Day 135.

Another 3 miler today. I warmed up with the usual 10 minutes of Pilates, then walked 5 minutes before starting my run. I felt pretty good for most of it, with the exception of some mild "tummy troubles". I was surprised at how much more I sweat on these warmer mornings. I didn't even know that fingers could get so sweaty! I'm loving this weather, though, so no complaints from me. :) When I came home from my run, I also did workout 1 from 30 Day Shred.

Day 134.

Another sunny day, and boy what a difference it makes! It feels so good to run when the weather is nice. I warmed up with 10 minutes of Pilates, then walked for about 5 minutes before starting my run. 4 miles today. Then I cooled down with 1/4 mile walking. When I came home, I also did level 1 of the 30 minute Yoga Meltdown. My knees have been bothering me a bit the past few days. I have to go to Wal-Mart today, and I'm thinking about looking at those elastic knee supports.

Day 133.

Today it is a beautiful, sunny morning! The schedule called for 3 miles, and I actually slept in a little longer than usual. I woke up at about 6:45 and did 10 minutes of Pilates before starting out on my run. As I was getting ready to head out the door, I got a nice surprise: my husband came downstairs dressed and ready to go running with me! We walked to the park then ran 3 miles then walked home. It was fun to do it together. Then I did workout 3 from 30 Day Shred, and now he and I are both downing our protein shakes!

Day 132.

Rest day.  I just noticed on my countdown ticker that there are only 4 1/2 months to go before the big day, and only about 9 weeks before I will be doing the Pocatello 1/2 Marathon...whoa!!  That seems so soon, and I still feel so ill-prepared.  I'm thankful for a training schedule that allows me to build gradually and I'm hoping that things continue to go as well as they have for me in my training.  This week will be a bit different than the past few.  Instead of 3 - 3 mile runs and one long run, I will be doing 3 miles on Monday, then 4 on Tues., 3 again Wednesday, then only 5 on Thursday.  I will still be getting in 15 miles of running for the week, but it's kind of a "rest" week before my long run goes up to 9 miles on the following week.  I really need to get a better handle on my diet.  I think my lack of energy and soreness last week was due mostly in part to my lack of appropriate fuel, but I don't even feel that hungry most of the time.  I almost kind of feel sick to my stomach a lot, especially after working out.  I did pick up a big box of Clif (mini) energy bars, and I'm going to start eating half of a bar before my runs, then the other half afterwards, then have breakfast after that.  I think I really need the extra carbohydrates.

Recently my husband and I watched the two movies about Steve Prefontaine: 'Without Limits' and 'Prefontaine'.  We personally preferred 'Without Limits' as a movie, but they were both good and it's a very interesting story.  His determination and perseverance are such an inspiration, but it is also such a tragic story.  I would recommend these movies to anyone looking for an interesting flick about a runner whose potential for greatness was cut short.

Day 131.

This morning I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I did 50 minutes of Pilates, then when my youngest one got out of bed, I put him in his stroller and we went for a 30 minute walk.  I am feeling really good today, with no soreness in my muscles, so I'm looking forward to a good run on Monday.

Day 130.

I'm feeling better today, and not as sore as I had anticipated I would be.  We were able to go to the hot springs last evening, and even though the temperatures were still warm outside, it felt good to soak my legs.  This morning is a rest day, but since we have family staying with us, we all went to the park and walked together.  I'm hoping that I can make the next couple of days good recovery days so that I'll have a better time next week with my runs.

Day 130.

This is proving to be, by far, the biggest mental challenge I have taken on in my life.  Today was a 7.5 mile run.  I warmed up with 10 minutes of Pilates, then headed out for my run before the sun had even risen over the mountains.  I was feeling sluggish right from the get go.  I woke up with an annoyingly painful kink in my neck and shoulder, and my legs were feeling especially heavy.  The first 3 miles pretty much sucked, and I had to keep constantly aware of my self-talk.  The thoughts in my head went from 'My legs are so tired, maybe I should walk,' to 'If you walk, you are quitting,' to 'This sucks, why am I doing this to myself?' to 'You will be glad you did it when you are done...JUST DO IT!'  When I first started training for a marathon, I printed out a mantra on a piece of paper that I taped to the treadmill where I could read it every time I ran.  It says: "I am fit, I am strong, I will not stop, I am a runner."  Today was one of the first times I've had to repeat that mantra to myself over and over again.  This was the first time I felt ready for my long run to come to end.  But, I did it, I ran the whole 7.5 miles, and I'm glad I did.  When I got home I did 30 minutes of the Yoga Meltdown to help stretch out my tired muscles.  Tonight we have relatives staying with us and we're going to go to the hot springs in Lava, and I'm hoping the therapeutic waters help my body recover.

