Ultra Marathon Training Week 14: Let the Tapering Begin

I prefer a 2 week taper over a 3 week taper. According to most  ”generalized training plans” out there, you will find a 3 week taper, but after enough races under my belt I feel like I know what suits me best and a 2 week taper is the one for me.

randomly placed sunset photo from Sunday night – it was just too pretty

But if truth (fully) be told, I also needed to get back on the horse after a very lack luster training week last week. I know that it was a vacation week, but still. So this week I had BIG plans. Super awesome strength workouts, Yoga, fast miles, and 1 last long run (of 16 miles). Yeah, all that didn’t happen. It was crazy hot in Denver, plus the wild fires nearby made for not-so-ideal running conditions. It also happened to be a busier than usual week at work for me plus heaven forbid I want to hang out with my family, so it wasn’t as “hard core” as I would’ve liked but I’m proud of the effort. Here’s what it looked liked:

The Stats

Miles Run: 43

Yoga Classes Attended: 1, but did practice at least once every day. 

Meals Eaten from the grill: 4

Number of times the Broncos stadium tour guide introduced me as one of their Bronco Cheerleaders: 1 (total since working there: 3 – twice by the same old man, clearly he just needs better glasses)

Monday- rest day. Still on vacation, but work beckoned. My morning slipped away and then I had to say goodbye to San Diego But I was going to get to snuggle a cute little boy when I returned to Denver

Tuesday- 6 miles in 47:40 (7:56 pace). My legs felt super heavy after being at sea level for so long.

Wednesday- 6 miles in 50:26 (8:24). I wanted 10 today, but with the smoke and the wind I could only manage 6. I had a special event at work called an Ability Clinic with the Colorado Rapids Soccer organization. It was fun, but crazy and with the wind and the fires I had a wicked headache by the end of it. Thought about doing an evening round of 4 miles but all I wanted when I got home was a big glass of ice water, the tv turned on low and a cold Summer Shandy. Yum.

Thursday- 8.04 miles in 1:10 (8:44 pace). These were hot, hot miles in the heat of the day. Phew. It wore me out so much so that after I had showered up and sat down, I was doing some work on my computer (I was at home) and I fell asleep for like 20 minutes. Head fell back on the back of the couch, mouth wide open – tired. Ventured out for some Music in the Park in Highlands Ranch. It’s a quick 1 mile walk from our house. Noah tried his first snow cone- it was blue. Yikes.

Friday- 4 easy miles (no watch) + 75 minute Happy Hour Yoga. I grabbed Stella to run with me for the first time in weeks. I didn’t want to take her out in the smoke earlier in the week  so she was super happy to be out prancing around. The rest of that morning was spent at Jr Wheelchair Sport Camp hanging out with the kiddos. That afternoon I hit up the Core Power Yoga studio for a C2 75 minute class that was awesome. Jim, Noah and I did some grillin’ and chilllin’ in the backyard that evening to help kick start Jim’s Father’s day weekend.

Saturday- 9.8 miles in 1:23 (8:26 pace). I had to work this morning so I opted to fit in my miles that afternoon. The temps had dropped down to 85 degrees so it was bearable. I ran the Bluffs which is not flat and my favorite nearby places to run. I love the hills on this run. Not so many that it beats you down, but enough to keep things interesting. I met Noah and Jim at the gym afterwards to play in the pool for a little while. More grillin’ and chillin’ happening in the backyard, plus the added fun of bubble guns.

Sunday- 9 miles. 4 easy stroller miles or as easy as stroller miles in 90 degree weather can be, but I took it slow and Noah and I stopped to take a closer look at a mini excavator on the trail (Big Fun to a 2 1/2 year old boy). After playing in the water table for about half an hour, Noah and I went to the gym. I hit up the Step Mill for a solid workout of 5 miles in 40 minutes. I was dripping with sweat. Very cool, but kind of gross. I missed that machine! My workout looked like this: minutes 0-10 at 85 steps.min, minutes 10-20 at 90 steps/min, minutes 20-30 at 95 steps/min, and minutes 30-40 at 100 steps/min. It works for me.

