January 2010

January Running Review

by blueeyedrunner on January 31, 2010

I cannot believe the first month of 2010 is already over! January went by so quickly. In an attempt to get more organized, (and since I don’t have a fancy Garmin!) I created an excel spreadsheet to keep track of my runs and other forms of exercise. I am pleased I was able to keep up with it because it will be a good thing to look back on for future training. The spreadsheet started out fairly basic and I continued to add things as the month went on. It needs some tweaking, but so far I am happy with it. I kept track of distance run, time, pace, weather, any workouts I completed at the gym, and had a Notes section.

During the month of January I ran 85.75 miles. My longest run was 6 miles, and I ran 23 out of 31 days. I went tot he gym 14 out of 31 days and mostly took the group fitness classes. The classes I took at the gym included: FIT, Pilates, Yoga (various types), and Kickboxing. I usually make it to the gym 3-4 days a week.

January was a bit unusual because I was in Mexico for 5 days, caught 2 colds, and, oh yeah, it was (is) FREAKING FREEZING. In New Jersey, anyway. Actually, I have to admit, the cold weather doesn’t usually keep me away from running, but it definitely shortens the run, which is why I ran so many 5Ks this month. Overall, I am pleased with this month’s performance. I hope to give each run more purpose in February, and not exhaust my legs with wasted miles a la Run Less, Run Faster. Also in the spirit of Run Less, Run Faster, I bought a speedo bathing suit! A swimmer, I am not, however, I figured if I look the part, maybe I can manage to crank out a few laps in the pool. Conversely, if I look the part, then people will actually think I can swim, so when I get into the water and make a fool of myself I will be even more embarrassed. I’m going to try to focus on the former

Being that this IS a RUNNING blog, I plan to start posting more specific weekly updates about my fitness routine. I haven’t been posting much about running lately because I haven’t been training for anything specific, mostly just enjoying being able to head out and do whatever I want during a run (something I wasn’t able to do while training for Philly.) With the spring racing season quickly approaching, its time to get my butt in gear and get serious. Last week my Dad and I hit the track for the first time in months for a couple of 400s. My first race of the season will be the Morristown St. Patty’s Day 5K on March 13 and yes, I need to update my “Upcoming Races” section of this blog, so look for that soon!

How do you keep track of your runs/workouts? Do you bother to keep track or just do it for fun?

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Where in the World Wednesday- Cruise Edition

by blueeyedrunner on January 24, 2010

Where in the World Wednesday- Cruise Edition

I am so excited for WITWW this week. Ever since I posted Last Week’s WITWW Post I knew I should have done this topic, so I am doing it this week! Thank you to Classy in Philadelphia for providing the perfect feature for this story!

My Where in the World Wednesday this week takes place on a spring break cruise I took senior year in college, and the reason it is so important to me is because it is where Dan and I met!

On this ship, the Norwegian Spirit, almost 4 years ago, I met Dan on spring break with my girlfriends. The cruise left from Manhattan, and sailed to Cocoa Beach, Fl; Miami; and the Bahamas.

At the Atlantis in the Bahamas

Dan and I met the 2nd night. My 3 friends and I were at a “New Years Eve” themed party and Dan and his 3 friends were sitting right next to us. It was not love at first sight but we started talking.

Our first pic

Our last night…

After the cruise, Dan and I kept in touch. I went back to Gettysburg and he went back to Manhattan College. He called me that first night we got back to our respective schools, and the following weekend I went to NY visited him at school. We had a great time and that next weekend him and a friend came to stay with me at Gettysburg.

4 years later…and here we are…

XOXO

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Weekend Recap!

by blueeyedrunner on January 24, 2010

Hello
I know this is a little late being that it is already Tuesday, but I had a busy weekend (and Monday, obviously since I didn’t post) so I figured I would post it today.

After work on Friday, I had a Starbucks date with my friend, Vonelle and after I went out for a 5-miler with my Dad. After the run I went back to the apartment to shower and get ready because Dan was taking me to dinner! We rarely go out to a nice dinner just the two of us, and it was fun! He took me to Shogun, a hibachi restaurant not to far. I ordered the shrimp and scallop hibachi and a glass of red wine. We sat with a great group of people and we all ended up doing a sake bomb together after dinner because it was one of the woman’s birthdays.

Saturday morning I drove to my parents house to do a 6-miler with my Dad. The run was great. It was a beautiful day, and the run felt great. With less than a mile to go, we had to stop at a traffic light. I looked down and saw this:

Yes, that is blood. The first thing I thought was MY SHOES!! I had been doing such a good job keeping them so nice and clean. My Dad was a bit more freaked out, but honestly it didn’t hurt. I had no idea I was even bleeding until I looked down. Unfortunately it was a little late for my shoes…When we got back to the house I took off my sneaker to investigate. My sock looked even worse than the shoe (don’t worry I didn’t take a picture of that!) Turns out, I had the tiniest little cut on one of my toes that I guess a toenail made and kept digging into it. It was so tiny it took me awhile to find it. I could not believe it made so much blood. Fortunately, my foot is doing fine. I wish I could say the same for my shoe.

