Week 25 Recap

I had another great week of running, despite some foot ache. I've been icing it and it's no more than a minor annoyance, but I am watching it closely. I only biked to work once this week because I was exhausted and if something has to give, it isn't going to be the running =P So until further notice, I will not bike to work on running days.

My mini vacation did not start out as planned, but it ended great. Traveling by train is awesome, and we'll certainly be doing that again ... soon I hope. Running that 10 miler on my own in the heat was tough, but I felt so accomplished, and a bit hard core. I continue to amaze myself at what I am willing and able to endure to achieve my goals, and I can't wait to tackle my next challenge.

Week Totals (rounded)

• run - 19 miles (3x)
• walk - 9 miles
• bike - 31 miles
• strength/core - 80 push ups
• yoga - 15 min
• exercise hours - 10 hrs

Workout Summary
See details on Dailymile

• Monday 
• walked 2.5 miles (bus stop)
• 80 push ups w3d1c3
• Tuesday 
• ran 4 miles (tempo); 
• biked 30 miles (GMS + Work); 
• 15m yoga; 
• walked 1.2 miles (publix)
• Wednesday 
• 20m cardio kick
• walked 2 miles (bus stop)
• Thursday 
• ran 5 miles (track)
• walked 2 miles (bus stop)
• Friday 
• walked 1 mile (bus stop/amtrak)
• Saturday 
• ran 10 miles in 2h 15m
• Sunday 
• biked 1.2 miles (atm/eola FM)
• walked .6 miles (bus stop)

Determination = 10 Miles in a Sauna

I just came back from a brutal 10 mile run, but I got it done and feel great now that it is over. I am in Ft. Lauderdale with Jason visiting his parents, so I had to run this one by myself, without the comfort of my Galloway group. I could not find my ipod shuffle to keep me company, but since I always carry my phone anyway, I figured I could listen to music on that, and it worked well.

I did this same run alone last winter, but it was cold and thus not nearly as much of a struggle. The heat and humidity adds a whole new level of difficulty and requires some serious determination and mental strength. It was literally like running in a sauna, because I was steamy from the very start. I am glad I brought a towel with me, because I was wiping my face during almost every walk break.

This run really tested my mental resolve, and I am so glad I didn't skip the run like I contemplated ever so briefly. I needed to clear my head, and I feel much better now, even if my feet disagree. My legs felt heavy, and my feet were achy, so I started really slow at 14:20 then gradually picked up the pace as I went to finish with a 13:31 min/mi average. Splits: 14:20 - 14:19 - 13:48 - 13:52 - 13:17 - 13:26 - 13:23 - 12:57 - 12:53 - 12:50.

Funny story ... while I was huffing and puffing during the last few miles, a women pulls up next to me and offers me a pamphlet. I have no idea what it was about, but I am guessing god because I think it resembled the one the Spanish Jehovah's witness tried to give me at the train station yesterday. I waved her off, she wished me a nice day, and drove off. But seriously? Can you not see I am running here? Do you really think I am going to stop to grab your stupid pamphlet and then proceed to carry it with me for the rest of the run? It would be a wet mess by the time I finished anyway. Unbelievable!

Jason asked me last night, as I was complaining about my aching feet and not looking forward to running 10 miles in the heat and humidity this morning alone, that if I am not enjoying running why do it? And I can see how from his perspective it would seem that way. But I was not complaining about the running, I enjoy the running immensely! It keeps me sane. What I don't always enjoy is what it takes -- the aches and pains that sometimes follow, waking up early and thus having to go to bed early, running in a sauna, etc. But no matter what, I always feel 100% better after I am done with the run, no matter how difficult. In fact, the more difficult the run, the better I feel about completing it. I guess we runners are masochists =P But I wouldn't give it up for the world.

Three Things Thursday: No Car Update, Mini Vacation, Running

#1 - Living without a car is going to kill me! LOL All this biking and running leaves me exhausted most nights, and I barely have enough energy or time to blog after dinner before I have to get my stuff ready for the next day or go to bed early. However, I suspect the real culprit is not the extra cycling, but waking up before 4 am twice a week to run with my group because I can't seem to go to bed early enough the night before -- 8 pm is just too early and it is still light out! So I'm going to ride the bus more until my body gets used to waking up so early, and then I may add more biking back in.

