week 18 dec 7-12

monday: 3 miles@10:11
tuesday: rest
wednesday:
thursday:
friday:
saturday:

total miles:
week: 3
all-time: 261.74

week 17 nov 30 - dec 5

monday: 3 miles @ 10:11
tuesday: weight training
wednesday: 5 miles, 2 1600x8:09 w/800 jogs
thursday: rest
friday: 9 miles@10:11
saturday: rest

total miles:
week: 17
all-time: 258.74

week 16 nov 23-28

monday: rest
tuesday: weight training
wednesday: 3 miles
thursday: rest
friday: rest
saturday: 5 miles @ 10:00

total miles:
week: 8
all-time: 241.74

today: 3 miles in 32:13 (incl stops)

week 15 nov 16-21

Monday, Day 51 - 2 miles

• Where: adidas
  
• Difficulty: 2
  
• Notes:
  

Wednesday, Day 52 - 5 miles

• Where: rexius
  
• Difficulty: 5
  
• Notes: it was beautiful out though it wasn't even 40 degrees. i got to test out my cycling tights and they kept me warm and the wind didn't get through. the trail was all muddy and torn up so i ran in the bike lane. i had a fiber bar and water before i left and the couple burps i had at the beginning of my run came with a little surprise each time. gross. on the way back i stopped by the dog park and got a drink of water. as soon as it hit my stomach i got kind of nauseous. this was a hard run to keep going on. there were so many times i just wanted to walk. i did once but you've got to hand it to running, it's faster than walking.
  

Saturday, Day 53 - 13.1 miles - half-marathon

• my race [half-marathon (13.1 miles)] started at nine but we got there at 8:30, a little later than i would have liked. i made alvin stand in the porta john line for me while i ran around the parking lot to warm up. it was 38°! luckily it didn't rain AT ALL. it was absolutely beautiful. we were really lucky, even the forecast said it would rain, or at least be overcast. when i finally got my turn i realized i hadn't taken my endurolyte or gel yet and this was 5 'til. i told alvin i'd meet him at the starting line but i got confused and started panicking when i couldn't find him and wondered if there was any chance at all some random person would have at least one extra gel if things got really dire.

  i finally found him right in front of the starting line, downed my endurolyte and gel (luckily it was chocolate so to me it was just like pudding) and got as close to the middle as i could manage. the beginning of the race was so weird. they had us run around the parking lot and basically go through the starting line, the wrong way, and onto the course. it was really crowded at the beginning but finally started to thin out after the first mile. OH, there were absolutely NO mile markers. NONE. not a single one. when i really wanted to know i had to ask the volunteers and even then they really had no idea. around 55 minutes a girl behind me asked the mileage and the guy said, "um, 4 miles or so?" uh, i don't think so unless my pace is 2 minutes slower than i'm used to. i even made myself a pace bracelet. though it wasn't totally useless it was more than a bit frustrating not knowing how i was doing.

  around the first mile mark i could hear someone coming up behind me with a short stride and it turned out to be this old man. it looked like his strides were about as long as me walking. crazy. oh, oh, there was also this woman i was behind who i heard, uh, pass gass. TERRIBLE. so gross and smelly. i promptly passed her. it was really interesting to watch everyone's gaits though.

  for some reason, maybe i drank my fluids too quickly or maybe it was just nerves, i felt nauseous the first couple miles. i was really afraid i might throw up and thought about how embarrassing that would be. i think i took my second endurolyte and gel too early but not knowing the miles or where the aid stations were (on their intro letter they just said there will be "plenty" of aid stations. there weren't even any on the map. who does that?) i was in a bit of a pickle. the first 4 miles felt difficult as usual. there were lots of little downhills so i got out ahead more than i would have otherwise. (do people not know how to take advantage of downhills? it didn't seem like anyone else got any faster on them) then i hit my stride and was ok for another 4. after that i wanted to die. it was about that time that my hip pain really hit me and started to spread all along my leg, from the top of my hip down to my knee. i wonder now if it’s my IT band. it felt really awful and i wondered if me avoiding sugar all week made any difference at all. but i kept going to save face :)

