Flying Pig Stomach Issues Solved?
In retrospect I now realize my stomach issues were from too much gatorade. I had thought in the past I drank gatorade at all stations and water just with my gels but in fact in the past I drank gatorade every other station. Lesson learned. I never want to feel like that again. The heat that I wasn't yet acclimated too probably didn't help and getting sick the night before may have been an issue. But I am thinking all that gatorade threw off my electrolyte balance. I should have realized something was wrong when I started missing hand offs at the aid stations. I never miss hand offs on the run.
Flying Pig Marathon 2007- The Wheels Come Off
Mile 20 to 21 were mostly down hill and my pace was okay 7:48. I was now about 38 seconds behind pace and knew I needed to pick it up.
Somewhere around mile 20 I started using the clock to gauge pace instead of my watch. I knew I needed to be 20 seconds ahead of the last clock at each mile in order to make it on time. So I wasn't happy to see those seconds on the clock going the wrong way at 22. 8:05 My brain started to try and calculate paces I would need to get in at 3:25, under 3:26, or PR pace under 3:27. The math seemed to be right and I knew even if I could only hold 8 minute miles I should still PR and maybe sneak in under 3:26.
The course was warming up and I kept taking Gatorade at every station but now I was adding a cup of water to the mix too. Drinking half dumping the rest on my head to cool off.
My quads were starting to cramp and sear with pain and my left calf as always started to sear as well. Each step was becoming more painful and I did my best to run through the pain, but mile 23 that damn clock was still going in the wrong direction. 8:17
I had driven the course a month prior to the race and wondered where the heck the hill was around 24 that all the runners I met last year had complained about. Everything looked pancake flat to me. So I was a bit disdained when from 23 to 24 we were running up a famous false flat and my pace was faltering despite my efforts. 8:49 During this mile I listened as a man asked to borrow a cell from his buddy and proceeded to call his mother to let him know he was coming in ahead of pace. His mother wanted all the details as he assured her he just wanted her to call his coach to let him know he would be there ahead of schedule. Funny how he would take time out to call her but was shocked when he did that she wanted to know details :) She is his mother after all!
At this point I was having a repeat of Columbus all over again. Each mile instead of hitting at 7:41 I was hitting at 8 or slower. Each mile the volunteer would announce my predicted finish time and each mile it would move slowly from 3:24 to 3:25 to 3:26 to 3:29 and with my legs refusing to do their part, the pain and the mental block from this Columbus deja vu I lost it. I had started to miss hand offs at the aid station. Knocking cups out of the volunteers hands rather than making eye contact and getting what I wanted on the first try as usual. Just after the best aid station on the course (to me) where cross country runners were an extreme boost I came upon a tiny but steep hill and I broke. I just couldn't force myself to run up it and for the first time that day I walked. I stopped looking at my watch and just suffered my way to the finish line, giving up all hopes of 3:25 or even a PR. Mile 25 was the longest of the day including two walks uphill at 9:38.
My legs were searing with pain and I remarked to a female beside me that this wasn't how I planned to finish out the day. She said the same. We leap frogged our way to the finish, and I tried my best to pick up pace in the final mile. Laughing at myself for earlier that day thinking this might be my fastest mile. I smiled for photographers but stopped and walked as soon as I passed them. No spectator or draw of the finish chute was getting me going. My friend in pink was in front of me again and I let her pull me to the finish. Mile 26 in 8:23 and the final .2 in 1:46.
I finished in 3:29:39. Good enough for top 50 women and 13th in my age group. Just over 2 minutes behind my PR at Columbus. My second best marathon time.
I felt cheated as I wandered around the finish line stations. I knew deep inside I was ready for 3:25, in my heart I felt I was ready for even faster than that. I was broken not by any of the major hills in the beginning but by false flats and mini bumps in the road towards the finish. I had run on target all day to come up short in the final miles. I think it was harder on me mentally to lose it so late in the day than it would have been if I had been off target the whole way.
My stomach felt off and I searched for potato chips and other edible items. I snarfed down an apple and some water and made my way to the grassy knoll where my friends who had already finished were basking in the sun. I felt like the party pooper. Everyone else had just PR'ed, all of them coming off marathon or ultra runs just three weeks prior. Here I was completely prepared and tapered and I couldn't come out with the planned pace.
I congratulated them all and made some quick phone calls to let loved ones and friends know I was done. As I reached my dad I realized that I was in dire need of a restroom and that my "off" stomach was about to be a full blown system melt down. Can I just say longest most terrifying walk ever. Thank goodness I made it. I threw back two Imodium that I thankfully had in my bag and made the long trek back to my car and then the drive to our friends apartment where I felt like I was going to die for about 3 hours. Having to bail on the post marathon celebrations and not getting to head out and cheer like I had planned.
