Getting closer..

The training has been progressing through the month of March. I found my way to Daily Mile through the various pod casts I listen to and it's fun to track on there and not bore everyone to death on Facebook with my running stats.

I am doing the Running class at the gym again this spring and I still love it. That class is soooooo hard and well worth the cost. Every Monday and Wednesday I get my butt kicked and then the homework gets me too.  Today I did speed and hill Farklets on the treadmill and while short (30 min) it was INTENSE.  I hope to see a change from all this work I am doing. I really want to A) go under 30 min in a 5K and B) Do better in my half marathon time then I did in my first one.  I know B will be hard because my next course has a significant HILL in it but I am training to get myself up it in a decent time anyway.

This Saturday is the Pottstown 5K.  DH is running it for his first 5K ever and I hope it goes well.  I am super proud of the effort he has made to be able to run.  I know he will be fine for the distance but I want him to love it like I do (or maybe at least like it) so we can keep doing this together.  I am even okay with him beating me eventually, even though I am highly competitive ;)

Miss Talkative (DD) is running it as well.  It will be her first 5K as well and she is so nervous.  My plan is to let her run and just stay with her so my time won't count - unless she is a lot faster than I think she will be.  I have confidence in her ability to finish it. She may be tired at the end but she is a determined girl and I think she will do awesome!

It is the first Race of the year so here is the kickoff to the season.  I can't wait to see how it goes!

Keep running, keep training, keep eating right :-)

The training begins

The training season has officially kicked off in my household. My DH and I have entered the Warrior Dash in June and he has never run before so he has just started the couch to 5K program. I have also signed my daughter up for a 5K in early April so we are all running together now. This entails going to the local Y and running on the indoor track until the weather begins to cooperate again but it is a start.

I have also started running using a mix of Hal Higdon's training plan for a Half marathon and Runner's world training program. I like Runner's world since it gives me pace times to hit but I don't feel like it includes any realistic ramping or training progression so I want to combine Hal's with it. I used Hal's program last time and it worked great for me. This week was a running overload. I ended up running 5 days in a row which is a big NO in my book. Luckily several of those runs were easy track runs with the family. I did get outside yesterday (and yes I went to a Super Bowl party and went for a run from their house just so I could squeeze my run in). It was great to get outside. I can't wait for spring!!

So I am taking today off to recover and will just do some ab and upper body work at home tonight so my legs can rest. Tomorrow is an easy run day and then Thursday is more speed work. This week I am focusing on my diet so I can get lighter and faster.

Historic Half is in 96 days :-)

Here's to happy training!

The gloom sets in....and a resolution

The last few weeks have been lazy and uninspiring. I completed a big training and weight loss push 2 weeks before Christmas and now I am officially on a mental (and physical) break. No logs or journals to complete, no counting everything I do, no caring in general. It's not the best approach I can take but mental refreshment is vital to me. I am in the midst of the worst time of year for myself. The time when sunlight hides and I want to hide too. I am a winter gloom and doom type. My relationships suffer in the winter, my motivation suffers, and my outlook suffers as well. I am well aware that I am this way and I will continue to move on reaching for the hope of the spring, just with a few extra tears thrown in.

I did manage to get some running in my life though and that always makes me feel better. I love to run but I HATE running inside. The hot air bothers me, the people bother me, the redundancy bothers me. So last Sunday I laced up my shoes and went out to run in the snow covered streets in the 20 degree weather. I have to say, "I loved it". I was dressed well and I only went 3.5 miles due to lack of daylight (it took me hours to work up to getting out there) but it was wonderful! I really enjoyed it and I think I may become an all season type of girl. My New Year's resolution was that I would run (inside or outside) on Saturday or Sunday. I have no problem during the week since I am at the gym everyday, but weekends get sucked up in family time. This resolution will help me get out there and get moving on weekends too. I like resolutions, I like to be specific, and I like to succeed :)

Have a great day and I hope a great run too!

New Year, New directions, New goals

I haven't used this space in over a year. Today I decided I would make this space useful again. I plan on tracking my obsession with running here along with the other things I encounter in my journey. This is really a place for me and my family. Sure I update Facebook and other running sites, but I thought it would be fun to start doing a real recording of my thoughts as I train for 2 half marathons this year along with the myriad of other events I will be participating here.

So tag along if you want. It might be interesting - at least for me :)

Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all a fresh start and a new direction!

7 years ago today....

7 years ago today my life changed forever ....

and oh how fast those years have gone!

Happy Birthday to my baby girl! I love you more then you will ever know!