5K training for winter

I haven’t talked too much about my training, well, since pretty much the marathon!  Not a lot has happened since the Chicago Marathon, but I am back in training mode again.  But, this time, NOT for a marathon!

I learned a lot from training for + running Chicago.  First of all, and probably most importantly, I fell back in love with the sport of running.  Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from speedwork and monotonous workouts and just run far.  It helped me clear my head and love every second of running long distances again.

But, one big thing [for me at least] that I learned is that I LOVE to run FAST!  Don’t get me wrong, 20 mile runs are great, but I would definitely rather run 3 miles as fast as possible, and come out with a little hardware.  Selfish?  Maybe a little, but I just love the satisfaction I get out of being FAST.

Really, the turn around point was after running the Girls on the Run 5K and telling the Hubs that the overall female winner ran it in 18:06.  [Yes, super duper fast…]  He thought about it a second, then said, “Wouldn’t you want to run that fast?  Wouldn’t you rather run a fast 5K time than a marathon?”

It got me thinking.  Sure, I want to qualify for Boston sometime in my life, but I think I would rather focus on getting faster at shorter distances first.  Currently, my PR is a 19:58 – a PR I am over the moon about!  But, I would love to get down below a 19:30.  [OK, so this will probably keep getting lower if I can break it… just like I keep wanting to drop my marathon time.]  I don’t know… I guess that just makes me feel like a super-athlete, a dream I never thought I’d be able to achieve.  And too bad I figured out I actually had some speed after college, otherwise I’d have run in college!

Anyway, that brings me to my current training.  Luckily for me, there is a great race series during the winter to help motivate me.  The St. Louis Track Club puts on their annual Frostbite series – there are 2 races about every 2 or 3 weeks on Saturday morning, with distances ranging from [I think] 1 mile to a half marathon.  With my current training plan, this will allow me to run at least 2 races, 1 in December + 1 in January, before I start training for the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon.

My plan right now is the run the 3K race on December 11 and the 5K race on January 8, then take a week off completely before half marathon training begins.

Here is the current training plan.  I am already 2 weeks in, but better late than never, right?

	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
Week 1	Nov. 15	16	17	18	19	20	21
	3M easy	5x400	3M easy	30 min tempo	rest	60 min easy	4M fast
Week 2	22	23	24	25	26	27	28
	3M easy	8x200	3M easy	30 min tempo	rest	65 min easy	4M fast
Week 3	29	30	Dec. 1	2	3	4	5
	3M easy	6x400	3M easy	35 min tempo	rest	70 min easy	5M fast
Week 4	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	3M easy	9x200	3M easy	35 min tempo	rest	3K race	2M easy
Week 5	13	14	15	16	17	18	19
	3M easy	7x400	3M easy	40 min tempo	rest	75 min easy	5M fast
Week 6	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
	3M easy	10x200	3M easy	40 min tempo	rest	85 min easy	6M fast
Week 7	27	28	29	30	31	Jan. 1	2
	3M easy	8x400	3M easy	45 min tempo	rest	90 min easy	6M fast
Week 8	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	3M easy	6x200	30 min tempo	3M easy	rest	5K race	2M easy

[Adapted from Hal Higdon’s Advanced 5K.  I swear by his training plans – good mileage buildup + keeps me injury-free.  This is what works for me; it may not work for other folks!]

So, there you have it.  How I will be spending my afternoons + early Saturday mornings for the next 8 6 weeks!

Are you training for anything during the winter to keep motivated?  I would love to hear some race recaps if you have them!

thankful

I am thankful it's the weekend.

I am thankful that it is less than a week until Thanksgiving.

I am thankful there are only 2 days left of school before a 5 day break.

But, I am also thankful for my awesome job.

I am thankful for a Friday night with nothing to do.

I am thankful for the Hubs being home on a Friday night now that cross country is over.

I am thankful we had a chance to check out Sheridan's Frozen Custard for a 2nd time.


And that they had a Pumpkin Pie concrete still on their menu.


And that the Hubs let me have the last 2 bites of his Caramel Apple Pie sundae.


I am thankful that their custard was still as good as I remembered.

And for spending a wonderful Friday night with my husband.

What are you thankful for?

friday night out

Lately, I’ve been getting some slack about being a boring married couple who falls asleep on a Saturday night at 9 PM.  Although this is partially true, I was a bit offended.  It’s not that I don’t like going out… but after working with kids all week long, the weekend is kind of our time to just breathe + relax.

So, I was on a mission to prove them wrong.  We decided to have a semi-date night this past Friday.  No dinner + a movie was involved, but at least we were out of the house, right?

We started out at the Soulard Art Market for their All Media Gallery opening.  Our friend Matt is an up-and-coming photographer who was displaying some of his pieces at the gallery.  His photography is pretty awesome + unique, if you ask me.  Plus, I love going to galleries with the Hubs since he is an artist and has a great eye for amazing art + what is um, not so amazing.  But, again, Matt’s work is excellent!

[And it’s always nice to drink some free Schlafly beer while we’re out!]

