Is it weird that I would rather run when it’s snowing outside than when it’s nice and sunny?

I can’t wait for winter runs. Feeling the crisp, cold air on your face. Hearing the crunching of snow under your feet. Being the only person on the streets because no one dares to even venture out into the horrible weather. The strange sense of peacefulness everywhere around you. The steam rising from your body. The snow falling down on you. Being able to see every breath you take. The title of “that crazy runner out in the snow”. This is what I live for, this is what I want. And I’m ready for every run of it.

Summer Training: DAY 50

August 7th

Sleep: 8 hours 30 minutes

So today was the only day I trained without actually training. I rode my bike to my friends who I met up with to go canoeing with.

Bike: 2.2 miles. 1.1 miles there and then 1.1 miles back to my house.

Canoeing: I think we canoed like…1.5 miles down the local river? Something like that. It was actually a good work out!!! It was perfect weather to be on the river. And it was a lot of fun. :D

Summer training: OVER.

Summer Training: Day 49

August 6th

Sleep: 7 hours

Run: 4.85 miles in 48:20, which is about a 9:57 pace (according to a teammate because my watch was dead). This run felt really really good, probably due to the really slow pace. But I actually didn’t feel fatigued. Or pain. Or anything. I just ran! It felt awesome being like that again. 

Bench Press: 153lbs 3 sets of 15
Lat Pull Down: 103lbs 3 sets of 15
Tricep Pull Down: 90lbs 3 sets of 15
Butterfly: 48lbs 3 sets of 15

Ok I just realized that I’m going to have exactly 50 summer training days. And then cross starts. I didn’t even mean to do that, that’s pretty boss. 

Summer Training: DAY 48

August 4th

Sleep: Not sure o:

Swimming: 100 laps (20f,20b,20f,20b,20f) - I just swam today because I wanted to give my legs some kind of extra rest before my first week of cross country! The swim felt good, and it was a good workout!

I hate rest days with a passion

I hate the feeling of not doing anything. I HAVE to do something.

BUT I CAN’T D:

Summer Training: DAY 47

August 3rd

Sleep: Less than 8 hours

Run: 3.77 miles in 33:56. It was a captains run, so I ran with my coach for the first 3 miles. Then he broke off so we picked the speed up to about a 7 minute mile. Well I did, everyone else tried to also. :b But I felt really crappy this run. My everything felt tired. Like no energy, just want to lay down tired. I only had a gogurt before my run (i’m trying to find what food is best to eat before a run), and that did not do it for me. Today was also really humid, but I didn’t really feel it.  I was just dripping with sweat to the point where I looked like I just swam. Blah. I think I’m just going to cross-train it tomorrow.

Bench Press: 153lbs 3 sets of 15
Lat Pull Down: 103lbs 3 sets of 15
Tricep Pull Down: 90lbs 3 sets of 15 
Butterfly: 48lbs 3 sets of 15
All of these felt REALLY easy. Like I had no trouble with any of them at all. Which I couldn’t say before. I couldn’t even say that with my lower weights when I started. I feel really confident with that now, I’m happy for the progress! 

Summer Training: DAY 46

August 2nd

Sleep: About 9 hours

Run: 4.0 miles in 25:52 which is about a 6:27 pace. I had an alright run. I was feeling pretty good. Until I got stung in the neck by a bee a mile into it. >:( then I picked up pace for a mile due to the adrenaline and bee poison. It was also really humid so I was dieing of heat. But overall I was happy with the pace and effort!

I feel like I did something else…but I don’t remember. o:

Progress Picture!

7.2.2012

Yay for summer progress!

Summer Training: DAY 45

August 1st D:

Sleep: About 7 hours

Run: 4.36 miles in 35:59 which is about a 8:13 pace. It was a captains run, so my coach was there which shows for the slow pace. My legs felt fatigued at the beginning from my swimming and biking yesterday, but I slowly got into the groove and my legs didn’t become a problem. My breathing wasn’t bad at all, I was just runnin like the good old times! It was a goood run.

