Track Practice

Tonight, we had track practice. We did a warm up of 1/4 mile and then some quick knees, butt kicks, speed increases. Then, we did 1 mile "faster than normal" with slow ends and fast in the straight way which I did in 10:10. Next, we did 1/2 mile "faster than normal" which I did in 4:50. Next, we did 1/4 mile which I think I did in about 2:20. The last 1/4 mile one I did in 2:25. We then did 1/2 mile cool down, stretched, and wished everyone a Merry Christmas. :)

We are doing our 8 mile run this week, and I am ready to get it behind me. I am a little nervous, a little excited. We are going to do it as a group which should be fun.

We had a team lunch at TFlats, and I ate WAYYYYYYY too much. I never needed to have dinner as I was full. I am hoping that running took care of that. :)

4 Miles

This morning, I set out for a 4 mile run. I didn't really have any goals time wise or heart rate or anything. Just 4 miles. So, the first 2 miles were great. It was cold, but it felt pretty good. The second two miles were a bit of a struggle as I had to go to the restroom. :) So, I finally gave in, went back to the house (of course it was 3.5 miles by then), and then I went back out for the remaining .5 so that I had done the 4. LOL...Oh the things we will do.

I did get up early to work first so that I could run a little later in the morning when it wasn't quite so cold.http://connect.garmin.com/activity/20822028

Rest Day

I had planned on running 4 miles today, but I decided that my legs might need a little more rest. They were feeling somewhat sore still. Seems odd, but I am trying to listen and not get hurt. So, I rested. We shopped for Christmas and such.

3.1 with Mike

Today, I ran 3.1 miles with Mike. It was meant to be an "easy" run as my legs were still pretty sore. Not sure why but they are lingering some. Especially my hamstrings. So, I just had a nice, light jog with some walking thrown in. It was good. It was nice to just enjoy being with Mike and not worrying about the speed or anything. Helped the legs too. We went to Busch Gardens after, so I got in lots of walking too.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/20822027

Biko Day

Today, I saw Biko. I am still mainly doing arm work and core work as my leg is still someone of a pesky thing. It isn't really painful now. It is always just a bit tender and seems like it is always on the verge of being hurt. So, I will keep taking it a bit easy until that stops.

No run today...just Biko...I heart Biko...:) He rocks.

Seven Miles Running! Woo Hoo!

Woo Hoo! After last week, I was really scared about this half marathon. That 6 miles was TOUGH. Holly and Jen told me that I really should do the run 5 min walk 30 seconds intervals. So, I decided it was worth a shot. I LOVED IT. I felt so much stronger. I beat my 5 mile time and my 6 mile time, so they were definitely right about going faster. The last mile was still pretty hard, but I banged out 6 without too much trouble. MUCH better than last week. Much. Love it. So happy. 6.1 more to go. :)

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Fastest Mile EVER

Yesterday, I had a Biko session where he killed my arms, back, and abs.

Tonight was a track night, and we did 2 mile repeats. The first mile, we ran hard around the ends and jogged on the straight. We rested for a minute or so. On the second one, we ran hard on the straight and jogged on the ends. I ran my fastest mile ever at 10:04. The second one was 10:14. I have never ever done 2 miles in 20:18 although I don't think I could have done that either without the rest in the middle. The best news is that this is faster than the 2:38 splits I was doing for a quarter mile only 5 weeks ago and this was a whole mile at a time. :) I screwed up on the Garmin and didn't push the button, so I didn't get the times. Guess that means I will have to do it again!

I am very nervous about the long run this week since the 6 miles was so hard. However, I think I am going to try the 5 min run with 30 second walk intervals like they suggested. :)

Flapjack 5K

Another PR for me! This morning, we ran the Flapjack 5K, and I hit another personal record by a whole 7 seconds! Too funny. I might could have been a few seconds faster, but I almost puked in the last tenth of a mile. My HR was too high I think. Oh well...:) I was pretty close to puking, and of course I was right next to the guy who was announcing people coming in. Hee Hee...:)

At the beginning of the race, we were laughing as the guy said that if you are a slow runner and run at a 9 or 10 minute pace, be sure to get to the back. We were cracking up and I wanted to ask where they people go who are trying to GET to a 9 or 10 minute pace. :) I am at 11:25 and proud of it. :)

It was basically a big circle through a neighborhood, but they had the miles marked well. It was kind of weird through the neighborhood as they didn't have police or anything. There were cars FLYING down the road, and it made me a little nervous. They did have police on the main road to stop traffic though.

