Week of 4-27-08

Sunday- planned to run 3, however, son's birthday took priority and we enjoyed the day as a family.

Monday - scheduled off

Tuesday - 3 miles, easy 10:00-10:20 pace planned

Total Miles: 3.0 Avg Pace: 9:57 Avg HR: 172

Mile 1: 10:04
Mile 2: 10:02
Mile 3: 9:46

Wednesday - scheduled off

Up at 3:30, couldn't get back to sleep. Arrived at the Y for some weight-training and the Eliptical. Got home at about 6:45 and took a nice nap!


Thursday - plan 3 miles 10:00 - 10:20 pace

Friday - scheduled X-train

Saturday - plan 6 miles 11 min pace

Sunday - plan 3 miles 10:00 - 10:20 pace (Hoping to run a few laps with Rick, but we will see.)

RTW

On Thursday, I got a green light to forgo the plan for Saturday's run and try to run RTW as fast as I could.

I wondered if I could capture a new PR. I was so excited to have the chance, but as usual, wasn't quite sure of my abilities.

I set my mind to give it a shot. About an hour later, I had a major allergy attack which came from no where! Several doses of antihistamine later, the attack stopped, but the effects of the medicine began to take their toll. I had a hard time sleeping both Thursday and Friday (Holden caught my error here... took me a while, but I finally clicked to it as well) night. I didn't sleep but about 30 mins last night. It was crazy. I determined to show up regardless. I wanted to see Holden break his PR!

I parked about a mile from the start so I could get a warm-up jog in. I think that this really helped me.

I was able to nail a new PR. 26:29! Not a huge difference from my previous 26:40 PR, but one nonetheless. I will try to break 26 the next time.

Mile 1: 8:37
Mile 2: 8:43
Mile 3: 8:29
.1: :39 (7:20 pace)

Avg Pace: 8:34 Avg HR: 195

I totaled 5.25 miles today with my warm-up and cool down. Pace for those miles were 10:31 and 10:48 respectively.

Congratulations to Holden on his new PR. I am so excited for him!!

I also had the opportunity to finally meet Mr. Jim Braden. He is a very kind man and an awesome athlete. He blew past me with no problem!

Week of 4-20-08

Going to try something new. I will post my plan for the week and then update as completed.


Sunday -
Total Miles: 3.0 miles Avg Pace; 11:36/mile Avg HR 150

Mile 1: 11:36
Mile 2: 11:46
Mile 3: 11:25

This was supposed to be a 12:00/pace, however, I could not seem to reach that pace. Hannah hurt her foot on this run. Not sure if she got stung or what, but she would not run afterwards and has been limping around all day. If she isn't better by tomorrow, I may need to take her to the vet.

Monday- X-train - Core workout with weights

Tuesday - 3 miles @ 11:00- 11:30 pace

Total Miles: 3.28 Avg Pace: 10:52 Avg HR: 166

Mile 1: 10:58
Mile 2: 10:50
Mile 3: 10:58
Mile .28: 10:23

The big H is back... Humidity! yuck

Wednesday - X-train - Slacker... Didn't do much in the way of training, but I did get some laundry put away!

Thursday - 3 miles @ 11:00-11:30 pace

Total Miles: 4.1 Avg Pace: 11:01 Avg HR: 167

Mile 1: 11:10
Mile 2: 10:47
Mile 3: 11:13
Mile 4: 10:55

I had a little energy snack before my run, Nutter Butters!! I think they are healthy... after all, they contain peanut butter, right?


Friday - rest

Saturday - 6 miles @ 11:00-11:30 pace


Did RTW and made a new PR!


Sunday - 3 miles @ 12:00 pace Foo's bday, no run.

Want and Need

I NEEDED this run today! I was only supposed to run 4, but I was disobedient and ran almost 6. Believe me, I needed to...


Total Time: 1:04:30 Avg Pace: 11:20 Avg HR: 158

Mile 1: 11:20
Mile 2: 10:46 (very bad with keeping my pace)
Mile 3: 11:39 (Nature Trail)
Mile 4: 12:08
Mile 5: 11:01 (back on pathway)
Mile: .69: 10:57 pace


I'll do better tomorrow, Bill.

Thursday's Run

Didn't quite make Thursday's run as my plate was overloaded. I did get a run in today.

Still working in recovery mode.

Total Miles 4.04 (was supposed to be 3, but well, it is SO NICE outside!!)
Avg Pace: 11:23
Avg HR: 158

Mile 1: 11:09
Mile 2: 11:04
Mile 3: 11:41 (realized I was running faster than my scheduled pace and then slowed down too much!)
Mile 4.04: 11:20

Foo rode his bike beside me. Gave us a nice time to chat and enjoy the day.

I didn't get to attend the Seven Hills Meeting last night. I am not missing the next one!

Tuesday's Run

Lem rode her bike alongside me for my 3 miles today.

I was attempting to keep an 11:30 pace. I came in at 3.6 miles, avg. pace of 11:23. Not too bad.

