast at all. Duh, they're warm up miles, right? It's just that I remembered during my last race pace run, my warm up felt faster. When my Garmin beeped at 2 miles I finally looked down. I had run at a 7:56 pace. Okay, that's okay. I was just trying to get my muscles warm.

Then I kicked it into gear. My plan was to average anywhere between a 7:10-7:20 pace for the next 9 miles. I started out obsessively looking down at my Garmin but that didn't work. I'd speed up and hit a sub seven, so I'd have to slow down. Then I'd slow down too much and hit a 7:30. That was no good either. So what I tried to do was get into a rhythm and instead of looking at my current pace, I looked a what my average pace was. As long as it remained between 7:10-7:20, there was no reason to worry.

Around mile 2 I started to get anxious and apprehensive. I hate setting myself up to HIT something... to ATTAIN something in the run. All the pressure was on. I told people about what I was doing. What if I wasn't able to do it? My heart fluttered for another 2 miles. 9 miles seemed like a lot. What was I doing? Was it even necessary? Luckily my podcast was good, so that enabled my mind to wander once in awhile and just get into the zone.

At mile 5 my worries ceased, and with only 4 miles left, I knew I could do it. When my Garmin beeped six miles, I started to feel really confident and didn't worry if I was running a little bit faster than my goal pace. I was warmed up, in a groove, and I felt GREAT. With less than 3 miles to go, I knew I was going to attain my goal, so I tried to enjoy that feeling for the last 20(ish) minutes of my run.

Of course I had to pick it up a bit on the last mile. I did something crazy that I never do... I listened to MUSIC! I put on Lollipop by Mika (it's me and Paul's "song") and rocked it out to the upbeat music!

My average pace for the 9 miles was 7:10! VICTORY!

My cool down mile was a little rough. That's what I get for speeding up on the last mile! It clocked in at a 7:49, which made sense because I was all warmed up (and then some!) by that point. Then I walked around the block and went inside and stretched for 20 minutes.

Splits: 8:01, 7:49, 7:16, 7:13, 7:25, 7:07, 7:12, 7:05, 7:09, 7:11, 6:49, 7:49


Full disclosure: I generally make an image black and white when my skin looks horrible!

Recovery was spent laughing at Paul's parent's house, celebrating his mom's birthday. I ate a ton of pasta and garlic bread. It was wonderful. They sent me home with wine. How do I get wine and it's not even my birthday!?


Mmmm... carbs...

Guys, I am feeling very confident for this half in December. As long as I can maintain my speed and not get injured before then, I should be good to go. Oh, and it can't be super hot in Florida. Okay, Florida? Did you hear me? It was warm today... I actually got a little bit of a headache because I didn't take any water with me. On my next race pace run, I will definitely be wearing my hydration pack. In retrospect, 12 miles was a little long to go without water. That is pretty pathetic that I didn't think of that beforehand!

I wish the race was in 2 weeks! I feel ready, guys! I know not many people care about all these details except me. But it is nice to have a record of my run so I can refer to it in the future if I need to. Like right now, I am wondering how my first race pace run went compared to this one. Luckily, I can check out that post and read all the gory details!

Do you ever refer back to old blog posts to learn about your runs?
Tell me how you set up your race pace runs. I have a couple more to do.