Sunday, January 31, 2010

January in Review

It has been a crazy few weeks at work and I apologize for the sporadic commenting. Almost all of my life outside of work came to a screeching halt. Except for running, of course. I need endorphins...cannot function without them...wonder how I survived before I started running.

Some of you asked about the 15-minute power workout that brought me to my knees a couple of weeks ago. Here is what I remember of it. We started with dumbbells...40 reps each of front raises,
lateral raises
and shoulder presses.
Then, there were jumping jacks, different types of ab crunches and squats,
pushups
and reverse pushups...
...as many reps as we could each manage. That was the trick...you don't know how many reps you can handle until a day after the workout!

My "training" has been humming along, according to plan. Last week was a "high mileage" week, by my standards.

Total mileage for last week: 40
Monday: 10 miles - 1:29:26 (8:57 pace)
Tuesday: biking & core work
Wednesday: 6 mile tempo - 1 mile warm-up, 3 mile tempo (8:09, 8:00, 8:08), 2 mile cooldown
Thursday: 12 miles - 1:50:50 (9:15 pace)
Friday: rest
Saturday: 7.22 miles - 1:39:18 (13:46 pace) - Jockey Hollow (hilly trails)
Sunday: 5 miles - 45:48 (9:10 pace) + Glenn-designed "bootcamp"

By the middle of this week, there were little twinges in my knees, so I went easy on the mileage.

Total mileage for this week: 29.75

Monday: 6 miles - 53:50
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: 6 miles - 53:26 & strength training (abs, biceps and triceps, lunges and squats)
Thursday: 4 miles - 39:31
Friday: swimming 750 yards
Saturday: 7.25 mile group run on the towpath - 1:04:03
Sunday: 6.5 miles on Thompson Park trails (some hills) - 1:02:00

This brings my total mileage in January to 152.2 miles...the most monthly mileage I have done in over 6 months.

I ran the Thompson Park trails today with Jorge, who has run sub 3-hour marathons in the past. He is suffering from an injury which is now forcing him to run at my pace. I warned him that that wouldn't stop me from bragging that I ran with (and kept pace with) a sub 3-hour marathon runner!

So, what am I training for? Well, my training is always designed with a marathon in mind...the NJ Marathon? I dare hope...

And there are a few fun races to consider along the way. More importantly, I'd like to maintain a consistent and injury-free base mileage of 25 - 45 miles a week, even when I am not training for anything. I was more ambitious last year but a couple of injuries made me re-evaluate my goals. Now, weekly totals are not as important as they used to be. I am trying to throw some hills and speedwork, aka tempo runs into the mix. But as I experienced a couple of days ago, my body may not be in the mood for a tempo run on the day I schedule a tempo run.

Frank the Forerunner has become my cherished companion. Though I've had him for the past month, I only recently started downloading all the cool training data (never thought I would ever call data "cool"!). I must say, I am digging all the elevation, speed and pace graphs and charts. I changed some of the settings, so Frank now pushes me to be faster and nudges me with a "Speed Up" beep when I slow down for a water break. A watch used to put pressure on me...but I now realize (after a lot of trial and error, mostly error) that every day is going to be different, and a 8:40 pace on one day could become a 9:40 pace another day. So, instead of kicking myself like I used to, I am just having a lot of fun...even on those days when my legs are toast.

Announcement: Super giveaway for all lovers of running gear; and another awesome giveaway for women who want to look cute while running...at Endurance isn't only Physical. Hurry!!!

14 comments:

Erica said...

Great job on the mileage chica! I think its awesome that you are planning on a marathon soon! Whats going on ("Almost all of my life outside of work came to a screeching halt.")- you ok? I hope so!

I Run for Fun said...

Thanks a lot for the concern, Erica. I am perfectly fine, been really busy at work, that's all.

Scheri said...

I'm glad to hear you are keeping up the workouts even though work is crazy. It's exciting that you have another Marathon on the radar. I'm sure training is going to go great and this will be a fantastic marathon for you!

Felice Devine said...

Thanks for posting that workout. Looks like your training has been going well!

Heather said...

Nice job getting those workouts in even with your busy schedule - helps keep the stress low!

Ali said...

Thanks for the workout pics ... I am going to try it tomorrow ... looks like a tough one, but I love that it's only 15 minutes.

Erica said...

Hey chicky! I go major grocery shopping 1x per week and then do a fruit/veggie trip mid week to restock. I try to buy a combination of fresh and frozen veggies/fruits to keep me going all week long!

sandylsu said...

Kavitha - your 10 miler from yesterday sparked me to run 10 miles this morning! Amazing what inspiration you can get from others. And I feel great and ready for the rest of the day. I'm going to try this trend of morning running again. Thanks for the motivation :)

Beth said...

Hey, I do all of those exercises, but not 40 reps! That's alot! I do three sets of 15. I'll think about adding some more reps and see if I get results. Your training is going great. That's awesome!

Erica said...

Love your blog and your a total inspiration!! In the last month I have started blogging and running after reading many blogs I have had thoughts creep into my head can I become a marathon runner? So your "I run for fun" title caught my eye! I hope you don't mind a complete stranger following!

Happy running,
Erica

Lindsay said...

congrats on getting your mileage up again! that workout looks tough. i am not that good at "til exhaustion' reps... i kind of um wimp out a little :) not the purpose, i'm sure!

I Run for Fun said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog, Erica...and I feel flattered! Welcome to the crazy world of running...hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

Love my Garmin, think I need a name.. Hmm.. Will have to think on that.

Ravi said...

This is a good post. I like the animated pictures. Thanks posting. I am guilty of avoiding weight and strength training and will try to follow this.