Ultra Training Recap: Week 4 (7/18/16)

July 25, 2016 by Tam 1 Comment

Week of 4 of my ultra training was a great week! I was inspired by being at BlogFest to really get back on track. I’ve been doing so much running but my training is not as effective for my fitness if I’m not eating well. I know it’s more about the eating regimen, in terms of weight loss, than it is the exercising, working out part. It doesn’t seem fair but it’s the way it is. I should be able to run 40 miles or more per week and be able to eat whatever I want…sadly, this is not the case.

This was at Mt. Disappointment 25k on July 9th. I felt really big. I was really big. I was weighed down and feeling gross. Photo Credit: Paksit Photos

So I’ve gotta suck it up, buttercup, and get back to clean eating. Let’s face it. It’s boring. I’m going to try and make it exciting but it’s pretty boring. But it will give me results and that’s what I need. I’ve been looking at my photos and I’ve gotten so big and really, it’s hard to run when you’re too big. It would be gentler and easier on the joints and body overall, if I wasn’t so heavy. I’ve done it before and I can do it again. I know I can do this!

Monday, July 18, 2016 – rest day

I took my godsons to the movies and had popcorn. This was the last day before my new start. I figured I’d go out with a bang–fake butter and all.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016 – strength training

I started out my day properly–water and coffee! I wrote in my Believe Journal and marked today as Day 1. I wrote my goals and wrote an affirmation statement, like I had learned at IDEA World at Jack Canfield’s keynote speech. I’m giving myself a month to lose 8 lbs.

I did 15 minutes of strength training with weights at home and started a plank challenge and squat challenge. I figure I’ll try for 10-20 squats for a week or two until I get better.

I worked on my jump squats! I have a lot work on in terms of squats.

I went to the Petersen Automotive Museum for a Teacher Preview Day and made sure to take my green smoothie for lunch with a combination of Bob’s Red Mill Protein Powder & Nutritional Booster and Vital Proteins Collage Beauty Greens. I had my Simple Square snack on hand, too.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016 – Sunrise/Sunset Workout

I started my day with 5 miles of hill repeats, plank and squats.

I ended my day with my running club’s Poker Run. 4 miles. Read about the Poker Run here!

Thursday, July 21, 2016 – Sunrise/Sunset Workout

I got to run with the Coyotes at Will Rogers and got to catch up with Consuela! I was tired from the day before but I had to push through today to get all of my workouts in. 7 miles with 1,230 feet of climbing.

I love Will Rogers and this bridge is my favorite part of the run. You get a 360 degree view of LA.

In the evening, I ran the Summer Nights 5k, a cross-country race in the park with shave ice at the finish! So fun! I got in a warm-up so 4 miles total. Read my race recap here!

Friday, July 22, 2016 – bike ride

Wayne and I got in a beautiful evening bike ride in Santa Monica. We rode 9.26 miles and I got my cross training in. The Santa Clarita Sand Fire started that day and it was awful. We could see the smoke when we ended the ride.

I got in some tricep dips mid-ride.

Saturday, July 23, 2016 – rest day

I got in my plank challenge and squats!

Sunday, July 24, 2016 – long trail run

It was a hot, hot, hot weekend and the air quality in LA was really bad. Good thing our Dirt Divas and Dudes long run was scheduled for Orange County. I was so happy to have Kathy and Laura to run with.

We ran 20 miles with 3,515 feet of climbing. There was really no shade on this trail and it was super hot but we did it!

We dedicated our run to a lost runner friend, Freddy who always said, “Remember to remember…” He was our Team NutriBullet teammate gone too soon. Every run is a gift.

40.17 miles of running and 9.26 miles of cycling, strength training, planks, squats and 6 days so far of my weight loss plan. Hooray! My goal is to drop weight and fat for Ray Miller 50k! Let’s do this!!!

Your path, your pace, Tam

Ultra Training Recap: Week 1 (6/27/16)

July 4, 2016 by Tam Leave a Comment

Photo Credit: Paksit Photos

I’ve decided to use my blog to keep myself accountable for my training plan. I’ll be posting my training recap each week and document how my training and eating plan are going. I’ve started training for my third 50k since the beginning of May but I’m going to count the week of June 27th as Week 1 because this was the week I really started to clean up my eating. June was a hot mess as I was a hot mess with the end of the school year. I had two bad weeks of not running very much (except for the long runs) and ate badly. So there are 21 weeks until Ray Miller 50k and I hope to show lots of growth between now and then!

