Notch Run - I finished... that's about all I can say..

What can I say about this race? 2 years ago, it was the first time in my life that I pinned on a race bib... I finished in 1:02:42 and took a default 3rd place in my AG... so, this year, I thought Maybe I could BEAT my time on the course, but it wasn't meant to be...

I met 3 people in town to carpool to the mountain with... It would be my friend Chris' first race ever... He's been running for years, but never got into racing... I like to think I motivated him to race... he's training for his first FULL, so he thought he'd come out to do this race... the other 2 in the car I had never met...

We drove UP, UP, UP the mountain to about 8600' elevation, then parked the car and took a shuttle van back down the hill 4 miles to the start at 7600'... yep... this was gonna be a 4 mile up-hill race with 1000' climb... the only 'good' part about the race is it's nice weather... 60* to start instead of the usual 110* weather we've been having in town.

So I did a little warm-up, they called us to the start-line, and we were off... I knew the elevation bothered me from the race 2 years ago, and from the marathon that I had ran... but knowing it, and experiencing it are 2 different things... I couldn't MOVE!!!

Mile 1: The first mile was a horrid 14:46... knowing it would just get steeper, I was a bit concerned, but I kept going... I was doing a run/walk... someone in a car pulled up and said they were driving up to the pack, I had no car support... I asked if anyone was behind me, he said yes, one woman... I kept going...

Mile 2: just before the 2nd mile marker, SHIN SPLINTS...WTF??? I thought they were gone!!! I thought about quitting... I thought about sitting on the ground and crying... I knew someone would give me a ride... but I kept on going... when I got to the 2nd mile marker, the clock read 31:xx... I knew my 1:02 was gone...

Mile 3: I walked the WHOLE 3rd mile... by the end of the 3rd mile, my shins were feeling better, and I figure I needed to salvage what I could of this race...the car kept coming to check up on me, and I kept asking if that woman was still behind me.. he assured me that she was.... he was feeding me gatorade too... what a nice man!

Mile 4: back to run/walk... could I actually catch up to the girl in front of me? I had been chasing her the whole way... I finally caught her when we could see the finish line... she was YOUNG...barely a teenager... she of course took off and beat me by a few seconds... then I reached the clock... 1:07:24??? I finished! It was AWFUL, but I finished!!!

The woman that was behind me came in at 1:11 something, I ran her in and thanked her for coming out! They took her picture for the newsletter, and she got all the applause... hey, no fair Actually, she was awesome!!!

So, we go to the awards ceremony... they announce the top runners... The man in our car whom I hadn't met came in 2nd place... of everyone! He got a trophy... did the race in 30 minutes, a 2 min PR for the course, then they announced the woman who drove, she took 2nd place in her AG... then they announce ME... with a time of 1:19:24... WTF??? If last place was 1:11, how did they get my time at 1:19? I happily took the 3rd place medal, and had them correct my time... My friend Chris was the only one in the car who didn't medal... unreal how competitive the 40-44 Mens AG competition is... he had run in 42:xx and didn't place

So, a special thanks to Joanne (Proofreader) who I thought of while I wanted to stop and cry and take a DNF... who I thought of while I was walking as fast as I could to beat that Hour marker... If SHE can do it, if she can beat those wicked Hills that had defeated her in the past, I certainly could finish this race... anyway, thanks

Start of race

I can see the clock

Running #60 (last person) in

Getting called up for award

My medal

I joined "The Club" today

Well, I joined the club! Yep, I unclicked on the right, and fell over on the left... nothing I could do but start laughing!!!

