Next Up

Now that I am finished training for the General Smallwood International Triathlon I am looking ahead to my next endeavor. I have a lot of big goals and know that I need to be smart with how I go about training for them.

1. Keystone State Triathlon August 26

I am currently signed up to do the Olympic distance but I am waiting to hear back from the race directors about switching to the sprint instead. This is not an A race for me so I need to focus on doing what is best for my more important races. The Olympic distance has a 27 mile bike versus an 18 mile course for the sprint. Both courses are really hilly and although I plan on spending time working on climbing I don't want it to become a priority right now. 

2. Rock N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon September 16

Even though this is not my big A race for the year I still want to PR the shit out of it. I haven't ever fully committed to training for a half marathon so I want to see how fast I can go with some proper training. Ultimately it is a training race but I will be taking a few days rest before and after it. One of my best friends will also be running this race as her first half marathon/running race ever and I am so excited to be there with her.


3. ING New York City Marathon November 4

This is the big one. I have dreamed of running this race and to be running it as my first marathon almost seems like fate to me. From here on out this is where my priority will be. Sure I want to do well in my other races, but I want to destroy this one. Training for a marathon is no joke so it needs to be the most important of the three.

Other possible races: Sneaks Come Out at Night 15K August 11

I really want to do this race because it is at night and I run significantly better at night. Dusk is my favorite time of day and I can't think of anything I'd rather do than run around Baltimore as the sun is going down. I am not signed up for this race yet because it is not a priority race for me and I don't want to commit to anything this early. I don't want to miss out on other summer festivities for a race this isn't terribly important so I'm going to wait a few more weeks before making my ultimate decision.

A Necessary Recovery Week

I have been trying to be flexible with my training this cycle so that I don't feel any pressure and don't get stressed out about not being able to do a certain workout on a particular day. What I did make sure to schedule was recovery weeks. When I was a swimmer I was always the one to get injured so I am trying to be proactive and prevent any potential injuries.

I was planning on taking a recovery week next week since I have started off pretty slowly with training. I would normally do three hard weeks followed by a recovery week but week two of training hard pretty low volume so I figured I could get away with pushing the recovery week back.

When I got back to school on Sunday night I discovered that my hip flexors were pretty sore. They were only sore to touch though, so I iced them for a little and didn't think about them again. Then on Wednesday as I was walking down the stairs after class I was having this weird pain in my left leg. It felt like a joint was inflamed or something. I'm still not sure what it was but it was pretty darn uncomfortable.

I decided to take an unplanned rest day on Wednesday since I didn't want to do anything to further aggravate my leg. I was surprisingly tired and went to bed at 10, much earlier than my normal 12-1 bedtime. On Thursday when I was thinking about my workout for the day I just especially lacking motivation. It wasn't my normal I-would-rather-sit-on the-couch-than-workout. It was more of an I-need-a-break-before-I-have-a-mental-breakdown-and-quit-school feeling.

Then I realized that my body was craving a rest week. The thought of a rest week excited me so much that I knew it was for the best. And after two full days of rest I am now itching to get back out there for a workout.

In past training I was stuck in vicious cycles of not sticking to the plan, getting burnt out, taking a few days off to rest, feeling guilty for taking rest days, and consequentially not taking any rest weeks so that I could try to make up my missed workouts.

At the beginning of the week I ignored my small aches and pains and lack of motivation and tried to power through. But I'm glad that I listened to my body and took a necessary rest week so I can go into the next training segment with enthusiasm and ready to tackle my upcoming workouts.

Triathlon Training Week 1

I know a lot of others bloggers do weekly recaps and honestly, I love reading them! I love seeing them address their training with honesty and owning up to their mistakes. I am going to do my best to post a weekly recap documenting my triathlon training so that I look back and see what did and didn't work.


Monday:
Monday marked the first day of triathlon training for me! I wanted to a time trial in each of the three tri sports to establish a base so I can track improvement. I did my run time trial on Monday, which was a 5K. My current 5K PR is a 26:57 from the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, but I smashed that time going 25:41! This was also my first run after my half marathon so I'm surprised with how strong and fast my legs felt. My stomach was causing me more trouble than my legs!


Tuesday:
Tuesday was a 2 mile recovery run. The goal was to try to keep my heart rate as low as possible and as a result my pace was super slow. But it was a really enjoyable run minus the cold temps. This was my first morning run in a very long time too! My legs were pretty tight the rest of the day so I was glad to have the afternoon off.


Wednesday: 
The plan was to do my bike time trial on Wednesday but I couldn't figure out how to set up my new bike computer. I decided to switch Sunday's planned easy ride to today instead. I did 30 minutes on the trainer in a really easy gear. The outside of my left lower leg was really sore so I wanted to keep it easy so I didn't aggravate it anymore.


