Thursday, May 31, 2012

X-Training, soreness, consistency...


Yup. I was right. So sore after X-Training...

On Tuesday, I went out to Arcadia High School after work to meet with Coach Kiley and Coach Pete to do a little Cross Training. These exercise sessions help with muscle strengthening and toning. Very important since we will soon  be running a lot more, we need our muscles to be ready for this. 

The group that showed up was about 25. I like these smaller scale settings because there is more opportunity to meet folks. I'm still getting to know peoples names but I really need to stop being so shy get out there and make new friends! Running buddies! 

We did about 12 different exercises that consisted of leg, ab, core, and more leg workouts. Knee raises, side leg lifts, bridging, planking, and the lunges. Oh how the lunges killed me! I think Coach Pete felt a little bad because he let me turn around a little earlier than we had to. Here is a quick video of us doing the lunges on the field. That's me, 4th from the end,  half-Tebow-ing. Hehe.

We finished up and ended at about 8pm. But not before they told us that next week we will be doing TWO SETS of the exercises. Oh man... I could barely do ONE! We'll see how next week goes. Not loosing faith! 

It is Thursday now and I am still sore from Tuesday's work out! To be fair, I did go do another set of Easy 30 yesterday. I knew I would  be sore, but I wanted to keep my training days consistent.

I did my usual treadmill warm up and went upstairs for my 30min run. I wasn't able to go the 1mi without stopping because  I was pretty sore. So I was alternating with jogging 3 laps and walking 2. This worked out nicely because I was able to push myself a bit during those 3 laps because I knew I was going to be walking in a few. I felt good. I still managed to do 2.2mi in the 30min - the same as Monday. I took it as a good sign. 

I am able to be consistent with my work days and my actual workout times/distance. Not pushing my body too hard too fast. I have a long ways to go and on a good pace right now. Aaaaaaand I'm actually having funSo far I've worked out 4 times in a week! I've never, ever done that. I'm sore, but I feel great! 

Next up: Saturday, 7:30am Call time at the Rose Bowl for a 45min jog with our pace groups. We will also have a Shoe and Gear clinic. I may just walk away with some nice swag. :) 

Monday, May 28, 2012

Easy 30 - 2.2 miles...


Today,  I went to the gym to complete my “Easy 30”. Essentially 30min of easy paced jogging. They  mentioned my pace should be at one that I could hold a conversation with someone without my words trailing off and losing  my breath. Well I was running alone, but I tried to sing myself a song. That didn't really work. I just went pretty slow but enough to get a good work out in.

At first I thought to myself, “how am I supposed to run 30min?! I’ve only ever ran for about 15!” Then I remember that I had JUST gone for 42min when I did my 5K this past Saturday. So I told myself to (wo)man up, and hit it! Well I did, and it wasn’t too bad!

I started with a 15min warm up walking on the treadmill and did about 3/4ths of a mile. I went upstairs and started jogging around the track. Laps came and went and before I could think of it, I had jogged a mile nonstop. Yay me! my endurance was building! I finished that mile with a 12:34 time. Was a bit disappointed because just the week before I had finished with 11:39. But I realized that it wasn’t about how fast I finished that first mile, but about how my pacing was. I need to work on distance. The speed will come naturally as I keep practicing and my body keeps building endurance. Soon, you will all be calling me Speedy González. :)

I didn’t want to keep an eye on my watch too much because I wanted to just focus on going and going. I would jog 2-3 laps and walk 1. That seemed like a nice doable pace for me. At the end of 30min I ended up with 2.2miles of jogging distance. Right on point with what I wanted. I finished up with a cool down of 10min on the stationary bike and went for about 1.5miles. I was tired and sweaty but I felt good. I was done with my first official day of  my training schedule and I was happy. I am having less and less of a hard time getting up and training. AND I also have more of a desire to eat fruits and veggies and MILK, (who’d have thunk?!) This is a good sign and it will only get better!


Total work out time: 55min. Total distance: 4.45miles 


Tomorrow: Cross Training with the team at Arcadia High School. Muscle strengthening and toning! I’m going to be so sore on Wednesday…. Stay tuned.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

1st Official Practice…


Saturday was my first official practice with Team in Training! It was really a GREAT day. And it started with a 5:30am wake up call. I think THAT was the toughest part, really. Had to be at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena by 7am to get things started, so the 5:30am alarm clock rang… and rang.

I was surprised and actually happy to see that everyone was so cheery at 7am! All the mentors, coaches, teammates, and staff were all smiles that morning, greeting us all and making us feel really welcomed. It was greatly appreciated. Looking forward to really getting to know all these great people.

First things first, fill out any necessary paperwork and get some general logistics out of the way. They introduced all the coaches and mentors that will be our support team throughout this process. SO many of them! Awesome!  We also talked more about what the general training schedule would look like and what we can expect. Nothing too crazy given that I AM training for a half marathon. Although the mileage is going to keep increasing as the summer goes on. Next thing you know my midweek runs will consist of 5, 7, and 9 miles. Brang it!

