Three Things Thursday

Really, during the summer, thank goodness that I can pull my thoughts together on Thursday.  ;)

1.  I did my first REAL track workout ever today.  Yasso 800's!!!  6 x 800's with a goal of running each 800 in 3:40.  4 out of 6 went really well.  5th one was closer to 3:50 and 6th one was 4:00 but I blame it on the high school football team that spread out over 50 m of the track and I had to weave in and out of them.  Crazy hard workout but finished feeling great. 

2.  My IT band is healed.  Can you believe it?  I can't.  No pain in my knee or down my quad or outer thigh.  It's amazing.  I'm taking it as a sign.  A sign that things are actually possible to run a 3:40 in less than 8 weeks.  Can you hear me screaming?  I'm feeling a little all-consumed with it right now.  I have to literally say 'om' at least once a day to not feel completely overwelmed with this goal.  Stomach in throat overwelmed.

3.  There are some new music mixes to upload for your listening pleasure!  We even threw in one for the kids for those long road trips to the lake, the beach, the park...wherever. Hope you enjoy!

Thank Goodness for TTT

1.  Summer is still in full swing...luckily no haboobs here.  But we're definitely having way too many late nights of fun and early mornings of running.  I think I'm going to have to catch up on some sleep this weekend.  That's how it works though, right?  I can bank sleep on the weekend...just like you can bank minutes early in a marathon... ;)

2. I'm part of a produce co-op here and every other Thursday this is what I get to look forward to...

btw...love my Surf City bag...I use it for everything...

Only $16 and I get all this healthy deliciousness...that way it's one less day I have to go to the store to be tempted with this deliciousness... :)

3.  Minor adjustment to the training program...  I have to bump my race up if I want to register for the next Boston Marathon.  That crazy BAA messed with the dates.  So instead of running Top of Utah (which usually fit right in as a last chance to qualify) on Sept. 17th, I'm running Pocatello Marathon on Sept 3rd!!!  Two less weeks of training...yeah I'm a little nervous.  More on that later though. 

It was either Idaho or Kauai.  Tough choice...(oh and btw - download the new music mix for your upcoming workout ;)

Thank You Notes

a la Jimmy Fallon...


Thank you people in my neighborhood...for turning your sprinklers on in the early morning hours so I can get misted during my morning run.

Thank you local grocery store... for baking aromatic deliciousness to remind me that willpower isn't easy and needs to be continually worked on.

Thank you HR monitor...for reminding me that just because I WANT to run fast, I need to gradually build back up.

Thank you knees...for healing and letting me start to run again.

Thank you RD blog I.T. guy...for putting new mixes up on my blog for people to play during their holiday bbq's.

Thank you forefathers...for declaring Independence and creating a country where we have such freedoms as speech, worship, live and run.

Thank you servicemen, servicewomen, and families...for still fighting and preserving those freedoms for all of us today.

Happy Independence Day!!!

Who Runs This Mutha....

Apparently Beyonce does.  And girls.  But I don't want to exclude anyone... :)

As some of you may know, I am a HUGE music fan.  As well as a pop-culture fan, but for today's purposes let's talk music.  I would say 90% of my workouts I have my earphones in. 

Reasons:

1. I love bass while running.  Bass in the back of a lowered truck
    driving through my neighborhood at midnight...not so much.
2. Sometimes I just need a kick in the butt and music obliges.
3. I love running to a rhythm.
4. I can practice my madrappingskillz.
5. I can practice my maddancingskillz.
6. It works for me.

I know some of you don't need it or even like it while running.  And that's great.  A little weird, but I won't judge. :)

For those of you that are in the same boat as me...the boat that is rockin to the beat...I've got a little treat for you!!!  Call it a gift from me to you.  If you're on your computer, look up to the tabs or side bar on my blog page.  Click on music downloads.  You will then see a little info followed by a list of playlists.  These are professional mixes that you can download, put into your itunes and load to you music player.  If you're on your mobile/cellular device and can access my blog, click on the arrow by the Home button and scroll down and select music downloads.  Pick your mix and it will IMMEDIATELY load up and play right on you iPhone, blackberry, whatever!!!  Put your earphones in and go run, you're set!

How cool is that?????  Free music.  Awesome, upbeat mixes at your finger tips!  They range from 30 minutes to an hour and a half in length.  Right now the mixes I have available are pop/top 40 and hiphop.  I've got an 80's one coming and if you put in some requests I'll see what I can do!

I know that some have been downloaded already.  Let me know how you like them!  Or not like them, I can take it...I think.  Hopefully they'll help and put a little extra kick in your workout too!

You Know It's Summer When...

You live at the the pool and your kids turn into fish.

You visit a shack every night after dinner to have your fourth meal of the day...

And you pay $2.50 for a cup of flavored ice. 

You let your kids stay up way past bed time almost every night so they they can roast mashmallows for s'mores.

You can go for a run at 7 a.m. and it's gorgeous outside!!!

And yes!  I'm running!  Super slow but 8 miles today.  Whew hew!

What's your fave thing so far this summer???

Three Things Thursday

1.  Would you believe in my 10+ years of running I have never run on one of these....

Until today.  I didn't even run repeats, sprints or intervals.  I needed a nice, easy, cushioned, outdoor run.  It was a gorgeous morning but already 70 degrees.  A little warm.  It was the longest hour of my life, at least for this week.  Dang ITBS.  I'm so over it.  I wish my knee would get over it.

2.  My new find for the week...KT tape.  I've seen it around forever but tried some for my run this morning and IT WORKED!  Well, it took the pain away and left me with just ache.  I'll take it.  I think I just need to experiment with different ways to tape my knee to see which works best.  But I definitely felt a difference. 

They even make it in purple to match my shoes.  Bonus.

3.  Where's this guy going in the draft????

Probably not #2 but hopefully first round!  We'll see.... 

Who are you watching for today?  Or do you even care about the NBA draft?  ; )

Good News Tuesday

I ran last night.  On the treadmill.  For fifty minutes.  Okay, I ran two minutes, walked one minute.  But for fifty minutes.  My knee didn't feel like it was going to snap off.  Still flashes of discomfort, but it's getting better, which is good news. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the pool.  However, aqua jogging endless laps can mess with your mind.  I still have some more water sprinting in my future but I'm able to add in some land miles too.

In other good news...as I was leaving the gym, I saw this poster...

What?!?!?  Workout with this guy???  Sign me up!  I've still be doing the Insanity workouts a few times a week and seriously, I'm dripping sweat in the first 6 minutes of warm up.  That intensity training is something else.  I'm supposed to be somewhere else on that Saturday, but I'm trying to make it happen.  How awesome would that be???  Any of my Utah peeps gonna be there?

Have you ever worked out with Shaun T?  Have you done a class in LA?  Or worked out with another fitness celeb... the Tae Bo guy or Tony Horton?  :)

And some good news?  Please share???  I'm still floating from my run last night...