Trizza

Thank You! Had a great day this week and getting my favorite summer food place tomorrow to break my diet for one day :-)

I turn 36 today (Yay birthday's) and so my BQ is 3:10:00

I know that feeling. You think you avoided a soaked foot and then suddenly the other foot is drenched. I'm shooting for a 99 minute run on the Half Marathon on this run. My long term goal is to get closer to the 90 minute mark. If I do that I might be able to challenge the BQ with proper training.

The Sunday rain for miles 1-6 was nice and bearable...then the last 6 was atrocious. Downpours and puddles the whole way. Yesterday was the other end of the spectrum with a light rain in the morning, but nice and hot by 12:00 when I started. The problem is that heat turned the moisture to stifling humidity. I think my Strava update says it best "It's so humid my sweat is sweating". I did a solid six though in that heat and another easy 5 today is in the plans. Haven't tested my speed yet, but I think my goal all comes down to the weather on 7/12.

Week two was finished on a good run even though the weather was terrible (downpours). I totaled 34 miles in about 5 hours of running last week. I'll be heading out for my first run this week today to start my march for a repeat at about 33 miles or so this week.

OK so I call bologna on the speed up with side stitches as they happened during speedwork again this week on my third mile repeat. I had to slow to a walk to check there wasn't a knife in my ribs and after finishing the mile at a slow jog and my 3 minute recovery I'm proud to say I finished the fourth mile repeat at my goal pace. It wasn't easy, but the stitches did stay at bay during that portion. I'm hoping it's just a hydration issue or something or running at 5K-10K paces that is causing the issue and when I try for my half marathon in 3 weeks everything is better. Speaking of the race I am officially registered for the Narragansett Half Marathon on July 12!

Damn for science I now need to try running faster next time and then correct my posture the next. Hopefully I don't get any more cases, but we shall see. Today was 5+ miles on the hilly route here and man was I sweating, but pretty good run all things considered. I'm back on track with my eating and my language studies as things got a bit off the rails with the party this weekend and now running is usually the thing to smack me back on track. I'm also looking into getting a new bike to start commuting to work this summer so we'll see how that goes, but surely a way to improve my fitness and running for races later this year.

Yeah the last 2 miles was as easy a jog as I could do to stop the stitches. After my rest day I was fine by Saturday and this weekend completed my first 30 mile week of 2015. I had a setback overall in "eating" this weekend with my daughters birthday being Sunday, but all in all it wasn't that bad. I'll be back to full tracking and healthy eating today. I did some pushups and pullups this weekend, but nothing super organized. It was a start though.

Running? Check. Eating healthy and lots of veggies? check. Bodyweight work? Nope. I just can't figure this one out and I'm afraid as I now cross 30 mpw I just don't have the energy for 3xweek of a full routine. I'm going to try getting in a routine of pushups and pullups starting tonight, but will need to see how it goes. I also had to back off my speedwork today with side stitches after halfway through my second interval. I toughed out the rest of the distance, but anytime I tried to push to a 7:15 - 7:30 pace it flared up again. So I got in 5.5 miles, but with a few walks and recovery paces added in to keep from the cramping. Tomorrow I am on my rest day, but have to commute to Boston for a work symposium. Should get plenty of steps/miles in getting around Boston. Plus plenty of good/healthy places to grab some grub. Still on track for my Duolingo goal although it's getting a bit more challenging as I progress.

I still have to call the dentist about it since the Dr said they couldn't do much except give me muscle relaxers to stop any nighttime teeth grinding that maybe worsening it. It's gotten better since then and also more aware of eating softer things and less things like gum. Anyway on to the challenge! So I still have a nagging cough and my sinuses are not perfect, but today is the kind of day that decides if you can reach that goal or not. I went out today and not only did my 5 mile run, but I added in some hills. It was the perfect day with some cloud cover and in the 70's, but rain held off for now. I am still working on my body weight work as I need to keep it about 30 minutes, but with no cardio meaning none of the Xbox fitness programs can be used. I'll try to finalize that tonight so I can get my 3 x this week. Been eating well so far this week and meeting my veggie goal with ease. I've reached 33% fluency in Spanish according to Duolingo.

