Another bike!

The normal is that is the kids who want a bike, in this family mother comes first and now my girl wants hers too, of course!!
How guilty I felt when she asked me for one. Hers was broken a long time ago and didn't replaced her until now!!

Spur update: It was bothering me yesterday I even was very concerned about today's training. At least this morning it was much better and as soon as my feet fell my running shoes on, all pain goes away. I took some anti-inflammatory and the problem was gone!
Then I went for my scheduled run.

WO: 3 miles hills, stretch, yoga poses.
In fact is not that high but after some repetitions there I could fell the effort. Still the pace was fine. The treadmill at the gym are not working properly but as soon as they get fixed (someday) I wish to make this training in one of them since there is not real high places to train at... Well you know, safe enough.
My legs were some tired this morning, still my HR didn't raised so much and ended in good shape. This week will be somehow like an easy one, which will fit fine with the spur call from yesterday.
I will move the plyometric jumps for Mondays when I will do speed work and Fridays when I will do long runs, hope that works better, thanks a lot Olga. I hope there will be more days on the week to put on some more!!

Things to do on a 3 mile run!

WO: plyometrics, 3 mile, 30 minutes bike, weights and jump rope, stretching.
How lazy I was this morning. Then when arrived to the hotel in my car I heard tiny rain and just thought how wonderful it would be to sleep so more even there at the car... Just 15 minutes latter I was running and enjoying so much!! As thinking about a short run I practiced my form trying to keep my shoulders low and my chest high. Also tried to let me arms looser. That helped incredible, in fact I even set a PR doing this 3 miles in only 30 minutes with a HR around 150 only!! Very pleased.
The bike was fine with a 130 HR, some hard at the beginning, but ended great!
The truth is that finished all some tired, but I will do this WO only while I am running 3 miles or depending how I feel, the important is to have a great run!
Today is the first day of my marathon training!! 124 days to go. My story is about to start. I just wish to complete all my workouts and the goal will be to end it in less than 5 hours. Yes, my mark has to be there, breaking the 5 hours mark. Funny maybe but I know I will have to work hard to accomplish it!! I know I can!!!

As I am posting I am cooking breakfast, have to go the family is complaining...

Flow and dizziness

Woke up at 5. 5:30 I'm ready. But it is still dark, mmmm ah! It is a cloudy day, how to know this is going to happen so I can stay longer in bed? Anyway this force that comes from I don't know where, -maybe is the love for running- wakes me up and even let me overcome my deepest fears like running in the dark!

WO: 10 miles
How smooth I felt this morning, so good that I can not explain. I was already on the flow over the first mile!! My body was there bouncing softly and nicely!! Is it the workout from yesterday on the bike that is giving me this sensation? Is it paying of so quickly?
Then the bad part, grrrr. I don't know if it was the damped air, which wasn't letting me breath enough that I started feeling some dizzy. Remembered this is a training not any sort of race, so walk for some periods and stopped to drink orange juice. Over the sixth mile I was better again.
hit the beach and as I had to catch my breath slowed down. Some niggles over my ball feet started to complain. With a funny sensation remembered 2p's recommendation of not socializing with this and thought: "Hey you body parts, shot up and remember we are a team and at this moment we have to run, there will be time latter to complain and bother me..." That was it. I ended in great shape.

I want to say how happy I am every time I open my blog and read your comments guys. It makes me feel so happy of being in touch with you real wise runners!! THANK YOU!!!

A new sensation!

This is what I like about doing something new. How the body behaves and its answer. There is a different response for every singly type of sport and is great to enjoy it.

WO: bike 10 miles 1 hour
The beginning of this relationship was fine. Of course I was excited about it. In general started and finished with no struggle and felt fine; of course nothing like running but much better than indoors at the gym moving on different machines like last week.
My heart rate strayed around 130 which is the 70%. Enjoyed to feel the breeze and the speed over my face.
As when I run, the end was the best part, I felt steady, comfortable and enjoying! I definitely can stick to it!

Now I am wondering how often could I practice this safely.
Next Monday I will start my marathon training. Finally I choose which one to follow. It is "The Chicago Program" which I found in the book "Marathon" by Hal Higdon. It is a 18 weeks program and liked that it includes 1 day of cross training, that's why I seriously thought of buying the bike. What I don't like is that the first 8 weeks it schedules 2 only 3 miles runs a week. Could I combine it with some ride? Maybe it will depend on the way I feel.
Any suggestions will be highly appreciated!!

