Another busyyyy week! No time for blogging although I've had a million things to say (not really, but at least a few thoughts).  At least this time I did do all of my runs from my training plan.

Week 7 in review:

Monday

Scheduled: 3 mile easy run

Ran: 4.84 mi @ 10'15" pace. 

I did more than scheduled because I never did the long run last week so I wanted to get it done ASAP!

Tuesday

Scheduled: Easy C/T or off

Did: Cardio H2O class + Will Power & Grace Class (Squats/Planks) For a total of 2 hours worth of classes at the gym.  I know squats and planks are good for you but that class kills me and my knees. :P

Wednesday

Scheduled: Hills + 10 minutes easy

Did: Ran 3 miles on the track with Jen.  3.15 miles @ 9'36" pace

Thursday

Scheduled: 3 miles easy

Did: Nothing!

Friday

Scheduled: nothing

Did: Hills workout. 

5 minute warmup, 15 minute on the incline mode on the treadmill with 400m on and 400m off, 10 minute cooldown.  

Ended up being 3.15 miles @ 10'10" pace

Saturday

Scheduled: 5 mile long run

Did: nothing!

Sunday

Scheduled: C/T or off

Did: 5 miles on the treadmill! It was tough. ended up being 5.01 mi @ 10'05" pace.  So glad I reached that goal though, 5 miles was looming over me like an unattainable goal.   Maybe I succeeded because I bought myself my 5-mile present a week early? :)  I will do a post with my new purchases as soon as I get a chance. 

10k Training: Week 6

Ahhh... only ran twice this week.  Week six was a bad week and the first time I've missed any of my runs from the 10k training plan.   I got sick at the beginning of the week, and honestly, I'm still feeling it a week later! I feel a lot better but I still have sinus and throat issues.  I also had an arbitration competition in Chicago this weekend so I was swamped with that. Thus, less running and no blogging.  

Week 6 in review: 

Monday

Scheduled: 30 minutes running

Ran: Nothing. I did my long run the day before and wanted to take a day off. 

Tuesday

Scheduled: Easy C/T or Off

Did: Ran 3.14 mi @ 8:38 pace. 

As shown by my splits, below, I ran two miles, then walked a lap, and then ran/walked my last mile. It shows a fast pace but that's because I was really hustling when I ran and tried to speed walk when I had to walk!

Wednesday

Scheduled: Speed workout, 2 x 1 mile

Ran: Nothing. Went to zumba instead :) It was throwback 90's zumba and I loveddd it. 

Thursday

Scheduled: 30 minutes easy

Ran: Did the speed workout scheduled for Wed.  I did a 400m warmup at 11'50"/mi; 1600m @ 8'53"/mi; 400m walk @ 14'/mi; 1600m @ 8'55"/mi and 800m walk/run @ 9'/mi.  Total, 3.02 miles at 9:38 pace. 

Friday

Nothingggg

Saturday

Nothing. Went to Chicago and did the competition.  Maybe I'll say that I did some hardcore walking around the city in high heels haha ;) 

Sunday

Nothing. Still sick and figured it was in my best interest to rest.  I am back in the game now though!

10k Training Plan: Week 5

Five weeks down, eleven to go! This week I ran the most miles that I ever have in any given week, about 16 total.

My week:

Monday

Prescribed: 30 min easy run

Ran: 3.33 mi in 29:01 (8'42" pace).  Not exactly an easy run, but I started faster than I intended and felt good enough to keep the pace going. Proud of myself for pushing hard!

Tuesday

Prescribed: Easy cross train/off

Did: Nothing!

Wednesday

Prescribed: 2 x 1 mile at race pace or a bit faster

Ran: Warm up 500 meters, 1 mile at 8:37 pace, jog, 1 mile at 8:21, 500 meter cool down. Total: 3.29 mi at 9'23" pace.  Also did a deep water exercise class for an hour.

