Week # 9 Done… and Time is Flying By

I cannot believe it is Saturday again already and we have completed 9 weeks of training toward our half marathon in May.  I have run 90.9 miles since the beginning of January.

It was such a good week!

On Monday I was quite nervous about running 7 miles.  But it turned out really well and I finished very strong and elated!  I did have some cramping in both my feet after I finished stretching, but I managed to walk it off.

Then on Wednesday, we did the Leap Year Virtual Run that was hosted by Erica who writes Life As a Running Mom.  It was good timing as I had planned a 3 mile run for this day so doing Erica’s 2.9 mile run was an easy change.   I completed the distance in just under 33 minutes which is good for me.

Today we repeated the 7 mile route that we covered on Monday. I replaced the battery in the chest strap on my heart rate monitor so I could use it today and I planned to keep the pace at between 75% and 80% of max.  It was actually more like 83% to 85% for most of the way and that felt very comfortable so I didn’t worry about it. 

It was as high as 90% for a couple of minutes when we kicked it up to make  traffic light, and up to 96% during the last couple of blocks as I sprinted to the finish! I like to finish strong at the half, so I keep practising picking up my speed near the finish line each time we run. We completed the 7 miles in one minute less than we did on Monday.

And thanks to some wonderful advice I got this week from so many of you, I have increased my stretching time to 15 minutes after I run, and I am making sure to have a protein-based recovery snack within half an hour of finishing, and I am hydrating well.

Today I came VERY close to having an ice bath after I stretched… but I just couldn’t quite do it!  Perhaps when when the weather gets a bit warmer.

I do think, now that I have decided to get more serious about my strength training too, that stretching is going to be even more important for me.  So, instead of having a REST day on Sunday now, I will do a STRETCHING workout of some kind… maybe some standing yoga poses.  I am heading off to check some blogs to see what I can come up with.  And I plan to do a good CORE workout on Sundays too.

Just another thought… that chart I have displayed at the top of this post is from Daily Mile and I have no clue as to how they calculate the calorie burn… and I don’t care a whit about it so will likely be deleting it from now on.  Even if it is accurate, it only uses my runs and doesn’t reflect anything else I do…..

How do you track your workouts or your runs?

Do you care about the calorie burn numbers?

Almost forgot!  I am looking into foam rolling and have been eying up something called a Tiger Tail... if you use a foam roller, what do you recommend?


Coming back to this post to add a note... found out on March 10th that we hadn't really run the whole 7 mile route either time this week...  ran only 3.35 miles out so that makes the total 6.7 miles each time.  I editted Daily Mile posts, hand-written training log, February results.  Not a big deal but wanted to change these things for the sake of accuracy in my logs.

March Madness? Maybe…

Since the beginning of the year I have been concentrating on my half marathon training.  I have been very focussed on my running, and the progress I am making in speed gains and longer distances.  All good, and I am really happy about it.  I am ecstatic about it actually!

But my strength training has really taken a back seat.  I have been doing a couple of workouts each week, but only half-heartedly at best. I have done some upper and lower body work with my 5 lb dumbells, and I have done some DVD workouts, and I do think that is better than having done nothing at all… but not by much.

Yesterday I thought about whether I could build some muscle on my upper body, while doing all this running.  And last night, I did quite a bit of research on the internet, reading opinons by several different trainers.  The general consensus seems to be that muscle building and long distance runnning do not go hand in hand.  That runners don’t want or need bulky muscles.

I certainly agree with that.   I don’t want to look like a body builder or a fitness model. At this point in my life I doubt that I could... or maybe  I am selling myself short after reading about this gal.



Ernestine Shepherd who started body building at 56

I do, however, want some more definition in my arms, my shoulders and my back.  And I want a strong core and legs to support my running. 

I think if I step up my strength training somewhat… train smarter… and keep eating properly (lots of fresh freggies, lean protein, whole grains, fat free dairy) that I can get the results I want by the time my half marathon rolls around on May 13th. And that would put me in good stead for the summer clothes I want to wear... yes, I am that vain. Who isn't?

The timing is good for me too, as I have just been given some GNC Canada whey isolate protein drink powder and a month's worth of women’s vitamin packs.  Both of these things should support my efforts nicely.

I had The Captain take a picture of me this morning that I am not really anxious to share, but for my own records, shows my arms and shoulders as they are now… a starting point.

I am going to have The Captain join in my workouts to help keep me accountable and on track and I will be posting about them regularly.

