Weekly Running Recap - 2/17 - 2/23

Don't you just love Mondays?  I do, because it means I can get all analytical and see how my previous week of running was:

 

Monday - 6 miles w/ 2 x 1 mile fast

Tuesday - 5.5 miles

Wednesday - REST

Thursday - am - 2.3 miles easy outside; pm - 4.5 miles including tempo

Friday - 5.5 miles

Saturday - REST

Sunday - 3.9 miles

 

Total - 27.7 miles

 

So total mileage for the week was nothing special...definitely not up to where I want to be.  But I do think I more quality miles in there than I previously have.  And I suppose that's better because my next race distance is 5 miles, followed a week later by 6-7 miles in a marathon relay.  I'm not training for a marathon right now.  I am however, going to run a half marathon in late April or early May (not sure which one yet!), so I do need to be getting in higher mileage for that.

As for Friday's and Sunday's runs:

Friday - I ran 5.5 miles in 45: 35 for 8:17 average pace/mile on the treadmill at the Y.  Nothing special really.  I was planning to go for 8-10 miles, but I just couldn't stand the treadmill anymore.  That thing is killing me now.

Sunday - I ran OUTSIDE!!  Yay!!  I did 3.9 miles in 33 minutes for 8:28 average pace/mile.  I came extremely close to landing on my butt after sliding on some ice, but I used my awesome ninja skills to somehow stay on my feet.  The sidewalks were mostly clear, but still some icy or wet patches that were difficult to navigate.  I moved to the streets though (side streets) and it was a lot better then.  I struggled a lot at the start because it was so cold, but eventually warmed up and felt like I could've ran further (and maybe should have) but I also didn't want to be away from the house for too long because...

 

I was babysitting my younger cousins all weekend!  I got to do some fun, sports-related things with them this weekend:

 

Ryan had basketball games on both Saturday and Sunday and won both of them!

I forgot how entertaining grade school basketball is. It's so much better than watching college or NBA basketball.

Saturday night, Shannon's high school track team had time trials and parents were invited to a meeting and to watch the time time trials. Since this is right up my alley, I tagged along with Shannon as her parent for the night.

 

 

She did the pole vault, recording a tie with her personal record of 7 feet. Shannon missed all of outdoor season last year due to a surgery so I'm sure she will improve quite a bit this year!

She also ran the 400 and won her heat!

Other than that we did a lot of bumming around, watching movies & sports, and eating pizza, Thin Mints, Cheez-Its, and Portillo's.

What is the best part about your Monday?

What is your favorite track event?

Weekly Running Recap - 2/10 - 2/16

It's Monday, which only means one thing - time for a recap of last week's running:

Monday - 5 miles (7:57 avg pace)

Tuesday - 3 miles (8:00 avg pace) + Body Pump

Wednesday - 4.75 miles (8:25 avg pace)

Thursday - REST

Friday - 9.1 miles in the morning (8:01 avg pace) + 3 miles in the evening (no watch)

Saturday - REST

Sunday - REST

 

Total - 24.9 miles + 1 BodyPump class



 

My mileage for the week wasn't super high, but I am still really happy with the week, especially since I got in that longer 9 mile run on Friday.  And I loved that I was able to get in an outdoor fun run, instead of all treadmill miles like the past few weeks.

 

I didn't mean to take the weekend off, but it was nice to just relax.  On Saturday, I went to brunch with Catherine.  Unfortunately, it was not a bRUNch (run + brunch), but we will pick those up again once it gets warmer.

 

And I got my Garmin fixed so that when the weather does get nicer, I can use it again!  It was temporarily not functioning.  Apparently all I needed to do was a software update.

 

Actually, today isn't just any other Monday.  Today, is 2/17.  It's my cousin Erin's birthday!!  Here's some photos of us from our favorite holiday, Christmas:

 



 

To celebrate, Erin will be going to the Justin Timberlake concert (JT is to Erin as Katy Perry is to me), so I am going to meet up with her to get our nails done.

 

I have to give major props to Erin for basically being the reason I started this blog.  She has been an avid blog reader for awhile and got me started on it last spring, and by the time the summer and Chicago Marathon training rolled around, I wanted to start my own and she encouraged it!

