Saturday, February 28, 2015

Running the Runway {Epic 5K race recap}

Today I ran the Inaugural Ft Lauderdale Airport 5K on the Runway! It was such a unique experience! Kai and I had a lot of fun (minus some lingering leg pain for me; and new knee pain for Kai).
When we got to the venue I saw a few of my fellow Milers...

We had to walk for a bit to the gate leading on to the tarmac, where we were in a standing "holding pattern" until it was time to head to the start...

Friday, February 27, 2015

A few more days of training & a few more days of rest...

So many things have happened in the last few days! It feels like the week has gone by so quickly, and has brought both good and bad not-so-good news with it.

The good news is that it's Friday!!! The week is over. I officially finished one of the online classes I was teaching and all final grades have been submitted (yay!!). I also completed the grading of all the term papers for the other class I teach and once the students submit their final quizzes and posts I will grade those as well (that should all be done by next week). After that I'm taking a sabbatical from online teaching until after my full marathon!

On the "not-so-good" news side of things, the week has gone by quickly and the weekend is here, bringing with it two races, neither of which I feel ready for. The 5k on the runway is on Saturday. I have my shirt (probably not going to wear it) and bib all ready...

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

The Intentionality Quest & Mile Repeats

I was talking to a friend of mine today about "Intentional Parenting" and really just discussing the ways that we both want to be deliberate in raising our daughters to rise to the challenge of being strong, independent, respectful, kind, humble, sincere, [you can insert any appropriately positive adjective here].
The conversation led me to think about my training and specifically what it means to be an Intentional Runner. Notice I didn't say "fast runner" because well, I'm not a miracle worker. But being an intentional runner (to me) means making a deliberate focused attempt to train properly and safely. Knowing my body. Understanding my performance baseline. Respecting my limitations but not limiting my performance expectations. Appreciating that improvement comes from hard work and not from chance...
I have no illusions regarding my abilities. I've long given up the dream of being an elite runner and representing Brooks on the cover of a Runner's World magazine (although if that offer is ever extended I will definitely say yes!). I've also modified my Olympic marathon team dreams a bit because well, who was I kidding? I would never be able to get that much vacation time from work! Oh, and also I'm not that fast (maybe the fact that I'm not that fast has more to do with not making the Olympic team than the vacation time issue. Maybe)...

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Runners are the nicest people!

Today I did my taper LR, in preparation for the Miami Beach half marathon next week, and I was able to spend some time a little time working on my form (which is an ongoing struggle for me). Even though I only completed 6 miles, and it wasn't at the pace I wanted, I still felt pretty good about my run (especially since I wanted to quit from mile 2)...

Runners are the nicest people! I really believe that there is something special about the members of the global running community, because (in general) runners are supportive of each other and willing to give encouragement and motivation, even to other runners that they don't know very well. Today I was able to get a couple of the runners on the Boardwalk to take short Slo-Mo videos of me running so that I could get a better assessment of my running gait. Since I can't run on the treadmill (because I get dizzy) using the iPhone camera features in this way is the closest thing I will get to a proper gait analysis. Plus, I strongly believe that you run differently on a treadmill than you do on the road, and since my events are not on treadmills doing a gait analysis on one in a running store is not my first choice.

Friday, February 20, 2015

A Few of my Favorite Friday Moments

Over the past few days I haven't really felt like the recent Mileposts quotes have been in sync with me. And a couple of them have been repeats of previous ones I've seen (so I didn't bother to keep/post those). This morning however, right on time at 5am, I was sent a quote that was just for me...
[ Thanks Bill ]

Between the quote from Bill, and a few reminders from friends & other bloggers that I was being a weather cry baby, I was able to refocus for my run today. Plus it was an evening run so not much to complain about ;)

Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Cold, The Dilemma, & The "Young Masters"

Florida's neighbors to the north decided to share their cold weather with us. Lovely. My niece would say "sharing is caring Aunty LeAnne", but in this case I think I can do without temperatures in the 30s thank you very much.

It's supposed to be cold for the next few days so unfortunately I can't get away with not running in cold weather. While I couldn't bring myself to venture out into 30 degree temps this morning, I was able to complete a 1 mile run this evening after work/school when the weather was a little bit warmer...

I'm still not a big fan of evening runs, but the sky at dusk was just as pretty as the sunrise views I normally have on my morning runs...
...it almost made the cold weather worth it. Almost. 

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Wednesday's randomness

Guess what's back on my training schedule??? My Chi Running class (woohoo!!!)
I got an email from the Chi Running Coach today and he told me about an upcoming class nearby that starts in a couple of months! The timing is going to be perfect because the weather will still be cooler than our normal South Florida Summer Heat Stroke temperatures; and it will be right before I start to ramp up my mileage for my full marathon training (win-win!).

The workout bug has bitten a few of my co-workers and many of them have started to run. Today, one of the newer runners in the department told me about the team she started for an upcoming nighttime Color Run...

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Everything else will follow...

One of my running friends said: "consistency beats intensity any day". I thought about that a lot today. And in doing so reflected on my training since the start of the year. I've neither been intense nor consistent (at least not as consistent as I would like) this year. In fact, I feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything I need want to get done accomplished...