Thursday

Prescribed: 30 minutes easy

Ran: 2.84 miles around the neighborhood at a 9'55" pace.  Ate before running and didn't feel too swell! Gotta stop that eating before running. Also not a huge fan of 3pm Thursday runs. 

Friday

Prescribed: OFF

Did: Rock climbing, Ran 2 miles at easy pace, and some abs. So.... didn't take the day off. Oops!

Saturday

Prescribed: 4.5 mi long run at easy pace

Did: Nothing! Wanted to rest my legs a bit after 3 days in a row

Sunday

Prescribed: Cross Train/Off

Ran: 4.51 miles in 47:03 (10'26" pace).  I felt really pretty sick today, might be getting the flu?  My boyfriend came over to use the treadmills so I felt like having him around would at least give me the motivation to finish my long run for the week.  I did it! Not sure if I will feel better/worse tomorrow...

Friday climbing & good eats

I love rock climbing. My roommate and I try to go as often as we can at the local gym and I was able to do a guided rock climbing lesson in Boulder this past summer.

(Obligatory Colorado Pics)

Climbing in Boulder

I finally went out and bought the gear so I don't have to keep renting at the gym. So on a boring Friday night I decided to get my climb on. I climbed until my arms got sore, and then I decided to do an ACTUAL easy run on the treadmill since I was already at the gym.  I only did two miles, but I had run the past two days before and didn't want to overdo it on these beginner legs.  I am supposed to do my long run today but I might wait to do it tomorrow so my legs are a bit more refreshed. Before I left the gym, I made sure to get in a good ab workout because I have been slacking a bit on the Abs by April Challenge! I did some planks and hand to toe crunches. Feeling it today!!

After the gym, a friend and I did some cooking. We made apple & bacon stuffed pork chops.  I found the recipe here. It was kind of a pain to make because I had never stuffed meat before, but it turned out delicious.  There were a ton of spices and they meshed together perfectly. Even though it was not a five-minute dish, you need to try it if you eat meat because it was that good.  We also substituted the bacon with turkey bacon and the goat cheese with feta.  

Then of course we had to wash it down with some dried cherry chocolate chip cookies and a big glass of milk.  Good thing I did not go to school to be a food photographer, btw.

Nike Pacer running short review & presents to myself

I am no running short expert. I started running in November 2012 in the winter-weather-prone state of Illinois, and have only had one opportunity to run outside with shorts.  I just recently started running at the gym, and thus, just recently started caring about running shorts.  I have a few pairs from my pre-running days that I would wear to exercise classes, but I guess I just didn't have the same standards for those.  Anyway, that was a long and unnecessary introduction to my review on my favorite new running shorts. 

My mom gave me the Nike Pacer running shorts in black for Christmas. They are pretty similar to the Nike Tempo shorts that are very popular, except they have a slightly larger band and have a slightly lower rise (see someone elses' comparison).  I have a few hand-me-down Tempo shorts and I hands down (see what I did there?) prefer the Pacer style.  I think the Nike Pacers fit my 5'2"/narrow but hippy frame much better.  I don't have any pictures of me in the Tempos, but I went to Dick's last night to buy another pair of these Pacers and took a few photos. For reference, these are XS (I'm 5'2", 105-108lbs)

 I like the low rise, especially on my shorter build. I also like the fact that I can roll them or not roll them---they work both ways.  Sometimes I think rolling looks so high school but I don't mind it in these shorts.  I wore them today to the gym, and was really cool and took a picture for you (below). Question, do you guys wear underwear when you have built in underwear lining in the shorts? 

Wearing: GapFit Motion racer tank in powerful blue (here); 

Nike Pacer shorts (here); Garmin 210 watch & foot pod (here)

Now onto other important matters.  I like to reward myself for reaching certain milestones in running by purchasing workout clothes/gear that I've had my eyes on. It helps keep me motivated to reach the goals and makes me feel confident and happy while running.  My 10k running plan has me running 5 miles in a few weeks (first time ever going that far!).  I found a pair of shorts at Dicks last night that I think will be my 5-mile present.  They are the 3" Nike Energy shorts.  I am not completely sold on how short they are, but I like how they feel. 

