Frederick Half-Marathon and Nut Job Challenge

We are half and full marathoners!

And 5Ker's too!

We ran our first half-marathon on May 7th, 2011 in Frederick, MD. I know...it has been a while since we ran, and I have been wanting to post a blog about it, but it seems like every time I sat down to start writing it, I just didn't know what to write. So here goes nothing!

Unlike when we ran the marathon in Baltimore, I did not carry my camera while I ran, and for a couple of reasons. 1) We were running this half-marathon separately, and 2) I was running with a specific time goal.

I had some people asking me what my goal was before I actually ran, and I was hesitant to say what it was because I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to hit that goal. When I went and picked up our race packets I sign-up with one of the Geico Pace groups...the 1:55 pace group to be exact! When you sign-up, they give you a wrist band with the times for each mile that you can wear if you want, so I took one home with me. After looking that the wrist band, and seeing all those times and just how fast I would have to be running, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to pull off running a sub-2 hour half-marathon. The sub-2 hour half was my goal! So did I do it...keep reading!

YES! WOW! I DID IT! I didn't know if I was going to be able to push through and hit my goal! A huge thanks goes out to the 1:55 Geico Pacers and Ray J. (A fellow DailyMiler) who came up behind me around the 11 mile mark, I was able to get my sub-2 hour half-marathon. The support and encouragement really helped to push me through the hill at the end and push it to the finish line. Thank you, Ray J. for sticking with me to help me hit my goal. :)

My head started to get in the way around mile 4, as I wasn't sure if I could keep pace for the next 9.1 miles. Then, I stopped thinking about that and just ran. The crowd was pretty good and supportive as well. It was at this point that I realized I was also ahead of the Geico pacers, I has actually gotten ahead of them around the mile 3 water stop. I wasn't too worried about being a head of them because according to my Garmin and the wristband, I was right on pace. I knew I would probably slow down a little later in the race and wanted to just keep going while I was feeling pretty good.

Me running the half. Not sure where this was taken, but I am guessing around mile 7 or so. It seemed like I was always running into the sun and couldn't see. I didn't even see the photographer! Can you tell?! :)

I felt pretty good until about mile 10 and that was where I started to slow down a little bit. The hill around there really got to me and the sun was very hot at this point in the race! Thankfully, there was a nice breeze every now and then, and it always seemed to come right when I needed it.

When I hit the 11 mile mark my legs were hurting, but I knew I just needed to keep going. I couldn't stop now! I was SO close! I was really glad to see the Geico Pacers and Ray J., as I don't think I would have been able to do it without them. They gave me just that little bit extra that I needed to finish. If it wasn't for them, I know I wouldn't have hit my sub-2 hour goal! Ray J. kept telling me, "You got this!" Although, I wasn't as sure about it as he was! :) I finished pretty strong, of course, not as strong as I would have liked. I remember turning the corner and seeing the last hill before the race to the finish line. I wasn't sure if this hill was going to be the end of my goal, or, if I would be able to push through it and finish what I set out to do. At one point, I do remember telling Ray J. "I don't know how much I have left." I guess it was enough because I pushed through that final hill, gave a little boy a high 5 on my way up it, (which I later found out was another fellow DailyMiler's little boy! How cool is that?!), that put a huge smile on my face, and knew that this race was mine! I WAS going to get that sub-2 hour half! And I did! Not only was it a sub-2 hour, but I cleared that 2 hour mark by 5 whole minutes! 1:55:31 was my official chip time!

Me crossing the finish line! I love this photo! And Ray J. is on the far right side in blue!

I am super proud of myself and so thankful to my husband, Rob, who let me run this race, so I could try for my goal. I have to admit though, it was really weird not running with him, and thought about him while I was running as well.

Rob running the half! He obviously saw the photographers!

It was so crowded at the end that I didn't even get to see him finish! :( But, he did! He ran a great race as well! 2:16:16! So proud of you, baby!

Rob crossing the finish line!

Before the race started, we met up with some fellow DailyMilers (luckily some of them had a camera)--- Heather R., Achillex aka Ernie, Michael C., and Patty E. It was so nice to finally meet some DM'ers. Thank you all so much for the support! It is greatly appreciated!

From left to right: Rob, Me, Patty, Michael, Heather, and Ernie.

Oh, and my back was not a problem at all during the half-marathon! But, my legs were sure giving me what for afterwards :) A little back pain after the half-marathon and before the 5K, but not too bad! All that rest definitely was the right thing, even though it was very difficult!

