REVAMPED: Week 8: Friday - Rest Day (Catching up)

Soooooo, wow, it feels like ages since I have blogged about my journey to Boston Qualify and hopefully enter the 2015 Boston Marathon!  I have decided that going forward I will write the activity called upon from Hal Hidgon's training schedule to keep it front of mind; e.g. Friday - Rest day!  (which technically is today yet I will be doing my 5 miles today as I did not do it on Tuesday due to Husband's birthday! - I am still a work in progress and yes I know I have to stick to schedule and will continue to try :) )and the correlating week which I am on.

These past few days have been met with hit and misses and weather conditions have not been ideal for outdoor running and other issues that I have to seriously get a handle on....such as cutting out for my lunch to go run and earmarking time out during the weekends to complete my workouts. I hate leaving my son to workout and its definitely hard putting running infront of him yet I know that once I firmly ink in my time to run...such at 7am to 9am Sunday - Long Run...I wont feel so bad as once I have accomplished it I have the rest of the day to be with him and won't feel like crap for not completing my workout.

So to back track, two weekends ago Saturday and Sunday before MLK, on Saturday I did do 3 miles at the gym yet don't have a picture to show for it.  The Sunday before MLK birthday - I did not head out for the 8 mile and I am definitely behind in my long runs. The week of MLK was wacky! and I should really do week 7 over again.  I did manage to on Saturday the 40 minute fartek on the treadmill yet started out really slow - I had to stop and restart after 10 minutes and the below picture is my last 30 minutes of the run.

On January 27th, Monday, I did 3 miles at the gym.  I felt like though I have missed alot of workout the time that I had put in was showing as I was able to accomplish the 3 miles at a 9:30min/mile.

January 28th was husband's birthday and I just did not want to do a lunchtime workout as we went out for dinner that night!  Probably one of my first real legitimate excuses to switch out a workout and I will be make up my 5 miles today (Friday, January 31 - rest day:)

On Wednesday January 29th I was to do 6x400 - this is really track work and should be done on a track. Yet since I have not found a track I do this on the treadmill. Since I missed last Wednesday's first legitimate track workout I ended up doing 6x200 on treadmill.  200 is equated to the first quarter mile or up to .12 miles on the treadmill while 400 is equated to .25 on treadmill - well that is how I do it as there are about 1600 meters in a miles.  So on Wednesday I ran at race pace (8.34min/mile) up to 6 times for every quarter mile.

Yesterday called for 3 miles and I just did not do it - issue - did not want to deal with the gym at lunch and after seeing Enzo last night, could not tear myself away from him when I got home - (work in progress) absolutely no excuse for this! :(

Every workout should piggyback the next and I am only get minimal results since I have not been as consistent as I have wanted to be.  I almost want to start again yet will keep pushing though as I know I am strong enough to complete the remaining weeks.

Goal from here on in is to make sure to stick to schedule --- that is it - only goal is to STICK TO SCHEDULE....SO SIMPLE YET SO LOADED .... 

In transformation,

Yvonne

Days 41 - 46 - Buckling down and Settling In

Ending week 5 and in the middle of week 6; I have to come to terms that "play time" is over.  I really have start getting more "on" day than "off" days.  Yest I have a job and family and baby and bills, yet the beauty and beast about training for a marathon is simply that none of that matters and to Boston Qualify - nothing trumps running.  That's that hard and fast rule that I just don't seem to want to come to terms with.  I guess that why it a challenge as you must give stuff up to receive what you want; its not going to come easy.

So last Friday I did not make up Monday's 3 miles and realize that the days of "making up" must come to an end" - hence why play time is over and I MUST stick to the schedule and not revert back to my old way. 

On Saturday I did do the 35 minute tempo run on the treadmill. Was able to do 3.4 miles. I varied my pace though as I just could not keep a pace for all 35 minutes and had to start of slow and work my speed up - consequence for not running the day before!  I was able to get to about a 8:30 to 9 minutes pace by the end of the workout. 

Sunday was a bust and I did not do the required 8 miles. Though I am not making up any more, I will do the 8 miles this Sunday as schedule calls for me to run a 5k at race pace and I am just not ready for that.

Monday's 3 miles were of course done on Tuesday as everything that could go wrong on Monday did go wrong on Monday....left my sneakers at home....got into work late....yadayadayadayada! So 3 miles were done on treadmill on Tuesday night (actually got out of the house yet precious time spent away from Enzo and I came to conclusion that all workout should not be done during my lunch break if I can swing it!)  and of course Tuesdays 5 miles were done on Wednesday at lunch break. I am glad though as I was able to run outside during my lunch break and it was great running weather!

I am happy with the 10:30 min/mile for this 5 mile run as this particular stretch was a good mix of flat and hilly terrain which made for a great workout.

I am still grateful no matter what that I am able to at least get out and run yet the time has come to step up my game a notch as I am tired of writing and you are tired of reading that I am missing workouts!  Stepping it a notch....or two! So game plan is Wednesday's 5 hills are being done today at lunch. Nice day outside though to go up a steep hill 5 times fast :)  Resting tomorrow! 3 miles for Saturday though it calls for a rest day....as I am suppose to do a 5k race on Sunday which I am not and then 8 miles on Sunday.  So off schedule yet the consistency will allow me to go into week 7 strong!