#2 - We're going on a mini vacation this weekend (Fri-Sun) to visit Jason's parents in Ft. Lauderdale. It will be a fun adventure as we ride the train there and bike to and from the station with our new bike trailer. I'll be sure to take plenty of photos. In fact, maybe I'll do a "Day in the Life" photo album ... maybe. This means I'll miss my group run on Saturday :( and will have to do my 10 mile long run on my own, but I'm not worried because I've done it before. I really need this mini vacation because all we've been doing lately is exercise, work, eat, sleep, repeat.

#3 - I can't think of a 3rd thing. I am sure I had one, but it escapes me at the moment. So I'll just say that I'm really enjoying my running and I'm feeling really strong. Even though I am tired, I still find motivation to run, I just skip the rest. Now I just need to get back in the groove of doing yoga, core, and strength training regularly.

MBE on Tuesday: The Athletic Family

Monday Brain Exchange (MBE) is sponsored by Jill, who blogs at Finishing Is Winning. This week's topic is The Athletic Family.

Question: Do you come from an athletic family? Are your parents/siblings/spouses/children also involved in your sport(s)?

Dad, Mom, Me, Jason, Bob (Jason's Dad)
Breast Cancer Marathon Relay

When I was growing up, my dad was the only athlete in the family. I remember going to watch him race and there always being a spread of food to entertain us while we waited. I was there when he ran the NYC marathon, his first, and he was there when I ran my first marathon. Running those last 2 miles with him was priceless. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it is that I too found the joy of running and can finally share this with him.

The closest my sister and I got to a sport was color guard/dance team, which is not really a sport. After I started running, my dad started again after a 7 year hiatus, and my mom started too to lose weight and get in shape. Now all 3 of us race together often, and it is awesome. We even did a marathon relay, and it's one of my most memorable races. We'll be running the Watermelon 5K on July 4th as a family with matching shirts.

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Dad and I at the Corporate 5K

Dad
Last week it occurred to me that I didn't know how or why my dad started running, so I interviewed him about his running on father's day. He started running in 1987, when he was 37, to lose weight. He was already married with kids (me! and my sis Karen, and half sister Lisa). Him and his cousin ran together, but his cousin didn't keep running; my dad did. He trained and ran a 10K with his company, his first race, and got the running bug.

He kept running consistently for years, mostly racing 10Ks while we were still living in Puerto Rico. He says he rarely raced 5Ks until recently; they were just not as common as the 10K in Puerto Rico. When we moved to the US, he wasn't running as much, but finally got into the New York City Marathon in 1993. He did not get in at first and was put on a waiting list, so he stopped training, but then got in at the last minute and was not as prepared.

His most memorable race is running the NYC Marathon again in 2001, two months after 9-11. Listening to him talk about running the NYC marathon (where he grew up) with such passion is motivation enough for me to want follow in his footsteps. The 2001 marathon, which I did not witness, was an incredible experience because cops and firefighters were running in memory of those lost when the towers fell. The support and energy was unlike any other.

He also ran the Disney Marathon once, but he didn't like it -- maybe this is where I get it from =) Then again, how can any race compete with the NYC Marathon? His favorite race distance is the 10k, but he has now run 2 half marathons (I got to share with him his first half marathon in Melbourne in 2009) and loves that distance since he isn't running marathons anymore. I see many more races together in our future -- by together I mean that we run the same race because he is much faster than me :) On the schedule so far is the Miami Halloween Half, and he'll be running the Space Coast Half while I run the full marathon.

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Mon and I at Disney's Royal Family 5K

Mom
My mom hasn't been running as long or as consistently, but she has caught the running bug too. Unfortunately, she has class on Saturdays when most races are held, so she's limited until August. She loves to race though, and has improved a lot in a very short amount of time. I was so proud of her for running 5 miles when we did the relay, and think she should train for a 10k but she likes the 5k distance. I'll have to work on her some more ;) We've run a few races together, as in side by side until the end, and I plan to stick with her during the Watermelon 5K.

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Jason and I, team Alice in Muddyland,
at Muddy Buddy Orlando

Jason
Jason has been athletic all his life and has probably tried every sport out there. He started running after I did, mostly running 5Ks when I did without any training (yes, I hate him too =P). Although he still claims he doesn't like it, he runs regularly and is currently training for a Half Ironman Triathlon.

We used to run together occasionally at the beginning, but having an athletic background and being a boy, his speed has increased faster than mine and is no longer feasible for us to run together. We've done a couple of races together -- UCF Adventure Race and Muddy Buddy Orlando -- and are plotting a duathlon soon (he'll bike and I'll run). We're also doing the Urban Dare in November.

