Week 7 = 24 miles + Bowl for Kids Sake

Since Thursday, Ryan and I have been battling sore throats and stuffed up heads.  For some reason, I've been dealing with the worst of it.  I got my smaller runs in this week, focusing on pace and trying to maintain a speed between 6.7 and 7.2 mph.  The 3 milers were a little faster as I was finishing under 25 mins and that got a little easier as the week went on.  I usually get more sore in my calves and hip flexors two days after my long runs and Tuesday was definitely a recovery day as I got in my 3 mile run later in the afternoon.  Sunday I did 7 miles on the treadmill since we had gotten some snow Friday evening and there were chances for more yesterday afternoon.  It wasn't bad except I was breathing a little heavier with this stupid cold.  I finished just under 65 mins and really felt sick after.  Sick to my stomach and I couldn't stop coughing from my chest.  I'm home today recovering and trying to hydrate as much as possible to get healthy.  This weeks run consist of 3 Tuesday, 6 Wednesday, and 3 Thursday, followed by a 12 miler on the weekend.  I hope to get this done outside again and hopefully the weather is nice in Eldrige where I will be running this weekend.  Ryan has 3 nephews who are competing in a snowboarding competition near the Quad Cities this weekend and I hope to get in on the action as well.  I'll have some fun picutres to post next time.

Here are some photos of me and some co-workers at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kid's Sake this past Friday.  There were 6 of us bowlers and we raised almost $800!  It was a fun event and Ryan even filled in as one of the team members :)

I've been trying to think of what I want to give up for Lent, and I think I have come to the conclusion of not giving up anything, but being more conscious of what I am eating on the days I am training, the days prior to the long runs, and doing more research to supplement these goals.  From what I already know, those who are exercising regularly should be consuming 60% of their calories in carbs, 20% protein, and <20% fats.  Endurance athletes require more carbohydrate calories due to the extreme calorie burn and energy wasting they endure during training runs.  Also, a low-fat diet will help in keeping me feeling energized and not sluggish on a day-to-day basis.  I will be striving for 1800 total calories which will consist of 65% carbs for energy source, 20% protein for cellular repair of my lean body mass and better recovery, and <15% fats.  I will use my.apex online to help meal plan and to make sure that all of my meals are balanced and nutritious.

Week 6 = 18 miles - Pace and Recovery

This week is all about working on race pace and recovering from the 10-miler.  I have been very nervous about this 10-miler that I did Sunday because I have never endured something like this before.  Each week I have been increasing my distance and trying to run outside to build endurance and run different trails.  I was going to run it on Saturday with Rachel, but after work I got home and made the mistake of falling asleep on the couch so when I got up to go meet her, I was not feeling well enough to go out.  Liz was running Sunday so I thought I could wait til then, but she was in Ames longer than expected and she ran hers alone too.  So there I was Sunday afternoon getting ready to head out to run by myself, getting myself psyched up to run for 100 minutes (about 10min miles).  Another reason I was a little nervous is because I didn't get in any of my short runs last week because I went to Des Moines in the middle of the week and it kind of messed up my work schedule and once again I had too many excuses to skip them.  NEVER SKIPPING THOSE AGAIN!!!  Yikes.........
So in the first mile of my run, I was having troubles with my ear buds staying in my ears while running.  I kept trying to put them back in and ended up just tucking them away and saying 'screw it, I will trying again at my half-way point'.  The trail was patched with snow/ice in some spots, but for the most part it was once again pretty clear.  About miles 3 & 4 I was starting to feel some pain in the outsides of my knees again so I couldn't wait to stop to stretch!  I made it to my half-way destination by the Cedar Lake and stopped to regroup/stretch for 60 seconds and try for the music again.  It gets pretty boring talking to yourself and thinking about how many more miles you have to go!  I was happy to have my music back for miles 6 & 7 because it was helping me to keep my pace and stride even with the beat of the music, until I messed with them again and they wouldn't stay in, GREAT..........2 miles to go and I was really starting to feel the fatigue set into my hips and knees.  A dog jumped out at me and I thought for sure it would hop the fence since it was propped up on a giant snow bank and try running after me, so I sped up and got moving.  Mile 9 had the large uphill over a bridge to Blairs Ferry.  This was exhausting the second time around.  My run was an out-and-back route so the first time over this bridge was up for one block and then down hill for about 3 blocks, coming back it was just the opposite.  I had to stop for traffic before the last mile and that was a killer.  At that point you are on auto pilot just trying to finish the distance and I immediately stiffened up.  The first 500 yards after that point was very painful!  I made it to the finish and had to track through the snow again to get to my car........heavy legs and sore everywhere!  1 hour 35 mins and burned 1,000 calories :).  I was very sore the rest of the evening and was kind of nauceous after eating dinner.  Monday and today I'm feeling great, recovery post-distance is getting better as well, so that is a great sign that my body is handling the distances and recovering much faster!