  i kept pace with one guy for about a mile and a half. we passed each other a few times. the last time i finally asked him if he thought we’d make it :) he said we were around mile 11 (thanks heavens!) so we should be good. he took off from there. there was a pack of 3 women in front of me. somehow i ended up passing them all. the last one was ahead of me for a little bit but we hit this really amazing downhill and i just took off. that was at the end of the line so i started to sprint as much as i could bring myself to do. as i got to the finish i started crying! all i wanted to do was find alvin and hug him and chloe. it was so nice to finally be able to stand still.

  my weight lifting partner from my class even came for the end! She’s a sprinter with the university on scholarship (!!) and she says i’m amazing. so weird, i even saw one of my seminary teachers for high school there (sis. haws). her daughter was running her first half, too!

  so there it is, super long. and i almost forgot to give you my time: 1:55, give or take a little. i forgot to stop my watch but it was right around there. i was shocked! that's an 8:51 pace. and i was getting frustrated a few weeks ago about my speedwork and not being able to get down to 8:49?! ah well, c'est la vie.

Cross-Training:
Tuesday: weight lifting, walk 1 mile
Wednesday: pilates
Thursday: weight lifting, walk 1.5 miles, spinning

Total Miles:
week - 20.1
all - 233.74

week 14 nov 9-14

Monday, Day 47 - 2 miles

• Where:
  
• Difficulty:
  
• Notes:
  

Wednesday, Day 48 - 7 miles

• Where:
  
• Time: 65 minutes
  
• Pace: (warm+5mi@9:31+cool) warm+ 5mi@8:52+ cool
  
• Difficulty:
  
• Notes:
  

Thursday, Day 49 - 2 miles - didn't happen :)

• Where:
• Time:
• Pace: (10:56)
• Difficulty:
• Notes:
  

Saturday, Day 50 - 5 miles

• Where: rexius trail
  
• Difficulty: 4
  
• Notes: this was a really nice run, actually. it didn't take me so long to get into my groove, maybe a couple miles.
  

Cross-Training:
Tuesday: weight lifting
Thursday: weight lifting

Total Miles:
week - 14
all - 213.64

week 13 nov 2-7

Monday, Day 43 - 2 miles

• Where: track
  
• Difficulty: 2
  
• Notes:
  

Wednesday, Day 44 - 5 (originally 8) miles

• Where: adidas trail
  
• Difficulty: 9
  
• Notes: sucked, sucked, sucked. i couldn't get to the right pace (8:49) and have officially scrapped pace training.
  

Thursday, Day 45 - 2 miles

• Where: to amazon trail and back
  
• Difficulty: 5
  
• Notes: alvin and chloe came with me and it was great to have the company but really sucked having to push the stroller. alvin is still sore two days later :). i told him he just needed to run with me more often.
  

Saturday, Day 46 - 10.22 miles (originally 9)

• Where: river
  
• Time: 1:39:10
  
• Pace: (10:56) 9:42
  
• Difficulty: 7
  
• Notes: after my really crappy run on wednesday i broke 10 miles!! eff yeah! it felt so good! it took me about 5 miles to hit my stride but once i did i knew that i could do 10.
  

Cross-Training:
Tuesday: weight training
Wednesday: pilates
Thursday: weight training
Friday: spinning

Total Miles:
week - 19.22
all - 199.64

week 12 oct 26-31

Monday, Day 39 - 2 miles

• Where: 32nd and back
  
• Difficulty: 4
  
• Notes: cold and wet and meh, it was ok.
  

Wednesday, Day 40 - 4 miles

• Where: near the river
  
• Time: terrible
  
• Pace: (warm+5mi@9:37+cool)
  
• Difficulty: 9
  
• Notes: i was sick but tried to do this (originally) seven mile run. not so successful. i did the warm up mile and then the first tempo mile and called it quits. but then i had to get home which is where the other two miles come in. awful, awful, awful.
  

