Formulating Muscles

Ran quite a bit of these six miles.

The first three were easier than the last.  But, it's good to feel I'm running more and more. Pace is getting a little better.  I'm trying not to fixate on pace yet.  Right now, it's about getting myself up to speed with jogging.

However, it's amazing how I can feel my body adjusting... my legs... my abs.  I can't fit any better in my clothes.  And, there isn't any weight loss.  But, I can feel my muscles forming.

It's cool!

Sore

My body has been so tired all week.

Today I didn't even really try to run.  I needed to get a fast walk in, but my legs are so sore I just didn't want to push too hard.

After my morning power walk, I actually felt more energy and spent most of the day cleaning house.

Around 6 pm, I took my girls for a walk. Well, my oldest walked with my while my 8 year old rode her bike. My oldest, who is not the fastest runner either, assisted me in running three quarter mile sprints.  One of the books I read explained the benefit of regularly doing quarter mile sprints.  So, I figured I would try a few.  Trying to run fast for a quarter mile was much more exhausting than I expected.  But, I could absolutely see why it helps to increase speed overall.  It really trains the legs to move.  I guess I'll have to keep them up and add more.  It's great to have my girls join me but they do impact my pace.  I'll have to take turns doing some with them and many more without them.

r e s t

Everything I read about training, encourages rest.

And my body is sending me some signals too... especially after a night of play with Wilson Philips last night.

That's right, the famous 90's hit trio came thru town and offered me a very fun night.  Besides meeting the gals, who were gracious and kind and downright fun, I also was invited to dance with them on stage during the show.  (See below).

It was a great night.  But, perhaps I per took too much?  It's easy to see that alcohol needs to be eliminated from my diet during training.  It clearly has an impact on how I feel the next day.

Picking Up the Pace

Here you go. 

If you compare where I started this week to where I ended, you can easily see I'm starting to pick up the pace. 

I'm glad to see some improvement!!

Now, if I can just keep this focus....

Getting There

I like the routine of this three mile workout.  While I've been so very tired this week, it has been incredibly helpful to have this focus.  How can I improve my pace on three miles?  How can I run more?

Here, I did many more intervals.  My pace for mile three was 12:40. 

It's getting there!

Refocus

No idea why the sport of this is listed as "American Football."  Must have hit the wrong button.  Weird.

Ok.  Already beat my record of 3 miles at  42.50. That's what I'm going to focus on during the weekdays this week.  I'm not pushing mileage. 

My first week of training I got 20 miles in.  The second week, I got 21 miles.  That's great.  And, I need to remain focused on longer runs on the weekend.  But, I will never get thru a 20 mile long run (or 26.2) if I can't run more than 1 mile! 

I also think I may have pushed it too much too fast with the mileage.  I've been so very tired this week.

Benchmarking

I'm trying to refocus on jogging and less on mileage.  This week I'm trying to get more intervals in of walking/running. 

Got three miles in at 42.50.  Not great.  One mile was 13.43.  Starting with that.  That's the beginning benchmark.  Now, let's try to beat it.  Maybe I can get my pace up!

The Long and Winding Road

This weeks long run was painfully slow. 

I wonder if traveling took a toll on me or if it's all the things going on in my life right now. 

I need to remind myself its a slow process and I shouldn't get too frustrated with myself if I'm not see progress as fast as I'd like.

I can be impatient.  I know it.

But, let's look at this.  I'm still going out there.  Regularly.  I'm putting the time in and I will get there.  Not everyone can say they got 6 miles in today, right???

     

Twisted

I'm back from my quick trip to NYC and in need of a run.

I took Thursday off.  Completely.  No exercise.

I was staying with a dear old friend and we had a little too much to drink Wednesday night.  The idea of running Thursday morning didn't seem possible.  That's a shame, too.  I had already determined my run route in Central Park.  Knowing I never want to over do it, I decided sleep might be a better idea.

So, today I was back at it.  And, I was so slow!  Then, while I was out, I twisted my ankle.  Painful and frustrating, and caused me to end my run a little early. 

I gotta get back on track.

Big Apple

I love New York!  

I love walking this city. I always have.  A few years ago I was here for a conference and walked from 79th on the Upper West Side to Union Square at 14th to go from meeting to meeting. That's probably close to a four mile hike.  I made it within an hour and felt fine walking the city in my long, calf length, black, zip up, dress boots with at least a three inch heel. I was seeing the city and I loved it.  

Yesterday after I arrived, I walked about 7 more miles.  It's such an easy city to explore.

Today's 6 mile walk was intentionally in a different area than I usually explore. I knew I wanted to end at a coffee shop near my hotel so my challenge was to get some miles in that would lead me back there.

I've discovered that it is hard to maintain any real pace in NYC.  At least, I couldn't on the route I was on.  It was early morning but it was a work day and there were lots of people and traffic.  Meaning, I had to regularly pause for stop lights.  So, my pace was terrible!  But, it was still a great trip exploring the city. 

Good for Thinking

Three miles again in 40 minutes. 

Today, I ran mile two completely.  It was a 13:21 pace, which is terribly slow, but I'm not walking! It made me happy to know I could, at least, jog a mile now.

