Running in Wyoming

Last week I went back to visit my Grandparents in Burlington Wyoming. This year I was particularly nervous about it because it was going to be just Me(Jen), my Mom and my 6 year old son Peter. Normally there is a slew of us going out there to all spend time together as a family. I was nervous because I wasn't quite sure how I was going to entertain Peter for 4 whole days with no other kids his age anywhere around.

He says his favorite thing we did was the Fireworks!

Don't get me wrong. Wyoming is some beautiful country with lots to do, but when you have an extremely high energy child who completes more in a day then most families of 5 it is easy to run out of new ideas for spending time.

So anywhoo, we went and surprisingly had more then enough to do. Never felt bored once and enjoyed every minute of it!

I also ended up achieving a small running goal while I was there. Being that I run with a club I rarely ever run alone. I was actually kind of scared to. I have felt that at times I do depend on my running pals too much!

So I challenged myself this week to just get out the door and run. Not have a plan, or definite miles or pace in mind. I just wanted to get out the door, see how it feels and run from there...alone.
I am happy to report, I did it!

here is my weekly mileage breakdown:

Wednesday: 5.5 Miles

Thursday: 4 Miles

Friday: off

Saturday: 10 Miles! (I can not remember the last time I ran 10 alone)

The miles the first 2 days we are an easy pace. Saturday, I started and felt strong so turned it into a moderate tempo with a massive hill climb in the middle. and then let myself relax and feel good at the turn around point and enjoy the rest of the way home easy.

The top of that mountain is where I turned around and headed back. I was so proud of myself I made my mom drive me out there to take a pic! If you look closely in the background you can see some green grass. I started my 10 miler down there.

Who knew, I can run on my own! I seriously thought I had almost forgotten how.

Beautiful Rainbow outside my Grandparents Back door!

Do any of you dread running alone?
Who has bought their Attica running skirt? I love my custom green and purple one =)

-Jen

What I will miss from the Summer

First off I would like to say I am so grateful that Hurricane Irene turned into a tropical storm by the time she hit NYC.  There was definitely some damage but nothing too bad. Secondly I am feeling much more back into training this week.  Last week I was just feeling burnt out and ready for a break but am happy that this week is going so much better.

Monday Track workout
10 min warm up
6 x 800m @ 3:23 with 1:30 RI
How it went down
10 min warm up
3:19, 3:16, 3:18, 3:22, 3:21, 3:23
For my RI I just walked the 200m to my next starting point on the track.

This is what I have decided about the RI.  What they suggest in the Run Less Run Faster plan is just not happening.  I need more recovery time and I am ok with that.  I was tired by the end of these but glad I got them done.

I am also following the 3:40 speed work plan but then doing my long runs on the 3:30 plan.  I am doing this because I have strength in endurance not speed.  So I tweeked it a little to really push myself to the next level.  I know that is not how it is supposed to go down but I am really liking it this way so I am going to stick with it.  Hopefully I will come in between 3:30 and 3:40.


Rest of the Week-
Tuesday - I did P90X Back and Biceps (I don't have a pull up bar so I just lift more weights)
Today I am doing 8 miles with 6 at 8:05 pace
Thursday - Finally going to do Insanity!  I have been hesitant because there is a lot of jumping and I know my downstairs neighbor doesn't really love the noise I make :)
Friday-It's my birthday so I might do a little Tracy Anderson girly style!
Saturday- 13 miles @8:15 Boo-YA! A short long run!

The cooler weather is setting in and I love it!  It feels so nice to run outside when you don't break into a sweat after just one block.  But I will say I am going to miss a few things about summer and here they are....

16 Handles

Fruit/Veggie Smoothies (I don't crave them that much when it's cold)

Sparkling Water (ok I will prbly still keep drinking this one :))

Refreshing Summer Salads

The last two I will keep in my diet most likely but I probably won't have them as much.  When winter hits I turn into a hot and warm comfort foods kinda gal.

How about you??  What will you miss about summer?

XX
Sarah

School and Tempo, plus GIVEAWAY hints =)

How cute is my little guy. He started all day Kindergarten today. I am not sure what I am gonna do with myself but I will take these first few days to make sure my house is ultra de-cluttered and then probably find some kind of work.....I can tell already I am going to want something more to do. Taking care of Peter has been a blessing and a challenge for me and although I will still be taking care of him, I now have 6.5 hours where he is going to be preoccupied.

