Training Day 23

3/27/2011
8 miles today. This might seem a little agressive since I ran 5 miles yesterday, but it's really not, as I have been running for going on 11 years, so I have a pretty good base, as well as knowing what my body can handle. The only obstacle I ran into was breathing. My endurance is shot this week due to all of the inactivity. I took quite a few walking breaks, and I did have a little muscle fatigue behind the left knee, which is new for me. I'll do a little R&R tomorrow, and it will be as good as new. It just feels good knowing that I'm finally getting some longer distances in. I am starting to think that the more frequent, shorter distances are not the right thing for me. I prefer to do less frequent runs, and longer distances- at least two to three long runs per week.
"Miles make champions" is the quote that keeps popping into my head. I believe that conditioning the body to take longer distances more frequently works much better for me. I may be altering the training schedule that I have been attempting to follow; we'll see.

Training Day 22

3/26/2011
Today's schedule calls for a three mile run, but I did 5 miles. Since I have been skipping some days I want to at least get the total mileage in, even if it isn't on the exact day and for the exact amount.
Today's run felt pretty good, I got up and ran early in the morning. It get's so hot so quickly here in Las Vegas that early morning running is about the only time that it is comfortable. It was so nice to watch the sun come up. I think running early in the morning starts my day out on a more positive note, and I have a lot more energy to get through the day. Around May I will have to start doing early morning runs on a regular basis, otherwise it just get's way too hot.

Training Day 21

3/25/2011 - I have been a bad blogger, unfortunately the everyday responsibilities of life have had to take priority. I have been keeping track of my daily training in my weekly planner though. So, I am going to attempt to do some catching up. =)

It's been a crazy week having to be in California and not being in Las Vegas to run my regular routes, so training has definitely been modified. I took today as a rest day as the week has been crazy with work and I am just physically tired. So, today I offer a tip.
Running sneakers can get pretty foul smelling. I am a firm believer that if you take care of something it will last much longer. I have several pairs of sneakers, so I rotate them. What ever pair I have ran in get's at least a 24 hour rest period. This serves two purposes: first, the cushioning materials in the sneaker have an opportunity to reconform to their original state. Secondly, they get to air out. I open my sneakers wide, and put them in a ventilated area so air can circulate. When I finally put them in the closet, I insert some nifty little gadget's called Sneaker Balls. These are kind of like moth balls inserted into little plastic balls with vent holes, only they have a neutral smell. These help keep my sneakers fresh and no funky odors are allowed to linger.

They come in many different colors, and some are even made to look like smiley faces, or miniature sports balls (basketball, baseball, golf, etc.). I usually pick up a multiple pack of them at Famous Footwear, but you can get them online, sporting goods stores, etc. I think they are cheapest at FF though.
If my sneakers get really dirty, from road dirt, etc. I will throw them in the washer on gentle with some Tide w/bleach - I know they say you shouldn't wash your sneakers - Whatever! If the materials in sneakers can't hold up to a washing then why in the heck am I paying over a $100 dollars per pair??? I have washed mine several times, and they perform just fine. I think the manufacturer's just want you forking out more money more often for new ones. I wash them, then set them outside to air dry. They alway's feel better once I have washed them; it's almost like putting on a new pair.

Training Day 20

Today (3/24/2011) should be a 3 mile run and strength training, but again, I am in California and the weather is not cooperating in the least. I did hit the hotel "gym" & I use that term loosely, as there were not a whole lot of options in there. I did a delt's & calves workout, and I hit the stair stepper for 30 minutes. This equipment was not the best and I had to improvise with the calves, since there was next to nothing in there for the workout. I think I did OK though; at least it is better than nothing.
 OK, so tip time again. I have a great, inexpensive watch that I have been using for my speed workout's and I also use it in the pool in the summer when I start adding in laps for variety in my workouts.


Timex Ironman Vivid Colors Shock 30 Lap

The watch comes in a bunch of awesome colors, and I find it very easy to use. The only difficult part is surfing the Internet to find the color you want. This watch has been very popular and I had to search pretty deep to find the green one, which was my second choice. I actually wanted the yellow one. The pink, purple and blue ones are the easiest to find. I think the price is super reasonable too, about $50.00.



Training Day 19

Grrrr...training for this new job in California is totally throwing my schedule off. I was up early this morning, and out late tonight, so no time at all to get my run in. I should have ran 3.5 miles tonight. It's still raining here too. About the only thing I can do is increase some of my other runs to make up for the mileage, or run on a rest day. I think either one will work. I'll just play it by ear, and see how I feel in the upcoming days.
So, today can be a "tip" day. There are many different options for a post run/workout recovery drink, but most experts agree that it needs to be drank within 30 min. to be the most beneficial. You can fix a smoothie, but I find the easiest recovery drink is chocolate milk. So many runner's are utilizing the benefits of milk. I'm posting a link, so you can read about it yourself. 
http://stronglifts.com/milk-post-workout-build-muscle-gains/

I personally like to keep Carnation Instant Breakfast packet's on hand; that way I only mix what I need, and don't feel the urge to down an entire jug of chocolate milk.



I buy this large size @ Costco



Training Day 18

Speedwork Day! I'm in California today, so there is not a track available. Sometimes it is just necessary to improvise. It has been raining here this week, and unfortunately I did not bring my rain gear, and it is too cold for the clothes I did bring, so I will try to make this day up on one of my rest days.
Arthur Lydiard has a great quote: "Miles make champions." If I follow this philosophy, then as long as I get the TOTAL amount of training mileage in, I should be OK. I suppose it will be a good experiment. I have been adding a mile extra here and there just to make sure that I have the necessary conditioning when race day comes.
I'm not excessively worried about it since the previous two 1/2 marathon's I did were not even close to ideal. The first one I ran I didn't even train for. I ran 8 miles the day before, and that was my longest run. I still finished and didn't have that bad of a time, and this was on a course that was all rolling hills. Of course my knee was killing me by the time I crossed the finish line, but I was more mentally irritated by my time than anything else. I found my stats; this race was ran in January 2009.

Training Day 17

3/15/11 I'm trying to get caught up here... I just started a new job, so I don't have as much free time anymore, and this week I will be in Simi Valley, CA., so training is a challenge.

Today is a 3.5 mile run, and I was really looking forward to running in California. I hit the road around 7 p.m. It was really dark, and any direction that I could go there were hills, hills, and more hills. It's a good thing that I regularly run hills on my training runs at home. I headed off in the direction of a shopping center that was near my hotel & set my Nike + for a distance run of 3.5 miles, having no idea of what lay in the direction that I was headed. I have a bike light that I like to use on my runs; I think it works better and is easier to wear than a lot of other "running designated" lights.

This clips onto my clothing and I can set the strobe on it to three different flashing modes; it's much brighter too.

My route started out downhill for the first half of my run; I encountered a couple of traffic lights (boo), but I really enjoyed breathing the nice moist air, and running at sea level is always a plus for me when it comes to breathing. At the turn around which happened at a Von's I realized exactly how steep my descent was, but like I said before what goes down must come back up....I tried to just keep an even pace, and running back up all of those hills was actually not that bad of an effort. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire run, and I haven't felt that great in a long time. I guess the sea air agrees with my body better than the desert does. I'll have to look into scheduling more events in California, and now I am even more excited to run the Napa Valley Ragnar in September. There will be plenty of moist ocean air up San Francisco way!