2012 Race Calendar

Lately I’ve been getting back into the running groove. Actually I should call it the fast walking/jogging as I work my way back to running. I’ve been using the C25K program to transition from walking into jogging and it’s going well. I’m repeating week 4 right now since I just wasn’t feeling it last week, but in combination with walking, I’m going about 15 miles a week, up from…well…0 a few weeks ago.

However, unlike every other time I’ve been on a running kick in the past, this time I’m not alone. If you remember this post, my mom and I lucked out with the lottery and won spots into the Nike Women’s Half Marathon this year. This will be my 2nd Half Marathon and my mom’s first. I’m so excited to do the race with her and have a fun girl’s weekend in San Francisco. I also have one other friend who has been bitten by the running bug lately so we’re planning to do a few races together in the future.

Oh, yeah, and I set a goal to run 3 half marathons by May…so there’s that too.

 

Here are the races on my calendar for this year.

 

American’s Finest City, 5K – San Diego

August 19th, 2012

I haven’t participated in this race before, but I’ve heard good things about it. I’m also excited to turn it into a little mini vacation as I’m booking a room at a hotel that provides shuttle service directly to the race which means less headache for me that day. There is no way I’m driving a few hours to a race at that early in the morning. The cost of the hotel is well worth the good nights sleep. 

Nike Women’s Half Marathon – San Francisco

October 14, 2012

I ran this Half in 2009 and loved the experience. The race does have some faults; the website is awful and often missing critical info, the expo is a little lacking, and the first mile is tough because there are a lot of walkers who forget to stay to the side and often stop to take pictures. However, once you get past the first mile, the crowd thins out and I never had a problem navigating around people. The views were amazing, the weather was perfect, and I had a lot of fun.

Iron Girl 10K – Del Mar, San Diego, CA

November 11, 2012

I was suppose to run this one last year, I even registered, but it didn’t happen. I ended up doing a 10K, just not at the race. Last year my mistake was a poor training plan, I just wasn’t ready, so this year I’m being much more diligent to sticking to a plan. It’s also a month after the Half Marathon so the HM training should give me a good prep for the 10K.

As for the 30 in 30 list, this plan will cross off 1 of the Half Marathons, and I’ve already signed up for another one in 2013 (Rock & Roll, AZ), but I don’t expect to post about the 2013 races for a while. This will also achieve 2 other goals on my 30 in 30 list, Travel to San Francisco and Run a 5k or 10K with a friend (I’ll actually be doing both!).

 

What races are you planning to do this year?

I’m Feeling Inspired – Keep Running

I’ll explain more about my new training plan in a future post, but I’m easing back into running again. I have already shared that I’ll be running the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in October, but I also plan to do a 5K and a 10K with a friend this year as well. And with a 30 in 30 goal of 3 half marathons, I need some serious inspiration to get those shoes on and out the door.

 

 

 

Via, Via, Via, Via,  Via, Via, Via, Via, Via, Via

10K: Crushed!

That’s right, it’s done! I have officially finished a 10K this weekend!

Yesterday I was sitting on the couch, enjoying the reactivation of my cable and internet again, when I realized that I’m only 6 months to my 30th birthday. Not only do I have ‘Finish a 10K’ on my goal for this month, but it’s also on my 30 before 30 list (which needs to be revamped a bit). The original plan was to complete the Iron Girl 10K in Del Mar last weekend. However, while the training went well, I just wasn’t running fast enough to finish in the designated time. I never claimed to be a fast runner, my goal has always been to FINISH a 10K.

At first I was discouraged and felt a bit like a failure for not being able to complete the race. Then I had a second thought, I can still finish this 10K. I trained too hard to just give up or let the race get the better of me. So I decided to bypass the race and complete the 10K at home.

Yesterday I laced up my shoes, jumped on my treadmill and completed my 10K. I finished in 1:49:20. The treadmill reset when it hit 100 minutes so you can only see the last 9 minutes in the image.

Source: happyfitness.tumblr.com via Addison on Pinterest

 

 

I’m proud that I finished, even though I didn’t have a race course cheering me on. I’m proud that I made the decision to bypass the race when I knew I would miss the course limit.

I’m not letting anyone take this away from me. Because even though some people may think I copped out by skipping the race. I did it, and that’s more than most can say.

Source: squareone1226.blogspot.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

 

 

I’m still taking a break from running right now, but after a lengthy text conversation with my brother, I may be considering a Half Marathon next year. It would be fun to see them on the sidelines cheering me on.

10K Training Update – Hitting My Stride

It has been a long 6 weeks of training, with a lot of ups and downs. There were some weeks where I just rocked it, and others where I did pretty much nothing at all. It crossed my mind several times to just quit, or try to transfer my entry to the 5K, but I’m sticking with it.

Source: runforthethrill.tumblr.com via Selena on Pinterest

This past week was the 6th week of training and I am thrilled with the progress, I finally hit my stride. I’m still worried about cutting it close on the course time limit, but I’ll just have to move my ass that day. Based on last week’s progress and the start to this week, I’m actually starting to feel confident again. I’ve increased my mileage to about 10 miles per week.

