Week 1 Day 3

I'm fixin' to go for a run in a few minutes.  I thought perhaps that I should update my last run first :)

It was bitter cold.  Luckily, it was dry though.  That makes a huge difference.  

I had just had a meeting with Ian's teacher and then while I was sitting in my car letting it warm up nice and toasty, someone ran by.  So, I decided to run from right where I was.  From AL Lotts to just before the Pellissippi is .62 miles.  I'm not sure yet how far it is from AL Lotts to Peters ... I'm sure I will find out at some point within the next 15 weeks.

It was 28 degrees when I started my run.  I'm not sure how cold it was when I finished, but my hair was crunchy from frozenish sweat.  Ewww ...

Mileage:  3 miles

Time:  39:06 minutes

Pace:  12'59"/mi

Shoe:  Inspire A

Audiobook:  Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn

Next Up ... 5 miles

It's still bitter cold ... 

Week 1 Day 2

So far, I'm on track in my training schedule.  Pretty good huh?!?  It's the second day, let's see what tomorrow holds :)

I ran today at the National Fitness Center's indoor track.  It wasn't too cold outside, though it was a blustery 35 degrees (F).  It was just wet.  All of my favored running locations end up with running water across the path when it gets too wet here in Knoxville.  And ... I have new shoes.

The track is convenient because it is flat.  Have I mentioned, I like flat runs?!?  It's rather boring though, even while listening to my audible book, currently Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn.

I used the Nike Running app, set to an indoor run.  It's helpful but not all that accurate.  One lap around the track should be a tenth of a mile.  It took me about 1.2 laps around the track for the app to register a tenth of a mile.  I ran until the app said 4 miles so I definitely got my 4 in, but my pace will be off.  Oh well ...

Mileage:  4 miles
Time:  56:13 minutes
Pace:  14'02"/mi
Shoe:  Inspire A
Audiobook:  Protect and Defend, by Vince Flynn

Next up, 3 miles.

Week 1 Day 1

Not going to  lie, I'm already slipping.  Not with the running, but with the blogging.  I started this post yesterday.  I got as far as ... Today's Run.  Yep, that's it.  But, I'm back to finish what I started.

Today's Run ... errr ummm ... Yesterday's Run

I ran at US Cellular, which is a rather hilly run.  For me anyhow.  I like nice flat runs.  It was a bit rough.  I had only had a smoothie for breakfast, I'm thinking I need to fuel better then that on run days from now on.

I have been using the Nike Running App to chart my data.  It's a pretty good little App, though I'm looking through moving boxes for my Garmin.  

Side note ... we did move to Knoxville in December of 2010.  And we just moved again last month.  When we moved here originally, we still had our house in Washington and needed a smaller home with a smaller mortgage.  We moved from a 3300 sq ft home to a 2000 sq ft house.  It was a lovely house, it just was never home.  Last spring we put that house on the market.  We had several showings, great comments, but no bites.  After school started for the kiddos we took the house off the market and two weeks later it sold.  We then scrambled to find the perfect home with no luck for several stressful weeks.  We finally found a hidden gem here in Knoxville and bought a great house for a great deal!!!  LOVE my new home!!!

Anyhow, I do like the Nike Running App and I will likely keep using it.  I just would like to use my trusty Garmin as my main source of information for my runs.  In the meantime Nike tells me ...

Mileage:  3.08 miles

Time:  41:50 minutes

Pace:  13'34"/mile

Shoe:  Inspire A

Catching Up

I have just went back and read through a few of my old blog posts.  Apparently, I like to start blogging when I start training.  I am challenging myself this time to continue through :)

But before I write about today's run . . . Let's do a quick catch up.

When last I posted, it was day 1 of training for the 2010 Eugene Marathon.  I did it ... yay me!!!  It was good, I would do that one again.

Then I trained for and ran the Tri-Cities Marathon later that fall.  My favorite race yet!!!  It is flat and beautiful.  It helped that I was in pretty good shape for that one, finished with a PR of 5:02:?? and felt well enough that I was out with the kids later that night trick or treating and then going out for a run within a few days.  Great race!!!

We moved to Knoxville, TN on Christmas day of 2010.  I love living in Tennessee.  We are so close to the Smoky Mountains and there is so much to do in and around Knoxville.

I started training for the 2012 Walt Disney World Marathon in the fall of 2011.  Unfortunately, I ended up injured and not able to run that race, but my husband completed his third half marathon at Disney World and much fun was had by all.

