Running the Rock

Several months ago, while sweating away during a typical gym session, Jenny Nott, one of the girls I have befriended at the gym, proposed we run the White Rock Marathon in December. The first thing that crossed my mind was, "Holy Moses...26.2 miles? Are you kidding me?" But as I continued to ponder the idea I became more excited to embark upon a new journey...create a new goal...challenge myself beyond anything I've ever accomplished. And with that we marked our calendars to begin our 4 months to a 4 hour marathon training. Training commenced August 9th.

For the last 3 weeks as we've completed different steps in the training we both have discussed food journals, mileage progress charts, perceived exertion. I felt it was time to bust out the 'ol blog and bring my few readers along for the ride. Let the journey begin! (Future posts won't be this long.) :)

Week One
Our first week consisted of a 40 minute jog on Monday which I completed on the treadmill at the gym, 30 min. cross-train...my cardio of choice was the elliptical (XT) on Tuesday, track work on Wednesday...running 6x400 in 2:05-2:15 per 400, 30 min. easy jog on Thursday (again on the treadmill), XT on Friday and a 7 mile long run on Saturday morning. We ran our first long run in the neighborhood at 6:30 am.

Struggles: Surprisingly it was more difficult for both of us than expected.
Wednesday we took the kids to the track with us and they played as we clocked laps. It was fairly warm for 8:00am but they were troopers!
Jenny quickly figured out having margaritas on Friday night was a "no-no" from here on out. :) I didn't get as much sleep as I needed because 7 miles is not usually a difficult feat. Unfortunately it caught up with me.

Wisdom: More sleep, no drinking, no more runs in the neighborhood (too monotonous).

Week 2
Our second week was fairly similar. Wednesday we upped the number of laps to 8x400 with kids in tow. Saturday we ran 9 miles around White Rock Lake at 6:30am. I purchased a new pair of shoes for training and struggled with them the entire week.

Struggles: The kids started having a difficult time at the track towards the end. It was hot and between a 10 min. warm-up, 8 laps with 2 min. breaks between and a 10 min. cool-down, they were out in the sun for too long.
Jenny said our Saturday long run was challenging. My knees were hurting quite a bit toward the end of the day on Saturday. I returned my shoes and purchased a pair from Luke's Locker.

Wisdom: Training with a partner is the ONLY way to go. I had a great long run on Saturday. I could have kept running beyond the 9 miles. Jenny was pushing through but is an amazing partner...she won't stop and won't give up. Perfect combo in a training partner. I told her the fastest way to become friends is to ask someone if they're willing to get up at 5:00am on Saturday and run with you. If they say "yes" they're a keeper!
ICE! ICE! ICE! the knees and STRETCH.
Keep trying shoes until you find the perfect pair.

Week 3
All soreness had dissipated by Monday morning and I was pumped to get back in the program. Jenny and I have talked about how hard it is to take Sunday as a rest day. You're muscles are fatigued but you're so energized from the Saturday long run that you just want to get out there and run a few easy miles. I never thought it would be difficult to lay on the couch and put my feet up.

We added another 2 laps to Wednesdays track work for a total of 10. Our daughters started school on Monday so we had our boys...Jenny has a son who is 4 named Aidan. With my 4 year old Aidan and 3 year old Austin it is non-stop fun for these little dudes. It was a very cool, overcast morning. We brought scooters, big-wheels, toys...anything that would keep the boys occupied long enough for our run. One warm-up lap complete and the three guys needed to go potty. After they're potty break it began to sprinkle. Outdoor track work was not in the cards this morning so we were off to the gym. I'm sure we looked absolutely insane carrying a mass of toys to and from the track with three little ducks following behind.

I exchanged my 2nd pair of training shoes at Luke's and went back to the old faithful...Nike Pegasus.

Saturdays run consisted of 11 miles around White Rock Lake. It is only 9 miles around so we had to run passed the car by one mile and turn back to finish our eleven. This was the first long run we popped BlokShots. I highly recommend them for a long run. Unlike GU or any other carbo gel you don't gag trying to swallow fruit flavored phlegm. Jenny said she had a great run on Saturday. Her comments sounded similar to what I had experienced the week before. I just pushed through the run with no intention of stopping.

Struggles: I pushed it a little too much during Fridays XT and really regretted it Saturday morning. My thighs were sore and screaming by the end of Saturday. I was a little hesitant about the now third pair of new training shoes because I really didn't want pain at any point during the long run.

Wisdom: Take Friday workouts easy. There is no need to go into Saturday morning feeling sore or rundown. Working with a partner is again, the only way to go. Jenny pushed me through the 11 like I had pushed her through the 9 just one week prior. Ice and stretching make everything better.

Challenge for week 4...determine what meal is best before Saturday long run.

SFM - Day Three

Yesterday was about the same as the day before. I did really well until a certain friend brought over chocolate cake. I did only have one small piece but COME ON! I can't even say "no" to one piece of cake? What is the deal here?!

Today I noticed that I need to probably pay more attention to exactly what I'm eating. I did very well not eating refined sugar today but I'm a little concerned I may replace it with too much protein. Unfortunately a lot of protein sometimes means a lot more fat...and that's a no-no in my book!

But this is an experiment...trial and error. Success with no refined sugar today. One point for me :) Hoping to see that cutting out sugar has minor physical benefits as well as health benefits.

SFM - Day Two

I was feeling pretty good about yesterday...thinking to myself I didn't have any sugar except one cookie. But DANG it! That is a big fat zero for day one. It may sound a bit harsh but this is not something where I can, kind of, succeed. It's a pass/fail. And yesterday I failed.

Cravings weren't too terribly strong. Like I said yesterday sweets are not a huge part of my life. But the true kicker was watching labels and actually seeing how much sugar is in EVERYTHING. That's where the tough part comes in. So I've decided to view this as more of a raw food challenge...organic if you will. Staying away from sugar is actually pretty easy if I don't eat anything that comes in a box. Woah - did I just say that out loud!? This may be tougher than I originally thought.

This will also be an experiment with new foods and flavors. I'm sure I'll find some recipes along the way that quench my sweet tooth and I'll be sure to share them. Day two - up and running.

Sugar Free Me

It's always good to have goals that are difficult but still attainable. I also think it's important to award oneself for accomplishing goals....even for sticking out the tough days while striving for the end result.

I workout 2 hours a day, 4-5 days per week. I eat healthy for the most part, but my one true weakness is sweets. I don't overly consume sweets by any means but they are definitely a part of my diet. Sometimes on a daily basis. Truth be told, on a bad day they probably sneak in more than once. And with this I have decided it is time for a new challenge...a new goal.

For the next 30 days I will not consume any refined sugars...and hopefully live to blog about it.

Overall, I am satisfied with my appearance. I am extremely happy with my physical health. But I'm ready to take it to the next level. I also signed up with a personal trainer for the next 8 weeks who is fully aware of how hard I want to push my body. I'm ready...let's do this!

Today is the first day of a 30-day adventure.