Wisner Fire & EMS Leprechaun 5 Mile Run - March 2014 - 36:56

First race of 2014!!! And a 5 mile PR!

Heidi and I got there about an hour before the race started.  It's a 12 o'clock noon race, which is a little odd to me, but hey, it works.  The town has their St. Patty's celebration going on, so there are lots of people out and about.  We stretched and warmed up before the start.  It was cooler than I thought it would be, and pretty breezy.  Ok, windy...

I had my usual Spark and Arginine Extreme combo and a banana since I ate breakfast early.  I also took two O2 Gold about an hour before the race.

The 5K, 5 mile, and 2.2 mile race all start and end at the same location, just different turn around points.  We lined up in front of the fire hall and headed out.  I ran this race last year, so I knew what to expect.  There is a slight hill right at the turn around point for the 5 mile, but whenever there's an up, there's always a down.  The turn around was of course back into the wind, just like last year's race.  It was windy, but nothing like last year.  The temp was perfect, and I guess the wind was just like a big fan!

I'm going to be honest about my racing strategy.  It's probably not the best one, and it really goes against everything they ever teach you about racing, but I like to go out too fast.  I like to start at the front, and haul balls (pardon the expression...) until I'm out away from the pack.  I run a lot of fairly small races, so my success rate has been surprisingly high.  I was passed by two women the entire race, and a couple of guys that turned around at the 5K.  The two women led me the rest of the way until I caught them around mile 4.  We kind of hung close for a bit, then one bolted, and one fell back.

I finished second female overall, and first in my age group (19-29).  I'm pretty happy with that considering I wasn't super confident coming in.  I've been running long, and not necessarily fast lately.  So I was happy my legs could still pick up the pace when they needed to.  Splits: 7:00, 7:31, 7:27, 7:46, 7:11.

Heidi PRed and placed second in her age group!!  She rocked it!  I love racing with her!! She gives me so much support and encouragement!  Running friends = best friends!

After we got our medals, we headed to Subway for some delicious chopped salads!  And we wore our medals in Subway...

Definitely riding the runner's high on this one!  Race season finally feels real again!

Workout Recap 3/10 - 3/16

Maybe it was just me, but this week FLEW by!  I'm always a little draggy the week after the time changes, but I actually held it together this week!  We had some GORGEOUS spring days and WARM temps which sure helped a lot!

Monday - 6 miles (8:28 avg) back outside in the early morning!  It felt strange to be back out there early again, and only in a long sleeved t-shirt!  Definitely a good start to the day.  I had to help with a Career Day on campus at work, so I walked A LOT the rest of the day.  It was wonderful to get to be outside most of the day!  I was totally spent after my walking, so that was the extent of the workout for Monday.

Tuesday - Body Pump Express at noon and some boring cross-training after work.  I did 30 minutes on the arc trainer, and went to CXWORX.  That wasn't boring, just the arc trainer.  But I still sweat like crazy and got a killer workout.

Wednesday - 7 miles on the treadmill.  I didn't feel like going outside at all.  I needed to do a little bit of speed work to get ready for Saturday, so I kept it inside and pushed myself on the mill.  

Thursday - Weights at noon.  My kind of leg day consisted of squats, lunges, leg extension, and leg curl.  I headed outside after work to enjoy the incredible weather, and could really feel the effects of my lifting just a few hours before...ouch.  Anyway, 8 miles (8:25 avg) and it felt hard.  I really wanted to push pace, and was just struggling.  I ended up kicking it in gear towards the end of the run.  My legs were so sore Thursday night and Friday.  No pain, no gain right?

Friday - Rest day other than CXWORX at lunch.  I would have skipped class all together, but I needed to meet up with Sarah, who let me borrow her green Nike Tempos for the race on Saturday!

Saturday - 5 mile race in Wisner.  Recap coming shortly.  My unofficial time was 36:58 (7:25 avg)  My watch showed the course was just a little short.  It said 4.96 last year too, I checked.  But Heidi and I ran to warm up, and I jogged a few blocks to cool down, so I did hit the 5.

