Sub-20: Game On!

June 5th it's going down :D

    As I was emptying Nolan's school folder this morning I found a 5k race flyer, the race is in memory of one of our school district's assistant superintendents who passed away suddenly last year.  I remember a few years ago when I started subbing in the district he conducted my interview.  I was crazy nervous bc it was my first job interview ever, but he put me at ease telling me I pretty much had the job so let's just do some interview practice for the future.  I will always remember him as the man who helped me get through my first interview alive :)

      I knew as soon as I started reading the flyer that this 5k would be my first serious attempt at sub-20. The race begins and ends on my old HS track and the rest of the race is run on the surrounding roads that I ran so often 10 years ago.  I can feel the excitement building and in my head I've been putting together a little game plan.  I thought about it the whole way through my easy 3 miler this morning.  There are no specifics yet but it goes a little something like this:

    ~ Focus on getting some milage the next 2-3 weeks so I can get through my first half and hopefully run around 1:45 (my little knee issue kinda caused a hiccup in my training, but I do think 1:45 is still a possibility).  I'm going to have to make sure I get training in while at Disney, there is a 1 mile jogging trail on our  hotel grounds, does anyone have tips on running around Disney?  I'm not planning on a taper since I haven't put in crazy mileage.

    ~ After my half I have about a month till the race and I am going to focus on getting quality speed work in.  Sub-20 is equal to 6:25 pace. There will definitely be some LOTS of 400, 800, Mile repeats involved.  I have almost exactly 1 minute to shave off; it won't be easy but it will be worth it :)


  Prior to finding out about this 5k my sub 20 sights were set on my June 26th Firecracker 5k race.  I've ran the firecracker a few times over the past years, but I hadn't been training and racing like I am now.  Usually a bunch my coworkers from Tobay run it, it's an annual tradition.  This year I've been planning to break 20 in it , so if I don't get it on June 5th I have this race to try for it again annddd if I DO break it on June 5th. . . well I'll just have to do it again and better it!!


   Okay enough talking about it, the plan is going into action and it will be done :D  


Weekly goal review 4/3-4/10:

 ~ Attempt a 9 mile run Nope still taking things cautiously, but I've scheduled a 9-er for tomorrow

  ~ 4 mile race on Sunday Goal: Sub 28 (sub 7 pace) Very close! I consider yesterday more of a tempo run than a race.  I didn't get the gut busting feeling I get when I race all out.

  ~ Schedule ACE test for May Checked out test dates, only need to schedule 15 days in advance, once I find out when my brother is coming home from college I'll schedule (I need him to put Nol on the bus the morning of)

  ~ Prepare for Disney in 2 weeks :) Started, minor prep. . .but started :)

  ~  Nighttime Abs & Arms at least 5 nights  Mmmhhmm I'm a rock star with this one, feels good.

  ~ Track my workouts on DW page Well I wasn't and then I added my workouts for past 2 days, so I'm going to try my best to stick with it.   

Running out of time today, new week goals tomorrow.

  Also question: The only thing that is sore today is the back of my knee, I don't usually feel sore back there so possibly it is related to my knee issue? Suggestions?


One more pic from yesterday:

Sad to say this is one of my better race pics.  

Gosh my arm positioning is awful when I sprint.

Run For Autism 4 Miler

     This morning I ran the EJ Autism Foundation's Jigsaw 4 Mile Run/Walk for Autism.  Since my training has been thrown off the past three weeks due to knee pain I didn't set any lofty goals for this race.  I did want to try for sub-28 or just below 7 minute miles, but mostly I was out there because it is a Cause that I strongly support and my knee has felt better this week.

    I skipped the little pre-race attire ritual for this one and I probably would have ended up switching my outfit anyway since I thought it was going to be 60° and it was much, much colder.  I was boring today and went with black running tights, a t-shirt, and a black running jacket:

Snapped this right before I left, it's a pretty forced smile I wasn't feeling it this morning.   

            Actually yesterday I had kind of a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day 

Plus TOM, cramps, clouds. . . just overall NotSo happy.

(Also I said this once but. . . I'm a eyeliner whore)

    Told myself,  "just go out there and enjoy the music, run strong, don't push it too hard (especially in the beginning!)"  I definitely didn't have all the anxiety this time because I took a lot of the pressure off, I guess coming off a semi-injury you need to give yourself a little slack.