My head was wanting more, but my legs were happy with the planned run.

This weather has been just heavenly. Whenever the real Houston weather decides to show up, I am gonna die...

Slow and Easy Run

I have been anxious to get back to running since this weekend and today was the day. As much as my head and heart wanted to enjoy a wonderful run, my legs were not as willing to cooperate. I suppose that is to be expected after my first 50K. I know that there will be many other runs that will feel much better. For now, I will continue to recover and enjoy the down time with my kiddos.

Speaking of the kiddos, Marathoner in Training tagged me for this little game. It is called

"Six Word Memoir"
Here are the rules:
1) Write your own six word memoir
2) Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want
3) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere
4) Tag at least five more blogs with links
5) Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

My Family is my Sole Inspiration!
As the title of my blog states, I began my quest for healthy living for my kids. I have watched those I love battle with health issues of all sorts. After losing my mom to heart and lung disease, I made the decision to be as healthy as I can so that I can live long enough to watch each of my children raise their children and maybe even their grandchildren. I don't know how long God will allow me to stay with my family, but for however long it is, I want to be as healthy as possible. I want to be as engaged in life as possible. I want to be someone that my children look up to at some point.

While I continue to run for these reasons, I also run because I have fallen in love with it. Who knew that in a quest to live a healthier life, I would meet some of the best people around. Who knew that I would take on challenges that I never could have imagined myself completing. A marathon? A 50K? Those were never terms that I would have seen in my life. So in my attempts to become the healthiest physical me that I can be, I believe I have become the healthiest me all-around. I am not so afraid of things anymore. I am not as negative about things. I have more of a "Let's Roll!" attitude and firmly believe that I can do just about anything that I put my mind to.

I have learned much about myself, including how to be gentle with myself when my body needs me to be, when my mind is wanting to go forward and my body is holding it back. When my mind doubts my ability and my body pushes through. It is a wonderful experience and one I wish that all could have, especially those whom are my sole inspiration.

I am tagging Katy, Laura, Cindy, Edwin, Adrienne, Holden, Barbara, and Cassie.

So much for teamwork

So glad none of my TIR teammates are named Marion Jones!

Hog's Hunt 50K Race Report

Prepare yourself... this is a long post...


The day began at 4:00 am, my usual rising time for long runs or race days. I had prepared my bag the night before, so all that was required of me was a shower, eating, and trying to get some fluids in before we headed up to Huntsville.

I ate a breakfast consisting of yogurt over some Go Lean Crunch, mixed with strawberries. It hit the spot and seemed to get me to the start line ok, but I was hungry right as we were about the start the race.

Mark drove me over to Pete's house and Pete, Richard and I drove up to Huntsville in plenty of time for the 7 am. start. Several great folks came out early to see us off. Most of them were running the 25K, so I really appreciated the well-wishers and extra encouragement.

I was able to meet Tommy's son, Jakeb. What a nice young man! I also saw Liz and Sara from Woodlands Fit. I saw Ken and Katy from the Seven Hills group. They were both running the 50K as well. Katy looked about as nervous as I felt. I really, honestly, did not feel like I had any business even attempting the 50K, but there I was. I figured I would either make it or I wouldn't and if I didn't at least I would get my first DNF out of the way.

It could not have been a more glorious morning to run. The temps were perfect, the humidity was low. We started off down the Park Road and then headed into the woods. I felt strangely at home even though I had only run at the park twice. It reminds me of home, and knowing that Mom is there now too, I guess I should not have been surprised that I felt so comfortable.

The trails were not too muddy. They seemed to have drain well from the previous day's rainfall. Pete and I committed to running this thing together and I was convinced I would have to wave him on at some point. I had not run anything longer than 13 miles since the Houston Marathon save for TIR which was 18 miles over 2 days. Remarkably, I felt good.

We kept our pace slow deciding to walk the uphills from the beginning. It was hard to do this as I felt strong enough to run them, but I kept hearing Bill's voice in my head and decided to heed his advice.

I didn't use my mp3 player at all. The first loop. It was just not needed. The beautiful sounds of God's creation filled the air and I was blessed to be there soaking it in. We hit 10 miles before I realized it. I felt just as good then as I did at the start.

Pete and I both had on our TIR shirts and we received lots of comments about TIR. It is a great looking shirt and obviously, it stirs up a lot of good memories for many folks out there! At each aid station, people mentioned something about TIR to us. Many of the runners passing us each way said things. "What team were you on?" "Are you registered for next year?" "Wasn't that the best race ever?!"

I was trying very hard to stick to a nutrition plan that I had put together with the advice from Rick. I even wrote the plan on my little baggie so that I wouldn't forget it. I tend to forget lots of things when I am running. I had supplied two bags with what I thought I needed for each loop. The plan was to switch out the first baggie with the second one when we came into the Lodge at 15.5 miles. I knew that I would be too scatter-brained to count out stuff, determine how many of whatever I needed. This worked very well for me. Not only did I feel well prepared nutrition-wise, I also have a record of what I actually used on each loop. Whatever remained in the bag I counted and made note of it for the next longer race I do.

