Weekend Update + Monday.

Saturday~ perfect weather for running. I was able to wear carpi's and a long sleeve shirt. Already! I love that actually.
12 miles. Or 12 miles of torture. The first half mile was straight up- hill (true story). What a way to warm up! I was running with my middle of the pack friends that were going a bit faster than normal ( or was I slower??). It was kind of hard. One of my slower runner friends showed up and we ended up running together. Now that the run is over I wonder how I could have done/felt if I would have stayed with the fast chicks. Makes me upset at the moment, but those hills kind of took my confidence away- real fast. Too late to find out now. It won't help to dwell on that. Did I mention all the hills????
Sunday~ Road biking with my friend. She just got a sweeeeeet road bike for her birthday. I helped her husband conspire to make it a surprise. We went for a nice 12 + mile ride. She is a natural. I was pretty much eating her dust for most of the ride as I was "teaching" her how to shift and attack the hills. She was like a little kid. I think my legs were toast from the day before--although she was super fast regardless of my excuses!
Monday~ Met my friend again and 2 more for 16 miles on the bikes. Where did we ride you ask...well the same dumb hills that I ran on Saturday, of course! The hills were just as bad too. (probably worse! haha) Ugh. Those downhills scare me.....we were all squealing and breaking as we coasted down them too. It was fun to ride with a group. Sadly, the days of having a bike are getting less and less. The owner will probably want his bike back soon. Boooo! It was good while it lasted! I just need to come up with a plan so I can borrow someone elses bike next spring!

Tuesday- bike, teach, run?

Ooops..I was hoping to post before the goal update blog posted. Oh well.

Today was a busy cardio day.
I was up early and go ton the bike and headed outside to put in some miles. 14.24 to be exact. It was a great morning. It was kind of chilly ( well compared to how the day ended up). If I am able to participate in the next duathlon I really want to do even better on the bike this time. It's less miles than the first du I did this year by about 6 or so miles. I really want to push myself. I of course want to do well on the run portion too. Ugh. Running has been my worst enemy and nightmare combined this season.

I taught cardio sculpt today and then headed off to running club. Today's prescribed workout was 1 mile warm up 4-6 mile tempo and 2 mile cool down. Did I mention the heat index was in the 90's? My friend and I arrived early and got the warm up out of the way ( almost an 8:00 pace-which is more like my tempo pace this year!) after that i just felt off. I am sure it was the weather combined with my activity for the day and perhaps nutrition??!??! I ate well today, maybe not enough for my activity-I really have no idea. It's hard for me to figure out a proper eating schedule and how fuel with my workout and work priorities. Very frustrating. Anyway--- My buddy and I decided to just run 4 more miles and call it a day. Not even at tempo pace ( her's is 6:50 by the way! haha). We got about .68 miles in when I knew i was done. I took a short cut by myself and called it a day with 2.3 miles in. I was to get in 9 miles tonight and only managed 4.22! I am not mad though--really. Just pooped! I did a lot today. I met and exceeded my goal for bike mileage already- it's only Tuesday!! Now I need to figure out when to lift, yoga and run. Yikes!!

Monday early morning run and endurance ride.

Monday- today's spin class was a boring endurance one. Ok, well it's only as boring as you make it, right?!??! It was hard. Endurance classes are harder than mot think ( I think). I actually heard it felt like a Race Day! The whole class ( after the warm up) should be at a pace that is between easy and hard. This is hard to understand without a heart rate monitor. So I try to explain to my class that they should not be comfortable during class, but it should be something they could maintain for hours if they HAD to. I think most got the point! It was a good class. I think I lost 6 lbs of sweat and left 3 lbs of it on the floor beneath my bike ( ewww).
My upper body is pretty sore from yesterday's workout. I am liking that feeling again. It's been too long!
My Totally Toned class worked very hard today ( I sat this one out-- don't tell anyone).

I almost forgot.....I ran this morning! Duh. I put in 3 whole miles while my house slept. It was humid already at 6:30 am, but the morning was beautiful. It was painfully hard to run naked (broke iPod), but I managed. It was a slow pace-- 9:19 or something, but my last mile was better than 8:30. Take that! ;-)
I am trying to run more so this was my attempt at that. We will see how the rest of the week goes!

Friday and getting back into running....for now.

