Slow and steady doesn't win this type of race...

I would call this week a good one. Monday is usually a strength and stretch day according to the Hal Higdon plan. I use body pump for strength, but I really do struggle on getting stretching in. I know I need to put a lot more time into stretching if I want to stay injury free, but I just come up with a lot of excuses...and really that's all they are. I can talk your head off about how I don't really have time, but in all actuality, I don't make time.
On Tuesdays, I do an early morning run with a friend who is also going to do a half in October. She is doing the Duke City, and I am doing the Day of the Tread, a week a part. We only do a short 3.4 miles, but it is a good incline/hill workout to get our endurance up. :) We are going to start a new course this week though; it will be easier, but longer.
On Wednesdays, I do body pump again. Now that it got added at my gym, it is my new addiction, really. I also get a few miles of running in at night.
I skipped Thursday this week.
I have been coaching a lot of volleyball for my school this week, and it has been fairly demanding. I have barely had any extra time this week, but it is a fairly short season.
On Friday, I woke up early and ran intervals. I did 8X400; this is also a part of the Hal Higdon plan.
Saturday was a slow 4 miles, I felt like crap and couldn't seem to hit a decent speed. The arroyo by our house is nice, but it is either all downhill heading west, or all uphill heading east, and it is no longer my favorite.

Today was my long run and I really felt good about it. I used my Garmin connect to look up how I was doing at nine miles when training for the last race, earlier this summer, and I discovered that I am running about a minute a mile faster! This is very encouraging because I am starting to really figure out how to run...I think, at least! I ran from my house around Academy and back, which as nine miles exactly.
I am ready to try and be a little better than I was last race, although I know how difficult this is going to be because I am 5,000 ft. higher in elevation. I am still trying to figure out how to do it because the two weekends before my race, I will be hunting out of town. It will definitely be interesting. Steph says she will try to get an 8:30 min/mi pace, and I just don't know if I can do it alone.
I can try though, but finishing this one might just be enough for me...oh I wish this was true.
Well runners, I hope that you have a fantastic week, and I will keep you posted, maybe with a little more detail.

The weekend

I do my long runs usually on the weekend, but last week I had to do a long run on Thursday because I was camping in the Pecos last weekend. I met a woman from my exercise class who is a member of a  local running, and I asked her if she would run with me. Although she was slower than I am, we had an amazing run. She showed me local trails along the Rio Grande that I would have never even known about. It is good to sometimes not keep track how fast you are running, and tie up your laces, and just enjoy. I still got my miles in, only I got a whole different type of experience. I love where running takes me sometimes. It is fun to connect with someone who has a whole different perspective on running. She doesn't listen to music, she doesn't own a GPS; she just does it because she loves it, and together we got our eight miles in.
This weekend I had it pretty easy. I was supposed to run a 10k race, but instead I just pushed myself to run it as fast as I was motivated to. I ended it with an average of 8 min/mi. It felt good, and it was definitely an easy run. My husband, Conrad, and our dog, George, ran half of it with me. It is always nice to have company. 
I am waiting to hear how Steph did on her run today. 
Good luck on your runs this week, wherever you may be, and remember, it is nice to sometimes leave your devices at home...and just run!

How I started.

I have always been an athlete. I fell in love with the competition more than the sports themselves, but after finishing high school I realized that it wasn't realistic to think that I could really do competitive team sports anymore. So, I started to run. I remember when I was in college, I thought a mile was a "long run." Back then I used numerous exercise machines to stay in shape: ellipticals, treadmills, stair steppers, etc. Until, finally, I decided to sign up for a 5k, and I trained hard to prepare. I didn't do as badly as I thought I would. After my first 5k, I was addicted! 

Later, I moved to ABQ, and got myself a running partner. My good friend, Stephanie, was on the same running plan as I was. I remember us thinking that three miles was a HUGE accomplishment. We ran our first 5k race at around 9:30 min/mi, which was speedy in our eyes. We kept running, making sure that our normal distance was at least a 5k. Soon, Stephanie moved to LA, and the move left us both without a running partner. :(

We then decided to sign up for a half marathon: The Shoreline Half in Ventura. We trained using the Hal Higdon Intermediate program. This program helped us learn the safe way to push our bodies. We became long distance running partners, encouraging one another by checking in daily, and holding one another accountable. We were both excited and nervous for the actual race. The anticipation was killing us. Our goal was to run it in under two hours, and we beat it at 1:46:53! Our average pace was 8 min/mi, we couldn't believe it! 

Starting out, it was unfathomable to even think we could run 13.1 miles!!! The Hal Higdon training program had us running short runs during the week, and on Saturday, with only one long run on the weekend. We added a mile to our long run each week. It was a very realistic schedule, one I would never want to toss out. 

Today, I am training for my second half marathon. Steph and I are not running this one together, but we signed up for a race on the same day: October 27th. I know that running without her, I will probably not make the 8 min/mi pace, but I will try my best. This race will be here in Albuquerque, therefore it won't be at sea level, which is another factor that will hinder my performance. I am definitely not expecting a PR on this one. 

I just love running, I love how I feel before, during, and after a run. I love how I have to be strong mentally, as well as physically. 

Steph and I will sign up for our first marathon by January. We decided to do the Rock 'n' Roll in San Diego in June of 2014.

Today I went to Body Pump to strengthen my muscles, and our trainer decided to end the class with some Insanity. WOW! My back has been bothering me a little bit, and I know I should probably take it easy, but I absolutely hate to miss a day. 

My husband, Conrad, and may do a 5k later this evening. Hal Higdon says that I need to lift and run three miles, so I better get both in today! :) I have just been reading that if you are hurt, you should take it easy, and I think I need to start listening, before it is too late.

When I started this entry, I started it by saying that I thought a mile was a long run, but I truly think that I am only beginning to understand what a "long run" truly is. :)