Thursday:
I received some incredible news Wednesday night that had me dying to go for a run. I knew I wanted to do an interval run but I was debating how many repeats to do. In the end I settled on 3 x 800 with both a warm up and cool down for 3.1 miles total. I started off way too fast but the last two repeats were more consistent. It wasn't the best run I've ever had but I knew this workout would be worth doing regardless.


Friday: 
I was up pretty late Thursday night so Friday ended up being a rest day. It was nice to take an afternoon nap and not worry about fitting in a workout.


Saturday:
I wasn't quit sure what I wanted to do on Saturday so I decided to just see what I felt like as the week progressed. I settled on 4 miles easy since I wanted to go for a run. My knees were bothering me during this run so I made sure to keep the pace really easy and in control. I also iced and foam rolled after the run to give my knees a little extra TLC.


Sunday:
I was pretty pressed for time on Sunday so I was going to do the Insanity Cardio Recovery workout but I only made it about half way through. Something is better than nothing though.


Weekly Totals

• Swimming: 
• Biking: 30 min
• Running: 12.27 miles
• Total Hours: 3 hours

Thoughts
I wanted to still take it pretty easy this week since it was my first week back to training since my half marathon. Last time I jumped back into training too quickly and ended up irritating my IT bands. I am pretty happy with the workouts that I did get it, although I wish I would have biked more than once. I am especially pleased with Monday's run and I hope that was an indicator of things to come. I did a pretty good job getting enough sleep this week, which made it easier to workout in the mornings. What I need to focus on for next week is my nutrition though. This week I just kind of ate whatever and whenever. I know that my upset stomach on Sunday was a result of my poor eating choices. Overall, though, it was a decent week and I am excited for next week!

Putting Together a Triathlon Training Plan

Even though I have not officially decided on which Olympic distance triathlon I will be doing this year, I am almost certain about the Terrapin Sprint Triathlon on May 6. Assuming I do the General Smallwood International Triathlon on July 8, I have 15 weeks to train. I am jumping right into triathlon training on Monday, though, since I only have 6 weeks to train to the Terrapin Triathlon.

Luckily I have a somewhat solid base in running and have a rock solid base in swimming. The problem for me is the bike. Last year I bought a nice hybrid bike which I will use since I can't justify paying $1,000-2,000 for a road or tri bike when I have never done a triathlon before. I know how to ride a bike fine and I actually really enjoy riding, the problem for me though is climbing.

Even though I have never done a triathlon before, I decided to create my own training plan. I have a lot of circumstances that do not fit into the majority of the training plans I found online and I don't want to pay for custom training. I know my strengths and weaknesses and I don't necessarily care about how speedy I am.

I have put together a plan of sorts but I decided to only lay out which workouts I want to do each week. My schedule changes from week to week and I have found that I get stressed out when I can't do the workout that is written for a particular day. I am also going to be revising and editing the plan based on what is and isn't working, and if I fall behind at all.

Swim
I am a very strong swimmer and even though I haven't been to the pool since December I know that this is by far my strongest leg and that I don't need to put much time into training for this leg. Since I was a swimmer for such a long time I really don't have to worry about much. I love doing freestyle but I also like backstroke and butterfly and like doing kicking and pulling drills. Just because triathlon has long open water swims I am not going to limit myself in the pool. I am planning on swimming twice a week for 30-45 minutes and focusing on enjoying something that I have spent my entire life doing.

Bike
This is the tricky part for me. I know the bike is my weakest leg so I want to really spend a lot of time getting myself comfortable in the saddle. The big dilemma that I have is that I don't live in a very safe area so riding outside is not really an option until classes end and I come home to Pennsylvania for the summer. I have a bike trainer and I strangely really enjoy riding on the trainer, but I know that getting outside is crucial. Luckily I should have enough time after school ends before the General Smallwood International Triathlon to get in the proper time on the roads. I also need to get comfortable using my clipless pedals. I can use them fine on the trainer because I can't fall over, but going out on the road with them terrifies me.

If only this was me..

Run
The run in a sprint triathlon is 3.1 miles and the run in an Olympic distance triathlon is 6.2 miles, both of which I know I can successfully complete. Because I am running the Rock N' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in September I don't want to lose a lot of my running fitness while triathlon training. I really struggled to do the long runs while training at school though so I am excited to be able to focus on shorter distances. With that being said, though, I want to establish a nice base for when I transition back to half marathon training.

