Me vs. The Wind for 3 miles

felt great this morning even though I was woken up at 4:30 am by some heavy rain hitting my window this morning. I was ready to tackle a 3 mile run even though it was quite windy this morning. I headed out to the Salt Creek Trail and started my run. I felt very comfortable with the pace that I was at and attempted to stay completely steady. I didn't want to rush myself or hurry through my run. But with that said, I slowly felt myself run a little bit faster and faster throughout the run even with the wind. There was no point when I was running faster that I felt tired or struggled. By the time I finished, I felt completely fantastic, but started to feel the effects of my run in my left ITB and knee. I knew that I had to ice and hit the foam roller when I returned home no matter what. I am thankful for a rest day tomorrow, but might make it an active rest day on the bike depending how my knee feels in the morning.

Mile 1 9:04
Mile 2 8:49
Mile 3 8:27 - WHOA!

Avg Pace - 8:47/mi

18 miles = REDEMPTION!!

This weekend was a total 180 degrees from last weekend when I made my 1st attempt at 18 miles. The weather this morning was a lot cooler than the past few days with my wake-up temp at 53 degrees, but it's PERFECT weather for me. It brings me back to my days with Team in Training and all of the training runs while running along the lakes and Mississippi River. Once I started running, everything came back and felt alive. My breathing was much better. My legs felt fantastic considering I took a Zumba class on Thursday and did a lot of squats in the class. My mind was completely focused. Everything was perfect. Now that I have this mileage done, all I have left is to complete the BIG 20 miler in two weeks at Busse Woods in Elk Grove Village. I know that I am ready and excited to complete it to go to the home stretch before the Chicago Marathon. I AM READY!

Mile 1 9:33
Mile 2 9:29
Mile 3 9:39
Mile 4 9:55
Mile 5 9:38
Mile 6 9:47
Mile 7 9:40
Mile 8 9:37
Mile 9 9:34
Mile 10 9:39
Mile 11 9:41
Mile 12 9:36
Mile 13 9:41
Mile 14 9:44
Mile 15 9:45
Mile 16 10:01
Mile 17 9:54
Mile 18 9:53

Avg Pace - 9:42/mi

It's beginning to look like FALL....

It was another perfect running weather day. It finally reached below 60 degrees overnight, which brought a very cool and comfortable run this morning. I started out my run with a warm-up mile before hitting hard on the path. I was ready to run all out and finish fast. I was lucky to see a deer this morning on the trail, which always brightens my day. The air smelled like fall, which brought a lot of positive memories from my childhood. It was an awesome feeling. Now I just have to rest up and yoga up for my 18 miler on Saturday morning.

Mile 1 9:28
Mile 2 9:00
Mile 3 8:33

Avg Pace - 9:00/mi

15 miles.....slowly!

This is my 2nd "long" run this week - if you include Sunday's HM - and was hoping that I would do well. Well, I knew that I would be struggling when I started my long run. But I was determined to finish this long run. My legs felt like lead...PERIOD! I struggled and struggled. I started to not care about my splits as long as I finished. The weather was great, my lungs were not suffering from the d*** humidity, and happy to be running with Josh at times. I was happy to finish and to know that I properly hydrated during the entire run. I plan to do MUCH BETTER next week.

Mile 1 9:20
Mile 2 9:30
Mile 3 9:20
Mile 4 9:47
Mile 5 9:54
Mile 6 10:04
Mile 7 10:08
Mile 8 10:22
Mile 9 10:02
Mile 10 10:39
Mile 11 10:55
Mile 12 10:29
Mile 13 10:58
Mile 14 11:20
Mile 15 10:47

Nice 3 miler

It was another great day, but still slightly humid outside. I felt great completing my 3 mile run just days after my last long run. It is going to be an interesting week for my running especially because I will be running two long runs in the same week. I already swam on Monday and plan to hit the pool again tomorrow afternoon before heading to work. It's less than two weeks until my next HM so I need to be gentle on myself and not push the mileage. My goal is to finish in awesome time and PR.
Mile 1 - 9:09
Mile 2 - 9:08
Mile 3 - 8:42

