Let the training begin!

Marathon training, that is. Monday, December 27 marked day 1 of 12 weeks of marathon training! And - funny enough - my schedule did NOT call for running! I did Yoga on Monday! :) My heel got another couple days of rest because Tuesday was a rest day – and I was told to ‘enjoy every minute of it’ – which I mostly did because I swam in the morning. Today I *finally* get to run! My schedule calls for 8 miles (gulp-it’s been a while):

4 miles @ 10:35 / Long Run Pace, last 4 miles at 8:50 / Half Marathon Pace

Well, I’m certain the first 4 miles will be no problem, based on the fact that I did manage a 5K on 12/4. At least I hope they are not! I will then take the next 4 miles one mile at a time. I plan to do this run on the treadmill so I can control the speed. That is, keep myself on target! Thursday calls for an interval run of 8 x 1/2 mile with 2 minutes rest at 8:33 pace... Then thankfully Friday is a day off with some core thrown in. I can certainly use some core work!

Then...THIS weekend I am actually doing back to back races. Not saying I will actually ‘race’ them though! Saturday I have 12 miles (yikes) scheduled. I am entered in a 10K with Carol. We are doing 2 miles for a warm-up at long run pace, then the 10K at marathon pace, then 4 miles broken up by 2 at threshold pace and 2 at marathon pace. I will take it one section at a time... Sunday calls for a 35 minute skill run (this will be my easy 5K) plus 8 x 20 second strides. Hopefully I can do the strides after my run right at the race site. Should be a FUN weekend!

Speaking of FUN... My friend Carol is loaning me P90X. I am going to try to do a P90X challenge starting on 1/3. I have no idea how this will all fit in with my marathon training, but I will do the best I can. Maybe I will do the P90X-ish Challenge!

Happy and Healthy Training!

Of course it snowed...

Yesterday, there was snow in the forecast. They were calling from anywhere from a dusting to 3 inches...

Yesterday I was getting up early to swim. Yay! And I got up extra early so I could actually pack my bike, trainer, and bike stuff in the car. All this so I could go to the Team Z spin at Bonzai after work! I was prepared to stay late and read a book that I've been reading for about 2 months now. I had not yet been to a spin, even though I've wanted to go. Honestly, I always found it too stressful to have all that stuff ready each time. But I really wanted to try to get there this season. Really! After all, Ironman Arizona is only 337 days and some odd hours away!

So...OF COURSE IT SNOWED!!

Schools got out 2 hours early.

Coach Ed said they'd decide by 2PM.

And wouldn't you know it...spin was cancelled.

The snow was my fault.

Haha - not really, I know, but...really!?!

So last night I went home and out of retalitation I did NOT spin. Just kidding. Well, kidding about retaliating! I did shovel the snow AND unload all of my bike stuff. Besides, I am still on 'training vacation' until Monday, December 27. Then there are no excuses! That is the first day of my 12 week marathon training program. Shamrock Whale Challenge, here I come! I am really very excited to start running again! So much so that I've been a race registering fool! This week alone I've signed up for a 10K on 1/1, a 5K on 1/2 (back to back, I know - I'm crazy, but it is New Year's weekend and I have no time goals), a maraton relay for 2/20, and just today I registered for the Team Z summer "A" race weekend. I will be doing the Musselman half on July 17, 2011! Jeff is doing it too and we are both very excited. It will be our first tri together!

My foot/heel is still feeling amazingly well. Like nothing was ever wrong, in fact. I'm still icing a bit and stretching a bit, and not walking barefoot. Aside from two short times in dress shoes and boots I have only been wearing my running shoes with the custom orthotics. Both of my feet should be happy!

Only ten more days of no running - yay!

Happy and Healthy Training!

Shuffle Success!

Last Saturday was the Santa Shuffle, a Team Z race! I decided a couple of weeks before that this would be...fun. And a good way to test my foot.

I'm happy - thrilled is more like it - that the Santa Shuffle, and the test of my foot, was a success! My foot did not hurt at all! Outside of the fact that both feet were freezing due to the cool temps. OK, it was below freezing I think, who are we kidding! We got to the race site quite early – but we got in and out of packet pickup without having to wait in the line outside in the cold! Back to the car for some heat. I stepped out to use the port o potty - no lines and it was actually warmer in the john than outside! Then I got a cup of coffee from the Z tent and headed back to the car for a bit. It was finally time to get outside and sort of get ready to race. By then more Z'ers were showing up.

The race started at 8:30 and at around 8:15, as promised, they walked us over to the start. I had worn a couple of jingle bells with my 'costume' picture above. Someone in the race was handing out more - so I took two to add to my collection. You would be able to hear me coming, that's for sure! I was hanging out with Jeff, Marlene, Harriet, and Jason before the start. The race started in a kind of quiet manner. Oh well, it was a small event. The course was out-and-back in a neighborhood and at times it was a bit narrow - especially with the piles of leaves and the parked cars. Fortunately I did not trip!

I started out slow and comfortable and decided I would try to pick it up at the turn around. During the out part there is a nice hill that you go down and I hit the 1 mile point along here. Needless to say my mile 2 split was much better than the first! I was feeling good as well and as I approached the turn around saw lots of teammates. Around the turn around and saw more z'mates! I did my best to push up that hill and while I think I slowed some I did pass some people. As I got close to the turn to the finish I got a shout out for my jingle bells, too! At the finish I stopped my watch and discovered I'd managed to break 30 minutes. Just barely, but I was pretty happy since I'd not run in 34 days!

After a quick post race snack Jeff and I met Marlene, Harriet, and Jason (is there a pattern here?) at the Starbucks. I had a delicious and somewhat earned Peppermint Mocha Soy Latte! It was delicious!
Later on at home I checked the results and my official time was 29:51.3 and I was 6 of 18 women in my age group. I was really happy with that! Out of women I was 97 of 327. And strange enough, there were more female finishers than male, which I think is unusual.

Anyway, I saw the foot doc this week and while he made a face over my race he was very pleased with my progress. And my foot still feels good! I'm going to take it easy till just after Christmas. On Monday, December 27 I am good to go to start marathon training. Shamrock weekend here I come!

Happy and Healthy Training!