Update on my training plan

I suck.  No, not really... but I decided I suck at following a training plan.  There are many reasons why this is true.  Being that I am a wife and mother of three children, my life can be so crazy and change from one day to another.  I'm not sure that the training plan I am using most suitable for me.  I also do not have a specific race I have in mind... which makes me less likely to follow my plan. 

I have no idea what my training plan had on schedule for today, but I felt like running 8 miles.... so I did.  I decided to try out Powerbar Energy Bites as my fuel during today's long run. 

Everything was going great until mile 3.  My stomach started to act up.  I cleaned the pipes before I left, but apparently not enough.  I knew before long I'd have to make a pit stop.  I was able to hold out until right at mile 4.

Emergency pit spot at mile 4.  You do NOT want to see what is behind the dumpster.

I had a difficult time getting back into my groove.  My heart rate was uncomfortably high, so I had to slow down a bit.  The last few miles were a little bit of a struggle, but I was determined to finish what I set out to do. 

Freeze Your Thorns Off 5k Race Recap

So I just came to the realization that I pretty much already posted about this race yesterday on dailymile.  Damn.  Whatever... I'm going to write about it again.  If you're not interested in reading about it, move on along : )

I've had this virtual race on my calendar for a couple of months now.  A paid training opportunity came along and it was scheduled for the same day.  I couldn't pass up the training.  Luckily, the training got done an hour early which made me very happy... especially because that meant I got an another hour of daylight to run in!

As soon as I arrived home, I was ready to run.  Sitting in an all day [boring] training made me anxious.  Our friend, Phil, wasn't up to running with me.  The thought of skipping my run did cross my mind.  I kind of wanted a running partner.  Surprisingly, my husband volunteered to run with me.  We have never ran together before.  It was really nice to share this experience with him.  He still is not a fan of running, but enjoyed the quality time together.

I'm lame and didn't get a picture when we were done.  Just as we were approaching the end of the run, I totally almost sharted!  I left my husband, sprinted home, and made it just in time : )

Words of Wisdom

Beth over at SUAR wrote something that I needed to hear and it was the perfect time to read it:

"When we over-think [yep, that's me] we self-sabotage.  When we over-think, we tend to forget to keep it simple.  I am convinced many aspects of life do not have to be as involved as we make them out to be.  In order, to keep it more simple, it's time to let go of some elements of perfectionism." [I would add control to that as well]

I'm sure this quote can ring true for many people.... especially women.

My question... how does one who has been an over-thinker all their life, become less of an over-thinker?

Oops...

Has it really been almost 2 weeks since I last blogged?!?!  Shame on me! 

Life has been SO ridiculously busy on the school AND home front.  The end of the semester was two days ago which means I get a new set of 8th graders on Tuesday.  What that ALSO means is that the students that I used to have were frantically trying to complete their missing assignments to get their grades up... and holy smokes they were working hard!  I mean... I had to bribe them to get their grades up with cupcakes, but whatever works, right?  So that means I have been grading, and grading, and grading... non-stop!  I have been able to still run, but not nearly as much as I would have liked.  For instance, last week I ran less than 10 miles?!?!  That's one of the lowest mileage weeks I have had in a LONG time.  My daughter's 4th birthday was last week as well.  We decided to have a little party at the house.  Holy crap!  I had no idea how much time and energy is involved in planning a 'small' party for a 4-year-old. 

Things should be slowing down now which means I can focus more time into... RUNNING... and spending time with my babies too : )


Rewards

Run with Jess wrote a post about rewarding herself in her weight loss journey.  I have always rewarded myself with food and/or new clothes (which really isn't much of a reward since new clothes are a necessity when the old clothes look like a sloppy mess).  One of the major issues I have is spending money on myself.  I ALWAYS feel guilty for doing it because I feel I should be spending it on my kids.... but I know I deserve to spoil myself when deserved.

I thought long and hard about what my rewards could be for every 5 pounds lost... and here are the possibilities:

**I'm WAY overdue for a haircut... but I have a hard time spending $50 to get it done (and no... I refuse to go to Great Clips or similar location).

This is where I get my haircut... as well as spa services.  Love this place!

**I LOVE coffee and have been eyeballing a Keurig machine for some time now.  

**I REALLY want my SUV detailed inside and out.  It has been neglected for too long.

 **I've wanted to get my teeth professionally whitened FOREVER... but could never bring myself to spend that kind of money.  If I can consistently stay at my goal weight, I think I deserve this!