Avg Pace - 8:59/mi

Hot and Humid 13 miles - DONE

It was a cloudy, hot and humid morning for my long run. The weather was originally supposed to be dicey because of storms rolling in later in the morning from Iowa. I started out way too fast for the 1st mile and have a feeling that it played a part in finishing my long run. I didn't mind the clouds because it kept the heat of the sun away, which would have made things much more difficult for me. I ran all the way to McCormick Place before I turned around and heading back. I managed to see a very mad momma duck by the bridge at Solidarity Drive, who was protecting her nest of babies. I managed to see another momma duck on the way back in Lake Michigan with her babies near the Ohio Street Beach. I was angry that the Fleet Feet people right after I crossed Randolph St heading SB around 8:30 AM. When I headed back, I thought I missed the water stop, but quickly realized that they closed shop very early. Now I am gearing up for my HM in two weeks with a 11 miler long run set for Saturday morning before heading to Milwaukee with Josh. My plan for tomorrow is hit the pool tomorrow morning for 10 laps in order to loosen up my legs.

Mile 1 9:05 <~~ TOO fast!
Mile 2 9:25
Mile 3 9:28
Mile 4 10:11 <~~~ Damn wind!
Mile 5 9:36
Mile 6 9:45
Mile 7 9:43
Mile 8 9:39
Mile 9 10:28
Mile 10 9:38
Mile 11 9:47
Mile 12 9:49
Mile 13 9:25

Another awesome (and speedy) 3 miler

It was another nice day to run. The humid was not as bad as yesterday. There was a nice breeze blowing to just keep me cool while I ran. It was nice to get my run in this morning and satisifed with how I did. I am looking forward to a rest day tomorrow in order to recharge my legs.

Mile 1 - 9:11
Mile 2 - 9:03
Mile 3 - 8:56

Avg Pace - 9:03/mi

Recovery 3 mile

It was an awesome recovery run this morning. The air felt very nice and cool even though it was a little humid from the morning fog. It was so humid that the sweat on my back was visibily evaporating off. I felt really good during my run. It was also nice to have a deer greeting me at the start of my run. I am looking forward to another run tomorrow morning.

Mile 1- 9:20
Mile 2- 9:11
Mile 3- 9:00

Avg Pace - 9:11

It's a HOT, HUMID 3 miler

This morning I woke up at a normal wake up time to run before the heat. This morning was an exception to that rule. It was a morning that I woke, saw the temperature, and just said "Ok....f*** it!" It was already 76 degree by 6 am. So I declared it a hot weather training day and lowered my mileage to 3 miles like yesterday. Once I got started on my run, I struggled at times because of the heat, but I pressed on.

After I completed my run, I was happy to get some coconut water to drink in order to prevent any muscle cramps. Tomorrow's a rest day, which is well deserved. My next running day is on Thursday with some humidity predicted, but not as hot. Whoohoo!
Mile 1 9:32
Mile 2 9:34
Mile 3 9:17

Avg Pace - 9:28/mi

4th of July Holiday Weekend

It has been a very busy holiday weekend for me. I usually posted after all of my runs, but Josh and I ended up traveling right away after our long run on Saturday. Well, almost right right, we had to come home to pack right away after realizing that we had to drop off our pug at the kennel before they closed for the weekend at 2 PM. Then we stopped to get something to eat and drink for the 2 1/2 hour car trip downstate to our friends' house. But I am now finally home to post my results from Saturday as well as post results from this morning's run - both very hot.

Saturday - 12 mile long run

Well, our morning started somewhat early, but not early enough. The temps when I woke up were in the comfortable mid-60's and I was fine with running in that. What I didn't realize is that the temps quickly went up from that to the low 80's during the course of my very long run especially when I finished around 10:30 am. I was very warm - ok, HOT - by the time I finished and I managed to snag every water stop and refilled my small water bottle twice during my run so I was adequately hydrated. On top of that, I did not enjoy the hill in the Museum campus near my turnaround point at mile 6. I have biked it previously and had no problem. Running is a totally different animal and really affected the rest of my run. I was happy to finish my run and take a short walk in order cool down quickly.

