Every Mile is a Miracle

Friday is the worst day to have a rest day because of the extra calories I am bound to consume. Like how I had cake for breakfast, but then a nice coworker gave me a banana, but then we got an email about donuts in the break room and I am now telling myself how much I don't need a donut but there will be margaritas in my future...... :upsidedow

SAME, but thankfully it isn't my rest day. LOL. Baby shower for a coworker today means lots and lots of cupcakes!

I have a Friday rest day too and I'm so hungry today. I want cupcakes and cake and donuts and margaritas. I have to be good though. We're going to a food festival tomorrow. It's like a mini food & wine for my little town. Vendors selling little portions of food along with beer and wine.
 
Week 2 DBP#2 Report 3/5-3/11
Mon 3/5 - 3 mi @ EA
Tue 3/6 - 4 mi @ EA
Wed 3/7 - 5 mi @ EB
Thurs 3/8 - 4 mi @ EA
Fri 3/9 - REST
Sat 3/10 - 5 mi @ EB
Sun 3/11 - 5 mi @ LR

Welcome to my first full week of training! I moved from a 4 day plan to a 5 day plan and I am really excited about it. This training plan is 10 weeks long and is focused on getting my 10k time under an hour FINALLY. And during the process hopefully PRing my 5k time as well.

Monday: This was a make-up run that I skipped on Sunday. I know life gets in the way and I am okay with that. I am also thankful that I have the ability to move my runs. I did this run during my lunch break and it was so nice to run in the sun. It's getting warm here finally!
Plan: 3 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 3.06 mi @ 11:39

Tuesday: Back to those early morning runs, but luckily I will get to start seeing some pretty sunrises soon and I can't wait. I was a little fast during this run. Really gonna focus on my paces more this training plan.
Plan: 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 4.05 @ 11:22

Wednesday: I thought I would take this run to the gym and bust it out on the treadmill plus get some strength training in. However, I snoozed too much, still went to the gym, ran 5 dreadfully boring miles, and then went home because I just didn't have time to do anything else. I guess the good news is I stayed on pace. Haha.
Plan: 5 mi @ EB (11:10)
Actual: 5 mi @ 11:10

Thursday: It was a warm gorgeous morning. I wore shorts. I saw the sunrise. I smiled a lot. These are the runs that I love the most.
Plan: 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 4.04 @ 11:40

Friday: Much needed rest day, but I did walk a mile during my lunch break because it was gorgeous out. Gotta take advantage of the weather before it gets to the point of walking on the sun.

Saturday: I set my alarm earlier than I usually do for weekend runs because a) I want to get my run out of the way for the rest of my day and b) I wanted to catch the sunrise. And then it was cloudy. But it felt really good to get up before anyone else and just knock it out.
Plan: 5 mi @ EB (11:10)
Actual: 5.20 mi @ 10:58

Sunday: Welllllll, I drank to much and only for 4 hours of sleep so I postponed my run until the afternoon. I felt better when I started my run. It was sunny with a breeze but not hot. I even put on tanning lotion (gotta start working on my summer tan!). But by 2.5 miles I was over it and hurting. I finished with a smile on my face because I did it and I can be proud of that.
Plan: 5 mi @ LR (10:48)
Actual: 5.02 mi @ 10:50

I am feeling good and motivated on this Monday. Let's hope that lasts throughout the week. My focus this week is completing all of my scheduled runs, incorporating more strength workouts, staying hydrated, aaaaaand MOVING OUT OF MY IN LAWS HOUSE!!

Scheduled Training 3/12-3/18:
Monday 3/12 - Rest Day!
Tuesday 3/13 - 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Wednesday 3/14 - 4 mi @ EB (11:10) + Strides
Thursday 3/15 - 1 mi @ WU (12:42) + 8 x 2 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU + 1 mi @ CD (12:42)
Friday 3/16 - Rest Day! Maybe a Swim Day!
Saturday 3/17 - 5 mi @ EB (11:10)
Sunday 3/18 - 7 mi @ LR (10:48)
 


Week 3 DBP#2 Report 3/12 - 3/18
Monday 3/12 - Rest Day!
Tuesday 3/13 - 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Wednesday 3/14 - 4 mi @ EB (11:10) + Strides
Thursday 3/15 - 1 mi @ WU (12:42) + 8 x 2 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU + 1 mi @ CD (12:42)
Friday 3/16 - Rest Day!
Saturday 3/17 - 5 mi @ EB (11:10)
Sunday 3/18 - 7 mi @ LR (10:48)