So we headed off to do our Pace Assessment. Basically to determine what groups we will be put into while we train depending on how fast we finish our miles. We were to run a 5k. 3.1miles. Now, this normally wouldn’t make me nervous, but I had been sick for a week with two full days in bed with a nasty cough and the flu. I was not really excited to run these miles. But I trekked on around the Rose Bowl. Fun Fact: the loop around the Rose Bowl is roughly a 5k. Real nice and easy way to tell how far you’ve gone. So all we had to do was follow the fences.

The miles were marked in chalk and had a mentor at each mile cheering you on. It was a nice way to push you to keep going and a good reminder that we were not alone on this. Mile 1 came and went pretty quickly, but the rest were a little harder.  At mile 2 I had one of the mentors run with me for a little while and pumping me up. It helped! Had me smiling and laughing when all I wanted to do was finish. Pictures of were taken of us running. Here I am in all my running glory. :) 

And just like that mile 3 was gone and I finished with a time of 42:21. That puts me at a 13:39/mile pace. Again, I’ve done better on my midweek runs, but I was getting over a bad cough and chest congestion, so I cut myself some slack. I’ll get there. Patience.

After our run we headed back for waffles and chocolate milk! While we ate we had a fundraising clinic. Folks shared some tips and guidance on fundraising. I started early so I have a nice jump. $800+ before training officially started! Thanks to all who have donated! If you still haven’t but would like to, click that little widget on the top left-hand corner of my page and donate away. Really appreciate it folks!!

So this coming Monday my training schedule will officially be on. It will consist of short 30min runs, cross training, resting, and more running. Next Saturday at the Rose Bowl again at 7am!

Let’s. Do. This. 

Friday, May 25, 2012

Cupcakes!...


I have officially added cupcakes to my list of goodies to see to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! Below are some that I did for a sweet 16!  I think they came out kinda fancy! I will be working on more cupcake creations with different colors, frostings and fillings.

Since taking my cake decorating classes I learned new recipes, improved my techniques, and overall expanded my baking skills. Such a small investment but I definitely learned a lot. Just how I will keep on running, I will keep on practicing and make more and more yummy creations! Let me know if you would like to purchase some! 100% of the profit will go to my fundraising. I’m at 38% of my goal! Please consider donating or purchasing some goodies to help those fighting cancer every day. 



Saturday, May 19, 2012

Inspiration and Excitement...


Today I drove down to Culver City and met the TNT Summer teams. It really was a great time. I got to meet some of the coaches, mentors, and other teammates from the SGV team. Along with cancer survivors. It was truly inspiring to hear some of their stories, made me that much more excited to be doing this. 

Everyone seemed great and all were really excited. A bunch of people getting together to fight cancer, who wouldn’t be excited? As part of the program we heard from a cancer survivor, Kyle Garlett: 2 different types of cancer, 4 different times, chemo, remission, heart transplant, hip replacement, shoulder surgery, and a ton of other side effects from the amount of medication he received. Even with all of that, he is still running Ironman Triathlons. Truly inspiring. Makes you look at your own life and issues and forget about them. I know I did. Read more about his story here

I got my schedule for the next two months. I'll be starting to get really strict and consistent with my schedule starting on Monday. It isn't anything too bad: cross training, easy 30, more cross training, resting, and ending the week with our team runs. After our team runs on Saturdays we will be having a series of clinics that I am looking forward to. More to come on that! 

I picked up some swag today too! Got my official LLS TNT shirt today! It conveniently matches my Reeboks :) I didn't have a gym bag, so I stopped by Ross and picked one up. I'm looking pretty official now! I'll start feeling more official when the training really kicks in. 

SWAG!



Needless to say, I'm ready to take this on and more excited than ever! 
Go Team! 


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Seeing Improvement….


I didn’t want to get discouraged after my run on Saturday. It WAS my first run in a very long time and I had to keep that in mind. I gave myself a few days rest, made sure to continue to nurse my Achilles, and got back out on the track.

Getting to the gym, I decided to do a bit more this time. I know I can’t run too much too fast, but I still wanted to train and get the excersize in. So I decided to hop on the treadmill  and go for 10min. Worked up a little sweat and went for half a mile. Good warm up. I hit the track afterwards. I was surprised that I was able to run half the mile without stopping. The rest of the mile I walked/jogged and finished with an 11:39 time. :)

Already seeing improvement! Almost two minutes better than the last time and only my second run. I was quite happy and quite covered in sweat. But sweat is fat crying so, sweat away!

I did a cool down by doing 10min on the stationary bike. Ended up going 1.8miles on that. And I felt really good. I didn’t want to get too caught  up on the adrenaline buzz of exercise so I packed it up and went home. Iced, drank my chocolate milk, and hit the shower. 


Total work out time: 31:39. Total distance: 3.3 miles

Things are looking good. My Achilles continues to bug me a bit, but when talking to the TNT head run coach, he mentioned that it was ok to be sore and to take the extra day of rest if needed. I still have 4 months to train and can definitely take my time getting there. I’m sticking to the RICE method. Hoping it helps.

