I am thankful...It's DONE!!!

 *Note: I wrote this post after completing my second half-marathon last Saturday...

There are no words to express how relieved I am to have finished my half-marathon today. For the last month, there have been highs and lows in my training and my health. I considered not running the race at all. I am proud to say that I did not give in to my desire to roll over and pull the covers up over my head this morning.

It was cold at the start, but that made for perfect running weather. My choice of long sleeves and running tights was a good one. Even after it warmed up into the 50's, the wind was blowing at around 20 mph, and it was still chilly.

Really hard to see...but that's the starting line just before the race. Yes, we were under an overpass!

Hills were my downfall. The part of the route (miles 4-7) that went through Cherokee Park was the biggest challenge. The hills were huge. I did not train running outside or on big hills. Double whammy for me.

Halfway there...

The asphalt/concrete surface really killed me on the first few miles. Shin splints during miles 1-3 made me think that I wasn't going to make it. At mile 3, I got my stride and slowed down to conserve some energy.  Miles 4-7 were the dreaded hills through the park. Miles 7-10 were much better, and I had a good run/walk method in place.

Around mile 8, I took a PowerBar Vanilla gel and I took ibuprofen at mile 9. I think these two things are what got me to the finish line. I took water at every water station and Powerade when it was offered. At one point, I reached up to wipe my forehead and it was completely dry and covered with salt. I knew I needed to take in more water at that point. In between miles I at a few PowerBar Energy Chews. I crossed the finish line just under 3 hours at 2:59:48. Seems slow for most, but it's my new PR for a half!

So relieved it's over...I know you love my zebra print robe.

 Overall, I am glad I did it. My training only involved running 3 days a week. And some weeks less than that because of being sick or so busy I barely had time to eat, much less run. Cross training was what saved me. I have realized in this process that I will never be a long distance runner, nor a fast runner. Maybe if I lost 20 pounds, but realistically, I don't see my body handling longer distances in the near future.

I plan to stick to 5K's and running when I want to, a few days a week. I love the way I feel after a run, but I don't enjoy it while I'm doing it, if that makes sense.

Who knows, though, I've said all this before, and here I was, doing another half. I do know that I am going to take time away from blogging (as if I haven't already...) to focus on teaching 5th grade, my newest challenge. I'm just thankful I can say I finished this half-marathon and I can say...IT'S DONE!!!

Hello...is there anybody out there?

Seems like I fell off the face of the Earth. Here I am, alive and (somewhat) well.

I didn't, but some days it feels like it. With less than a month until my half and 2 weeks until I begin teaching 5th grade, I have been a busy bee. And for the last (almost) 2 weeks I have been sick with a sinus/upper respiratory/throat infection and have not been running. At all. Breathing even while sitting still was my top priority, so running was not on my to-do list. I am feeling better now, thanks to amoxicillin and my neti pot. 

I am going to attempt to run tomorrow. It just wasn't in the cards today. I think I will shoot for 2 or 3 miles, you know, since I've had such a long hiatus. If that goes well I will hit up my long run one night this week. There's 7 miles on the schedule. I still have not made it past 6. With 27 days until the half, I think at this point I'm going in with Plan B: do whatever I have to do to finish and not die. Oh, wait, that was Plan A, too...

As long as neither of these things happens, I will be okay.

Ouch!

I'm No Quitter!

I have SOOOOO neglected this blog since school started. What can I say, I can only focus on one thing at a time and family, teaching and running are two things too many already...so teaching has won out over almost everything but family over the past month.

Running has been blah lately. I noticed on my yearly mileage, I am only 25 miles away from hitting 200 miles in 2011. I think I've got that covered in the next month or so. I've scrapped the training schedule that was created for this event and made my own, "no injuries" plan. I am taking a low mileage approach in my half marathon training. My longest run this far has been 6 miles. I am shooting for 7 this weekend, but we will see...

My body keeps telling me to quit. My mind is also headed in that direction. But I'm no quitter. I finished college, grad school and my Rank 1 (a fancy teacher degree above your Masters) in 7 years, have taught kids with severe behavior, academic, emotional and physical problems, given birth, raised a child for 4 years and completed one half marathon already. So surely I can complete 13.1 measly miles of running (or some form of walking/jogging), right?!?

I'm working on staying focused, running a little longer each week and not worrying about speed.