Monday - I finally took my bike out for a spin after work. We live really close to where Bay's baseball games are played so I decided to ride my bike to her game and meet my husband there. What I forgot was how hilly the route is to the baseball fields so my legs got a short but hard workout. WOOF.
Bike: 2.62 mi / 15:19 dur / 10.26 mph

Tuesday - Nice, easy, warm morning run where I struggled to slow down.
Plan: 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual 4.03 @ 11:38
Splits: 11:33, 11:34, 11:46, 11:38

Wednesday - This morning when I woke up I heard the wind chimes ding away and felt like I was going to be battling some wind. I get out there and was just too fast during my first two miles going west. Turned around and BAM got hit by the wind I was worried I was going to find as I headed east for my last two miles. No wonder why I was going so fast at first.
Plan: 4 mi @ EB (11:10) + Strides
Actual: 4.01 @ 10:48
Splits: 10:31, 10:48, 11:16, 10:36 (Strides)

Thursday - When I was given my next set of paces from Billy I was like "Uhhh there must be a typo there are paces that start with an 8 on here..." Welcome to the club I Pace intervals. Luckily, I found that one of our middle school's leaves their track open so I was able to actually run these on a flat consistent surface. I found that my Apple Watch doesn't give me a really good read on my current pace, so I thought for sure I was fudging up these intervals, but I just kept trucking. Afterwards, I checked my stats on my Runkeeper app and I was actually hitting them pretty well and I felt good while doing it!! This week I bump up a few intervals from 2 minutes to 3 minutes so we shall see how well I feel during these.
Plan: 1 mi @ WU (12:42) / 8 x 2 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU / 1 mi @ CD (12:42)
Interval Splits: 8:28, 8:27, 8:28, 8:32, 8:33, 8:50, 8:43, 8:45
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These are some concrete stairs I plan on running one of these mornings...
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Friday - Rest day! I took Bay to a new park that had opened this week. She has a 1/2 mile race this weekend so we did a lap around the park which was about .35 miles in preparation for her race. She started off wayyyy too fast and refused to slow down until she had to walk. I chatted with her and told her if she ran slower she could run for longer. So we did some run/walk intervals the rest of the loop until we got back to the playground. I love that she loves to run and race. She loves the bling just like her mom. Hopefully this sticks with her.

Saturday - I had a busy day scheduled so I had to wake up suuuper early and get my 5 miles in before the sun was even up. I was totally okay with that because I find myself longing to run on my rest days and look forward to these miles to myself. After my run, I was going to be volunteering for a Triathlon that was going on. I was working a water station with a local running group. It was a lot of fun but I just don't like how they had it set up. We were the first aid station during the run portion but it was an out and back, so we had to keep a look out for both directions and it was a mess honestly. I could tell some of the triathletes were annoyed by it too. But I felt good being out there and giving back to the community. However, next year I think that I might have to actually do the race. I watched the olympic distance triathletes and only saw ONE woman in my age group. Hello, automatic age group placement. Haha. I also made signs for our station, which I thought were funny. My city bought the London Bridge from London and brought it over piece by piece connecting the city to an island. The runners just ran over the bridge before reaching our station.
Plan: 5 mi @ EB (11:10)
Actual: 5.04 @ 10:49
Splits: 10:32, 10:56, 10:52, 10:57, 10:42

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I made signs for our water station, which I thought were funny. My city bought the London Bridge from London back in the 60s and brought it over piece by piece connecting the city to an island. The runners just ran over the bridge before reaching our station.
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Sunday - I am happy to announce that I did not wake up with a St. Patrick's Day hangover. We did stay at a friend's house and may have stayed up too late, but I was feeling good in the morning. We got up and got some breakfast tacos, I watched the LA Marathon for a bit on my phone, we went to the park, then we started moving some things out of my in laws house and into OUR NEW RENTAL. YAY! We are trying to get some movers to get our stuff out of storage right now, but we are one step closer and I am SO HAPPY. I was able to get my run in in the afternoon sun, which was really nice. It was kind of windy but it help cut the heat from the sun. I did really well with keeping my pace, too. So all in all great Sunday Runday for me.
Plan: 7 mi @ LR (10:48)
Actual: 7 mi @ 10:51
Splits: 10:41, 10:45, 10:45, 10:46, 10:54, 10:59, 11:05

In other news... I committed to my fall "A" Goal Half Marathon last night because it was such a good deal. I signed up for the Navy Air Force Half Marathon in Washington, DC on September 16th!
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I have a race this week in one of my favorite cities in California: Carlsbad! Hello beach, pizza, beers, and fun! I am going to attempt to PR my 5k during one part of this race so that should be fun! Also we are taking Bay to Legoland for 2 days while we are there!! We originally were supposed to go to Disneyland but there is just too much construction at DCA, and we have never been to Legoland! Anyone been? Have any tips?