The plan:

• 2 30-45 minute swims a week 
• 4 bike rides a week, including a brick, a long ride, a recovery ride, and a hard ride
• 5 runs a week, including a brick, a longer run, a recovery run, an interval run, and a whatever run

I know there is more running than what most people incorporate into triathlon training, but I am setting some big goals for myself for running this fall and I want to go into training as prepared as possible. I am also planning on adding open water swims when possible and doing two bricks a week in the summer.

The part of my training that I need to work on the most is my nutrition but that will be a whole other post so stay tuned! 

It Was a Great Week

Last week was probably my best training week ever. I started the week off feeling motivated by the unbelievable warm weather maintained that motivation for the entire week. I ran five times, which is the most I have ever run in one week, for 21 miles total. I also biked twice, and went to the gym for strength training for the first time.

I am really not sure if I have ever had a week in which I was so happy the entire time. Despite the stresses of being in college, I managed to stay composed and optimistic. I even started most days cheery with a smile on my face.

After last week I am even more excited about the upcoming weeks of half marathon training. The Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon in Washington DC is March 17, which means I have five more solid weeks of training plus a final week for a taper. I am not good at following training plans but I am ready to kick it into high gear for the rest of this training cycle.

I have been enjoying running so much lately that I am thinking about switching around my race plans for the rest of the year. I was planning on really focusing on triathlons over the summer and then only one or two fall half marathons. I have never done a triathlon though and I want to learn more about the sport and how to properly train for a triathlon before I jump into any big races.

With that said, though, I am really excited with what I have lined up for the rest of the year and can't wait to try so many new things

About My RR USA Half Training Plan

Even though training for the Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon officially started a few weeks ago, I still wanted to do a post about my training. I didn't stick to a training plan while training for Baltimore and it showed. When I was training for Baltimore I was only concerned with finishing. I didn't really care about what my time would be or what paces I should be training at. While I don't want to put a lot of pressure on myself for this race, I still want to PR in a big way. I really truly believe that I can crush my current PR with some actual training.

I really enjoyed having the ability to look back on the things I did, and didn't do, while training for Baltimore. When I was writing my training plan for this race I wanted to incorporate a lot of cross training. First, I get injured very easily and I really don't want to get injured. Second, I want to also use this time to build a solid base for triathlon training. I also had to really take my class schedule into account. Some days I have class earlier than others and I can only get to the pool on certain days.

So here it is:

• Monday: speed run AM/ long bike PM
• Tuesday: swim & strength AM/ medium bike PM
• Wednesday: tempo run & short bike PM
• Thursday: swim & strength AM/ long run PM
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: rest
• Sunday: easy run & short bike

I decided to stick to four runs a week because any more and my IT band becomes very angry. As for what types of runs, I chose to do a long run, an easy run, a tempo run and a speed run. Originally I wanted to do two easy runs but I opted for only one easy run since four runs a week isn't really that many. I thought doing two hard runs a week would help build strength and increase speed. My main goal for my runs during this training cycle is to hit all of my long runs. I am aiming for between 8-12 miles. I didn't do runs that long last time it really hurt me in the end.

I also decided on biking four days a week. I am not an experienced cyclist and need to work on this leg the most. I don't have many guidelines for my rides, it is all about spending time in the saddle and getting used to being back on the bike. I have a longish ride planned for Monday nights and I want to do some interval work since I am such a slow cyclist but other than that my rides will probably be at a pretty easy pace and used for recovery.

I knew I wanted to do a few days of swimming a week so that I would be able to take advantage of my experience in the pool come tri season. Since I have two scheduled swims a week I want to do one as a recovery and technique swim and the other as a speed workout. Swimming will be the least important part of my training though. Swimming is what I am best at and I know that I can still do well in a tri with minimal time in the pool. 

The part I am most excited about is actually strength training. I only lifted weight while swimming during my last year but I saw an insane amount of improvement. Not to mention how much strength training helps prevent injuries. I will focus on upper body one day and lower body on the other day. And I won't be able to start strength training until I go back to school at the end of January.

Not written into my schedule is yoga and Insanity. I want to try to go to yoga once a week but I don't know what the spring schedule is yet. I wanted to be able to do Insanity regularly but I just don't have enough time. In the end I decided on using Insanity as cross training if I miss a run. For example, if I am unable to do my tempo run for some reason I will do an Insanity workout instead.

Starting 2012 Off the Right Way

Yesterday I did my first workout of 2012. It was glorious and amazing. I planned on running six miles yesterday but I just didn't feel like running so I decided to bike instead. I then decided to do a short brick workout.

