Cross-training day.

This morning I did a varied workout.  I started out with 30 minutes on the elliptical, then I moved on to the treadmill.  I did 25 minutes, walking for 5 minutes, then pushing the pace up to a sprint for 1 minute, then back to walking for 5 minutes, repeated 4 times.  Then I got back on the elliptical and did a different 30 minute program on there.  Starting this week I've had to switch up my schedule again, because my husband's work schedule has changed which are his days off.  So now, he is off Tue - Thurs, and he works on Saturdays, which means I need to change which day I do my long run.  Thursday will now be my long run day, at least until his schedule changes again.  :)  That means that tomorrow I will be doing a 14 miler, and for some reason it doesn't quite feel like enough recovery time since my 20 miles last Saturday, but I'm actually feeling pretty good physically, so I think it will be fine.

4 miles, then retreat.

This morning I woke up sore and stiff, and I have two toenails that are hurting bad since my long run a few days ago, but I was determined to get out there for my run and keep a positive attitude.  Then I looked out the window and saw this...

Okay, no problem.  I strapped on my YakTrax and hit the road.  I thought maybe it would be refreshing to run in the snow, that is until the wind started blowing and the snow that was falling turned into ice pellets pelting me in the face.  I made it four miles, then I decided to call it good and go home.  I mean, being positive is great and all, but let's face it...running in this stuff sucks.  I am so ready for warmer weather.  Ugh.  When I got home I did a 45 minute Pilates/Yoga blend DVD.  Now I'm going to go do an ice bath ~ thank you, Rebecca!  ;)



6 miles, and my legs are so mad.

I have been very sore since my 20 miler on Saturday.  Yesterday I could barely walk up and down the stairs, my quads were hurting so much.  I wasn't too sure how this morning's run would go, but I did 10 minutes of Yoga stretches before heading to the park.  I really had to push myself at first, but once I got going I didn't notice the soreness any more.  After the 6 miles, I came home and did 15 minutes of Pilates.

20 miles!!

Today's run was mostly possible because of my dutiful and loving husband.  I woke up around 5:45am, ate 1/2 a banana and a breakfast bar, took some Excedrin, did 10 minutes of Yoga, then 5 minutes on the elliptical.  After all of that, I woke up my husband who drove me up the canyon so I could start my 20 mile run at the top of Buckskin Road, where the Pocatello Marathon route begins.  The first 10 miles were glorious: no walking breaks, the sun coming up over the mountains, 35 degrees, no sounds but the birds chirping and my music playing - I felt really good.  At the halfway point, I decided I needed to remove my jacket, so I stopped for about 1-2 minutes while I rearranged my various gear and tied my jacket around my waist.  I started to run again, but by miles 12-13, the weather had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.  The wind started howling, and I started to feel a few snow flurries.  I stopped again to put my jacket back on, then resumed running.  From then on out, I did take a few more walking breaks, a couple of times due to extreme fatigue in my leg muscles, once because I was feeling a little bit like I might faint and decided I'd better drink some of my hydration/electrolyte drink, and a couple more times because of the crazy, strong wind.  When I had a little less than 4 miles to go, I called my husband and told him what time and where to pick me up, then I just tried to run as much as I could the rest of the way.  My husband came a few minutes earlier than I had expected, so when he picked me up I was at 19 miles.  We went into town and had something to eat at IHOP with the kids, then when we came home about an hour later, I jumped on the treadmill and did another mile - I had to reach that 20 mile mark!  I was actually quite glad Chris "rescued" me a mile short, because the cold wind was just about to do me in, and doing that last mile on the treadmill felt much more refreshing.  Now I look forward to relaxing the rest of the day away - especially since it's still snowing outside.

Rest day.

This morning I woke up and did 45 minutes of Yoga.  No cardio today, since I want to be fully rested and ready for tomorrow's 20 mile long run.  :)

4 miles.

Like I said, an easy short run of 4 miles today.  I went to the park for my run.  This time I put an extra layer on Nicolas so he wouldn't get cold, and he fell asleep and slept the whole time!  When I got home I did some simple stretches, and now I have to head into town to pick up some things for Cub Scouts tomorrow.

Mid-week workout.

This morning I did a little cross training.  I started out with 35 minutes of Pilates, then I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and finally 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill at an incline.  I have one more short run this week, a four miler which I will do tomorrow, then I get a rest day before my big 20 mile long run on Saturday.  Looking forward to it.

Guest blogger article...

I've recently had my first opportunity to be a guest blogger!  Go read my post on www.acehealth.org and be sure and leave your comments so I know what you think.  Thanks to Bob Mauer and his blog Diet, Wellness, and Nutrition Journal for giving me the opportunity to share some of my thoughts.  Also, check out the link on the right of this page for a list of cholesterol lowering foods ~ good stuff!  Happy running!  :)

5 miles...and then some.

My schedule for today called for a 7 mile run.  It wasn't raining, which was nice, and the temperature was right around 40, so I wrapped Nick up in a blanket and hat and off we went to the park.  Starting at around 4 miles, Nick started to complain he was cold.  It was pretty windy, and I think that's what was bothering him because to me, 40 degrees is the perfect running temperature.  Anyway, by the time I got to about 5 miles, I was feeling bad that he was still saying he was cold, so I headed back home.  I got on the treadmill and did a 30 minute interval run to make up the difference, and then I also did 40 minutes on the elliptical.  To cool down I did 10 minutes of Yoga.

5 mile rain-run.

Here we are, my boy and I, after our wet 5 miler this morning.  He stayed nice and dry under the canopy of his jogger, but me...not so much.  Still, a good run.  I warmed up with 10 minutes of Yoga before heading out, ran 5 miles at the park then did Jillian Michael's 30 minute Yoga Meltdown DVD after my run.  This week I will be on my own with Nick for all of my runs, except my long run on Saturday.  Here's to hoping the rain goes away...honestly, I'm not too optimistic because the forecast looks pretty wet for the next few days. So we'll call it good training for race day unpredictability