So that's my running family. I can't wait to see what adventures we share next :)

Week 24 Recap

This was a great week! I ran 4 times, a total of 20 miles, which I haven't done since the last week in April. Marathon training is off to a great start; the 3:1 group is working out well, and I'm loving the track workouts! I've been reading the Ultimate Runner, which is really inspirational and makes me itch to run another marathon already -- as if I really needed further motivation :)

Since I am doing 3 runs per week with my Galloway training group (instead of just long runs on Saturdays), I'm adding a 4th run to my training schedule that's just for me and for the joy of running. It will be short, slow, and without walk breaks whenever I feel like it. It may not happen every week, specially when I have a really long run on Saturday, but it'll serve as a nice recovery run and way to clear my head when needed. I did the first today and it was great.

In the food front, I am still not eating chocolate and it is taking every ounce of will power to keep it up for another 10 days. I've already eaten out 4 times this month, so let's hope I can make it another 10 days without eating out. However, even if I eat out once more, that is still 94.4% homemade meals, so that would be close enough.

How was your week?

Week Totals (rounded)

• run - 20 miles (4 runs) 
• walk - 9 miles 
• bike - 70 miles 
• yoga -  1h 47m / 6 sessions
• exercise hours - 14.5 hrs

Workout Summary
See details on Dailymile

• Monday 
• biked 29 miles (work x2)
• 40 min yoga (2x)
• Tuesday 
• biked 29 miles (GMS + work x2)
• ran 4 miles in 46 min @ 11:27 (tempo)
• 20 min yoga 
• Wednesday 
• walked 1.25 miles (bus stop)
• 17 min yoga
• Thursday 
• ran 5 miles (track)
• walked 2.25 miles (bus stop + wu/cd)
• 12 min yoga
• Friday - walked 4.7 miles (bus stop x2 + dinner)
• Saturday 
• ran 8.25 miles @ 12:08 (long)
• biked 11 miles (GMS + movies)
• 18 min yoga
• Sunday - 
• ran 3 miles in 38 min @ 12:45  (recovery)
• walked 1.2 miles (fm + publix)

New Galloway Pace Group And Giveaway!

New Pace Group 
Today was my first long long run with my new pace group. Ever since starting Galloway training 2 years ago, I've been running with the 2:1 group. I occasionally tried 2:30/1, but didn't want to switch to a new group when training for my first marathon last year. Now that I have that behind me, I'm willing to push myself a little more and see what I can really do. We ran 8.25 miles today at an average pace of 12:08 min/mile. I don't think I've ever ran this distance so fast, but it felt good. I wasn't struggling (much) despite the heat and humidity, so I think this group will workout great for this aggressive marathon season I have planned.

Galloway Love
This week I realized how much I love and depend on this group. I have a friends list on facebook of all the people I've met through the group and it is nearing 40! They are an amazing group of gals that I would have never had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know without this group. In previous years, I always joined the group in October and only for the Saturday long runs. This year I'm joining them from the very beginning for all 3 workouts each week: Tempo/Hills on Tuesdays, Track on Thursdays, and Long Runs on Saturdays. I'm already seeing a difference in my running because I can be more consistent when I run with a group and push myself a tad more than I would on my own. I feel really strong and the walk breaks help me go further and faster without getting injured.

Sharing the Galloway Love Giveaway
As part of our registration fee into the program, we receive a Galloway Book and Training Journal, which is the same every year. Since this is my third season training with the group, I have duplicates of these books that have never been touched. I do not use the journal since I log all my runs online at dailymile, and I only need one book for reference, so I'm sharing the love and giving away the duplicate copies.

     

Galloway Training Programs Book
This book includes training schedules for beginners and time goal runners for a 10-miler, a half marathon or a marathon. It also has information on nutrition, issues for the "mature" exerciser, motivation and recovery plus some new concepts: Magic Mile, shorter "long"runs between the really long weekend sessions.

Jeff Galloway's Training Journal
As you record your daily efforts in this spiral-bound training tool, Jeff will lead you through the process of setting up a training program, step by step. Not only can you set up and record your progress for a year at a time, you'll be able to analyze the data in tables: logs for shoes, injuries, speed sessions. Graphs for morning pulse will help you monitor overtraining.

How to Enter
Post one comment letting me know why you want to try the Galloway training method (visit jeffgalloway.com for details) and whether you are interested in the training book, the journal, or both (only 1 prize per person, but you can enter both drawings).

For additional entries, spread the word about this giveway in your blog, twitter, etc and post a link (in the same comment) to each announcement (1 additional entry per announcement). Followers of my blog get an additional entry, but be sure to let me know you are a follower when you comment (you can become a follower today).