I biked for about 30 minutes before hitting the treadmill for 1.5 miles. I wasn't sure how my legs were going to feel after biking so I didn't push it too much on the bike. I don't know what my pace was because I don't have my bike computer set up yet but I felt like I stayed at a pretty steady pace the whole time.

After 30 minutes I quickly changed shorts and shoes and hit the treadmill. I started out at a 10:20 pace for the first half mile and ended with a 9:24 pace for 10:03 pace overall. I was really surprised with how great my legs felt. I was expecting them to feel heavy but they felt more warmed up and ready to run. I was super happy that I able to keep upping the pace without feeling like I was going to burn out.

I don't know how many bricks I will be doing during half marathon training but I am really excited for triathlon training to start. I loved how my legs felt and the overall feeling of pushing myself.

January Goals

January is a big time for New Year's resolutions. Even though I did set some goals for 2012, I think it is a better idea to set monthly goals or resolutions. That way you are only committing to 30 days, not 365. Furthermore, the things I want to accomplish in January and probably going to be very different from what I want to accomplish in August. A year is a long time and a lot can change.

Some of my January goals are based off of my yearly goals, while others are just fun things that I want to do throughout the month.

1. Run 70 miles. This is the most important goal for me because of half marathon training. I want to break two hours and I know that I need to stick to my training plan. I added up the miles I have planned for January and 70 is a few less. This way I still have a little wiggle room in case I miss some runs.

2. Bike 180 miles. This is just a rough estimate goal since I will only be biking on the trainer and I can't tell how fast I'm going while on the trainer. I am just basing this off of the assumption that I will be biking at 15 mph. The main goal here is just to start spending time in the saddle to prepare myself for triathlon training.

3. Swim 9,500 yards. This one is like the first two. Having a concrete number that I need to meet will help me get my butt to the pool on the days that I don't want to. This number could be way off depending on when the college pool reopens so forgive me if this goal just doesn't work out. Let's hope it does though.

4. Start strength training. I started strength training a few years ago as part of physical therapy after I had rotator cuff surgery but I stopped after I quit swimming. I know how important strength training is and I always see great results with my running and swimming while training regularly. I also know this will help me develop power and speed while on the bike.

5. Read two books. I absolutely love reading so I have decided to try to read 15 books this year. I know once school starts it will be hard to find the time to read, which is why I am going to read two books and get in the habit of reading instead of watching tv. Hopefully this will carry over once I start school.

6. Go ice skating. This is one of those for fun goals. I have been ice skating once before but I was pretty young so I don't really remember much. I think this will be a fun date for the boyfriend and me, and will be a great way to enjoy the winter weather.

7. Learn to ski. I have always been weary about learning to ski or snowboard because I am afraid of getting hurt, but I don't want my fears to hold me back anymore. My boyfriend is a regular snowboarder and has been begging me to learn to ski so we can go together. This goal is really more for him than me, but I do think it will be something fun to do together.

8. Organize and clean my apartment. I am going to go to my apartment before the spring semester starts to do some serious cleaning and finally get my apartment organized. I am hoping that by starting off the semester all nice and organized it will help me stay organized. This is by no means a fun goal, but it is really necessary.

9. Go to the National Aquarium. For my birthday my boyfriend got us a couples membership to the aquarium at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. I absolutely love going to the aquarium and have been begging him to go with me. January is the perfect time to go since neither of us will be in school and we will have the time.

10. Meditate for one hour once a week. I have always been intrigued my meditation but have never really tried it out. A few summer ago I would meditate for a few minutes here or there but never consistently. This is something that I can only commit to for one month but I am interested to see the results. I think it will also be good for me to slow down and teach my mind to relax.

11. Track food at Sparkpeople.com. I hate to be cliche and say I want to lose weight this year, but I really do. I don't want to just lose weight though, I want to be at a healthy weight to racing and training for triathlons and half marathons. By logging my food I can see where I am slacking and where I need to cut back. Tracking my food will also make me feel guiltier if I start to get off track.

12. Cook one meal a week. I hate cooking. Not only do I hate cooking, I am terrible at cooking. However, I want to go into the spring semester able to whip up some delicious meals. I am not counting breakfast because I already make breakfast pretty successfully. I am only going to try to cook one meal a week because I am currently staying with my parents, who are always doing the cooking. The goal here is learn how to make healthy dishes that I can make at my apartment when I don't have anyone cooking for me.

2012 Goals

I hate making New Year's resolutions. I am one of those people who never follows through with them. Instead, I find setting specific goals to be more successful. I also do a better job of setting goals for myself each month than just at the beginning of the year. With that being said, I do have a few goals that I am setting for myself now.