     The race atmosphere was nice, just cold.  The boys dropped me off and then went home (only 5 mins away) for an hour.  There's not much to say about the race, I went out there and did my thang :) One little annoying thing was that the mile timers were off, the race started a little late and that probably messed things up.  Mile 1 (which was actually at 1.27 bc of some Irish mile within the race) had me at 16:xx, Mile 2- 21:xx. . . obviously not right.  And I am still afraid to wear my Garmin in a race.  I didn't know where I was at till I was coming in the home stretch and saw the clock at 27:55.  Kicked it in and. . .          

   28:12

  (7:03)

       Not horrible, not amazing, overall I was happy and it's a PR since it was my first 4 mile race :D  If I had known I was that close to sub-28 I may have pushed it more in the last mile, Cest  La Vie.   And I was the first female special education teacher (I sub, but I'm Sp. Ed certified and sub Sp. Ed classes over General Ed  whenever I get the chance.)   For winning I received 3 books on teaching children with special needs, but due to my current career change pursuit those will probably help Matt more (he is a general/special Ed teacher too).

     Also I did feel the knee pain come back a little before mile 1 and I got really worried since it usually stays for the whole run once it starts.  It lasted maybe a mile and then I felt pretty good for the rest of it. Right now, 7 hours later, I haven't iced or taken anything and it feels fine.  Guess I'm gonna have to continue feeling it out for now.

     One of the highlights of the whole morning though was after the race.  I was waiting around for the award ceremony and for the boys to come back.  While sitting there on my own, a very nice young man came over and started talking to me.  He is part of the Rolling Thunder Running Club which is a running club for special needs individuals.  As described by the website,

"Rolling Thunder Special Needs Program is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing challenged individuals with the opportunity to successfully participate in all levels of mainstream athletics."

      I have seen the green uniforms of the Rolling Thunder at many races I have run over the past 10 yrs and I think it is such an awesome organization.  And these guys aren't just out there participating in races, they are winning and placing in their age groups most of the time.  So, Thank You Michael for keeping me company and for directing me to the Rolling Thunder website :)  After checking out the site today I'm looking forward to volunteering with the organization in the near future.  This line in particular stole my heart,

"Through competition, our athletes earn the respect they deserve as they develop the confidence and self esteem that they need to be successful in life." 

ETA pic: 

Age Group: 2/ 86  Females: 10/ 828 Overall: 56/ 1315

An Almost Chin-Up and Beach Booty Camp

     As promised I taped my sorta kinda almost chin-up.  I may have underestimated when I said "slight" bend to me arms.  That is a pretty sizable head start I have there.  While I am very happy I've progressed to this stage, it still seems like  I have just as much (or more) work ahead to get those last few inches from dead hang to where I am now.  When I try to pull-up from dead hand I go nowhere.


     This 1/2? 3/4? chin-up takes everything from my arms.  In the video I try for another one after a few minutes rest and I get stuck in the middle.  I was gonna throw in some of my sick dance moves I broke out during recording, but for everyone else's sake I edited them out.  I didn't want anyone getting envious of my skillz (real reason: you'd probably get really embarrassed for me, "poor girl doesn't know she looks like a fool.")

Beach Booty Camp

     Since  thoughts of summer now occupy 50% of my head, I b-stormed the stellar idea of writing up a kick ass bodyweight workout to torture share with my fellow Tobabes (aka Female Tobay guards).  If any of you are reading this: You've been warned :D  You three are going to be my personal training guinea pigs this summer ;)   Everyone else: You can look forward to pictures and a recap of this ass-whooping sometime in June.  Although the pictures might just be me, as it may end up that I do this by myself while everyone else points and laughs at me.

      Anyway I wanted to share the workout with you because you can do it anywhere, it requires no equipment (maybe a int. timer, but a watch can work or you could set reps for each exercise), and it kicks butt!  I chose some of my favorite Bodyrock moves for this, the ones I think are the most fun :D and don't need equip. I also added in some of my other fav moves.  Each move is done for 50 secs with a 10 sec break before the next one, do 2-3 times for a 20-30 minute interval workout.

1) Burpees (of course :D) 

2) Mountain Climbers/ Kick-ups  10/10 (I linked to video at 1:50 were Zuz demonstrates)

3) Break Dance Push-ups

4) Jumping Lunges

5) Plank

6) Alt. Toe Touches (I might tape this soon, but basically lie on your back and raise left arm and right leg to touch your toe in the middle then switch)

7) Jumping Lunge/ Mountain Climber  (Do 2 jumping lunges, put your hands down and do 2 mountain climbers, back up and do 2 jumping lunges. . .)

8) Shelf Butt Exercise ;)

9) Blaster Push- Up-  This one and #10 are the 2 moves used in this 4 minute workout, love them both :D

10) Jumper 

  It may take a little homework to figure out some of the moves, but I think it's worth it.  I really tried to pick the ones that are fun even though they are tough :)  Let me now if you try it!

