Struggles

Every once in a while runs don't come so easily.  Today was one of those days.  Thank goodness Sheila asked me to send her a text when I got up to get ready to run.  I had planned on getting up at 6 this morning to get my four miler done before the temperature heated up.  For whatever reason, I woke up slightly at 5:30.  I wasn't awake at all.  My head was pounding.  I decided I would sleep for another hour in hopes my head would stop hurting, and the run would not be a disaster.  When my alarm went off at 7, I was strongly considering blowing off the run.  Knowing Sheila was waiting for my text, I got up.  I sent her text apologizing for sleeping in an extra hour.  I was thankful when she said she slept too. 



Sheila (and her husband Aaron) definitely was what I needed to get out the door.  We are training partners without being able to train together.  We both managed to get out the door.  We got our long run in before the heat of the day, and before we met up to watch a movie with our families. 

Instead of stopping when I hit the four mile marker, I pushed through to finish at the stop sign about .25 miles from my house.  I was so excited about this run in an odd way.  Sheila pushed me out the door.  I made sure I completed the mileage I had on the books.  It was a great day.  This run, and all of the struggles of week five, made me really thankful I can mentally push through any issues during the marathon.

Training Runs = Learning Experiences

As I struggled to get out the door, I realized I needed to figure out what to do with my headphones.  I have been running without them which means my music has been playing.  Knowing I had a race coming up, I needed to figure out how I was going to handle the music otherwise I need to go without.  I set out today in hopes of a nice easy 3.5 mile run.  Unfortunately, I was not having an easy go of it.  My legs were cramping (thank you gardening for four hours and not drinking much water).  After about half a mile, my headphones were annoying me.  During my first walk break, I adjusted my headphones.  I ran the next four minutes being continously annoyed.  Then the next walk break occurred, I made another adjustment.  It was better, but it was not going to make it through 3 miles.  Finally, I made one more tweak.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing.  I am going to need to get use to running with these new headphones otherwise I will need to run without music or "coaching".  I also need to constantly remind myself to drink water.  Hydration is important.  Without proper hydration, my legs cramp up like crazy!!

Strength Training and Friends

Instead of doing a run today, I decided to incorporate some strength training exercises into my day.  I downloaded the Nike Training Club app which allows me to have strength training moves at my fingertips.  It also allows me the opportunity to start small and work my way into strength training.  I truly believe strength traininging has added to my running speed and endurance.  Lately I have been doing my strength training workouts in the backyard with my kettleball while my boys are swimming.   They get to do a fun activity while I am doing a fun activity.  A win-win situation. 

As of today, another friend will be running the CIM with me.  Sheila's husband Aaron.  Neither of them have run a marathong, but I know they will be awesome.  They are great athletes, and they very supportive and encouraging.  Our goals are different for this race, and I know in the end we will all achieve them.  I am so excited they are joining me!!



Training Schedule for Week of June 27th

June 27th	June 28th	June 29th	June 30th	July 1st	July 2nd	July 3rd
XT	3 miles	3.5 miles	3 miles	Rest	4 miles	Rest

Week 4: Road to CIM Finish

Week 4:  Total Miles: 11.84

Monday: 2 miles

I did this run with the boys today.  It was not quite as successful as I had hoped, but we got out there.  The plan for tomorrow is to go earlier, so it will not be as hot.  J

Tuesday: 3 miles

The Muse family is heading to Disneyland this afternoon.  Because I have two training runs while we are gone, I want to make sure I pack my running clothes.  I didn’t want to have the opportunity to pack my stuff without running.  Considering it is going to be 101 today, I decided to get up early.  I knew I had the opportunity to take a nap later, so I figured it wouldn’t be a problem.  I am so glad I went running.  It was amazing weather (sunny and 70 degrees), and a nice route.  I mapped it out last night.  It was something different, but something doable.  As I ran, I broke up the run in segments.  By the time I finished running, I realized I had eight segments.  Once I finished the first part, I was feeling pretty good.  When I hit number four, I was feeling even more confident.  I didn’t want my walk break to happen more than once on a segment.  As I turned the corner for portion number six, I saw some horse.  I am going to take the boys by to seem the horse.  They will love it!

Wednesday: Rest/XT

Officially on my running schedule, today is considered a rest day.  However, we went to Disneyland which meant plenty of walking.  I really have no idea how far or how long we walked, but we did none-the-less.  This kind of walking is definitely not power walking by any stretch of the imagination, but it is walking.

Thursday: 2.5 miles on schedule/3.21 miles actually

Before I left for Disneyland/San Diego, I mapped out my runs on mapmyrun.com.  I wanted a general idea of where I was running, so I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed and the chances of getting lost while on a family vacation were smaller.  I don’t mind losing myself in a run, but I don’t want my family to have to suffer because of it.  Today was an early morning entrance day, so Jeremy and the boys wanted to be in the park by 7 am.  This means leaving the hotel by 6:30.  I knew I would be able to take a nap later on in the day, so getting up at 5 am was not a problem.  I was also oddly excited by running around Disneyland.  I have only done this type of run during both the half marathon at Disneyland.  Over the last several times I have been to Disneyland, I have talked about running while on vacation but I have never actually run.  This was about to change.  I set out in perfect weather.  The cast members were really nice.  Most of them said hi or waved.  It was friendly and safe.  During my run, I passed a mom (at least I am assuming she was a mom) walking and a dad running.  I apparently was not the only one who needed some mommy time.  I thought about what my family had done the day before, and I was excited to know what we would be doing later that day.  I took a picture on my run.  It is a tad bit blurry, but what do you expect to get when running and taking a picture. 

