12 Days of Christmas

12 Days til Christmas!! To combat all this merriment and the effects it is having on my thighs, I MUST workout so..... 12 Days of Christmas = 12 Days of Workouts!
I haven't gotten myself to the gym in a long while, but I don't think 4 days of running is cutting it these days, so I forced myself to go to the gym after work tonight. As usual it was hard to get myself there, but once I was there I was happy that I went. I am going to have to step it up a notch in the workout department over these next two weeks, especially if I want to continue to enjoy all the holiday goodies without feeling guilty and without carrying around 10 extra pounds once training starts again in January.
It is the holidays. I refuse not to enjoy it by restricting my caloric intake. Instead, I rather just work out alittle bit more and alittle bit harder. Afterall, it only comes but once a year.

Speaking of goodies, once again I am learning to bake so many yummy things from the different blogs I have been reading over the last few months. They are all especially interesting during this time of year. Last night I made Grandma's Molasses Cookies courtesy of Framed Cooks.
They were yummy especially with a mug of Hot Chocolate!!!

I am off to bed before I eat more cookies so that I can wake up early to meet a friend for a good run in the morning to start off Day 2 of the 12 days of Christmas!!

Tonight's workout:
30m min spin
30 min elliptical
15 minutes core/ab work

Plan for the Week

Since the marathon I have found myself alot more disorganized and a little lost with no longer any plan to follow. My eating habits and lack of healthy habits(i.e drinking enough water, remembering my daily vitamins) have gone awry. To help me get back on track, I have decided to write out my plan for the week and keep better track of my daily habits.
Monday- run home from work, physique 57, make a healthy dinner
Tuesday - Strengthening ex at gym in the AM, team practice/run PM
Wednesday - Gym - cross training, core and UE or physique 57, make something new for dinner!
Thursday - run in am and strengthening exercises
Friday - off
Saturday - practice/run
Sunday - run or cross training
Make sure to drink enough water and take my vitamins every day!
Other things to do this week:
Decide what making/bringing to Thanksgiving Dinner
Decide on November race of the month (probably a turkey trot)

Learning to cook through other's blogs

Over the last few months I have learned a lot from reading other's blogs. Now that the marathon is over and I have a little more time on my hands, I have decided that I want to get more into cooking, baking, and well, using my kitchen. Over the weekend I did a lot of cooking (a lot for me anyway) and have decided to try to cook/make at least one new thing each week from other people's blogs.

This weekend from reading GreenLitesBites I have learned how to cut butternut squash, make butternut squash fries(Yummy!!)and pasta with pumpkin, turkey sausage and spinach.

For dessert I made some very yummy no-bake s'mores brownies-delicious!!that I found on Framed Cooks blog.

It feels like such an accomplishment when I actually cook a meal, not to mention it's a lot more healthy and less expensive then ordering out or buying already prepared foods.

I am going to try cooking something new every Wednesday since I get home from work early on this day and hopefully bake/make something new on the weekends.

Looks like I best get back to training for something soon with all this baking I am going to be doing!!!

This week my goal is to get back to the gym at least 2 days to do my strengthening exercises, 3-4 days of running, and 2 days of Physique 57 so that I can fully enjoy all this new food without any of the guilt! That is one thing I already miss about marathon training- eating without having to worry!

