Weekly Training Log

Only one week till marathon day!  I ran my last long run last Sunday.  It was only 18 miles (20 was my goal), but that is going to have to do for this marathon.  It took me 3 hours and 45 minutes.  On Monday I ran 2 miles on the treadmill and did 30 minutes on the elliptical to try to make up for what I didn't run on Sunday.  Tuesday I did 1 hour Spinerval class at the gym and Wednesday I did upper and lower body weights and then 20 minutes on the exercise bike.  I hit the weights pretty hard Wednesday and that is the main reason why my legs have been really sore this week.  Thursday I did 30 minutes run on the treadmill and 1 hour Spinerval class.  My legs have been sore all week, but are better today after only doing an easy 30 minutes on the elliptical yesterday.  I have been stretching and doing core work after most of my workouts too and that has helped.  My goal for the marathon is running it in around 4 hours.  As slow as I have gotten it is going to be tough.  This is the first time I have trained for a marathon without doing at least one 20+ mile long run.  It will be interesting to see how I feel afterwards.

I have been watching all the news about the runners in the NYC marathon which is tomorrow and I am soooo jealous!  I want to run that marathon so bad.  I have for years, but it is hard to get into.  I am going to make a little more effort to get in within the next couple of years.   I might do the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans this February with the Running Nazi too.  Of course, there is always the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham.   I have run that one several times either the half or the whole.

A cold front came through night before last and it has been cold and windy at the coast.  It seems to have calmed down out there this morning.  I am heading to the gym to workout.  I will probably run and do weights (upper body only) today.  I passed up a 5k race at the Margartitaville Hotel mainly because the entire 3.2 mile run is on the sand at the beach.  I could just see myself getting injured trying to race as hard as I can on uneven surface.  I am too competitive to just go do it for fun.  It would have been fun, but I have to focus on the marathon next week.  Couldn't get the Murph to do it either.  It didn't sound fun to him!

Running, Spinervals and the Pro Marriage Debate

I think I am as ready as I am going to be for the marathon in two weeks.  I ran 18 miles Sunday and it took me 3 hours and 45 minutes.  I was two miles off from my goal of 20 miles because I got a late start and the Boy was here so I wanted to get finished before he needed to leave for school.  We ate lunch together by the pool before he went back to school.

My right hamstring has been bothering me too.  I ran two miles on the treadmill Monday morning and then walked 3 miles with the Murph Monday afternoon and did 30 minutes on the elliptical Monday evening to make up for the 20 miles I didn't do.

Today I did an hour of Spinervals and then walked for an hour with the Murph.  The Spinervals class was small with only four people and we were so busy talking during most of it.  Fun!  It went by fast.  The Fitness Director/Spinerval instructor is getting married in September so one of the other condo owners in the class has taken it upon himself to tell her the horrors of being married.  She's 30 and feels that she has waited long enough and has found "the one" so I think she blows off most of what he says.  Personally, I think everybody needs to be married at least once.  I am pro marriage and pro children even though they can be a big pain in the butt sometimes.  It's all good, not bad.  She's old enough and has waited long enough.  After today, if I was her I would be scared to death of marriage though!  I should have knocked him over the head with my water bottle.

Thank god the Murph is pro marriage too!  He not only loves me, but he loves my cats (even though he denies it) and does a lot for my son (more than my son's own dad does.)  In my opinion, if you are going to spend years with someone living with them, then you should get married.  Otherwise, stay single and live alone.  Just saying...

Paybacks on The Jazz Cats

I did Spinervals today for an hour, but really wasn't feeling motivated. The Murph backed out and just did his usual weight training because he said it was "too windy".  (Spinervals is held inside the gym, NOT outside).  It is very dreary, windy and overcast here at the coast and I think it made me a little lazy.  It wasn't windy in the Spinervals class though so the Murph would have been just fine.