Thursday, Day 41 - 2 miles -- didn't even attempt this one :(

• Where:
• Time:
• Pace: (11:03)
• Difficulty:
• Notes:
  

Saturday, Day 42 - 9 miles

• Where: river
  
• Difficulty: 7
  
• Notes: i did three tempo miles from the wednesday run that i didn't finish but couldn't do more than that. i had to do more walking than i was happy with but i still ran at least the nine.
  

Cross-Training:
Tuesday: weight training
Wednesday: pilates

Total Miles:
week - 15
all - 180.42

week 11 oct 19-24

Monday, Day 35 - 2 miles

• Where: amazon
  
• Difficulty: 4
  
• Notes:
  

Wednesday, Day 36 - 6 miles

• Where: river trail
  
• Time: 59:00
  
• Pace: (warm+4mi@9:32+cool) 9:32 & 11ish
  
• Difficulty: 8
  
• Notes: it was raining pretty hard. the trail was nice though there were more hills than i like. i almost ran into a couple people. i'm not a big fan of pedestrians. i was barely able to cover the middle 4 miles in time and i had to walk for about a block to catch my breath. i'll blame last week's mild training.
  

Thursday, Day 37 - 2 miles

• Where: indoor track at SRC and amazon
  
• Time: 20ish
  
• Pace: (11:03) 10:00
  
• Difficulty: 2
  
• Notes: ran a half mile at the SRC before classes and then the other mile and a half on amazon later in the afternoon. thank goodness for cool days when you can't get up in the morning.
  

Saturday, Day 38 - 8.2 miles

• Where: river
  
• Time: 1:30
  
• Pace: (11:03) 10:58
  
• Difficulty: 5
  
• Notes: i actually wanted to do 9 miles but that didn't work out so hot. i was lucky to do the .2. i went a little farther along the river. i want to do as much of the half's course as possible before the race. i'm pretty worried about my hip. during and after long runs the joint hurts. : /
  

Cross-Training:
Tuesday: weight training
Thursday: weight training


Total Miles:
week - 18.2
all - 165.42

week 10 oct 12-17

Monday, Day 32 - 4 miles

• Where: rexius
  
• Time:47:41
• Pace: (11:03) 11:55
  
• Difficulty: 8
  
• Notes: i took chloe in the jogging stroller. it was like i was running up hill the entire time. i seriously have no idea how other moms do it every time. or with double strollers. nuts.
  

Wednesday, Day 33 - 4.4 miles

• Where: to river and back
  
• Time: 41
  
• Pace: (11:03)
  
• Difficulty:
  
• Notes:
  

Saturday, Day 34 - 4.4 miles

• Where: to the river and back
  
• Time:
  
• Pace: (11:03) 10:15
  
• Difficulty: 5
  
• Notes: it took me about a mile to feel comfortable and then the last mile was kind of difficult for some reason. but it was a really nice run!
  

Cross-Training:
Tuesday: weight training
Wednesday: pilates
Thursday: weight training

Total Miles:
week - 12.8
all - 147.22

week 9 oct 5-10

Monday, Day 29 - 2 miles

• Where: adidas trail
  
• Time:19:51
• Pace: (11:03) 9:55
  
• Difficulty: 2
  
• Notes: it's cold outside :(
  

Wednesday, Day 30 - 7 miles

• Where: adidas
  
• Time: 1:07
  
• Pace: (warm+3x1600@8:55w/800jogs+cool) 2@8:43, 3@9:02, 4@8:48
  
• Difficulty: 7
  
• Notes: it's friggin' freezing. it was 36 degrees with 96% humidity when i got back. and i'm still running in shorts.
  

Saturday, Day 31 - 9.2 miles

• Where: around
  
• Time: 1:51
  
• Pace: (11:03) 12:09
  
• Difficulty: 10
  
• Notes: again, drive new routes. this was supposed to be an 8 mile run. i probably shouldn't use the expletives i did on my run to describe the hills. oh the awful hills.
  

