Although I’ve taken a break from Track Tuesday, I’ve not taken a break from running.  Actually, I’ve been training like a mad woman.  I may have flunked another Juneathon but at least my training has been top notch.

A couple of weeks ago, I watched the one night only screening of the Spirit of the Marathon II.  This truly inspirational film follows the marathon journey of seven runners (from novice to veteran) as they compete in the Rome Marathon. Although you don’t have to be a runner to appreciate the drive, motivation and…well spirit of these runners, you will want to hug them, cheer for them and honestly, it will inspire you to get out there and achieve a goal, any goal.  The Spirit of the Marathon II certainly inspired me to wake up and run the next day and commit to training harder and running faster. #IWill

4 miles
Time 39:55
Ave Pace 9:59
Max Pace 7:10

Two Saturdays ago, I attempted my first run/swim brick.  I had been procrastinating because I kept forgetting to buy new swim goggles since my dog chewed my old ones.  Once I finally remembered to buy a new pair, the swim was on!

Since I also need a new swimsuit, I decided to wear a tank and shorty short running shorts.  You know the kind of shorts that are meant to go under a running skirt?  They’re the shorts that should only be worn in public by size zero high school track stars.

My thunder thighs were flapping, jiggling and waving hello to everyone in my neighborhood in those ridiculously scary shorty shorts, but you know what? My milkshake and my thunder thighs are bringing me one step closer to my goal because after not swimming in months (since last September), I swam ¼ mile in about 8 minutes and I’m feeling pretty great about my performance at Iron Girl Clermont.

6.21 miles
Time 1:02
Ave Pace 10:04
Max Pace 7:11

Last week, we escaped to Captiva for a few days.  We had such an amazing time at the South Seas Island Resort and I will blog all about it shortly (the food, the villa, the beach, etc.), but first I want to brag about share my gorgeous sunrise 3 mile runs.

The distance from our villa to the main pool was about 1.5 miles on the pedestrian path along the main road through the South Seas.  As much as I love running along the beach, I decided to stay on the main road to avoid getting lost again.  Plus, if I by some chance I happened to get lost again, I knew the South Seas trolley would take me back to my beach villa.

After trying to sneak onto the resort a few years back, I felt like I had finally arrived as I ran along the main road without being escorted off the property.  The sun graciously welcomed me along the way while playing peek-a-boo through the mangroves.

To my surprise, there were actually quite a few runners on the road enjoying a sunrise run.  Though I didn’t snap a photo of them, I did happen to catch myself in the mirror.

Once I reached the tip of North Captiva, I stopped briefly to take in the beautiful sunrise and capture the moment.

On the way back, I took another brief stop on Sunset Beach.  I contemplated running along the beach back to our villa, but I was afraid of losing my way or the path narrowing.  So, I headed back along the main road to finish my run.

3.5 miles
Time 34:23
Ave Pace 9:49
Max Pace 6:29

The next day, I missed the sunrise, but I still enjoyed another gorgeous scenic run along the main road.

I didn’t run quite as far as the day before but this time, I took a tiny detour through the mangrove canopied along the pedestrian path.

3.1 miles
Time 31:37
Ave Pace 10:12
Max Pace 7:00

We left paradise on Wednesday and I woke up back in reality with the Striders.  I decided to start with the “A group” of runners or the group I like to call “Boston Strong”.  The fastest runners in my running group were running an easy run, so I decided to try to stay with them for my tempo run.  I hung onto an 8:25 mm for the first mile and then I about died slowed down to a 9:00 for the next mile and a half.  I was really proud of myself for hanging onto that speed for the first 2.5 miles of my run.  The next 3.5 miles weren’t quite as pretty, but I finished 6.35 miles pretty darn close to an hour.

6.35 miles
Time 1:01:07
Ave Pace 9:38
Max Pace 7:05

On Friday, I attended Body Pump at the YMCA.  It had been a while since I joined a Pump class and my muscles craved the weight.  I was truly amazed at how much weight I lifted!  I felt so strong!

On Saturday, I decided to go for another swim/run brick.  I busted out through the shorty shorts again.  I swear they make me run and swim faster.  I swam another ¼ mile swim in under ten minutes, but I was truly proud of my run.  I was so thrilled about running a 10K in under an hour in the heat! I haven’t been able to pull that off in a really long time!

6.2 miles
Time 59:06
Ave Pace 9:31
Max Pace 6:42

On Sunday, I wanted to get back on the bike. Although I had attended the occasional spin class at Pura, it had been a while since I last rode. I guess the break from the bike did me good because I shaved off almost four minutes off my last ride.

10.3 miles
Time 45:46
Ave Speed 13.2
Max Speed 16.1

Yesterday, I ran with one of the two Jennifers and my friends, Mica, Faith and Sarah, who are trying to get back into running. We formed a Monday Morning Run Club (for lack of a better name). I had planned Mondays to be my easy run day, but Jennifer P. had other plans.

4.04 miles
Time 41:28
Ave Pace 10:16
Max Pace 7:58

Today, I attended another Body Pump class at a different YMCA and I really loved the instructor. She was fun, if you can believe Body Pump to be fun! Lana had a great sense of humor and made us laugh as we lifted. I’d really like to take her class again, if my schedule permits it. I enjoyed her so much that I stayed for her Body Attack class, but that class will take some getting used to! I’m not a fan grapevine and dance kicks. I prefer to kick, squat and punch the fat away, like in Body Combat.

Tomorrow, I’m meeting some fellow sTRIders (a sub group of Suncoast Striders triathletes) at the trail for a ride.  They will be doing intervals but I will be just trying to keep up with them.  I hate riding on the trail alone so hopefully, the pack mentality will make me ride faster.

Thursday, I will be meeting the Striders for another Boston Strong 6 mile tempo run.  My plan is to hang onto to that 8:30 pace for as long as I can and increase the distance a little each week.  After last’s week tempo run, I had so many fast running friends pat me on the back for my performance and offer me words of encouragement.  Rachel and Melanie told me to hang onto it and eventually I’ll be faster.  I would love that.

Speaking of words of encouragement, I participated in the Twitter #runchat this past Sunday evening.  I tweeted Burt Yasso that I planned to train for A1A with the Yasso 800s to hit a 4:30 marathon.  Check out the coaching advice he (THE Burt Yasso) tweeted back to me.

Oh. My. God. Burt Yasso tweeted me.  He also tweeted this, which made me laugh.

Friday, I will be resting to save my strength, energy for the Xtreme Challenge on Saturday.  I am so nervous about it!  Hopefully, I won’t break anything!  Wish me luck!

*Submitted to*