Every Mile is a Miracle

[jennamfeo]

Awesome recap and congratulations to a successful family running weekend! Bunch of goal crushers out there!

I like that I have a time for Bay now, so I can watch her progress. She really enjoys running and I think watching me train a lot helps with that. She also made the swim team yesterday, so I am super excited to see how well she does with that!

What a FUN day!! Although running 4 5Ks back to back sounds like misery to me, but I guess the beer helps! And, good for you for asking for that 5k medal. I imagine that yes we are conditioned by Disney, but come on! I'm glad they gave both to you.

Thank you! I don't know if I ever want to run four 5ks back to back again. I liked the idea of it and I did it. Check, check. Haha.

Bay running 1/2 mile, ocean views, (lots of) beer, racing, PR-ING (!!), 4 5Ks.... SO MUCH AWESOME!!! WAY TO GO GIRL!!!

Thanks!!!

I love Bay's medal! She did a great job on her race - 5:06 for a 1/2 mile is not too shabby!

Important question - do you slow down or speed up at the bacon smells? That seems like a very important race strategy factor.
Congrats on the PR! Running a PR after already running two 5Ks has to be super difficult - I'm so impressed that you were able to do it!
Also, running a 5K after two beers and almost no food is super impressive. I would have been done after about 1k.

That medal drama is ridiculous. What??? It's not like you were asking for 4 5K medals ... but you ran the 5K and you should get the 5K medal! You earned those medals - I'm glad you ended up getting both!

It's interesting to me that a 6 year old can already feel down on herself about something, but at the end she was like "I walked a little" like that's a bad thing. I always tell her that it's okay to walk, just don't give up.
I didn't know exactly where the bacon was or if I could get any, so I slowed down to take in the smell. But thanks. That race was definitely unique.
Oh that medal drama. My husband was like "You could have had mine" but I told him that wasn't the point and I PR'd on that dang 5k!!

That’s crazy about the medals. I’d want more than just the 20K too! Bay is so adorable!

Thank you!! I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks that. I can't wait to complain on the survey. LOL.

 

[kski907]

She also made the swim team yesterday, so I am super excited to see how well she does with that!

Yay!!! Congrats to Bay. Time for the Swim Mom shirts. Also huge congrats to all of your family on the racing this weekend. You deserved getting a 5K medal after that PR time so glad you were able to get one.

 

[SarahDisney]

It's interesting to me that a 6 year old can already feel down on herself about something, but at the end she was like "I walked a little" like that's a bad thing. I always tell her that it's okay to walk, just don't give up.

I occasionally did races when I was Bay's age, and sometimes I came in last. It was rough. Even at that age you kind of feel bad if you don't live up to your own expectations. But I think it's great that you're telling her that it's okay to walk. It's important that she knows that all that matters is that she keeps trying.

Also ... congrats to Bay on making the swim team! That's awesome!
How's her bike riding? I see a future triathalon buddy for you...

 

[LilyJC]

Congrats on the PR! And on getting all the medals you rightly deserved!

Sorry Legoland was kind of a bummer. We never made it down there before my kiddos got too old since we’ve always had DLR APs.

Swim team is pretty fun! I won an EZ up one year after spending the season covering timing shifts for flaky parents who’d bail on their duties at the last minute.

 

[jennamfeo]

How's her bike riding? I see a future triathalon buddy for you...

Oh yeah, about that. She fell on her bike once and refuses to get back on it because she thinks that her bike is faulty. Hahaha. We are working on it though.

Congrats on the PR! And on getting all the medals you rightly deserved!

Sorry Legoland was kind of a bummer. We never made it down there before my kiddos got too old since we’ve always had DLR APs.

Swim team is pretty fun! I won an EZ up one year after spending the season covering timing shifts for flaky parents who’d bail on their duties at the last minute.

Thank you! At least we can say that we went to Legoland. We decided we wouldn't go back unless it was free. Haha. I am excited for swim team because I was on the swim team from 9-18, kind of why I suggested it to her. Plus she loves the water.

 

[jennamfeo]

I got all of my race pictures back from this weekend. I held up the number of the 5k I had just finished in each of the finish line photos so I could see how terrible I looked by the end. LOL. I actually love how happy I look on the 4th one.