Running wise it was a rest day, so not much on that front and I'm dealing with some health issues so definitely don't want to push it. I've got a head cold, sinus issue and my doctor suspects my new jaw pain might be TMD. Eating was on point for my veggies and I tracked everything. I have a five miler planned for tomorrow, so hoping the head cold moves on!

Thanks everyone for commenting. It can definitely feel like your lost in the crowd during recruit challenge. So I've decided to try Strava premium which includes McMillan training programs and use that to get my last 5 weeks in for the Narragassett Half in July. It's a tough program with some intense speedwork. It's exactly what I need. I also started the Hero's Journey 2.0 from Darebee.com and it's tougher than I thought. I did everything for level one and thought if I start now I'll be closer to finishing it during the 6 week challenge although still won't get it quite done since it's a 60 day program.

DareBee is new to me, but some of those look really interesting to try. I don't agree with the use of crunches and sit-ups, but if you replace those more with planks I might be able to piece together a routine. Thanks!

I do enjoy a spread out list. The running honestly is the easy one since I run non stop once I get going during the year. The food and workouts are tougher, but will be the big boost I think for my running to get better by being healthier. As for the Life quest I wanted to aim a bit big and really try my best.

After my successful finish to my first challenge I thought I would take a look at another goal for my second challenge, but I realized if I take away from my running to much my marathon goals later this year might be cut short. So although I not only kicked my goal's butt with a 1:42:27 half marathon time, which was also a PR, I am going for faster and better running in my second challenge. Main Quest: To reach a 1:40:00 Half Marathon time. Until I can do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs there is always the need to get faster. I am planning on running the Narragansett Half Marathon on July 12th for now. Side Quest #1: To get faster I need to run more and better. I will be running 4-5 days a week and totaling 27-40 miles each week. I should top 200 miles by the time the challenge is done. Side Quest #2: I have completely dropped my body weight work after the last challenge and find the r/bodyweight routine not my type of work. I will be doing some body weight work 3 x week, but have not set what one yet. It must work push ups, pull ups and planks. Side Quest #3: I'm in the ballpark of my goal weight now at around 170-171 pounds, but I am keeping my MFP goal set at losing 0.5 lbs/week to keep from creeping back up. My goal is to not only keep to my calories each day, but also make sure I eat 2-3 servings of vegetables a week. I have no problem getting enough proteins and fruit, but vegetables often get forgotten as the week drags on. Life Quest: A scout is worth nothing if he can't do a bit of spying on the enemy. To improve my Charisma I need to work on my skills. I will require myself to talk for longer than 10 minutes with someone not in my family and preferably not a close friend (coworker or acquaintance counts) each day. Also I am working on learning Spanish and will require 30 XP of duolingo each day (up from 20 XP goal). Lastly I will try a service like Mixxer once or twice a week to gain confidence to speak with others in Spanish. I've set the bar pretty high this time and will rely on HabitRPG to track these goals daily as well as weekly. I also prefer to update my post here daily on weekdays so I have some accountability. With a week to go I plan on using the time to refine my body weight plan and test the Mixxer system for finding a good partner.

Level up Roundup: So I did it. I broke not only my goal half marathon of 1:50, but I set a PB with a 1:42:27 finish. Previous best was 1:44. It was a beautiful day in Boston this weekend and a start time of 7:00 AM made sure the heat wouldn't be an issue by the time I finished. I really love this race and have sone it 3 times in the last 5 years. I wouldn't be surprised to do it again soon. Now it's time to add up those stat points and see where I go from here. First is the stats for Mini Quests #1, #2 and #3 which I completed. Giving me +1WIS, +1CHA and +1STA Quest #1 - I was able to heal my calf and run a great run in the half marathon giving me +1CON Quest #2 - I really did well on the snacking and while weekends were tough I was within a pound or so of my goal running weight by race day. +1WIS Quest #3 - Pushups became bodyweight training 3x week which I did every week. I felt the gains in strength during this and think it helped me get faster. +1STR Life Quest - I did not reach the goal of $12,000 in credit card debt due to reasons I discussed with changing paying bills by cash only and not using cards for the small amount of cash back. This has slightly slowed my progress, but I think only by a month. I still got a partial on this one thought +1WIS Main Quest - I did it! Run, run, run and you will succeed. 1:42:27 in the half marathon! +1STA

Victory is mine. The goal of a 1:50:00 half Mary was demolished with a personal best of 1:42:27 today at the Boston Run to Remember. This completes my Quest! I just had to share as soon as I could and I'll be back on tomorrow to wrap-up the challenge.