Any advice for this?? Should I increase my long runs by a mile each week?

Long Time No Blog!

Hello, again. Yes, I am alive and well.

It's been a while. Where to begin...

Since school started it has been one long day after another. Feels like I've ran a marathon at the end of every day. And it's only September! I'm in for it this year!

Running is...going. 3 days a week. 2 shortish runs working on pace and speed. 1 longer run working on just not dying. My longest run has been six miles. Last week I wanted to sell my bib for this half-marathon I am attempting to train for. Running felt like torture of the worst kind. Heck, any physical activity felt like torture.

This past weekend called for nine, but it did not happen because I was out of town for Labor Day and ate my weight in greasy, salty, high calorie food. So I just didn't run. This week was about detoxing my body and getting my legs moving again. After 2 really good 3 mile runs, I feel better about running this week. Last week was just a fluke, I hope.

I just wanted to update anyone who may be wondering where I have disappeared to. Life has gotten busy and stressful and I am learning to deal with it again, as I do every school year when I go back to work. It just feels like I am not dealing very well right now. So when I figure out how to do that, I will be blogging on a regular basis again. For now, I will teach, I will run and I will do it with a smile on my face. Or at least I will try...

New Challenges

I did survive my 5 mile run this past week with NO PAIN!

I also survived my first 5 day week back to work (somewhat painful...)

And I have found out that I will be teaching 5th grade, starting on HALLOWEEN!!!

If you haven't read my last post, I was waiting on my principal's decision to move me to the 5th grade teacher position that will be open at my school at the end of October. I have many reasons for wanting to make the move from special education to a regular ed classroom. Job security, working with people I love, and getting to teach kids I already know and love are just a few of the reasons. I am very excited, but a nervous wreck. The next 2 months will be a process of saying good-bye to my old job and preparing for my new one. A challenge I am looking forward to!

As for running, I have been so exhuasted this week, getting into a new routine has presented it's challenges for my training schedule. I managed a 2 mile run and a 1 mile hill walk/run. Cross training consisted of Yoga Meltdown (with Jillian Micheals-I have become a fan of her workout videos).  A 6 mile run will happen sometime this weekend. Another challenge I am looking forward to. Wish me luck!

As for eating, back to school means back to junk food, unfortunately. My well-meaning co-workers often bring donuts, muffins and other sugar and carb filled goodies.

I have no self-control, especially when peer pressure is involved! Thankfully, I lost around 6 lbs this summer and I am starting to get into the longer running distances in my training, so I have less guilt than I should. And I definitely do not eat as much of these things as I used to. But I can tell a difference in the way I feel when I eat that stuff.  I do eat salads, fruits and veggies for lunch everyday, and typically eat a light dinner. When it comes to friends providing me with sugar, I just can't say no. My new mantra: MUST HAVE SELF-CONTROL!!!

How do you control your sweet-tooth and food related peer pressure?

Any advice from fellow teachers to help me prepare for my debut as a classroom teacher??

I survived the first week of school. Can I survive 5 miles?

Last week we were supposed to begin school on Monday. But on Saturday, we had a nice little storm that knocked out electricity to 150,000 people in our city and a lot of the schools in my district. So fast forward to Wednesday, and we actually got to have the first day of school.

I have never felt exhaustion like I did this year. Even being in labor for almost 20 hours with the little one four plus years ago seemed easy-peasy compared to this week. This coming week will be an actual 5 day week, and I am wondering if I should take a sick day already! Seriously, though, I am going to be depending on caffeine and getting to bed early to get me through.

Because of this exhuastion, I have taken 2 rest days (Friday and Saturday). So that means today has to be the dreaded long run day. 5 miles. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

I'm thinking that I will do as much as possible on the treadmill (maybe 4?) and then head outside for about a mile. My last outside run resulted in muscles so sore I felt like limping all day. That's what I get for thinking I could run outside on concrete at 6 a.m. without warming up first. It was only a mile! I've ran much longer than that before in the afternoon or evening and not had any soreness. I'm almost positive that was my body's way of saying, "You don't need to run in the morning!" My thoughts all along. 

In other news, there is a small possibility that I may be teaching 5th grade this year. Yes, school has already started, I know. I am a special education teacher. I work with 4th and 5th grade. There is a 5th grade teacher that is going to retire in November. I would like to take her place when she leaves. The team of teachers I work with would like for that to happen too.