Next, I'll tell you how this workout week is going so far. GOOD! Monday I ended up going to Total Conditioning instead of a bike ride, (slept in) and Tuesday I went and battled myself on the track for my 3x1600m (1 mile) repeats.  

Splits: 6:52, 6:56, 6:59

The last repeat was ultra hard for me. I had no brain power left to convince myself to keep going but then during the last 400 I decided to just run as fast as I could and gladly came in just under 7. I had a 400m walk/jog recovery. I walked a little and then started a slow jog for the rest of my 400. Luckily I had my running Guru there during the last mile reminding me that I could do it.  If I was on my own I am almost sure I'd have thrown that last mile in the bag. Oh well, I did it and now I know I can. Once again I owe a big thanks to my running club.

Following that workout I ended up going to a barbell class. I loaded easy and focused on form.

Wednesday I headed out for a bike ride with a friend. It was awesome. Check out this hill we climbed. There apparently is a road race just because of that hill and when the time came to make changes to the road they made sure not to change that incline.  It was crazy! 

Anywhoo, today I woke up early and met up with my friends to run a 6 mile run with 2 miles @ 7:32 pace. We came in at 7:29 and felt great. I am SO glad I have running friends.

Below left to right is Tara, Allison and Amber. We are all running the California International Marathon together. Tara and I are shooting for 3:40 and Allison and Amber a 3:35. I am really looking forward to having friends keep me movin'. I also promised them I wouldn't put there pictures on the blog if they didn't look good. But how could they not! They are all smokin'. There husbands are lucky.

Here we are after our 1st successful tempo of the training plan. We are 2 workouts into this 16 week FIRST training plan.  Sometimes I get so excited about it I can't stop smiling...sometimes I wonder if I love running just way to much. 

Onto the GIVEAWAY. I hope you are all followers and check back often because this giveaway is gonna be great. It is going to be a giveaway "basket". So go ahead and try to see if you can figure out what kinds of things we'd put in a basket to send your way. Here is another clue, I live in Colorado, Heather in Minnesota and Sarah, Brooklyn.  Any guesses?

Who likes training with people?

ME. I would not push myself nearly as hard if I was on my own. I just love the energy coming from people who push themselves beyond what they are comfortable with. I find it very inspiring.

Did anyone have kiddos go back to school this week?

I still can't believe that my only child is now in school all day......I just can't believe it. I am so excited for him. He came over after he found his spot, hugged me, kissed me, and goes "Mom, I'll be great and I'll see you at 3" He has been so independent since he was 1 day old. 

Also, what are you guys cooking for dinner?

a friend of mine and I got together a few days ago and planned all our meals through september. Only problem is they don't start until next week.... so what should I cook tonight?

Happy Running -Jen

Ordered and Ready to Go!

For starters lets go way back to Saturday for my 20 miler.  I was supposed to come in at a 9 min mile, I failed once again and came in at 8:46.  You might be thinking woohoo this is great but really that is not great, the whole purpose of the Run Less Run Faster Plan is to try to stay as close to the numbers as possible.  Anyways it was hard and I was tired by mile 15 I wasn't really sure I wanted to finish and mile 17 was really quite close to death. :)  BUT I made and was so happy to be done.

It has been raining like crazy here so I just did P90X Monday and was able to hit the track today.  My workout...

10 min warm up
3x 1600m at 7:02 pace (6:59,7:00,7:02)
I was supposed to do a 1 min RI but that was not happening so..
I walked 200m. This is way better and allows me to fully recover.
10 min cool down.

So guess What?!?! Remember how I was saying I was the weak link and couldn't even do 1 pull up?  Well since then I got my 10 pounders out and have been working on my biceps and today after my workout I was thinking that I might just try to do a pull up.  So I walked over and yep I did 1 pull up no prob!  I felt so good after the one that I didn't even want to try for 2 because I didn't want to be a let down.

So I am proud to say that I am back on track!

Ordered Beach Body Insanity and I am ready to work it out!

Last night I went out to eat at Cubana Social with some girlfriends.  It was so good!  Afterward I met up with Scott and we took a little stroll to the end of the pier.  The weather was perfect.