Thankfully TriSara was able to chat with me on my long walk to the car. I was so grateful to have a friend to vent to while I tried to hold off all stomach issues and tried not to cry every time I walked over a curb. After a long nap and several more Imodium I was finally up for moving and we spent the rest of the day at the dog park then off for ice cream and a movie. I was just glad I felt better, and reminded myself how lucky I am to be able to run a marathon at all, and to come so close to my goal despite obviously not being 100% towards the end of the run.
Somewhere around mile 20 I started using the clock to gauge pace instead of my watch. I knew I needed to be 20 seconds ahead of the last clock at each mile in order to make it on time. So I wasn't happy to see those seconds on the clock going the wrong way at 22. 8:05 My brain started to try and calculate paces I would need to get in at 3:25, under 3:26, or PR pace under 3:27. The math seemed to be right and I knew even if I could only hold 8 minute miles I should still PR and maybe sneak in under 3:26.
The course was warming up and I kept taking Gatorade at every station but now I was adding a cup of water to the mix too. Drinking half dumping the rest on my head to cool off.
My quads were starting to cramp and sear with pain and my left calf as always started to sear as well. Each step was becoming more painful and I did my best to run through the pain, but mile 23 that damn clock was still going in the wrong direction. 8:17
I had driven the course a month prior to the race and wondered where the heck the hill was around 24 that all the runners I met last year had complained about. Everything looked pancake flat to me. So I was a bit disdained when from 23 to 24 we were running up a famous false flat and my pace was faltering despite my efforts. 8:49 During this mile I listened as a man asked to borrow a cell from his buddy and proceeded to call his mother to let him know he was coming in ahead of pace. His mother wanted all the details as he assured her he just wanted her to call his coach to let him know he would be there ahead of schedule. Funny how he would take time out to call her but was shocked when he did that she wanted to know details :) She is his mother after all!
At this point I was having a repeat of Columbus all over again. Each mile instead of hitting at 7:41 I was hitting at 8 or slower. Each mile the volunteer would announce my predicted finish time and each mile it would move slowly from 3:24 to 3:25 to 3:26 to 3:29 and with my legs refusing to do their part, the pain and the mental block from this Columbus deja vu I lost it. I had started to miss hand offs at the aid station. Knocking cups out of the volunteers hands rather than making eye contact and getting what I wanted on the first try as usual. Just after the best aid station on the course (to me) where cross country runners were an extreme boost I came upon a tiny but steep hill and I broke. I just couldn't force myself to run up it and for the first time that day I walked. I stopped looking at my watch and just suffered my way to the finish line, giving up all hopes of 3:25 or even a PR. Mile 25 was the longest of the day including two walks uphill at 9:38.
My legs were searing with pain and I remarked to a female beside me that this wasn't how I planned to finish out the day. She said the same. We leap frogged our way to the finish, and I tried my best to pick up pace in the final mile. Laughing at myself for earlier that day thinking this might be my fastest mile. I smiled for photographers but stopped and walked as soon as I passed them. No spectator or draw of the finish chute was getting me going. My friend in pink was in front of me again and I let her pull me to the finish. Mile 26 in 8:23 and the final .2 in 1:46.
I finished in 3:29:39. Good enough for top 50 women and 13th in my age group. Just over 2 minutes behind my PR at Columbus. My second best marathon time.
I felt cheated as I wandered around the finish line stations. I knew deep inside I was ready for 3:25, in my heart I felt I was ready for even faster than that. I was broken not by any of the major hills in the beginning but by false flats and mini bumps in the road towards the finish. I had run on target all day to come up short in the final miles. I think it was harder on me mentally to lose it so late in the day than it would have been if I had been off target the whole way.
My stomach felt off and I searched for potato chips and other edible items. I snarfed down an apple and some water and made my way to the grassy knoll where my friends who had already finished were basking in the sun. I felt like the party pooper. Everyone else had just PR'ed, all of them coming off marathon or ultra runs just three weeks prior. Here I was completely prepared and tapered and I couldn't come out with the planned pace.
I congratulated them all and made some quick phone calls to let loved ones and friends know I was done. As I reached my dad I realized that I was in dire need of a restroom and that my "off" stomach was about to be a full blown system melt down. Can I just say longest most terrifying walk ever. Thank goodness I made it. I threw back two Imodium that I thankfully had in my bag and made the long trek back to my car and then the drive to our friends apartment where I felt like I was going to die for about 3 hours. Having to bail on the post marathon celebrations and not getting to head out and cheer like I had planned.
Thankfully TriSara was able to chat with me on my long walk to the car. I was so grateful to have a friend to vent to while I tried to hold off all stomach issues and tried not to cry every time I walked over a curb. After a long nap and several more Imodium I was finally up for moving and we spent the rest of the day at the dog park then off for ice cream and a movie. I was just glad I felt better, and reminded myself how lucky I am to be able to run a marathon at all, and to come so close to my goal despite obviously not being 100% towards the end of the run.
Another Interruption
I went out and did the Cleveland Marathon yesterday. I knew early on that I wouldn't be racing it. So instead I partied my way through 26 miles.