I am certified to teach both special ed and regular ed. I was always waiting for the perfect opportunity to move into regular education, and I think this may be it. Don't get me wrong, I love special ed. But in my school district, if you are a special ed teacher, you are expendable. Year to year it depends on our numbers of students with special needs as to whether I stay or go. And the numbers have been dwendling every year. Next year most likely I will lose my position at my school. So that makes this decsion easier. That and the fact that I will still get to work with the same kids and teachers I am currently working with.

So I may be updating soon about my principal's decision to either keep me where I am or move me to 5th grade. *Fingers crossed!*

Three Thing Thursday

1.      4 miles done, and I didn't die...

Or at least I haven't yet. My shins and calf held up pretty well for this run on Tuesday. I have found that a water bottle with frozen water in it is the best massager/icer for my shins and calves. This Propel Fitness water bottle was the perfect shape.

Me icing my giant calves

2.    Yesterday was our first day of school.  

It's like having a newborn all over again. You feel like you haven't had any sleep (even though I have) and your body does weird things...I've had some crazy stomach issues, I guess getting used to eating early in the morning again, instead of after 9 am when I rolled out of bed this summer. I am SO sleepy between 2pm and 8pm, then I get this weird second wind around 8 and can't sleep when it's actually bedtime. I hope by September, all this has ironed itself out...

3.   I Got Up Early This Morning to Run!!!   

Anyone who knows me, knows I am not a morning person. This was the first time EVER that I have gotten up before work to run. My legs hurt ALL DAY. It became worse as the day went on. I only ran a freaking mile!!! What's up with that???

I have been so used to running at night or late afternoon when I can lounge around afterwards or sleep while my legs recover. This was a shock to my system. The run felt great, it was cool with a good breeze. Problem was, when I got back I went straight to the shower instead of icing or taking a lot of time to stretch. Since I only did a mile, I thought I'd be fine. WRONG!

I didn't allow enough time to run and do all the necessary after-care. For me, I have realized, icing and stretching are necessary for every run because of my shin splints and calf strain.  And warming up before I run outside on the harder surface is SO important. That's another reason I'm in pain. I rushed out thinking it would be quick and easy. For me, no run is quick and easy. At least not yet! I hope to get there one day.              

An Unexpected Day Off

Working and blogging apparently don't work well together for me...hence the last post being from last Wednesday. I started back to work last Thursday, and today was suppposed to be the first day of school in my school district. BUT IT WAS CANCELED! How often does that happen? First day of school...canceled!

Saturday we had a pretty mighty storm that literally blew through the city (70 mph winds) and 150,000 people lost power. That included about 48 schools. As of last night, there were still around a dozen schools without power, so classes for the first day were canceled. I got an unexpected day off. What to do, what to do??


Running

Over the last 4 days, I have been taking the dog out for a quick 1 mile run at night. Thank God the weather has been cooler and actually bearable to run in. I have taken my iPhone with me and used several different apps with GPS to track my mileage and time. Here's my last 3 runs:

Thursday - 1 mile - 12:00  (really fast for me!)

Saturday - 1 mile - 11:14  (fastest time thus far!)

Sunday - 2 miles - 27:58  (what the heck, Cindy?)

What the heck happened last night? Shins were screaming, so I stopped at 2 when I was supposed to do 5. I knew from the first few seconds of that run that I wasn't going to make it 5. I know my body and can definitely tell when it's going to be a crappy run early on. I'd rather have a slow, short run than no run at all, I guess. 

Ripped in 30

I am on week 4 now, and I am just going to continue a few times a week, mixing up which week a do from this point on. I really, really love this workout. And I really, really hate this workout. 

I love it because it has changed my body. Running has done a lot for my confidence and cardiovascular endurance. But I never lost weight. And I really didn't build much muscle. Ripped in 30 has given me a weight loss boost (just a few pounds, but still good for someone petite like me) and I can see a difference in the muscle tone in my arms and legs. I feel stronger. I have "slimmed down" as my husband has told me. He says I've lost weight in my face. That's interesting. 

I think a combo of running and this workout have been the 1-2 punch that I needed to build strength and lose a little weight. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick strength workout for cross-training. I hope now that I'm going back to work I can keep it up. 

