Bayshore Half Marathon Training: week 8

This past week was pretty stellar on a number of levels.  I'm starting to wonder if I need to rethink all the training paces (for the "easy" and "long" runs) in the plan I'm following and just start running by feel, because I feel pretty freaking amazing right now.  I'm noticing that the faster I run, the less pain I have.  I don't know if it's just my magic shoes (I really think the Newtons have special powers and I'm running in them exclusively now) or if I'm just getting stronger and finally moving past my injury - which seems completely crazy but I don't know how else to explain it. Am I running 100% pain-free? Not exactly.  I still have a little shin soreness here and there and my calves/ankles are getting used to the Newtons, but from where I was a year ago at this time, I'd say I'm 85-90% better.

Monday 3/4/13 - Plan RUN 2 miles (11:10 pace) / STRENGTH (30 min) - Did RUN 3 miles in 32:02 (10:40 pace) because I felt really good and didn't want to stop at 2 miles and STRENGTH 15 min arms and 15 min abs.

Tuesday 3/5/13 - Plan SWIM (20 min) / STRENGTH (30 min) - Did BIKE 10 miles in 45 min and STRENGTH 15 min of abs.  I wanted nothing to do with getting in the pool.  I really still don't.  Maybe as summer gets closer and so does tri season, I'll be more motivated to swim.

Wednesday 3/6/13 - Plan RUN (4 mile tempo inc w/u, 2 miles at 9:26, c/d) - Did RUN 4 miles in 37:27 (9:21 pace).  I'd had a really emotional, sad, messed-up day and just needed to get out of my head.  I hit this pace on a hilly loop near my house and felt so much better when I was finished.  One of the responses to the picture I posted of my watch was "Holy Shit!" and that really made me smile.  I think this was my fastest 4 mile run EVER and while I don't advocate running pissed and frustrated, sometimes it just works. Finished with STRETCHING for 20 min and some ab work.

Thursday 3/7/13 - Plan RUN 2 miles (11:12 pace) / Bike 40 min - Did BIKE 10 miles in 43 minutes.  No run.  My legs were pretty wrecked from the hard 4 the day before and the thought of a brick made me shake.

Friday 3/8/13 - Plan REST - Did REST

Saturday 3/9/13 - Plan RUN 8 miles (11:12 pace) - Did RUN 8 very hilly miles in 1:20:41 (10:05 pace).  I completely crushed this run and aside from a little shin soreness that night, I felt pretty freaking good.  I had no plan to run this as fast as I did and I even had enough gas at the end to run the last mile in 9:36 - it was my fastest mile of the morning!

Sunday 3/10/13 - Plan BIKE 45 minutes - Did BIKE 10 miles in 46 min.  This ride frustrated the shit out of me.  I rode intervals while I watched GLEE and I was a sweaty, hot mess at the end, but my average pace was only 13 mph.  I can't figure out why I'm riding so slow on the trainer and I'm worried when it's time to move outside, I'm not only going to be worried about clipping in and out (which I'm terrified of) but also that I'm going to be so slow that I'm not going to want to do the tri I'm registered for.  I don't go out thinking I'll win or even place, but I KNOW I'm better than 13 mph on my road bike, so why am I sucking so much right now?

Anyway....besides one shitty bike ride, the week was pretty awesome.  I just hope to stay healthy and keep running as great as I have been.

How was your training this week?  What is your next race?

Meal Monday: Orange Chicken

This is a recipe I originally found through ShrinkingJeans. I made it a few weeks ago and I loved it, but my kids weren't thrilled. They're weird though, so yours will probably think it's great. Super fast, easy to throw together and have on the table in under 45 min.

Orange Chicken

2 pounds chicken breasts (I usually don't use this much)
1 green pepper
3/4 cup light Catalina dressing
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp beef bouillon or beef broth
2 Tbsp onion flakes
1/2 tsp celery seed



Preheat oven to 350*

Cut chicken and green pepper into bite-sized pieces.

Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Toss chicken, green pepper, and sauce mixture in a 9x13 pan.



Bake at 350* for 30 min or until chicken is done. I added a little corn starch/water mix to the sauce after 30 min & put it back in while the rice cooked to thicken the sauce a bit, but that's totally optional.