OK.. I do things in style... it was toward the end of a LONG HOT bike ride, and I was at mile 18.9...where I stopped to catch my breath... looking at a HUGE hill, and I had about 2 - 3 more miles to go, but I was SOOOOO done! So, I said, if I could make it to 19 miles... so I clipped in... just then, my friend came riding down the hill to see if I was okay... she turned around... I decided I wasn't gonna make it, unclicked, and fell over RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY FRIEND AND ANOTHER RIDER... AND a Truck pulled up and gave me a ride to the top... I was SOOOOO DONE!!! got back to my car, it was 98* out...

so I guess I had a couple of firsts today - first time I fell, and first time I quit on a ride... nothing is broken but a bit of my pride... I'll live

Sometimes it hurts to be a Parent

The strange part is, the one who needs help doesn't ask for help... therefore getting deeper and deeper into trouble... when if he asked for help first, he would be in less of a Jam, and it's help I could and would be willing to give... the one who is complaining is the one who is a self-sufficient college student who also works... He thinks I should help his Brother, and is Angry that I don't... I don't help him, why does he demand that I help his brother??? I told him yesterday that if his Brother had to go to jail, then that's what he'll have to do... will I be happy? NO... but it's his own darn fault, and I'm not gonna "fix" it for him! So, what did the kid do? He drove a motorcycle without liability insurance... got a ticket, and let it go to warrant... STUPID!!! And of course I didn't find out til yesterday... now he's driving a car with no license plate, and if he gets pulled over, he'll go to jail... I tried to get it registered yesterday, but there's a problem with the title. It's just a MESS...But, I'm not gonna pay the ticket that has a warrant, when it would have cost next to nothing to insure the motorcycle or prove to the court that he only had the thing for 2 days... HIS problem!

So, which one is more adult? The one who takes care of himself and asks for help when he needs it? Or the one who doesn't ask for help and gets himself into trouble... LOL... either way, they ARE adults, and I intend to keep them that way... just sometimes it hurts to be their parent...

My first EVER swim meet for Corporate Challenge

I've been swimming a little bit since around December... Just like in running, I'm a slow swimmer, but I'm a beginner and that's life. Then I don't know what came over me, but I signed up to swim for Corporate Challenge... WHAT WAS I THINKING??? But, my team convinced me to go out there anyway - I mean, what do I have to lose? A bit of pride maybe, but nothing else...

Well, I did it! I swam in a swim meet for corporate challenge... I got to the pool and barely warmed up and went off the blocks a couple of times to practice (I had never done that before)... Only 4 people showed up for our team, but we sat around and got to know eachother a bit. then it was time for the swim.

They started with the 200 freestyle... I found out there were only 2 people in my AG, so I was guaranteed a medal! I think it took about 3 seconds for me to get off the block once the horn sounded, then I went out WAY too fast and after 100, I was done... but I kept going and finished the swim in 4:22:70...Fastest 200 I ever swam, but I didn't find out my time til later...As expected, I took 2nd, and got a silver medal...

then it was time for the 50 breast... I missed the sign-up for it (I think I was swimming the 200 when it was announced) so, the judge let me be a write-in (Thank You Judge!) 5 people were signed up in my AG, 4 of them swam in heat 4, and then I was in heat 5.... I didn't notice their times... just went when it was my turn... I came in 2nd in my heat, but it wasn't good enough to place, I came in 5th for my AG with a time of 1:00:70. Still took 3 points for my team, but didn't get a medal.

The 100 free was fun - I was a pro by now ;) I swam it in 2:01:30!!! I was soooo excited to find out that I swam that fast! I know it's still slow, but I've been averaging 3:00/100 meters... yes this was a yard pool, but still a FAST swim for me!!! I took a default silver medal - I'll take it!

My last event was the 50 free... I swam in heat 4, and the rest of my AG swam in heat 5... so I swam in 50:84, then got out of the pool and watched my AG swim... 4 of us all together... did I see that right? Did I? Yes I did! I came in 2nd place out of 4 people!!! A LEGITIMATE Silver Medal! No default!!! I DID IT!!!

So all-in-all a good meet... I took 3 silver medals... 2 people on our team took 4 golds, and the 4th guy took 2 silvers & 2 bronze... not bad for a 4 person team! Unfortunately, Because we had such a small team, our numbers were only good for 8th place overall, and they only give points up to 6th place, but we had FUN, and I'd do it again next year - I hope to beat my times.

