Long Run Saturday

So we ran 12 miles today. When I say we, I mean my lovely husband K and myself. We sort of lolligagged around so by the time we got out to start it was almost 10 am. It was probably in the high 60's by then. Bad decisions, we haz them. But anyway, it had to be done.

1: 8:24
2: 8:23
3: 8:09
4: 8:25
5: 8:33
6: 8:15
7: 8:56

Around mile 4.5, K told me he didn't feel well (he's an excellent runner and normally runs much faster than me, but has been battling a stomach bug all week). So we kept going because we were doing an out and back home (and we had to get back home somehow) but a little into mile 7 he said he could run any longer. We had a dilemma, because we only had one set of keys between us. So we decided I would continue on and take the keys, and he would walk back. I thought I might need to run home and get the car, so I tried to be as speedy as I could (although we right at the biggest hill of the course).

8: 8:27
9: 8:34
10: 7:49

So I made it back home at about 10.5, and called K to see if he needed a ride. He had gotten on the T, so he didn't, but I had the house keys. So I waited around (without sitting down!) and headed out when he got home to finish my last few miles.

11: 8:18
12: 8:28

Overall I felt it went really well. I wasn't running 'all out' because I don't think it's worth it at this point; I'll save that for the race next weekend. I was also had moderately sore legs and arms from overdoing it at yoga yesterday (yes, I am sore from yoga - obviously, I'm doing it wrong). I really want to go under 1:45 for this race; a sub-8 min pace would be awesome. Guess we'll see how goes next weekend!

Note to self - make sure the lid is actually completely screwed on before turning it up to drink. I ended up with water all down the front of my shirt and legs. I'm pretty sure I looked crazy!

The unexpected workout

Yesterday I took my dog for a 2.5 mile walk. She's done this walk before, no problem. In fact, as soon as she realized we were going on our 'long' walk, she pulled like a sled dog and leap around like a rabbit all the way to the trail because she was so stoked. And she LOVES stairs. See:

Why are making me sit here? There are more stairs to climb! WHY WON'T YOU LET ME BE GREAT???

Well, we get to about the halfway point, and she camps out on a bench:

Go on without me, mom, I'm just going to chill here.

So I thought, maybe she's just tired; it is a little warm (it was like, 62 - dog, you used to live in HAWAII). So we hung out for a bit on the bench. But I had stuff to do, so I told her we had to walk back home. She proceeded to walk, very slowly. And then she started holding her back foot up, like it was hurt. I examined it like 15 times and could find nothing wrong. Then she decided she was just going to stop walking altogether:

Yeah, I like it here. I can just stay here. You go home and bring me food. I live by this water now.

So, even thought I could find nothing wrong, she refused to walk, so I had no choice but to carry her back home - about 3/4 of a mile away. She weighs 30 pounds, and we live on a hill. It was really fun. No fewer than 5 people got a really good laugh at my expense (it's okay, I can take it). 

Then we got home, and as soon as I put her down she ran inside like nothing was wrong, and begged for food. I'm pretty sure I got faked out. But it's okay, because she does super cute things like this:

Look at me, I am the cutest dog in the world! Even though I love to mess up your couch pillows and blankets.

 So, does anyone else's dog do this? Or have I been totally outsmarted by my canine? She does have me wrapped around her little paw, that's for sure.

Yesterday's workout also consisted of running 3 miles. My ankles were still sore from the shoes from hell (see yesterday's shoe post) so I had a slow start.

Mile 1: 8:41

Mile 2: 8:19

Mile 3: 7:54

And by that point, I was at CVS and I needed to pick up some essentials (you know, self-tanner, because I am the palest person ever and I need to keep that slight fake tan so my legs don't blind people). I then went home and did a (very) short workout:

Pushups (not the girl ones): 3x10

Front lunges x 10

Front lunges with torso twist x 10

side lunges x 10

reverse diagonal lunges x 10

back lunges x 10

My ankles really hurt by this point, so I put on my sexy compression wear:

It's less grandma when they are neon!

I cannot say enough good things about compression wear! I also put some ice on my ankles while I was sitting on my ass on the couch, and today they are good as new. Cannot wait for my compression shorts!

I only have one pair of compression socks, so it was clear I need to buy another pair, so I took up the sweet deal from Skinny Runner's site and got these bad boys from Pro Compression:

Argyle FTW!

I also spent some QT with The Stick and the foam roller (both torture devices in their own right). Some things I just have to do for my own good. 

Today I did a yoga class - 90 minutes of Vinyasa Flow. Yoga is a huge challenge for me because I am SO inflexible. I seriously can't even do half pigeon, and my standing split is barely an L. It's sad. However, I am pretty good at the strength poses, and I LOVE headstands. I got to do a 60 sec one today, I was super excited! I also *almost* got side crow. I need to practice more.

Today is a no running day. Tomorrow we'll do 12; last long run until our half marathon next weekend. Yay! Which is exciting for many reasons - it means the race is almost here, and it means I get to eat pizza tonight! 

What workouts do you guys do outside of running? How to stay flexible and pain free?

Running Goals

I tend to be a very unorganized person. I have tried and tried in my (almost) 30 years and it just never happened. I think that part of my brain is missing. Running is one of the few things I've actually planned, stuck to the plan, and executed with success.

So I am setting some goals for myself for this year, because otherwise I worry I'll just flounder around.

1) To run a sub 1:40 half marathon. I would be happy with 1:42, but I think with some work I can do better.

2) To run another marathon this year. I REALLY want to BQ, but that might be a tall order. My best half was last year, 1:45:55, and I recently ran a 1:12 15K. I have 6 months to train, so right now, the goal is high: to BQ!

3) To strength train 3 days a week. I struggle with committing the to gym. Many weeks I'll only end up there for 2 days a week.

4) To do more yoga. Right now I'm only going once a week. That's got to improve. Years of running has left me really inflexible. I seriously can't even do half pigeon pose.

And... I guess that's it. For now!