 

I haven't really wrote about set weekly goals in awhile, but I think I'm going to start that up again today.  Here's what I want to do (running/fitness-wise) this week:

 

• Run 35-40 miles
• Do a speed workout!
• Go to Body Pump twice
• Focus on healthy eating

So nothing super crazy or new, but I do want to get a speed workout in!  On the treadmill I've been getting to good speeds (7:30 or faster) when I do my normal runs (which I guess are actually more like progression-ish run).  However, I haven't done set "speed work-outs" and that's what I want to start working in now.  I'm going to try to come up with some workouts to do that will be good for a shorter race since my next goal race is the Shamrock Shuffle 8K.  I'll definitely be posting those workouts as I come up with them!  And I'll still be on the treadmill, so I think try some hill/incline workouts that Catherine sent me.

Complete this phrase: _________ is to me as Katy Perry is to Colleen.

What are you goals for the week (fitness or not)?

Running, Spinning, and BodyPump - Oh My!

I haven't updated you all (y'all for my friends down south) on my workouts much the past couple days, but I promise I have been working out...maybe just not as much as my challenge was supposed to have my working out.

Here's a recap of the past week:

Monday - REST

Tuesday - 7.5 miles in 60 minutes (8:00 pace avg)

Wednesday - 7.5 miles in 60 minutes (8:00 pace avg)

Thursday - REST

Friday - 6.25 miles in 50 minutes (8:00 pace avg) + 35 minutes of spin

Saturday - REST

Sunday - BodyPump class + 5.05 miles in 40 minutes (7:55 pace avg)

 

Total - 26.3 miles + 35 minutes spinning + 1 BodyPump class

Since I haven't posted since last week, I need to tell you about these past few workouts.

On Friday, I decided I would go to a spin class.  I was only going to run 30 minutes before it, but I got there a bit early so ended up staying on the treadmill for 50 minutes.  And I'm very glad I did.  I ended up leaving the hour spinning class after 35 minutes because it was so bad.  I've gone to spinning classes at XSport before and they have been good, but this instructor was not.  It was a middle-aged man who barely said anything during class.  The music was terrible.  I wasn't even sweating after 35 minutes because he had no particularly hard sequences of workouts to do.  On a positive note, I do have to say that although his actual class was not the best, the instructor was super friendly and helpful.  I hadn't been to spinning in quite a while, so he helped me set up my bike and I noticed that he got off his bike in the middle of class to give a participant a towel.  At least that lady was getting a good workout from him!

I really should have ran on Saturday and have no good excuse for why I didn't except that it was snowing and I didn't want to leave my apartment.  I did go to brunch right away in the morning with Rachelle, but then had the ultimate lazy Saturday spent watching documentaries on Netflix.  When will you be over, winter??

But Sunday was a big day for me.  I woke up and went to BodyPump at the Y.  I was a bit nervous because I had never been to a weight-based class.  Before the instructor unlocked the studio, I met a girl who was also waiting who said it was her first time as well.  When the instructor came, we told her we had never been to a BodyPump class and she walked us through all the equipment we needed and how much weight to use.  Throughout the class, she was sure to give proper instruction which was nice and I felt at ease.  We did 10 "tracks" including a warm-up and cool-down track and then each other track focused on a different muscle group.  There were some exercises I wasn't quite able to master yet, but I'm sure I will as I go to the class more often.

Have a super Monday!  I have some BIG news to share tomorrow!!

What is your favorite group fitness class?

Making A New Ending

I don't think I've given a weekly training recap since I was training for the Chicago Marathon way back when.  And now that I'm training for another, I suppose I should be recapping my weeks.  As of now, I'm pretty sure my goal race is the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in May.  I haven't registered yet though, so that could change...but either way, a spring marathon.  So we'll call this past week my official first week of training.

Monday - 4 miles

Tuesday - 4.25 miles

Wednesday - 2 miles

Thursday - OFF

Friday - 4 miles

Saturday - 10 miles

Sunday - OFF

Total - 24 miles

I also did a decent amount of weight training and core work, but I'm gonna stick to just recapping the running and cross training.

As for this week, I'm not going to make a specific plan again.  I will still be using the week as a rebuilding/getting back into running regularly week.  And hopefully no more polar vortex so that I can run outside more than on the treadmill.