I just want to give a quick shout out to all my gals. Especially Athena and Daisy. Athena received a frantic voice message from me Saturday night around 10:30 PM exclaiming I could not find my electrolyte tablets anywhere. She meets me at mile 6 with a whole handful. God bless that girl she probably saved me from being sick again after the marathon!
I started the race with Daisy, intentions were to run her the whole way to a BQ. But the pace was not in my cards. I felt like such a jerk when I had to fall back so early. But she went on to BQ in fabulous style with an over 39 minute PR. Daisy is hard core and I can't wait to run with her in Boston 08.
KM caught us after a bathroom stop and thankfully she ran with Daisy until the turn off at 12.
TriSara was out at mile 6 handing out Powerade. What a great gal to come out and support all the runners! And for taking my sweaty visor for me, now that's love!
BB who went on to finish 1st in her age group in the half. I got to run with her for about a mile before I sent her off ahead of me.
Jodi was waiting and cheering before the bridge at 11. It was so nice to stop and finally chat with her. She looks great and I know her Ironman will be an awesome one.
B50 caught me around 20. She was hurting but she gutted it out and went on ahead of me. I can't wait to get back out on the trails with her!
I met two fabulous Michigan ladies who I ran the last 5 or so with and chatted them up to distract them from stomach and leg pains. Hopefully I will see them at the Detroit 'thon and maybe even be their official pace bunny.
Post finish I met up with soon to be BS and found out she had just smashed her half PR. I can't wait for her to break 2, she just keeps getting better every time.
All my gals did great yesterday. DM ran a 3:25 on no long runs and placed first in her age group. EM came back for her first half after a long time off from a hip injury. GK toughed out a half and is ready to get rolling on training to BQ.
I didn't see JC out there but I am sure she rocked it and I can't wait to hear about it on our Wednesday run.
Also didn't get to catch up with MT but she crushed the half. I am going to have to watch my back for her now too ;)
It's so nice to have such awesome female friends to run with.
Great job yesterday ladies!
Shout out for the men to come!
I just want to give a quick shout out to all my gals. Especially Athena and Daisy. Athena received a frantic voice message from me Saturday night around 10:30 PM exclaiming I could not find my electrolyte tablets anywhere. She meets me at mile 6 with a whole handful. God bless that girl she probably saved me from being sick again after the marathon!
I started the race with Daisy, intentions were to run her the whole way to a BQ. But the pace was not in my cards. I felt like such a jerk when I had to fall back so early. But she went on to BQ in fabulous style with an over 39 minute PR. Daisy is hard core and I can't wait to run with her in Boston 08.
KM caught us after a bathroom stop and thankfully she ran with Daisy until the turn off at 12.
TriSara was out at mile 6 handing out Powerade. What a great gal to come out and support all the runners! And for taking my sweaty visor for me, now that's love!
BB who went on to finish 1st in her age group in the half. I got to run with her for about a mile before I sent her off ahead of me.
Jodi was waiting and cheering before the bridge at 11. It was so nice to stop and finally chat with her. She looks great and I know her Ironman will be an awesome one.
B50 caught me around 20. She was hurting but she gutted it out and went on ahead of me. I can't wait to get back out on the trails with her!
I met two fabulous Michigan ladies who I ran the last 5 or so with and chatted them up to distract them from stomach and leg pains. Hopefully I will see them at the Detroit 'thon and maybe even be their official pace bunny.
Post finish I met up with soon to be BS and found out she had just smashed her half PR. I can't wait for her to break 2, she just keeps getting better every time.
All my gals did great yesterday. DM ran a 3:25 on no long runs and placed first in her age group. EM came back for her first half after a long time off from a hip injury. GK toughed out a half and is ready to get rolling on training to BQ.
I didn't see JC out there but I am sure she rocked it and I can't wait to hear about it on our Wednesday run.
Also didn't get to catch up with MT but she crushed the half. I am going to have to watch my back for her now too ;)
It's so nice to have such awesome female friends to run with.
Great job yesterday ladies!
Shout out for the men to come!
Flying Pig Marathon 07-13.1 to 20
Hitting the half a few seconds ahead of time was a great boost mentally. I was feeling strong and working to stay within that 7:41 pace range. Just before 14 there was a bit of an incline so I expected to be slow that mile and was but was still within range. 7:48. 14 to 15 climbed and again I was behind pace despite good effort 7:45. I was starting to feel the effects of the early hills now but it was almost time to dig in so I tapped into my resources a few miles early and tried to take advantage of the flat area through Mariemont and the good crowds. I took a gel early here. I had planned gels for 6, 12, 18, and 22. I felt I needed a jolt so I gulped down the only gel with caffeine I had brought and thought hopefully of the good speedy effects of the caffeine to come. It was somewhere in this area that I made the mistake of high fiving the bungle tiger (My husbands nickname for the Cinci Bengals). I should have known nothing good could come from that, but he is a tiger after all and my inner tiger felt some high fiving love was appropriate.
