So I realized after I got all the comments yesterday and people worrying about my leg and lung health that I got a little something mixed up, I know I shouldn’t be doing two fast workouts back to back and the twenty milers shouldn’t be back to back. DUH. That was totally my mind and typing not communicating well at all. But alas, don’t worry, I will switch around the workouts so I have a slower, recovery day in between all my faster workouts and I will have a week to split up my long 20 milers as well. I know it seems like a lot for the longer distances, and I’m not trying to build my endurance that much, but at the same time, I really feel that a long run on the weekends is really good for me. I am going to work on focusing during my long runs and not allowing my mind to give up half way through. I think that will really strengthen my running abilities.

Also, coaching track and cross country and running competitively in high school for four years and on and off for 5 years, I think I will do a lot of the same workouts I did and had my kids do as well. I think that will be helpful since I used to do them and they are pretty engraved into my head.

Also many of you think this training schedule is super hardcore, but really looking at the schedule, it’s not too rough. It’s a few smaller runs, with longer runs on the weekend and I tried really hard to switch it up from just going out and running 5-8 miles daily as well, with the hill and gym and track workouts as well. Now, don’t get me wrong, you won’t be seeing me on a bike or in the pool anytime soon. Thanks for all your advice though, I definitely will be taking it to heart.

Now, I know many of you need new summer workout gear, check out the links below. Lately though, I am sad to admit that there are absolutely no guy deals out there. Every website I check it’s the same stuff I posted last week. Do any of you guys who might creep around this blog know of any new websites or places online to get good guy running stuff? Email me @ [email protected] if you know of any!

Women’s

Journey Moving Comfort Shorts

Nike Fitness Tights

Prana Sports Top

Prana Sports Top 2

Asics Performance Shorts

Nike Strength Top

Prana Sabin Racer

Asics Microfiber Shorts

Marmot T-shirt

Sugoi Lucky Fit Shorts

Sugoi Sports Bra

Sugoi Marilyn Tank

Sugoi Balance Tee

Sugoi Cap Tee

Nike Knit Shorts

Tank by Moving Comfort

Simple Tank By Prana

Saucony Shorts

Oiselle Shimmel Tank

Nike Bikram Shorts

Nike Plus Shorts

Nike Personal Best Long Tank

Women’s Unwind Strappy Tank

Seamless Champion Sports Bra

Reebok Fitness Tank

New Balance Tank

Danskin Spring Blossoms Tank

New Balance Shorts

Men’s

Sorry. Lame. I know.

MarmotMesitaTee

I’m still sick. I’m seriously over being sick in the summer. I can’t breath through my nose so I know running is out of the question right now. My head feels like it weights 10 pounds and it’s all clogged up in my sinus area. Graphic? Yes. Would you expect anything less from me? I can’t believe tomorrow is already Friday. Where did the week go? I’m excited though, because tomorrow is Foto Friday! Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

xoxo

So I realized sometime during my marathon training that training plans overwhelm me and really take the fun out of running for me. During my training I got burnt out and wanted to not run as much as I was in the beginning. The training plan I was following was made up for my current running abilities at the time and was perfect if I would had stuck to the plan pretty closely. I dealt with a lot of personal things during the training which also wore me out so I had no energy to run some days. Running hard six days a week is just not for me either. So with this upcoming half marathon, here are the things that needed to be addressed.

1. Bathroom issues – I need to find a good mix of what to eat while running that doesn’t lead to bathroom trips. Though I never had had a problem with the half distance and the bathroom issues, if I choose to run a marathon again, I would rather try to figure that out earlier on so I don’t have the problem anymore.

2. Speed – After the marathon I realized that I had perhaps stepped back on running fast for a little bit too long and I had lost a lot of my speed that I build up by building my endurance. I am going to work on getting faster and keeping with that pace for this cycle of training

3. Hills – I know the SF 1/2 is going to have some major butt kicking hills and if I don’t train on them I’m going to have an epic blowup at the 1/2.

4. Sticking to the schedule – So I got super burnt out, and had a really hard time getting myself out there to run because I think I got overwhelmed with the amount of running, the time it took and everything else in my life. This cycle I am really going to try to stick with the schedule.

5. Diet – So we all know that I eat a ton of crappy food. As in a TON. I eat a ton of fast food, and at work I’m called Lamar because I eat so much candy. This little issue will be addressed after the training plan.

So dun dun dunnnnn, I announce my OWN training plan.

I made this up according to what I think I can feasibly get done and also with the idea that one day, sooner than later I may possibly run another full marathon. This is all still speculation and I hope to discuss my feelings and how the race went mentally sometime next week. I’m still sorting through that whole mumbo jumbo in my head.

Sundays will be my rest day

Each week I will be doing on cross-training or weight lifting type workout. This will most likely fall on Mondays.

Tuesdays I plan to do some simple mileage. Usually at a nice, consistent pace. Anywhere from 6-8 miles. Somewhat of a recovery from weights if I’m a little sore. I will do some striders at the end to shake out my muscles and keep the speed somewhat included.

