June Summary

June 2009
19 runs
87.3 miles

January 1 - June 30, 2009
82 runs
315.1 miles
12:06 average pace

So, my goal for the year was 200 runs, 800 miles, less than 12 min/mile average pace. Looks like I'm behind schedule, but I know that the miles are going to increase drastically during the next few months of marathon training so I'm not too worried.

Week 2 of 17 - Chicago Intermediate Plan

I did great this week following the training plan. I didn't do the Monday strength training and I swapped the Saturday/Sunday schedule, but otherwise, I did all that was called for in the plan!

Monday: 5 miles on the treadmill feeling sluggish. Walked a good bit during the last half. Didn't do the strength training session because I had limited time with my daughter and wanted to have quality time with her.

Tuesday: 6 miles on treadmill. Walked during commercials. Started 5x200m pick-ups at 4.75 miles. Tired. Will I ever get used to early morning runs?

Wednesday: Group Power strength training class at the gym. Did the same weights as last week but it felt easier. Wonder why?

Thursday: Ran around the blook with the dogs (1 mile) at 7 a.m. and then dropped them off at home before running 4 more miles. I walked some of the hills. Total = 5.04 miles. Tonight was my daughter's last swim meet of the season. The team has one more meet but she'll be away at camp during that one. Her specialty is the Butterfly. Part of the fun of swim meets is being written on with Sharpies. Parents typically write the child's name on one shoulder so the timer will know the right kid is in their lane. Parents and/or friends write other oddities on their backs. Early in the season I started writing "Fly Girl" on her other shoulder and now that's what all the kids call her. She's earned that nickname! She's ranked 23rd in our county (and we live in a large county) in the butterfly. You go Fly Girl! The second photo in this blog post is of our 11-month old destructive golden retriever puppy. Yes, he's proud that he chewed a hole in the couch and pulled out some of the foam stuffing. And of course, I was ANGRY!!! BAD DOG!!!

Friday: Ran the 3 miles prescribed by the training plan. My shins are sore. Is it because of the shoes, too much concrete, or increasing mileage more than 10% last week? Kept eye on pace to push each mile.

Saturday: Was supposed to run 8 miles this morning but I was totally exhausted! I slept until 11:30 a.m. instead. My shins are still sore and it was HOT when I woke up so decided to do my long run tomorrow and call this my "rest" day.

Sunday: Was supposed to by my rest day, but is now my long run day. Got up early and went to the local high school track. My shins are still a little sore so I thought it would be better to run on the more cushioned track surface rather than pounding the concrete. Honestly thought I'd get totally bored doing 32+ laps around the track, but it wasn't too bad. I listened to a couple of podcasts and took regular hydration breaks (every 1.5-2 miles). It felt great! I concentrated on making my last few miles faster than the earlier ones and I had the energy to accomplish that goal. Started drinking Heed at about the 4-5 mile mark and it made a dramatic difference in my energy levels. Temperature was 74 (start) - 79 (finish). Ran with my heart rate monitor for the first time in months, if not years. Average heart rate was 145, which I think is about where it should be for a long run. But then again, I'm new to this heart rate monitoring bit...

Days run this week: 5
Miles run this week: 27.04
Highlight of the week: Highest weekly mileage this year! Ran all the miles the plan called for and did strength training once!
Goal for next week: follow Week 3 of Intermediate Plan, but may alter it if shins continue to hurt

Week 1 of 17 - Chicago Intermediate Plan

Monday: Today is the 1st day of my 17-week Chicago marathon training plan (Level 2 - Intermediate Runner). The plan calls for a 5-mile run today plus strength training. I got up early and did 5 miles on the treadmill while Kyra (my daughter) was still asleep. I feel highly motivated to follow this training plan. I used the Hal Higdon beginner plan last year for the Spinxfest Marathon in Greenville, SC. I liked that training plan, although I didn't do all the runs, but since I'm running Chicago with my friends Tonya and Lisa, and Tonya wants to follow the Chicago Intermediate plan, I'll do the same. If I follow that plan, I think I'll be better prepared for Chicago than I was for the Spinxfest. I had planned to do the strength training tonight while Kyra was at swim team practice but Tonya and her daughters came to visit. I'll definitely go to the gym Group Power class on Wednesday. Pace = 11:26 minutes/mile

