Racing | Mamamarathoner

Swim, swim, swim!

July 15, 2008 By Kathy 4 Comments

Today I got up and went to the gym to begin my new swim routine.

I picked up a great new bathing suit at TJ Maxx the other day. A Nike for just $20! It worked perfectly. I did half an hour.

I forgot how much I love to swim, and can you believe it is a great calorie burner? Not only that but after the brutality of running on my ankles, legs and feet, swimming is just, well, easy! It’s like running in that I feel I’m on another world, alone in the water, no other sounds. I like that.

Found this fun calculator to use to see how many calories you’re burning while doing a variety of exercises.

For me, at 135 pounds, it says that half an hour of swimming can burn over 200 calories! I’m not sure how accurate it is though. It says 10mph runs will burn almost 600 calories; in my experience, and according to my forerunner, it would be closer to 300.
http://www.self.com/fitness/activity/calculators/running/result?weightPounds=135&duration=30&activity=&met=16.0&submit.x=83&submit.y=20&submit=submit seems a little closer to the calories burned.

Tomorrow I’ll do a four mile run and then abs and arms, and then on Thursday I’ll begin my triathlon combo! I’m excited about this routine. I’m going to start off with a 10 minute bike, 20 minute (or two miles, so a bit less) all out run on the treadmill and then a 20 minute to half hour run. Eventually before the race I’ll hope to get close to what I’ll be doing for that tri, which is a half mile swim, 14 mile bike and 4 mile run.

I’m a little nervous about the swim portion of the tri. I’m a strong swimmer, I think. Not fast, but strong. Yet I’m worried about all of the other people around me. How does it work that you don’t choke on the water or get kicked in the face!?

Ah, but I guess once you are there you figure it all out!

Happy Workouts Today!

Filed Under: July 2008, Long Distance Running, Racing, Swimming, Training for a Marathon, Triathlon Training Tagged With: calories burned running, calories burned swimming, exercise calculator, Long Distance Running, running and swimming, Swimming, swimming for exercise, training for a triathlon

Found the Tri I want to Try!

July 13, 2008 By Kathy Leave a Comment

So I’ve been thinking about doing a triathlon for a while now. I dropped the idea for a few months while I concentrated on increasing my speed during running, and then a week or so ago started considering it again.

While looking through one of our local race magazines I found this:.
Seems like it would be a fun even to try. The swim and bike seem doable and 4 miles is fine.

My training, I think, will now go like this:

Monday-4 mile – 6 mile run
Tuesday-abs, arms
Wednesday-4 mile run
Thursday-bike, swim, run
Friday-ab/arms
Saturday-long run
Sunday-off

If I keep the schedule like this, I can increase my bike and swims on Thursdays at the gym as needed. I can also use Friday and/or Tuesday for swim and bike once I start getting closer to the date.

For now, I don’t want to overdue it. The tri would be Nov 30, which is just one month and a few weeks after the Long Beach Marathon. So, I want to increase my running up to 20 miles at least one time before then without overdoing it on the rest of the days.

I think this will work, though, as long as I can get in enough biking and swimming for the tri.

Anyone with experience training for these events can feel free to comment! I’m always open to workout and scheduling suggestions!

Filed Under: Biking/Cycling, Long Distance Running, Racing, Swimming, Training for a Marathon, Triathlon Training Tagged With: bicycling, Biking/Cycling, jogging, long beach marathon, long beach marathon 2008, long distance bicycling, Long Distance Running, running, Swimming, training for marathon, training for triathlon, training schedule for marathon

Pictures from the Mommy and Me Run

July 7, 2008 By Kathy Leave a Comment

I thought I’d post a few shots of my daughter and of me running the 4th of July race, since I can’t seem to shut up – or stop posting – about it!

Coming in to the finish line. My husband was waiting to see the clock strike 27 and I came in a bit early so he didn't get a head on shot!

After the race. I ran with two other girlfriends who don't really run a lot. This was one of their first, if not their first, 5Ks. We started off together and caught up after the end of the run. They mentioned how bad they were afraid they might look so I didn't include the pictures of them! Though of course, we always look great when we are running!

This was after my race and before my daughter's! We were so excited. She couldn't stop talking about it! She reminded me of myself the night before, when I went to check on her and she was resting in bed talking about tomorrow's big race. I always get like that too, no matter how long or short the run is!

Filed Under: 5ks, Fitness For Kids, July 2008, My Family, Racing Tagged With: 5K running, mom and daughter racing photos, pictures of 5K

I Did It-5K in 27 Minutes-Now, I have to do it on Friday!

July 1, 2008 By Kathy Leave a Comment

I told you the other day that my husband bet I couldn’t do the 5K on Friday in 27 minutes.

Yesterday, during a training run, I did it.

Let me say, when I got done I thought I might puke. Friday isn’t looking so good! It will be hotter out, since the race is at 8 AM and I’m used to going for an early morning run about 5:30.

There will be a lot of people.

I’ll feel competitive and push myself at the front. I know I will; I always do.

I did the first mile yesterday at 9:30 and then had to make up the difference those last two miles, which I ran somewhere between 8:20 and 9:15 at all times.

Not so bad, considering just a year ago, after the birth of my second baby, my time was 10 and more on a mile.

I hope I can keep it up on Friday. how awesome would it be if not only my forerunner but the time clock said 27 something!

Filed Under: 5ks, July 2008, Racing Tagged With: improving race time, improving running time, running a 5K, running races, speed training, training for a 5K

What Will Make Me Run Faster? A Bet With My Husband!

June 29, 2008 By Kathy Leave a Comment

So this fourth of july I’m doing a 5K that a few friends of mine, who are not runners, are doing.

I decided to sign up because I’ve been doing some speed training and wanted tos ee if it has really helped.

I have a problem, though. I don’t get warmed up until I’ve been out for a mile or so. Which means i’m going ot have to do some jogging before the race even begins if I want to go fast.

And I have to go fast.

Not because I’ve been practicing and want to see what I can do.

But because my husband bet me I couldn’t do it in 27 minutes.

Look, I’m one of those double dog dare ya girls. If you make me bet on something, if you say I can’t do it, if you say I won’t do it, then it makes me so competitive that my head spins.

I will do it.

27 minutes is fast for me. I’m not a fast runner, never have been, not until I started doing this speed training.

Today when I finished up my 7.5 miles I was going between 8.5 and 9 minutes per mile. Not bad. I’m hoping I can get to that speed-and maintain that speed-in this 5K.

I want to show myself what I can do.

Most of all, though, I want to show my husband that I can do it!

Hmmm, are all runners this competitive? I think we must be, considering that we love to compete in runs. Not so much with everyone else-I don’t care if the girl in the blue shorts beats me so much as I care about how well I do when I get out there. Am I keeping up with what it is I want to accomplish? Am I doing better than I did last time?

Running has always been about competing against myself. I guess that’s why I’m not a top runner-I suppose you have to have some of that competitiveness against others in order to win races.

I’ll check back and let you know how I do.

Filed Under: 5ks, June 2008, Racing Tagged With: 5K, Racing, training for a race