Today I guess I will do a Ripped in 30 workout, take the little one for allergy shots and run some errands. I need a running break today to let my shins rest. I will try to run again tomorrow, hopefully completing the 4 miles on my schedule. Today is one of those days I think that a half marathon is not in the cards for me. But a big part of me says don't give up. Only time will tell...

Ode to Summer Break

Oh, Summer Break 2011, how I will miss you...what can I say? It's been fun. And we all know it's been H-O-T, HOT!!!

It's been fun learning about all the new things my body can (and can't) do, and working out whenever I wanted to!

It's been great sleeping in most days...

 

Or just sleeping, whenever...

And I have enjoyed SO many fabulous drinks of summer...

There were some new, healthier foods to eat...

And some not-so-healthy foods to enjoy...

(hey, you only live once, right?)

 

But most of all, you gave me freedom. 

Freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted...

Swimming...

Traveling...

Visiting Family...

Writing...

Reading...

and most importantly, relaxing...

I will miss you, Summer Break. See ya next year. 

XOXO, 

Cindy

A New Perspective on Running Outside

Here's my top 5 reasons for being a treadmill hermit:

5. My schedule. Either have to run early or late after the hubby comes home from work, since I can't take my little one on runs with me. Don't do early, so I would have to run after 8:30 p.m and after dark, like I did tonight.


4. I like to have music when I run. It scares me to run with my iPod on full blast when outside alone.

3. If running outside, I have to run mostly on the sidewalk because of crazy drivers in my neighborhood, or the fact that I have to run at night, and I don't want to get hit by a car.


2. The weather. Not fond of running in weather over 80 degrees or below 50. And humidity over 60% is a daily occurrence in this valley, so I have avoided outside running like the plague. Here was tonight's weather. Not horrible, but humid, nonetheless:

1. Allergies. I live in the 3rd worst city for allergies, according to The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Typically have to take a bunch of Kleenex with me if running outside at least 6 months out of the year.



The weirdest thing happened tonight. I had 4 miles on the schedule, but I was going to play it by ear because of the knee/shin thing. The hubby was going to get home later than normal from work, so I got started on the treadmill. I knew half a mile in that I wasn't going to make it very far. Shin splints on my right leg were UNBEARABLE!! I stopped and walked, I stopped and stretched, hell, I even just stopped for a few minutes. But they just got worse. So at 1.20 miles, I stopped and iced my shins for about 15 minutes.

Then I decided to take the dog out for jog/walk about a half mile out and back.

Here's the weird part. My shins did not hurt at all the whole time.

According to my iMapMyRun App, I ran 1.02 at a pace that I have trouble hitting on the treadmill unless I'm doing speedwork (i.e. sprints, then walk breaks). I don't know how accurate these GPS apps are, and I have yet to spend the moolah on a Garmin (holding out for my b-day...*sigh*). But I do know that because the shin splints didn't bother me, and because my dog was keeping me going at a pretty steady pace, I'm sure I was pretty close to the time the app said. I ran longer and harder than I have been on the treadmill. Again, I was reminded why I need to run outside more.

I didn't keep going because Heidi (our dog) probably couldn't take much more. She and I have not run together in months, so I didn't want to over do it. She is overweight. And I also didn't want to push the shin splint/knee issue. So I will take the 2.25 miles tonight and plan to do 4 on Thursday instead (Thursday was originally 2 miles). I'm listening to my body during this training and not just looking at the numbers on my schedule.


For me, getting outside to run is a rare thing. I would like to change that. I am going to attempt to start running outside at least 1 out of the 3 days a week that I run, as long as Satan's weather stays away. Maybe I'll even shake things up and get up early before work and run, who knows!

As long as the weather cooperates, I can make the time to do it, my knee and shins hold up, my allergies stay in check and I can learn to live without music while I run, it may work! I'm not asking much, right?

Rest days suck!

I never in a million bajillion years thought I would ever feel that way. I took two rest days, Friday and Saturday because my knee was hurting. I was afraid running or any other activity would jack my knee up to the point where I would have to take weeks off my half training. Or maybe not be able to do the half at all.

Those two days were hard.

Friday, I was busy at work, cleaning out and organizing with a teacher friend, getting ready for the upcoming school year (school starts on the 15th). I was exhausted that night, but still wanted to 'get my sweat on'. I just don't feel good about myself if I don't have sore or tired muscles. You know, that good tired.