The inside of my arms were starting to chafe and it was starting to warm up. I was very glad I opted for a tank and visor as my race outfit. My focused effort paid off at 16 with a 7:31. I located a volunteer with a cardboard sheet covered in sunscreen and Vaseline. It is so nice how they always seem to appear when I need them. I slathered some on my arms and wiped my hands on my shorts just before a team of kids were hollering for high fives. I sincerely hope those kids mothers made them wash their hands thoroughly after the race!
After 16 you head out onto a bike path which is slightly downhill but lacks any shade. You can see for almost a mile ahead of you before making a few turns and hitting 17. Unfortunately the speed of mile 16 didn't last and 17 was slow despite the majority of it being downhill 7:56.
Mile 18 I got back on pace cruising up a slight incline (yeah another one of those, I thought this was supposed to be downhill after 9? These hills sure didn't look so intimidating when we drove the course) in 7:41. If I remember correctly this mile had a large hill before hopping onto the highway which I heard runners behind discussing before we made a left turn and it came into view. (I may be mixing miles, there were plenty of these hills to be found!) I remember thinking this hill wasn't too bad and hoping that this time the spectators ensuring me this was the last hill were telling the truth.
Mile 19 is along Columbia Parkway. I was behind two younger male runners here and tried to tap into their pace as we made our way along the sunny and sparsely manned highway. This by far was the most boring part of the course. I turned it on here trying to get back to 7:41 and starting to dig a bit more. Dumping water over my head as I came through the aid station and hitting mile 19 in 7:46. At this point I was still doing math clearly and knew I was still right on target for my overall race pace.
Mile 20 was slow as we ran through some of the older Cincinnati neighborhoods and the course was starting to roll down instead of up. I was still taking Gatorade at every aid station and despite being hot felt like my goal was less than an hour away from being clinched. 7:57 for this mile left me about 30 seconds behind overall pace. I knew as long as I could get back to 7:41 pace I could cruise in right on target. I had 2 minutes to play with as anything under 3:25:59 was acceptable and my race plan would have me under 3:25. It was time to dig in and go to that place where pain levels become less than tolerable and you start to run with your heart and get your head out of the way.
The inside of my arms were starting to chafe and it was starting to warm up. I was very glad I opted for a tank and visor as my race outfit. My focused effort paid off at 16 with a 7:31. I located a volunteer with a cardboard sheet covered in sunscreen and Vaseline. It is so nice how they always seem to appear when I need them. I slathered some on my arms and wiped my hands on my shorts just before a team of kids were hollering for high fives. I sincerely hope those kids mothers made them wash their hands thoroughly after the race!
After 16 you head out onto a bike path which is slightly downhill but lacks any shade. You can see for almost a mile ahead of you before making a few turns and hitting 17. Unfortunately the speed of mile 16 didn't last and 17 was slow despite the majority of it being downhill 7:56.
Mile 18 I got back on pace cruising up a slight incline (yeah another one of those, I thought this was supposed to be downhill after 9? These hills sure didn't look so intimidating when we drove the course) in 7:41. If I remember correctly this mile had a large hill before hopping onto the highway which I heard runners behind discussing before we made a left turn and it came into view. (I may be mixing miles, there were plenty of these hills to be found!) I remember thinking this hill wasn't too bad and hoping that this time the spectators ensuring me this was the last hill were telling the truth.
Mile 19 is along Columbia Parkway. I was behind two younger male runners here and tried to tap into their pace as we made our way along the sunny and sparsely manned highway. This by far was the most boring part of the course. I turned it on here trying to get back to 7:41 and starting to dig a bit more. Dumping water over my head as I came through the aid station and hitting mile 19 in 7:46. At this point I was still doing math clearly and knew I was still right on target for my overall race pace.
Mile 20 was slow as we ran through some of the older Cincinnati neighborhoods and the course was starting to roll down instead of up. I was still taking Gatorade at every aid station and despite being hot felt like my goal was less than an hour away from being clinched. 7:57 for this mile left me about 30 seconds behind overall pace. I knew as long as I could get back to 7:41 pace I could cruise in right on target. I had 2 minutes to play with as anything under 3:25:59 was acceptable and my race plan would have me under 3:25. It was time to dig in and go to that place where pain levels become less than tolerable and you start to run with your heart and get your head out of the way.
We Interrupt this Race Report...
I meant to have this whole thing wrapped up by now and my analysis done and figured out how I feel about the race etc. But sometimes life gets in the way of what we want.
I have been swamped at work this week doing 10 hour days straight through (I know for most people that may be normal but for this gal it is unusual) just to get the task finished. We are presenting at an EPA training workshop this week in Kansas City and I had the lucky job of pulling together any materials that we have used before and coming up with exercises for the workshop if we didn't already have examples. Thankfully I have several coworkers who came to my rescue, helping with QA/QC and just walking through the exercises to make sure they made sense and took up enough time, and luckily by the time we walked out the door Friday night at 7 PM we had all the materials on CDs and printed and stuffed into workbooks. Unfortunately we missed the FedEx COB so my boss and I are each hauling two boxes full of notebooks on the plane tonight.