Monday, June 27, 2016 – Rest Day

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 – Smoothie Tuesday Race

I ran the first in the Smoothie Tuesday Trail Race series. It was super fun and I got in 6.60 miles total. Read my race recap here!

Wednesday, June 29, 2016 – double workout!

I started the day with a 7 mile trail run with Holly at Trailer Canyon.

We got to catch up and chat, which was nice! The run had 1,161 feet of climbing.

And we made a new friend, Snakey!

That same evening, I ran with my Long Beach club, AREC. I ran 5 miles with Stephanie for a total of 12 that day, which was what I needed. I think this was only the second time I had done a double run, morning and evening. It was tough but good!

Thursday, June 20, 2016 – Temescal Canyon

It’s nice to be on summer vacation and join the Coyotes on Thursdays at 6:10 am. I joined for the Temescal run and knew I’d be out longer but it’s always nice to see people when they turn around. Temescal is a tough run with 1,840 feet of climbing. I love the terrain when take the trail to Trailer Canyon. I got in my 8 miles.

I explored parts of Temescal that I hadn’t seen before and learned about the history of Temescal Canyon. So cool! It is believed that Temescal Canyon was close to the boundaries of the Chumash and Tongva territories and served as a place for peaceful gatherings, trade and spiritual ceremonies. Love that!

Friday, July 1, 2016 – Rest Day!

I rested and spent several hours working on thank you notes for those who donated to my Team Muscle Maker fundraiser raffle.

I organized all of the prizes and mailed out the ones that I could. My friend, Cindy, won this case of Simple Squares and a t-shirt! Yay! Thank you, Simple Squares, for supporting my fundraiser!

Saturday, July 2, 2016 – Dirt Divas and Dudes Road Run

Coach Keira wanted us to run 14-16 on road for turnover miles. We do a lot of climbing which means a lot of hiking and so we’re not consistently running. This run was meant for us to run continually for feet turnover. I wasn’t looking forward to the run but once we got out there, I felt pretty good! My right foot usually hurts on the road but it didn’t and I felt pretty strong. I ended up doing 15.5 miles.

The best part was running with these awesome ladies who keep me motivated!

Sunday, July 3, 2016 – Bike ride for cross training

Now that I’m cycling, I got to join Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC)’s Sunday Funday ride! It’s the first Sunday of each month. My boyfriend, Wayne, led the ride and we rode through Culver City, West LA to the new Expo Line Bike Path. We stopped at Dunkin Donuts and ended at Coolhaus for ice cream! I ride for sweets! I ended up with 22 miles total! It was super fun! Read about it here!

It was a great week! I got in all of my workouts on my training plan and finished the week with 42.12 miles in running and 22.03 miles in cycling. I ate about 70% cleanly this week and need to dial that in but I’m on the right path.

Your path, your pace, Tam

First Time on the Expo Line and Bike Ride to Santa Monica! 6/21/16

June 22, 2016 by Tam Leave a Comment

This was my second bike ride on my Tern Bike and I was excited to finally check out the Expo Line to Santa Monica! The Expo Line now goes from Culver City to Santa Monica! I never thought they’d finish it and it’s so cool since getting to Santa Monica can be a pain. It’ll be great for the LA Marathon, too!

The train just opened at the end of May and still breaks down here and there and has delays. The trains were packed! This train extension was necessary and significant in improving public transportation in LA.

I got to use my limited edition Tap card and we took the train near us to just the next stop in Westwood.

From there, we got on the new Expo Line bike path and rode to the beach! It was 7.45 miles. The new bike path is nice! It has a couple of weird connections and doesn’t go straight to the beach but it was cool that there’s a path now. The path ends at 17th Street. From there, we had to take streets to the beach. I got more lessons on street riding and it was stressful as Santa Monica is very busy. We rode through the 3rd Street area which was very hectic with summer pedestrian and car traffic.

I was wiped out and needed to rest. We folded our bikes and stopped for dinner at Wahoo’s. It’s so cool that we can just fold our bikes and put them near us.

I got my in my longest ride so far! But then we rode to the train station in Santa Monica and from the train station home for another 1.4 miles total. So all in all, I rode 8.93 miles! One day I’ll try and ride all the way back home from Santa Monica.

For now, I’m happy to learn how to ride with proper form, figure out the new train line and get used to the saddle!

Your path, your pace, Tam

Let’s Connect!