This Saturday is “Kick Off” for the Team in Training teams. I’ll be up early and in Culver City by 10am to meet the teams, meet the folks of the LLS, and be more inspired to do this for a great cause.

Now, off to cake decorating class! I’ll be posting pictures of my cakes soon—also up for sale to raise $$!

Weight: 137lbs 
Distance: 1 mile
Time: 11:39

Saturday, May 12, 2012

First Run...

I went for my first run today. Did my mile in 13:35. Not the greatest. At this rate I will be finishing my run in about 4 hours. I'm trying not to worry about this too much since I have a solid 16 weeks to train and get to a better time. Hoping my Achilles tendonitis doesn't mess with me too much. 


I still haven't gotten my running shoes. TNT let me know that we will be having a shoe clinic coming up, and Run With Us will be giving a sweet discount. So waiting till then. I am crossing my fingers in hopes that the shoes that best fit me will be cute. Hey, just because I am training doesn't mean I can't be cute! Anywho, currently icing my ankle, watching Parks and Rec, and drinking a chocolate milk icee. I really like that chocolate milk is an after run snack. 




I  will only be running a mile at a time for a bit. Testing out my ankle and my patience. I have a loooong way to go and it will not be easy. Let's do this! 


Date: May 12
Weight: 136lbs
Distance: 1mile
Time: 13:35

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Fundraising...

Along side my training, I will also be raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They are the  world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and services. And they do it because the need is critical:
  • Every four minutes, someone new is diagnosed with blood cancer.  
  • Every 10 minutes, someone dies
  • Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children under the age of 20.

My goal is to raise $2,200 by August 15th. I am already up to $532 and it is only May 9th. I know I can do this with the help of all of you amazing people!  I am raising money with several ways. 
    • You can donate directly online at my fundraising page No amount is too small- Really! 

    • I am selling Cancer Fighting Brownies at $1 a piece. They include a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough, an Oreo, and topping it off with a layer of fudge brownie. I don't praise my goodies too often, but these are really good! Email me if you would like to place an order!

    • I recently made these party bags for my cousins birthday and everyone seemed to like them. I am actually making more for a party this summer. I can make more designs too. So if you have a party coming up and might need goodie bags, let me know and I can hook you up! 




    • I will begin making my dark chocolate salted chocolate chip cookies soon. So stay tuned for those, they are another crowd-pleaser, you wont be disappointed. 
    You can also check out a bunch of other crafts and goodies I make. Cupcakes, caramel apples, stuffed figurines, cakes, ice cream! My photo album has a bunch of these. If you are interested in some, let me know!


    Like I mentioned before, I am doing all of this to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. I dont need your money, those who are living with cancer do. 100% of the profit made from these sales will go to them.


    Thanks for stopping by and please let me know if I can make you anything ! 


    Eating healthier...

    For a while now I have been wanting to eat healthier and make better choices. I am a big foodie and love to try new things - even if that new thing is a chocolate covered bacon donut (yum! btw) But let's be honest - I've put on a few lbs and those extra lbs will not help with my running. This marathon was the last push I needed to make better choices on what I eat.

    So today for lunch I have prepared a "Salad in a Jar" I look around a few food blogs and this recipe caught my attention. I'm pretty busy most of the time so cooking dinner and preparing lunch is not something I do often. This recipe is perfect for the quick and easy lunch. I can pack a few at the beginning of the week and BAM! lunch for a a few days. 

    This specific one has...
    • Light Italian Dressing
    • Chicken Breast 
    • Garbanzo Beans
    • Carrots
    • Beets (bears eat beets, you know) 
    • Broccoli 
    • Spinach
    • and a few crumbles of Fetta you cant see 
    You can easily replace the chicken with tuna, tofu, etc. You can also play around with the veggie combinations. I picked up some olives, peppers, and cucumbers for other salads. I plan on making a few of these and possibly throwing it in a wrap. Switching it up a bit, because I can get tired of the same thing for lunch, real quick. 

    I found this drawing and decided to follow the suggestions on what ingredients goes wear.  Just shake it up and you  have your lunch!  Let me know of any of your favorite lunches or suggestions on meals to eat when training! 







    Salad in a Target Twist and Lock Salad in a Jar

    Monday, May 7, 2012

    It starts...

    SO, I have decided to run a half-marathon! Yeah, crazy right? Yeah, I think so too. Sept 2nd is only 117 days away. 


    I had been thinking about upping my running for a while now. I had done a few 5Ks and a 10K already, so why not up it to the next one? I was going back and forth on this for a while until I heard about  Team in Training. They are an AMAZING organization that not only raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, but also works with you to make sure you make it across the finish line with tons of training (since I was a little scared of taking that marathon leap, this was a big plus) So I looked up the next few runs and behold they are training for a run at (drum roll......) Disneyland! Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge Disney nerd. That was all the convincing I needed: raise money for an amazing cause AND get to run around Disneyland?! Where do I sign? 


    So there it is.. the start of my journey to finish the 13.1 miles. Come on back to stay updated on what I am up to and how the training and fundraising is going.


    Next up: meet my coach, acquire good running shoes, find a nice running spot (partners welcomed!) and START my training.