Train for and race a triathlon or two. Or three. 2011 was a year of figuring out what I wanted to do sport-wise now that I am done swimming competitively. I ran a half marathon in October and plan to keep running but 2012 is going to be the year of the triathlon for me. But not only do I want to start doing triathlons, I want to start training for them. And I want to train smartly. I want to go into the tri season feeling confident and ready to race.

Break two hours in the half marathon distance. I ran my first half marathon with little training and finished in 2:23:03. I am confident that with proper training and some long runs I can break two hours. I know that would mean a 23 minute PR but I barely trained for Baltimore and my speed has really been improving lately.

Complete a bike race/ride. My boyfriend is a biker. Last year he did his first century ride, which I volunteered at. I was really inspired watching so many people out there biking 100 miles. It is pretty safe to say I will not be biking 100 miles this year, but a 50 miler or metric century (63.5) ride is definitely on my radar.

Spend less time watching TV and on the computer. Ever since I started blogging back in the spring I have spent so much more time on the computer. Don't get me wrong, I love blogging and being a part of such an amazing community. But lately I have spending too much unnecessary time on the computer that would be much better spent doing something productive.

Learn to love my body and feel confident about myself. I have always struggled with having low self-esteem and I am sick of it. When I am training for a race I feel unstoppable and I want to transfer that feeling to every day. I know this is something that will take longer than one year to complete but I think now is the perfect time to start.

Get back to eating healthy. I have been really neglecting this part of my life. I used to be so good about eating healthy wholesome foods but lately I haven't been the best. I'm not going to lie here, having a boyfriend has made it pretty difficult to create healthy meals. But that should not be an excuse.

Do those things that absolutely terrify me but will be so worth it. Sometimes all it takes it twenty seconds of intense bravery to do something amazing. I hate missing out on things because I am scared of failure. I want to look back and be so proud of the courage I had.

Be a better friend and girlfriend. I have been dating my boyfriend for two and half years now so sometimes things can become routine. We rarely fight and I want to keep it that way. Sometimes I can be unsupportive, jealous, and controlling. These are all things that I really want to eliminate to continue my relationship with the most amazing person I have ever met.

Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon Training

Today officially kicks off training for the Rock N' Roll USA Half Marathon, otherwise known as the National Half Marathon. This will be my second half marathon and I am hoping training goes much better than last time.

When training for the Baltimore Half Marathon I moved to Baltimore and started going to a new college. Subsequently, training really took the back seat as I was getting settled into my new surroundings.

I knew it was going to be really difficult to get in quality runs while trying to study for finals so I decided to start training after finals were done and I was home for the holiday break. I don't go back to school until the end of January so I will have already established a solid base before heading back to school.

And going back to school this time will not be a significant as it was in August. I already have a few running routes mapped out and I know when I am most likely to actually get my runs in.

I am really excited to start training again. I loved running the Baltimore Half and I know I can absolutely crush that time and have just as much fun with some real training.

Next Semester

On Thursday I registered for classes for next semester. This is the first time that I was actually able to sign up for all the classes that I wanted to take.

I am most excited to take a class called Sports & Media in American Society, and to continue taking Russian. I was pretty nervous about taking Russian this semester but I have been absolutely loving it so far. I was worried about taking three languages at the same time but it has been a nice challenge so far.

I will be taking French, Spanish, and Russian again next semester, and I hope to continue taking all three for as long as my schedule allow me. I would actually like to try to learn Chinese but I don't want to drop any of the languages that I am currently taking.

I was really lucky that I was able to take my training into account when planning my schedule. I am running the Rock n' Roll USA Half Marathon in March, and then plan on training for something over the summer.

I have an idea of what I want to train for but I want to make it official before I post it here. I can say that I am really excited for what I have coming up and can't wait to start training.

I know this post is super random but I couldn't think what to write about. Plus I really don't feel like studying for the test I have on Monday. I'm such a good student, I know.

I guess that is all. Sorry this was so random.

When I Am Stressed, I Forget to Run

Truthfully, I haven't been running as much as I would have liked to since running the Baltimore Half Marathon. Don't get me wrong, I have still been running 3-4 times a week. But I would have liked to run more consistently.

This time of semester is where I start to feel burned out though. Just about every week I have at least one test and paper or major assignment due. I love school and working hard, but it really drains me.

I have been having a difficult time finding the motivation to work out because I am always so stressed and tired. I know that working out will help combat these two problems, but I am still struggling.

I also like having something to train towards. My next real race isn't until March and I don't want to jump into a training cycle too early. Without following a training plan, I sometimes forget to run.

This weekend, though, I am going to try to create my training plan. I am thinking about including a pre-training portion that won't be as intensive but will still keep me on track.

