A really strong week - with four runs!

Monday, I started off running on the treadmill after work at the gym on site.  I continue to do the gym circuit on Tuesdays - jumping jacks, push ups, lunges, etc. in a 30/10 second cycle - and that certainly works up a sweat, damn!  On Wednesday and Thursday, I ran after work once I got home - on my usual industrial park loop.  My paces were amazing (for me) - 8:57 and 9:25 per mile, respectively.  More weight work on Friday and the big 12 miles on Saturday.  I ran on the Upper Tampa Bay Trail for the first time.  I had walked dogs there before with my friend, Kristin - the one for whom I dogsit (thanks Mrs. Sullivan - I know to not end a sentence with a preposition!).  Running was a different story, but it was a very pleasant run, and despite being 12 miles, not very difficult.  I used one of the (clean!) public bathrooms along the way, and two of the water stations - very convenient.  Surgery coming up this week, so I might miss a workout or two.  No problema.  :)

I got the week started off well with a 50 minute run at an average pace of 9:38 per mile - according to my Garmin Forerunner 110.  Very nice.  :)  I hit the gym the next day to do 40 minutes of my cardio circuit (30 seconds exercise, 10 seconds rest for 12 exercises, 2-3 times - already explained this, go read an earlier post.  My second "tempo c" workout of my training - I did 8.5 mph for the first 5 minutes and 8.0 mph for the second and third 5 minute sessions.  Pretty intense, but I remained upright on the treadmill.  I was able to rest on Thursday and I lifted weights on Friday.

Today, I got up "early" and was ready to run.  I neglected to look at a map of Flatwoods before I left - first mistake - well, pretty much my only mistake.  I asked people while I was running where to go - they told me the right answers, I just wasn't asking the right questions.  Argh.  Anyway, I ran onto what I thought was the main road, which it was - just not part of the loop.  I ran all the way to the Bruce B. Downs parking lot, realized where I was, turned around and headed toward the loop - I had run about 4 miles at this point.  I was feeling good, came to a crossroads and asked people if the Morris Bridge parking lot was down this way - yes.  Okay.  Well, I didn't know there are TWO Morris Bridge parking lots.  Oops.  I ended up finishing my 10 miles at a pace of 9:35 per mile.  Excellent.  But, I then had to walk about 5 miles back to my car.  A lengthy cool-down walk, for sure.  But, on the plus side, I now know how to properly navigate the park and look forward to 12 miles next Saturday.

It's hard to believe my marathon is only three months away.  Yikes - get donating, people!  ;)

I finished up the week with a 40 minute weight circuit at the gym for cross training and my endurance run was an easy 6 miles this week.  It was 73 degrees and rainy, but still enjoyable.  A friend said to me, "You're going to run in the RAIN?"  I was like, "Uh..yeah...I'm going to run in whatever."  It is supposed to be a more relaxed pace than the other runs and according to my Forerunner, it was - just about 9:59 per mile (that 1 second is important!).  Monday's run was a chipper 9:28 per mile.  It was only my second run with the Forerunner - it is indeed water-resistant, and found the satellites within minutes.  A+ so far.  More adventures await.

And I wasn't just trying to get you to shamelessly click on my link...I did include an awesome video.  Take it away, Waffles!

So, I have wanted a running watch for a while and I finally bought one with my Christmas money.  Woo hoo!  I had asked all my running friends on facebook for recommendations and they all agreed that for what I wanted (time, pace, distance), the Garmin Forerunner 110 was the one.  And that's what I bought - on Amazon - for $120.  I was able to try it out for the first time on Monday for my 50 minute run.

It was a great run and the 110 was everything I hoped it would be.  I found out that I am actually running at a pace faster than I thought - about 9:30 per mile (not 10:00) - as some of the distances I calculated using MayMyRun were not exact.  So that was an unexpected bonus.  30 seconds shaved off each mile means 13 minutes less running in a marathon!

I continuted my workouts for the week with a sprint-elliptical session and my gym circuit for cross training.  Historically, I slack off on the elliptical.  I watch an episode of Oz and zone out - not so this time!  I calibrated my playlist to play super up-tempo jams and went 3 miles on it in 15 minutes.  The gym circuit (the one I started last week) involves 30 seconds of each exercise with 10 seconds of rest in between exercises, which include jumping jacks, wall squats, push-ups, crunches, step-ups, squats, tricep dips, planks, high knees, lunges, push-up rotations, and side planks.  And I do that three times in a row.  Needless to say, I am so sweaty by the end of it - no earphones (they stopped working the first time I tried this - I think because of the sweat lol).

I also had a new workout on Wednesday - a tempo run.  This was a "Tempo C" - meaning three 5 minute runs with a 1 minute brisk walk in between.  Tempo pace is defined as "a pace just outside your comfort zone, comfortably hard, in which you can talk in short, choppy sentences."  I ran the first 5 minutes at 8.5 mph; the second at 8 mph; and the third at 7.5 mph - for a total distance of 2 miles in 15 minutes.  It was definitely hard and I had to remain focused (so as not to fall off the treadmill), but it felt good.

And now, to enjoy my day of rest.

I'm very proud of myself for completing all the workouts this week.  I was dealing with a great deal of personal stress.  For cross training, I tried a new gym circuit this week, and lifted weights as well.  My 9 miles today was a relaxing run and despite sweating a lot, felt really good.