Wednesdays I will run a faster lactate threshold type workout. This can range from 6-12 miles, with 3 to 8 miles at a faster pace. Mostly the half marathon it will be on the 6-10 mile side.

Thursdays I will do a track workout. This means legitimately going to the track and running as fast as I can. Usually will be doing 400s or 800s all out. Possibly will include sprints (because I miss them dearly) OR I will run hills, which would be a very hard hill workout, where I run up a hill all out about 10-20 times and then slow jog around the back. There is a nice grassy hill that I know I can run up and it will kick my butt but will also get my quads into better shape and will get me more used to running hills more frequently. This is what we did in high school and it really helped me.

Fridays This is my 2nd rest day of the week.

Saturdays This is where my training will be a little different, I am going to include 2 20 mile long runs in the beginning of July before my taper to try to increase my endurance. All my long runs in the training cycle will be longer than the half marathon distance of 13.1 miles as well. I have 6 long runs to get in before the half so I am going to probably break it down like this:

June 13 (but sadly this weekend I think my run will come on Sunday because I have some prior all day commitments on Saturday, but it shouldn’t mess up my schedule too bad since it’s not too incredibly long and I shouldn’t be sore on Monday) – 14 miler

June 20 – 18 miler

June 27 – 20 miler

July 4 – 20 miler

July 11 – 18 miler

July 18 – 14 miler

July 26 (Sunday) – San Fransisco Half!

It seems crazy but I really think this will allow me to build my endurance up and I know I can run that far because of the marathon. I know it will also keep me in better shape in case I do decide to run a fall full marathon. I also hope it makes me faster. Also every night, I will do at least 25 push ups and 100 sit ups, if not more as I go along. I started doing that before San Diego and before I gave up on them, I was really starting to see a difference. I know the core is very important to runners and I want to work on mine. I feel that starting off with 100 and doing them every day will be a good number. If I feel good then I will do more, but I must always do 100.

So now onto the diet of myself. I know I eat a ton of fast food. To cut this down I’m limiting it to eating fast food once during the work week, and once during the weekend. This can be for dinner, breakfast or lunch, but it’s only ONCE during the day I choose, not a full day. For me, fast food is Mc Donalds, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Del Taco, etc. NOT Quizno’s, Subway, or Togos. If I get a sandwich somewhere that doesn’t count as fast food, because that’s basically what I would have brought from home.

This new diet also includes not drinking limitless amounts of Soda. I can have two of those a week too. Luckily, I don’t drink coffee so I don’t have to wean myself off that either, but I know caffeine and sugars are super bad for you, and I need to increase my water intake. I know I can’t give up all my soda but I think two a week is a good number, because sometimes I just need a soda, sprite specifically.

Then we have the candy addiction. This is rough because I love candy. I am going to try to cut as much out of my diet as possible, but if need be and I can’t resist the addiction cravings, I can have one bag a week, of whatever candy I choose. This isn’t the family size bag or a fun size, this is the regular bag that would be mixed in with the candy at any gas station type of establishment.

I am going to try to eat healthier by eating more fruits and vegetables as well. I seriously lack those in my current diet. Mainly my diet is made up of cheese and bread/pasta, with the occasional interspersing of chicken. So I think including more fruits and veggies will bode well for me. Also last weekend I tried tofu and really liked it so I think I’m going to try to start working on making some of that and including it in my diet. I don’t necessarily want to drop a lot of weight on my ‘diet’ but at the same time that would be an added bonus, but mostly, I want to do it to feel healthy and feel good. I love candy but it doesn’t always make me feel the best after I’ve downed some huge bag.

So that’s my plan in a nutshell basically. Well see how it goes and how all my workouts start to fall into place. It starts this Saturday (or Sunday, pending) with my 14 miler. I am trying to get my toe to heal as quickly as possible and it’s starting to feel a bit better, which I think will allow me to run well this weekend for the 14 miler I have planned. Now to get rid of this summer cold that has me a little congested and I’ll be good to go.

I am excited about this plan because I feel like it fits me a little bit more than such intense running. I like to switch things up and I feel like my long runs will help me build endurance and make the half fly by! Well see how it goes. I also feel that this gives me the option to run another fall full marathon if I choose to.

So tomorrow I’ll have some sweet deals! I will be posting my progress with the plan as well throughout my training up until the 1/2 on July 26.

xoxo

I am addicted to gum. I chew it all day at work, when I run, when I’m at the gym, everywhere. I usually chew gum for an extended period of time also. Like 4-5 hours. Gross. I usually prefer a frosty or fresh tasting gum, nothing too crazy flavored. I want gum to be freshening my breath, which I think is it’s intention. I am a really bad person and usually spit my gum out the window as well when I’m driving. Sometimes this is mildly entertaining for me as well. The other day I was driving home from work, and this happened.

I spit out my gum and it landed on my door. Totally missed the rolled down window. STUPID. I think what could even be more stupid is that I then took a picture of it.