Now, that is a GREAT way to start your 30's!

Here are my official stats for the half-marathon:

Clock time: 1:56:05
Chip time: 1:55:31
Overall: 1009/3864
Female Place: 302/2076
Division Place: 60/322
8 Mile Rank:1022
8 Mile Time: 1:09:32
Total Pace: 8:49

Here are some pictures from after the half-marathon!

Ray J. and I with our medals!

Me with my medal!

Rob with his medal!

Us with our medals!

Rob with his medal as soon as he finished!

Me showing off my medal as soon as I finished!

I think I was a little dizzy and shaky, hence how I am standing!

5K/Nut Job Challenge

As I said before...we also ran a 5K the same day and only a couple of hours apart!

What was I thinking?! Ha, ha! Definitely NOT my best 5K time, but I just didn't have a lot left after running my best (and first) half-marathon ever! I was not feeling very good about 15 minutes before the start either, and Rob wasn't going to let me run it. But, I promised a run/walk just so we could finish it. We were standing in the sun waiting to line up and the heat really got to me. I got very dizzy, eye sight was blurry, and my ears were ringing. I went to the shade, sat down, and drank some water for about 10 minutes until we were ready to start. I felt fine by the start of the race, except for my legs, but it was definitely very scary!

Me running the 5k! Saw this photographer! Notice the water bottle!

It was the hardest and longest 3.1 miles of my life. My legs hurt and were cramping, which made it very difficult to run. I don't think the 2-1/2 hours in between the half and the 5K helped either.

But, Rob and I finished it...he would have totally kicked my butt in the 5K today, but he was so sweet to stay with me and finish it out. I believe we probably walked close to half the race and only ended up about 10-1/2 minutes slower than I would have liked. Not too bad considering the circumstances!

Us crossing the 5K finish line!

As soon as we crossed the finish line! I was so happy to be finished!

5K finishers photo!

I will definitely take my half-marathon time, over trying for a 5K PR today! I have more opportunities to do the 5K in under 30 minutes and I don't have to run 13.1 miles first! :)

Official 5K stats:

Clock Time: 42:04
Chip Time : 40:32
Overall Place: 774 / 985
Gender Place: 436 / 601
Division Place: 72 / 95
Total Pace: 13:05

Here are my totals for both the Half and 5K:

Finished 28th (even with that horrible 5K time) for the female finishers! I guess I will take it!

Series Total: 2:36:03.80

Other race photos:

Our race swag!

The Medal!

Me after getting home and cleaned up with my Nut Job t-shirt and medal on!

I was trying to not look exhausted, but I was!

Thank you all for your continued support!

Nature Walk

As I promised, I only walked today, so my back can heal up before the half-marathon on Saturday. My back is feeling better today, not 100 percent, but definitely feeling much better than it was yesterday and a few days ago. The pain is subsiding, and walking and sitting are not as painful.

Since I was only walking today, I decided to hit the trail about a 1/2 mile from my house, and use it as an opportunity to take some pictures. I never take my camera with me on my run because I don't like carrying it while I am running. I used today's walk as a nature walk. It was a gorgeous day---in the 70's---and I really enjoyed being outside and taking in the sites!

Below are some pictures I took while on my walk today! Enjoy!

Had to stop for a quick photo! Tree stumps make great tripods!

At the beginning of the trail...

The wooded trail area really makes me think of and miss home!

One of the two bridges!

I just love the view and peacefulness of the trail. Sure beats the noisy streets!

The beautiful sun peaking through the trees!

Mushrooms?

Same bridge as above...just from the other direction.

The other bridge on the other part of the trail.

Still reminds me of home.

Love how green everything is in these two pictures. Beautiful!

The end or beginning...depending on how you look at it!

I ended up walking about 2-1/2 miles of my 4.17 mile walk on this trail today! It was a nice, easy, peaceful walk!

Wow! This Is Inspiring!

As most of you know, I absolutely love DailyMile! The support is wonderful! Everyday the site has a daily mission, and you can choose to answer the daily mission question or not. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, it depends on what the topic is. Well, I thought today's daily mission was a good one.

Here is today's daily mission question:

Should kids be allowed to run marathons? If so, what should be the minimum age?

This is a hard question because I feel that everyone should have the opportunity to experience running a marathon, but maybe there should be a minimum age. I don't really know though because maybe having a minimum age requirement would turn kids away from running. I think if a child is doing it with an adult and understands what they are getting into, then why not?!

