New Blog! New Playlist! Also 2015 Training Week 11!

So many exclamation points!

!!

So, you have probably realized that my blog was completely revamped recently.  I cannot tell you how excited I am about this.  I'll post a little more detail later on, but suffice it to say, I am super excited with the final results.  :)

Week 11 of training was a challenge because of work travel.  I had a conference in New Orleans, and between long travel days and one very long night (umm, actually only 12:30 but c'mon), it was hard to make room for the workouts.  I capped the week off with a brand new playlist, which I'll share at the bottom of this post, and a fantastic, confidence boosting long run of 18 miles.  Ready for details? Oh I know that you are.

Week 11 [March 9-March 15] 4:32:32 hours

swam: x

biked: 30 minutes (on trainer)

ran:  4:02:32 hours (27.8 miles)

Monday:  rest day

Tuesday:  walk/run track/speedwork

Wednesday: track/speedwork rest day -- travel

Thursday:  walk/run easy endurance run hotel treadmill

Friday:  easy endurance run rest day -- recovery and travel

Saturday: walk/run bike

Sunday:  18 mile long run

Yah.  So as you can see, I had to move things around quite a bit.  Only two workouts (and one was a rest day) stayed put.

Monday I rested.  After my 17 mile run, I felt I deserved it.

Tuesday was supposed to be a walk/run but I knew I would have trouble doing my speedwork any other day that week with all the travel and work, so I opted to do the speedwork on this day.  I also discovered the indoor track at the YMCA. Why ... WHY ... haven't I done this before? It was so much better than running on the treadmill!  The track is 1/11th of a mile, but for my purposes (and because I am *terrible* at math), I went with 1/10th of a mile.  The workout was:

10 minute easy + 5 x 30 seconds progressive pick-ups with 30 seconds walk recovery + 6 x 3/4 mile at alternating 7:20 and 7:40 pace with 1 minute walk and 1 minute easy run recovery + 5 minute easy run recovery.

This was a hard workout but a good one.  Did it.  Felt pretty good about it  Yay.

Wednesday I had to rest.  I had to get up at 4:00 am to get my flight, traveled all morning, arrived in NOLA, then went to a conference, then happy hour, then business dinner, then crashed very hard in the hotel bed.   A workout was darn near impossible.

Thursday morning, I ran on the hotel treadmill: 10 minute walk and then 30 minute run.  Perfect.  Thursday afternoon, I carbo loaded some beignets and coffee at Cafe du Monde.  Here is what happened:

  

If you've never had a beignet, first you must.  Second, they are like donut/funnel cake things and are amazing.  So good.  

Thursday night was busy with more business dinners and then an evening on Bourbon Street. Here are Amy and me on a balcony of the Bourbon Cowboy bar with Bourbon Street over our shoulders.

Friday.  LOL.  There was no way I was getting on a treadmill.  See above re: Bourbon Street.  I had work in the morning and then travel all late afternoon and evening.  A rest day was a necessity.

Saturday's workout was impossible timing-wise. The best I could do was 30 minutes on the bike.  Better than nothing.

Sunday.  Oh Sunday! Glorious long run Sunday!  First, it was upper 30s.  I wore short sleeves, arm warmers, capris and a smile!

No hat! No gloves! No ear warmer! No tights!  No ice or snow on the route.  It felt so so so good just to run and enjoy and not have to contend with conditions!  

The run was an 18 miles with 8 at race pace (8:15-8:25).  The workout was 8 miles at 9:05-9:30 pace, 8 miles at 8:15-8:25 pace, 2 miles at 9:15-9:45 pace.  

