So like I was saying before :)
The early miles felt good. I was surprisingly right on target without any tweaking of pace, which is nice since I'm not sure I could have done much about it if I was off. The miles weren't flying by but it's okay when it is early since you still feel good. My shins had been acting funny the last few weeks (phantom pains I am sure) so I was just glad that everything felt 100% and I was able to run the way I wanted to. (well other than having to dodge people every minute or so)
Even though it has been two years since my last Boston I was basically just reliving the course as I went. Remembering how I felt at each stage my previous two times here, and was glad to note that I felt a lot stronger this time around (oddly enough the first 12 miles or so I was actually running almost the exact same pace as my last time here, just goes to show that I am actually getting smarter) ;)
The first 7 miles were just a count down until I could take my first gel and free up one of my hands. Lucked out as there were kids at mile 7 with water and I was able to avoid the madness of the water stop there. It is so nice how so many spectators come out with water, oranges, ice, freeze pops, beer. I was good and only partook in water and ice on Monday. I thought about the oranges, but honestly having orange stuck in my teeth would have drove me nuts!
It's funny how a lot of the first 7 or so miles look the same. There are plenty of little rollers which make you think "Isn't this a downhill course?" and each time you crest one you think you remember where you are only to crest one that looks exactly the same a mile away.
Just clocking miles after 7 counting down the next five until it was time to free up my second hand of a gel. It's amazing how many spectators line the course. Seems to me they could have been a little louder though ;) I love the surges you get when you go through the main streets of the little towns where most spectators are gathered. They just push you right through smiling all the way. Mile 12 came soon enough and it was time for my second gel. Carrying the packets didn't really bother me but it was nice to have my hands free for better high fiving that was about to come up ;)
After my second nutrition break it was time to look forward to the noise at Wellesley. It is just amazing how much of a racket those girls make. And the thing is there isn't even that many of them. Saw lots of great signs as always. My favorite was "Run Bi%@h" I gave her an exceptional high five as I hollered something like "That's right just Run Bi%@h." Also laughed at the "Kiss me I'm Mormon" sign. I slapped plenty of fives and just used the girls energy to push me forward. My quads were showing signs of fatigue already which I wasn't thrilled about so in my mind I knew I was definitely going to have to use the crowds for some extra steam after the hills and might as well use them now while I had them. It's always a let down after you pass the last Wellesley girl. Nothing compares to that tunnel of sound.
Headed up another roller before the half and grabbed a vaseline stick for my arms. My awesome SERC singlet is just a little big on me and was chafing the side of my arms. Managed to get the vaseline on without getting any on my hands, which is great, and then I tucked my shirt into the sports bra to avoid further chafing. It must have been right after this that I turned to my left and was surprised to see Kim Martin right next to me. I shouted hello and scared the crap out of her. Sorry! We talked for a minute or so and both agreed we just weren't having quite the day we anticipated, only being half way done and already showing signs of wear and tear. Of course I am sure her reasons were probably some recent hundred miler while I was stumped as to why my quads were letting me down so soon. I moved ahead and told her I hoped I'd see her before the finish. She has a strong kick and you just never know what is going to happen on those hills.
Hit the half in 1:39 something and thought if I can just force these quads a bit in the final five maybe I can even split.
2008 Boston Marathon Race Report-Part 1
(I'll have to do this in pieces as I won't have time to sit down and get this all out anytime soon.)
10 weeks of focused training and finally I was crossing the starting line. Me and 14,000 of my new friends. It was apparent quickly that a direct route through the Boston course was not going to happen. There were just so many people. It seemed like whenever you had a clear path someone would weave in front of you or flail there elbow out at your face. I didn’t want to waste energy weaving but it really was unavoidable most of the day. I started towards the back of the 11th corral and throughout the day I just kept passing more and more people from the corrals in front of me. My secret goal was to run 7:30 pace. I didn't look to see what that pace equated to until the day before at which time I realized 7:30 would give me a 3:16:30, hmm that sounded pretty quick and would have been over a 10 minute PR. But I stuck to my guns and went out with the intention of going for it if I felt good. I left the pace band at home. The Nike pace band was adjusted for elevation and so resulted in the opposite tactic of what I wanted to take. That pace band took you out fast on the downhills and slowed you up on the Newton Hills. I wanted to go out at pace or a bit slower, take it easy on the hills, and hammer the last 5 miles. Since I have paced two marathons now, one of which was hilly I decided to just trust in my pace instincts, my legs, and my training.
I also knew that I wasn't going to force anything this time. No pushing the pace if it just wasn't there on the day. I wanted to run a strong race and a smart race. I've been to Boston twice and I have run strong but not smart there. This time around I wanted to try and run Boston the way it should be run. With respect for those downhills! I did quite a few of my medium long runs on courses where I pounded the downhills early in the run but apparently I needed a few of those closer to the race to truly get my quads ready, but I didn't know what would come at the start so I was off and had the best of hopes for a stellar day.
Also noted a girl with a shirt that said WAMP on the back whose bib was 13,000 something. I don't really race anyone at Boston but I vowed I would beat her and was impressed how long she stayed in front of me, she must have done a lot of weaving to get that far up in the pack.
My nutrition plan for the day was to start taking gels at mile 7 and take one every 5 miles. I took water at every water stop. Thankfully the water stops are on the left and right every mile (except for one mile towards the end where I got burned last time I was in Boston and Daisy got burned this year) I usually run on the left for some reason so I stuck towards the middle left at the beginning grabbing a cup of water every stop. No walking this year so I would just slow to grab the water and hurry forward. Since the sun was out and it was already warm I wanted to be sure to stay hydrated. Last time I ran Boston I am pretty sure I was getting really dehydrated by the end and I didn't want a repeat of that claustrophobic feeling at the finish line.
I vowed that after Pig I would not be so focused as to not enjoy myself this time around. 26.2 miles of not taking in anything is just insane. So I just fell into my pace after the first 3 miles and occasionally would slap fives with spectators and just used their energy to cruise through each mile. My breathing felt good and other than a short stitch scare early on (that went away quickly with some focused breathing) I felt rather good. I would look at my watch every mile but wasn't really worried about it. I wasn't going to change my effort significantly if the pace was off, if it wasn't my day it wasn't my day was kind of my thinking, I'd pay more for pushing than just running the way my training set me up for. So I was just grateful that the pace was just about where I wanted it.
Boston Photos
A slideshow to tide you over until I can get to the race report (man why do I have to go back to real life so quickly?)
Weekend Lead up to the Boston Marathon (AKA Teaser Post)
What a weekend! I’m sitting on the train now reflecting on a wild and busy weekend in Boston. It has been two years since I ran this race and it is still just as exciting as the first time I came for the marathon 3 years ago. There is just something very special about Boston, and this time was even more special since we got to see the women’s Olympic trials. The whole weekend was just nuts, go, go, go, and go some more. Definitely my style but probably not the best pre race strategy when you are trying to set a hefty PR.
The train ride in was actually pretty relaxing and other than being extremely long and having to eat crappy expensive food it was not too bad. I actually liked the fact that I had a day to not worry about anything and just relax. We got in late Friday night and headed straight to Kim’s pad. She kindly let us crash so that we wouldn’t have to spend another 200+ for the extra night at a hotel as we wanted to hit the expo first thing Saturday.
Kim is just as fun and adorable as I pictured. Totally my kind of gal. We had a good time “catching up” and eventually we crashed for the night.
Saturday we were up bright and early and headed for the expo. We picked up our packets and technical (yay!) long sleeve shirts and then it was time to shop and look for free goodies. The expo wasn’t too bad first thing in the morning and we managed to even get our gait analyzed without a wait. Apparently I pronate more than I thought. (I’m wondering if it was exaggerated as the treadmill had you running at 10 minute miles, anyone know if you pronate more the slower you go?) It felt comfortable but watching the ankles in slow motion was painful!
I behaved relatively well and only bought a pair of capris and a jacket. We had some fun filling out the annual wall, this year they had little tags that once they were all hung up would spell out Impossible is Nothing. Eventually we headed for an early lunch at legal seafoods and I got my salad that I have been craving since the last time I was in Boston. It was everything I remembered it to be. Quite tasty. After lunch it was off to the duck tours. This time our tour guide was Hardly Davidson, an ex member of a scooter gang. I love the duck tours, corny and informative, how can you beat that?
After the duck tour Kim had to leave us to get ready for her duathlon. Unfortunately we didn’t get to hook back up after that but next year for sure we will plan out the weekend better so that we can get our party on.
Daisy, Katy, and I headed out for an easy 5 miler along the Charles River. We threw in 5*25 second strides and otherwise kept the pace easy. It was a great night for a run and a ton of people were out.
Hopped into the pool for a little bit before getting ready for dinner. Hit the puma party real quick for a free raspberry hefeweizen and some schwag then it was over to Vinny Ts for our club dinner. We had way more people there than anticipated and as usual were packed in like sardines. I had another good salad and enjoyed listening to the guys talk the regular smack before the race.
After dinner it was off to the grocery store to buy the goods for Sunday’s pasta dinner. I got the honors of helping 5 guys pick out goods for the huge party the next day. After much indecisiveness we finally managed to get everything we needed and were headed back to McGinty’s with the goods. We thought it would be smart to try and cart the groceries as far as possible since we had a really full cart. But unfortunately as I surmised the carts were rigged to stop when they got a certain distance from the store and we lost a pasta sauce when the cart abruptly stopped and all the groceries on the bottom rolled out. Smooth. But other than that and leaving some bread crumb trails behind us we successfully got everything back without too much whining from the peanut gallery ;)
Then it was finally back to the hotel to get some sleep. Daisy and Dawn were out partying late but I managed to get to bed right after shopping, and got a decent nights sleep before it was up first thing for the women’s trials.
The women’s trials were just amazing. Getting to see so many fast women up close was such a neat experience. I couldn’t believe how close they would run to the curb. I would be so nervous about getting tripped on accident. Deena Kastor was just awesome. I knew she was going to win even with the huge lead Magdalena opened up. I was so excited to see Deena come around the corner by herself on that fourth loop as she pulled way ahead of the lead pack and eventually chased down Magdalena. What an amazing race!
After moving our way through the crazy maze of people we ran into the expo so Daisy could get some gloves and I could get some sunglasses and arm warmers. Someone had said it would be chilly in the morning and I didn’t think the singlet would cut it. Had to settle for some men’s arm warmers that were slightly large but they gave me $10 off. Found a pair of sunglasses that fit and matched the outfit and then we jammed out of there, the expo was out of control busy and I felt like a sardine once again.
After that it was off to lunch in Cambridge with Kurt. We went to a cool little café in Cambridge named Zoes and after a bit of a wait we were seated for some great food. I opted for a big lunch since I am not a huge fan of the pasta dinners before big races. I had a huge plate of sweet potato fries and a Belgian waffle with strawberries as well as half a strawberry smoothie. I’m not sure how I got it all in but it was completely satisfying and didn’t feel like too much. Interesting enough I saw a Michigan Ultra runner at the café who won the North Country Trail Marathon the last two times I have gone up there and he had come in second at JFK this year to Wardian. (Update apparently he either didn't race Boston or didn't finish as I couldn't find him in the results, perhaps just in town to watch the trials?) Very nice guy, real laid back all three times I have chatted with him.
Kurt and his wife were kind enough to get us back to our hotel and we got ourselves around for a light jog before heading to dinner. It was crazy windy out but very sunny so Daisy and I had a nice little run. We cut it short since we had to get to dinner and both of us were still a little full from lunch.
Dinner at McGinty’s was great. It was nice to just chill out, eat some grub and enjoy good company. Our friend’s daughter is a singer who performs in Vegas and she treated us to a private performance of a few of her own original songs and some favorites. Very cool way to wind down for the evening. We headed back to the hotel and got our bags ready for the morning and after some girl talk we were all tucked into bed by 11 PM.
I slept pretty well and woke 5 minutes before the alarm at 5:15. Took that as my cue and hopped in the shower. We got all our gear and headed over to McGinty’s for breakfast then took the cab over to Boston Commons. The bus ride as always took forever and they dropped us off pretty much as far away from the church we go to as possible. I finally started to get nervous about the race on the way over. You can’t help but get excited with all those runners on the bus getting geared up for the race.
So we took our long hike over to the church and made a few porta potty stops put on the sunscreen and gels pinned to my skirt then headed to the start. It had been overcast and chilly but as soon as I got to the coral the sun came out and it got warm. Had to ditch the arm warmers as they were too big to have on my wrists the whole day and I knew I would get irritated with them stuffed in my pocket. So I made a $20 arm warmer donation to the homeless, someone is going to look sweet in those navy blue arm warmers! Realized really quickly that pinning the gels to the shirt waist band wasn’t going to work either, apparently getting down to my fighting weight put my skirt on the loose side in the waist so I unpinned the gels and stuck two in my pocket and opted to carry the other too. At least it gave me something to do while we waited for the 10,000 people in front of us to get through the start line. I did my best to move up spots as we walked slowly towards the start. I knew it was going to be a rough start for me as I was seeded at 3:29 and I wanted to go out around 3:20 pace for the day. I really didn’t want to be weaving in and out of anymore traffic than necessary.
As has happened before when I was at Boston the crowd starts to jog towards the top of the hill before being slowed to a walk again and finally picking up speed and crossing the start line. I was just so excited to finally be starting the race I had worked so hard for the past 10 weeks (not to mention all those miles I had logged last year in hopes to run a 3:25).
