marathon training week 13

A bad week for my stomach, but great for the legs in the end :P

Monday

Cross:

2.5 mi Lunch Hike (Luhike? Hikunch?)

It was a brisk 54 degrees but once you start climbing, it warms up quick!

Tuesday

Cross: 

Lifting

Vanilla greek yogurt... my obsession.

So, we had Chipotle catered for lunch and I just ate too much of the black beans. I felt terrible the rest of the day. Not sure if the vegetarian life is liking me so much this time around.

Wednesday

Intervals:

 5.6 mi/ 8:31 pace

10 min warm up, 3x1600m (400m RI), 10 min cool down

The whole freezing thing after a run is a little bothersome.

The intervals were done outside...so of course, my body temperature dropped like crazy on the drive home.  Even though it was in the mid-50s out.  Also, these went really well considering I don't run intervals on a track (so NOT on a flat elevation at all!).

+ Hot Yoga 60

I was sad that I couldn't make it to my regular Hot Yoga class so I went to the class after!

Thursday

Tempo:

  6 mi /  8:49 pace

Not at ideal time (430a), not my best tempo.  1 mile easy, 4 mile tempo, 1 mile easy.

+ Lifting (easy)

Literally dripping at 5:30a (had to get bloodwork done again on Friday afternoon..doctor wanted me to basically fast from exercise once I was done working out in the AM)

Another bad lunch - had alfredo at lunch (catered once again..maybe I should bring my own lunch) and was reeling the rest of the day, and into early Friday.  Didn't help that I wasn't completely over the Chipotle debacle.

Friday

Rest

Whole Foods salad bar = Love.  How nice it was to have a lunch that didn't make me sick!

Even though apparently carb-ing up the night before a long run doesn't actually help you too much, I still participate in this tradition like it really helps.  Hey, you gotta enjoy the benefits of marathon training!

Saturday

Long Run

 18 mi / 9:09 pace

The views - Mountains to the left, Mesas to the right.

Hooray! My next goal: my 20 miler under 9:00 pace.  I know I can do it!

I truly think my Roasted Butternut Squash from Blue Apron was the best recovery meal for this (this was plate 1 of 2).  Felt fine the rest of the day, and the day after..as you will see.

Sunday

Cross:

Lifting + Hike!

I seriously felt fine considering I ran 18 miles not even 24 hours prior, so I lifted for a while in the morning (by the way, seeing muscle definition is awesome and such a confidence booster!), then had a huge protein-packed breakfast, and made my down to beautiful Sedona.

I may or may not have had an alterior motive to work on my tan.

This was a pretty strenuous hike - my first tough one in Sedona. More details to come regarding it, but I thought I deserved the following.

Not pictured: Lactaid. And my pure joy.

We are hitting the final stretch! 2 more weeks of all-out training,then 2 weeks of tapering (which starts once I head over to Europe!!).

marathon training week 12

What a week prior to a race looks like..

Monday

Cross:

30 minutes Cycling - I finally figured out how to adjust the bike! Miracles do happen!

+

Hot Yoga 60 - This probably was over doing it but I wanted to try out a different instructor..I appear to have forgotten that I need to take it easy the day prior to intervals.

Tuesday

Intervals:

6 mi/8:34 pace

Not my best round of intervals: 10 min warm up, 1k, 2k, 1k, 1k (400m recovery intervals), 10 min cool down.

I forgot I ordered a free box from Graze -not too shabby! There are many options as far as snacks go. If you want a free box just go here!

Wednesday

Cross:

Hot Yoga Carve

I felt overwhelmed so I decided to write out the rest of my training plan and how it aligns with work since I'll be working some weird shifts in the next few weeks.

Thursday

Tempo:

9 mi / 8:43 pace

This went really well considering it was 30 mph winds the entire time (goal is 8:20). Got to run on the forest road/trail a little bit which was awesome! 

I forgot to cancel Blue Apron. Womp womp.

Friday

Rest!

The pre-race layout.

Very excited about this rest day, haven't been sleeping well at all this past week so it was much needed.

Saturday

Race! See recap in previous post.

In case you didn't believe the dirt in my contacts story. This was post-race obviously.

All the flowers! This was in the..Wynn?

Sunday

Cross:

Lifting + Hot Yoga 60

My yoga instructor really helped me out to make sure I was getting in good stretches. I can't seem to relax in pigeon pose.  Feels like my back is a rubber band and just won't relax!

Here are some other pictures from the race:

Attempting the casual peace sign in the middle of a race thing.

The mad rush downhill at the start.