I wish I would have understood how good running can be for you, and how great it can make you feel afterwards long before I finally took an interest in running. We are always saying that children need to be active, but what kind of message are we sending them if we say no, you can't run a marathon because you are too young?

Like I said before, it is definitely a hard question to answer, and I can see the pros and cons of it. But, watch the video below and see the emotions that this little girl is feeling at the end of her ultra-marathon. Priceless!

Frederick Half-Marathon in 5 Days!

Wow! I can't believe the Frederick half-marathon in is FIVE DAYS! May 7th, 2011! I definitely have some mixed emotions about the half-marathon, which range from super excited to nervous! Let me explain!

I am super excited about this half-marathon for a few reasons:

1) It is my first half-marathon. Even though I have already ran a marathon, this is still my first half and the way you mentally prepare for a half-marathon is WAY different from the way you prepare for a full marathon. You only have half the distance to run!

2) This is my first race in a new age group! Three days before this race, I turn...30!

3) Even though Rob is running the half-marathon as well, we have decided that he is going to let me run this by myself, as part of my birthday present!

4) We are running a 5K (3.1 miles) after the half-marathon as well! This is part of a challenge that the Frederick Running Festival is putting on, and rightfully called, The Nut Job Challenge!

Now, even with all of this excitement, I am still a little nervous for this half-marathon for a couple of reasons!

1) It is only FIVE days away! The closer it gets the more you think about it and everything that is associated with it.

2) Even though I have been having some really great training runs, I hurt my back last week and it is making it very difficult to run. It is extremely painful, but I am hoping that with rest this week and no running, that it will be feeling 100% by Saturday! It is feeling better today than it was yesterday, so I am really trying not to stress about it, as I am doing everything I possibly can to make it feel better by Saturday. Rest is the key!

3) I have a goal in mind for this half-marathon, and I REALLY want to reach this goal. I truly believe that I can do it, and I am hoping my back will allow me to do so! But, believe me, my back is NOT going to keep me from trying to reach this goal.

Tuesday, May 3rd, I go and pick up our race packets! Can't wait!

Still Running

I figured today, May 1^st, 2011, would be a good day to finally write another running blog. Even though I haven’t written a running blog since January 31^st, 2011, Rob and I have been doing a lot of running and training. Wow! Since I haven’t blogged in awhile, I am not even really sure where to start. I guess I will start with a review of the past 3 months.

In February, we continued with running, but not really with any set amount of miles. I tried to run at least 5 miles a day, but, of course, I didn’t run every single day. On February 28^th, we actually started our training for the half-marathon in May. The month of February statistics are as follows: 96 total miles running, average pace 10:00, 51 total miles walking, average pace 15:11, total calories burned – 22,039!

March began a full month of training for the half-marathon in May. Due to the training the total number of miles for the month of March is a little lower, since we were following a training plan. When training for a half-marathon or a marathon, it is very important to follow a training plan. A training plan gives you a guideline for the total number of miles you should run each week, which makes it so you don’t over train. Our training runs this month went very well. When the weather would cooperate, we would do our runs outside, but there were many times when our runs had to be done inside on the treadmill. We finally broke down and bought a treadmill at the beginning of February, and I am so glad that we did. It has definitely made our training much easier during this rainy and stormy spring. March’s final statistics are as follows: 89 total miles running, average pace 9:33, 51 total miles walking, average pace 16:07, total calories burned – 18,172!

April turned out to be a pretty good training month as well. We were able to get outside a little bit more for our runs, which definitely makes the runs a lot more interesting. For some reason, I find running on the treadmill to be more difficult, even if I am running at the same pace or sometimes even slower. I really think that running on the treadmill had helped my overall running. I have seen a big increase in my pace during my outside runs, and the ease at which I am doing the runs. April’s final statistics are as follows: 112 total miles running, average 10:02 pace, 53 total miles walking, average pace 17:17, total calories burned – 20, 342!

Sometimes A Bad Run Can Turn Into A Great Run

Okay, so this run did not start out exactly as I had planned or hoped for, however, I am SO glad that I continued with this run. Let me explain...

I decided to just go outside and run today because I didn't feel like driving to the gym to get on a treadmill for my run, plus I wanted to be able to get some good miles in, and being at the gym on a treadmill it is really hard to stay on a treadmill for that long. So, I bundled up, since it was only in the low to mid-30’s, and headed out for some fresh air a good run. I really wanted to run outside because the weather is supposed to get bad again, possibly starting late tonight and lasting through Wednesday, and I knew if we get the ice that they are calling for that I will not be running outside or at the gym. So…out the door I went.