The cats kept me up all night too.  Phantom jumped up on the bed around 4 a.m. because there was no cat food in the feeder.  He usually wants to eat around 4 and if there is no food then he harasses me by walking over me and making sure he really mashes down hard with his paw and then he purrs loudly in my face.  Cadence did his usual on and off the bed, pawing my face every hour from 2 a.m. until I finally got up.  He's not hungry, just needy.

The cats were ready for their naps when we left to go work out this morning.  The Murph made sure he woke them up as soon as we got back.  Paybacks!

The Cardio Challenged Murph

The other day at the gym I mentioned to a woman I know that usually works out the same time as the Murph and I that the Murph had just bought a new bike so we were going for a ride later.  Of course, we didn't do the bike ride.  The Murph somehow weaseled his way out of it.  That was a week ago and the Murph still hasn't been on that bike.

The Murph's new bike.
Looks real nice but probably won't be used much.
(really cool reflectors!!)

Yesterday the same woman asked if we ever did the ride and I said "no, the Murph said it was too windy."

Today she was working out with the fitness instructor that teaches the Spinerval class that the Murph keeps saying he's going to do, but never does and they cornered the Murph over by the weight machine and asked him if he had ridden his bike yet.  He said "no, too windy, I don't ride in the wind."  The fitness instructor said "Oh, that's just another excuse!"

The Murph works out every single day and sometimes twice, but he ONLY does weights.  He avoids cardio at ALL cost.  He has a million and one excuses and always says he's going to do cardio  "tomorrow" or start on a cardio schedule "next week".  You would think that since he's with me (a ironman triathlete cardio freak) that some of it would rub off on him.  No way!  He's the Murph!

I told him he's just cardio challenged.

Spinervals, Manicure and NO GROCERY SHOPPING!

Today was Spinerval day so I went to spin class and did spinning and then weights, then spinning, then weights for an hour of intense pain.   The class seemed tougher than normal because my legs are still a little tired from the Tuesday long run and the long swim and bike I did yesterday plus the race I did Saturday. My mom says I do too much and need to stop.   She also sent me an email and told me I don't need to swim in the ocean and if I do I shouldn't wear shiny jewelry because it attracts sharks.  I really don't usually swim in the ocean unless it is during a race.  I have a healthy respect for the sharks around here.  I don't want one in my house so I don't want to go in their house either.  (unless it's a race.... sorry!)

No beach day today so I didn't get to see the Little Pecker.  Hope he found a few crumbs from someone else.  He's fairly aggressive so I wouldn't be surprised.  Instead I got my nails done while the Murph ran errands and did some grocery shopping.   The nail shop owner and his wife saw the Murph drop me off at the shop and remembered me from Friday when I ran in for a "quick" pedicure.  I told them that "yes, the Murph had dropped me off and was going grocery shopping again plus some other errands too".  The nail place owner told me I was a very lucky girl and that most men wouldn't grocery shop like that.  I told him that not only that but the Murph cooks too!  He couldn't believe it.  He said "oh you very very lucky!  Where did you find him...  on ebay??"  I said "no, but close!"

Actually, I met the Murph because I have to pee alot after I drink wine.  I was in a restaurant with some friends drinking wine, of course.  I had to go to the bathroom and was walking out of the bathroom which was near the bar area and that's where I met the Murph.  He's from the Bronx and with a mouth like his, he's hard to miss.  Oh yeah, and cute too!

Really, I think it was fate.  The Murph and I were just meant to meet and if we hadn't met at that restaurant that night, we would have met somewhere else.  Probably the beach we both love.

I think the Murph likes it when I don't go to the grocery store with him.  He has a list and you must only buy what's on the list.  I see cookies and I'm all over the place.  He told me today that I am banned from grocery shopping.   Oh well, I'm not crying about it.  (he did buy my cookies)

Spinervals and Jacksons...