Overall - great week! I really need to focus on getting quality sleep though. I have been attempting the social media shut down one hour prior to bed to focus on prepping food for the next day, showering, writing in my training journal and reading.  It helps when I actually am able to do these things! Baby steps.

saints and sinners half marathon

The Saints and Sinners Half Marathon was yesterday! Let's recap.

First: I love driving through the Lake Mead Recreation Area.

Friday night, I made my way in to Vegas for the bib pick-up, then shopping at the Las Vegas North Premium Outlets. And the destruction of the above pasta.

So, I stayed at a pretty shady hotel/casino that is right outside Vegas and Boulder City. I..literally couldn't breathe even though I was in a non-smoking floor and a non-smoking room.  My advice: don't stay in a casino before a race...even if it is cheaper.  Anyway, Saturday morning..

The starting area/trailhead had random statues of animals. Many selfies occurred.

SO glad I did not see any of these during the race.

The race kicked off promptly at 8a (around 53 degrees and super sunny, perfect!).  The first three miles were completely downhill. Like...720 ft elevation loss. I was a bit nervous about this as far as relying on muscles moreso than I usually do when I run/race, and thus worried about injury. However, everything is OK today, just my legs are on fire. No big deal.

Just keep running...

Lake Mead.

So, around mile 5 or so the race turned into trail which was of course a little bit harder to run on. Then, we started running up through the tunnels that workers used when they were building the Hoover Dam.  However...around this point in the race, I got dirt in both of my contacts. Both. So, the last 4.5 miles I could not see clearly. I stopped several times to try to adjust them, poured water into my eyes at an aid station, and tried to make myself cry. None of this worked. My eyes were burning and I was worried about tripping over uneven points in the trail.  So, once I got to the final 3 mile stretch which was more on sidewalk/paved trail, I booked it. (Also, the Gatorade at mile 8.5 really helped me out!)

"Hooray! I think I'm done!! My eyes are burning!"

Lol, on a happier note, I PRed with 1:41:13 (4 minute PR), finished 39th overall, 10th female overall, and 2nd in my age group (by a mere 33 seconds).

Recovery? Dole Whip. Pineapple Park in Vegas - check it out next time you're there!

Oh, and shopping is a good recovery. I always like to keep moving after races so I hit up the strip.

Where I accidentally ate bacon.  Darn you, sweet broccoli salad. These maple roasted sweet potatoes were the bomb.

And then the snacks for the drive back home.  The medal is the size of a dinner plate.

Overall, this was a well-organized race and absolutely gorgeous.  Definitely a great race for beginners as it's mostly downhill (but don't let the first half of the race fool you..), and a fun concept with the Saints and Sinners options at aid stations and at the finish line.

marathon training week 11

Solid week, and a surprise race coming up!

Monday

Cross

30 mins elliptical/15 mins bike AKA Boring Cross Training Day.

For the record .. this was not a great week for pictures - my phone has not been cooperating lately.

Tuesday

Intervals (+Lifting)

7.1 mi / 8:34 pace

I ran outside! Hooray!

Tough intervals this week - 10 min warm up, 1 mi (400m recovery), 2 mi (800m recovery), 2x800m (400m recovery), 10 min cool down. But got them in and felt great afterwards!

Wednesday

Cross

Treadmill, Hot Yoga Carve

Had this for lunch minus feta, and substitute balsamic vinegarette - and the stomach issues began...

Thursday

Tempo

5 mi / 9:04 pace (aka not a tempo)

My office friend.

So, paired with the lunch on Wednesday that didn't agree with me, and then on Thursday, I went to a luncheon where the vegetarian lunch was a quinoa stuffed portabella mushroom. I know quinoa has not usually agreed with me, but I still ate it. Oh, and I ate the dessert.  Needless to say, my run sucked. My stomach could not handle the pounding of running, and I had to go slower than tempo and cut it short by 2 miles. Doesn't help that I had been up since 3a since I couldn't sleep..

Friday

Hot Yoga 60

Went to bed early the night prior and got my yoga fix in before work.  Needless to say, my balance and flexibility are not on point at 6a.  Ate a crazy amount of pasta for dinner to prep for...

Saturday

Long Run

16 mi / 9:23 pace (@ 6000 ft)

Oh so happy to be running in shorts and a t-shirt.

A very pretty run too!

I did it! The first 8 miles were awesome.  Then when I turned around I mentally lost it. I was pretty frustrated by this but kept chugging along.  My pace was only 8 seconds above my goal pace.  Turns out the first 8 miles were a gradual downhill and the last 8 were a gradual uphill so that probably had something to do with my fatigue.

Afterwards - refueled immediately with Coconut Water, Water, and two of these below.