Friday~ Early Spin class! It was a fun interval style today. A few big hills that got progressively steeper as the climb progressed. After that I lifted weights! Yay! Full body lifting.

3x10
Chest Press (apparently my shoulder still hurts)
Squats ( in the rack!)
Dead lifts ( Free motion-first time using this)
Bicep 21's (body bar 15#)

Short and sweet. I met my goal of lifting for this week! I hope to keep it up!

Saturday~ 11.5 mile run. Was supposed to do 12, but the route was off for some reason. It was a tough run and I did not feel the need to run the last half mile. It's been a while since I actually did a long run ( 10 mile race, spin class, duathlon, spin class....), so yeah, it was tough today.
It was humid and I got a mean tan (even though I used sunscreen!) but the good news is I looked fashionable in my running skirt and green Adidas top. I got many compliments on my *outfit*. It had me laughing! Another tie in to my Examiner Article on being Fit and Fashionable! I guess I thought I had to try and look cute since I knew I was going to struggle during today's run! Although, by 3 miles in most of us in the group looked as if we had run a 10 mile race--the humidity was awful and we were drenched. I actually wrung my skirt out during the 9th mile it was so heavy with sweat-gross.

Weekly wrap up:
Miles: 18
Spin classes: 3
Weights: 3
Yoga: 0
Road bike miles:0
Other: 1 (TurboKick class)
Gym cardio: 20 minutes on elliptical

After looking at my wrap up, I hope to run more miles, bike more miles, do yoga and maintain the rest. We shall see! With that being said, I am pretty sure I am teaching Power Spin next weekend and then going out of town the next! I need to figure out when to fit in my long runs.

Monday, Monday......

Sunday~ OFF
Monday~Spin class --it was a hot one! Intervals galore.
Totally Toned at noon. Biceps galore!

I started a 10 day cleanse on Monday and feel great thus far. I am in the beginning stages of cleaning up my less than perfect diet. I am basically flooding myself with even more water than normal and eating tons of veggies and fruits. That's funny; isn't this how I should be eating?!??! Duh.
On tap for later today is speed work at running club. 800 repeats on the track. It could be worse and the weather could be worse too. SO I better count my lucky stars!

My 6 year old is funny. Yesterday she changed into her running gear and Nike running shoes. She told me she was going for a run. She proceeded to run up and down our street (sidewalk) for a good 10 minutes. She came back inside and told me she had to go teach a spin class! Love her!

Recaps.........

Sunday-OFF
Monday- X-fit and Spin instruction
X-fit is at 5AM and it was HARD!
Today we performed a circuit of:
pull-ups
sit-ups
squats
push ups
4 rounds of each exercise (20 seconds per exercise with 10 second rest)
5 hours later I taught Spinning. It was a hard interval class.

Tuesday-yoga and hills
I was up super late Monday night due to tornado's and stuff. Looong night. I missed my regular morning cardio session because I slept in. I love sleep.
I opted to do a Jillian Michael's yoga session. It was called Yoga Meltdown. It was really good. Totally power yoga. I was a sweaty mess and it was only 35 minutes long. It was perfect for me..I am not so good at following yoga outside of a classroom setting.
Later on was running with my running club. It's been a while! I have to get back at it. I really did not feel up to going yet-I still have a cold, but kind of feel I need to get back in the habit-sick or not! It was hills today. I ran 6 + the warm up and cool down. It was HOT out. Ugh. I used to love running in the heat.

Wed-Spin and x-fit
X-fit at 5 am. Today we did something called HELEN.
440 meter run
dumbbell swings (21x)
pull ups (12)
Ugh...3 x through as fast as you can!
I did it in 10:50.
My lungs were on fire for a while.
It was the kind of thing I love/hate to do. I love good, clean competition though and this was it. It does not help that the X-fit instructor yelled " Marcia; you should be killing everyone!" Ummm- this dude does not even know me. But, I had to speed up after he said that. Dang him!!

In other news:
I am not sure I will run the 10k on Saturday. I don't feel so well still, but this might change by then. I can always sign up on Saturday morning if need be. My lungs and head are full of crap.
I have done this race 3 years in a row so I really want to do it. It's a good race!
I will be smart and listen to my body and play it by ear for now.

Saturday- cardio overlaod training!

