Catching up!

I honestly don't know why I haven't blogged, last week I kept up on my runs except for kids being sick and missing the Saturday big run. I was so bummed, and emotionally it freaked me out not accomplishing it...

Okay so this week at a glance is:
Monday 1.45 mile loop in 19:34 for a 13:30 pace.
Hold on, it gets worse!!
Skip till Friday when I did the same 1.45 in 20:15 for a 13:58...
But the worst yet was today Saturday I did the big run,
going 3.2 miles in 46:07 for 14:25 pace... what the crap??

PS Today my hip flexors were so tight and sore, so I started researching and found this on :

Causes
Tight muscles and poor flexibility will contribute to hip flexor injury. When muscles are tight, there is an increased amount of tension on the tissues.

Hip flexor strain can also be caused by compensation for other injuries, or weakness of other muscles. This is common if you have core weakness. When the lower abdominal muscles do not stabilize the pelvis, the hip flexor muscles will try to compensate for this weakness and become overworked.

Symptoms
The most common symptom of a hip flexor strain is pain. It occurs along the front of the hip and may radiate down the front of your thigh.

Running can be painful, and your sports performance may be limited.

Treatment
Once your pain begins to subside, after a few days, you can begin gentle stretching of the hip flexors.

Improving your flexibility is the key to successful treatment and prevention of re-injury.

Prevention
Preventing hip flexor injury focuses on good flexibility, as well as making sure you warm up before you go full speed. Warm muscles are much less likely to be injured. So take the time to warm up and start slowly before you go all out. A good flexibility program will also help to reduce the tension on the muscles, and reduce your likelihood for injury.

**So, I've been talking to Molly about doing yoga on the days I don't "walog" and that plus more stretching morning and night is just what I think I will do! xo

The Tortis vs The Hare

This morning there were three, myself, Ali and Capt'n G for our jolk! It was good for me, I think Miss Alice out of love and friendship has stayed at my pace, but can run so much faster so much longer and I encouraged her to start (so she can make up my time in the Ragnar Ü), and G was about the same... FOR HER FIRST RUN OF THE YEAR, I've been at it for a couple of months now! UGH!





She gave me great tips, like breath deep and slow, pick your knees up and keep your shoulders back, and to get the podcast for C25K back on so I can narrow the walk time and extend the jogging! All so very helpful!

So today I know we could have gone faster, it was just new to have 3, but we did a 1.8 mile loop in 25:03 min for a 13:55 pace! Slow and steady wins the race... or so I will tell myself today! xo

Challenge!

All week long I had been dreading today, I saw that I had to go for 40 minutes and mentally that freaked me out! How would I keep moving? How far could I go? This is stupid and I should just stop. No, I'll go but shorten the run if I get tired...

No joke, this is what was repeating in my mind! Last night was date night and Yaya & Sunshine kept the boys for a sleepover, and I thought, PERFECT we will have a great night and I can get my run in! We had a great night and I didn't set my alarm, not for AM anyway Ü so I woke up in a panic at 5:45 am and quickly got dressed and was out by 6! I saw the route of 2.95 miles, and thought "well, I'll see how long each section takes me."

Honestly, this whole this is more mental than physical for me!

I got to the top of my first hill and was shocked I was at 10 minutes vs 15! Went down and then up the next and was only at 20! Went back down and as I was started up the last hill a friend drove by and waved, which made me laugh and I thought "you may take longer, but you can do this route!" I did the 2.95 mile route in 40:40 for a 13:47 pace! I'm slow, I get that, but I did it and didn't stop and kept my butt, my feet, my knees, my lungs going for 40 minutes, and I really am proud of myself! xo

I'm confused?

Woke up, had a special visitor, and thought "no, not now! After 10 months I am in no mood and really cannot have this. Stretched, dressed and went out the door!

It was a perfect morning, very slight breeze, almost a bit cool feeling, refreshing compared to the last week! I met up with Ali and off we went. We went 1.45 mile in 19:05 min for a 13:09 pace. Am I getting slower, what is going on? Also, I saw that my tracking widget is rounding things...I want exact! So I'm going to search the WWW and get myself mentally ready to go 40 minutes tomorrow! xo

Pace what?

