Freaky Friday

I love Fridays. Always have, always will (I hope). I love Fridays more than Saturdays and definitely more than Sundays. Sundays are impending gloom, Saturdays you are rushing through everything that needs to get done so you can enjoy the weekend. Fridays are all about hope and anticipation. I love it. I particularly love not having to run on Saturday mornings. I love winter running if not only because it affords me the luxury of not having to wake up at the crack of dawn to get my miles in before the sun rears its hot little head. I am running the Colon Cancer 15k this Sunday. I have never run a 15k so I will PR. That's a nice thought as I sure as hell know that it will be no sort of PR. I have not worked on speed. I have not worked on anything really, except getting myself back up to running up to 10m without feeling shitty. I suppose that's some sort of positive outcome. The More half marathon is next Sunday. Unclear how that snuck up on me, but it did. I wanted to PR this half. At the very least I wanted to PR on the course which I believe to be the same as the Manhattan half in 2009. It was 13-18 degrees that day and it was so freaking cold out!!! I doubt I will PR. Ce'st la vie.

I ran 2.75m at the gym today at 9:40-10:40 pace. I also did kettlebells for 30 min.

I'm at 210 minutes of working out for the week. Clearly Sunday will be another 100 at least... YAY for reachign my time goal!

Well I was meant to run....

I had 4m worth of hills on the calendar this am. When my alarm went off at 6:01 am I seriously groaned. As in super unhappy to be awake kind of groan.

I was super sleepy, super tired, kinda lethargic, so I settled on a solid 40 min on the elliptical (by the time I got to the gym it was 6:20 yikes!). I did 30 min with my trainer which was a solid workout. I was impressed. I did suitcase squats (think squats, but as if you have two briefcases (weights) on your sides, that you're picking up between squats (although you dont put the weights down in between)) with 25 lb kettlebells in each hand. I was very impressed I was able to do that. Right? 50 lbs is a lot for a girl? If I was doing it myself, I certainly wouldve been using 12 lb weights, MAX.

So, that's that. So far I have worked out 145 min this week, nearly 1/2 of my 300 min weekly goal. Because I know the 15k will take around 100 minutes this weekend, I have 55 left to meet my goal. I hope Saturday I can head to yoga and I intend to work out both Thursday and Friday (hey, on the biggest loser they get no breaks!!!) Bad idea? Maybe Friday I will sleep in. Who knows.

Well it was bound to happen....

I haven't had a 'bad' run in quite some time.

You know the type of run. Where your legs aren't working correctly. Where your shin, knee, ankle, thigh, hammy etc hurts in sucessive aches and pains. Where once nothing is hurting, you can't catch your breathe or your arm hits the machine and makes it hurt. Yes, that kind of run. The run that is over before you even really get started.

That was my run last night. I still managed to run/walk hills for 4m but it was majorly difficult and took most of 50 min. Embarassing as the guy next to me had been running for a bit before me but ran almost 8m in the same amount of time.

I made it to the trainer this am. Not too shabby for a Tuesday.

Weekend Update

I was wonderfully excited to be able to do my long run after work on Friday. However, I was delayed about 40 min getting out the door and only was able to run 9.3m before I had to call it a day because of dinner plans.

I was a bit bummed because I wouldve preferred to get in 11ish miles but at the end of the day, I'm running to be in shape not to break any world records so that mile isnt going to make or break me.

I slept amazingly on Friday after a wonderful dinner and wine with my boyfriend and friends. Saturday we had a great day and I made it to an hour of condititioning at a gym I had never been to (always fun). It was a great workout weekend with great weather.

This week I need to focus on my intake. I indulged quite a bit this weekend in wine and risotto and other yummy things (although I did have fish both nights and egg whites in the am's but still). The schedule:
Tonight: 4m and maybe even yoga (ambitious?)
Tomorrow: trainer in the am
Wednesday: trainer in the am, yoga in the pm
Thursday: run hills
Friday: weights/yoga
Saturday: weights/yoga
Sunday: 15k

Working out is hard to do

It really is hard to find the time to work, work out, be normal, run errands, do laundry etc. I have moaned about this before, but since I've been working a ton lately (let's repeat: A TON) its been harder and harder. PLUS I have reached a tipping point. Once I am consistently working 12+ hour days, I eat substantially more. I use breaks for eating. So now, when I'm tired and my body needs a break, it requests a snack, and me, in my zombie world, allows this. I realized this past Sunday (when I hadnt eaten in 6 hours, had walked all around town and wasnt hungry) that I am perpetually feeding the monster that is boredom/I need a break.

I intend to more conscientious of this new problem. I have gained about 7 lbs since October which is really when I started working a ton. Jan through now has been especially bad and I have had issues trying to lose a single pound.

