Easy 45-60 Minute Run & CrossFit

Haven't gotten out there to run yet, but will after the baby's nap. He's going to be my running partner today. We're going for an easy 45-60 minute run at a relaxed pace. Then during his next nap, I'm going to do the CrossFit WOD. Three rounds of thrusters and pull-ups for time, 21 reps each, then 15 each, then 9. I love those workouts! Although the weight I'll be using for the thrusters is very light because I haven't gotten a barbell yet, and I don't want to take the baby to the gym.

Not much to post today. Tomorrow will be the tough speed & tempo run, and I'll get to lead my daughter's class in the Just Run program again. :)

I'll log today's total miles a little later.

Okay, did the run and the CF WOD. Never fails, I always feel a little "wobbly" after those CF workouts! But it's a good wobbly I guess.
TOTAL MILES: 5.9

Recovery Run Day

Just a recovery 4 Miler today, followed by 6 x 100 meter strides. It's a rest day at CrossFit too. Going to enjoy the day with family and run later.

I checked the official results for the 5K I ran Sunday, and my chip time was 22:19. I finished 30th overall out of over 200 runners. Second overall female. The more I think about that race, the more grateful I feel. Running is truly a gift from God. I often think of the many people out there who can't run because of illness, injury or physical disability. In a lot of ways I run for them. I might not know them personally, but their spirits lift me when I run.

Here are some fun pictures I've been meaning to share.

I took this picture after a run the other day when I was standing waist deep in our chilly pool. I thought the reflection of the trees was beautiful. Those cottonwood trees were planted by my husband's dad. I tell the kids they're "Grandpa's trees."

Here's my little guy reading. I love it when he does that!

He's so happy because he knows he's about to chow down on some grub.

There's my little girl! This was taken the night before the marathon I ran in December. Loading up on those carbs was the BEST! I polished the meal of raviolis off with some cheesecake, my favorite dessert.

TOTAL MILES: 4

Holy Humbling Hills

I just completed the 10 miler with hills. I drove to my parent's town (near Yosemite) and ran there. The roads here are either up or down, no in between. On some of the uphill I was leaning so far forward it felt like I could touch the ground in front of me. And the downhills were so steep, my legs wobbled after I'd get to the bottom of a hill.

First 6 miles took me 58:10 (9:41 pace). The last 4 miles took me 37:05 (9:16 pace). Yea, little slower today.

There are so many schools of thoughts on hills. My question is do you "attack" the uphills on your runs or do you pace yourself up the hills? (These grades ranged from what felt like 4% to at least 8% or steeper).

And regarding the downhill, do you coast downhill letting momentum take you, or do you control the stride downhill?

Feel free to chime in. Thanks for any and all answers in advance!
TOTAL MILES: 10

"Angie" results

To quote a Lance Armstrong phrase after his NYC marathon debut:
"OH. MY. GOD. OUCH. TERRIBLE."

Here's the playground Mike built over the last week where I did today's workout.

80 "kipping" pull-ups broken down into sets of 10.
60 push ups, I dropped to knees at 30.
85 sit-ups broken into 3 sets of 25, then a lone 10.
100 squats, my quads are burning now.

I feel like I ran a race. I don't know which exercise hurt the worst, but the push ups and sit ups were a lot harder than I thought they'd be.


Here's the pull-up bar Mike built for me today, so I could actually do this crazy workout.

If it weren't for the platform assisting me on the kipping pull ups, I wouldn't have been able to do more than 10. That just about kicked my butt. Wait, it DID kick my butt.

Time to rest and relax with the kids and Mike! Yaaaay!

(I LOVE) CrossFit Day

Okay folks, this one you can do at home (if you have a pull-up bar somewhere) or at the gym. I started CrossFit at the beginning of January and I can tell it has helped my leg and core power, and my piriformis issue is pretty much gone. Today's workout is:

"Angie"
For Time, complete:
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats (body weight only)




I'll be lucky to get 50 of each! Give it a try today and see how you feel for the next few days... Have fun and let me know if you tried it!

12 Mile Run

I ran in the rain and it was quite peaceful actually. The first 4 miles were at a good recovery pace of 9:15. Then on the turnaround, another runner came up from behind on the same trail and said, "What are you training for?" I said, "Boston." He said, "Me too."

Turns out he was out for a 16 mile run today. Since we were running the same trail, we ended up running the next 8 miles together. He knows a few runners that I know or had heard about, so we were able to talk shop during the run. His "easy" pace was about 8 minute miles, so I told myself to dig in and run with him. I ended up doing the last 8 of my 12 at an 8:07 pace. Apparently his marathon PR is 3:11! This April will also be his first Boston.

