rock & roll

This past weekend the half-marathon that I've been training and preparing for since last Nov./Dec. finally was here! I surprisingly didn't get nervous til I was standing at the start line waiting to get into our corral. My parents arrived in San Diego Saturday morning and from there we went to the Health Expo at the SD Convention Center to pick up our bibs and other race day necessities (although I had gone the day before to get mine with Pati). We enjoyed taking some silly pictures at a few photo opportunities, sampled some running "snacks", walked around the booths, and most importantly got our bib, shirt and swag bags!


Dad with his Elvis mask and us both with blow up guitars...rock on!

The Expo

The Expo

From there we got some lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing. That night we joined my sister Molly and her bf for dinner at Sammy's for a carbo loading dinner! Then it was to home to relax. I didn't sleep well the night before race day due to all the adrenaline and frequent bathroom trips related to my pre-hydrating all day. Regardless if I slept, race day still came and luckily I still had lots of adrenaline to get me through the day.

The morning started with a light breakfast, coffee and more water. Pati came to my house and then mom, dad, Pati and I walked to the start line about 1 mile from my house. The walk there was along very empty roads that would soon be filled with thousands of runners, we even passed by the first band that was warming up!

Empty 6th Ave.

Dad walking by the first band on the course.

The super fast runners in the first corral.

The start line!

Right as we got to the start line the first corral (aka the really fast runners) were released and sped by us. Our corral didn't get released until about 1 hour after the first. As our corral got closer and closer to starting I got slightly nervous and then before I knew it we were running.

Pati and I pre-race.

Dad and I pre-race.

Rock Stars!

In our corral ready to go!

The music at the start line had me all pumped up and despite feeling like we started off too fast Pati and I kept a 12 minute mile pace for the first 4 miles. At mile 4 we hit the 163 from downtown and for the next mile and a half had a large uphill to battle. This hill didn't get us too far off our pace and we knew that at the end of the hill we had a large downhill to help us recover! Starting around mile 9 I was starting to hurt pretty bad, at this point we hadn't barely walked. Mile 10 and 11 proved to be even more difficult, the bottom of my feet were just screaming. The only problem was if I walked it hurt more than running. At mile 12 I waved Pati ahead of me and told her to finish strong since I was struggling so much. I finished just under 2 minutes behind her and then my dad was about 4 minutes behind me. I was so proud of my dad especially because he has been struggling with plantar fascitis for the past month and a half and it was killing him during the race. I know he would have finished ahead of me if it was not for that injury. We all did so well and I was so happy to beat my goal time. I had no idea I could run a 12:30 minute mile pace for 13.1 miles. We ran about 97%. It just goes to show how powerful the adrenaline of race day is! I can totally see now how running can be addicting...I don't like it while I'm doing it yet the feeling when you are done is so good you want to keep running! Weird I know!

Pati and I post race

Runners happy to be done!

So proud of this guy!

Our special cheering squad! Thanks guys!

After the race we celebrated at the Original Pancake House and then surveyed the damage to our bodies, I'm happy to report I've had very few 'war' wounds. I had the best shower of my life and then after some relaxing and icing my parents and I headed to Del Mar for a picnic where we were happily surprised they were having their Sunday night concert series.

It was a beautiful night and made me so happy that I live in this beautiful place called San Diego. I went to bed and slept so deep I don't know if I moved an inch all night! I know this may be crazy to say but I cannot wait to run and improve my time when I run my second half-marathon in January at Disneyland!

happy june!

4 days till Race Day...Can I just say how scary and at the same time exciting that is! I am more interested than anything to just be part of it, experience the whole thing, and to complete the half-marathon! I am happy that in January I will have the opportunity to run another half-marathon again and try to improve upon my time. On another note, I am considering taking my camera along on the race or getting a disposable to bring on the race. I kind think it would be fun to take pictures from the runner's perspective where as on most races you see pictures from the spectator's point of view (we shall see, the idea of carrying a camera for 13.1 miles while running doesn't sound like the best idea).

I am hoping to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor from my garden this month. I am also planning a few home decorating projects which I will share with you if they happen or shall I say when!

I have been filling up my summer schedule with fun plans such as Family Reunion Picnic, and camping at the beach in July, visit home in August, and a trip to the East Coast in October (okay, ya that's a ways away and in the Fall for that matter but a girl can get excited)! Hope you all enjoy the beginning of summer and have some fun plans of your own to look forward to and hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend (I will share what I did with you this week)! Congratulations to all those, including 3 of my cousins, who are graduating (2 from high school and 1 from college)! Way to Go!

one week!

