HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

My hot yoga friends.

After running in 19 degree weather,

heading to the hot yoga studio for a 90 degree class was mi amor!

I was able to find my yen, detox my organs, stretch and relax,

and take full advantage of the cold lavendar scented cloth

provided at the end of class.

What a wonderful way to start 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO WEEK 10 OF TRAINING!! I'm ready. I'm feverishly optimistic and excited each day that I will achieve my marathon goal. I'm on a 16 week training plan, so according to records, haha, I should have 6 weeks to go since I'm starting week 10.......WRONG! I assumed that if I started training on Nov. 1st and had 16 weeks of training, I would end up racing on March 5th right on target. Well, if I do this complex math again using a trig calculator, my fingers and toes to count, and an Abacus......there are somehow magically 18 weeks between Nov. 1st and Marathon go time of March 5th~ So, in hindsight, it may have been a blessing that I swam for 2 weeks because of a right foot injury because not only did I allow for it to "heal" (all relative), but I did not get behind in training. Maintaining such a high volume of training for 2 extra weeks places additional stress on my bones and joints. So, I am thankful to have taken 2 weeks off to heal so I can accomplish the last 8 weeks of training with success!

1/4 LONG RUN: GOAL- 15 miles @ 8:43. Very chilly start in the 20's, but warming up nicely. I was a little nervous about the run today as the mileage increases. I know I can do it, but I'm eagerly excited with some angst as this thought in the back of my head creeps up....but will your body hold up? I did a quick potty break behind the bleachers and off I went with my good friend Danette around the track. We would be running 60 circles, 400meter ticks, round and round, enough to make anybody go crazy. I think we will have a huge advantage going into the marathon with our mental discipline having accomplished this daunting task. During the race we will have scenery and people and will not go in circles! AND, misery loves company, and companionship with other marathoners will surely make the miles much more pleasureable.

The winds were light and I felt great until mile 10/11 where the usual aches start to kick in. Just fatigue, no acute injuries. I forced myself to keep upright and forged ahead! My Garmin watch lost signal at mile 12.8 so I had to estimate a pace and appropriation of laps for the last 2.2 miles. My pace was much better today. A solid 8:35 for the first 12.8 miles and an overall average of 8:23 for the entire run, give or take a couple of seconds. I really worked hard on having consistent splits throughout the run, none of this go out fast, bonk, then race at the end to average a good overall split.

The best part of the run was sharing 800m laps with Danette. We would pace for 2 laps then switch off. The miles really ticked by much faster when we did our rotation. What a wonderful day of sharing the work load and enjoying the eventual sunshine that cast its beautiful rays on both Danette and I. And, three cheers for my mom who did intervals. I couldn't be prouder!

DISTANCE: 15 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:23 (completely run by accident my marathon pace)
Avg. HR 149bpm

1/7 TEMPO- GOAL: 1 easy, 4 @ 7:50, 1 easy. As usual, frigid morning temps in the 30's. Not to brag, but I'm getting quite adept at layering and doning proper attire for these early morning runs. I wish I wasn't so good actually because that would mean it would be warmer! HA! I felt great after warming up for a couple of miles. It seemed like such a short run after running 15 a few days ago. I worked really had about pacing properly and running the "pace" given. I actually ran the last 2 of 4 miles slower than the first two with a lower heart rate....something I usually don't do. I ran Boston today, spot on! My mom did her first 4.5 mile run (mostly) training today as well. And, my good friend Danette had a spot on tempo day too. Very thankful for such great company! Check out my go-green tempo shoes pictured left!

DISTANCE: 6 miles
Avg. Pace: 7:42 (tempo portion)
Avg. HR 163bpm

1/9 SPRINT DAY: Complete 6 X 800m repeats @ 3:23 pace. Today was the absolute coldest conditions I have ever run in. It takes a little more to be a champion a teammate once said. Today, I was a champion or an absolute idiot as I arrived at the track at 7:15am to run solo repeats. I had 5 layers on, gloves, thick wool cap, and my mom's iphone in hand to provide a musical distraction from the elements. My face almost froze off and my hands became so stiff even with the gloves that my dexterity to try and open my car door after the warm-up was next to impossible. I desperately searched for warmer gloves and opted for some biking gloves that looked thicker.

Back to the track I went after giving myself a quick pep talk. I decided I would run 4 repeats since it was COLD and I would just run them faster. I also was going to be meeting some friends at 8:30 for hot yoga and did not want to be late.

The repeats went by fast. I wanted to throw up. I didn't. It is January and I recognize that it will be cold. It may be cold on marathon day too.

COMPLETED: 4 x 800m repeats at 3:12 pace
Max HR: 189