7.25.2010

My 7th week on land.... :)

Monday, July 26th
[morning HR: 50]
*4 miles moderate by myself.
details:
where- gravel path at DBU.
average pace/total time- 7:14/ 28:59.
average HR/ % of HR reserve- 174/ 82%.
comments- Good run. A nice surprise, actually. Terry Jessup had suggested to Jake and I that I try to run 10" faster than my daily pace for moderate runs, and that I should not worry about my HR during the run. Well, I was a little worried that 7:25 would be too much for me right now because my first 4 mile run was just 2 days ago; but, at 1.75 miles I looked down and my average pace was already 7:16. Definitely encouraging. It's a little difficult to know that I'm behind where I have been before at this point in the summer, but I will say this... 7:14 pace has never felt this good this early on. And a month and a half ago, I hadn't run a step for 6 months. Just have to be patient... I think this year could be very exciting by the time November gets here.

*2 x 45" pedestal routine w/ 5 leg lifts.
*60' aquajog w/ 2x12x1:30H,30"R.
*H Core Routine.
*sleepytime (pm).


Tuesday, July 27th
[morning HR: 50]
*3 miles easy by myself.
details:
where- Mountain Creek Lake Park.
average pace/ total time- 8:02/ 24:09
average HR/ % of my HR reserve- 164/ 63%
comments- Nice run. Probably started slower than I needed to, but wanted to be sure I allowed myself room to recover if my body had needed it. Felt every "hill" on the first loop but after that it felt nice and I enjoyed the change of scenery!
*running form drills (picking 2 every week after an easy run): 2 x 100m running no arms & 2 x 30" high knees.
*2 x 45" pedestal routine.
*60' aquajog w/ 2x8x2:30H,30"R.
*work capacity circuit: 3 sets of 6 x body squat*, 6 x walking lunge*, 6 x step-ups*, 20 x mountain climbers, 45" plank, 6 x dips, 6 x pull-ups, 30 x russian twists*. 5' warm up and 5' cool down. [*using 6.6lb med ball]
*feet exercises.

Wednesday, July 28th
[morning HR: 52]
*breath enhancers.
*4 miles easy by myself.
details:
where- Boy Scout Camp.
average pace/ total time- 7:41/ 30:49
average HR/ % of my HR reserve- 166/65%.
comments- Awesome run! So nice!! I was feeling pretty sleepy and out of it prior to the start, and to be honest was not really looking forward to the run. But within the first 3 minutes I was awake, feeling good, and so grateful for another pretty day and beautiful place to run!!! I looked down at the end of each mile to see how my average pace for the total run progressed... after the first mile it was 8:20, then 8:02, then 7:49, then at the end of the run it was 7:41. Love it... slow and natural progression... always feels good like that! :)
*70' aquajog.
*sleepytime (pm).

Thursday, July 29th
[morning HR: 54? probably a bit off..]
*70' aquajog w/ 1,2,3,4,5,10,5,4,3,2,1 (1' recovery), 10 x 20"H,40"R.
*2 x 45" pedestal routine.
*work capacity circuit: 3 sets of 6 x body squat*, 6 x walking lunge*, 6 x step-ups*, 20 x mountain climbers, 45" plank, 6 x dips, 6 x pull-ups, 30 x russian twists*. 5' warm up and 5' cool down. [*using 6.6lb med ball]
*feet exercises.

Friday, July 30th
[morning HR: 50 (as of 2:10AM)]
*3 miles easy by myself.
details:
where- Fish Creek Trail.
average pace/ total time- 7:56/23:50
average HR/ % of my HR reserve- 167/66%
comments- Nothing bad. Slept 2.5 hours last night, max. My HR was at 175 when I turned around at 1.5 miles so spent the way home trying to relax and get it down. Worked. Just hope I get some good rest before tomorrow...
*2 x 45" pedestal routine w/ 5 leg lifts.
*45' aquajog w/ 7x5'H,1'R.

