I slept in a little this morning - both my parents had headed to work already - but I force-fed myself a glass of orange juice (woo hoo!) and fresh bagels from a little shop downtown were waiting for me. One of my favorite things about coming home - the local delicacies, i.e. bagels, AleHouse pizza, and the local grocer's frozen fruit punch concentrate. I watched some TV, then headed out for my cross training for the day - walking our dog, Riley, in the snow - we saw a single turkey on our walk, wandering up the middle of the road.and I also shoveled a path to the woodpile out back (and the walkway out front for good measure) after the walk.
Yesterday, I finished out my work week - yay for Super Friday! - got a quick 5 mile run done in 46 minutes, showered, finished packing and headed to my friend's house...so she could drive me to the airport (thanks, Kristin!). One three-hour flight later and I was in single digit weather. Yippee! It's always nice when my Dad remembers to bring my winter coat into the airport to warm it up, so I don't have to put on an I'm-an-icicle-from-sitting-in-the-car jacket, or lug one up from Florida. Do I even have a jacket there that would keep me warm enough? I can deal with the cold, because it's always nice to come home...to Ashburnham, Massachusetts, that is - where I've lived since I was one year old in a house my Dad built with his best friend. It is a small town and we live kind of out in the middle of the woods - it borders a state forest. I am a New Englander at heart, but I have the (thin) blood of a Floridian. "Cold" in Florida is just not comparable to this. I slept in a little this morning - both my parents had headed to work already - but I force-fed myself a glass of orange juice (woo hoo!) and fresh bagels from a little shop downtown were waiting for me. One of my favorite things about coming home - the local delicacies, i.e. bagels, AleHouse pizza, and the local grocer's frozen fruit punch concentrate. I watched some TV, then headed out for my cross training for the day - walking our dog, Riley, in the snow - we saw a single turkey on our walk, wandering up the middle of the road.and I also shoveled a path to the woodpile out back (and the walkway out front for good measure) after the walk. It kept snowing throughout the day, so after my parents got home, we made dinner and watched a few TV shows together, and then the snow finally stopped. I got my second "workout" of the day by re-shoveling the pathways while my Dad snow-blowed the driveway. I'm pretty sure we got at least 8 inches today. Good to be home. :)
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Week Two was kind of a beast. I did not feel super awesome during my short runs at all this week - I ran pretty much the same distance during all 40 minute workouts, at a pace less than more normal 10 minutes per mile. I'll chalk it up to being tired. I have taken an extra shift at work, so I only have one day off per week now. However, my distance run - 6 miles - went really well and it was refreshing. I did complete all my workouts and that's what counts.
The aforementioned "horny friends" are, of course, rhinoceros - the animals with which I spend most of my days.
I had a great first week. I hit all my workout goals. On day two, I biked at my work gym after my shift. The next day I ran the World Trail at the USF campus and I ran with the pitbulls, Stella and Sherman, again on Thursday. I hit the elliptical at the gym on Friday after work, and today, I ran 5.3 miles after taking care of my cats and Kristin's dogs. Overall, a busy week - but it's only going to get busier. I will post summaries of each week's workouts as I go - this week's is below. The second row (in black) is the prescribed workout; the third row is what I actually did (in green); and the bottom row is the mileage (when applicable) I know...it's been a while. I took a few weeks off after my race. But, I'm getting back into the swing of things. Three running sessions a week and two cross-training sessions each week - for the last two weeks. I've run between 3 and 3.6 miles at least three times each of the last two weeks. So, I'm pretty much starting at the beginning of my training for the half marathon (again) - with a goal of working up to about 8-9 miles around the first week of December, when my marathon training officially starts. I'll try to post more often, but life has been pretty busy lately. :)
Yesterday, I went to my third hash. It was the 7th Annual Super Soaker Hash - which basically meant that once that hash started it was a constant water fight. I had two medium-sized water guns...and there was a pool at the end of the hash, so everyone went in - and we still were squirting each other. It was technically a run, but I'm calling it cross training because I was carrying water guns. Dinner was served after the pool "party" and was delicious. I got up at 7am today for a 5 miler. Good start to the weekend!
On Tuesday, I ran 40 minutes on the treadmill at work at 6.6 mph (and did the same thing today). On Wednesday, I used the elliptical at work for 30 minutes. Another 30 minutes of cross training tomorrow and a 5 mile run on Sunday, and Week 13 is done.
I flew in from Maine late Thursday night and was back to work on Friday, bright and early at 6am! I maintained my training by hitting the treadmill for 40 minutes after work - I ran about 4.4 miles, running at 6.6 mph. I continued on Saturday with 30 minutes on the elliptical. I visited the Lowry Park Zoo on Sunday morning - two cute elephant babies, an 8 month old and a 3 week old. We had great weather...but I was praying to the rain gods for cooler weather later. My wish was granted. At about 7:15 pm it started raining. I immediately got my running clothes on and headed out for an 8 mile jaunt. It was pretty nice with the rain. A bunch of loops around the industrial park - but in the rain (and the dark), it was a good run. Gloriously, the beach workouts continued. Tuesday was not a "beach day" but it was still nice to run in cooler weather. The bay was actually all fogged up - I could not see the tall condos off the beach nor were there many people out. In fact, I could only really see about 30 yards ahead of me. I also didn't figure the tide into my run - it was close to high tide and there was not much beach left. I had to run on the soft-firm area between the harder sand and the fluffy sand - a mixed bag of firmness if you will. Kind of hard to describe, and kind of hard to run on...I was playing dodge the waves quite a bit. Definitely got my shoes wet a few times, but it also made for an exciting run. Because of the not-so-solid ground, I was a bit behind pace - about 5 miles in 56 minutes. For my cross-training on Wednesday, I was supposed to go about 30 minutes. I borrowed my cousin's bike, found a nice circular route near our condo (see below) and headed off. I did not realize how hilly it would be...it took me almost an hour to finish the 10 miles. My Dad was actually about to drive around looking for me because I took so long. :) There were a few hair-raising moments - not really that dramatic, just not super bike-friendly. My quads were definitely burning...a sure sign of a good workout. At least, it was very scenic. I worked six hours Saturday morning and headed to the airport. The flight was three hours from Tampa, FL to Manchester, NH. I had dinner with my parents at the Airport Diner (awesome mac 'n cheese), and then drove over to Old Orchard Beach, ME - a vacation destination from my childhood. A few of the arcades are gone, but it definitely has the same feel - and it feels good. :) I count 30 minutes of nighttime beach walking as my cross-training for the day...rough terrain.
As I mentioned earlier, I was really excited that my 10 mile run was "scheduled" while I was to be in Maine. I woke up at 5:15 am - who knows what temperature it was, but it was under 60 degrees for sure...and it was GLORIOUS. I warmed up for a few minutes and I was off. I ran about a mile and passed under The Pier and kept going through Ocean Park. An inlet blocked my path (pretty sure this is always there no matter the tide) and I had to cut into a neighborhood. I ran over a bridge which happened to go over/through the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. I cut back to the beach, and ran Kinney Shores, Bay View and Ferry Beach. Because of Google Maps, I knew that the beach ran out, and I turned around when that happened. This was definitely the most scenic run I've had all year, and very enjoyable. It barely felt like 10 miles. I did run a slower pace - about 11 minutes per mile - however, it was pretty sandy. It's a beach, after all.
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