Marathon Training Week 6 Done!

Posted by hellyontherun in Running, Uncategorized and tagged with Hike, Marathon Training, pemberton trail, Running, Speed Work, Trail Running August 4, 2014

It was a pretty good running week last week 🙂

On Monday, I was on the treadmill with 6 on the schedule. I was rolling but saw that I was pushing for time (I was meeting my husband for lunch) so I cut it back a mile and stopped at 5.

I was really happy with the run and felt like I pushed myself a little. I wanted to, considering all the cake that was consumed the previous weekend and little man’s birthday party 🙂

Tuesday I was back out in the heat with my run club. I pulled off a nice 4 miler and treated myself to some horchata after. Have you had horchata ? It’s rice milk and bomb diggity.

When I posted the pic on Insta and Facebook many commented having had it with rum. I haven’t tried it that way lol!

On Wednesday, I met with the eye of the tiger at track. We had an AWESOME date run.

Even though it was sweltering, I somehow managed to pull those times off. Our assignment was 6x800s and I nailed each one at my goal time 🙂

Thursday was supposed to be a cross training day but I rested. I did do an ab videoo though.

Friday was a full and complete rest day.

Saturday I planned to do an 8 miler but my son had other plans. He was up all night and while he’s always been a champion sleeper, this recent sick spell has thrown him off 😦 I was awake when my run alarm went off but only because I hadn’t slept. I ended up skipping the run.

Sunday I was on a mission to get my long run in. Even though I hadn’t slept well the past few days, I didn’t want to miss Sunday. A few of my run club buddies were heading to a trail I’ve been wanting to try for quite a while. I knew I wouldn’t get many more opportunities to head out there, so sleep deprived be damned, I was up at 3:30 to meet up at 4:30.

The trail is a loop of a little over 15 miles. It starts off with rolling hills and then finishes with a nice mostly downhill.

I could feel the fatigue and the heat and the humidity, but I didn’t worry too much about my pace. I never do out on the trail. It’s so much more peaceful.

I did a lot of walk running and 3 hours and 4 minutes later I was done!

I was so glad I was able to finally run that trail. Now I know why so many rave about it. It’s not crazy with hills, not very technical, and it’s really just an overall great place for a run.

Total mileage for the week: 27.25

How was your running week?

Did you long run this weekend? or race?

Friday Five–What’s New?!

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Running and tagged with Back to School, Erin Condren Planner, Fit Approach, Run Eat Tweet AZ, Running, Runtastic, Virtual Races August 1, 2014

I’m hooking up this week with the DC Trifecta girls Mar on the Run, Eat Run Pray DC, and You Signed Up For What!? (<—who’s doing the NYC Triathlon this weekend!!! Good luck Cynthia!!) for today’s topic of: What’s New?!

Well there’s a lot of new happening in Hellyland.

ONE: I go back to work on Monday!!! Last school year, I finished off May seven months pregnant and ready to get out. I packed up my room with doubts that I’d come back. I knew I wanted to take at least a a year off to spend it with my daughter and my newborn son. After that, I’d assess and see where life would take me.

I think it was around when my daughter turned 2 that I started to seriously think about returning to work. Luckily, I have the option and it’s not something I need to do. I feel the need though, as even though I’ve enjoyed all the time I’ve spent with my kids, a part of me isn’t ready to let go of my career. My husband and I looked at the logistics of it all, the biggest hurdle being that my work was pretty far away, and we figured we’d give it a shot for one school year and go from there.

So back to ~~school~~ work I go!

TWO: Sticking with the work topic, I’ve mentioned before that I’m planner. I’m old school and like writing things down. With a pencil. In a notebook. No tech notebook computer thing or fancy phone pencil to jot down notes on an e-calendar for this girl!

For the longest time, I used Jim Burke’s The Teacher’s Daybook to write my lesson plans in and keep things organized. Well, a lot of things changed in the one year I didn’t teach, one of them being the Daybook no longer in production 😦

For a couple of days I was stressed out. Then a friend in my running club suggested an Erin Condren planner. I went to her website and found quite a few options and eventually chose this one:

teacher’s lesson planner–favorite things

I was able to personalize it with my name and school (that’s ^ not my name or school fyi) and create a list of my favorite things to run across the cover like in the photo! I’m so excited to get it! It was a little on the pricey side for my liking, but I’ve heard good things about EC planners so I’m looking forward to seeing how it works for me.

THREE: Me going back to work means that my kids start daycare/school. (I like to call it school 🙂 ) Besides the whole getting sick part, they’ve been having a blast. My daughter has been really opening up and participating in music class, art time, and especially reading (that’s my girl!). The other day her teacher told me that she pointed to and said aloud several alphabet letters. It really makes me feel better about returning to work knowing my kids like where they’re at.

I’ve also been having fun with all the dress up days they’ve been having!

Vintage Nash jersey on Sports Day 🙂

FOUR: I’m super pumped I was asked by Fit Approach to try out a new portable tracking device called the Orbit by Runtastic! I’m not a tech savvy person at all, so I feel like I’m a good person to test these types of things out. If I can figure out how to use it, any one can lol! I’m still waiting to receive it so I’ll have a lot more details later this month. In the meantime, here’s a visual of the awesomeness:

Runtastic Orbit

I’ve always been curious about tracking devices, especially ones that monitor how you sleep. As a mom of a two and one year-old, there’s not a whole of it happening. I often wonder, how much real sleep am I getting? I’m excited to find out!

FIVE: The new running group I’ve joined up with, Run Eat Tweet AZ, has been super awesome. I love meeting local runners/bloggers and being able to talk about things around our city. So far, the group is two meet-ups in with the next one in a couple of weeks. One of the girls in the group talked to us about a virtual run she’s hosting for her friend battling a rare type of liver cancer:

5k Run for Courtney

We all decided that our next meet up would be to do this 5k together. It’s amazing how once strangers, we’re now friends coming together to help another with an important cause. Traci, the one hosting the virtual run, is super sweet and has been working so hard to raise money for her friend Courtney.

If you’re interested in doing an inexpensive virtual run the month of August, go here to sign up. There are medals for completing the 5k too 🙂

That’s it from my end! What’s new in your world??

Are you a planner like I am? Have you used a fitness tracker before? Ever done a virtual race?

Have a great weekend amigos!

The 100 mile month!

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with 100 Miles, Goals, Marathon Training, Run Eat Tweet AZ, Running July 31, 2014

Earlier this month in one of my online running groups, the challenge was set to run 100 miles in July. I hadn’t run 100 miles since last December and set mileages for a month isn’t something I really focus on. But, seeing as this was my last month of freedom (I go back to work on Monday) and that I was at the beginning of marathon training, I thought….maybe I could pull it off.

I wasn’t running everyday or doing any crazy extra mileage just to reach the goal. That’s just an injury waiting to happen. It actually worked itself out on its own. My run club had two extra runs this month, one for 4th of July and another Fun in the Sun 5k (where a friend wanted to run a little extra for her training so I joined her). My other running group, Run Eat Tweet AZ, also met up this month for a trail run/hike.

So with those extra runs, marathon training, taking advantage of the few days both kids were actually at daycare, I was able to squeeze 100 miles in July.

Total for the month:

I wasn’t going to overachieve and do any more than I had to lol!–Today is the last day of July and I’m not running. 🙂

–Have you run a 100 mile month?

–Do you set mileage goals? (I don’t have set mileages I work towards, I just try my best to follow whatever plan I’m on)