I haven't had a chance to run through my presentation yet, I am printing the demo right now and am going to do an at home run through. Of course I am the first real presentation tomorrow and my topic is one that may flop. Have I mentioned I haven't presented anything since my senior year of college in 2003? Gulp. I am a bit nervous to put it lightly. Oh and my boss's boss is going to be there. Nothing like added pressure to perform.
Wish me luck. I am a worrier so I have had the urge to vomit since half way through the day yesterday when I finished all chores and had nothing to preoccupy me but thoughts of the presentation.
So I probably won't post anything again until Thursday at the earliest, unless my hotel has a freebie computer with Internet.
Apologies for not being caught up on blogs. I haven't even had a chance to get through emails this week, and I haven't sent out mothers day cards yet. Sorry Mom! On that note I am off to pack and finish laundry and dishes, walk through my presentation, mail mothers day cards, buy propane, then head to my in-laws for dinner and then to the airport and KC.
I have been swamped at work this week doing 10 hour days straight through (I know for most people that may be normal but for this gal it is unusual) just to get the task finished. We are presenting at an EPA training workshop this week in Kansas City and I had the lucky job of pulling together any materials that we have used before and coming up with exercises for the workshop if we didn't already have examples. Thankfully I have several coworkers who came to my rescue, helping with QA/QC and just walking through the exercises to make sure they made sense and took up enough time, and luckily by the time we walked out the door Friday night at 7 PM we had all the materials on CDs and printed and stuffed into workbooks. Unfortunately we missed the FedEx COB so my boss and I are each hauling two boxes full of notebooks on the plane tonight.
I haven't had a chance to run through my presentation yet, I am printing the demo right now and am going to do an at home run through. Of course I am the first real presentation tomorrow and my topic is one that may flop. Have I mentioned I haven't presented anything since my senior year of college in 2003? Gulp. I am a bit nervous to put it lightly. Oh and my boss's boss is going to be there. Nothing like added pressure to perform.
Wish me luck. I am a worrier so I have had the urge to vomit since half way through the day yesterday when I finished all chores and had nothing to preoccupy me but thoughts of the presentation.
So I probably won't post anything again until Thursday at the earliest, unless my hotel has a freebie computer with Internet.
Apologies for not being caught up on blogs. I haven't even had a chance to get through emails this week, and I haven't sent out mothers day cards yet. Sorry Mom! On that note I am off to pack and finish laundry and dishes, walk through my presentation, mail mothers day cards, buy propane, then head to my in-laws for dinner and then to the airport and KC.
Flying Pig Marathon 2007- The Hill and up through 13.1
We eased into the first major incline after mile 5. My breathing felt easy and the pace felt good. Others around me were huffing and puffing but I focused on keeping it light and easy. I was still in "sleeper" mode. Just focusing on staying with the 3:30 guys and trying not to waste any energy. I knew we would soon be coming to the relay hand off area and then a flat loop around Eden Park before climbing a bit more. But before we got there the incline would get steep.
When we hit the park near the top I went for the Gatorade and had one of those "oh shit" moments of splashing another runner with my Gatorade on the toss. I am so sorry and I hope that that runner did not deal with sticky legs the rest of the race. He probably thinks I am a real jerk, as I didn't apologize right away, hoping that perhaps the toss missed him. Once he gave me the look though I realized it had and promptly gave my apologies.
We were a little behind pace here and I decided to make my break from the 3:30 group a little early, okay maybe I also wanted to get away from that runner. (6,7, and 8 were 8:10, 8:13, and 8:06) At 8 we were only 11 seconds behind pace but I was nervous that the pacers weren't going to pick it up until they had crested all the major hills after 10.
As I pulled away from the pace group and the half marathoners peeled off after 9 things got pretty barren. There were no big groups of runners anymore and I was pretty much running by myself. For awhile I would go back and forth with a girl wearing pig ears and a tail. She went on to run 3:32. I also passed a guy in Bermuda shorts during this section. I don't know how you could run in those things!
The next few miles went by quick with a few more rollers. I missed a few splits but those I saw were right on target given whether they were net up or down miles. 7:34, 7:38 (I knew using Rootsrunner's recommended 5 and 10 mile markers that I should net 1:19:41 here and was at 1:19:24), 7:32 There was a steep climb after 9 I think where spectators in the lawns announced we were looking strong, and that this was the last hill. Yeah right. Technically it was net downhill from here, but that definitely didn't mean there weren't any more hills.
Mile 12 seemed to have a few more ups than downs but overall I was still on target (7:49) I started looking forward to the half and prepared to dig in a bit. Mile 13 was right on target 7:37 and I came across the half about 18 seconds ahead of planned pace.