Saturday~ I actually woke up to run! I was lucky that my CamelBack was not all moldy from the last time I used it ( months and months ago). I filled it up with Gatorade and was hitting the pavement before 6 am. I think it was already in the mid 60's with high humidity. Awesome. I actually used to love running in the heat. I still might like it; I will have to let you know.

It was a great day for running too! Besides the fact that I was all alone and then my awesome iPod earphones decided to cut out on me. I somehow survived the rest of the 7.5 miles without tunes.

My goal was after the first mile (9:09) not to fall under a 9 minute mile. I did it! I averaged 8:47/mile with my fastest mile at 8:39. Fine by me! My goal was to run 6 miles and I had enough time to do 2 more--so I did.

After that it was on to Power Spin class. This class is 60 minutes, but she ALWAYS starts it 15 minutes early--sweet. I was able to eat a Luna Protein Bar in cookie dough flavor about 10 minutes before class. It was ok--you could tell it was a protein bar in my opinion! I needed the energy for the class for sure, and this bar served it's purpose!

I was able to hang tough for the first hour and then kind of puttered out. I was exhausted-in a good way of course! It was a great training day. I took a good 20 minutes after class and stretched. Apparently-not enough. My hip flexors and IT bands are TIGHT !

I am training for a duathlon so I need to practice my run-bike-run thang! Ugh. This particular class is a preparation for a 4 hour Half Iron-Man ( Spin style!) in the fall. If I am able to do it (family, races etc.) I will for sure be there! 4 hours! Dang.

Sunday~ I took the day off...not intentional. I was all set to go to a 1 hour HOT YOGA (ahhhh) class, but their new summer hours started today-no more classes on Sunday until Sept. Phooey! I was so ready! I then thought about either going to the gym or take the bike out (it's been too long) and get some "real" road miles in. Well--none of those things took place. I have had a raging headache mostly all day. I am sure it has something to do with me not getting my normal Sunday grocery shop specialty coffee this morning. It's nope that I am dehydrated from losing 10 lbs of sweat yesterday-nope. It's caffeine withdrawal. Yep.

Bayshore 10k

What a perfect day for a race. Well, a perfect day for a SHORT race! It was in the mid to low 60's by 7:30am on Saturday. I was happy with my outfit choice-- running skort(ha!) and tank top. I was hot even before the gun went off. I was going to use this race to push myself to possibly have an "episode", but once again I freaked out and did just the opposite. My time was not horrible, but it's still not what I would like to get. I am not complaining either, just explaining. My official time was 51:54 which is a 8:21 pace. I was 25th out of 189 in my age group, 118th out of 1099 other women 10kers and 339 out of 1806 finishers overall!

I am thinking 2010 will be my year of slowest race times. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35082936

I got too scared to push myself again. I had moments of a quicker pace, but nothing consistent enough. I need to break the barrier, but am not sure how to do that!!! Frustrated.

On a good note, there were 2 people in my running group that qualified for Boston yesterday! The weather was awesome, but not for a longer race. People were dropping like flies in the heat. It was scary and heart wrenching to see my teammates in such agony. Everyone made it out alive and well though. It was a change of pace for me to be on the sidelines to cheer them on too. I liked that!

Thursday test run....and breathing FUN!

Thursday-I woke up tired, sore and kinda ready to test drive my new skort!
I slept like crap Wednesday night. I was up at midnight sneezing! I think I might have a cold, because my allergy medication did no good!
I put on my skort and Garmin and headed out the door en route to the park. I decided not to even look at my Garmin. I hit the 1 mile mark and my Garmin chimed. I topped running to have a look at my mile split. 7:52. What, the what?!??! I had no vocal cord issue whatsoever. I am beginning to wonder if the reason for my anxiety/vocal cord issue is because I am trying soooo hard NOT TO CARE about my pace. Hmmmm. I was smiling so big and started to cry laugh that I almost started to hyperventilate--seriously. I was (and still am) over-joyed! I turned around and ran back (not looking at my Garmin) and ran my second mile in 7:53. Dang. No issues again. I was so happy that I went and grabbed the dog and we went for a half mile run/walk/chase/sniff.
I just need to have a plan for tomorrow. My big 10k day. I would love to run well. I wold love to not have to use my breathing techniques. I would love to NOT look at my Garmin for 6.1 miles. Is that realistic for me?? I am not sure. Only tomorrow will tell.
I plan on wearing my running skort while I race too. I will give a full report/review upon my return!
This weekend's race will be tons of fun. A lot of RunGr. Club members are either doing the full marathon, half or the 10k. There are several going for a Boston Qualifying time. I can't wait to cheer them on!!

