LONG RUN - IN VIRGIN TERRITORY:)

Had a great 10 mile long run in 1:41:48, for an avg pace of 10:11, covering roads I have never run before:) At 11:30am, I hit the road and decided I would run a completely different route for this long run. I've been running in my immediate neighborhood for roughly 11 mths, and it was time to expand my horizons, though the last two miles were back on my familiar territory by the pondd. It was a great route and a great run, but the downside was that the first 2 miles were basically uphill, then the next 4 were flat, then 2 downhill, then 2 flat around my old pond:) Next time i think I will run 1 mile flat near my pond, and then head up the hilly route. My legs felt good, but I think I hit the hills too quick. Plus, my feet hurt a little now. I really believe it is time to retire my Asics 2130's and get new sneakers!!!

Temperature today was perfect. Weather channel said that it was 45 degrees, but felt like 40, so I threw on a long sleeve dry fit shirt and my shell, wore my tights and my wind pants, wore gloves and off I went.

Funny thing I saw today while running past the pond. There was a thin layer of ice across the pond. Hmm... don't usually see that this time of year, if ever. Me thinks were are going to have a cold winter and lot's of snow:)

My splits for today were: My avg HR was 146 cardiac drift: 162
M1 10:57 142 cardiac drift: 160
M2 11:14 145 cardiac drift: 155
M3 10:24 147 cardiac drift: 157
M4 10:42 143 cardiac drift: 151
M5 10:09 149 cardiac drift: 162
M6 9:37 151 cardiac drift: 158
M7 10:12 150 cardiac drift: 160
M8 9:14 142 cardiac drift: 158
M9 9:44 150 cardiac drift: 157
M10 9:31 151 cardiac drift: 158

RECOVERY RUN ON THE TM

Today I chose to stay warm and ran on the TM at the gym:) Time was limited, so i decided to run a quicker paced run, and get my 5 miles in:) Got to the the gym at Noon, set the TM to 6.0, no incline, and off I went. Nice 10 minute pace. Legs felt really good. It was nice to run on a cushioned TM and not the bumpy potholly roads, not to mention it was WARM running:)

Used the Garmin inside today, turned off the GPS feature, and hit start and it recorded my time and HR. Avg HR was 134, cardiac drift was 157. Not sure if that drift was me, or all the electronics in the gym. My gym now is sporting two new flat screen tvs. Sweet!! I still like my iphone with my shows, but it's nice to catch the news if I want to:)

Going to start recording totals that I did for the week, so here goes:

Totals for the week of Nov 17th to Nov 23rd

Monday: 3 mile Recovery Run @ 10:00 min avg pace on Treadmill no incline
Tuesday: 4 mile Recovery Run @ 10:15 min avg pace on Treadmill no incline
Wednesday: 3 mile Recovery Run @ 10:20 min avg pace on Treadmill no incline
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 8 Mile Medium Long Run @ 11:20 min avg pace
Saturday: 4 mile Recovery Run @ 10:11 min avg pace
Sunday: 5 mile Recovery Run @ 10:00 min avg pace on Treadmill no incline

Mileage for the week: 27 miles:)!!

RECOVERY RUN

Got out for a great 4 mile recovery run. When I left the house at 12pm, weather channel said the temperature was 31 degrees, but that it felt like 18 degrees. Well, for once I think they were right. Man, it was cold out there today. I wore the exact same outfit I wore yesterday, as I was a bit warm running yesterday and it is much colder temperature wise today. Clothing was perfect for todays run, no sweating, though my legs felt cold the whole time, but I think that was do to the insane wind that I was running into basically the whole way. Actually re-reading this I just realized I know why my legs were cold. LOL I didn't wear my wind pants, I just wore my tights. Guess I was rushing to get outside and run, I just plum forgot. LOL. Again, the weather channel said that there were 17mh winds. No clue what the mileage of the winds were, but it was definitely windy and cold:( So, had I worn my wind pants I probably would not have been cold at all today. LOL

My splits for today were:

M1 10:11 129 cardiac drift: 152
M2 10:30 144 cardiac drift: 165
M3 10:14 138 cardiac drift: 149
M4 9:48 147 cardiac drift: 157

My average HR was 140, so I am pleased with that, and I'm guessing that my HR increased because of running into the wind (at times I felt like I was running in place, no joke, it was that windy:), and maybe the clothing I had on, but still, the cardiac drift numbers are just that, drifts, that the number hits for a few seconds and then comes back down. I didn't walk today, like I did yesterday, but I did the flatter route, which does have a few incline, or gradual hills. Again, overall think todays HR was ok.

