Where's the Beach?

Double Monday  Today we decided to try moving our interval run to after work. Now, with the heat we're having (100+ degrees), not sure if it was smart or not to be honest. Actually, just going to admit that it wasn't the smarter choice. The one good thing about in the evening is that the sun isn't as high in the sky. I guess there are a few positives like not spending two hours post-run sweating at your desk. Oh and we can jump in the pool right after the run to cool off too. So, instead of the run at lunch, I went ahead and did my biceps/shoulder workout. I wasn't sure if I should do it at lunch or try to get it done before the run. But I figured it'd be better to not already be really hot before going to run. Since my gym officially closes this week, I decided to just do the workout at home. I need to get used to my home workouts again for a bit until I figure out a new gym. I went with supersets of 3x8. SS#1 Dumbbell curls Shoulder press SS#2 Cros...

Double on Monday Today Jason and I decided to do another speed work run during lunch. This has become our normal routine on Mondays. I think the speed workouts are a great way to kick off the week. They are short, but effective. And while it's hot, it's very doable because the first and last miles are slower since the focus is on the intervals. It was already 90 degrees when we set out for the run. 90 and super windy. But, the wind was very welcome since it was so toasty out. Honestly, I think it's good to try to get acclimated to the heat as much as possible. You can't avoid it unless you take the running inside, which I pretty much refuse to do. Anyway, we headed over to the arts center where there is a nice park, lots of grassy area to do the intervals on. We did the same thing as last week. It basically ends up being 10 20-second sprints with a 30-40 second recovery jog (very slow). I think next week we will increase the intervals to 40 seconds for something di...

Another 2-a-Day Today Jason and I had planned to do some speed work during our lunch break. I knew it was going to be hot, but at least with the speed work you get a few rests. Right? Like I said, I knew it was going to be hot, I just wasn't prepared for how hot. The heat index was already in the low 90's when we set out on the run at 11:30. At first, the skies were cloudy and there was a strong breeze. Unfortunately, the sun came out in full force mid-run. We ran 1 mile as a warmup to a nearby park before starting the intervals. They ended up being about 1 minute each: slowly start then build speed to 80% max effort for 20 strides (about 20 seconds) then a super easy jog back to the start (about 30 seconds) so we would wait the remainder to round out to a minute. We did 10 intervals total and it actually put us right at a mile. The area we were doing the speedwork at is a grassy area that is pretty shaded. The wind really felt great when we stopped, but not so awesome w...

Saturday I decided to do myself a big favor and disconnect this weekend. I spent virtually no time online at all. And...it was really quite nice. The whole weekend was nice actually. We had a cold front move through so Saturday morning it was only about 65 degrees for my run. It was overcast, so that kept the temps down as well. While I love sunshine, I'm ok with cloudy for running. I set out for my long run around 8:30. I wasn't really sure how it was going to go, how far, or the exactly route. I thought I'd just kind of go with it and see how I was feeling. My first mile was a 9:22 pace, which is what I try to do for long runs - slow and easy is the theory. But, I tend to start speeding up a bit after the first mile, after I start settling into the run. I hit mile 2 at 8:58 and sort of scolded myself mentally. But then I realized, I was feeling fantastic. The pace was perfect. So I decided to just go with it. See how I felt. See what I could do. I know the cooler...

No Parties  Yesterday was a good day - no Memorial Day parties or cookouts. I needed to try to get myself back into "reality" mode post vacation. It's always hard to do. Jason and I managed a 4-mile run despite the 90-degree temps. It wasn't easy. I swear my Garmin was lying to me about mileage. I thought it was never going to buzz at mile 4. Longest mile ever! After the hot hot hot run, I spent some time in the yard pulling weeds and trying to pull up trees that keep trying to grow (thanks to acorns from our Oak tree). Luckily, the front yard is mostly shaded and there was a nice breeze so I wasn't melting like I had been on the run. I spent about 45 minutes in the front yard before heading to the back. I got rose bushes deadheaded and some more weeds pulled, though there are still plenty more left. I am officially waging war on the Bermuda and Crab grasses that are creeping into the flower beds. My hands were definitely sore after all that. I got more l...

Soup Saturday I must say, that while this recent half marathon training plan didn't really have many hill workouts (will add in to the next training), it did have lots of long runs. I know that they sounded crazy to most people - 3 13-milers, but I thought they made sense. I was prepared for the miles (just not the hills). Not only was I prepared for the miles while running, my body was prepared for them in terms of recovery. So, last night, the only major issues were my sciatica. I was a little tighter than most runs, but I also raced rather than just ran yesterday. But the sciatica kicked my ass (literally). We ended up going to Vino's for pizza because there was no way I wanted to cook right after the race. Then I firmly planted my rear end on the couch (with ice) and relaxed with a couple of mimosas. When it came time for dinner, however, I was kind of tired of sitting (not one for being lazy) so I wanted to make something. Of course, I still wanted it to be simple. ...

Saturday Recap Wow, yesterday was kind of nuts, but so worth it. As I mentioned, it started off with an 8-mile run (so proud to hit that mileage again). Then it was a rush to get myself ready to head out for the lake. Yes, I had to shower before going to the lake - encrusted in salt and grime from the run. Ick. We got to the lake around 9:45 and pretty much immediately headed out on the boat. A and C couldn't wait to go "monster" tubing with Uncle Jason. He's such a trooper to take them out.   This year he talked to them about needing to practice falling out of the tube so they would be prepared in case they ever bounce out. To our utter shock, A and C both jumped out of the moving tube! Even more shocking, they came up laughing asking to do it again. I think Jason created monsters ;-)    We finally convinced the kids that they needed to take turns - in other words, let other people get out there and do something like ski. I will say, skiing after a long run ...

Two-a-Day Tuesday This morning I did indeed get out of bed and get in an early morning run. It did help that I had a running date with a friend. Jason was going to bike while our friend Thad and I ran. I finally had a really great outdoor run too. Maybe it was the cooler temps (only about 64 degrees), being completely over the sinus infection, or the good company. Either way, I'll take it. We got in 5.4 miles. We had to turn around just a hair early because part of the path was flooded. I was ready to run, not swim this morning. I have to give major props to my friend Thad. I know he's been worried about going out for a run with me, thinking I'll just run off and leave him. But we were there to run together. I let him pretty much set the pace, and he's much faster than he gives himself credit for. So high 5's Thad!!! Today was another 2-a-day Tuesday. I am trying to fit in all of my weight workouts before we leave for vacation. So I decided to go with bicep...

Two on Tuesday Today ended up being a two-a-day workout day for me. It's been a really long time since I've done a two-a-day. I used to really enjoy doing a 5-day weight split by doing 30 minutes of weights at lunch then 30 minutes of cardio later in the day (major pick-me-up). But when I started increasing my running distances, this just became too much. It wasn't an hour total, it'd be more like an hour and a half. Time this week, however, is minimal. I have so much going on and may end up having to use Saturday as another rest day rather than a run day. So, I figured a two-a-day today wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. I really wanted to get some weights done and to run. It's just way too nice out not to get in a run. But I didn't want to skip out on weights this week either. I know you're probably thinking that I could just do weights Thursday and Friday, and I likely will. But I am splitting up the muscle groups and will do the other split ei...