As Pete and I came into the last aid station before the Lodge, we were over taken by the 25K folks. We were 2:17 into this run and these guys started an hour behind us and still ran us down. Incredible athletes, incredible. I saw Adrienne and wished her well. We were pretty sure she was going to take First Female and she did. That young lady is going to blow some records away... just watch.

As we came into the Lodge, I saw Beth and Carmen. They were cheering us on. I still felt great, but I knew I should have stopped for the restroom. I didn't, and I regretted it almost immediately. Pete reminded me that we could stop at the Nature Center. We did. It added a few minutes on, but I am so glad I stopped.

I felt like I had just warmed up a bit on the first loop, so as we headed back into the woods, it was as if we were heading in the first time. I felt pretty strong and hoped that this would hold for the remainder of the race. I still wondered if my body would not give out when I least expected it.

As we got to mile 20, I recalled how I felt at the Houston Marathon. I felt totally drained. I didn't think I was going to make it. But I chugged along because I knew Lem was going to be waiting for me at the 25th mile to run in with me. This day, as I hit 25, I felt stronger than I had all day. I think I picked up the pace, maybe a bit too much for Pete as I kept getting too far ahead of him. He led us most of the time on the first loop and I was close behind him. I was taking the lead on the second loop and tended to get a bit too far ahead. I made myself slow down so as to not burn out before the end. I put a bit of slow music on to slow me down as well.

At one point, I came across a Coral Snake. I didn't scream, just lightly tip-toed to the side. I was very proud of myself for not screaming like a girl. I usually do...

As we came in to the Electrical wires, Pete and I picked up the pace quite a bit. As soon as we could see the finish I egged him on with, "I'll race ya!" We tore butt across the finish and high-fived each other! Honestly, I think I could have gone further. I don't know how much further, but maybe another 10 miles or so.

I am sure the wonderful weather had a lot to do with how good I felt during this race. I had been praying all week for just one more cool front. God answered and He answered big. It was so wonderful.


The only real problem I had was the continual problem that I have with my hands swelling. My fingers looked like sausages. I had to actually loosen my watch in the last few miles because my wrist was swelling as well. I can't figure out why this happens. I drank plenty of fluids, either Accelerade, Heed, Nuun, or Powerade. I took the Succeed caps. Maybe it has to do with my arm position when running?

Here are my splits for the run.

Total time: 6:39:37 Avg Pace: 13:01 Avg HR 158!! (It's never been that low!)

Mile 1: 9:58

Mile 2: 10:32

Mile 3: 11:10

Mile 4: 10:08

Mile 5: 11:10 Aid Station

Mile 6: 10:43

Mile 7: 12:29

Mile 8: 12:02 Aid Station

Mile 9: 12:13

Mile 10: 11:51

Mile 11: 14:01

Mile 12: 11:04

Mile 13: 13:10 Aid Station

Mile 14: 12:19

Mile 15: 11:58

Mile 16: 11:52 Turn Around

Mile 17: 13:58 (nature center stop)

Mile 18: 13:01

Mile 19: 12:24

Mile 20: 14:11 (aid station)

Mile 21: 13:02

Mile 22: 13:27

Mile 23: 12:36

Mile 24: 15:20 (this may have been where Pete had a leg cramp)

Mile 25: 13:11

Mile 26: 14:04 (aid station)

Mile 27: 13:32

Mile 28: 12:00

Mile 29: 14:30

Mile 30: 12:54

Mile 31ish: 10:48/pace (.71 Miles)

Hog's Hunt 50K

Not only did I finish, but I finished uninjured, and feeling great!

Since I was using my new Garmin, I had forgotten to reset it for splits and couldn't figure it out this morning.

My one lap was 30.69 miles; Avg Pace 13:01; Avg HR 158

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day. Incredible. I will post a more detailed race report later.

Congratulations to all of my TIR team and other friends that ran today! Adrienne (1st woman 25K), Katy (awesome finish time for her first 50K and can now claim her Marathon Jacket!) Tommy, his son, Jakeb, Liz, Ruth, Pete, Richard and I am sure that there were more, but I can't recall them right now.

Garmin Update

Following up on my post from last week. You can read it here.

I received my Garmin today, just as promised. What is so incredible is that they replaced my Garmin with a new one. Brand-spanking new. No questions asked, even though I was technically out of warranty, they stood by their product and their customer and did the right thing.

Thank you, Garmin. Now that's how to keep a customer happy!

Three days in one post

I haven't had time to post my runs each day, so I thought I'd just post them all at once tonight.

Sunday - ran 10 miles at a 9:20 pace

Monday - I was able to get up early and get a good 15 miler in, pace a bit off at 9:30.

Today - I decided this was my last opportunity to get a long run in for the week before Hog's Hunt on Saturday. I ran to meet the Trail Group at Forest Gate, ran with them for a total of 6 miles, and then added another 10 on for good measure. Pace: 9:25.

Looking forward to Saturday!!