Saturday, July 31st
[morning HR: 52]
*breath enhancers.
*6 miles w/ 4 x 1' surge, 4' normal by myself.

details:
Where- White Rock Lake (Norbuck Park for the first 1.5 miles).
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:30/ 45:00
"Lap" Paces- 8:56 for the first 10', 1' surges- 6:02, 5:50, 5:35, 5:55 ; recovery segments- 7:46, 7:39, 7:54, 7:28; 7:08 for the remaining 15'.
Average HR/ % of HR Reserve- 168/ 67%.
Comments- Definitely had heavy legs from the very start of the run, but I guess the surges loosened them up enough. Never felt like a hard effort run and the distance was not a problem. Will want to rest up and recover well though as the run ended up longer than planned!
*H Core Routine.
*90' steady aquajog.


Sunday, August 1st
[morning HR: 50]
REST DAY!!!

Total Miles for the Week: 20.
Total # of Runs: 5.

7.18.2010

Onto the next week!!

Moving along! Keeping things simple, but still progressing some. I can't wait to start running longer than 30 minutes!! Haha!
Here's the all the good stuff for this week:

Monday, July 19th

[morning heart rate: 52].
*H Core Routine: 2 sets of 30" x supine plank, v-sits w/ running arms, side plank, swimmers, side plank, v-sits w/ flutter kicks, breaststroke swimmers, sit-ups w/ elbow to opposite knee, indian style crunches, and v-sits w/ over/under scissor kicks (1' between sets).
*70' aquajog w/ 3 sets of 9 x 1:30 hard, 30" recovery (2' between sets).
*sleepytime.
*feet exercises- fan out, toe grip, toe walk, heel walk.

Tuesday, July 20th
[morning heart rate: 50].
*pilates breath enhancers- the hundred, the swan (10), standing chest expansion (4), the roll-up (5), the saw (4).
*3 mile run by myself.

details:
Where- Boy Scout Camp.
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:51/ 23:35.
Average Heart Rate/ % of Heart Rate Reserve- 168/ 77%.
Comments- Felt completely AMAZING! My legs felt so strong and loose and fresh! I felt like I could run so much faster but when I checked my HR it was already too elevated. :( But it made me excited for future runs!
*2 x 45" pedestal routine w/ 5 leg lifts.
*60' aquajog w/ 2 sets of 8 x 2:30 hard, 30" recovery (2' between sets).

*Strength Workout #1 (2 part strength workout-- Part 1 on one day and Part 2 two days later): 3 x [12 dumbbell squat (5 lbs), 12 push-ups] (1' rest between sets); 3 x [12 bulgarian split squat, 12 dumbbell clean and press (5 lbs)] (1' rest between sets).

Wednesday, July 21st
[morning heart rate: 52].
*2 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- Grand Prairie neighborhood streets
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:40/ 15:30 (I know.. doesn't add up?!)
Average Heart Rate/ % of my HR Reserve- 163/ 73%
Comments- Felt good and strong again, but looked down early on and saw my HR was high again. I slowed down to a very comfortable pace and held it there until about half a mile to go and then I finished out the run with a solid pace. Felt good to run steady and not worry about my HR! :)
*H Core Routine: 2 sets of 30" x supine plank, v-sits w/ running arms, side plank, swimmers, side plank, v-sits w/ flutter kicks, breaststroke swimmers, sit-ups w/ elbow to opposite knee, indian style crunches, and v-sits w/ over/under scissor kicks (1' between sets).
*80' bike/elliptical.
*sleepytime & foam rolling (pm).
*feet exercises (pm).


Thursday, July 22nd
[morning heart rate: 54].
*pilates breath enhancers.
*3 mile run by myself.

details:
Where- Gravel Path at DBU
Average Pace/ Total Time- 8:21/ 25:05
Average Heart Rate/ % of my HR Reserve-161/ 70%
Comments- Forced myself to REALLY relax today. For the whole run. Not just the first half, but the whole run to just take it easy. I had yet to do that since I started back, I planned a lot of strength work this week, and I wanted to give my body one last good break before things started rolling next week. Success. Ran so comfortably I could be breathe just through my nose for the whole run! :)
*2 x 45" pedestal routine w/ 5 leg lifts.
*60' aquajog w/ 1',2',3',4',5',10',5',4',3',2',1' (1' recovery).