Jim had a big Father’s Day out! Golf with his buddies in the morning followed by a little nap, then cigars with the neighbor followed by softball with the fellas. I think it was a good day for him.

The Week Ahead

This week, my focus will be on shorter distances but with a faster foot turnover. Lately I have just been trying to simply get my miles in and not worry so much about pace. This week I want to reign in that focus a bit. Even though my mileage won’t be high I want to make sure I keep the intensity up. I also plan on running up some different local trails (if my schedule permits). They have been on my radar for a long while and I think this week is a perfect week for them. So, look out North Table Mesa and possibly Mt Falcon!

I will also get in 2 good strength workouts this week. I most likely will lay off the weights next week (race week) so I want to make sure I get in the gym pretty good this week. Yoga, of course. Any way I can get it.

Monday- Yoga or Strength Training 

Tuesday- 8-10 miles with some hill sprints + Strength Workout

Wednesday- Easy Run 4-6 miles + Yoga

Thursday- 90 minute run + Strength Workout

Friday- Yoga x 2

Saturday- Today is is supposed to be a 5K race day. I need to find something since I can’t push myself on my own to a real 5K effort.

Sunday- 90 minute run 

It’s going to be a great week! What do you have on your agenda for the week?

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• 50K Training Week 11 Recap (kandjcolorado.wordpress.com)
• 50K Training Week 12 (kandjcolorado.wordpress.com)

Friday Fun Facts

TGIF!!

I am loving me some Friday today, folks. Not too busy, but super productive filled with a little bit of work, a test, a clean car, some clean clothes, a clean house, Yoga, running, and hopefully tonight some grillin’ and chillin’.

Today I thought it would be fun (since I am feeling all sorts of random) to give you some fun facts about me, Noah and Jim this week.

Fun Fact Number One: I cannot park a car, truck or any sort of wheeled vehicle straight. Give me two lines and I will find some way to park crooked in between two perfectly straight lines. It’s a talent, really.

Fun Fact Two: Jim hit a 390 yard drive Thursday afternoon <insert boring golf talk here>. Jim is a really good golfer and apparently this is a really big deal, so that’s pretty cool. Pro Tour, here he comes!

Fun Fact Number Three: Apparently, Noah has become the Toddler Whisperer for his class at school. The teachers will ask Noah what someone says when they can’t understand and then he translates it back to his classmates in toddler speak.

Well, have a happy weekend from this talented family!

Do you have a totally random fact about yourself this week?

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Ultra Marathon Not-So-Much Training Week 13

Our trip to San Diego was a good one. How could it not be, really? Witnessing friends get married, a little learning at the USS Midway, exploring at Sea World, relaxing poolside, and a little bit of running in my old stomping grounds, and of course the fact that it is SoCal. It was not, however my finest attempt at a workout week. Let alone a “I’m-still-training-for-this-ultra-marathon-thing” week.

We flew in Sunday afternoon and headed straight to Coronado Island for a BBQ in the park rehearsal dinner. Everyone pitched in: Brad and Ashley fired up the grill and cooked; Me, Jim and TD provided the beer; and everyone’s shenanigans provided the entertainment. Fun.

Monday, we spent the morning in La Jolla traffic trying to get to The Cove. Hung out there for a bit and let Noah run around. We had lunch in a little neighborhood place. Jim and I crashed out during Noah’s nap time so neither one of us got a workout in. Oh well. Rest day. That afternoon we fought traffic to get to Coronado Island for the wedding. Super happy for Wendy and Aaron and everyone had a great time at the reception. Including the new power couple. No, I’m not talking about Mr. & Mrs.Pierce, I’m talking about Noah and his new little girlfriend Anna-Lee. They ruled that joint! So so cute!

Tuesday morning I snuck in a little 4 miler before we took off for the USS Midway tour.  It’s an audio tour (yeah right, like that was going to happen) and I’m sure I would’ve learned a whole lot more had we been able to tour the ship with our earphones on, but with a 2 1/2 year old… Come on! We still had big fun and you better believe if it had a switch and buttons to push (like most ships do), Noah was having a blast. He also loved stepping over the narrow doors (they called them knee knockers). It was cool to see the barracks and how jammed packed it was. All I could think about was how horrible it must’ve smelled with all those smelly boys in one place. We also had fun checking out all the different helicopters on the flight deck. Noah and his mom were pooped out afterwards so we came back and took a nap and Jim went for a workout. I snuck in an evening jog as well before dashing off to meet our friends up in Vista. We ate our weight that night in sushi and followed that up with Fro Yo, naturally. I was out before we even left Oceanside with a full belly. 9 miles (averaging a 7:38 pace)

Boat (pose) on a boat

Noah pushing buttons

And flipping switches

Wednesday, we all slept in, then headed out for a day at Sea World. Jim and I both got good workouts in and had dinner at a great little place called Bay Park Fish Company and ate ourselves silly. 8 miles in 1 hour (7:33 pace)

Mesmerized by the dolphins

Fish are friends, not food!

“I like the seals, Mom.”

All tuckered out from Sea World

Thursday, I woke up for some morning miles. We let Noah play on the playground for a good while then cruised along Ocean Beach to see Sunset Cliffs. I parted ways with Noah and Jim and headed up to Oceanside to hand out t-shirts for The World Famous Mud Run at Camp Pendleton. 4 miles in 32ish minutes.

Friday, I had it all planned out: some morning miles, followed by lunch with the girls then some miles on the beach and then a whole lotta whatever comes my way. That turned into work all morning (yes work; yuck), lunch with the girls (and a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc), and there would be no running after that. I followed that with more work (all afternoon- double yuck). Cranky Kelly! But I did have super fun with some ladies who lunch

Saturday was a decent run to the gym followed by a workout at the gym. I wanted to run back but I was too hot and too wimpy. 8 miles in an hour.

Sunday was pure beach laziness and it was awesome!

Goals for this week?

• Hang on! Don’t stress out too much with the craziness that is my life at the moment.
• Fit in running, Yoga, and workouts when I can and just enjoy them. 
• Don’t have a heat stroke. With Denver temps over 100 degrees throughout this week, my expectation of running super fast miles needs to be lowered.
• Clean up my diet. After a week long of crazy overindulgence, it is time for my daily smoothies, fish and veggies for dinner, and fruits and veggies all day long.

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50K Training Week 12

It was quite a week for me. A couple of people have asked me recently how I “do it all”. I answered quickly and without hesitation, “I don’t.” Let me clarify. If I am able to “fit everything in” it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m doing it well. Don’t get me wrong, I love it all, every single bit of what I’m doing, but don’t for a second think that I have it all figured out. I wish.

When I happen to have a tough or high mileage workout week the same week I have a special event or (10 things going on at once- total exaggeration but it sometimes feels like it), I’m usually not doing so great on the home front (husband,  toddler, dog, and house being neglected). I’m thankful that not only is this coming week a drop back mileage week, but it is also vacation time so I’m sure that by Wednesday, Jim will be absolutely sick of seeing and smelling so much of me. So, to make sure that I balance things out, I should be rock star wife and mom this week, but totally suck at work and at my workouts. You get it? It’s all about balance, friends.

The numbers

Miles Run: 57 miles

Strength Workouts: 1 puny one.

Yoga Goodness: 3 solid workouts

Dishes left in the sink unwashed: a cringe worthy amount, sorry Mom.

Badass Moments: 1 – read below to find out when

Monday- 6.02 evening miles in 50 minutes (8:17 pace) After having a couple of beers on the patio with Jim, I was impressed that I went out at all for this run. Beautiful sunset jog.

Tuesday-6 miles super easy in 53 minutes (8:42 pace) + Strength Workout. This run never felt good. I never could get a rhythm. Glad I went out but glad when it was over. Wanted some hard evening miles but couldn’t quite work it out.

Wednesday- 7.5 miles in 1:02 (8:20 pace) + 60 minute Yoga class. I took Stella out with me for my morning miles and she was one happy dog. My Yoga class felt so so awesome!

Thursday- 11 morning miles at The Bluffs in 1:33 minutes (8:25 pace). I love running the Bluffs. It has gorgeous views and rolling hills. It’s just great. I had a fun work event this evening hosting a Lacrosse Ability Clinic for kiddos with disabilities with the Denver Outlaws. Some of their players taught the skill stations, the dancers were cheering us on, and their mascot Stix the Raccoon visited with everyone too. Big fun for everyone. Even Noah.

Friday- 60 minute C2 Yoga at Core Power Yoga Studio. We did half of the class using our Yoga blocks so we could work on some cool stuff. Felt awesome.

Saturday- 22 miles. This was on the North Fork 50 race course so this was such a treat to get to run this, especially with a buddy. Lil Megan and I both were going into this run, well, dreading it. We were tired and we knew that this was going to be a tough run. So that’s what you do as a runner. You make a running plan with your buddy and then you have to show up so you’re not a total flake. Accountability. It works. It was a great day out and Megan and I ran it really well. We walked when we had to (some miles we averaged a 15:00 minute pace – how’s that for an ego check; and others we got to a sub 9:00). Our bodies ached so much we longed to dip our sore ankles in the cold ass river after the run and we did. ****INSERT BADASS MOMENT***As we were pulling out of the parking lot having just finished our last big run, I turned to Megan and said “I kind of feel like a badass after that run.” And Lil Megan said, “Uh, yeah, we’re totally badasses.”

Badass Me

Badass Megan

Sunday- 4 mile stroller run with no watch. I don’t know who I think I was thinking I was going to get in a 7 mile run the morning of a travel day. Silly girl. I was able to manage 4 miles with Noah. I had full intention of hitting up the hotel gym once Noah went to bed, but that hotel bed was way too cozy and I was pooped, so, oh well.

Upcoming Week Workout Plans

I’m totally going to have to wing it this week and fit things in when and where I can. Scary as that might seem for some (and kind of for me too), it is just going to have to be that way.

What was your badass moment this week?

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My Week in 3s

Happy Friday, y’all!! It has been an extra busy week for me around here but that’s okay because it is all cool stuff so that makes it a little more tolerable, right? Workouts tend to become stressful for me when I feel like I have 10 other things on my plate at the same time, but I am managing. In writing this post, it allowed me to reflect on some of the fun things that are happening. Here has been my week in 3s.

Noah-isms

Noah has been pretty entertaining to us lately. He is a funny kid, but normally it is left for only my eyes and Jim’s eyes. He tends to be pretty shy around others. Well, not so much these days. It’s a hoot, really. I love seeing how confident he is becoming. He is also quite verbal.

Noah crushing it at the lacrosse event

1. “That Baby Monkey Stole My Snack.” So Noah woke up Monday morning absolutely bawling (apparently from a dream). I couldn’t quite understand what he was saying at first and then I thought I understood, but it just didn’t make any sense.

Noah: “Mama, the baby monkey stole my snack.”

Me, in my sweet mama yet questioning voice: “A Baby Monkey?”

Noah in a barely understandable pitiful whiny voice: “Yeah.”

Me: “Stole your snack?”

Noah: “Yes, mama (clearly annoyed with me). A Baby Monkey Stole My Snack. Can you make me some breakfast?”

Me: “Sure, Baby.”

Noah: “And not the Baby Monkey.”

Me: “Okay, Buddy. Just for you. Not the baby monkey.”

2. “Baby Noah Needs a Hug.” This is said in a pitiful little boy voice apparently when Noah wants me to cuddle and rock him like a baby.

3. “There’s an airplane, mom, can you go catch it?” Well, thanks buddy for thinking that I’m that fast, but no I can’t run and catch the airplane.