AND I'll be in Phoenix next Friday - Tuesday!!  So I'm not exactly sure what our agenda will be like and how much running I'll get in.  But hopefully some, considering I'll be there with a bunch of former UDXC girls :)

I'd say my goals for this week are:

30 miles, with another 10 mile run

some cross training, like a spinning class or 2

continue weight training and core work

I want to make more of a set schedule week by week, but for now it is nice to just run as I feel.  Although I am kinda stressed out that I feel so out of shape.  It will come back eventually though, and I had a good 10 mile run on Saturday.

And for a little motivation to start the week:

I can't change what has been done over the last week, but can always keep improving to make a better ending.

What are your goals for the week?

Quality Miles, Not Quantity

I've been slacking on running.  But improving on weight lifting!  I'm gonna be soooo strong.  And that is extremely sarcastic.  But I do want to have a much stronger core and upper body for the purpose of running faster.  I am pretty sure I slouch when I run and that is not good.  I did my weights 2 days last week and did them yesterday and plan to again on Wednesday and Friday.

My workouts last week:

Monday - weights

Tuesday - REST

Wednesday - weights

Thursday - REST

Friday -24 minute run in Denver

Saturday -4 hour hike

Sunday -  59 minute trail run

Total Mileage =17 miles

So that obviously wasn't as much running as I'd like.  I can't even blame it on the travel because the running I did do was while I was in Denver.  At least I can feel confident that it was quality training.  The combination of the altitude and the hills and terrain will whip you into shape fast! Quality of miles is more important than quantity of miles for half marathons I think. Full marathons might be the opposite.

 

My goal for last week was 30 miles.  And like usual, I came up short.  There are still 9 weeks left until the Phoenix Half Marathon.  I just need to learn how to motivate myself.  I haven't gotten up early to run before work on a weekday since at least June.  And it's so much harder to after work now that it's dark so early and it's so cold.  But I say that all the time.  Time to suck it up and deal with either the cold/darkness or the treadmill.

I'm getting better at taking pictures at least.  Maybe that was just because I was on vacation though.  I can do a sweet side braid in my hair.  Positive self talk!  I hope it works because I need to head out the door on my run now  :)

Here's what's hot in Chicago right now:

Christmas 24/7 on the radio!!  It's the most wonderful time of the year! (but not for running) Remember when I listened to Christmas music in August??

Also speaking of music, I'm desperately waiting for Katy Perry to announce her US tour dates.  She made it seem like she would do so yesterday, but only announced her UK dates. Up until I went to the Bon Jovi concert with Christina a few weeks ago, I had only ever been to country concerts but I would LOVE to see Katy Perry.

How do you manage negative thoughts if you don't meet your training goals?

Do you save Christmas music for after Thanksgiving or are you already listening?

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Half Marathon Training & A Birthday!

It has started.  Colleen's PR half marathon training.  My current half marathon PR is 1:37:10.  I set that in October of 2008 at the Columbus Half Marathon.  I actually have no idea how I ran that fast (I even just went back to my running2win training log and looked and it was pretty weak compared to what I know I could do), but I had good company to run it with and just wanted to stay with them, so I imagine that was how.

Anyways, that's the past.  And now I'm going to beat that time at the Rock 'N Roll Phoenix Half Marathon.  That is the goal at least.  I know some races just don't go well, but my goal is to train hard for the next 11 weeks and then run super fast there with Liz (while Molly runs the full and Emma and Brigitte cheer us on!)

I don't have a super specific time goal, but I know I want to PR.  It's been over 5 years since I ran that half marathon time; I think it's overdue.  I came really close in the North Shore Half Marathon this past June - only 29 seconds off - and that course had a monstrous hill right in the middle of it.  I think I should be able to run under a 1:35.  I really have no idea what the course in Phoenix is like, but hopefully it's favorable!  Since I like to show tweets, here's one I liked from my UD friend Lauren who rocked the NYC Marathon this weekend:

It's so true that the course can really impact how you run - the terrain, the scenery, the spectators, the elevation change, etc.  A lot can happen over 26.2 miles.

