My workouts continue to taper before the race.  I tried to push myself on Monday, but as always, the first mile is a warm up for my legs and they never seem to want to go all out in the beginning.  I picked up the pace at the end and finished with a sub-10 pace, which isn't terrible.  I'm aiming for a 10:00 pace for the first half...I know I can't keep that up for 26 miles.  I'm shooting for 11:00 pace for the whole thing.  We will see.

I continued my Tuesday ritual - gym circuit - and am happy with my results.  I'm doing more of every exercise in each 30 second bout than the previous week.  I'm up to 13 pushups in 30 seconds.  I had a tempo run on Wednesday on the treadmill.  I ran two 10 minute runs at 8 mph or 7:30 pace.  Lots of sweat, but definitely gives me some ideas for summer workouts.

I had to dive again this week, so I considered 3+ hours of cleaning windows and the bottom of the hippo pool as enough to cover the prescribed workout.  And to round out the week, a nice, relaxing 6 mile jaunt past a pond with a six(?) foot alligator in it.

I'm happy he didn't come out of the water...and amazed that I noticed him only on my second lap.  :)

I'm feeling excited and anxious for the race.  I've prepared well, but it's been a long 4+ months of training and a lot has happened in my life.  I can't wait for London!

My best friend, Bri, was in town this week, so we were very busy.  I picked her up at the airport on Monday and we had a late lunch at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill at Clearwater Beach.  I ran 5.49 miles that night.  The next day we headed to Disney, starting at Epcot for the Flower & Garden Festival and ending at the Magic Kingdom with dinner at Tony's Town Square Restaurant.  I am counting 14 hours of Disney as a substitute for 40 minutes of cross training.  ;)  We spent the next day at Discovery Cove, swimming and relaxing.  I wrongly assumed our hotel would have a gym in which I could do my "Tempo B" workout, but alas they did not.  I was going to try to run on the street that night (and even Thursday morning), but I was still exhausted from Disney - I also had the thought that it's not like I sat on a couch all day and watched TV.  Friday was her last day here and we were recovering from a raucous Thursday night (not having one of those until the marathon is over!) with a massage and then it was to the airport to see her off.  By the time I got home through poor traffic, it was late (and I was still tired).  I walked all the way to the gym and turned around - I did not feel like it was going to happen.  This morning I ran 8 miles in 80 minutes and it was a little warm, but felt good.

Monday was my last day of dog-sitting, so I took Stella with me (far right).  It was our first night run together, and she was alert!  Her ears were up almost the entire time, but she was good - I only almost ran her over twice.  We were just under 10 minutes per mile - for an hour - and that did not seem to tire her.  When we got back home, she started wrestling with Sherman (the other big one) immediately.  Crazy kids!  I did my usually Tuesday circuit/sweat-fest and Wednesday was my first "Tempo B" workout - 10 minutes fast (talk in short, choppy sentences), 2 minutes brisk walk, and another 10 minutes fast.  I ran on the treadmill at the work gym - 8 mph for both 10 minute sessions.  That is a 7:30 per mile pace - the fastest I've run a mile (and more) in over 10 years.  I was very happy to do both 10 minute session that fast.  And also tired.  :)

After leaving work early on Thursday, I picked my parents up form the airport, went to Moffitt for my lymphoscintigraphy, we ran some errands including picking up the paint for the rest of my apartment makeover, and had dinner at Gino's.  Surgery was Friday, and I'm recovering today.  To read more about it, head over to my Life Blog.  Training is most likely suspended until my follow-up appointment on Wednesday.

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.

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.