Mile 1 9:23
Mile 2 9:17
Mile 3 9:09
Mile 4 9:27
Mile 5 9:27
Mile 6 9:46
Mile 7 10:06
Mile 8 9:54
Mile 9 9:33
Mile 10 10:03
Mile 11 10:00
Mile 12 10:00

Avg Pace - 9:41/mi



Today's Recovery Run

Moving forward to this morning, I woke up this morning and ran with my hubby and our friend, Shea. It was quite "warm" this morning and humid. I had planned to attempt a 4 mile run, but ended up cutting it short to 3 miles instead after starting to experience some nausea during my run. I was happy that I managed a very awesome pace for a recovery run. Our friend - who declared me as being the fastest person of the group - was able to keep up with me without wearing a Garmin and was shocked at the split when I read them AFTER we finished. He told me that he wants to pace me again in order to increase his speed. I was completely honored by the quote and will have another shot when they come up in August for one of our cocktail parties. I hope to do better tomorrow morning and attempt a longer distance with a little extra speed.

Mile 1 9:07
Mile 2 9:21
Mile 3 9:26

Avg Pace - 9:18/mi

Another speedy 4 miler

It was another day of perfect running weather. We had very low humidity in the air. Unfortunately, I had put together an evening run instead of my usual morning run. It was due to serious side effect from my new asthma inhaler causing heart palpations. After a nice 90 minute nap, I went out with Josh to run. I managed to go sub-9:00 on all of my mile splits.

I have a cross-training/rest day set for tomorrow. Then I have 12 miles on tap for Saturday morning before heading out of town for the holiday weekend.

Good night!

Mile 1 - 8:59
Mile 2 - 8:49
Mile 3 - 8:58
Mile 4 - 8:32

Avg Pace - 8:50/mi

11 miles that kicked my A**!

This week's long run was a challenge. I was awaken at 4:30 AM by another round of frequent thunder and lightning. I determined right away that I will have to wait a couple of hours to head out to run. I then went back to sleep until 7 AM.

When I woke up, I got ready for my run. Before I left the house, I discovered that my run bottle had mold it that did not get clean properly. I was forced to not take it with me during my run. I was bummed about that. When I reached the lakefront, the start of my run was humid, but the temperatures was comfortable. I had a very nice breeze from the lake. I had excellent splits up until mile 8 and thought I would be able to finish my run stronger than last week. But the wheels completely came off and I struggled to finish my run. I had to walk portions of my run, which I do not do anymore. I also dealt with leg cramps during that portion of my run. When I finished my run, I walked off the leg cramps and continued to obtain fluids while walking. The intake of fluids did not help with cramps and I ended up walking into the ER where I used to work. I was given a bag of fluids to help me rehydrate, which helped a lot.

Now I am home relaxing and plan to take it easy tomorrow. I have a longer run schedule next weekend, which I plan to take some of the hydration lessons with hopes that the weather's more cooperating.

Mile 1 9:28
Mile 2 9:10
Mile 3 9:17
Mile 4 9:29
Mile 5 9:18
Mile 6 9:25
Mile 7 9:26
Mile 8 9:28
Mile 9 9:56
Mile 10 10:07
Mile 11 10:21

Avg Pace - 9:35/mi

Here comes the DOUBLE DIGITS!

Yes, it's that time in my half-marathon/marathon training - DOUBLE DIGITS! And I was ready to bring it on.

Well, the weather felt nice when I arrived to start my run. But I could still feel the humidity in the air. The run started out very nice. As I reached the turn around point, I started to feel like I was struggling. By the time I had two miles left, I felt like I was running with two lead legs. I still powered through it and finished.
Since I postpone this run until today, I will have a second double digit run scheduled for Saturday morning. I will have to adjust my training schedule this week to allow that. I am ready to try this again on Saturday.

Mile 1 9:35
Mile 2 9:34
Mile 3 9:29
Mile 4 9:58
Mile 5 9:51
Mile 6 10:04
Mile 7 10:01
Mile 8 9:54
Mile 9 9:48
Mile 10 9:43

Avg Pace - 9:48/mi

Speed Workout 12 x 400 meters

This week's speed workout went much better than last week. Instead of running 800 meters, I cut them in half to 400 meters. The weather was much more comfortable. I was ready to go.