 

[SarahDisney]

I love that 4th finish picture!!

 

[FredtheDuck]

What awesome pictures!

 

[LilyJC]

Such fun race pics!!

 

[jennamfeo]

Week 5 DBP#2 Report 3/26-4/1
Mon 3/26 – REST
Tue 3/27 – 3 mi @ EA
Wed 3/28 – 3 mi @ EB + Strides
Thurs 3/29 – 1 mi @ WU + 6 x 3min @ I Pace w/2min RI + 1 mi @ CD
Fri 3/30 - REST
Sat 3/31 – 5 mi @ LR + 5k @ M Tempo
Sun 4/1 – 4 mi @ EA

Monday: Much needed rest day after that All Day 20k!!

Tuesday: It was crazy windy outside, so I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill instead. The plus side to the treadmill is that I can hit my pace. Haha.
Plan: 3 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 3.01 @ 12:06

Wednesday: I think I was still making up for our busy weekend because I was tired. I slept in and moved my run to my lunch break. I regret it a little because it was HOT, which made me run faster because I wanted to go back inside.
Plan: 3 mi @ EB (11:10) + Strides
Actual: 3.06 @ 10:32
Splits: 10:32, 10:48, 10:14 (Strides)

Thursday: Luckily the wind was gone because I was headed to the track this morning. I had six 3 minute intervals to do at my I Pace and it was hard. I wasn’t super consistent with my times, but I was closer to my goal pace (8:32)
Plan: 1 mi @ WU + 6 x 3min @ I Pace w/2min RI + 1 mi @ CD = 5.22 mi @ 57:32
Actual: 5.2 mi @ 53:45
Interval Splits: 8:23, 8:21, 8:21, 8:16, 8:29, 8:25

[Greeted with this gorgeous sky and view after my set was done.]


Friday: Normally a rest day, but since I didn’t have to work, I decided to go to the gym and do a Body Pump class that I haven’t done for about 7 years. The class was just how I remembered it. I thought that I had gone pretty light on the weights but today my triceps are KILLING ME. (Yes, 3 days later.) It was a good workout and I hope to do it once a week if I can.

Saturday: Another weekend, another race. But I had to figure out how to get my additional 5 miles in today too, so I woke up early and headed to the hotel gym. I ran 4.3 lonely miles on the treadmill, then another .7 to the race start line. Then I did the Diamondbacks Race Against Cancer 5k! It was a good race but I was pretty sore, my legs felt fatigued, and to be honest I am so over running 5ks. I need 10ks or longer only please. Haha. But the race was for an amazing cause and the medal was awesome. I will do a re-cap later.
Plan: 8.1 mi @ LR/M Tempo
Actual: 8.2 mi @ 10:15

Sunday: We were driving home from Phoenix, so I postponed my run to the evening when we got home. It was warm and dark. I went slow and easy. Great ending to the week.
Plan: 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 4.01 mi @ 11:52

Upcoming Training (which includes an I Pace and a T Pace workout):
Mon 4/2 – REST
Tues 4/3 – 1 mi @ WU + 2 x 4min @ I Pace w/3min RI + 5 x 2min @ I w/2min RI + 1 mi @ CD
Wed 4/4 – 4 mi @ EA
Thurs 4/5 – 1 mi @ WU + 4 x 1 mi @ T Pace w/90 sec REST + .5 mi @ CD
Fri 4/6 – REST
Sat 4/7 – 6 mi @ LR + 5k @ M Tempo
Sun 4/8 – 5 mi @ EA

 

[jennamfeo]

March Totals:
Miles Ran – 104.2
Total Time – 18:56:36
Average Pace – 10:54
Miles Biked – 2.6
Yards Swam – 0
Strength – 25:30 planks, 510 crunches, 510 squats, 255 push-ups
Weight change – -2.2lbs

March Goals Re-cap:
- Hit my Fitbit step goal every day (8000) - 24/31 days, not bad
- Keep eating more fruits & veggies – Ehh, unless we are counting pizza as a vegetable
- Start Meal Prepping! - Nope
- Drink 64oz of water a day – C H E C K
- Swim 2x – Not even once
- Bike 36 miles – Only 2.6 miles
- Walk the dogs once a week - Nope
- Strength train 2x a week – Kind of, more on that later
- Move out of my in laws house!!! – HELL TO THE YES

