January 2015

01/26/2015
by She's Going the Distance 12 Comments

You Know You’re a Runner

I took an entire day off work last Monday and i’m just now feeling back to normal. So hopefully my running and blogging life can get back on track. I’m trying to hit the ground running with …well running & strength training. Enjoy the fluff as I get back into a normal routine!

You Know You’re a Runner When

1) You have food in your mouth and hand, and are still looking in the fridge for what’s next.

2) You have to restart the treadmill after an hour, get mad, but secretly feel like a badass.

3) When someone grabs your Ipod you quickly say, “don’t judge me I’m not sure what’s on there!” But you know…you..know.

actually a snap of a playlist i titled “Britney and Friends”

4) Blogs are your news.

5) You talk about food in a carb to protein ratio. And you don’t call it food… it’s fuel, we’re running machines dammit.

6) Jars of PB start turning up all over the place.

my floor

7) Your Garmin watch is your actual watch.

8) Ladies- you don’t understand how girls can wear high heels since they shorten your calf muscles and can cause injury while running–so you only wear them on important days, weddings, funerals, maaaybe work.

9) Gentlemen- your running shoes are your wedding shoes, funeral shoes and work shoes.

graham-elliot-gordon-ramsay-joe-bastianich-masterchef-season-4-gallery-550

Joe knows what’s up.

10) You do whatever it takes to make your run end on a perfect tenth of a mile…

11) You know this feeling to the T.

12) You don’t have to be drunk to pee in public… in broad daylight…

13) You understand that if a person runs in Nike Shox, they aren’t a serious runner.

(source)

14) You understand carbs come in the form of pasta, pizza, beer and sour patch kids…

15) And finally, you know you’re a runner when you ugly cry at the finish of your first major marathon.

o-KIM-KARDASHIAN-UGLY-CRYING-FACE-facebook

(source)

Workouts from Jan 12-18th

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 20min running drills, 5m speedwork 12 x 200s, 10 min core

Wednesday: 40min shoulders, 3m easy 9:15/pace (did 1 mile in zero drop shoes), 1500m row

Thursday: 6m speedwork 6 x 800s (2 @ 6:39, 2 @ 6:27, 2 @6:15)

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 15 shoulders/biceps, 9m stationery bike easy pace, 1.5m walk

Sunday: Rest

Total Miles: 11

________________________________________________________

Workouts from Jan 19-25th

Monday: Rest (sick day)

Tuesday: 5m easy 10:00/pace, lots of walking

Wednesday: 4m easy 7:55/pace, 20 min core, 3 Rounds- 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 butterfly situps

Thursday: 2m easy 8:30/pace, 5 Rounds- 500m row, 20 wall ball squat/throws, 20 alt lunges w/ball twist, 20 situps

Friday: 6m (2 x 2m tempo, both tempos at 7:13/pace, warm up/recovery & cooldown @ 9:00/pace)

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 2.5m hilly hike + 9.5m easy 8:08/pace

Total Miles: 26.5

Finish this sentence: you know you’re a runner when…

01/14/2015
by She's Going the Distance 4 Comments

Change Is…

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 20min running drills, 5 miles speed work 12 X 200s, 10 min core

Wednesday: 40min shoulders, 3m easy 9:15/pace (did 1 mile in zero drop shoes–slowly incorporating foot/ankle drills as well as minimalist running), 1500m rowing

We are 14 days into the new year I’m sure all the cleanses, detoxes, smoothie, clean eating, run until your feet fall off, spend every waking hour at the gym are all being kept right? Well if the goals you’re keeping are already slipping by the hour, make sure you question “why” you set the goal and “how” you plan to adjust to see that goal till the end. Another good idea is to write down WHY you want to change and put that list everywhere. Fridge, bathroom mirror, dashboard–every place you need the motivation and reminder to keep doing something positive for you.

Me and fellow CPT Adrienne @ the gym. Work life is pretty awesome.

Yesterday was the first real day doing a CFE (crossfit endurance) running workout. I dove right into the strength workouts and am getting used to a higher intensity style of training, but I haven’t touched the running workouts. Because.. let’s face it, change is hard.

Changing the normal 4-5 days of running mostly easy miles, a speed day and a long run– to running less but upping intensity in almost every workout is going to be a hard. 5k training is totally different than marathon training and CFE training is different than traditional running plans. In order for me to try and see if this training works, i can’t half ass it or do just pieces of it. I need to give it 100% and trust that these guys know what they’re talking about and put these workouts together for a reason. The reason might just make me a better runner, and I can’t get better without changing.

