…starting over… rebuilding it all …

it is time to get back on the running wagon.  i have taken over a month now to do basically anything and everything but work out and run {i have loved the dinners and drinks and hours of lifetime movies}.  i have noticed that my endurance and ability to do things like long dog walks is not where it was this time 2 months ago….

everyone is creating their 2011 race calendars. i have 3 things on mine. a 10k, ragnar, and rock and roll savannah. holla if you're a slacker. HOLLA!

so. to start my 2011 off i am going to run the polar bear run (how fitting with my foto friday lazy polar bears) on jan 22. that is 7 weeks till my next race. it is just a 5k and last year i was getting over the 5k distance… but i think it is the perfect way to ease myself back into running.

i plugged into runners world smart coach and plugged in my “want” 5k time of 30 minutes. made a training plan for 7 weeks and came up with this:

 

week	date	mon.	tues.	wed.	thurs.	fri.	sat.	sun.
1	12/6 - 12/12	rest/ xt	easy 2 miles	rest/ xt	easy run 2	XT	easy run 2	blast 900
2	12/13- 12/19	rest/ xt	easy 2 miles	rest/ xt	easy run 2	XT	easy run 3	blast 900
3	12/20- 12/26	rest/ xt	easy 2 miles	rest/ xt	east run 3	XT	easy run 4	blast 900
4	12/27- 1/2	rest/ xt	easy 2 miles	rest/ xt	easy run 3	XT	easy run 5	blast 900
5	1/3 - 1/9	rest/ xt	easy 2 miles	rest/ xt	easy run 2	XT	easy run 2	blast 900
6	1/10- 1/16	rest/ xt	easy 2 miles	rest/ xt	easy run 2	XT	easy run 3	blast 900
7	1/17- 1/23	rest/ xt	easy 2 miles	rest/ xt	easy run 3	XT	RACE DAY	blast 900

so here is my training plan… which this month will be hard with heading to Charlottesville VA for Kyle's best friend’s wedding and then going home to DC for Christmas… but I am bound and determined to get in work outs on both trips. ….plus i am going to start making blast 900 a weekly occurrence in my life.

it is kinda weird to see such low miles, but i think it is going to be more fun than anything because there will be no pressure and it will let me ease back into this running thing….  ….now i just have to remember to work out on my designated kyle/barbie gym days.

july i let you down. sorry.

when july started i thought it was june. i think i need a mental vacation. i looked at my marathon training plan and thought pfew, i am still in the 3 milers. then i realized it was the 1st and we weren’t celebrating my birthday which meant it was not june, it was july. :: hand palm to face ::

july came in with some gorgeous weather. the 1st weekend in july was out of the spring that we missed and all us peachtree road race runners were blessed with great temps. …july ended just as steamy as it should have been. but i am still super thankful for the short blast of gorgeous-ness. (are my monthly recaps turning into weather reports or is it just me?!)

miles and runs and work outs. what really matters. 20.90 miles ran. i was hoping i could report in that i had a great month. my early month outside run and then running the peachtree roadrace wanting to DIE, made me realize i needed to kick it into high gear, FAST! …and i had full intentions of doing so, the beginning of the month was so easy and smooth. i was aiming for a 40 mile month, but work over took my life and i got engaged, was in a bridesmaid in a good friends wedding, and well it was done. i didn’t run really at all in July and there were moments where I felt like I was drowning in pressure from the office. i was working till 5:15 in the office and then till 11 at night at home. working on the weekends. i had moments where i wish i wasn’t expected to work 7 days a week. i started to wonder when my life was going to get back to a point when i could do more than just walk the dog for exercise. i paid the $29.99 for my LA Fitness membership and never made it through their doors. needless to say i got in little to no running in july and i wasn’t unhappy about it – i was annoyed and frustrated. after my run to the office where i could barely go 1 mile, i made the decision to just start back from the start – rebuild my base and just go from there. hopefully it will help and i just have to stay on track…

This month I did 2 spin classes and 1 swim session… not quite enough in my book. but, i did love my time in each swim and spin session so that is a total positive! and i was wickedly sore after each workout. the runs and swims and spins i did do this month I gave it my all so that is good.

my only good break from running: i took a week off from running because i got ENGAGED and was so wrapped up in weddings and excitement and celebrating. Not a planned week off, but it happened and as much as I hate that I didn’t get in any miles that week, I really do not care because I am now on the road to becoming Barbara Ann Shanahan! =)

Also: soon I will have a giveaway for a gift card. Stay posted for details. :o)

wedding update #1: we have not settled on a date. we’re running between march 31 2012, april 7 and april 14 2012. However, we (or…I) have decided on colors. Navy blue, cream, and lavender/lilac. my parents are coming down to Atlanta in a few weeks to check out venues and after that I think the wedding hype will be put on hold for a bit....

starting over with marathon training.

to date this month i have only run 17.40 miles. this month starting off so well and i was hoping for a 40+ mile month. life got in the way. work got busy and sadly, i have pushed running to the side. not that marathon training was not always on my mind and important, work just literally sucked my life dry. i ran this past friday and this morning for the first time in almost 3 weeks and man was it hard. i have totally lost my base and everything that i had been building so if i want to run marine corps and not want to die, i need to start over.

so as of today marine corps is 14 weeks away which means I have 97 some days to get ready for it. not as much time as i would have liked, but i have to rebuild my base and my cardio and grow from there. i guess we will see how this all plays out, but i going to start my training from the start but on a modified schedule. i won't push too hard too fast, but once i get back to where i was on july 4th (which was 6 miles easy...) i may add more onto my long runs. and i am going to keep up the weekly friday runs to the office.

wish me luck. starting tomorrow it is gonna be all about telling people no and doing my workouts. if that means no to a happy hour or a dinner that means no. the hardest part is going to be dragging myself out of bed on sunday mornings for my long runs.... bye bye social life for about 3 months.