5/26/12

Ten hour work days for two weeks are not good for the training plan.  Catastrophic starts to school are not good either.  I might as well blame my birthday too.  Well, since my last post, I didn't get up at 4:30am.   I did get up at 5:15 though and ran at home.  That happened once.  I managed to make it to spin class as well.  CX Works has not worked out for me because there are two evening classes during the week.  The one at 5:30 is so over crowded and the other is at 6:30, which is so late.  Running, overall, has been sporadic.  I skipped my long run too last week.  Eek! 

I know what I should do, and I'm running out of time.  By late July, I need to be fit enough to start marathon training.  I'm a little worried, but overall, I'm not in such bad shape.  But I really don't have time to spare anymore.  I have to get my long runs in and keep my mileage up and  I have to watch my nutrition. 

 

Happy Mother's Day!! 5/11/12

Happy (early) Mother's Day!! 
First week of classes is almost down in the books.  It was a very crazy start to the quarter.   Apparently, Blackboard released an update and not everything was working properly.  Meetings for both of my classes did not happen and we had to form groups and get some homework done, so there was a lot of chaos this first week.  I always expect some bumps in the beginning, but this start was just stressful.
Ugh, and my running suffered this week.  I ran a measly two miles that was just awful.  Work was also exhausting, but I don't like using that as an excuse.  
So next week, to get myself back on track, my goal is to run just 3 days and work in a spin class and CXWorks.  This should be a goal I can easily meet. 
I'm spending too much time debating on whether or not to get up at 4:30am once a week to make it to the 5:15am spin class.  I am not a morning person.  There's nothing worse than being jolted awake by an alarm clock...  accept being jolted awake and have to stay awake to make a gym class.  But, I would rather attempt the 5:15am class, than rush to the 5:15pm class, miss it and then have to wait for the 6:15 class and get home late.  Yes, folks, that has happened and I think I'm a tad crankier when that happens than just getting up early once a week.   
So this week I will attempt  wake up at 4:30am (groan) on Monday to knock it out. 
Here's my workout schedule for the week:

Monday: Spin Class
Tuesday: Run 3 miles, CXWorks
Wednesday: Rest (Strength)
Thursday: Run 4 miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Run 8 miles
Sunday: Rest


 

Impacts 5/8/12

A student came in to my office today to discuss his file.  He had been in my office before and had commented on the two half marathon medals I have in my office.  He told me that everything in my office was an inspiration!  I felt proud!  Today he told me that he is looking to do his first 5k!  I couldn't believe that I had made an impact on him in that way.  He said the last time he was in my office he decided that he would give running a try and has been training steadily for a 5k.  It was really great to hear that!   

Then I started to wonder why I run.  It can be boring sometimes.  It can be frustrating.  It can be torturous.... 
So why do I do it?

I do it because I love to explore.  I can run anywhere.  I love that runner's high... rhythmed breathing, feeling so light and having that ever so slight stitch in my side.  I love when people appreciate what it takes to run. Running makes me feel like a bad ass.  Why yes, I can run 13.1 miles.  :-)  Add all that to inspiring someone to run.... wow.  Now why would I not run?        

     

5/6/12

So I ran 8 miles yesterday.  It's been a couple weeks since I've had a long run.  I set out at about 7:15am and it was pretty nice & cool out.... 67degrees.  But by the time I got to mile 6, it was hot and shade was fading away.  I did get up earlier than normal, so that was good, but not early enough.  I debated in my head for about 15 minutes before I actually got up.  Really need to work on that.  But other than that, I am proud of myself.  I improved my time since the last 8 miler I ran by 7 minutes!  I downed a GU at mile 5, and even though mile 6 - 8 was almost unbearably hot, I was running quick spurts of about a 10:30 pace.