Sunday - 10 miles (8:34 avg).  It is nice to have a short long run for a change!  I wanted to make sure to take it easy after yesterday.  5 miles isn't a long run, but my legs weren't used to pushing pace like that.

Talking Recovery

I truly believe that recovery is the most important aspect of training. Sure, your workouts are extremely important, but if you aren’t recovering efficiently, you may not actually be gaining anything.

I think we can all agree that rest days themselves aren’t fun, but the run or workout the next day usually makes up for the one day of suffering! I find myself recharged and refocused and excited to get back out there. I think basic rest goes a long way in the recovery cycle of training, but I’m also a believer in products that assist recovery. 

Pro Compression sleeves and socks: These are just a huge part of my life. I run in socks, come home and foam roll and shower, and immediately sport a pair of calf sleeves the rest of the day. 

Rezzerct by Complete Nutrition: This is probably the only non-Advocare product that I get really excited about. I love this stuff! I always take it after Body Pump to help eliminate soreness. I took a scoop after every race I ran last year, and it helped me not hobble the next day. It doesn’t taste the best in my opinion, but I usually just chug it and move on! 

Chocolate milk: I drink a glass after EVERY run. It makes me happy! I’ve never been a milk drinker, my dad had to force me to drink milk growing up. I’ve just recently gotten into the chocolate milk post workout trend, and I have to say, I’m a believer. 

Nighttime Recovery by Advocare: YOU NEED THIS PRODUCT!! I recently purchased this for the first time, and wow, it is amazing. I will take a serving before bed on days I’ve completed a long run or just a tough workout. I wake up feeling recharged and have either reduced soreness, or none at all.

Workout Recap 3/3 - 3/9

Pretty boring and basic week.  I found myself pretty fatigued by the middle of the week and hit a rough patch.  Nothing some solid rest couldn't cure!

Monday - 6 miles on the treadmill.  I did a warm up mile, 4 miles at tempo, and a cool down. 

Tuesday - Body Pump Express at noon and CXWORX and 25 minutes elliptical after work.

Wednesday - 7 miles outside after work.  It was a perfect night, I just was in turtle mode.  I struggled with pace from the start and it just got worse.  The sidewalks were a little snowy and icy in some spots, so that will be my excuse I guess.

Thursday - 3.5 miles.  This was the rough night when I realized I'm SHOT.  I had 7 on schedule and nearly died getting 3.5...

Friday - REST!! I didn't do a darn thing!

Saturday - 18 miles.  It was around 20 degrees, sunny, PERFECTION!  I felt great the entire run.  This was definitely a solid confidence boost after feeling shaky on my last couple runs.

Sunday - 4 miles easy outside.  It's in the 60s today! But the wind is crazy of course.

Basic week, not a lot of pictures.  I'm cutting back the mileage a little bit this week and focusing on some speed work to get ready for my 5 mile race on Saturday!

One of THOSE runs

When bad runs happen to good people… Kidding, but really, the bad ones hit like a ton of bricks straight to the face sometimes.

I had 7 miles planned last night, and it was pretty windy outside, so I took it to the treadmill.  Truth be told, I wasn’t feeling it from the start.  I really didn’t want to run at all.  Every single step once I got going was a struggle.  I kept pushing the DOWN button on the speed, I couldn’t get focused, and just didn’t feel right.  I completely stopped the treadmill at 3 miles, got off and walked around a little.  I turned on my fan, I tried everything, another half mile and that was it.  I felt dizzy and tired, and just couldn’t put one foot in front of the other.  I cut my losses, grabbed my brand new foam roller and rolled and stretched, and called it a day.

I felt like I slogged my Wednesday night run outside too.  Some weeks are just that way.  I haven’t felt like I’ve had solid legs under me all week.  So today is a complete rest day, and hopefully I can start tomorrow’s long run off on a better foot.

In EXCITING news, I signed up for a 5 mile road race next weekend!  I ran this race last year, and it was brutally cold and windy, but still a lot of fun.  It’s St. Patty’s Day themed, and according to the website, prizes are given to the best dressed in Duck Dynasty costumes.  I don’t think I’ll put on a beard or camo for this race, but I’m excited to see the ones that do.