The temperature was actually really good and I wasn’t too cold even at the start. I figured that I would just run 2 or 3 of the bigger laps around the block and call it good, as that should give me at least 7 miles or so. Well, after the first mile I knew that was not going to happen. The run started out all right, as I was running on the road, which was nice and clear (for the most part). Then right before the 1-mile mark, I usually get back on the sidewalk because it is a much busier road, and the road actually has a sidewalk. Not today! The first part of the sidewalk was clear, but then the rest was a mess. It was so bad that I had to stop running and walk to the end of the sidewalk, which luckily was only a couple hundred feet or so, but I was upset. Then I looked down at my watch to see where I was at for about the first mile and it said 11 minutes!! I couldn’t believe it. Had it really taken me 11 minutes to run 1 mile? For me, this is really slow, so I was really upset now. Why was it taking me so long today? At this point I was also walking, which wasn’t making it any better, and I honestly, thought about just stopping the run right then and there and just walking the rest of the way home!

But, I didn’t! Instead, I just turned up the next street (running on the road) and then branched off onto the next side street, which would take me back to the other road I was just on. I was like, “Okay, how can I make this run work?” Then it came to me, “Just run on the side streets!” So, that is what I did! Most of the side streets in the neighborhood don’t have sidewalks, so I didn’t have to worry about the ice and snow on them, and being side streets I feel much safer running on the road.

Now that I was just running on the side streets, I had NO idea how far I had gone, as the only mile marker I actually knew at this point was mile 1. I didn’t know how I was going to manage to get some good miles in with a limited running area. Then it hit me the second time down the original route I had planned. I would run up and down every side street that connected to that street, as well as, every side street that connected to my street. Luckily there were only side streets on one side of both of these streets! :) I figured this would not only help to get some miles in, but also make it so the run wouldn’t be so boring. I hate running the same street a bunch of times to get the miles in.

It worked! I got some major miles! Definitely more than I was planning on running today. I was going to be happy with 7 miles today, but I guess I have to be happy with 9.6 miles, since that is what I ended up running. I figured if I ran for an hour and a half, and remember, my first mile was around 11 minutes, so this is what I was going off of, should be pretty good. I didn’t figure out my miles until just a few minutes ago, when I mapped the whole run out!

I am SO happy with how this run turned out! I am happy with the miles I put in today. I felt pretty good throughout the run. And am so glad I didn’t just walk back home. I ended up with a nice pace for that distance and had a really good run. I definitely feel like I got some good hill work in as well. This route was a lot hillier than my other routes, which only have a few hills. This route was a lot of up and down, which makes me even happier with the mileage and pace for today’s run!

Average heart rate for today’s run was 155, even with all the hills! :)

Distance climbed---424 feet!

Oh, and, I had to slow down and stop a few times to wait for cars and trucks because of the crap that was still on the roads. I still can’t believe how inconsiderate people are to runners! I hope I was never that way before I was a runner!

Moral for today’s run: A bad run can end up turning into a great run, so just keep running!

Great way to zap that ZERO, start the week off, and end the month of January!

Another January Update

January 18, 2011---Elliptical Trainer

Since I didn't make it to the gym today, due to the ice we got last night and early this morning, I made myself get on the elliptical trainer at home for a while. Now that I am a runner, I really don't like doing much else, besides running because it just doesn't give me the same feeling. (If you are a runner you will know the feeling I am talking about!) However, I got on and once I got going it wasn't as bad as I remember it being.

I ended up doing 1 hour and 15 minutes on the elliptical. To keep it from getting too boring I would do 10 minutes forward and then do 5 minutes backwards. I did that for the first hour and then finished the next 15 minutes going forward. It ended up being a pretty good workout and I could definitely feel it when I was going backwards, as I was using some different muscles in a different way.

Finished with 5 minutes of stretching as cool down and to bring my heart rate back down to normal.

I don't know the miles, since mine doesn't measure in miles. But, that doesn't really matter...workout is complete! 835 calories burned!

