Turning into a Negative Nance... no y necessary.

Oh NO!! I only have 103 days left until my half! I am kind of freaking out... So far since I started running again in 2013 my PDR (personal distance record) is 5 miles, I need to double that.  I have just over 14 weeks and Hal Higdon's novice half training program is 12... I guess I am not under the gun just yet. (although, I am feeling that way.) I made the mistake when I felt like I had some extra time to try and train for a sub 60 minute 10K.  according to that... I am way under the gun.

I let the training plans get the better of me. I know I have said this before, but are they really worth it?  If I run 4 days a week, and make sure I listen to my body, working my distance up as I go, how necessary is the training program?

Something I do need to come to terms with is my speed and just know that if I stick with a steady running schedule speed will come.

I have a 10K scheduled for less than a month away, so at least that will get me up to 6.2 miles.


I have this feeling that I am stressing too much and putting too much pressure on myself.  I beat myself up when I don't hit the goal I set for myself that day.

Sometimes I wonder, how do people make their long run days work?

Ok, so life has gotten the best of me on my Sundays, and I really should be training on Sundays.

Must train more, relax more and JUST DO IT!

I obviously cannot just post something and leave it alone... edit # 3 (maybe)

I will leave you with this little nugget of wisdom from SkinnyRunner.

"You can focus on how much you have left or how much you've accomplished. Either way it doesn't change your fitness, just your perspective"  (well said and I need to keep reminding myself of that) Just keep on keeping on and the miles will come.

Following a plan...

Workout: 2.42 miles / 26 Minutes TM

Go Bruins! (I don't watch hockey but I am all about the home team)... not a band wagon statement, just supportive.

So I decided that I should try and use a training plan for the half marathon I was using Hal Higdon's Novice plan, but in an effort to increase my speed a bit I am doing a training program for a sub 60 minute 10K.  I think part of my problem is time, oh how the 9-5 gets in the way of life... and yet pays for my life so I keep it!

Between weekend plans and me not getting up early enough for me to put in the miles I should do according to the plan, I have been slacking.

Makes me wonder, is it better to follow a plan or to listen to your body and work up to the proper mileage?

This weekend was my company family fun day! Gavin and I had a BLAST at Canobie Lake Park. I like roller coasters and thrill rides and so does he so we are like little kids when we are there. 

We also found the Zoltar machine, "I want to be BIG" if you don't get it... (sad face) 

So I put in about 15000 steps, I didn't get a workout in. 

Sunday was fathers day and I am a daddy's girl so we have a tradition to go out to breakfast at the same place every year. Now that my niece/sister (my rents are raising her) is part of the father's day celebration there is an effort to entertain her as well as my dad. (She was not thrilled with the breakfast) So we headed off to Kimball's Farms! Holy bananas, Batman have they grown into their own version of a theme park. 

We started at the arcade, had some ice cream, dad and D went to see an animal show while I went to hit a bucket of balls a the range. Then there were bumper boats!! Man did we have a great day. 

My dad and I circa... 1988ish

D and I, not at Kimball's but it takes a lot to get her in a picture. 

Oh and I was not feeling my run today... not feeling great about it, not to be a downer, it is on the training program so I can check it off.  I just should have done it in a different order. 

Victory Cry

More like a theme, or better yet and anthem!

Workout: 4.16 miles / 45 minutes TM

I have an affinity for 80s soundtracks, my iPod is full of them. Top Gun, Footloose, Dirty Dancing, St Elmo's Fire, tend to be on every playlist I make. After a nice relaxed run and I was starting my cool down the Top Gun Anthem came on my iPod. (My life would not be the same without the shuffle feature) It was almost as if my ipod knew i had completed my goal and I myself was being inducted into the fighter pilot elite. (I am almost positive my ipod knows better.)

I have a codependent relationship with my ipod, there are very few places it doesn't go with me. I charge it, keep it full of audio and it makes sure I am entertained at all times. (It was even clutch when my phone died/jammed on April 15th in Boston, I was able to find wifi and get messages to friends and family) If I don't have it or it isn't charged enough, my workout will be rescheduled.

Depending on my surroundings dictates how loud my ear buds are. At the gym, full blast, I am hardly in the mood to be social. Outside, usually I just want to hear it but also be aware of my surroundings, getting run over isn't high on my list of things to do.  I also like to be able to hear the nice things going on around me like, the surf on the beach or birds chirping.

Me waiting patiently to walk across home plate after the Run to Homebase 2011 (notice the armband, I took the ipod out so I could take pictures inside the park)

I also made a special playlist for this run. (My Hero - Foo Fighters comes to mind)

I know Apple has algorithms to play songs that you listen to more than others, sometimes frustrating when I am in the mood for something I haven't heard in a while, but I comes in handy.  Sometimes I think it knows exactly what I am in the mood for. Some might chalk it up to my brilliant ability to put together a playlist. (Gavin might disagree, since he is always asking me to tweek his gym mix, I say, "if you don't like Holding out for a Hero for the 50th time, then you should take it off your list.")