Source: rippedandfit.tumblr.com via Addison on Pinterest

This past week has been a sigh of relief in terms of training. When I began this training program I couldn’t run at all, hell, I could barely walk very far. Then after a few weeks I started jogging for a minute at a time. Now, 6 weeks later, I’m jogging 4-5 minutes at a time. It may not seem like much to better runners, but it’s a major accomplishment for me.

The first day that I ran for 5 minutes at a time, I jumped off the treadmill and did a little dance. Oh Yes I DID!

I still have 3 weeks of training ahead of me, but I feel good.

And on a somewhat unrelated note, I picked up a new ‘toy’ that has been an amazing asset to training lately. This is Hippo…

He’s not just a cute little stuffed toy, he’s also a heating pad! His belly is filled with lavender scented seeds that can be warmed. You just stick little Hippo in the Microwave for about a minute and comes out piping hot. Every so often I get a stiff neck and he has been so nice to cuddle with. I expect he’ll also be a nice little ‘hot water bottle’ for when the temperatures drop near freezing in the coming months.

The only problem with Hippo…my dog desperately wants to eat him.

10K Training Update – Week 3 & 4

Has it really been 2 weeks since my last update? Well, I have some GOOD news.

…I also have some BAD news, but let’s go with the GOOD first, shall we?

GOOD NEWS

I have finally hit my stride and am please with training over the past two weeks. It’s nothing earth shattering, but it’s progress and that’s my main goal right now. More important than actually training for the 10K, I want to build some healthy habits and workout consistency. I can work on speed, endurance, and distance later. Now it’s all about just moving.

I also found a great tool on my phone that helped with training. I have an Android phone and the application is called ‘A HIIT Interval’. It allows you to build your interval workout and the phone will then do all the work of reminding you when to walk or jog. It seems like such a small victory, but it takes so much pressure off when you don’t have to calculate out your next interval and keep an eye on the clock. When I was using the HIIT Interval timer, the time went much faster and the workout felt more productive, probably because I wasn’t staring at the clock the entire time. Best of all, it was a FREE app.

BAD NEWS

The Half Marathon I was planning to run in December has been cancelled. I hadn’t officially announced it yet, but I was planning to participate in the inaugural Rock & Roll New Years Eve Half Marathon in Indian Wells. I had my hotel booked and had created the training plan, but I heard last week that the race was cancelled. I was disappointed for a few reasons; it sounded like a fun NYE experience, the hotel reservation would satisfy a few deals with my Marriott membership, and I had created my training plan for a Half Marathon with the 10K training run scheduled. I had pushed my plan a little harder than I should because I wanted it complete in time for the Half Marathon, meaning if I’m not doing the Half, I should really only be running a 5K in November. I understand why they cancelled, and I was able to cancel my hotel with no penalties so the race cancellation cost me nothing. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s a wicked bummer.

With that out of the way…

From my last update, 2 weeks ago, things have changed for the better.

Week 3 Mileage: 7.40 (Goal:9 miles)

Week 4 Mileage: 7.01 Goal: 10 miles)

Tuesday 9/20:

2.11 Miles

40 Minutes

Thoughts: This was in no way a run, jog…or even a wog. I walked this at a moderately slow pace. I was suppose to run 2 miles today, but moved that to Wednesday since it was already 11pm when I jumped on the treadmill. I had also just eaten (I’m SO not good at this sometimes). Instead of forcing myself to run, I walked and it was a good idea. Point was that I was moving, even when I didn’t want to.

Source: meggielynne.tumblr.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

Wednesday 9/21:

2.28 Miles

40 Minutes

Thoughts: Today was a much better day. I hit my stride and had longer peaks of running with shorter recovery. Now, the motivation could have been the fact that I was watching Alex O’Laughlin on the Hawaii Five-0 premiere while on the treadmill. What’s gonna get your blood pumping more than him?

I ran intervals of about 1:30 min jog to every 2 minute walk and included a 5 minute walk warm up and a 5 minute walk cool down.

I feel pretty inspired after today’s run.

Whew, is it hot in here??

Source: weheartit.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Friday 9/23:

3.01 Miles

51 Minutes

Thoughts: Today was a great day. I had a fun little local adventure to an Apple Orchard on Saturday so I was headed to my Mom’s house for the night. They live much closer to the apple orchard than I do. I knew I couldn’t do my run in the evening like usual, so I scheduled the jog for my lunch hour. I did a 5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down. For the main distance it alternated 2 minutes walking with 1 minute 30 second jogging. I’ve increased the speed that I’m jogging and am pleased with the progress so far.

Sunday 9/25:

None

Thoughts: Oddly exhausted and ended up sleeping most of the day. I think it may have been the stress from work catching up with me and the dread that was setting in that I had to do it all again on Monday.

