13.1 training run

Aug 30th Carol, Kathy and I set out at 0700 for our last longer run for the Miles with the Giant Half Marathon training. It had been getting darker and darker in the morning as I drive down to the marina, summer light is soon coming to an end.
We had never ran the whole route yet, we had ran all of the parts of the route just not all in the same run. The humidity has been so high lately, which makes it heavy to breath. We did get lucky as the sun held out until after the run was over and we were soaking it and the water up at the splash pad at the marina.

The race route has changed since last year and instead of going to Walmart and back at the end of the race, you travel through Current River in the middle of the race. Here we are enjoying Current River.
We all have our not so favorite parts of the route but on this day we conquered them all.
On our way back to the marina I have a point in the run where I know that if I make it to that point that I will survive the remainder of the run. This point is St. James School on the corner of James St and Algoma St. Here I am in front of St. James School on our way back.

We got to the marina and all three of us were thrilled that we had accomplished our goal of 13.1 miles and conquered the whole route of the Half Marathon. This was the longest distance that Carol has ever run and she was so excited. 

Carol packed us a much deserved picnic and we enjoyed it at the splash pad at the marina. The cold water of the splash pad was our version of an ice bath. 

In this picture it looks like Carol is up to her knees in water and that would mean that Kathy would be floating on the top of the water. 

No matter what happens from now until race day we can say that we ran a Half Marathon. 

Good Job Ladies, down hill from here to race day.

Weight Watchers Update

I have been going to weight watchers for 6 weeks now, I started out at 169.9 pounds and now weigh 153.6 for a total weight loss of 15.6 pounds.
I even went and bought 2 new pairs of jeans to mark the occasion and god I felt good trying them on. It is all about the fit of the clothes and not the number on the scale, never will you be happy with the number, you will never be the weight you were when you were 16. At this point its all about the clothes.
I have felt amazing during my workouts and running, not carrying that extra weight and eating properly to fuel my body.
I recommend the weight watchers program to anyone and going o the meetings is better for me then doing it online, I love the atmosphere of sharing ideas and struggles with other people.

 Before

After

           

Glue holding me together

So today was one of our longest runs in the training schedule for the half marathon Miles with the Giant. We ran 11 miles of the race route before it got too hot. When we started out in the morning it was 16 degrees but the air was thick as the humidity was really high. Carol, Kathy, Andrea and I headed out from the marina early.
I have started really eating well and my ritual has been changed from just a cup of coffee in the morning to brown rice the night before and glue like oatmeal in the morning along with my coffee and for desert an Espresso GU.
That oatmeal has been like glue to my insides and has powered me through my runs lately, I have had some amazing runs and have felt amazing while swimming. I have never felt this good ever. It almost feels so good that I'm waiting for the ball to drop and feel the way I used too. I have had to work hard too get too this point and it has been worth it.
Andrea is training for the Full marathon in September so she is not in these first picks as she was doing some extra mileage along the way. Here is Kathy, Carol and I on our way back down Court St.

Everyone has that point in there run where you know that you have made it that far, you know you can finish the run. For me that point is St. James School on the way back down Court St. 

11 miles got us right back to the marina and not a step further. 

Look at the happiness on our faces, having just finished running 11 miles.

We finish at the marina and have a wade in the splash pad, which is quiet and cool on the feet.

The oatmeal is not the only glue holding me together for these runs but the friends that you run with are also the glue that holds you together to get through these long hot runs.

Great Results

It has been 4 weeks since starting Weight Watchers and 5 weeks since I started seeing Dan (my trainer). I cannot believe that the time has flown by, and I have gotten results I am just thrilled about.
As of last weigh in on Wednesday, I have lost 8.9 pounds. I can feel it and can tell in my clothes. 8.9 pounds is a great start, if you pick up that weight it feels heavy, and I had been carrying it around and not noticing. This week a friend and I have made a goal between us, I am going to shoot for 10 pounds and she is just as close to 40 pounds, weigh in is Wednesday.
I am not sure that Dan realizes what kind of impact he makes on peoples lives by kicking there ass in gear. This past Tuesday my workout kicked up 100% and it was intense. I have noticed I feel stronger and my endurance is impacted in a great way. He is away this Tuesday and I thought what am I going to do without Tuesday, I have come to look forward to the workout. It feels awesome to push myself, that in no other situation would I push that hard.
These things have done wonders for me in my running, on Friday Carol and I ran 10 miles for our training for the Miles with the Giant and I felt great the whole way. We chatted all the way and just clipped along. We ran it in 1:58, I was thrilled, I have never ran 10 miles that fast, not even in the 10 mile road race. There was no humidity which was another factor which was in my favor.
I do have to say that on the advice of Kathy regarding carb loading was also a factor in my great run. My breakfast stuck to my insides and pushed me all the way.