Thursday was, of course, Spinervals day.  I was informed that I was shrinking fat cells and increasing red blood cells and reassured that this was perfect training to get ready for the upcoming sprint triathlon I am doing next month.  All that and I even ran about a mile afterwards before it started raining.

Just got back from eating at one of the best restaurants in Pensacola...  Jacksons.  I got the wood grilled salmon with asparagus and cheese grits.  The Murph got crab cakes.  Very good!

Jazz cat, Phantom is sitting here watching me type, probably wanting a pork chop or something.  Sorry Phan man, I already ate and it was DELISH!  Go eat your Purina cat food.

The Murph and I stopped for drinks on the island on the way home.  I decided to try something new and got a cucumber and sage white sangria.  It came chock full of cucumbers.  The Murph laughed and said I was getting my daily allowance of vegetables.  See... even my nutrition is on track as well as my exercise training plan....

I am doing good!  Right??

Short Open Water Swim (the creepy kind with fishes)

Spinervals was canceled today since I was the only one that showed up and I wasn't even all that committed.  I really needed to swim so instead of Spinervals, I got on the regular exercise bike for 30 minutes, then went outside and swam in the bay for a few minutes.  It's always a little creepy out there not knowing what big fish is lurking around (especially the kind with sharp teeth), but I thought it was a better choice than chlorine.

Will probably run today about 3 to 5 miles.  Short swim, short bike, short run.  Better than nothing!

Spinervals without "Sylvester"

Today was Spinervals with J.  I was surprised last week at how sore my legs were after doing this workout.   It involves getting on the spin bike for about 15 to 20 minutes and then getting off to do weights, lunges whatever and then getting back on the spin bike for 15 minutes then off again for weights, etc. for about a 50 minute total workout with three sets of weights/lunges.

The Murph said he was going to start doing more cardio and I thought he might do Spinervals today since he didn't do it last week.  He even told the spin instructor last week that he was going to start doing the spin class.  But just not today...  The closest the Murph got to the spin bikes was to give me a kiss goodbye and then he was off to the weight room.  It was probably a wise decision because for somebody who doesn't do a lot of intense cardio, that class will KILL you.  I told the Murph he would breeze through the weights part, but there's absolutely no way he would last through the spinning part.  Instead of considering that a challenge, the Murph said he would just come in and do the weights with us and go back out when we get back on the bikes.  Then he laughed and said "the dumbbells we use were just paper weights for girls and wimps."  (He said this followed by a Sylvester Stallone he man kind of laugh.)

After the class, the spin instructor came up to the Murph as we were doing crunches and in a deep, Sylvester Stallone voice, mocking the Murph,  said she thought the Murph  had said "I'm going to start doing spin class.  I need more cardio".  The Murph's mouth dropped open and he said "Hey, do I really sound like that??  That's what Kristy always does!  I don't really sound like that, do I??"

We just laughed.  Yes, he does sound like that!   I'd love to see his ass in that Spinervals class!  He'd never make it all the way through!

My Kind of Day

Today was my kind of day! Slept in a little later. Made it to the gym in time for Spinervals class which is half of the time on the spin bike and half of the time doing free weights. Weather at the coast is PERFECT! After class I did core with the Murph and then hit the road for a short run with my ipod. Later, it was beach time. Then we went out for oysters, wings and adult beverages. Just got back in.

The Jazz Cats are doing great. The Murph doesn't really like Phantom's preferred place to lounge and hang out..... our bed! I told him to leave the poor cat alone. He's adjusting.....We went to see the boy at school yesterday and took him to lunch and did a few errands he needed to do. Then we went to PetSmart and got the cats a climbing tree for the condo. It is fairly large so it took a while to get it in the SUV. I think the Murph was a little embarrassed wheeling it into the condo. Wish I had the camera! Don't know why the cats don't like it. They LOVE the one I bought for them at home. Guess they just need to get use to it.

The boy called this afternoon and said he made an 84 on his first reading exam. Yea!

Overall, things are GREAT!