Oh and I couldn't have ended the night without something sweet.  My favorite..... Rainbow Sherbet!

Workouts for the rest of the week.
Wednesday - P90X Back and Biceps
Thursday - Tempo Run, 6 miles with 3 miles at 7:35 pace
Friday - Not sure yet, maybe Tracy Anderson
Saturday - 18 miles at 8:45 pace

How's your week shaping up?

Anyone started their long runs yet?

Who is so excited for the cooler running weather??  ME!!!!

XX
Sarah

The Essentials

So I slept in on Monday which meant it was way to hot to head to the track so I did P90X Legs and Back instead.  All was good except I knew my legs would be sore the next day for my track workout.  Oh well....

So yesterday morning I headed to the track to do my Run Less training plan.
The Breakdown
10 min warm up
1200m @5:10, actual 5:14 (slow start, I blame it on my sore legs :))
1000m @4:16, actual 4:15
800 m @3:23, actual 3:24 (dang a second off)
600m @ 2:31, actual 2:30
400m @1:39, actual 1:35
15 min cool down

I would walk 200m in between intervals.
Overall I was tired and a little sore but determined to knock it out!

Nothing better than taking some airborn to avoid any summer colds!

Now down to my essentials for summer...

I made a kind of new salad yesterday that was so good.

Mixed greens with spinach

Black Beans

Corn

Avocado

Crushed up tortilla chips (just a few)

Fried Egg

Salsa

Mix it all together with Salt and Pepper = so good!

Something else I cannot live without is sparkling water.  I don't drink any soda so water can become very boring.  I have gotten to the point that I could drink club soda aka sparkling water all day long! It just tastes so good and refreshing.

Last but definitely not the least is my Runner's World mag that I got in the mail yesterday!! Woot! Woot!! This one looks like it is going to be a good one.  Guess I know what I will be reading for the next couple of days.  The new Fall Shoe Buyer's Guide is in it, I still haven't found my perfect need for speed track shoes and so excited to read the guide.  I did a quick flip through and the New Balance 1400s seem to be exactly what I am looking for.  Think I will head to the store this weekend to try them on :)

Today : Tracy Anderson
Thursday: 7 mile Tempo with 5 miles @8:05
Friday: P90X Arms maybe?
Saturday: 17 miles @8:55

What are your essentials for summer?

XX
Sarah

6 Days until my First Sprint Triathlon

To start this post I must say how totally bummed I was to miss the Warrior Dash. BOO. From now on I will make it to that race. They were having way too much fun without me.....

Now onto whats next. T-minus 6 days until my first Sprint Tri. I am not nervous at all which is very unlike me. If on race day I all of a sudden have to take 5 trips to the bathroom to makeup for all of this lost time of not being nervous I will not be surprised. 

I am still debating on what kind of clothing to wear. I don't have a tri suit and I'd rather not buy one. (yet ;)) I am trying to decide if I should wear tri shorts after my swim or just throw on running shorts? I am on the fence. I don't really think my rear end will hurt from only going 12 miles on the bike but at the same time I have become quite accustomed to bike shorts and have kind of fallen in love with the extra padding.

Workouts this week:

Monday: My 5 mile tempo with 2.5@ 7:30 pace. Wish me luck. I am really hoping it doesn't feel as hard as it did last time. 

Tuesday: Another hilly bike ride.  I am loving the hills on the bike.  Challenging and refreshing. I will fit in a Strength training session as well.

This is me on my bike =) Going for rides out here is so pretty. I love the mountains.

This is one of my bestest buds Amber who joined me that day.  She is totally awesome and extra speedy. I always use how far away in the distance she is from me to gage how well I am doing(with both running and biking). If she is too far away, I am really slacking off. If I can hear her breathing I must be smokin' because she only knows one speed and it is full throttle. I love it, she makes me wanna do better.

After one workout last week I was able to come home and get another workout by blowing up this crazy huge ball so Peter would have something to do all afternoon.  

I am surprised I didn't pass out. It was huge and took forever!!

He did end up having hours of fun so it was worth it =)

Wednesday: 1600m+ swim followed by transition practice. I went to a meeting about the Tri last week and they talked a lot about transitions. Who knew there was so much thought into how you switch from one sport to the next.  But here is a quick run down on what you would want on the way to your tri.. 

