Almost There!

My next Half Marathon is only THREE weeks away! I had a really good 11 mile run yesterday. My legs are a little sore today. It just makes me look forward to my taper week in two weeks. A 12 mile run coming up this weekend then we'll be celebrating Labor Day on the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky! I'm excited that our trip corresponds with my taper week. I'm really looking forward to a run in Kentucky. It was beautiful running there last year but I'm glad to only be doing about 6 miles or so instead of giving up 2+ hours of my vacation. 

I'm still working on my clean eating diet - or should I say, lifestyle! It's a work in progress but it has been going really well! Dinner today was salmon, corn on the cob and cabrese salad. I did need to have a small glass of wine. I haven't researched if wine is "clean" or not but I'm guessing it's probably not. 

I'm really hoping that next weekend's 12 mile run goes as well as the 11 miler this weekend! Have a great week, everyone!

Good Times!

It's been a really good couple of weeks. I am right where I want to be in my training for my upcoming Half Marathon on September 8th. I got in a good - and pretty speedy - 10 miler yesterday. Hoping to get in two weeknight workouts this week and an 11 miler on Saturday. 

My "clean eating" is going pretty well but with the increase in my mileage, I am hungry ALL the time! I need to be really careful about what I eat when I feel like I am starving! I'm stocked up on Kind bars and I am trying to stick to some organic trail mix. Neither of which are very low in calories but at least they are "clean." One hurdle at a time!

I signed up for the 2014 Flying Pig half marathon this week. The Flying Pig has been my favorite race to date and I'm really excited to be running it again!

What is your "go to" snack when you are increasing your running mileage?

Hall of Fame Run

I was so happy to have achieved my goal of under 10 m/m pace only to come in second to last in my age group. 

On to the next race. My favorite distance in my favorite city. But it's a brand new race and there is a lot of questions in the community about how well it will be organized. No matter what, 6 weeks from today, I'll be running the inaugural Hall of Fame City Challenge Half Marathon.

I'm actually excited to get back into my longer distance training. I had a HORRIBLE (but fun) weekend of eating and drinking. Tomorrow, starts over with eating clean and running long.  I hope when you get off track, you can easily jump right back on board!

A really good week!

My next "big" race is a Half Marathon on September 8th. I'm just starting to ramp up my mileage in preparation. During this time of some shorter runs, I have been focusing on other areas of my fitness. One thing that is going really well is my ongoing effort to eat clean. Other than my protein bars that I have a couple times per week and my ice cream splurges, I have been doing really well! Weekends are still bad. I did enjoy a few beers and some Swedish meatballs during our Ikea run this weekend but I'm pretty proud of myself!

Another new resolution that I started this week - the hottest week of the year, mind you - is to walk one mile everyday at lunch.i read a recent article in Runner's World magazine called "Sitting is the new Smoking" and it scared the crap out of me. I work in a typical office at a desk in a cube all day. I have known that sitting is bad but I always kind of felt exempt since a run several times per week. I also, recently purchased, an Up by Jawbone to help me know when I've been sitting too long and to count my steps. I was surprised how many days that I don't even come close to 10,000 steps.

There is a 1/4 mile walking path around a pond in the office park where I work. It's one building away and, even walking slow so as not to get too sweaty, I can get a mile in in around 25 minutes max. As the weather cooks, I'm sure it will me much faster. That still leaves plenty of time to eat. I'm proud to report that I did my mile everyday this week! I'm looking forward to cooler weather this week and making it two weeks in a row!

Do you have a desk job? How do you keep active during the day?

North Canton 4th of July Run

I am not very excited about these results. I'm not sure what was keeping me from a faster pace. I suspect it was the memory of last year's 100 degree race day and the closest I ever came to vomiting during a run. Other than that, I have no excuse. I felt good and even sprinted at the end. That almost never happens to me in a race. I've usually spent it all before I come close to the finish!

I will have a chance at redemption in a few weeks. The HOF 5 mile race is on the 28th I'll be ready!

On another note, I got an email today reminding me that the inaugural Cleveland Rock and Roll Half Marathon is just 13 weeks away! I am scheduled for the Canton Half Marathon on September 8th but it has been a fiasco since it was announced. I have my doubts as to if it will even take place.

This week is back to relative normal. I hope I get a little higher mileage in during this week. I hope your workout and life plans come together for you this week as well!

Jackson Glow Run

Friday night was our annual, local Glow Run 5k. I ran tis race lady year just a week after my first Half Marathon. I had a hard time with it because I had been doing so many long runs that I really didn't know how to pace for a 5k. I did MUCH better this year!

This isn't officially a PR but I'm tempted to count it because the race where I got my PR did not measure 3.1 miles. It was short and my pace was faster during this race!

This week is going to be tough to fit in some workouts. We have the odd holiday in the middle of the week which includes a 5 mile race. I'd like to get in a good run or steps workout before Thursday. To complicate things, I work the "late shift" this week which means I don't get off work till 6pm.

Here's my tentative plan for the week:

Monday: fast 2 mile run

Tuesday:  AM-cross/strength training, PM-steps or 5ish mile run

Wednesday:  fast 2 mile run or cross/strength training (dependent upon Tuesday night's workout)

Thursday:  5 mile race

Friday:  cross/strength training

Saturday:  ugh-who knows! I'm afraid nothing since we are hosting a big picnic! Hopefully, I can have everything together the night before and I can get up early enough to get in a couple miles.

How do you work in training during busy weeks?

I Suck...

... At blogging! 

I never seem to have anything prolific to share!

While there hasn't been anything earth shattering, my friend, Amanda, and I ran a Color Run last week. It was so fun!

It was an hour's drive but we went up the Thursday before to pick up our packet and make a stop at the nearest Trader Joes to us. That bought us a little extra time on Saturday morning. We didn't have to leave until about 5:45. That is LATE compared to getting up at 2am for the Disney Princess Half!

Oddly enough, when I stopped to get gas at 5:30am, the only other person at the gas station also had on a Color Run shirt! I 'm embarrassed that I was too delirious to make conversation. 

Amanda is on vacation this week so I am on my own for runs. I'm hoping to get in a mid-week 5 to 6 miler and I'd also like to get down to the monument for some steps.  I need some extra workouts since I had a HORRIBLE food day today:  stuffed French toast for breakfast and I just had a mint Oreo blizzard for an after dinner treat. I promise to get back on track (literally) this week!

I hope you have a wonderful week and keep on YOUR track!