I'm leaving for NYC shortly and am eager to explore their city later today and tomorrow. Get some more miles in.  Plus, clear my head. There's a lot going on with me right now.  That is a great benefit of this training... it's been good for thinking.

The Cutest Little Damper

Yesterday, we added a new member to the family.  A small puppy, Coffee Bean.  He's only 12 weeks old and is a damper on my workout routine.  I'm usually up at 4:30 am and ready to roll on my routine.  This morning, this little guy heard me and started squealing for attention.  Because he's still a puppy, I couldn't just leave him.  So, I didn't get out this morning like I had hoped.  I just wanted to do a short stint.

I'll have to figure this out....

iListen

One of the best things about being out on the road each morning is getting to clear my head and escape into my music or a good book. 

I've been utilizing my road time over the last couple of weeks learning more about Steve Jobs. 

If I'm honest, I am fascinated by him.  Here's a man that during his life time he worked for Atari, started Apple, built the Macintosh, was fired from Apple, created Pixar, made Toy Story (1, 2, and 3), came back to Apple and left us with so many amazing iThings (iPod, iPhone, iPad) we use every day (and are so addicted to). 

No, he wasn't always the easiest person to work with.  And, honestly, I can't respond to his behavior.  I wasn't there.  All I know is this man was incredibly visionary and had a laser sharp focus on the ultimate product.  While he might not have known exactly what he wanted. he knew it could always be better and would not accept lower standards. 

The book is long and will take a lot of training to get through.  But, I look forward to listening to it - meaning, I look forward to training. 

Progress

Today I could tell I was running more.

My best pace was 13:36. While I'm still incredibly slow, I can feel progress today.  It's encouraging!

Maybe I can do this?

The Long Run

You're suppose to do a long run in preparation for the marathon.  At least once a week, you need to build up endurance and stamina with a longer run.

Today, I got in 5 miles with intervals of running/walking.

The distance really doesn't bother me at all.  I'm a great walker. I love to walk!

In fact, I love to walk a city. When in Paris in June, I walked 60 miles over the few days I was there.  When in NYC, I am know to walk 10-12 miles a day.  So, I am not at all concerned about going the distance.  But, I am concerned about actually being able to run any of this marathon. 

Going for 4

After taking a break from training yesterday, I am back for 4. 

My app paused at one point on my walk and missed almost a quarter mile of my walk/run.  That was frustrating!

As you can see, my average speed is still walkers pace.  But, I am still doing intervals. 

I got four miles completed within an hour.  But, I know that's going to have to change. 

Just trying to remember not to push too hard and not to be too frustrated with my progress.  I can't expect to run a 9 mile pace when I've never spent any time running!

My legs feel tight and my body is sore... all good physical signs, right?

Two More Down

Slow and tired today. 

My running high ended this morning.  I'm slow paced this morning at over 14 minutes each mile.  Felt like I could barely run at all.

Woe is me.  This 26.2 mile monster is gonna be a bitch.

My First Three Miles

Day 2 of Training.  Attempting 3 Miles.

Easing in again with a lot of walking/jogging. But, I'm pretty impressed at day 2 I did three miles in 40 minutes.  Even with lots of walking, that's a pretty good beginners pace.

And, today... I felt great all day.  If running makes me feel good like this everyday, then it's a huge reinforcement to run!

Gotta Start Somewhere

Here we go.  Day 1 of Training.

I spent a great deal of time last night reviewing websites for people with way more experience running than me.  Even when I looked for sites for "pathetic" runners, I really couldn't find anything that seemed suited for me. 

So, I got up this morning and did some time on my stationary bike first to warm myself up.  Then I tried for two miles.  Two simple miles. 

It wasn't terrible.  Everything I read said not to push too hard at first.  Ease into it.  So, I did.  Eased in with a walk/run.  Two miles in 30 minutes.  Not terrible for day one.  At least, I kept a 4 mile/hr pace.  That's a 6.2 hour marathon pace, assuming I could actually keep going for 26.2 miles.

I downloaded the endomondo app last night so I can track everything.  Will be eager to see how slow it takes me to progress. 

An Ambitious Idea

I'm 41 years old. Female. Not an athlete.

Not an athlete, but certainly no stranger to exercise.  I work out daily and have done so for years.  I'm also an incredibly determined person.  If I commit to an idea, I rarely come short of executing it.

At 7:30 pm CST I get an email from an old friend from high school titled, "An Ambitious Idea for the 3 of Us."  It's addressed to me and another friend of ours from high school. 

She's proposing we do a marathon.  She's done a couple of 1/2 Ms and 10ks but never a marathon.  Our other friend has more running experience and did a few marathons in her younger years.  The sender lives in California.  I'm in Louisiana.  Our other friend is in North Carolina.  We could all train from afar and come together for the marathon. Wouldn't this be fun?

Absolutely!  Fun.  I envision the three of us smiling and laughing together at the finish line. Fit.  Trim.  Happy. 

I reply, "I'm in," knowing I probably couldn't run one mile right now without having to stop to breathe.

The event is February 2, 2014.  26 weeks from now.  Gulp.  I'm an idiot!

I immediate begin googling "marathon training schedule for absolute beginners."