Shedding pounds, training, and thinking 'Disney'

Yeah, I have been remiss in keeping the blog updated (is anyone actually reading it?) so I apologize. Life has been keeping me pretty busy, which is a good thing I think. Summer Camp preparations, an awesome Youth Conference in Minnesota, birthdays, work, etc. But through it all, I have been trying to stay consistent with my running and my weight loss. It is a commitment that I am going to maintain!

After running the Rock-n-Roll 5K, I felt really good. I actually went to my TEAM Weight Loss workout the very next day (Monday). I quickly realized my legs were still tired but I had a good workout anyway. Two days later, I finished another TEAM Weight Loss workout and then promptly jumped on a bus headed to Minneapolis for a youth conference called E.Y.E. And I have to say even though my schedule was pretty full from 7AM - 11PM each day, I still managed two morning runs, totaling 6 miles. (I was pretty proud of myself for doing that). The conference was located at Bethel University, a gorgeous campus with bike/run paths through trees and shrubs alongside a lake and everything! A pleasure to run there!

Coming back from the conference, I kept moving. This week, I did two TEAM Weight Loss workouts on Monday and Wednesday morning and a CARA 10K Training run on Wednesday evening. Then on Saturday I did my Long Slow Run with a new friend Mike Rice. We went for 4.4 miles, all but 1.2 miles of it was run at a 11:15 pace. It was 90+ degrees with 95% humidity out there and I felt a little dizzy after 2.25 miles so we walked a mile before running to our finish spot. For my first time running in that kind of weather, I felt pretty good about it. I definitely need to work on my 'run in the heat' strategy (I did not fuel up enough beforehand and I should have brought a sports drink on the run instead of just water). I am told that the most recent issue of Runners World has an article about heat that I need to read.

I weighed in at Weight Watchers that day, right before I ran, and I had lost another 2.6 lbs. That brings my weight loss from the date of the 5K to that moment to 4.2 lbs! I am now at 95lbs total lost! I think my goal of losing 100lbs before my mission trip to Mississippi on July 29th is going to happen! Yes! That will be great because I want to lose 30 more pounds before the Disney Half Marathon in January 2012.

And speaking of Disney, I am getting pretty excited! My sign-up for the Disney 5K and Half are confirmed, and I have placed my reservations for a room at the Pop Century resort. I have hooked up with a running group called WISH (We're Inspired to Stay Healthy) who do a lot of Disney races (my friends Mike and Beth are both members). Not sure yet who is coming with me. Certainly Christi is coming. I think my son is coming too. Cost is a concern, so that might be all (or, it might be just me and Christi). Still figuring that part out. If Ryan goes, I would love for him to run the 5K with me.

I am already trying to read everything I can get my hands on from WISH regarding all the prep work, training, and planning needed to be successful at the Half Marathon distance. Is it weird that I am already looking at suggested packing lists for ideas? It is clear that I have so much more to learn, especially about fueling for distance races/training runs. I am determined to be ready, and to remain healthy and injury-free while doing so. If all goes well, I will end up with two Disney medals in January, and perhaps two more next fall at race(s) at Disneyland.

My gosh, who got me into this whole running thing in the first place?!!! Oh yeah, it was Beth! Hey Beth, this is all your fault! LOL

10K Training - Week Three

My Wednesday started off with my TEAM Weight Loss cardio program at the club. Good workout -- man, those 15% inclines on the treadmill was tough! Afterwards, Meghan and I sat down and discussed my 10K and Half Marathon weekly training plans to make sure I am not overtraining, and, I wanted to get her blessing that the progression was realistic for me. We made some adjustments but basically it all looked great. Meghan has worked with Coach Jenny and her company CES in Chicago, so she really has a good handle on this stuff. And it helps that she is a marathoner and triathlete herself.

Then at 6:30pm, it was time for my 10K Training session. The workout was slated for a 3-mile run. I was pretty psyched for that. Only problem was that it had been raining all day and I didn't really want to run in the rain. Not so much because of the water, but because I didn't want to slip and fall and injure myself right before my race on Sunday.

The first part of the training program each Wednesday is a presentation and discussion with a speaker covering a specific topic. The second part is the group run. This week, we heard about gear/clothing. We talked about compression vs non-compression clothing, weather gear choices, various options for shirts, shorts, hats, etc. All pretty good stuff. While this was going on, it was storming outside! I was looking out and thinking "I do not want to run in THAT!"

Luckily, the rain stopped about 5 minutes before our run was going to begin. Thank goodness! So we were able to get our 3-mile run in with only light drizzle to keep us company. The run felt good but I was a bit tired. I was able to keep my pace between 11:00 and 13:00 (and my heart rate in Zones 2 & 3) for the run (and threw in a final 9:45 pace run for the last 1/4 mile to the finish just for fun).

I have determined that I do not like running/working out in the evenings -- I am just too tired by the end of the work day. And, since I have been doing my long runs on Saturdays for a while, making the change to Wednesdays for my long runs is also difficult. I will be happy when this training program is done in mid-August so I can go back to a routine with my long runs on Saturday mornings.

So for the rest of this week, I am going to be taking it easy so I am ready for the Sunday race. Rest Day today. XT (Cross Training) on Friday morning. And then another Rest Day on Saturday (I'll take a good walk with the dog just to 'move' a bit). Then it will be Race Day at 8am on Sunday. I feel good and am shooting for a PR!