Day 129.

3 mile run today.  I warmed up with 10 minutes of Pilates, then headed out to go to the park to do my run.  At least it wasn't raining, but it was still very cold.  I can't believe it's the end of June and still in the 30's in the morning!  I felt okay during my run, except that my legs felt stiff and heavy.  When I came home I did workout 2 from the 30 Day Shred.

Day 128.

I guess I was getting a little spoiled, not having to run in the rain for a few days.  This morning was a 3 miler, and I woke up to the sound of raindrops pelting the roof.  I did 15 minutes of Pilates as a warm up, then went out to do my run.  I felt very slow again today, like I had on lead shoes.  I just pushed through, knowing that not every run will be a great one.  When I got home, I also did workout 1 from 30 Day Shred.

Day 127.

3 mile run today.  I'm so happy to get to run today; I miss it on the rest days.  We're camping, here:

...an extremely remote area in the mountains, where we saw this:

(Bear scat!)

...and this:

(One of many!)

Needless to say, I was a little bit nervous about doing my run this morning.  I had my Garmin with me, and there were some nice gravel roads around the camping area, so I figured I would just go 1.5 miles one way up the "main" road, then turn around and come back to camp.  So with my pepper spray in hand, I set out on my run.  It was cold, but the skies were so blue and it was so eerily quiet, it was a great morning for a run out in the most beautiful, serene place.  My husband and I had talked about having him pace me in the car, just in case I encountered wildlife, but when I woke up and was getting ready to head out, he was sound asleep and I just couldn't bring myself to wake him.  Thankfully, right after I had turned around at my midway point, I heard the rumble of the motor, and up over the hill he came, and then I relaxed and ran the rest of the way back to the campsite.

Day 126.

Rest day, and I definitely need it!  Happy Father's Day!

Day 125.

Cross training day.  We're camping, so I've done a lot of walking, hiking and playing with the kids.

Day 124.

This morning I woke up feeling tired.  My legs aren't sore, but I have soreness in my shoulders and neck.  I went for a 45 minute walk, then did 30 minutes of Pilates to try and relax my muscles.

Day 123.

I ran 7 miles today!  It seems like my body is learning which day to expect the long run, because I usually feel my best on that day.  I warmed up with 10 minutes of Pilates, then walked about 5 minutes before starting my run.  I felt good the whole time, with just a little tightness in my quads toward the very end of the 7 miles.  The crazy thing is that it was so cold outside that I had goosebumps that never went away, even after 7 miles of running I still felt freezing cold...in June!!  When I got home I also did 20 minutes of Yoga.

Day 122.

Another 3 miler today before tomorrow's long run of 7 miles.  I woke up with a headache, but started to feel better as I did my Pilates warm-up.  I also took some Excedrin, and I think the caffeine in there helped give me a boost.  I walked to the park to do my run.  Normally by the time I get to the park my Garmin has picked up satellite reception and is ready to go, but today it was having trouble for some reason.  So I just started the timer when I began my run, and ran for 33 minutes.  Once I had a satellite signal, my Garmin said I was going about a 10 minute mile pace, so I figured I got my 3 miles in, at least.  When I came home I also did workout 3 from Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.

So tomorrow is my weekly long run, and I've been noticing that as the mileage has increased, I have a harder time recovering during the couple of days following my long run.  I have been feeling more tired, sore and just plain yucky.  By Monday, I'm rested and ready to start my week of running again, but I'd like to figure out how to shorten/lessen my recovery.  My husband seems to think I'm not eating enough, especially on long run days.  That may be, so tomorrow I'm going to try to eat a bigger breakfast with more carbs than usual after my run and see if that helps in the following days.  Anyone out there have any suggestions on this subject...??

Day 121.