Cross-Training:
Tuesday: weight training
Wednesday: pilates
Thursday: weight training

Total Miles:
week - 18.2
all - 134.42

week 8 sept 28-oct 3

Monday, Day 26 - 2 miles

• Where: track
  
• Time: 21:47
• Pace: (11:09) actual 10:53
  
• Difficulty: 1
  
• Notes: nice easy run. it was kinda cold though
  

Wednesday, Day 27 - 6 miles

• Where: rexius
  
• Time: 57:15
  
• Pace: (warm+4mi@9:38+cool) 1x10/4x9:19/1x10
  
• Difficulty: 8
  
• Notes: don't let all my "running is great" rhetoric fool you. when you're in the moment you hate running with every atom in your body. today was no exception.
  

Saturday, Day 28 - 6.6 miles

• Where: hendricks park
  
• Time: 77ish
  
• Pace: (11:09)
  
• Difficulty: 10
  
• Notes: i think i ran 6.6. i got super lost and even trying to map it after i ran it is proving to be difficult. but i did run past the street pre's rock is on. i didn't go up it because it was yet another hill. really, there were killer hills and i wanted to die.
  

Cross-Training:
Wednesday: pilates
Thursday: weight training


Total Miles:
week - 14.6
all - 116.22

week 7 sept 21-26

Monday, Day 23 - 2 miles

• Where:
  
• Time:
• Pace:
  
• Difficulty:
  
• Notes:
  

Wednesday, Day 24 - 5 miles

• Where: rexius
  
• Pace:
  
• Difficulty:
  
• Notes:
  

Saturday, Day 25 - 6.56 miles

• Where: rexius
  
• Time: 1:02
  
• Pace: 9:27
  
• Difficulty: 7
  
• Notes: apparently i was actually supposed to run another 1/2 mile... the last 2 my hip really hurt and i was limping when i started to walk. after some rest and yoga i'm all good. and i really need to do a better job training at the pace i'm supposed to. (in this case 11:09)
  

Cross-Training:
Wednesday: pilates
Saturday: yoga

Total Miles:
week - 13.56
all - 101.62

week 6 Sept 14-19

Monday, Day 20 - 2 miles

• Where: adidas trail
  
• Time: 19:56
• Pace: 9:58
  
• Difficulty: 1
  
• Notes: my pace was supposed to be 11:09. i swear i felt like i was running really slow. my body does strange things sometimes my brain doesn't really understand.
  

Wednesday, Day 21 - 5 miles

• Where: track
  
• Notes: i honestly can't remember much about this run. i went after my pilates class. won't do that again.
  

Saturday, Day 22 - 6.16 miles

• Where: Oktoberfest 10k
  
• Time: 58:16.1
• Pace: 9:24
  
• Difficulty: 4, last ½ mile 8
  
• Notes: this was so much fun! well, not the cold drizzle that lasted the whole morning. it was really intimidating to be around so many Runners. i felt like an impostor. but i think i proved myself. out of 121 women who ran the 10k, i was number 48. the course was hillier than i realized. i decided when i heard some bell tower chime 10 AM that i'd better get moving. the race was supposed to start at 9 but we were probably 5 minutes late.
  

Cross-Training:
Wednesday: pilates

Total Miles:
week - 13.16
all - 88.06

weigh in 9/7

weight: 126.5

week 5 Sept 7-12

Monday, Day 17 - 2 miles, easy run

• Where: track
  
• Time:20 min
  
• Pace: 8:04 first mile, 12:30 second mile
  
• Difficulty: 8 then 3
  
• Notes: i needed to do a time trial so i can figure out my new training schedule paces. 8 min miles = death just in case you were wondering. i was actually supposed to run the second at 12:59. i'm not sure that's physically possible for me. i tried to go as slow as i could without losing form. what all this means is my running schedule will be different. just 3 times a week, at least for a few weeks. then back to 4 before my half. though i am kind of sad i won't be jumping up to 10 miles this week. that sentence holds no sarcasm, either. nuts.
  

