Saturday, September 6, 2008

Allegiance Race for Health

Remember how I have been wanting to race but unable to because we are saving money? I got a free entry to a race today! I won the overall women at Allegiance Race to Health for last year. I decided to call the race director on Thursday to ask if I could have a free entry to this year's race. She said, "absolutely!" I was so excited!

So today, I raced!

We woke up early and got into Jackson around 7:30. The 5 mile started at 8:00 so getting there a half hour before was SUPER late for me. I like to register, warm-up, go to the bathroom, stretch, and then run. I only had time after registering for a quick bathroom run and minimal stretching. My warm-up was running to the bathroom. No good!

I met my friend Emily at the race. We chatted before the start. Pretty soon the gun went off and we were off! This race is notoriously hilly. Including a hill right within the first mile. Ugh! I definitely went out too fast for that. I wasn't able to get my splits because my Garmin wasn't getting a good signal because of the trees and buildings. I do know I hit the 5K mark around 22 or so minutes. I had quite a bit of stomach problems in the middle miles (I am not making excuses here, I promise.)

I finished up in 36:50 (a 7:22 pace!). At first, this bummed me out. Last year when I won the race I ran a 6:52 pace. Then, I started thinking. Last year, this race was my 5 mile PR. I was in the best shape of my life. This summer, I had a baby 3 months ago! I guess a 7:22 pace isn't too shabby considering that. So, I was happy. I think I was about the 7th or 8th woman overall this time.
Here's a shot of Emily, Grant, and I right after the race. I always look HORRIBLE in post-race pictures. YUCK! I sweat like a pig! I thought I would share anyway.


Aside from the 5 mile race, I was able to get another 5 mile and 6 mile run in earlier in the week so my mileage will be pretty good again this week!

Monday, September 1, 2008

Good mileage.

This past week I ran 26.5 miles total including an 8 miler on Saturday morning with my two running friends. So last week marks my highest mileage week post-partum and my longest run post-partum.

Then, today, I ate way too much cookout food and took the day off. Ugh. :)

I am hoping to consistently maintain 30+ miles per week by the end of September and build a good base over winter so I can train for another full marathon in the spring (maybe). If not, definitely doing another half. I guess it depends where we live and how I feel about it.

And I have to get serious about working my abs and legs...I have just a couple of weeks until I start teaching fitness classes again. I am going to be really sad after my first class when I can barely move if I don't start getting back into shape.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Whoa!

Totally going to toot my own horn here. Monday I ran without Grant and the BOB. Just to see what pace I could comfortably do and see how in shape I am. I was able to maintain between 7:55-8:05 for a hilly 4 miles! And it felt decently easy. That's pretty darn close to my training pace pre-baby. That makes me very happy. I wish I could race soon just to see where my 5K or 10K time is at but unfortunately that won't happen for awhile.

I should have a pretty good mileage week this week too. My master's runner friend invited me out for a "girls only" 6-8 miler this Saturday without the baby. I can't wait! Nothing excited me more than a Saturday morning gossip session while running. :)

Sunday, August 24, 2008

23 miles.

Even though my training log goes from Sunday-Saturday, I actually count my mileage from Monday-Sunday. Therefore, this week I ran a total of 23 miles! It's still a far cry from what I used to run but so far it's my highest mileage week post-partum. And I am pleased to say that I ran all 23 miles pushing the BOB Ironman.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My goals.

The picture of me on the sidebar makes me want to tear up. That was me last summer. When I THOUGHT I needed to lose weight. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. What a freak. Last summer was my fastest summer ever. I think it was my last hurrah before I had a baby or something. So, my goal is to weigh the same as I did in that picture. Before anyone freaks out, I understand that I probably won't look exactly like that picture. I had a baby after all! But, there is no reason I can't weigh what I weighed at that time. I am going to do something crazy. Post my weight. I am very embarrassed about my weight because I am 5'9". So, it's pretty high. And I am sensitive. But, I guess if I have to be accountable, I have to post my weight and my goal weight. So, here I go.

In that picture, I weighed 145 lbs. I had to gain some weight in order to get pregnant. The day I found out I was pregnant, I weighed 154 lbs (eek!). I gained 32 lbs during pregnancy and have already lost 34 lbs. So, I am 152 as of this morning. I HATE, HATE being a bill and a half in weight. For some reason, that 150 mark gets me every time. It just sounds like a lot. So, my first goal is to get back to 145. I don't think it will be too awful. I just have to not eat myself silly like I usually do. I like to eat. I can't hard-core diet because I am nursing Grant. But, just making sure I don't eat a lot of crap should help. I need to eat super healthy anyway. Whenever I start eating crappy, my stomach acts up.

Second, I have to get my abs back into shape enough to teach fitness. I really need to meet this goal because I am already signed up to teach two fitness classes starting in September. One of them is an abs/butt class. What was I thinking? I am going to jump start this by participating in the 30 day Ab Challenge.

Third, I want to get my training pace back to where is was before baby. I think running with the BOB, a huge baby, and a carseat with adapter should help with that.

And finally, I need to start being more consistent with cross training. Especially with a baby. Some days I can't get out to run. On days I can't run, I should make sure I do some other sort of cross training. I am the kind of person who needs to exercise everyday to be a nice person (ask my husband).

So, those are my goals. Here I go...

So, I started a running blog...

I have been wanting a place to keep a running journal of sorts. I always start and then I give up. I always keep running just never keep track of how much and how far I run. Lately, I have been getting serious about my running again. Now that I am a blogging fool, I think a blog would be a fun way to do it. I love talking. I love running, fitness, and working out. And I *REALLY* love talking about running and working out. However, no one else in my household does. If I blog about it, maybe other people that feel the same way will read it. If not, at least I have a place to keep my running rambling.

A little history. I have been running since I was 13 years old. So, I have been running for over 13 years. Yikes! I have run 6 marathons (The Freep x 3 times, Akron, Boston, and Chicago). The last marathon I ran was in the fall of 2006 because in 2007, I decided to try and have a baby. Flash forward to May 2008, Grant was born! I ran until 30 weeks pregnant but had to stop because of a rib injury so I switched to walking. I started running again at 16 days post-partum and have been running with him in the BOB ever since.

So, I plan to use this blog to keep me accountable for meeting my weekly running goals, other fitness goals, and a place to basically obsess about running. Enjoy! (or get sick of hearing about it as my husband does. ;) )