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 felt a lot better this week - no major issues arose - and I ran at my typical pace.  I ran Monday and Wednesday's workouts on a treadmill - the usual elliptical for cross training on Tuesday and Friday (I need to get more creative!  Wish granted, I am travelling to Snow-ville tomorrow) - and ran outside on Thursday and Saturday.  My endurance run was tough - 82 degrees but overcast - and hit a little hiccup when I experienced some inner thigh chaffing at about mile 4.  I kept adjusting the leg of my UnderArmour trunks, when I finally realized that there was a hole in them...ugh.  They were just over a year old...but I still love running in them.  I finished the run and tried to ignore the (minor) pain and in the trash they went as soon as I was home.  I was at about 10:42 minutes per mile.  Excited for Week 4, which will occur in Massachusetts - going home for Christmas!

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)

Well, I completed my second half marathon about three weeks ago and I've had a great time decompressing.  You can read about my experience at the Disneyland Half Marathon here.  I did not "rest" the day after my race as prescribed by Marathoning for Mortals.  Instead, I opted to enjoy the wonders of Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure.  Rest versus 14 hours walking around a theme park in 90 degree weather.  No question - theme park!!!  I had a great time there for a few days, and took a week or so off when I got back to Florida.

I just received the link to my finisher's certificate.  My official time was 2:44:45.  My time in February was 3:28:22, so I was about 43 minutes faster this time - thanks to more training, a little less weight and less stops along the race route - not as many characters this time.

I've started a new running routine at USF - they have a sandy trail (called the WorldTrail) that has activity stations for push-ups, pull-ups, leg lifts, ladders, balance beams, etc. along the way.  One loop on the trail is about a mile, so I've run a few loops each time I've been there.  I've also done some elliptical and treadmill work and some lean muscle-building weight-lifting.  I'm pretty sure I took a little too much time off to hit the treadmill at 6.6 mph, but I'll work up to it again, keeping my endurance and speed, until my marathon training starts on December 1st.

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.

I started out the week strong...and finished a little weak.  On Friday, I planned to hit the gym after work to run on the treadmill, but someone was using it, so I headed home to my apartment gym.  It is air conditioned, but the work gym has fans that blow directly on you when you run.  I am a hot person - meaning, I'm always warmer than average.  After a hot day at work, the fans help a lot.  I lasted about 35 of the 50 minutes on the treadmill before I felt overheated.  Understandable, it's been in the 90s all week.  It was 77 degrees at 5:30 am today.  I walked the rest of the 50 minutes.

On Saturday, I used the elliptical at my apartment gym - the one with the multiple settings and requested actions during the workout (i.e. bend knees, reverse stride, lift heels, etc.) - for 30 minutes.  Before the endurance run on Sunday, I had brunch with friends and went to see Jaws at the Tampa Theatre.  I had a great time - I had never seen it on the big screen and the theatre was built in 1926, so it's very intricate.  The pre-movie organist was an awesome addition.  So...when I got home, I didn't want to wait until it go dark (to "cool off") because then I would be hungry, so I bit the bullet - and the 85 degrees - and went for my run.  I got 3 miles into it and realized I should have brought water.  I don't normally run when it's that hot out, and my body was not happy.  I walked with the intention of starting to run again after 10 minutes, but 2 minutes into running for the 2nd time, I stopped.  I should have never stopped.  It's all mental and I could have fought through it.  Tough medicine...but a good lesson to learn.  I'll push myself harder next time.

I continued my training while on vacation.  I got up at 7am - before the rest of my family - to run 50 minutes before we headed to Sea World for the day.  At about 5.5 miles, it was a pretty nice route - watching the early morning traffic build, most cars destined for an Orlando theme park - however, one portion of the run (on International Drive) did not have a sidewalk.  I ran on the road, where most drivers were nice and moved over, and they weren't going that fast in the first place.  I would have run in the grass, but it was soaking wet and not the greatest terrain - I was slightly concerned that I'd lose my balance and fall into the road.

On Saturday, we were back at my apartment, lounged by the pool and I worked out on the elliptical at my apartment gym for 30 minutes, and cooled off in the pool afterward.  However, our whirlwind week caught up to me, as did my Mom's cold...I felt pretty terrible Saturday night, and after saying "Goodbye" and dropping them off at the airport Sunday morning, I went back to bed.  I slept for about 18 hours that day, and almost the same on Monday.  It was apparently time to recharge the batteries.  I wasn't very happy missing the 8 mile run, but my body was telling me pretty severely that I needed sleep.