Here is what I did today:

5 minute warmup

2 sets of 10 reps (first set w/ 8 lb dumbbells, second set w/ 5 lb dumbbells) each:

• pushups
• bicep curls
• tricep kickbacks
• lateral raises
• overhead presses
• reverse flyes
• pec decks
• delt raises
• frontal raises

1 set of 20 reps (w/ 5 lb dumbbells) each:

• squats
• rear alternating lunges

5 minute cool/stretch

It all took close to half an hour and left me with my arms feeling like jelly!  I hope that means it is working!

We plan to do a nice long walk after lunch, to take care of some errands.

Thursday Thoughts

My running is going well. Thanks to taking and using some great advice that I recently received from lots of kind and generous runners who read this blog from time to time, I am progressing nicely with my half marathon training... my legs feel goooood... and my sugar cravings are gone!  Really.  Gone!

My speed has increased on my shorter runs which is making me a bit faster on my longer runs, too, and making them feel much easier.  I am taking it easy on my longer runs and finishing feeling good and with lots of energy to spare. 

I intend to continue with the training schedule that we set up, but do have one change to make mid-March... a medical test will make it necessary to do my long run mid-week again and probably miss one short run that week.  I don't think this well be a problem.

I would like to increase the intensity and amount of time I am spending weight training.  I think it would be nice to be more muscular in my upper body and not so 'scrawny' as my doctor calls it.  I do have long lean muscles and would like to see some bulk on them.  Is that possible while I am doing so much running?  We shall see.

March looks very promising... Spring has arrived... the days are getting longer and we have plans for some big changes this year.

It's smoothie time... off to make a protein shake with my new GNC  whey isolate Burst... it is Banana Berry Burst and I love the flavor!

My 7 Mile Training Run - Thanks to You!

Okay, first let me say THANK YOU VERY MUCH to everyone who took the time to read and comment on my last post where I cried out asked for advice.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate  your help and I loved reading about why and how you do things.  I learned a lot that I am attempting to put into practice, starting today.

I have decided that while we are doing this half marathon training, and our runs are starting to get longer,  that I need to be way more careful about what I am eating... that I need to concentrate on food as FUEL, and to give up the JUNK!

Today we had a 7 mile run on the training schedule and I was kinda nervous about it.  I did an 8 mile run in September and since then, 6 miles has been the longest. Last night I sat down and mapped us out a 7 mile route and even though the last 3/4 mile would be uphill, I thought it would be quite enjoyable. In this neighborhood, no matter which way we head out, coming back is always uphill!

I  decided that we should run after lunch today, as it has been cooler the past couple of nights and I wanted to be out in the warmest part of the day, which was promised to be about 3C (38 - 40F, I think).... and a bit breezy, but sunny.

This morning I made sure that we had a good breakfast.  I cooked oats and added vanilla protein powder to them... then served Chobani Greek yogurt and nut butter on top, with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Almond Butter for me, chunky PB for him

At 11:30 I made lunch... home make potato and leek soup with crumbled bacon and Chobani Greek yogurt stirred in, a small grilled cheese sandwich, some grape tomatoes and a glass of fat free milk. Then about 20 minutes before we got our shoes and jackets on to head out the door, I got The Captain to share a nuun with me.  And I prepared another to pack along in my water belt.

I was determined not to overdo today.  I have learned that I should not be trying to run faster and longer at the same time, during the same run.  So I told The Captain that today would be a long SLOW run and that if he felt he needed to walk at all, it was all right with me.  I would not be running faster than I felt comfortable with and that I hoped not to need any walk breaks.  I wanted to wear my HRM to give me some backup on this pacing thing, but the battery on the chest strap was dead so that didn't pan out.  I knew though that I could just keep an eye on my watch if I needed.

So, off we went, down the hill and onto a familiar stretch of trail... then we took a turn onto a different section... one that we biked in the Fall, but have never run.  It is a very gentle downhill and we got to the turnaround point in 40 minutes.  I was feeling pretty good and The Captain had only walked a short way once or twice.  We chatted quite a bit and that is a good sign to me that we are running slow.

At the turnaround point, we started sharing the nuun that I was carrying.  We kept the same pace for about a mile and then I began to slow down a little, as the uphill started to get a bit more taxing.  But I was feeling good and The Captain was not complaining.  With about a mile to go, and most of it a steeper uphill slope, I was still feeling good... and I sprinted the last block to our corner. 

We finished the nuun as we walked up the steep hill to the house and I was pretty excited.  We had run out in 40 minutes, and back in 44 which resulted in 12 minute miles overall.  I would have been happy with 13 minute miles today and the BEST part was, I still had lots of energy left.  I felt I could have gone a lot further.