  And I'll be updating when I try this out with girls (and maybe some of the guys will join the fun :)  There maybe a guest post about wanting to kill me :D  I will also bribe hire an unsuspecting bystander official photographer to catch all the action. 

   

Thanks Matty for the Baby Blue Beluga sticker!!

Better Pic:

MattyRunRun.com

He is so cute I feel like I should name him :D

     If you have tried bodyrock workouts, what is your favorite move(s)??

         Can you do a pull-up/chin-up? If not is it something you are working on or plan to work on?

This Guy Makes Me Smile

  He is 89! Amazing.

When I watched this for the first time a few days ago I had the biggest grin on my face. 

 I still can't help but smile watching him.  

He looks like he is loving every second of it :D

It must be a good day. . .

. . . I rarely ever post twice in one day (I don't have the brain cells to write that many coherent posts);  I just couldn't resist listing all the awesomeness that occurred today. Actually it wasn't all that much, but I'm easy to please :D

     Ran 5 miles today, again No NSAIDs and minimal to no pain.  I could feel a slight twinge there every once and a while, and again was nervous it would come back suddenly. Nope :D  I was thinking of trying for the 9 miler, but decided that would be pushing it and not so smart on my part.  I took it very slow (for me) 8:20-8:40 pace; if you asked me what pace I thought I was running sans Garmin I would have guessed 9:50-10:00.

      Did a pull-up today with no jump!! BUT it wasn't a FULL pull-up yet. . .my arms were slightly bent.  When I stand and grip the bar my arms have a little bend to them, in order to get a dead hang position I have to bend my knees.  Today I stood, gripped the bar, bent my knees and maintained slight bend to my arms and then pulled myself all the way up.  It was slow going and I wasn't sure I was gonna get to the top, but I did! Twice.  Monumental over here.  I'll try to record it tomorrow cause I know that description is sketchy.


 I say, that what you say. . . is what I say  (Guess the movie ;)
      Amanda at Runninghood  posted today about how she was feeling on the verge of something big and exciting.  She is always so well written and the whole post was amazing and full of optimism.  This post struck me because this is exactly how I've been feeling the past few days.  It actually feels like a mix of anxiety and excitement at the same time, not a bad anxiety just the kind where I feel I can really achieve some of the things I've been dreaming about, but it is still going to take some work and commitment. Nothing is going to be handed to me, yet I have the drive, desire, goals, plan, support, knowledge etc. to finally fulfill my visions. 
         Less than a year ago I really had no clue what any of my goals were, seriously I had NO goals. As I wrote in the comments of that post, "I was aimless."  Which is a great way to have awful self-esteem.  Now I am straight up bursting with excitement to help other set goals, achieve them, and feel that surge of confidence that comes from working towards and reaching your goals.

    I also found this chica's blog today, love it!  Jenn just went through the process of becoming an ACE certified personal trainer and had her first client today!  Reading her post today about how excited (lots of excited-ness going down in this post, sorry for the overuse but it's a good thing :D) she is about having her first client had me smiling and looking forward to the time when I'm in her position :)

  Yesterday I heard this song for the first time and I've been running, planking, dancing, bodyrocking to it on repeat for the past 24 hours:

Times I listened to it on my 5 miler today = 8+

    I haven't done much Body Rocking lately because a lot of the moves involve jumps that I'm not sure are so good for my knee right now.  I have missed it a bit, so today I just did 2 of the 4 moves that I could handle.

      I actually attempted high knees with a jumprope, but realized the first time landing on my left leg that it was in my (and my knee's) best interest to skip that part.  I did the two core exercises from yesterday's What's My Name Workout.  The "Roll it Hard Core" move with the exercise ball is killer and I will be adding that one into my nightly core routine.

Ohh Zuz, you're to charming to hate ;)

  Thanks for all the protein advice, I'm gonna check out some supplements this weekend.  In the meantime I had a can of chicken that had 48 g of protein for lunch :) Mixed with walnuts, chopped green& red apple and balsamic vinaigrette.

And that's enough enthusiasm for one post.

WIAW Ft. a Twist on Tuna Avocado Boats

   First, I ran yesterday with no pain and no NSAIDs!!  Only 2 miles, but considering that in every run I've had in the past 2 weeks the pain has started immediately after mile 1, this is really freaking good news :D  Every step of that second mile I was ecstatic there was no pain but also extremely nervous that it was going to come on suddenly.  Still preceding with caution though, I'm not out of the woods yet.

