Week 20 Wrap Up and Week 21 Workout - NYC 20 MILER!!!!

Week 20 wrapped up with a 7 mile and 14 mile long runs!  Saturday's 7 miler was tough as I had not run on the road since the Xterra 15k weekend before. I was slow and legs felt like lead yet I was happy to get it done in at about a 10:00 min/mile.  Sunday heat wave was intense and doing 14 miles was going to be excruciating...I have to start really paying attention at the weather and accept that Sunday's are not a "sleep in" day anx i have to get put before the sun and run!  Though I said I was not going to make up runs I ended up doing my 14 mile long run today - Wednesday and the weather this morning was AWESOME! I got out at about 5:30am and finished at 7:45 completing the 14 miles at a 9:51 min/mile; happy to be under 10:00min/mile.

Last week's workout were all treadmill runs:

Tuesdays 35 Minute tempo at 4 miles. Goal is to get faster and do more miles in 35 minutes.
So this week shooting to do 4.25 in 35 minutes.

Wednesday 3 miles

Thursday 3 mile for pace - goal was a 7.50 min/mile at 22.5 minutes. Finished in 24.19 at 8.06 min/mile. Still shooting for under 8 min/mile so working on that today.

Week 20 looks like this:

7/20     Monday              3miles - did outdoors - blah run on not the best. Did not tackle the hills well.

7/21     Tuesday              5 X 800 3X800 (2.3 miles)

7/22     Wednesday         3 miles
7/23     Thursday              35 minute tempo 10 miles
7/24     Friday                 Rest
7/25     Saturday             7 Miles 20 Miles (Training run in NYC)
7/26     Sunday               10 Miles 35 minute Tempo (est. 4 miles)
_________________________________________________________
Total                               42 miles

So a lot of changes above I know yet looks worse than it is. Yesterday I signed up at new gym which ate into a lot of my break time ... I know I said I would do runs in the morning....still working on that. So I only had so much time and could only get in 3 of the 5X800 meter drills in.  Tomorrow I plan on doing 10 miles as on Sunday I know I would  not want to or be able to do 10 miles as will most likely head back to MD from NYC - so a 35 minute tempo run would be a great post recovery run from the 20 miler.

Got new sneakers coming in the mail as the Brooks were not bad yet they were not awesome. I will be going back to ASICS and trying out the GT 1000 3 for the next training cycle. 

The GT 1000 4 though are the ones I will be wearing for Marathon Day. I tried those on at the store and they are incredible. I am taking the 1000 3 now as they cost me 60 bucks and the 1000 4's are 100.00 - hopefully the price will go down by September when I plan on buying!

How long before your race do you purchase new sneakers? What brand are you?...I started out as ASICS girl,then Brooks, dabbled with Saucony I think one year and now ASICS...I am okay with not being loyal, I just need my feet to be happy :)

Here's to BQ'ing in 2015,
Yvonne

Wnd Wrap Up,Week 19 and Game Plan for Advanced 2 Training

Celebrated the end of Advanced 1 Training Program with the Xterra 15 K Rosaryville Trail race on Sunday. Did not realize this race is a part of a series of races for the Adventure Geek Group which specializes in hosting unpaved trail runs. This was the first run that I have done where the entire run was on trail and you are pretty much single filing it the whole way as the trail is that narrow. So in order for me to pass a runner I had to wait until there was a wide enough clearing and run really fast to get in front of them. It was pretty muddy on the trail and I fell twice!!! Yet I recovered and managed to get to the finish line.

I ended up in second place for my age division (35-39) so that was amazing - check it out at link below!

http://adventuregeekproductionsresults.weebly.com/xr-ag-15k-15.html

  The field was 92 runners and I finished in 1:40:35 at 10:48 min/mile pace! My goal time of 1:15 was shot when I realized the terrain of the course - rolling hills and valleys, rocks and mud puddles and crazy curves - race route in pink!

. The best parts where when I had to pass a stream - yes a stream - and go over a log....though I felt like I was on Survivor, the run was a lot of fun! I guess with such a crazy trail it hard to really say how many miles it is yet my garmin recorded 8.80 miles...though I really wanted my half mile (.50) to make 9.3 miles (offically 15K) I was happy to be done!

On Saturday I did 2 miles. I ended up not doing the tempo run that I wanted to make up and decided to call in my "make ups" and start fresh with Advanced 2 Schedule.

Monday through Thursday of last week I pretty much did the 3miles, 2 miles, and 4x400 called for in schedule - though I took treadmill picks I went eraser happy on my phone and accidentally erased last week treadmill pics along with the bazillion other treadmill pics I had on it...sooo...yeah!

WELCOME TO ADVANCED 2 TRAINING SCHEDULE - I am staring at week 5 on the scheudle as I only have 14 Sundays until MARATHON SUNDAY!!!! 

