1/2 Marathon Training- Week 2

Another week on the 1/2 marathon books! Monday brought a wonderful day of rest. Tues-Wed-Thurs morning all started at 5:45 AM with 3 mile runs. It was hard getting up so early, but I am getting use to it. On Tues and Thur, I went to the gym after work to lift. Friday was another rest day.

The Tues/Thur lifting is a problem. I am SO tired after running 3 days in a row, that the Thursday night lifting is a nightmare. I've decided to change course a bit and move my second lifting day to Sunday with my cross training. As my runs get longer, I may need to drop my lifting for a bit, but am hoping to keep it up as long as possible. There is already some loss of definition in my arms after going from lifting 3 days a week to only 2. The good news is that once this 1/2 marathon is over, then I can get right back into lifting and have all summer to make great gains!

Saturday was my long run. It was just 5 miles! 5 miles! The best part was that I went running on a local paved course called the "5 Mile Drive". I kept telling myself that I was crazy for running what they had designed as a really nice drive. It runs through a beautiful forested area and overlooks some great scenic views. Next weekend I am going to run it again (6 miles....) and hope to take some pictures along the way. 5 miles was hard, but was doable. I've pretty much convinced myself that 6 is just really 5 miles, plus half a mile past my car and then back. It's not too bad when I put it that way, huh? :)

Sunday cross training was another bust this week. I was suppose to swim, but the pool at my gym was/is closed for maintenance. Don't they know that I'm in training and don't have time for maintenance???? I ended up doing 30 minutes on the machines (stair, treadmill walk, bike) and then lifted for 40 minutes. I like lifting today and hope that Sunday lifting will fit better with the rest of my schedule.

Oooohhh, I almost forgot about my pacing. By then end of my 3rd day in a row of running, my pace was getting close to a 12 minute mile for 3 miles. On Saturday, my pace was 10:58 for 5 miles! I am excited by my progress and proud of the work that I've already put in. Week 3 will look pretty similar to this week, except that I was do 4 miles on Wed instead of 3 and 6 miles instead of 5 on Saturday. I've started reading "Run Like A Mother" and am loving it! Some things I am wondering about this week....
~ How do I eat to fuel my body after a long run?
~ Do I need a fanny pack with tiny water bottles like all the other cool runners I saw on Saturday?
~ Can I really, really, run 6 miles???
~Kari

Just checking in....

It seems like I haven't had anything to share lately. Tomorrow I'll weigh in for the first time in 3 weeks. I'm really anxious about the results. My eating was out of control a few weeks ago and that's why I've been avoiding the scale.

Even though I am anxious about my weight, I have to admit that I feel fantastic! The weight lifting has been going really well. It seems like I am sore pretty much all the time. My hamstrings and quads, in particular, are really sore. There is definately more defenition and I am able to squat lower than ever before.

The weeks seem to be flying by. Training will start the first week of April for my 1st half marathon! Super nervous and excited about training. After asking around, I've decided to do the Hal Higdon training program. It calls for 4 days a week of running (some days are only a 2 mile run) and 1 day of cross-training. My desire is to continue lifting while training. Calling all lifting experts.....have you ever trained for a running race while continuing to lift? I am currently lifting 3 days a week, but *could* do it twice a week if necessary. Also, I currently work out 6 days a week. He has two rest days built in. I know that I will be exercising the same amount of hours (especially on those lonnnnng runs), but I'm not sold on only working out 5 days a week. I'm hoping to find some blogs of runners that are also into weight lifting. Any suggestions????

~Kari

Sciatica Pain

Do you suffer from sciatic pain? I do and it is a pain in the butt. (Yep, pun intended.) Since I became pregnant with my first child, the pain has been consistent. It is almost always worse around "that" time of the month. Since I started going to the chiropractor there has been a huge decrease in the severity of the pain. This month is the exception to that new rule. I was adjusted yesterday and am still in intense pain today. I struggled to make my way through a class at the gym tonight and was able to make modifications, but was not at all pleased with my workout. Massage therapy has helped in the past, but work is super busy tomorrow and hubby has to work early. I don't see a massage in my future... :(

On Tuesday I finished Stage 2 of New Rules of Lifting. I am feeling really strong. Today at work I was lifting some boxes off of a high shelf. I put these boxes up in October and was amazed at how heavy they felt in October and how light they felt today!