Anyway, it felt good to push the pace a bit, especially over a longer run like that. I'm definitely going to rest tomorrow and gear up for some hill work on Tuesday. I'm tired, and craving ice cream!
TOTAL MILES: 12
WEEKLY TOTAL: 31.1

The Race Report

We're home from the race and it was a blast! I didn't realize it is a 24 year old race.

Weather was sunny, felt warm and about 60 degrees.
We we got there at 9:45 a.m. and the 10 Mile race was to start at 10:00, while the 5K (my event) was on tap for 10:15. Plenty of time, or so I thought. By the time I got my number and visited the port-o-potty, it was 10:00. So I got on with my merry warm up jog and as I jog by the starting area I hear everyone yelling, "The races start together, LET'S GO!" What??? Oh crap, I don't even have my number pinned on me yet! I ran over to my husband, grabbed my number and he helped me pin it on and then ran over to the starting area and squeezed in between some high school cross country runners.

My total warm up time was about 3 minutes long. Not good, especially after sitting in a car for almost 2 hours.

After falling into the start line crowd, we ended up waiting until 10:15 for the race to start! I could've kept warming up.

Gun goes off and it's a crowded start. I was able to get into a good position and go. I felt the lack of warm up at about :45 into the race. The lactic acid started to creep through my body from neck to ankles.

I slowed down just to get my energy back and it helped. The first half of the 5K was nice and flat with a downhill elevation. What I failed to consider was at the turnaround, I would have to go back on a slight uphill.

Mile 1: 6:48. It felt good after slowing down in the beginning. I felt strong.

Turnaround: 10:45. Sweet, almost over! Less than 2 miles to go.

Mile 2: (No idea what my split time was). I was starting to feel fatigued, maybe from the slight uphill elevation.

Somewhere around the last half mile, a hill appeared out of nowhere! I looked at it and thought, "Oh crap. A hill." I wish I had known. It was about 1/4 mile long and I attacked it the best I could. I got to the top sucking wind and never got my breath back. I think I jogged the last part of the race to the finish.

Gun Time: 22:25
Watch Time: 22:20
I'm pretty happy overall because my average pace per mile was 7:12. I've never run that fast in a race as an adult. This was my first official 5K since high school.

They actually had chip timing but we won't know the official time for a day or two or three.

THE GOOD NEWS: I came in 1st in my age group - 30-39.
The female ahead of me was a 17 year old cross country runner, and as I saw her run by me after she hit the turnaround I knew I wouldn't catch her.

A beautiful city to race in. It's a California Mission city with lots of historic buildings. I'll do it again for sure.

Still gotta make my goal of a sub 22:00 5K. I'll do it this year!
TOTAL MILES: 3.1

5K Race Day

On schedule is a 5K. I'll be starting at 10:15 a.m. come rain or shine. Unfortunately I think it will be rain. My goal is to break 22 minutes. God willing. I'll report back later. Have a great Saturday morning! Watch cartoons. :)

JustRun.org & Track Workout

We had the first running "practice" today at my daughter's school. I'm using the Just Run program. The kids did great and they loved to run. We played running games and did some relays. The half-hour went by quickly and they were very happy the whole time. They asked if I could come every week. I told them, "Of course!" Their teacher had already planned for that.

After the kids went back to class, I ran to the track nearby and did the following workout:
4 x 800, each split was 3:15 exactly! Miraculous!
4 x 400 @ 1:33, 1:35, 1:36, 1:34
Ran back to kid's school for cool-down.

Feel great now. Just gotta get the baby down for his nap and then soak in the chilly pool, while the kids play.
TOTAL MILES: 5

Recovery Run & Cross Fit

Ran a very easy and enjoyable 3.4 miles today, followed by 6 x 100 meter strides. It felt nice to loosen up after yesterday and to run without pressuring myself.

Afterward I did the CF Workout of the Day (WOD). 75 total Overhead Squats, try to complete as many sets possible without stopping. Okay, so my legs felt strong, but my upper body, specifically BACK, felt so tired and weak. I only used 20 pounds (the CF die hards use 95#) and I had to break the 75 into 4 sets of 15 and 1 set of 10. I'm jittery right now, my muscles feel worked!

Time to go into work (yup in uniform). See you tomorrow and be safe!
TOTAL MILES: 4

2 x 3 Miles @ Tempo

I'm very pleased w/ today's workout. I ran 1 mile easy for the warm up. Here's the rest:

First loop was 3.04 miles @ 22:09 (7:17 pace)
.3 mile recovery walk (approx. 5 minutes)
Second loop was 3.13 miles @ 22:51 (7:18 pace)

While I ran the 2nd I felt like I had slowed way down, but much to my surprise I was just a second slower.