W3 R84 W4 no walk break

We came into the house and changed into dry clothes and drank some water while I made us each a smoothie from a scoop of chocolate protein powder and a banana.  We drank those while we stretched..... and I stretched for 10 whole minutes today where normally I have been stretching only 5 minutes.  (Stretching was a recurring theme in the advice I was lucky to be given.)

All of a sudden my right calf started cramping up, and so I put some relaxant gel on it and it helped right away... and then my feet started to cramp a bit too.  The Captain had me drink 2 more glasses of water and I put on some sneakers and walked around till the cramps let up.  Odd, very odd.

Then I had a hot bath!  And just laid in it and relaxed... and it was wonderful... and then after I dried I put a Recovery sock on my left leg, and my Tommie Copper calf sleeve on my right leg, and have been feeling good but tired ever since.

Dinner was pasta with meatballs and lots of veggies, with some fruit and Greek yogurt for dessert.

I have decided that:

• eating more protein throughout the day has stopped the sugar cravings and made me less hungry overall 
• drinking nuun before the run as well as during, helped me feel better during and after the run and more energetic, and I wasn't thirsty once
• I need to stretch for at least 10 minutes after a run
• I do need to eat some protein within half an hour after I run and will be experimenting with protein powders, eggs and egg whites
• When I run longer, I am going to be tired and my muscles are going to need  more time to recover
• I need to keep my feet warm and supported after I run.  I should wear shoes not slippers.
• Asking other runners for help and advice is the best thing for me to do when I have concerns and doubts.

So a 7 mile run under my belt and now I am very excited and eager to keep going with our training.  And I am gonna sleep like a log tonight!

Week 8 Training Done - Would Love YOUR Advice!

Week 8 of my half marathon training is in the bag!  And it was a good week in many ways... not so good in others.

Normally we have been doing our long runs on Saturdays, but last Saturday the weather was awful. It poured rain all day till well into the afternoon... by then it was too late to get in the scheduled 6 miles, so we did only 2.  Not wanting to forego that 6 miler altogether, we moved it to Monday.

So, Monday we did a 10k (6.2 miles) to take part in Grandma Lill's 95th Birthday virtual race.



Then on Wednesday it was quite windy so we did a 5km loop through the neighborhood instead of the 3 mile route that is more exposed to weather.

And today, there was a 7 miler on the schedule... but again, due to weather and some sniffles (both of us) I have postponed it to Monday.  I just don't think there is any point stressing our immune systems any more than necessary... better to rest a bit and stay warm, load up on zinc and vitamin C,  and then see what Monday brings.  Today we ran the same 5 km route as Wednesday, but in the opposite direction.

All in all a good week and I am happy that:

• my legs are getting noticeably stronger and more muscular
• I am abe to run faster on shorter runs
• I am building mental toughness
• I am looking forward to the runs

But I am concerned about:

• a constant craving for sweets even when I am not hungry
• leg soreness after long runs during the evening and night when I am sleeping

This week I tried and had good success with:

• using a nuun tablet in my water for hydration during the 10km run.  Next long run I am going to have half a tab before heading out and then taking more along in my water for during.
• wearing my Recovery Socks for several hours on Monday after the 10 km run and I think that is the key for me... keep the legs warm and supported.
• wearing my Tommie Copper calf sleeve during the night when cramping appears. I wish I had a pair of them!
• making sure to rehydrate after runs, stretching, eating bananas, and taking my supplements... I do believe that all helps the legs.

I am going to sit down today and do some menu planning for the week to make sure I am getting enough protein in my days' eats. This last week I just tried to eat more overall but that is just not cutting it. I want to eat cookies and chocolate all evening! 

Usually after we run and have had a couple of glasses of water, I make us each a smoothie of some kind to sip while we stretch.

I put a whole banana into the blender jar, usually about half a cup of some kind of milk (Almond Breeze, fat free cow's milk, Coconut Dream) or a partial scoop of protein powder and half a cup of water, some ground flax, or some chia seeds, and perhaps other fruit and cinnamon.

On Wednesday, I added raspberries to The Captain's smoothie...

And today, the only fruit was a banana...

Of course I would love any feedback that you have to offer!

Do your legs get sore after your longer runs?  What do you do about that to help them recover?

Do you use special RECOVERY foods or drinks or powders? Which ones would you recommend from your own experience?

Do you take supplements?  Which ones?