Week #9

Monday & Tuesday - Rest


Had planned to rest on Monday. Had not planned to rest on Tuesday as well. But it was not a bad thing. My body was pretty tired.


Wednesday - Ran 7 miles


I woke up early feeling refreshed. I was going to go to Power. Then I realized if I am feeling this awake and good, I should do the 7 miler today. For some reason it is tougher doing it on Thursdays because we tend to be busier Thursday mornings. This week I don't have anything, but usually there's MOPS or a MOPS leadership meeting or Rob needs the van right away. I am glad I chose to run because I felt so good the first few miles--like I was flying. Hardly felt like I was running. I felt really comfortable, hydrated, and enjoying the morning. I did the same route I did last week. Around Mile #6 my left ankle started acting up again. It's not major pain, but I am hoping it does not develop into some kind of injury. I might try icing it later today and see if that helps.

Thursday - Ran 4 miles

Mornings stink. I don't know if it's the fact it's not even light until 7 AM or what. I woke up with a piercing headache. I was pretty sure it was due to dehydration because my appetite and stomach was normal. I am not drinking enough water during the day. Rob was dead after a three hour green belt test last night that was totally brutal. He passed and now has a green belt. They worked him so incredibly hard. He had muscle spasms during the night (I didn't know until the morning). What the heck are we doing to our bodies!?

Anyway I ran during Rob's lunch and ran Lone Oak to Browning to Commerical to Sunnyside to Boone and back to Lone Oak. A couple months ago the hills on Boone wiped me out and now they seem so easy. I don't think they are has steep as some of the hills I tackle on my long runs. I felt great. No dehydration or stomach issues. No ankle or knee pain. It is really hot this week like in the 80's which is great. Not going to last, but enjoying while we have it.

Saturday - Rest

Had plans to cross train in the morning, but that got tossed out the window. Kind of a rough morning. Here's hoping for a better rest of the day.

Sunday - Ran 11 miles

It is crazy that running 11 is a break. Not doing Portland next weekend is probably a blessing in disguise. My long runs are faster, stronger, and more enjoyable than earlier in the summer. I have loved the extra time to train. I can complete these runs and I don't feel like I am dying at the end. I am walking very little...just little breaks at parks to refill my water bottle or get gu. I ran up all the three big hills on my run and did not have to stop. I did a similar route to my long runs the last few weeks, but I cut out the Rees Hill portion and ran on Wiltsey and then the streets around my house. Was a nice run and the weather was perfect. I am loving the Oregon rain is taking its time to come.

Week #8

Monday & Tuesday - Rest


Planned on resting on Monday after the super long run on Sunday. Monday night went to Roths to study for my Small Animal Nursing exam and had a tall mocha. Big mistake. Not even close to being tired at 10 PM. Fell asleep around 11 and had a nightmare (or is it a night terror if it is right after I fell asleep?). This usually happens when I have caffeine after 8 PM. Could not fall back asleep. The people outside leaving the bar did not help. Was just about asleep and Kara woke up crying. She is either getting over a virus or teething or both and not sleeping as well. Thankfully she just needs her pacifier again and she's good to go back to sleep. Heard Derek kicking the wall in his sleep. Finally fell asleep around 1. Set the alarm and never turned it on so did not get up to run on Tuesday. Oh well. Another day of rest does not set me back too much.


Wednesday - Ran 4 miles


I went to bed by 10 but woke up really tired. Kara woke up just once at 3:30 AM and took her pacifier. Power and running felt like way too much for me this morning. I skipped Power and slept until 6:15 and then ran 4 miles. I did my three mile run and then added a mile by running to the end of the street and back. I did not feel terrible. Once I started running I felt OK. It was not my greatest run, but not my worst either.


Thursday - Ran 7 miles


Was pretty impressed I woke up refreshed and ready to run. I managed to get out the door around 5:55 AM. My plan was to get home by 7. It was more like 7:10. I was having digestion problems again around Mile #3 and had to stop at the Circle K and use the bathroom. I was glad to find this would be a good stopping point on future runs as the bathroom is in the back and it is clean. I liked the route I chose because it was in well lit areas and I saw several runners along the way. I did not have to run on Kuebler at all...just cross it twice. I felt good most of the run and strong at the end. Our morning was super crazy with getting ready for MOPS, school, and the field trip. The drop off/pick-off was crazy. I am glad we don't do this everyday or even every week. This is one the reasons I did not committ to coffee break or a lot of extra playdates this year.


Friday - Ran 4 miles


I wanted to do some hills so I ran Liberty to Mildred to Lone Oak to Arlene and looped around Wendy Kroger Park and then back home. The hills are pretty manageable. The Lone Oak hill is massive and I ran down it. I was worried about hurting my knees, but I think they are OK. It was a good run and I tried to pick up the pace a little bit in certain parts. The weather was great. I love this warm 70/80 weather. This is what fall is supposed to be like here! Unfortunately it is not supposed to last. It was a nice break running in the late afternoon too. I like the morning, but I also like sleeping a little later too.