1. Towel
2. Sunblock
3. Goggles
4. Swim Suit
5. Socks
6. Running Shoes (with the shoe strings in that you don't need to tie)
7. Sunglasses
8. Biking shoes
9. Biking Shorts OR running shorts...... I am on the fence?
10. Helmet
11. Refueling Food
12. Bike
13. Running Tank (something to throw on over your swimsuit if you choose)
14. Race Number Belt

Is this list long enough? I dunno, I always overpack anywhoo so I will definitely be taking a picture of my bag on the way to this Sprint Tri... I am sure I will look like I am going out for an overnighter.

Thursday: Easy 12 miler and some easy strength stuff.

Friday: OFF or maybe a short easy swim?

Saturday: Sprint Tri here I come.  I wonder how I'll do......send me good vibes that day because we all know I need them.

Last night I made a delicious steak salad for dinner and because I had spent the better part of the previous day cleaning the kitchen I decided to dirty my kitchen up as little as possible. So I had my husband take out his portion and then just finished off the rest right outta the container I bought the greens in =) Delicious. This salad has a variety of lettuce, carrots, cucumber, steak, craisins, onion, parma cheese, goat cheese and steak.

Heres to a good week! and hopefully a race on Saturday that goes better then my last one... -Jen

Who else overpacks when getting ready for race day?

Does anyone ever wear Tri Shorts?
I guess they are shorts you can put on with cushion but not quite as much cushion as normal bike shorts so running in them feels ok?

Who else doesn't like to dirty dishes if they don't have to?
For a long time I'd go to great lengths to not dirty hardly anything in my kitchen... the less mess the better. But these days I go in spurts.

Who owns a pair of those shoe strings you don't tie? Is there a specific brand you like?

Tempo with a Long Run

Let's head back to Wednesday.  My workout from the Run Less Run Faster book was to do a tempo with 1 mile warm up 3 miles at tempo(7:32) and 1 mile cool down.  Let me just tell you that this was hard for me.  I found myself out of breath and having to take a quick pit stop every once and a while. I mean really only 3 miles at tempo and I was tired??  I made it through but it was a tough.  I feel out of shape but I know that if I stick with it I will only get better.  As you can see mile 2 was my first tempo mile and it was "slower" than 7:32.  I think I benefit with having more warm up time.

 

Moving on.... Check out this smoothie mix

broccoli

kale

banana

blueberries

a smidgen of maple syrup

ice

almond milk

It may have tasted a little like broccoli but it was still delish in my opinion.  Hint..If you don't like the taste of healthy greens in your smoothies, this is not the drink for you!

Oh and I received a few questions about the kind of blender I have.  I have the Bosch mixer with the attached blender.  It is an intense machine and works wonders!  I seriously think this is the best blender out there but I will say it comes with a hefty price tag.  I was lucky enough to receive it as a gift from my Mother (thx Mom)!

On to Friday night, my husband Scott and I went on a ride over the the West Village to get some video for a project he is working on.  We walked the Highline Park, ran into his brother and wife, took photos in front of the black and white wall and may or may not had a late nite donut at the donut pub :)

After my exhausting workout on Wednesday that night I was woken up by a SEVER muscle cramp in my calf aka the boulder! I mean I have had these in the past but this one was super painful, in fact I believe I was yelling in agony and pain that I woke up Scott.  It somewhat settled and I fell back asleep.  The next 2 days  I was still feeling it.  It was starting to worry me.  I read in my book about Chronic muscle tears.  That was it and I knew it.  It is brought on from doing speed work and I have had this pain before.  It was kinda of a relief that they could pin point it and I knew I hadn't done anything worse.  Stretching is important and it is all coming back to me now.  It is always my right boulder that spazes out on me.  Arrgg!!

So for my "long tempo" run I was supposed to do 7 miles with 10-20 min warm up and the rest at my Long run pace which would have been 8:02.  The first mile Scott ran with me (woot! woot!) so I took it slower than usual and then my 2nd mile was uphill so I always take it slow.  I was super paranoid about my boulder pain setting in so I decided to run a long run pace + 15 secs.  I felt great the entire time!  I was so happy with my run and now I really truly believe in the Run Less method.  I think if I would have ran yesterday I would have not fully recovered and it would have been tough.  Today was so nice. 