Another beautiful, sunny morning - I love it!  3 miles today, and as I said yesterday, I decided to do some hills.  I warmed up with 10 minutes of Pilates, then about 5 minutes of walking before starting my run.  For those of you familiar with the area where I live, I ran about 1.55 miles up Jackson Creek Road, and it's a killer!  It's all uphill, with a pretty steep grade, especially when you're trying to run it.  The reward is when you get to the "top" (I didn't really go all the way to the "top" of Jackson Crk., I just ran far enough to get in half of my run), then to turn around and see the view of the valley, and you get to fly back down the hill.  It's awesome, and totally worth the tough run up the hill.  When I got home from my run I felt pretty winded, though my recovery time gets shorter and shorter with each run.  I also did level 2 of the Yoga Meltdown DVD.

Day 120.

Well, I got my wish.  The sun is out today, and it was actually a little bit warmer.  Today's run was 3 miles.  I warmed up with 20 minutes of Pilates, then walked about 1/4 mile before beginning my run.  I actually went about 3.22 miles, and in slow fashion.  I'm starting to get discouraged about how slow I am, and I have to keep reminding myself that I'm doing it, at least I'm running.  I just have to keep at it and eventually my speed will increase.  I think tomorrow I'll do hills again.  When I came home from my run I also did workout 1 from 30 Day Shred.

Day 119.

Rest day.  I don't have much to say today.  I'm feeling quite depressed about the crummy weather we've been having.  I am so sick of the cold, the clouds and the rain, that it's affecting my motivation and excitement level about training.  It's all mental, and thankfully I'm driven enough to push through this crap, but it would be easier if I had something to look forward to, like a fun run on a beautiful, sunny, warm morning...

I attempted to cheer myself up this morning with a chocolate and peanut butter protein smoothie.  It helped a little.

Day 118.

Today is another cross-training day, and my plan was to get up and go for a walk and then come home and do a workout DVD.  I got up a little early, with a new purpose for my walk this morning: yesterday one of the boys in my Cub Scout den was telling me about how there have been a couple of moose lingering in their family's field recently.  This boy's house is on one of my running routes, so I got excited that I might catch a glimpse of the moose.  I love moose!  I took my small camera with me just in case, but it doesn't have a very good zoom on it, so I knew it wouldn't do much if the moose was any distance from me.  I started out on my walk, and of course it was raining.  I walked about a mile and had reached and passed the field where the moose had been sighted.  I kept going down the road I usually take, and was quite a bit past where the boy lives when I suddenly saw a huge, dark animal stand up in the middle of a grassy area and start walking around.   I could tell immediately it was a moose, even though it was a good distance away.  I snapped a picture with my camera, then turned around and ran about a mile home to grab my good camera.  (So much for no running today!)  Anyway, I drove back to the area where I saw him, but he was no where in sight.  I sat in the car on the side of the road for a few minutes, and was just getting ready to head home when he reappeared from behind some old farm buildings.  Here are some of the pictures I was able to get:

What a beautiful animal.  When I got home, I also did workout 2 from the 30 Day Shred DVD.

Day 117.

This morning I did 30 minutes of Pilates, followed by 30 minutes of cross-training.  I felt pretty tired getting out of bed, but once I got moving I felt better.

Day 116.

I ran a 10K today!  I don't know why, but always the night before my longest run of the week, I have a harder time sleeping, and last night was no exception.  I even went to bed early in the hopes of getting extra rest, but I woke up several times during the night thinking it was time to get up and go for my run!  Finally, I just got out of bed at 5:30am and did 20 minutes of Pilates, then headed outside.  And I have to say, even though I complain a lot about the cold, yucky weather we have here, we do live in one of the most beautiful places I can imagine.  I did my run up a road I've never run on before, and it was a little more hilly than I had anticipated, but I felt okay.  It is no joke that the first 3 miles are always the hardest for me, and after that I feel so much better.  The sun was out, the mountains are really green, I saw some bunnies and some deer, and I had a great run.  Here's my Garmin after I finished 6.5 miles of running (I know, a 10K is theoretically closer to 6.4 miles):

So I averaged an 11 minute mile pace, with my fastest speed being 6.9 mph, which must have been while I was coming back home, going down a hill! ;)  I'm no speed demon, that's for sure, but heck...I just ran 6.5 miles!  After my run I also did level 2 of the Yoga Meltdown.