March was an okay month for me. I may not have hit all my goals, but that’s okay. I am here for improvement, not perfection. To help me hit my water drinking goal, I put up a post it note on my computer monitor that reminded me to drink 1 bottle before lunch and 1 bottle before I left work. It surprisingly worked like a charm. For my strength training, I actually started focusing on little workouts throughout my work day by means of taking a few minutes every hour and heading to my office’s workout room to do a few exercises. Usually 30 second planks, 5 push-ups, 10 crunches, 10 squats. I aim for doing it 4 times a day but sometimes can fit in 7 sessions a day.

April Goals:
- Get the house unpacked and livable
- Start meal prepping!! Like really.
- Keep eating more fruits & veggies
- Drink 64oz of water a day
- Swim 2x
- Bike 12 miles
- Walk the dogs once a week
- Hourly workouts M-F at least 4x a day

I would like to think that now that we have our own place, that it is going to be easier for me to meal prep and want to start cooking again. Fingers crossed, but we are still unpacking and we have SO MUCH STUFF.
This month is going to be a little mellower for us, finally. We are headed to Vegas this weekend to see my parents and snuggle with their new puppy. But after that it’s just our regular schedule of work for us & baseball for the Bay. I am hoping that helps me finish the last half of my DB training plan really strong. Only 34 days until my 10k PR attempt. Aiming for that sub 60 minutes 10k!
I kind of fell off my “don’t drink during the week” wagon, so I am getting back on that now. I try not to drink Monday – Thursday. I think it helps with my training and also my weight loss.
Speaking of that, I am down a solid 10lbs since January plus I have lost inches in my waist, hips, and thighs! Yay.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Congrats on a great month!!

I love my in-laws, they are seriously great. But we "lived" with them for 2 weeks while we replaced the bathroom, floors, etc on our current house before me moved in... and let's just say... I am SO happy you are back in your own home

 

[DopeyBadger]

Solid training week and solid month! Let's keep an eye on that tiredness feeling though as we don't want that to linger too much. If you see some of your paces start to fade, let me know sooner rather than later.

 

[jennamfeo]

Congrats on a great month!!

I love my in-laws, they are seriously great. But we "lived" with them for 2 weeks while we replaced the bathroom, floors, etc on our current house before me moved in... and let's just say... I am SO happy you are back in your own home

THANKS! This was the second time we have lived with them and I also love my in-laws. But we had been there for about 7 months and MAN that took a toll on so many aspects of my life.

Solid training week and solid month! Let's keep an eye on that tiredness feeling though as we don't want that to linger too much. If you see some of your paces start to fade, let me know sooner rather than later.

I feel like it was because I did an intense strength training workout on Friday, but I will definitely take note of how I am feeling this week. Today's I Pace workout was AWFUL but for so many different reasons.

 

[Bree]

Congrats on your own place! I love my MIL to pieces, but living with her could be hard.

 

[Jules76126]

Congrats on moving. Not sure I could ever live with my in laws. I love visiting but not so much living.

Impressed with you water goals. I think I am going to try your trick as I never seem to drink enough throughout the day

 

[SarahDisney]

Congrats on a great month!

I love the April goals. Unpacking is tough, but once you get it done, it should help you our with the meal prep and just generally having time for other stuff!

 

[jennamfeo]

Week 6 DBP#2 Report 4/2 - 4/8
Mon 4/2 – REST
Tues 4/3 – 1 mi @ WU + 2 x 4min @ I Pace w/3min RI + 5 x 2min @ I w/2min RI + 1 mi @ CD
Wed 4/4 – 4 mi @ EA
Thurs 4/5 – 1 mi @ WU + 4 x 1 mi @ T Pace w/90 sec REST + .5 mi @ CD
Fri 4/6 – REST
Sat 4/7 – 6 mi @ LR + 5k @ M Tempo
Sun 4/8 – 5 mi @ EA

Monday: Rest Day!

