Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Spring Training: Week 12

Spring Training posts document my training for the Run the Bluegrass Half Marathon on March 30 and my "A" race, the Wisconsin Marathon half, on May 4.

The week, in training:

Monday: Crunch "Fat Burning Yoga"
Tuesday: 5 miles + BODYPUMP (taught)
Wednesday: 4 miles, intervals
Thursday: 5 miles + Jillian Michaels' "Killer Abs," level one
Friday: Piloxing
Saturday: BODYPUMP (taught) + 8.18-mile run
Sunday: Jillian Michael's "Yoga Meltdown," level one

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It's the final countdown. Five days till I toe the line at Run the Bluegrass. Five days till I gauge my fitness for the Wisconsin half marathon. Five days till I sink my teeth into a big ole Sweet & Sassy Redhead cupcake.

Don't hate - a girl's gotta have something to look forward to! And, after five days of no sugar, that cupcake sounds mighty good.

Anyway, it would seem natural in a post five days out from a half-marathon to share my goals for the race but I haven't really got any besides the basic things - run strong, have fun, don't puke at the finish. I'm really just using this as a supported training run with a beautiful break in scenery that offers the opportunity to eat Southern fare and goetta.

Instead, I'll share with you 13.1 notes about my training in honor of the 13.1 miles I'll be running.

1. I've never been more thankful for Netflix streaming than I have this winter as I have relied on it for entertainment on my treadmill runs. I've watched "Downton Abbey" (not very conducive to a sweat session), "LOST," "The Peacemaker" and, last week, "Psycho." We watched the pilot for "Bates Motel" (so good) and I wanted to get the back story. Or the front story. Whatev.

2. I will listen to music, occasionally, on the treadmill. My favorite songs right now are Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" and "Don't You Worry Child" from Swedish House Mafia. However, I mostly listen to Pandora's Cardio Dance Channel

3. Despite logging a lot of miles on the treadmill, I have been outside about half the time - or more - and I have to say this winter stunk for running. We might not have had a lot of snow (during actual winter) but I don't remember a colder or windier or just plain blustier winter in some time.

4. After eating Swedish fish throughout my marathon training, I've returned to more traditional fueling sources. I've had Honey Stinger Chews, Sport Beans and Shot Bloks. I'm the biggest fan of Shot Bloks, and I have a pack of tropical punch for the race.

5. The one thing that has been off is my hydration. I hate carrying water when it's cold outside, even with a handheld. The water freezes up and my hand is cold and the bottle throws off my balance. Unless Mark joins me with the stroller for 4 miles or I do loops, I have been guilty of doing long runs sans hydration. I definitely need to step up in this department and get things straight for Wisconsin.

6. I have made it through the plan without having to buy new shoes but my Nike Structure Triax now have 400+ miles on them, and I can tell they are ready to go. I'll be hitting the running store for some new kicks next week.

7. I also wear a pair of Nike Lunarfly 3's for lighter runs. Just so you know.

8. I always thought of myself as a 4-day-a-week runner, and I'm beginning to think that I'm more of a 5-day-a-week runner. I really like hitting higher mileage and combining a short run with some longer stretching or plyo workout .

9. Despite going to five days of running, it is still my rule not to run more than three days in a row. Hence why I only ran four times this week.

10. I have not pushed the stroller once during this training cycle. If I do a loop with the boys, Mark is a gentleman and volunteers for BOB duty. (Truth be told, I don't think he wants to deal with Denali pulling.)

11. I'm fairly certain that I have not lost a single toenail this cycle, which is incredible. I am not going to rule it out after the race, though.

12. I had been worried that I would have to give up dairy during this training cycle as I did during marathon training but everything seems to be OK. I've only had one incident, and it was after eating eggs pre-run. Not smart. Not smart at all.

13. And another thing I haven't done? I haven' intentionally carb-loaded for long runs. I probably eat enough carbs on a daily basis that I don't need to make a conscious effort to eat more.

13.1. I love running even when I don't like, and I feel blessed and thankful that I can do it.

Let's do this!

13 comments:

  1. That is a hefty workout weeK my friend! I don't know that I could go from a run to Bodypump without snapping something. Have great races! Can't wait to see you in WI!

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    1. I rarely go straight from running to BP or vice versa. I usually do one workout in the a.m. and one in the p.m. I did throw myself for a loop Saturday, teaching at 9 a.m. then running at 1 p.m. Talk about tired legs!

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  2. Wooohooo it's race week!! I'm so excited for you and can't wait to hear/read all about it! I suck at hydration too and NEVER run with water or even have it on the treadmill during long runs. Problems problems.

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    1. So glad I'm not alone! I do water on the treadmill, mostly because I sweat like a [insert inappropriate pun here]. I do hate it, though, because I can't drink + run at the same time on the mill.

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  3. YOU ARE GOING TO ROCK THIS! Plus, after the snow we just got, going anywhere South will be a treat.

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    1. OMG, seriously yes to the warmer weather. I will utter a few curse words if it's windy, though.

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  4. What do you think of Jillian's Killer Abs? I've never tried it but I love her cardio workouts

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    1. I vote no on Killer Abs. I found Level One of 6 Week 6 Pack Abs on YouTube (the full 35 minutes) and tried it this morning. I liked it a lot better and found it to be more of what I'm looking for.

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  5. Yay! I am excited for your training run/race! :)

    I downloaded that Christina Aguilera song for class that you told me about.

    Ugh. I hate cold hands in the winter because I am carrying a water bottle! I have already busted out the water vest or whatever they call it, a few times :)

    What is your goal for WI again? Sorry, I couldn't recall and... am too lazy to look! :)

    P.S. WTG on 5 days sans sugar!

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    1. WI goal: 1:53:XX. Gah! A bit apprehensive because I haven't been crazy about hitting certain numbers since I've been on the treadmill so much. I just want to feel like I'm running fast and average a sub-9.

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    2. Ahh, schweet goal! :) I can't wait to see you fly by on the course!

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  6. Have a great race and ENJOY that cupcake! You totally deserve it!!

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  7. What a great list! This winter (and so far Spring) has been the pits. Cold, snowy and super windy. I've been stuck on the treadmill more than I care to be. C'mon spring! I also have not pushed my BOB in a very long time. November, maybe? I'm going to be crawling the next time I do (that is if spring ever gets here)!

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