Then Saturday, I went out to lunch with my mom and did some shopping. We ended up at Dairy Queen with blizzards. I got the Nutter Butter blizzard, which by the way, is fabulous if you love peanut butter the way I do! As we sat outside eating our blizzards and enjoying the abnormally mild 85 degree weather, I saw, not one, but two people run by. An omen? A sign that I shouldn't be eating that blizzard? Whatever it was, I knew I had to try to run again, soon. I was not going to give up.

Aren't those DQ commercials annoying?? Especially the chest hair?

Finally, last night I did it. I had 4 miles on the schedule for Saturday, but like the week before, I pushed the long run to Sunday. It wasn't easy. This was the longest distance I have done in over a year. There was a lot of stopping to stretch out my right calf and knee. There was some tightness, and some weird feeling like my hip, knee and foot were somehow out of line with each other. There were times when I really just wanted to stop. But I did it. I finished 4 miles without any of the horrible pain that I expected. My hip and knee are a little sore today, but nothing unbearable.

This week brings a 5 mile run for the weekend. That in addition to going back to work should be interesting.

I worked all last week and found it hard to workout without having a decent amount of caffeine before hand. I think Coke Zero and I are going to become great friends. Except for the fact that it makes me burp the whole time I'm running or working out.

God only knows what Phenylalanine does to my body. But hey, at least there's no calories, right?!? I'm probably better off drinking sweet tea...

Just what I needed...

I stole this from Cely. Just what I needed today!







My knee has been killing me all day. So I'm going to do some strength training and wait and see what tomorrow brings. If it still hurts, I won't run my 4 mile long run until Sunday. If it doesn't, I'll go for it. Keep ya posted...

Ooops, I Did It Again!

Well, I may have injured myself.

I'm thinking it's an overuse injury. For a few months, since I've been back into running, I have had a nagging knot in my right calf near my shin. Then it started to spread to the inner part of the calf. When I do cross-training activities like Ripped in 30, or walking on the treadmill at an incline, I feel it. Not bad enough to make me stop, but enough to notice and keep me from pushing harder.

So about a month ago, in addition to this weird calf knot and pain, my right knee also started getting stiff, and then one night I woke up and couldn't bend it at all for a few minutes. Felt like something was going to pop if I did, so I slowly tried to bend it. Eventually it did, but it was uncomfortable for a minute. It didn't bother me the next day. However, since then I have had a nagging pressure/pain in the back of my knee.

Now, I must tell you that I have a HUGE family history of arthritis and bursitis, but I have never been diagnosed. I've always had those stiff, popping and creaky joints in my hips and knees. So knee pain is not uncommon for me. But this is different. It feels like a tissue problem, not a joint problem, I think.

Sometimes it just randomly starts hurting. But tonight it hurt from the beginning of my run and didn't go away once I warmed up. I had to stop at 1.26 miles of a 2 mile run. I've iced it. It still hurts. I'm going to take an anti-inflammitory that I was prescribed for shin splints and call it a night.

We'll see how it feels tomorrow. The thing that really sucks is that other than this pain, I felt like I could have ran forever. It was one of those runs that are few and far between lately, where I have energy, my breathing is easy and not forced, and I'm enjoying every song on my iPod. What a bummer...second training for a half marathon, second injury. Ooops, I did it again...

Have you ever had problems like this? Know what it might be or what I should do?

I'm baaaaack!

Did you even realize I was gone?? Here's an update of what's being going on...

Work

Been a wild and crazy week so far, with no slowing down for the next 2 days. It's that time of year when teachers start getting ready for the new school year by spending countless hours in professional development, meetings and setting up our classrooms, or for me, my closet.

I am a resource teacher, so I spend most of my time in other teacher's classrooms working with kids that need extra support, as well as teaching with the classroom teachers. But I do have a small room that I share with someone, and I use it to pull kids out that need one-on-one help or for testing, etc. Unpacking, rearranging and paperwork have consumed the last 3 days. I'm ready for the kids, but I really am not ready for all the "logistical" and "political" parts of my job.

