Yabba Dabba Do!

No Barney Rubble by my side, but I'm kicking up my heels like Fred Flintsone, shouting "Yabba Dabba Do!"

I just finished a 16.1 mile run!  That is the longest distance I've ever ran, by 2 miles.  I practically stalked the thermometer this morning, so anxious to run.  The bright sunshine was deceiving, registering only 22 degrees  By mid-morning, it was up to 35, so I headed out to my favorite trail from East Peoria to Morton.  Sorry, no pretty pictures this morning... I was all business.

Most important, the run felt really good on the body and mind.  The trip took me 2:42 with a 10:03 average pace.  I can't say the pace was exactly steady...  The first part was uphill with cold wind in my face, but I made up that time on the way home.  I felt really strong the last couple of miles.  Of course, downhill will do that to you.  I practiced my fueling with two GUs and a handful of jelly beans, which worked out perfect. I also learned the max time for an iPhone battery using GPS and the ipod.  It died right after I stopped.

After chocolate milk, foam rolling, stretching and a hot shower, I'm still smiling!  :)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

DON'T MISS OUT ON MY CURRENT GIVEAWAYS!

Bondi Band headband - ends April 1

2Toms sample pack - ends March 27

Dog-gone Monday

Dog-gone-it.
It's just the kind of day I'm having.

Alright, they don't exactly look like this,
but it's all I see when one is hot on my trail!! 

I woke up around 5:30am to the sounds of snoring, which is uncommon... not the snoring, but hubby still in bed.  It's President's Day, so we get him home all day.  Since I can't fall back asleep, I decide to sneak out for a little run.  Temp reads 37˚, little wind, o-yeah... we're good to go!  I hit a quick 5K route around the neighborhood, and despite the misty rain that began shortly after the start, it was a nice run to start my day.

Wait... what stinks?!  Oh-crap!  Exactly. Dog crap to be exact.  Back inside the house, I notice huge mushy chunks stuck to the bottom of my shoe.  ugh.  I swear, if the neighbor dogs aren't on the loose chasing after me, their sh*t is still there to get me.  Something about me and dogs.  We just don't mesh.

The crap didn't stop there.  Within the next hour, Little Girl wet the bed (our bed, she crawled in with daddy after I left), and I spilled coffee all over myself during preschool drop (good cup, wrong lid!).  Needless to say when I arrived at Spin class, I was rearing to GO!  After a spinning sweat-fest, two more miles on the track and a 15 minute session on the Endless Rope machine... I'm ready to face the day (again).  Happy Monday y'all!
TOTAL:  5+ miles and 65 minutes of cross-train

Up Next (Tuesday):  INTERVALS - 3x1600 at 8:45 pace with 90 second intervals.  Ick.  I think I'd rather go back and do those 12x400's.

The weight is not coming off as planned.  Believe me, I know why... too much of the wrong food!  So I've downloaded the FitnessPal app onto my iPhone.  Back to counting calories.  How do you manage the food intake to reach your ideal weight?!

Boom Boom Pow!

I'm totally off kilter today.  I did my long run on Sun instead of Sat, thus replaced Monday's cross-train with a rest day (I needed it - I was a bit sore after the hilly 10 miler on Sunday!).  So here it is Tuesday - and I'm back on the schedule and attacking Intervals on Day 16 of the FIRST training plan.

Warmup/Cooldown:  10 minute each at easy pace

Intervals:  6 x 800 (1/2 mile each)

Goal:  8:30 pace or  7.1 mph on treadmill

Rest Intervals (RI):  90 seconds between 800's

I didn't mind the 800 when thrown in the ladder intervals last week, but today they were just H.A.R.D.  No butts about it.  I held the pace during the first three intervals, but backed it down to 7mph on the last three.  I didn't eat well yesterday, a bit dehydrated today, and legs still feel tired.  So I'm racking it up to that and hope the rest of the week goes better.
TOTAL: 6 miles

NEW APP -  The iPhone4 is my new toy, and Verizon has finally got mine working correctly (actually they finally just gave me a new one today... but that's a whole other story that you don't want to get me started on.)  As I play around and test out new apps, I'll give you the skinny here... Today I tried out Nike Boom during my intervals (free download).  Concept is that it's suppose to add a boost to your workout by syncing your music to workouts and having elite athletes/coaches motivating you along the way. So I selected the sport of Cross-Training, then Intervals and set it up accordingly to today's workout and goals.