Scheduled Training 3/19-3/25:
Monday 3/19 - Rest Day!
Tuesday 3/20 - 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Wednesday 3/21 -1 mi @ WU (12:42) + 3 x 3 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU + 5 x 2 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU + 1 mi @ CD (12:42)
Thursday 3/22 - 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Friday 3/23 - Legoland!
Saturday 3/24 - 3 mi @ EA (11:57)
Sunday 3/25 - Carlsbad All Day 20k!! 15k @ EA (11:57) + 5k @ RACE (8:50)
 
Ooooh that’s on my list as a potential fall half, too. DISmeet?!

Awesome week, and congrats on the big move!!!

ETA: I love my Apple watch but it’s garbage for intervals. I finally sucked it up and got a Garmin.
 
Ooooh that’s on my list as a potential fall half, too. DISmeet?!

Awesome week, and congrats on the big move!!!

ETA: I love my Apple watch but it’s garbage for intervals. I finally sucked it up and got a Garmin.
Do it! Do it! I feel like I am going to be traveling solo for this race and I already have friends who will let me stay with them, so that will help me save some money. But I would love to meet up regardless!

I feel like I am just going to get a Garmin eventually. I keep looking at them and figuring out how to budget for one. But I waffle between getting just a running one or getting a triathlete one and getting rid of my swim watch I have now. My Apple watch is the first series and the face is cracked but I love so many functionalities of it that I don't know if I would miss it or not. I already wear my Apple on one wrist and my Fitbit on the other. Hahaha.
 


FWIW, my game plan right now is to wear the Garmin for running and the Apple Watch for everything else. We’ll see if that changes - Garmin just showed up yesterday.

Even if I don’t race that one, I’d love to meet up! I live close by and can easily spectate.
 
In other news... I committed to my fall "A" Goal Half Marathon last night because it was such a good deal. I signed up for the Navy Air Force Half Marathon in Washington, DC on September 16th!
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Did you come across a discount code or something? Mind sharing? :D
I've been thinking about that one since it's just down the road from me.
Also, just be aware that the famous East Coast heat and humidity can linger well into September sometimes, so weather may be a factor for this event. You may have to change on the fly from "A" goal to "just finish" if the temps get high enough. Last year, the Army 10-Miler, held later in the fall in early October, was actually cut short due to temps into the upper '80's!

Best of luck to you!
 
FWIW, my game plan right now is to wear the Garmin for running and the Apple Watch for everything else. We’ll see if that changes - Garmin just showed up yesterday.

Even if I don’t race that one, I’d love to meet up! I live close by and can easily spectate.

YAY!

Did you come across a discount code or something? Mind sharing? :D
I've been thinking about that one since it's just down the road from me.
Also, just be aware that the famous East Coast heat and humidity can linger well into September sometimes, so weather may be a factor for this event. You may have to change on the fly from "A" goal to "just finish" if the temps get high enough. Last year, the Army 10-Miler, held later in the fall in early October, was actually cut short due to temps into the upper '80's!

Best of luck to you!
It was a St. Patrick's special they were doing that I think expired last night, (RUN4BLING), but they do discounts often I think.
Thanks for the tip! I lived in Maryland for a few years but I am still mildly concerned about the humidity. I will be coming from AZ and it will probably still be in the 100s (with dry heat) when I leave for the weekend. So there's hoping the humidity won't affect me too much.
 
I have a race this week in one of my favorite cities in California: Carlsbad! Hello beach, pizza, beers, and fun! I am going to attempt to PR my 5k during one part of this race so that should be fun!

Oooooh, so jealous!! This one always looks so fun, but it never works out with our schedule. :guilty: Plus the medals are super cute this year. And good luck accomplishing that 5k PR!:cheer2:
 
I just replaced my Garmin 230 & Apple Watch 2 with a Garmin 645 Music. I was tired of switching back and forth. I get notifications on it and can use Garmin Pay. That's all I ever used my Apple Watch for. Well, that and the cute Toy Story watch face. I plan on picking up a dark brown leather band for when I have to be dressed up for something (which isn't often. I live in athletic clothes.).
 
Wow, those I pace intervals are fast!!
(Meanwhile, I've figured out the secret to avoiding getting scary fast paces from @DopeyBadger ... just be fast enough in your races that everyone's super impressed, but slightly slower than planned so that you don't get new paces. I can verify that this has worked for me ... so far.)

