I was really sore yesterday from my intense run on Tuesday. Plus, I was out late Tuesday night and didn't have a chance to pack my gym bag..so I took Wednesday off from running. That means instead of having Friday as my break day this week...Wed. was my break day and I have to run tomorrow. I'm actually glad because for some reason, I LOVE Friday morning runs. There's something great about knowing it's the weekend and you're starting it off with a good run. I did some more interval running today...but not as intense and more gradual. I was only supposed to run 3 miles today and tomorrow but I was feeling good and went for 4. 
Miles Run today: 4
Total Miles Run for 2010: 438.5

I was itttching to do some hard interval training today. I was supposed to do another 7x400 hills but I just wanted to do some speed-work because I haven't done that in awhile and I read a blog post yesterday about how important HIIT is (high intensity interval training). Today, I warmed up at 6mph pace for 5 minutes, then I ran 1 minute at a 7.5-8.2 mph pace (I went up incrementally each time) with either a 1 or 1:30 minute rest in between walking at 4.3mph. At around 20 minutes, I did 30 second sprints at 8.2 mph with a 30 second walk at 4.0mph. Then at 25 minutes, I ran for 5 minutes at 6.3mph. At 30 minutes I had run/traveled exactly 3 miles...and then I walked to cool down for 5 minutes.

It was harrrrrd but really great. I feel like I really spiked my metabolism for the day.

Miles Run today: 3
Total Miles Run for 2010: 434.5

Monday, July 26, 2010 
3 easy miles in Central Park this morning. The humidity has FINALLY broken! It was nice to be back in CP again. Did free weights for 20 minutes after the run.
Miles Run today: 3
Total Miles Run for 2010: 431.5 

Sunday, July 25, 2010
Today BLEW! I was supposed to run for 90 minutes like last Sunday. This should equate to running roughly 9 miles. Well, it was really hot and rainy outside this evening..so I soon realized that this would HAVE to be done on the treadmill. My biggest mistake was that I stopped. I ran for 50 minutes (5 miles) and then decided to take a quick break..go refill my water bottle..and then I'd come back and finish out with 4 more miles. Well....coming back to it was NOT fun. I somehow managed to squeeze out another 2 miles after that, but my stomach was not having any more running beyond that. I could just tell that my gastro-intestinal system was screaming at me. (lovely right?) So, after 75 minutes of running...I was discouraged because I just had 15 MORE MINUTES to complete the workout. I decided to do 15 minutes on a stationary bike so I could at least say I did 90 minutes of cardio. But, I was only able to actually run 7 miles. Oh well, we can't always have on days. I think if I had been able to do this outside, I would have been better.
Miles Run today: 7
Total Miles Run for 2010: 428.5
 


Saturday, July 24, 2010
Went to the Gym...WAY too hot outside to run. Had a great 3 mile run followed by an hour of free weights/abs/legs.

Miles Run today: 3
Total Miles Run for 2010: 421.5
 

I enjoy running on Friday mornings. I think it's a great way to end the week, a great way to start the weekend and if I'm really tired..who cares? It's Friday! Had a great run this morning around the neighborhood.
Miles Run today: 4.5
Total Miles Run for 2010: 418.5


Wednesday July 21, 2010

Miles Run today: 3
Total Miles Run for 2010: 414

Mallory Sweeney - Laura, to answer a question you had previously posted: generally, most runners I know log their total mileage for the day, including any warm-ups and walking (that's what we used to do for XC I think...). Sometimes, people will log miles run and then total miles including ones walked. Mainly though, it's good to keep track of all/total for your shoe wear...that way, you know LITERALLY how many miles are on your shoes and (besides the obvious feel!) it is easier to know when to get new ones!!
LOVE YOUUUU. Mandy and I ran today...can't wait to run with you!! I didn't do hills yest., just sprints...booo

Today was my crazy hill run day! ahhh!!! My calves were SCREAMING at me this morning. I think that my 9 mile run from Sunday finally hit me today for the first time and this was just residual muscle soreness from that run. So today I did 7 hills at a 10 incline on the treadmill for .25 miles each with a walk at 4.0 mph in between each one. Meh....It was ok...it felt harder today than last week, prob. because I'm sore but I was very happy when this was over. So..this was mixed walking and running but all in all, I traveled 4 miles so I'm going to count it.