Another DNS (Did not start)

Last night I had an appt with my LRS to buy new shoes... my salesman, James, has followed all of my injuries/frustrations with me for 2 years... so, when I walk in, he had someone there waiting for me with a consultation - what a guy! This man was a MASTER Personal trainer... REALLY knows his stuff, knows about muscles, etc. First thing he noticed is how swollen my right leg was... I had noticed that yesterday morning too, and felt some tenderness where I had my sfx last year... he started pressing on my legs and I went through the roof! (something my PT didn't do in the eval ) He suggested that perhaps my sfx isn't healed??? OR maybe I have another one??? (The MRI was negative a year ago) Then, he turned me over and started massaging my calfs... again, I went through the roof - PAINFUL!!! I even yelled "UNCLE"... Then he watched me run, and said I run very unevenly from my right side to my left side... hmmmm

The 3 of us came to the conclusion that my PT was NOT done as I am NOT recovered enough from the injury to participate in ANY running or cycling yet, nevermind a race! I'm just gonna add this DNS to my collection of DNS's... I think I have more DNS than Finishes!!!

There was GOOD news... he said I'm fixable!!! It'll be a VERY painful fix, but doable! The other good news, I got new shoes!!! Asics Gel Kayanos

Swim/Bike at the Lake

I have pictures from todays swim/bike ride (I'll be brave and show what I look like in a wetsuit)

This is just after the swim, I could barely stand up straight - My coach suggested ear plugs... Oh yeah, hard to avoid the rocks with bare feet too - OUCH... Nice day at the Lake!!

Ready to ride, but still have vertigo... it was interesting for a while...and yes, I was still SOAKED! oh, all of those people still getting their crap together were out of the water WAY before me! I was FAST in transition

So, this is what I look like down on the aero's

I was ahead of this woman at the turn around, but I stopped to refill my aero bottle and she passed me... I ended up passing her shortly after this hill

My first practice "Mini Tri"

I've been training a while with Team in Training, but this was the first time we would be putting it all together - 10 min swim, 30 min bike, and 30 min run... this is how it went...

This morning, I slept in a bit, and I had this dream about the Mini Tri... I forgot my Bathing Suit...So, I had to swim in my running bra, and tri-shorts... what a sight! Then, I couldn't find my cycling shoes, and had to dig through my car for them - and when I say dig, I mean, tearing the seats apart down to the bottom to get to them... then, well, let's just say everything went wrong, then I woke up... yeah, I guess I'm having a bit of anxiety - and this is just practice

The day started with a nice breakfast with our Team in Training Honored Heroes..

This is Laura, she lost a 5 year old daughter to Leukemia shortly after she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She’s been in remission for about a year… she’s going in for more tests next week… in the meantime, she has realized her life long dream of being an EMT.

This is Jacy, she’s the honored hero for our team. She’s a Leukemia survivor as she just celebrated 5 years of remission. She has done a kids triathlon, and she loves to play Softball… last season, she hit 5 home runs!

This is Jenny, a Leukemia Survivor… her 13 year old brother was her bone marrow donor… he doesn’t remember it much, as he was MUCH younger at the time.

The baby in this picture has Leukemia, his older brother (who NEVER poses for pictures – but we got him this time) was his bone marrow donor in November.

It was cool to meet the people that are benefiting from the money that we are raising…I am making a difference in these people’s lives, and I wish them all the best.

Then we went out to do a bike clinic, we learned how to change a tire, and we each got to practice, so that was good. Then....

We go to the group swim... first we warmed up a few laps, then the coach had us all in one lane - it was a wider than normal lane, but with 9-10 swimmers, we all got kicked, and ran into... but I survived the 10 minute swim... all the ladies got to go to the locker room to change... it was VERY challenging trying to put a bra and tri-shorts on a wet body... good thing we won't do that for the race... so, I get all dressed, and left my bathing suit in the locker room (I guess my dream was prophetic) So, one of the girls picked it up for me (Thanks Florence!) Then, we go outside and get on our biking shoes, etc... and go for the bike ride...

I decided I like riding... I got sooooooo into riding, I forgot one of the turns... DUH...(glad I heard team mates yelling to me) so I had to get off of my bike, and walk it back across the street to resume riding ... and if that was the only thing that went wrong it would have been fine... I'm almost back in, and I get a flat tire! So, I continued to SLOWLY ride it in, but I was the LAST one back in transition...

