18 MILE LONG RUN @8:55 AVG PACE

Plan for today was 18 Miles:
3 @9:00
12 @8:30
3 @8:10 or faster

Brought 32oz of gatorade fuel belt & carried 20oz of gatorade w Nuun (I know, a big no no, but didn't have time to place it on the course). Didn't get on road til 10:35. Temp said 73F and 43% humidity. Just perfect conditions for a long run. Ok, a tad hot at times, but loved NOT running in humidity.

Before the run I had 1/2 an egg & cheese sandwich & a banana, and coconut water. About 20min before the run I took a Gel. I took fluids and gel at the times you told me too. Btw, by the end I wanted to puke from injesting that 4th gel. Was really hard to get that one down. HAHA

Legs felt strong throughout, but as you'll see, I didn't hit your recommended paces. I didn't get great sleep last nite. Kids woke me again. GRRR.... So my plan for today was just get in a grove and FINISH under a 9min pace (wanted to beat last weeks 16mile avg pace of 9:05) So, tho I didn't hit the faster paces, I'm thrilled with the overall time I finished in, as I've never run 18miles before:)!! and I broke the 9min avg pace I wanted to:)!!

18 miles in 2:40:38 (avg pace 8:55) Avg HR 148 Cardiac Drift: 163

Garmin showed these as my splits:
M1-9:00 Avg HR 144 Cardiac Drift: 154
M2-9:03 Avg HR 149 Cardiac Drift: 157
M3-8:53 Avg HR 147 Cardiac Drift: 153
M4-8:59 Avg HR 152 Cardiac Drift: 163
M5-8:44 Avg HR 151 Cardiac Drift: 160
M6-8:50 Avg HR 151 Cardiac Drift: 157
M7-8:47 Avg HR 151 Cardiac Drift: 155
M8-8:49 Avg HR 152 Cardiac Drift: 157
M9-9:01 Avg HR 152 Cardiac Drift: 156
M10-9:02 Avg HR 148 Cardiac Drift: 151
M11-8:59 Avg HR 149 Cardiac Drift: 155
M12-9:01 Avg HR 147 Cardiac Drift: 153
M13-8:58 Avg HR 149 Cardiac Drift: 154
M14-9:03 Avg HR 147 Cardiac Drift: 153
M15-8:56 Avg HR 147 Cardiac Drift: 153
M16-8:50 Avg HR 145 Cardiac Drift: 152
M17-8:52 Avg HR 149 Cardiac Drift: 156
M18-8:51 Avg HR 148 Cardiac Drift: 156

Friday, June 26, 2009

Today's plan was supposed to be 12 miles in the progression that I had done last week. Miles 1-4 @9:00min pace, miles 5-10 @8:30 pace, miles 11-12 no slower than 8:00min pace.

I had a pretty good sleep Thursday into Friday morning. Woke at 8ish, and got my 8 year old off to school (my youngest was with me, as her school finished Tuesday, so I couldn’t run right awayL. I fed them, but I did not eat, other than my standard/staple coffee with heavy cream. Picked the oldest up from school at 10:45, and then waited for the babysitter to arrive who arrived around noon. She was supposed to be here at 11am.

I didn’t get out for my run till about 12:20, so it was a really bad move on my part not to eat first. I knew it, but I had to get out there. I didn’t just want to eat and then run. Since I was waiting for the babysitter to arrive, I didn’t know when she’d get there, since she was running late.

I don’t know if my not eating before the run, or not having enough to drink during the run, or if it was just the heat/humidity that did me in today, but I guess in the overall scheme, the run was still a good one, and I learned a thing or two.

I usually don’t eat before I run, and it works for me, but since it was so hot/humid and a 12 mile run, I think I learned not such a great thing to do on a long run. Unfortuneately, by the time I got out for my run, the rain had stopped, nada, nothing, not a drip and it was HOT. By the end of the run I was looking for sprinklers to jump in to. LOL. I would have run in the rain, but I was waiting on the babysitter. The downside of being a mom some times.