But back to focusing on the half marathon for now.  I made up a training plan.  And I'm going to follow it as best as I can.  Realistically who knows what will happen with it getting cold and the holidays, but I guess that's where my friend the treadmill comes in.  We are not actually friends.

Here's what I did last week:

Monday - 5.75 mile run

Tuesday - 1 mile warm-up; free weights

Wednesday -  5.3 mile run in the rain

And then I didn't work out Thursday through Sunday...
Total Mileage = ~12 miles

So...the week started off strong, but then I fell off the horse.  But that's OK since it was just my first week really coming back to running since the Chicago Marathon.

Here's my plan for this week:

Monday -6 miles + core work + arm work
(I haven't done this yet, so I have a busy night ahead...plus the Bears/Packers game)

Tuesday -8 miles - 1 mile easy; 6 miles cut-down 10 seconds per mile starting at marathon pace; 1 mile easy

Wednesday -  6 miles + core work + arm work

Thursday - REST
(Maybe I'll do a short workout at lunch, but I'm having margaritas and sushi with Stephanie - we are very cultural - Wednesday night, so a Thursday morning workout is highly unlikely.  And then Thursday night is the Old St. Pat's Crossroads Runners post-marathon party!)

Friday - 5 miles - 1 mile easy; 3 miles race pace; 1 mile easy + core work

Saturday - 10 miles + core work

Sunday -  REST
(Christina's birthday party is Saturday night.  And then Bears game tailgating/watching on Sunday, so a workout is unlikely.  So obviously I'm scheduling my rest days around my social calendar.)

Here's what I'm gonna try to go with for my training paces:

Normal run: 8:00 pace

Marathon pace: 7:30 - My actual Chicago Marathon pace averaged to 7:45, but I held right around 7:30-7:35 for 18 miles, so I'm gonna try to aim for 7:30 as my marathon pace for training purposes

Race pace: 7:10

Easy: anywhere from 8:00 - 8:45 - I usually don't like to go slower than that, but I am also learning the value of pace variety in training instead of running 8 minute pace all the time.

And speaking of Christina's birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my most loyal readers (and friends)!!!!!!!!!

Since I was so busy writing about Chicago Marathon stuff recently, I don't think I wrote about the fact that about 2 weeks ago, Christina, Jim, Emily, and I went to the Bon Jovi concert as Jim's birthday present to Christina!  The concert was a lot of fun and I knew way more songs than I thought I would.  Basically I thought I'd only know Livin' on a Prayer.  I really do love birthdays, especially mine, but also other peoples' so I can't wait to celebrate with Christina!

What is your longest-standing PR?

If you could go to any concert right now, what would it be? 

Fox Valley Marathon - Spectating Catherine's PR

There are 3 weeks left until the Chicago Marathon!!  (Actually less than that since it's Monday, but 3 training weeks left since I haven't done my run today yet.)  So that means it's time to taper!

Quick recap of last week:

Monday -  20.5 miles

Tuesday - 3.5 miles

Wednesday - REST

Thursday - REST

Friday - 5.5 miles

Saturday - 20 miles

Sunday - REST

Total Mileage - ~49

I realized I never wrote about that 5.5 mile run on Friday.  It was nothing too special.  I ran in the morning, so most of the run was in the dark.  I need daylight savings time to come ASAP.  I think we are still about a month away from that though.  So until then, I'll stick to running in the evening.

Yesterday I went to watch Catherine and Matt run the Fox Valley Marathon!  And Catherine did AMAZING and ran a HUGE PR - 3:26:58.  I don't want to tell you to many details though because she is already working on a guest post for this week!  So I'll tell the spectator side of the story.

Mac and I (he had a friend running as well and was kind enough to drive us out to St. Charles) missed the very start of the race, but we showed up to the 2 mile mark EXACTLY as Catherine and Matt ran by.  We almost missed them, but it was Matt who called out to us so that we could spot them.  Then we waited there a little bit for Ashleigh, who we just met the day before at the Coach Brendan Running group.  We told her we'd be there and would cheer for her and make her a sign.  I think she was shocked when she actually saw us with a sign for her.

The next stop was around 5 miles and we were supposed to also see them a few minutes later, after they looped around a peninsula on the river, but we miscalculated that and somehow missed them.