Now comes the run... I get my bike shoes off, one glove off, I have one shoe on... and the coach is yelling at me to go Then he goes, oh, you only have one shoe on... so I get my other shoe on, get my other glove off... and he's saying GO... NOOOOOO I still had my helmet on - hehehehe He thought he would catch me running off with my helmet on... haha.. I remembered!

So, I start to run... slowly! 7 minutes into the run, shin splints! GAH... I walked for the next 15 minutes or so, and ran it in... did 2 miles in 30 min... I was the last one back in....

Then I came home, and I'm TRYING to change my tire... still haven't gotten that darn thing off of the wheel grrrrrrrrrrrr...

At least I got the disaster over with... next time it'll go better??? I can only hope!!!

My first Dirt-Bike Ride

Jerry took me out to the dry lake bed where we thought it would be nice and smooth riding... well, he was partially right... there were parts that were smooth.... but I found a few deep ruts that I went over... It was a bit scary, but I did it! 

I had fun! All of the pictures are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Cardholic/MyFirstRide# The good news is that I think I'd do that again... it would have been awful if I bought that bike and hated riding ;) 

I'm glad that I had fun, and even got dirty doing it!!

My new Motorcycle

I bought it new tonight... now I have to learn how to ride it... it's sweeeeeeeeeet - It's a 2009 Kawasaki KLX 140L Monster Energy

Clipless pedals

I know you think clipless pedals are the "easy" kind of pedals that we all have had on our bikes since we were kids... but Noooooooooooo... they are the kind of pedals that you attach your feet to, then you're stuck to the pedals until you can somehow get out of them... you can learn more about pedals here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_pedal

Well, I got these installed on my bike and actually tried them last night - and I DIDN'T Fall!



Today I joined the Hebrew High Ulpan 1978 group on Facebook... this picture was posted on the group, can you find me?

Starting again

Official Team in Training Olympic Triathlon training started yesterday with a 20 minute run. I did 1.65 miles in the morning - felt strange to be running in the morning, but felt good that I woke up and did it! Today I have 15 minute swim on the schedule. Last time I swam, I did 30 minutes - all 50's with a 30 second break between laps... so today, I'm going to try to swim all 15 minutes with no breaks... I'll probably rotate between free & breast... see how many laps I can complete.

I bought cycling shoes and clipless pedals last night... I haven't gotten them installed yet... we'll see how I do when I try them, I'm thinking I'll fall at least once... hey if I plan on it, maybe it won't happen??? one can hope.

Not much else going on, except I did create some awesome and somewhat attainable 2009 goals (the trick is to make a goal using the number 2009):

Lose 20.09 pounds
bike 2009 kilometers
swim 200.9 kilometers
run 200.9 miles each quarter (Jan-Mar,Apr-Jun,Jul-Sep,Oct-Dec) - total miles = 803.6

Those goals on top of my Level 3 stretches and Star plan... I'll be busy ;)

3 Races last week

Well, here I am in Utah again. Level 3 starts tomorrow morning.

Last week, I ran a 10k race on Saturday - it's the longest distance run post-injury, and I missed a PR by less than 30 seconds - not bad! Then on the day before Thanksgiving, Jerry & I drove up to Ogden, Utah... I ran a 5k race on Thanksgiving morning. The race course was short, and I ended up only running 3 miles. Then on Saturday, I ran the Santa Run for 3 more fast miles... I didn't do any other training all week, and now I'm out of town again... I'll try to get 2 runs in before the Santa 5k on Saturday. Next week I'll resume Tri-Training while working up toward FIRST Half Training.

Seminar Staffing weekend

I'm back at work on a Monday morning, after an incredible weekend in St. George... I went and staffed a Level 1 seminar. The group was AWESOME, and I learned a lot. I couldn't help but comparing the Me now to the Me that walked into those rooms about 2 1/2 years ago... wow have I grown!

I am looking forward to doing level 3 & level 4... although I am not quite sure I "need" them, I want to continue to grow. I only wish that those around me who I love would take the seminar.