I also joined a challenge on dailymile.  I'm running 50 miles in May.  This should be attainable since I ran 49 miles in March.  I figured this will also keep me focused and motivated.  The next couple weeks will be rough at work and classes start again tomorrow, so it will be tough, but it is attainable.  I've logged 13 miles so far, so just 37 to go!



   

5/3/12

So I'm trying to think of something to blog about.  I have nothing.  Last week sucked for me as far as running went.  I guess I was just burnt out, exhausted, stressed, all of the above.  This week I'm back at it though, but nothing really extraordinary to write about.

Classes start again next week.  Looking forward to finishing this program!  I hear the last 2 quarters are pretty busy.  I'm really just ready to be done!

 

Mud Crusade! 4/22/12

Today I ran Mud Crusade with Lenny, and my friends Jenny, Jeremy and Terri.  We had a great time!  It rained just 10 minutes prior to our wave starting and it was a bit cold!  But once we started running, it was not bad.  It only rained maybe 10-15 mins, but it sure made for some mud fun!  The course was tough.  There were 20 obstacles, a lot of running up hill and jumping over walls.  Some of the wall were too tall to climb over by yourself, but I think the toughest (scariest) obstacle was this gem:

Going up was a bit wobbly, but getting over the top was S-C-A-R-Y!  I contemplated going back down the rope side and skipping it, but with the help of Lenny, I made it over.

The best obstacle was the huge water slide!  Lenny and I went down together and you end up in a pool of murky water.  I think I screamed the whole way down.  LOL

Lenny did help me a lot with some of these obstacles, because let's face it... Grace is not my middle name.  I probably would have broken my leg going down one of these things.  :-)

Check me out on the monkey bars!  I wasn't sure if I could do it.  I hadn't been on monkey bars since I was about 8 years old.  Nevermind how long ago that was.....

We did it! 

Overall, it was a good race, but I was disappointed that there was no (free) food- not even bananas.  They also handed you a drink ticket at the finish line for (one) bottled water, Gatorade or beer.  You then take the ticket to the drink line.  I can understand limiting beer, but most races have plenty of free bottled water.  Plus, the line for the drinks were way too long, so we skipped it.  Good thing we brought our own waters.  Lastly, our freebie was a plastic water bottle with the Mud Crusade logo.  It was nice, but personally, I'd rather have a t-shirt and I think many people would agree.  However, since we got a great discount on this race, I can't complain much.  If we had paid full price, I don't feel it would have been worth it.

My training sucked this week.  I felt like I was coming down with something, but I think it was mostly stress and exhaustion.  So I had a bit of a break besides my 5 miler earlier in the week.  Getting back in full swing this week!

Classes are over for the next two weeks, and then its back to madness!  So glad we get these little breaks in between.  They are definitely welcomed!

4/18/12

Last Saturday, I ran the Roar Thru Ybor 5k and had a great time!  It's a great race.  I ran it last year, so I knew it was a good one.... great food, great vendors and great music at the start and finish line.   My time this year was 34:02, and I ran the entire time!  No walk breaks!  I was really impressed with myself because I thought I would finish in about 36 minutes.  I also had negative mile splits.  The first mile was about 11:40, second mile about 10:40 and third mile about 10:30.  Everything was just perfect that morning. 

Well, I also have to admit that I haven't run since then.  :(  I was planning a long run the next day, but my legs were pretty sore.  Then it's been quite hectic this week with it being the last week of the school quarter and work being slammed.  Yesterday, I was so exhausted, I crashed for a couple hours when I got home.  With being so busy, I haven't had time to plan my workouts or even meals for that matter.  I really need to start getting into the habit of gettng up early at least a couple times during the week so I can knock out a run. 

So, on the news the other day I heard about the Boston marathon and temps being in the mid 80's.  Yeah, that's pretty warm for a marathon.  But the newscaster said something to make me chuckle.  He said, "But be careful what you wish for!  Next year, it could be snowing!"  So, I never ran in snow, but I have run in weather cold enough to snow, and it is so much better than heat.  Mid 80's isn't an extreme temperature (at least for a Florida girl like me), so I would equate that to running in 35 degrees in the cold.  For me, that is cold, but I would still take that any day over running a marathon in 80 degrees.