Since we were out already, we figured it was a great time to hit up some frozen custard.  We drove past St. Louis Frozen Custard Factory after our trip to Dewey’s a few weeks ago and ever since, I have been wanting to try it out.

The desserts were all named different “tropical” names and, luckily, had descriptions of each dessert, which is always helpful going to a “new” place.  Of course, it didn’t take me long to decide on the pumpkin pie concrete!

The Factory’s pumpkin concrete is similar to Fritz’s in that they mix pumpkin pie mix with pie crust pieces.  I am not a huge fan of pie crust,  but the Factory’s was more of a graham cracker crust, which sweetened things up a bit.

The Hubs went for the Steel Drum-stix sundae [cute, right?] with pecans + waffle cone pieces + chocolate hard shell.

The vanilla custard I tasted from the Hubs sundae wasn’t anything too memorable.  It wasn’t bad, but we’ve definitely had better before.  Smooth, but not nearly as rich or creamy as some other places we’ve tried.

After we had our fill of custard, we headed toward home. 

I fell asleep in the car.

It was 9 PM.        

girls on the run st. louis 5K

After I finished the Chicago Marathon, I knew I needed another goal to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of marathon recovery.  [Typical recovery from 26.2 miles is said to be equivalent to 1 day for every mile run.]  I gave myself 5 weeks to recover:  1 week right after the marathon with very little, light running, and then 4 weeks of progressive training, with each week getting a little harder.  [Check out Hal Higdon’s Marathon Recovery to view what I used to recover from Chicago.] 

This meant I needed wanted  a race to do at the end of those 5 weeks.  My original plan was to run the Run to the Lights 5K in Branson, MO, which was a 10 PM race running the streets of Silver Dollar City on the opening weekend of their Christmas festival.  The Hubs and I have been dying to do this race, but by the time I went to sign up, it was already full.  Boo.

So, I was in search of a new race, and luckily, I already had one in mind for the weekend of November 13:  the Girls on the Run St. Louis 5K!  Girls on the Run is an after-school running group for 3rd through 8th grade girls where they meet up not only to run, but to learn things about self-esteem, responsibility, and overall well-being.  Some of my 5th grade girls are part of this fabulous organization, so I wanted to show them my support as they ran their 5K.

I picked up my race packet the night before, and actually had to take my D-tag from Chicago off my shoe. :o(  But, the shirt + water bottle make up for that!

 

Fortunately, the race didn’t start until 9 AM this morning, so I had plenty of time to sleep in and head down to Forest Park for the race.  I ate a banana + peanut butter [I can’t decide if I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s Valencia PB… it’s a little too savory tasting for me – I like my PB SWEET!] before leaving so I would have plenty of energy for the race.

Since I am still technically recovering from Chicago [believe me, I feel 100x better than I did 5 weeks ago], I didn’t want to go all out for this race.  When it comes to racing, I have an all or nothing mindset.  “Why would I enter a race if I didn’t have a chance to PR or win?”  I usually enter small races because I know I can finish well in them, but with 5,000 people running this one, winning wasn’t going to be happening.  So, instead, I wanted to go out, have a good time, and race comfortably… push myself, but not KILL myself.

I moved my way up to the front of the pack, just behind the elite runners – anyone planning to run under 20 minutes, and although I’ve just barely broken 20 minutes before, I knew it wasn’t going to happen today.

When the gun went off, I settled in to a comfortable pace – something I knew I could keep for 3.1 miles.  I ran my first mile at a 7:10 pace, way faster than what I felt like, but I was happy.  I passed a couple people and finally caught up to a sweet little girl decked out in all pink at about the half way point.  We ended up running the rest of the way together, as I gave her some encouragement along the way.

All of a sudden, it wasn’t about time or medaling anymore.  I ran the last half of the race with a huge smile on my face!  It felt amazing to be pushing and encouraging this girl I didn’t know.  At the 2 mile, this tiny little girl and her dad flew past us.  I encouraged my girl to keep up with her, but she stayed along side me, right on their heels the rest of the race.

Once I saw the finish, I told her to pick it up and go.  We sprinted the last 0.1 in together and I gave her a pat on the back.  I didn’t even know her name, but I still felt… I don’t know… empowered?  I guess.  It just felt good to be helping her along the way, and she thanked me for pushing her.  It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment, even though I didn’t PR [I ran a 22:28, which I am so happy with] and missed placing in my age group [I was 4th].

Overall, it was an awesome race!  I LOVED the signs along the way… “You are strong!”, “You are responsible!”, and my favorite, “You don’t have to brush all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep!”  Ha!  I will definitely be doing this race again, and hopefully dragging some people to run it with me to support this amazing organization!

Sidenote:  You can support Girls on the Run by donating your time as a coach or money to go toward the school of your choice.  Or become a Solemate!  Raise money for GOTR as you train for your next race – I plan on becoming a Sole Mate for the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon in April – plus, you get a discounted entry fee!

emotional eating

After writing that post last night, I needed a little something sweet to make me feel better.  Call it emotional eating if you must, but I haven’t had my silky smooth frozen custard in WEEKS!  A good cry + some pumpkin custard can make any day feel better.