Tuesday: Got up even earlier this morning (thanks Riley! (Kyra's puppy)) and ran 6 miles with 4x200 meter pickups on the treadmill while Kyra slept. Didn't feel into it but pushed through slowly then did the pickups in the last mile. Total pace = 12:44

Wednesday: Went to Gold's Gym and participated in the Group Power class. One of my neighbors was walking in at the same time and she helped me get set up since we were a couple of minutes late. I used light weights and really enjoyed the class! Thanks, Cathy, for helping get set up! I talked to the instructor after class. She's training for the Dublin, Ireland marathon in late October. Wow, that sounds like an awesome vacation!

Thursday: Went for a 5 mile run from home to Mountain Park plus one loop around the park this morning. My legs felt like lead and are sore from last nights strength training class. On my way back home I saw Kyra's future 5th grade teacher turning into the school parking lot. We waved to each other but I don't know if she recognized me in my running clothes and hat. This photo is of my daughter, Kyra, at her swim meet tonight. She's an awesome "Fly Girl". Currently ranked #23 in Gwinnett County for girls age 9-10 in the Butterfly event. Go Kyra!

Friday: Did 3 easy, slow miles on the treadmill this morning. My legs are sore from the strength training class plus 5 miles yesterday. It's muscle soreness, not injury. Hope the soreness decreases before tomorrow's long run. Pace = 12:55

Saturday: The schedule calls for 7 miles today and a rest day tomorrow. I haven't gotten enough sleep this week and my legs are still sore so I opted to sleep late this morning. I woke up at 11:30 a.m. WOW. I feel so much better now after getting much needed rest! I thought about going for an afternoon run, but when I looked at the weather and realized it was 93 degrees, I decided it would be better to just wait until tomorrow morning. The forecast for early morning is 74 degrees.

Sunday: Riley woke me at 5:50 a.m. (alarm clock was set for 6). I ate half a bagel with cream cheese and drank a coke. I packed two Clif Shots into my water bottle pouch and dressed for my run. The dogs were very excited at seeing me carrying my shoes and since I haven't taken them out for a run in a while, I decided to take them out for my first mile. I put them in their harnesses and we did one loop around the neighborhood. Of course, Tasha pooped once and stopped at least 5 times to pee. Why does she feel the need to pee so much when we run? She can lie around the house for hours without having to go... They were still going strong at the end of the mile loop, but I don't want to overdo it. At 6:40 a.m., it was 74 degrees and 85% humidity. I stopped my watch and took them inside, disconnected their leashes/harnesses, made sure they had plenty of water, and then headed back out for the rest of my long run. I headed towards Camp Creek Greenway Trail and went down it. It used to dead-end, but they've extended it. Now there's a ramp that leads up to a road. I wasn't sure which road it was at first, so I turned right and ran on the sidewalk until I saw a familiar shopping center and at the same time a road sign. It was Rockbridge Road. By this point I was at 4.12 miles so I turned around and headed back home. I walked parts of a few up hills going back home, but finished strong. I ran a total of 7.26 miles. Pace = 11:52

Days run this week: 5

Miles run this week: 26.36

Highlight of the week: Highest weekly mileage this year! Ran all the miles the plan called for and did strength training for the first time in months!

Goal for next week: follow Week 2 of Intermediate Plan

highest weekly miles since January

Monday: Nothin... Goal was 4 miles. Drove back home from visiting my dad in Valdosta. My left foot/ankle has been swollen yesterday and today. I'm guessing it's from too much sodium and traveling. Propped it up while lying on the coach watching a movie (Bride Wars) with K this afternoon helped. I planned to run during K's swim practice this evening, but she was complaining of not feeling well just prior to practice so I thought I should hang out at the pool instead in case she needed to leave early.

