RnR: Week 3 Day 6

I had plans to meet up with Jane in Fremont to run with her at Coyote Trail at 8AM this morning but had to cancel. My family and I had plans to go to San Francisco for a cruise and instead of rushing to get to Fremont, drive to San Francisco and scurrying back home to get back to our pooch who will be needing a bathroom break walk, we decided it will be easier to just run from home instead of rushing to get things done.

So I headed to Guadalupe Creek Trail, along with my hubby and little miss, to get my long run in today. It was still overcast when we started around 8AM. I might just have to stick to early morning long runs to beat the heat. This run turned out slower than normal for me. I guess the 7x800s I did last Thursday was causing this. My legs felt like a ton of bricks for the most part of this run. It took me the last 2 miles to find my rhythm although I didn't feel like I was struggling too much to find it. I pretty much just chug along, enjoying the run. Here's our mile splits:

Mile 1 - 11:46
Mile 2 - 11:13
Mile 3 - 11:22
Mile 4 - 11:43
Mile 5 - 10:54
Mile 6 - 10:23
Mile 7 - 10:11

Total distance: 7.08 miles
Total time: 1:18:15
Average pace: 11:03 min/mile

Photo courtesy from Pinterest

RnR: Week 3 Day 5

The training plan called for a rest day or an easy run today but since yesterday was a pretty intense run, I devoted this day as my cross-training day.

I did 20 minutes of Total Body Pilates with Nicole Stewart via Exercise TV On Demand. I like to do Pilates when I want to do a low impact workout or just something short and easy to relieve the day’s stress. Its focus is core strengthening and flexibility. I love the stretching part the most. I feel totally relaxed, I could sleep on the mat!

I then followed up the 20 minutes Pilates with another 20 minutes of Incredible Abs 6 workout with Cindy Whitmarsh. I have been working out on Cindy Whitmarsh’s videos even before I became serious with running more than a year ago. I remember having such a tough time getting through her workouts when I first started. This time looking back, I am amazed at how far I’ve come. I am so much stronger than I was a year ago and probably in the best shape of my life now.

Photo courtesy from Pinterest

RnR: Week 3 Day 4

I did 7x800s today instead of 6x400s but this almost never happened. I had some guests over late in the afternoon and had a little bit of wine. I got a little tipsy even with the little bit of wine I had and it took me awhile to feel normal enough to run. When I finally did, I headed for the soccer field near my house and did laps around it which is about a quarter of a mile around. I had my Runkeeper set up to coach me via my iPhone. It was supposed to be set for 6x800s with 2 min recovery in between but I somehow screwed up the setting to 7x. I started off with a 5 min warmup and closed it with another 5 min cooldown. Here's my splits according to Runkeeper:

Intervals Pace (min/mi)
5:00 (warmup) 11:36
1) 0.50 mi (fast) 8:56
2:00 (slow) 11:06
2) 0.50 mi (fast) 9:01
2:00 (slow) 12:49
3) 0.50 mi (fast) 9:49
2:00 (slow) 11:57
4) 0.50 mi (fast) 9:44
2:00 (slow) 10:18
5) 0.50 mi (fast) 10:20
2:00 (slow) 10:14
6) 0.50 mi (fast) 10:32
2:00 (slow) 9:26
7) 0.50 mi (fast) 9:23
2:00 (slow) 15:32
5:00 (cooldown) 15:00

Total distance: 5.38 miles
Total time: 56 mins

I am not sure how accurate this is because the fast/slow laps seemed to be weird starting from Lap 4. I am pretty sure I ran faster during the 800s than the 2min recovery. Oh well! Not a big deal, anyway. The only thing that matters is that I was able to get my butt out there and do this intervals. It certainly wasn't easy doing interval training and pushing myself beyond my comfort zone but it felt great though once I got it all done.

Runspiration courtesy from Pinterest

RnR: Week 3 Day 3

Today is finally rest day. It was supposed to be a 6x400 @ 5k pace according to the schedule but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Courtesy from Pinterest

RnR: Week 3 Day 2

I was planning on taking a day off from running today since I had a long-ish run on the treadmill yesterday but had to change plans when my girl friend Jane called. I couldn't turn down the invitation to run with her. Jane and I set out to run 3 miles at the Guadalupe Creek trail. It was still pretty warm out when we started around 5:30pm. I was pleasantly surprised to see more people at the trail than usual. There were 3 lone runners, a couple with there kids on their bikes and a few walkers and bikers. It was a nice mix of trail users. Hubs and I usually don't see that many people on that part of the trail during our runs. I guess people flock the trails to enjoy the nice and warm summer days.