Couple more easy days before the race Saturday. I'm going to do a 5K instead of the 2-mile.
TOTAL MILES: 7

Here She Is, Miss America & a Birthday

It's my younger brother's 36th birthday! Man, that means I'm OLD. Happy birthday, Lee. I hope you have a memorable, happy, fun, blessed day.

My niece, Kamryn (Lee's youngest daughter), will be making her modeling debut in the February Pottery Barn Kids catalog. I got a sneak peak before distribution though, and thought I'd share it will you all. She's the tallest in the picture (okay, and the cutest, but I'm biased)! She's also got a beautiful big sister, named Kayleen, who I am sure will be gracing some magazine's pages too, soon enough.


On tap for running today is 2 x 3-Miles @ Tempo pace. Should be a good one and I'll do them at lunch, then report back.

Good morning, by the way! I'm going to have coffee now.

DEENA KASTOR is running BOSTON!

Deena Kastor just after crossing the finish line in Athens

I'm such a running nerd, so forgive me. But my ALL TIME FAVORITE RUNNER, Deena Kastor, announced today that she will run this year's Boston Marathon. I am so excited! Granted she'll finish about 1-1/2 hours before me, but I will be running in her fast little footsteps and feel inspired. Ever since I watched her win the Bronze medal in the 2004 Women's Olympic Marathon in Athens, I have been a loyal fan. She came from behind (at one point being in 28th place), suffered through the heat and humidity (80-degree weather) and pulled out a medal for the U.S.A.! When she entered the stadium they announced her name, and then they announced she was in position for the Bronze. At this point she broke down crying as she continued toward the finish line. When she crossed the finish line she was bawling into her hands, dropped to the ground and kissed it! I lost it and started bawling myself, extra proud to be an American, AND a runner. I told you I was a nerd.


Here she is again, setting the American Record in 2006 for the Women's Marathon. That's 26.2 miles at a blazing pace of 5:19 per mile!


Thanks all for sharing my enthusiasm (or at least pretending to).
C'ya tomorrow.

Long Run w/ Fast Finish and GREAT News

What a nice day today! Mikey was home and almost finished the kid's playset in the backyard. They'll be so excited to see it nearly done. The sun was shining, the breeze was slight. Perfect day for a run. After taking a short nap (still catching up on sleep from Saturday night), I headed out for my 13 miler with a Fast Finish. I love those types of runs, where you can cruise the bulk of the miles, and then go all out at the end. Here's how the run worked out:

First 10.64 miles in 1:34 (8:50 pace)
Last 2.66 miles in 19:48 (7:26 pace)
Total 13.3 in 1:53:48 (avg pace of 8:33)

I felt very winded toward the end, and my calves and hamstrings are feeling a little tight right now. I didn't have sports drink, only water.
I'm glad to have it done and on the books!

The great news is my daughter's teacher called me and starting this Friday, I will be leading her class in a running group. We're starting with just one-half hour per week, and if the kids enjoy it we'll do two sessions per week. This was all my girl's doing. I'm so proud of her for taking the initiative, and I'm so excited! I'm hoping I can also lead a running group for my son's class, although he doesn't seem as excited to run these days. He wants to play baseball (of course)!

I wanted to start a Girls On the Run here in our county, but it was too expensive for our budget. I'm praying I can teach the kids (boys and girls) with the same type of philosophies as Girls On The Run but geared toward every child, not just girls.

Have a good night all and c'ya tomorrow.

TOTAL MILES: 13.3

Need Some Sleep

I thank God.
I survived a night on patrol and made it home safely to my sleeping family and warm house. What a night lastnight. Very busy, very violent. My partner and I were first to arrive on scene at a shooting. Multiple victims had been shot, and one stabbed. Fortunately none of their injuries were life threatening. One was critical, but stable. Overall a hectic night, but the shift went by fast. I'm so glad to be home.

After getting only 3-1/2 hours sleep, I've decided to take most of this day to rest and lay low. I'll probably even take a nap (or two). Tomorrow is a 13-miler with a Fast Finish (last 2-3 miles at Tempo pace). I feel bad skipping church this week. But we'll be going next week.