Down 3

I am down 3 lbs!!  Finally, the scale has budged!  I have been working out regularly for several weeks now, but I hadn't been counting calories.  I've done it before, but it was a lot work that I simply was avoiding.  Well, after weeks of the scale not budging and me not really being honest with myself, I started counting again.  I found the LiveStrong app on my itouch and it's easier now than what it was before.  I still have to plan my meals though, but its so much easier to be able to upload my calories basically wherever I go.
       
  
Oh, and yes, I have an itouch.  I don't have an iphone, or Blackberry, or any other type of phone with mobile capabilities.  I doubt I'll ever get one, until it's forced on me.  It's enough for me to check my emails & receive texts periodically wherever free wifi is sold..... I really don't want to have access every.single.place. I go.

Anyway, I highly recommend the Livestrong app, and even if you don't have access to apps, use the Livestrong webpage (thedailyplate).  This tool helped me tremendously in the past to lose weight.  If you have any weight loss stories, I'd love to hear them!

 

     

Cheating. Wow. 3/29/12

While googling away one day, I came across ads on craiglist requesting the help of MBA grads.  Curious, I clicked on a couple of them.  One person was offering $500 a month for "a project" that consisted of one course every 8 weeks.  The other offered $10/ hr to complete case studies for an MBA class.  I'm not shocked really.... this has been happening even before the digital age.  But it is just really sad. 

First, let me say that I would NOT do this program over again for the benefit of someone else.  I will earn my degree for myself, not for anyone else.  Five hundred dollars a month is not enough to give up family time, weekends, personal time, (sleep) all over again.  Maybe there is a poor, desperate soul out there who might consider this offer, but would you want this poor desperate soul to do your homework?  Then what if they suck and you end up failing the course?  You'll be out $1500+ dollars for the course, then if you paid that person already, that money too.  

Second, if you made it to grad school just to cheat your way through it, what kind of professional person are you?  I see these types of people as the ones who get fired or laid off regularly.  It is not just a matter of getting a degree to get a position, you must also be able to perform in it as well. 

I'll get off my soapbox now.

In other news, I'm disgusted with Celebrity Apprentice.  Trump had the chance to fire the tyrant in the last episode, Aubrey, on the womens team, but he chose someone else.  And when she was told her team lost, she bawled.  Really?  Maybe I'm too tough, but I can't stand crying because you lost at something.  Suck it up!  So I'll be catching the recaps instead every week and maybe if/ when she's fired I'll watch it again.  :-)  And I say I don't watch reality tv.  lol



   









  

DWD and Crafty stuff 3/26/12

Ta-Da!  Here is the little gem I've been working on.  I bought paper mache letters a very, very long time ago with this intentions of completing this little project.  I used scrapbook paper of my favorite things to cover the letters and then bought a hat rack to hang the medals.  The R is sunflowers, U is leopard print and the N is fall leaves.  Here's a close up. 

Fun stuff!

So, last Saturday, I ran Dances with Dirt with Jenny.  It was a 10k trail race and super tough. (think mud, sand, thick brush).  My ankles are still a bit sore and my knee as well, but it definitely feels like I got a good work out.  We finished in 1:31.  Around mile 4.5, I started to feel a little beat, but Jenny and I encouraged each other through the race.  The last half mile or so was in full sunshine, but I was feeling better by then so we were able to finish strong.  We had to follow blue-flags throughout the course and a couple times I zoned out and almost went the wrong way.... good thing Jenny was there or I would be lost! lol  It was a great time.  I'll definitely be back next year for a longer distance.

I uncovered this surprise when I took my shoes off at home!