I am currently just looking forward to the Thanksgiving break I get next week, and the semester being over in a few weeks once I get back.

Turkey Trot 5K Training

I am running the York YMCA Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving and I have been trying to decide how I want to train for this race. I am absolutely not a sprinter when it comes to swimming, biking, or running. However, I know I can run a faster 5K than I did in June and this is the perfect time to crush that PR.

I have been struggling with coming up with a training plan for this race because running the Rock n' Roll USA Half Marathon is also on my radar. I am going to try incorporating some speed work into my training but I also want to make sure I get in some long runs too.

Because it is pretty hilly around here I am only planning on running four times a week. I would love to run five days a week but given the hills nearby I don't want to end up injured. Because of this I want to put a heavy emphasis on cross training. Luckily I have some pretty awesome free options for cross training at my school.

I don't have how much I want to run on what days yet, but I know how many miles I want to hit each week and what runs I want to incorporate into my week. It doesn't matter which day I do each run though. As for running I want to do one speed work run, one long run, one tempo run, and one easy run.

I have never done speed work but I have heard a lot of really great things about Yasso 800's so that is what I am going to be for my speed work. I am going to start out with only 2 repeats and work my way up to 4 repeats by race day.

I do want to do some long runs but they will only range from 6 miles to 8 miles. I want to use this time to get really comfortable with running these distances without stressing running longer distances.

I also want to use my easy runs to get more comfortable with running 5-6 miles. I am really comfortable running 3-4 miles right now meaning that anything longer than that is still a struggle for me. I want to increase my endurance some before I jump into half marathon training.

Finally, tempo runs. Tempo runs are actually my favorite type of runs. I lost a lot of my speed since I left for school but I am hoping that with the combination of tempo runs and speed work I will really be able to increase my speed.

A few weeks ago I started doing yoga and that is absolutely going to stay a part of my training. I am planning on sticking to doing yoga twice a week so that I can still do some other cross training.

Over the summer I started doing Insanity and it really helped my running. But then I stopped doing it and I am not quite sure why. Insanity is a great workout and will absolutely help me increase my speed and endurance.

I also want to start swimming again. I stopped a few weeks before my Baltimore so I could focus more on running but I really want to start again. Swimming calms me down and is almost like yoga for me.

Any suggestions for crushing my current 5K PR?!

Last Long Run Before the Big Day

With my first half marathon nearing I have been trying to do everything I possibly can to help my race. Yesterday I set out for an easy three mile shake out run and surprised myself by how fast I was running. When I saw my pace I thought about slowing down but I felt like I was going very easy already so I figured it was fine. That run really boosted my confidence about next weekend. Lately I have been running much faster and I haven't been struggling as much with all the hills nearby.

I wanted to get in a long run today but I really wasn't sure I could manage to run 10 miles all at once. I decided to split up the run into two 3.5 mile runs and one 3 miles run. I spaced them out about an hour and a half apart so I had time to refuel and ice my legs in between. This also allowed me to get a break from the sun and heat.

The first 3.5 miles went by quickly. I kept telling myself to run at a stupid easy pace so I would have enough energy for the next two runs. It was also nice to split up the run so I could minimize the amount of hills. I made sure to run as easy as possible while going uphill. The first have of the run felt great and I hardly broke a sweat. The second half of the run was primarily uphill and right in the sun so it was a bit harder. I felt good at the end though and definitely not too tired to get back out there in a few hours.

The second 3.5 miles went so much better than the first though. I felt strong from the start. I was surprised by how much faster I was running despite how much warmer it was than earlier. My goal for this part was to try to run a little faster than the first part but I ended up running it significantly faster. Again, though, my legs didn't feel too tired afterwards to run another 3 miles later.

I decided to wait until the sun was setting to go out for my last 3 miles of the day. I left just as it was getting dark and the air was so much cooler than earlier. I set out to try to run at a 10:00 min/mile pace and ended up running well under that. I was so happy with my run, especially because of how I felt. I got stronger with each leg that I ran and I was smiling from ear to ear the whole time.

I am so excited for this coming week and to celebrate running a half marathon next weekend!

With Rain Comes Puddles

Yesterday was a super rainy day here in Baltimore. It was raining when I woke up at 7:30 and rained all throughout the night. I really wanted to get a run in yesterday but was pretty hesitant because of the rain. I have never run in the rain before and really wasn't sure if it was worth it.

But I decided to lace up my sneakers and venture outside anyway. My motivation was the thought of rain on race day. I don't want to be any more unprepared than necessary. I decided to aim for 4 mile. Not too short, not too long. At first the rain felt very strange while running. I was cold and just wasn't sure how this run was going to turn out.

