Back in the Saddle...? Ridgebacks, Running, and other Fitness-related Shenanigans

4/7
Planned to do 7 miles, but cut it back to 6 since I was possibly heading to DLR with the girls. They were too grumpy so we decided to skip:cool:

4/8
12 mile final long run before Darkside - it was pretty hot and humid so it was perfect prep for WDW

4/9
Took Jax for a 4 mile recovery run. I'm pleased that he seems to be improving in the running buddy department. We came across a couple people with dogs and he wasn't as nutty as he has been. I'm tempted to take him for a longer run, but I don't want to push it too quickly. He's definitely enjoying running though and is way more chill on days we run. Lots of happy stretching throughout the day.


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King of his domain today

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Blaze and his favorite pastimes-chewing and sunbathing​

Minor freakout today as I realize we are leaving in a week for our WDW trip. And also obsessively watching the weather predictions....:scared1:

My final runs before we leave
4/10: 6 miles
4/12: 5 miles
4/14 and 4/15: 5 miles and 6-8miles but I'll probably have to move these around due to track meet and volleyball tournament scheduling conflicts
4/16: 4-5 miler and that's it!

Great job! Also, random question but what do you put in his Kong? I can't figure out what to give mine. LOL.
 
Great job! Also, random question but what do you put in his Kong? I can't figure out what to give mine. LOL.

We’ve been really fortunate throughout the years and have never had to put anything into the kongs for our dogs to love them. They just chew away and try to destroy. Only my male GSD was successful in decimating the large black “indestructible” Kong. We’ll see if Blaze gets there....

When I worked as a dog trainer at a facility before having kids, I would recommend putting a little bit of peanut butter in if the doggie wasn’t naturally attracted to it.

For the small puppy kongs you can also use freeze dried treats that won’t fall out too easily. My dogs lose their mind over the Orijen Alberta Bison treats, but they’re on the small side.

On another thread I also recommended the kong wubbas. My ridgies love these as did some friends’ pups I recently worked with. I’d love to help if you have any other puppy related questions! Two of my favorite things are running and dogs!:dogdance:
 
We’ve been really fortunate throughout the years and have never had to put anything into the kongs for our dogs to love them. They just chew away and try to destroy. Only my male GSD was successful in decimating the large black “indestructible” Kong. We’ll see if Blaze gets there....

When I worked as a dog trainer at a facility before having kids, I would recommend putting a little bit of peanut butter in if the doggie wasn’t naturally attracted to it.

For the small puppy kongs you can also use freeze dried treats that won’t fall out too easily. My dogs lose their mind over the Orijen Alberta Bison treats, but they’re on the small side.

On another thread I also recommended the kong wubbas. My ridgies love these as did some friends’ pups I recently worked with. I’d love to help if you have any other puppy related questions! Two of my favorite things are running and dogs!:dogdance:

well dang! I have not tried it empty, lol. I put his food in it for now and he loves to push it around and get the food out. I got the Kong Wobbler too and he loves it! He is going to puppy boot camp in August, but so far knows sit, down and shake. He really struggles with the leash and coming when called. LOL. Puppies and running are two of my favorite things too!
 
well dang! I have not tried it empty, lol. I put his food in it for now and he loves to push it around and get the food out. I got the Kong Wobbler too and he loves it! He is going to puppy boot camp in August, but so far knows sit, down and shake. He really struggles with the leash and coming when called. LOL. Puppies and running are two of my favorite things too!

Well whatever works and keeps him from chewing on furniture, shoes, etc.!:laughing: It sounds like you're doing great with him, and the goldens always did well at the facility I worked at when they were left for our boot camp (unless they were inbred, but that's a different story...:scared1:). Recall is a hard one for pups, but I'm sure he'll get it quickly and be a pro by the time you pick him up! ::yes::
 


4/10

Another easy 6 miler and I actually decided to take Jax along. He did really well, and I was glad to have him with me as I've been encountering more creepy situations than usual. :scared:
I also made it to the gym and did a back/bi day. Hindsight-it wasn't the brightest idea. 90+ degree weather = baths for all the stinky big dogs. Our boxer is such a good boy and is never a problem. Ridgebacks however tend to be overly dramatic and think that they're being murdered whenever it's bath time or they're due for a nail trimming. Needless to say I was toast by the end of the day, but at least everyone smells and looks amazing. Mini-meltdown at the end of the day when I thought something bad had happened from all that upper body activity to the still tender areas due to my prophylactic double mastectomy/reconstruction. My sweet hubby puts up with so much!:love::rotfl2:

4/11

Thank goodness for rest day!:woohoo:


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Darkside Expo tomorrow morning! We’ve been having a blast but miss our kiddos terribly!

