February in Review

A treadmill hill workout on Thursday was supposed to bring my February training to an end however I just ran out of time to get the workout in so my February training ended with a kettlebell workout on Wednesday evening.

February 2014 Stats
77.7-- running miles
3.06-- walking miles
4.1-- elliptical miles
3-- kettlebell workouts
2-- stair workouts
1-- fitness app workout
84.86-- total miles

Current 2014 Stats
122.20-- running miles
6.14-- walking miles
4.1--  elliptical miles
6-- kettlebell workouts
4-- stair workouts
1--  fitness app workout
132.44-- total miles

2014 Mission check-in

Mission #1: Make an effort to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Action Plan: Always have fruits and vegetables cleaned, cut up, and ready for consumption.
Action Plan: Choose healthier options when snacking.
Mission #1 is still going pretty well for the most part.  I didn't do so well with eating fruits and vegetables when we were in Fort Lauderdale for a girls weekend.

Mission #2: Accept and embrace that my best is good enough.
Action Plan: Stop comparing myself to others and compare myself to the person I was yesterday.
Action Plan: Define my own success and measure it by what I am able to do.
Mission #2 is a daily challenge for me but I am really working hard on this.  In fact, I'm reading a book called "Raising an Athlete".  It not only is helping me with the what and what nots to say to my kids in regards to their chosen sports but it is also helping me understand myself more as an athlete.

Mission #3: Run 1400 miles in 2014.
Action Plan: Run.
Action Plan: Run some more.
Mission #3 is slowly creeping up there.  I got in a lot more miles than I did last month.  There's still plenty of time to achieve this mission. (1277.80 miles to go)
Mission #4: Run happy.
Action Plan: Run training runs and races with friends as often as I can.
Action Plan: Listen to my heart and not the beeps on my Garmin.
Action Plan: Be thankful that I have been blessed with a healthy body that allows me to run.
Mission #4 is staying on track!  I don't stress about missed workouts anymore.  I am just enjoying the journey.
Mission #5: Do other workouts in addition to running.
Action Plan: Find workouts I enjoy and actually do them.
Action Plan: Participate in some monthly fitness challenges.
Mission #5 is going great. In February I walked on the treadmill 2 times, did 3 kettlebell workouts, 2 stair workouts, completed 2 elliptical workouts and one fitness app workout. 

I continue to be happy with the way things are going right now.  If this weather would just give us a break I would be much happier!  Nothing like having frozen eyelashes on our run this morning!!

Our "diamond" eyelashes and eyebrows!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

18 miles of scattered rain, snow, and hail

Due to this week being spring break I had to alter my training schedule to accommodate time restraints which meant I would need to complete my long run today instead of Sunday. Thankfully, the kids' great grandma came over to play with them while I headed out for my 18 miler this morning.

After several days of gorgeous weather, I woke to 39* and a rain/snow mix. To say I was not looking forward to going out in the elements is an understatement, but with the kids taken care of I laced up my shoes and headed out the door for three 5 mile loops and one 3 mile loop.

Miles 0-5 (loop one)
46:40
9:20/mile
Weather: snow/rain mix

Miles 5-10 (loop two)
47:00
9:24/mile
Weather: snow/rain/light hail mix

Miles 10-15 (loop three)
46:30
9:18/mile
Weather: snow/heavy, painful right in the face hail

Miles 15-18 (loop four)
29:26
9:48/mile
Weather: painful right in the face hail/insanely strong winds

After the third loop I seriously contemplated finishing the final three miles on the treadmill, but I was already cold and wet so I trudged on and completed all 18 miles with a time of 2:49:36 (9:25/mile). I stopped by the house after each loop for water. I also ate some sports beans around mile 9 and that seemed to give me a little more energy which showed in loop three's time. Overall it was a pretty decent long run. I am thankful it is complete and I am now watching "Princess Protection Program" with my kids and staying warm.

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Perfect 10

Today's long run was another scaled back 10 miler in preparation for the Mill Creek 1/2 in two weeks. I was very happy to see the temperature was around 45* and the sun was shining when I headed out this afternoon. I planned to run around a 9:20 pace today since my training schedule called for an easy long run. Once I got out there I was feeling really good and decided to just run how I felt. The temperature threw me off since I am used to bundling up lately. I had to unzip my windbreaker after the one mile mark. By the end of mile two, the gloves came off. As I got to mile 5 I heard the horn of a train indicating it's approach at a railroad crossing. Fortunately, I was still about a 1/2 mile away from the crossing and the train was gone when I approached so I didn't have to stop and wait. In true Ohio weather form, the sun went down at mile 7 and my hands were instantly freezing. The gloves went back on and the windbreaker was zipped back up for the last 3 miles.

Mile 1-- 9:09
Mile 2-- 9:00
Mile 3-- 9:22 (slow steady incline)
Mile 4-- 9:15 (spent 1/4 mile telling a dog to go back home)
Mile 5-- 9:07
Mile 6-- 9:14
Mile 7-- 9:07
Mile 8-- 9:04 (nice downhill)
Mile 9-- 9:01
Mile 10-- 8:41

Time-- 1:31.00
Avg Mile-- 9:06

Today's run was great. I felt like I could have kept running after the 10 miles but of course I respected my training and ended the run.

Keep running, you're simply the best and you inspire me!!

January in Review

Where did January go?!?!

See the picture below for my ninja look for my 12 mile run today
Temperature: 17* (feels like 2* according to weather.com)
Running Gear: Underarmour tank top, Underarmour long sleeve shirt, lined Ashland University Cross Country windbreaker, my "I feel like a ninja" mask, Underarmour gloves, Underarmour tights, Nike Dry Fit running pants, and of course socks, shoes, and my garmin
Course: 6 miles out and 6 miles back through 3 cities (Avon, Sheffield, and Elyria) with several small hills (nothing like the hills in PA though)
Finish time: 1:59.50 (just under a 10:00 minute mile--not as good as last week, but I will take it since it is COLD).

January statistics:
95.08-- running miles
28.8-- elliptical miles
123.88-- total miles
151.4-- weight as of January 31, 2010
3-- number of scheduled miles missed due to illness (horrible migraine)
47*-- warmest outdoor run
17*-- (feels like 2*) coldest outdoor run

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!