Yesterday was also the first day of the 8 week CFE 5k training. Unbreakable Runner comes with 3 levels (beginner, intermediate & elite) for the 5k, 10k, 1/2, Full and Ultra marathons. (did anyone see that it made Competitor’s list of running books you should be reading??)

I’m following the elite program since my base is built up & I’m used to working out 2x/day. (Most of the elite workouts include strength and running in the same day) Yesterday morning I was so nervous about the workout: 12 X 200s. Terrified actually. I’m a distance runner. Not a sprinter. 200s??? I didn’t even know how long 200s were…it’s about .13 miles fyi! Before I ran I spent 20 minutes warming up and doing CFE drills and then it was treadmill time!

The verdict? I went out too conservatively with my paces, but in all fairness, i’ve never sprinted faster than 5:58, and that happened once. In between each interval the workout called for 1:30 recovery. I walked for a minute then jogged for about 30 seconds leading into the sprint.

1 mile warm up @ 9:00/pace

5 x 200 @ 6:00/pace

5 x 200 @ 5:52/pace

2 x 200 @ 5:45/pace

1 mile cool down @ 9:00/pace

To be honest, I was nervous. Doing new things is scary, even if it’s just running faster.

What are your workout resolutions for the year, and are you on track?

What is big change are you working on?

01/09/2015
by She's Going the Distance 11 Comments

Future Future Goals

Monday: 30 min core

Tuesday: 50 bodyweight dips, 100 alternating rows (40lb cable)

Wednesday: 5m easy 8:40/pace

Thursday: 5 miles, 6 X 400s @ 6:00/pace, recovery @ 10:00/pace

Alright, it’s that time to solidify some real goals. After a few days of a fever (i’m a 5 year old) and lounging in pjs, my only goal was to watch as many movies as possible… I’m now ready to begin this year and start attacking goals!

Sub 20:00 5k

Whenever I hit a sub 7 mile, a puppy is born. Wouldn’t it be great if more puppies were born?? Sorry, caffiene’s hitting me hard right now —I want to run fast and I like to run fast. It’s been a long year of slow easy miles, so i’m ready to tackle a completely different style of training and mileage. Lauren @ The Foodie Runner challenged her readers not only to set goals, but also come up with a plan for how to get there.

Most people who walk in the gym this week will want to lose 20 lbs or whatever, but the second you ask them how they plan to do it, they get stumped. Or say “i’m gonna do cardio and maybe a class or two”<—Not good enough!

Having a plan or someone to help with that plan is sooooo important. It’s like going on a road trip without a map or a gps, ridiculous right? So don’t chance it with your goals this year. Ask me questions! Or head over to Lauren’s page and have her coach you for a specific race.

Sub 1:30 1/2 Marathon

How am I going to meet these time goals? I’m following the Ultimate Runner program for an entire year to see what changes occur in my running life. I’ve learned so much over the last few years from blogs, Lauren, my own trial and error and I’m ready to take everything I learned and put it into a program that makes a lot of sense for me and my schedule.

I plan on focusing solely on the 5k until summer. I’ll still do long runs and i’ll have a race or two during the next 6 months that aren’t the 5k distance, but my efforts will all be geared toward getting faster. I’m going to try running a 5k once per month to give myself ample opportunities to succeed and get used to racing! Im hoping that as my speed and racing skills improve, by fall i’ll feel more confident going into the half marathon training and aim for a huge goal.

after 400s. First time since the marathon doing a real speed workout!

Complete 5 Consecutive Pull Ups

Last year I focused on doing body weight dips, which now, i’m pretty comfortable with, but pull ups are still such a hard exercise! I’m using the pull up assist machine and doing jumping pull ups, where you jump up and grab the bar then focus on the deceleration (or the negative). I’m definitely getting stronger, but i’m still far from being able to complete a set!

timed flex arm hang (not pull ups, but still tough!)

Travel More

I don’t have specific places I want to visit, I just want to go, explore, run, eat, drink and be merry! There’s too much of this world (and country!) I have yet to see, I’m open for anything this year.

Visit & Review Breweries

It’s no secret I love good beer, especially ones that are hard to get. I figure that when i travel I also want to try out the local brews and since I have a blog, review them. Anyone ever watch Brew Dogs? This show makes me incredibly happy, and bonus! the hosts are hilarious and have a sexy accent. I’m pretty sure this show is why I want to travel and visit breweries.

Stress Less, Be Present & Enjoy the Surprises

I’ve talked about this before, last year was Stress Fest 14′ and I was the main event. The worst part was that I never asked for any help with the stress, I assumed I had to handle much of everything myself and tried to control too much. Unfortunately for me, stress leads to depression and depression leads to me living a life without being present. I have many new outlets and healthy ways to cope if I feel overly stressed so this should never get as bad as it was last year. I feel prepared now, but it’s all about practice!