Well since I never get on during the weekend this looks like my last update before race day on Sunday and the real test. I've put in real work during the last 2 months and hoping that plus my added strength from the beginning of the year really pay off. I have 2 miles to run as a staying warm run today and my strength work tonight and then rest up til Sunday and then crush those 13.1 miles. Allonsy!

And the taper begins. It's really tough after being so controlled by your running to have to tell yourself no I cannot run today or no you need to stop at 3 miles on easy today. I have two runs left (today and tomorrow) set for 2-3 miles each and then nothing else until the race on Sunday. I'm confident I can crack the 1:50:00 goal and hoping I can even challenge my PR of 1:44:00, but not holding to that until I see the final weather. I've recovered from poor diet this weekend and while I'm not trying to eat for weight loss this week I am trying to stay with healthy choices. I need all the energy I can put in reserves this week.

Would having better choices for food on hand help this? Living in a house with kids has led to the impossibility that everything in the house will be fruit, veg or protein. So I constantly have to start down a bag of chips or cookies. If you have the ability to remove those options though would that help when you are ready to eat?

I decided long ago that the Scouts would be my group. I will head over to their area and introduce myself to complete this quest.

Thanks! This week I left the house at 6 AM and drank plenty of water and ate before I left. I then brought a couple of GU packs just in case. Of course you can't plan for everything... I fell after stumbling on an uneven section of sidewalk and took and epic tumble into a role and avoided any major damage. This was at mile 4 of a 12 miler and I thought "Oh no! I don't want to have to call my wife at 6:40 in the morning to come pick me up." It ended up being a light scrape on my knee although the trickle of blood by the time I finished down my leg did make for an impressive sight when I walked in the house ;-) I hope everyone is doing strong on the final week of the challenge!

This weekend was a win and a loss for me. Running and training I did amazing. I woke up both mornings before 6 AM and was out the door to run after eating something to get me going. I ran 3 miles on Saturday and 12 miles as my final long run on Sunday. I did take a fall on my run on Sunday at mile 4, but carried on with my skinned knee and finished anyway. My hip hurts a bit still, but hopefully it's just a light bruise. I also did the full r/bodyweightfitness routine on Friday night and felt it in my upper body all weekend. If I can stick with it I should see great results in my strength as well as my running. The bad news is my eating was poor this weekend as I was placed in several bad situations and fell to the stress. We ate out on Friday night and I did get a nice chicken dish, but it was Mexican so the ships before dinner are a weakness. Then on Sunday we had company in the morning and I ate a few to many sweets at "brunch" relying on my 12 miles of running. Then my family ordered Calzones and I enjoyed some of that instead of getting another salad. This would have been OK if not for also going to the movies and getting a snack (Mad Max was awesome in case your wondering) and then having something small to eat when I got home. I don't think I did terrible considering I burnt so many calories in the AM, but I didn't track after the calzone and would have been feeling better if I had at least done that part and known how bad I did.

How have the bears been this week?

So after posting an easy 3 yesterday to step down my daily mileage to increase my number of running days per week I went out on fire today for another 3. I was aiming for marathon pace (MP) of around 8:00 min/mile, but I was consistently below and finished 7:37 min/mile for the full run. Tomorrow is my off day and I'm running on Saturday for the first time. I need to get up early and run before the day starts so it's going to be a challenge for sure. I also did my body weight work last night, but feel I need to return to the r/bodyweightfitness basic routine and pickup a pullup bar ASAP! Otherwise I'm not going to make any progress. That's my challeneg before doing it again tomorrow.