Serve over brown rice with a side of broccoli.


(I promise it tastes better than it looks - my food photo skills are seriously lacking)

Do you have an easy, 30-minute recipe that you like to serve on busy nights?

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Fitness Friday: TGIF

Just a couple things I stole from FB :)

This one tells me that to see results you need to do the work, whether that's in fitness, weightloss, or just wanting to make some changes in your life. I'm seeing results in faster running and today wearing a pair of jeans I haven't worn in almost a year. I have to say, putting on these jeans this morning felt pretty fraking fantastic! No shortcuts.  

That one is self-explanatory :)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and if you are racing Saturday or Sunday (I know a number of my closest friends are) then kick some serious assphalt!

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Thankful Thursday: Hills #runchat

Yep. Today I'm giving thanks for hills. Now, if you know where I live you know it's pretty freaking flat.  However, lately I've been trying forcing myself to run some hillier routes. Partly it's because they tend to be the plowed roads and sidewalks while my beloved paved trail won't be clear until all the snow melts.  Anyhoo....This was my route yesterday:

Check out that red line - that's the elevation change :)

And this was my time:

Hills really do make you stronger!

Now, I have another hilly run on Saturday.  8 miles are on the schedule and I'm running somewhere I've never run before.  Thankfully, the run is NOT on the mountain bike trails like I originally thought but still on hilly roads.  While I'm liking all this hill training, I'll also be thankful when I can have a nice, easy, flat long run.  But for now, I'm embracing the hills. 

Is it flat or hilly where you live? Do you welcome some route changes every now and then or stick to your familiar paths?

Weigh-in Wednesday: and I was doing so well

This was NOT what I wanted to see when I stepped on the scale this morning. (Caution - don't read if you don't like f-bombs.)

Starting Weight (11-28-12): 153.6

Last week: 145.4

This week: 146.0

Change: up .6

Total change: down 7.6

I could make a ton of excuses: I was at a conference on Saturday and Monday and ate what they served for lunches (but didn't snack which for me is huge), I went out for dinner a couple times this weekend, did more snacking at home (but on almonds and these fancy raisins that don't taste like the gross little black raisins), I didn't work out hard enough.  Whatever.  The fact is, I gained this week and it fucking sucks. And before anyone goes "but it's only 1/2 a pound" take a look at the last two months and you'll see I've only lost about 5 pounds and just over ONE pound in the past 4 weeks.  That, my friends, is bullshit, when you are really trying.  For Christ's sake, everyone on Biggest Loser this week lost over 10 pounds in two weeks WHILE AT HOME and I can't lose a single pound. (For shit's and giggles, I calculated what I would've needed to lose to be safe at the "5% in 2 weeks" challenge at it would've been 7.25 pounds - basically what I've lost since fucking NOVEMBER!)

The graph looks all pretty with it's nice downward slope until you look at the numbers on the sides.  That's pretty fucking pathetic, IMO (and before you blast me for being upset about weighing 146 pounds, keep in mind I'm just over 5 feet tall - this is NOT a good weight for me).  If I'd shown you a screen shot of the past month it would look even worse.  I have people criticizing the amount I'm eating and saying I'm not getting enough calories. Obviously that's not true if my weight is either maintaining or going up. I'm pissed.  I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong and why my body hates me so much.    

Bayshore Half Marathon Training: Week 7

This week was supposed to be a cut back week, but I went a bit off course so to speak.  Sadly, I'm paying for that with some really achy legs (to the point of keeping me up at night), but I'll live.

Monday 2/25/13 - Plan: RUN easy 3 miles at 11:12 pace.  Did: RUN - I took advantage of a very gorgeous day here in West Michigan and just ran.  I picked a hilly route and didn't really watch my pace but I felt fantastic and ended up running 4.25 miles in 41:31 (a 9:46 pace).  I really surprised myself.

Tuesday 2/26/13 - Plan: CROSS TRAIN.  Did: BIKE/STRETCH - 45 minutes on the basement trainer and then a 15 min stretching session.

Wednesday 2/27/13 - Plan: RUN easy 3 at 11:12 pace. Did: RUN - the weather turned to shit again so I hit the dreadmill and it was AWFUL. Did 3 miles in 31:55 (10:38 pace). I just kept upping the speed to try and fight boredom, so yet again, I blew the "easy" run.

