RnR: Week 4 Day 6

I was all dressed and ready to head out to the gym this afternoon when I did the unthinkable! I sat on the couch and watched TV. The 2001 Planet of the Apes with Mark Whalberg just started and once I sat down, I got stucked watching the rest of it. I am blaming Mark Whalberg on this one!

I was supposed to do 3 miles today but since I didn't make it to the gym tonight, I made up for it by doing 20 mins of Total Body Pilates and another 10 mins of Pilates Abs both with Nicole Stewart on Exercise TV. It was late but I got it done.

I will have to try to shut out distractions like this next time especially now that I am on training. It's one thing to modify the training plan to suit my schedule but its a whole other thing to cram and try to squeeze in one missed workout/run into the next. I gotta stay focused and not get easily distracted anymore.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 4 Day 5

Fridays are rest days on the schedule and so I took it. I am glad that I was able to get back on track with my mileage this week or I'd feel riddled with guilt while taking this rest day. However, this wasn't necessarily a rest day per se, because my family and I were at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk Friday and I was on my feet walking most of the evening. We watched the Gin Blossoms live in concert for free and the rest of the time was spent walking getting to and from one ride to the other.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 4 Day 4

Got my running mojo back today! Evidently, having an unplanned rest yesterday has helped me get my energy back. After a few suckish runs in the past couple days, it is awesome to finally have a run that actually felt good! I hit the treadmill at the gym with the goal of making up the mileage I missed on Wednesday's scheduled 35 min tempo and adding today's 3 mile run for a total of 6 miles. I am so happy to have achieved the goal of the day. It wasn't one of my best runs whoever it certainly is one of those runs where I finished happy and contented. It was a really good solid run for me, I even ended up with negative splits!

Mile 1 - 11:51
Mile 2 - 10:42
Mile 3 - 10:20
Mile 4 -10:17
Mile 5 - 9:49
Mile 6 - 9:16

Still high on endorphins after the run when I got back home, I decided to follow it up with 20 mins of Total Body Pilates with Nicole Stewart and another 20 mins of Incredible Abs 6 with Cindy Whitmarsh for a total of 40 mins of workout on Exercise TV.

I wish it is like this everyday but then again running won't be fun anymore. It'll be just plain, monotonous and boring.  I guess having to go through all the ups and downs makes it exciting, interesting and most of all gratifying when you are able to persevere and get through the tough part.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 4 Day 3

Totally slacking off today! It is 35 min tempo on the schedule but I've been busy around the house. Also, I've been seriously tired from not getting enough zzzs the past couple nights, its not even funny anymore. Gotta get this 'project' done so I can get back to my normal sleeping time again.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 4 Day 2

I have been extremely sleep deprived for the past week. I have been staying up all night 'til the wee hours of the morning working on a project that just seemed like its never going to get done. I realized during today's run just how much lack of sleep has affected my training. I have been feeling tired and sluggish because of it.

Even though I knew this run is going to be hard, I headed out there to get in tonight's scheduled 3.5 miles. I was actually thinking maybe I can make it to 4 but as the run progressed, I was getting more and more tired and more frustrated. My legs were so heavy like I have casts on them and just overall feeling weak and exhausted. It was one of those suckish run that I just had to bail out by mile 3. I did a total of 3.09 miles @ 31:21 minutes and splits at 10:23, 9:56 and 10:00.

Not getting enough sleep is seriously messing up with my mood, energy and endurance. Today's run just made it emphatically clear just how important  a good night's sleep is if I want to run and become a stronger runner.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 4 Day 1

Week 4 already! 8 more weeks to go 'til the big day! Gosh, it just seemed to fly by. I have my Los Gatos Dammit Run next week which will be my 'training race'. I just got my bib in the mail yesterday. This race is only 5 miles but it is going to be tough for me considering the course is on a gnarly rugged terrain. I have never run a race on a hilly course before so this is going to be quite a challenge.

I barely had time to fit in a workout today but good thing today's schedule only called for stretch and strength. I was able to get my workout in late in the evening. I did 20 mins of Total Body Pilates with Nicole Stewart followed by another 20 mins of 10lbs Slimdown Yoga with Chris Freytag. Thank god for Exercise TV On Demand. I could get things done anytime I can.

This is why I love training! I love having the structure to follow. It helps me get myself committed to training and be motivated to push myself to stick to it and get it done. One thing I learned about running is that, there is nothing impossible if you just work hard for it. Over a year ago, when I started training for my first 10k, I thought running a 10k race was a crazy idea. I was nervous just by the thought of it. Now looking back, I am so proud of myself for taking that challenge. I am now getting to a place where I'd never thought I could get to. I never thought I could finish a 10k, let alone a 13.1 mile race. This is now my 2nd half marathon training and would love to run more races in the future and maybe my first full marathon in the not-so-distant future.

from Pinterest

RnR: Week 3 Day 7

I wasn't planning on running today after logging 7 miles yesterday but running around doing chores all day made me feel icky, tired and lazy. Instead of taking a nap, I decided to go to the gym for a short treadmill run. The gym was virtually empty. It was nice to have the whole place to myself. I didn't have to wait for my turn especially on the weight machines which was awesome.

I did 3 miles on the treadmill for 36 minutes. I got it done without having to worry about my pace. I didn't even bother tracking my mile splits which I usually do even on short runs like this. I intended it to be just an easy run to get me reinvigorated and to shake off the tired lazies, although I did cranked up the usual 1% incline to 3% then to 5% the last mile.

After the treadmill, I did the following weights workout for another 25 minutes or so:

Chest press 30 lbs 5x 15 reps
Lat pull 50 lbs 5x 15 reps
Leg pull 40 lbs 5x 15 reps
Ab Crunch 40 lbs 5x 15 reps
Bicep Curl 20 lbs 5x 10 reps

I felt energized both physically and mentally after these workouts. It was great to be able to just do that spontaneously.

Photo courtesy from Pinterest

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.