Tuesday: 5 miles on the treadmill with 4 x 200 meter pick-ups during the last mile. The power went off for a second shortly after I glanced down to see that I had gone 3.0xx miles. It reset the treadmill to 0, so I had to guess at total time/distance. It was an easy run. I had an upset stomach during the night and this morning and finally started feeling better this afternoon.

Wednesday: scheduled rest day

Thursday: Goal was 3.5 miles, but did 5 instead to try to make up for skipping Monday's run.

Friday: 3 miles on the treadmill in the early morning. Saw Lisa tonight at Karolin's birthday party. She said she ran 36 miles last week. WOW! I better get my butt in gear. She said they've been slow runs, but still... 36 miles!?!

Saturday: 6.05 mile long run while listening to The Extra Mile podcast. Made sure I watched the sidewalk more closely than I did two weeks ago to avoid another trip/fall. Ran from home to Mountain Park, 2 loops, then return. 83 degrees HOT! Should have gotten up earlier for a cooler run, but needed the sleep.

Days run this week: 4
Miles run this week: 19.05
Highlight of the week: Although hot, long run was good! Highest weekly mileage since January.
Goal for next week: follow Week 1 of Chicago marathon Intermediate Plan (run 26 miles)

Mother-daughter clumsiness

Monday: felt awful today, but managed 3 slow, painful miles on the treadmill. The large abrasion on my left shin, small one on my right hand, and both knees HURT from my fall on Sunday morning!

Tuesday: Plan was for 4 miles and rest tomorrow, but I'm going to make a swap. I'm still in PAIN. Didn't sleep much at all last night because I couldn't get comfortable. The sheet against the abrasions HURT! And bruises are starting to appear on my palms from the fall on Sunday. Will try to run tomorrow morning for National Running Day, June 3rd.

Wednesday: National Running Day. Did 4 miles on the treadmill since I wasn't sure how scraped leg and knees would feel. It hurt a little, but not nearly as bad as it did on Sunday and Monday. My daughter has spent the weekend and last few days with her dad. When I picked her up from Day Care this afternoon, the first thing she did was said, "Look at my leg!". I had a surprised look on my face and then said, "Look at mine". We have matching scrapes! She said she twisted her ankle and fell while running at Day Care on Monday and scraped her leg. I was amazed and told her my story. I'm just in awe about the coincidence and appologized profusely for passing on to her my "clumsy genes".

Thursday: 3 miles on the treadmill; mostly at 5.5 mph after warm-up. Increased speed by 0.1 mph every 0.1 mile during last mile.

Friday: 2.3 miles on the treadmill. Goal was 3 miles but just couldn't get into it. Boo-boos HURT, felt yucky. My cousin is hilarious! He started text-messaging me tonight and asked if I was going to run to Fitzgerald tomorrow. HA HA HA!!! I'm not a 200-miler yet...

Saturday: Nothin... Goal was 6 miles but felt even yuckier this morning. Took K to horse riding lessons, then to a birthday party and then we headed south for the weekend to visit my brother and his family. Packed my running clothes/shoes thinking I would run there Sunday morning, but dirt/clay roads are way too muddy. We almost got stuck in the mud trying to drive to my brother's house. Scary!

Sunday: Nothin... Like I said, roads were too muddy and I just wasn't up to driving somewhere to go run when I should be visiting with relatives. Enjoyed the day hanging out with relatives, relaxing on the deck and in the pool.

Days run this week: 4
Miles run this week: 12.3
Highlight of the week: mother-daughter clumsiness
Goal for next week: run 20 miles

future crowd support

Monday: I hadn't planned on running today, but it was such a beautiful day that I couldn't resist! I took the dogs out for an easy jog. We went 2.4 miles. The dogs were slow. Was it too hot (78 degrees), too far, or both? I think I need to cut back their mileage and run with them when it's cooler.