And we still have a few places we need to get to before they close for the season.  [Some custard stands are outside and/or drive-thru only, where as others – think Culver’s – have indoor sit-down areas.]  One of the places I have been wanting to revisit was Silky’s.

Not only because their custard is the “world’s smoothest” [it’s pretty darn close!], but also because their pumpkin concrete is completely different than           any other frozen custard stand that I can think of.  And, you know, I must try EVERYTHING pumpkin flavored – but that’s a whole other post…

Silky’s Frozen Custard doesn’t put pumpkin pie mix or a piece of pumpkin pie in their custard.  No, they came up with their own version of the pumpkin concrete by mixing a pumpkin cookie into their deliciously smooth frozen custard.  I’m thinking it is like the Little Debbie Pumpkin Delights.

[source]

Vanilla custard + pumpkin oatmeal cookie + whipped cream… It definitely wasn’t the best pumpkin concrete I’ve had, but I did like it a lot.  The best 3 bites were the last 3 – a big chunk of oatmeal cookie in each bite.  YUM!  Seriously, if there is any frozen custard stand actually reading my blog [which is doubtful], an oatmeal cream pie a la Little Debbie would make an amazing concrete mix-in.  I’m just sayin’…

The Hubs of course came a long and broke his sundae habit and ordered a Grasshopper Concrete, with Oreos instead of chocolate chips.  [The picture was terrible… nighttime + dark car doesn’t equal good food photography].

I just love the creaminess of Silky’s.  They still top my list as one of my favorites.  Too bad they’re only open for a couple more weeks… but I have plenty of other places to try and more to get to before they close for the season!

grandpa

I’ve been putting this post off for far too long.  I think I’ve been afraid to be vulnerable on this blog, but honestly, I think this is the closure I need.  Blogging is my creative outlet and a way for me to get out my thoughts.  So, please bare with me as I get a little emotional with this post…

Last week was a roller coaster of emotions.  From the happiness + tears of joy for one of my best friends on her wedding day to grief + tears of sadness at the loss of my grandfather the same day.  But, I don’t really think the weight of my grandfather’s death really hit me until we started walking down the aisle behind his casket at the funeral.

When my aunt asked us to share some Grandpa memories, I honestly couldn’t think of any… and I think that is because there are too many to count.  He was the best grandfather I could have possibly asked for and I am so blessed to have gotten to spend 26 years of my life with him.

This past summer, I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time visiting him in the nursing home.  Although I hate that my last memories of him are of him in pain and telling us some crazy [albeit pretty funny] stories, I loved that I got to spend that much time with him before he passed away.

At one point this summer, Grandpa was put on some appetite stimulants, so I brought him cookies pretty regularly to help him put back on some weight he had lost while in the nursing home.  He actually called me one morning and told me to hurry up and bring him more cookies!  Luckily, I love to bake, and had some time on my hands [since I was jobless], so that was never a problem!

So, in memory of my grandpa, I made one last batch of cookies this weekend.  I had some extra ripe bananas that I really needed to use and it just so happened that Angela [Oh She Glows] posted a recipe for some Oatmeal Banana Cookie Bites that sounded amazing.  [You can check out her blog for the recipe.  Her photos are also extraordinary + put mine to shame.]

These taste just like chocolate chip banana bread and they are DElicious!  The only change I made was that I used sweetened coconut, just because that’s what I had on hand + because I think it tastes WAY better.  I also used a cookie disher to put them on the pan, so they ended up making 25, instead of 17. 

They are the perfect one-bite cookie… great for Grandpa since he had difficulty holding things after losing some feeling in his hands + feet.

I will truly miss my grandpa more than I thought was possible.  He was an amazing man.  Of all the things I will take away from my 26 years with him were that FAITH + FAMILY are the most important things in life. 

All 9 of his grandchildren [I’m smack-dab in the middle] went to Lutheran grade schools and he was actively involved in both his church + the local Lutheran high school that my aunts + dad went to and where my brother now teaches.  His Bible was tattered + torn from writing sermon notes every Sunday in the front pew of church.  He taught Sunday School for years and I don’t think he EVER missed a church service until the bus broke down and couldn’t pick him up at the nursing home.

If it wasn’t for my faith in God, I don’t know what would be getting me through this difficult time.  My grandpa has so much to do with my faith and I will never forget that or let that go by the wayside.  Unfortunately, my future children will probably not go through the Lutheran school system, but you better believe they will be raised in a loving, Christian household the way I was and the way my parents both were.  It’s my faith that keeps me afloat day in and day out.

Grandpa, you will be dearly missed.  As our Grandparents Day assembly at school approaches, I will be thinking about you.  I know you would’ve been there to share your wonderful stories and brag about how you have the oldest grandchild in the school.  Thank you for everything you have taught me and for loving me unconditionally.  Not a day will go by that I won’t think of you…