The Week I Ran Every Mile: Training for Philadelphia {Week 4}

My goal this week was to follow the training schedule religiously. In other words, not skimp on my daily mileage and actually follow through.  And I am here to say: I did it!

Monday - 3 miles

I went to happy hour with coworkers after work on Monday. In the back of my head I knew I had 3 miles to finish, and I knew if I wanted to run outside, it needed to be before dark.  And well, since I don't have a treadmill hidden away somewhere, that was my only option. After a bottle of wine and some appetizers, I made my way over to the park to run my 3 miles. And I succeeded! I forget how beautiful Balboa Park is at dusk and just after dark.  Since I've started documenting my training, I've been stopping more to "smell the roses" and enjoy my surroundings. I kind of like it. It's less about getting to my end point and enjoying the run along the way.

Tuesday - Cross

2nd verse, same as the first. Or in this case, Fit Camp Tuesdays! Exercises and circuits are different, but the intent is the same. That's my favorite part about Fit Camp. I never know what's coming, but I know it will be good.

Wednesday - 4 miles

My friend from high school and her friend came to San Diego to visit on Wednesday for a few days.  They live on the east coast and it was their first time in San Diego, so I, of course, had to show them the sites.  We went downtown to the Gaslamp district for dinner and drinks.  A first for me: I changed and wore my running clothes to dinner so I would keep myself accountable. After eating too many french fries, I left them to wander a bit and explored a new route. I ran down to the bay and along the water for a couple miles.  It was really nice that time of night and there were plenty of people out so I felt safe too even though it was getting dark.

Thursday - Rest

My friends twisted my arm and instead of running on Thursday, we had a picnic in the park. Whole foods salad bar and a bottle of red for the win.  It was nice to relax in the park. I've lived in San Diego for 5 years and I've never taken the time to just chill out in the park.

Friday - 3 miles

I got up before work and knocked out the 3 miles I was supposed to cover on Thursday. I love when I am able to get myself in gear and get my run in before work. I always feel so great for the rest of the day. It's just so hard to pull myself out of bed.  I took my friend with me on this run, to show her my Balboa Park route. She seemed to really enjoy it. 

Saturday - 9 miles

Up until this week, I feel like my long runs really haven't been all that long.  Creeping up on double digits, however, were a wake up call.  I went back to Mission Beach to run the 6 mile boardwalk and then crossed over to the bay side to finish it up.  I found that if I ran 3 miles, walked to compose myself for a few minutes and then continued for another 3, I felt better about myself.  Compartmentalizing the run really helped.  I think I will continue this throughout my training. 

Sunday - Rest

Enough said. I succeeded in getting in every run on my schedule this week and it felt great.  I felt very accomplished!

Sorry for the lack of pictures on this post, I wrote it (obviously as you can tell by it's posting date) almost 3 weeks ago and hadn't put pictures in. In the interest of time, that's how it's going to stay. I promise, this won't happen again.

Are We Getting A Hang Of This Yet: Training for Philadelphia {Week 3}

How did week 3 come and go already? While I may not have been successful in getting in some quality runs this week, I definitely did a good job at kicking my own butt.

Monday - 3 miles

I was still in Boston visiting my friend on Monday, and I knew I had to get out and run before we started our day.  I ran down along Commonwealth Avenue, and then made myself a loop running back to her apartment via Beacon Street.  I didn't realize until the next day, when we were exploring the city, that Commonwealth is one of the main thoroughfares for the Boston Marathon. It was a great run, again with some more hills thrown in.  I never realized how spoiled I am by running in San Diego. Sure you can find a hill (or mountain) to do hill training, but you can also easily run for miles on flat ground.  Thanks, New England for killing my confidence.  At least the trees and houses were pretty to look at. 

Tuesday - Rest

Make way for ducklings!

I went with my friend to do some more exploring in Boston around the Boston Common and the Prudential Center.  We explored the public library, walked down Newbury Street window shopping and stopped in at the Marathon Sports store right on the finish line of the Boston Marathon.  It was definitely surreal to walk on Boylston and think about what had happened earlier this spring. I bought a Boston Strong shirt at Marathon Sports (and a tube of Nuun, of course).  I was so excited to wear my shirt to changed into it at the airport for my flight home. 

Boston Public Library

Wednesday - Cross

After a full week off from Fit Camp, I returned on Wednesday for leg day.  Little did I know, it was also a hill day.  Yay! About 1/3 of a mile from the park where we normally do fit camp, there is a series of streets with some serious inclines.  About once a month, we'll head that way to do some exercises.  Ever think your calves are getting lazy?  Just walk yourself backwards down a steep hill. Seems easy, right? Until you wake up the next morning and fall over because you can't stretch out your legs.  Go ahead, try it. I dare you.  My goal in life is to do this at least once a week so that my calves finally become strong enough to not hate me for 3 days.  The perks of hill day? A great view of downtown San Diego! And of course, killer calf muscles.

Thursday - Cross

Only 12 hours after I finished leg day, I decided to get my second cross training exercise of the week done and over with.  I miss the 6 a.m. fit camp class. I love the way I feel after I finish an early morning work out, but it's so hard to convince yourself of that when you're dragging yourself out of bed when the sun isn't up yet.  Some early morning sprints and push ups got me going though. And it was great to have my workout done before work. 