Then we drove down near the river where we could see the runners at mile 10 and 17.  Luckily Matt had made up some directions for us to follow so we knew where the good spectator spots were.  Mac and I met up with Catherine's parents and Matt's dad and sister Gina.  Gina was cheering for EVERYONE by name and I finally asked how she knew so many people running?!?  Their names were on their race bibs!  So then we all had fun cheering for everyone by name.  We got to see pretty much every single person running the marathon at this spectator spot since it is an out and back course so we saw the end of the crowd still cruising through at the 10 mile mark as the lead runners made their way back and approached mile 17.

We had one more stop around miles 21-22 and also used the grossest bathroom ever in a park.  It was another location where we could see them pass by twice which was cool.

Then we raced to the finish line and I got there just in time to watch them cross the line!  Catherine finished strong, but running a PR marathon takes a lot out of you.  Luckily Matt was there to hold her up.

After the race, we enjoyed freeze pops, bagels, etc.  Yes, WE enjoyed them.  I was starving so Matt grabbed me a bagel and Catherine brought out a few freeze pops from the finishers area to commemorate our high school cross country summer camp days when we ate freeze pops after each run.  Then we relaxed and reveled in all the excitement of the morning!  And took pictures.

Catherine will be writing a race recap post this week and also has a few other fun running things to share, so definitely look forward to that!!

And now I need to go do my own run and since it's already getting dark...TREADMILL.  WOOF.  But I figure this way I can use my phone for music since my iPod died and I have yet to revive it.  Let's all pray that it can be saved.

Hump Day Happenings and Weekly Recap/Plan

Guess what day IT IS.  HUMP DAYYYY.  But I'm going to tell you about Tuesday and why it was different than a normal Tuesday in my life.

Erin and I ordered matching lululemon tank tops for the St. Louis Half Marathon in October!  Besides a pair of their yoga pants, I don't have anything from there since it is so expensive, but we looked at the sale items and found a cute tank we both liked!  The color selection was a bit limited for our size, but we found a cute one  :)  I just hope it won't be too chilly for tank tops by that time!  But if you're going to do a race with someone and don't have matching outfits, you are obviously doing something wrong.

Speaking of, I plan to do this race with Christina and anyone else who would like to join!  I'm hoping some of my cousins will run as well.  It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we already have a big Smith family event planned that evening, so why not add even more fun to the day?

I did an easy (but hot) 4 mile run after work last night.  The highlight of the run was seeing someone wearing a UD t-shirt.  I was too late in spotting it though to yell out to him.  I had also seen a guy wearing a UD shirt a few weeks ago when I did a super long run on a weeknight and that time I was too far into go-mode to stop, even for a fellow Flyer.  Next time I will though so I can make new friends.

I bought an amazing little loaf of pumpkin gingerbread from a farmer's market.  Knowing that I could get home and eat that was pretty much the only way I convinced myself that I really needed to run.

I also made an awesome dinner last night.  It was chicken fajita flavored rice + grilled chicken + onions + feta cheese all wrapped in a tortilla.  And then the pumpkin gingerbread for dessert...and I ate some while I cooked...and for breakfast this morning.  So this was way better than my usual meal of plain pasta.

I finally finished all of Desperate Housewives on Netflix and now I need a new show suggestion so please help me!

And now for some running schedules...

Last Week Recap:

Monday - 4.5 miles including twice up a HUGE hill

Tuesday - 10.4 miles normal

Wednesday - REST

Thursday - 6.75 miles tempo

Friday - biked 10 miles easy

Saturday - 2 miles easy

Sunday - Chicago Half Marathon

Total Miles -  about 37-38ish

Good thing I do log all of my runs otherwise I would have no idea what I did.  AND since I posted my plan for the week on her last week, now I can compare how I did...let's just say like usual, I didn't follow it.  But I did get the important workouts in at least I think -a mid-week mid-distance run, a tempo run, and a race!  I even got in some cross training.

Week Who Knows What Number, But 4.5 Weeks Left Plan:

Monday - REST

Tuesday - 4 miles

Wednesday -8 miles

Thursday - 6 miles @ GMP (goal marathon pace)

Friday - REST

Saturday - 6 miles

Sunday -20 miles

Total Miles -  44

So that's all I have to say about that.  Happy Hump Day!