Day 115.

One more 3 mile run today, before the long run tomorrow.  I decided to do a new route.  The first half was completely uphill, and it kicked my butt a little, but the whole way back home was a breeze.  I also did workout 1 of the 30 Day Shred.

Day 114.

Another 3 mile run today.  It's been a long time since I've been able to see my shadow while on my run, and it was fabulous!  I warmed up with 20 minutes of Pilates and 1/4 mile walking, then started my run.  After cooling down with another 1/4 mile walking, I did level 1 of the Yoga Meltdown DVD.

Day 113.

3 mile run today, and guess what?  It's raining.  Ugh.  I warmed up with 20 minutes of Pilates, then walked a few blocks before starting my run.  I felt a little slow starting out, but was getting into a good groove just as my Garmin beeped at me that I had finished the 3 miles.  After my run I did workout 3 from the 30 Day Shred.

Day 112.

Today is a rest day, and wouldn't you know it, it's sunny and supposed to be 80 degrees!  Oh, well.  I am in need of a good rest day, and I still may try to be outside and enjoy it in some way.  It's also looking to be a pretty nice week, so hopefully I'll have some good runs.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed, since it would be a pleasant change to not have any rain!

New blog header.

Like my new blog header?  I took this picture today at the park where I do some of my runs.  On the other side of the track is a row of lilac shrubs...the park smells terrific right now!

Day 111.

Another Saturday, same story as last week...cold air and rain clouds looming.  I walked for 40 minutes, since it is a "no run" day.  After my walk I did workout 2 of the Yoga Meltdown DVD.  My soreness is gone, and I feel pretty good today, other than a headache, which I think is from the high humidity we've had the past few days.

Day 110.

I am definitely feeling yesterday's run today.  My legs are sore and I feel more tired than usual.  I had to force myself to do any sort of a workout this morning, and since I'm short on time because we have Cub Scouts this morning, I did 20 minutes of Pilates, then I did workout 1 from the 30 Day Shred DVD.

Day 109.

6 mile run today, and I had so much fun!  We were camping in Utah at a state park on the north end of the Great Salt Lake.  I took paved roads around the campground and down by the water until I had reached my 6 miles.  I definitely do better on the longer runs.  My Garmin tells me my pace is slower than when I do my 3 milers, which makes sense I guess.  I think that in my mind I'm telling myself I need to go farther, and stay strong longer, so I keep my pace pretty moderate so I don't tire out too fast.  I really enjoy the long runs.

Today was also the first time I've attempted a run while wearing my hydration belt.  Since I was going six miles in an unfamiliar area and it was warmer weather than what I have been used to, I thought it was a good time to start practicing with it.  I'm glad I'm starting now, because it felt very cumbersome and awkward at first, and I think I'm going to need to make some adjustments to it, maybe add some Velcro on the straps, to make it less bothersome.  By the end of the 6 miles I was used to it, no biggie, but it does take some getting used to having that water bottle gurgling up and down, and the belt tight around my waist.

Day 108.

3 mile run today.  We're camping, so I just walked for a bit to warm up, then ran an irregular route around the roads throughout the campground/park area until my Garmin told me I had done 3 miles, then I walked back to our campsite.  It felt humid and warmer than what I've been used to, which was actually kind of nice for a change.

Day 107.

I had a hard time getting going this morning.  I woke up with a headache, a little bit of a stomachache and I could barely motivate myself to do much of a warm up before heading out for my run.  It was also cold, cloudy and sprinkling, and of course the gloomy weather is a sure mood dampener.  I knew I just had to get out the door and do it, and to make it simple, I decided to do my run on the track at the park.  I walked there, then ran 3 miles and walked about 1/2 mile as a cool down.  As any runner will tell you, you always feel better after a run, and I can attest to that today.  When I got home I did the 30 Yoga Meltdown DVD.  We're going to be attempting a family camping trip for the next few days, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that, even though there's  a thunderstorm happening right now, that by later today we'll get some clear skies and warmer weather.  Tomorrow on the schedule is another 3 mile run, then Thursday a 6 miler, and I'm actually looking forward to running a new route out in the country, especially now that I feel more safely equipped with my new, pink pepper spray.  :)