Tuesday: Today technology was not my friend. I was a little intimidated of this week to begin with because it had TWO speed workouts scheduled. But the night before this run I was messing with the phone and my watch and I think I made it sync in a way that I didn't want it to be but I didn't know it at the time. Then after I did that I put my run intervals into Runkeeper so I would be ready in the morning for my workout. I use Runkeeper and it tells me when to run fast and when to run slow. It's perfect for these sessions. So I get to the track and it is full of people all walking/running THE WRONG DIRECTION. I don't usually go to the track on Tuesdays so I didn't expect this. I get on the track and start my run. Everything is fine for the first few intervals but then for some reason Runkeeper wanted to stop verbally telling me my cues to slow down when I am in my "fast" interval. I realize this and get SO MAD. I end up turning off the workout and restarting it but skipping the first fast 4 minute interval. It starts working correctly this time, but then I get to my last interval and notice that I actidentally set it to 2 MILES not 2 MINUTES. At that point I was so over it I just did my cool down and left. It ruined my whole day.
Plan: 1 mi @ WU + 2 x 4min @ I Pace w/3min RI + 5 x 2min @ I w/2min RI + 1 mi @ CD
Actual: Something LIKE that but not at all.

Wednesday: My shin hurt. My Apple Watch sucks at giving me proper pacing. Whatever.
Plan: 4 mi @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 4.02 @ 11:29

Thursday: This workout made up for my crappy Tuesday workout!! I felt great. I hit my paces pretty consistently, but a little on the fast side. I never felt like I needed the fast intervals to end, but embraced the REST intervals by walking.
Plan: 1 mi @ WU + 4 x 1 mi @ T Pace (9:17) w/90 sec REST + .5 mi @ CD
Interval splits: 9:06, 9:05, 9:09, 9:11



Friday: Rest Day!

Saturday: I know I made this goal to do as many local races as I can, but when they are all 5ks I just can't. I am so over running 5ks. Today I had 6 miles + a 5k race, but I would have much rather just ran all 9 miles at once and moved on with it. But whatever. I had a 5k race, it was for a good cause, yadda yadda. The 6 miles before hand were okay. It was really muggy out and I didn't care for that. The 5k race should have started earlier because a lot of people were going to walk this event and I knew it would be so hot by the time they were done. Ah well. I will probably do a short race re-cap later. I still need to do one for last weekend's 5k, haha.
Plan: 6 miles @ LR (10:48) + 5k @ M Tempo (10:02)
Actual: 6 miles @ 10:37 + 5k @ 9:50



Sunday: We had a little get together Saturday evening that involved homemade pizza, beer, and wine. I was happy to report that I woke up feeling fine but tired. I am always thankful for no hangover days. I did postpone my run from the morning to the afternoon, and I worried that it was going to be hot as balls when I finally got around to it. It was not hot like at ALL. It was 90 degrees out, with the sun on me, but the breeze cut all heat and I felt AMAZING. I ran to a family member's house for dinner because some cousins were in town for a few hours. This run was my favorite run that I have done in the past few weeks. I smiled a lot. I don't know, it was just perfect. And it ended with pizza and beer.
Plan: 5 miles @ EA (11:57)
Actual: 5.45 @ 11:24



Here's to another week done. When I first considered starting a @DopeyBadger plan, I worried that I wouldn't follow through. I would give up. I would skip a run and then another, etc. But I haven't. I have kept at it for a little over 4 months now and while some days it's hard to get out of bed, it's never because I don't want to run. Yesterday I couldn't wait to run. I need this so much.

Anyway, 4 weeks until my 10k race!

Upcoming Training:
Mon 4/9 - Rest Day
Tue 4/10 - 5 mi @ EA
Wed 4/11 - 5 mi @ EB + Strides
Thurs 4/12 - 1 mi @ WU + 2 mi @ T Pace (9:17) w/3 min REST + 1 mi @ T Pace w/90 sec REST + 1 mi @ T Pace + .5 mi @ CD
Fri 4/13 - Rest Day
Sat 4/14 - 7 mi @ EB
Sun 4/15 - 7 mi @ LR

 

[KSellers88]

Great week! I am with you on the local 5K thing. I used to do all of them, but just cannot motivate myself to wake up early and drive into town for them now. Way to go on those T paces!!!

 

[ZellyB]

I'm not a fan of 5k races usually (Disney being the exception). I think they are hard first of all, and I feel like I'm just getting warmed up when they are over. Great week of training and I love your pics.