12 down

Done and done. This was a great run. Great runs always surprise me (as do the horrible ones, like Thursday's 3 miler). And I ate my first Clif shot! Holy yumtastic. I ate mocha flavor which tasted exactly like chocolate icing. I believe I was trying to pry apart the packet so I could lick the inside before E rode by and took it away from me. Excellent stuff. No shot bloks on this run.
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I've joined in committing to a 30 day yoga challenge. This is a tough one for me because often I find myself pawning off stretching as yoga. So I'm setting stricter parameters for myself. (1) Yoga must consist of time on the yoga mat (impromptu sessions, or outdoor sessions must include dedicated visualization for my mat) (2) Stay in at least three poses for 5-breath sequences. So that's it. Simple, but enough to make sure that my personal stretching sessions don't turn into yoga challenge sessions.
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I took a lovely ice bath afterwards and ate my favorite post-long-run dinner -- Nachos & Beer. :-)

Nobody Said It Was Easy

...no one ever said it would be this hard...

11 miles was tough. My hardest run ever, I think. I've been working really hard at positive thinking, and creating my own reality when it comes to long running. My runner's book says that a 'mind over matter' approach is best, and that if I spend all day telling myself I'll have a great run, I will. I can't say that I thought only positive thoughts on Friday, nor can I say that I was looking forward to my long run. I was tired, physically and mentally. I didn't want to run, but I did it because I had to. Not really Because I Love It. I also faced the reality of running that long distance alone, up the Haul Road. Not a great idea.

I ended up running 2 miles around the Headlands, 1 mile down to the Haul Road, and then 2.5 up the Haul Road, and then back the whole was. Breaking up the run into 3 parts was the best thing I could have done, I believe, because it helped the mental exhaustion. The physical exhaustion, though, was probably not helped by the running in sand, running up stairs, running up pathways and hopping over logs. Good overall training and conditioning though!
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I'm faced with actually having to register for a marathon now before fall races start selling out. Since I decided not to run Portland, I spent two weeks savagely browsing race listings until I found the right marathon. I've given myself another week to fall in love with it, and I'm smitten. I want to run the Half Moon Bay International marathon. It's so expensive, though, and I know I'll also need new shoes before September 25. It's a lot of money that I just do not have. I need a running scholarship. Plus my $95 entry to the Giants Race in August is no longer being funded by my family. Damn. I might not need much gear, but this is an expensive sport.
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I have a wonderful plan tonight of E's delicious nachos (avocados are on sale! yay guacamole!), a running movie, homemade margaritas, and at least an hour of yoga -- not necessarily in that order. And P.S. My plan to get back to hot yoga this month has failed miserably. Partly due to excessive construction work, running late in the day when classes are held, sunny windy weather that does not make this body crave a hot sweaty yoga room, and the $13.65/class price tag. Got to get back into it.

Week One

Yesterday I threw in another 90% PAIN-FREE run before the World Series game 3 first pitch. Truthfully, I missed the first pitch but it was worth it to get 2 miles in. E made game three guac and had a beer waiting for me when I finished work, but I knew the game food would be that much more delicious with a Run and AbRipper. The headlands run is a little too much up-and-down for my knee, as the pain was definitely there on the last uphill.

So here's how week one panned out. Completed exercises are in bold.

WEEK ONE - October 23 - 29

Saturday - Chest&Back, AbRipper

Sunday - Plyometrics

Monday - Run 2 mi., AbRipper

Tuesday - (YogaX) 30 minutes yoga

Wednesday - (Legs & Back, AbRipper) Rest

Thursday - (Run 2 mi.) Legs & Back, AbRipper

Friday - CHILL :-)

So we stuck to our guns fairly well. We were short a 2 mi. run, but I got that in yesterday, as I said above. So now I'm just short a "shoulders and arms" workout. The biggest problem is obsessively watching the Giants in the world series, and game times are wack! Once that's over I hope more time will free up in the evenings.