Saturday - Cross Train - Eliptical 15 minutes, Bike 15 minutes


I have been a class dropout lately and have not gone to Power or Ride. I am trying not to be too hard on myself because I am a very busy person. The fact I am getting all my running in is an accomplishment for me in and of itself. I have been overwhelmed with the kids this week and my hormones are off balance again. I have had that "crazy" feeling all week and so irritable. So don't want to go the medication route. It's not depression and it's not anxiety...I feel like it is purely weird hormones.


Anyway I went to the Courthouse and worked out with the other five people that were in the gym on a Saturday late afternoon. The gym was dead. I did the eliptical for 15 minutes and the bike for 15 minutes. I pushed myself harder this time. It was a nice break from running and was happy with my workout.

Sunday - Ran 15 miles

Woo hoo! So strong today. I am loving these Sunday afternoons! The rain held off too and it was in the high 60's/low 70's. Perfect. Did the same route as last week, but I ran around Sumpter Park and stopped their as a second water bottle filler station. I also took two things of gu (had one at Commerical and Wiltsey and the second on Liberty by all those "K" streets when I had about two miles left). That seemed to help too. Instead of running my last two miles around the Denno's neighborhood I just kept going down Liberty and turned on Browning ending on Lone Oak.

And I was so strong on the uphills...even the massive hill on Shiloh and the one Landeu. I did not stop to walk at all. I only took brief walking breaks like less than a minute mostly to drink or take the gu.

I had a big breakfast, grazed the rest of the morning, and drank a full water bottle. That really seemed to help. I woke up with stomach problems and was ticked. Not again! Thankfully it was very, very minor and cleared up by 10 AM. Absolutely no stomach problems at all on my run. My left ankle started to hurt a little bit as well as my right knee around Mile #10 or #11 so I need to keep an eye on that. Nothing that seems overly serious.

Getting excited for Sacramento. This coming week is another Kick Back week.

Week #7

Monday - Group Power and Run 4 miles



It is going to be a ton of running this week. Good to start it with a bang. I went to Power and it is amazing how rusty you get from missing two weeks. I kept my weight decreased on everything and was still challenged by it. I also ran four miles afterwards on the treadmill. Would rather run outside, but it was too dark out. I had to be home by 7:00 AM. I was back at 7:02 and Derek was just waking up. The whole new morning routine is different and I am trying to figure out the best way to go about doing it. We did not really establish a regular routine last week as Rob was gone and everything was chaotic. Right now it is what it is and I'm thankful I'm getting these workouts in.


Tuesday - Ran 7 miles



I think it is going to be another good running week! Let's hope so. Lots of miles to go. Anyway I had to run 7 and be home by 7:15 AM. It is very dark at 5:50 AM. I wore my reflector cap, my "Target light," and carried my cell phone. It started to get light around Mile #2. I ran in the well lit neighborhoods where a lot of the runners go. I ran the Sumpter Park neighborhood to Sunnyside to Wiltsey down Commerical and back ending with a mile on Kuebler to Boone to Liberty. I felt really good the whole run. I only stopped at the lights to refuel. I felt really energized. I think I am becoming more and more of a morning runner. It is going to be tough to do these long runs as the mornings keep getting darker.


Wednesday - Rest



My body needs a rest and our schedule is a little flip flopped this week with Rob being in Washington this weekend. I am probably going to end up doing my long run on Sunday which is not ideal. This week it makes the most sense. The long runs are getting "long" and Sunday afternoons give the longest block of time. I don't have to deal with it being dark out and it should not be overly hot. Once the rain hits (and I'm really hoping it holds off until November) it is going to be tough again. Running 18 miles in the rain sounds awful.



Anyway today is proving to be a stressful day and I kind of wish I did go running. Hailey is sick and staying home from school. She looks fatigued, pale, and exhausted. Derek is better than last week, but still a handful. And I am overwhelmed by other things. Glad next week is a little "lighter."


Thursday - Cross training - 15 minutes eliptical, 15 minutes bike


Happy birthday, Hailey! Ok the alarm went off at 4:48 AM and I was awake. I even woke up a few minutes before. I love the fact my body is "on a schedule" and I am waking up on my own. This makes me feel really good. The deal with cross training: I want it to be "break" from running. I still want it to be exercise, but not as intense as running. Obviously I want to pour more of my energy into running. I was reading a good article about this in Runners World. Yes, I read a lot of RW while Rob was in Boston. Trena was even telling me she pushed herself so hard in cross training (doing squats) that she feels like that is where she injured herself. She is still recovering from it. So as much I love Group Ride, I don't want to do it as my cross training every week. It's intense, tough, an hour long, and almost as challening for me as a regular run...sometimes I think it is more so. So I tried fifteen minutes on the eliptical today and fifteen minutes on the break. I know I worked hard because I was sweating a lot and I could feel like I worked my legs pretty hard. It was nice to be at the gym for a shorter period of time and be home before 7. I do miss the group atmosphere which is why I still might do "Ride" from time to time. For today, I am happy with my workout.