The train ride in was actually pretty relaxing and other than being extremely long and having to eat crappy expensive food it was not too bad. I actually liked the fact that I had a day to not worry about anything and just relax. We got in late Friday night and headed straight to Kim’s pad. She kindly let us crash so that we wouldn’t have to spend another 200+ for the extra night at a hotel as we wanted to hit the expo first thing Saturday.
Kim is just as fun and adorable as I pictured. Totally my kind of gal. We had a good time “catching up” and eventually we crashed for the night.
Saturday we were up bright and early and headed for the expo. We picked up our packets and technical (yay!) long sleeve shirts and then it was time to shop and look for free goodies. The expo wasn’t too bad first thing in the morning and we managed to even get our gait analyzed without a wait. Apparently I pronate more than I thought. (I’m wondering if it was exaggerated as the treadmill had you running at 10 minute miles, anyone know if you pronate more the slower you go?) It felt comfortable but watching the ankles in slow motion was painful!
I behaved relatively well and only bought a pair of capris and a jacket. We had some fun filling out the annual wall, this year they had little tags that once they were all hung up would spell out Impossible is Nothing. Eventually we headed for an early lunch at legal seafoods and I got my salad that I have been craving since the last time I was in Boston. It was everything I remembered it to be. Quite tasty. After lunch it was off to the duck tours. This time our tour guide was Hardly Davidson, an ex member of a scooter gang. I love the duck tours, corny and informative, how can you beat that?
After the duck tour Kim had to leave us to get ready for her duathlon. Unfortunately we didn’t get to hook back up after that but next year for sure we will plan out the weekend better so that we can get our party on.
Daisy, Katy, and I headed out for an easy 5 miler along the Charles River. We threw in 5*25 second strides and otherwise kept the pace easy. It was a great night for a run and a ton of people were out.
Hopped into the pool for a little bit before getting ready for dinner. Hit the puma party real quick for a free raspberry hefeweizen and some schwag then it was over to Vinny Ts for our club dinner. We had way more people there than anticipated and as usual were packed in like sardines. I had another good salad and enjoyed listening to the guys talk the regular smack before the race.
After dinner it was off to the grocery store to buy the goods for Sunday’s pasta dinner. I got the honors of helping 5 guys pick out goods for the huge party the next day. After much indecisiveness we finally managed to get everything we needed and were headed back to McGinty’s with the goods. We thought it would be smart to try and cart the groceries as far as possible since we had a really full cart. But unfortunately as I surmised the carts were rigged to stop when they got a certain distance from the store and we lost a pasta sauce when the cart abruptly stopped and all the groceries on the bottom rolled out. Smooth. But other than that and leaving some bread crumb trails behind us we successfully got everything back without too much whining from the peanut gallery ;)
Then it was finally back to the hotel to get some sleep. Daisy and Dawn were out partying late but I managed to get to bed right after shopping, and got a decent nights sleep before it was up first thing for the women’s trials.
The women’s trials were just amazing. Getting to see so many fast women up close was such a neat experience. I couldn’t believe how close they would run to the curb. I would be so nervous about getting tripped on accident. Deena Kastor was just awesome. I knew she was going to win even with the huge lead Magdalena opened up. I was so excited to see Deena come around the corner by herself on that fourth loop as she pulled way ahead of the lead pack and eventually chased down Magdalena. What an amazing race!
After moving our way through the crazy maze of people we ran into the expo so Daisy could get some gloves and I could get some sunglasses and arm warmers. Someone had said it would be chilly in the morning and I didn’t think the singlet would cut it. Had to settle for some men’s arm warmers that were slightly large but they gave me $10 off. Found a pair of sunglasses that fit and matched the outfit and then we jammed out of there, the expo was out of control busy and I felt like a sardine once again.
After that it was off to lunch in Cambridge with Kurt. We went to a cool little café in Cambridge named Zoes and after a bit of a wait we were seated for some great food. I opted for a big lunch since I am not a huge fan of the pasta dinners before big races. I had a huge plate of sweet potato fries and a Belgian waffle with strawberries as well as half a strawberry smoothie. I’m not sure how I got it all in but it was completely satisfying and didn’t feel like too much. Interesting enough I saw a Michigan Ultra runner at the café who won the North Country Trail Marathon the last two times I have gone up there and he had come in second at JFK this year to Wardian. (Update apparently he either didn't race Boston or didn't finish as I couldn't find him in the results, perhaps just in town to watch the trials?) Very nice guy, real laid back all three times I have chatted with him.
Kurt and his wife were kind enough to get us back to our hotel and we got ourselves around for a light jog before heading to dinner. It was crazy windy out but very sunny so Daisy and I had a nice little run. We cut it short since we had to get to dinner and both of us were still a little full from lunch.
Dinner at McGinty’s was great. It was nice to just chill out, eat some grub and enjoy good company. Our friend’s daughter is a singer who performs in Vegas and she treated us to a private performance of a few of her own original songs and some favorites. Very cool way to wind down for the evening. We headed back to the hotel and got our bags ready for the morning and after some girl talk we were all tucked into bed by 11 PM.
I slept pretty well and woke 5 minutes before the alarm at 5:15. Took that as my cue and hopped in the shower. We got all our gear and headed over to McGinty’s for breakfast then took the cab over to Boston Commons. The bus ride as always took forever and they dropped us off pretty much as far away from the church we go to as possible. I finally started to get nervous about the race on the way over. You can’t help but get excited with all those runners on the bus getting geared up for the race.
So we took our long hike over to the church and made a few porta potty stops put on the sunscreen and gels pinned to my skirt then headed to the start. It had been overcast and chilly but as soon as I got to the coral the sun came out and it got warm. Had to ditch the arm warmers as they were too big to have on my wrists the whole day and I knew I would get irritated with them stuffed in my pocket. So I made a $20 arm warmer donation to the homeless, someone is going to look sweet in those navy blue arm warmers! Realized really quickly that pinning the gels to the shirt waist band wasn’t going to work either, apparently getting down to my fighting weight put my skirt on the loose side in the waist so I unpinned the gels and stuck two in my pocket and opted to carry the other too. At least it gave me something to do while we waited for the 10,000 people in front of us to get through the start line. I did my best to move up spots as we walked slowly towards the start. I knew it was going to be a rough start for me as I was seeded at 3:29 and I wanted to go out around 3:20 pace for the day. I really didn’t want to be weaving in and out of anymore traffic than necessary.
As has happened before when I was at Boston the crowd starts to jog towards the top of the hill before being slowed to a walk again and finally picking up speed and crossing the start line. I was just so excited to finally be starting the race I had worked so hard for the past 10 weeks (not to mention all those miles I had logged last year in hopes to run a 3:25).
Run B@$ch
Has to be my favorite sign I saw at Wellsley today. My quads are absolutely shredded. Utterly painful by mile 12, apparently I just wasn't as prepared as I thought I was for those downhills. Quads were just shot by the half way point. But I PRed by almost 4 and a half minutes. I think I have "the site" because Wednesday I dreamed I ran a 3:23. I think I am still about where I thought I was. I figured if I had a bad day I would run 3:25 and having the quads in that much pain by 12 I knew today wasn't going to be my day. I ran my butt off but I just couldn't pick it up after those hills. You'd be amazed how bad your legs can hurt on those downhills at the end. Thank goodness for the great crowd support at Boston.
Other than a sore lower back and shredded quads I feel pretty good. I ran hard the whole way and I had a great time taking in everything. All I have to say is don't underestimate the difficulty of Boston. It just kicks your butt. Between the crowds and having to weave to pass people the whole day, getting cut off multiple times, shredding your quads by 12, and the late start and high intensity weekend before it is just damn tough.
Will post more later. I need to put up my legs on the bed and get my drink and party on. I thought of everyone as I crossed all those 5k mats, you kept me honest out there!
Other than a sore lower back and shredded quads I feel pretty good. I ran hard the whole way and I had a great time taking in everything. All I have to say is don't underestimate the difficulty of Boston. It just kicks your butt. Between the crowds and having to weave to pass people the whole day, getting cut off multiple times, shredding your quads by 12, and the late start and high intensity weekend before it is just damn tough.
Will post more later. I need to put up my legs on the bed and get my drink and party on. I thought of everyone as I crossed all those 5k mats, you kept me honest out there!
Almost to Albany
Been on the train since 7 AM only about 6 more hours to go. In all honesty I have been enjoying relaxing and having nothing to do and just chilling with Daisy and Katy. Watched Juno, played Rummy, and ate some crappy train food. That's the only thing I would change. Next time I need to bring a cooler with some healthy cheap food. $20 on crap really grinds my gears!
For fun photo updates this weekend stay tuned on Daisy's blog if you don't see any action here! (Check over there now to see a fun train photo! (and my new aerodynamic haircut)
For fun photo updates this weekend stay tuned on Daisy's blog if you don't see any action here! (Check over there now to see a fun train photo! (and my new aerodynamic haircut)
Boston Bound
Wow so there hasn't been much posting going on over here, or much commenting by myself on other blogs. My apologies, life has just been hectic leading up to this race. By far my most intense training so far even though it was a shorter time span than normal. On top of that running club stuff and work have had me feeling like a chicken with its head cut off. I cannot wait to board the train tomorrow and just relax until I get to Boston! This weekend is going to be a blast. Looking forward to hanging out with my SERC pals and meeting up with some blogger pals. Oh and running that little race on Monday ;)
Did my little dress rehearsal tonight and the 2 miles at race pace went off without a hitch. Didn't feel amazing, but I didn't feel bad either and I settled right into pace right away so that has to be a good sign.
Daisy is bringing the laptop and I just bought a brand new (pink) camera so hopefully we will be keeping everyone updated on the weekend! Lots of fun planned but hopefully we will be keeping mostly off our feet and saving the real partying for Monday afternoon.
Thanks for all the well wishes. I feel like I have got to be one of the most highly supported amateurs out there or something. Between my family, friends, coworkers, and blog friends I know I will have the good vibes I need to do well on Monday. If you are bored and have nothing to do you can track me Monday my bib is 11603. They should have tracking on the site Monday if you want to follow along with all your friends progress. I'll be starting in wave one and taking my chances with the crowds. Plan is to start behind pace, run comfortable through the hills and then haul ass all the way to Boylston street once I crest Heartbreak. We'll see how I fare :)
Did my little dress rehearsal tonight and the 2 miles at race pace went off without a hitch. Didn't feel amazing, but I didn't feel bad either and I settled right into pace right away so that has to be a good sign.
Daisy is bringing the laptop and I just bought a brand new (pink) camera so hopefully we will be keeping everyone updated on the weekend! Lots of fun planned but hopefully we will be keeping mostly off our feet and saving the real partying for Monday afternoon.
Thanks for all the well wishes. I feel like I have got to be one of the most highly supported amateurs out there or something. Between my family, friends, coworkers, and blog friends I know I will have the good vibes I need to do well on Monday. If you are bored and have nothing to do you can track me Monday my bib is 11603. They should have tracking on the site Monday if you want to follow along with all your friends progress. I'll be starting in wave one and taking my chances with the crowds. Plan is to start behind pace, run comfortable through the hills and then haul ass all the way to Boylston street once I crest Heartbreak. We'll see how I fare :)
Weekly Rundown-Boston Training Week 9
One week to go, and yes I might actually consider this next week a true taper, although when you throw the marathon in the mileage is still high, but with Boston being on a Monday, this week will actually be reminiscent of my casual jogging days, yahoo!
Onto the stats:
Monday- 2 mile walk to the movie store with David
Tuesday- 8 mile general aerobic run with Daisy 8*30 second strides, beautiful day, please let Boston be just the same.
Wednesday- 3 miles easy on the treadmill 9:30 pace
Thursday- My last "hard" workout before Boston. 9 miles with 3*1600 at 5k pace with 2 minute jogs for rest. Daisy and I headed over to a local track downtown only to find that there was a class out on the track and we were not welcome during school hours. So we had to think fast and decided to run back to the gym and do our intervals on the treadmill. Got in about 3.5 miles on the road and then another mile on the treadmill before ramping it up and hitting it hard.
I don't know why but I had been dreading this workout and doing it on the treadmill did not appeal to me any more, possibly less than doing it on the track did. But once it was said and done, it wasn't so bad and I feel good about having it done. Other than a treadmill error that caused my treadmill to shut down about 3/4 through my last mile I managed to suffer through the workout. All three miles were around 6:16 (not 100% on the last one but I just ramped the speed back up and ran until I hit 6:16 and called it a mile, I had the treadmill on 6:15 pace for the first 3/4 and ramped it up to 6:11 in the last minute). I don't know why but as hard as the workout was, I was fine once I was doing it. Yes it was difficult, yes I would rather have stopped, yes I felt like a tool staring at the out off order sign on the treadmill in front of me while I ran in one place. But when all was said and done I got the work done and I am sure I am stronger because of it.
It's all worth it when the girls in the locker room ask just how fast you were going. I guess when Daisy and I are both cranking out repeats around 6 minute pace the lunch crowd notices :)
Friday- 5 mile recovery run on the towpath. 9 minute pace Bizarre weather! Sunny and beautiful for the first 2.5 miles, downpour the next 2 and sunny the last .5. Saw lots of fun (and not so fun) wildlife on this one. A cute muskrat swimmming in the canal and a blue heron up close. Could have done without the 5 geese hanging out on the path.