Pretty good!!

I can't remember if I ate more when I got home, but don't think I did until 2 hours later when I was near emotional wreck status because I didn't want to get off the couch but I was so hungry. Really cute moment right there. (I did decide to get off the couch and grab some snacks at the grocery store)

Slept poorly as usual afterwards...this has become a trend with the nights after my long run. Not sure why..

Sunday

Lifting + Hot Yoga + Recovery Run (2 mi)

My second lunch - Seared Cauliflower Steak from Wildflower. The Runger always hits the day after for me.

I got all of my workouts in before noon - the Recovery Run was pretty much thrown in there so I could check out the trail conditions at Buffalo Park and to make up for the last 2 miles I wasn't able to run earlier with my Tempo earlier in the week.

And - since I have a 13 mile run on tap for next weekend, I decided to sign up for a half marathon!  

Here is where I'm headed: 

Yeah, mostly downhill which makes it sound easy but I have a feeling will be painful afterwards. Who knows, maybe I'll hit that sub-1:45 goal!

Have a great week!

marathon training week 10

Fun week with two of my runs down at regular sea level (well, 1000 feet, but close enough).

Monday

Cross training- Elliptical for 45 minutes, Treadmill for 15 minutes. No pretty pictures :P

Tuesday

Intervals

5.63 mi / 8:47 pace

and Lifted. Both in AM.

I won big when I won my age group last weekend.

Intervals went really well.  This week it was 2 X (4 X 400M) with 1:30 recovery intervals between the 400M and 2:30 recovery interval between the sets. It's also awesome to wake up early enough to get both the day's run and lifting over with before going to work!x

Wednesday

Cross training - Treadmill for 45 mins, Hot Yoga Carve for 60 mins.

Whole Food's salad bar is $1.50/lb cheaper on Wednesdays. I like taking advantage of this.

They also had samples of fruit out. Meet Ugli Fruit.

Thursday

Tempo

8 mi / 8:04 pace

I had an Employment Law Conference in Phoenix Friday so I decided to go down the night prior in order to avoid waking up early and then driving down Friday AM. So...I really took advantage of this.

It was nice to be able to breathe during the run. Also, I spotted a coyote at the end.

In the land of soccer fields.

Sweet Tomatoes is the best place to refuel at. My body temperature dropped incredibly quickly so I went the decaf route. Hey, decaf is good for something!

Friday

Long Run
12 mi / 8:29 pace

I decided to get my long run in in Phoenix as well despite having run the night prior. So, after the conference, I headed over to Scottsdale and put in 12.

But first, selfie with another peace sign.

It was a pretty run - thought it wouldn't be so close to the roads though.

This was my first longer run in the evening and I could definitely tell that I would need to make adjustments if I did this again. Basically - I need to hydrate more beforehand. And not run so hard the night prior.

Saturday

Rest Day

Naturebox randomly selected me to get an extra snack in my box from here on out. I don't mind.

Sunday

Lifting + Hot Yoga

So I had to fast from a few hours after my long run into Saturday morning to get bloodwork done (just to check my levels, out of my curiosity). Basically the longest 12 hours of my life. And that includes the sleeping part. I indulged in many pancakes Saturday morning since I was starving and hadn't felt great since then. This morning I decided to keep it simple pre and post lifting with greek yogurt (really liking this Oikos Triple Zero), sliced almonds, and Kombucha.  Once Hot Yoga was done, I felt awesome!

This week, I am going to try to get as many workouts done before work, and then also finally book all of our lodging for Europe! Also - 16 miler this weekend which I'll be running at our 7000 ft altitude - wish me luck!

el nino el schmino 5k

Well, I definitely didn't PR but I won my age group?? 

I have absolutely no pictures from this race, and I am terrified to see any pictures a photographer took. 

Why?

Take a look at the elevation gain and loss for each mile.

You couldn't have asked for a hillier 5k course. Though it's Flagstaff, and we probably do have several that are worse. Also, it was still extremely windy and chilly. However - no snow or rain!

I love the races here in Flagstaff because you tend to see the usual runners at each event, and it's fun to catch up.  Plus, everything is pretty chill as far as organization goes. The race itself was around a golf course neighborhood. There were some amazing views of the mountains shrouded in the clouds.

Afterwards, they served us lunch inside the golf course's restaurant which was really fantastic.  Nothing says healthy lunch like a salad, red velvet cookie and wheat beer from a local brewery.  (There were brats and hot dogs for all of you meat-eaters, and having no appetite from yesterday still - my lunch size was just fine).

Let us not forget the awesome theme of this race!