Crazy for Cardio and Core!

Tuesday~ I ventured on the elliptical for some easy cardio for 35 minutes. Long and short intervals for the most part.
I am kind of over lifting weights. I am not sure why. I did a made up core workout though and I am sore today. It took me about 20 minutes to do 3 sets.

Walking alt. lunges + med. ball rotation
side bends (pilates ball) 10x
dumbbell swings ( 2 styles all in a row) 20x
plank hold 1 minute
jump rope 150 revolutions.

It was kind of fun.

Running club was later. We were to do a 2 mile warm-up : http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34662706
3 mile tempo run. My attempt at 8 minute mile pace. FAIL. Ugh. Well...I did an 8:05 for the first mile. I also got to practice my panic breathing during the run. I am very frustrated, but I know I have to practice it do learn how to get through it. Saturday's 10k WILL be interesting fo sho: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34662699
1 mile cool down: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34662692
Oh, after class...I bought a running skort/skirt thing. Ha! I will test it out tomorrow morning.

Wednesday: Spin class. Endurance day. It was rough!

Friday and Saturday recap

Friday~ Early morning spin was a good class. I did not have any breathing issues-BONUS!
After spin I was able to lift legs-Quads to be specific. They were actually still a bit sore from the week too. I did 4x10:
Leg Press
Split Squats
Leg Ext
That is all. I planned on squatting in the rack, but gossiping time took me away from that. Maybe next time. I also want to add that my triceps are still on fire from whenever the heck I did chest and triceps...Thursday maybe?? It's Sunday. I get it. Stop being sore. You know I love it. Whateva.

Saturday~ 16 miler in the books. It was a GORGEOUS morning for a run. I was really happy with how my run went. It was around a 9 minute mile pace. I felt that I most certainly could have stepped it up a bit and gone faster, but my running buddy was a having some issues. I am sure it was a blessing in disguise though. I did not want to get all cocky and then have problems breathing. We talked practically the whole 16 miles. It was a friend of a friend that I did not really know that well.... so now we know each other better. I love making new friends!
This will be the last 16 miler before the Big Show (25k). I am still not sure if I am going to do the Big Show yet. I want to see my speech pathologist first and get an idea of how realistic that would be for me and my goals. I hope they call me soon!!!

Suck it up, Princess!

I have seen that saying somewhere and it seems fitting for me these days. Even though I am the furthest thing from being a princess. Anyway I had a venting session with a girlfriend about my breathing troubles etc. I have to look at the bright side of things. I am able to go to the doctor next Tuesday because my husband has a job that provides us with health insurance. With that being said, I just need to suck it up an find out what the next step to take is and then take it.
Moving on...
Tuesday is my day to do what I want + running club. I skipped running club and attempted my own version.
10 minutes on the elliptical today and then got on the treadmill. I did a 2 mile tempo-ish run with breathing gasping walk 2 breaks. I was sure to do my 30 second walk breaks on an incline! My breathing was not so hot. I thought I would try it indoors instead of outdoors with the club. Although they are doing a 6 mile tempo run tonight, I am totally ok with my 2! Mostly.

Who needs to breath anyway?? This chick.

Tuesday~I went to the gym and did the elliptical for about 20 minutes I think...I can't remember! (it's been a long week...)
I later went to running club and was prepared and mildly excited to run some 800's! The weather was too good to be true. It was in the 70's--aaaahh!!
I did the regular warm up which consists of a 2 mile easy paced run-it's slightly uphill ( of course!). I felt my lungs collapsing constricting at the top of the hill. I thought this to be normal right?!? I did just crest a nice sized hill at an 8:10 (ooops) pace right?!? RIGHT?!?! So we turned around to complete the rest of the warm up and when I stopped and recovered I could still "feel it" in my chest. Fab. I tried not to worry because I know that I medicated myself correctly (Singular and Advair to the rescue). I still decided to use my emergency inhaler ( Abuterol) before starting the 800's. I got my 2 puffs of that and went into the first 800 rearing to go! I ran it at 3:20 something I think. This was about 10-11 seconds too fast according to my pace. And it was about 3 minutes too fast according to my asthma! Oh boy. I could not breath at the end. As I "recovered" my breathing got worse- I walked a lap but that did not help at all. I decided to be done for the night. I hung out on the track with my wheezy self and cheered for my non-wheezing team. I was also hanging out to make sure I did not pass out or anything. I also hung out because Tuesday is MY TIME and I was not ready to go home to my kids and Matt (whom I love with all by heart by the way!).
So that was my Tuesday. I am very frustrated by all of this of course. I am going to see the allergist on the 13th for a 2 hour appointment. I think I will get the lovely skin prick test. Super fun! I am supposed to attempt 16 miles on my own on Sunday. I will try. I won't die trying so don't worry. :)