My favorite types of cross training

I’m not a high mileage runner.  I WISH I had the time and the body to run 60-70+ miles a week, but I just don’t.  I sit right in the 35-45 range.  45 is HIGH.  I would love to run every day, but I don’t.  I think I’ve found the combination that works best for me, in terms of when to cross train vs run.  I run 4-5 days a week, the other days are either cross training or rest.  Some days it’s a chore, I would rather just lace up my Mizunos and get a runner’s high.  Other days, I enjoy the change of pace.

 

Body Pump – hands down my favorite non-running day workout.  Based on my schedule, most weeks I am only able to get to the Express class over my lunch hour.  The Express class is only the main tracks, and it’s only about 35 minutes as opposed to the full hour.  In Express, we do warm up, squats, chest, back, core, and then alternate between either lunges, biceps, triceps, or shoulders.  I prefer the full class, but Express is better than nothing sometimes.

CXWORX – another Les Mills favorite.  I take this class on running days also, but sometimes will take it on an off day along with Body Pump.  Quick 30 minutes of core work!

Elliptical – I have a love/hate relationship with these machines.  Some days I love hopping on, turning on a good show, and just coasting through a 30-40 preset workout.  Other days the time drags and I almost die of boredom.  (That was me last night…) I don’t think I always work hard on the elliptical.  Let me rephrase, I RARELY work hard on the elliptical.  I always turn to a hill setting, so the resistance and incline changes for me, but I never really push myself.  It’s an easy, non-impact way to get my legs moving, so I guess it’s ok.

Arc Trainer – This machine never fails to kick my tail.  I use a setting, either hill, or cardio.  These machines are boring too, but I work up a killer sweat, as opposed to the elliptical.  My only issue with these machines is there is no happy little TV attached.  So be mentally prepared for boredom.  I enjoy people watching, so I just watch everyone else doing fun things, such as running…

So my workout recaps usually consist of some of these activities throughout the week.  I used to take a cycling class at least once a week, but I’ve gotten away from that in this training cycle.  I never feel like I’m set up right (my own fault, the instructors take set up appointments) and I don’t have clip in shoes (because all my $$ go to Mizunos).  All of these excuses, and some past hip issues, have kept me out of the cycling room.

Workout Recap 2/24 - 3/2

Well March came in like a lion in Nebraska.  We had a lovely dump of snow yesterday, and some wicked cold.  I made it outside twice last week despite snow and cold, we'll see how this next week shapes up!

Monday - CXWORX 30 minutes and Body Pump 60 minutes.  I normally always run on Mondays.  I decided to mix things up a little this week and take my cross training day on Monday.

Tuesday - 6 miles, 7:47 avg.  I think I blacked this run out for a reason, it sucked.  I mean it was hard.

Wednesday - CXWORX 30 minutes and 8 miles outside.  SLOW and easy.  I seriously felt like I could have ran forever!! The sidewalks had some snow and ice on them in spots, so I slowed it way down and just enjoyed everything about this run.  I went out after work, but luckily it's staying light later into the evenings, and one more week until we get to spring our clocks forward!!

Thursday - Cross training 30 minutes on the elliptical and a few weights.  Kept this really easy.

Friday - Long run 17 miles.  It was 13 degrees when I started, so I was prepared to loop home after 10 and finish out on the treadmill, but it actually was perfect outside!  I had to loop back after 10 because I didn't carry any fuel because of the cold.  I grabbed a Gu and ate half and some Powerade and headed back out for the last 7.  It felt really tough at the end.  I think I tanked out so bad because of poor fueling.  

Saturday - 6 recovery miles on the treadmill.  It was -1 outside, and snowing... It is really hard for me to stay disciplined and run easy on the treadmill.  I want to just crank up the speed and get it done.  But I cooled my jets and ran easy.  

Sunday - 40 minutes elliptical and Body Pump 60 minutes.  I'm so glad I got two full BP classes in this week!! I always feel better when I strength train!