Forgot the music!

But still I could run!
Tuesday pm.
WO: 4 mile, 6.5 km Recovery run.
Left my girl in the classroom. All set ready, go. Where's my mp3? This time I am not at home, but still I never, never forget it. I wasn't going to cancel the run because of the music, right? Then go.
The new route helped, the sand is so firm on that area, in fact the waters were very calm, incredible. It was a very pleasant run for that. My inner calves were some sore, it might be the intervals from yesterday, but over the second mile the pain was gone.
From time to time I wanted to skip the song, but there was no song to move the pace!
After I finish running stretched some and about 10 minutes after I was feeling like I didn't run at all, it was a strange feeling. For the first time felt like that because of running after a tough interval session, running had helped me to recover, to wake up again, to rise up. Unfortunately at 7:30pm that feeling doesn't help to end the day slowing down. It was 11:30 and couldn't sleep, then woke up at 3. At least today is a day off.
Oh! And the other mothers sights, from head to feet they were watching me, one even told me don't go stay and chat with us, still who know this could inspire them, will see. Still I only have to run on Tuesday's afternoon.
Tomorrow the bike and photos, yes! Looking forward how the session goes, as it will be easy I bet I should stay there at least for an hour. I'll move Garmin to bike session, now to keep those workouts!

I want to learn more about running economy and also to burn more fat. Wish I can learn some with Ewen's recommendations about Training and physiology the look really interesting. This is something else I love about running, learning. There is so much information about it, that it keeps my hope about improving as I study.

I bought the bicycle!!

Is not any special kind surely, but I hope it works. I traveled two hours this morning to look for it in La Romana a city about 70 miles from here. (yes, to get there it takes two hours... And then two hours the way back)
It was a nice trip, I went alone. Enjoyed the trip so much!! Driving, singing, watching the lovely landscape of sugar ca fields, hills. A lovely day.

WO: weights with jump rope, abs.
I always feel full of energy after this workout, love it.
As Wobbly recommended I am doing my third run in a row in the afternoon to have about 12 extra hours of rest and because I am taking one of my daughters to a flamenco class and instead of being there chatting with moms, which desperate me I will try this new route at the beach at that area. The report tomorrow. It is cloudy and it rained already... Let's see how it goes.

As fast as I can...

which in fact is slow, but I am hopeless slow.

Monday
WO: Intervals, 5 miles.
Started with 1.5 easy miles. The intervals were like follows 8:43, 8:35, 8:34, 9:02. I know this is the easiest pace for many runners, for me is the best and can be sustain only for brief intervals of half miles. Still I feel happy I was able to make them, I was somehow avoiding speed work, resting to avoid injuries, but felt it was the time and felt well while doing them. My problem is breathing, I couldn't catch my breath and was breathing strongly. I wish to be able to continue doing this sessions, maybe I could get use to breath better, as when I started running, at the beginning.

Sunday
WO: Plyometric jumps, easy run 4 miles, stretching, weights.

Luna llena y sol

A full moon and the sun were present while I was running!!

Friday
WO: 9.5 miles, stretching, 7 yoga posses.
The session started at 5:40. It was dark for the first time!! A great sensation of accomplishment joined me starting at this time on a holiday, while most people are sleeping, or some others arriving at this time from their parties.
Started easy. My body wasn't heavy, great!
At the end of the first mile my legs were some stiff. Took a brief walk, start over, again stiff... Stretch says DGC, ok I'll try.
I could start over and after this slow beginning everything started going so well!! It was so fine that as many of you have recommended instead of following my HR I use the RPE, trying to keep a pace as comfortable and steady as possible. There I was feeling ME back again!
I was going for "maybe" 8 miles. Ended with 9.5 feeling on the top!
With this workout I completed my fourth week of steady training, doing 4 runs a week. Bravo!!!

Thursday
WO: 45 minutes cross training.
It was so boring! I tried kickboxing this time. But chose a slow DVD for not forcing me too much. It just didn't work. It even made some niggles appear again, thanks God it was only for a while... I had no clue of them while running on Friday.

About cross training what I want is to buy a bicycle. I didn't do it before because I can't develop high speeds nowhere around. Still I haven't try it even slowly for an hour. That might work better.
Even getting a good bicycle is difficult here, I wonder what kind I should buy against what I can find... Still I will use it only once a week.