Wednesday- Thanks for reading about today if you actually made it through Tuesday's blabbering.
Spin today. I did a nice, but challenging interval loop. Plenty of hills with short segments of pure speed and endurance. Lots of hootin' and hollerin' going on! The class was not very full. I hope due in part to the almost 80 degree weather we had. Nice.
Totally Toned was 2 hours later. I can't remember what I did, but the girls came back today saying their abs were mighty sore. Mission Accomplished.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday- 2 squirts a day!

Thursday- 3*2*1 class. I was so sore and still am after teaching this one! My inner thighs?!?! No clue what the heck I did!
Friday- Spin at 5:30 AM. Interval with some heavy hills. Totally Toned. I only demonstrated today. I was pooped! Stretched for 15-20 minutes after class. I so needed it.
Saturday-10 mile progressive run. That means the 2nd half should be at race pace or something like that!
Sooo...The first 5 was around 9 minute pace I think. I can't remember! The second half was right around 8 minute pace. Not too far off from my 7:45 goal pace of the race. I had no idea what my pace was until I completed the run. It's one of the biggest annoyances I face. Ha. But today was different. I was so glad to not have a frickin' asthma attack while running this HILLY course that I did not give a rats behind about my pace. Well, not that much! Who am I trying to kid?? (I really like to know my pace-get off my back) I felt as if I had some left too, so that is an awesome feeling. I had basically figured I would be running the 5k with Matt and my daughter this year( which would not be a bad thing-don't get me wrong!). I think I just might be ok with this asthma stuff as long as I keep doing as I am told! One puff in the morning, one at night and one Singular a day = Marcia can run!

Tempo Run and Circuit Training.

I got to the gym late for my weight training session. i was not feeling it, so I opted to just do a circuit on the machines. It was a full body of 8 different exercises. 3 sets of 10. I have been so tired lately! I am happy that I pushed through it though.

Next on the agenda: 4 mile tempo run at running club. EEEEK!! The last time we did tempo run was when I had an "episode". No major episodes tonight, but I plan on calling the doc tomorrow just to ease my mind.

The first 2 miles was at warm up pace- 9 minute miles. The next 4 was to be at tempo. My group of 3 ladies decided to run between 7:45 and 8 minute miles. This is how it went.

Mile 1- 7:45 ( felt good-it actually felt closer to an 8 minute pace)

Mile 2- 7:45 ( I fell back a bit, but caught up half way into this mile)

Mile 3- 7:50 ( We had one big hill that seemed to slow us just a bit)

Mile 4- 7:30 ( made up for mile 3! 1 minute left to go and my breathing got labored--calling Doc!)

2.2 mile cool down at a 9 minute mile pace. All in all the workout was great. I know my tempo pace is about a 7:35, but I feel at this point in the game I would be setting myself up for failure! Maybe next week when the tempo run is 5 miles I will have more confidence. I hope to see the Doc before then too.

My husband asked me if Amara could run a 5k in May....any opinions on that?? She has participated in a 1 mile fun run last year and ran the whole thing-I think she stopped once for about 10 seconds. She also did a 200 meter race last year-she was upset it was not longer! Just wondering any opinions on the matter of her running 3.1 miles!

Easy run....