Also, the water was pretty sparce. They had a tiny little cup of water just before the 2 mile point. The other races we have done (I like the sound of that) had two water stations. I like that better. I was going to wear my fuel belt, but I decided I would look like a complete dork. :)

After the race, they had flapjacks (hence the Flapjack name of the race), and they looked really good. I was a good girl and had a banana since I have eaten two big dinners at Outback in the last two days AND I had PIZZA at the cheer competition. Oops...I did well at Outback wiht my choices, but it is still a lot more than I normally eat. (I like the sound of that too).

The other Amy in Amy squared was there too and Mike also ran it. Other than the lack of water and traffic control, I think we all enjoyed it.

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Six Miles Completed!

The picture represents the motivation I had to keep running without walking to make it home before the storm. I made it back 5 minutes before the downpour.

The picture represents the motivation I had to keep running without walking to make it home before the storm. I made it back 5 minutes before the downpour.

This morning, I managed to fight off nervousness and excuses, and I got out and ran. I am still battling the kidney stone, but it wasn't hurting for the first 5 miles. That last mile was hard. My back hurt by my kidney, my bladder cramped, my legs hurt, my toes hurt...BUT, I kept going. I just ran until the next street sign, the next turn in the road, the next whatever. I took three sips of water at each place I made it. By the last quarter mile, I was enjoying it again. There were these workers pouring concrete right by my house, and they smiled at me each time I passed them (3 times). This other lady was pushing her child in a stroller as a workout, and I am not sure I was looking pretty good as she said" at least you are trying." I am not sure that is a good sign as I don't really want people to say "at least you are trying" LOL. I felt pretty strong except for 5.25 - 5.75. That was a rough half mile. I did it though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




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HILLS!

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This was our first hill workout. I have been reading a lot about hills, and I have really heard that they help with your form so much. I was nerous but excited. I did forget to start my watch at the end, but I got most of it. Holly said that we should lean into the hill a little and let your arms pull you like here is a rope ou are pulling on. I enjoyed that feeling by the end. It was really hard, but I enjoyed it. I am hoping it busts up some stone!

Easy 3 mile run

Today was the first time in about two months that I have run two days in a row due to my leg injury. I took it easy and did a run based on my heart rate. I tried to keep my heart rate between 168 and 170. I felt pretty good, and I enjoyed the run. :)

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Easy 4 Mile Run

Did I just say that in the same sentence? Easy? Run? 4 Miles? LOL

I wasn't feeling too badly today (I have a kidney stone but the pain comes and goes), so I decided to go for a 4 mile run. I ended up going a little extra - 4.28. I decided to work on going at a pace that my heart could handle, so my goal was to keep my HR in the 168 - 170 range. My average was 168! It felt pretty good. I am pretty confident that I will be able to do 6 miles this week. Tomorrow will be the first day that I will have run 2 days in a row in a LONG time. Chris (my PT) says that I am ready.

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Five Miles Again

Today, I did 5 miles. I got up at 6 and fought off every excuse my brain had (they were pitiful anyway). It might rain, it might be cold, I just did swimming last night, my legs are sore, there might be puddles from the rain last night, what if I can't do it, what if I don't make it back in time to take Morgan to school, etc, etc, etc. I pushed onward and did it! I knocked off about 20 seconds from my time. 23 more to go to get under an hour.

The next long run is 6 miles. I am nervous as I was pretty tired at the end of 5. We will see!

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Swimming

Tonight, I joined the Tampa Metro Masters swimming group for a trial swim. I really liked the group. I have a long way to go to be able to swim like they do (if I ever get there), but it is great to have found a group that I can swim with. I have found that if I have an appt, I am much more likely to do it. So, this will give me times that I need to swim.

I did
200 any stroke
200 kick
200 drill (any drill)
200 kick easy
4 X 75 kick any kick
100 cool down

It was lots of fun, but man my legs were sore after all that kicking! :) I am planning to go back again on Saturday.

Track Night - Tri Team Practice

Tonight at track, we did a simulated 5K for time. Holly and Jen have my time as 9 seconds different than my garmin. Odd....

I was about 30 seconds slower on this one than in the race. Bummer...Otherwise, I did it! :)

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