Saturday- 7 miles around the hood. 3 mile warm up then 3 miles on the track doing 100 strides once every quarter mile. All around 21-23 seconds, so my 30 second strides on the road were probably all a bit longer than the prescribed 100 yard strides, oh well. 1 mile run back to the house. Pace around 8:30
Sunday- About 13 miles with my SERC crowd. Weather was cool and a bit of light rain. I felt great and we had to keep backing down the pace. Ended up a little shy of 13 miles average pace 8 minutes.
Now I am ready to ramp it way down this week. I actually get 2 rest days and all mileage will be at a recovery pace except for 2 miles at marathon pace Thursday and some strides on Saturday. The train (literally) leaves for Boston Friday morning and I am so ready to be on it. Now I just need to pack!
Onto the stats:
Monday- 2 mile walk to the movie store with David
Tuesday- 8 mile general aerobic run with Daisy 8*30 second strides, beautiful day, please let Boston be just the same.
Wednesday- 3 miles easy on the treadmill 9:30 pace
Thursday- My last "hard" workout before Boston. 9 miles with 3*1600 at 5k pace with 2 minute jogs for rest. Daisy and I headed over to a local track downtown only to find that there was a class out on the track and we were not welcome during school hours. So we had to think fast and decided to run back to the gym and do our intervals on the treadmill. Got in about 3.5 miles on the road and then another mile on the treadmill before ramping it up and hitting it hard.
I don't know why but I had been dreading this workout and doing it on the treadmill did not appeal to me any more, possibly less than doing it on the track did. But once it was said and done, it wasn't so bad and I feel good about having it done. Other than a treadmill error that caused my treadmill to shut down about 3/4 through my last mile I managed to suffer through the workout. All three miles were around 6:16 (not 100% on the last one but I just ramped the speed back up and ran until I hit 6:16 and called it a mile, I had the treadmill on 6:15 pace for the first 3/4 and ramped it up to 6:11 in the last minute). I don't know why but as hard as the workout was, I was fine once I was doing it. Yes it was difficult, yes I would rather have stopped, yes I felt like a tool staring at the out off order sign on the treadmill in front of me while I ran in one place. But when all was said and done I got the work done and I am sure I am stronger because of it.
It's all worth it when the girls in the locker room ask just how fast you were going. I guess when Daisy and I are both cranking out repeats around 6 minute pace the lunch crowd notices :)
Friday- 5 mile recovery run on the towpath. 9 minute pace Bizarre weather! Sunny and beautiful for the first 2.5 miles, downpour the next 2 and sunny the last .5. Saw lots of fun (and not so fun) wildlife on this one. A cute muskrat swimmming in the canal and a blue heron up close. Could have done without the 5 geese hanging out on the path.
Saturday- 7 miles around the hood. 3 mile warm up then 3 miles on the track doing 100 strides once every quarter mile. All around 21-23 seconds, so my 30 second strides on the road were probably all a bit longer than the prescribed 100 yard strides, oh well. 1 mile run back to the house. Pace around 8:30
Sunday- About 13 miles with my SERC crowd. Weather was cool and a bit of light rain. I felt great and we had to keep backing down the pace. Ended up a little shy of 13 miles average pace 8 minutes.
Now I am ready to ramp it way down this week. I actually get 2 rest days and all mileage will be at a recovery pace except for 2 miles at marathon pace Thursday and some strides on Saturday. The train (literally) leaves for Boston Friday morning and I am so ready to be on it. Now I just need to pack!
Weekly Rundown-Boston Training Week 8
Highest mileage taper week ever :) I am definitely starting to feel ready to just race and be done with the training! Breathing this week was just a little ragged, I'm starting to wonder if it is more to do with the warmer weather, possibly allergies, than with the training as my legs feel great. Got a legitimate tune up and baseline marathon pace predictor race in with the 10k and I am feeling better about making some more aggressive goals for Boston. Only workout I am dreading this week is the track workout Thursday. Other than that I am looking forward to all single digit days during the week and a light 13 miler Sunday :)
The stats:
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- Track Workout in a wind and hail storm
Was right on target the first 3 repeats despite the wind but then the hail kicked in and I struggled a bit :)
Warm up 4 miles easy
6*600 with 200 recovery jogs
2:18
2:18
2:18
2:21
2:22
2:19
2 mile cool down
Wednesday- 11 mile medium long run. Went to NC and added a few steep/long hills. Breathing was ragged but pace was fine. 8:10 pace
Thursday- Recovery run with strides. 6 miles downtown with Bridget. 6*30 second strides, felt good. 9:10 pace
Friday- Recovery 5 mile on the treadmill with Daisy (trying to get heat acclimated and just really didn't want to run in the rain) Not paying attention and managed to stop the treadmill 3 times with no clue how long I had been going. Ran the first mile at 10 minute pace and the rest at 9:30
Saturday- Martian Meteor 10k 41:17 6:39 pace
Warm up 25 minutes with a few strides
Cool down 11 minutes easy
Sunday- ~17.5 miles at 8:24 pace. First 10 miles easy at 8:45 pace, last few miles dropped it down under 8
The stats:
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- Track Workout in a wind and hail storm
Was right on target the first 3 repeats despite the wind but then the hail kicked in and I struggled a bit :)
Warm up 4 miles easy
6*600 with 200 recovery jogs
2:18
2:18
2:18
2:21
2:22
2:19
2 mile cool down
Wednesday- 11 mile medium long run. Went to NC and added a few steep/long hills. Breathing was ragged but pace was fine. 8:10 pace
Thursday- Recovery run with strides. 6 miles downtown with Bridget. 6*30 second strides, felt good. 9:10 pace
Friday- Recovery 5 mile on the treadmill with Daisy (trying to get heat acclimated and just really didn't want to run in the rain) Not paying attention and managed to stop the treadmill 3 times with no clue how long I had been going. Ran the first mile at 10 minute pace and the rest at 9:30
Saturday- Martian Meteor 10k 41:17 6:39 pace
Warm up 25 minutes with a few strides
Cool down 11 minutes easy
Sunday- ~17.5 miles at 8:24 pace. First 10 miles easy at 8:45 pace, last few miles dropped it down under 8
Who Turned on the Heat?
Last long run before Boston is in the bag. Went to the park and got in about 17.5. It got seriously warm by the end of the run. I am not ready for 60 degrees. Can't we ease in with a few weeks of 45-50? Pretty please?
Anywho dad rode his bike with me again and because of my bitching about my form we decided we needed some video of me running. Added bonus you get to see my wild Martian shirt in action. A cyclist must have designed this thing.
So bring on the analysis. I actually don't think it looks too bad in these videos. I must start deteriorating as I get faster and tired. These are about 10 miles into the run today.
After Boston I think I definitely want to key in on a few of my weaknesses. Primarily posture, I start to hunch and lean forward as I tire, and also I want to stop bouncing up and down so much and use that energy to move forward :) We'll see if I can make any improvements this summer.
Anywho dad rode his bike with me again and because of my bitching about my form we decided we needed some video of me running. Added bonus you get to see my wild Martian shirt in action. A cyclist must have designed this thing.
So bring on the analysis. I actually don't think it looks too bad in these videos. I must start deteriorating as I get faster and tired. These are about 10 miles into the run today.
After Boston I think I definitely want to key in on a few of my weaknesses. Primarily posture, I start to hunch and lean forward as I tire, and also I want to stop bouncing up and down so much and use that energy to move forward :) We'll see if I can make any improvements this summer.
Martian Meteor 10K
So we made another trip up to my home state to compete in my final tune up race for Boston. Chose a fun one with a very cool Martian theme. I wasn't expecting stellar placement as the race boasted an elite field with money prizes 5 deep overall and 3 deep masters as well as free shoes for 1st in age group and running caps 5 deep in each 10 year age bracket. However, I was expecting to run a PR, I had a range I was eyeing, with 40:10 being my aggressive goal (6:28 pace) and 42 (6:46 pace) being the slowest I would be content with in good conditions.
I felt pretty ragged (aerobically) on my Wednesday medium long run and could tell I needed the 2 days of recovery that followed. So with my mini taper I was ready this morning to see what these legs would do for me.
Woke up early and got in some cereal, a banana, tea, and a hot shower 3 hours before the race. We got to the expo just in time as within about 10 minutes of picking up my packet the line was out of control! We marvelled at the awesome freaking shirt I got. Let's just say there's not much room for any more graphics on it, I'll post a photo next time I get a run in it. Walked around and found the start line then I headed out on a warm up. Wasn't feeling stellar but I got in 25 minutes with 4 strides and hoped for the best. After two quick porta potty stops I rushed over to the start.
Not quite awake standing in line to get bib.
Posing with a pink martian.
Finishing my warm up.
Heading to the start line after one last porta potty stop.
They warned that anyone running slower than 5 minute miles should not be up front so I lined up a bit farther back than usual for me. I think it worked in my favor as I didn't try to stay with any girls that would have pushed me too fast early on, but I did have to dodge a few overzealous i pod wearing peeps that should not have lined up so far forward. I'll save the rant.
Video of the race start. I'm towards the end of the vid :) Not entirely happy with my form but I guess I always knew that I don't look like Ryan Hall when I run. I don't know what it is going to take to fix my posture...
Just tried to find my magic pace the first mile. Didn't want to go out blazing but I also didn't want to get too comfortable and have to make up time later. The course started with a big loop (about 1.25 miles) and then continued on out onto a highway of sorts out and back and then onto a paved trail for the last mile until you popped back out onto the road we started on. So the 1st and 2nd mile markers were in the first loop and a half. I was pleasantly surprised to hear cheering in the first half mile as a spectator in pink hollered "Go E-Speed." I didn't recognize the face and called back "Who are you?" Yeah I'm a goober, what can you do. It was nice to have someone out there rooting for me and I spotted her a few more times on the course and chatted after the race. She was there cheering for her sister and she is training for Steelhead this summer. I'll definitely have to go check out her blog.
Mile one split was 6:34. Not quite as fast as I was hoping for but the effort felt sustainable and I was content to keep that pace for the rest of the race coming in between my goals. As we came around the corner back towards the start I took down one girl that looked like she could be my age, turns out she was much younger and not in my group, oh well! Caught up to a lady I had chatted with at the start who said she was aiming for 45. Ran side by side with her through about mile 2 before pulling away.
My parents as always are the best and both came to watch me run. Dad got some great shots and also took the video. It's really touching when you run by and hear them commenting to other spectators that yes that's their daughter, as they scream their heads off for you. Makes you feel good.
A little before mile 2. I swear I was running 6:35 pace here even though it looks like I am power walking.
Right before mile 2.
Mile two was 6:36 just holding steady. After the two loops it was off onto the pot hole filled highway. I passed a few guys here that were friendly and warned me to watch the pot holes. The road has definitely seen better days. I would have paid someone for their sunglasses out there, it was sunny and I broke mine heading to the start. A light wind and slight upgrade on this mile but conditions were pretty much ideal. 6:41 I had secretly hoped to hit the 5k right around 20 but I just wasn't that speedy today. Had to settle for 20:33 which is still in my top five 5k splits of all time I think. Maybe I should have just crushed the first 5k and died, there was a $100 bonus for the leader at the 5k. ;)
Passed a lady coming into the aid station before mile 4 and thought I would reel in the next one but never did gain any ground on her after that. I kept pushing as I grabbed a water cup. The volunteers were friendly but pushing the water hard. "Get your ice cold water to run faster" Mile 4 was 6:43. Not what I was hoping for but I could tell my effort was about the same as the previous mile so I wasn't surprised.
The girl I passed surprised me by picking it up and stuck with me for quite a ways. She has got some grit. I know I would have had a hard time picking it up if anyone passed me at that point. A gentleman I had passed coming into mile 4 caught me half way through 5 and I did manage to hold onto him, pushing for a 6:26 mile 5 (I'm confident the mile was short as mile 4 had a bit of a downhill and I didn't up my effort until I hit 5 so my guess is both those miles were actually about 6:35).
I had warmed up on this part of the course and was stoked that I would be done in less than 8 minutes and may have upped the intensity a bit much here. Got to a bridge that had been slick during the morning warm up but looked dry now and hammed it up for the photographer. Realized as I was doing it that the bridge was definitely still slick. Very weird sensation as your foot strike slips behind you.
Headed up the only hill and rounded a corner for the final stretch. Right before we hit the road there was a nice puddle waiting for us. The guy next to me was tall and managed to get most of the way over and apologized for splashing me. I dipped my right foot right in the center, but I told him no worries, "I'm a trail runner". (again, goober, I know)
My parents were waiting for me right around the 6 mile marker (6:48, also leading me to think that mile 5 was short) and cheered me on encouraging me to catch the lady in front of me, but I didn't have any steam for a kick and I think she upped her effort when she heard them (official results are up and I actually did run faster than the lady ahead of me but she must have been up front at the start) :) Hammered my way in grooving to the Casper slide playing on the intercom for 41:17 (is it bad that all morning I really just wanted to dance to the good tunes the dj was playing?). So overall pace was 6:39. I'm pretty happy with it. Would like to have been a bit more even on the last 5k (compared to the first) but for my first 10k in a while at the tail end of my biggest month ever I'll take it ;)
Made sure to go and congratulate the lady in front of me and the one behind me as well as the gal I had talked to at the start. Grabbed an H20 and banana and headed to find my parents. Rounded out the morning with an easy 11 minute cool down before heading to the awards. Managed to snag around 12th overall female and 4th in AG so I got a cap. We went over to the expo and picked up some gels for my long run tomorrow as well as a fun shirt for my hubby.