But then I discovered puddles nearby. At first I tried to jump over the puddles but then I realized that my jumping skills are way below average and I was going to land in a puddle regardless. After encountering my first few puddles I really started to embrace them. It actually ended up being a really nice way to cool off.

In addition to running in the rain, I also knocked out some hills. The Baltimore Half Marathon course is pretty hilly, but luckily for me Baltimore in general is pretty hilly. I can barely avoid hills while out running. I am starting to feel much stronger and faster going uphill though.

After yesterday's run I am actually hoping that it rains on race day. I know that might sound a little crazy, but I REALLY enjoyed myself yesterday and I never felt overheated for a change. My other hope is that the weather cools down some. It probably won't be so awesome running in the rain when it is 50 degrees outside but I will take that over sunny and 80.

Getting Back Into the Groove

Despite my recent struggles with sticking with my half marathon training I have been running more regularly lately. On Sunday I was hoping to get in 8 miles but with the knee pain I was having I only managed to bang out 6 miles. I was able to keep a decent pace of 10:20 though, considering this was the longest I had run in about a month.

However, I didn't let this set back keep me down for long. On Monday I went out for a run with the running club. I was really hoping to love this club but that was not the case. The group ended up being waaay too fast for me, and they ran on a very rocky mountain biking trail. Despite all that, I still managed to get in 4 hilly miles.

Light night I did my first yoga class in over a year. It was so wonderful and really helped stretch out my sore body from the trail run. The class was a mix of yoga and pilates and I was loving the variety of exercises we did.

Tonight I did an easy 3 mile hill run around my apartment complex and around campus. I really enjoyed this run, except for all the hills. My pace was slower than normal due to trying to figure out where was safe to run nearby, but overall it was a good run.

Tomorrow I am going to do my long run of 9 miles!

Some Catching Up

This week has been so crazy! I had my first quiz, and of course it was in my Russian class so that made it a million times harder than a regular quiz, I have been preparing for two more tests this weekend (online class), and have been trying to get some solid training in on top of all the homework and classes I have to go to.

I went out for a run on Wednesday but was rather unsuccessful because my knee was bothering me on the hills and I didn't want to push it. It kind of feels like it is going to dislocate when I go up the stairs or uphill so I am trying to keep that under control and avoid hills like crazy.

I am going home this weekend so I am going to knock out my long run and hopefully a short tempo run on the nice, flat trail near my house. I really miss running there, actually.

With my knee bothering me I have been unable to go to any of the runs put on by the running club but I am hoping that next week everything will be feeling better and I will be able to go out with them a few times.

I am looking forward to being able to swim some more next week even though the temperatures are still supposed to be on the cool side. The outdoor pool is heated so I am going to take advantage of that for as long as I can.

I got an email from the Baltimore Running Festival reminding me that my first half marathon is now less than 30 days away. I have been working so hard toward achieving this goal and I am getting more excited than ever. I really think once I get back into a running groove that I will get even more excited.

I am trying to really pay attention to my nutrition too now that I am back at school. I don't want a repeat of last year where I gained 10 pounds because of the all you can eat dining hall. I am trying to make healthy choices at every meal and only eat junk food in moderation. I have been doing well so far but it is only a few weeks into the semester.

I will be reporting back sometime this weekend with how my long run went so be on the lookout!

A New Running PDR!

Vote, vote, vote! I would love for all of you wonderful fellow bloggers to vote for me to become a member of the Refuel With Chocolate Milk team! 

I know I should have written this post on Saturday but I have been super busy with school starting and all so my blogging has been really taking the backseat. My training plan called for a long run of 7 miles on Friday but due to horrible storms I moved the run to Saturday. I have never run longer than 6 miles so I tried to make sure that I spent Friday preparing for my long run. I know a long run for some people is 14-22 miles but this was a pretty long run for me. I made sure I ate healthy foods, drank enough water, and didn't exert too much energy throughout the day. I went to sleep a little later than I had wanted (1 in the morning, yikes!) but I decided to sleep in until 8:45 before I went out for my run. I fueled with yogurt and granola and then headed out to tackle this run.

I didn't want to run with a water bottle so I decided to do two 3.5 miles out & backs. I ran the first one in 36 minutes, stopped by my car to grab some water and then headed out for another 3.5 miles. The second half was faster than the first and I was feeling great until the last mile when the heat started to get to me. I learned I really need to get up early to get my long runs in to avoid the heat. I finished my run in 1:12:42 for a 10:19 pace. I was so happy with this run because I felt strong and fast without running very hard.

I am not logging many miles this week because I have my very first triathlon on Saturday and I want to be well prepared. Half marathon training continues next week though!