7 Days left!

In one week from today I will be running 13.1 miles. Yesterday I ran 5.75 miles of hills and it was my first run in 2 weeks due to my cold that lingered forever! It went much better than expected so I am feeling better about having to run a half marathon next week than I would have if I haven't gotten that run in. I think that my 6 months of training will be sufficient to get me through the half marathon without a hitch...at least that's what I'm telling myself! I am planning my rock and roll outfit for race day to go with the Rock and Roll Marathon. I am planning on dressing for the 80's (neon colored stop watch, pink shirt, multi-colored neon nail polish, possible 80's sweat band over my running hat...not sure what else...ideas?) I am shooting for 2 hours and 50 minutes which is about 13 minutes per mile and don't want to go over 3 hours. Here is to a relaxing, hydrating, and healthy eating week leading up to the day that I've been working toward for the past 6 months!

tinker bell

Today marks one month until I will run my first half-marathon! (Since I've already done a 12.2 mile run over Easter weekend I'm more excited than nervous for race day) This week I decided to make sure it's not my only half-marathon by signing up for the Tinker Bell Half-Marathon in Disneyland on January 29th! I cannot wait to get to run through Disneyland and California Adventure before the parks open. I am hoping having another race scheduled will also keep me encouraged to run and exercise after finishing the first race! Here is to finishing round one and then improving for round two!

Half Marathon Countdown {2 months}

The half marathon that once seemed so far away back in November when I initially decided to run it, is now just less that 2 months away...AHH! Yesterday marked the official 2 month mark from when I will traverse 13.1 miles in a single event. Ever since I ran in the 10 K in mid-March I have been more successful with my training. The 10 K rejuvinated me and I have been running 2-3 times and doing 2 cross training days (usually Pure Barre classes) each week. Each run gets easier and I am able to run longer distances before needing to stop to walk. To date my longest run is 7.5 miles (I ran all the way around Coronado Island) and on Friday I am planning to run 9.5 miles! My "short" runs now are typically not shorter than 4 miles which is crazy considering when I started my training 4 miles was my long run. Part of me is sad that this training will eventaully be over (I cannot believe I actually feel that and said it). My hope is that I can continue running without having a half-marathon goal set as I don't know if I will do another. Here is to the last 2 months of training! Go BIG or go home!

a thought on running to run

Yesterday my friend and training partner Pati and I went on a 'long' run...7.5 miles. We planned this long run around Coronado Island and about half way into the run I turned to Pati and said something along the lines of, "I don't get running. Here we are running in a big circle and for what." We didn't stop anywhere, we didn't get anywhere we couldn't have gotten to by car, and yes although we DID get some exercise, actually let me preface that we got ALOT of exercise, we were also left sore and in the same place we started. Pati and I decided that we don't get the people that say they like to run to run (at least not long distances >5 miles by my definition). And although my current definition of long distance run is > 5 miles, when I started running anything over one or two miles was long distance, so if you think that I'm crazy to think 5 miles is alot or not alot, I can see how that personal definition is easily changeable.

Let me just make the point that I am running to train so I don't die when I run the half marathon, ok die may be a little drastic but more so I can semi "enjoy" the process of participating in the half marathon if that is possible. I do not see myself being coming a life long long distance runner or going further to participate in a full marathon or even another half marathon for that. After this process I can possibly see myself running occasionally for exercise but that's it. Pati really put things into perspective for me when she stated at the end of our 7.5 mile run, "If we ran that again, we would be closer to our half marathon distance," to which my response was, "Shut up!" One long run at a time I will get there.

10 K

On Sunday, March 13th (my sister's 25th birthday), my dad and I completed a 10 K (6.15 miles). This is the longest distance I have ever run at one time...I believe EVER! I finished the race in one hour and 21 minutes which was really exciting, especially since my dad and I roughly stated right before we started running that our goal was to finish in 90 minutes. It was slightly unfortunate that the race was really unorganized and  started late.