*Strength Workout #2: 3 x [12 dynamic lunge, 12 opposite arm/leg lifts], 3 x [12 step up, 12 prone jackknife] (1' rest between each set).

Friday, July 23rd
[morning heart rate: 52].
*Strength/Cardio Workout- 4' bike, 2 x 10 diagonal extension, 3' bike, 2 x 10 bridge fly, 3' bike, 2 x 10 suspended bridge, 3' bike, 2 x 10 balance lift, 3' bike, 2 x 10 superwoman, 3' bike, 2 x 10 roll and curl, 3' bike, 2 x 10 hip twist, 4' elliptical.

Saturday, July 24th
[morning heart rate: 50].
*4 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- Gravel path at DBU.
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:37/ 30:31.
Average Heart Rate/ % of my HR Reserve- 166/ 76%
Comments- Thankful for another run and definitely thankful to finally get to run more than 30 minutes, haha! To be honest though... didn't feel the greatest today. My head has really been bothering me this week (Jake says it's where my sinuses are?) so I need to be better about taking medicine and letting that heal up. Other than that, felt comfortable and was a nice run.
*2 x 45" pedestal routine w/ 5 leg lifts.
*H Core Routine: 2 sets of 30" x supine plank, v-sits w/ running arms, side plank, swimmers, side plank, v-sits w/ flutter kicks, breaststroke swimmers, sit-ups w/ elbow to opposite knee, indian style crunches, and v-sits w/ over/under scissor kicks (1' between sets).
*70' aquajog.
*feet exercises (pm).



Sunday, July 25th
[morning heart rate: 50].
REST DAY!!!

Total Miles for the Week: 12 miles.
Total Runs for the Week: 4 runs.

7.11.2010

I will walk by faith.

Not by sight.

That song came on my ipod when I turned it on this last Thursday morning and I believe there is a reason. I have become so rushed in the mornings that I broke my old routine. I no longer sit down and devote time in the day specifically to growing in the Lord. I've missed it and have been craving that time, but all I could think about was what needed to be done and I never took the initiative to put my reading and journaling first.
So, this week I want to refocus my life. Priorities need to change. I told Jake about all of this on Saturday, and being the amazing husband he is, he took me to Mardel and I got a new journal and devotional book... it studies "patience". Fitting, right? :) Anyways, that's the most exciting news I have to share for this week.

As far as training goes, the pain in my foot has encouraged us to be a little more careful this week, so we're making a few changes. Basically, I will be repeating last week, but I've rearranged the days so that I can have 2 days of no running before I start back.

Monday, July 12th
[morning heart rate: 52 (56 the first time though, so it could be off!)]
*60' aquajog w/ 2 sets of 12 x 1:30 hard, 30" recovery and 2' recovery between sets.
*2 x 40" pedestal routine (pm).
*light yoga stretching (pm).
**Iced twice today and used anti-inflammatory gel 3 times.**

Tuesday, July 13th
[morning heart rate: totally forgot to take it!!! :( ]
*2 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- DBU grass track.
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:44/ 15:31
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- 165/ 76%
Comments- Felt alright. Felt great to my body, as usual (although the grass was pretty soggy and definitely made it more challenging effort-wise), but I'm still not sure what's going on with my foot? I'm feeling strong though. I wish I had a film of myself running before my injury and again now.. I think my form is entirely different just because I'm so much stronger and more efficient now!
*60' aquajog w/ 2 sets of 8 x 2:30 hard, 30" recovery and 2' recovery between sets. Solid workout again. The intervals are making my aquajogging feel so much more productive. I am completely spent at the end of the last one, and it has been a great chance for me to practice pushing harder at the end of race when you're hurting the most. Definitely won't be getting a chance to practice that on land for a while, so I'm grateful for this outlet!
*Core Workout: 3 sets of 1' x The Bicycle, Prone Core Stabilization w/ leg lifts, Bridge w/ leg lifts, Side-Lying Core Stabilization w/ running legs, Fire Hydrants, Supine Core Stabilization w/ leg lifts... 10 push-ups between each set. (You can find the details of these exercises at www.smiweb.org).
*yoga stretches (pm).
**Iced twice again and used the anti-inflammatory gel 3 times!**