Thursday 2/28/13 - Plan: RUN easy 3 at 11:12 pace.  Did: BIKE/RUN BRICK - I had planned on running at the gym right after work and then going to a "bring your own bike and trainer" spin class, but the spin class fell through.  Decided to do a brick at home instead.  BIKE inside on trainer 10 miles in 46 min then RUN outside 3.32 miles in 37:28 (11:17 pace). The run felt like crap and I could never get a rhythm due to all the snow piles and ice I had to jump over at every intersection.

Friday 3/1/13 Plan: CROSS TRAIN. Did: REST - Had to work the carnival at my school and then I went out to dinner.  Decided a rest day was in order because my ankle and calf were very sore and tight. 

Saturday 3/2/13 - Plan: RUN "long" run of 6 miles at 11:12 pace.  Did: RUN - I had a conference for work to attend during the day, so my run didn't start until around 3:30 in the afternoon.  The good part of this was that it was still sunny and had warmed up a bit.  By "warmed up" I mean it was in the mid 30s with the wind chill in the 20s.  I wore my jacket but was so warm within the first mile from the sun that I took it off and then froze in my t-shirt.  I'm actually following 2 different training plans and one had me going 3 today and the other 7, so I sorta split the difference because I need my long runs to be more than 3 miles, step-down week or not.  I picked another hilly route (only because it was free of ice and snow) and busted out 6 miles in 1:02:09 (10:21 pace).  I definitely have an issue with finding an "easy" pace.

Sunday 3/3/13 - Plan: CROSSTRAIN. Did: BIKE/STRETCH - rode one of the spin bikes at the Y for 50 min while I watched the end of the Wings game and my girl ran.  Finished with some running stretches with my girl.

I'd say it was a pretty decent training week, but I think I should have tried to follow the plan with regard to the easy runs.  My legs are feeling pretty nuked this week - especially after the back to back run days.  But...I'm really loving my Newtons - all those fast runs have been in them.  I don't know if they improve my gait and my run is more efficient/strong or if it's all in my head, but I'll take it. 

Yesterday, my girl came home with the track and field schedule.  Practices start the 11th and there are already race conflicts - the one Saturday meet falls on a day I'm running a half marathon and she was going to run her first 10k, and if she makes an invitational meet, that happens to fall on the day of the Bayshore Half - which I've already paid for and have non-refundable hotel reservations for.   My son is also in the spring musical and has rehearsals 3-5 days a week.  Neither of them are driving solo yet.  Now I'm panicking about how I'm going to get in all my workouts and what to do about the races I have scheduled.  The fact is - I'm not going to get in all my workouts and because of this, even if I still run the races, my performance is going to suffer.  No matter how much I try or how much mom guilt I have, I can't be in two places at once.  I can try to move more of my workouts to before school - and I'll need to do this next week because I also have parent-teacher conferences (FML) but history has shown that pre-dawn workouts really only work once or twice a week, otherwise I turn into a raving bitch from lack of sleep. Missing meets is hard for me.  What if she gets hurt? What if she has the meet of her life and I'm not there to see it? Mom guilt on top of control issues really sucks.

I'm not really asking for advice but just need to vent a little. My girl has already told me to run the half that she's missing the 10k for.  If I run REALLY fast, I might be able to make it back to where the meet is before it's over, but I probably won't see any of her events.  Sigh.  Can I just say I hate this time of year?

Meal Monday: Chicken Caprese Pasta

This was Sunday night's dinner, and while certain members of the family didn't rave about it, I thought it was pretty darn tasty.

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts
1 box (12 oz) bow tie pasta
1 container grape tomatos, halved
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into little squares
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste


1. Grill or sauté chicken until done & cut into bite-sized pieces.
2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed on the package.
3. Make the sauce by cooking the oil, balsamic, salt & pepper over medium to low heat until it reduces a bit.


4. Put chicken, pasta & tomatoes in a large bowl.
5. Add sauce & toss to coat.


6. Add cheese & basil right before serving.


7. I served this with some broccoli and oven baked "fried" mushrooms. Very yummy.


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