I continue to notice increased defention in my arms, thighs, and abs. The thin lines in my abs are starting to become defined lines. Don't read too much in to this- I am not "ripped" nor am I sporting a "6-pack", but my body is changing and it's exciting! When I do ab work I can actually feel my abs working. I use to take classes and the instructor would say something like, "You should feel the muscle contract while doing (insert random ab exercise)". I thought that they were crazy. I felt nothing. I now understand what they were talking about! I should be starting Stage 3 tomorrow night, but if I can't get this pain under control, then it will have to wait until the weekend.

My eating has been less than stellar lately. The cool part is how horrible I feel when I don't eat right. My body is craving healthy foods. I need to give it what it wants. Life seems to be going so quick these days. I am looking forward to the weekend and getting some time to slow down. How about you? Do you have big plans for the weekend?

~Kari

New Rules- Phase 1

Woo hoo! I completed New Rules of Lifting for Women- Phase 1. I started on January 2nd and did my final workout last night. Go me! I feel great. My plan was to take measurements, but I am retaining fluid (read PMS) right now and don't want to weigh-in or measure myself until next Friday. Look for a stat update next Friday....

I love data! Some may even call me a data junkie. It's partly the nature of my job and part due to my need to control everything. Here is my chart that shows my reps and weights that I've been lifting over the past month and a half. Be sure to click on "Workout B" so that you can see both workouts. I alternated between A and B, 3 times a week.

I am most proud of how much I've improved in my ab work and overhead dumbbell press. My shoulders are rockin! My abs hurt all the time. I am thinking that my sore abs might be partly due to previous c-sections or even my surgery. The next post from me will be an update about my surgery. I am already 9 months post-op! The lat pull down was by far the hardest exercise for me and I didn't see a lot of improvement over the past few weeks. Ohhh....I almost forgot about my push-ups. They are starting to look really nice! I can now do 8 full push-ups in a row!!!! When I started I could only do one or two before having to go down on my knees. I keep hearing Kelly's voice telling my to lower my butt. I like to stick it up too high.

On to Phase 2. Step 1 of Phase 2 is finding my book. :)

~Kari

Just checking in....

Excuse the randomness...I have a cold. :)

This has been a good week. Nothing spectacular, but a good week.

On Monday, I did my first New Rules of Lifting for Women (NROLFW) workout and felt fantastic! I've been hesitant to return to lifting and have to sacrifice my normal cardio routine. In NROLFW they suggest a 60 second rest between lifting sets. I decided to use that 60 seconds to do some interval training (running in place, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, etc). After I finished the lifting (approximately 30 minutes), I decided to spend a bit of quality time on the elliptical. My big woo-hoo from lifting with interval training was that I actually still burned over 500 calories during my workout. Tuesday was a normal cardio workout day that included running, elliptical, and stairs. On Wednesday, I was suppose to do day 2 of NROLFW. I came down with a cold on Wednesday. The gym was calling my name, so I ended up doing the workout and joining Kelly for Shred after lifting. I am soooooorrrrre today. It a good kind of sore. I'm getting really excited about the changes that I am anticipating with my appearance as I continue to lift weights.

My eating has been going really well this week, but the scale isn't moving. I'm continuing to use My Fitness Pal and have been staying under my calorie limit. I'm thinking about breaking up with my scale again. It's starting to hurt my feelings.

I went in to see the chiropractor again today. I LOVE my chiropractor. When I first started going, I was having to go every other week and was still uncomfortable most of the time. I am delighted to report that even though it's been a month between visits, that I was feeling OK going into the appointment. At this point, I am hoping to continue to go once a month to maintain my spinal health.

Rest day today for exercise and my hubby took the kids to the gym. I am enjoying some sick time on the couch. Speaking of hubby- I totally have to brag on him. Last week, while on vacation, he worked out with me a few times. He worked so hard and kept up with me the whole time. I love when we can work out together!

Drink your water, take your vitamins, wash your hands, and get plenty of sleep! It's a sick, sick world out there.

~Kari