3/21/12

I'm so unmotivated with school right now.  But I know I have to finish this program.  I'm half-way there already.  This mood usually sparks about half way each quarter.  I know I won't quit.  Once I'm committed, I don't stop.  But occasionally I get frustrated or bored and start looking at other projects.... like this marathon thing...... 

I need to start organizing my days.... keeping a To Do List.  Too often, I try to just remember things and then I get distracted.  So here is my To Do List for school and training for tomorrow:

• Study Chapter 12 OP Mgmt
• Work on MAR paper
• CX Works
• Run 3 miles or Spinning class (depends on weather)

That's it.  Seems easy 'nough. 

I'm also working on a little craft project I'll post pics of soon.  I'm excited about it!  I also want to put together a running binder to kind of organize things.  Having to thumb through several magazines to find what I'm looking for gets annoying.  lol   

O-M-Geee 3/20/12

Looking at my ticker, I'm 5 days away from being in the 7 month range of my goals.  7 months.  Wow! 

Today I ran a 4 miler, including a mile WU and CD.  I started off facing the sun.  Yuck.  The first mile sucked.  I could feel my energy draining.  I looked across the street and there was more shade there, so I turned around and went back.  SO MUCH BETTER!  The heat has always been my enemy.  I know the heat will slow me down and its going to be uncomfortable, but I just fall apart when faced with it.  I've got to start getting up early now that the heat is here and do my runs in the morning.  Plus, I hate doing them in the evening as I would rather be home at that time.  Once I can get used to getting up early again, it's not a problem.  It's like when I used to stay up all night in high school.  If you can make it through that point where you want to close your eyes & sleep, you can stay up all night.  I know.... I'm a little crazy. 

I haven't stayed up all night since those days and don't really care to, but, I do want to learn to sleep 4-5 hrs a night and still feel good the next day.  But that's a story for another day.  lol

So anyways, the next 2 miles were wonderful!  I had negative mile splits: 12:25, 12:00, 11:53.  The last .20 mile, I was running at about a 9 mile pace!  What a great feeling!

Nothing new on the school forfront.  Classes are going well, I have an exam and paper due.  Tomorrow I plan to work on the paper and study.  I also plan to run at least 3 miles and maybe make it into a tempo run.   

3/18/12

Well, after weighing the pros & cons of each half, I decided to go with Running for the Bay; mostly because of cost.  I researched each race and both are fairly new.... RFTB is in it's 3rd year and Savannah will be in its 2nd.  Both received bad reviews their inaugural year, and that is to be expected.  But it seems that RFTB improved it's second year, so hopefully it will be even better this year.  The medal for RFTB is awesome!  I can't wait to add it to my collection.  There are many RR Marathon events throughout the year, so maybe next year I will run one. 

As for training this past week, it went ok.  I went for a 4 mile run Friday after work.  I was feeling a little sluggish, so I took a caffeine pill instead of drinking coffee just to pep me up.  Well, I should've eat a little something too.  I felt GREAT half way through the run!  I had so much energy and I thought I could run the entire thing.  But soon enough, I started getting dizzy and felt super hungry so I had to walk most of the way back.  Blah.  I'm planning on running tonight- 5 miles.    

This week, I've got a full week ahead.  I have my usual school work (quiz and paper due) plus another exam.  :-/  I'm hoping I'll get it all done before the weekend as I have a 10k trail race this weekend.  This quarter is just about half way over already.  Time has gone by so fast. 

3/14/12

Last night I did my tempo run.  It took me some time to find my right pace since I have not run a 5k in quite awhile.  I decided to do 2 miles at tempo and figured I'd start at about a 12:15 pace.  Well, that was actually too slow so I spent the next few mins trying to find the right pace.  At some points, I was running around a 10 min pace, which I know was too fast, but my Garmin was also still adjusting.  I think 11:30 is going to be my starting point next tempo run.  I finished the 2 miles in a little over 23 mins. 