Resistance Circuits this week include 1 minute intervals of the following:

Weighted Burpees
Seated Cable Row
Single Leg Dead Lift to Overhead Press
Push Ups
Walking Lunges w/ DB Curl
Supermans
Bicycle Crunches

3 times through with 1 minute rest between exercises = 45 mins

I made some cookies from a recipe that Jamie sent me, YUM YUM YUM.  I entered them into my APEX program and for the number of cookies I made there are only 50 calories/cookie!  Oatmeal Raisin/Banana

I will be running 3 miles today trying to keep my pace at about 7.0mph to see how my legs feel.  Tomorrow 5 miles and 3 on Thursday.

Week 5 = 21 miles

This week, 8-14, mileage will total 21 miles as the long distance run increases by 1 mile.  Sunday, Rachel, Liz and I once again ventured outdoors to run.  We decided to find a trail that would be easier to follow and gage distance covered.  We started up on Boyson Road in Hiawatha on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail.  We were driving up and could see that the trail was cleared and would be in perfect condition to tackle the 9 mile run.  We parked our car and realized that the start of the trail was completely covered with snow and were curious how long it would be until we would reach the cleared path.  It was a rocky start the first 1/4 mile was running on packed snow, similar to sand, and we all thought it was going to be a loooooong run starting this way.  Soon enough we were on the cleared path and pace was pretty good.  The trail was mostly flat with a few rolling hills and bridges to climb.  We ran south to the Cedar Lake which is located downtown right next to the Quaker Oats factory if you are familiar with the location when traveling on 380 through CR.   Down and back was approximately 9 miles, and it took us 1 hour and 30 mins.  It was cold and snowing lightly, but for the most part it wasn't too bad.  By mile 7, I was feeling very tired and the aches and pains were setting into my right hip flexor and outsides of the knees. 
A little fun fact for you:  The IT-Bands or iliotibial bands that connect from the top of the hip down along the outsides of your thighs and connect on the bump below the kneecap, can become very tight during long duration forward moving or sitting, and can cause pain in the hips and knees depending on where they are they tightest.  SOOOO, if you are a runner, biker, walker, sitter, etc., it is important to stretch these and massage before/after exercise to prevent or relieve pain. :)
SO, I think this is what was causing pain in the outsides of my knees so I have been foam rolling and massaging them before and after I run or get bored at work.
It is two days later and I am feeling pretty good!  Usually the second day is when it hits me, but I think because I taught BootCamp, taught three other classes, and trained 6 clients yesterday, I kept moving enough to prevent from stiffening up!  I have a recovery run of 3 miles today, 5 miles tomorrow, and 3 miles Thursday.  Saturday or Sunday we hope to be outside again for our 10 miler!