In transformation,

Yvonne

	Start somewhere today. Don't put it off. You can do something, no matter how "small" you think it is in terms of your long-term goal. Every step you take is one you'll be thankful for when you get there. Remember: You're lapping everyone who's still on the couch. Caressa Sharp A stylized version of this quote is available here. Download it today and share some motivation with your friends. Want more? Visit runnersworld.com/quotes.
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Days 36 - 40 Sanctuary Explained and Lunch Time Workout!

Week 5  and I am still trying to get accurate consistency going with my training....to me this means following the schedule exactly.  Thus far as you have noticed, I have skipped workout days, combined two workouts in one and have not stuck to the schedule.  My goal has been to do workouts on schedule, yet I am still striving to get there and balance life and training.

Monday and Tuesday workouts did not happen.  Why???? well I have no excuse and the answer is I just did not want to do them.....THIS IS NOT GOOD.  I did not put running up above other priorities and it did not get done.  So Wednesday I got to work and told myself that I was going to the gym today during lunch breah....and I did - this being the first lunch break gym workout in months.

I ended up doing Tuesday's workout on Wednesday (seriously will shoot to get better at this) which called for 5 miles.  I contemplated when I would get my Wednesday Hill workout (5 x hills) in and as I write this it is looking as if I will do it on Saturday morning along with my Saturday workout. So I ended up  doing 5 miles on the treadmill during lunch.

I am thankful to have a job that I can take about an hour  and half now and then to do such long workouts :)

 So this took me close to an hour to complete - the goal was to just get it done and I was able to run through it all yet varying my pace between 10min/mile and 8:30min/mile.

On Thursday I did stick to schedule and did 3 miles again on the treadmill. I ended up doing this at night after coming home from work.  This was hard, as this was also the first workout done after coming home from the JOB, seeing and feeding my bubbly baby, then having to change and drive to the gym....HARD! Yet I know that evening workouts will be necessary and I am glad I accomplished getting out of the house.

 I am happy with my time on this as I finish within about 30 minutes. 

For this workout I ended up doing the "random" setting in where the treadmill varied my incline.  I feel this setting mimics an outdoor feel nicely.

Monday's 3 miles is set to be done on Friday, which of course is my official rest day as technically I rested on Monday.

In my last blog I wrote that running is my sanctuary yet I did not really explain what I meant. I would like to communicate more clearly and think this would be a great way to begin. Sanctuary is defined as a place of safety, refuge, or a holy place. In this place you feel safe and protected.  When I run, I don't begin in this place - I have to work to get to this place where I feel safe and protected from the harshness of reality. 

The work comes through as running past the aches, running past doubt, running past any sadness or obstacles that I am facing, any pain emotionally that I am feeling and arriving at my sanctuary where hope and positivity reign.  Where my obstacles no longer seem so big. When my body enjoys the act of running and feel no aches or pains....some call this "runner's high" and the feeling that I am go and accomplish anything -that I am strong and happy.

I don't feel this every time I run yet most of the time I do, especially when I run to achieve a certain milestone as I exert more energy then just to run in a comfortable state and as I ramp up more mileage  per training session.

I want to go to my sanctuary more times than not so I normally run with the notion that when it gets to comfortable, its time to increase my pace! I try not to stay too comfortable for to long....seems weird yet I know that is how I get to my sanctuary - by being in a comfortable state of mind while my  body is uncomfortable - my way of getting to the finish line in a marathon!  I hope I explained clearly my running sanctuary.

In transformation,

Yvonne

In running, every step you make and every push forward changes you - it transforms you into a different person. Every single run adds something to you and then it also takes something away. You are not the same person you have been at the starting line and by the time you come to the finish your inner self has been reinvented and reimagined. "The Zen of Running: The Path to Completeness", meanrat.com

Days 29-35 - Mind over Matter

Repeat of week 4 of my training schedule started of EXTREMELY rocky!  With New Years Eve, New Years, going back to work after maternity leave and my mother moving in with me to watch Enzo for the next 2 months....running was NOT on my mind.

On Saturday though I woke up and realized, I have 8 months until my marathon!  I decided to go ahead and do Saturday's workout which was a 35 minute fartlek...steady run with burst of speeds.  I decided to run for 5 minutes and and do a speed interval for 1 minute on the treadmill.

 On Sunday my week for schedule called for a 6 mile run yet I ended up doing 7 as penalty for not being able to run the past couple of day. (Actually week 4 did call for me to do 7 miles! So I did not suffer doing an extra mile)   Oh yeah I forgot to add that  a snow storm with bitter cold winds is running its course on the East Coast so I ended up doing my run on the treadmill.

I completed the 7 miles in hour and 17 minutes.  I felt great and was really able to unload a lot of my anxieties on the treadmill yesterday with leaving Enzo and heading back to work as the biggest tug on my heart and I am happy that I am back at work and providing for my family.

As I write this I am at work, I owe myself 3 miles today as I begin week 5.  This has so far been an incredible journey of training a I now balance being a first time mom, along with being a wife, working and being a daughter with my mom so close to me now.  I realize that my  mornings may need to now start at 4am....eeekkk!!!

Training is definitely tougher this time around yet I find sanctuary in running amongst the most difficult of times and I know that with continued consistency running will get easier and become more natural and I am hoping that finding the time to run will become easier as well as I set my mind over my matters and place running higher everyday on my priority list!

In transformation,

Yvonne