I also changed my route up a bit to add mileage to make it a full 12 miles loop. I didn’t want to do any repeat running, I wanted it to be one big loop. In so doing I added a couple of hills (the nature of my neighborhood). Not crazy hills, just not flat. But I LOVED the route and plan to do it again.

I did eat a Carb Boom vanilla/orange gel about 20min before my run, and then I had another one at mile 8. I also ran with my hand held water bottle that holds about 20oz of water, and ran out of water at about mile 9. Actually it was G2 mixed with water. I’d say, 15oz G2, 5oz water. At about mile 11 ½ I passed a pizza store, and ran in and they filled my bottle back up with cold water. I drank about 10oz of it immediately, and then at mile 11.5 I took a swig, and then at the end of the run, I pounded the rest.

After the run I drank 3 O.N.E. coconut waters, drank my EAS protein drink, and took a 7min ice bath. Then I had a whole wheat bagel with tuna fish, and a 20oz Gatorade. I definitely felt better/fine within 2hours. I also ate a handful of almonds (healthy fat).

At 6pm I had sushi for dinner and then Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream from Baskin Robbins for dessert.

The run went as follows according to my Garmin 305:
M1- 9:00 avgHR 142 - maxHR 149
M2- 9:04 avgHR 150 - maxHR 155
M3- 9:06 avgHR 144 - maxHR 153
M4- 9:06 avgHR 147 - maxHR 156
M5- 9:13 avgHR 140 - maxHR 152
M6- 8:59 avgHR 146 - maxHR 160
M7- 9:12 avgHR 148 - maxHR 154
M8- 9:13 avgHR 147 - maxHR 152
M9- 9:09 avgHR 146 - maxHR 155
M10- 9:14 avgHR 149 - maxHR 151
M11- 9:29 avgHR 148 - maxHR 176
M12- 10:10 avgHR 128 - maxHR 141

Miles 11 and 12 are down hill, and my legs really hurt doing it this time. It was painful. My calves were cramping and the legs just didn’t want to move. This was the same hill that last Friday, I ran 7:30 and then 7:53 pace to finish, and today I couldn’t go faster than 9:29 and then 10:10 to finish.

But again a great run and a great learning experience.

LONG RUN - 9 MILES ON TM, SHOULD HAVE BEEN 16, BUT RAN OUT OF TIME, AND HEY, I RAN THE BRONX HALF YESTERDAY LOL

Woke this morning and the legs felt great! And I was able to sleep almost 10hours, so over all I was/am a very happy camper. I dropped the kids off at school, did some things and hit the gym around noon.

I knew my legs felt good, but wasn't sure if I'd be able to run the full 16 for my long run, so I set the TM to 5.8, and started running. First 6 miles were over before I knew it, and decided to keep going. Made it to 9 with no troubles and then the TM stopped. I want a TM that goes for 2+ hours!!!!! When I went to start it up again, for round two to finish the run, my legs didn't like how the speed was different. Going from a stop to a run. ARGGHHH. So I decided I had a great run and didn't want to push it.

Set the TM to 5.8, and ran all miles at that speed.

Ran 9 miles in 1:32:27 Avg pace of 10:16

Avg HR 139 Cardiac Drift: 154

M1 10:26 avg hr bpm 135 Cardiac Drift: 140
M2 10:15 avg hr bpm 138 Cardiac Drift: 152
M3 10:14 avg hr bpm 139 Cardiac Drift: 150
M4 10:14 avg hr bpm 141 Cardiac Drift: 154
M5 10:14 avg hr bpm 140 Cardiac Drift: 151
M6 10:14 avg hr bpm 138 Cardiac Drift: 149
M7 10:14 avg hr bpm 140 Cardiac Drift: 147
M8 10:14 avg hr bpm 140 Cardiac Drift: 153
M9 10:14 avg hr bpm 138 Cardiac Drift: 139

Tomorrow is no running, but I will try to get to my spinning class after I drop kids at school!