I also did CXWorks last night and I'm starting to notice a difference in my strength.  They are getting "easier" to do.  We do lots of planks, bicycle crunches, and shoulder work and I usually end up with a knot in my stomach.  It's a great feeling! 
Here is one of the exercises that really works me out.  This guy makes it look easy!

I have signed up for a 5k in April and I'm very excited.  I don't think I'll be breaking a PR, but at least I am motivated again.

The exam I took the other day had a couple errors on it.  Two questions were marked wrong when they should have been right.  The instructor acknowledged the error and is working to fix it, so that is a good thing.  This quarter, so far, has been less stressful than the last.  Don't get me wrong, it is still a lot of work though.  I have to say though, the hardest class last quarter was my favorite.  I felt I learned a lot about organizational structure and leadership.     

Monday 3/12/12

I feel pretty accomplished this week.  We are in our third week of classes and I'm doing well so far in my Marketing class.  My second quiz grade was 23/25, which was much better than the first.  The quizzes are not easy and I was anxious about them.  I believe we have a perfect score on our group paper.  I have to take my Management exam tonight.  A little anxious about that, but I believe I know the  material well enough to score pretty good... although some students have mentioned that the exam may have problems with grading.  :-/

I did pretty well in my training last week.  I missed a CX workout and walked instead of ran for one workout, but as much as I'd like to stick to my plan, I know sometimes that is just not possible and I have to adjust.

That being said, this is my plan for training this week:

Monday-  Walk 2 mi
Tuesday- CX Works, 3 mi tempo
Wed- 4 mi
Thurs- Spinning, CXWorks
Friday- OFF
Saturday- CX Works
Sunday- 5 mi, perhaps racquetball??

Yes, racquetball...  Or tennis, or some type of other cross training.  Something to get my arms moving and my husband and kiddo involved.

       

Planning a half

I need to plan a half marathon before the full.  It has to be one close enough to drive to over a weekend and at least 3 weeks out from the full that I can recover.  So with that in mind, I have two I'm considering.

1.  Rock n Roll Savannah Half Marathon- Nov 3. 
The one thing I do not like about this is that the hotels are charging at least 30% more over the weekend and I find it ironic that they "negoiated" discounts with the hotels on already jacked up prices.  Grrr.  Of course, I could stay out of town, but that means getting to the start line will involve additional planning and probably lots of stress.  This is also the more expensive option overall.  BUT, I've always wanted to do a Rock n Roll event.... 

2.  Running for the Bay- Oct 21.
Inexpensive, but lodging may be a problem.  Only a couple nearby major hotels, a few bed and breakfasts and vacation rentals. 

Decisions, decisions.

Getting ready for the weekend!

I planned to run 3 miles today since I missed Wednesday's run, but my legs felt heavy and sluggish from last night's spin class.  I ended up walking 2 miles.  I guess something is better than nothing....

My Marketing course had us view this TED video  this week.  It was hilarious and just what I needed after this long week.  I have to say, working out (regularly) again has kept my head clear and stress levels lower.  I know I have a ton of school stuff to do this weekend, but strangely, I'm not too stressed about it.   

So, this weekend, I have my CXWorks class and then a 6 mile run as far as workouts go.  I planned on doing my 6 miles on Sunday, but we are also going to go to the Strawberry Festival that afternoon, which means I'd have to get up at the butt crack of dawn, run, shower, and get ready to meet up with friends.  I could also do the early CX class tomorrow and then run.   Guess I'll do what I always do and play it by ear.

Gasparilla photos and Weekly Training

I hate race pics.  Very rarely do they turn out decent for me.  Usually, I look like I'm half dead, constipated, or I have, as a friend called, it "Einstein hair"....



All in good fun, I suppose.  My Gasparilla finish pic was the best out of this bunch.  



(photo credit: marathonfoto.com)           

I never buy race pics, but they are fun to look at.  I would have bought the ones from a half last year, but they all looked terrible.  Hopefully my marathon finish photo turns out good.... but after 26.2 miles, I can't hope for much.  

