run baby run

Hi Ya’ll!

So I’ll be honest, this week wasn’t great for me. My family came up to visit me Thursday - Sunday and I got caught up in the reunion festivities, so my training took a backseat. I also wasn’t feeling too hot on Saturday but made a full recovery today thanks to rest and Mommy taking care of me with tea and love. Now I’m ready to go into week #3 strong and determined >:D

Here’s a summary of this week’s running shenanigans :D

Monday: 4.5 miles - Bike (Hills) + 1mile Rowing

Although I was only supposed to do 3… but I felt so great I did a little extra :X and I rowed for 10 minutes to give my arms a little bit of a workout ;D

Tuesday: 3 miles - Fartlek

I haven’t done one of these since HS and boy did this workout kick my butt! I warmed up for 10 minutes, but my legs felt heavy (I regretted overworking myself on Monday T_T) and then I did 2:30 min Rest, 1 min Hard, 2:30 min Rest 2 min Hard, 2:30 min Rest, 3 min Hard, 4 min Rest, 2:30 min Rest, and back down the ladder. It was PAINNNNNNNFULLLLL, but I loved the feeling of running fast around a track again. I thought I would be unable to walk after I finished but thankfully I seemed to recover faster than I expected!

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: OFF (Fambam Time)

Friday: OFF (Fambam adventures continue)

Saturday: OFF (sick :C)

Sunday: 8 miles - Long Run

Oh boy. After not being able to run for a couple of days, I was nervous to get back out there, especially since I hadn’t been feeling well on Saturday. I felt a bit awkward during the first 2 miles but I was able to get into a groove after. The last 2 miles were pretty tough since my knee started hurting around mile 3. I finished mile 8 just as I got to my friends house for a quick bite of my clif bar and some water before heading home for a well deserved meal and shower. I made sure to stretch real good and hope I’ll be able to get up nice and early tomorrow!

On a side note, I tweeted about realizing that I spend quite a bit on my running shoes (#gradstudentwoes) and tagged Brooks and they replied! I sent them an email asking for recommendations for what my next running shoes should be and hopefully I’ll get a response from them soon :D

I also picked up a pack of Honey Stinger Fruit Smoothie Chews for my run today and they were AMAZINGGGG. I really like the flavor and consistency of these bite size snacks and they really did help give me energy today :D I am a terrible summer runner because I feel really fatigued in the hot weather but I ate these with my water breaks and felt re-energized and really looked forward to my water breaks (did I mention I am also TERRIBLE at drinking water on my runs D:). So if you’re looking for a healthy snack during your longer runs, I’d def pick up a pack of these to try :D 

“Every single one of us possesses the strength to attempt something (s)he sure (s)he can accomplish.” - Scott Jurek 

Hiya guys! 

So I’m starting my training with a quote from Scott who just finished his final ultra-marathon and also broke a world record #casual. So with high spirits, I am going to try and be active in my blogging throughout my training as well as log in my workouts so if I am crazy enough to ever attempt a marathon again, I can look back on these posts :D 

So confession time, I totally just went with the NYRR plan that I found the PDF version for on google… because as a struggling grad student I cannot pay $100 + for a training plan #sorrynotsorry >.< I’m also going to try to use the MyFitnessPal app more consistently and keep track of my calorie intake / weight to make sure I don’t succumb to malnutrition when school kicks in again, ha…. 

Thanks for reading and let me know whether you’re training for a race or want to give me words of encouragement :D

Week #1

Monday: 3 miles (flex day) + Core

I wasn’t quite ready to get my butt into gear and run so I opted for a 4 mile bike ride instead. I find biking torturous (because I personally find it boring so I’m usually miserable on a bike) but I still went pretty hard since I did feel slightly guilty for not running haha! But Mondays are flexible meaning cross training is encouraged on this day. So I’m thinking that throughout the next 16 weeks, if I feel my knees need a break I’ll hop on the bike or go for a swim. As for core, I did planks and weighted V twist crunches (I have no idea what they’re actually called hahaha). I felt pretty good at the end of my workout but I didn’t want to push it since I knew the weeks ahead were going to be tougher ;D

Tuesday: 3 miles (reg run)

Thanks to a mix up where I thought I had a client when I didn’t haha, I was able to get my run in earlier in the day and have time to go home, eat and change before work (it’s the little things that make my day I tell ya!) I felt really awkward running at first but towards the end my muscle memory kicked in and I felt REALLY good :D I did 2 full court sprints with my friend and again felt I wasn’t doing enough but stuck to my training.

Wednesday: OFF

Thursday: 3 miles (reg run) + Arms

Today I ran with music for the first time in a long time. It felt easier to run with music but I did challenge myself with the aerobic workout on the treadmill. You would think all of the hill running / walking I do would help but I always get a good workout out of hill training on a treadmill. I definitely felt it after I finish and had to give myself a little break before tackling my upper body workout. I did 3x10 #30 tricep pulls, 3x10 #50 lat pull downs, 3x5 assisted pull ups #68.5. I felt so great and productive until I went down to shower in the locker room and got locked out of my locker LOL  Shout out to the awesome girl at the fitness center for not laughing at me in my towel as I asked if she could clip my lock because I had the wrong combination and needed to get to work hahahaha

Friday: OFF

Saturday: OFF (jumproping)

Sunday: 6 miles (long run)