Here's my weight loss status:

I have lost 10.4 lbs.  I think I would be satisfied if I could lose another 5 lbs but would like to try to lose another 9.4 lbs, but I'm not sure how realistic that goal is... we will see!

Let's talk running... at church?

Day 2 streak -- 5 miles in 57:11 (11:26 min/mile average)

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 I went to church today with my husband and children because one of my awesome friends, Emily, was singing at the church this weekend.  My husband and kiddos attend church on a regular basis, but I do not.  I always wanted to go to church when I was a kid (like my friends did), but it was not part of my upbringing.  Fast forward to adulthood and the thought of going to church gives me anxiety.  I feel incredibly uncomfortable.  But my family attends Canyon Ridge Christian Church which seems to be pretty chill.  I'm kinda digging this church.  I like how they spread their motivational and inspiring message while slipping in a little God talk.  I don't feel uncomfortable when I'm there.  I like that.

Kevin Odor, the senior pastor, started a new series today called:

From what I got from his message, he said that we need to try to slow down and enjoy life.  One of his analogies had to do with running... which OBVIOUSLY sparked my interest.  He asked the crowd how many people ran in the RnR Vegas Marathon & 1/2 Marathon.  Being proud of my accomplishments of a runner, I definitely raised my hand.  He discussed how some runners start out much faster than they should and try to keep up with the pace of others around them... and then lose all their steam before the finish line (bonking... been there unfortunately).  He explained that a runner needs to stay at their own pace in order to make it to the end just like in life.  Isn't that what all runners preach?  Love it. 

Mr. Odor--Keep talking running and I'll keep returning to Canyon Ridge.

On another note, they made a HUGE announcement today:

How cool is that?!?!

Crappy day and crappy food

Yesterday... was frankly, a shitty day.  I haven't had a day like that in awhile.  I kept thinking to myself... all I want are multiples of these:

lots of these:

and some of this:

The only thing that would have made me feel better was stuffing my face with bad food and beer.  This is how I handled my emotions in the past, but I cannot allow food to change how I feel anymore. 

I ended going to happy hour after school and had ONE beer and NO bar food.  If I was not as focused on losing weight like I am right now, I would have had several beers and consumed that food above.  I could have... but I had enough willpower to say no. 

I came home after a couple of hours, ate a small salad, and went up to my bedroom... and fell asleep shortly after that.  I woke up this morning and realized I messed up my streak... I got so frustrated with myself!  With all the crap I had to deal with yesterday, I forgot to do some form of physical activity yesterday.  My streak ended after a measly 5 days... so weak! 

I went for a run today -- 4 miles in 42:20 (10:35 min/mile average)

I didn't want to push it too much as my shins were still a little tender from Thursday night's speedwork. 

Alrighty stalkers (LOL!)... time to watch a movie with the husband.

Training plan

I completed my first speedwork session.  One of the ways I can tell I have a really great workout... is how bad I smell afterwards. HA!  You should feel really sorry for my family : )

The last time I used a training plan was when I was training for my first half marathon back in December 2006.  When I got serious about running (primarily for weight loss after the birth of my youngest son) back in June 2010, I did not follow a training plan.  My dad and I decided to run the RnR Vegas half marathon in December 2010 and I chose to continue to not follow a training plan.  Same thing in 2011... I ran 3 half marathons and several other races all without a training plan.  Reason:  I didn't feel like committing to anything and wanted to run whatever felt most comfortable on any specific day.

I finally stopped being stubborn and decided that I need to follow a training plan and need to incorporate strength training and tempo runs... two things I've been resistant to do in the past [umm... could this be the worst run-on sentence ever?].  I know I need to do all of this in order a stronger, faster runner.

I used Hal Higdon's novice half marathon plan when I was training for my first half in December 2006.  I am trying to decide if I should use Hal Higdon's intermediate or advanced half marathon training plan.  My two goals: get faster and be injury-free (I know, duh!).  I know I could *easily* complete the intermediate plan, so should I use the advanced plan instead?  But if I want to get faster, shouldn't I concentrate on pace rather than distance?  I need your help!!

**Side note: If you have a blog and I have not "joined your site" let me know so I can follow you!!