As for the mile by mile details, Dad, Mom (our cheerleader), and myself walked from my parents house to Vasona Park where most of the race was held. Once the race started Dad and I ran together for the first 2 1/2 miles before I encouraged him to go ahead as I had been battling a side cramp since about half a mile into the start of the race and needed to take some walking breaks. In the end he finished just 10 minutes before me. Mile 3-4 was hard for me mentally, at that point I felt like we had run so far and we were only at mile 3 ...and all I could think was we are only half way there ...instead of... we are half way there! At about mile 4 I finally started feeling in the groove and my side ache was gone and things were feeling good. Unfortunately that feeling didn't last long and soon the muscle and joint pain was the only thing on my mind. By mile 5 I was just trying to keep my legs moving as I knew I was almost there. The last couple hundred yards my dad came back to finish with me, he was such great inspiration and gave me the encouraging words that I need to push through to the finish line. After passing the finish line I felt such a sense of accomplishment, we hydrated, nourished our bodies and walked back home.

Reflecting on my training, I believe that I could have done a lot more running in preparation for the 10 K and will definitely need to do more training for the half-marathon! Despite lack of training in the past few weeks I was expecting to be a lot more sore the day after the race. I woke up with sore calves but overall felt pretty good (that was until I tried to run on Tuesday) but life in general wasn't too bad! As far as diet and pre-hydration goes pre-10 K I believe I did well with that. I drank probably 4 times the amount of water I usually drink (I historically don't drink enough)  the 2 days before and day of the race and increased my carbs. My energy and hydration levels throughout the run felt good. As my training runs and especially for the half-marathon I will be trying some Gu and gels for mid run energy boosts.

I am looking forward to a final 10 weeks of strong training before I will run the SD Rock and Roll Half-Marathon. The 10 K re-energized me (and slightly scared me) for the next few weeks of increased mileage and hard work! Here are some pictures from race day!



Pre-Race Hub-Bub



Dad and I pre-race

Get ready...Get Set...GO!

Dad and I cross the start line!

"HI Mom"

Dad finishes!

I finish...I look like my legs are about to buckle!

Dad and I post-race! (We both got finisher's medals!)

training update

I have slightly fallen off the wagon with both my half-marathon training as well as my blogging about it (mostly since there isn't a whole lot of training to actually blog about). One of these 2 things I will be changing and unfortunately for my readers it is not the blogging part. I am running in a 10 K this Sunday, March 13th (also my sister's birthday). This is making me mainly really scared for my half-marathon which is over twice the distance of a 10K....ahhhhhh! I need to and will be working on my training again mostly so I don't die on June 5th and so that I can slightly enjoy the process of running in a half marathon! I will try to give occassional updates on how things are going but will not re-start my weekly updates (mainly cause they were making me bored and thus I'm sure you were even more bored!). Over the past few weeks I have been running 1-2 times a week and sometimes doing one other day of cross-training. My work schedule has severely taken a toll on my energy and training drive. Hopefully since the half-marathon is going to creep up here quickly I will be scared into getting my butt into gear!

eleven

My training for week 11 was much improved from the past 2 weeks. I'm determined that working night shift  is sabotaging my training cause as soon as I got back to San Diego and knew I had to work the next day all I could think about was how I was going to get my workout in between trying to sleep all day in preparation for the night shift. Ugh, since I'm not going to be coming off night shift any time soon I guess I'm going to have to figure something out! I am pleased with 4/7 days of exercise but ultimately would have liked to get a long run in and maybe 5/7 days of exercise. That will be my goal for next week!

Monday, February 7th: Rest.

Tuesday, February 8th: 40 minute Run, Flight to Seattle.

Wednesday,  February 9th: 3 mile hike (ran about 1/4 mile)

Thursday, February 10th: 40 minutes of Pilates

Friday, February 11th: 40 min run (2.91 miles)

Saturday, February 12th: Rest, fly back to San Diego.

Sunday, February 13th: Rest, Work.

three-3-tres

It is officially 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days from when I will be running a half marathon. Given my training blaa-ness (yes I made up a word, my blog, my words!) I am a slightly really nervous about this! I am confident I can change that and I will be "prepared" for the half marathon on race day in June!

ten

week 10 recap:

This week sucked (pardon my French) in terms of diet and exercise and well probably life in general since I feel like all I did was work...ugh. Anyways I am not proud of my lack of accomplishments this week but since I vowed to be easy on myself through the ups and downs of my training I will accept this week as a hick-up and start fresh with week 11. Week 11 will be mostly spent in cold, damp Seattle visiting my friend Kristin....which will surely make my workouts tough for other reasons but I'm determined to get 2-3 runs in this week and hopefully some cross training in too!