LONG RUN - 14 MILES ON THE TM

12:20pm - Got to the gym and thankfully no one was on the TM, haven't run 14 on a TM this year and with the 'new years resolutioners' the gyms been crowded and was a bit concerned I'd get kicked off. While I ran, all the mills were being used, but they cycled off and on perfectly, so I was able to complete my run!

14 miles in 2:23:52, avg pace 10:16

Avg HR 140 Cardiac Drift: 151

M1 10:39 125 Cardiac Drift: 137
M2 10:14 135 Cardiac Drift: 154
M3 10:14 137 Cardiac Drift: 146
M4 10:14 138 Cardiac Drift: 145
M5 10:14 141 Cardiac Drift: 150
M6 10:14 142 Cardiac Drift: 151
M7 10:14 140 Cardiac Drift: 145
M8 10:14 139 Cardiac Drift: 147
M9 10:14 142 Cardiac Drift: 149
M10 10:14 140 Cardiac Drift: 151
M11 10:14 141 Cardiac Drift: 147
M12 10:14 144 Cardiac Drift: 151
M13 10:14 145 Cardiac Drift: 152
M14 10:14 148 Cardiac Drift: 151

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

TODAY IS MY HUBBYS AND MY 12th ANNIVERSARY AND TO CELEBRATE I RAN A 12 MILE LONG RUN:)!!! & MY HALF MARATHON IS ONLY 1 WEEK AWAY

Well, I know I ran 10 miles on Friday, but since today was hubby's and my 12th anniversary, I decided to run my long run today, and do 12 miles:) Yesterday was a rest day, and legs/muscles feel awesome. So I hit the gym and took it nice and slow at 6.0 and 1% incline on the treadmill.

Your all probably wondering why I'm running on the TM instead of outside. The weather hasn't been so great, and I wanted to get my runs in!! Plus, it's the only time I get to watch 'my' TV shows, and the time just flies by and I like it. Don't get me wrong, I love running outside too, but I like to mix it up. I love that I can just set the machine to a pace and go. Helps to build those running muscles, and since my runs lately have been few and far between, I feel that at least running on the TM is preparing my body better for my race. And I believe there is no better place to build those base building miles than on the treadmill. And once again, my HR stayed below 140 with cardiac drift the whole 12 miles:)

Well, tomorrow BR411 and I will run 4 miles outside together after we drop kids off at the bus, and then we're finally going to celebrate our anniversary at our favorite restaurant on the water, eating sushi:)

2 WEEKS UNTIL THE QUEENS HALF MARATHON

2 weeks to go!!!

Ran my 10 mile long run yesterday at the gym on the treadmill. Was actually great!! Watched my tv shows on the ipod and set the TM to 0% incline and 6.0 speed. And hour and forty minutes later, 10 miles done:) LOL

Plan for today is to run the nike+ Human Race 10K, so at some point I will log that mileage and post back the results, but plan is to run it in about a 10min pace, nice and slow and easy:)


Nike+ Human Race 10K
Well, I guess I should explain this nike+ Human race 10K race. It is kind of a vertual race, though, there are some locations where you could run it live. Like my sister in law and nephew did tonight at Randals Island, in Manhattan New York. But me, as I couldn't get there, I chose to run it at the gym, on the treadmill, conected to my nano (via the nike +) took it slow and easy, and had a great run, 10K came in at exactly 55:00 minutes. More miles logged for my Nike+ challenges. Gotta love it:)

I DID IT!!!! RAN THE 14 MILE LONG RUN ALL BY MY LONESOME

Well, yesterday's quality run at the track with the family was the perfect medicine for boosting my morale. I soooo was not looking forward to this long run by myself (as my bro is injured with a slight groin pull, though he thinks he'll be back this week. YEAH!!) Anyway, I got out a bit late today, hit the pavement at 1oam, and though it was lonely and by mile 9 I wanted to quit, I stuck to it and finished the 14 miles at an average pace of 10:31. And finished strong with the last mile at 9:18 YEAH!!!