I love your London Bridge sign. Definitely gotta run fast to get over the bridge before it falls down (I have this song stuck in my head now that tells me that London Bridge is falling down ... so thank you for that, really). Although that setup with people coming from both directions is a little weird. I'm trying to remember how they did it on the out and back race I ran last year ... I think you might have had to cross to the other side sometimes to get water. I feel like there's no good way to set up water stations for an out-and-back.

Yay for registering for your fall half marathon! It's really good timing for a last attempt at good POT for Disney. Good luck!
 
Wow, those I pace intervals are fast!!
(Meanwhile, I've figured out the secret to avoiding getting scary fast paces from @DopeyBadger ... just be fast enough in your races that everyone's super impressed, but slightly slower than planned so that you don't get new paces. I can verify that this has worked for me ... so far.)

I love your London Bridge sign. Definitely gotta run fast to get over the bridge before it falls down (I have this song stuck in my head now that tells me that London Bridge is falling down ... so thank you for that, really). Although that setup with people coming from both directions is a little weird. I'm trying to remember how they did it on the out and back race I ran last year ... I think you might have had to cross to the other side sometimes to get water. I feel like there's no good way to set up water stations for an out-and-back.

Yay for registering for your fall half marathon! It's really good timing for a last attempt at good POT for Disney. Good luck!

:rolleyes1
 
We went to Legoland about six years ago when we vacationed in San Diego. We all enjoyed it, especially my sons, who were Lego crazy at the time. Definitely worth a trip if you're going to be in the area. It was such a beautiful drive from San Diego (we stopped in La Jolla).
 
Oooooh, so jealous!! This one always looks so fun, but it never works out with our schedule. :guilty: Plus the medals are super cute this year. And good luck accomplishing that 5k PR!:cheer2:
Yeah, I needed a California race and we love Carlsbad. I was so excited when the medals came out, especially the kids one. It's super cute!

I just replaced my Garmin 230 & Apple Watch 2 with a Garmin 645 Music. I was tired of switching back and forth. I get notifications on it and can use Garmin Pay. That's all I ever used my Apple Watch for. Well, that and the cute Toy Story watch face. I plan on picking up a dark brown leather band for when I have to be dressed up for something (which isn't often. I live in athletic clothes.).
Ha! That Toy Story face is really cute. I just switched mine from Minnie yesterday.

Wow, those I pace intervals are fast!!
(Meanwhile, I've figured out the secret to avoiding getting scary fast paces from @DopeyBadger ... just be fast enough in your races that everyone's super impressed, but slightly slower than planned so that you don't get new paces. I can verify that this has worked for me ... so far.)

I love your London Bridge sign. Definitely gotta run fast to get over the bridge before it falls down (I have this song stuck in my head now that tells me that London Bridge is falling down ... so thank you for that, really). Although that setup with people coming from both directions is a little weird. I'm trying to remember how they did it on the out and back race I ran last year ... I think you might have had to cross to the other side sometimes to get water. I feel like there's no good way to set up water stations for an out-and-back.

Yay for registering for your fall half marathon! It's really good timing for a last attempt at good POT for Disney. Good luck!
Thank you, thank you! I always forget about needed a POT and I usually don't care what corral I am in, but if it's gonna be cold during the WDW weekend then the closer to the start the better! LOL

We went to Legoland about six years ago when we vacationed in San Diego. We all enjoyed it, especially my sons, who were Lego crazy at the time. Definitely worth a trip if you're going to be in the area. It was such a beautiful drive from San Diego (we stopped in La Jolla).
Oh yay! I think my 6yo daughter will enjoy it since it will be new to her and she loves Legos. Plus they have an aquarium and water park. I think we will be set. I wish we could make a trip down to SD while we are there but not enough hours in the day.
 
Awesome job on those I paces. WOW!

I also love those signs you made and pretty cool about running over London Bridge.

Yay for signing up for your fall race as well. Great update!
 
Mid-Week 4 DBP#2 Report
Monday 3/19 - Rest Day!
Tuesday 3/20 - 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Wednesday 3/21 -1 mi @ WU (12:42) + 3 x 3 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU + 5 x 2 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU + 1 mi @ CD (12:42)
Thursday 3/22 - 4 mi @ EA (11:57)


We have a little California trip planned for the weekend so I wanted to do half of my weekly update today plus include some info about my race this weekend (I'm pretending I can be organized like @SarahDisney).

First off, my training has been awesome this week. I am feeling fast and strong. I have been greeted with gorgeous sunrises, which make getting out of bed a little more tolerable. So be prepared for lots of sunrise pictures.

Monday - Rest day. Took it easy.