Running

So, I’ve had 3 pretty mediocre runs this week plus 1 okay one, so that means I’m due for an awesome one, right??? Lil Megan and I are heading up to the mountains for a pretty intense 22 miler Saturday morning. Please wish us the following three things:

1. strong ankles
2. good navigational skills
3. cell phone coverage if 1 and/or 2 don’t work out for us.

No Sugar

I have consumed 1 delicious cinnamon and raisin muffin + 1 extra- large peanut butter cookie + 1 Eggo waffle = 3 very sugary things.

Whoops! So much for no sugar this week.

Yoga-ing

I have made it to 3 Yoga classes this week! That is just awesomeness on a balancing stick, yogis!

Getting my inversions on!

And to top all of this off, we leave for vacation to San Diego in 3 days!!!!

50K Training Week 11 Recap

Happy Memorial Day! Wave our flag proudly and hug a Vet! Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. I am truly honored to be able to serve our service men and women!

It was definitely a drop back week. I embraced it in all it’s gloriousness! I made sure to take it easy if I felt the slightest bit of discomfort in my hamstrings. This week will be another big ramp up week. No marathon in the works, but Lil Megan and I have some mountains to run up and down.

Last week’s numbers

Miles Run: 46

Yoga Classes: 2

Strength Workouts: 1 full workout at the gym and 1 home workout for 30 minutes

Bottles of Wine consumed: 2, but not in one sitting, I swear!!

Here is the breakdown of my workouts:

Monday- rest day. 

Tuesday- 4.11 miles in 33 minutes (7:55). Morning miles with Stella. I followed that with my strength session at the gym. It felt good to get back in there. Couldn’t quite fit in my evening workout. Bummer.

Wednesday- 10 miles in 1:27:25 (8:44 pace). I ran up to Daniel’s Park and back. My hamstrings hurt. Bad. I had to walk up the hills. I went home and made a massage appointment for that night. I went to a Yoga class that evening and it felt great. I almost bailed on it because of my hamstrings but decided to just do what I could do. Jim totally convinced me to go (he knows how cranky I can get when I miss a class). That night was pretty painful with the massage therapist. Like a glutton, I will be going back for more.

Looking down on the burbs from my trail run to Daniel’s Park.

Thursday- 10 miles in 1:23:05 (8:18 pace). My hamstrings felt a little better on this run. I was able to push through it without having to walk up the hills. Did a little workout session at home with some dumbbells. Nothing fancy, but it was something.

Friday- rest day. Wanted to get to a Yoga class, but couldn’t quite time it out right with work stuff. So be it. It was probably best for me to give the ol legs a break.

Saturday- 16 miles. Ran with Nina and Lil Megan. We were all feeling the sluggish dead weight of our legs from the marathon last week so we took it pretty easy on the run. We ran the Bluffs and East/West Connector Trail (not a flat course) and faired pretty well posing for Yoga poses along the way.

Nina Machina and Lil Megan running strong

Me in Dancer’s Pose, Nina upside down in Crow, and Lil Megan in Tree Pose

That afternoon, our neighborhood cul-de-sac had a “Smoke Off” Contest. It was a competition among the men in the neighborhood of who could smoke the best meat. We had ribs, brisket and pulled pork. Plus all the sauces. It was pretty amazing and I ate, A LOT! Shocker, I know.

Weekend BBQ with the neighbors: Top left- Ed and Noah, bachelors on the prowl, top right- the smoke entrance each competitor had to run through (it was hilarious), bottom left- Jess entertaining the girls, bottom right- the Smoke Off judges

Sunday- 6 miles in 1:09:29 (11:35 pace). Tough, tough run for me up Bergen Peak Trail. 1,686 feet of elevation gain. Running up, I knew certain spots were really steep (I had to walk a lot of them), but even on the way down I still had to slow way down or walk them because of how steep it was. I’m going to try this route again in a couple of weeks to see if I can do it without walking. Tough run, but man it was gorgeous out!!

Colorado, you don’t suck to look at!