I am well into triathlon training... I have been doing at least 1 activity 6 days/week... at times I have 2 activities scheduled and I only do 1, but I am moving forward.

Yesterday, I did a body sculpt class instead of my normal strength training... I'm quite sore this morning. I also swam 600 meters. Today is my scheduled rest day.

Triathlon Training

Yep, I decided to go for it... I have a few to choose from - Rage in the Sage in April, IronGirl in May and then there's one in September... hmmmmmm.... for now, I've got all 3 on my schedule :eek:

WOW, I thought training for a Marathon was hard... I had NO Clue! I have to fit in 3 runs, 3 swims, 2 cycling, 2 weight training sessions in each week... The schedule I put together looks like this:

Monday - off (or bike)
Tuesday - swim & run
Wednesday - bike & weights
Thursday - swim & run
Friday - bike (or off)
Saturday - long run & yoga
Sunday- swim & weights

So far, so good... although last night, I did my run and didn't feel well, so I skipped my swim... I'll be adding it to tonights work-out. At least I allow myself some flexibility!

All of my work-outs are getting recorded on BeginnerTriathlete.com and my runs get recorded on my excel spreadsheet... my Garmin workouts get recorded on the Garmin Software... hmmmmm I'm well documented on this journey...

After the Marathon

I know, I'm lousy at blogging... I just posted my race report... so much for following training... Maybe some day, I'll get some posts for in between the training & the race, but for now... that's what I have.

The day after the Marathon, my right leg swelled up something aweful... it was difficult to walk on it, it was VERY painful... After several trips to Doctors, and several tests & several weeks later, I was diagnosed with having 2 stress fractures on my tibia...

I did 2 weeks on crutches, and took 3 months off of running.

Now to avoid another stress fracture, I'm adding more x-training to my running. I'm training for a triathlon. Why not? I can run a Marathon, I can do ANYTHING I set my mind to!!!

Ogden Marathon Race Report (May 17, 2008)

Sorry this is going on my blog so many months later... but oh well...

Training didn't quite go as planned, maybe some day I will talk about that, but for now, it was enough to get me to the finish line... here's how my race went:

In the morning, I met up with a friend from online to take the bus to the starting line, she forgot her timing chip... so we asked about it, and they said we can get one at the starting line, so we got on the bus together and chatted all the way to the start line. It was nice to have someone to ride with.



We get off the bus, and ask about the chips, they don't have them... so we go to the Port-a-John... warm-up a bit by the fire...Port-a-john again... then it's time to line-up... she still has no chip...I put my jacket in my bag.... throw it in the truck, take 2 Advil as my ankle/shin is still hurting (been hurting all week) I go line up toward the back, and she stays in front... she FINALLY got a chip and found me in line. And in a matter of minutes, we're off! I think worrying about her chip was a GREAT distraction for me.


I didn't want to go out fast... in fact ALL advice says go out slow... so I did... Where are they all going? Don't THEY know they have to run 26.2 miles?




I still went out a bit faster than planned... first mile: 12:20 and I'm in DEAD LAST PLACE already The sheriff was right behind me... I felt like MickeyD (winner of the Flying Pig Marathon) in reverse... I had my own pace car Slowly, I did catch up with others... I ran with a couple for a while, and they were nice enough to listen to the LONG version of how I got started running.

It was a beautiful run... I stopped to walk and take a picture...



Miles 2-7, I took it slow - TOO SLOW - What's wrong with me? I can't seem to move.. Somewhere, the Sheriff escort passed us and said he was going up to "The Pack" we were on our own... "Stay to the Right and listen for cars" - I'm barely started, and I'm behind the barricade - sheesh


Finally around mile 8-10, I felt like I found my legs, I left the couple, and caught up and passed a couple of people... where did this hill come from? There's only 1 Hill, and it's not til mile 14 I push on...




Around mile 11, my ankle does something strange... OH NO... can I even finish? Whew... pain is over fast... I get to the Half way point at 2:53... a bit behind my 13mm ave... I can still hit near 5:40 if I keep this pace... But, I go to port-a-john, double back for more water and take 2 Advil... 2:57 when I start running again - There goes my 5:40... now to shoot for 6:00.