Jane and I did 2.76 miles total for 33:29 mins. We ran a pretty nice, easy pace. Our total time included the failed attempt to find Jane a restroom. The closest one would be another 2 miles out which we didn't plan on doing. It also included some walk breaks because she felt slightly overheated. Although I was all amped up and could have ran some more, it was alright for me to head back home. It's supposed to be a rest day anyway. I'll take this run as an active recovery from yesterday's workout. I'm just glad I got out there and got some miles in with Jane today.

Runspiration courtesy from Pinterest.com

RnR: Week 3 Day 1

Wow, it is already 3 weeks into half marathon training! As cliche as this may sound, time flies when you are having fun, I guess! So, here we are on W3D1. Today is supposed to be strength and stretch but as mentioned yesterday, I will have to dedicate this day to make up for the 6 miles that I missed yesterday.

So after much debate whether I should run outdoors around the neighborhood or the usual indoor run, I decided to stick to the usual. Don't get me wrong, I love running outdoors but I don't like running outside by myself. Running on the treadmill is monotonous and can get really boring, really fast but I feel much safer in the gym even when I am alone. Plus with the heat these days, I'd rather be running on the treadmill in an air conditioned gym than having the heat to deal with.

I set out determined to hit my 6 mile goal tonight. I started slow anticipating that the first 3 miles are going to be hard. My head started messing up with me by mile 3 telling me to stop but I pushed on through it. I was on the edge of quitting on mile 5 but I gave it my all instead and just ran my heart out.

My splits:

Mile 1 - 11:37
Mile 2 - 10:41
Mile 3 - 10:23
Mile 4 - 10:31
Mile 5 - 11:03
Mile 6 - 9:41
+ cool down - 4:26

One more thing I love about the gym is that it is very convenient to also incorporate weight training after running. After a few minutes of stretching and cooling down, I proceeded to my strength training routine and did the following:

Chest press 30 lbs 3x 10 reps, 40lbs 1x 10 reps
Lat pull 50 lbs 4x 10 reps
Leg pull 40 lbs 4x 12 reps
Ab Crunch 40 lbs 4x 15 reps
Bicep Curl 20 lbs 2x 10 reps

6 mile goal for the day, checked! Stretch and strength, checked! Happy me!

Photo courtesy from Pinterest.com

RnR: Week 2 Day 7

Today is a complete rest day for me. My training schedule calls for a 6 mile run today but will have to switch it up to tomorrow. Would have loved to get 6 miles in today but running will have to take the back seat while more important stuff other than running needs to be taken cared off first.

Photo courtesy from wallpaperstock.net

RnR: Week 2 Day 6

Ran with my girl friend, Jane, this morning. We did a training run for the Dammit Run route which will be our next race happening mid-week of August. She picked me up promptly at 7AM and we drove to Los Gatos together. The actual Dammit Run route starts and ends at the high school track but to avoid having to weave our way through downtown LG, we tweaked the route a little bit. We drove to the parking lot at Miles Ave., took the Los Gatos Creek trail about 2.5 miles up to the top of the Lexington Reservoir, ran up St. Joseph's hill following Jones trail down to College Ave., looped back to LG Creek trail and back to the parking lot for a total of 4.41 miles @ 56 minutes.

Running early certainly has its perks. It was nice to enjoy the cool breeze for a change. The temps at 8AM is certainly different from the temps at 11AM. We were also able to avoid the crowd from Team In Training and other running clubs who seemed to converge at the same time at Los Gatos Creek Trail today. It was around the last 1/2 mile when we started meeting throngs of oncoming runners just starting there way into the trail.