I really think a 2 mile warm up works wonders for me.
How long do you take to warm up?

Now I get to enjoy the rest of my long weekend!!  I will be doing a track repeat workout on Monday but I am just excited for the fourth!  It is supposed to be sunny and nice here in NY all weekend.  I can't even remember the last time it didn't rain on this weekend.

I haven't found speed shoes yet but I will keep you posted!

Any plans for this weekend?
Scott and I will be having a fabulous picnic on Monday and just taking it easy!

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!!!

XX
Sarah

Run Less Run Faster

After getting back home from MN I was immediately thrown into work mode.  Which means quick dinners.  This is one of my favorites and takes less then 15 mins.  Big bowl of yogurt topped with granola, banana, blackberries and a drizzle of honey.  Scott and I will share the yogurt and then I also made egg in a whole wheat basket.  I love these!  They are so easy and a great mix of your carbs and protein.   Perfect for any night of the week or a quick breakfast.

Moving on, I bought this Breath Wrap from Lululemon while I was home in MN and it is my most favorite purchase ever.  I love, love it.  It is great to throw on over your workout clothes or whatever you are wearing that day.  Seriously the perfect accessory for all occasions. 

Now onto the Run Less Run Faster book.  On July 17th I will begin my training for the NYC marathon.  I am already really excited.  This will really be my first marathon that I will be training for speed.  Unlike Jen, speed and me are not as close.  But I would really like to get into Boston as well as run a 3:30 marathon!  I only need to run 3:40 to get in but something about me is that I really like to aim much higher than realistically predicted :)  I am also really laid back and chill so if I don't reach my goal I am still happy with what I have achieved and take it into my next race.

So currently my PR is 3:54, this was a marathon that I just logged miles for and not really hitting on speed.  Since then I have gotten faster but after my 8 month sabbatical I feel like I am still getting my legs back.  Run Less Run Faster seems like the best plan for me to get my butt back into gear.  If you read the book you will now that you run 3x a week, which will consist of all speed and tempo work.  So I guess speed and me are going to have to learn to get along for the next few months.

After looking at the predicted time for races, I should be able to run a 10k at 45:41.  My last 10k was over a year ago and I came in at 49:11.  So as you can tell I have some major work to do.  45:41 would be to achieve a 3:30 marathon.  So I signed up for the Boomer's Cystic Fibrosis 10k in Central Park on July 9th.  This will give me a good idea of what I need to work on.  Number 1 is that I need to sign up for more races to get my racing game on but also learn more about my body.

I don't expect to run it in 45:41 but I am going to strive for a middle ground between 45-49 mins.  I am also going to go ahead and start a 3x a week speed drills.  I think I may be able to get in around 6 speed workouts before the race.

This is a rough idea of what my next couple of weeks workout schedule will be.  I am hoping to start Saturday(today) but I am writing this Friday night and we might head out to go camping.  If that is the case I may just have to wait till Monday.


Saturday 24th= Long Run @ goal pace ( no more than 6 miles, 1 mile warm up with 4 at GP and 1 cool down mile)

Sunday 26th=REST
Monday 27th = Track repeats
Tuesday-= Tracy Anderson XT
Wednesday= Tempo Run
Thursday=Tracy and Yoga
Friday=Long Run @goal pace (no more than 7 miles)
Saturday=Tracy

Sunday 3rd=REST
Monday 4th= Track Repeats
Tuesday= Tracy Anderson XT
Wednesday= Tempo Run
Thursday=  Tracy and Yoga
Friday=REST
Saturday=Race!!!


I will be blogging about how it is going as well as more details of what each workout is.

Have you ever trained with the Run Less Run Faster book?  They say you can get 19-24 mins faster!

What did you like or not like about it?

Any tips for speed etc?

XX
Sarah

My 2nd 5k was.... A SUCCESS! Finally...

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to run the Larkridge Chick-Fil-A 5k and I am happy! I did good =) I typically don't tell my times on here, but who cares, I'm tellin' ya. My 5k time according to the official results was 22:26! My Garmin was a couple seconds slower but I always take the faster time and base my performance off of that ;) Not once has my watch and the official time been the same and it can go either way. Anywhoo, to keep braggin about it I ended up placing 7th overall for women and 2nd in my age group.