Speaking of political, I wanted to share this awesome video clip of Matt Damon going apesh*t on a reporter asking a question about teachers having incentives for test scores and job performance:

Training

I've had good days and bad days, as expected. Saturday's long run of 3 miles was pushed back to Sunday because Saturday was so busy. But I got it done. Not gonna lie. It. was. hard. I began to rethink the whole half-marathon thing. Again. But that was nothing compared to Monday. That was my first full day back to work. I was exhausted. It was a cross-train day, so I did Ripped in 30, at least I did most of it, and called it a night. Again, I am not a morning workout person, so going back to work then taking care of the little one, and finally working out at the end of the night was tough. I had forgotten how tough. 

Last night was a repeat of Monday night. Except, I was supposed to run 3 miles. Again. When I got home from work, we swam in our neighbor's pool for over an hour. I did lots of laps, and some with kids hanging on me. So needless to say, I was wiped out. So I modified my schedule and only did 1 mile. I would have done more if my chest didn't feel like it was going to explode. Sharp pain when I breathe. Weird side effect of swimming?? ever had that happen?

Today is back to cross-training. I'm thinking walking at an incline on the treadmill while watching Big Brother sounds like a plan. Maybe a little Ripped in 30 before that starts...I dunno. We'll see.

Balancing It All

I've spent this last week easing back into some work stuff. Next week gets even more intense. You see, teachers don't get all summer off like many people think we do. Sure, we get several uninterrupted weeks of fun in the sun, but that is intertwined with professional development classes (thus far I've done 37 hours, still have 27 more before school starts on August 15th) as well as meetings, and classroom set-up--which is a week long process for most. I tell you this not to complain, but to update you on my what my summer vacation really looks like.

source

I've been thinking, "how in the world am I going to work full-time, attend after school meetings and more professional development, plan excellent, motivating lessons for my students, keep up with mounds of paperwork, take care of my child, keep my house clean, finish reading the series of books I've started, and train for a half-marathon???" The answer is "I DON'T HAVE A CLUE!" and I'm freaking out a little bit, as I always do this time of year. The difference this year is that I am training, which I was not last summer when school started. I was barely even running at all.

Anyone have any advice?? I know some of you have to work full-time, have kids and run or workout even more than I do. How do you balance it all?? What's your secret? Do tell...

Running at Night

Somehow, last night around 8:45, after being gone from home for over 12 hours, I found the energy to run 2 miles. And I did speed work nonetheless. I have learned that my body has more energy and feels better when I run at night. And then I had a glorious feeling when I was finished and it did not keep me from going to sleep 2 hours later. I slept like a baby!

I've tried working out first thing in the morning with no food on my stomach, blech! I feel like I'm going to pass out.

I've also tried late morning or early afternoon about an hour after a meal. Just don't seem to have any energy then, either.

The few races I have participated in, I ate big carb filled dinners the night before and then had toast and a banana and some almonds about an hour before. That worked well for me. So I'm going to plan to stick to that for this upcoming half. 

And I'm going to train whenever I can find time and energy, which will most likely be at night. And then hope for the best come race day!

What is your best time of day to run or workout? What do you eat before a run or a race?

Mini-Vacay and the Beginning of Something Big!

 Mini-Vacation...

This weekend we headed to Newport, KY which is right across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, OH. Our plans were just to drive up there for the day to take the little one to the Newport Aquarium. Fortunately, my Dad travels a lot for business and had a free night in a hotel room that we could use. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, which I had never been to. It was probably the nicest hotel room I've ever stayed in!

She had to break in the bed for us!

We had access to an indoor pool, and I swam more than I have since I was a kid. My legs were so tired on Monday morning! I also used their small gym, which had an elliptical, a recumbent bike (which was broken!) and a treadmill. I did a few minutes on the elliptical (1 mile) and then 1 mile on the treadmill. It was nice running on a different treadmill than my own. I felt faster, even though I really wasn't. And I was able to continually run with only a few short walk breaks. Maybe it was being in a different environment. I think I have burnt out on my treadmill...I really need the weather to cool off so I can run outside!

The aquarium was nice, a great place for kids. It's always fun to see their faces light up when they see something for the first time. There were a few times she acted scared of the fish:

Don't know what was so scary about Nemo...

 Some of the delish food I let myself partake in:

This was our only vacation this year. It was short and sweet, and we succeeded in not spending much money.

The beginning of something big....