Wednesday, July 14th
[morning heart rate: 52]
*3 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- DBU grass track
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:43/ 23:11
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- 166/ 77%
Comments- Still feeling strong. I'm learning to really ease into things. Came through the first mile at 8:30 and just naturally built into the run. I'm starting to realize the blessings of this grass track. It's going to make me much stronger than running on hard, flat ground... the effort level next time I run on the roads is going to feel so easy! (Still pain in the top of my foot but definitely no worse?!).
*2 x 45" pedestal routine w/ 5 leg lifts.
*80' steady aquajog.
**Iced once and applied the gel three times!**

Thursday, July 15th
[morning heart rate: 54]
*2 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- DBU grass track.
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:35/ 15:13
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- 165/76%.
Comments- Felt incredibly good for that pace. I thought I was running much slower. I'm feeling really good about my form and I think that's making a huge contribution to the fact that I'm able to run faster without increasing the intensity. My foot is still hurting, but again, no worse.
*60' aquajog w/ 1', 2', 3', 4', 5', 10', 5', 4', 3', 2', 1' hard, 1' recovery between each.
*general strength workout: 2 x 15 Bulgarian Split Squats, 30" Flutters, 15 Hip/Leg Extensions, 15 One Point Dumbbell Row, 12 T Push Up, 60" Prone Cobra; followed by The Hundred, Russian Twists (60), Rowers (20), Captain's Chair (10). [workout description can be seen at http://figureathlete.tmuscle.com/article/training/no_business_running&cr=> and I highly recommend it. Solid, quick, and effective all-over workout.]

Friday, July 16th

[morning heart rate: 54]
*REST DAY! (not my normal rest day, but I am running this Sunday, so my day off falls on a Friday!)
**Iced twice and used the gel twice.**

Saturday, July 17th
[morning heart rate: 54]
*3 mile run with Jake!
details:
Where- Boy Scout Camp.
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:43/ 23:12
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- 165/ 76%
*Core Routine Jake found: 2 sets of 30" x back plank, v-sits w/ running arms, right side plank, swimmers, left side plank, v-sits w/ flutter kick, swimmers breaststroke, sit-ups w/ elbow to opposite knee, indian style crunches, v-sits w/ scissor over/under. (1' rest between sets).
*90' steady aquajog.
**Only iced once and used the gel once..**

Sunday, July 18th
[morning heart rate: 52]
*3 mile run with Jake!
details:
Where- Dirt road in LaRue, TX.
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:34/ 22:44
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- 166/ 77%
Comments- Another nice run. My foot hurt more today than it has the rest of the week, but that could be from a combination of several things... I'm not worried about it. The road we ran on was .75 miles long and about 3/4ths of it was a gradual incline (decline coming back) and 1/4th of it was a steep incline (decline). 2 out and backs definitely made for some good hill work for a girl who's been on a flat circle.. :)
*Core Workout: 15 minutes of 30" segments of various core/leg strength work.

Total miles for the week: 13 miles.
Total number of runs: 5.

7.05.2010

I can't believe I'm actually "training"!!!!

Last week was a success, I think... which makes me excited for the rest of this summer! God has really been gracious by blessing me with all of these runs! Every morning I can"t help but thank Him for another day to be out on my feet!
I'm learning more about training with patience and I believe this mindset is going to be a huge blessing for me in November. I'm getting more accustomed to using the heart rate monitor as a guide and hoping it will help me improve quickly and healthily. As far as this week goes, we are upping the mileage (though only a small bit) as well as the cross training.

Monday, July 5th
[morning heart rate: 50]
*2 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- Jackson Middle School track. (I wanted to avoid the concrete, but with all of the rain that we have been getting, I wasn't sure what my other options were).
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:39/ 15:20.
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- 161/ 73%.
Comments- This was a great run. I was anxious because my foot was sore when I began, but the pain never increased so I am feeling confident that this is all part of the process! The run felt very relaxed and comfortable... I enjoyed running so early as it has always been fun for me to run under the track lights! :)
*3 x 4' intervals of "push" supersets. This included push-ups w/ feet elevated followed by shove-offs, military press followed by thumbs up, and close grip push-ups followed by seated dips.
*60' aquajog w/ 1:30 surges every 5 minutes. GREAT workout! The hardest I've ever had to breathe in the pool!
*sleepytime (pm).