It was a beautiful run.  Running around the perimeter of Disneyland ended up being further than my projected 2.5 mile run.  I felt great.  My legs and body were strong.  I was pretty hydrated, so I went with how my body felt.  I also ran faster than usual.  All in all, it was an amazing run!  Again, our family did a lot of walking around Disneyland, so I was able to stretch out nicely.

Friday: Rest/Travel Day/XT

As stated early, I adjusted my schedule this week.  I am really glad I did because I was able to take today off because it was our last day at Disneyland, and we would be heading to San Diego.  I was still feeling pretty great after my run yesterday.  At the Padres game, I met an usher (Dave) who lived in Massachusetts as a little boy.  As we got to talking, I found out he has run 75 marathons.  He was the most inspiring man I have met.  We chatted about the CIM, the Boston, and his favorite the Marine Corps marathon.  Dave does not like CIM because of the weather.  I understood completely what he was talking about, but for whatever reason I feel like I have something to conquer here.  He also told me to put in the work, so I would qualify for the Boston.  He said it will be like no other marathon.  Dave is right about putting in the work.  I definitely need to do that.  We exchanged email information, and we promised to keep in touch.  He told me Marine Corps needed to be on my bucketlist which I can say I have definitely added.  Dave rekindled my love/passion for running.     

Saturday: 3.5 miles on schedule/3.63 actually

At first, I was a little worried I wouldn’t get this run in.  We had a late night on Friday from the Padres game, and I was really tired.  My plan was to run early before the family got up, but there were a few other factors I was going to have to factor into my run.  My in laws did not have a spare key, so I was going to have to cater this run around their work schedule or my husband being up.  Originally, we were going to hang out at the beach, so a nap might not happen.  With a late night and early morning, I really did not want to be cranky.  I opted to sleep in.  I ended up waking up at 8 am.  Jeremy told me I could go out running, and we would leave after I returned.  I am so thankful for a supportive husband!  He knew this run was important to me.  I quickly got dressed, and I took off.  I had mapped out this run, but I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out.  I knew the area in which my in laws lived is very hilly.  I have hills around my house, so I was not too worried until I saw the quarter to half mile of uphill I was going to have to run.  I set off with confidence.  The original loop I had planned changed because mapmyrun does not take in account the side of the road I run on, or any other difference.  No big deal.  When I hit the two mile mark, I turned around to make it an out and back course.  It was great.  The run started to get a tad bit warm towards the end because the weather was heating up in San Diego, but it was worth it. 

Sunday: Rest/XT

Our little family ended up back in Disneyland, so I was able to walk around some more.  I didn’t do too much other than that because I was tired.  It was nice to have a rest day in the books.  J

Return to Training

Last night, I got my happy self out the door for a nice run.  I didn't go as far as I would have liked to have run because I had a headache.  I guess I have been under a little more stress than I thought.  I ended up running 2 miles.  During my run portion, I ran faster (about 10 minute miles).  Unfortunately, the walk portion equals about fifteen minute miles.  Nothing to write home about, but moving none-the-less. 

What is the plan for tonight?  I am not running.  I am going to be going out line dancing with my husband.  I can't wait actually.  It is something new and we both love it!

Will this blog...

...get me into trouble?  Will this blog give me motivation?  What will this blog do for me?  I am not sure.  I feel that 2011 is going to be my year.  I am not sure why or how or what needs to be done, but it is going to be great. 

In this blog, I am going to write about all kinds of random moments.  What gets me out the door on my runs?  How my students end up motivating me to go further and push harder?  I will also be posting whatever else I feel like writing.

Ultimately, I have many goals.  By January 8th, 2012, I want to have run enough miles to get me from here to Disney World.  Why?  Jeremy and I will be running a marathon on the 8th of January 2012.  I am ecstatic and scared all at the same time.  Why?  The last marathon I ran, I did not to do so well.  It sent me into an abyss of self-doubt.  It took me almost a year to return to running consistently.  My dad had a hand it this return.  He told me that I would be successful if I run my own race, or think of it as a run.  Could this be possible?  On my first race/run, my parents were there.  I was having an anxiety attack.  I am pretty sure my dad had never seen me show such doubt in myself.  He reminded me to go out there and just run.  I decided he was right about two minutes into the race.  I have been running consistently, so I knew I could complete the task.  Little did I know, I would do so well.  I beat my time by three minutes.  I also realized that the way I had been training was going to get me through my marathon.  There is no need for me to feel like I am not going to make it.  I will.  I may even have a much better time than before!!  :)  Not only that, I will most have more fun than before.  What I need to do the most though is get past my negativity.  I also need to get myself out the door more consistently. 

How to do that?  How does one get themselves out the door more consistently?  Should I get up early and run?  If I do that, I have no excuse.  Should I wait until I get home?  I seem to feel like I am able to go longer if I go at night.  Hhhhmmm, I hate getting up early.  I think it has to do with the fact that my family is asleep in their beds.  It is nice and warm.  The downside of running at night, I am easily sidetracked.  I need to force myself out to run for at least a mile.  No matter what I do.  I need to go for a minimum of one mile.  That is simple enough.  As long as I go for one mile, I can easily add on or stop at one mile.   I think I will plan for a run in the morning.  If for some reason I don't get out the door, I will go after dinner.  I think that is the best option.  It allows me the freedom I need to get a run in.  Then as time goes on, I might be able to get better at either running in the am or running at night.  As of now, I put it off and then I don't do it.  That will not get me to my goal. 

I'll blog about my adventure tomorrow morning.  :)