Week 4 Mileage: 7.01(Goal: 10 miles)

Tuesday 9/27:

2.01 Miles

33 Minutes

Thoughts: I did not want to workout today. I have been incredibly worried about my dog who is limping around the house and it’s been nearly 100 degrees (still with no AC). But I decided that it was just 2 miles and I could do 2 miles. So I jumped on the treadmill at 11:30pm and had the best workout so far. I included a warm up and cool down, but kept with the 2 minute walk and 1:30 jog.

Thursday 9/29:

3 Miles

Time not documented

Thoughts: I’m sad to say that I honestly can’t remember how long the 3 miles took me this week. I was going slower because my throat was bothering me and I was worried that I was getting sick. [excuses, excuses]. If I had to guess it probably took me about an hour, which is a problem since I only have 90 minutes to run double this amount in about a  month.

Monday 10/03:

2 Miles

33 Minutes

Thoughts:  I had 5 miles on the schedule for today, but my timing was off and I had to move it to tomorrow. I’m still feeling a little down from fighting off a bit of a cold, which means I finished the 2 miles a little more exhausted than usual, but still pleased with the time. Hopefully tomorrow I can fit in my 5 mile jog and get an idea of whether I’m on track to finish the 10K within the time limits. I walking a fine line between adding speed too fast and trying not to get injured, but so far so good.

Source: happyfitness.tumblr.com via Addison on Pinterest

10K Training Update – Week 1 & 2

Source: lysswunsch.tumblr.com via Addison on Pinterest

 

I’m two weeks into the training plan and it’s been a bit of a rocky ride. Ok, that’s actually being generous, it’s been pretty awful.

 

Week 1 Milage: 2

Week 2 Milage: 0

 

Oh good grief, I’m going to die in 7 weeks! You’ll find me splayed out by a water station at mile 5…please send chocolate and maybe a grilled cheese.

 

Workout 1: Tuesday 9/6/2011

2 Miles

35 Minutes

Thoughts: Okay..I can do this! Aside from the standard warm up/cool down I alternated 1 minute running with 2 minutes walking. Felt pretty good for the first time jog/walking in nearly 2 years. Maybe this won’t be as bad as I thought.

 

That was it…and I don’t have a good excuse. I was tired, lazy, busy with various home design projects, and making homemade mod podge. I have every excuse in the book, but none of them will do any good.

So now I have 7 weeks until 10K day, and I’m getting scared.

I wish I was better at this.

 

Source: lottaagaton.blogspot.com via Addison on Pinterest

 

 

Scratch that…

 

I WILL be better at this!

Smart Coach Training Plan – Half Marathon & 10K

I’ve already announced that I’m running a 10K in November. I’m also planning on running a Half Marathon in December, so instead of training with the C25K plan, I used Runner’s World Smart Coach to put together a legit Half Marathon Training Plan. The plan accounts for a 10K in November, so it will serve as training for both events.

Once I’ve officially registered for the Half Marathon, I’ll share the details, but it should be fun!

Training Plan

This is only half the plan, through the 10K. I know the above chart is small, but I’ll be posting updates and progress every 2 weeks on Tuesdays.  Due to the heat and impending time change, this likely be done via the treadmill. Luckily I have one in my house and that gives me the flexibility to run whenever the time fits.

Runners/Walkers, how do you fit in outdoor workouts when the time changes? Do you run at night, before work, during lunch? Or do you spend more time at the gym during the winter months?

Bring It On – Athleta Iron Girl Del Mar, CA 10K Run

It’s official! I’ll be running the Athleta Iron Girl Del Mark 10K. I’m excited, giddy, jumping for joy!

That’s a lie…I’m scared out of my mind! And I probably shouldn’t say I’ll be running, it’ll be more of a walk/jog sad wog. But who cares, I’m doing it anyway, even if I have to bob and weave to dodge the sweep van…I’m going to FINISH!

I’m not a runner (which should be apparent if I’m threatening to dodge the sweepers), but I do enjoy running. I’ve started many times over the years, but usually stop since my favorite form of cardio is dancing. Running/Walking is excellent cardio but I never seem to stick with it long term.

The last race I ran in was in October 2009, the Nike Women’s Half in San Francisco.

It was an incredible experience, and such a beautiful course. Although sadly the raffle hates me and 2009 is the only year I’ve even been accepted.

Here’s the thing, running in a race has never been a great incentive for me. Back in 2009 when I was running more often, I only chose a few races a year, instead of dozens. I then turned each one into a mini vacation. For San Francisco, I planned a week long road trip that let me drive up and down the California coast, it was an incredible week.

Stunning views in Carmel, along the 17 mile scenic route on our way home after the race.

Since I live in Southern California, I won’t need a road trip. However, I enjoy my sleep too much to drive 2+ hours to a race. So I’ll be staying at The Marriott Del Mar. As a bonus, it will help me meet my nightly quota so I can get to the next membership level with Marriott. I [heart] Marriott, even though they don’t know I’m alive.

I have 11 weeks to get ready. In all honesty, I really am very excited about this race, it should be a lot of fun!

 

Have you ever run an Iron Girl Event?