6 mile run starting at 5:30am with a good friend… It doesn’t get better than that, folks. Well, this view at the turn around was a pretty sweet bonus. 😉
Good morning, Sunshine!
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Tag Archives: training
How to Prevent Marathon Fatigue | Runner’s World
Awesome article! Eeeek! So scared yet exhilarated for this coming season. I’m going to be attempting my first full marathon in 5 years. I’ve almost completely forgotten the painful aftermath… almost… lol
Getting Centered
Today it was difficult to get out there and run. I’m both exhausted and lazy… but these are the rewards I must remember when I find myself wanting to take a day off.
Firstly, I feel so much more energized. Â True, I was exhausted when I came home from work and almost passed out on the couch. Â True, the LAST thing in the universe I wanted to do was anything physical. Â But it is ALSO true that once you force your body into motion, you begin to realize that most of our day to day exhaustion is emotional or mental and not physical. Â I have more energy after having run 4 miles than if I had slept an hour. Â Go figure!
Secondly, I got some outdoor time. Â Most office jobs (or teaching jobs, for that matter) don’t allot for time outdoors. Â We spend most of our time breathing in the same stale air under artificial lighting. Â I’ve even had two jobs in which I worked in offices without windows! Â Can you imagine not getting a glimpse of sunlight for 8 hours of every day?!?!
After my run, I walked across the street to the beach and enjoyed this view. Â I saw a little girl chasing small water birds whose species I don’t know, a flock of prehistoric looking pelicans flying across the darkening sky and a sailboat with some very lucky passengers pass by close to shore. Â What could be better than that?
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- small birds scurrying by
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- flock of pelicans
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- sailboat
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- Lovely walk back to the car
Finished Just in Time…
Well, I only set the clock back 15 minutes ONCE this morning but, I managed to get up and get my mileage in as planned.
It wasn’t my happiest run… I usually feel better and better as the miles pass but, today I got a stitch on the left side of my rib cage at mile 7. Â I tried to exhale through it and keep going but I wasn’t a happy camper and it slowed me down about 30 sec per mile.
Another thing I wasn’t too crazy about during this run was that the bridge I run over had to be raised to let a boat go by on my way back. Although this gave me a well needed break, I question whether or not my average pace really counts, considering I had rest time that I wouldn’t truly have during a race.
Either way, I’m happy. Â The minute I finished it began to thunder pretty loudly… As I drove home, the heavens opened up to one of our lovely Florida torrential downpours, lol. Â I like running in the rain but, that thunder and lightning would have really been awful to run through.
One long run completed for the week… Next one will probably be this weekend 🙂
Kick-A$* Morning Run!
Check out my pace in my third mile this morning!! Â 8:06! Great way to start what turned out to be an amazing day. Â I was productive at work and at school, I had a wonderful lunch with lovely friends and I had a yummy dinner with my mom. Â Can’t beat that!
I’m so happy that I’m getting faster!! 😀  Next Step:  Adding mileage!!!!
New Friends, New Trails, New Adventures!
So, once again, I went on my 7 mile run this morning. Â Only this time, I met up with my friend Samantha for a bike ride afterwards! Â We had such a blast riding through a trail I had never done before. Â We enjoyed seeing cool iguanas and turtles, did some strange people watching and, of course, had some awesome girl-talk time. Â What a great way to end the weekend! Â Actually… what a great way to start my Sunday! Â A reverse brick workout, LOL. Â Now, I gotta start getting serious about cycling and running back to back… but in the correct order.
After Samantha and I finished having a yummy breakfast, I took my bike to the shop to get it serviced, have the handle bars re-taped and buy some road pedals and cycling shoes. I’m looking pretty legit now on that bike, LOL 😉  Ready for my months of training ahead.  Gonna be awesome!
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- Beautiful run by the ocean
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- Happy I finished
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- Awesome 11.5 mile ride
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- Pancakes…. ’cause we gotta replenish our carbs, of course. (they’re wholewheat. Don’t judge me! lol)
Work + School + Running = Exhausted
Today I’m grateful that I completed an exam successfully at school, after a full day’s work, then came home and ran a 5K before showering and zonking out on the couch with the pups.
Well, its officially been 8 days since I’ve posted anything and I have to say that I’m exhausted and overwhelmed. Â I’ve been keeping up with my training despite it being the end of the school year AND I’m taking classes myself.
There’s so much to do! Â Regardless, I’ve been averaging under 9 minute miles just as I’ve wanted to and I’ve been running 3 times a week.
Once school ends next Thursday, my schedule will be fee to run in the mornings and I can increase that to at LEAST 4 times a week (preferrably 5)
Summer, why can’t you get here sooner!!!!!???????
This Week’s Long Run
Check out my average pace per mile this morning! Â I was not feeling well and woke up still feeling pretty exhausted but, I forced myself out the door and struggled through the first 3 1/2 miles. Â After the turn around, though, I felt a little lighter and less disinclined to be out there.
It was another gorgeous morning and I was just glad to be out there and enjoying it. Plus, I was passing people who looked pretty legit so, that motivated me even more, lol. Â My average pace of the entire run was 8:59. Â I was tired and don’t think I could have kept going. Â I’m not going to get disappointed, though because my average pace and time for the Wings of Life run were pretty consistent with this and that was only a couple of weeks ago:
I am so happy to be making progress on my goal to become faster. Â If I keep this up, I’ll be able to achieve my sub-two-hour half marathon for SURE!!
May 13th: Night time run
Well, I’m swamped with reading 4 chapters, and I already have a couple of papers I need to be working on… and its only the second day of classes. Â I spent 14 hours either in my car or at a desk at work or at school today. Â My knees hurt from being bent all day, and my butt and lower back hurt from being sedentary. Â When 7:55pm rolled around and the professor began to make sidebar conversation with my peers, I quietly escaped the classroom and ran to my car. Â I wanted to take advantage of the last bits of day light. Â I needed to see the sun for my own sanity after being in a window-less office then a window-less classroom all day. Â Plus I didn’t want to run in total darkness.
I got to the house, greeted the pups, changed and headed out the door. Â I did 3 miles at an 8:50 pace under the light of a full moon. Â Not the best run I’ve had but most definitely not the worst. Â I’ll proudly accept my performance, especially considering the crazy long day I had. Â Feels so good to keep it up! Now…. lets get some of that reading done… :-\
May 12th: Back to school , back to school…
(I love Billy Madison, LOL!)
Yesterday was my first day back to school… No, no more degrees for me, thank you. I’ve paid my dues (and am now paying my loans) for my career. I just have to take two courses at a local university in order to meet requirements for Professional Teacher Certification.  I currently work under my temporary certification which is still good for a year but, I like to be proactive at getting stuff done.
Have I told you all how much I love school? I also love the fact that I’m taking courses with undergraduates who are a good 12-15 years younger than me. I feel like a kid again 😉Â
My worry, though, is this: How am I going to get my weekly runs in? I have been doing so exceptionally well that I don’t want to break my momentum! If I get out at 8pm, will there be enough sunlight at the end of the day to go out for a quick 5K by myself safely? We shall see.  I didn’t plan on running the first day but was going to assess the daylight situation as I was leaving class. Â
Little Miss Sunshine State 