Around mile 16, I see a guy who stopped to stretch... I catch up to him, and ask if he's cramping... I happened to have 2 packs of electrolyte tabs with me, so I give him one... I hope it helped him! My plan was to take Gu & water only, and if I cramped to pop the electrolyte... I felt GREAT so far, so giving one pack away was OK.


At mile 17, I MADE IT TO THE CUT-OFF... I can finish! I start the REAL downhill part now... It's a beautiful run through the canyon. At mile 18, someone asked how I was, and I said "surprising still good"


At around mile 20, I feel a bit of cramping... so, I break out the other electrolyte tabs, and I can't get it open.. I ask a volunteer to open it, and he can't get it open either, good thing they had bananas, so I had a banana and pushed on...


Mile 22, I got the sense that I was gonna make it...I still felt pretty good, and I only have a bit over 4 to go! I'm running along a river, and I'm thinking of TN Tim (one of my online buds) ... wanting to jump off a bridge at this point... I didn't want to die, but the water looked nice and cool. I come out of the aid station, and look up, and there's the water-fall...



At mile 24, I catch up to a man, we walk together for a few... He says, If I have ANY legs left, I can still make 6... so I start chasing 6... I didn't have much legs left


FINALLY mile 25.9ish...I can see the finish line... Then I see Jerry and his brother and his Nephew! I run up and get HUGS!! They run the last .2 with me - Yes, I ran the last .2 I hear the announcer say, "It's 6 hours and we still have people coming in, They didn't leave us, and we're not gonna leave them" The next thing I hear, "Now finishing, Diane Altschuler from Las Vegas"

I DID IT! 06:02:51.33...



Got my medal, and they took my chip... Lady from the medical tent looked at me and asked if I was alright... through my tears, I said, "Yes, just emotional, this was my first marathon!"I get to the finishers area... and take a couple of pics...

Then, I see Debbie (the girl from the bus) she finished in 5 hours and waited for me




I eat a bit, pick up my bag, stretch a bit, got a leg massage, took more pictures

We're about to leave, and I felt like a black-out, got dizzy and nauseous... I told the guys I didn't feel well, and made my way to the Medical Tent... they laid me down with my feet up...took my BP... it was 88/50, they gave me Powerade... have you ever tried to drink Powerade while laying upside down? It took a while, but my BP came up to 98/60 and they let me go... hey, better to be safe than sorry.


We drove to Jerry's Moms house, I logged on, gave my "I DID IT" posts to the Penguins and the First Time Marathoner's thread... and took a nap


I still can't believe it... I ran a fricken Marathon! I didn't make my 1st or 2nd goal (Goals: 5:40, 6:00, finish), but I FINISHED! And I'm Proud of myself ... and for the first time in my life (45 years) I'm an Athlete! (Athletes run Marathons)

Results:
1534 finishers -
last persons time 06:47:41.74.
17 DNF (Did Not Finish )
22 people finished behind me...including 1 from my AG


Therefore, I passed 42 people during the race - 3 people passed me back right at the end.

For all pictures, please visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/Cardholic/OgdenMarathon#

I wrote this post on discussions on RW, so I copied it here. I like the RW discussion, but I would like to keep my blog as well. So, now I post to the blog, post to RW, post to my excel log, and track my Garmin miles on their log. Like Jerry says, I spend more time planning my runs than actually doing them.



I'm in the middle of week 3 of my First Marathon training. I Scoured the internet looking for schedules, bought 2 books their schedules look totally different! So... what I ended up doing is taking the one from RW and tweaking it to my liking. I'm still tweaking it! LOL. I only wanted to run 4 days/week because of my knee issue. Then I put in swimming lessons and weight training and whalla, I don't have enough days in the week to do it all!

My schedule is now like this:

M - easy run & weight training

T - swimming lessons

W - Speed or Tempo workout (every 4th week easy)

Th - alternate Weight Training & swimming lessons

F - easy run

Sat - OFF

Sun - Long Run (building miles to 22)



Swim class last night was hard after weight training on monday, but I survived. Tonight I will run 5 miles on Treadmill. 1st mile slow, then 3 miles at 12:00/mile... last time I did 2 miles at 12:00/mile and thought I would die! Then last mile recovery slow. Funny how one pace is killer for one, and easy for others. I am and will always be a penguin!!