Wednesday: I worked from home today and decided to get my run in while Kyra was at morning swim practice. A friend is taking a health and nutrition class for her teaching degree and has to get 70,000 steps on her pedometer by next Thursday and she's only at 8,200. She was disappointed that she spent 30 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym this morning and it didn't even register on the pedometer. When I told her I was going for a jog, she asked if I'd wear her pedometer. Sure... What the heck... She's in great shape, and she did exercise this morning, so it's not like I'm doing this for someone that should be logging the steps all by themselves. I ran 3.05 miles (3 loops around the neighborhood block), which gave her an additional ~6,000 steps on her pedometer. Too funny! I saw Tonya tonight. She said she ran 4 miles today. Good for her! I asked if she wanted to run together this weekend; she said she'd like to, but they were going to the lake.

Friday: I got in a good solid 6 hours of work today and then had a mental crash. I had absolutely no motivation to do real work. I took a break in hopes of regaining momentum, but that didn't really work. I looked at the Chicago marathon Intermediate training plan and back-tracked to see how many miles I need to do the next few weeks so it won't be a major increase in mileage. The race is 19 weeks and 2 days away. The first week of the training plan (17 weeks) calls for 26 miles. For an even increase in mileage, I calculated that I need to add 3.5 miles a week to get there. So I've revised my goal from 13 miles this week to 15.5 miles. Since I've only done 5.45 miles this week, I either need to do two 5-milers or one 5-miler and two smaller distances. So I decided to do 2 miles tonight, 5 miles on Saturday as originally planned, and 3 miles on Sunday as originally planned. I also looked at Gold's Gym class schedule. They offer Group Power classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:45 p.m. Since the Chicago marathon training plan calls for strength training on Mondays and Wednesdays, I'm going to start attending this class next week. Kyra has swim practice on Monday evenings in June at the same time and I can just take her with me on Wednesdays and let her bring her electronic gadgets to play with in the childcare center. I was also really disappointed with my weight this week and decided to eat less today. When I got home from work, I changed clothes, got the dogs ready and we went out for our jog. I started feeling hypoglycemic at about 1.5 miles and walked a good bit of that last half-mile home. I guess I cut back too far on the calories today. After the 1.99-mile jog, I immediately ate turkey sausage and pickles; yes, I know it's a weird combination but I desperately need to go to the grocery store.

Saturday: Went to Stone Mountain for another 5-miler. Last week I ran it in 1:00:05 and was totally bummed that I didn't squeeze out those extra seconds to get it done in less than an hour. So today my goal was 59:59 or less. I started out faster than intended since the first mile is downhill. I did the first mile in 9:57 minutes, which is my fastest mile pace this year! I finished the 5-mile hilly loop in 58 minutes and 2 seconds; 2 minutes faster than last week. YIPPEE!!! But, I forgot to pack a towel for the car. I didn't want to get in the car all sweaty, so I walked up the mountain a bit and found a shady spot to cool down. I returned a phone call to a new friend and then looked at twitter and facebook on my iPhone. I updated my status on Facebook and my cousin Rusty wrote that I should post photos. THANKS for the reminder! Photos make blogs much more interesting. I snapped a few photos with my iPhone of me lying on the rock, and a tree in the sunlight. I was tempted to lie there all day, but my belly told me to find a bathroom.

