Good days and Bad days...

We all have them right?  Good days bad days?  Maybe it was Monday or maybe not but it was a bad day!! I woke up and immediately felt like crap!! Just tired, tons of emotions and self doubts about this half marathon.  Can I really do this?  Am I expecting too much too soon after my health issues?  Is my foundation going to be enough to get me through the 13.1miles?  Can I actually hang with the thousands of people thats going to be at this event?  How can I run 13.1miles when most of my runs have been soooo hard?  I  know the weather this summer has been awful!! Plus I have been dealing with Plantar's Fasciitis through this training plan and having a family vacation for a week in there too.  Either way all those thoughts were just piling in on me yesterday!!  Maybe it was Monday or maybe it was that I sucked on my 3 mile recovery run Sunday?  Maybe I just flat did too much last week?  Wednesday was a 22mile bike ride, Thursday was speed work on the TM 4.38miles, Friday was 60min of lower body work, Saturday was a 8 mile run, and then Sunday being a 3 mile recovery run.  Could that have been too much?  I am slow I know this but 37min for a 3 mile run???  How slow is acceptable for a recovery run?  I don't know but I truly felt defeated after that run. I have been icing and foam rolling and really trying to take care of myself after my runs.   It would be nice to have just a run here and there where it just FEELS so good the whole time!  I have had them but it's been soooo long.  

Today was a better day!  I had only done upper body yesterday and really tried to just rest.  I woke up and really was looking forward to my tempo run this morning.  I was actually out the door before 8a and was full of positive thoughts.  Todays tempo run was 4 miles.  My pace was okay for me!  But it was hard!! I had to stop a few times for a few short seconds to catch a breather then move on.  This tempo run made me feel better about things.   Just a little bit better!  But I'll take it!  

Here is what the rest of the week looks like:

Wednesday:  Leg day and maybe a little elliptical

Thursday:   Speed work

Friday:  Upper body and maybe elliptical or short walk

Saturday:  Long run of 8 miles

Sunday: 3 mile recovery run

Okay so what is an acceptable pace for a recovery run?  Or does it even matter?  Should I not take my garmin and just go do the 3 miles and not worry about pace or time?  

Saturday Long run and great weather

For my half marathon training schedule, Saturdays are for my long runs.  So far these scheduled long runs haven't been too bad weather wise.   Today was 8 miles and again, the weather was perfect.  Considering how hot and humid it has been lately come Saturdays they haven't been too bad.  This mornings run started off a nice 66 degrees and a little overcast which is perfect!  The dew point was still up there a little bit for my liking but not hateful.  

The morning started with a 5am wake up call, coffee, and a half of banana.  I left my house right at 6:10 to meet my running homie, Janice.  We walked for a 15min warm up then set off at a good pace.  The first 4 miles were just a bit fast and seemed a lithe rough.  At our turn around point I took a minute to stretch my foot and legs then we took off again.  The last 4 miles we purposely went a little slower and for whatever reason these 4 miles really flew by.  By the end of the run and even after my foot was pretty darn sore.  Usually it gets sore towards the end but once we stop it feels better but not this time. It stayed pretty sore even after we ere done.  At times throughout the run I let my head get the better of me and I have thoughts like...this is rough, how can I do 13.1 if 8 is like this?  What if I fail?  What if I have to walk most of it?  And on and on  Is this normal?  Each week the long run gets longer and each week I doubt myself.  Each week though I still get it done.  Yes it's slow but I get it done.  I hope to one day be just a little bit faster and until then I need to be okay with my speed.   I'm not a speedster any way!!  

Now I'm icing and then foam rolling and then it's off to enjoy the rest of my day with my girls and later we will be going to see this little girl!! I love being her Nana!!

Speed drill Thursday!!!

Since training for this half marathon...again, Thursdays are speed drills on the treadmill.  I have been faithful with them but had come to realize that I wasn't really pushing myself enough.   Yea it was hard but at the end of a speed drill I should kinda hate my life.  And I didn't.  So, today I did a whole new speed drill.  This is what it looked like:

.25 warm up walk

.50 slow run

8x 20/10

.50 slow run

8x 20/10

.25 walk

.50 slow run

8x 20/10

.25 walk

.50 slow run

.10 cool down walk

This was a whole lot better of a speed drill for me.  I was soooo hating life when I was on doing it and even after I was done.   My speeds for the 20/10's were perfect for me and I hope to bump it up a little next week.  

I would be curious to know what speed drills you do and if at the end do you hate your life?

This post is not about running..

Just wanted to introduce to you Baby Lauren!  She finally arrived yesterday at 2:05pm.  Mama, baby and daddy are doing well! Looks like this Nana will be investing in a jogging stroller =D

Early Morning Runs...

Today's long run was 7 miles.  I have to admit that even though last weeks scheduled long run was 6 miles, 7 miles made me a little nervous.  But guess what?  We ran it.  The whole thing! Stopping to stretch my foot and eat a GU was the only time we stopped.  We started out with a .45 warmup walk at 6:45am and the weather was perfect.  Here is my running buddy and I, Janice, after we were done...and even smiling.  

It truly feels awesome that we are on schedule and that so far things feel wonderful.  My foot even felt great!  It also feels wonderful to have such a wonderful friend who will do this with me!  Janice and I generally just do the long runs together and maybe one short one through the week and I have to say that if it wasn't for her I'm not sure I would be this far along.  So thank you girlie!!  You can't even begin to know how much this means to me!!

Tomorrow's run........ an easy 3 miles ;)   I found this on Pinterest and loved it!

This. Is. So. True!!   However, I have also had to on many a days say this to myself.....

Feeling better..

Just wanted to pop in and try to catch up.  I swear I WILL get better at this blogging thing!  My foot has been feeling so much better.....finally!!  I'm still in PT 2x a week and still doing a lot of icing and stretching.  There are days my foot feels awesome and there are days it just aches.  I have found that the days it aches the most is when I have been on it all day at work.  I also received my orthotics and that has helped a lot.  

My training for the half marathon has, so far, been on schedule.  From where I have had these issues with my foot my training schedule has NO wiggle room.  Kinda makes me nervous but either way I am just taking it one schedule day at a time.  I actually completed my 6 mile run this past Saturday and it felt wonderful.  Usually I have to stop a couple times to stretch but during this run I only stopped once to stretch the foot and it felt great.  I ran this 6 miles with my homie Janice and we did it in the rain.  Some of the run was just sprinkles but at one point it was coming down fairly hard.  Then Sunday I was scheduled for a 3 mile easy run and Monday I did another scheduled 3 mile run.  I also did that one fairly easy since the weather here has been so hot and humid.  I have been getting up at 5:30am and heading out for the long run by 6:30 but its still so humid.  My shorter runs I'm out there by 7a and its still pretty bad.  I just remind myself there is no goal other than to just finish it.  I get pretty excited towards the end of my runs because I'm out there just doing it.  I let those doubts come into my head about, what if I can't run in this weather, or what if I'm just too tired, or what if my body just can't do it.  And every single time....my body just does what it's suppose to do.  Trying to be more positive.  

Today on the schedule is a 4 mile speed run on the TM.  I'll do a mile warm up then do 8 400's one fast one slow with bumping the speed up each time till my 8 then a mile cool down.  The speed drills and the long run is where I let my doubts sink in but again, so far, my body has just taken over.  On the days that I'm not scheduled to run I have strength training and one elliptical day.  

Again, considering what I have been through health wise this past year, I am good with where I am at.  I will hopefully do this half marathon and then just keep going.