Gahhh those socks are so bad. 

Do you reward yourself with anything when you reach your running goals? 

10k Training Report: Week 4

Another week down and I have stuck to the 10k training plan.  I was kind of dreading writing this post today because all I have done lately is write posts reviewing my training...zzzz ;)

Without further ado, this is how the week went:

Monday
Prescribed: Easy run for 25 mins
Ran: 2.63 miles outside in 26 minutes (9'54" pace).  This run was horrible very interesting because I had just eaten two large enchiladas and then realized that I had to get a run in. So I ran with a belly full of Mexican food.  It didn't sit well.  It was also a bit hard to breath because it was so foggy and warm! Crazy weather here in Illinois.  Funny thing, I wore regular mascara and when I was done with my run, I looked like I was having a nervous breakdown with mascara all over my eyes.
(Took this lovely picture here after cleaning up the mascara. Still have some dew hair from the fog)

Tuesday

Prescribed: Easy cross train
Did: Jillian Michael's 6-week sixpack.  You are supposed to do it 5x a week (aka 30 times total).  At this rate, I will have a 6 pack in 30 weeks.  Also, have I ever mentioned that I hate burpees? Well if I haven't, let's take notice here. I hate burpees.

Wednesday
Prescribed: 3 miles + 4-5 striders, speed workout
Ran: 3.09 miles at an 8:16 pace (took a break in between miles 2 and 3). I didn't exactly follow the workout but I did complete the 3 miles and did go for speed. Got my new Garmin 210 watch! (WOO, will review it later).  I also did a one-hour fitness class, "deep water exercise." It was pretty much water running and water weights in the deep end. Fun, but the water got kind of cold toward the end.

Thursday
Prescribed: 25 minutes easy
Ran: 2.63 at a 9'32" pace on the apartment treadmill.  It may be the case that I was running a bit slower. I was using my Garmin footpod.  The pace felt comfortable to me, and being the out of shape person I am, I am not convinced I can comfortably run that fast in an "easy" run. Who knows!

Friday
Off!!!

Saturday
Prescribed: 4 mile long run at easy pace
Ran: 4.25 miles in 41:34 (9'46" pace). Wanted to do a little extra since next week is 4.5.  The treadmill said I was going about 40 seconds slower per mile, but I used the footpod time because I always find treadmills to be off a bit. Also, the footpod was pretty spot on during my indoor track run. Anyone else have input on this?

Sunday
Homework allll dayyyy + Superbowl.  Also, I made Neon Blonde Runner's cake batter dip for the Superbowl and it was a big hit!  It was delish and I will be making a second batch this week.  I keep telling myself that the greek yogurt makes it a great source of protein.....

January Running in Review

I'm happy to say that I got back into the swing of things running in January after a few weeks off due to law school finals and the holidays.  I also started adding extra running days because I signed up for a 10k with my friends and started a 10k training plan.  I just looked back at my review of running from November 2012, when I started running, and I already see some good improvement.  In my November review, I mentioned that I was frustrated because I was feeling slow and out of shape.  I still feel kind of slow and out of shape, but I feel less out of shape than I did last month, and so I am happy to see that improvement!

January Stats:

Total Distance: 47.23 miles

Total Time: 7hrs 56mins

Average Pace: 10'06" /mi

I ran over twice as much this month than last month because I was so busy last month.  I still think I have done a decent job of not increasing my mileage too quickly: I stop when I've met my time or distance even if I feel like I could go a bit more.  I have also been trying to keep my body feeling good by using my foam roller when I get a chance and wearing a knee brace sometimes if I think I might be doing a run that would irritate my weak ol' knees. 

My goals for next month are to just stay on track with my 10k running plan and stay injury free.  I am happy with my pace, but if I improve at all in speed that will just be a pleasant surprise.  I have been doing "speed" workouts on Wednesdays, which surprisingly I think have helped me! (As well as cross training for some strength).