Sunday: This is why you should keep your legs shaved regularly... My goal was 3 miles to meet my new weekly mileage plan to build up to the Chicago intermediate training schedule. I went to bed early last night and set the alarm clock for 8 a.m. Riley woke me up, for the second time, at 7:21, so I went ahead and got up. I pulled out the stop watches from the basement for swim team and made cheese toast for breakfast. At 8:30 a.m. I headed out for a 3-mile run. This is my third day of running in a row, which is more than I'm used to. My entire body feels a little sore, but in a good way. It's cool (70 oF) and sunny and I'm listening to an old, but yet unlistened to podcast from UltraDad. I miss him... I enter a cruising zone and am just enjoying the outdoors, but not paying enough attention to my surroundings. Then all of a sudden, at 1.3 miles into my run, my foot slammed into uneven sidewalk and I went flying. I landed on my hands and knees in the middle of the sidewalk because there was no space between the railing on one side and the street on the other. OW! I sat in the grass/sidewalk for a few minutes in shock and assessing the damage. Several cars were driving by when I did the swan dive, but noone stopped. My hand and left knee start to bleed instantly and I have abrasions on my right knee and left shin as well. I decide to eventually get up and then head back home. I start jogging, but alternate in more walking as the pain increases. When I finally get home, both knees are swollen and my hand and left knee are pooling blood. I have 30 minutes left to get ready to arrive at church on time. I shower and shave my legs while I'm still in shock and it hurts less than it will in a few hours. I can't bear the thought of putting on a skirt or dress that will touch my knee or shin, so I opt for dressy long shorts and a nice blouse. Later in the evening there was a practice swim meet for our neighborhood pool. Lots of people noticed my shredded legs and asked what happened. Then I went to the tennis courts with a friend and saw several people I haven't seen in a while. When I said hello to Wendy, she was all excited and said that she and Deedee are coming to Chicago to cheer Ty, Lisa and me on at the race!!! She said they found great airfare, but haven't booked a hotel yet. She thanked me profusely for running the race saying they were coming to support us and were looking forward to partying. We are the reason they are going. I thanked her for her support and was honestly suprised. I called Ty when I got home and she said she only recently heard about them coming too. She reassured me that her plans were still the same, mellow weekend with our daughters and no intention of partying before the race. I'm glad we're still on the same page. It sounds like Wendy and Deedee were just looking for an excuse to go to Chicago. I'm glad their coming to support us, but hope their not too disappointed when we don't stay out all night partying with them.

Days run this week: 5
Miles run this week: 15.04
Highlight of the week: Best min/mile pace (for 1 mile)
Goal for next week: run 19 miles

OBX?

Monday: Puppy woke me early, but not too early, so I got in 2 miles on the treadmill. When I picked my daughter up from day care this afternoon, she gave me this card that she made. In case you can't read it, it has an m&m pop-up and it says, "Here is a sweet treat for all that you have done! THANKS MOM! Here are some things that you have done. #1 Worked hard at running. #2 You have always loved me. #3 You are the BEST MOM EVER! (This can be my present to you for being sooooo great, Mom!) YOU ROCK! (You earned this) Love, Mo {her nickname}

Tuesday: I took the dogs out for a fun 2.31 mile run. I haven't run with them in a while. They were speedy the first mile, but slowed down the last half with intermittent burts of speed to chase birds and squirrels. It was a fun, unintended speed session.

Wednesday: 0 miles. Today was the last day of school! I worked half the day and then went to the family picnic at the school. Then we went over to Lisa's house for an end of the year pool party. Fun!!! Lisa is going to run the Chicago marathon with Ty and me. We each have daughters that finished 4th grade today. Lisa's daughter and mine will be in the same class next year. Fun!!

Thursday: 0 miles. I had wanted to run today, but twisted my ankle at some point yesterday and it hurts badly today! Will take an extra rest day in hopes of it healing...

Friday: 2.39 easy miles with the dogs. My ankle still hurts a little, but is much better. Took the dogs for a repeat of Tuesday's run. They started out slower tonight, but kept a more even pace throughout. They were really slow as we approached home. Maybe this is too much distance for them. I let them set the pace, and walked when they wanted to, but am still thinking it may have been too much.

