DID IT

It's 7am and I just completed my 8 miles. It wasn't too tough actually - I stayed on a flat part of the golf course and went back and forth along the bottom. I know it's not as much as I've been doing, but I'm just relieved I finished without any problems.

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Food:
5am - 1 banana
7.30am - 1 piece multigrain toast w/ butter, 1 spoonful peanut butter
12.30pm - smoothie with banana, mango, spinach, almonds, pumpkin seeds, oatmeal, chia seeds, brown rice protein powder, almond milk, ice, greek yogurt
3.30pm - sandwich on multigrain bread w/ steak, cheese, spinach, onions, mushrooms, brown sauce
8pm - spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce + homemade pesto, parmesean, mushrooms

Exercise:
5.30am - 8 mile "Long Run" outside, didn't time it or anything but it took about 1 hour 30 mins
4.30pm - 30 min dog walk

gnight

Food:
10am - smoothie with spinach, mango,bananas, chia seeds, walnuts, peanuts, greek yogurt, ice, almond milk
-2 cups coffee
2pm - 1 piece multigrain toast w/ butter, ham, 2 scrambled eggs, 1 glass oj
6pm - like 6 cookies and milk
10pm - steak and cheese sandwich on multigrain bread, lettuce, mayo

Exercise:
4.45pm - 1 hour dog walk.

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Trough week, so 8-Mile run tomorrow morning. Going to get up by 4.45 and try and leave the house by 5. On it. Gonna listen to an audiobook I think. See how that goes. Will update tomorrow. Nighty.

Back after my 5-day pout session

Grr. I have been feeling under the weather the last few days, (both mentally and physically) hence no posts. I had another migraine day yesterday, plus I have still felt in a slump about not completing my 11 miles outside like I had planned on Sunday. I have been sticking to my marathon routine however - finished 11 miles on Tuesday as planned, crosstrained on Thursday, going to do 3 short miles tonight on the treadmill. I haven't had much of an appetite the last couple days either. Can't really say I've eaten healthy. A lot of grease, bread, and sugar. Might be another reason I've avoided my blog.

BUT, I am back now. For sure. Definitely. I promise.

10am - eggs benedict, 2 cups coffee
 4.15pm - smoothie with 1 banana, 1 mango, couple handfuls of raw spinach, chia seeds, walnuts, ice, almond milk, greek yogurt, brown rice protein powder
7pm - last bit of homemade chicken fettucini alfredo w/ spinach
8pm - loads of strawberries, blueberries
throughout day - 5 or 6 chocolate chip cookies

Exercise:
4.45pm - 1 hour dog walk
9.45pm - 3 mile short run on treadmill, 34 mins

Half Disaster.

Had a sort of setback on my long run on Sunday, and haven't come back to write about it since then half out of shame, half out of avoidance. I got out there by 5am, still dark out which was great because it was nice and cool, everything was going well, then shortly after the 3-mile mark, I started to feel very faint. My extremities were feeling shaky and I started seeing white before my eyes. I stepped to the side and waited. No change. What was going on? I carbo-loaded the night before with pasta alfredo, before my run I ate a banana and an apple, and loads of water. I decided to go home, eat something else, and see how I felt. Of course, time was slipping away because after 6.30am it gets unbearably hot outside. I tried doing the rest on the treadmill, but the whiteness before my eyes came back.

I ended up just going back to bed. After I finally got up, I felt awful. I totally failed on my scheduled long run for the first time. Stuart mentioned to me that I probably over-did it by going to a really hard yoga session on Saturday, and also not getting enough sleep. He's probably right, but I just felt like I failed and couldn't face writing my blog for the last couple days.

 I decided to take a full rest day on Monday and then do the 11 miles today on the treadmill.

So, here we are. 11 miles on the treadmill will take awhile for me, but luckily I have all day. I know stuff like this is probably inevitable and I just have to keep going. Not everything is going to go exactly as planned and I just have to make up the miles, end of story. Back on it!

You can do it Krystal.

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Completed the 11 miles! Took me longer than it should have because I got a bad little stitch in the back of my left knee, but the point is I completed it. I don't have the exact stats because every time I stopped for a couple minutes, my stupid treadmill reset itself, but I made 11 miles anyway.