What Should I Do This Weekend?

Here's a quick summary of my workouts last week:

Monday - 6.3 miles tempo-ish run
Tuesday - 5.6 miles normal (included in the same post as Monday's run)
Wednesday - 19.25 miles !!
Thursday - REST
Friday - REST
Saturday - 4 miles normal w/ Angela and Olivia in northern Michigan - also, some paddleboarding = arm workout
Sunday - cross train - 12 miles biking, leisurely on a tandem bike

Even though I didn't get a run in on Friday as planned, I'm still really happy with the runs I did this past week and glad to have gotten my mileage up (both long run mileage and total weekly mileage which was about 35 miles).  I would still like to get that weekly mileage up a little more over the next 3-4 weeks before I taper.  But I say that every week.

I haven't decided yet what I want to do this weekend.  I might go to Madison, WI to watch the Ironman Wisconsin and in that case I would probably shoot for a 20 mile long run on Saturday.  But after all the driving this past weekend, a day trip to Michigan planned for the following weekend, and then UD Parents Weekend at the end of September, I think a weekend without traveling will be nice.  So if I stay here in Chicago this weekend, I can do a half marathon on Sunday or do a long run either day.  Here's my plan for Monday through Friday at least.  Obviously Monday already happened, so I just put in what I already did.

Monday - hill workout ~4.5 miles
Tuesday - 10-12 miles
Wednesday -6 miles
Thursday - Speed Workout - Mile Repeats
Friday - 5 miles

And now it's September!  As far as August running mileage, I ended up with 140 miles. If you've read some of my other posts, you know that I am comparing these couple months of marathon training to how I did during 2010 when I was training for the Columbus Marathon. In August of that year, I ran 145 miles, so I'm pretty much at exactly the same.  I was hoping to be significantly higher for the August mileage, but the beginning of the month was pretty low-mileage.

September should be a big increase over 2010 because I only had 98 miles that month. I want to shoot for close to 200 miles this September.

I decided I needed another picture and thought I'd include another one from the lake weekend, but then I thought - why not find a picture from last September?  My soul was sold away to the public accounting world for most of the month, but then I got to go to Nashville to celebrate Grace's Bachelorette party!!  Are you aware that according to whatever spell check system this blogging software uses, bachelorette is not a word?  It wants to correct it to bachelor.  That is weird.  And now I just typed it in Microsoft Word and it is a word there.  Google Blogger must not think that girls have fun too.

What are you planning to do this week?  Or this weekend?

Have you ever been to Nashville? 

It's Crunch Time

I fell out of the habit of posting my weekly recap and weekly plan.  So now, with 7 weeks to go before the Chicago Marathon, it's crunch time and I need to really ramp up my training.

Here's what I did last week:

Monday - 5 miles
Tuesday - REST
Wednesday - Track workout - 2 x 800m; 8 x 400m
Thursday - REST
Friday - 3 miles
Saturday - REST
Sunday - 10 miles

Total Mileage for the Week - 24 miles

So, last week was a little weak.  I didn't run Thursday and Saturday because I thought resting my legs would help them not feel so tight.  I did a lot of foam rolling too.  But last week is over and now it's time to just look forward.  I talked to Angela on the phone on Friday which got me really pumped for the marathon again!!! And I've been talking to Alex about training a lot lately.  She has been doing awesome with her training for Columbus so it has helped motivate me too.

Here's my plan for this week:

Monday - 6 miles tempo
Tuesday - 6 miles
Wednesday -Speed Workout
Thursday - 6 miles
Friday - Cross Train
Saturday - 18 miles
Sunday - 6 miles

Total Mileage for the Week -  ~50 miles

The total mileage for the week might be a tad aggressive based on my training so far, but I've done it before.  I actually just went back through my running log from 2010 again (when I was training for Columbus) and I did have one 50-mile week right around this point.

I still need to work on this whole pace variation thing a bit more instead of always running my 8 minute pace.  I'm going to try to make today a tempo run.  I'm thinking a mile warm-up, 4 miles at tempo pace (hopefully 7-7:15), then a mile cool-down.  It's supposed to be close to 90 this afternoon, so it might be a little rough.