Jane and I had a couple steep climbs during this run as you can see from the elevation profile below. The most ridiculous climb was at St. Joseph's hill at 858ft elevation around 2.45 mile which Jane and I basically walked. Definitely a butt kicker! I've done this route a few times but still couldn't manage a slow run up that hill. Someday, I'll be tough enough to hammer this hill down. =)

The good thing about a steep uphill is a really nice downhill but I held myself back from running downhill at my maximum pace to keep up with Jane. Not sure if she was also holding back to keep up with me. I do know she can run faster than the pace we did on this run. While I like having the hubby as my running buddy, it was a pleasant change to have a girl like Jane to run with. We chit chatted almost the whole time! Looking forward to more runs together with her.

Today's 4.41 mile route

Today's hilly elevation profile

RnR: Week 2 Day 5

Fridays are supposed to be rest days for me. I intended to just rest up and do nothing today because I was feeling an onset of a sore throat and just feeling unusually tired the whole day. In addition to that, I was also feeling a bit of muscle soreness most probably from overdoing the workout the other day. But by late afternoon, I was going stir crazy so I decided to lace up my running shoes and head off to the gym. I managed 3 miles on the treadmill on a 1% incline @ 32 mins. This run was just to run off the funk so I pretty much just took it easy. I didn't even bothered tracking my splits. It was kind of a hard run mentally but just what I needed to shake off the blues that had me in a funk for days now.  I did and left the gym feeling a lot better and lighter.

From imgspark.com via Pinterest

RnR: Week 2 Day 4

I was supposed to run 30 min tempo today but I had chores to do. I had an orthodontist appointment in the morning, took the little miss to Build-A-Bear after that and went malling, went grocery shopping and then took her swimming. That pretty much took my whole day. By the end of the day, I was too tired to even think about running but I did manage to squeeze in a late night 20 minute Total Body Pilates with Nicole Stewart which is also via Exercise TV On Demand. It is short but great when you don't have a lot of time to spare for an exercise. It also gives you a calming and relaxing effect which is pretty nice after a long day and before heading to bed.

wordspiration courtesy from searchquotes.com via Pinterest

RnR: Week 2 Day 3

Hello W2D3! I am still trying to bounce back and recover from being pestered by emotional setbacks. It's probably going to take some time but I will not let things get in the way of my half marathon training. Not now.

So today is scheduled for a 30 minute tempo but I was too psyched up to do more than that. Today's workout started with "6 Weeks, 6 Pack" Level 2 with Jillian Michaels via Exercise TV On Demand. It is a 35 minute core-focused cardio intervals. This is only the second time I am doing this workout but it seemed a little easier today or was I just too pumped up? I did worked up a good sweat and felt it more as a total body workout than just abs.

After that, I headed to the gym for my 3 mile date with the treadmill. Here's what I did: 
1/2 mile warmup @ 5:33
Mile 1 @ 11:33
Mile 2 @ 10:44
Mile 3 @ 10:12
1/2 mile cool down @ 9:14
Total mileage = 4 miles @ 46:37

Then added another 25 minute or so strength training session which is as follows:

Chest press 30 lbs 5x 10 reps
Lat pull 50 lbs 5x 10 reps
Leg pull 40 lbs 5x 10 reps
Ab Crunch 40 lbs 5x 20 reps

Wordspiration courtesy from Pinterest.com

RnR: Week 2 Day 2

W2D2: I was in a serious emotional rut all weekend. I managed to pull myself together today, dragged myself to the gym and hooped on the treadmill.  I knew that running can help me feel better and pull me out of a rut.

The schedule for W2D2 is to do a 3 mile run. This run, although just a short 3 mile, seemed like one of the toughest run in recent memory. There was a point when I felt like quitting but I tried really hard to push it through and just continued to run. I toughed it out and made it to 3 miles plus an extra 1/2 mile warmup and 1/2 mile cooldown.

Here's the breakdown:

1/2 mile warmup @ 6:40
Mile 1 - 11:01
Mile 2 - 10:01
Mile 3 - 9:56
1/2 mile cool down @ 5:57

I was such in a funk before I ran but came out on the other side feeling so much better. The emotional anxiety is still there but at least it lifted my mood a little bit after the run. Thanks to endorphins! I wish I can bottle it up and use it whenever needed.

Wordspiration by Dan Cassaro for Poolga.

RnR: Week 2 Day 1

Week 1 of training has come and gone. There were definitely a lot of necessary adjustments made to the training plan but I think the first week went pretty well. Now, I am moving on to Week 2 of training.

