Last couple of weeks

I decided to do a weekly count down to Ironman – so 42 weeks to go until Ironman Arizona (well 41 and 2 days).  I would like to post each Sunday or Monday of this journey to review the week. For some reason, on the bad weeks, I just don’t feel like posting, like I let someone down.  So I don’t post – and I have had a couple of bad weeks. But I feel I should post the bad with the good.  So here is a summary of my last couple of weeks.

- On Friday, January 13th, I woke up with a foot cramp. This cramp caused me to limp around until Tuesday, where it finally went away.  So no, I did not get my planned run in that weekend.  Luckily, I believe it is gone. I feel a little bit in my arch, but I am still going to run.  My right foot has been giving me problems though, so I definitely need to monitor how it feels.

- Later that day, I found out there as a death in my family. I hopped on the next plane to Arkansas go be with them and attend the funeral.  It was very emotional and sad experience. It just isn’t fair when such nice, honorable, hardworking individual has to die.

- On Tuesday, Jan 17th, when I arrived home from the funeral, I was exhausted…mentally exhausted.  And I also had a cold.  By Thursday, I was really sick…couldn’t move sick.  So I missed my workouts..again.

- By Sunday, I was running again.  I. ran. 3. miles.  I was supposed to run 10 that day.  But that’s all my body gave me that day.

- On Monday, I felt good…I felt like myself again. My motivation was back.  I went swimming Monday morning and planned my workouts for the week.
Then the fall………..the fall on my butt…..the butt that just got better about 2 weeks ago.
I want you to imagine the fall being one when I was running, running fast and working hard, but then I noticed a child crossing the street and I fell to the ground while saving this young child from crossing the street.

But…no, I fell from my foam roller while I was on the phone talking to a co-worker. For some reason I was standing on it while I was talking and it slipped out from under me. How. Embarrassing. I can’t imagine what it sounded like to my co-worker when I fell…..

So, my butt didn’t get that damaged, just a bit sore.   Just a bit sore because my wrist took all the impact.  I went to the doctor on Tuesday and it looks like I have a hairline fracture.  So, no swimming for me for the next couple of weeks.  I also missed my workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday.

But today is Thursday and looking better. I ran this morning and felt good.  My wrist is feeling better. I am back…………right?

All I know is, my son “Loves me because he loves me”.  And that’s all that counts




Until Sunday….and yes, I will post..the good and the bad.

Training status and my son's workout

313 more days to go!

- On Tuesday evening,  I rode my trainer for about 30 minutes while the boys played.  After I finished my 5-year old came up to me and told me he had written his workout down and wanted to go outside to do it.  His workout (which he wrote on an index card) included:

10 laps bike, 10 laps scooter, 10 laps running, 10 laps walking

So cool!!!  We went out side and he did his workout – 4 times!   10 laps of bike and scooter around the cul-de-sac and then 10 laps of running/walking around the driveway.  I was really impressed and felt good that maybe all my training will influence my sons in a positive way :)

- Training for this week – I completed 6.28 hours of training.  I am starting to feel strong and really good.  Would like to incorporate more strength training, esp boot camp like training (push-ups, pull-ups, interval running, dips, etc).  I was at my peak performance when I was doing a hard core boot camp 3 days/week.  I need to come up with a plan….

Monday – REST Day

Tuesday – 4.5 mile run in the morning and 30 minutes bike on indoor trainer in the afternoon.  I worked pretty hard on the bike because it was so short.  Need to get some anaerobic training in.

Wednesday – 2350 yd swim in the morning

Thursday – 4.5 mile run in the morning

Friday – 2350 yd swim

Sat – 60 min on indoor training watching Scrubs (love that show:).  My husband downloaded Gladiator for me, so next session I get to watch this movie!!

Sun – 7 mile run around 9 AM.  Followed the run with 20 mins of strength training.

Ironman Arizona 2012

The 50-mile ultra marathon plan didn't work out. I ended up getting surgery and studying and passing my PMP test the first part of 2011. Now that both of these big events are done, I am ready to train!
I decided to go for another Ironman and not an ultra. The Ironman is just so alluring....I don't know why....but the event just draws and inspires me. I do plan on doing an ultra eventually, probably in 2013. But for now I have my eyes set on Ironman Arizona - November 18th, 2012. I plan to document the training (probably not as often as I want), but I would like to document as much as I can.

