Taking a break this week but planning for 2012

Still giving my left hamstring a rest this week. Which is good timing because my son and I are going to Space Camp for the weekend, and other than doing a lot of walking, I am not doing any training during that time. There are times when you have to just listen to your body, and my body is saying 'take a break before the next push'.

So on Wednesday, I did my cardio program. The hammy was still complaining a bit but I was able to complete the full program without backing off of the incline work on the treadmill. Progress is good!

On Thursday, I spent an hour with my coach to discuss my half marathon training plan. I am using the Jeff Galloway plan published on the runDisney web site for the Disney Marathon in 2012. We went over the training plan in detail, making changes to accommodate the races I have scheduled, my schedule over the next four months, and merging this plan along with my Cross Training goals so that I do not overtrain. Avoiding injury is as important as developing the endurance and 'foot time' necessary to successfully running the Half.

So here is what I am going to be doing, starting next week:

• Monday: Cardio/Strength Training Program
• Tuesday: 30-40 Minute Maintenance Run
• Wednesday: Cardio/Strength Training Program
• Thursday: 30-40 Minute Maintenance Run
• Friday: 30 Minute Swimming Laps
• Saturday: Long Run (starting at 3 miles and ending at 11 miles in December)
• Sunday: Scheduled Rest Day

As my mileage increases, I will be making my maintenance runs more productive by using those runs for hill work, tempo runs, etc. to focus on increasing speed and stamina for dealing with inclines. And having Friday be a swimming day, will give my running muscles a rest the day before my Long Run which ought to be good for my body. I am 51 years old so I gotta listen to my body and not pretend to be some 30-something. I also plan on using the Jacuzzi on Fridays after the swimming workout.

One other idea I had was doing some water-based workouts in the evenings on Tuesday and Thursday just to make things a little dynamic. Probably won't do that every week but perhaps every other week right after work. It is like doing circuit training but it is all done in the pool so it is less stressful on the body and joints. We'll see.

Now it is off to Space Camp! I am SO looking forward to this event, and sharing it with my son. I am sure to post my reflections about it on my other blog sometime next week. I will continue to rest up and be ready for next Monday when my new training plan will begin!

More 10K Preparations and a Milestone Reached!

Yeah, it has been almost a month since my last post. Sorry about that. Life has been busy recently and it was hard to make time for blogging. But through it all, I never failed to get some 'foot time' in and work towards being ready for my Windrunner 10K race on August 21st. Yes, it is only 8 days away! And, I believe I am ready! Not sure what my timing is going to be but I will be happy to run the 6.2 miles in under 1 hour 15 minutes. This is my first 10K so I am basically setting a baseline here. And if I do pretty well, the pacing for this race will set my corral in the Disney Half Marathon in January. So I want to do well. This is a trail run so it will be different than my usual runs, but I think I can handle it. More runs, more experience, more fun!

So what have I been doing? Well, the week of July 17 I put in over 12 miles of running and 6 miles of walking. This week ended with a nice four-day weekend vacation with the family in Idlewild, MI where we got to chill at our summer home. And it was nice that my Mom, aunt, and cousin were there to share time with. While I was there, nestled in the Manistee National Forest, I got in a 5.3 mile run early on Saturday morning. Good run at a decent 12:00 LSR pace. Good thing I put on some insect spray because running in the forest is like moving through 'bug heaven'. The best part about that run was that when I arrived back at the cottage, I just took off my shoes and HRM and just walked straight into the lake! Best cool down bath ever!

The following week was the beginning of our Diocesan Mission Trip to help victims of the Katrina Hurricane. We work with Habitat for Humanity and LakeShore Baptist Church to build houses and do other service projects to help the community in LakeShore and Bay St. Louis in Mississippi. Needless to say, it was very HOT out there -- 97 degrees and 95% humidity was the norm! I managed to get in one 2.5 mile walk one evening, and two early morning runs totaling 6.5 miles. Even running at 5:30am, the temperature was in the 80s with humidity nearing 90%. So I decided that since I was working on building houses outside from 8:30am - 3:pm every day, that my one walk and two runs were sufficient exercise for that week. The good thing about those two runs were that it was good for preparing my body for running my 10K in the middle of August, right?

I returned from Mississippi and immediately got back to training for the 10K. On Sunday, August 7, I decided to get in a LSR but at the club in air conditioned comfort (after spending 8 days in Mississippi, I was done with the heat). It felt great to be running, even on the treadmill. I ran for 7 miles at a 13:20 pace and felt really strong. I took that as a good sign!

On Wednesday, I ran with my CARA Training group. Not much of a group that day -- only two of us showed up -- but it was a perfect running day. The temps were mid 70s, cool breeze was blowing, and the sun was setting (and it was beautiful to watch during the run)! I put in 6 miles that evening (and I had run 2.5 miles earlier that morning during my cardio workout) so I clocked in 8.5 for Wednesday. The legs felt pretty good! I even sprinted the last 1/4 mile of my evening run -- over 7 mph! (Well, that is sprinting for me, at least).

Today I got some awesome news! I weighed in at Weight Watchers and lost 2.8lbs. But wait! There's more! I also reached a total weight loss of 102.2 lbs! I finally made it to my 100 pound milestone!!! I am SO EXCITED about this! I blogged about more on my other blog site at rickpeete.blogspot.com but suffice to say that I will be savoring this milestone all day (while I spend it walking miles throughout the Chicago Comic Con conference floors. Yep! That is where I will be today. I wonder how many miles I will actually walk today...)

So now, I am in my taper period. Don't plan on doing too much running this week. Probably run 3 miles on Wednesday and maybe 2 miles on Saturday just to warm up the legs. But next Sunday, August 21st, is the 10K race. So prayers are always welcomed!