Looking back on it now I should have absorbed more of the race atmosphere. Despite trying to run easy I was so focused on pace I wasn't taking in many of the festivities of a marathon. I surged with the big crowds but most of what I remember is a quiet inner intensity.
When we hit the park near the top I went for the Gatorade and had one of those "oh shit" moments of splashing another runner with my Gatorade on the toss. I am so sorry and I hope that that runner did not deal with sticky legs the rest of the race. He probably thinks I am a real jerk, as I didn't apologize right away, hoping that perhaps the toss missed him. Once he gave me the look though I realized it had and promptly gave my apologies.
We were a little behind pace here and I decided to make my break from the 3:30 group a little early, okay maybe I also wanted to get away from that runner. (6,7, and 8 were 8:10, 8:13, and 8:06) At 8 we were only 11 seconds behind pace but I was nervous that the pacers weren't going to pick it up until they had crested all the major hills after 10.
As I pulled away from the pace group and the half marathoners peeled off after 9 things got pretty barren. There were no big groups of runners anymore and I was pretty much running by myself. For awhile I would go back and forth with a girl wearing pig ears and a tail. She went on to run 3:32. I also passed a guy in Bermuda shorts during this section. I don't know how you could run in those things!
The next few miles went by quick with a few more rollers. I missed a few splits but those I saw were right on target given whether they were net up or down miles. 7:34, 7:38 (I knew using Rootsrunner's recommended 5 and 10 mile markers that I should net 1:19:41 here and was at 1:19:24), 7:32 There was a steep climb after 9 I think where spectators in the lawns announced we were looking strong, and that this was the last hill. Yeah right. Technically it was net downhill from here, but that definitely didn't mean there weren't any more hills.
Mile 12 seemed to have a few more ups than downs but overall I was still on target (7:49) I started looking forward to the half and prepared to dig in a bit. Mile 13 was right on target 7:37 and I came across the half about 18 seconds ahead of planned pace.
Looking back on it now I should have absorbed more of the race atmosphere. Despite trying to run easy I was so focused on pace I wasn't taking in many of the festivities of a marathon. I surged with the big crowds but most of what I remember is a quiet inner intensity.
Flying Pig Marathon 07- The Early Miles
The loud boom went off and we jogged to the start line. It was super crowded but I kept the 3:30 balloons in my sights as I made my way across the start line on the right. W was off and running ahead of the group so I just tried to stay as close as I could to my pace guys while avoiding all the elbows around me. Gotta love being at most male runners elbow height! I laughed as we crossed the start as they were playing some hip hop song from the 80s. "Jump on it" By Sir Mix-a-lot.
"What's up Cleveland, what's up
What's up Cincinnati, what's up
Columbus jump on it, jump on it, jump on it " (Thanks Josh!)
Pace felt easy as we rolled up the first bridge into Kentucky and crossed mile 1 in 8:22.03. A little slow but I had faith the men with the balloons would get us back on track long before 9 miles when I planned on peeling away from them. I couldn't believe how many people were in this group. Not just men either, plenty of women all who seemed to be running the full. Past marathons I have been in it seemed to be the 3:40 crowd that was really heavy and ahead of that was a wasteland so I was a bit surprised to be dealing with such a crowded course.
I slowed a bit to get Gatorade at the first stop. I had decided pre-race there would be no walking the water stops this time through. The crowds were thick though and you couldn't avoid a bit of a slow down. The second mile came in 7:53 and I began to feel more confident that our pacers would keep me on pace through the hills.
I didn't really absorb much of the crowds as we made our way back into Ohio. I stayed focused on the runners around me and sticking close to the 3:30 group without being too crowded. As we headed up another bridge Mile 3 came in 7:51 and I was feeling good. I never saw mile 4 and although I never glanced at my watch until the mile 5 marker I knew I had missed it. The crowds before turning off of third street before mile 5 were nice and loud. I didn't notice any signs or anything but the loud cheers were a nice early boost. Mile 4 and 5 came by in 15:34. Rootsrunner had recommended I not worry about mile splits but instead look at the totals at 5 and 10 to know if I was on pace. We hit 5 at 39:41, 19 seconds ahead of 3:30 pace which was fine by me.
I laughed as I watched one of the 3:30 pacers hand off the balloons to go take care of business behind a bridge support. I had avoided pre race hydration just so I wouldn't have that issue this time around. I had hydrated well all week and I figured I had plenty of time to hydrate on the course, and was doing great drinking the Gatorade at every stop. Columbus I ran a 3:27 and was aiming for 3:25. I had a 2 minute porta potty stop at mile 12 that day and did not want a repeat this time around.
At 5 I prepared myself for the hills to come, remembering last year how I had spotted BB here and ran up the hills with her before heading back down to catch DM and run her up, and then spotted Rae and Brent at the top and ran up even further with them. I felt confident the hills would not be an issue and was glad for my race strategy of going out with the 3:30 guys to ensure that.
"What's up Cleveland, what's up
What's up Cincinnati, what's up
Columbus jump on it, jump on it, jump on it " (Thanks Josh!)