Friday - 3 miles (half running, half stumbling)

Lesson of the day: You cannot successfully run on just peanut butter M&M's and pasta salad.  Needless to say, my day at work as a little crazy on Friday and I became one of those people I hate that says "I just forgot to eat".  Halfway into my flat, calming beach run, my vision became blurry and I realized if I didn't stop to walk, that someone might be picking me up on a stretcher.  I walked (more like stumbled slowly) back to my car where I shoveled Doritos and popcorn in my mouth for a good 20 minutes until I felt normal again.  Great mental picture, right?  Imagine those passing by silently judging the girl in running clothes sitting on the grass gorging herself on Doritos (orange fingers and all).  It was a low moment.  Never again.

My halfway "let's stop to take a picture, but I'm really dying" photo.

Saturday - 6 miles

Since my running record was pretty horrible for the week, I knew I had to successfully finish my long run this week. I made sure I was properly hydrated and fed before heading out to the beach to finish what I started the day before.  That is, until I got down to my car and realized I had locked my keys in the car the day before after my Doritos episode. Whoops.  An hour later, roadside assistance arrived to save the day.  In the meantime, I balanced my check book, painted my nails and did an ab workout. All was not lost.

Once I got the beach, I was successful in making it to the end of the boardwalk and back.  I may have muttered a few expletives under my breath to the families walking 6 abreast on the boardwalk and I may tripped over a stroller or two, but I made it!

Resisting the urge to plow right through them like a bowling ball.

Beautiful day.

Sunday - Rest

I had my first adventure to the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club on Sunday.  I only bet on one race ($2 bet, big spender, back up!). But it was a great time hanging out with friends and people watching. 

And, they're off!

Goals for next week:

• Get my diet back in check.  This week and last week were pretty out of control with traveling and everything.  I haven't had a banana in 3 days. Not normal.
• Stick to the mileage plan.  
• Foam roll & stretch. I realized this week, and I don't know if it's because of my leg day workout or what, that my legs and hips are unreasonably tight.  Must work on that.
• Find somewhere (kind of) new and excited for my 9 mile long run on Saturday!

Running on Vacation Success: Training for Philadelphia {Week 2}

Look everyone: I successfully completed week 2! Half of this week I was on vacation on the east coast for my high school reunion.  Needless to say I was a little worried that I wouldn't get my miles in.  I'm pretty infamous for packing my running shoes on vacation and never using them.  BUT, I succeeded and actually followed my training schedule, pretty much to a tee.

The week went a little bit like this....

Monday - 3 miles

Not going to lie, it took me a minute to remember these miles.  Oh that's right, it was my first adventure in a running skirt. This is how that went:

Epic fail.

There should be a disclaimer on the tag: Do you have large thighs? Don't buy me, then. 
As a result, I suffered through 3 miles along Mission Bay, stopping every quarter mile to {ahem} adjust my shorts. Never again. But at least I finished!

Tuesday - Cross

Another week of biceps, triceps and cardio circuits with Mission Fit Camp.

Wednesday - 3 miles

I had a redeye on Wednesday night to New York and didn't think I could get a run in.  I scrambled home and changed quickly and managed to run around the neighborhood before my flight.  Having just moved a month or so ago, I haven't found a good route yet that is easy to calculate. I used to have the perfect mile loop figured out from my front door.  Clearly, I have some investigating to do.

Thursday - 3 miles

Home sweet home.... I arrived in Connecticut on Thursday to torrential downpours, early Spring-like temperatures and gusting wind.  It was beautiful, to say the least. <insert sarcasm here> My dreams of running along the water were shattered.  That is, until after dinner, when a pause in the rain came.  I dragged my friend down to the local boardwalk for a couple of miles.  Unfortunately, due to Hurricane Sandy, the once mile long stretch of boardwalk has now been reduced to a half mile. Three quick out and back loops did the job.  It was the perfect time of day, just before dusk.  The bay was smooth and the light sprinkle was just what I needed after a day of dodging horizontal rain.

Friday  - Rest

I took advantage of my rest day and used it for other activities.  Like this one:

Nothing but pure class.

Saturday - 5.56 miles (of 7 attempted miles)

Small town life.

Why hello, east coast humidity, I have not missed you. I set out for my long run of the week at 9 am on Saturday.  That was my first mistake.  My friend and I had calculated a 7 mile route around her neighborhood the night before.  Basically, my goal was to hit every cul-de-sac in the development. Sounds thrilling, doesn't it? After 4 miles of this, I could have died of boredom, and there was no shade to speak of. So, I decided to head out of the development to the nice winding tree covered lane. I now know why this road is called Grassy Hill.

Looks picturesque, don't let that fool you.

If you ever need a bit of hill training, just head to southeastern Connecticut. I went between running and walking for a few miles until I decided I was over it and walked home. But hey, at least I got out there, right??

My high school reunion was that night.  Of course, I forgot to take pictures.  I was too busy handing out drink tickets and trying my best not to be awkward.

Sunday - Rest

I headed up to Boston on Sunday to visit with another friend from high school. We did a bit of walking through the North End, followed by an amazing Italian dinner (caprese salad and eggplant lasagna) and a cannoli (a must). What a way to end the week!

Worth the line out the door.  Tip: there is no real line, if you're a local.