Momma Update

I know that it has been a while since I posted something. I’m sorry about that.

I currently have a new aspect of my life that I am working on and it has taken a large chunk out of my days when I would normally post on this blog. I have decided to train for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Half Marathon in October. To do that, I have been running and cross-training on the stationary bike at my office during my lunch hour.

So that it doesn’t take me 3.5 hours to complete the half marathon (which it did in 2007), I am eating healthy and losing weight as well. Running is one of the cheapest and easiest activities to lose weight. As long as you have the right shoes for your feet and specific running movement, you can run without many problems.

I have been writing down my caloric intake and daily activity so that I can be very conscience of what I am doing and am able to review if I hit a plateau.

Since starting this adventure, 2 weeks ago, I have lost 8 lbs and am running 4 days a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays). My Saturday run is my long one. This past Saturday I ran 4.92 miles in 78 minutes. I know that isn’t fast for most people, but at my size, that’s pretty good. This Saturday, I’m planning on running for 1.5 hours which should put me over the 5 mile mark. I’m hoping for 5.25 miles. These Saturday runs are supposed to be easy, endurance runs. These runs will build up the time that I’m able to stay on my feet running. During the week is when speed workouts, hills and fartlek (which means "speed play" in Swedish) helps with conditioning.

During the weekdays, I have been working on my form and stride length which has allowed me to increase my pace to a 13.66 minute mile over 2 miles. For me that’s unheard of. I need to continue to work on my speed and form if I hope to complete the half in the time frame that I want (under 3 hours) which would put me at a pace of around 13:15 over the course of 13.1 miles.

If anyone is more interested in my training and articles that I have compiled to help me train for this adventure, please feel free to e-mail me at wilberta2006@yahoo.com and I can forward you my training plans and/or give you my training blog address.

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Over the course of my training, I may use some or all of the following jargon and I wanted to make sure that I offer the definitions early.

Running Jargon | Running Acronyms

5k - distance of 5,000 meters or 3.1 miles

10k - distance of 10,000 meters or 6.2 miles

Bonk crashing in a race attributed to running out of fuel

Cross Training training strategy which uses other forms of aerobic exercise such as swimming, cycling, cross country skiing

Fartlek Swedish term ("speed play") for workouts where you vary the pace of your running – a mix of slow, moderate, and quick paces at different intervals.

Half Marathon- distance of 13.1 miles

Intervals system of training using repeated short distances at greater than or near race pace

Marathon- distance of 26.2 miles

Negative Splits running the last half of a race faster than the first half

PR Personal Record.

Pronator running form with moderate inward rotation of the foot, likely to have medium arch height (I have flat feet and severely pronate)

Taper Scaling back mileage prior to a big or long race. Tapering helps muscles rest so that they are ready for optimum performance on race day.

Tempo Runs Training runs, usually 30 to 45 minutes in length. A warm up progresses to more intense pacing ranging from one minute per mile slower than 10k race pace to 15 seconds slower than 10k pace at the latter stages of the run.

Ultra An "ultra-marathon". Any race that's longer than the marathon distance of 26.2 miles.