Happy Girls Half... and beyond

This May I ran the Happy Girls Half Marathon in Bend, OR. While this wasn't my first half marathon event, this time I tried something different and I worked with a Physical Therapist (Jay) and Coach (Stephanie) at Rebound Physical Therapy to keep injury free and improve my performance.

May - and Happy Girls - feels like a long time ago. I guess it was. School was still in session. It was still sort of "winter" in Bend. I was still running and training. A lot. But let's rewind and I'll do the best I can to sum up.

Bay to Breakers (2013)

This May I'm running the Happy Girls Half Marathon in Bend, OR. While this isn't my first half marathon event, this time I'm trying something different and I'm working with a Physical Therapist (Jay) and Coach (Stephanie) at Rebound Physical Therapy to keep injury free and improve my performance.

Months ago, my family planned a quick trip down to the Bay Area to visit friends and check out college campuses. I couldn't believe how quickly our trip came and went, though. Scott, Stinky (yes, I still call him that!), and I traveled down Wednesday after school and returned on Sunday. It was an ambitious and busy "long weekend!" We toured San Francisco on foot and via MUNI, visited Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, and attended Maker Faire in San Mateo. On Sunday, before the long drive home, a friend who lives in the area humored me and we both ran in the Bay to Breakers event.

In short, it was a fantastic trip. Bay to Breakers was just what I needed to get my mojo back.

Happy Girls Half Marathon Training - Going Mental

This May I'm running the Happy Girls Half Marathon in Bend, OR. While this isn't my first half marathon event, this time I'm trying something different and I'm working with a Physical Therapist (Jay) and Coach (Stephanie) at Rebound Physical Therapy to keep injury free and improve my performance. 

My goal race is a week from tomorrow. Over the last few weeks I've experienced a wide variety of training "firsts" but there's also been some good progress made. Most of the bad stuff is mental. I'm probably my own worst critic so it's difficult when I don't do as well (or as much) as I think I should. Luckily Jay seems to think I'm making excellent progress with my strengthening program. It's nice to get validation! And feedback and information from Stephanie has been helpful too - especially lately for nutrition. Here are some of the recent highlights.

Shamrock 15k - Nutrition Edition

For those who are interested, here's how I "fueled the furnace" for the Shamrock 15k in Portland.

Shamrock 15k (2013)

I registered for the Shamrock 15k because it seemed like good timing. The 9.3 mile distance matched my training goals pretty closely and I really wanted the great finisher medal that doubles as a bottle opener. It was also on my event "bucket list" and I figured I would do it once and that would be plenty. It's a huge event - 35,000 runners and walkers total - and it's in Portland so that means it's a weekend trip for me. A friend of mine was also interested so we registered together and made plans for a road trip.

Happy Girls Half Marathon Training, Week 3

This May I'm running the Happy Girls Half Marathon in Bend, OR. While this isn't my first half marathon event, this time I'm trying something different and I'm working with a Physical Therapist (Jay) and Coach (Stephanie) at Rebound Physical Therapy to keep injury free and improve my performance. 

This morning I met with Coach Stephanie to "check in" on how things are going with the training plan she created for me. First off, I am really happy with the plan. It's a great mix of the workouts and schedule I'm comfortable but it has some extra components (like Tempo runs and Fartleks) that are new to me. The mileages look reasonable - just a little on the scary side but not too bad. Since I have a lot of travel coming up over the next few weeks which might make regular training challenging, that's also taken into consideration. It's not wildly different from typical training plans but having someone who understands your personal situation is helpful when you're as busy as I am.

Happy Girls Half Marathon Training, Week 2

This May I'm running the Happy Girls Half Marathon in Bend, OR. While this isn't my first half marathon event, this time I'm trying something different and I'm working with a Physical Therapist (Jay) and Coach (Stephanie) at Rebound Physical Therapy to keep injury free and improve my performance. 

Today I was excited for my first follow up visit with Jay. I was less anxious because I knew a little bit more about what to expect from my visit. I had been pretty good about doing my daily exercises - those clamshells are painful! On Sunday I did my planned "long run" of 7.5 miles and my glutes were really sore afterwards. Aside from that, I was interested to see what progress I'd made - if any.

Happy Girls Half Marathon Training, Week 1

This May I'm running the Happy Girls Half Marathon in Bend, OR. While this isn't my first half marathon event, this time I'm trying something different and I'm working with a Physical Therapist (Jay) and Coach (Stephanie) at Rebound Physical Therapy to keep injury free and improve my performance. 

This morning was my evaluation and first visit with a Physical Therapist (Jay) at Rebound. I had been asked to wear "typical running gear" so I had on the usual shoes & capris, and light shirt since we were indoors. It's been so cold outside that it felt a little odd not to "layer up" before a workout. I arrived early which was nice so that I could relax a little and get a feel for the environment at Rebound. There were several people exercising in the large workout area behind the reception desk, but other than some music it was pretty quiet. I wondered if they were patients or if there's a fee to use the equipment in the morning on the way to work, but we got busy pretty fast and I forgot to ask about it.

Runniversary

I've been running for a year. March 16th was officially my first "runniversary". Wow!

Guess what? I still don't like to run, but I don't hate it any more. It's wiggled into my life and become part of my routine. If I skip a workout on a "running day" my body knows it. If the weather is bad, I find a way to do it anyways. Even if it means running in the snow.

Snow Run

It was with trepidation that I stepped out into the cold this morning, with Yak Traks stretched over my running shoes. It was a beautiful morning though. The clouds were burning off and blue sky was taking over.

Salmon Run

Today I ran the Salmon Run 5k with some girl friends... Melinda, Kate, and Shannon. It was breezy and cool, but we warmed up quickly once we started running. I was definitely grateful for my new arm warmers! I did better than I thought I would, especially since training for the last week has been a little erratic for me.



Melinda, Shannon and I have been running together on a fairly consistent basis. It's nice to meet up with friends for a workout, and it's definitely motivating to know that someone else will be there. After the 8 mile hike in Kauai I gave myself a few days off from running, and it definitely came back to bite me during my first few days back in training.

Despite this I managed to run almost the entire 5k, slowing for a 3-minute walk break after about 30 minutes. I ran the last 5 minutes, and I finished slightly faster than I did for the Light of Hope 5k last month. I definitely didn't feel as strained. So... some progress is definitely showing.

In a few short weeks it'll be time for the "goal race" ... the Pacific Crest 5k at the end of June. (And, my 35th birthday.) We're already talking about what to do after that race. Shannon's talking about a 10k in September. Hmmm...

Light of Hope

Today I participated in the CASA "Light of Hope" 5k with Shannon and Fawn (well, for the first leg then she left us in the dust...). Shannon and I did our "regular" Couch to 5k workout rather than kill ourselves trying to run the whole way. One of my big goals is don't get hurt... which is sometimes easier said then done. Especially when you are a klutz like me.

So we didn't set any land-speed records... but we did finish in under 40 minutes. Not bad, considering 5 weeks ago I was winded after running for one short minute. Now a five minute leg is a breeze... and eight minute legs aren't so bad either! Training is going pretty well and it's definitely been helpful that friends joined in. On the days I just don't feel in the mood, I go anyways. And I pretty much always feel good about it! I can already see a big change in my mood and my body shape. My "fat pants" fall down, and some clothes I haven't worn for a while are starting to fit again. It feels pretty darn good to put those on, I tell ya!

Next up is the Salmon Run 5k on May 2nd... I don't know if I'll be up for running the whole distance but it'll be a good experience and I'm looking forward to it!