Friday - Ran 4 Miles


I had a really good run this afternoon. It was a little rainy, but not too bad. I probably should have ran in the morning as it would not have made my afternoon so full. I did enjoy sleeping in a little. I did a route similar to when I trained for Portland, but I avoided running on Kuebler since I hate running on such a busy road. I ran Lone Oak to Valleywood to Sunnyside to Idylwood to Jones back to Lone Oak. Nice route. My new shoes felt great.

Saturday - Rest

Was a busy day. Rob was in Zillah all day for Classis. They left at 4 AM and got back home shortly after 9 PM. Hailey and Derek were at VB's house in the morning and I got a lot done between 10 AM and 12:30 PM. Then I dropped Kara off at the VB's house and went with Trena to her shower. Back to VB's and back home by 6 PM. Kind of a lot for a day especially without Rob. Kara was running a fever. Pretty sure it's related to a cold. No throwing up or anything. Her appetite is fine. She is just lethargic.

Sunday - Ran 14 miles

Yay! I totally did it. And it went well. I daresay parts of it I enjoyed. I did my 12 mile route, but detoured to Wes Bennet park which served as a great "refueling station." Filled my water bottle there. I also ran up Valleywood through the Sumpter neighborhood on the way home. I also ran up Kashmir for the last mile and a half and through that neighborhood. Not sure I will do that again because the hills were super steep. I was not expecting that at all and I could not make it up all of them.

I did not feel as dehydrated this time. I ate a regular breakfast and grazed all morning. I tried to drink a whole water bottle before noon. It seemed to help. I went through two water bottles during the whole run.

It helps to break the run into parts. I used to see the long runs as mile by mile. Now I see them as sections such as the Sumpter section, the Battlecreek Section, the Rees Hill section etc. It helps me feel like I accomlish something when I exit one area and enter the next.

I also walked very little which surprised me. My endurance was strong. I walked up half the Baxter hill and walked 1-2 minutes each of the last few miles. I stopped at the bus stop on Fairway to take the gu and it helped a ton. I think I should take two packs next time.

It is kind of crazy that this would be my longest run if I were training for the 5/3 Riverbank run. I am only on Week #7. I have to do 11 more long runs and some will be even longer. I feel confident I can do it. Today went so well and it was good to be out.

Week #6

Monday - 3 Miles


Happy Labor Day! The kids let me sleep until 7:30 AM. Kind of funny that is sleeping in. I ran around 9:30 AM since Rob is only working an hour today and from home. I did my regular three mile route to Ewald. The weather was perfect with a slight chill in the air. I was pretty comfortable aside from some soreness. I wore my new shoes for the first time and they feel strange and flat. These are the shoes I hope to wear in Sacramento. I need to break them in first and make sure they are giving me enough support. I probably going to rotate my shoes with each workout.


Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday - Rest


I knew exercising would not happen with Rob away. I was reading a good article in Runner's World about the importance of rest and how "rest" is training too. Thought of that as I was not doing any form of exercise and missing it.


Wow it has been a hard week with Rob gone. I knew it would be tough, but never imagined it would be this wearing. Never imagined I would on the verge of emotional breakdown so often and Derek would be so crazy. I feel like I handled it better with communicating to Rob how it is going. I do not hold it against him because I really wanted him to go this conference and I was happy to make it happen. It has just been an exhausting week and been tough in so many ways. Makes me think we are crazy for living so far from family and not sure those feelings will ever change.


Friday - Ran 3 Miles

Trena came over for a half hour. Worked out well. She read Hailey's library books to her. Kara napped and Derek played in his room. He did not nap today, but he stayed in his room almost the whole time. I ran the same square I ran on Sunday. It felt good to run. I was happy to get out and it was beautiful out. Since my mind is "off" along with my emotions, I was not fully there. I could not enjoy it as much as I normally would. I am glad I got out there nonetheless and thankful Trena could help me out.

Saturday - Rest

Could not get out and run. Today went better with the kids. I took them apple picking and out to the Mc Donalds on the Salem Parkway. Hailey even played by herself for 45 minutes so I could take a nap. Derek and Kara slept all afternoon.

Sunday - Ran 9 Miles

Tough run. How much easier it was to run 12 last week and only 9 today. Kind of crazy. I did the same route I did last week only I turned right on Commercial and went towards Woodmansee instead of going the Rees Hill route. That shaves off three miles. I felt dehydrated the whole run. I was constantly craving water and I ran out way too soon. I need to detour around Wes Bennet Park and stop at the drinking fountain next time. I was just under a time crunch today. I had side aches at times. I felt way too hot. It was in the low 80's, but not used to running in the heat. It's been a couple weeks since I have done it. I walked up half the hill on Landeu. I also detoured through Woodmansee and walked through most of it. I was going to cut through the trails. Then I got lost. I ended up right in the middle of someone's Frisbee Golf game. I made it to the Judson Middle School football field and ran most of the of the way home. Might have been slightly under 9 miles today, but I am going to sweat it. Kind of hoping for better running later in the week. Today was not as fun.