MEDIUM LONG RUN

10:30am got out for a medium long run of 8 miles. Chose to do both my loops, the hilly one around Huntington Bay, and the flat one around the Mill Pond. Temperature today was 35 degrees, but they said with the windchill it felt like 28. Yah, it did it was cold out there. Need to figure out how to dress for this weather.

Did my 8 miles in 1:30:47 at an average pace of 11:20. HR avg stayed at 134, which I was pleased with. To keep the HR down I walked most of the hills this time. Not sure if my over dressing because of the cold affected my HR, but sometimes, walking is good:) HR did hit various cardiac drifts, but not for more than a few seconds:)

I wore my Asics wicking shirt, a long sleeve cotton shirt over it, and then my winter Obermyer shell. At times I was hot, and sweaty, but not bad. Need to get appropriate outdoor running gear so I don't sweat!! BR411 are you reading this. LOL

My splits for today were:
M1 10:46 130 cardiac drift: 144
M2 10:50 142 cardiac drift: 217 (not sure if this was the hill, or interference:(
M3 12:17 133 cardiac drift: 166 (now this was the hill:)
M4 10:59 134 cardiac drift: 192
M5 13:09 135 cardiac drift: 165
M6 10:53 135 cardiac drift: 153
M7 11:12 127 cardiac drift: 162
M8 10:34 137 cardiac drift: 150

Overall the run felt great. Felt great to finally put in the distance. Haven't done distance in awhile and I had happy feet today:)

WOW, IT WAS COLD TODAY!!

BR411 and I hit the gym together this morning after our 2nd grader's teacher conference. She got thumbs up from all her teachers and is doing great!! BR hit the weights, while I ran on the TM. I set the TM to 5.8 and ran for 31 min. 10:20 pace. Felt great!!

Also got my BuckeyeOutdoors site account running again. It now syncs my Garmin 301 and I am loving life. There is a feature where it has google maps. So cool!!

Oh, after our run, BR411 and I hit our local favorite restaurant by the pond and had sushi. But no, we did not sit out on the deck as it was bitterly cold her on Long Island today. It really felt like a January day, and it's only November.

RECOVERY RUNS ON TM

Yesterday and today I ran on the TM at the gym as my Kindergartner didn't have school due to teacher conferences. Little one wanted to go the gym and she was awesome. Loved playing in the day care and I got my runs in:) Asked if she could come again when the run was over. I said sure, next time you don't have school.

Yesterday: TM set at 6.0 3 miles in 30min. 10min pace. HR never went above 137:)

Today: TM set at 5.8 4 miles in 41:03. 10:16 pace. HR never went above 141:)

Legs are feeling really good!

BR411 HAD A GREAT RACE YESTERDAY

BR411 had a great race yesterday! I won't go into details, as you can read his report for yourself.

I will say it was awesome running the race with him. I hope it is the first of many, many NYRR for him. He really did an awesome job. He dealt with the cold, the crowds, the waiting around, like a champion. Note to self for next race that he comes in for. Prepare him for running with LOT's of people. Zig-Zagging is an art. Not the time to sit back, you have to be a 'little' aggressive. Unfortunately, with MOST NYRR races, there are always LOT's of people, so you usually are zig-zagging all the way to the finish. Especially on this course, because everyone loves running this 4 mile course, so it is popular with the runners. Truth be told, you only slowed during miles 1 and 3 because they were the miles with the hills. I have no doubt if you were able to train outside on the hills in our neighborhood, not just the flats, you would have kept your faster pace. BUT, BR411, you should be proud. When I ran this same course the first time, I ran it in a 9:48 pace, you crushed that!! Though the two miles you slowed at because of the hills, the other 2 miles you kicked butt. Remember, you still crossed the finish line in a 9:27 pace, a hell of a lot faster than you did your 5K this past summer, BABY!!! I'M PROUD OF YOU!!!!