Total Body Weight Circuits this week will include the following:

Burpee Push Ups
Single Arm DB Chest Press on Ball
Pull Ups
V-Ups (Toe Touch Crunches)
DB Squat to Overhead Press
Pendulum Lunges
Biceps Curls with Band
OH Triceps Extension
Side Stepping Dip Squats

All exercises performed for 1:00 x 4 Circuits

I will be vacationing to Des Moines this week to see Kyle, Jamie and Lauren and also my best friend from high school is hosting a jewelry party tomorrow night :)  Weather permitting.........I want to get away during the week since I have to work every Saturday anyways, I can rearrange my schedule a little more and some of my clients are very flexible when it comes to the weekends too.  Have a great week!  See ya soon :)

Week 4 = 19 Miles

So, This week is actually week 4.  I forgot that we had to leave week 1 out and get started right away.  Last week was good to have a recovery week since I was so busy teaching other classes and 4 boot camp sessions of kick boxing!  This week I have 19 total miles; today 3, tomorrow 4, Thursday 3, and Saturday 9!  I hope to get outside for that one.  As long as it is close to or above 30 degrees, Rachel and I will definitely run outside this weekend.

I am already feeling fatigued in some of my running, body aches more than my breathing or cardio endurance.  I want to get outside tomorrow too, hopefully that will help because sometimes it gets pretty boring and discouraging just running inside on the treadmill with nothing to focus on my the pain in my legs! :)

Weight circuits this week consist of a 10x10 workout which is the following:
1. Lunges
2. Lunges + Jump Squats
3. Lunges + Jump Squats + KB Woodchops
4. Lunges + Jump Squats + Woodchops + Upright Rows
5. Lunges + Jump Squats + Woodchops + Upright Rows + Jumping Jacks
6. Lunges + Jump Squats + Woodchops + Upright Rows + Jumping Jacks + Reverse Flyes
7. Lunges + Jump Squats + Woodchops + Upright Rows + Jumping Jacks + Reverse Flyes + Dead Lifts
8. Lunges + Jump Squats + Woodchops + Upright Rows + Jumping Jakcs + Reverse Flyes + Dead Lifts + Overhead Triceps Extension
9. Lunges + Jump Squats + Woodchops + Upright Rows + Jumping Jakcs + Reverse Flyes + Dead Lifts + Overhead Triceps Extension + Push Ups
10. Lunges + Jump Squats + Woodchops + Upright Rows + Jumping Jakcs + Reverse Flyes + Dead Lifts + Overhead Triceps Extension + Push Ups + 1:00 Plank

Each Exercise is 10 reps each and I just keep adding exercises to the first all the way to 10 total!  A lot of fun, gets your heart beating and burns major calories!  I burned 500 calories in 45 mins!

Have a great week!  I'll see ya again soon :)

Week 2 = 16 miles

The most I have ever run continuously is 6 miles on the treadmill....Two weeks ago, a fellow trainer I worked with talked me into training for a marathon with her, one of her clients and another gym member.  I wasn't very reluctant at saying yes because I've always thought about doing one.  Why not start now!  My race date is May 16, 2010 in Green Bay, WI.  The race is the CellCom Marathon and one of the best organized races in the Midwest.  It starts near Lambeau Field and runs the streets of west Green Bay, along the Fox River Trail, through more Green Bay neighborhoods and in the last miles takes us through Lambeau Field to the finish line.

So Liz, Rachel and I started our first distance outdoor run today, 7 miles.  It was about 35 degrees with a western wind of about 10-15 miles per hour.  We left the gym, turned the corner to head west and hit the wall of wind.  It was cold, I wasn't prepared to run outside but thought it would be nice to get some fresh air for a change. 

During the week I run inside when its cold, snowy, rainy, etc.  The weekday runs now have only been 3 miles, easily done on the treadmill in less than 30 mins.  Today's run was adventurous running on snow and ice covered sidewalks and against the wind at times.  When we got back, I was feeling pretty good.  My breathing was keeping up with me, however the pavement was starting to irritate my right foot, up through the knee and into my hip flexor, probably from running on the uneven surfaces mostly on the left side of the road.  It is best to run in the middle of the street on the crown of the surface, but for safety reasons we kept it on the left side.  At the gym, Liz showed me a neat website where you can track your mileage and see how far you went, or before hand map out your route for the proper distance.  Come to find out we actually ran 8 miles today!  What's an extra mile right, I have about 18 to go!