January 19, 2011---Rest Day

January 20, 2011---Treadmill Run

Great run today! I got in 7 miles on the treadmill today, and it felt really good. Started out slow and gradually picked up the pace. Here are the splits for today's run:

Mile 1: 10:31 (Avg HR 142)

Mile 2: 10:31 (Avg HR 149)

Mile 3: 10:20 (Avg HR 153) 


Mile 4: 10:10 (Avg HR 155) 


Mile 5: 10:00 (Avg HR 157) 


Mile 6: 9:50 (Avg HR 158) 


Mile 7: 9:40 (Avg HR 163)

I enjoyed the longer run today! Tomorrow is only 3 miles, since we are training for a half-marathon, and have 8 miles on Saturday. It is going to be hard to only run 3 miles, but I will do it! A pretty easy 7-mile run with an average pace of 10:08! I finished today’s workout with a nice 1 mile cool down walk and 6 minutes of stretching!

January 21, 2011---Being a Good Girl 3 Mile Run

I labeled this run as "Being a Good Girl 3" because my training plan only called for 3 miles today, and I really wanted to run further, but know I have to follow that training plan so I will be better prepared for the half-marathon in March. I am so used to running at least 5 miles a day, when I run, so running only 3 was definitely a test for me. Alas, I only ran 3 miles. I did change up the workout a little bit, but it wasn't too bad.

I started at a 2% incline for the first mile, did a 2.5% incline for the second mile, and a 3% incline for the last mile. Nice little workout with only that much of an incline.

As far as pace went...I started at 10:31 for the first half mile and then increased the pace by 10 seconds for the remaining half miles. So, I went from a 10:31 pace to a 9:40 pace over the course of the 3 miles with and average pace of 10:06.

Legs felt pretty good, considering I ran 7 miles yesterday, so I was happy with that!

Overall, a great run and ready for the longest run I have done in a long time this weekend...8 miles!

After my 3 mile run, I did one mile at 4.0 mph and 3% incline. Felt great! I wanted to get in a little bit more workout time, without running!

Finish with a nice little 1-mile cool down walk at about 3.5 mph and a gradual decrease in incline. Followed it up with 12 minutes of stretching! Total distance climbed for the entire 5 miles---586 feet!

January 22, 2011---8 Mile Run at Quiet Waters Park

Did a nice 1 mile warm-up walk to get the legs moving and get warmed up a little bit.

Today's run was pretty good. I ran the first 5 miles with the DH, and then finished the last 3 by myself. Due to work, the DH has not had a lot of time to run, like I have, but I was super proud of him today! It was nice to run with him again.

We went to Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis to run today. It was nice to be back running there again. We haven't run there since we ran the marathon in October. It is amazing how different it looks in the winter compared to the summer and early fall. Running definitely allows you to see things you don't normally notice! It was great running outside again, been using the treadmill at the gym a lot lately, but it was definitely a cold run. It was around 23 degrees for the run today. It wasn't too bad during the run, but before and after it was down right cold! I didn't keep track of splits for today's run, as I couldn't remember where they all were, but the run seemed to go by quickly. It was nice to have someone else to talk to during the run. Felt really good throughout the run today and had a strong finish.

Average HR for today's run....154. Average pace…10:11.

Finished with a very cold 1 mile cool down walk.

Now for the hard part...eating enough calories!

January 23, 2011---Just a Little “Rest Day” Workout

Today is a "rest day" from running, so I decided to do just a little workout using my Wii. I wasn't feeling very good and had just been sitting around this morning. I was doing some reading and thought that maybe I would feel better if I got up and did a little something, so I did, and it worked. I feel so much better now!

I ended up doing about 16 minutes of Yoga on the Wii for a little bit of stretching. Then, I put in The Biggest Loser for the Wii. I did a warm-up, full-body work out, and a cool down for about 44 minutes. Then I switched it to Standing Punches and did that for about 4 minutes. Finally, I finished with 5 minutes of my own stretching.

It felt good and I got in a good little workout working some different muscles. It was a nice little burn and I can definitely feel it, and I am sure I will feel it even more tomorrow. But, that is a good thing right?! As Dean Karnazes' track coach once said, "If it comes easy, if it doesn't require extraordinary effort, you're not pushing hard enough: It is supposed to hurt like hell." I love that quote!

January 24, 2011---Too Cold For Me

It was too cold out this morning for me, and I didn't want to wait until it "warmed" up this afternoon to get my run in. So, I headed to the gym, and I am happy that I did. Even the gym was cold, at least until I got running!

I am very pleased with this run today. It is my best run in a while! I felt great throughout it, even though I increased the pace every mile. Here is the breakdown for every mile:

Mile 1: 10:00 pace 


Mile 2: 9:50 pace 


Mile 3: 9:40 pace 


Mile 4: 9:22 pace 


Mile 5: 9:05 pace

Average pace…9:35!

