By this time next week, I'll be a half marathoner!!

Here's my training plan for the week and a recap of last week's running. 

Last week and this week are pretty much taper weeks!

This past week, I got in 3 runs and 1 cross training day. 

Monday & Wednesday were rest days, and Sunday was an active rest day because I did a lot of walking! I was suppose to go to the gym Wednesday morning but somehow I didn't quite make it.

Tuesday I was suppose to do 4 miles but my hip was bothering me so I only did 3. Can't risk getting injured at this point in the game!

Thursday I did 4 miles instead of the scheduled 3 so I basically switched Thursday's run with Tuesday's!

Friday I cross trained. I did my first Nike Training Club workout and it was intense but I loved it! Looking forward to doing another one this morning!

Saturday was a "long" taper run of 5 miles. I got caught in a little drizzle but I pushed through. I don't mind a little bit of drizzle but if it had down poured like it did once I got home I would have stopped and called the boyfriend lol! Can't risk getting sick either!

Sunday was suppose to be 2.5 easy miles but the time change through me off. You'd think with the extra hour I would have made sure to workout but yesterday morning was focused on getting homework out the way and cleaning up so that this coming week my focus can be on mentally preparing for my half. Then Jay and I went out to this event called Fiesta In The Park at a local park where I walked about a mile or two exploring all the different venders. Then we went to the outlets and the mall and that was probably about another mile of walking. So at least I was active!

Now for this week. The week I've been waiting for! Here's my planned training schedule.

Monday: 30 minutes cross train (Nike Training Club App)
Tuesday: 2 mile run
Wednesday: 30 minutes of cross train +  20 minute run 
Thursday: REST
Friday: 20 minute run
Saturday: REST (active - walking around the Expo of course!)
Sunday: RACE DAY!! 

I'm going to do beginner cross train workouts on the NTC app because I don't want to get too sore. But I'm sure if my last cross train is on Wednesday, by Sunday my muscles will have recovered!

How is your training the week of a big run??

Do you go hard, do you taper, etc?

xoxo, Preshii


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12 miles! Say what now!?!

I've completed my last extra long run during my training. That's right I did 12 miles this past Sunday and I feel great. Inside. i feel great inside. Kind of. My legs were screaming at me yesterday. I soaked for an hour in the tub with epson salt.  I was suppose to do the run on Saturday but Friday I ate a yogurt that didn't sit well with me and had a stomach virus all friday and didn't think I had it in me to run on saturday. These last two long runs have been the longest I've ever run and it's always cool thinking hey I did 12 miles this morning. I was also really happy with my pace. 9:47 avg pace. That's with me taking my 20-30 sec walk breaks. I said I wasn't going to set a time for this half marathon but if I was I'd like to finish in under 2:15. But I'm not stressing time I just want to enjoy my first half marathon. Less than two weeks to go!!

In other half marathon training news: 

Week 9, Pt. 2
I did a little over 4 miles on tuesday, wednesday, and thursday and then on saturday was my long run of 11 miles. I felt so great after the run but then I came home and took a nice nap!

Week 10

 This was a good run week. Started out with an easy three mile run and then hit a bump in the rode when I thought I wouldn't be able to get to my long run because of my stomach virus but I came back strong!

The weeks leading up to your first half marathon? What were your thoughts?

Were you nervous, excited, scared, anxious?

xoxo, Preshii


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40 more days to go!!

Yesterday marked 6 weeks to my very first Half Marathon!! 

Here's what I have left of my training. 
However I will be modifying it and adding in an extra week after this week.
 Glad I started a week early. 

The first column states what week, the last column states how many total miles for the week. Monday - Sunday.

So like I said I'm sneaking in a week between week 8 and 9. My reasoning is because the original week 9, I'm suppose to do 11 miles that saturday which would have been fine if I wasn't doing 7 miles for my race on Sunday. I don't want to over do it so I'm just going to make the 7 miles my long run and then pick back up to 11 miles the following week. I don't think it will hurt me. It'll be like I tapered and then BAM 11 miles. Besides that way, my training will actually end with my actual race day like it is suppose too. 