Keep running!

Inserting a walk... To relax

WO: 4 miles, stretching, 1 set of my weight training circuit, jump rope.
Started early. Good beginning. 5 minutes walk, try to run. Easy start. After the first mile I take a walk since my body is feeling too heavy. As I start walking, I remember what I've read about walking, first it is not bad. So I take it as a relaxation lap... Watch the green palm trees, the cloudy but red sky as it is the sunrise (forget the camera grrr) even feel a fresh breeze over my skin. Breath and send air to my legs delivering energy...
Start over is easier, I put positive thinking on my mind, I am strong, I CAN do it.
Finished strong. Mental training, here I come again!!

After stretching felt recovered enough and did one set of 14 different exercises, to end jumping rope for about 5 minutes. Ended feeling very happy and with a sense of achievement, feeling strong!

Not the best but still fine and on the way!!

I couldn't resist the temptation and instead of writing my blog first visited some before about this weekend races. It is so exciting to read about those reports, learn about how you people achieve so much about running... Sigh!

WO: 3 miles run, stretching, yoga, 125 abs movements.
Oh how sore I was this morning after yesterday's WO! Well, this shows up how out of shape and weak I am. This still will end soon and in less than a week I will be just fine. The starting of the run went fine, specially b/c I could finally achieve to run at around 10:30 pace at 140 HR. I skipped drinking a supplement that sure is the cause of my high HR... That was the explanation! Also, starting at 6:00 (again) pays off!! Sun light saving campaign. Still, it didn't last that much, I went to the beach and run some there, but the sand was not firm at all... It was HARD, only one mile there. (Tomorrow I hope not to forget to take my camera, the sunrise was awesome!)
Performance decreased over the half of the second mile... Looks like running brief distances is worst than the longer ones... I just want to start doing long runs again! So I just decided to stop after complete only 3.
The great news is that now I can say that my ITB problems are completely gone!!
Stretching and yoga posses, helped me to recover some. Then after made the abs with no problem.

Factors to defeat

As less as I do, as much tired I feel.
I haven't being feeling at 100% capacity while running. What is happening??
I have had better times and don't analyze how this happened...

If I look back, last year I was doing so fine working out three times harder than what I do now. It is not weakness or lack of energy the problem, but not being strong enough. Then, the way to build up strength for me is weight training, which I haven't been doing as seriously as on that time.
I was talking about consistency the other day, but despite I been running all my scheduled days, that doesn't mean I am doing fine. I would love to understand how it is possible -for the rest of the runners I read-, being strong without doing weights.

Workout: jump rope and plyometric jumps, 5 miles, stretching, 45 minutes weight training. Total time: 2 hours.
The alarm sounded at 5:20, woke up 5:35. It worth it so much!! I was able tu run with out sun and enjoyed so much. The sky was clear from 6 so I was not in darkness.
My body felt some hot still, but of course nothing compared under the sun. I could even run a couple 10:30 miles with a 140 HR. This made me feel so good that at the same time I realize that certainly because of poor performance my mind was feeling disappointed and unmotivated. How important is this factor, which I mentioned made me fail also for stretching. It is important to feel improvements.
Bad feelings invaded my mind and that was also leading me to fail.

The stretching class yesterday was fine, nothing out of series but good enough to feel my abs in pain during the night, wooow! Also at the beginning she made me auto massage my feet with a small massage ball, that felt so great that I already ordered one. The other great thing about it, is that the instructor knows a PHYSIOTHERAPIST, so I will make and appointment and see what kind of advantage I can take of him.

I appreciated a lot all the comments about stretching, I am practicing already some of them, I learn and feel sooo inspired thanks to the blogsphere! It is my main tool to feel motivated, thanks a lot guys!!

Factors to defeat

As less as I do, as much tired I feel.
I haven't being feeling at 100% capacity while running. What is happening??
I have had better times and don't analyze how this happened...

If I look back, last year I was doing so fine working out three times harder than what I do now. It is not weakness or lack of energy the problem, but not being strong enough. Then, the way to build up strength for me is weight training, which I haven't been doing as seriously as on that time.
I was talking about consistency the other day, but despite I been running all my scheduled days, that doesn't mean I am doing fine. I would love to understand how it is possible -for the rest of the runners I read-, being strong without doing weights.