I should also note that today I ate a glorious bagel. I do intend to run 11m tonight so I thought the 'treat' was appropriate esp given my dinner was grilled veggies. Lunch will be a salad and that will be that. My intention is to leave the office around 5 and head out for a run. I really prefer to run Friday nights (over Saturdays) for a multitude of reasons as follows:
1) You can enjoy the entire weekend if you finish your long runs Fridays
2) I can have wine at dinner Friday
3) Sleepign in Saturday is encouraged, not a problem
4) I sleep better Friday nights!
5) Did I mention, I will have the whole weekend? YIPEEEEEE

Now, just need to get out the door at 5. We have dinner resys at 8:30 so I will have to leave from the office so I brough clothes to change in- luckily we have towels and a shower in the office- as a last resort I would do Equinox too- nice showers.

I am running the MORE half in 2 weeks (as I've blabbed on and on about). In the beginner Hal Hidgeon (I think I'm def not a beginner) the longest run is 10m. In the intermediate plan, you run 12m 1x and 11m 1x, 10m 1x and 9m 1x. I have run 6m then 7.75, then almost 10, then 10.5... hmmm what to run tonight? I am looking to finish not puking, not to have this amazing race....

That time of year

It's about that time of year as the layers begin to peel off (however slowly) that I begin thinking about running. In fact, my first real race ever was the Scotland 10-k on March 31, 2008 in 1:10:17.

It's amazing to think in 3 short years how much I have accomplished. After that first race I trained myself for my first half which was Gretes Gallop in Central Park the first weekend in October in 2008 (2:20:18, my best time to date).

After that I signed up with TNT and ran my first Marathon- NJ Shore in May of 2009 (5:23:26)

I then entered the NYC lotto, got in and ran in November 2009- less than 18 months after my first 10-k!!! Pretty crazy huh? (4:59:46) What an amazing feeling that was.

Since my first 10-k I have run 24 races with NYRR and 3 marathons (2 NYC, 1 NJ Shore). I also ran a half marathon in San Diego (2:30?) Crazy times!!!

I have not run any runs since the NYC marathon last year. I consciously did not run my 9th run, as to not tempt and tease myself this year into a delusional NYC marathon entry. I want to run this summer, keep up my 1/2 marathon training but I do want to work on speed and effort and being uncomfortable. At the end of the day, I am not happy that my best half marathon time was my first. Sounds kinda crazy.

Bronx half 2010- 2:22:28
NYC half 2010- 2:26:08
Bronx half 2009- 2:27:12
Manhattan half 2009- 2:26:17

In terms of my goals for this half, I would love to beat my Manhattan half time of 2:26. That race was 'feels like below freezing' at the time which was terrible. I do think, that perhaps it wasnt a counterclockwise race as this one is.

Last week was a blur

Wow. Last week was a mailto:clusterf$%5E@!#%^! It really was.

Wednesday and Thursday were off days at the gym. Varying reasons. Wednesday was meant to be, Thursday I checked into the gym to realize I had no sneaks. Well instead of speedwork, I sped walked (get it- tee hee) to my massage. L-A-M-E

Friday I was meant to go to yoga HOWEVER I was at work from 730a-1030p so clearly there was no time fo that. Saturday I slept in a bit, went to brunch and ran almost 11miles. How proud am I? It's def not my best running, but hell, to even find the motivation after the week I had, was triumph enough. It really was. Because I had no Friday night, Saturday felt way too short. It was a bummer AND I was tired from my run. Clearly.

Sunday I really slept in- 1030! YIKES! And the stupid spring forward time change didnt help. Don't give me any of the 'isnt it nice it's light out when you leave the office?' because its NOT. I don't leave the office. I am still here and its dark. So now its dark when I enter and dark when I leave, fabulous. At least I was making headway on the dark when I enter. SCAM! I will not be happy for another month when the sun is rising pre 645 am as it well should. I made it to yoga on Sunday after a 3m power walk, again very proud of myself.

This am I made it to my trainer for MAX30 which is a great workout and really nice and quick which I like. I also hate trainers who make you do warmups and stretch-uhm that's not worth what I pay you an hour. The MAX30 is 2x a week, $100 a week. It's good. Well for me, supplementally it makes me get another hour of interval/weights so that's uber helpful.

Tonight I am maxing and relaxing solo.

Tomorrow- Up at the crack of dawn to run sprints because I have an event after work. Cocktails. YAY. Diet better be deliciously perfect tomorrow to compensate for the champy I intend to have! I won't stay out too too late.

The plan this week is to run 11-11.5 with less stops on Sat pm. We are going out Friday pm so that should be tricky. Working backwards I hope to make Friday an off day, Thursday I hope to workout with MAX30 and do cardio before. Wednesday is up for yoga. Tuesday is sprints- God help me!