So my new week 9 will look something like this:

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 5 miles  & Strength train (depending on if I wake up early enough!) 

Wednesday: 3 miles AND/OR Strength train OR rest 

Thursday: 4 miles

Friday: Cross train

Saturday: 5K race - 3.1 miles

Sunday: U Can Finish - Distance Dare - 7 miles

Now on to the fun stuff, my training this week.

Monday rest day. Tuesday I was suppose to do 4 miles but after my strength training workout (that kind of killed me!)I decided I was going to do the 4 miles on the treadmill. That's a shocker for me. It wasn't terribly bad but I got light headed and then I was cutting it close on time and was already going to be late for work so I ended up only doing 2.6 miles. 

Sorry no pictures of the treadmill. I forgot. Bad blogger. But here's me all sweaty and glorious.

Wednesday I had intentions on working out and getting in 2 miles to make up for Tuesday but I didn't. It was suppose to be a rest day anyway so I rested some more.

Thursday I hit the pavement. Was doing great until I hit mile 3 and my body just wasn't feeling it anymore. It's "that time of the month" and I felt like mother nature just punched me in the gut because she was mad at me for working out. But I finished and felt good afterwards. 

Splits for 4 miles.

I walked quite a few times during the last mile. 

Friday I did another fun cross training workout that I must share this wednesday!!

Saturday was 9 miles. 9 long miles. It was hard but not terrible. My pace actually ended up being really good.  I tried not to stop but every 1.5 miles to drink some water with Nuun and do some ankle circles. My right ankle tends to both me. I hope it's just that it was time for new shoes because I got some new ones & they're BROOKS! Overall it was a good run though actually better then my 8 mile run! I finished my 8 mile run (that was actually 8.41) in 1:28, I finished this one 9.09 miles in 1:31. 

My Splits.
I really like Sportbeans Jellybeans for my runs. 
This was my 2nd time trying them
but I really feel and can see the effects. I took the sport beans during mile 3. I can tell that it hit me around mile 6 because my pace during miles 6 - 9 where the best and my fastest time was actually during mile 9! My slowest was mile 5!

My favorite thing to do after a hard run (and not so hard ones sometime) is collapse on the floor as soon as I get back to my house. Then I get to reflect on my run a little bit before I realize that I stink and need to shower haha.

Recovery run on Sunday was decent because it was a recovery WALK! I got to test out my new shoesies! I needed to get some studying in and I can't do that whole run and read thing so I walked and studied. 

So there you have it. 40 more days to go and I'm feeling pretty good. I actually thought after my 9 miler - hey just 4 more miles and you're there! November 10th will be here before I know it and I hope and pray I do great. I can. I will. I believe in redefining my impossible!

Random QOTD:  Do you use hashtags (#) a lot??

 If you do.... here's a good laugh! Happy Monday!

xoxo, Preshii


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Half Marathon Training Week 3 & 4! Done :)

Week 3 and 4 of my Half Marathon training involved me missing a couple days but all was well and I got to do my 6 mile long run in North Carolina :)!!

Week 3.

Monday was a full rest day and I also took a rest day on Tuesday (can't remember why!). I was suppose to do 2.5 miles on Tuesday and 2 miles on Wednesday. So Instead I did 3.6 [i think .5 of that was walking] miles on wednesday to kind of play "catch up".

Thursday was a 3 mile run. My goal was to beat the Virtual player pace on my Garmin. & I did by 4 secs :)!

Friday was cross training. I did a 16 minute tabata [that I loved - will share it for workout wednesday!] then another 15 minute strength training workout and then 10 minutes on the elliptical.

Saturday was my 5 mile long run. I did the run with my running group that morning before getting on the road to Miami. It was a nice run and I liked my 10:30 pace!

I didn't do my recovery run on Sunday because I was in Miami and decided that I'll just not run. But I did get in a mini strength training workout.



Week 4.

Monday was a rest day. I was going to run (since I didn't on Sunday) but I was on the road from Miami and once I got home I just didn't feel like it with this crazy heat. 

Tuesday I went out for a run that I didn't want to go on. It was suppose to be 3 miles but I only did a little over 2 miles. At least I did hit the pavement! My watch was dead that day too :(.

Wednesday was suppose to be a rest day but I decided to hit the pavement anyway because I knew because I was going to the Conference the weekend and wasn't going to run on saturday because I would be doing my long run on sunday instead which also meant no recovery run!

Thursday ended up being an unplanned rest day. I went to sleep not feeling well and woke up feeling worst so I decided I didn't need to try to push myself and do 4 miles so I went back to sleep lol.

Friday was bus ride day! Was suppose to be cross training but was a rest day because I was traveling to the conference!

Saturday ended up being a cross training day instead of my long run day because at the conference I did two active 45 minute workshops. One was a belly dancing class for runners and the other was a barre class! I use to do belly dancing a lot in 2011 but stopped. I miss it. I think I'm going to start back again! 

Sunday was my long run day of 6 miles which I did during the Black Girls Run! 10k in Charlotte, NC! The 10K was nice and I loved the scenery buttt there were hills! But I pushed through and my time was about a 10:30 pace. Official chip time was 1:06:55! Didn't PR but I was still happy with the time! Especially because during mile 2 I started feeling not so great and had to walk a few times but my mojo came back during mile 3!

10K Splits :)

You can see in lap 3, I slowed down quite a bit.

 Got in about 23 miles over the last 2 weeks.  Was suppose to get in 30.5 but hey, life happens. 

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For my runners, How has your running been going lately? Not a runner, how has your workouts been?

xoxo, Preshii

Half Marathon Training Week 2, Done!

Week 2 of my Half Marathon training was all done while I was away in Virginia and DC/Maryland! I had so much fun running in new locations and sceneries. I've never done that really!!

Monday was a full rest day.  & resting I did do! So Tuesday of course was my first run of the week. As soon as I arrived to my hotel in Norfolk, VA I headed straight for the gym to get in my 30 mins of full body strength training. I opted for Jillian Michaels 30 day shred level 1 workout. Then right after I headed out for my 2 mile run slash sightseeing tour by foot! The weather was great even at noon! I had so much fun running along the waterside and exploring Norfolk. It was cool also seeing the Navy men and women running and chanting! 2 mile run 9:25 pace :).

Half Marathon Training has began! Week 1. Done.

Monday I started my half marathon training. A week earlier than expected but I'm excited. Monday was a rest day (dubbed the foam roller / extra stretching day of my training weeks!) on the training schedule I'm using so my first run wasn't until Tuesday. A short and sweet 2 mile run.  I was really happy with my pace average of 9:27!

Banana Berry Crepes!

Good morning!

 Last night I had breakfast for dinner and it was awesomesauce. I made a new recipe. Banana berry crepes. Healthy and yummy. The recipe is really simple and cheap and I got it from Cassey over at Blogilates. They're apart of her Cheap Clean Eats vlogs! 

Impulse decisions for the win!

Yesterday I woke up, did my Livefit Trainer workout,  and then impulsively decided that that might be my last official LFT workout. Crazy because the workouts this past week were actually - dare I say it - fun and quick. My workouts the last 3 days (including 35 mins of cardio, bathroom breaks, and stretching) took me less than 1hour and 20 mins. The weight training took about 35 - 45 mins. I loved it! But let's be honest, I have lost my mojo for this program. I'm only trying to finish it in whole to prove to myself I can finish a program but honestly I'm only 60% into it these days - if that! I'm ready for my next fitness chapter. My half marathon training. 

Preparing for Half Marathon....

Training. Preparing for Half Marathon Training. 

I have less then 2 weeks to go until I begin my training.

 I have a list of things I need to do. 

1. Find a training plan.

I'm indecisive. So that kind of makes it hard to pick a plan that I really like. I know I want a plan that allows me to train for atleast 12 weeks and one that includes a long run of 11 or 12 miles. I know a lot of them usually just go up to a long run of 10 miles. Nope I prefer 13 but I'll settle for 11 or 12 and then I know I'll feel more comfortable when the big day arrives.