Week Thirteen
Monday – yoga stretching
I got a yoga bolster pillow for Christmas so I used it to do some lower back and leg stretching. It felt great!
30 min
Tuesday – butt workout
After a long day, I had along drive home, so I used the time wisely to do butt clenches in the car on the way home! Multi tasking!
30 mins
Wednesday – walk/jog with the dog
Took the dog for a walk/jog around the neighborhood. It was too cold to run. It was windy, and horrid. My dog was scared of the wind. Every time it blew, he got skittish and tried to burst away from me. Needless to say, it made the jogging part difficult. I also used this as an opportunity to do the crazy walk with him. So not sure how accurate the mileage/gps is. There were lots of twists and turns and circles and stops and sits.
30 mins – 1.42 miles (21:17/mi pace)
Thursday – wii sports
I planned on 30 minutes of wii tennis, but I got bored with it after about 15 minutes so I moved on to baseball and bowling. Both bored me more than the tennis. So I went back to the tennis for the last 10 minutes or so. I need to bust out the other wii workout “games” that we got for Christmas and see how those fare.
30 mins
Friday – run
5 min warm up walk
2.103 in 30 mins running speed intervals - from 4.5 to 6.5 with 3.0 walk intervals (14:15/mi pace)
5 min cool down walk
A few pains in my left hip/knee area. First run in a while where I didn't wear my compression socks and it felt okay. Looking forward to wearing my new Tommie Copper calf sleeves for the rest of the afternoon!!
2.103 in 30 mins running speed intervals - from 4.5 to 6.5 with 3.0 walk intervals (14:15/mi pace)
5 min cool down walk
A few pains in my left hip/knee area. First run in a while where I didn't wear my compression socks and it felt okay. Looking forward to wearing my new Tommie Copper calf sleeves for the rest of the afternoon!!
30 mins
Saturday – arm workout
Arm workout with wood instead of weights. Yes wood. I'm in the back woods of New Hampshire and I used some firewood instead of hand weights to do an arm workout.
30 mins
Sunday – long run – 9.5 miles
I was dreading this one all weekend. The gym was closed for New Years and I knew I was going to have to do it outside. I went out on the Cotton Valley Trail that I usually bike on and as expected, it was covered in ice.
Luckily it wasn’t too much, just sections here and there where I could walk off to the side before I got onto solid ground again. But it was enough to make me cautious and slow down when I needed to.
The trail is about 3 miles long, so I planned to go out 2 or 2.5, come back, refill my water bottle, then go back out for another 2 or 2.5 then head back again. I figured it would break it up nicely. Instead I went out 3 miles, then turned around and only had to go back out for 1.75 miles then back again to finish off the last 3.5 miles. My iPod died at mile 2 so I had a lot of time to think and talk to God and make up my own songs and appreciate the scenery for the last 7.5 miles.
 |
| Partially frozen lake |
Not gonna lie, I spent a large part of those last 7.5 miles praying. I kept telling myself that if God brought me to it, He’d bring me through it. It made my run a little more peaceful. The last 3.5 miles were tough. I was exhausted and in pain physically and I had to rely on myself mentally to finish it. There was mostly walking, but I did it.
When I got home, I took another ice bath. But I didn’t videotape it this time! You’re welcome.
When I got home, I took another ice bath. But I didn’t videotape it this time! You’re welcome.
Total: 9.5 miles – 3:00:40 (19:00/mi pace)
I feel like I’ve fallen off the running wagon so to speak. Through the holidays I found that I lacked motivation to run. I did other things, but running was the toughest. And yes, I completed 9.5 miles this week, but the pace was SO slow! I could never complete the half marathon at that pace without them sweeping me off the course. I’m pretty sure if I had walked the entire thing and not run any of it, I could have had a faster pace. My pace at certain points was a 14 min mile pace and a few times I hit 10 min mile paces – briefly. But the when I started hurting, my walking became so ragged & slow that it pulled my pace way down. It’s discouraging and doesn’t make me like running any more either. I still hold firm to be belief that running isn’t for me. I can do 2-3 miles and survive it and not hate it, but this long distance stuff just isn’t for me. After this half, I’m done.
 |
| Dec 26, '11 - Jan 1, '12 |
55 days until the Disney Princess Half Marathon!