Pace felt easy as we rolled up the first bridge into Kentucky and crossed mile 1 in 8:22.03. A little slow but I had faith the men with the balloons would get us back on track long before 9 miles when I planned on peeling away from them. I couldn't believe how many people were in this group. Not just men either, plenty of women all who seemed to be running the full. Past marathons I have been in it seemed to be the 3:40 crowd that was really heavy and ahead of that was a wasteland so I was a bit surprised to be dealing with such a crowded course.
I slowed a bit to get Gatorade at the first stop. I had decided pre-race there would be no walking the water stops this time through. The crowds were thick though and you couldn't avoid a bit of a slow down. The second mile came in 7:53 and I began to feel more confident that our pacers would keep me on pace through the hills.
I didn't really absorb much of the crowds as we made our way back into Ohio. I stayed focused on the runners around me and sticking close to the 3:30 group without being too crowded. As we headed up another bridge Mile 3 came in 7:51 and I was feeling good. I never saw mile 4 and although I never glanced at my watch until the mile 5 marker I knew I had missed it. The crowds before turning off of third street before mile 5 were nice and loud. I didn't notice any signs or anything but the loud cheers were a nice early boost. Mile 4 and 5 came by in 15:34. Rootsrunner had recommended I not worry about mile splits but instead look at the totals at 5 and 10 to know if I was on pace. We hit 5 at 39:41, 19 seconds ahead of 3:30 pace which was fine by me.
I laughed as I watched one of the 3:30 pacers hand off the balloons to go take care of business behind a bridge support. I had avoided pre race hydration just so I wouldn't have that issue this time around. I had hydrated well all week and I figured I had plenty of time to hydrate on the course, and was doing great drinking the Gatorade at every stop. Columbus I ran a 3:27 and was aiming for 3:25. I had a 2 minute porta potty stop at mile 12 that day and did not want a repeat this time around.
At 5 I prepared myself for the hills to come, remembering last year how I had spotted BB here and ran up the hills with her before heading back down to catch DM and run her up, and then spotted Rae and Brent at the top and ran up even further with them. I felt confident the hills would not be an issue and was glad for my race strategy of going out with the 3:30 guys to ensure that.
Flying Pig Marathon 07- Early Start
After falling asleep at 8:30 PM to wake at 12:30 AM and sleep fitfully for the next 3 hours I finally got off the couch at 3:30 AM. I threw on some running clothes and went out into the dark for a 5 minute shake out run. I had my headlamp and our friends live right on a bike path so other than a scary growling in the bushes, it was the perfect location for a 3:30 AM shake out run :)
I made my tea and ate a bowl of cheerios while checking the weather. It looked to be perfect. Hit the shower, applied sunscreen, on with the race outfit, kiss goodbye to David and I was off to the race.
Traffic was super light and I had no trouble finding a lot near the start. I grabbed my gear bag and my belt with gels and walked over to the starting area. Volunteers were just starting to get there so I headed into Paul Brown Stadium to wait for the start and do the whole wait in the bathroom line repeatedly routine, gotta love pre race jitters. I ate a zone bar to top off my energy supplies and chatted with a friendly lady while waiting for the start. The race having the stadium open for the runners was awesome. It was a bit chilly and windy and being indoors was a great way to keep the chills away.
I headed to the start with about 15 minutes to spare. Lined up behind the 3:30 pace group and found a local runner that I had run with at the winter Buckeye 50K. She was aiming to break 3:30 and her husband was there running the half. We chatted pre race and as the sun came up and the star spangled banner was sung I stripped my outer throw away layer and got ready to run.
I felt great and had no doubts that I was ready to fly through the pig course.
I made my tea and ate a bowl of cheerios while checking the weather. It looked to be perfect. Hit the shower, applied sunscreen, on with the race outfit, kiss goodbye to David and I was off to the race.
Traffic was super light and I had no trouble finding a lot near the start. I grabbed my gear bag and my belt with gels and walked over to the starting area. Volunteers were just starting to get there so I headed into Paul Brown Stadium to wait for the start and do the whole wait in the bathroom line repeatedly routine, gotta love pre race jitters. I ate a zone bar to top off my energy supplies and chatted with a friendly lady while waiting for the start. The race having the stadium open for the runners was awesome. It was a bit chilly and windy and being indoors was a great way to keep the chills away.
I headed to the start with about 15 minutes to spare. Lined up behind the 3:30 pace group and found a local runner that I had run with at the winter Buckeye 50K. She was aiming to break 3:30 and her husband was there running the half. We chatted pre race and as the sun came up and the star spangled banner was sung I stripped my outer throw away layer and got ready to run.
I felt great and had no doubts that I was ready to fly through the pig course.
Post Pig
Well I keep going back and forth between being dissapointed, being happy that I can even run so fast at all, thinking I may run Cleveland in 2 weeks, to thinking I may never "race" a road marathon again. All of that on top of incredibly sore muscles everywhere, yes even my neck muscles, arm muscles, side muscles, and face muscles hurt. Oh and to make sure the whole body got in on the action I slammed my thumb in the shower door this morning and gave myself a blood blister.