(Re) Finding My passion at the MCM

Throughout this marathon training cycle, I struggled mentally. Physically I was doing the workouts, but mentally I never really found my mojo. Very infrequently did I experience that euphoric feeling that I use to get after a great speed workout or tough run. 4 weeks before the marathon I did a half marathon that left me feeling deflated and defeated. It was the first time I could ever remember thinking that I just didn't want to be out there on the race course. I questioned for the first time in my life whether or not I really wanted to do this running thing anymore- and that thought scared me. After the half, I tried to rally. I focused more and thankfully had a great last 20 miler. It left me feeling better, but still not 100% sold on this running business. I think part of the reason for these feelings is because it had been almost 3 years since my last marathon, and I had forgotten what it takes both mentally and physically to train for one. Plus, I was putting way too much pressure on myself to perform well, infact set a PR, at this next marathon. The night before the marathon I questioned why I was even doing another marathon.
Luckily, 2.5 miles into the marathon on Sunday, I found my answer! I am not quite sure why or how it all came about, but suddenly there I was, smiling, LOVING exactly where I was at that moment, in a place that just felt right. At that moment it all clicked.
I loved everything about this marathon! The Marines, the camaraderie amongst the runners, the course (yes, even the hill at mile 26, but,ok, maybe not the 2 mile desolate overpass) the crowds,especially their posters (there definitely were some creative ones out there), the weather, the way I felt, and especially the finish line. Not just because it was the end, but because where it fell. Shortly after mile 24, you could see the crosses from afar on top of the hill at Arlington National Cemetery. At that moment, amongst the physical fatigue, I dug deep, realizing how lucky I was just to be out here doing this thing, and found a second, or third, or fourth wind (at least for a few hundred feet!). But, receiving my medal by a Marine, in viewing distance of the Iwo Jima monument was, well...Priceless!
The cherry on top of this perfect day was that I set a PR! When this training cycle began I was hoping for a sub-3:20. With my training where it was, I wasn't sure if that was going to be realistic. My finish line time was 3:20:44. Under other circumstances, I might have been frustrated by the 45 seconds, but given the day I had, I couldn't be happier. I feel like I had the best of both worlds- being able to take it all in and enjoying every moment of it, and still doing a good time. I am happy! and ofcourse I have already begun to think about my next marathon. Talk about crazy. Two days before I was saying I was never going to do one of these things again, and now I can't stop thinking about which one to do next. I guess that's the power of the marathon- and why we are all addicted to these things!!

Inspiration

It was Chris McCormack (Macca) who got me through my 20 miler last weekend and Terry Fox who helped me breeze through my 12 miler on Saturday with a smile on my face. Now I am looking for someone to inspire me through 26.2 miles in 2 weeks time.

The night before my last 20 miler I was glued to my computer watching Kona. I sat in awe as Macca broke away from Andreas Raelert to win. As I was nearing the end of my run and trying to maintain 10-15 seconds faster then marathon pace for the last 4 miles, all I thought about was how Macca must have been feeling during the last 3-4 miles of his race. I thought to myself, my suffering is NOTHING compared to what he must have been feeling in those final miles and yet he was still able to break away and give it one last hard effort. So I told myself to suck it up and to stop being a wimp. It worked! I finished that run feeling strong and was very happy with the results.

This Saturday I had a nice 12 miler on deck. It was a beautiful day and I was really enjoying the run. I was by myself and enjoying the solitude. I was perhaps going out abit too fast for a long run, but everything just felt good so I went with it. With about 4 miles to go, though, I started to feel it abit. It was then that I ran right in the middle of a race going on in the park... The Terry Fox Run for Cancer Research. It was just what I needed to help me get my second wind and finish up that run strong. I just thought about how incredible Terry Fox was and how he must of felt each day that he was out there giving it his all. It also made me realize how lucky I was to be able to run and to have my health. I finished that run with a big smile on my face, loving my life.

So now I am looking for someone to inspire me through 26.2 miles on October 31, 2010. I am looking for a good book, movie, or article to help inspire me and get me through those last tough miles.
If anyone has any recommendations I would love to hear them! I need all the help I can get!!