Bench Press: 153lbs 3 sets of 15
Lat Pull Down: 103lbs 3 sets of 15
Tricep Pull Down: 90lbs 3 sets of 15
Butterfly: 48lbs 3 sets of 15
These all are quite easy. I’m at the maximum weight that my machine lets me for the lat pulldown. My bench press is one extra weight away. And then the tricep and butterfly are 3 away! Great workout day again!

Also when cross country starts in exactly one week, I’ll be doing some renovation to my blog to make the change from summer training to cross season!

Summer Training: JULY

Breakdown:
This month wasn’t exactly as successful as June. Which would probably be a given just because it’s the middle month where you are kinda like I should workout but I don’t want to. Plus my 3 days of sickness did not help. My muscles definantly feel stronger, I got to higher weights which are a lot easier now. I was cleared to run late in July. So I’m happy to be back with that. I feel like all my muscles are in good shape, now I just need to work on the aerobic capability in August to insure a good season! Also the Olympics started, and that is a huge thing that’s inspiring me to go for gold and be awesome (see what I did there ;D). I just wish I could stop living the next 4 years and train for the olympics. Screw school or money or jobs. Just train train train. Oh and my arms and chest are a lot more defined now! Which is awesome. :)

Stats: 
31 Days in July
6 off days
3 Sick days
Biked 17 days
Biked a total of 177.96 miles
Ran 5 days 
Ran a total of 15.84 miles
Swam 5 days
Swam 510 laps which is like 1.75 miles
Weightlifted 11 days
Did core 9 days 

Overview:
So yeah, it wasn’t the best month. But I still hung in there and got strong. Which is all I wanted to do! Cross Country officially starts August 8th. And I really feel like all of my core and muscles are in great condition for it. I will just have to use a lot of the workouts to work my aerobic capacity. If I do that, I feel like I can have a great year. :)

Summer Training: Day 44

July 31st

Sleep: About 10 hours

Swim: Swam 100 laps for the first time in a while. Did my 20free, 20back, 20free, 20back, 20free again. My muscles were still tired from the workout the day before but nonetheless it was a good aerobic workout! 

Bike: 8.62 miles in 33:55, 15.3mph average. I hate not having like a mileage for a day so I went out for a bike ride. It was suppose to be a nice easy one just to get out, which it pretty much was. I love riding my bike because I can just feel and see my quads getting stronger. Plus I love going the speed of passing cars. :b It wasn’t painful either! 

Finished the day off with a 15 minute ab workout because I haven’t done it in a while. Good workout day! :D

Summer Training: DAY 43

July 30th

Sleep: 7ish Hours

Run: 4.66 mies in 37:34, burned 526 calories. It was a captains run so I ran the first half with my coach. Then he ended up getting a pain in his knee so I just went on without him, which brought the pace from 9min/mile to about a 6:30min/mile. Legs felt great, just my aerobic part was tough. But it was a good run!

Bench Press: 153lbs 3 sets of 15
Lat Pull Down: 103lbs 3 sets of 15
Tricep Pull Down: 90lbs 3 sets of 15
Butterfly: 48lbs 3 sets of 15 

Summer Training: DAY 42

July 28th

Sleep: 9ish Hours

Run: 2.53 miles in 16:28 which is a 6:30 min/mile pace. And like I said I ran my first half mile at 5:30mile pace and my first mile was 6:01 so yeah I was kinda giddy to get out there and just go. My aerobic capacity isn’t the best yet so it hurt like hell. But I might still run fast runs just to build up my aerobic capability but we’ll see! My calves felt really tight after so a lot of stretching and icing there too to hopefully help them out!

Then later I played 9 holes of golf on the course that I actually run our home cross country meets at! It was so weird being there because it just smells like cross country and it was bad because I don’t feel ready so it was just ugh. But yeah I got really tired after walking all of it.