Reexamining My Half Marathon Training Plan

On October 15 at 9:00 in the morning I will start my first half marathon, the Baltimore Half Marathon. I first started training for this race 8 weeks ago, which means that I am around halfway through training. When I started training I really didn't have any goals for myself other than to just finish the race. I have never raced anything longer than a 5K so I really didn't know what to expect for a half marathon. And even though I had a training plan written out I wasn't even sure if I was training properly since I was only running three times a week and pretty inconsistently. Then a few weeks ago I started running four times a week. I was really loving the higher mileage and was feeling stronger. However, I want to re-examine my training and my goals, or lack thereof, now that I am halfway through training. There are certain aspects of training that I need to change in order to reach my new goals for this first half marathon.

Nutrition. In the past, when I was a competitive swimmer, I ate very healthy. I became a vegetarian in order to keep my nutrition under control, and I cut out nearly all sweets and unhealthy foods. Then when I had surgery and had to quit swimming I started gaining weight, partly from not being able to swim or exercise, and partly because I was eating more unhealthy foods. My nutritional habits have especially gone out the window this summer and I really want to get back on track with them. For awhile I was eating hardly any vegetables despite being a vegetarian. All I was eating was carbs and sugary, fatty foods and I gained weight and just didn't feel great. Lately I have been working on developing better nutrition habits because I know how much it will help my training. I want to be eating at least one serving of fruit or vegetables at each meal, be drinking at least eight glasses of water a day, getting at least eight hours of sleep every night, and limiting the amount of junk food eaten, etc. Not only will eating healthier help fuel my body better, but hopefully I will lose some of this unwanted weight that I gained over the past few years.

Running Consistently. I have been running four times a week for a few weeks now and I have been really enjoying it. I feel faster and stronger, and look forward to going on these runs. Next weekend is my first triathlon so I don't want to make any major changes over the next two weeks but I want to start running five times a week. I want each run I do to have a purpose and be helping me train for my half marathon. I will do a post in a few days about my new running schedule, but I want to start incorporating different types of runs into my schedule. I also want to work on heart rate training. When I first started running my heart rate was always really high but lately it has been coming down some. I want to make sure that I am not pushing myself too hard but yet hard enough.

Cross Training. I have been doing a fair amount of cross training in the forms of biking and swimming since I am doing my first triathlon next weekend. However, I have not been too consistent with my cross training because I find the swimming boring and the biking lonely. I used to swim 10 times a week and never have a problem with being bored but that was because I was on a team and was practicing with my best friends. The school I am going to this fall (University of Maryland Baltimore County) has a beautiful long course outdoor heated pool that I plan on taking full advantage of. Plus, I am the vice president of the very new club swim team! I am hoping that being able to swim on a team again will help me regain my motivation and make swimming fun again. Additionally, I am looking into what trails are in the Baltimore area to go biking on. It probably is not the safest for me to go biking alone in a new city that has one of the country's highest crime rates so I am also looking into buying a bike trainer.


Please vote for me, Shannon Mulcahy, to become a member of the Refuel With Chocolate Milk team! I would really appreciate your support! 

Home Again

Yesterday afternoon I got home from a wonderful week at the beach with my family and my boyfriend. I had such a great time and am so glad that I had my boyfriend with me for all of it. I ran three times while on vacation, biked once, kayaked once, and did one open water swim. I planned on doing more of each but it was vacation and I got caught up in everything. I did miss my 6 mile long run last week, which was really not good. I am not going to let it get to me though. I had a great day today and am getting recommitted to my training.

I set out to run 3 miles tonight. The goal was to run each mile faster than the previous one, and hopefully run the last mile under 10:00. When I started running I felt great; better than most days. So I ran faster than I planned. But I still felt like I was running pretty conservatively and my heart rate wasn't very high. I ran the first mile in 10:09 and knew it was going to be a great run. The next mile came in at 9:31. I was so excited when I saw this number because that marks only the second time that I have run a miles under 10:00 during a training run. I know I am not the fastest runner but I have been making a lot of progress lately. I tried to push it pretty hard the last mile but my stomach was bothering me from dinner earlier so I ended up with another 9:31. I ran three miles in 28:55, which is the fastest I have run three miles other than in a race. The best part was that I was very tired or sore after finishing. I actually contemplated running another mile but I opted not to because of my stomach.

After I got home I did an Insanity workout: Core Cardio & Balance. This is one of my favorite Insanity workouts because it is somewhat of a recovery workout so it complements my running nicely. Some of the harder workouts leave me too tired to get in a decent run. All of the Insanity workouts are great though and I highly recommend the series for cross training or just getting in shape.