You have until Friday, June 25th at midnight (eastern time) to enter. The winners will be selected using random.org and announced next weekend. Good luck!

Friday Five: Incidental Exercise

Today's theme is incidental exercise. Here are 5 things I do anyway for other reasons that have the added bonus of sneaking in a bit of unscheduled exercise.

1. bike/walk to the gym, store, work etc - my main reason for biking/walking to the gym or Publix is because I don't want to waste gas driving a 1 mile, but it's an easy way to get in some extra exercise. 
2. take the stairs - I've been doing this for a long time and don't even remember when I didn't. I only use the elevator at work when I ride my bike to bring it to my office because it is a bit too heavy and awkward to carry up the store with my bag. However, when I walk to the shower to the 4th floor, I use the stairs.
3. house work - All that squatting, bending, scrubbing, running around the house adds up. I don't know about you, but I'm usually exhausted after doing a thorough cleaning of my apartment.
4. carrying groceries - This is great strength training! Instead of using the cart to get your groceries out to your car, and letting the staff do it for you, carry the bags on your shoulders (I use reusable tote bags that are very easy to sling over your shoulder). I have the added bonus that I live about a mile from Publix, so I get to carry them further than just a few feet.
5. sit on exercise ball at my desk - I started doing this a little while ago, but have not been doing it with any consistency lately. It is surprisingly comfortable and a great abs workout. I think I'll sit on it today. You have to ease into it because your body is not used to it, so I usually do it for 30-60 minutes at a time, then alternate with my desk chair.

bonus: park further away - This is moot now that I'm living without a car, but I'd still do it if we ever get one again (or borrow/rent one for a day). I started doing this when I embarked in my weigh loss journey as a way to get in at least a bit of extra walking everyday. I still do it unless it's raining, crazy cold, or I have a lot to carry. It has the added bonus of not wasting time hunting for a parking stop and always knowing where I parked since the ones in the back are always free.

What are your ideas for making exercise a part of your daily routine?

Three Things Thursday: Dump the Pump, Ultimate Runner Book, Galloway

#1 - Today is National Dump the Pump aka Ride Public Transit Day and you can ride the bus for free in many cities, including the Lynx in Orlando! So of course, we skipped the bike and rode the bus today. I think riding on days when I run is the best option, so we may try biking Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and taking the bus on Tuesday and Thursdays. Fridays will be an optional bus day if we feel we need additional rest and may be necessary when I have a really long run aka early morning on Saturdays. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out my previous post on Living without a Car.

#2 - I've been reading the Ultimate Runner on my bus rides to work, and it is so inspirational. The stories get me very emotional, and I am almost on the verge of tears of joy several times. A full review is coming soon, when I finish it, and a chance for you to win your very own copy!

#3 - Marathon training with the Galloway Group is in full swing, and I'm loving it. Unlike previous years when I only joined them for the Saturday long runs, this year I plan to join them for all 3 runs including the 5 am workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am not thrilled about the early morning wake up call, but I'm loving the workouts, especially the speed work on the track -- am I weird? LOL I also have fellow runner blogger Robin to share the experience and carpool from time to time.

One Green Thing: Living Without a Car

My car broke down (again) last Monday (June 7), and we're not planning to get it fixed or replace it anytime soon. We've been wanting to try living without a car for a month, but we always had a car as a backup and opted to use it more often than not when things got difficult. Well, now we have no choice so we'll give this a real go.

This will mean LOTS of adjustments:

• Bike to work more often or take the bus. Trust me, biking is better -- and usually faster -- than the bus; not to mention that it's also cheaper and healthier. On the other hand, I can be productive while on the bus (aka read a book, answer email, etc). But biking to work doubles as exercise, so it's a draw. Although biking has a slight edge because I control the timetable instead of being at the mercy of when the bus comes.
• Buy a trailer for the bike for when we need to haul stuff, such as the water cooler to the track workouts or camping gear.
• Take the train when we go visit Jason's parents in South Florida, and bring our bikes to get from the station to their house and around town while there. I am actually looking forward to this. It's been years since I've been on a train.
• Adjust our sleep schedule so we have enough time for other exercise (running, yoga, etc) before we bike or bus to work. This means going to bed earlier and waking up much earlier some days.
• Explore other options from this wikiHow article: http://www.wikihow.com/Live-Without-a-Car
• Another great resource is http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/
• Keep track of all our transportation and related expenses, and document how we overcome the challenges we face along the way. 