I don't normally run on Sunday's. Last week and this week was the exception though. I put in 7 miles today. At a 9 minute mile pace. I was tired and sore and did I mention tired?
I watched New Moon last night. Yes, it' s teeny bopper movie. I will say that the books are so much better in every way. I found myself explaining so many book parts to Matt along the way. I am now reading Breaking Dawn-the last installment of this 4 book series.
Is this a running blog? Oh right.
I ran in Cascade today. Cascade has some treacherous hills that should not be considered a recovery run by any means. Ugh. We train on plenty of hills, but these are one of the worst ones around. Not THE WORST, but close. Most of the snow was melted by the time the run started, but not all of it. It was actually a beautiful morning. The poor birds were out and singing--they are very confused. It was in the 60's 3 days ago and then it snowed yesterday! So typical for here.
I ran with friends up until mile 3.5 and then I headed back. They all have an April marathon and were getting in 12. I thought about it. For about a minute and I might have joined them if it was a flatter course. Just being honest! My legs were pretty much toast from last weeks teachings, running and life in general. I need to be good to my body so it performs well!
I came across a sports nutrition 1 hour seminar being putting on this week. I am thinking about going. I hope I learn something new( cuz you know I know it all-LOL) and useful that will pertain to me. I have the hardest time knowing what to eat while training. I do a lot of stuff and it's difficult to figure out my best options that will help my performance etc. I hope to find some answers and I am not afraid to ask questions!

Tuesday --Speedy Sprints on the Track.

I was not able to make it to the gym this morning (again) for weights! My son was up quite a bit last night and was not up at his usual 7:30 AM time--that and Daylight Savings Time I am sure. I thought about doing a quick circuit while he napped ( oh right..he DID NOT nap today--lil' stinker). I was way tired anyway from hanging out with him all night. I was not sure how my 1000 meter repeats would go either. I was/am very tired. It was a beautiful day here in West Michigan. It was in the 60's at 6 PM today. Ahhhh!!! I love it.
I went anyway to see how I would do. After the 2 mile warm up I looked up my expected pacer for the 1000 meters ( 2.5 times around a standard track). It said 4:26. I decided to have that in the back of my mind and try and run a 4:36 at least. The first one seemed fairly doable...well until we had one more time left around the track. I was pooped. I should have been-- I ran that one in under 4 minutes! Oooops! I learned my lesson. We took a 3 minute rest in between intervals. Here is how the rest of the 1000's went.
4:36
4:32
4:22
4:19
4:10
I should add that my pacer was absent tonight! She actually is running a half marathon this weekend and decided to run an easy 6 miles tonight. Tuesday night speed work should be practice, but it seems it usually turns into a competition.. I can't help myself. I try to hold back, but if somebody is deliberately trying to race me--ugh. It's healthy, but I would sure be mad if I hurt myself!! The last (3) 1000's were fun and somehow easier then the first 3. I am not sure why, but I won't ask any questions. I used my inhaler tonight 30 minutes before practice. I am not sure if I needed it or if it did anything to help me, but it might have given me a bit of confidence. I did not freak out or hyperventilate at all. I had a few moments where I thought I could have, but I just thought happy things and I guess it worked! Whew. I think it's safe to sign up for the 5k now. I think I mentioned a time or 2 that procrastination is my middle name.....

"Hyper" Tuesday Tempo and Wednesday Spin

I would fist like to post that I did 30 minutes of power yoga on Tuesday afternoon! Who cares that the workout was 45 minutes long... ha! It was no joke. It was very difficult--in a good way of course. I am so glad it was all in the comfort of my living room. Nobody could see me--just the dog and I am sure he would have laughed if he had not been sleeping.

On to Tuesday night. Running! On tap was a 2 mile warm up with a 4 mile tempo and then a 2 mile cool down. It was the first constant tempo run of the season. I planned on running between 7:50 and 8:00 mile pace. The first 2 miles felt pretty darned great. I had 2 running buddies with me. Katie is the pacer. She is so good at it. We were averaging a 7:53 pace. I was at mile 2.25 or something and I had to stop. I am still not sure what made me stop. I took a few steps (walking) and started to immediately hyperventilate! It was ( still is) the strangest thing! I could not catch my breath. So naturally I started to panic more which led to more hyper ventilation. Awesome. I walked about .25 miles with everyone passing me wondering what the heck was wrong with me. I said I was fine to everyone though. I probably finished the tempo ( with a few walk breaks again) at an 8:30 ish or better pace. I have no idea what happened. I still felt some tightness in my chest at the end of the run and when I got home. I told the coach about it and he seemed a bit concerned. I told him I always hyperventilate during the 25k....it never fails. I get all emotional with about 2 miles left or so and can't breath ( it's all metal!!). I assured him I have no emotional ties/connections to the 4 mile tempo we run around Reed's Lake!
I wish I knew why it happened and it makes me a bit worried for the race I want to do on the 20th. If it's mental I need to figure out why and NOT do whatever it is I am doing again! If it's physical (I am sure it's not--haha) I would like to remedy it fast. I skipped the cool down and went home!