Workout: jump rope and plyometric jumps, 5 miles, stretching, 45 minutes weight training. Total time: 2 hours.
The alarm sounded at 5:20, woke up 5:35. It worth it so much!! I was able tu run with out sun and enjoyed so much. The sky was clear from 6 so I was not in darkness.
My body felt some hot still, but of course nothing compared under the sun. I could even run a couple 10:30 miles with a 140 HR. This made me feel so good that at the same time I realize that certainly because of poor performance my mind was feeling disappointed and unmotivated. How important is this factor, which I mentioned made me fail also for stretching. It is important to feel improvements.
Bad feelings invaded my mind and that was also leading me to fail.

The stretching class yesterday was fine, nothing out of series but good enough to feel my abs in pain during the night, wooow! Also at the beginning she made me auto massage my feet with a small massage ball, that felt so great that I already ordered one. The other great thing about it, is that the instructor knows a PHYSIOTHERAPIST, so I will make and appointment and see what kind of advantage I can take of him.

I appreciated a lot all the comments about stretching, I am practicing already some of them, I learn and feel sooo inspired thanks to the blogsphere! It is my main tool to feel motivated, thanks a lot guys!!

Only 6 of 8

This two last days weren't the best. I had to be in a treatment that had me taking pills that made me feel sleepy the whole day. Thursday I was supposed to do cross training, but as leaving it for latter, I never ended doing it. How bad is not exercising, I was feeling so depleted...
This morning planned an 8 miles run. The started was ok, headed the beach but it wasn't firm enough to run and moved to the hotel area.
Still struggling to be on 140 HR but is impossible, the sun was burning me, so I had to do several walks to avoid being over 165... When I finished 6 I just wanted to stop and go home...
Also have to make a new plan to run in the afternoons, grrr it will be hard. I can't understand how I could run around 10 am in the morning when I arrived here...

I heard about an stretching class and I will be attending it tomorrow morning!

Stretching is failing

Workout: 30min jump rope and weights + 4 easy miles.

I have to confess that I been doing very bad with the stretching sessions. Maybe I fail them mentally b/c of this facts: 1. while stretching a lot I got injured and 2. in the "Lore of running" book say that stretching was not a difference factor for not being injured.
Still I feel better doing them, so I have to defeat this bad behavior. I stretched yesterday but not today... grrrrr, I will later, but prefer to do them immediately after running, but the time factor!
About the weights today I enjoyed specially the back and abs movements. They are very important and I haven't practiced then enough... I will have to overcome this new situation with weather... Make a new plan.
Over the end of the tirth mile I thought of cutting there, it was so sunny and hot, but completed the planned four thinking that I never cut miles and this was not enough reason for this to be the first time!

This morning Luis was telling me not to run three days in a row, as I was not doing so before, but changed since the marathon training models say that. But I remember I read somewhere: Don't listen to non-runners advise!
Still I was feeling some tired but I bet it was regardless of not sleeping well after a huge dinner with arracheras, fried onions and smashed potatoes... You see why I don't record here my food diary?

Scars

Sunday 4 miles.
I've been waking up at 5:30 instead at 6 just because I can't sleep anymore. It happened all the week, but not on Sunday. I suspected this was going to happen and set the wake up call. When it sounded I immediately thought how delicious it could be stay in bed longer, but my runner-common sense, remembered me that my goal is consistency and in a Sunday I can't delay a run.
It was late so I had to skip my weight training session, it was 7:38 and already too hot. I went to the beach looking for a softer surface. As I headed there remembered that it's been a long time since I haven't run there.
It was a very good run. I could handled to go for a much better pace than before, I could feel for the first time, an improvement.

Monday 6 miles.
I am feeling how the excitement to train goes back. It is also about consistency. Just when you are into the wheel you can feel the enjoyment.
I planned to run 5 miles and depending how I felt running a sixth mile. The first was in the road, then headed the beach again. This first mile at the beach my left ITB scar made a brief presentation. It wasn't bothering me.
I have to take advantage of days like this when sand is compact and wasn't very hot. It was a wonderful morning! In front of me I had three different landscapes, over the ocean the sky was clear blue, in front of me over a km away it was raining but not on me and then inland on my right side, there were very dark clouds!!!
I was at the beach running 4 miles. At this point I felt strangely tired, but I recovered just immediately as I started the fifth mile at the hotel.
Pace was easy.