Moonlight Magic @AK Fun

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Neglected journal! We had an overall amazing trip to WDW for the Darkside Challenge weekend. We're glad to be home though, and have decided not to leave our kids for that long again until they are able to drive themselves around. They will be joining us for our Wine and Dine trip.

After looking at flight prices for four (three really with my companion pass), we decided to add two more nights to our trip. DVC options were slim initially, but I grabbed a night at VGF and Kidani before moving to BCV for our last four nights. The kids were unimpressed with these plans and mentioned wanting to try Poly. I randomly checked availabilty while waiting in line for gas at Costco one morning and was beyond excited to see the two nights I needed available!!!:cool1: I'm going to try to surprise them, but knowing myself I’ll probably blow it.

A few last WDW-related items:

I loved CCV (minus the boat horns first thing in the morning...)
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One of my new favorite treats found at Roaring Fork - the Campfire Cupcake

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If you wait around Pandora long enough, you’ll see some fun things:

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Pretty cool but shortly after this pic was taken, he crashed onto his side. After we came out of the bathroom, his handlers (??) had put a big tent up to completely block him off from all the gawkers. Disney is so crazy!

And my new favorite AK treat - the Night Blossom (on the left)

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And race related...well I guess this sums up how I was feeling about WDW rD events by the end of the 1/2

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I seriously had this pissy expression in every single 1/2 picture. :rotfl2: I ultimately decided to run with my hubby for both the 10k and the 1/2. He pushed the 10k a bit much and really struggled through the 1/2. Part of it was dinner the night before at ‘Ohana :crazy2: Never. Again!

I also just really miss the DLR events. I found the DS 10k to be kinda lame compared to DLR 10ks which almost are completely held within both parks. And I really don’t like the early mornings at WDW. Staying at the DLH for every DLR race spoiled me rotten. We’d roll out of bed at 4:30 and then head out to the corrals around 5 (this almost backfired for the 2017 Tink 1/2 though).

Sunday after the half I REALLY regretted signing up for all the Wine and Dine races. At this point thankfully I’m just excited that we’re taking the kids and will have another fun family trip!

Brunch at the Top was my favorite part of the day, but poor DH wasn’t able to enjoy it fully as he still felt messed up from ‘Ohana and the 1/2 in general.

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Seriously delicious and my favorite meal ever at WDW!! I ordered the Vanilla Bean French Toast w/o the bananas and walnuts. It was so amazing that I ate it before remembering to take a picture.​
 
My exciting running news is that I am two weeks into my first personalized plan created by Blaser Coaching Services, aka DopeyBadger! I needed a new running adventure and decided to either train for a July 4th 10k or 5k. I just couldn't get excited about doing a 5k, so I opted to see what my time for a 10k can be when I actually train specifically for that distance. Right now my PR is 51:02, but it was from a Tink 10k. My goal is sub 50:00 if it's possible for my current fitness.... We'll see!!!

Here's how my inital two weeks have gone:

4/23 - 3 miles @EA (10:37)
I opted to skip running since by the time we got back to SoCal, I'd been up for 26+hours after getting up for the DS 1/2

4/24 - 3 miles @EB (9:54) + strides
Avg: 9:43 --9:41, 9:42, 9:45

4/25 - Rest Day


4/26 - 4 miles @EA
Avg: 10:32 --10:29, 10:15, 10:35, 10:51

4/27 - 4 miles @EB + strides
Avg: 9:51 -- 10:09, 9:44, 9:54, 9:31

4/28 - 6 miles @LR (9:31)
Avg: 9:26 -- 9:21, 9:37, 9:17, 9:27, 9:29, 9:29

4/29 - Rest Day

4/30 - 5 miles @ EA

Avg: 10:26 -- 10:15, 10:29, 10:25, 10:24, 10:32

5/1 - 2 miles @WU (11:18) + 8x0.5 miles @T (8:13) w/ 1 min RI + 1 mile CD

WU: 10:51, 10:41,
.5 @ 7:34 RI 1:27 @10:25
.52@ 8:27 RI 1:02 @ 10:44
.5 @ 8:16 RI 1:01 @10:28
.51@ 8:17 RI 1:00 @ 10:44
.5 @ 8:16 RI 1:00 @ 10:37
.5 @ 8:09 RI 1:00 @10:45
.5 @ 8:21 RI 3:16 @ 10:55
.5 @ 8:11
1 mile CD @ 10:20

5/2 - Rest Day

5/3 - 5 miles @EA

Avg: 10:32 -- 10:26, 10:40, 10:32, 10:33, 10:27

5/4 - 6 miles @EB + strides

Avg: 9:47 -- 9:44, 9:50, 9:47, 9:50. 9:52, 9:40

5/5 - 8 miles @LR (9:31)

Avg: 9:26 -- 9:26, 9:27, 9:31, 9:24, 9:21, 9:29, 9:26, 9:23

5/6 - Rest Day

The first two weeks have been interesting in that they taught me how to start using my Garmin more effectively/efficiently. I never realized how many different settings/options existed. Billy recommended that I program my interval workout into my Garmin, but of course I forgot to look into how to do this until it was too late. Immediately after finishing this run, I felt as though it had been disastrous. A couple days later when I looked through my times I realized it wasn't as bad as I had originally thought.

My take-aways from this first interval session:
-Find somewhere that is actually flat! I figured my usual run would be fine, but I found out how hilly it was while trying to do my 1/2 mile intervals. My last RI was way longer than it should have been because I was coming up to a particularly steep hill and very busy intersection. I started my 8th and last 1/2 mile interval after crossing the street. Definitely cheated on that one....
-After my 1st RI and 2nd .5 interval, I started to kind of freak out about how messed up the plan was getting and thankfully found the lap screen on my Garmin - so helpful!:joker:
-I felt really great after I finished this run, and it dawned on me that I haven't done any speed work in almost a year. It was the best kind of sore that I get after a good workout.

All in all I'm happy with my first two weeks and excited about the progress I've made with my Garmin.:rotfl2: And I'm excited for my next interval session to see if it'll go better with a different route and better Garmin handling.
 
The plan for this week!

5/7 - 5 miles @EA
5/8 - 2 mile WU + 4 x 1 mile @ T w/ 1 min RI + 1 mile CD
5/9 - Rest Day
5/10 - 5 miles @EA
5/11 - 7 miles @EB + strides
5/12 - 10 miles @ LR

Confession....updated my journal to keep myself awake waiting for my husband and oldest to get home from their trip to Rocklin for the National History Day State Competition. So impressed and proud of my daughter for the hours upon hours she spent on her project which enabled her to first move past her school competition; then district; 2nd place in the county competition and the opportunity to move on to state!

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I am relieved to announce that she did not make it to Nationals since I had no idea how we would get her giant exhibit to Maryland....:scared: She is already planning for next year even though I forbid her from participating again.:sad2:

I really hope Southwest gets their act together before our next trip in October. We flew into MCO on the day the first accident occurred. Our flight home had crazy delays, and both of my DH and DD's flights to Sacramento and home tonight have had insane delays. Silver lining - for tonight's delays they each received a $100 voucher which will be super helpful in purchasing our return flights after W&D weekend. I am thankful that they are checking planes to hopefully ensure passengers' safety, but these delays are so frustrating. My family is going to be toast tomorrow, and the district did not excuse our students from class for Monday. :worried: I won't complain too much though as I was amazed our district covered all traveling expenses for each student - seriously so generous. :flower3:
 
First, I need that cupcake! Second, I love your facial expression in that picture...it shows all of our true emotions when running I think. Excited to follow along as you go for that PR!
 
First, I need that cupcake! Second, I love your facial expression in that picture...it shows all of our true emotions when running I think. Excited to follow along as you go for that PR!

Definitely inspired by your successful training regime!:yay:
 
I'm procrastinating by spending too much time on the runDisney boards today. Our church is doing a series based on members' enneagram results. I received my link for the "Self-Discovery Assessment" yesterday. I want to know my results, but I don't want to spend the time answering the 200+ questions. :sad: So...I'll update my journal instead.

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5/7 - 5 miles @EA (10:37)

Avg: 10:25 --10:31, 10:30, 10:28, 10:11, 10:18

I'm really trying hard to follow my plan to a T. My EA runs aren't horrific, but I tend to zone out and naturally speed up at the end of all my runs if I'm not paying attention. Better next time!

5/8 - 2 mile WU + 4 x 1 mile @ T (8:13) w/ 1 min RI + 1 mile CD
WU - 11:02, 11:01
1.0 mile - 8:11, RI 1:00 @ 10:45
1.0 mile - 8:08, RI 1:00 @ 10:50
1.0 mile - 8:10, RI 1:00 @ 11:08
1.0 mile - 8:12
CD - 10:42

My second T-pace training run, and I'm so much happier with this week! I had forgotten everything that went wrong last week until I was processing through what was better about today while running.

1) Fueling - Monday nights are insane for us, and last Monday was even more so than usual. By the time my hubby and oldest took off for volleyball practice, I didn't feel like eating anything. I made myself eat a light snack, but when I woke up on Tuesday morning last week, I knew it wasn't going to be a great run since I felt so weak. Last night I forced myself to eat a decent combo of lean protein and healthy carbs, and it definitely made a difference in how I felt today.

2) Following Billy's advice to find somewhere flat...It wasn't completely flat today, but way better than last week! My last interval today ended running up hill, and I was pretty tired by that point.:faint: I certainly enjoyed my CD although I couldn't remember the pace for my WU/CD. 11:18. I knew it was 11-something, but I won't forget again.

3) Weather - last week was crazy windy and slightly rainy. Today was pretty perfect.

Today I tried to hit exactly the mileage listed on the plan at 7.3. After my one mile cool down I was at 7.28, so I'm pretty happy with that. I'm also happy that tomorrow is a rest day, but I am super excited for next week's I-pace run!!

Today I also hit 200 miles on my first pair of Brooks Levitates. I like them and had been planning to order a blue pair to wear for my July 4th 10k. My only concern is that I've been having some arch pain, so I think the Levitates don't quite have enough arch support for my high arches.

This morning I had an email announcing the release of the Glycerin 16s in my inbox! It sounds like they introduced similar technology to the Levitates, but I'm hoping the arch support will still be there. After seeing the color options I knew it was a sign, and my first pair will ship out once they receive them on June 1st. :love: I'm hopeful that they'll be way better than the 15s!
 
I'm really trying hard to follow my plan to a T. My EA runs aren't horrific, but I tend to zone out and naturally speed up at the end of all my runs if I'm not paying attention. Better next time!

Not bad at all. Just remember to try your hardest now to slow down. Any extra pacing now will add a little extra fatigue later in the training. Your future self will thank you. But to be fair these aren't terribly far off.

Today I tried to hit exactly the mileage listed on the plan at 7.3.

Just be aware that I fudge the RI distance on the spreadsheet when it's based on time. So your total and my total won't always match up exactly even if you do everything as scheduled. Close, but not exact.
 
Not bad at all. Just remember to try your hardest now to slow down. Any extra pacing now will add a little extra fatigue later in the training. Your future self will thank you. But to be fair these aren't terribly far off.



Just be aware that I fudge the RI distance on the spreadsheet when it's based on time. So your total and my total won't always match up exactly even if you do everything as scheduled. Close, but not exact.

Phew! Glad I'm not in trouble yet...:laughing: That's definitely been the most challenging part (other than figuring out my technology issues) - my goal is to not zone out as much during my EA and EB runs so that I can keep it slow!