Interval #1 1:56 (7:44/mi)
Interval #2 1:53 (7:35/mi)
Interval #3 1:54 (7:39/mi)
Interval #4 1:58 (7:55/mi)
Interval #5 1:55 (7:43/mi)
Interval #6 1:58 (7:55/mi)
Interval #7 2:03 (8:14/mi)
Interval #8 2:02 (8:09/mi)
Interval #9 2:02 (8:10/mi)
Interval #10 2:00 (8:00/mi)
Interval #11 2:00 (8:04/mi)
Interval #12 1:58 (7:55/mi)

I got the FEVER...

....RUNNING FEVER that is.

As I have been re-training myself and returning back to running, I am starting to feel the love that I used to feel over a year ago. I have been hitting the treadmill four times a week while I am on period of Disability from work. I have managed to hit a steady 5.3 MPH (11:17/mi) with a 7:1 running/walk ratio for 65 minutes. I have been slowly getting rid of walking portion as my legs and heart/lungs get stronger. I also have been working on a little bit of speed work once a week as well.

Now I, with the support of Josh, have started looking at future races to do this year. I have unfinished business at the Chicago Marathon from 2008. I also have unfinished business at Chicago Distance Classic (now Rock-n-Roll Chicago) from 2008 especially at mile 9 where my body forced me to stop temporarily and erase all hope for a sub-2:00 finish. I also still have unfinished business at RNRAZ as well where I was hoping to make a repeat trip for the full marathon in 2007 and ended up running the half marathon instead. I felt a huge sadness and jealousy when I read the stories about my fellow running blog friends participating this weekend's race. I love simply love the course and love the cities.

So my plan for 2010 is to start training in May for RNR Chicago and then continue towards to training for Chicago Marathon. My goal for RNR Chicago is sub-2:00. As for the Chicago Marathon, I will start with a sub-5:00 for now, but will not be shy to up it to sub-4:30 as I work on my training.

It's official: I AM BACK!!

Kids in Chicago: Day TWO!

Well, it's my 2nd day of my kids in Chicago. We spent most of yesterday in the car for over 10 hours. We drove back and forth to Tomah and Chicago. Traffic was b*** both ways near Chicago. Josh and I took them for their first Chicago meal at Superdawg. Brandon loved the Superdawg while Eva and I enjoyed our grilled cheese. We were SO happy to be home when we arrived.

This morning, I did a 30 minute run before we start our 2nd day of fun in Chinatown and Navy Pier.

Mile 1 - 9:11
Mile 2 - 9:04
Mile 3 - 8:54
Mile 0.32 - 2:54 (8:53/mi)

Avg Pace - 9:02/mi

Off to have fun!

10 mile long run....DONE

Well, after this run being postpone a whole day due to very, very nasty storms moving in on Saturday morning. It scared Sadie so much that she ran underneath the bed and tried to hide. The strong winds blew EVERYTHING off of my bathroom window ledge COMPLETELY out of the bathroom and into the hallway. We usually leave the bathroom window open to allow air to move through the apartment. Josh woke up to find that there was water all over the bathroom floor. He thought one of us left the shower on, but it was Mother Nature who made the water mess. I come to find out that my neighborhood got hit the hardest, but lucky enough to still have power. My TNT even cancelled the group run due to the wild weather. I had already made the call before I went to bed and made a more stronger case when a huge lightning bolt hit across the street waking me out of bed at 1:30 am.

It was nice to postpone it, especially I had to work yesterday afternoon on my normal day off for just two hours. We had to deal with union picketing, but that got cancelled when there was a threat of lightning in the air again. It scared off all of the union people. (Yayyy!) I was not happy about coming in and missing out on the day trip that was previously planned, but went home to relax when I was done.