All in all a fun morning. Expo was a bit crowded, too tight of space but I'd imagine the marathon tomorrow will be well run. They put on quite an affair! Love the themed races but I am corny like that. If you have the weekend free next year and are in the Michigan area I'd definitely recommend checking out one of the races, they offer 10k, 13.1 and 26.2.
Home Stretch.
Glad to be done.
Cool Down.
Sporting my cap and a T for the hubby. All the volunteers were wearing these, I thought it was awesome.
Pretty happy with the effort, not convinced I gave 100% the whole race but definitely couldn't have run much harder coming down the line so maybe I am just getting better at pacing. Legs felt pretty stellar, but my aerobic system was just a little ragged. Breathing wasn't quite as easy as I'd like it to be, but that's what the taper is for! Side stitch threatened in the second and third miles but some focused breathing seemed to make it go away. I'm guessing my less than perfect form is contributing to this problem when I up intensity. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that no side stitches come after me in Boston!
I felt pretty ragged (aerobically) on my Wednesday medium long run and could tell I needed the 2 days of recovery that followed. So with my mini taper I was ready this morning to see what these legs would do for me.
Woke up early and got in some cereal, a banana, tea, and a hot shower 3 hours before the race. We got to the expo just in time as within about 10 minutes of picking up my packet the line was out of control! We marvelled at the awesome freaking shirt I got. Let's just say there's not much room for any more graphics on it, I'll post a photo next time I get a run in it. Walked around and found the start line then I headed out on a warm up. Wasn't feeling stellar but I got in 25 minutes with 4 strides and hoped for the best. After two quick porta potty stops I rushed over to the start.
Not quite awake standing in line to get bib.
Posing with a pink martian.
Finishing my warm up.
Heading to the start line after one last porta potty stop.
They warned that anyone running slower than 5 minute miles should not be up front so I lined up a bit farther back than usual for me. I think it worked in my favor as I didn't try to stay with any girls that would have pushed me too fast early on, but I did have to dodge a few overzealous i pod wearing peeps that should not have lined up so far forward. I'll save the rant.
Video of the race start. I'm towards the end of the vid :) Not entirely happy with my form but I guess I always knew that I don't look like Ryan Hall when I run. I don't know what it is going to take to fix my posture...
Just tried to find my magic pace the first mile. Didn't want to go out blazing but I also didn't want to get too comfortable and have to make up time later. The course started with a big loop (about 1.25 miles) and then continued on out onto a highway of sorts out and back and then onto a paved trail for the last mile until you popped back out onto the road we started on. So the 1st and 2nd mile markers were in the first loop and a half. I was pleasantly surprised to hear cheering in the first half mile as a spectator in pink hollered "Go E-Speed." I didn't recognize the face and called back "Who are you?" Yeah I'm a goober, what can you do. It was nice to have someone out there rooting for me and I spotted her a few more times on the course and chatted after the race. She was there cheering for her sister and she is training for Steelhead this summer. I'll definitely have to go check out her blog.
Mile one split was 6:34. Not quite as fast as I was hoping for but the effort felt sustainable and I was content to keep that pace for the rest of the race coming in between my goals. As we came around the corner back towards the start I took down one girl that looked like she could be my age, turns out she was much younger and not in my group, oh well! Caught up to a lady I had chatted with at the start who said she was aiming for 45. Ran side by side with her through about mile 2 before pulling away.
My parents as always are the best and both came to watch me run. Dad got some great shots and also took the video. It's really touching when you run by and hear them commenting to other spectators that yes that's their daughter, as they scream their heads off for you. Makes you feel good.
A little before mile 2. I swear I was running 6:35 pace here even though it looks like I am power walking.
Right before mile 2.
Mile two was 6:36 just holding steady. After the two loops it was off onto the pot hole filled highway. I passed a few guys here that were friendly and warned me to watch the pot holes. The road has definitely seen better days. I would have paid someone for their sunglasses out there, it was sunny and I broke mine heading to the start. A light wind and slight upgrade on this mile but conditions were pretty much ideal. 6:41 I had secretly hoped to hit the 5k right around 20 but I just wasn't that speedy today. Had to settle for 20:33 which is still in my top five 5k splits of all time I think. Maybe I should have just crushed the first 5k and died, there was a $100 bonus for the leader at the 5k. ;)
Passed a lady coming into the aid station before mile 4 and thought I would reel in the next one but never did gain any ground on her after that. I kept pushing as I grabbed a water cup. The volunteers were friendly but pushing the water hard. "Get your ice cold water to run faster" Mile 4 was 6:43. Not what I was hoping for but I could tell my effort was about the same as the previous mile so I wasn't surprised.
The girl I passed surprised me by picking it up and stuck with me for quite a ways. She has got some grit. I know I would have had a hard time picking it up if anyone passed me at that point. A gentleman I had passed coming into mile 4 caught me half way through 5 and I did manage to hold onto him, pushing for a 6:26 mile 5 (I'm confident the mile was short as mile 4 had a bit of a downhill and I didn't up my effort until I hit 5 so my guess is both those miles were actually about 6:35).
I had warmed up on this part of the course and was stoked that I would be done in less than 8 minutes and may have upped the intensity a bit much here. Got to a bridge that had been slick during the morning warm up but looked dry now and hammed it up for the photographer. Realized as I was doing it that the bridge was definitely still slick. Very weird sensation as your foot strike slips behind you.
Headed up the only hill and rounded a corner for the final stretch. Right before we hit the road there was a nice puddle waiting for us. The guy next to me was tall and managed to get most of the way over and apologized for splashing me. I dipped my right foot right in the center, but I told him no worries, "I'm a trail runner". (again, goober, I know)
My parents were waiting for me right around the 6 mile marker (6:48, also leading me to think that mile 5 was short) and cheered me on encouraging me to catch the lady in front of me, but I didn't have any steam for a kick and I think she upped her effort when she heard them (official results are up and I actually did run faster than the lady ahead of me but she must have been up front at the start) :) Hammered my way in grooving to the Casper slide playing on the intercom for 41:17 (is it bad that all morning I really just wanted to dance to the good tunes the dj was playing?). So overall pace was 6:39. I'm pretty happy with it. Would like to have been a bit more even on the last 5k (compared to the first) but for my first 10k in a while at the tail end of my biggest month ever I'll take it ;)
Made sure to go and congratulate the lady in front of me and the one behind me as well as the gal I had talked to at the start. Grabbed an H20 and banana and headed to find my parents. Rounded out the morning with an easy 11 minute cool down before heading to the awards. Managed to snag around 12th overall female and 4th in AG so I got a cap. We went over to the expo and picked up some gels for my long run tomorrow as well as a fun shirt for my hubby.
All in all a fun morning. Expo was a bit crowded, too tight of space but I'd imagine the marathon tomorrow will be well run. They put on quite an affair! Love the themed races but I am corny like that. If you have the weekend free next year and are in the Michigan area I'd definitely recommend checking out one of the races, they offer 10k, 13.1 and 26.2.
Home Stretch.
Glad to be done.
Cool Down.
Sporting my cap and a T for the hubby. All the volunteers were wearing these, I thought it was awesome.
Pretty happy with the effort, not convinced I gave 100% the whole race but definitely couldn't have run much harder coming down the line so maybe I am just getting better at pacing. Legs felt pretty stellar, but my aerobic system was just a little ragged. Breathing wasn't quite as easy as I'd like it to be, but that's what the taper is for! Side stitch threatened in the second and third miles but some focused breathing seemed to make it go away. I'm guessing my less than perfect form is contributing to this problem when I up intensity. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that no side stitches come after me in Boston!
Out of this World
Tomorrow I am leaving the planet to tackle the Meteor 10K. I am not only super excited to race in what hopefully will be much better conditions than two weeks ago, but I am also excited to check out this alien expo and festivities. It will be fun to check out the marathon expo post race even though I am not doing the full on Sunday.
Plans are to race a steady fast 10k. Hopefully the lack of gravity won't be a hindrance ;) Considering I have only ever raced a few 10ks outside of an olympic tri I would assume I will PR tomorrow, question is only by how much (I hope it's a lot!). We'll see how it goes!
Plans are to race a steady fast 10k. Hopefully the lack of gravity won't be a hindrance ;) Considering I have only ever raced a few 10ks outside of an olympic tri I would assume I will PR tomorrow, question is only by how much (I hope it's a lot!). We'll see how it goes!
Biggest Month Ever!
So I reached 245 miles this month. I know that's nothing for all those Lydiard fans, but it's huge for me. Prior to this month my biggest month was 208 way back in October. I know I can't train like this year long but it has definitely opened my eyes a bit to my potential. Three years ago I upped my mileage to 50-55 miles per week and got ITB problems so fast I wrote off high mileage entirely, assuming my body just couldn't take it and that the Tri lifestyle was the best way for me to go. Well I am glad I decided to tackle a few ultras and that I finally realized my body can handle a bit more now than it could three years ago.
All this mileage definitely has me feeling strong. My paces are faster than ever, and many days I start to wonder just what my true potential is. Then I freak out and doubt enters in :) I'm entering into the taper phase and those surging feelings of self doubt and self confidence come and go quickly. I don't want to limit myself, but I also don't want to have unrealistic expectations and be disappointed. I usually seem to set realistic goals for the marathon and have only come up short twice. But I sometimes wonder if I had set those goals higher would I have done better...
I think this taper is going to be one of my roughest tapers yet :)
I just need to remind myself come mile 20 of the marathon that I have been there, done that, and this time I am ready to do it better than ever before. I've put in the training and I am more ready than I have ever been. Like Salty tells me I just need to trust in the training. (Why is that so hard for us to do when the race gets closer?)
All this mileage definitely has me feeling strong. My paces are faster than ever, and many days I start to wonder just what my true potential is. Then I freak out and doubt enters in :) I'm entering into the taper phase and those surging feelings of self doubt and self confidence come and go quickly. I don't want to limit myself, but I also don't want to have unrealistic expectations and be disappointed. I usually seem to set realistic goals for the marathon and have only come up short twice. But I sometimes wonder if I had set those goals higher would I have done better...
I think this taper is going to be one of my roughest tapers yet :)
I just need to remind myself come mile 20 of the marathon that I have been there, done that, and this time I am ready to do it better than ever before. I've put in the training and I am more ready than I have ever been. Like Salty tells me I just need to trust in the training. (Why is that so hard for us to do when the race gets closer?)
Weekly Rundown-Boston Training Week 7
Last tough week in the bag. I could definitely tell I have been working hard. The hills all left me feeling less than stellar this week and Sat/Sun were the only mornings I got in my run first thing because I just kept hitting the snooze. Guess I will put lots of sleep as a priority the next three weeks (Note that I got plenty of sleep but it involved doing all my runs at lunch or in the evening rather than the preferred AM run)
Ate way better than my big week two weeks ago (two weeks ago I think i consumed more than my fair share of chicken wings, burgers, cookies, pie, you get the point). This week involved plenty of inventive salads, sushi, and my fair share of healthy portions of lean meats and only a few cookies and one ice cream cone, so I rewarded myself with a Chipotle Burrito this morning which I surprisingly only consumed half of and will save the other half for a treat tomorrow or late tonight if I get hungry.
Onto the mileage.
Monday- 1.5 mile walk with David
Tuesday- 6 mile recovery run with Salty at NC 9:15 pace
Wednesday- 11 miles with track workout
Stayed on my home turf and tried out a track down the road in the evening.
5 mile warm up ~9 minute pace
6*1000 aiming for 3:52 to 4:00 (5k pace)
1st repeat I had to dodge 2 geese that decided to camp out in lane 1 but thankfully they moved for the rest of the repeats. This workout didn't look that hard on paper but it was tough to execute. I was a little shaky on pace and had to push the last 200 of each 1000 to get in on time but I was happy with the effort. 2 minute rests in between each so I jogged 300 meters between the 1-4th and 200 meters between the 5th and 6th (got lazy!)
4:03
3:59
3:52
3:55
3:53
3:53
1.5 mile cool down
Thursday- 2:07:30 Medium/Long Run Effort
Planned to run at SC but weather was going to be sketchy in the evening so I took a long lunch and ran around downtown.
Warmed up 1.5 miles then ran with JK to a downtown track, ran 3 miles while he did repeats (7:59, 8:15,8:16). Ran back to the place where I picked up JK then toured the flats and Browns stadium to get in another hour. Figure the run was between 14.5 and 16 hopefully it was right on at 15. Legs were definitely trashed on the uphills.
Friday- Went to ECR to get in my 9 miler. I always struggle to determine if the mileage at that park is accurate once it evens out but my splits definitely make it clear that the half mile markers are not true. Started off super slow and felt sluggish running uphill. Didn't look at the watch at all and tried to just run a steady by feel run. Ended up picking up the pace significantly and finishing out the run around 7:30 pace for an average around 8 for the run. Started at the bottom and ran 2 miles up, then 2 down, 2 up and 3 down and back to the car to round out 9.
Saturday- Easy 6 miler at NC with Salty slowed way down and did all miles slower than 9 min pace
Sunday- My one and only 20 miler. Plan was to go in at 20% slower than marathon race pace and work my way down to 10% slower or race pace if I felt good.