Life without a Car Diary

We've been at this for a week, and plan to stick with it at least through July 15th to get a snapshot of what it would take to do this full time in Orlando. We've already faced and overcome a few challenges. Here's a summary of how we've dealt with not having a car each day so far:

• Monday 6/7: Car died after work. We used Geico's roadside assistance to get it towed home and got a ride in the tow truck.
• Tuesday 6/8:  Took the day off from work to figure out what was wrong with the car. Jason biked to the auto parts store a few times, and I biked to Publix for some groceries. These were all short trips of less than 2 miles each. Jason researched buying a TDI.
• Wednesday 6/9: Biked to work (15 miles each way), which we've done several times before and used to do on a regular basis. This is the day we decided not to look for a new car and try living without one for a month.
• Thursday 6/10: This is my track workout day, so I biked 4.5 miles there, ran 2.5 miles, then biked 11 more miles to work. It wasn't as bad as I expected. Jason biked to the coop to pick up our produce on his way home.
• Friday 6/11: Since we had a triathlon on Saturday, we took a break from biking and rode the bus to work. We attempted to take an earlier bus on a different route, but it never came, so we went to our usual route a half hour later. We still made it to work with plenty of time to spare.
• Saturday 6/12: Our first and biggest concerned when the car broke down was how we'd make it to the triathlon in Clermont. My dad came to the rescue and lent us his truck, which meant him and my mom had to drive to our apartment in separate cars to drop it off Friday night.
• Sunday 6/13: Jason rode his bike to run some errands in the morning (get some cash and buy produce at the farmer's market). We drove the truck to my parents' house and spent the afternoon visiting with them and my gorgeous niece. My dad was going to give us a ride back, but we opted to take the bus home to see how long it would take since we'll have to go back there next Sunday for father's day. The ride went well and I got some reading done. Since it was really hot, and we were running a tad late, my mom gave us a ride to the bus station 1.25 miles away (well actually, the 7-11 across the street so we could get a slurpee and then walk to the bus station).
• Monday 6/14: We biked to work, both ways. It was ridiculously hot and humid! Jason rode ahead to ride to the bike shop since his bike was acting up. I did some yoga when I got home, after taking a cool shower, to help ease my tired muscles.
• Tuesday 6/15: I woke up at 4 am, biked 4.5 miles to run, ran 4 miles, then biked another 11 miles to work. All this activity, and the early woke up, started catching up to me and I was exhausted most of the day. I feared I'd get stuck in the rain on the ride home, but it turned out to be really pleasant since it had just rained so it wasn't hot. I came home, showered, did some yoga, then proceeded to be grumpy the rest of the night. I went to bed early and vowed to sleep in the next day. 
• Wednesday 6/16: The yoga and extra sleep helped, and I felt much better this morning. I sorta slept in until 6 am, did a 20 minutes of Yoga Meditative Flow, then rode the bus to work. Knowing that I have a track workout tomorrow, I thought it best to take it easy today and recover. Jason biked to the pool, but it was closed, so he biked to work early. It looked nasty out this afternoon, so a coworker gave us and his bike a ride home. 

Thoughts So Far ...

We thought we could bike to work 4 days a week, and take the bus on Fridays as a rest day before my long runs Saturday mornings. We're now reconsidering that and may ride the bus at least 2 times a week. If biking to work was our only form of exercise, and we weren't training for endurance races (me several  marathons and Jason a Half IM), we could probably bike to work 4-5 times a week. However, the extra exercise, plus the distance of the commute, plus waking up so early 3 times a week, plus the insane heat and humidity on the ride home, is a bit much for me.

Maybe I'd get used to it eventually, but for now I think I'll bike to work on Monday and Tuesday, ride the bus on Wednesday, bike Thursdays (maybe), then ride the bus on Friday. This is all subject to change on a daily basis depending on the weather and how my body feels. One thing is for sure, I'll need to be more diligent about doing yoga or my legs may revolt. I'll keep you posted on how my thoughts change as the month progresses, but I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet and I'm actually excited for the possibility of making this work on a permanent basis.

New Comments System

A real post is coming soon, but first some housekeeping.

I've been looking for a better way to manage comments on this blog and allow me and users to be notified when replies are posted to their comments. After seeing Frayed Laces implement IntenseDebate on her blog, I knew I had to give it a try.

It allows for threaded comments (yay!) and you can subscribe to be notified of replies to your comments or all comments. I'll also be able to reply to comments via email. You can login using your blogpost url, facebook, twitter, open id, or as a guest.

This is the first post to use this new comment system, so help me test it out and check it out if you have a blog of your own.