Miles Run today: 4
Total Miles Run for 2010: 411

After my long run last night, I wasn't feeling another 3 miler this morning...so I did one mile on the treadmill and then 20 minutes on the elliptical instead...still cross training, still fine. And, I know that I'll be back on the treadmill tomorrow for my hill work out.
Here's my workout for the week:
Tuesday: 7X400 hills
Wed: 3 miles plus weights
Thurs: 45 minute tempo run
Fri: rest
Sat: 3 miles
Sun: 90 minutes

Miles Run today: 1
Total Miles Run for 2010: 407

Sunday night is the new Sunday morning! And by that I mean, running on Sunday evening was soooo fantastic and I may reserve my long Sunday runs for nightime instead of first thing in the morning . Chris and I both slept in till noon which I was pretty mad about. I did not want to sleep that late, but I guess we needed it. So, it was way too hot by then to go running outside and I did NOT want to do my 90 minutes run on a treadmill today. So, we went about our day (lunch with James and Maria, Despicable Me! which was soooo good, and grocery shopping) and then I set out for my run at 7:18. I thought that it would still be too hot and that I'd prob. just do an hour run and try and make up the miles throughout the week. But, something wonderful happened as I was running. I felt GREAT! I felt like I could run all night, the temperature was perfect and it was just a beautiful Sunday evening. I decided to keep running until I ran for 45 minutes and then turn around. That way...I'd have no choice but to run the whole 45 minutes back home and it would be my 90 minute run. Before I even realized it, I had run an hour. I would be lying if I said I did't look at my watch every 30 seconds during the last 10 minutes of the run. But, for most of it, I was feeling fantastic. I'm so so so happy that I did the full 90 minutes I was supposed to and I'm also really glad I did it at night because even though I slept 10 hours last night, I am sooooo ready to just pass out right now.

Happy after my first long run of my training!

Miles Run today: 9
Total Miles Run for 2010: 406

Saturday July 17, 2010:
Did a nice 3 mile run on the treadmill at the gym....I watched "cooking for Real" and learned how to make empanadas and chicken and cheese stuffed potatoes. OMG the empanadas looked sooo good and I bought everything I need to make them this week! After my run, I did weight/abs/legs for another hour. It was a fantastic day at the gym!
Miles Run today: 3
Total Miles Run for 2010: 397

Running on 5 hours of sleep is NOT fun. I got home late last night from a Sting Concert at the Met (amaaazing) and went to bed at 1am. I was supposed to get up and meet my coworker to go running in the city with her this morning. Luckily, she texted me around 6:20 saying that she didn't get much sleep and wasn't going to be able to meet me. "YES!!" this was my out!!!! But Chris's alarm clock kept going off and I was laying there in bed going over and over in my head "should I run? should I run it tomorrow? but I wanted a day off tomorrow...should I run tonight? No..I can't run tonight...should I get up?" Finally, I said this is ridiculous, I'm obviously not falling back asleep so I got up and sludged (is that a word?) through a 4 mile run around the neighborhood. I almost gave up around mile 3 but I persevered. Luckily, the humidity wasn't too bad either. I'm realllly happy I got up this morning despite being tired. Having the pressure of training and knowing that your friends are training, too hanging over your head is the perfect motivation that I need and was lacking for the past 2 months!

Miles Run today: 4
Total Miles Run for 2010: 398

Miles Run today: 3
Total Miles Run for 2010: 394

PHEW today was HARD! I was over-zealous with my hill run and learned real quick that running hills is a lot harder than I thought it would be. On my agenda for today was to run 6 400 meter hills with an equal distance walk in between each hill repeat. Honestly, I thought today was going to be pretty easy...6 hill repeats..in, out, done. I was WRONG!

I warmed up with a run at 6 mph for one mile. Then after a mile, I set the treadmill to an incline of 10 and put the mph at 7.0!!! What was I thinking?? I ran it for prob. 2 minutes before I realized there was NO WAY I was going to keep that up. I lowered it to 6.8....6.5...and finally settled on 6.3 as I finished out the 400 meters (or .25 miles) that I was intended to run at this incline.Then I walked for another 400 meters at 4.0mph. The next hill repeat, I set the treadmill at an incline of 10 again and went right to 6.3mph. This was much better buuuut realllly hard. I was able to run the full 400 meters but had to hold onto the handrails on the treadmill (a bad habit that I have even when I run normally...I seriously CAN'T run without holding onto the treadmill..it's like a fear or a safety that I have when on the treadmill). But I realize that holding on, especially with the hill repeats, was cheating because I was using my arm to pull me along. Today, I was just concerned about actualy getting through these hill repeats no matter how I had to do it. Hopefully as I do more of these, I won't have to hold on, today: it was a must. As I said before, this was significantly harder than I thought it would be but I like it! It was a great mind over body challenge. As I'm reading Marathon Woman right now about the first female Boston marathoner, I'm realizing that I need to challenge myself more and that half of what limits me, is just in my head.