I think I executed the run pretty well. The first 10 or so miles averaged 8:25-8:30 and the last ten average pace was 7:42-7:48. Last 2.5 miles were between 7:20 and 7:40 so I was pretty happy with that effort. It was on the faster end of what I thought I could do. The course is a good Boston simulator with some rollers and it was windy today which can definitely be a factor at Boston so I think this run set me up pretty well! I did have company up through mile 16 or so so I am sure that helped, but I was glad I ran the last few miles strong even when all by myself.
Stomach threatened to stitch but I held it off. Took in two gels and could tell my stomach didn't quite agree with the second one, I just had to grab some Gus last minute though so I think once I am taking my standard E-Gel stomach issues won't be a problem. Drank only water today and that seemed to work out fine. My legs felt good after the run and I wasn't too dehydrated. Another bonus I made it through the whole 20 miles without a bathroom stop. I'm really hoping this will be the case at Boston. I don't want to waste any race time in the bathroom!
This week the load lightens up a bit and I get to try my hand at a 10k race. I'm hoping I do well as I could use the mental boost. Focus this week is on recovering from the past week and showing up to the 10k fresh. Also started in on my Boston mental prep. Got my booklet and it looks like I am towards the back of wave one in corral 11. I'm debating requesting permission to move to the front of the second wave. I am a little nervous about the crowds in corral 11 and I don't really fancy walking for 12 minutes to get to the start line. I think I may rather wait an extra 20 minutes and get right up front of the second wave.
Ate way better than my big week two weeks ago (two weeks ago I think i consumed more than my fair share of chicken wings, burgers, cookies, pie, you get the point). This week involved plenty of inventive salads, sushi, and my fair share of healthy portions of lean meats and only a few cookies and one ice cream cone, so I rewarded myself with a Chipotle Burrito this morning which I surprisingly only consumed half of and will save the other half for a treat tomorrow or late tonight if I get hungry.
Onto the mileage.
Monday- 1.5 mile walk with David
Tuesday- 6 mile recovery run with Salty at NC 9:15 pace
Wednesday- 11 miles with track workout
Stayed on my home turf and tried out a track down the road in the evening.
5 mile warm up ~9 minute pace
6*1000 aiming for 3:52 to 4:00 (5k pace)
1st repeat I had to dodge 2 geese that decided to camp out in lane 1 but thankfully they moved for the rest of the repeats. This workout didn't look that hard on paper but it was tough to execute. I was a little shaky on pace and had to push the last 200 of each 1000 to get in on time but I was happy with the effort. 2 minute rests in between each so I jogged 300 meters between the 1-4th and 200 meters between the 5th and 6th (got lazy!)
4:03
3:59
3:52
3:55
3:53
3:53
1.5 mile cool down
Thursday- 2:07:30 Medium/Long Run Effort
Planned to run at SC but weather was going to be sketchy in the evening so I took a long lunch and ran around downtown.
Warmed up 1.5 miles then ran with JK to a downtown track, ran 3 miles while he did repeats (7:59, 8:15,8:16). Ran back to the place where I picked up JK then toured the flats and Browns stadium to get in another hour. Figure the run was between 14.5 and 16 hopefully it was right on at 15. Legs were definitely trashed on the uphills.
Friday- Went to ECR to get in my 9 miler. I always struggle to determine if the mileage at that park is accurate once it evens out but my splits definitely make it clear that the half mile markers are not true. Started off super slow and felt sluggish running uphill. Didn't look at the watch at all and tried to just run a steady by feel run. Ended up picking up the pace significantly and finishing out the run around 7:30 pace for an average around 8 for the run. Started at the bottom and ran 2 miles up, then 2 down, 2 up and 3 down and back to the car to round out 9.
Saturday- Easy 6 miler at NC with Salty slowed way down and did all miles slower than 9 min pace
Sunday- My one and only 20 miler. Plan was to go in at 20% slower than marathon race pace and work my way down to 10% slower or race pace if I felt good.
I think I executed the run pretty well. The first 10 or so miles averaged 8:25-8:30 and the last ten average pace was 7:42-7:48. Last 2.5 miles were between 7:20 and 7:40 so I was pretty happy with that effort. It was on the faster end of what I thought I could do. The course is a good Boston simulator with some rollers and it was windy today which can definitely be a factor at Boston so I think this run set me up pretty well! I did have company up through mile 16 or so so I am sure that helped, but I was glad I ran the last few miles strong even when all by myself.
Stomach threatened to stitch but I held it off. Took in two gels and could tell my stomach didn't quite agree with the second one, I just had to grab some Gus last minute though so I think once I am taking my standard E-Gel stomach issues won't be a problem. Drank only water today and that seemed to work out fine. My legs felt good after the run and I wasn't too dehydrated. Another bonus I made it through the whole 20 miles without a bathroom stop. I'm really hoping this will be the case at Boston. I don't want to waste any race time in the bathroom!
This week the load lightens up a bit and I get to try my hand at a 10k race. I'm hoping I do well as I could use the mental boost. Focus this week is on recovering from the past week and showing up to the 10k fresh. Also started in on my Boston mental prep. Got my booklet and it looks like I am towards the back of wave one in corral 11. I'm debating requesting permission to move to the front of the second wave. I am a little nervous about the crowds in corral 11 and I don't really fancy walking for 12 minutes to get to the start line. I think I may rather wait an extra 20 minutes and get right up front of the second wave.
Weekly Rundown-Boston Training Week 6
6 weeks down and only 4 to go! Yikes!
This week got a bit screwy with the weather but I managed to get all of my workouts in (granted not in order) and was only a few miles short of the original plan.
Monday- Improvised "hard bodies" class with Daisy. We were left to our own devices as the teacher was out of town so we played music and made up the workout as we went along. Daisy tried to kill me with burpees and caterpillars, but I survived.
Tuesday- 9 miles
warm up 26:30 with Daisy and Salty
track was covered in snow/ice on one end, so I had to do 300 out and back switching lanes to avoid ice.
hard headwind on straight aways, struggled with the hairpin turns Split (recovery)
2:22.88 (1:31.47)
2:24.14 (1:30.73)
2:23.98 (1:31.42)
2:23.56 (1:32.23)
2:22.28 (1:30.21)
2:20.83 (1:32.30)
The splits were all on the slower end of my intended pace, so considering the conditions I was happy with it.
cool down 30:18.41
Wednesday- 4 miles 8:30 pace
Was supposed to run 11 miles but after 4 miles of slogging through the snow/sleet and repeatedly having to dig the snow out of my shoes heel I gave up. Running in high heeled snow filled shoes is not my idea of a good training run. I need to start waking up early and getting these runs done on the treadmill if weather is bad.
Thursday - 11 miles 7:50 pace
Made up the 11 mile workout. Went to S. Chagrin and started at the top of the hill ran down 5.5 and came back up. Felt good most of the way. Weather was much more pleasant. Attacked the downhills a bit and backed off pace a bit on the way back up to beat the quads up a bit to get ready for Boston.
Friday - 49 minutes easy with 6*25 second strides
Saturday - 5 mile snowy trail race with about 35 minutes warm up/cool down. Felt strong despite the snow and had fun.
Sunday - 17+ Miles pace 8:15-8:25 pace
Ran about 17.5-18 miles at my old stomping grounds. Dad tagged along on the bike despite it being pretty cold. Legs were tired but managed to drop the pace at the end down to around 8 minute miles after starting around 8:45. Nice easy long run.
This week will be another one close to 70 miles. Hoping to sail through this week and right on into taper.
This week got a bit screwy with the weather but I managed to get all of my workouts in (granted not in order) and was only a few miles short of the original plan.
Monday- Improvised "hard bodies" class with Daisy. We were left to our own devices as the teacher was out of town so we played music and made up the workout as we went along. Daisy tried to kill me with burpees and caterpillars, but I survived.
Tuesday- 9 miles
warm up 26:30 with Daisy and Salty
track was covered in snow/ice on one end, so I had to do 300 out and back switching lanes to avoid ice.
hard headwind on straight aways, struggled with the hairpin turns Split (recovery)
2:22.88 (1:31.47)
2:24.14 (1:30.73)
2:23.98 (1:31.42)
2:23.56 (1:32.23)
2:22.28 (1:30.21)
2:20.83 (1:32.30)
The splits were all on the slower end of my intended pace, so considering the conditions I was happy with it.
cool down 30:18.41
Wednesday- 4 miles 8:30 pace
Was supposed to run 11 miles but after 4 miles of slogging through the snow/sleet and repeatedly having to dig the snow out of my shoes heel I gave up. Running in high heeled snow filled shoes is not my idea of a good training run. I need to start waking up early and getting these runs done on the treadmill if weather is bad.
Thursday - 11 miles 7:50 pace
Made up the 11 mile workout. Went to S. Chagrin and started at the top of the hill ran down 5.5 and came back up. Felt good most of the way. Weather was much more pleasant. Attacked the downhills a bit and backed off pace a bit on the way back up to beat the quads up a bit to get ready for Boston.
Friday - 49 minutes easy with 6*25 second strides
Saturday - 5 mile snowy trail race with about 35 minutes warm up/cool down. Felt strong despite the snow and had fun.
Sunday - 17+ Miles pace 8:15-8:25 pace
Ran about 17.5-18 miles at my old stomping grounds. Dad tagged along on the bike despite it being pretty cold. Legs were tired but managed to drop the pace at the end down to around 8 minute miles after starting around 8:45. Nice easy long run.
This week will be another one close to 70 miles. Hoping to sail through this week and right on into taper.
Note to the Dirtilicious Team
Hopefully you will check back here! You ladies rocked it out there! I am sorry to have left you out in my preview :) Anyone who showed up to run that day was fierce competition. You guys were so funny at the end asking how old we were. I'm the same way, and was glad to know the lead lady wasn't in my "group." And I should note that at the aid station I did take a look over my shoulder to see how close you gals were! There was also a very nice lady in her 50s who said she was slow but finished about 5 minutes back from me, beating many ladies younger than her. That's pretty tough! I should note that while I seemed to be one of the only out of staters there I was treated nicely by everyone out on the course and the Brighton Striders put on a great race. It is definitely intimidating to go to a non local race where you don't know any of the competitors, but it is also nice since you have no real pre conceptions of how you will do. Maybe I will see some of these faces again at the Meteor 10k in a few weeks, hopefully there won't be a repeat of the snow though!
As for the challenge I would love to come up and do Dances with Dirt one of these years. Do you gals do the relay, the 50k, or the 50 miler?
Results are posted here: http://www.nofrillsallthrillsrace.com/results/nfat08res.pdf
Looks like there was a lot of no shows, but still over 100 crazy people came out to race! It's fun being crazy :)
Ps I think that that man may have been named Jim, all I know is that he wears those bright shorts to all his races, they must be lucky because it was pretty cold out there!
As for the challenge I would love to come up and do Dances with Dirt one of these years. Do you gals do the relay, the 50k, or the 50 miler?
Results are posted here: http://www.nofrillsallthrillsrace.com/results/nfat08res.pdf
Looks like there was a lot of no shows, but still over 100 crazy people came out to race! It's fun being crazy :)
Ps I think that that man may have been named Jim, all I know is that he wears those bright shorts to all his races, they must be lucky because it was pretty cold out there!
No Frills All Thrills 5 Mile Race
With a message like this how can you not show up to the start "A winter storm has moved in, but the race will go on. The Metropark staff will be out early with their snowmobile and cross-country ski trail groomer. You may still get snow in your shoes, but after all, it's only the second day of Spring." So I made the drive last night. It actually wasn't bad until I hit Toledo, then it was super slow going. Let's just say I probably could have run a road 50k in the the time it took me to get there.
I mainly made the decision to go forth with the race because I haven't really raced since December, and I haven't done a race that I actually invested more than a few days preparation into since JFK. Even if I ended up just walking the trails due to conditions I figured I needed to go through the mental prep for a race at least twice before Boston. (I'll give Mother Nature a second chance at the Meteor 10K in Dearborn in two weeks) Go through the nerves, the planning etc and see what happened.
This morning my dad kindly used the snow blower to clear their drive so we could get out to the race in Brighton.
It took about 20 extra minutes but thankfully I am spoiled and my dad drove so I didn't have to worry (too much) about getting there. We got there an hour before the race, thank goodness for 10 AM starts! Got my extremely large pair of gloves and waited until 9:25 to warm up. The roads at the park were clear and I got in a nice 25 minute warm up back and forth through the park. Threw in a few strides just in case it mattered. Everything felt good but I was pretty sure the whole race was going to feel like running through quick sand.
They had a snow mobile out with a trail groomer on the back. The snow was actually pretty fluffy so despite it being above the ankle it was runnable. There were areas that they definitely should have just let the snow be. Running through the fluffy untouched snow would have been less of a hassle than the slightly packed down/sloppy remains from the trail groomer. Good for XC skis, not so great for running. Thankfully they must have used a truck in parts and in those areas you could run on the truck tracks and it actually wasn't too bad. Other than the trail conditions it was a nice morning for a run. A bit brisk, but the sun was shining and people were in good spirits.
Waiting for the race to start. Man I still need to work on my posture!
They had to strongly encourage runners to move over to the actual start which was in the snow, not the nice safe parking lot behind them. I lined up towards the front next to a man in shorts. I think it was a bit cold for them, but to each their own! Surveying the crowd it looked like there were two or three women who could be pretty quick. One was a petite blond with a Nike headband and an i pod. The other I had seen warming up with a purpose was a younger girl, but given the sweatshirt apparel I figured she wasn't going to make a serious go of it today :) I kicked clean a little area to stand in and soon we were off.
