Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Catching up, decisions and Boston training!

Ahh! I've been so busy I'm just beginning to catch up on my blog reading:) Congrats to the racers this past weekend! Sounds like fun was had by all at about a million Jingle Bell 5K's!

In random order this is what's new with me since Friday!

I did run my longest treadmill run to date -15 miles-on Friday. I cannot explain how much this sucked. I would rather run 30 miles on the road than 15 on the treadmill. I was constantly changing the incline and mph but managed to finish in 2 hrs and 12 seconds (8 min) pace. It is projected to hit 44 degrees below zero tonight.

I have a huge blister on the bottom of my left big toe. NO, 1000+ miles of running since April does not produce blisters but wearing what my hubby calls my "super hot hooker boots" all weekend does! My feet may have been cold sitting in hockey arenas but they looked d*mn good!

Both my girls won all their games over the weekend. My oldests' team is now ranked 6th in the state and they have beaten 2 of the teams ahead of them.

I decided to "play college" on Saturday night on our hockey trip and stayed up until 3:30 a.m. visiting with hockey parents in the hotel lobby! Considering I cannot sleep a minute past 5:30 am, I am still paying for this.

I was on the exercise bike at the hotel for 45 minutes on Saturday and I did my mini workout in my room both days. I didn't run.

I am considering going back to work full time. We lost an employee to a move and really need a replacement. I've had a very flexible 2-3 day per week work schedule for 7 years. I don't technically NEED the money and I'm not sure the stress of trying to coordinate schedules would be worth it. I do however love my job and my boss and as my kids get older my life will get a little easier. It would have a great effect on my Boston training as I work 30 minutes from my home making for a 10 hour work day and I travel on the weekends for hockey. I refuse to let my running interfere with my family life so this would mean even 12-14 mile runs would be done in the morning before work. Lots to think about.

I have officially started my training plan. I made an 18 week plan that I combined from several other plans and printed it out. I will stick to the speedwork each week and the mileage but I will be very flexible with the weather. The weather forecast will often determine what and when I will run. If it is nice in March I may push the envelope and bring my mileage back up to the 60-70 range but for now I won't run much over 50 miles a week.

This week so far:

Sunday- Rest

Monday- Plan: 8 miles @ 8:27 pace. Reality:8 miles 7:33 pace. Two days off in a row gave my legs a break and I was extremely overtired and really just wanted to get this run done.

Tuesday- Plan:5 miles @8:00 pace Reality:5 miles @ 8:00 pace! NICE!!

Wednesday- Plan:10 miles w/ 4 @ 7:15 pace. Desperately hoping to be outside.

Thursday- Plan:6 miles @ 8:27 pace

Friday- Plan:14 miles @ 8:27 pace

Saturday-Cross training/rest day

Like I said I really like having a plan to follow but I won't be married to it. My goal is to match or slightly better my current marathon race time at Boston not to shatter it. I will work on doing that over the summer in better conditions. I also continue to do a 20 minute pushup/pullup/situp routine daily and will lift handheld weights at home about 3 evenings a week. I'm going to do incline running on the treadmill and hill repeats outside but likely will do very little leg strength training. I just do not have the time. This is not an excuse, I truly do not have the time or desire. It is taking every bit of me to stay motivated right now when it is so miserably cold outside. My sister (who also qualified for Boston with a 3:26) has run only 35 miles since October. She will start training in January and only plans to run about a 3:45 since she has no interest in winter training. I wish I had a little of her personality sometimes. She will likely run a sub 3:20 next fall even with a nice 3 month hiatus.

No more news! Time to catch up on reading!

17 comments:

Lindsay said...

yikes 44 below. i'd be all over the treadmill like white on rice. oh wait, it doesn't take that much for me to get on the treadmill to begin with. some days the motivation is totally not there but i have hopped on the treadmill for an 18-20 mile run before. yep, mental. :)

glad you have your boston plan laid out! hopefully you won't have to spend too much of it on the 'mill.

Jill said...

Yikes lady, you are super speedy! Totally inspired by you!!! I did 18 on a treadmill just before Boston last year as a freak storm dumped 3' of snow and well, I had to get the run in. I bascially looked like I moved in: water, electrolytes, GU, Perpetuem, iPod, bandanna....

I need to get busy and work on a Boston plan...will be great to read up on your training, since we're doing the same race!

Yea for your daughter's ranking - way cool!!

Genesis said...

holy smokes its gonna be cold there.

i hear ya on the price we pay for beauty and fashion.

Unknown said...

It sounds like you will have to be flexible with your schedule regarding the weather, I think you have a great attitude and I also wish I had a little bit of your sister's attitude too! Good luck with the job decision. That's a hard one but it's probably better to lean toward the less-work idea since training will need energy, rest and most importantly, time for your family! It's a challenge juggling everything, I keep trying for some strange reason! Good luck!

Lisa said...

15 miles on the dreadmill? You are a saint lol. Could never do that.

Running Diva Mom said...

WOW -- that's a lot of miles for the week. YOU GO GIRL!! And, great job on the 15 miles on the treadmill. Winter simply sucks!!

Suzy said...

Sounds like you have a good idea of what to do to get ready for Boston. Good thing you will take weather into account - it gets cold way up north. I hope you recover from 'playing college' soon; we just don't recover as quickly as we gracefully age.

Katie said...

44 below? I feel cold just thinking about those temps! Sounds like you have it all figured out. For you're last training cycle, you were doing 60-70 miles a week? Which training plans do you like? I'm curious because obviously you ran an incredible first marathon. Something I'd like to do myself eventually.

Pining for Pinterest said...

Wow, that is some cold weather!! I just found your blog and I think it is wonderful :-)

Jen Feeny said...

I'm sorry, you lost me at 44 below. Seriously?!?! W.T.F. I wish I could come wrap you up in a blanket!!!

Katie A. said...

OMG! 44 below! That is Crazy with a capital C! I don't know how you all do it ;)
You sound like you're ready to hit the go button for Boston training...although I couldn't imagine an 18 week training plan I am sure it will be necessary since you have so much weather to deal with!
I am sooo with you on the treadmill running - it is the worst! Good luck this week with all the big decesions and the crazy weather!

TMB @ RACING WITH BABES said...

15 on the treadmill ... ouch! I've done 12 and that was too much! Good luck with the training, hope you get to get outside for most of it!

Velma said...

You are a tough girl. It is good to have employment options in the tough economy - I am sure you will make the right decision. Happy training!

Happy Feet 26.2 said...

44 below, that is just CRAZY!
If you don't need the money, don't go full time. Too much work time and not enough training time, don't do it! Ha Ha! Seriously, I hope you make a good choice that will work for you and the family.

Happy Feet 26.2 said...

Oh, I forgot. I need to work on my plan for Boston too. Maybe you can just send me yours. Ha Ha

Mel-2nd Chances said...

congrats to the girls! kudos to you for sticking on the TM that long! blisters suck, hope it heals up fast!! And good luck with the work decision!!

Amanda@runninghood said...

okay, never mind I have totally stalked your old posts...back when I thought you were a stuck up beotch that was ignoring me. ha ha.