Why I Love my Wednesday Runs

Tuesday and Thursdays I usually try to do some sort of "quality" workouts (i.e speed work, hill repeats) Saturdays I do long runs and Sundays I try to squeeze in my recovery runs without losing my entire weekend to running.
But, Wednesdays, ah Wednesdays. Wednesdays are my day to just float along - No goals, no gadgets, no particular speed or pace. I just "go with the flow" and enjoy every minute of it. It is also the one day I usually listen to music and just get lost in my thoughts or the melody/lyrics of the song.
Lately I have not been enjoying running too much. I think I have been putting too much pressure on myself, and when I can't meet the goals I set forth, I think I become somewhat resentful towards the art of running. But it's nights like these, when I get out in the park with no expectations, that I remember why I love running so much. The cool crisp air, the familiar faces I see running the same routes seasons after seasons, the rhythmic flow of my body, the ease of movement under my feet - these are things that make me smile. These are the things that keep me coming back.
Tonight was a good night. Tonight reminded me why I do this thing called running in the first place. Tonight is just the sort of night I needed to reignite this crazy love affair all over again.
Tonight I came home and thanked my lucky stars that I can run, that I have the ability to do so.
Tonight I realized that there is no reason to whine and complain about a bad run
Afterall, any run is better then no run at all!

Mental Block

It seems as though I might be suffering from a bad case of mental block with a dose of the training blahs mixed in. I can't really explain it, but I have just felt "off" over the last few weeks. I can't remember the last time I walked away from a workout feeling accomplished or satisfied with the end result. I have been trying to figure out the reason why my training and my attitude have not been up to par lately, and sadly, perhaps, the answer is as simple as I haven't been trying hard enough. For some reason, I just can't seem to find my mojo, my motivation, my drive to run faster, to be faster.
I can't attribute my lack of luster to "burnout" because I haven't trained for a marathon in almost 3 years.
3 years, is that it? I was 3 years younger then. At what point, do you have to factor age into the equation? Was I in my prime 3 years ago (35), and now sadly, I need to accept that maybe these legs can't run as fast as they use to?
And yet, as I write that last statement, I realize that perhaps,I am just suffering from a bad case of mental bashing.
Afterall, today I ran a 1/2 marathon, and was only off my PR from 3 years ago by 25 seconds, and yet, I am so disappointed in myself. Right now mentally I feel like crap. Today, during the 1/2, I physically felt like crap.
I was hoping for a PR this morning, secretly hoping for at least a 1:32. I am not even sure why I thought I could even do this time, I just assumed I should be able to do this time. Afterall, isn't that how it works? You train, You get faster, easy as that.
Yeah, no. I guess it doesn't work that way. I know 25 seconds doesn't seem like alot, but I was disappointed today for many different reasons:
1)Before starting this training cycle, in March, I did a 1/2 marathon, and was very happy and surprised to see I was able to do a 1:34:55.
2) This course was flat, the weather was perfect. The course in March was more difficult, my PR course was MUCH more difficult. (Today, i would have probably done a 1:36 on that course)
3) I felt like crap! Today, I was ready to walk by mile 9 and although I didn't, I definitely gave up. During Miles 9-11 I was running nearly 30 seconds slower then I had hoped, and I didn't care. I couldn't reach deep enough within myself and find the umph to pick it up, to even try to go faster. I didn't even try. I settled in on the pace and I didn't care. Infact, at that point, I thought to myself, "I am not enjoying any of this." I was remembering back to the days when I would look down at my watch and smile. When the mile markers would appear to be so close to one another. Today,I was waiting for each and every one of them to finally reveal themselves to me, cursing to myself.
Do I just not have it in me anymore? or did I just simply forget that racing is really not that much fun while actually doing it. My coach told me that i did not go into it mentally prepared. I did not prepare for the pain/uncomfortableness that comes with it. Perhaps 3 years has erased from my memory how painful/difficult this entire process can be. Maybe it is like giving birth. Women forget just how difficult pregnancy and painful labor can be, and there they are a few years later doing it all over again.
I realize everyone has a bad day. But I feel like it is more then that. I am just not up to par to where I wanted to be and I am disappointed in myself.
The worst part about it is that I was looking towards this race to build my confidence, to help me get mentally ready for marathon day. Instead, it has confirmed what I had feared, I really am just not where I wanted to be at this point. Sub 3:20 is looking more and more difficult, and I know if I keep feeling this way mentally, it will be impossible to do.
Only 2 weeks of real training left, will that do anything for me at this point?
Ok, enough, with this depressing post. Tonight I pout, tomorrow I push forward!!