Aerobically I felt good. The first section was over a field and they hadn't done any grooming. The snow didn't seem too bad though and other than not knowing what lay beneath your feet was relatively runnable. I quickly pulled to the front of the women's pack and just tried to give a good hard effort.
Soon we turned onto the groomed areas and it was apparent that below the snow was a layer of ice. Some fun slipping around through here before the snow seemed to thicken up. I tried to run in the truck tracks where available and just follow those in front of me. The uphills were definitely a challenge as you kind of had no grippage but still wanted to move forward! Practically I knew that at some point it would be quicker to walk but I just kept running and told myself this was a hard training run, so run it all!
Mile one eventually came in a little less than 9 minutes. I knew that it was definitely not going to be a record breaking day! I managed to hold that 9 minute pace through the second mile too before the petite Nike runner finally passed me. I knew she was with me as every time we passed volunteers they would cheer for her. I told her good job but had to repeat myself as she didn't hear me through the i pod at first. I don't know how she could run with music in those conditions! I felt like I really had to be focused to keep from turning an ankle and just keeping up a good honest effort. The trail started to get sloppy here and it was apparent I was just not as fluid through the slop a she was. She pulled a good 100 yards ahead of me and stayed there.
There was a water stop somewhere after 2 and I actually grabbed a glass since I was working up a sweat trying to get up these sloppy hills! About 11 minutes into the third mile I started really hoping that they did not put out a mile 3 marker. At this point it was pretty sloppy and it seemed that all of a sudden I was not around many other runners. Definitely surreal. Very beautiful out but man it was hard work! The sloppy areas were definitely tough on your ankles and calfs. I didn't want to hurt anything so I may have backed it off a bit here.
Thankfully the truck tracks picked back up a bit before mile 4 and I was able to actually run "quickly" again. I felt really strong in the areas where I could run and I was glad I made the decision to go out. It would have been really easy to give up in the slop and not pick it back up when it got nicer, so I was glad to know that I was strong enough to keep running strong despite the energy expenditure on the hills and slop.
Petite Nike gal kept me honest and I pushed pretty hard up through the end, tried to close the gap on her but unfortunately the last turn took us back into the now runner trodden fresh snow and there just wasn't any ground for me to make up. Still my last mile was the fastest of the day.
Total time was around 46 and she finished about 28 seconds ahead of me. 10 minutes slower than the past two years winners! Yikes! The course actually didn't seem like it would be that hard if it wasn't for the snow, but I am not confident what kind of surface we were actually running on, so I don't know what kind of time I could have had here in good conditions.
So I came away with a strong effort run, 2nd overall female, 1st age group, and a fun coaster as a prize (Have I mentioned I am a bit of a coaster addict, so this prize was awesome!) 1st place would have got me a sweet mizuno duffle bag, but honestly Monte probably would have peed in it (he has ruined three of my bags that were either bought or won at races) so I am happy with my coaster!
Stopped to chat with the winner and ended up cooling down with her and her friend. She seemed pretty nice. Older than I expected, she looked so young! Sounds like she is training for some kind of crazy race so this was actually a good training run for her.
My dad caught a few pics of me below. Man am I spoiled or what? 26 and my dad is still dragging my ass to races. Thanks dad! Love you!
Came home and tried out my parents new Migun massage bed. Could definitely tell my calfs were sore. Hopefully the massage and some icing will have them ready for my long run tomorrow. Lets just hope the metroparks have plowed the paths!
Running Strong
Slipping Along
Almost Done
Glad to be done
Chatting with the first female. Note we both were wearing Nike headbands, those things must have good mojo!
In short, I'm glad I raced. It felt good to be out competing, and despite still not really having an idea of my fitness, I know I ran strong and that I am in good shape if I stay healthy for Boston!
I mainly made the decision to go forth with the race because I haven't really raced since December, and I haven't done a race that I actually invested more than a few days preparation into since JFK. Even if I ended up just walking the trails due to conditions I figured I needed to go through the mental prep for a race at least twice before Boston. (I'll give Mother Nature a second chance at the Meteor 10K in Dearborn in two weeks) Go through the nerves, the planning etc and see what happened.
This morning my dad kindly used the snow blower to clear their drive so we could get out to the race in Brighton.
It took about 20 extra minutes but thankfully I am spoiled and my dad drove so I didn't have to worry (too much) about getting there. We got there an hour before the race, thank goodness for 10 AM starts! Got my extremely large pair of gloves and waited until 9:25 to warm up. The roads at the park were clear and I got in a nice 25 minute warm up back and forth through the park. Threw in a few strides just in case it mattered. Everything felt good but I was pretty sure the whole race was going to feel like running through quick sand.
They had a snow mobile out with a trail groomer on the back. The snow was actually pretty fluffy so despite it being above the ankle it was runnable. There were areas that they definitely should have just let the snow be. Running through the fluffy untouched snow would have been less of a hassle than the slightly packed down/sloppy remains from the trail groomer. Good for XC skis, not so great for running. Thankfully they must have used a truck in parts and in those areas you could run on the truck tracks and it actually wasn't too bad. Other than the trail conditions it was a nice morning for a run. A bit brisk, but the sun was shining and people were in good spirits.
Waiting for the race to start. Man I still need to work on my posture!
They had to strongly encourage runners to move over to the actual start which was in the snow, not the nice safe parking lot behind them. I lined up towards the front next to a man in shorts. I think it was a bit cold for them, but to each their own! Surveying the crowd it looked like there were two or three women who could be pretty quick. One was a petite blond with a Nike headband and an i pod. The other I had seen warming up with a purpose was a younger girl, but given the sweatshirt apparel I figured she wasn't going to make a serious go of it today :) I kicked clean a little area to stand in and soon we were off.
Aerobically I felt good. The first section was over a field and they hadn't done any grooming. The snow didn't seem too bad though and other than not knowing what lay beneath your feet was relatively runnable. I quickly pulled to the front of the women's pack and just tried to give a good hard effort.
Soon we turned onto the groomed areas and it was apparent that below the snow was a layer of ice. Some fun slipping around through here before the snow seemed to thicken up. I tried to run in the truck tracks where available and just follow those in front of me. The uphills were definitely a challenge as you kind of had no grippage but still wanted to move forward! Practically I knew that at some point it would be quicker to walk but I just kept running and told myself this was a hard training run, so run it all!
Mile one eventually came in a little less than 9 minutes. I knew that it was definitely not going to be a record breaking day! I managed to hold that 9 minute pace through the second mile too before the petite Nike runner finally passed me. I knew she was with me as every time we passed volunteers they would cheer for her. I told her good job but had to repeat myself as she didn't hear me through the i pod at first. I don't know how she could run with music in those conditions! I felt like I really had to be focused to keep from turning an ankle and just keeping up a good honest effort. The trail started to get sloppy here and it was apparent I was just not as fluid through the slop a she was. She pulled a good 100 yards ahead of me and stayed there.
There was a water stop somewhere after 2 and I actually grabbed a glass since I was working up a sweat trying to get up these sloppy hills! About 11 minutes into the third mile I started really hoping that they did not put out a mile 3 marker. At this point it was pretty sloppy and it seemed that all of a sudden I was not around many other runners. Definitely surreal. Very beautiful out but man it was hard work! The sloppy areas were definitely tough on your ankles and calfs. I didn't want to hurt anything so I may have backed it off a bit here.
Thankfully the truck tracks picked back up a bit before mile 4 and I was able to actually run "quickly" again. I felt really strong in the areas where I could run and I was glad I made the decision to go out. It would have been really easy to give up in the slop and not pick it back up when it got nicer, so I was glad to know that I was strong enough to keep running strong despite the energy expenditure on the hills and slop.
Petite Nike gal kept me honest and I pushed pretty hard up through the end, tried to close the gap on her but unfortunately the last turn took us back into the now runner trodden fresh snow and there just wasn't any ground for me to make up. Still my last mile was the fastest of the day.
Total time was around 46 and she finished about 28 seconds ahead of me. 10 minutes slower than the past two years winners! Yikes! The course actually didn't seem like it would be that hard if it wasn't for the snow, but I am not confident what kind of surface we were actually running on, so I don't know what kind of time I could have had here in good conditions.
So I came away with a strong effort run, 2nd overall female, 1st age group, and a fun coaster as a prize (Have I mentioned I am a bit of a coaster addict, so this prize was awesome!) 1st place would have got me a sweet mizuno duffle bag, but honestly Monte probably would have peed in it (he has ruined three of my bags that were either bought or won at races) so I am happy with my coaster!
Stopped to chat with the winner and ended up cooling down with her and her friend. She seemed pretty nice. Older than I expected, she looked so young! Sounds like she is training for some kind of crazy race so this was actually a good training run for her.
My dad caught a few pics of me below. Man am I spoiled or what? 26 and my dad is still dragging my ass to races. Thanks dad! Love you!
Came home and tried out my parents new Migun massage bed. Could definitely tell my calfs were sore. Hopefully the massage and some icing will have them ready for my long run tomorrow. Lets just hope the metroparks have plowed the paths!
Running Strong
Slipping Along
Almost Done
Glad to be done
Chatting with the first female. Note we both were wearing Nike headbands, those things must have good mojo!
In short, I'm glad I raced. It felt good to be out competing, and despite still not really having an idea of my fitness, I know I ran strong and that I am in good shape if I stay healthy for Boston!
Freaking Done with the Snow!
It is spring and I am sick of this snow! The weather has been bat s%*t crazy around here and it is making training impossible! I am supposed to do a trail race in Michigan tomorrow and mother nature has decided to toss 8-10 inches of snow on the ground. So not only will I have to drive through that mess tonight, I will have to slog through it tomorrow. I was already pretty nervous about this tune up race because I knew it would be harder than a road 5 miler. The average winning females time from the past few years is 5 minutes slower than the average winning females time from St Malachi. That's 1 minute per mile slower, what the heck did I get myself into?
Now I have to decide how I am going to handle the race. I don't see how I can possibly get in a good "tune up" when slogging through a near foot of snow. But I also don't want to skip the race. I know I will have fun, I'm just not sure how I will still get in the quality workout I was looking for. Do I just run the race easy then do a 3 mile time trial on a road somewhere afterwards, or do I just suck it up and give it race effort and forget about times/terrain etc? Advice anyone?
My week was already screwed up once due to some unexpected snow Wednesday night that had me bail 4 miles into my 11 mile run. Thankfully last night was pleasant and I made it up. I was worried about not having enough recovery for the race, but now I realize I shouldn't worry as I have no control over this crazy weather! What made me think race day would be perfect when I can't even get in my training without incident...
Now I remember why I said I would never train to race at Boston again. I don't know how you Minnesotans do it!
Now I have to decide how I am going to handle the race. I don't see how I can possibly get in a good "tune up" when slogging through a near foot of snow. But I also don't want to skip the race. I know I will have fun, I'm just not sure how I will still get in the quality workout I was looking for. Do I just run the race easy then do a 3 mile time trial on a road somewhere afterwards, or do I just suck it up and give it race effort and forget about times/terrain etc? Advice anyone?
My week was already screwed up once due to some unexpected snow Wednesday night that had me bail 4 miles into my 11 mile run. Thankfully last night was pleasant and I made it up. I was worried about not having enough recovery for the race, but now I realize I shouldn't worry as I have no control over this crazy weather! What made me think race day would be perfect when I can't even get in my training without incident...
Now I remember why I said I would never train to race at Boston again. I don't know how you Minnesotans do it!
Weekly Rundown-Boston Training Week 5
A milestone week for me, first 70+ mile week ever!
Monday- 2 mile walk with David
Pilates Abs DVD plus a few light arm exercises (bicep curls, tricep curls)
Tuesday- Easy 6 mile recovery run at N Chagrin 9:20 pace
Wednesday- 10 miler with 4*1200 at 5K pace. Warmed up 39 minutes with Salty then got to work.
Did an approximately 1200 meter loop in the flats, might have been a hair long. 4 repeats with 2:30 jogs in between
4:55, 4:44, 4:45, and 4:48
15 minute cool down. Was probably a hair shy of 10 miles.
The 4th repeat hurt. Got a side stitch at the end of the third and couldn't quite shake it on the fourth. These were slightly slower than I had hoped for but considering it was on a road loop with a bit of wind and a slight incline on the second half I'll take it.
Thursday- My "comb" 15 miler that was probably closer to 16. Pace: ~8:00
Friday- 10 regular old miles. Warmed up 26 minutes then ran 6 miles with Bridget and added another 10 minutes to ensure I hit 9 miles, misjudged pace and went more like 10. Pace: ~9:00
Saturday- Tooled around taking photos at St. Malachi and did about 30 minutes running around the course, then did an hour with some SERC peeps on Godale's "movie" route. About 9-9.5 miles ~ 9:30 pace
Sunday- 19 miles at a comfortable 8:50 pace
My legs feel surprisingly good. No tweaks other than a bit of a sore hip/outer thigh, completely from road rash, so far no bruising, only a little tender when running downhill or when accidentally brushing against something. Don't get me wrong, I'm sore, but it is the kind of sore that makes you feel like you worked hard, not the kind of sore you get from being overworked.
