Running Faster, Running Farther

I took most of the last week off from exercising because my mom had come to visit me and help set up my new house.  I was pretty much working 8 hours, and then spending the rest of the day with her.  To say I was exhausted would be an understatement.  However, it was a great weekend with my mom so even though I was really tired I was having fun.

Still, the busy weekend forced me to take a few days off from running and working out.  Today is my day off of work and while I plan on being lazy as much as possible, I still wanted to get some workouts in.  This morning I stepped outside as the sun was just starting to break the horizon and planned on a nice relaxing 5 mile run.  It didn't end that way...

It was just one of those days I felt better than planned and decided to take full advantage of that wonderful feeling.  I started with my normal route, took my normal breaks, but when I would have started to head home, I kept going.  I ended up running 7.03 miles.  I did have 3 breaks, but even those walking breaks were faster than in the past (sub 16 min pace).

Overall, I'm ecstatic about today's run and I'm happy I took full advantage of my time off.  Depending on how I feel this afternoon, I might do a quick Jillian Michael's workout and then relax this evening with a nice bubble bath.  I love my days off from work...

Let's Get Lost

I've been moving around a lot recently.  My internship ended just over a week ago and I'm in temporary housing as my house gets built.  Due to the transient lifestyle, I've been finding new routes.

Yesterday, I checked out the map for the area where I'm staying and found what I thought would be a nice route to run.  I had no clue how far it would be or how long it would take me to get everywhere.  There were a lot of walking paths that intersected and deviated from each other so I knew it was going to be interesting.

This morning I got ready for my run and rechecked my map.  Again, I knew it was going to somewhat of a challenge to stay on a route.  After all, this is a new area for me.  So I figured out a few landmarks from the map and decided that it was time to get lost.

Ok, I didn't get lost in the conventional sense of the word.  I knew where I was, sorta, and I was able to find my way back to my room.  All in all, it was a great run.  It ended up being just over 5 miles and I got to explore the area where I'm staying which was fun.

In my opinion, one of the great things about running is that you can just go off and get lost on a run.  You can stop thinking about life and where you are and just let loose.  You never know what you might stumble upon or what great routes you might find.  On today's run I found a route I'm going to try tomorrow morning and I'll admit I'm anxious to get out there and explore again.  As for the things I stumbled upon... check out this cute gazebo they had, but it was designed like a carousel:

In other news, I've decided to set up a few new goals.  

First, I WILL be doing the full marathon in 2013.  It'll be good for my health and I think it's just a great goal overall.  

Second, I MIGHT be doing the Goofy in 2014... I have 2 years to train for that, I think I can do it... 

Third, I want to run 400-500 miles in 2012.  I haven't decided on an exact number, but I want over 1 mile a day so anything better than 365 miles is good for me.  Right now, I'm behind with that goal since I've only run just over 8 miles, but I'm ready to tackle that goal and beat it!

Off The Sidewalk

When I lived in California, I loved running on some well established trails.  Most of the ones I ran on went right by the ocean, offering a pretty awesome run.  Moving to Florida, that's been one of the biggest differences for me.  There are some sidewalks where there are enough houses, businesses, or apartments, but they can sometimes be spotty.

My first experience running off the sidewalk was a few months ago and there were so many holes hidden in the grass that I didn't want to try again.  Well, today I took a different route and decided why not?  I had seen people running on the grass next to the road in front of my apartment and I knew it would eventually hit sidewalk up by one of the hotels.  So, I cautiously took to the grass and ended up running about 1.5 miles on the grass.  The area I ran on didn't have as many holes as the first time I ran on the grass and it really wasn't too bad. There was a small bump for a hill at one point, but overall it was flat and barely sloping.

I was originally planning on going 8 miles today.  I had spent all week thinking about it.  However, I ended up only getting about 6 in... I believe I need to get some new socks as I keep getting blisters on the arch of my foot.  I even used some body glide, but it only postponed when the blisters would start forming.  I have some other shocks I'm going to try next week, so hopefully I know which ones to go get.  Plus, this means another trip to the reebok outlet, which has quickly become my favorite athletic store.  I got my Easytones for $30! and I would have gotten a second pair for $15 and there were other amazing deals I had to resist from partaking in.

Since I didn't get my 8 miles in today, I spent some time on the stationary bike and got a good few miles in on there.  It wasn't hard, just a nice spin time to cool down.  Looks like I'm back to doing brick workouts and I'm definitely not complaining about that cause I love my brick workouts!

Back To Strength Training

I was able to get out and run yesterday.  I was originally planning on running on the treadmill, but I could not get into the gym.  I went pretty early and for some reason the code I had would not work... It frustrated me to no end, but I eventually went back to my apartment, dumped my extra keys, and took off running on the streets.

It ended up being a really nice day to run.  Check out the awesome sunrise:

So I got a 30 min run in, which is the base for Jeff Galloway training plan.  It went relatively well.  My ankles are starting to act up, but hopefully that'll pass soon enough.  The good news is that the pain was isolated to the run and didn't stay with me the rest of the day.

So today was a running rest day, but I eventually got out of bed and popped in one of my Jillian Michael's DVDs.  May I say how sorry I am for not keeping up with those?  I even went back a week from where I had left off and it still hurt more than I thought!  It was definitely a good workout though and I'm sorry I've fallen off for more reasons than just the lack of fitness.  Luckily, today made me realize how much I needed to work on so that's helping my determination...