Saturday: 0 miles. Got my hair cut, 60K service on my Prius, bought shorts at Gap for $25 each, stopped by Fleet Feet to use my $15 voucher before it expires. Bought a Nathan Quick Draw 22-ounce hand-held water bottle and some Hammer Nutrition Heed individual packets in three flavors. Carrying an aluminum water bottle in my hand for hour-long-runs can be tiring and I don't really love wearing the Fuel Belt. Although I love my CamelBak hydration system, it seems to be excess for hour-long runs. I've heard good things about bottles that strap to your hand, so thought I would invest in one. I sometimes have tummy issues on long runs and have heard that this may be caused by sugary sports drinks. Hopefully the "Heed" will be easier on my tummy. Everyone on Twitter and running podcasts seems to love Hammer nutrition products, so I thought I'd try it tomorrow on my "long run". I purchased one each of the three individual flavor packets that Fleet Feet had in stock. If it works for me, then I'll invest in the larger bulk container of the preferred flavor. The flyer mentioned that for longer events to use Perpetuem instead of Heed. They didn't have it at Fleet Feet and I wondered what the difference is. I just looked at Hammer Nutrition's website and it says that Perpetuem contains protein as well, and is recommended over Heed for events lasting over 2 hours. My personal experience is that I need protein for runs of 2 hours or longer, so this seems consitent with my needs. Maybe I'll order some for the future. I won't get into 2-hour runs for another month, so if I order now it should arrive in plenty of time before I need it. On my many errands today I listened to several podcasts. Ashland Dave mentioned that he may run the Outer Banks marathon with someone he knows. The OBX marathon was my first choice for a marathon this fall, simply based on location; I know nothing about the course or the event. But since Ty wanted to run Chicago, I put it off. Then Laura wants to run Kiawah Island marathon in December. Now I'm considering adding OBX in between (November) or should I just wait until 2010? Hmmm.... Marathon Maniac or not?

Sunday: Ran 5 miles at Stone Mountain after puppy obedience training class. Used the Hammer Nutrition "Heed" melon flavored drink mix during the 78 degree, misting rain run. It's not nearly as sugary tasting as Gatorade. Afterwards, went to Pizza Cafe for a small Greek salad and a slice of BBQ chicken pizza. YUM! This evening I had an upset tummy. Guess it's not caused by Gatorade since I drank Heed today...

Days run this week: 4
Miles run this week: 11.9
Highlight of the week: card from daughter: #1 worked hard at running
Goal for next week: run at least 13 miles

Princess for a Day

My daughter's 9-month old golden retriever puppy destroyed our air conditioner!!! Actually, he just chewed through the wire that ran from the compressor to the inside unit. They could have replaced the wire for $250 + the service call fee, but it also needed freon and the coils needed to be cleaned, and it is 16 years old, so the recommendation was to simply go with a new, more energy efficient system rather than a $1000 repair to an old system. Since I am an Environmental Scientist, I know they're not just trying to make a sell, so here we go...

This week I only got 3 runs in, but at least met the goal that I had set last week.

Tuesday: 2.7 miles on the treadmill after the air conditioner repair/salesman left. My goal was 3, but had to go pick up my daughter from a friend's house where they were making stuff for 4th grade Science Olympics. And guess what I found when we returned home? The puppy chewed my daughter's expensive horse riding boot as well!!! Why did she leave them on the kitchen floor? I would have really blown my top, but it was already pretty worn out and I have already bought her a replacement set...

Thursday: Pup got me up early so I did 3 miles on the treadmill.

Friday: 0 miles. I worked from home today and went to a parent appreciation luncheon in my daughter's classroom. Her teacher invited the five most helpful moms for lunch today. When we arrived, the lights were off in the classroom, soft music was playing, and candles lit the table set with amazing food and beautiful flowers. We drank from Princess goblets. The kids wrote us letter of thanks as well. Wow, it sure was nice to be Princess for a day! How sweet!

Sunday: Up early so I did 5 miles on the treadmill. About half-way into it, my daughter came down to the basement and said she couldn't sleep anymore with the window open. She said there was a bird outside loudly singing "Ca-caw, Ca-caw, Ca-caw!" I couldn't help but laugh since she was flapping her arms as she imitated the bird sound. Too cute!!! Then off to church, puppy obedience training classes, and lastly a hilarious movie: Paul Blart Mall Cop.

I had really wanted to run 4 times this week, but in hindsight, I guess my week was probably for the best. I increased my mileage by only 10% over last week. It's not where I wanted to be at this point in time, but at least I'm not injured and I finally have cool air flowing through the house!

Days run this week: 3

Miles run this week: 10.9

Highlight of the week: Princess for a Day

Goal for next week: run 12 miles

Beach running; another marathon for '09?