Last night I actually went to bed in decent time (not great but decent), and woke up on time, stretched and felt awake as I walked out the door, yet from step ONE I could not feel my feet hit the pavement! Honestly, I could feel my legs, my butt, my lungs, everything, but it felt like I was balancing on peg legs without my feet to stabilize me!

It's not like after you hit "the wall" and you can keep running.
It's not numbness, and the tingle that goes along with it.

It simply felt like there was no foot! Probably sounds crazy, but I kept stopping because I felt like I would FALL OVER. I searched the web and couldn't find anything on the topic. :(

On the brighter side, I went 1.65 miles in 21:27 minutes for a 13:00 pace. Not great, but not too terrible... kinda disappointed if I am honest. But I went. Okay that's something. xo

Andale! Andale! Yeehaw!

Only 4 hours of sleep :P dragged to get out the door for 6am meet, met at 6:05 :( it was already hot, I felt like crap, it was a total Monday morning.

We did a new leg, was suppose to last 20 minutes but we are so speedy gonzales that we cruised through it!

Route today was 1.3 miles and we did it in 14:35 for an 11:13 pace!

If you are too young to know what I'm talking about, here's your sign Ü! xo

Talk, talk, talk...

Maybe its too early in the morning for posting,
maybe I'm just too tired to know,
but it seems like my world is full of a lot of talk right now!

Talk about food, nutrition, organic, healthy, supplements, recipes, value, taste and preparation time!

Talk about life, and everything in it. And today I ran with a friend and as nice as it was to be with someone else so early in the day, I think the jog/talk/walk ratio was off because we did 1.8 miles in 26:01 minutes for a 14:27 pace! Maybe it was because it was my 3rd run in as many days and my body really cannot go faster, but less than 30 minutes after finishing all I can think is THAT SUCKS! I am glad I got my 3 runs in (even though this week there should be 4), next week must be better! xo

Next Day!

Ali was a trooper and went with me this morning at 4:15am... yes 4:15!! She wanted to do the 1.24 mile loop and that early in the morning who am I to argue Ü We did it in 15.39 for a 12:37 pace.

I had to buy a new swimsuit at while swimming tonight (and laughed with Angie at how many of us women will continue to wear threadbare that make us look WORSE) my baby came up, put one hand on each boob and asked "what's this?!?!" when I told him he then notified me they were "so big and soft!" He's three, ha!

I have been at 15 minutes, but tomorrow for my 3rd run in a row and 3rd run of the week I am suppose to go 25 minutes. I've averaged 1.24-1.5 miles so I have a 1.8 mile loop that is straight uphill for the first 1/2 and straight downhill the second! Wish me luck! xo

Bring on the HEAT!

I ended last week with a head cold, then didn't bother to run on Monday because it was

... to celebrate I slept in with my sweetheart! No big deal, I'll just go Tuesday, unless I sleep in with nightmares. Okay Wednesday for sure, unless I spend the morning searching for my iPod I put on the bathroom counter with all my clothes! If I miss one day I'm toast UGH!!!

Today I slept in again, woke up at 7 and was determined to to find my iPod, which I finally did in my makeup bag (thank you 3 year old Ü) put my clothes on because I AM TRAINING FOR THE RAGNAR, walked out the door at 7:45am and into 85 degree weather where I ran a new route: 1.5 mile in 15:51 min for a 10:34 pace!! Shut up! I seriously checked myself 6 or seven times and seriously its true!! So bring on the heat of pressure and the heat of the desert, this girl accepts the challenge! xo

Turn the Faucet off!

I swear this was me last night, and it just wouldn't stop! I finally propped a dozen pillows on my bed, laid down (sitting up) and drifted off to sleep around 1 am... only to have the alarm go off at 5 for my morning jog.

I want to call it a run, but that's not really what I do, its a jog/walk at this point. There was a lady also on the road who was walking her HUGE English Bulldog, and as I passed them I told myself, you are jogging NOT walking, this is good!

I ran the usual 1.24 miles in 15:38 min for a 12:36 pace! TGIF xo