I'm conflicted as to whether or not I should write 4 miles, or 2 1/2 miles because I walked a lot of today's run for my cool-down in-between each hill repeat. But all in all....I was on the treadmill for about 50 minutes, sweating like K-R-A-Z-Y and it was a damn good workout. So, I'm going to put myself down for 4 miles today.

Miles Run today: 4
Total Miles Run for 2010: 391 

When keeping track of miles? Do you include any walking?? What about during speed training when you walk in between speed drills? Do you include that mileage?? I don't know!

Half Marathon Training Begins!

Today starts my 12 week training program for the October 3rd Half-Marathon!! I'm sooo excited to be back to some sort of regime, though I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy kicking back for the past 2 months and just running as I felt like it...which...was still about 3 times a week typically. But, it's time for me to get back on track with this. Mandy has now signed up for the race as well so me, Mandy and Mal are all in this together and it's very motivating! I was supposed to run 3 miles this morning, but the loop in Central Park that I run is 1.7 miles so I just did that twice and ran back to the gym for a total of 3.5 miles to kick off my trainig! After that, I did a ton of free weights and leg excercises. I was sweating like a bandshee this morning!
Miles Run today: 3.5
Total Miles Run for 2010: 387
Here is my training schedule for the rest of July (but you can click on the arrows to see the full 12 week schedule):



Saturday I went for a run with Ben and his mom on the Cape!! It was sooo nice. His mom joined us for the first 3 miles, which was all Ben and I planned on doing. However, after 3 miles, we felt good and felt we could do one more mile. Well, 2 miles later we got back to his parent's cape house just as the sun was coming out and it was getting HOT!! Ben hopped right into the pool...I decided to shower first before doing that. I hate going in the pool with clothes on..I needed my swim suit! It was really beautiful running through these neighborhoods, and I'm so glad we made ourselves go out. Some of the houses were amazing and along the marina or on the water. It was so peaceful and serene, and I can't even imagine what it must be like to live in such a peaceful, calm, beautiful place. I felt like I was truly on vacation, running and all!

Miles Run today: 5 
Total Miles Run for 2010: 383.5

Monday 7.5.10
I was sooo bloated and gross from the weekend. I could NOT run, plus it was on a treadmill because it was too hot outside and I just wasn't feeling it. I gave up at 2 miles, did the elliptical for another 20 minute and then the stair-master for 5 minutes.

Miles Run today: 2 
Total Miles Run for 2010: 378.5


On Saturday I did the 6 mile Trek to the gym that I was so excited about. It didn't exactly go as planned though. I left the house at 10:00, but it was just starting to really heat up at that point. After about 40 minutes, I really just didn't feel well. My knee was fine, I didn't have a sidesticker..but dehydration was really kicking in. I even brought my coconut water with me leftover from the Corporate challenge run and I was sipping that the whole way! Buuut I also sort of wonder if the coconut water was just a little too much for my stomach to handle in the heat? Cauuuse I felt a pain that I honestly very rarely feel when running. Sooo rather than make myself miserable, I walked the last 1 1/2 to 2 miles to the gym, which was still a fabulous, sweaty workout! But, as a result..I'm only going to put 4 miles down for running today, even though I was all psyched to do 6 :(.
BUT it was a great trail and I'm def. going to make sure I master this 6 mile trek as soon as possible!

Miles Run today: 4 
Total Miles Run for 2010: 376.5

mapmyrun.com

i am SO EXCITEDDDDD!!! I didn't run today..BOOOO BUT I really want to get in some great workouts this weekend and I needed to feel excited about my run. So, this morning I thought "I wonder how far away my gym is from the house?" So I came in, went to mapmyrun.com and mapped out a back-road run from my house to the gym and it's exactly 6 miles!! That's perfect! I can run to the gym, do some weight lifting and run back if I'm feeling incredibly inspired, or have Chris pick me up and take me home (which is far more likely an option). I'm so excited by this and can't wait to try out the route tomorrow!!

check out my route: