Some stuff happened last week... PFTW

Hey there!

Last week did NOT go according to plan. Logistics are tough, yo, even for a SAHM. I finally wrote up a training plan for Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half, that I'll maybe talk about more later this week?

Monday:
Upper body work - combined two Fitness Blender videos (Arms/Shoulders and Upper Body Tabata) for a 55 minute strength session. According to my Daily Mile, I liked these videos.

Tuesday:
Core/Lower Body - 40 minutes. I was supposed to head to run club this day, but my schedule just didn't work out that day with #1's track practice.

Wednesday:
Nothing!

Thursday:
5 pretty pretty trail miles!

Hilly route on some local dirt, and was surprised to find that the uphills weren't nearly as bad as I thought I remembered them - maybe strength training is paying off???? Followed in the evening by track meet #1 for the week. Where they had a bake sale. So it was the best ever.

Friday:
Easy treadmill miles, fueled by...

I sometimes play this game on the 'mill, when I don't have a real specific run planned, where I decide how far I'm running based on how much I want to hear the song that's playing when the miles tick over. This one came on at the end of mile 2, and I ended up with a nice 5 miles for the day. Thanks, blondies. Followed at home with 45 minutes of arms, chest, and abs.

OH! I almost forgot! We had an earthquake on Friday, too, and it was REALLY EXCITING. #2 and #3 didn't even feel it, but #1 almost LOST HER MIND. The H said we would be moving back to Florida right this second if it were any stronger. NOPE THANKS. Earthquakes are better than humidity.

Saturday:
I spent the day with #2 at Academic Pentathlon, where she had NO FUN AT ALL (except for all the times she was laughing hysterically), while The H took #1 to her track meet. And then I did nothing.

Sunday:
Spent the morning spectating PCRF 10k/Half - there was a date and venue change this year that put the race literally next door - we rolled out of bed and went outside at 8 to cheer on the runners, and then headed over to the kids zone expo.

Followed in the evening with 3 miles easy-ish, plus 10min abs.


PFTW...

Monday: 3 easy, arms
Tuesday: 4 easy with run club (FOR REAL this time), total body
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: rest/XT
Friday: Long run (hahahaha 6 miles), arms
Saturday: rest?
Sunday: 3-5 easy, XT

I'm still running all easy miles, and will probably introduce speed work again next week. Maybe? Or maybe I'll just keep running trails because hills are speedwork in disguise! (I say that to #1 and she hates it).

************************************************************************
Track update!

#1's team got new uniforms, and they are WAY less hideous than the old ones.

Ummmm I don't even really remember how she did at the Thursday meet (it was a dual meet against a school that.... frankly, they're just not really good, so they all treated it as a tempo run/workout). But Saturday's race, she won both of her events - girls frosh/soph 1600 and 3200.

And she won by..... about that much.

I know it's braggy, I don't care.

It's also a little fun to see her listed as the fastest freshman recorded at her school in the 3200, and second fastest in the 1600. Okay, for real I'm done bragging.

I almost can't wait for her to be bumped up to varsity, to put some extra challenge out there for her. It's nice that she's able to win by running fairly easy, but it'd be cool to see what she's really got.

I can't believe I ever spawned a human that can move that fast. Genetics are crazy.

What I've really been up to (nothing) and PFTW

This will come as a shock, but kid sports are still destroying any free time we ever had on the weekends. I promise that isn't a complaint; it's just the facts.

#1 had a bit of a break between cross country ending at Thanksgiving, and track starting in mid-January, so that was swell. Her season started out a little slow, with just some voluntary all-comer meets and a trip to Fresno for state indoor champs - this was kind of a big deal, because she had to qualify for it (and she DID!, so that was exciting), but the event ended up being kind of a fiasco and not really anything we would go out of our way to repeat again, unless she reallllllly wanted to.

But her season started up for real in the last few weeks, so we're transporting her for track practices on Tuesday's at another school (her's has a dirt track), dual meets on Thursday's, and invitationals on Saturday's.

On top of #1, Gab has joined a run club through her school, thankfully that's only Friday afternoons, and #2 is training for the Irvine Junior Games, so we try to spend Sunday evenings at the track with her.

All of this to say, we are pretty much living and breathing kid running. Ironic, since I've barely been running at all.

Thanks, Daily Mile. HAHAHAHAHA.

In my defense, I got super gung-ho about running again a few weeks ago, and then I came down with some sort of zombie plague two Saturday's ago, and kind of recovered all of last week.