What I did do this week was 2 elliptical workouts, one followed by weights and a 2.3 mile run while pushing a jogging stroller since I was babysitting my friend Pati's baby. On top of my workouts I babysat twice, had a massage and worked 4 night shifts. Here is to wishing me luck on week eleven, I need to get out of this training funk sooner or later so I'll take it sooner!

nine

In week 9 I was recovering from being sick and dehydrated which made my workouts tough. Needless to say I couldn't check out completely (as at times I wanted to) but I definitely took it easy this week. This week I also came to the realisation that the "newness" and excitement of beginning the training program has worn off and I have to dig a little deeper to find inspiration for daily workouts. I am in the process of reading 2 book, Born to Run and one I just started this week, The Complete Book of Running for Women. These books are helping me to realize that running is seeded in something more than me as well as give me inspiration for my runs For me running has an amazing power to increase my energy, decrease stress, make me feel healthier, help me lose weight, make me look more fit, and inspire me to live a better life. I may not be a fast runner, and win future races but I do know that running has improved my life and I am happy for that. So when I get down on myself for not having a good workout, or taking a rest day, I have to remember how far I have come and be happy in that. And instead of getting scared for the 'long runs' ahead in my training schedule I need to look forward to the opportunity to see beautiful San Diego on foot! 

Here is my week nine in review:

Days Run/Walking: 3 (One 4+ mile walk/some run at the beach, One 30 min treadmill run/walk followed by elliptical, One long run 4 + miles of hilly terrain)

crazy eight

Here is Week 8 recap:

Monday, January 16th: One hour run/walk through Balboa Park (3.6 miles). I felt that I was dehydrated and sore from yesterday's run so I walked more than I would have liked (once warmed up however I was able to more easily run), I then went to a work party and worked night shift as charge. At the party and throughout the night I ate enough sweets to last me the month : (

Tuesday, January 17th: 30 mins. of P90X Core Synergistics Video, then to a fundraiser 'Chicks for Beer'

Wednesday, January 18th: 20 mins. P90X Yoga (Obviously in 20 minutes I didn't get a great cardio or strength workout in but if felt really good to warm up and stretch, as I was surprised how sore I was from yesterdays similarly short workout), Work night shift.

Thursday, January 19th: Rest, Work

Friday, January 20th:  Rest some more.

Saturday, January 21st: 4 mile mostly run/ some walk from Mission Beach to Pacific Beach and back. The day was absolutely beautiful and I took advantage of the crisp morning air but luckily didn't have to sacrifice that for the sun! It was 48 degees when I started running and less than a hour later at 9 am when I finished, it was 62 degees. I hope we have many more sunny San Diego days like this one throughout the year!

At Belmont Park where my run starts and stops. I was in good company
with all the other runners and bikers on this beautiful day

The beautiful view throughout my whole run!

Sunday, January 22nd: Today marks 20 weeks until I run the half-marathon. Starting today I am aiming to run (or run/walk) 2-3 days per week with one being a 'long' run. It's not too late to decide to start training for a June marathon or half marathon, as all of the training schedules I've come across are not longer than 20 weeks. I planned on working out today but got sick yesterday afternoon and decided to not push it as I'm still not back to par.

Miles for this week: 7.6 miles (over 2 days with 2 cross training days)

Goals for Week 9:
- 3 runs and 2 cross training days.
- Focus on hyration and diet.

lucky # seven

Week 7 Recap:

Monday, January 10th: Walk/run (3.25 miles power walk/~0.75 mile run) with Pati around Lake Murray. Pati decided to run the half-marathon too so now I have a training partner close by!

Tuesday, January 11th: Rest

Wednesday, January 12th: 15 minutes on the elliptical, few upper body weights followed by 3.5 hours of hard-core cleaning of my apartment.

Thursday, January 13th: 30 minutes on the treadmill 13 minutes walking and 17 minutes running, and some more upper body weights. After walking to warm up I worked on running intervals with an increase in pace from my usual to try and improve my overall time/pace.The best part was that after my workout was done I felt like I could keep running but I had to get home and get some sleep before I had to go work the first of 3 night shifts in a row. I also focused a lot of my heart rate trying to keep it in the "fat burning zone" of 65-75% of my max while walking and not above the "cardio zone" while running. I did well in this for the most part and when I stop running it doesn't take as long for my heart rate to come down as it used to. My goal is that with more cardio conditioning/training my heart rate will lower and I will thus be able to run for longer periods and faster speeds....we shall see, only time will tell.