As to not make it confusing I will continue to count on when naming week so this week is Week19 from when I started my training on March 9! So Week 19 looks like this -

7.13      Monday         3 miles

7.14      Tuesday         35 tempo (about 4 miles)

7.15      Wednesday    3 miles

7.16      Thursday        3 mile pace (goal pace is 7:50 or 22.5 minuets) 

7.17      Friday            Rest

7.18      Saturday        7 miles

7.19      Sunday           14 miles

Total                           34 miles       





With the crazy Xterra run on Sunday (falling twice and also sort of twisting my right ankle on a rock..forgot about that) I decided not to run yesterday - Monday already missing a 3 mile scheduled run - I am okay with that.  I will not be making up missed runs and plan to do exactly what is on the schedule.  My goal is to not miss a run yet I will rest as to let my body heal and avoid injury.

Need to get my Marathon Play List started! Top 5 so far on my list are Sia - Elastic Heart, Rachel Platten - Fight Song, Shaggy - I Need Your Love, OMI - Cheeleader and Fifth Harmony - Worth It.

What songs are getting you going right now? Mines change monthly :)

What I have learned and How I have Changed

So 18 weeks ago I started my training for the Marine Corp. Marathon! My goal is to get a qualifying time for the opportunity to run the Boston Marathon. I have done the New York Marathon twice with finishing times respectively at 4:19 and 4:30 and the Santa Rosa Marathon in California with finishing time of 4:00.

I need to get a time of 3:30 or under to qualify for the Boston Marathon and this journey is all about getting this time. Using Hal Higdon's Marathon Training schedule I hope to qualify this year.

18 weeks ago I started on Advanced Marathon Training Program 1 at a average pace of around a 10:30 min/mile and I would say now I am about an average pace of a 9:30 min/mile. I need to get to about a 8:00 min/mile average pace to have a shot of achieving a qualifying time.

I started my journey this year weighing about 150 pounds and I am now 142 pounds. My goal is between 125-130. My measurements to start were 34 inches under bust, I am now at 30, 34 waist, I am now 31 1/2, 40 hips, I am now 38 1/2 inches, 25 thighs, I am now 22 and 12 inches arms, I am now 11 1/2.

I have learned that I like tempo runs the best and do well when I am counting calories. I need to be more consistent with keeping to my running schedule and pushing my pace harder to reach my pace goals. 

I have also learned I am at my best when I weight train along with my running schedule and morning runs are bliss when I can get up from my bed! Helping to that point would be to lay out my clothes for my morning runs and make sure all electronics are charged watch, phone and ipod. Also nature's music is becoming a fast hit as I can also decided to run without any electronics and still be okay.

I have learned I am better at everything else when I move and running is an amazing teacher, teaching me that patience. determination, consistency and will- will lead to reward!

Here's to BQ'ING in 2015,

Yvonne 

Weekend Wrap-up and Week 18 Finale!

It is Week 18 and the final week of Advanced Schedule 1 Marathon Training by Hal Higdon. Very excited to finish and looking forward to Advanced Schedule 2 - my official training schedule which will actually end on Marathon Day - October 25th!

It's been three and a half months since I started and will have a "what I have learned and how I have changed" blog for you on Wednesday with weight and measurements....I know I slacked off big time on those; I will be better next schedule. Yet below is a fun pic of me and Enzo on July 4th at the pool. Though rainy we managed to get in the pool for his swim class! 

I accomplished Week 17 with 6 miles on Tuesday. I did this outdoors and happy it was a early morning run. 

Wednesday I did 4 miles on Treadmill.

My 30 minute tempo run turned out to record as 25 minutes as 5 minutes into my run I hit the stop button on treadmill by mistake (I will inevitably have this happen at least one more time in my training) and had a bus to catch so I had to go...but got more minutes in as I practically ran for my bus.

Friday's rest day was not that great as I worked really late and ended up not going to bed until after midnight. I barely got up for my son's morning swim class and with on and off rain and hoping to see fireworks later that night for the 4th of July my 4 miler sadly slipped away. 

Happy to say I got to see fireworks as the rain subsided yet I had to make up the 4 miles by turning my 8 mile Sunday run into a 12 miler. I psyched myself out by running 4 miles and then resetting my Garmin when I began my 8 miles.

Both legs however where slow as lack of sleep over the weekend (also got to bed around midnight  after fireworks) took a toll and the heat and humity on Sunday (ran in the afternoon) did not help. Also not the gre at estate idea to combine these run yet really want to get the mileage in...so staying consistent still is something I must get better so doing this or missing a workout are no longer options!

Week 18 looks like this:

7.6       Monday          3 miles

7.7       Tuesday         2 miles

7.8      Wednesday    4x400

7.9      Thursday        REST

7.10      Friday           TEST

7.11     Saturday       2 miles

7.12     Sunday         Marathon 15k Xterra Race! 

So Week 18 is suppose to be the taper week we're you reduce mileage substantially and rest as your suppose to run a marathon on Sunday. Well remember I had a couple of make-up workouts to do! Here is the week I make up a 40 minute tempo run and 9 miles I believe. Will check back to see yet will make up the longer run on Thursday and do the temp run on Saturday along with the two miles!

Excited to run the Paul Mitchell Xterra 15k on Sunday here in Maryland. It is 9.3 miles and I am looking forward to having a run under race conditions.

I will start Advanced Schedule 2 next Monday, below's link is a sneak peak of the next 18 weeks!

http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51142/Marathon-Advanced-2-Training-Program

Here's to BQ'ING in 2015,

Yvonne