I took a year and a half off running trying to give my injuries time to heal.  They didn't.  I figured if it hurts when I don't run and it hurts when I do run, I might as well run.  Good plan right?!?  I ended up tearing my plantaris tendon.  We originally thought it was my achilles and I'm very thankful it wasn't.  I was in pretty rough shape for a few weeks.  Though, I'm still dealing with some residual pain from the tear, the pain is actually much better now.  I am thinking that the original injury was a slow tearing of the tendon.  Turns out you don't need your plantaris tendon though.  At least that's what the orthopedic surgeon told me and I'm going with it.

... and now we are all caught up ...

Next Stop, Knoxville Covenant Health Marathon 2014

I have come to the realization that I need to train for a specific event to keep my momentum going.  So, I have decided to train for another marathon.  

Ideally, I would have preferred a race in mid April, somewhere within a 3 hour driving distance and flat.  I looked, I found nothing.  Next option, somewhere within a 3 hour driving distance between March 1st and May 20th ... and flat.  Really, I just want FLAT.  I still found nothing.  What I did find was a great race held here in my own backyard in good ole Rocky Top.  

It's not flat.

Wish me luck!!!

Amber

Riding with My Daughter

It is 98 degrees outside right now ... CRAZY!!!

Fortunately, it was a beautiful 73 degrees this morning when Megan, Ian and I hit the trails next to the Columbia river this morning for our first 'long' bike ride. I have ridden the 240 to blue bridge, 16 mile loop, twice before ... but that was just me (trailing Ian behind of course). It's a little different riding with your 8 year old daughter.

Our goal was to ride 25 minutes out and then head back. It ended up taking us about 55ish minutes but we rode for 7.6 miles. She did amazing! She was really learning how to use her gears going up and down the many small hills along the path. Her bum was starting to hurt there at the end, but then so was mine.

I am absolutely loving being active with my children!!!

BodyBugg

I received the BodyBugg for Christmas. This thing is AMAZING. It calculates the number of calories that I burn throughout the day. I can see how and even when I am active during the day at a glance. If I am watching tv and I get up to go ... uhhh, let's say get a drink ... you can see a spike in calories burned.

I wear the BodyBugg to measure calories burned and steps taken. Then, I use the BodyBugg software to input EVERYTHING that I eat. This then calculates calories consumed. The difference between the calories burned and the calories consumed is either a deficit or a surplus. A 3500 calorie deficit is a pound. My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week and knowing calories burned vs calories consumed is sooooo helpful.

Electronic Motivation is what it is. On Jason's birthday ... after I put everyone to bed, the BodyBugg was registering only a 1900 calorie burn (with an estimated 2100 calorie burn for the day ... my target is 2700) and 4000 steps taken (my target is 10,000). What's worse, I had already consumed 2400 calories for the day. This would have given me a calorie surplus for the first time since I started wearing it and that just would not do. So I started walking. Around and around my living room I went, up and down the stairs ... cleaning up from the party and then just walking in endless circles. But ... by the time I went to bed an hour later I was at 10k steps and my calorie burn for the day ended up being 2650, which left me with a blessed deficit. Normally, I would have went out for a quick run or walk but Jason was already sleeping and I didn't want to wake him to let him know that I wouldn't be in the house.

I LOVE my BodyBugg!!!

I Trained for Philly ...

I want to be able to easily access the blog posts that I wrote while I was training for the Philadelphia marathon without having a bunch of extra's on top. So, I have created a separate 'part 1' blog for this very reason. It can be found at One Day at a Time Part 1.

Two and a Half Years

It has been awhile. Quite awhile actually. A lot has happened in the ... oh my Word ... it has been 2 1/2 years since I have been on here ... crazy!!!!

Let's see ... I was pregnant, I had a baby, I had two babies (Thomas' biological brother who is exactly 3 months older then Ian lived with us for 5 months), and I trained for and ran the Portland marathon.

Since this blog is all about running, I'll give the cliff note version of training for Portland. I started training for Portland in June. At that time, I had a 6 month old, a 9 month old, a 5 year old, a 6 year old and a husband who was crazy busy at work and starting his own exercise regimen.

Most of my shorter runs and even some of my longer runs were done at night after the rest of the family had gone to bed. It is a mile to the library and back, but it is a lighted mile. Imagine running to the library and back over and over and over and over ... well you get the point.

In late August my mother in law came to visit for 5 weeks. She was able to help watch the kiddos during several of my runs ... but it was a stressful time none the less.

I believe it was the first week of October ... sad isn't it that I can't remember the exact date ... that I successfully ran all of the Portland marathon in 7 hours and 3 minutes. Definitely not a PR ... but it is still quite an accomplishment.

Which brings me to the here and now. I am starting my newest running adventure. I am in training for the Eugene Marathon which is 16 weeks from today ... on May 2, 2010.

I will be back ...