For Wednesday's speed workout, we have 400s on the schedule.  I might switch that up since I just did 400s last week and do something like mile repeats instead.

Some other goals for the week:

• Do core-work every day.  Angela had made a good core work-out routine that I will try to follow as closely as possible.  She also had a pretty good arm strength training routine too that I did a few times.
• Bring my lunch every day instead of eating out.  I bought (actually my mom bought - perks of going home to do grocery shopping with her) some pre-made salads, and all the fixings for some quality turkey sandwiches.  (As I write this, I am talking to my nutritionist friend Steph who is giving me some good snack ideas too!)
• Figure out a fundraising idea to raise more money for my Chicago Marathon charity team - the Crossroads Runners of Old St. Pat's Church

I have a few other things to get done this week and a few social things, so I think this is going to be a really busy week!  But then a 3-day weekend!!  That will be my motivation to get through the week and get all these runs done.  By Saturday at like 10am, I will be feeling more accomplished and ready to enjoy the weekend.

What are your goals this week?

Week 4 Recap and Week 5 Plan

I'm not even going to do a real week 4 recap because (a) I don't have access to my Excel file with my plan (and won't for about 2 weeks - but I'll probably make a new make-shift one for now) and (b) there were extenuating circumstances throughout most of last week that caused me to not run at all Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I had a decent run on Monday which I wrote a bit about right after the run but never got around to posting it.  Maybe I will add to it after tomorrow's normal run and then post about both.  Thursday and Sunday I did races, which went as expected and Saturday I did the 10.5 mile long run.  So all the runs I did were good, but I also took 3 days off which was more than I would've liked and felt very exhausted all week.  I finished the week with 29 miles, so for 4 days I'd say that's decent.  If I would've gotten in the extra 1-2 days of running I definitely would've hit 35-40.  So it really was a true step back week and now I need to step it up.

Here's the plan I came up with for this week.  Once again, I don't even know what my original plan had, but I think it might even be better if I just make my plans week by week anyways.  I do already have my long run mileage figured out for each weekend leading up to the marathon, but the other days maybe I'll just go by how I feel each week as it comes.

If I do all these runs, that would put me at 45-50 miles which would be pretty high for what I have been doing the last couple weeks.  I put the long run on Thursday because as of now I am planning to visit Kristin and Tim in Cincinnati this weekend.  I am sure we would go out on Friday night and not be in long-run condition Saturday morning and I also don't want to do a long run there by myself (on hills) or risk not doing it at all.  I think I can convince Kristin to at least do a normal run with me ;)  So, goal is to do the long run Thursday evening.  I think I'll go to the Elk Grove Forest Preserve where there is an 8.3 mile loop and just go for it twice.  My plan for tomorrow actually is to go there and do 1 loop.  I just hope it isn't TOO hot in the evening.  I do imagine I'll ending making Friday a rest day so I can sleep in before driving to Cincy and being active all weekend, but maybe I'll have more energy this week and really want to get in another run.

Mac was talking about meeting up to do the Yasso 800s on a track this week and I said Tuesday would be the perfect night for me to do them.  Not sure yet if he'll be able to, otherwise I will plan to go and try to do them myself.  I've never done the Yasso 800s before and am a little nervous for them, but especially after today's 5K race I know that some speed training would really help me right now.  In case you were wondering what the Yasso 800s even are, I will post about them after I actually do the workout but in the meantime you can Google if you are super curious.

And now since this has been all boring running talk, I did at least do a few fun things besides run this weekend.  My favorite was after Saturday morning's long run, I met Steph and Catherine for brunch at Honey n' Jam in Lincoln Park.  I hadn't been there before but I would definitely recommend it.  I love all breakfast food though so I'd really recommend going for brunch anywhere, anytime.  Catherine and I had both done long runs that morning so after brunch we decided to go for a little walk to stretch out and talk.  Then I walked home...so much walking...but I stopped and treated myself to ice cream on the way.

So I leave you with a nice picture of my omelet (with bacon, cheese, and onion), potatoes, and toast.  What a great post-long run meal.

Do you like to plan out your days/weeks way ahead of time or just do what you feel?