W2D1 is supposed to be a stretch and strengthen day but life got in the way of my training plans. I had to set doing any workout aside. So this one will have to go down also as a rest day and please enjoy a little wordspiration.

RnR: Week 1 Day 7

Photo courtesy from depositphotos.com

I decided to skip the 3 mile run today per the training schedule and devote this day as a day of complete rest. Meaning no runs, no cross training, no yoga or Pilates. Nada. Rest days are important for runners to help the body recover and recuperate.

I started getting shin splints again especially on my left shin. I noticed the shin splint re-occurring right after the 5x800 I did. Today's rest day is a much needed break. The shin splint is a sign that I have over done something and over worked myself.

I had a really bad case of shin splints last year while training for my Race to the End of Summer 10k and the HERS Keep ABreast 10k. I ran both races with shin splints. It was a stupid move and I paid for it at the end. I couldn't run without the shin screaming at me. The recovery took several months. It was very very frustrating not being able to run when you have the will for it. I don't want to go through that again. I try to listen to my body this time to avoid being injured and not being able to run at all.

RnR: Week 1 Day 6

Hubby and I did our routine weekend long-ish run starting at Campbell Park all the way to the 5 mile marker at the Los Gatos Creek Trail. The out and back is about 5.27 mile which we did at 54:37. It started off pretty slow since my left shin was a bit painful and it took awhile to warm up. Once we got it rolling though, it actually felt like I did a decent pace throughout the run.

Here's our mile splits:
Mile 1 - 11:14
Mile 2 - 10:36
Mile 3 - 10:44
Mile 4 - 10:12
Mile 5 - 9:41
extra .27 mile @ 9:20

Today's route

Today's elevation

It was kinda humid out there today but not too bad. We arrived to the trail at 9AM. If we had gotten about an hour earlier, we could have enjoyed a cooler, nicer run but that's what I know I have to deal with since it was my fault I don't wake up early enough.

RnR: Week 1 Day 5

Today's schedule called for a 3 mile run + strength, and that's what I exactly did. I hit the gym earlier than I normally do so I will make it to the Harry Potter and Deathly Hollows - Part 2 showing at 7pm with the family.

Below is the breakdown of my run on the treadmill:
1/2 mile warm up @ 5:45
Mile 1 @ 10:04
Mile 2 @ 10:00
Mile 3 @ 10:27
1/2 mile cool down @ 7:01
Total of 4 miles @ 42:37

For strength training, I did my usual weight routine and did the following:
Chest press 30 lbs 5x 10 reps
Lat pull 50 lbs 5x 10 reps
Leg pull 40 lbs 5x 10 reps
Ab Crunch 40 lbs 5x 12 reps
Bicep Curl 20 lbs 2x 10 reps/ 1x @ 6 reps

I love following up my run at the gym with weight lifting. I believe that by combining cardio and weight training together that I have become a better, stronger runner.

RnR: Week 1 Day 4

Week 1 of training is half way over and I have been tweaking the routine according to what my schedule has allowed me to. Today is scheduled for a 3 mile run + strength but this will have to move to Friday since I did 5x800 interval training a.k.a fartleks this afternoon. My pace time for the intervals are: 5:07, 5:31, 5:27, 5:26, 5:26 for a total of 4 miles and then added another extra easy mile @ 11:34. I did a total of 5 miles @ 54:10. I am careful not to overdo it when I am doing intervals or fartleks because for some reason it messes up my left shin. I could feel a little soreness and the leg felt a bit heavy while running but it didn't bother at all. I followed it up with a nice stretching right after the run and iced it when I got back home.

I added another 12 minutes or so of weight training before heading back home for dinner. I could have added a couple ab crunches to my repertoire but the machine got stuck somehow.  Here's what I did:

• Chest press 30 lbs 3x 10 reps 
• Lat pull 50 lbs 3x 10 reps
• Bicep Curl 20 lbs 2x 6 reps

Then before heading to bed, I did a 20-minute yoga from Exercise TV On Demand called Zen In Your Den by the same yogi from last night named Jennifer Galardi. She did an even simpler and gentler movements on this one compared to Yoga Refresh. This one's definitely a nice way to ease into a relax mood before bedtime.