TOTAL MILES: 0

Saturday Sore Day & Maybe Rest

This is what I do within 30 minutes or so after a hard run. I sit in a chilly pool for about 10 minutes (no more than that) and it really alleviates a lot of soreness and swelling. If I didn't do this, I imagine I'd be much more sore. I might take a full rest day today instead of running the 45-60 minutes on schedule. I'm going to work later this afternoon and need all the extra energy I can get. Somehow wearing a duty belt and armored vest for 10 hours doesn't sound appealing right now because my torso and upper body are a little sore, but I am looking forward to being out there on patrol again.
Be safe and have a great Saturday!
TOTAL MILES: 0

Speed Workout Day

I think I'm going to throw up. Not joking. I just had my post run snack (recommended ratio of 4 carbs to 1 protein), and I hope that prevents a full on migraine. That's how lightheaded I feel.

Here are the details of today's run- The workout portion is supposed to be done without stopping, but I walked fast when drinking water.

1 mile warm up, easy pace
2 miles @ goal pace. Splits were 8:30 & 8:40. (A little slower than I'd like).
4 miles @ Tempo pace. Splits were 7:13 (wow, too fast), 7:47 (getting tired), 7:58 (ugh, what happened) and 7:22 (that's more like it). Tempo finished in 30:20, avg. pace of 7:34 per mile, an 8 second improvement over last week's tempo.
2 miles @ goal pace. Splits were 8:50 (oh man, I was hurtin'), and 8:25.
1 mile cool down, (let's face it, folks...I could barely jog at this point so I walked half of the cool down.

I'm going to eat with Mike and the baby, pick the kids up from school and spend a mellow afternoon recovering.

Remind me never to do a hard cross training day between two hard days of running. Mistake, big mistake. I'm hurting.
TOTAL MILES: 10

Recovery Run & Cross Training. A haircut too.

Expecting a high of 60-degrees today. I love running outside in weather like that. Today is a 4 mile recovery run (aka EASY run). I love these! I will follow it up with CrossFit WOD (workout of the day), which is:
Complete as many rounds possible in 20 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats (with weight on barbell). I'm still doing the "jump" pull-ups for now, but they still make me sore.

We took the baby for a big haircut yesterday. His hair was so curly before we got it cut, but now he looks like a little boy instead of a baby. Oh, he's growing so fast.



TOTAL MILES: 4
CrossFit Total Rounds: 6 using 55# total for the squat weight. I wasn't able to get in the last set of squats within the 20 minutes, so I only did 5 sets of those. Darn (said with a BOAT load of sarcasm). I don't know if I'll be able to move tomorrow, let alone run the speed workout on schedule, but we'll see. Where's the Ibuprofen???

(Virtual) Hill Running Day

These are the beautiful hills and trails...
...where I used to run every week

I miss running the trails in the foothills of where I used to live. It's flat as a pancake here so I do hill training on a treadmill at the gym. Oh well, at least it's running, and I'd gladly live here with my husband and family anyday than over there without them!

I ran 9 miles with 20 minutes total uphill time. I varied the inclines from 4.5% to 7.5%, and varied speeds from 8:50 - 9:00 minute miles. I ran each incline for 1 minute and ran a 1.5% incline in between for 1 minute recovery. My left shin started to feel sore toward the end so I slowed to a 9:00 pace and it felt better. As soon as I got home, I heated coffee and sat in the 40 degree pool for 10 minutes. That is warmer than it has been! It actually felt great, no joke.

Yesterday I did a little CrossFit cross training. Hand Stand Push Ups (HSPU) combined with Deadlifts. I did it here at home using the gate around the pool in the backyard to assist me with the HSPU, and since I don't have a barbell, I used dumbells for the deadlifts (that probably doesn't count, but it's something). I did three rounds of 12 reps for the HSPU and three rounds of 21, 15 and 10 reps for the deadlifts. I barely moved 2-3 inches toward the ground on those hand stand push-ups, but they were a good challenge and kinda fun.
Have a happy Wednesday!
TOTAL MILES: 9

More Snow Day Pics & A Rest Day

I love these scheduled rest days on my running schedule. The baby is napping and I got some things picked up around the house. I'm gonna squeeze some blogging in while I can. Here are some more pictures from yesterday's trip to the snow.

When we first arrived.


Had to feed the baby his yogurt first.


She kept putting the snow on her head.


My boy taking a ride on the "poor man's sled." A makeshift sled from the top of a plastic storage box. The kids thought we said, "Four-man sled," so they kept asking for 4 of us to get on it. Too funny.


He tried to pull Mike, but the "sled" wouldn't budge. Oh well, he tried!


Her turn on the 4-man sled.


Against my better judgement, I agreed to try. I ended up getting dragged on my belly, but it was fun!


Mike, the baby and me with the snowman that Mike and my son built.


With my girl!


Baby's first trip to the snow. He loved it!


Time to go home.



God Bless ya'll! Hug your loved ones. See you tomorrow.