Stay Safe

A terrible accident happened over this past weekend when a friend was hit by a car while running. I just want to say to you that the next time you go out to do your preferred activity take one step towards safety and leave your music at home, but if you insist on taking it, leave one ear bud out of your ear that is closest to the road.
We are praying for her and her family to pull through this terrible accident.
Stay safe no matter what activity you do, be alert to your surroundings, take your safety into your own hands and play safe.

Bicycle Crash

If I have any advice it is, if you get a flat tire changed on your bike, check to make sure that they have realigned your brakes when they put the tire back on.
This has been the second time that I have had a flat changed and the shop that did it put the tire back on but the brakes were not realigned so they were close to the tire and when riding it felt like you were pedaling with the brakes on.
So I'm heading down my street yesterday going to work and I realize I am pedaling downhill, the exact same feeling I had the last time I had a flat changed. I had no time to turn around and head home so I pedaled with my brakes on all the way to work. I was sweating when I got there and most of the way is downhill.
When I was ready to head home in the morning I thought to myself that I would release the back brakes so I wouldn't have to pedal home up hill with my brakes on. This act left me with just my front brakes to use in the event that I needed to stop. I knew that I would have to remember that I only had front brakes and that I would have to press them slowly if I needed to stop to avoid going ass end over.

I had made it all the way to my driveway but my ride was not over yet. I was going up my driveway at at the end was my garage which Sam opens so that I can just ride right in, I am riding towards it and pressing my back brake not realizing that I am not slowing down and it is not registering that I have no back brakes. When it finally occurs to me I am not stopping I slam on my front brakes and in slow motion as I am looking at Sam standing on the deck I go ass end over the handle bars, slamming into the garage door frame and ending up in a tangled mess under my bike.
I walked away at the time feeling OK, good thing I had my brain bucket on because it saved my head from smashing into the frame of the garage door.
My left hip was a little tender and I had a few scraps, it wasn't until today that my low back started to hurt and where my hip was tender before now was bothering me a little more.
I am headed tomorrow back to the shop where I had the tire changed to get my brakes fixed and inform them of how frustrated I am with the job they are doing. I have had to go there to have a flat changed twice and ended up there four times because they never realign my brakes.
So frustrating,

World Record Update

We did not make the world record for the most Nordic Walkers walking at the same time for 3 KM. We were 200 or so people away from it, next time.

Cross Training

If anyone out there knows me, they know that I have never cross trained before, not one bit of it. I always thought I can't fit it in, it is not going to make much of a difference, I am just happy running. It was my friend Kathy that had said to me " Never say Never" and here I am to confess, "my name is Val and I cross train".

I started biking everyday to work as you know from previous posts, which has been working out as it is all downhill to work so I am not exhausted when I get there, then it is all uphill home which has made me stronger in respect to working hard even though my body and mind are tired.


I have also continued with the swimming and all the challenges it has given me, I have been trying to go twice a week but sometimes it is only once, I have no expectations at this point with swimming but I just keep trying my hardest to do one more length more then before without the flutter board, I am having troubles with water getting up my nose. I am going to try a nose plug and see how that works out. My nose is plugged all the time, so I find it hard to blowout my nose under the water.

Wow I keep going on, it seems like I have really caught the cross train bug.

I started seeing trainer once a week, and of all the crosstrain I have been doing, the effort I have put into working out with him has paid off the most. He comes up with the most creative and challenging workouts which is great for me because I know from past experience, I get bored easily. I have noticed that in my long runs I feel stronger and my body and mind don't get as tired. I have been seeing him for 1 month now and I will continue to see him for another month and then go from there, I have been getting such great results from going, that I don't think I will stop his workouts. I actually at this point look forward to getting my ass kicked in the gym.

Last is not really a cross train but will make all this hard work come together, I joined Weight Watchers. I had done the program on-line before and had got great results but had no one to be accountable to and I stopped doing it and gained all the weight I had lost back. I do not eat well, I don't like to cook, so I have joined an actual group and attend the meeting to help me stay on track to some healthier eating habits.
Friends of mine had been going to Weight Watchers since January and have had some amazing results, they had inspired me to join again. I have concurred my first week and have had positive results, I won't blog on weekly results but let's just say I started with the number on the scale reading 169lbs. I have also taken measurements and will also keep track of those in case my muscle begins to outweigh the fat and the scale won't budge anymore.

That's an update on what I have been up to, I have been staying on track with the training for Miles with the Giant half marathon thanks to my friends that have been training also, especially to Carol who we have been slugging out all the long runs together. Hot or otherwise. And those that have joined us along the way I appreciate your company as well, for me it has never been an individual sport, I rely on others for motivation just as much as I rely on myself to do the work.