LIKES:  A whistle blows through your music when it's time to start/finish your interval reminding me of the old high school track days.  This was a bit freeing as I didn't have my eyes constantly glued to the treadmill readings.  If you let it, the app will post to Facebook when you start, and friends can "like" your post, which sends you cheers over your headphones.  I had 6 friends cheer me on during my run, so that was kinda cool!  The workout went by quickly - I probably give myself longer rests normally, but this kept me moving.  The app also has a lock setting so you don't hit the screen accidentally.
DISLIKES: The coaches/athletes that give you "motivational talks" during the run are so low in volume (compared to your music) that you can hardly hear them, making it pointless and a little irritating.  The app also seems to be targeted more towards men - specifically athletes who play football, baseball, hockey, etc...

I'm still getting used to running with the iPhone, and how exactly to carry it.  I miss the small size of my Nano and how easily it clipped onto my sports bra.  I'm not a fan of things around my waist or the arm bands.  On outside runs, it works fine to just slip into a pocket.  Today I tried holding it - but my hands get sweaty and that makes the iPhone a slippery little sucker to hang onto.  I tried putting in on the treadmill dash, but the headphones cord was swinging all over the place that my hands catch it too often. Any other suggestions?

Outside in Feb!

Under Armour is my favorite go-to bras for long runs.  

Day 14: Two weeks into the "Run Less, Run Faster" training plan, and as they would say at McD's... I'm lovin' it!  I saved my long run for today since our Sunday forecast is sunny and 45 degrees!  That's WARM for Illinois in February.  Unfortunately I couldn't wait until the high temps of the afternoon, but the morning was still a balmy 35˚ when I headed out for my 10 miler.

My new iPhone4 with the Nike+GPS app.  Thanks hubby!

I started out dressed in four layers (Under Armour sports bra, tank top, Columbia long-sleeve hoody and a thin jacket over top), accessorized with my Wisconsin Badgers headband (What a WIN yesterday over #1 OSU!).  Today I tested out the Nike+GPS app for the first time.  O-Yes... goodbye and good riddance to the unreliable, inaccurate shoe chip.  I have stepped up to the world of GPS now!  Special thanks to my hubby who gifted the iPhone4  to me for Valentine's Day.


Since snow/ice/puddles/mud are still roadside issues here, I stuck to my neighborhood 5-mile loop, where I knew the traffic would be light.  After mile 4, I remembered just how hilly this route was, reminding me to add some hill workouts into my training schedule (only thing I see missing in the FIRST program thus far).  As I finished the first loop, I refueled with a sample Clif Bar that I picked up at my last race expo, and grabbed my new water bottle that I won from the fabulous ladies at Run Like A Mother.  

My Quickie (unpaid) Reviews...  GOLITE HYDROCLUTCH WATER BOTTLE: Awesome!!  I'm a gal who hates stuff wrapped around my waist, so this is a great alternative to the fuel belts.  It was easy to hold while running, and had a great zipper pocket in the wrap to hold a gel or key.   CLIF BAR: Did the job I guess, but I'll stick with the GU gels.  The Clif Bar had okay flavor, but I found it rather pasty in my mouth.  I'd rather toss down a quick gel than have to chew through that again.

By mile 7, my right glut started to ache from the hills.  Reluctantly, my pace slowed.  However, by mile 8.5 with the end in-sight, I picked it up like a horse on the way back to the barn.  At mile 9, a good-looking neighbor flagged me down, wondering just how far I was running since he's seen me twice in the last hour.  "If you run by again, I'll have to stop you and invite you in for coffee," he says.  Hmmmm, maybe I can go 15?  Ha-ha, Nah!
TOTAL: 10.1 miles in 1 hour, 45 minutes (10:23 pace).  A little disappointed with the pace, but considering the hillwork and snow-stepping, I'll take it!!

Winter in Illinois makes for rather ugly scenery, but I got to test out the camera on the iPhone while running.

Best of all, I came home to find a clean and quiet house.  For a second I thought I walked into the wrong house, but then I found two beautiful girls and one handsome daddy playing a game of Princess dominos.  Could a run end any better?!?!

The playlist that got me through 10 miles... "Run Mix #3" on shuffle (click on it to enlarge)