Saturday night we went to dinner with a friend of Dan’s and his wife. We went to an amazing restaurant they chose called Bueno Sera in Redbank (NJ). It was soooo good but I probably won’t get to go back anytime soon because it was a bit pricey.

Sunday morning I met my Mom for Pilates (one of my new fav classes…I am starting feel a difference in my core- a post on that soon!) After class, I went for a run (5 miles) then back to the apartment to EAT because I was starving! Of course I ate before Pilates, but I made a veggie omelet immediately when I got home.

Pardon my cooking skills…its not the prettiest omelet but it was delicious! It was a 2 egg omelet with spinach, mushrooms, olives, mozzarella cheese, and of course some hot sauce on top. And a green tea on the side.

Dan had gone to watch the Jets game with some friends so I spent a lot of Sunday writing. Then, Sunday evening, I went back to the gym to meet my Mom for Yoga and Meditation class. Neither one of us had taken this class before, and I almost didn’t go, but I am soooo glad I did because it was amazing! Such a good class. It was so packed they were actually turning people away. Good thing we got there early! By the time I got out of class Dan was home so I picked up a pizza and headed back to relax with him.

I hope everyone’s weeks are going well…

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Run Less, Run Faster Book Review!

by blueeyedrunner on January 23, 2010

Run Less, Run Faster: Become a Faster, Stronger Runner with the Revolutionary FIRST Training Program
by Bill Pierce, Scott Murr, and Ray Moss

Summary

The authors of Run Less, Run Faster aim to help all people in achieving their highest running potential. They acknowledge that the majority of runners are real people who lead busy lives filled with families, work and errands to run. Through extensive research, they have developed The FIRST program, which not only fits nicely into “real people’s” busy lives, but actually only works if you incorporate the rest days and cross training days.

What they Recommend: 3 days of running, with 2 days of cross training. Of those 3 running days, one is a track workout, one a tempo run, and one a long run. (Note: Not Long, Slow Run- this workout is meant to be faster than your typical LSR). You are not supposed to run on 2 consecutive days, and ideally, your forms of cross training should be different (i.e., bike and swim).

The program also addresses other aspects that will help improve your fitness such as cross training (biking, using the elliptical, swimming, etc.), stretching, strength training, and nutrition. They also discuss various other performance factors such as, injuries and running in extreme conditions.

In Addition, the book includes times and paces for runners of all abilities and includes a bonus section on “Getting to Boston.” (um, yes please!) It is further enhanced with personal success stories, thank you notes, and “Real Runner Reports”.

Pros and Cons of the FIRST Program

Pros
1.) Almost a guaranteed PR

2.) Built in recovery days to prevent injury

3.) Easy to schedule workouts when you only have to run 3 days a week.

4.) Scientifically proven to work for runners of all abilities.

Cons
1.) I am a RUNNER! I don’t want to cross train, I want to RUN! And more than 3 days a week…

2.) The workouts are HARD. All of them. If every time I go out for a run, it is for a HARD workout, I worry it will cause me to dread running…

3.) In order to prevent injury and keep your body strong, the authors strongly discourage running more than 4 races a year. Furthermore, of those 4 races, each should be a different distance, (i.e., 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon, marathon.) 4 races?! Thats all? Last year I ran 16…oops. I love racing too much to cut it back that much, and while I understand their reasoning, (injury prevention, giving your body time to recover, etc.) I just don’t think I could do it. I am not and will never be an elite runner, and while I do want to reach my full potential, I am not sure I could make that sacrifice…

My Thoughts:

After reading Run Less, Run Faster, I have decided that for me, it is not a philosophy I can adopt ALL THE TIME. I LOVE to RUN and therefore, would probably go crazy if I could only run 3 days a week and every time I went for a run it was HARD. I would miss just heading out after a rough day, without my watch to clear my head and just RUN, not worrying about time, speed, or distance. Its why I love running so much. HOWEVER; I think this is a great book and a great program and I would be happy to adapt my running route for a mere 16-18 weeks to improve my running ability and marathon times! Ultimately, I want to use it to qualify for Boston.

Have you read this book? What do you guys think about running 3 days a week and cross training 2 days?

*Also, please let me know if you have any suggestions, questions, or comments. This is my first book review, so let me know if I missed anything!

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It’s Here!

by blueeyedrunner on January 21, 2010

Yay! My Snuggie that is…it arrived today from Miss Belle at
The Tale of a Southern Belle I love it already and even better…it matches my apartment! I mentioned this to a certain boyfriend of mine and he called me “a nerd.” Whatever I love it. And I think he does too because he took a pic on his phone of me in the snuggie that now shows up whenever I call him.