Of course, 2 weeks after my husband signed me up for this race, I fell and hurt my tailbone. I wasn’t able to work out for a week and wasn't able to run for 3 weeks. But I am now running again, so I am back to swim, bike, run!

Week #10 update and AR 50 race logistic problems

My husband and I were going to sign up for the AR 50 this weekend....we were all set to hit 'Send'. But then my husband decided to check his parents calendar to make sure they were free to babysit. And low and behold...they will be on a cruise that weekend. And my parents, well, let's just say my mom does not support my running habit, especially this 50 miler. So we are out of luck. We have no babysitter for the AR 50. Thank god my husband checked the calendar or we might be out some $$$.



Also, another kink in my plan - I was going to run Sunday, Monday, Wed, Thurs, Friday and Sunday. Tuesday and Saturday were going to be my days to "sleep in" to 7 or 7:30 (dependent on the kids and their wake up time). I knew I was going to need that sleep. BUT a class at work I need to take just so happens to be on Tuesday morning from 6 to 8 AM. I have to have 100% attendance to this class to pass. Yikes - there goes one of my sleep in days.

I guess I am going to have to get used to getting up really early 6 out the 7 days of the week and work on trying to get to bed as early as possible. Because I need my sleep. Plain and simple. I am not one of these people who can go on 4-5 hours of sleep a night.

And we are trying to get creative about a babysitter... maybe it will work out...somehow. Either that or my husband does the AR 50 and I do the Leona Divide 50 miler on April 30th. We may have to divide and conquer this way.

Has anyone out there run the Leona Divide 50 miler before?

Week 10

Total Miles - 33 miles

# of days - 4 days running

Speed workout -No

Longest run - 15

Cross training - Strength training 2X

How I felt - Felt good this week, although by Friday, I needed some rest. So, I took Friday and Saturday off to get some much needed sleep. 15 miler on Sunday went really well (average 9:41) even though it was pouring!!!

Week #9 Update and Mission Inn Half Marathon Race Report

Week #9 did not start great, and didn't really end great, but the middle was pretty good :). Sunday night I started to get a sore throat - my two year old had a cold and I had caught it. I did not run Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and I thought I was going to have another low mileage week. I had planned on running Wednesday morning, but I didn't even hear my alarm go off (I must have turned it off when I was half asleep???).

But Thursday I was feeling better and I deployed a back up plan - I was going to get all the planned 36 miles in the 4 days I had left. That meant -

Thursday - 8
Friday - 8
Saturday - 7
Sunday - 13.1 (@ Mission Inn Half Marathon)

And I did it! I woke up at 5 AM everyday and got all 36 miles in in 4 days. This means week #10 I can move up to my planned 39 miles. Woo Hoo!

As for the Mission Inn Half Marathon - my husband and I planned on running this one together and we were so excited! Two hours to ourselves with no kids sounded so good.
We started off at about a 8:30 pace and were feeling really, really good. And then at mile 3 - BAM!!- my husband fell, and fell pretty hard. He tried to stop himself, but he was going too fast. He had forward momentum because he had tried to stop himself, so the road was like a cheese grater on his body- his hand, hip, and knee were cut pretty bad. But he got up from that fall faster than anything I've ever seen and was running again. He was such a trooper. Here is a picture of his hand:


But the fall really hurt his knee and he was unable to keep up the pace we were doing before. And I didn't want to leave my poor husband and he was NOT GOING TO QUIT. So we took the next 10 miles at a slower pace and finished at about 2:07. We were hoping for a 1:53 or so.

But I did learn something during this race - how slow I am really going to need to go for the AR 50 and that at a certain pace, I feel I could go forever. We started running a 10:30 pace in the half and at that pace, I felt I could finish 50. I also realized how much speed I am probably going to lose training for the 50.

Overall, I really like the race and will do it again next year. There was a pretty bad headwind for a few miles, but other than that, it was very organized and a nice course.

Week 9

Total Miles - 36 miles

# of days - 4 days running

Speed workout -No

Longest run - 13.1

Cross training - No

How I felt - Was sick this week, so not too well. But I felt great starting Thursday!