And thanks for the note about the RI distance - I won't obsess too much about being right on the mileage. I'm having fun! Thank you again!:-)
 
Quick Journal Update!
5/9 - Rest Day

5/10 - 5 miles @EA (10:37)

Avg: 10:36 -- 10:29, 10:37, 10:37, 10:37, 10:34

5/11 - 7 miles @EB (9:54) + strides
Avg: 9:51 -- 9:50, 9:51, 9:52, 9:49, 9:54, 9:55, 9:52

5/12 - 10 miles @ LR (9:31)

Avg: 9:28 -- 9:31, 9:30, 9:28, 9:28, 9:30, 9:28, 9:31, 9:25, 9:31, 9:26

I'm pretty sure I was happy with this week! Later on the 12th I snuck away from my oldest's volleyball tournament to pick up my sis from the airport! She flew in from NY to surprise my mom for Mother's Day!

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5/14-5/19
5/14 - 5 miles @EA (10:37)
Avg: 10:36 -- 10:31, 10:36, 10:37, 10:35, 10:40


5/15 - 2 mile WU + 6 x 2 min @ I (7:32) w/ 2 min RI + 1 mile CD

I really enjoy running with my sister - she's probably my favorite running partner ever. I warned her that she should probably not do this run with me since she'd opted not to join me on Monday because she thought it would be too slow. It was fun, but I couldn't help but be a bit frustrated because I wasn't as focused as I would have liked.
WU: 11:11, 10:45
2 mins @ 7:31 RI 2:01 @10:40
2 mins @ 7:29 RI 2:00 @ 10:34
2 mins @ 7:45 RI 2:00 @10:34
2 mins @ 7:24 RI 2:00 @ 10:36
2 mins @ 7:29 RI 2:00 @ 10:36
2 mins @ 7:11
CD: 1 mile @ 10:32 + .42 @ 11:16 to get to 6 miles total


5/16 - Rest Day

5/17 - 5 miles @EA

Avg: 10:32 -- 10:28, 10:35, 10:36, 10:32, 10:34

5/18 - 6 miles @EB (9:54) + strides

Got to run with my sis one more time!
Avg: 9:51 -- 10:04, 9:52, 9:54, 9:46, 9:44, 9:49


5/19 - 8 miles @ LR (9:31) BLIND RUN

I was freaked out about my first blind run, and it was apparently for good reason. Felt like an epic fail at the time. I was up at 4am to take my sis back to the airport. Thankfully it was an overcast morning, so I didn't have to deal with the sun since I ended up heading out to run way later than normal.
Avg: 9:07 -- 9:01, 8:58, 8:48, 9:06, 8:58, 9:23, 9:15, 9:31


It was hard to ignore my Garmin buzzes each mile, and I have to be honest... Right before mile 5 buzzed, I have completely zoned out and was thinking about a bazillion other things. When my Garmin buzzed, I looked at it out of habit and saw 8:58. I am such a cheater!!! After that I tried to slow down some.... I was bummed that my times were so off, and that it ended up not being a 100% blind run.:sad::sad:

Side note: I finally took my enneagram test. I had a few that were pretty close, but my highest was The Reformer (#1) which explains why I get so irritated when my runs aren't what they should be!!!:sad2:
 
I saw Ridgebacks and had to open this thread! I rescued an 8 week 8 lb puppy from a local shelter that was thought to be a rottie mix but I suspect he's a Rhodesian ridgeback mix (without the ridge). Love that dog!

Anyways, amazing job thus far!
 
I saw Ridgebacks and had to open this thread! I rescued an 8 week 8 lb puppy from a local shelter that was thought to be a rottie mix but I suspect he's a Rhodesian ridgeback mix (without the ridge). Love that dog!

Anyways, amazing job thus far!

Aww, congrats and great find on your puppy! We tried looking at rescues, but weren't able to find any. Our friends had a couple Ridgeback/Boerboel (South African Mastiff) mixes when they lived in Africa, so they went to great lengths to adopt a ridgeback mix they happened to come across in a local shelter after we got our first puppy! Seriously so lucky! They're great dogs.

And that you for the encouragement!
 
Don't stress too much about the blind run. The key is to be honest with yourself and your effort. The goal is to teach you how a run is suppose to feel and less about the pace itself. So did it feel like LR pace?
 

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