How’s that for a super amazing and exciting 200th post? Yup, I failed. ha ha.

Tomorrow I will have some new cool stuff to talk about, like my infected toenail that has not allowed me to wear shoes. I did get in a gorgeous, I wish I took pictures, run this weekend in San Luis though. I ran about 8.5 miles and felt good, minus the toe issue. Hopefully, and sadly, the toenail just needs to fall off and then I think that it will heal itself.

This week I will be posting my homemade training plan, what I think my goals will be for the San Fran 1/2 and of course, anything super exciting that happens to me that I think you all must know about immediately. I have a review to post as well. Maybe I’ll even throw in some workouts, but tonight is a rest day and will include some great Bachleorette watching!

xoxo

Inappropriate but hilarious. So as many of you know, this weekend I am running the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. It’s going to be a blast for all the events that lead up to it, including the blogger meet up, the girls I’m staying with, I just know it will be so fun and exciting. I’m already glad that I chose a “big” marathon for my first, so I’ll always have people to run with and stalk.

I’m starting in corral 7, and my race number is 7376. I feel like it’s a good number. There’s a lot of lucky number 7′s in there. Well my lucky number is 6, but 7 is the ultimate lucky number, so therefore that is what I’ve made myself believe.

My biggest goal for this race is to finish. I know everyone says that that really isn’t a ‘goal’ because obviously I am going to finish the race, but at the same time, a lot of crazy things can happen over 26.2 miles. I also don’t want to focus so much on my pace, time, and all the aspects that I didn’t really work on that much during my training to not soak in my first marathon experience.

Every ‘race’ I’ve ever ran, I’ve always raced them. I think I learned that in high school when I ran competitively and was much faster than I am now. Even if I tell myself I’m not going too, I find my heart beating and my body tense at the starting line and I always give it my all. For this race though, I have to keep telling myself, it’s not a race, it’s a marathon. They don’t call it a race for a reason. I know if I race the marathon I will be upset with myself and I’ll miss a lot of the fun ‘firsts’, plus, I can always run more if I decide too.

I’ve decided to break down my goals with A, B and C goals, but first and foremost it is to finish, enjoy the race and soak up everything going around me, and what an accomplishment even running a marathon is.

My A Goal is to finish in between 4-4:30. This would be a decent pace for me, and I think it’s possible if everything is going right for me. This includes no crying, no crazy bathroom breaks, no walking, not really any stopping at all. I can run 20 miles in 3:15, so we’ll see how things go race day.

My B Goal is to finish in between 4:30-5:00. This is more than attainable for me, pending anything absurd happening to me, but I guess you can’t rule out everything going perfectly

My C goal is to finish in between 5-5:30. This again shouldn’t be a problem, but pending I break my leg or get trampled we could have some issues.

These goals are all easily within my reach, but I know I will have to pay attention to my body and listen to what is happening on those last miles. I definitely know I will have the mentality of, well I ran 20 miles, what’s 6 more?! I also wanted to give myself goals that I know I can achieve because I would be really upset if I didn’t make my goals.

So what’s more important than goals? Outfits of course. So I didn’t know what was wrong with me because usually I can spend money like it’s my full time job, but I just couldn’t find the perfect racing top for this race.

I narrowed it down to two shirts, and will make a game time decision as to what one I will wear.

No matter what I will be wearing my Nike Spandex Shorts and my Zensah pink sports bra but I cannot decide in between the purple top or the Nike blue top. I know the purple top is new but don’t worry, I wore it around under a shirt for a day to see if I would chafe and I didn’t. I’m a freak I know. I like the blue shirt a lot too. So many decision. I know it will depend on how I feel that morning and what I want to run in. You may actually recognize the shorts and tank though, they are the same ones I wrote when I shot some sweet pictures with Kymberli

So it’s this weekend. On Monday, I will be able to say for the rest of my life, yes, I have run a marathon. Have run? That sounds pretty crazy. I am excited, nervous and I’m pretty sure I might cry tonight while packing my bag for San Diego tomorrow.

Perhaps I might post something tomorrow evening, before I go to bed, depending on what I am feeling, but I’m so thankful for all the encouragement, support and kind words over this whole training period. It’s weird because after this race, I have this weird feeling that I don’t even know what I’ll blog about. Well I’m sure I can always find something somewhat random and interesting in my life to entertain you with, but it’s just like it’s all accumulated to these upcoming moments. I am so overwhelmed by so many crazy feelings but it’s a huge adrenaline rush! I can’t wait to write up a super long race report. I think I might have to do it in segments over the next week because I know I’ll take a billion pictures and then we have 26.2 miles of coverage. I’ll try to leave out any poopy details. :)

Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you at the finish line!

xoxo

So today is the obvious Foto Friday, and it’s quite possibly my most favorite day of the week. Though I can’t jump on the Kelly’s Korner Blog’s Dining Room day, since I don’t really have a dining room, I did post a few pictures of it with the kitchen post, which you can check out here.