Week 3 Recap and Week 4 Plan

Here is my recap of Week 3:



I think I need to figure out how to make my recap/plan show up a little bigger.  Or just stick to it exactly so that I can just say that it was perfect and not show all the variance.  I'm going to consider last week an exception to my normal routine though so I'm OK with it.  I didn't do any core or strength training either.  I actually did feel like I was "stronger" on my run yesterday during The Joe.  Maybe that's because I had just done the long run and could feel every muscle.  Luckily, it wasn't a feeling of soreness, but just a definite feeling that my muscles are working hard.

This week is also going to be a little varied because of the holiday and some 4th of July races.  So here is the plan I came up with for Week 4:



I was talked into registering for the 4 on the 4th race this week, so I think that will at least be a good way to get in a solid 4 mile fast run.  Catherine and Matt will probably register as well, and of course we will dress festively in Red, White, and Blue.  Holiday races are the best kind.  I was already planning to do the Arlington Heights Stampede Run 5K on Sunday so I guess that means racing twice this week.  It's a great course and a lot of family members do it or come out to cheer each year.  Here's a picture from 2 summers ago...the Smith family just loves running.

So I guess some general goals for the week will be:

• 40 running miles.  I haven't hit this yet in the past few weeks because I've pretty much only been running 5 days a week.  I'd really like to make sure I get in 6 days this week.  The race days will be lower mileage, and the long run is only 12 miles, but I this plan for the week would put me at 42 miles.


• Get in core and arm weight workouts.


• Run each of the races under 7 minute pace.  I think I can do closer to 6:45, but we'll see.  As long as I'm under 7 I think I'll be happy.


• Celebrate America.  Besides Christmas, this is my favorite holiday.  I imagine after the race, I will go to the parade and then to the pool all day.  Luckily, it looks like we will have good weather finally.

What is your favorite thing to do for 4th of July?

Week 2 Recap and Week 3 Plan

Here is an overview of how Week 2 of training went:



Even though the mileage was a little less again that I want to try to run, I was OK with how the week went.  I keep looking back to compare each of these weeks to how many miles and what type of runs I was doing before the Columbus Marathon in 2010 and I'm running considerably more than I was then.  I only had 5 runs over 10 miles the entire time I was training for that marathon (2 of which were the 19 and 20 mile runs), so as long as I get a long run in each week, I think I'll be happy that I'm in a better place than I was then.  I do still want to really try to get the rest of the weekly mileage up though and get that speed workout in each week because that should hopefully help improve my time.

I was frustrated the tempo run didn't go quite according to plan, but it was still a hard workout and better for me than just doing a normal run I guess.  I did a decent amount of core work last week and I could tell that is helping already.  I'll give a recap of Friday's long run and the rest of the wedding weekend in another post later  :)

And here is the plan for Week 3:



I already missed Monday...I was so tired from the weekend that I couldn't get up early Monday morning, and it just didn't happen after work.  I also didn't run this morning (Tuesday), but I definitely plan to after work - just hoping the rain holds off or maybe I'll suck it up and use the treadmill.

I'd like to hit 40 miles this week.  I will have to run on Sunday (at The 2nd Annual Joe Marathon!!) to make up for not running Monday, so that will hopefully work out nicely.  I'm also thinking Wednesday's workout will be better than last week's since I will take a short break between each mile at tempo pace.

Week 1 Recap and Week 2 Plan

Week 1 Recap:



Week 1 ended up being a little less mileage than planned, mainly due to the triathlon.  It's still early though, and I'm still running more than I was at this time of year while training for the Columbus Marathon.  And even though the triathlon wasn't all running, it was still about 1 hour and 38 minutes of physical activity, with 3 good miles of running after I was already worn out, so that should be good for endurance.  I'll write about the triathlon in a separate post later...with pictures too.

Here is the plan for Week 2:



My goal for this week is going to be to do more of the core and weight training.  I didn't make it past Monday and Tuesday with it last week.  I'm going to have to do my long run after work on Friday so I had to change the schedule around slightly.  Michael said he would run with me Saturday morning, but not a long run...and not quite sure I'll actually be able to convince him to do any run, but I'll try.  It would be nice to get a good run in before all the
cake eating and champagne/cocktail drinkingwedding festivities of the day!  :)