Well, half marathon training officially started yesterday. Yesterday was a rest day for me because of traveling  and just being exhausted from hours of swimming. This week is a low mileage week. The training calendar I have has 9 miles for this week, but because I am replacing one running day with cross-training, I will only get 8 miles in this week. My long run is 3 miles, which is doable.

Next week is a completely different story! 4 mile long run next week will be the longest I have done in over a year. My plan is to only increase my weekly mileage by 2 miles per week. Here's how it looks for the next month:

Week 1:   8 miles

Week 2:   9 miles

 Week 3:   11 miles

 Week 4:   13 miles

My hope is that this way I won't get injured if I don't increase my mileage too fast. 3 days a week of running, 3 days of cross/strength training. 1 complete rest day. Sounds simple, right? With starting back to work full-time in a few weeks, we will see how simple it really is. Why in the world I decided to do a half when the training starts right before I go back to work is beyond me...

Five Thing Friday

Because I'm not cool enough to come up with "15 Thing Friday" like Cely, here's my 5 things:

1. I am super excited to go see Bad Teacher tonight with some of my teacher friends! We will be having dinner and drinks before hand, and maybe even some birthday cake. We found out after ordering a birthday cake for one teacher friend that she could not make it to the dinner, so what do good friends do, eat her cake for her!! Also, can't wait for Justin Timberlake on the big screen, in all his nerdy "teacher" outfits! So hot!!

2. Speaking of J.T., here's the video of him and Jimmy Fallon doing "History of Rap Part 2". So great...




3. I went to an Optometrist yesterday to have my eyes checked. I have had horrible headaches, dizziness and nausea all summer, brought on by spending time on the computer reading, writing (blogging!), using my iPhone to play games or read stuff on the internet, and just reading a book. So, long story short, my vision is 20/15 which is better than 20/20, but I have what is called "Accommodative Insufficiency" and I have to have Vision Therapy starting next week. Apparently the old eye muscles are weak and are struggling to focus at things up close. Glasses would have just been a crutch, and with therapy, the muscles will strengthen and the headaches from straining will go away. Guess I've been spending too much time working on other muscles in my body!! Can't wait to learn how to do eye exercises!

4. It's still hotter than Hades outside, like my Mom always says. I've been saying this all along:

5. I'm almost done with week 2 of Ripped in 30. I have noticed improvement in my ab strength, and some of the other exercises have become easier as the week goes on. However, I STILL HATE THE PLANK. Apparently, Jillian thinks it's funny to make someone plank and do other impossible movements while in the plank pose.

I have no upper body strength, although I am getting stronger, and my arm muscles are becoming more defined. My wrists feel like they are going to snap when I am planking. Even on my knees (the modified position). That's why I don't do push-ups.

Does anyone else have this problem, or is it just my little weak wrists?? I have had carpel tunnel syndrome in the past and have had to wear a brace on my wrist from over use injuries. Somehow, my weak wrists paired with my weak arms, cannot support my upper body in the plank pose. But I'll keep trying. It's all I can do!

I call this "Satan's pose"

What do you eat before a run?

I don't know if it's the heat or my diet or what, but lately I am finding myself struggling to make it through even a short run or a 25 minute workout with Jillian. Yes, it's hot outside, but most of my workouts have been indoors in the comfort of my air conditioned home.

Excuse the shweatiness

I once read that summer workouts, whether indoor or out, are affected by the air temperatures outside, as well as the humidity. Of course it is more humid in my house in the summer than in the winter when the dry hot air is blasting through the vents. But could that really be why I'm struggling to push through a workout? I seriously doubt it.

So then I turn to my eating habits to see if that has something to do with my energy levels. This morning I ate a granola bar (almonds and yogurt, not the little chocolate filled kind) and drank half a cup of coffee. Then I proceeded to eat a small container of low-fat strawberry yogurt. And now I am munching on some plain wheat toast. Lunch will typically be a salad with chicken and fruit, and sometimes if I eat out, like yesterday, a chicken or turkey sandwich with my salad. Dinner is often some kind of lean meat, a vegetable or two, like corn, and then fruit for dessert. I think I eat pretty balanced, but it seems like something is missing.