Tuesday - I was still catching up on sleep so waking up was not easy, but I did it. Bonus that it is spring break and I don't have to worry about taking Bay to school this week so I had some extra time. My legs felt good, but I was a little fast. There was some wind resistance on the way back (uphill, of course) so that helped slow me down.
Plan: 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 4.06 mi @ 11:30
Splits: 11:11, 11:17, 11:58, 11:33

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Wednesday - This week's I Pace Intervals got bumped up a notch by adding a few 3 minute intervals in there. Like I said for last week, my Apple Watch sucks for intervals so I was doing my best. This week I was really consistent, but consistently too fast. Ah, well. I am looking into upgrading my watch from my Apple Watch to the Garmin Vivoactive 3, hopefully sooner rather than later. Anyway, this workout was hard but I nailed it and those are the most significant workouts to me.
Plan: 1 mi @ WU (12:42) + 3 x 3 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU + 5 x 2 min @ I (8:32) w/ 2 min RI @ WU + 1 mi @ CD (12:42)
Distance/Time: 5.67 mi / 59:23
Interval Splits: 8:12, 8:08, 8:14, 8:14, 8:13, 8:19, 8:17, 8:14

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Thursday - I was so tired this morning that I just snoozed until I turned my alarms off completely. I actually fell asleep with my Apple Watch on and so it was dead this morning, much like myself. I drug myself out of bed and begrudgingly got out there. I feel bad complaining about the next part because the East Coast is basically covered in snow, but it was 71* and so humid out. The sky was full of clouds, I was hot and sweaty, just not feeling it. Plus I was running half-blind and only relying on my Runkeeper app to tell me my pace every 1/2 mile. I got to the 2 miles mark and turned around and was greeted with this mesmerizing sunrise. And for the next two miles I watched it shift and change. It was perfect.
Plan: 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 4.03 mi @ 11:53
Splits: 11:29, 11:30, 12:28, 11:56

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Oh, I also got my medal in for the Hogwarts Running Club "DA 5k". I have love/hate feels for virtual races. ~Usually~ I will make sure my husband and I run them together specifically for the medal. But this time I just used the miles I was running last week to count for it. So I didn't really run for this medal, but I ran and now have this medal. In the end, money was donated to a good cause, so it was a win/win.

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Tomorrow is a rest day, but we will be at Legoland so I will be doing a lot of walk. Saturday I plan on doing my easy 3 miler on, or as close to, the beach as possible. And then...

Carlsbad 5000 All Day 20k!
This race just looked like a lot of fun. I had a great time at the last Rock N Roll event I did, although this is on a smaller scale. But I am a sucker for challenge events, so beach + 5ks + medals + fun = sign me up! Bay & DH are both running too, so we get to go home with a bunch of medals!
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Friday Plans: Legoland, Stone Brewery, Beach, Pizza Port

Saturday Plans: 3 mile beach run, Bay runs the kids race (1/2 mile), Expo, Bib pickup, Beach, Legoland, Pizza Port

Sunday Plans: Race day for me and DH! I will be running four 5ks for my race, one 5k with each age group. They used to do a special medal for the first 250 people to cross the finish line in each age group. I guess this year it's the same medal, but the ribbon says 250 on it. At first I wanted this, but looking at last year's times I just don't think it will happen. Also, since it's just a ribbon change I don't care as much anymore. But my plan is LR Pace for the first two age groups, then 5k Race Pace for my age group in hopes of a PR, and then LR Pace for the last one. If you feel like you wanna track me, here is the link: https://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=96205 (Bib# 391).
Then it is time for more pizza and beer and beach before the long drive home.

I am super ready for the weekend!
 
(I'm pretending I can be organized like @SarahDisney).

It's very easy to be organized like me. There are two steps:
1 - Make an Excel spreadsheet for everything
2 - Start writing a journal update in Word on a Sunday (if you're a Mac person, Pages works too, I just don't know how well the formatting translates ... but that may be because I'm terrible at Pages). Write about 3 sentences at a time. Finally post it three weeks later on Thursday.
It's that easy.

First off, my training has been awesome this week. I am feeling fast and strong. I have been greeted with gorgeous sunrises, which make getting out of bed a little more tolerable. So be prepared for lots of sunrise pictures.

Yay - congrats on an awesome week!

I feel bad complaining about the next part because the East Coast is basically covered in snow, but it was 71* and so humid out.

Wanna trade? This morning I ran on the treadmill and then went outside and shoveled.
Although I do hate running in humid, so ... I feel your pain.

I love your plans for the weekend (it makes me sad that I'm a little old for Legoland), and those race medals are awesome! Good luck on Sunday - I will (hopefully, assuming I don't get distracted) be tracking you to see how you do!
 

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