I would have much preferred to head out East to my brother's FLAT neighborhood, but that wasn't an option:( So I stayed close to home and combined a few routes that I run. So, a bit hillier than I would have liked, but it's done. I definitely feel good about this run, as it's the longest I've ever run before, and I did it all by myself:) Hopefully I won't have to run alone again, but now I know if I have to, I can!!!

Digits for today's run are as follows:

14 miles in 2:27:12 a 10:31 pace and the HR stayed between 121 - 157 even with the hills:)

M1- 10:42 M8- 11:04
M2- 10:51 M9- 10:38
M3- 10:22 M10- 10:31
M4- 9:58 M11- 10:41
M5- 10:16 M12- 11:25
M6- 10:53 M13- 10:05
M7- 10:16 M14- 9:18

One thing I learned about this run was that although I had my fuel belt with the 4 water bottles, each of which I think holds 8 oz. I filled them all up with water and finished them all by the end of the run. I realized today, during this long run, on a hot day, that I really need to start experimenting with gatorade or shot blocks, as I think today I could have used the sugar and electrolytes!! After the run I downed about 60 oz of G2 throughout the day, and right now, at 9pm the legs feel awesome. I will run a short 4 recovery run tomorrow:)

STILL HERE, STILL TRAINING, JUST NO TIME FOR BLOGGING:(

Well, I am still here!!! Things are going very well with family and training. I just don't have the "ME" time I had when kids were in school to blog or for that matter use the computer in general. LOL How many days till school starts???? LOL


I can't believe it has been 2 1/2 half weeks since I last posted. A lot has happened since then. The most important is that my husband, finished his first 5K race ever. He was amazing!!! Ran it strong and should be very proud:) It was a very HOT and HUMID night, and the race was a bit unorganized, but he went with the flow and when the horn sounded took off. He asked me to pace him, but I let HIM set the pace, I just told him every now and then how fast he was going (using my trusty Garmin 301). The course was hilly, so his pace fluctuated from a 9 minute pace to about an 11 minute pace, but when he crossed the finish line he came right in at a 10:15 pace, which is right around where he wanted to be. And let me tell you, when he sprinted to the end, he was passing people, and there were a TON of people that finished a long time after him. He should be very proud. He started running in March. Set a goal and training plan to run this 5K race, and accomplished these goals and then some!!! Congrats honey, now let's work on putting the next race on the calendar!

As for me, I've been having a blast playing with the kids. And I have been getting my training in. Here they are short and sweet:

Wed, 7/23 - I got 5 miles in on the TM in 50:00

Mon, 7/28 - was the 5K with hubby in 31:41

Thurs, 7/31 - 4 miles on the TM in 41:00

Sat, 8/2 - LONG run of 10 miles in 2 hours

Sun, 8/3 - 4 miles in 41:24

Tues, 8/5 - 5 miles on the TM in 50:00

Thurs, 8/7 - TEMPO run of 5 miles in 46:00

Sat, 8/9 - LONG run of 12 miles in 1:57:30


Here are the digits for todays 12 mile run:
M1- 10:01 M7- 9:16
M2- 10:14 M8- 9:59
M3- 9:52 M9- 9:55
M4- 10:19 M10- 9:54
M5- 10:10 M11- 8:54
M6- 9:37 M12- 9:12

My goal was to avg a 10 minute mile and came in at 9:48 avg, so I was very pleased. I was psyched I was able to stay consistent at this distance. Best of all, I felt like I could have run a lot longer when the run was over. Oh, I've run my last 2 long runs with my brother. Hoping to get one in next week too, but he has to drive his oldest to college, so we're going to aim to do the Long run this week on Friday. Well, I haven't quite kept to my training schedule, but I am getting the runs in (just mixing up the days) But at least I'm getting the mileage in and it feels great!! So, my training is right on schedule:)

Tomorrow, hubby, kids and I are going to a Met game. First time taking the kids, and we have awesome seats. Go Met's