Monday: way too busy to exercise... My sister sent me this framed photo, upside down. Katelyn took it of us in the parking lot at MARTA before we went downtown for the ING Georgia Half-Marathon in March 2009. Kyra and I got a huge laugh out of it being upside down!!!

Tuesday: my business trip start was delayed due to a meeting postponement. My sister sent me an email saying she'd like to run the Kiawah Island marathon with me. Am I up for it? I didn't respond right away. We had talked about it two months ago, but she wasn't ready to commit. When Tonya suggested Chicago, I agreed to that knowing that she would definitely follow through, barring an injury. Will I be able to run two marathons, two months apart? Maybe... Didn't arrive in Wilmington until 9:30 p.m. Didn't want to run that late... Plus, I forgot to pack running socks. Stopped at Target to buy running socks and found cute Carolina-blue running skirt that I just had to buy too...

Wednesday: woke up at 6:30 a.m. Jogged from hotel to beach, stopped timer and enjoyed a few minutes on the beach, then returned to the hotel for a total of 3.80 miles. Enjoyed the huge sun over the pier. Picked up a foot-shaped shell as a keepsake.

Thursday: had to be at work at 7 a.m., an hour drive away, so decided to run later in the evening. I responded to my sister's message and agreed to run the Kiawah Island marathon with her if she really wants to. I'm just hoping I'll be recovered enough after Chicago to do it... Plus, this will give me a back-up option in case Tonya and Lisa can't do Chicago for some reason. I don't want to go there alone. Went to Wrightsville Beach this evening and jogged The Loop for 3.07 miles. It was a tough run; very windy. Afterwards, walked about a half-mile on the beach. Huge waves because of approaching storm. Walking away from the beach, saw big fat orange sun setting through the dark clouds on the west, and full moon risen over the ocean on the east. AWESOME VIEW!!!

Friday: Rest day. Drove home from Wilmington. TIRED!

Saturday: Easy 3 miles on the Treadmill.

Sunday: Mother's Day. Horse trail riding all day with the best daughter in the whole world!

Days run this week: 3
Miles run this week: 9.87
Highlight of the week: amazing views at the beach!
Goal for next week: run 10+ miles

23 weeks til Chicago marathon

After having over two weeks of no sharp knee pain, and Ty making hotel reservations for Chicago, I went on-line to find a training program for the Chicago marathon. The Chicago marathon website has three plans: one for beginner, intermediate, and advanced. I took the Intermediate plan and then worked backwards by 7 weeks to get me from where I am today, to where I would need to be when the 17 week training program would begin. I planned it all out on Monday. I might modify the plan in a few months if Ty decides that she'd prefer to use a different plan since we're going to run our weekly "long runs" together. But at least it's a start for building base mileage.

Monday: Jogged 3.5 miles on the treadmill and stretched afterwards.

Tuesday: Gym: 30 minutes strength training + 30 minutes on the stationary bike. Then went home and mowed the grass (push mower). Thought I was done for the day, but daughter reminded me that we were supposed to practice leash walking with the dogs, so we walked 0.78 miles after dinner.

Wednesday: Jogged 3 miles on the treadmill.

Thursday: Jogged 3 miles on the treadmill.

Friday: Totally guessing, but estimated I walked 2 miles on a trail with 4th graders for Pioneer Day. Plus carried heavy crockpots, coolers, etc. It was supposed to be a "cross training/strength training" day. My original plan was to go to the gym this afternoon, but I was totally exhausted after Pioneer Day efforts. I'm considering that a cross-training effort.

Saturday: Gym: 30 minutes strength training + 4 mile jog on the treadmill while daughter was at birthday party. Would have preferred to run outside, but it was storming. Watched Kentucky Derby pre-show during jog instead. The gym treadmill is much better cushioned than my home treadmill. When my home treadmill dies, I will definitely invest more in the next one.

Sunday: Rest day

Days run this week: 4
Miles run this week: 13.5
Highlight of the week: created training plan and stuck to 1st week!
Goal for next week: run 15 miles + 2 days of strength training