Tuesday, July 6th
[morning heart rate: 52]
*3 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- Boy Scout Camp.... PERFECT place to run. Hilly, but good footing, pretty, and plenty of options on trails.
Average Pace/ Total Time- 8:18/ 24:57
Average Heart Rate/ % of Heart Rate Reserve- 162/ 73%
Comments- Felt really controlled and comfortable. I am REALLY working on keeping my heart rate lower and I found that the hills at the camp make it spike very quickly. Looking at the data that showed up when I plugged in my watch, it was a perfect progression from warming up into the run and finishing out the last mile and a half at a solid, but very contained pace! Happy with today!
*2 x 40" pedestal routine.
*60' aquajog w/ 2 sets of 6 x 2:30 surges, 30" rest (2' rest between sets and after 2nd set), followed by 10 x 20" surges, 40" rest. 5' warm up, 5' cool down. Trying to get in more intensity during my cross training. It's working. Yesterday and today have been KILLER!!
*yoga stretches (pm).

Wednesday, July 7th
[morning heart rate: 52]
*2 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- First 1/2 a mile was on sidewalks in Grand Prairie. I spent the rest of the run on a large grass field connected to South Grand Prairie HS's track.
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:55/ 15:54.
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- ????? Accidentally left the HR monitor at home!! I thought it was already in the car but I was wrong! Tried to keep the effort level consistent with where it has been, though.
Comments- Not a bad run. Didn't feel well health wise (sore throat and headache?) so that made the run a little bit more sluggish feeling. Arms are still sore from Monday and these pool workouts! Still just getting in the miles and getting used to the motions..
*2 x 4' intervals of "leg" supersets. This includes alternating back lunges w/ 6" pause at bottom followed by toyotas, alternating front lunges w/ 6" pause at bottom followed by side lunges, and alternating 1-legged RDL's followed by squats w/ 3" pause at bottom.
*80' steady aquajog.
*2 x 40" pedestal routine w/ 5 leg lifts.
*sleepytime (pm).

Thursday, July 8th
[morning heart rate: 52]
*3 x 4' intervals of "core" supersets. This includes v-ups followed by russian twists, supermans followed by swimmers, and hanging leg lifts w/ knees bent followed by double leg lifts.
*60' elliptical w/ 2 x 2', 3', 4', 3', 2' surges on a 5 minute cycle.
*yoga stretches (pm).

Friday, July 9th
[morning heart rate: 52]
*3.1 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- Streets lining Mountain Creek Park. (I intended to run on the grass there, but somehow I managed to forget that it's been pouring rain for the past 2 days. Haha!)
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:37/ 23:19
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- 164/ 78%
Comments- Felt nice today. Finally starting to recover from this "cold" that I've been battling the past 3 days. I was a little frustrated with having to run on concrete but it ended up feeling good and the time passed quickly! Looking forward to longer runs in the future! :)
*2 x 40" pedestal routine w/ 5 leg lifts.
*60' aquajog w/ 6 x 5' steady segments, 2' recovery and 6 x 20" sprints, 40" recovery.
*sleepytime (pm).

Saturday, July 10th
[morning heart rate: 52]
*3 mile run by myself.
details:
Where- White Rock Lake... in the rain!!!!
Average Pace/ Total Time- 7:48/ 23:28
Average Heart Rate/ % of my Heart Rate Reserve- 162/ 73%
Comments- Difficult to comment on this one. Before I even began running, I felt more pain than usual in my foot... and in a slightly different spot. It did deaden about halfway through the run, but I won't lie... It's scared me. It has been painful all day and is tender to touch and stand on. :/ The frustrating part? The run felt PERFECT aside from my foot. Everything about it.
*Upper body strength and some yoga/ dynamic stretches.
*60' aquajog w/ 1',2',3',4',5',5',4',3',2',1' surges (1/2 rest) and 10' steady.


Sunday, July 11th
[morning heart rate: 52]
REST DAY!!!

Total Mileage for the Week: 13 miles.
Total Number of Runs: 5