August 6th ~ Writing and Note to Self

Today is Lance and Hannah's last day with us.  They fly home tonight, arriving around 5 o'clock tomorrow morning.  Tomorrow is also Hannah's first day of sixth grade.  So her request for today, "We have to have lots of fun because it's my last day of summer vacation."

It's gonna be a scorcher here, so we took an early morning walk on Las Llajas Canyon.  The high school cross country team was just finishing up.  We took a side trail and did a little writing...

We've spent some time in the pool, swimming, cannon balling, splashing, and laughing.  Hannah then wanted to do cartwheels.  My left hamstring may never be the same....

Note to self:  YOU are no longer 11.  Don't try cartwheels just because your 11 year old niece does!

August 5th ~ Logo and M2T W3

The Hammer Nutrition logo.  We have a cupboard full of Hammer Gel, Perpetuem, Heed, Recoverite and more.  We are VIPs, because we are on the auto ship program.  I got this jersey FREE after one of our orders.  I love wearing cycling jerseys when I go on long runs because of the pockets in the back.  iPod in one, sunglasses in another, and water bottle in the third!


This is week three of training. After this week, race day will be 13 weeks away. You'll maintain the same routine as last week, with three easy runs, one day on hills, and two days of rest. This week's long run is 14 miles.

It's a big milestone, and it may be the first time you really feel as if marathon training is officially under way. Make sure you set aside enough time in your schedule so you don't feel rushed to finish the run and you have time to eat and rest afterward. Also, get your fueling strategy set ahead of time. On any run longer than 75 minutes, energy gels or sports drinks will help you maintain a steady level of energy.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Monday: 3 Miles Easy (pace 10:04)
Tuesday:  5 Miles Hills (no planned pace)
Wednesday:  Rest Day
Thursday: 5 Miles Easy (pace 10:04)
Friday:  5 Miles Easy (pace 10:04)
Saturday:  14 Miles LSD  (pace 10:04-11:04)

August 4th ~ Where You Sat and M2T W2 Results

This is where I sit when I get back from a run or a ride.  That's my computer and Garmin ~ I upload all data so I can analyze it.  I'm just a geek that way!  I'm sitting here right now staring out at the patio and watching it rain.  Big, huge drops are hitting our pool.  It never does this in the summer, so I'm a little shocked by it!  I'm already planning to ride the trail tomorrow, it will be in perfect condition after just a little rain.

We've had company since Wednesday night - Les' brother, Lance, and his daughter, Hannah.  Les and Lance had lots of cycling plans, while Hannah and I had lots of fun planned!  That meant I needed to rearrange some of my running, but I made it work.

Sunday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested, sat in the car for 10 hours trying to get home from Santa Cruz.  There was a fire in Ventura (45 miles from home) and the 101 freeway was closed for several hours.  We finally turned around and took another way home.  Not my idea of a fun way to extend our vacation!

Monday: 4 Miles Easy (pace 10:04)
Result:  Trail ride, 7.27 miles at 9.1 mph

Tuesday:  5 Miles Hills (no planned pace)
Result:  5.01 miles in 53:03, 10:35 pace.  I hammered the hills!

Wednesday:  Rest Day
Result:  Rested

Thursday: 5 Miles Easy (pace 10:04)
Result:  5.03 in 47:37, 9:27 pace ~ I didn't take it so easy.


Friday:  5 Miles Easy (pace 10:04)
Result:  12 miles in 2:03:01, 10:15 pace


Saturday:  12 Miles LSD  (pace 10:04-11:04)
Result:  Rested

Total planned miles:  31
Running:  22.04
Cycling:  7.27
Total:  29.31

I hadn't even notice, but I crossed the 1,000 mile mark for the year last week!

August 3rd ~ Coin

Today, I thought about flipping a coin to decide if I would run or not.  With company here, things are a little busy.  I ran hard yesterday, then spent the day in Santa Barbara, including a couple hours at the SB Zoo.  Lots of walking.  I won't be able to do my long run this weekend so my plan was to do it today.  Yeah, I really did think about flipping a coin.  Heads, I run.  Tails, I sleep in.

I'm not one who can ignore a detailed plan very easily.  A 12 mile run isn't one to ignore.  I also wanted to work on pacing myself better.  I want to run my second half as strongly as my first.  For me that means slowing it down a little at the beginning so I'll have something left at the end.  Here's how today's run went:

Mile #1:  10:00
Mile #2:  10:24
Mile #3:  9:49
Mile #4:  9:49
Mile #5: 10:04
Mile #6:  9:56
Mile #7:  10:47
Mile #8:  9:57
Mile #9:  10:32
Mile #10: 10:59
Mile #11:  9:42
Mile #12:  10:57

My fastest mile was 9:42 and my slowest was 10:59.  Only 77 seconds difference!  My first six miles took  one hour, my second six took one hour and three minutes.  Not bad at all.

12 miles in 2:03:01, 10:15 pace.  Planned pace was 10:04 to 11:04.  I was hoping for about 10:20 to 10:30.   Heads, I won!

August 2nd ~ One

One finisher's medal for my one marathon finish.  It was also my one marathon start, so as long as I finish each one I start, I'm good.  I am training for another one now!

Today I did one run of 5.03 miles in 47:37, 9:27 pace.  One mile was under 9 minutes, all the other ones were under 10.

Mile #1:  9:56
Mile #2:  9:30
Mile #3:  9:27
Mile #4:  8:55
Mile #5:  9:29

I pushed my two legs and my one heart pretty hard!

Ave HR 152
Max HR 165
Calories burned 509

August 1st (Photo a Day) ~ Outside

Just outside this gate is where my running begins. I'm so lucky to live where I can run outside year round.

Photo a Day Challenge August

I did the Photo a Day Challenge for July on my other blog.  I'm going to try it here for the month of August, but each picture has to have a running theme.  Here's the list if anyone is interested in joining the fun!

Original post at FatMumSlim here.