Friday, January 14th: Finally slept like a rock for the first time in a week! Work 2nd night.

Saturday, January 15th: Slept in before working last night.

Sunday, January 16th: Run 3.5 miles around Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. I did this run right after finishing working 3 nights in a row, I was surprised how well I was able to do in a workout after working 12 and a 1/2 hours. It was nice to be able to enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather. After my run I went to the Hillcrest farmer's market for some fresh, local produce.

Excitements for Week 7:
- Total miles: 7.5 miles on the road plus the treadmill workout

Goals for Week 8:
- Try to exercise before work or after work to ensure I get more workouts in.

six

Week 6 Recap: This week was another hard week of getting my training in one because of my work schedule and two cause I didn't want to overdue it or be too sore before I had to run my first race. Excuses aside I will be needing to make up for it for sure in week 7! On a positive note I have been eating very well, trying out some new recipes, and finished my first race!

Monday, January 3th: 2.6 miles run/walk, work night shift.

Tuesday, January 4th: Despite waking up planning to workout, after picking up a few things from the grocery store for my meals I planned out for the coming week I was no longer looking forward to running. Despite this I was able to convince myself to complete 20 minutes of the P90X Cardio Video, just enough to get my heart rate up and get me sweating! I'm happy I did it and ok with the fact that I'm taking this week a little easier cause I want to be able to run most if not all of the 5 K race I'm doing on Sunday!

Wednesday, January 5th: Today is 5 months until I will run a 1/2 marathon, this is both exciting and scary to me! I keep telling myself one day at a time which is why having this daily/weekly log is really helpful for me.

Thursday, January 6th: Another rest day...gosh working this night shift and trying to exercise is hard stuff!

Friday, January 7th: 35 minutes of P90X Yoga X

Saturday, January 8th: Rest for the run tomorrow!

Sunday, January 9th: Today I ran my first race the San Diego Resolution 5K (3.2 miles) Run! I had a loose goal to run the whole thing and not do my normal walk/run thing. When I crossed the finish line without having walked I felt very excited and proud of myself for accomplishing my goal! I ran at a steady pace of just under 13 minutes per mile (each totaled within a few seconds of one another); my end chip time was 40:44 (I was happy to finish in less than 45 minutes)! Since my training began this is the longest distance I have run without walking. My purpose in this run was to see what it was like to participate in an organized run with lots of people around so my first experience was not on the day of the half-marathon. I found it really empowering to see people of every age and size running and made me feel if that 5 year old can run then so can I! I am even more excited for the half-marathon now than before!

Excitements for Week Six:
- Total Miles: 5.9 miles
- First 5K race completed!

Goals for next week:
- Exercise 5 days (2-3 of them running)
- Continue with my healthy eating and try out some new recipes

five was not a total dive

Monday, December 27th: Using the map my run application on my phone I compiled this data from today's run which started at 6:30 am in the cold and dark...4.41 miles total, 59 minutes, avg pace 13:19 min./mile (fastest pace for mile 3 was 12:22 min), avg speed 4.5 miles/hr. Today I ran with my Dad again reversing our route from the 23rd. With the reverse route containing more uphill portions, lengthening our distance almost half a mile, increasing our time spent running rather than walking, and my IPod losing battery in the first mile (despite checking it the night before) I would have to say that today was a much harder run for me, BUT I finished it!

Tuesday, December 28th: Easy 1.5 mile walk with my parents dogs.

Wednesday, December 29th: Walk/Run with my marathon running friend Libby. I was quite intimidated to run with her but she assured me she would go at my pace. I had a tough time running as my right leg was really tight but when I couldn't run anymore I would walk and all in all we completed 5.5 miles of walk/running. My overall pace and speed was much slower today and the unexpected pains, rain, wind, and large elevation change all factor in. I know that with 5 months and one week to go I will be able to complete the half-marathon! Today I fly back to San Diego to work all of the New Years holiday weekend : ( I will be sad to be leaving home where I feel like I have so much support but I know I can succeed on my own as well.

Thursday, December 30th: Total day of sleep and some healthy grocery shopping... then back to work for the night shift tonight... oh how I miss you Christmas vacation!