I woke up this morning at 5:15 am to get ready for my long run. I had 10 mile planned with 12 miles set for next weekend. The HM is less than a month away so I need to spend the next few weeks conditioning myself for the race. This is more apparent when I was doing my run. It did not look for me at all during the first mile when my shin started tightning up like it did several weeks. I was determined to the mileage done. The weather was perfect for the long run - cool air with a gentle breeze. Once I got the leg loosened up by slowing down, I started feeling great and ready to continue on the mileage. Josh come along and followed me during the run with Gatorade as I needed it (which I didn't need much). I was passing people constantly along the route and felt like I could do the mileage. I took my Mint Chocolate GU at mile 5 and determined to finish. I started to lose steam around 8.5 miles, but determined to finish the 10 miles.

Mile 1 - 9:41
Mile 2 - 9:50
Mile 3 - 9:52
Mile 4 - 9:46
Mile 5 - 10:03 (OMG - was I THAT slow?!)
Mile 6 - 9:57
Mile 7 - 9:53
Mile 8 - 9:45
Mile 9 - 9:32
Mile 10 - 9:22

Total time: 1:37:48
Avg Pace: 9:45/mile

I am not happy with the splits. They were a lot slower than what I care for, but I still have two more long runs before CDC. I am determined to get my preferred corral start and need this race to get me there. In fact, it's my only shot. I just need a 1:50:59 or faster finish time to get me there. It will help me keep on track for my finish goal at Chicago. I just need to do more speedwork during the next two weeks and keep up with the training.

This afternoon, I have my fundraising party at the Mystic Celt. I love incorporating beer with charity work. I am getting really close to my fundraising goal. I would like to surpass it this year by $1000. I hope to be able to do that.

Tommorow, I have my first interview in a MONTH. I hope to get something out of it. Keep your fingers crossed for me. Then I will do my hour of cross-training since I just ran today just to keep my legs loosened up.

Later! 90 DAYS until Chicago Marathon

8 miles....DONE

Well, I finished my long run one day early.

I finished with a time of 1:15:56. (9:29/mi)

It feels so good to be completed.

Tommorow - 40 minute recovery run

F is for FARTLEKS!

Well, I am in my 2nd of PMS and I had some really bad moments today. Well, I decided to take some moody behavior out with my weekly fartlek workout. My goal was to get 8 fartlek splits. I was able to get 7 out of 8 done. I need to tweek how I will do them. Overall, I think I did great.

Warm-up - 10:00 (9:40/mi)

Split 1 - 2:00 (8:13/mi)
Rest 1 - 1:09 (9:16/mi)

Split 2 - 1:54 (8:09/mi)
Rest 2 - 0:56 (10:12/mi)

Split 3 - 1:59 (8:17/mi)
Rest 3 - 1:07 (9:43/mi)

Split 4 - 1:56 (8:39/mi)
Rest 4 - 0:54 (9:17/mi)

Split 5 - 2:00 (8:21/mi)
Rest 5 - 1:02 (9:46/mi)

Split 6 - 1:59 (8:38/mi)
Rest 6 - 0:59 (9:57/mi)

Split 7 - 2:07 (8:33/mi)

Slow Run (Semi Cool-down) - 14:55 (9:43/mi)
Total miles - 4.87 mi (9:15/mi)

One thing I am excited about is that tommorow starts the first of some rest days with Josh working on my next life project. We are starting to look at buy our first house in west suburbs - mostly in Northern Berwyn/Oak Park/Forest Park/River Forest. We would like to be moved in no later than September so we can relax at the last stage before the Chicago Marathon. We might move as soon as late-July if we find something good sooner. It will also be great to be our own house when Josh's 40th birthday approaches.

We meet with the realtor tommorow afternoon to look at houses. The fun begins.

Weekend in a nutshell

I am sorry that I have not had a chance to post since Thursday. It has been crazy with the funeral coming up on Monday. Josh and I visited with his brother, Jeremy, and his wife, Max, who were in town from Berlin. They were supposed to come to visit with his grandma before she died, but unfortunely did not have a chance to do so. I did have two opportunities to run on the treadmill this weekend with one of them being my 60 minute long run. I am taking it conservatively during my first week back running.

We are relaxing for one whole day before the funeral. We plan to head out shortly to the Andersonville Midsommerfest for some food, drinks, and music.