As I said previously, my competitiveness really wanted to try to crush this course (yesterday was the 4th time I ran this course) and run for a PR. With my training, I believe I could have, but nothing was more important yesterday to me, than sticking with BR411, running side by side, the whole way, and running across the finish line hand in hand:) I sure hope the photographers that took our pictures, got us both in the SAME shot, not just individually:)!!!!

CONSISTENCY IS THE KEY

Had a great run today. Slept the best I have in years. Kids were at BR411's parents last night for a sleepover. I actually slept straight through the night for the first time since having kids. LOL

I brought my phone again. I'm really liking having it with me. Since I have the iphone, it's great. It has my podcasts. I set it to play, plugged in the headphones, put it in my pocket, and off I went. If someone calls, all I have to do is hit the little clicky thingy on the headphone cord to answer/hangup. Never have to touch the actual phone; no flip, no pushing buttons, just AWESOME. And no texts came in today, THANKFULLY.

Pretty much ran the same 4 mile flat route around the pond. Felt really good. And really tried to be consistent with my splits. Results are as follows:

M1 - 9:54 136 bpm
M2 - 9:56 138 bpm
M3 - 9:51 140 bpm
M4 - 10:05 143 bpm

TEMPO RUN WHILE MY DAUGHTER WAS IN RELIGION CLASS

Today was a busy day, and since I wanted to get my run in, I chose to run at 10am, while my oldest was in religion class. We drove down to the pond, and then we both walked across the bridge to church. Rebecca was so excited. I dropped her off at 1oam, and I ran around the pond. Since my time was limited, and it was absolutely gorgeous outside, I decided to run a tempo run, but made sure my heartrate never went over, 150. Actually, it never went over 147:) Maybe not the smartes thing to do, as tomorrow is supposed to be my l0ng run, but it felt awesome to let the legs go (to some extent).

The only time I walked was during mile 3, when BR411 texted me. LOL So I had to pull out the phone, read it, and text him back. Kind of strange to do during a run, but... This was also the first time I carried my phone on my run. LOL I liked it. I have the iphone, and I listened to my podcasts. It was nice.

I ran 5 miles in 48:12 Splits were as follows:

M1 - 9:59 133bpm
M2 - 9:31 139bpm
M3 - 10:11 135bpm
M4 - 8:57 147bpm
M5 - 9:33 140bpm

ANOTHER RUN IN THE RAIN, I THINK I'M GOING TO FLOAT AWAY:)

Actually, I like running in the rain, and in the beginning it was just a misty rain. About half way through it poured, but for only like 2 minutes. Thankfully it was a mild day, at about 58 degrees, so I wasn't cold at all. Still wearing that LLBean rain slicker, and today i wore shorts, so the rain just trickled down my legs. LOL

My body is LOVING these slow mileage. Today I ran basically the same route as yesterday, but ran the first loop around the pond with a little hill, and I ran it 43:00, and my heartrate never went above 140. So many times today I just wanted to pick up the pace and let loose, but I know how important this phase is. Legs feel awesome

Splits for today were:
M1 - 10:58 121bpm
M2 - 10:48 134bpm
M3 - 11:01 133bpm
M4 - 10:21 140bpm ( really wanted to sprint this last part. LOL)

MODIFIED POND ROUTE TO KEEP IT FLAT

Today was a great run with BR411, though he stopped at 3.5 and I kept going till I hit 5 miles. We decided we wanted to keep this run flat, so instead of running around the pond, we headed out to the bridge and went left and ran til we hit the stop sign, and turned around and came back and continued past where we started along the water and turned around. I did this modified loop 3 times. Some would say boring, but it's very scenic and I really wanted to keep the hills at bay. I guess part of me also wanted to throw in a loopy course, as the Long Island Marathon is flat, and it's a 13.1 loop that you do twice.