It was another busy day today spending all afternoon bonding with my little miss. I took her to the movies to watch Monte Carlo then hang out for awhile at Santana Row. It was a blast but totally wore me out by the time we got home. One thing that still amazes me is how exercise changes my mood. No matter how tired I get if I just get my butt off to workout, even a short easy one, I always feel like a million bucks afterwards.

RnR: Week 1 Day 3

W1D3 is supposed to be 5 x 400 5-K pace intervals but will have to move it to Friday since I ran a hard 5 miles yesterday. A friend and her little 9 month old also visited late in the afternoon for a dip in the pool so I was preoccupied prepping up for our little rendezvous. We had dinner by the pool and took the kids, her baby and my little miss, for a swim. It was a bit cooler and breezy compared to the last couple days but manageable and we had a lot of fun in the water.

So, all that fun stuff drained some of my energy. I wasn't planning on working out today anyway but felt like doing a quick and simple exercise before calling it a night. It was very tempting to just crawl in bed at 9PM, which by the way is definitely not my normal bed time, but I sucked it up and went ahead for a quickie. I found this 30-minute yoga routine on Exercise TV On Demand called Yoga Refresh by Jennifer Galardi. The routine is very simple and easy to follow which is perfect for a yoga noob like me. I felt refreshed and re-invigorated 30 minutes later. I like it a lot and will try to incorporate more yoga in my fitness schedule.

Off to bed now. Namaste.

RnR: Week 1 Day 2

W1D2 called for an easy 3 mile run but tweaked it a little bit today. There is a regular weekly Sports Basement group run on Tuesday nights which I decided to participate. I've been to a few Sunday morning group runs with Sports Basement but have never tried the Tuesday night schedule.

Since I went all the way to Sunnyvale to run, I figured I should put in some extra miles to what was called for from today's training schedule. I ran from the Sports Basement at Kern to Agnew Rd and back for a total of 5 miles. My mile splits which includes a few traffic light stops are as follows:

Mile 1: 11:42 min/mile
Mile 2: 9:49 min/mile
Mile 3: 9:51 min/mile
Mile 4: 10:16 min/mile
Mile 5: 10:31 min/mile

My 5 mile route

I was pleasantly surprised to see more runners on a Tuesday night compared to Sunday morning runs. There were probably more or less 2 dozen runners out there tonight with diverse backgrounds, pace and distance goals for the night. The group starts the run together and then you are free to run at your own pace after. There is no pressure to keep up with runners slower or faster than you or to stick with the group. After the run, there is an opportunity to socialize and enjoy the camaraderie with fellow runners. As an added bonus, Sports Basement gives out prizes depending on how many miles you have accumulated while joining in the group runs. I think one of the prizes is a tech shirt which is cool to have.

I was also supposed to meet up with a group of local runners which a Dailymile friend suggested I join in. Unfortunately, I misread the schedule emailed to me and missed them. It was a very good run nonetheless and will probably try to make it to Tuesday evening runs as often as I possibly can.

RnR: Week 1 Day 1

This is it! My half marathon training officially starts today. I am following Hal Higdon's Intermediate Half Marathon Training program. This is going to be different from the training program I followed when I did my first half. I followed the ActionAid UK Intermediate Half Marathon program devised by Jane Wake. From the looks of it, Hal Higdon's program will require me to run more days with only 2 rest days per week one of which will be a stretch and strengthen day compared to Jane Wake's which has at least 3 days of rest in a week. I already know that I am capable of running 13.1 miles without stopping. I want to challenge myself more this time and push myself to a new PR. I really have to up my game, stay consistent and stay focused if I want to shave off some time from my last PR.

So Week 1 Day 1 schedule asked for "Stretch and Strengthen". I was a little bit busy today, the only workout I could squeeze in was a quick 20 minute Pilates via On Demand. I've been doing Nicole Stewart's 20-minute Total Body Pilates for quite some time now, pretty much since I started being serious about changing my lifestyle from being sedentary to being active and healthy.  I remember how this routine was so difficult when I first started. This is my go-to workout now if I wanted to take it easy or simply feel invigorated during one of those lazy days.

Managing my schedule will be the biggest challenge in the next 12 weeks but this program will help me stay on track and keep my focus towards my goal. Now, bring it on!