Stella looking regal on the trail

My Week Ahead

Monday- 6-8 miles

Tuesday- 8-10 miles + Strength Workout

Wednesday- hill repeats 10x600s + Yoga

Thursday- 8-10 miles + Strength Workout

Friday- Yoga

Saturday- 22-24 miles

Sunday- unsure yet. This is a travel day for us. So I will try to fit something in.

In addition to ramping up my miles again, I will be eliminating sugar from my diet. Yikes! So watch out, friends! But in all seriousness, it is tough to do (especially if you have a wicked sweet tooth like me), but I’ve done this before and I can do it again. For me, the key is to get it (bad food) out of the house and make sure I have plenty of fruit around. I also drink tons of water and make sure I’m within a few feet of a bathroom at all times. Jim prepares by removing all sharp objects from the house

Wish us all luck!

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Friday Favorites

I’m in my drop back week for my ultramarathon training, mileage wise, and have been fully taking advantage of that: checking off the to-do list at work and home. I was talking to a friend about tackling those projects at home that always seem to get put off because of the everyday things that take precedence, but we decided that if we try to do just one of those things at a time then maybe it will make us feel a little better, more productive, or something. Who knows? Worth a shot, right?

I have been having some hamstring tightness and went to a massage therapist to beat me up a bit. He gave me some excellent stretches and wants me to focus on more dynamic stretching rather than static stretching to help with my hip ROM so we will give it a go. In the meantime, I’m laying off most of my hamstring exercises in the gym. So here are some of my pictures from the past couple of weeks that will give you a glimpse into our lives- see, I do non running stuff too.

1. Colorado weather. Finally I no longer wonder if there might be snow on the ground. Blue skies and sunshine, I heart you!! This weekend I will be digging in the garden while Noah helps and Jim figures out how to smoke some pulled pork for our neighborhood smoke-off.

Check out those runner tan lines. Yikes. This just gets progressively worse throughout the summer.

2. Toddler fun. Any given night of the week, we have somewhat set things that we do to entertain The Noah Bear. Monday &  Tuesdays are typically at the house and neighborhood park. Wednesday evenings, we take Noah swimming at the indoor pool at our gym. Thursdays I take Noah to the library to get new books and a video (lately he is all about Chuggington, which is far less creepy than Thomas the Train) and Friday nights are $5.00 Family Nights at Monkey Business- Big Fun!

Big Jumpin’ at Monkey Bizness!

3. My Colfax Marathon schwag. It was a fun day out with my friends, for sure.

Sticker, medal, and t-shirt

4. Noah’s 1st Rockies game. He was so into everything going on around him. He loved waiting for the player to hit the ball and would wait patiently for the sound of the bat hitting the ball; he loved everyone’s excitement when the Rox would score or do something good – he gave out lots of “knucks” and hi-fives. It was adorable!

“When is he going to hit it again, Mom?”

5. My little gangsta rap boy. I’m not sure how I feel about this: hat on backwards, beads as bling but he is pretty cute on his daddy’s shoulders.

6. Run like a dog. Stella is such a happy runner. Get her off leash and she is impressive. She runs hard and happy and has this incredible wild-eyed crazy grin as she runs back toward you. I truly think about her at least once when I’m running. I want to run like that. So free. I take her with me on as many runs as I can and she just loves it. On this particular day, it was warm out and so I treated her to a nearby stream for her to cool off in. Then she saw a squirrel.

Did you hear a squirrel?

7. Music. I have always loved music. I play it all throughout my day (cooking, working, doing Yoga, working out). I don’t usually have it with me while I’m running, but lately I have been listening to music while I’m running my shorter distances. These aren’t necessarily new songs on my iPod but they were songs that I was diggin’ on this week. I listen to all types of music and it isn’t always a “pump you up” type of music.

• “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke (featuring T.I. & Pharrell)
• “Otis” by Kanye West
• “Madness” by Muse
• “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
• “Crying Wolf” by ZZ Ward

What was one of your favorite things this week? Any songs I should check out? Come on, Dom – you know you have a whole list for me!!

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