I didn't get to jog last night.  There were several issues at work I was dealing with and I had to catch up on some assignments for school as well.  It was also my late night at work, so I was exhausted when I got home.  To make up for it, I will do my CXWorks tonight at the gym (core training) and then run 3 miles after that.  I'm normally pretty pumped after CX, so I should have a boost of energy. 

My training plan is for the next 3 months to build up my running base again to where I was last year- distance wise.  If I'm not quite as fast, that's ok.  The longest distance I had ever run was 16 miles.  I felt like felt like dying, but I did it.  :-)  Then for the next 5+ months, I will be working on getting up to the marathon distances.  I haven't really laid out that plan yet... whether I will try to run 26 miles at least once, or only 20-22 miles as some plans say to do.  

Here is what I do have planned for my weekly training:

Today:  CXWorks, 3 mi run

Wed: 3-4 mi run

Thurs: Spinning, CXWorks

Friday: Rest

Saturday: CXWorks

Sunday: 6 miles

All of this I will be working around my school schedule.  I have an exam, a quiz, and a paper due. 

  

 

Gasparilla aftermath

My hammys are sore today and I have to catch up on school work.  I think I'll take it easy today and jog a couple miles tonight.

Gasparilla 5+3k

I woke up this morning at 5:30 because of the wind and rain pounding outside.  Then I remembered that the half-marathoners for the Gasparilla race had to start at 6:00am.  I was glad I didn't sign up for it.  Not that I was in shape for it either way.  I have ran when it was raining.  I have ran when it was windy.  But never both.  Wind gusts were up to 50 mph.  I was hoping by 9 am, the weather would improve.

I closed my eyes and woke up again at 7am.  The sun was shining, but it was still very windy (20 - 30 mph winds).  "I'd rather run in the rain", I thought.  Running in the wind is like jogging in place, in quick sand.  It feels super slow mo.

We got to start line and the wind was blocked by some tall buildings heading west on Bayshore Blvd, so half of the race, it was smooth sailing.  As soon as turned around, we felt the wind.  "I knew it was too easy," I said to the lady beside me.  But I pushed on. 

Oh, I forgot to add that I saw a few folks from work at the start line.  One asked what I thought I'd finish in.  I said in about an hour and 20 mins.  He looked a little puzzled, but I hadn't really thought about time.  Well, as I was running, I thought an hour and 10 mins was more realistic. 

As I neared the end, the race clock said 1:05.  Official chip time was 1:02:17!  Much better than I thought.  Maybe I'll get back to 10 min miles, but I'm not going to stress so much about time at this point.  I'm really happy just going the distance.  I finished, felt great, and finished strong.  I really can't ask for more. 

What's the blog about?

I'll admit... sometimes I think I have an S on my chest.  You know, the red S on the blue & yellow background?  I think you know what I'm talking about....

I think I am Superwoman. 

I started running about three years ago with the sole intention of completing a 5k.  I was hooked on running after that.  A marathon was added to my bucket list, but I was in for a long journey.  I had never been very active, much less a runner until that point.  I completed 2 half marathons within a month of each other in 2011.  After that second half-marathon in April 2011, I figured I give myself a break from running and before I knew it, I was enrolled in an MBA program by that July.  My "break" turned out to be longer than I thought as I struggled to find time for family, friends, school, and life.  I missed running.

So, now that I'm 9 months into an 18 month MBA program, why not throw a marathon in the mix??  Why not one that just so happens to be on the last day of my MBA program?  Did I mention that the program requires me to take 2 courses every 8 weeks?  How about that I work full-time?  I'm sure that I mentioned I have family and friends in all this.  Can I do this?  Yes, I can.  I am Superwoman.

During these next 9 months, I might yell.  I will probably curse at innocent bystanders myself.  I might even cry.  But on November 25, 2012, I will become Mitzi, M.B.A. and Marathoner.