Friday, December 31st:  Easy 20 minute workout on elliptical and weights. Work night shift.

Happy New Years!!!
Saturday, January 1st, 2011: Work night shift, no workout before as I could barely drag myself out of bed to get to work in time. :(

Sunday, January 2nd: Slept through my planned workout...working  3 shifts in a row was not good for my training.

Excitements for Week 5:
- Total miles: 11.4 miles
- I purchased some healthy food and finished cleaning out my pantry and refrigerator of all the foods I don't want to expose myself to.

Goals for Week 6:
- Control the diet portion of my training will full focus!
- Get back onto my training program and prepare for my upcoming 5K race this coming Sunday!

more for four!

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas, here I am with my Week 4 Training Report:

Monday, December, 20th: Today I did a treadmill interval workout that was suggested in January's issue of Runner's World Magazine. I started with 5 minutes speed walking for warm-up, Run 2 min.(max speed 5.0 mi/hr)/ Walk 1 min. (Repeat x3), Run 3 min (max speed 5.4 mi/hr)/ Walk 1 min. (Repeat x3), Run 2/ Walk 1, Run 1/ Walk 4 (cool down). I covered 2.5 miles over 34 minutes. This was a good workout for my in that I am learning how to pace myself and stay running for longer periods of time. When I am running on the road I run too fast but then cannot keep it up long so I start walking. I hope this type of workout will help me increase the distance/time I can maintain running, and in time improve my pace.

Tuesday, December, 21th: Haircut, 25 minutes of P90X Yoga X Video, Massage, laundry, and pack. Sleep!

Wednesday, December, 22th: Fly to San Jose in the morning. No workout today.

Thursday, December, 23th: Run/ Walk with Dad on the road! (0.82 miles warm-up walk, 1.9 miles of straight running, and 1.1 miles fast walk to cool-down, for 3.97 miles total!), came home to do P90X Ab Ripper X, then 1/2 of P90X Stretch. I did many things today that I never thought I would do: 1) Get up a 6 am to go workout when I had no plans for the whole day, 2) Started running while the stars and moon were still out, 3) Run for almost 2 miles straight (been many years since I've been able to do that!), 4) Did exercise videos after completing a run. Today I realized that running is not only a physical sport but I learned first hand the power of the mind in being able to complete longer distances (hopefully it will still hold true as the distances get longer)!

Friday, December, 24th: While my family took naps I did the P90X Cardio X Video after going to Christmas Eve lunch with extended family.

Saturday, December, 25th: Merry Christmas! And they all settled down for a long winters nap... (Well, not really but I did take a day off from exercise)

Sunday, December, 26th: P90X Yoga X video (55 minutes).

Excitements for this Week:
- Going for a run with my training partner, Dad!
- Total distance covered: 6.4 miles.
- Worked out 5/7 days!

Goals for next Week:
- Keep on training schedule even through working 3 days in a row.
- Starting on a stricter food program.

three

Week 3 Recap: By the time this week has completed I feel like I am gaining a lot of strength and starting to see results. I have registered for both the half- marathon in June and a 5 K in January for extra "organized" run experience. I am realizing that this training process is not a sprint and despite saying it before I now know some days will be easier than others and I have to look at my overall progress rather than getting fixated on the little setbacks! I am excited for week 4 which falls the week leading up to Christmas. This week will be challenging but also nice in that I will have my family, friends and my training partner (my Dad) by my side for support!

Monday, December, 13th: After getting a cramp in my thigh at work last night and the joints in my legs barking at me I decided to take an unexpected rest day. I visited with friends, ran a few errands, made my contribution for my work party on Thursday, and caught up on sleep, back to the schedule tomorrow!

Tuesday, December, 14th: P90X Pyleometrics Video. I had been warned about the difficulity of this video from a friend but I wanted to see for myself and get a good workout in. I was able to finish 40 minutes of the 60 minute video and then to top things off I did some crunches and push ups. Because the exercises in the video are very high-impact I followed the low impact version of the exercises to preserve my neck and knees, for where I am at in my training this was still difficult, resulting in a very fast heart rate and i'm sure some sore muscles tomorrow.