Swim Class

I finished the full swim class last night. Now I know that when I work on my Arms... I should not be kicking... because my kicking form goes away when I'm thinking about my arms. Is that good news? At least I have some kicking form to go away?

Anyway, no running yesterday or today. Poker Run tomorrow :-)

First week of training

Well, I have really decided to do it! And it WILL happen this time! I have already signed up and paid the money for the Ogden Marathon on May 17. So, I started my training schedule to start on December 31.

The first week of training went like this: I did my 3 mile easy run on Monday on the treadmill. On Wednesday I did my first ever tempo run. I had scheduled myself to do 3 miles tempo after a 1 mile warm-up and a 1 mile warm-down (is that what they call it?). Anyway, after re-doing my schedule several times, I ended up only doing 2 miles tempo at 12 min miles. It was HARD! The speed was based on my 5k performance, and not my Half Marathon performance. I think from now on, I will base my tempo training on my Half Marathon performance. This comes to a 12:30 mile. I'll be trying 3 miles at that pace for my next tempo run.

Then on Thursday, I worked out with a personal trainer. Turns out he worked at giving me a weight training program, and I only did 1/3 of it. I got through it GREAT! I liked him!

On Sunday, I had my first long run with the Roadrunners Winter Group. Woohoo!! I did 6 easy miles... it felt good to be outside! My Garmin was still set for indoor running, but I didn't figure that out until half way through my run. So, it was telling me 0 miles and 0 mph. hmmmmm. I couldn't rely on the watch for pace, etc. When I figured out why it wasn't working, I turned it on at mile 3... Ended up, I ran a bit too fast (According to the charts my pace should be 13:40 - 14:00/mile) I ran it at 12:29/mile. Ended up taking 1 hour 16 minutes! and I still felt good! :-)

So, After a great run on Sunday, I ended up taking an nap Sunday Afternoon... probably because I woke up sooooo early on Sunday Morning to do the run, and didn't get enough sleep. So, once again, I went to bed too late on Sunday Night and had to wake up VERY early on Monday to get Jerry to the airport. I started my 9 day isagenix cleanse on Monday with 2 pre-cleanse days planned. So, after a full day of work, with little food, and even less sleep, I did the full weight training program that Eddie outlined... it was challenging to say the least! Then I did an "Easy" 2 mile run on the track at LVAC. Then I went to do my abs work... did not go well.

My 2nd pre-cleanse day went well on Tuesday, and so did work. Then, I decided to take an "Easy" Swim 101 class at LVAC. It was HARD!! I guess a combination of being sore from my weight training, being tired (I got about 6 hours sleep), and not very much food during the day. I left the class half way through, and I had trouble lifting my arms up to wash my hair!

So, you would think I slept well on Tuesday Night??? Guess Again... I could not put down my book, and I ended up not going to sleep until about 2 am... then woke up early on Wednesday...

First cleanse day... Tired, worn out... work went lousy... hardly got anything done! Wednesday I had my first speed workout (Yasso 800) scheduled. The theory is that if I can do 10 repeats of an 800 at 5 minutes and 30 seconds, I should be able to complete the Marathon at 5 hours and 30 minutes. So, to build up to this, I started at 3 repeats. After some deliberation, I decided to do them on the track instead of a treadmill. I warmed up with a half mile (Of course my schedule calls for a full mile warm up) then I did my first 800. I was amazed that I got right to the correct pace quickly, and I was truly amazed that I kept the pace for the full 800 Meters (1/2 mile). cool... one down... the 2nd repeat went well too... the 3rd one was BAD... I felt like I was gonna puke! I quit after 400 M (1/4 mile). I cooled down for a half mile, and called it a day. 2.6 miles out of the 4 that were on my schedule. Oh well... there will be better days.

I slept like a rock last night... Day 2 of the cleanse... Tonght I will try another swim class. Oy...