Pace was perfect. Again, not as consistent as my run on Wednesday, but close enough for me. And this time, since there were no hills, my heartrate NEVER went over 134. Sweet. That is, until the last mile, while running alone, out of nowhere, 3 huge dogs appeared barking in front of me. Granted the owner was there, but with a LONG ass leash. Scared the begeezis out of me. When I got home, the Garmin showed that my HR hit 200, during that episode. LOL

Today's digits:
M1 - 10:39
M2 - 10:58
M3 - 11:13
M4 - 11:10
M5 - 11:00

The best part of this base building phase is that I am running at such a slow pace, keeping the heartrate low, it is letting me get out there, almost every day this week for a run (only reason I missed Tuesday, was that I ran out of hours in the day and couldn't get a babysitter:(, and NOTHING hurts!! Once I am running 7 days straight, I will slowly build the mileage up based on Allen's plan (though his plan suggests 6 days, but again, I feel this is doable since the miles are slow and steady). I will definitely run by heartrate, and keep a listen to my body. But so far, so good:)

Eventually my plan is to do the following:
Monday - Long run
Tuesday - Recovery run
Wednesday - Tempo run (but not going over 75-80% HR)
Thursday - Recovery run
Friday - Medium Long run
Saturday - Recovery run
Sunday - Recovery run

I'll take it one week at a time and see how I feel and add mileage accordingly.

NOTHING LIKE A SOAK IN A COLD BATH AFTER A RUN

I don't know when I started doing this, but after every run, whether it's a short run or a long run, I hop in the bath tub with the nozzle set on the coldest setting and fill up the tub. I stay in it for 20 minutes and my legs feel awesome. I fill it all the way up so my legs are completely submerged. I really think it helps me with recovery, cause I can wake up the next day ready for another run. I only add ice to the tub after a race:) Oh, and I have to be in the tub before the water starts, or faggeetttaaabbouuiiitt it! I guess I am now accustomed to cold water:) Hmm... I need to get a thermometer to see how cold it really is? I do end it with a quick hot shower, to warm up, but the legs have this cold feeling for about 30min after I'm dressed and walking around. Kind of cool. Pun intended. LOL

Well, thanks go to d10 for the inspiration to get me outside for my run today. When I woke it looked cold and rainy out and I spent the morning drinking my coffee thinking, hmm... will I run inside on the TM or outside in the rain. If I had a treadmill here at home, I probably would have chosen the TM, but I chose to run outside and it was GREAT!! Once I got the kids dropped off to school, I hit the roads. The temperature said 59 degrees, and it was just a misty rain, but it felt so good. I wore my raincoat (one I got from LLBean). I need a runner shell that is waterproof!!! But thankfully I didn't get hot during the rain. Didn't even get cold:) It kept me warm and dry, but my legs were soaked, as were my sneakers:( And I could have done without the puddles. Why, when a car sees a runner and a puddle, they speed up????? LOL

I got in 4 miles today in 43:03, not as consistent pace wise as yesterday, but the HR still stayed at or below 140:) I'm looking forward during this phase one, to see my pace increase, as my HR stays low!!!

Today's digits:
M1 - 10:18
M2 - 11:10
M3 -10:51
M4 -10:44

5 MILES IN BEFORE THE RAIN

Never made it out yesterday for my run:( But had a great run today. No aches and pains at all, and was able to be very consistent with my pacing today, and kept the heartrate below 140 for the whole run:) BR411 told me it was going to rain on and of for the day, so I got out there as soon as I got kids off to school. Temperature was 58, but it felt chilly as there was no sun. But, the sun did poke out at times and I felt warm during the run. When I got home, temperatures said 60. When not to wear my shell, that is the million dollar question!! LOL

I nailed each mile mark at 11:00 for each mark, and came in at 5 miles at 55:00

I'm usually pretty good at pacing myself, but today was just perfect!!

I FEEL THE NEED FOR CHANGE

With Election Day upon us, and my running entering a new phase, I thought it appropriate to give my blog a makeover. Out with the old, in with the new. I've really liked the look of Vegas Runner's, so I've copied his theme, hope you don't mind Bruce:) I may work on the color scheme to make it my own, but for now I'll keep it the way it is.

Plan for today is 4 easy miles around the pond. Kids are home from school today (and are bugging me already to get to the polls to cast my vote, they LOVE to pull the lever). And my oldest has an eye doctor appointment at 1pm, so hoping to get my run in after that, if the Grandparents are around to babysit.

Hope to post back with the digits then!

TRAINING HAS BEGUN, 52 WEEKS UNTIL NYC

Phase 1 (11/3/08 - 1/25/09) - will last 12 weeks. During this time I will work on building my mileage/base. ALL miles will be run at less than 70% heartrate, which is 140bpm, for me.