Wednesday, Day 18 - 5 miles, tempo run

• Where: track
  
• Time: good question
  
• Pace: first and last mile about 10:42, middle 3 @ 9:32
  
• Difficulty: 6
  
• Notes: my legs didn't want to cooperate this morning. after doing JM yesterday and not stretching very well the day before they weren't too happy with me.
  

Friday, Day 19 - 6.25 miles, long run

• Where: rexius
  
• Time: 1:02
• Pace: 9:56
  
• Difficulty:
  
• Notes: i finally hit my stride at mile 5.5. when that happened i felt like i could go at least a half mile extra but alvin had to go to his final so i was short on time.
  

Cross-Training:
Tuesday - JM burn fat boost metabolism 20 minutes
Wednesday - push ups 8x2, abs 8x2, chair dips 8x2
Saturday - walked around the theme park for 7 hours


Total Miles:
week - 13.25
all - 74.9

week 4 Aug 31-Sept 5

Monday, Day 13 - 3 miles

• Where: hilyard to rexius
  
• Time:-
• Pace:-
  
• Difficulty: 8
  
• Notes: i took chloe with me so it felt like i had gone six miles uphill. but she gave me lots of excuses to stop which i welcomed.
  

Wednesday, Day 14 - 5 miles

• Where: track
  
• Time: -
  
• Pace:
  
• Difficulty: 2
  
• Notes: i felt pretty slow but i don't have numbers to back up that theory. i'm getting pretty good at keeping myself entertained so i don't get bored. not having music sucks but i'm used to it now.
  

Thursday, Day 15 - 3 miles

• Where: track
  
• Time: 29:58
• Pace: 10:00
  
• Difficulty: 4
  
• Notes: yeah, it was harder than yesterday. i'm not sure why. maybe because i walked for 40 minutes before i started running? and i know what my IT band feels like now. time for a new training program? i think so. and i was SUPER bored this morning. it seemed like 3 miles took forever.
  

Saturday, Day 16 - 7.65 miles

• Where: sunnyview - 63rd - state - cordon in salem
  
• Time: 1:17:06
  
• Pace: 10:04
  
• Difficulty: 7
  
• Notes: this sucked. it was raining the whole time (that part wasn't so bad). i had no idea where i was going really. i missed the turn i was supposed to take and got kind of off course which resulted in me not going far enough. again. note to self: drive new and unfamiliar courses.
  

Cross-Training:
Monday - ab workout
Tuesday - 30 min yoga
Thursday - 40 min walking at 16 min pace
Friday -

Total Miles:
week - 18.65
all -61.65

week 3 Aug 24-29

Monday, Day 9 - 3 miles

• Where: track
  
• Time: 30:01
• Pace: 10:00
  
• Difficulty: 2
  
• Notes: grr, you'd think i'd be faster. but it was a nice, easy run while i got acquainted with the extra-curriculars of the local HS. their football, cross-country teams and cheerleaders were all there. i kept thinking of all the mean things i could say to the cheerleaders. but i'm an adult now and there's no need. or so i tell myself. back to running... i picked it up the last 300 m and pushed the last hundred or so. which makes my time even more frustrating.
  

Wednesday, Day 10 - 3.75 miles

• Where: down hilyard and part of rexius
  
• Difficulty: 2
  
• Notes: i messed up my mileage again and went a quarter mile less than i was supposed to. but i did see a giant raccoon. does that make up for it?
  

Thursday, Day 11 - 3 miles

• Where: cemetery loop
  
• Time: 28:47
• Pace: 9:35
  
• Difficulty: 7
  
• Notes: for some reason this was killer this morning. i had to talk myself through most of it. my lungs felt like they wanted to explode. i don't get my numbers either, they don't seem right.
  

Saturday, Day 12 - 6 miles

• Where: hilyard to rexius back to adidas trail and once around the track
  
• Time: little under 60 minutes
  
• Pace: about 9:40
  
• Difficulty: 5
  
• Notes: i definitely had to still push myself to finish (and i mean through the WHOLE run) but it wasn't too bad. of course, i can say that now that i've finished.
  