I take pride in my playlists, if and when we hire a DJ (Most likely we will for our wedding) that poor person is just going to get a list of songs to play and a whole lot of "Do Not Play."

Riding the Runners High

Workout: 4.04 miles / 43:40

After a bit of a mishap with my original treadmill choice, I moved onto another one and I was off and running!

I decide for the sake of my nose I would run in a climate and room with an air filter. Turns out it was for the best it was steamy outside even at 7:30. Even with my generic target variety Claritin, my nose has been losing its mind.  If only you saw the sneezfest I had when I got in my car.

My goal was 4 miles based on my sub 60 10K training program. Goal complete! My biggest issue was I didn't give myself enough time to run 4 miles.  I never give myself enough time when I run in the AM... truthfully I am terrible at timing things, but when I know I need to be on the treadmill for at least 45 minutes... I should probably give myself at least 50.  I could get up earlier in the AM... that would mean getting to bed earlier.

So here is the rub, Gavin gets home about 9:30PM every night, that gives me about an hour to hangout with him before I turn into a pumpkin.

Anywhoodles, while I was running I just felt so good, if I had given myself more time I probably would have run longer. Due to the time constraint I just upped the speed with 15 minutes left and progressively sped up. I have some lessons from not giving yourself enough time after a workout.

• I didn't stretch, all that paranoia about getting hurt and I am just willing it to happen by ignoring my stretches.
• Rushing to get ready, no bueno! (TMI alert: I keep a tooth brush and deodorant at work just in case I forget... it was that kind of rushing this AM)
• Get off the treadmill sweaty, go directly into a hot show and according to an episode of Seinfeld... "the shower didn't take". I was just as sweaty post shower... gross, I know! 

GEORGE: "What day is today?....Aw. ..Tuesday! Damn it. I shouldn't have worked out today. Mr Wilhem has called a big meeting and now I'm gonna be sweating through the whole thing."

JERRY: "Why. You took a shower?"

GEORGE: "Aahhrgh...it wouldn't take...... long pause, audience laughter) ten minutes from now, I'll be sweating all over again ,I can feel it. I'm a human heat pump!"

KRAMER: "You should take cold showers."

GEORGE: "Cold showers? They're for psychotics."

You really can find anything on the Interwebs, apparently even every Seinfeld script is out there.

I officially had a runners high today! Not sure if it was because I felt so good during or if it was because I hit my goal. Days like today I want to run all over again and then days like the past 3, where I wanted to hit the couch like a sack of potatoes.

I am going to take today's high and hit that cross training machine (elliptical) tomorrow!

June 5th is National Running Day, will you be running?

Today was my first time contributing to #tbt (Throw back Thursday) Who am I to forgo the trends, actually I am usually just a little late to the party, (and here we are, full circle). Oh my, does anyone know what time it is?

#tbt Here you Go! (different one than on Instagram... so hit me up there if you want to see more)

Happy Tuesday! (or ?)

Last night I went for a run outside... being cooped up in a gym on a treadmill hasn't been a very easy thing to do lately.

I was finally able get my runkeeper app  working on my phone and was excited since I have 'signed up' for a training program to run a sub 60 10K... whow boy! I wonder if I should have started with the sub 30 5K?? Now that I am in it, I will go for it, plus it can only help put me in the right place for all things Half Marathon related. It has me running 10 miles before I even get to the 10K race day, and it is a 16 week program.  So on and around August 31st I should be almost ready to take on the Half, with just a little over a month to go.

(Did anyone else notice that runkeeper gave themselves a website face lift?  Thoughts?) I am really on the fence about switching to runtastic, hum... 3 years worth of data stored on Runkeeper and the training program vs. an app that functions the way I want it to.  I really just want to invest in a Garmin Forerunner, but that little gem is out of my reach for the time being.

If you want to be my friend on runkeeper: Anniebananie80 (I won't ever really give it up, I might just not use the phone app while running)

The other strange thing I did was put music on my phone in order to hear the queues that the runkeeper app was giving me while I was running.  It actually helped! Getting that update every 5 minutes that I am either way under my goal pace or over was very nice.

All said and done my run was 3.4 miles / 37:14

So here is the bummer... my PF (plantar faciitis) has been acting up again.  I am not overly concerned because I can do stretching and such to make it better.  I am wondering if compression socks might be able to help me at all... from what I could gather they are more about blood flow, but that could help my muscles repair themselves.  My tight calves and lack of arch support might be part of my issue in the first place. Blahh.... I am so far from knowing!

Last thing for today, I was reading Run Eat Repeat, one of my favorite running blogs and Monica's post from today was so great! To great not to share... although, I am pretty sure my follower in numbers, if any, (hello?) can only hope to compare to hers one day! She says everything I was thinking about fat talking. I am guilty, but mostly in the privacy of my own home. Something I need to work on.

Stop the Fat Talk or no one will be your friend