I woke up Wednesday very, very tired. I am sure it had something to do with going to bed around 12 midnight (again!!) and then being woken up by a certain 5 year old with a headache and a cough! Poor girl. So I was up worrying about her ( she was fast asleep) for almost an hour. I was up by 7 AM to finish planning my Spin class. Oh and that certain 5 year old was awake already.
Spin class went well. I had coffee. I have been "off" of my morning coffee for months. Literally. It tasted so damn good too. I had to find the coffee maker and dust it off. I had 1 filter left! WHEW!!! I would have been so mad if I didn't. So needless to say I was hyper again. Not hyperventilation this time. Just hyper-caffeinated. It was a great interval style class. I made it up while watching The Biggest Loser last night.
I did 2 minute intervals (each move was 2 minutes..so maybe 6-8 minutes of work) with 1 minute rest. There was a 2.5 minute sprint/recovery segment ( sprints were 15 seconds, recovery was 25 seconds and repeat until the 2.5 minutes was up) I think the class enjoyed that. I am not one to have loads of sprints in a row--not realistic-but oh so FUN!
Totally Toned was at noon. I made the workout up on the spot. Sometimes those turn out to be my best work. Sometimes not so much! I think today's off the cuffness (is that a word?)went over well. I hope.
So that was my day. So far my plan is to get up early and run 5-6 miles on the tread and maybe lift weights. I am not sure I want to bring my girl to the gym day care. We will see how tonight goes--we both might not get to the gym. That's OK. Her health is more important than a workout!
I guess my Stuffitts Giveaway was not a good one??? I really like it. Your odds of winning are HUGE!! It ends in about 2.5 hours!!!!

Thursdays--Jam Packed!

Thursday~

I went to the gym to do my speed workout. It was to be (8) 400m at 1:37.
This is how it went:

1. 1:49

2. 1:39

3. 1:37

4. 1:37

5. 1:36

6. 138

7. 136

8. 1:34

I was able to recover fully between sprints. It's not the same doing this on the treadmill vs. going outside, but at 5 AM, by myself I had no other choice.

I did an abbreviated warm up and cool down. I then hopped on the elliptical for 30 minutes so I could read an atricle or 2 in the latest's Runner's World.

I went back to the gym to get my weight workout in with my friend.

3x8:

Negative Pull-Ups

Walking Lunges

Push ups

Plank Rows

Leg Press

I just stated teaching a new group exercise class on Thursdays as well. 3*2*1 is the name. After the 6 minute warm up: 3 minutes of cardio, 2 minutes of "toning"with weights/bars/body-weight, and 1 minute of core and then you repeat it all! I am a stickler for time, so when said minutes are up- we move it on to the next thing. I explain the exercises as we jump right into them. It was a good group. There were some familiar faces and some new ones too. I was a bit nervous myself. It has been over a year I think since I have had a regular (non-Spin!) cardio class. I guess it's just like riding a bike. I did fine. I did not trip or anything and my rhythm has not left me. Whew!

Speed work--800's.

Speed work day.
It went well. I owe it to my pacing buddy Katie! Thanks girl!
Today's workout was to do (6-8) 800 repeats at repetition pace( whatever that means) my pace should have been between 3:28-3:32 area. This is how my 6 went:
3:32
3:20
3:25
3:20
3:20
3:17

Not too shabby! I know I try not to push it harder than I need to, but sometimes you just do what comes naturally I think. Today I felt nice and strong and having Katie to run with helped me immensely!
We were to take an equal recovery time in between the intervals. It seemed like a long time to recover, but I am thankful for it as it let me recover fully..I was able to push that much harder.
I was still a bit sore from lifting weights Monday night. I am still trying to figure out from what exactly. It might be the fact that I took a week off from lifting?? Who knows. I like to be sore usually.
Great day today!