Here are my paces:  

Miles 1-8:

mile 1 -- 8:57

mile 2 -- 9:04

mile 3 -- 9:08

mile 4 -- 9:04

mile 5 -- 9:17

mile 6 -- 9:29

mile 7 -- 9:12

mile 8 -- 9:09

These miles felt good.  I had to consciously slow myself down.  Especially since I knew I had 8 miles of hard work ahead of me.  As for the next 8 miles ... I crushed them.  

mile 9 -- 8:22

mile 10 -- 7:51

mile 11 -- 8:03

mile 12 -- 8:09

mile 13 -- 8:11

mile 14 -- 8:11

mile 15 -- 8:14

mile 16 -- 8:12

I tried to maintain a steady, even pace (pretending I was actually racing and had to hold it for a full marathon) for these miles.  Except for mile 10 where I apparently lost my mind and ran a 7:51, I succeeded and was even a little faster than I should have been. 

Miles 17-18

mile 17 -- 9:06

mile 18 -- 9:20

I finished nice and strong. My final mile is up a pretty punishing hill home, so that one is always a bit slow.  Especially with 17 3/4 miles in the tank.  And if a great happy run wasn't enough to make me happy and dance a joyful little jig, this was waiting for me when I walked in the door:

My kind friend/coworker came through like a champ and watched the kids for me while I ran.  Molly loves when he does because he bakes with her ... and today she wanted to bake me a cake.  She insisted on all of the decorations and the message.  Cake is amazing.  

I was also feeling the need for a new playlist, so I created one the night before my run. As always, because I have no shame and because I know I have some kindred out there somewhere who actually appreciate and will copy the list, I will share it with you.  

Have a great week!


"Another Bad Playlist"

A Horse With No Name (America)
All Out of Love (Air Supply)
All Through the Night (Cyndi Lauper)
Always On My Mind (Elvis Presley)
America (Simon & Garfunkel )
Annie's Song (John Denver)
Another Night (Real McCoy)
Any Way You Want It (Mary J. Blige, Constantine Maroulis & Julianne Hough) Rock of Ages Soundtrack
Baby, Now That I've Found You (The Foundations)
Baby, What a Big Surprise (Chicago)
Be My Baby (The Ronettes)
Call Me Maybe (Carly Rae Jepsen)
Can I Get A... (JAY Z)
Can't Deny It (feat. Nate Dogg) (Fabolous)
Can't Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley)
Can't Smile Without You (Barry Manilow)
Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) (Us3)
Carefree Highway (Gordon Lightfoot)
Centerfold (The J. Geils Band)
Dance With Me (Orleans)
Danny's Song (Kenny Loggins)
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (Chicago)
Down (feat. Lil Wayne) (Jay Sean )
Even the Nights Are Better (Air Supply)
Faithfull (Journey)
Fantastic Voyage (Coolio)
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (ABBA)
Hard Knock Life (JAY Z)
Hard to Say I'm Sorry / Get Away (Chicago)
Heaven is a Place on Earth (Belinda Carlisle)
Hello Again (Neil Diamond)
Hypnotize (The Notorious B.I.G.)
I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) (Daryl Hall & John Oates)
Ice Ice Baby (Vanilla Ice)
If You Leave Me Now (Chicago)
Inside Out (Eve 6)
It Takes Two (Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock )
It's My Turn (Diana Ross)
Knowing Me, Knowing You (ABBA)
Lady (feat. Kenny Rogers) (Lionel Richie)
Lotta Love (Nicolette Larson )
Mamma Mia (ABBA)
Manic Monday (The Bangles)
Morning Train (Nine to Five) (Sheena Eason)
Open Arms (Journey)
(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away (Andy Gibb)
Philadelphia Freedom (Elton John)
Regulate (Nate Dogg & Warren G)
S.O.S. (ABBA)
Sad Eyes (Robert John)
Still (The Commodores)
Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses)
The Tears of a Clown (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles)
Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler)
Touch Me In the Morning (Diana Ross)
True Colors (Cyndi Lauper)
Waiting for a Star to Fall (Boy Meets Girl)
We Built This City / We’re Not Gonna Take It (Russell Brand & Catherine Zeta-Jones) Rock of Ages Soundtrack
What Kind of Fool (Duet With Barry Gibb) (Barbra Streisand)
Wherever You Will Go (The Calling)
Windy (The Association)
With Your Love (Jefferson Starship)
Work It (Missy Elliott)
You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)