Maybe I need more protein? I'm not a huge meat eater, other than chicken and turkey or lean pork. Red meat and fish are just not my thing. I try to get protein from nuts, protein powder in my smoothies, and some dairy products. Sometimes I even eat energy bars like Luna or Powerbars. Yesterday post-workout, I had a whole wheat bagel with almond butter on one side, peanut butter on the other (I'm conservative with that expensive almond butter!!) with banana:

Yeah, don't hate on my Christmas plate in July!!

 I also have a love/hate relationship with caffeine. Of course, I am a sweet tea lover (real or fake sugar) and I have coffee every morning. On the days I drink a ton of caffeine, I feel like I can workout harder if I do it before I crash from post-caffeine wind up. But like yesterday, I had tea at lunch and then by the time I started Ripped in 30, I was exhausted and that was after a nap.

Most days I drink lots of water and/or Powerade Zero (after a workout). The last few days I have been lacking on water because I was sitting in professional development classes with a big cup of sweet tea. And I drank and drank until it was gone--I prefer to drink my calories, obviously. I started wondering about dehydration last night when I had double Charlie Horses in my hips. Talk about painful.

After everything I've eaten this morning, I still don't seem to feel energetic enough to hit the treadmill and run a few miles. Some days are better than others, but lately, I just feel drained when running or working out.

Sometimes when I try to run in the morning or around lunchtime, I struggle more than when I run at night. Maybe I need to have a full day's calories before I workout??

So I guess my question for you is,  

What do you eat before you run or workout to give you the energy to keep going?

Another Teacher Day And Why I Will Always Strength Train

Today I was in another lovely all day professional development session, but this time, no physical stuff. I really think these meetings where I sit all day are the worst. I cannot sit all day, I am a little ADHD (self diagnosed!). This was the first time I had to sit and focus in a long time, so I was really done by 2:00. And these little treats did not help the situation...

Don't get me wrong, it was a good session, just too long for me to sit. We did do some activities that were related to the new math standards that we will be teaching this coming year. Here's a sample of what my group did to show our strategies for solving a difficult math word problem:

This is what we would ask kids to do in a group to practice solving problems and having discourse about math with their peers. I love this kind of teaching. Inquiry based, student-directed and meaningful.

On to my running (or lack thereof). I have not ran since Sunday night. I took a rest day yesterday because of all the physical stuff we did in my training. I should have ran anyway, because today my glutes and hamstrings are screamin'!!! A little run will loosen them up, but Satan Jillian and her strength training is going to have to wait until tomorrow. I could easily do the upper body stuff, but lower body strength training is not happening.

Speaking of strength training, I read an article Weights Vs. Cardio: Your Guide To The Perfect Body (as if...). I have recently become aware of the need to strengthen my body by cross-training, which includes strength training. I have been injured in the past from just running and doing nothing else.

"It's not that running as an exercise is bad, but it puts a fair amount of stress on your muscles and joints. Recreational runners can have injuries caused by weakness in the core and hip-stabilizing muscles. The better plan is to take time to develop the muscles of your core and hips first instead of jumping off the couch and running three miles."

"For the hip stabilizers, start off with basic single-leg exercises like split-squats, lunges and step-ups. For the core, exercises like front planks, side planks and bird dogs will help get you stronger and more stable, making you much less likely to injure yourself when you do decide to run that 5K."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/421082-weights-vs-cardio-your-guide-to-the-perfect-body/#ixzz1SbG8rwaG

I cannot say enough about Ripped in 30. Though I may complain, I love the way my body is changing. Running changed my body, yes, but not in the same intense way as a little strength training has. I look more toned, I am losing weight (which I have not from running) and I feel stronger. Holding my 4 year old does not wear me out in 2 minutes like it used to.

I am stronger at 32 years old than I have ever been in my life. I'm not saying you need to go out and buy Jillian's DVD's or even any workout "program", heck, you could strength train with some hand weights on your own and get results. But for me, I needed directions on what to do and how long to do it in order to be successful.

Running is definitely improving my cardiovascular health, as well as my mental health. But because I haven't been running extremely long distances, there hasn't been a whole lot in the way of weight loss or improve strength. Yes, my calves have gotten more muscular from running, but the rest of my legs and body have been lacking. Since I have been strength training, I have been able to run longer distances without walking, and I am improving my time per mile by a few seconds every time I run. I highly recommend strength training to anyone, runner or not, in order to improve your overall fitness, lose weight or to just feel better. I know I do.