It's easy to fall into the desire of wanting to "go hard"  and "push myself" in training because I think that in doing so I will yield faster results (plus I'm generally not a patient person so I like to see results quickly). It's hard for me to remember that I just have to be consistent with my training plan and before I know it the results will start to show. That's not to say that I shouldn't be trying my best with each and every work out. But there is a difference between trying my best and trying to be better than someone else. I need to keep reminding myself that...
photo by Alice McGuire
And even though I feel like I'm having a lot of "weak" running days, deep down I know it's better than not running... or worse, not being able to run at all.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

To be stronger~better~faster than you used to be...

The Boardwalk felt deserted when I got to my usual running start spot this morning. Most of my running group was at the Ft. Lauderdale A1A marathon/half marathon event today. And I didn't see any of the other running groups out there this morning either so I assume they were all at the race as well. It was also pretty cold this morning (in the 40s when I woke up; in the 50s when I got to the Boardwalk) so that might have contributed to the relative emptiness. It was still a beautiful (albeit cold) morning though...
It even looks cold in the pictures doesn't it?

Friday, February 13, 2015

Five Friday Favorites...

I'm so glad it's Friday!!!! There are so many things to be excited about this weekend, but mainly I'm looking forward to two (relatively) stress free days :). And the weekend is starting off great for me with a few favorite things to share...

1. My first favorite friday moment was my run this morning. It was the type of run that I needed to have. It was a short 2 mile run, but at a pace that, while I wasn't 100% happy with, I was grateful for...
My legs/muscles were still tired from the strength training I did yesterday, and until my legs get stronger this type of muscle fatigue is something I will need to get accustomed to running with. Articles that I have read in the past mentioned that running after weight training stimulates how your legs will feel in the latter part of your marathon. Hopefully as my legs get stronger the feelings of fatigue will diminish.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Keeping things in perspective...

Nothing has changed at the gym since the last time I went. Not the equipment and not the usual "regulars" that get there before the moon drifts off the sleep (I think some of them might not have left since the last time I was there). Well, there's comfort in consistency I guess.

My workout for today...
(yes, I did the leg press 3 times...it's one of my favorite weight machines)

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Eventually pain passes...

Is it really only Wednesday??? Why is it that the weekdays get longer the more you look forward to the weekend?
This morning I was deliberate in my attempt to eliminate intervals on my run, which was great for keeping me at a "moderately challenging" pace. The weather was perfect for running...
I wanted to push myself more, but I kept having these nagging thoughts about my knee since I wasn't wearing my knee brace....
"Suppose you put too much pressure on it?"
"What if you land wrong and strain/sprain it?"
"What if you trip over something and fall down?"

Monday, February 9, 2015

Seven Signs of Insanity...

Today is usually my rest/yoga day, but that went out the window once I stopped my LR 2 miles short of my distance goal on Sunday morning. So, what does a "logical" runner decide to do to make up for the 2 mile deficit? She runs double the deficit distance the following day! {Sign of Insanity #1}

I skipped out on any early morning workout sessions because I made plans to run with a friend of mine in the evening. I'm really not an evening runner because so many factors impact your performance when you run later in the day. But, I tried to hydrate as much as possible and eat properly so that the run would be bearable. Lunch comprised of: Chicken, steamed broccoli, a garden salad, and a scoop of potato salad. It was OK...

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Sunday's Snapshots...

The weather this morning was really nice. Slightly windy but not humid therefore perfect for running...

I started earlier than my running group and did 5:1 intervals, but even with the intervals the six mile run felt like a struggle. I'm not surprised considering my diet and lack of sleep over the past week but still feel disappointed (my goal was to complete 8 miles but by the time I got to 6 I knew it was time to stop)...

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Blogger withdrawal & my weekly recap

I suffered from an extreme case of "blogger withdrawal" this week. My last post was on Monday and that feels like a lifetime ago! I knew this week was going to be a hectic work week and I really want to say that my training wasn't drastically affected by the changes in my schedule, but sadly that would be far from the truth.

I was able to run on Wednesday, but only for 2 miles... and even that was a struggle :(
(don't let the smiling pic fool you...I'm just glad the run was over. In that moment I didn't really feel like I was "getting stronger" at all)

Monday, February 2, 2015

"Don't slam on the brakes!"

My hip is all better!!!! (just in case you were consumed with worry and concern). I was a disciplined runner and did the right amount of icing, stretching, foam rolling, and yoga between yesterday and today. Even though I started feeling better from yesterday evening I try not to take any of my aches and pains for granted. I really think the foam rolling and yoga made a big difference last night, so I did another yoga session this morning and I'm going to do another one before bed (probably with more foam rolling as well).

I tend to deviate from the yoga videos a bit, especially when the yogi requests too much "quiet time". I don't always get all of the "find yourself and be centered" benefits out of yoga...
...but I do get most of the "gently stretch your muscles and engage your core" benefits.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

The Year of the Full: Chapter 2...Renewed Focus...

I was up bright and early this morning getting ready for my long run and decided to sport my new Nike running top (seen below) and Brooks sports bra (covered up)...

When I got to the beach to meet up with my running group I realized that a sleeveless top was probably not the best idea. It wasn't as cold as it was last week, but it was sooooo windy! However, despite the chill in the air, the scenery was as beautiful as it always is...