I haven't been a total sloth, though! Since Kim introduced me to FitnessBlender.com videos, I have her to thank for my addiction. I've been doing videos a TON (until the last week when I was barely able to even EXIST (I get extra dramatic when I'm sick)), with a legs video once or twice a week, arms 2-3 times, and core 3-5 times. Some of my favorite videos so far...
Butt and Thigh with Cardio Intervals
30 Minute Lower Body Sculpting
Mass Workout for Legs
Upper Body Superset
Abs and Upper Body
10 Minute Abs
Total Body Strength

I've been trying a ton of random videos, these are the ones I tend to come back to consistently. I love that I can mix things up, pair up videos when I want to create a longer workout, and I really love the set up of the AB/AB format that they do frequently.

There are a bunch of HIIT videos, too, but I pretty much decided I hate HIIT and would not list it as a favorite because HIIT IS THE WORST.

There is even a video for kids, that Gab LOVES. And it's HARD, you guys, for real.

Anyway, part of my running problem, I'm sure, is the lack of races on the horizon.

Lucky for meeeeee, with my partnership with Renegade Race Series, I am running a few events coming up....

The Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half Marathon will be held May 26th - there's also a 10k, 5k, and kids run. If you are also running the Reaching for the Cure half coming up this weekend, you can snag a snazzy March 2 May medal, too, limited to the first 250 rsvps!

I always want to make a race a PR, but I'm not sure what kind of running shape I'm actually in, so I'll evaluate in a few weeks and decide. The race is only 8 weeks away, so I guess I should get cracking at that....

Plan for the week!!

I'm base building a bit, obviously, since I've been laaaazy. I randomly did a 10 mile run a few weeks ago, while watching the LA Marathon, and it was really great - so it's nice to know that fitness level is still there, but I don't want to do anything dumb to anger Jerk Shin, or anything else. Holy run on sentence.

Monday: Arms/Core (I will likely do this video, this video, and this one - I've started making #1 do core with me - it can only help her, right?!).
Tuesday - Legs (this video in the am, probably?), then run club!! No idea on the mileage.
Wednesday - Arms/Core (maybe this one, plus my favorite), easy run, miles will depend on Tuesday's run
Thursday - Total body (maybe a new to me video?)
Friday - Long run! 6-8ish, easy; core
Saturday - off, #1 is racing!
Sunday - easy run, 2-3

To keep me motivated, I am also running a few for-fun events this summer...

The Summer Trail Run series (remember I ran these last year, and they were SO FUN)

...and iTRY take 2! I'd like to beat last year's time on this course... which means I'll eventually have to bike and swim again? I really loved the event last year, and can't wait to repeat it.

Beyond the summer, I've got a Halloween half marathon in my sights, and.... dun dun DUN. A fall marathon. I really, REALLY wanted a spring marathon this year, but it just didn't happen - I wanted to run a few, but they were sold out by the time I made up my mind. I threw myself on the waiting list for Mountains 2 Beach, but by the time I needed to start actually training, there was no movement on the waiting list, so I scratched it. Of course, the very next week, I got the email that my number was up. WTF.

I'm leaning towards Santa Clarita Marathon Nov. 2nd - it's cheap, on a Sunday so it won't interfere with XC, and not something I'd really need to travel for, which are three of my requirements. Santa Barbara and Surfer's Point are also on my short list; but I think I'd prefer Santa Clarita. I don't know why. That really makes no sense, who would rather run in Santa Clarita? I've also tossed around the idea of Long Beach, but then I remember the logistics were TERRIBLE and the weather is always sketchy.

Interested in a track update?

#1's current pr's stand at 5:25 in the 1600 (hand-timed, so I don't know if that's legit?? I'm not track smart yet), and 11:46.83 for the 3200!

Crazy, right??

Three Thing Thursday

1. Hi!

2. It's been awhile, eh? This is what I've generally been up to, starting from most recent backwards:

look! Sunny, in SoCal.

Collecting eyeball lasers from #1 at track events

spring has sprung on the trails

Coaster Run at Knotts! Another great Renegade Race Series event.

#2 is training, too!

Beautiful beachy weddings

ZION!

And, #1 won the 1600 and 3200 in her first pre-season track event. This qualified her for Indoor State Champs, which was a FREAKING DEBACLE. 

3. And now we're all caught up!

I've finally started coming out of the running funk, and have a couple races on my calendar, so I thought I'd dust this sucker off and get back at it.

What have you been up to?