This is most of my friends and I at the start, and YES I did beat that cow but for a cow he did really well ....(I have grey on in-between fellow run clubbers Tara(blue coat) and Pam(Pink coat). It was cold out and very windy.

These chicks below are the speediest ones of our group. They actually took the overall women's 1, 2, and 3 spots. The one on right right is Kim. She is one of our coaches and very speedy. She won this race for the ladies and came in 20:26. The other two are Amber and Corey, they rocked it. But here is a warning my dears.... once I figure out how to unleash the beast inside of me I am going to come knocking on your heels.... ;)

Here I am with Corey and Tara C. Tara won 3rd in our age group and came in just after me.  Really as a "team" we all did great! 

Thats right, I won a medal... and it wasn't just because I finished. =) 

BUT, (there is always a but...) now I am thinking about my marathon. As Sarah pointed out on her previous blog post it is only 7 WEEKS AWAY!! I mean, who cares if you can run a 5k fast if the race you actually want to do well on flops.... I don't have a great track record for doing well on race day. But, I am moving on and wanting to be better.  I am asking all out there in blog world to please take note and send me any suggestions you might have. Here are a list of questions that I would LOVE any answers too.

1. how fast did you run your long runs?
2. What was your longest run? How many times did you run 20 or more?
3. How many speed/tempo workouts did you do in a week?
4. How many marathon pace miles did you put into your long runs.... (some people say up to 11, some say 16, some say 20)???
5. What are your race strategies..for example, do you run same pace entire time, do you start REAL slow and then speed up. If so, when do you speed up? How many miles do you run slow?

So help a girl out here.  My first marathon I ended up doing a run/walk situation because I was plagued with the most annoying IT band injury.  My second marathon I did OK. I went out strong and stayed strong until Mile 20 and then I was able to continue running but slowed down to nothing short of a turtle crawl... This time I want to try and stay strong and be strong because I FEEL STRONG DAMIT! I am hoping to show that marathon who is boss and I could really use all the help I can get.

Happy Running and wish me luck as I try to conquer this beast.  -Jen

The Westminster 13.1

This Saturday I am running a 1/2 marathon. I have set a goal for myself that I know I am physically capable of doing. BUT, that being said I am still a very big beginner when it comes to racing and although your body can handle something your own brain can end up becoming your worst enemy.

For this race I decided, it is time to tell my brain who is boss and run "Guns to the Max" (One of my friends uses that saying and I just happen to really like it).  Now, you must understand that I am currently training for a marathon (Grandmas) and I have not done any specific training for this race.  My tempo runs are at marathon pace and my long runs are slow.  I do a speed workout twice a week with my running club (which I absolutely LOVE) and I am hoping that all of this mixed together will end up giving me a good overall time.

So, of course I am nervous.  And what happens to me when I get nervous........ I dunno, I go to pick up my race packet and end up purchasing all kinds of goodies that I don't need.... but of course it is OK because I got an additional 25% off.  All the stuff you see below is a variety of what I do typically use when running a marathon.  I haven't found my favorite cocktail of GU, Sport Beans, Roctane, shot bloks, etc. so I decided to add to my current collection (which as I hope you imagine is plenty big and I will be running several marathons before I actually go through all of it). Oh, and the extra socks and grid foam roller just happened to end up in my pile while checking out.  oopps.

During the 1/2 I will most likely use at most 2 GU's or something of that nature.  On a side note, today I went for a slow recovery run, only ate a Yogurt before thinking I would feel fine.  During the middle of the run I ended up having a blood sugar issue.  So I found some gobstoppers, pounded about 5 and felt a ton better.  Now I am wondering, do I just mostly need sugar? or is all the extra stuff found in GU, etc. really necessary? I dunno, I bought plenty of both and decided I will carry some sour patch kids with me just as a chaser in case I am feeling on a sugar low.  With 36g of sugar per serving, I think I will be fine. cheers.=)

I get nervous before every single speed or tempo run as it is, let along an actual race.  I am typically not the competitive type.  I would consider it a weakness of mine. But I would like to turn that weakness into a strength and sooooo on we go. WISH ME LUCK=) and for all of you Colorado peeps who live somewhere near Westminster come run! It is a small race and very reasonably priced.

Come on out Colorado Runners, it will be a great way to start your spring running season.