I was feeling really good after the first 3 miles, so I pushed it the last 2 miles and still felt pretty good! Average heart rate....154. Which is what it was before at a slower pace, so I am happy with that too!

Total distance climbed...264 feet at a 1% incline.

What a great way to start the week and ZAP that zero!

Finished with just a 1-mile cool down walk at 3.5 mph for most of it. Average heart rate...117. Then did about 6 minutes of stretching, which felt so good after my workouts today and yesterday. Legs are a little sore from yesterday's workout, but didn't affect my running!

January 25, 2011---3 Mile Run

GREAT! I am very pleased with this run as well. The weather was amazing, considering the weather we have been having. It was in the upper 30's today for the run. Only 3 miles today, so I was going to go pretty "easy." Well, I didn't go as easy as I planned, but it felt great, so I just went with it. Not my best 3-mile run, but definitely in the top 5.

I ended up with negative splits for today's run, even though I am not sure how I managed to push through the last mile the way I did. I think mile 3 is the hardest mile because of the hills, but I think it makes me push harder because I know this.

Anyway...here are my splits for today's run:

Mile 1: 9:46:36 (Average HR 143) at this point I figured if I could keep this pace I would be fine for today.

Mile 2: 9:18:13 (Average HR 156) at this point I was like how am I ever going to negative split this run now?!

Mile 3: 8:40:20 (Average HR 165-hills) Negative splits! :) But, how did I just do that? So happy with this finish! Not my fastest split ever, but I will take it! :)

Total: 27:44:69 (Average pace 9:14)

Overall, great run! And I was so happy to run outside today! Probably back to the gym tomorrow as it is supposed to rain, but I will take that over the snow!

And best of all...I went and got new inserts after today's run! Should help a lot for tomorrow's run!

Finished with a couple of "extra miles" for a cool down (walking, of course!), and about 11 minutes of stretching!

January 26, 2011---Rest Day

January 27, 2011---Does Shoveling Snow Count As A Workout?

I think it does! And I am counting it as so!

My plan today was to shovel the driveway and then do another workout inside today a little later, instead of having 2 rest days back-to-back because of the snow. However, after shoveling the snow, I think that is going to be my only workout today. I am shaking as I try and type this. What a great full body workout. I know I will definitely feel this later today and tomorrow morning. After burning 1,007 calories doing this, I don't know if I need another workout today! I feel so much better now! Much better than yesterday when I didn't do anything! Tomorrow I am back to running, and I can't wait! I will probably trek around the neighborhood, since I enjoy running outside when the weather isn't too bad!

January 28, 2011---Stupid Weather!

Thanks to the stupid weather, I had to fall back on my not so favorite way to get a workout in...the Elliptical Trainer, but I got it done. Probably a good thing I didn't go running anyway for a couple of reasons: 1) my whole body aches from shoveling snow yesterday; 2) the roads and sidewalks are terrible still! Not all the sidewalks are shoveled and/or cleared, our road doesn't have a sidewalk, can't even get to the sidewalk in some spots, and trees are down everywhere. Definitely not safe to be running outside right now; 3) Didn't feel like driving 1 hour round trip to the gym to run, since it is snowing again, and would probably end up taking longer than that around here!

So...I opted for the comfort of my home and the Elliptical Trainer, since I don't have a home treadmill YET! Might be getting one sooner than expected. This weather is really cramping my running style!

I could only manage to do 10 total minutes backwards on the Elliptical today, as my muscles were just too sore to do anymore. Ended up doing 60 good cardio minutes and then a 5-minute cool down.

Finished today's workout with 10 minutes of much needed stretching. It felt really good to stretch out after shoveling snow yesterday and today's workout.

Despite the fact that I didn't really want to get on the Elliptical today, it was a good workout and I am glad that I at least did that much.

January 29, 2011---Some More Cross Training

Shakeology DVD

I was going to take a nap, but decided to get a good workout in instead! And, now I feel so much better!

This is a great little 30-minute workout that works out the whole body. Uses some weights as well, so I used 4-pound weights today, since my arms are still a little sore from shoveling snow the other day, but I still got a good workout in. Worked the abs and even did some push-ups with this workout! Going to feel that tomorrow, I am sure!

Elliptical Trainer---Again!

Great! Listened to some music, which really helped to make it a little less boring!

Did a full 60-minute cardio workout with 4--5 minute sets of going backwards.

Finished with a 5-minute cool down and then 10 minutes of stretching!

Great workout for not really feeling like it again!

January 30, 2011---Rest Day