Today, after taking the past 3 weeks, basically off, my training has started up again. I had a great 3 mile run this morning. Weather was 53 degrees, but it felt chilly as the skies were cloudy and gray. I wore shorts, and a t-shirt, with a light shell. Felt fine, but at times was a bit chilly. I don't like this time of year when I don't know what to wear, but... that's the life of a runner:)

I kept my heartrate down, stats as follows:
M1: 10:24 135bpm cardiac drift: 147
M2: 10:51 142bpm cardiac drift: 155 (there is a hill in this mile)
M3: 10:59 140bpm cardiac drift: 158 (there is a slight hill in this mile)

Though my HR drifted up above 140, it did not stay there for more than a few seconds. Day one was a huge success. Look forward to running more miles tomorrow:)

11 MONTHS SINCE I STARTED RUNNING, TODAY IS THE 2008 NYC MARATHON, AND OTHER STUFF

Today marks the 11 month anniversary of when I started running, in that time frame I have gotten outside (111 times) or on the treadmill (31 times) for a total of 142 runs, and I have run a total of 632.6 miles. Not bad considering when I started, I did the C25K program, and thought I would die jogging 2 minutes walking 3 minutes, or whatever it was. LOL. Today is also the day of the 2008 NYC Marathon (good luck to all running, especially John B, and Jeanie T!!). I am so excited for you guys, I know you are going to do great. I’ll be there next year with you!!!

A recap of what I have done since I started my journey back on January 2, 2008:

- with 11 months of running, also came 16 lbs lost

- I completed all of my races needed, and my volunteering, to be guaranteed entry for NEXT years 2009 NYC Marathon they are as follows, if you wish, you can click on the race name and be brought to the actual race report:

- March 9, 2008 – Colon Cancer Run 4M – 39:14 (9:48 pace)

- April 20, 2008 – Adidas Run 4M – 34:21 (8:35 pace)

- May 11, 2008 – Mother’s Day 4M – 33:29 (8:22 pace)

- May 17, 2008 – Healthy Kidney 10K – 55:29 (8:56 pace)

- June 7, 2008 – Volunteered at the 10K Mini Race

- June 15, 2008 – Father’s Day 5M – 43:47 (8:45 pace)

- July 12, 2008 – Park to Park 10K – 54:38 (8:48 pace)

- July 19, 2008 – Run for CP 4M – 33:38 (8:24 pace) missed PR by 8seconds

- Sept 14, 2008 – Queens Half Marathon – 2:01:30 (9:16 pace)

- Oct 12, 2008 – Staten Island Half Marathon – 1:57:36 (8:58 pace)


I also set competitive goals for each race for MYSELF, to PR, if I could each time. I was able to accomplish a PR in every NYRR race, except one, and I came pretty darn close in that one too, missed it by 8 seconds. LOL

Another highlight of this running journey for me is that it got my hubby/BR411 running as well. Though we don’t get to run much together, when we do I really enjoy those runs. And I am so excited that he is planning to run the Long Island Half Marathon on May 3, 2009. Though I am now contemplating running the Full Marathon that day, as it is a flat course, would give me Marathon experience going into NYC (exactly 6 mths later). Any thoughts/suggestions from any/all experience bloggers is greatly appreciated. I think it is doable, as NYC is 6 mths later, and the LI half is flat. I know I have set my sights on a strong finish for NYC, at beating 4 hours, hopefully running it in 9:09 pace, so my thinking is that if I have a Marathon in my pocket, my goals of NYC might have a better chance. Plus, the Long Island half is practically in my back door.

I will be running one more NYRR race this year, on November 16th, the Race to Deliver, and I am so happy BR411 will be coming into NYC to run it with me. My competitiveness wants to try to make a PR, but I promise you BR411 I will run with you and we will cross the finish line hand in hand:)!!!

Well, today is the 2008 NYC marathon, I am so psyched. My training officially starts tomorrow!!! 363 days till I WILL BE RUNNING THIS RACE!!!! Let the games begin, the motivation stay high, and everyone run strong and taper!!!!

I could not have done any of the above without the support and help of my fellow bloggers. Thank you!!!