Cross-Training: was basically non-existent this week.


Total Miles:
week - 15.75
all - 43

week 2

Monday, Day 5 - 3 miles

• Where: loop to cemetery and back
  
• Time: 40ish
  
• Difficulty: 6
  
• Notes: i took the loop counter-clockwise so the climb up the cemetery was gradual and not fun and never ending...

Wednesday, Day 6 - 4 miles

• Where: adidas trail
  
• Time: 40:35 pace 10:08
  
• Difficulty: 6
  
• Notes: i hate this trail. on average it's flat but that just means it's constantly going up and down by small degrees. i hate the bark chips that get in my shoes and poke me or give me blisters. i hate the narrow extended path where people only look back instead of moving when you say "on your right". but at least it has a water fountain (which i did take advantage of at the end of mile 3). i had pain in the back of my calf for most of the last half. i really need to figure out what's wrong with it. i try to stretch it more than the other side and it seems to help slightly.
  i think i'll be looking for a different training program. i think this one is going too fast for me. and it's not like i have to be ready for a half by a certain time. i don't mind running four times a week but i have a feeling i won't like it so much when i start all my cross training classes.
  

Thursday, Day 7 - 3 miles

• Where: cemetery loop
  
• Time: ? forgot to time
  
• Difficulty: 4
  
• Notes: pretty uneventful. i took the route clockwise so the biggest hill came first. my right calf began hurting when i first entered the cemetery and kept hurting until i got home, though it wasn't constant. my left achilles also hurt at the beginning but stopped after about the first mile.
  

Saturday, Day 8 - 5 miles

• Where: loop by my mom's house
  
• Time: 48:40 pace 9:43
  
• Difficulty: 3
  
• Notes: i was so surprised i didn't have problems with this. i guess adding a mile a week is no big deal. i did still have problems with my calf though :(
  

Cross-Training:
Monday - 45 minutes yoga
Tuesday - 30 minutes pilates
Friday - does cleaning count?

Total Miles:
week - 15
all -28.25

weigh in 8/17

weight: 127
hips: 35.5
waist: >29
body fat: 25.22%

week 1

Monday, Day 1 - 3 miles

• Where: track
• Time: about 32:00 with 10:39 pace
  
• Difficulty: 3
• Notes: i was able to push the last 200 meters. there's a man who's training a recent graduate for elite status. it's great listening to his encouragement. here's what i picked up: always finish unless you're passed out, bleeding or have a pulled muscle. no other excuses.

Wednesday, Day 2 - 3 miles

• Where: tack
• Time: less than 32:00 with 10:36 pace
• Difficulty: 2
• Notes: pushed last 100m , finished faster than last time

Thursday, Day 3 - 3.25 miles

• Where: track
• Time: 32:17 with 9:56 pace
• Difficulty: 2
• Notes: still have pain in back of right calf but it didn't start until the middle of the second mile. Went an extra lap than what training called for and pushed last 200m. didn't feel like i had to take as long to recover after

Saturday, Day 4 - 4 miles

• Where: loop from home to cemetery, last mile at track
• Time: ?
• Difficulty: 5
• Notes: i messed up the mileage when i mapped the run. luckily i realized the reason i felt so great at the end was because i hadn't run far enough. the last mile was somewhat difficult but i was still able to push the last 100m a bit. half the loop was also up hill so naturally i felt like i wanted to die. i took it clockwise and tackled the greatest incline first and the second half was mostly downhill.

cross training:
Tuesday - 25 minutes of pilates
Friday - nothing :(
Saturday - hour of yoga

total miles:
week - 13.25
all - 13.25

welcome!

i wanted to document my half-marathon training for myself because, really, is anyone else going read this?
i'm doing a 10 week training schedule. as of now i'm just doing cross training as it comes and as i convince myself to do it. starting the middle of september i'll be doing a pilates class once a week. then at the end of september i'll start yoga and weight training classes.