Week 5: 13.1 Training

So week 5 training isn't over yet, but I have a moment to write and I hope to be busy and focused on my family this weekend since my husband finally doesn't have to work.  I'll start with the end of week 4.

The long run of week 4 was a 7 mile run.  Now I believe I had mentioned, we've had a lot of flooding lately.  It crested last Friday, and my long run was on Saturday.  I was running on the bike trail that I do most of my running on, and the plan was to run across the Mississippi into Iowa, turn around and come back. Then I could say I'd ran to Iowa & back!  2 miles into my run, I was doing good.  The river was high, but it wasn't a problem until this one low spot.  The trail goes right underneath railroad tracks and has a low spot there.  There was a gate that I didn't know existed until that day that was closed on the trail with a sign saying it was flooded!  Of course, I just ran around the gate and kept going figuring I could find a way around.  Nope.  I would have had to swim!  So I turned around and tried reworking a new route in my mind.  Unfortunately I'm new to the area so I don't really know the mileages of many things other than the bike trail and a loop that I run.  So I figured out a pretty good mileage estimate of a route I had thought up and kept running.  About 4 miles into the run, the ENTIRE road that I was on was flooded!  There was no road.  Just a pond. Or a lake/river combined into one.  Luckily, I was able to find a way around this part.  I kept going higher and higher, but the water was everywhere I went.  I found about a foot wide pathway between the water and the woods where I could run to get to the other side and back onto the road.  When I got home, I got on MapMyRun.com and found out I'd only ran approximately 6 1/4 miles instead of 7.  You can't say I didn't try though!  That's what counts.

 This week, I still have my long run to go as well, but the water has gone down more and more so I can finally get through the bike trail again--I just have to pass the gate that says it's closed and hop over a bunch of driftwood that washed up.  Lyna is not a fan of warmer weather.  It was barely 70 degrees the other day and as we were passing a baseball field that is currently under water, she decided to lay down on the edge of the "pond."  She hates baths, but if she's hot she'll do what she can.  We also were on the bike trail running alongside each other and all of a sudden, I was being pulled back by her.  I turned around and she was laying in the shade of a tree!!  Honestly, I'm surprised this hadn't happened sooner.  The furthest she has gone running with me is 5 miles so far, and I think that is about her limit.

I'm still trucking along feeling good!  I was looking at the course for the half marathon and it is also along the Rock River in Rockford, IL on what looks like it might be a bike path as well.  So that's awesome!  You'd think it would get old looking at the same thing over and over, but it's like the ocean--you'd never get tired of looking at it even if you were forced to look at it every day for the rest of your life.  There's always a new bird, turtle, snake, etc.

I am 40% of the way to my goal of $1000 now!  My dad said they had their kick-off meeting at work and the American Heart Association people were excited to meet him.  They might do an interview on WAND (the local news station) with him, which would be pretty neat!  I truly would not be able to get out and train for this half marathon if it weren't for your donations.  The fact that there are people supporting me and believing in me & this cause is my motivation for waking up early, rearranging my schedule, and pounding the pavement.  If you haven't already, would you consider making a donation to the American Heart Association on my page?  Every dollar counts and is making a difference in my life, saving my dad's life, and maybe one day even your life.

Weeks 2-4: 13.1 Training

I knew I'd be bad about updating on my training progress.  The good news is, I feel great when I get out there & pound the pavement (or water since it's flooded).  The bad news is, it's hard to get out there.

Week 2, I did pretty good sticking to the training plan.  I think I missed a workout or shifted it around a little bit, but now it's been too long for me to remember.  I know I made it all the way past the Centennial Bridge towards the downtown area on my long run which is pretty cool in my opinion.  I love that I live so close to the river to be able to run there.  It never fails that the river is different every time I run along it.  It's even different on the way back if I'm doing an out & back run!

Last week I was in Michigan attempting to help my middle sister out while her husband was away with their youth group taking the teens to camp and I didn't get any actual running in which is a disappointment, but I also had other priorities.  She was 37 weeks pregnant and has had some serious medical issues during her pregnancy so she needed to be driven to lots of appointments in addition to needing back rubs.  My oldest sister also came to attempt to help as well.  It meant 6 kids (including 3 toddlers!) with 3 moms and no dads.  Lets just say we all got a workout in throughout the week, just not in the normal fashion that you'd imagine.  I have a huge respect for toddler parents now.

This week is week 4, and I still have my long run to do tomorrow.  It has been another week where the river has changed yet again!  We had over 5" of rain over the past weekend, and 3.5" of that all came down on Monday.  The whole area along the river has been flooded since then and has continued to rise up until today.  It is supposed to peak today and then start to go down.  This means that Lyna (the dog) and I have had a few detours along our routes, but mostly just running through large puddles.  CJ came with us in the jogging stroller yesterday.  He was awake the whole time until the last half mile.  I still feel pretty good though.  My knees are starting to get sore so I am praying they only stay mildly sore or not at all for the duration of my training.

I'm starting to do a tiny bit of weight training in combination with the running to try and put some meat on my bones as well as paying more attention to what I'm eating.  I am taking a prenatal vitamin (since I'm still breastfeeding) and a fish oil supplement, and I'm making sure to eat extra protein after I get done running/working out to help repair those muscles.  I'm probably never going to "count my calories" since it sounds like too much work, but I went on the choose my plate website to calculate how many calories I should be eating each day with running, breastfeeding, and just needing to gain a few pounds in general.  2600 calories is what it suggested.  That's a ton of food!  I'm trying to eat heart healthy foods, which naturally are low calorie, so basically I just get to eat all day, right? ;)  I do hold a special place in my heart for a bag of potato chips though.

As far as fundraising goes, I am at 20% to $1000!  That's awesome!  I did raise my goal to $1000 because $500 just seemed to simple.  I fully believe in the American Heart Association's research, education, and efforts to end heart disease and stroke.  My sister found out good news about the hole in her heart--they won't have to put a patch in it after she has her baby!  It is small enough that the cardiologist isn't worried about it at this point.

If you wish to donate to the American Heart Association, please visit my page here to make a donation of any size!  Thank you so much for supporting me!