That’s kinda it. It’s a small, but precise list. Fast times, traveling, beer and less stress. Sounds like a good year to me, no?_______________________________________________________

For fun, I want to throw these into the mix so you might know what to expect one day on the ol’ blog. These are Future Future Goals–ones that aren’t going to happen until 2016+. And ones that I daydream about often…

I still want that BQ. A Boston Qualifying time isn’t just about running the Boston course, I really want(ed) to run a fast marathon and I felt 3:30 wasn’t a crazy goal. I still think it’s tangible and when I attempt the distance again, I’m going to shoot for under 3:30.

I want to run a Ragnar Relay, re-lay bad (okay that was a re-lay bad pun. dammit i can’t stop!) I feel like there are enough bloggers in the local area here that we can throw together a pretty fun van full of girls that want to sweat and run together for an obscene amount of miles. I’m talking to you Emmeline, Salt, Lisa.

Iron Man. I think Robert Downey Jr. would agree that being an Iron Man is pretty sick. To finish an Iron Man, just once, would make me feel like a superhero. At least, that’s how I play it in my head.. even though It would probably feel more like greeting death, but as equals, like in the Deathly Hallows. That’s what they should call Iron Man– the Deathly Hallows- Swimming, Biking & Running until your legs fall off. When the 3 are joined together you become the master of death, thus an Iron Man or Woman! Now, how can I make an ironman/harry potter tattoo work…

Do you have a Future Future Goal?

01/04/2015
by She's Going the Distance 5 Comments

Later, 2014!

I’m a little behind with the recap–but bear with me, I haven’t been feeling well.

Writing about 2014 is kinda strange… I don’t really want to look back. I want to look forward but, as history goes, we have to learn from the past to move forward and not make the same mistakes. Here are the crappy things I want to forget and something positive I took from it.

I got injured (strained soleus) and had to drop out of a marathon the night before the race. I learned not to push through an injury and make things worse. I’m becoming a much smarter runner because it.

I took a manager position at the gym even though I was hesitant and nervous about how well I would do. I learned not to be afraid of taking risks or trying new things, especially when the risk isn’t life or death.

My wedding was called off. I disappointed a lot of people, including myself. I learned (and am still learning in weekly therapy) that I need to work on communication and not to be afraid to ask for help.

I didn’t qualify for Boston which was the Big Goal for 2014. <—I attribute this to the above issues, so I don’t take this one entirely to heart. Stress messed up this year. This made me realize I won’t always meet every goal I set out to accomplish, and that’s okay!

I guess I just pictured 2014 a little differently, but that’s what a New Year is for. It’s not just a time to make promises to your waistline that you can’t keep. It’s a time to reflect, adjust and focus on changes that will make you a better, happier person during the next 365 days which are sure to pass all too quickly. Enough with the sap. I promise i’m not that down about 2014.

I just needed to get the bad out so I can make room for the good stuff.

2014 PRs

2/22/14 Have A Heart Hoffman-Boston Elementary 5K 21:21. I only PR’d this one by one second, but in a 5k, seconds are everything.

The 5k!

I consecutively PR’d #9 & #10 half marathons, keeping The Streak alive! The first PR was in March at the USA Rock n’ Roll DC 1/2 (1:39:57) and I just barely squeaked in a PR during September, in the midst of marathon training and returning from injury. It happened at the Rock n’ Roll Philadelphia 1/2 1:39:25, my current PR.

And finally the marathon: 10/12/14 Chicago Bank of America Marathon 3:50:10. This is only my 2nd marathon, but with familiar territory and a 37 minute PR it was a huge boost! And even if Boston isn’t in the future yet, it’s within arms reach now. 🙂

The final count for 2014 was 1125 miles (about 56 more than last year) yet I trained well for a marathon and set PRs all year long! Super stoked that I didn’t have to increase tons of mileage to see results and still an overall PR on annual mileage!

I hit a few specific resolutions last year that I was proud to cross of the list: I ran a half marathon in between clients at work on the treadmill, I climbed and I went SUP’ping.

I’m hoping this next year will bring lots of travel and injury free running! Stay tuned for my actual resolutions in the next post!

Last Week (*i wasn’t feeling well from Wed-Sun, hence the rest.)

Monday: 5 rounds: 10 pushups, 15 Kettlebell overhead swings (20lbs), 20 TRX rows, 20 off set lunges (20lbs)

Tuesday: 4.5m easy 8:30/pace

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 5m easy 9:30/pace

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: Rest

Total Miles: 9.5

Anyone else sick over the holidays?

Tell me one resolution you completed last year!