Wednesday, December, 15th: The soreness from my workout yesterday set in about 1 am while at work. My only motivation for working out today was to get my muscles warmed so I could stretch them out and get some of that built up lactic acid out. For my workout today I did: Elliptical (10 minute warm-up)/Treadmill (20 minutes, 50% run, 50% walk)/Weights/Stretching in the gym, and then went to work nights as charge. After my muscles were nice and warm from the cardio, I stretched out and a lot of my muscles soreness went away. As soon as my muscles cooled off the soreness set back in which made for a interesting sight when I went from sitting to walking all night at work, needless to say I'm excited for my scheduled break day tomorrow.

Thursday, December, 16th: Morning meeting, some sleep, afternoon class, evening work party.

Friday, December, 17th: Today I had to dig deep for motivation to workout, I was sitting on the couch, it was raining outside and the last thing I wanted to do was get sweaty. I find that the day after I have a rest day it is hard for me to get the motivation to get my workout in but somewhere though I found the motivation to complete the entire P90X Kenpo X Video. Upon completing the video I felt good, proud and happy that I had found the motivation to do my workout.

Saturday, December, 18th: Big Workout for the week, Walk/Run 4 mile loop from my house to and through Balboa Park. Today I woke up and immediately put my workout clothes on so I could not be tempted later to miss out on this run, especially since it was not raining when I woke up and I wasn't feeling sore from yesterdays workout. I ate a little something and got going on my run. I took a reverse route of my loop than I usually do to keep things interesting. I ran more than I usually do but I find when there is any kind of wind (as there was today) or once my heart rate gets to 180's (I wear a heart rate monitor) I have a hard time to keep going. What I did today was let me heart rate come back down to the 160's and then would start running again. I definently have a long ways to go before I'll be able to run this half-marathon and I'm trying to have hope that it will get easier as the training progresses but I'm just not so sure it will. I guess all things in life aren't easy and the ones you have to work for are that much more rewarding! (I'll keep telling myself that...LOL)

Sunday, December,19th: Unexpected rest day for an unwanted and unexpected migrane leading to waking up right before time to get ready for night shift :( Good news is I was not sore from my run/walk yesterday, which probably means I need to push myself harder to be running longer.

Excitements for the Week:
- Being told I look like I'm losing weight, by 3 co-workers now!
- Felling that I have more energy (most of the time!) and not needing as much sleep.

Downfalls for the Week:
- Not following my diet as I want to.
- Not drinking enough water.

Goals for Next Week:
- Keep on track with training schedule despite being week of Christmas and going home for a week (starting Dec. 22nd).
- Focus more on following a balanced diet.
- Drink more water!!!

resolution run

As part of my training for the SD Rock and Roll half-marathon I registered for and will be running in the San Diego Resolution 5K Run on January 9th. This will be my first orgainzed run which I wanted to have under my belt before running in the half-marathon. I have heard that organized runs are much different than going out on the road on your own and I didn't want to have that first experience when I was going to be trying to run the half-marathon. Anyone interested in running with me, go to the link above and sign up before January 7th!

2

Here is a recap of week 2 of half-marathon training:

This week I am feeling I am gaining a lot of strength but my muscles get easily fatigued and sore during workouts that I have a hard time getting as much done as I want. Working night shift and having a friend in town made it slightly more difficult to get my workouts in but I am happy to say I did an official workout on 4/7 days, next week I will aim for 5, please give me the strength to accomplish my goal!

Monday, Dec. 6th: Rest, back still hurting.

Tuesday, Dec. 7th: 45 minutes of Yoga X video in P90X series. Great cardio, strength and stretching workout! Work night shift after :(

Wednesday, Dec. 8th: 30 mintues of cardio (walk, run, elliptical) in gym followed by stretching. Work night shift.

Thursday, Dec. 9th: Rest, Katie (AZ roommate and sorority sister) comes for the weekend!

Friday, Dec. 10th: 4 mile mostly walk, very little run from Mission Beach to Pacific Beach and back, with Pati. Harder to run with wind resistance (at least that's what I'm telling myself), despite loving having the company I think I push myself harder when I am working out alone cause I can pace myself

Saturday, Dec. 11th: Walked all around Coronado Island exploring with Katie.

Sunday, Dec. 12th: Woke up early to go to gym, 26 minutes of intervals on elliptical, 10 minutes walk/run on treadmill. Katie headed back to her winter wonderland and I napped to work night shift as charge.

Up next: Pictures from the 70 degree day spent with Katie walking around Coronado Island. I am very thankful for sporatic days of amazingness in the winter that make me hopeful for a nice upcoming Sping/Summer!