I need to either start running known mileage courses, stop worrying about total mileage, or get a Garmin. I had a really hard time this week gauging pace on some of my runs and as a result went too far thinking I was running slower than what I was actually going. Thankfully the few extra miles don't seem to have done me any harm and I am pumped up for next week!
Monday- 2 mile walk with David
Pilates Abs DVD plus a few light arm exercises (bicep curls, tricep curls)
Tuesday- Easy 6 mile recovery run at N Chagrin 9:20 pace
Wednesday- 10 miler with 4*1200 at 5K pace. Warmed up 39 minutes with Salty then got to work.
Did an approximately 1200 meter loop in the flats, might have been a hair long. 4 repeats with 2:30 jogs in between
4:55, 4:44, 4:45, and 4:48
15 minute cool down. Was probably a hair shy of 10 miles.
The 4th repeat hurt. Got a side stitch at the end of the third and couldn't quite shake it on the fourth. These were slightly slower than I had hoped for but considering it was on a road loop with a bit of wind and a slight incline on the second half I'll take it.
Thursday- My "comb" 15 miler that was probably closer to 16. Pace: ~8:00
Friday- 10 regular old miles. Warmed up 26 minutes then ran 6 miles with Bridget and added another 10 minutes to ensure I hit 9 miles, misjudged pace and went more like 10. Pace: ~9:00
Saturday- Tooled around taking photos at St. Malachi and did about 30 minutes running around the course, then did an hour with some SERC peeps on Godale's "movie" route. About 9-9.5 miles ~ 9:30 pace
Sunday- 19 miles at a comfortable 8:50 pace
My legs feel surprisingly good. No tweaks other than a bit of a sore hip/outer thigh, completely from road rash, so far no bruising, only a little tender when running downhill or when accidentally brushing against something. Don't get me wrong, I'm sore, but it is the kind of sore that makes you feel like you worked hard, not the kind of sore you get from being overworked.
I need to either start running known mileage courses, stop worrying about total mileage, or get a Garmin. I had a really hard time this week gauging pace on some of my runs and as a result went too far thinking I was running slower than what I was actually going. Thankfully the few extra miles don't seem to have done me any harm and I am pumped up for next week!
Anyone got a band aid?
I almost made it through the winter without any incidents.
The past 15 or so hours have not been my finest.
Last night got out to the car to head to the park for my 15 miler. Key wouldn't turn. This happened about a month ago and caused much frustration then (Long story short David had to come and help me get it started and then the next night I lost my car key in Kohls because I took it off the key chain since we thought maybe having too many heavy keys was causing the problem. After finding the key I rushed out to my car and dropped my camera which is now busted wide open but thankfully still works. So yeah it seems when this key crap happens shit hits the fan!) I tooled around with the key and called my dad for advice. Thankfully my coworker came out about 30 minutes later and proceeded to try the key. After another 25 minutes he found the magic combination and the key turned. So now I was running an hour behind and knew I had to go and run from home since I couldn't risk having the car not start again.
Got home and grabbed my i pod. Since the sidewalks are not shoveled I had to keep my run on the streets. Didn't want to risk major streets so I had to do my entire 15 mile run all within 1 mile of my house. (Did I mention I was really looking forward to my park run, starting at the top of a long hill then running back up it to simulate Boston) It is flat here so no hills, and not much fun to be had running up and down the same streets. I never use an i pod except for occasions where I have to run from home and have more than an hour, or when I have to run more than 45 minutes on the treadmill.
I'm not sure I would have made it last night without the i pod. 15 miles back and forth over and over again at a decent clip in the dark is just not that easy mentally or physically. For most of the run I just had Born Slippy by Underworld on repeat. The beat was good for the pace I was running and it's a song that doesn't get annoying the more you listen to it. Towards the end I opted for some JT to get me through.
I'm going to call this route the "comb" route. Start from my house and run one mile then on the way back run up and down 6 of 8 side streets that are all about a quarter mile long. Grab a handheld with water and a nature valley bar and head back out this time running up and down all 8 streets to get in another 5 miles by the time I hit the end of the street. Then turn around and run all 8 streets back and forth again to finish out the run. I'll have to measure the actual distance but close enough for now. My splits on all the side streets were close to the same so I assume they are all about the same length, if anything a little long. Around mile 12 I got a severe side stitch on my left side. It had been coming on for a few miles but was tolerable. At this point I could no longer run through it so I walked 30 seconds and then ran slowly for a mile before it subsided. I managed to get back on pace for the last few miles to finish out the run. Other than that one mile stretch my pace was even the whole way. 42 minutes per what I guesstimate was a 5 mile stretch and 44 minutes on the last 5 miles due to losing 2 minutes on mile 12.
I started so late that we didn't get dinner until 9:45 and didn't get to bed until almost 11 PM. Then this morning it was up at 5 to head out and get my 9 miler in before work. Went to start the car and it again would not work. Fooled around with it for 10 minutes before giving up and taking David's car downtown to get in my run and grab files from work so I could work from home.
Got in 27 minutes before hooking up with Bridget. I had been moving pretty sluggishly but managed to suck it up and pick up the pace to keep up with her. It felt quick but my pace gauge has been completely out of whack so I trusted that it was 8:36-8:45 since that is what Bridget has been running most of her miles at. Around 20 minutes into my run with Bridget is when I took my fancy spill. There was one stretch of sidewalk that wasn't clear and I somehow managed to lose my footing and went down pretty hard. I slid from ankle to hip on my right side. Laid there for a minute before letting Bridget help me up. Looked down and damage didn't appear too bad so we kept running. Got in about 53 minutes with Bridget then headed out to tack on 10 more minutes to make sure I got in 9 miles. Turns out I probably didn't need too add those minutes as google pedometer had my run with Bridget closer to 6.5 than 5.5 so I probably got in closer to 10 this morning. Surveyed the damage a little closer and realized that if I lifted my shorts I had a nice strawberry going. That's going to smart tomorrow.
Headed to the office to grab files and clean up. Got home and showered then tried again to get the car started. No luck. Called the dealership and the guy tells me to smack the end of the key. That worked so I took the car off to the dealership and for a meager $300 they are going to replace my key mechanism. Got a ride home from them and now I just have to wait for the dealership to call and hopefully my father in law will be able to take me to pick the car up before it closes. I am debating getting some work done or burying my head under the covers. Thankfully I will be downtown tomorrow so I can make up some work then if I don't get in 8 hours today.
Just had some apple rasberry pie and pizza and am starting to feel more human again. The scrapes on my shin hurt pretty badly I think I must have caught a piece of ice or something that actually cut rather than scraped. The hip looks horrible. Both areas are swelling a ton. I don't even want to think about it. Going to put on some bacitracin and hope for the best.
Summarizing the SERC Banquet with One Photo
What a great shot of the new SERC president...
I'm sure I have mentioned it before but I run with a really talented running club and it is quite an honor that they made me the president for 2008. The banquet last night was great. We honored some very talented runners and feasted on the best Italian food in Cleveland. Hopefully I didn't look quite the fool while talking, but did get a bit choked up when giving out our female runner of the year award. The ladies in our club are just amazing and it was so nice to honor one of our finest!
I'm looking forward to another great year with the club and hope that I live up to the expectations!
Weekly Rundown-Boston Training Week 4
Well the week started strong but the weekend was not so good!
I shifted the plan up one day to accommodate for the indoor tri on Sunday which ended up getting canceled, but my legs seemed okay despite doing two medium long runs following Youngstown.
Monday-
8 miles with Daisy on a warm but incredibly windy run. Headed down to Edgewater to try something new. 8*100 meter strides 9:17 pace
Tuesday-
12 mile treadmill run in the evening. Needed some podcasts to get through that one. Upped the pace and incline as I went. 8:44 pace
Wednesday-
Rest
Thursday-
1850 yard swim in AM
PM Lactate Threshold Run About 4 mile warm up and 4.8-5.0 mile tempo run (Between 7:03 and 7:20 pace) Ave pace 8:16
Walked 2 miles with David after dinner
Friday-
5.5 mile recovery run with Bridget 6*100 strides Pace: 9:03
Saturday-
2+ mile walk with David in the snow to run errands
Shoveled Driveway in evening
Sunday-
Rest
I shifted the plan up one day to accommodate for the indoor tri on Sunday which ended up getting canceled, but my legs seemed okay despite doing two medium long runs following Youngstown.
Monday-
8 miles with Daisy on a warm but incredibly windy run. Headed down to Edgewater to try something new. 8*100 meter strides 9:17 pace
Tuesday-
12 mile treadmill run in the evening. Needed some podcasts to get through that one. Upped the pace and incline as I went. 8:44 pace
Wednesday-
Rest
Thursday-
1850 yard swim in AM
PM Lactate Threshold Run About 4 mile warm up and 4.8-5.0 mile tempo run (Between 7:03 and 7:20 pace) Ave pace 8:16
Walked 2 miles with David after dinner
Friday-
5.5 mile recovery run with Bridget 6*100 strides Pace: 9:03
Saturday-
2+ mile walk with David in the snow to run errands
Shoveled Driveway in evening
Sunday-
Rest
I suck
So I just can't bring myself to go out and shuffle through 17 miles by myself in this crap. I'm calling it a recovery day and will move on as if this weekend never happened! In my head I know that I do not have any endurance issues so this 17 miler doesn't mean much. It's more my ego at play wanting to get in the total weeks mileage.
So I am going to be smart, and a sissy today and will at least try to get the house in semi decent order before heading to the banquet and chowing down on good food that I didn't earn today. Oh well!
So I am going to be smart, and a sissy today and will at least try to get the house in semi decent order before heading to the banquet and chowing down on good food that I didn't earn today. Oh well!
Still Snowed In
At some of our deepest spots we got over 2 feet of lovely white snow! I had high hopes of getting to Solon this morning to do my 17 miler, but alas they have not plowed our street since yesterday morning and there is almost a foot out there. We shoveled the drive last night but nothing you can do if you can't get out onto the main roads!
If they don't plow by 2 I am going to have to get to work shoveling the street because our club banquet is tonight and I am semi in charge!
Now to decide how to tackle my 17 miler. I will have to pretend it is a trail run and don my 800s for the snow, but I don't usually run more than 6 miles around the house. I have no good loops out here. Guess I will find some today!
If they don't plow by 2 I am going to have to get to work shoveling the street because our club banquet is tonight and I am semi in charge!
Now to decide how to tackle my 17 miler. I will have to pretend it is a trail run and don my 800s for the snow, but I don't usually run more than 6 miles around the house. I have no good loops out here. Guess I will find some today!
Why I Have to Postpone my 17 Miler until Tomorrow
At least we got in a 2+ mile walk and got a few errands done! AND I finished our taxes and for the most part we will be getting money back. Yay. Too bad it just evens out to what we pay in city taxes, oh well! At least we don't owe more!
Now to make a photo slide show for our club banquet tomorrow which hopefully will not be effected by this snow, and perhaps even clean a bit, although at the moment I am not feeling ambitious at all!
Let me just say so glad I moved around my running this week to accommodate the indoor tri tomorrow by scheduling my 17 miler today. Note to self, stop trying so hard! ;) I will have to suck it up tomorrow and just finish out 17 miles after a little 20 minute treadmill tempo run.
Bagel Shop Core Exercises and Girls Night Out Shot
More random photos.
Proof that I am not such a germaphobe, and that core exercises done after a 10 mile run at 8 minute pace are rough!
Proof that you can have fun with your gals even if you did laugh so hard your pants button burst!
Proof that I am not such a germaphobe, and that core exercises done after a 10 mile run at 8 minute pace are rough!
Proof that you can have fun with your gals even if you did laugh so hard your pants button burst!
Tampa Photos
One of my "pacees" friends got a couple shots of us at the Tampa Marathon and was kind enough to pass them along!
Must have been a mile marker ahead in the running shot. Otherwise no clue what I was looking at!
On a disappointing note my lucky orange shades broke this week :( Those shades were with me for my PRs in the 50 mile and 5K last year!
Must have been a mile marker ahead in the running shot. Otherwise no clue what I was looking at!
On a disappointing note my lucky orange shades broke this week :( Those shades were with me for my PRs in the 50 mile and 5K last year!
Weekly Rundown-Boston Training Week 3
Well this was my last official recovery week. Other than a bit of an upper body work out debacle ;) I think it went well.
Monday- Walked 2 miles with Hubby then did an hour of pilates (DVD)
Tuesday- Recovery 6 mile run with Salty...probably went a bit further than 6, easy to do when you are having fun! 8:50 pace
Wednesday- 9 mile run with BB in Pepper Pike. Snow storm city (Day before with Salty was pretty wintry too) Ran an hour with BB then tacked on to get to what I estimated was 9. Again probably went closer to 9.5. 8:40 pace
Thursday- Decided to hit the gym with Daisy. Did an hour of weights, about 45 min arms and 15 minute core (woke up the next morning and could not extend my left arm at all, arms are still sore today but much better (took two epsom baths so far!))
Walked 1.5 miles with hubby after GNO.
Friday- 9 mile run with Daisy. Did about 5-6 with Daisy then ran around the flats to get in the rest. Did 8*25 second strides down in the flats every 2 minutes. 8:45 pace
Then proceed to go out and dance to trance music for near 3 hours (that has to count for something, I was worn out when I got home! Might have had one too many martinis)
Saturday- Recovery 5 mile run in the evening. Pace was SLOW and arm pain was almost intolerable! But the workout obviously did what was intended as I felt fine Sunday.