Tomorrow's another run day, but considering it's my day off I might try and hit the gym (when the normal doors are open) and get some weight/machine work done.  Plus, I really need to keep up with the calorie burning considering it is getting close to Halloween and candy is all around.  Plus, it is National Dessert Day so I just have to celebrate that...

Leaping Lizards!

Ok, here they're probably geckos.  But they are everywhere and they don't jump out of your way until you practically stepped on the little guys.  I swear, there have been runs where I've stepped on them, but I try not to!

There were quite a few little geckos out today, but I wasn't even planning on running outside.  I was hoping to do another brick workout with an abs focus in the middle instead of arms, but alas... the gate to get to the gym was jammed and I couldn't get to the gym.  So, I sucked up the fact it was later than I wanted to run outside, and hotter, and decided to take off down the sidewalk.

And was it hot... It was definitely a challenge just getting 2 miles in, but I did it.  I'm also running in my back-up shoes which are nice, but not the best.  I discovered they don't have the right support so I can't go long distances, but they're perfect for these small runs and gum workouts right now.

Yesterday was my 1 week till I fly back to California.  Today is the 1 week till I go to the registration/expo (aka shopping for tech shirts and whatever other goodies they have).  Tomorrow is the 1 week till the race!  I am getting excited, but again, my training does keep my nerves going.  We'll see how I end up doing, but I cannot wait to get out there!  Plus, I can't wait till the cooler weather.  I will actually get to wear my sweats and a new jacket from work because the heat index won't be in the triple digits!

What I also discovered by having a countdown on another page... I passed the 6 month mark for the Princess Half Marathon.  I believe today is 5 months, 4 weeks, and 2 days until that race.  I'll admit... I'm a bit more excited to run that race because 1) there's more characters and 2) I'm running it as a team with one of my friends!

3 Weeks Out...

... And I'm not still convinced this is going to be the greatest race.  I've started thinking of the things I'll need to pack, what I want to wear (more of which T-shirt I want to wear), and what I might need to get at the store before the race.

I confess I didn't run yesterday even though I was hoping for a 5 miler.  No worries though.  I ran 5.11 miles today.  It felt pretty good, although my pace is all over the pace, from 8:45 minutes to 11:45.  I'll need to get that handled, but I think my pacing consistency should hopefully get better when I get out of the humidity.  

Towards the end of the run I was feeling dehydrated, one of the main reasons I ended it when I did.  When I got back I had one of my coconut waters.  I learned that it definitely tastes better the colder it is.  After resting and finishing the coconut water I was able to get small cool down in at the pool.  Still the best way to cool down in my opinion... Now I'm still not completely sure if coconut water is totally worth it, we'll see how sore I am tomorrow and how I feel for the rest of the day.  

I'm thinking about getting up even earlier next week to get a 6-7 miler in and then about the same the week after that.  Then of course, it's 13.1 as I take on the Disneyland Half.

The Best Way To Cool Down...

I was able to get back out on the road today.  I wish I could say it felt amazing, but in all honesty it really didn't.  My stomach was heavy from dinner the night before still, although running made it feel a lot better. I could tell I needed to drink more water and it was just plain hot.

Now, I knew coming to Florida in the summer meant I would be living in hot, humid temperatures and learning to run in them.  Just because I accepted that fact doesn't mean I like it or that I'm adjusting all that quickly.  My outdoor runs are better than the first one I had way back in June when I was staying at Saratoga Springs... still not enjoying the humidity or heat.

Considering I was forcing this run and just not feeling great, I originally told myself I only had to go 2 miles... just a quick out and back pretty much.  Ya, well I lied to my body and actually went 4.17 miles.  So I was at least a mile off from where I wanted to go, but over 2 miles more than I originally thought I would go this morning.

As I was walking back, a great idea struck me.  The best way to cool off... jump in the pool!  I mean, I sweated enough I already felt like I had been in a pool, but a nice cool refreshing dip was calling my name and I was more than happy to respond.  So I got home, changed into a suit, and made my way over to the pool... I don't think I've been happier to step into a pool...

So I've decided that the runs I do on my day off are going to end in the pool as a way to relax.  Might get some stretching in while I'm there or possibly some water jogging, which I've done in the past, so who knows.  It definitely made the end of my run a lot nicer and cooler.

On The Road Again

I've mentioned before that I've been a bit nervous about running in Orlando.  Florida isn't exactly known for being the safest place for pedestrians (except maybe inside the parks... even then you contend with strollers, crazy kids, and electric scooters so you never know).  Still, I decided to suck it up and explore the area around where I'm living.

I had a brief idea of where I could run from seeing people on various streets when driving and by talking to a friend who runs in the afternoons.  So, this morning I laced up my running shoes, headed out to the front of my apartment complex, and started running.

I was not expecting to feel as good as I did on my run.  I felt stronger and faster than I did before using the treadmill.  I think my form was even better, but I couldn't say for sure.  I managed to keep my pace around a 9 min 40 sec pace for the first 2 miles, but ended the 4.23 mile run with a 10 min 14 sec pace.  That's still a pretty good pace for me so I'm excited.

I honestly felt better than I thought I would have since I've been training inside for so long.  I'm somewhat relieved that the Disneyland Half won't hurt as bad as it possibly could, but I still know it's going to hurt.  I'm a bit more excited about it now.  That and the fact it's become a reason for me to go home to Cali for a few days...