   Today I'm participating in What I Ate Wednesday again, perhaps my recovery this week has come from the insane amount of veggies I ate the past two days :D  I'm posting some meals from both Monday and Tuesday, I've been working on getting enough protein and lots of veg.  Especially since I'm going hard core this month with the pull-up work till I get it!  My muscles need that extra protein to recover and grow :D




    I'm not posting my breakfast this time since it is the same as last time and pretty much always the same: High Fiber English Muffin, PB, Apple and Banana Slices and a sprinkle of cinnamon. With coffee.

    This week with the emphasis on protein and veggies I had to add in a meal to get enough calories, well actually I split lunch in two: early lunch and late lunch.

     Monday

         I looked forward to this meal all weekend as I had picked up Mango Chipotle Salmon (Starkist) and  Fresh Chopped Mango Salsa from Stop and Shop.  I knew once I found the salsa I was going to make a variation of the Avocado Tuna Lettuce Boats I made (and loved!)  a few weeks ago.

Lunch#1

Mango Salmon Lettuce Boats:

So simple, I just mixed the Mango Chipotle Salmon with the Mango Salsa and some chopped red pepper.  Then spread generously on romaine leaves.

1 Package of Salmon = 120 cals/ 20g protein. 

Lunch #2

Orange Pepper stuffed w/ Chicken and sprinkled w/ shredded cheese:

Lousy pic, great meal.

I used 4oz of canned chicken= 120 cals/ 24 g protein

Dinner

Roasted Red Pepper and Chicken Wrap:

High Fiber Wrap (Mission Carb Balance, 120 cals/ 11g fiber/ 5g protein),

Roasted Red Peppers, Sliced Roma Tomato, Romaine, Basil, Grilled Chicken, Mozzarella and Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Tuesday

Lunch #1

Mixed Veggies with Garlic & Herb Chicken:

Steamer Bag of Broccoli/ Cauliflower/ Carrots

Garlic & Herb Chicken (Bumble Bee) 110 cals/ 24 g protien

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Lunch #2

Tossed Salad with Veggie Burger:

Romaine, Carrot Chips, Red Pepper topped with Dr. Praeger 's California Veggie Burger.

Also a sprinkle of shredded cheese and Green Godess Dressing.

I am obsessed with these veggie burgers!! Each one has 110 cals/ 4g fiber/ 5g protein and I could eat a box (4) of them as a meal with nothing else.  My mom introduced me to them :)

I didn't take pictures of last nights dinner; we had steak fajitas using the high fib wraps and mucho peppers and onions.  I did my run in the evening then iced and after taking pics for 2 days I was done, I could never be a food blogger.

I suppose there is various answers for this, but for those who are knowledgeable: How much protein would you recommend for someone trying to gain some arm strength/ muscle?  I've been aiming for 75-100 g.  My average Cal intake is approx. 1,300- 1,500.

Three Things Tuesday?

. . . because making lists of three unrelated things that happen to be on your mind is a lot easier than coming up with a real post when you got nothin.  Although oddly yesterday I thought I had too many post ideas and then this morning?  They disappeared.  The rain must have washed them away.

Sunny/Warm Days = Highly Motivated, Cleaning, Goal Making, Ass Kicking Katie
Rainy/Cold Days = Can Someone Please Peel Me Off the Couch Katie 


1) I ran 2.5 mi yesterday with no knee pain!!  Except I took NSAIDS before hand (2 excedrin) so that is most likely why.  I'm going to either run today with no NSAID before or wait till tomorrow to run again (also no NSAIDS before), still deciding.  The rain is making me think tomorrow unless I tread it.

2)  I don't know if the rest of the country has heard about the serial killer on Long Island yet but it is completely creeping me out.  I won't go into much detail (since I don't want the search hits), but 8 bodies have been found (so far) in the roadside brush only a few miles down from the beach I work at.
    
    We drive past this area on our way to work every day and a few years ago (which apparently some of the remains are up to 3 yrs old) I used to run  past this area.  The past 2 yrs though I've chosen to run on the beach or parking lot loops instead, I've never liked running on that parkway on my own.  Really there is not much to worry about as the identified women were all hired off of Craigslist, but still super creepy.  I am hoping it is solved before the beach opens because it will be even creepier to see cop cars all over the area on the way to work.


3) The Fabulous Caitlin of Fit, Fierce, and Fabulous posted some to-die-for summer sandals on her blog last week.  Being the impulsive person I am, I ordered them about 5 seconds after seeing them.  She didn't even post a link or brand for them, but I spied the hidden Seychelles logo and was on it!

 I present the Seychelles Eye of Mars Sandal:

Love

and according to tracking info they should arrive today :D

Seafoam Green also adorable:

but the pink/brown combo won out.