Sunday- Youngstown Half Marathon executed perfectly to my plan, now if I can just keep that going up through Boston ;) 7:57 pace
This next week is going to be rough. Got an indoor tri which has thrown the Pfitzinger plan a bit out of whack for this week. Not to mention my normal running pals Salty and Daisy will both be on vacation. I'll survive I am sure and I finally managed to find two races to fit into the plan so this will be the only week that has to be adjusted like this (other than the last week since Boston is a Monday).
Monday- Walked 2 miles with Hubby then did an hour of pilates (DVD)
Tuesday- Recovery 6 mile run with Salty...probably went a bit further than 6, easy to do when you are having fun! 8:50 pace
Wednesday- 9 mile run with BB in Pepper Pike. Snow storm city (Day before with Salty was pretty wintry too) Ran an hour with BB then tacked on to get to what I estimated was 9. Again probably went closer to 9.5. 8:40 pace
Thursday- Decided to hit the gym with Daisy. Did an hour of weights, about 45 min arms and 15 minute core (woke up the next morning and could not extend my left arm at all, arms are still sore today but much better (took two epsom baths so far!))
Walked 1.5 miles with hubby after GNO.
Friday- 9 mile run with Daisy. Did about 5-6 with Daisy then ran around the flats to get in the rest. Did 8*25 second strides down in the flats every 2 minutes. 8:45 pace
Then proceed to go out and dance to trance music for near 3 hours (that has to count for something, I was worn out when I got home! Might have had one too many martinis)
Saturday- Recovery 5 mile run in the evening. Pace was SLOW and arm pain was almost intolerable! But the workout obviously did what was intended as I felt fine Sunday.
Sunday- Youngstown Half Marathon executed perfectly to my plan, now if I can just keep that going up through Boston ;) 7:57 pace
This next week is going to be rough. Got an indoor tri which has thrown the Pfitzinger plan a bit out of whack for this week. Not to mention my normal running pals Salty and Daisy will both be on vacation. I'll survive I am sure and I finally managed to find two races to fit into the plan so this will be the only week that has to be adjusted like this (other than the last week since Boston is a Monday).
Youngstown Half Marathon - 2008
So this was my 4th Youngstown half marathon. I've done the race the past three years, and despite being in better shape every year I have somehow gotten slower there every year. My intention this year was to go out and treat the race like a training run since my plan called for 13 miles, and if all went according to plan this would still be my fastest time at Youngstown because my training pace should be much faster than the paces I ran here in previous years. I wasn't 100% I could do this, especially since I had a super slow recovery run yesterday and my arms were still sore this morning, but I kept my expectations high.
Carpooled to the race with my SERC buddies. Many of the club runners do this race, just goes to prove how hard core our club is in my opinion. It takes a lot of grit to come out and run this extremely hilly half in the first weekend of March in what is usually less than ideal conditions.
No warm up for me today. The plan called for 13 and I would do no more than the race. I didn't want to be sore after this because I wanted to be fresh for this weeks training. My goal pace was around 8 minute miles. McMillan's chart puts me at a 7:56-8:56 pace for long runs based on a 19:57 5k (I picked a time between my last 2 5Ks because I still can't fathom training at the paces proposed for that 19:23). Figured since this was a medium long run I could be on the faster end, but knew it might be slower if I factored in the hills.
We hit the first mile right on target at 7:55. Started out with Daisy and Solar. A little bit of conversation but mostly just trying to focus on running my pace. I wanted it to feel like a training run but I didn't want to slack as Pfitzinger makes it clear that my long runs should not be at slacker pace but at a pace about 10-20% slower than marathon pace.
From there on out all splits were questionable. I held even effort all day, stepping up the effort slightly after mile 10 and letting myself get a bit competitive in the last half mile to pass two women. I know with the hills splits probably won't be even but some of these splits were just nuts!
For those that don't know the course, pretty much every mile has it's own set of hills. And then a few special miles have some really steep climbs. The downhills are nice, but definitely don't come often enough. I consider this to be in my top 3 hardest 13 mile runs I do all year, the other two being our Christmas and New Years Eve runs in Bedford.
Daisy hung with us until just after mile 3 before the steepest climb of the day where she had to peel off for a porta john break. She ended up running with Brian and I am sure they had fun! Solar stuck with me through most of the race. We chatted a little but mostly just enjoyed the relatively pleasant weather and the serenity that is Mill Creek Park. The miles went by pretty painlessly and I was feeling awesome.
Ran into a few interesting characters as always. One with a camel back who was not particularly happy and had no qualms expressing it! Didn't want his negativity to bring us down and thankfully he pulled ahead for awhile. Other odd encounter was the guy taking down early mile markers following us in his car for over a mile. We tried to get to the left so he could pass and he just wouldn't. So finally we gave up making the effort for him and then he decided to honk at us because he wanted to get by. He then proceeded to stop just ahead and follow us again. More than a little nerve wracking.
We got to the hill after mile 9 where Daisy had dusted me last year and I pulled a bit ahead of Solar. I figured she would catch me on the downhill and kept my pace. I knew if I kept up the same effort I should end somewhere around 8 minute pace, but wasn't entirely confident since our splits had been so bizarre all day.
We had a bunny for most of the race. She ran the race great and took advantage of the nice flat and downhill from miles 10-11. I kept her the same distance ahead of me and upped my effort a little bit knowing that this section was easier than what we'd hit after 12. My legs felt great and breathing was just starting to get slightly labored on the uphills. I was running exactly where I wanted to be. Let me tell you that is a nice change for me after the past two years here!
After mile 11 you start to see runners behind you heading out towards mile 8 and 9. Since I was just doing training pace I smiled and gave some "good job and looking great" loving to all of these runners. I think it pumps me up just as much if not more than it does for them. It just feels good to be nice to people out on the course. We don't often get the opportunity to praise strangers in real life, so this is a nice experience!
Passed one lady here who was falling a bit back then I set my sights on the bunny. As we passed mile 12 I figured I might as well catch up to her and make a go of it to come in with her. I caught her on an uphill around 12.5 and said good job. She was running an excellent race, she attacked the course perfectly. I was still feeling fine and there was one more pony tail ahead and I figured heck, I feel great and don't feel like I am pushing, might as well catch her in case it is the difference between an age group award and not getting one. I passed her coming around the final curve and luckily she didn't make me sprint to hold the lead.
I thought I would break 1:44 when I hit 13 but alas that last .1 at Youngstown is uphill and took me a whole 60 seconds! Still 1:44:14 on a training day was just what I wanted. 7:57 pace and 3 minutes faster than my first and best time at this race. Today was a nice confirmation that I am in great shape and hopefully the training will line up for Boston and I will finally hit that sneaky 3:25 mark I have been longing for!
Added bonus the two girls ahead of me in my age group both placed top 5 so I won "1st" in my age group and Solar got 2nd! Gotta love getting hardware! Everyone from SERC ran great today. It was nice to have relatively good conditions here for once!
Splits for what they are worth
7:55.34
7:14.78
8:56.08
7:02.91
7:51.59
8:08.48
8:25.14
7:32.16
8:02.08
8:36.66
7:52.77
7:44.46
7:48.94
1:00.97
Carpooled to the race with my SERC buddies. Many of the club runners do this race, just goes to prove how hard core our club is in my opinion. It takes a lot of grit to come out and run this extremely hilly half in the first weekend of March in what is usually less than ideal conditions.
No warm up for me today. The plan called for 13 and I would do no more than the race. I didn't want to be sore after this because I wanted to be fresh for this weeks training. My goal pace was around 8 minute miles. McMillan's chart puts me at a 7:56-8:56 pace for long runs based on a 19:57 5k (I picked a time between my last 2 5Ks because I still can't fathom training at the paces proposed for that 19:23). Figured since this was a medium long run I could be on the faster end, but knew it might be slower if I factored in the hills.
We hit the first mile right on target at 7:55. Started out with Daisy and Solar. A little bit of conversation but mostly just trying to focus on running my pace. I wanted it to feel like a training run but I didn't want to slack as Pfitzinger makes it clear that my long runs should not be at slacker pace but at a pace about 10-20% slower than marathon pace.
From there on out all splits were questionable. I held even effort all day, stepping up the effort slightly after mile 10 and letting myself get a bit competitive in the last half mile to pass two women. I know with the hills splits probably won't be even but some of these splits were just nuts!
For those that don't know the course, pretty much every mile has it's own set of hills. And then a few special miles have some really steep climbs. The downhills are nice, but definitely don't come often enough. I consider this to be in my top 3 hardest 13 mile runs I do all year, the other two being our Christmas and New Years Eve runs in Bedford.
Daisy hung with us until just after mile 3 before the steepest climb of the day where she had to peel off for a porta john break. She ended up running with Brian and I am sure they had fun! Solar stuck with me through most of the race. We chatted a little but mostly just enjoyed the relatively pleasant weather and the serenity that is Mill Creek Park. The miles went by pretty painlessly and I was feeling awesome.
Ran into a few interesting characters as always. One with a camel back who was not particularly happy and had no qualms expressing it! Didn't want his negativity to bring us down and thankfully he pulled ahead for awhile. Other odd encounter was the guy taking down early mile markers following us in his car for over a mile. We tried to get to the left so he could pass and he just wouldn't. So finally we gave up making the effort for him and then he decided to honk at us because he wanted to get by. He then proceeded to stop just ahead and follow us again. More than a little nerve wracking.
We got to the hill after mile 9 where Daisy had dusted me last year and I pulled a bit ahead of Solar. I figured she would catch me on the downhill and kept my pace. I knew if I kept up the same effort I should end somewhere around 8 minute pace, but wasn't entirely confident since our splits had been so bizarre all day.
We had a bunny for most of the race. She ran the race great and took advantage of the nice flat and downhill from miles 10-11. I kept her the same distance ahead of me and upped my effort a little bit knowing that this section was easier than what we'd hit after 12. My legs felt great and breathing was just starting to get slightly labored on the uphills. I was running exactly where I wanted to be. Let me tell you that is a nice change for me after the past two years here!
After mile 11 you start to see runners behind you heading out towards mile 8 and 9. Since I was just doing training pace I smiled and gave some "good job and looking great" loving to all of these runners. I think it pumps me up just as much if not more than it does for them. It just feels good to be nice to people out on the course. We don't often get the opportunity to praise strangers in real life, so this is a nice experience!
Passed one lady here who was falling a bit back then I set my sights on the bunny. As we passed mile 12 I figured I might as well catch up to her and make a go of it to come in with her. I caught her on an uphill around 12.5 and said good job. She was running an excellent race, she attacked the course perfectly. I was still feeling fine and there was one more pony tail ahead and I figured heck, I feel great and don't feel like I am pushing, might as well catch her in case it is the difference between an age group award and not getting one. I passed her coming around the final curve and luckily she didn't make me sprint to hold the lead.
I thought I would break 1:44 when I hit 13 but alas that last .1 at Youngstown is uphill and took me a whole 60 seconds! Still 1:44:14 on a training day was just what I wanted. 7:57 pace and 3 minutes faster than my first and best time at this race. Today was a nice confirmation that I am in great shape and hopefully the training will line up for Boston and I will finally hit that sneaky 3:25 mark I have been longing for!
Added bonus the two girls ahead of me in my age group both placed top 5 so I won "1st" in my age group and Solar got 2nd! Gotta love getting hardware! Everyone from SERC ran great today. It was nice to have relatively good conditions here for once!
Splits for what they are worth
7:55.34
7:14.78
8:56.08
7:02.91
7:51.59
8:08.48
8:25.14
7:32.16
8:02.08
8:36.66
7:52.77
7:44.46
7:48.94
1:00.97
How Easily...
grand plans of cleaning the house fall apart when you can barely move your arms. Anyone got a quick recovery plan for an entirely overworked upper body?
Thursday I did an upper body work out with Daisy. Thought maybe my left arm needed some strengthening. Think long think wrong right?
I woke up yesterday and could not unbend my left arm. My right was sore, but not like the left. Definitely something is not right!
So what do I do last night? Go out and dance to trance music for 2+ hours at Traffic. Now my whole upper body is a wreck :) But boy was dancing fun!
Tomorrow is the Youngstown half. I'm not "racing" it because recovery would be too long and I am supposed to start my 4 weeks of actual training Monday. The last three weeks were recovery from Tampa and the 50k, the next 4 will be focused training, and then a 3 week taper. (I'm used to a 2 week taper but I guess the first time around I should stick to the plan and if it doesn't work then I can modify it next time around!) I just hope I can bend my arms tomorrow because despite running Youngstown as a training run I am still going to need these little arms to help get me up all the hills!
Thursday I did an upper body work out with Daisy. Thought maybe my left arm needed some strengthening. Think long think wrong right?
I woke up yesterday and could not unbend my left arm. My right was sore, but not like the left. Definitely something is not right!
So what do I do last night? Go out and dance to trance music for 2+ hours at Traffic. Now my whole upper body is a wreck :) But boy was dancing fun!
Tomorrow is the Youngstown half. I'm not "racing" it because recovery would be too long and I am supposed to start my 4 weeks of actual training Monday. The last three weeks were recovery from Tampa and the 50k, the next 4 will be focused training, and then a 3 week taper. (I'm used to a 2 week taper but I guess the first time around I should stick to the plan and if it doesn't work then I can modify it next time around!) I just hope I can bend my arms tomorrow because despite running Youngstown as a training run I am still going to need these little arms to help get me up all the hills!
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