Longest Training Run So Far

Marathon training is now in full force. Last week I ran a total of 34.25 miles including my long run of 18 miles yesterday. I decided to run on the treadmill. Most people can't believe that I would run 18 miles on a treadmill but there was a lot of thought that went into my decision.

A. I absolutely hate getting up at 4am on Sunday morning.
2. It is insanely hot outside....even if I start before the sun comes up.
Thirdly. My gym may be ghetto but all of the treadmills have TVs.
D. I was up until midnight on Saturday night watching the Olympics. They have consumed my life for the past two weeks, I am thrilled that they are over.

The run went really well and I was not bored at all. I watched "Live Free or Die Hard" and caught the end the the basketball gold medal game. I thought my run would be doomed when I realized before heading upstairs to the treadmills that I had locked my locker key inside my locker (along with my gym bag, car keys etc.). I was so pissed at myself. After my 3+ hour run I went to the front desk and told the guy what had happened. They said "no problem we have bolt cutters, but unfortunately we are not allowed in the women's locker room so you will have to cut the lock yourself." You have got to be kidding me right? I told him that I would make sure everyone was decent before he came in. It took him almost 10 minutes to break the lock...and to think they expected me to be able to do it by myself.

I am currently suffering from my weekly Monday depression....mostly due to my horrible eating over the weekend. I usually eat really healthy on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then it is all downhill from there....but of course they had grilled cheese, steak fries and cream of tomato soup at work today for lunch. Who can resist that??? No one, seriously. If you can you deserve a piece of chocolate cake. (note: I must stop rewarding myself with food)

Homemade Pace Band

I was thinking of getting a pace band for my next marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon on October 28th. I figured since I have never used one it might be a good idea to try it out before making the expensive purchase. You can get them at  http://races2remember.com/Home.php ... 3 for $7.50.  They are customizable according to your race and time goal.

I am a pretty crafty individual so this is what I came up with. (Can you tell I have too much time on my hands?)

Pretty nice right?  Its just paper wrapped in a couple of layers packing tape, we will see how well it holds up with sweat dripping on it.

I plan on using it for my Wednesday night run (if it is not raining outside, using it on a treadmill defeats the purpose). I need to focus on maintaining a specific pace per mile if I want to reach my time goals. My Garmin has definitely helped manage my pace the last few months. I was never sure about the accuracy of the other things I was using, the Nike + plus race band seemed to be pretty good, but its functionality was limited. When it broke, I started using the Map My Run app on my phone, which I think is very inaccurate.

Mile 1- 9:11

Mile 2- 8:41

Mile 3- 8:11

Mile 4- 8:06

Mile 5- 8:01

In my non running life I have to write EVERYTHING down, especially numbers. So hopefully having the time goals right in front of me will help. These times are really fast for me, I mean really fast. My pace at the Lou Gehrig’s Disease 10K in May was 8:45 and that pace pretty much kicked my butt. Let’s see if all of the speed training I have been doing since then has worked!

Whole Foods Friday

Most would think it is pathetic...but this is my ideal Friday night. 5.25 mile treadmill run followed by a trip to Whole Foods. I typically don't shop at Whole Foods, but I like to pretend that I always shop there and eat super healthy. (that part might be a little pathetic)

These are the goodies I got: 

• Southwestern Citrus Edamame Salad
• Holy Mackerel - Panic Attack Belgian Style Beer
• Pumpkin Flax Granola
• Organic Quinoa
• Terra Sweet Potato Chips
• Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
• Coconut Chocolate Chip Cliff Bars
• Carrot Cake Cliff Bars

The girl in line behind me said "wow, looks like you live in a fun household" based on my purchases (she was decked out in Lululemon gear may I add) . I told her that my husband was out of town which was the only reason I was getting all of these goodies.

Obviously, I have pretty much thrown out my rule of no beer drinking unless I am watching football. The Olympics may be a good reason to cheat though. I am pretty devastated that I wont get to see my boyfriend Ryan Lochte every night anymore....but life and the Olympics will go on I guess. The women's triathlon is Saturday and marathon is Sunday, not as enjoyable as drooling over Lochte....but I am still looking forward to watching.

Have a great weekend!

New & Improved

Welcome to my new and improved blog. I am still working on a few little details...but overall I am really happy with it.

Thanks for stopping by!