Exercise:
11-mile "Long Run" on treadmill, over 2 hours.

Food:
10am - smoothie with mixed berries, avocado, mango, almonds, macadamia nuts, chia seeds, brown rice protein powder, almond milk, ground flaxseed, greek yogurt, maple syrup
2 cups coffee
Throughout day - peanut butter, blueberries, couple pieces of white garlic sourbread toast w/ butter, oj, chocolate chips
8pm - leftover homemade chicken fettucini alfredo w/ spinach, mushrooms, onions, with spaghetti noodles.
11pm - 2 cups coffee

Update from Yesterday, about to do 11-miler

Exercise:
9am - "Mixed Ability" Yoga - 1 hour, 15 mins
4.30pm - 1 hour dog walk

Food:
8.40am - 1 piece multigrain toast w/ butter
10.45am - smoothie with banana, mango, brewed coffee, almonds, chia seeds, brown rice protein powder, ice, greek yogurt, ground flaxseed
snacked on fruit, cheese, nuts and chocolate chips in the afternoon
10pm - homemade Chicken fettuccini alfredo (but I used spaghetti, so I suppose it was chicken spaghetti alfredo) ingredients: butter, mushrooms, onions, garlic, flour, milk, rich sharp cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, spinach, spaghetti noodles.

Total carbo-load last night. I'm typing this at 4.40am on Sunday, about ready to go out for my big 11-miler today. Not nearly as nervous as last week, I know I can do it, just have to go a bit further today. I made fresh english muffins last night and Stuart promised that he'll make me eggs benedict today (as if I don't have that enough). Update in a few hours.

Yesterday's post (June 21, 2013)

10am - smoothie with mango, banana, chia seeds, brown rice protein powder, almonds, greek yogurt, almond milk, coarse oatmeal, ice
2pm - sandwich on multigrain bread w/ roast chicken, spinach, mayo, cheese, half a ginger ale
6.30pm - 4 pieces multigrain toast w/ homemade orange and mango jam and goats cheese
throughout night: 1 cup coffee, blueberries, peanut butter, orange juice, water

Exercise:
1pm - 4 mile "short run" on treadmill - 46mins, 495 calories
4.45pm - 1 hour dog walk

Ran faster today! Kept switching between 6mph and 5mph. And, I ran the whole time. So I averaged about 11.5 minute miles, which I know isn't impressive at all, but it's a big improvement for me.

Must Run Faster.

Food:
9am - smoothie with almonds, banana, mango, coarse oatmeal, walnuts, chia seeds, brown rice protein powder, almond milk, greek yogurt, ice
10am - 2 cups coffee
12.30pm - 1 piece toast, couple spoonfuls peanut butter

Throughout evening: pineapple, blueberries, toast with goats cheese and homemade orange and mango jam

10pm - roast chicken, mashed sweet potatoes with olive oil, butter, salt n pepper, roast carrots in honey and balsamic

Exercise:
1pm - 30mins Fartlek - 33 mins total, 2.77 miles, 322 calories 

4.45pm - 45min dog walk


I tried to go to my yoga class this morning. Walked all the way there, and it was locked. Turns out it was held at some hotel further north up the island. Oh well. Will try again tomorrow.

I've been reading a lot of stuff online about running and it seems to me that I'm running way too slowly. I read things like "A 12-minute mile isn't shameful near the end of your 16-mile run". I'm lucky if I maintain 12-minute miles at the beginning. I thought it was because I'm short, but I've read forums where women are saying they're 5'2" and running at around 6.2mph. For me, 6.2mph on the treadmill feels like nearly top speed. Nevertheless, on my Fartlek training today I ran 6mph on the 4-minute runs, and hung around 4.5 on the "light jogs". But, by 15 - 20 minutes I was shattered and had to take walk breaks instead of light jogs. I don't think the damn thing is accurate. I've done the math and at this rate, I'll be lucky to complete the marathon in under 5 and a half hours. I know all that matters is finishing, and I know I'm only like halfway through my training, so that's encouraging at least.

At least Ditmars isn't worried about it.