This week I have training runs on Tues, Wed, and Thurs, running 3,4,3, and then only a 5 mile run on the weekend.  If you are a runner or are interested in getting started here are some great websites to help you get there.  Also, the official site for the race I will be running in May.

http://www.runnersworld.com/
http://www.marathonguide.com/
http://www.mapmyrun.com/
http://www.cellcomgreenbaymarathon.com/

Quiet before the Holidays

We have been up to much since Iowa football finished their regular season against Minnesota.  Trying to save up money on the weekends for the holidays.  Ryan and I took the trip back to Northwest Iowa for Thanksgiving with the Rouse's.  We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Main Street Bar and Grill in Bancroft, Iowa.  A very nice bar and grill for the little tiny town it is in!  We ate our traditional meal in the party room and enjoyed playing pool and foosball (sp?) after dinner.  This weekend we will be traveling back to the Quad Cities for Ryan's family Christmas at Jack and Diana's!  It has been a while since I have been back with him to Eldrige so I am excited to see the young ones, and the old ones!

This last weekend we had some visitors, my best friend from home Andrea and her boyfriend Shawn stayed with us on Saturday night.  We went to the Cedar Rapids Roughrider hockey game against the Waterloo Black Hawks.  Apparently they are huge rivals and it was a very exciting game!  The Riders won in overtime 4-3.  ActivEdge is the official workout facility of the Roughrider's team and so we have access to free ticket vouchers.  Those will come in handy when there isn't much else to do on the weekends and there is hockey in town!  Here are some pictures from this last weekend.  Ryan and I couldn't take a decent picutre........

I promise for one of my New Year's Resolutions, I will be posting weekly workouts.  Not only will I post weight circuits, but I am going to post a weekly training schedule for running a 10K race.  Daryl and I were just talking today about doing this BIX this summer in the Quad Cities, so let me know if you want to join us :)  Your training schedule will be posted here.  Let's get a head start on Jan 1!

Happy Holidays from the two of us !!

A Little Adventure to Usher's Ferry Historical Park

The first weekend of November brought us amazing weather and I thought we better go enjoy it because we probably won't see the sunshine and 70 degree weather for another 6 months.  What better to do on a Sunday afternoon than to go to a park and throw the football around and enjoy the fresh air.  Ryan and I drove up to Seminole Valley Park to do just that.  He would have rather sat at home and watched football but I insisted that we enjoy the great outdoors! :)  The club that I work at was involved in a 5K and 10K trail race in late October called the Muddy Monster Race which took place at Seminole Valley park in NW Cedar Rapids.  I got the opportunity to help out with a few of the training run prior to race and go to do some trail running for the first time.  This race took us through a small village called Usher's Ferry where there were many old buildings, homes, and a museum.  I had wanted to go back for a while now to check it out and see what all was in this village. 

I went online to get some history about this village and came to find out that it wasn't the actual small town that was once apart of Cedar Rapids history, but replications of what it would have looked like in the early and mid-1800s.  Native Americans wandered through and often camped here in this part during the winters.  Steamboats and railroads drove through this valley and provided access for Linn Junction setllers way back when.

Here are some fun pictures of Usher's Ferry Historical Village.

This tree was in the middle of the wide open grassy plain and it kind of reminds me of a picture that my mom has in her bedroom.

Fake airplane, the open grassy area resembled a landing strip, possibly could have been used during Civil War.

Sign says:  "This double log cabin of Lafayette Farms stood here before 1900.  The present farm house was built just eas of it around 1902 by Joseph Dostal.

The McDonald Pitless - The McDonald Bros.  Pitless Scale, I'm sure my dad could tell me a thing or two about what this is used for?  :)

I knew Ryan would take an interest in this stuff once we walked the half mile to get here!

Newspaper Press and next to it was the Pharmacy/Grocery Store

Land Office, probably where they negotiatied farm land and other properties

Guaranty Bank 1895- there are still quite a few of these around!  Kind of looks like it was robbed, he front window was boarded up.

Cute Gazebo!  They host weddings, dances, concerts, and summer activities here in the village center.

This is something I had wanted to do for a while.  This summer we didn't get much of a chance to tour some of the great parks and historical sites of Cedar Rapids because we were gone most weekends.  I'm glad we spent this Sunday exploring and it very much reminded me of the exploring in the groves we did as kids growing up on the farm!