Thankfully after my post yesterday I laid down and took an hour nap and woke up feeling a bit better. I did some google searches to see if perhaps I did something during the marathon to make myself so ill. Since I was sick the night before I can't really be sure but I think some combination of already harboring some bug and drinking too much gatorade and water in the last 4 or 5 miles on top of 4 gels during the race may have brought me down.
Right now we are sitting in the Mazda waiting room waiting for our brand new tire. Our friend noticed a bulge in it when we got here Friday. For those keeping tabs we've had the car for only 20 some days. We've been up since 6:45 and had to wait until 9 to figure out of the damage to the tire is covered. We still don't know but the service rep let us head over here while he deals with it. Keep your fingers crossed as I don't have the $240 it is going to cost to replace the tire. Good lord thats pricey!!!
So while we wait I am going to start the race recap. It may take awhile. Not sure if it will be one long post or if I will break it up. Thanks again for all the wonderful support, hopefully I won't leave you hanging on the recap too long.
Thankfully after my post yesterday I laid down and took an hour nap and woke up feeling a bit better. I did some google searches to see if perhaps I did something during the marathon to make myself so ill. Since I was sick the night before I can't really be sure but I think some combination of already harboring some bug and drinking too much gatorade and water in the last 4 or 5 miles on top of 4 gels during the race may have brought me down.
Right now we are sitting in the Mazda waiting room waiting for our brand new tire. Our friend noticed a bulge in it when we got here Friday. For those keeping tabs we've had the car for only 20 some days. We've been up since 6:45 and had to wait until 9 to figure out of the damage to the tire is covered. We still don't know but the service rep let us head over here while he deals with it. Keep your fingers crossed as I don't have the $240 it is going to cost to replace the tire. Good lord thats pricey!!!
So while we wait I am going to start the race recap. It may take awhile. Not sure if it will be one long post or if I will break it up. Thanks again for all the wonderful support, hopefully I won't leave you hanging on the recap too long.
Uggh
I finished the flying pig! Unfortunately right now I am not feeling good at all (this is probably the understatement of the year). My stomach is not happy with me. The last time I was this sick was when I got Montezuma's revenge on my honeymoon. Let's hope this clears up quick. I've taken 3 Imodium at this point and so far it is not working at all. I am wondering if I was coming down with something because yesterday I had a headache all day and last night I got extremely nauseous. Lucky Me! Considering how I feel right now I am starting to feel a bit better about the race this morning. Details to come when I don't feel like I am dying.
Thanks so much for all the comments and the text messages and voice mails. I thought of you all out there today.
Thanks so much for all the comments and the text messages and voice mails. I thought of you all out there today.
1 more day!
Just got back from my 20 minute shakeout run and everything feels great! It's going to be a warm run tomorrow but I feel ready!
Off to get in one last yoga session then to the expo!
Again thank you so much for all the support on the blog and to all my friends who took the time to call and wish me good luck, it means the world to me!
On a side note I decided since this was the pig and all a traditional carb load would not do and went for the pork load instead. Let's hope it works out ;)
Off to get in one last yoga session then to the expo!
Again thank you so much for all the support on the blog and to all my friends who took the time to call and wish me good luck, it means the world to me!
On a side note I decided since this was the pig and all a traditional carb load would not do and went for the pork load instead. Let's hope it works out ;)
And We're Off...almost
I still need to pack and do a crap load of dishes. But first things first I needed some breakfast and a shower! I am trying to wake up a bit earlier every day so that Sunday won't seem quite so early! This morning's 5:30 AM call was a bit much and I snoozed until 6 AM. Tonight I have to get to bed super early for a go at a 4:30 wake up tomorrow. Doubling as race morning simulation with a quick but easy 2 mile jog, and as an effort to actually be tired when I am supposed to go to sleep tomorrow night! Lucky for me I have two crazy running girlfriends and I have actually done one long run where we started before the sun so hopefully the early start won't have my body crying for bed.
On the off chance that there is online tracking (Rae I think it is just text message updates but I am not clear on that) my super speedy number is: 1606 Any good speedy vibes you want to send my way are more than welcome!
Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments on the haircut and for all your online support. It really does mean a lot to have so many friends rooting you on towards your goals.
On the off chance that there is online tracking (Rae I think it is just text message updates but I am not clear on that) my super speedy number is: 1606 Any good speedy vibes you want to send my way are more than welcome!
Thanks so much for all the wonderful comments on the haircut and for all your online support. It really does mean a lot to have so many friends rooting you on towards your goals.
Heeeere Pig Pig Pig Pig
Well with 4 days to go it's about that time!
The official Pig Run Down
Total Miles: 424
Average Week: 27.8
Highest week: 42.75
Lowest Week: 11 (had two of these early in the program offset by the week with the buckeye 50k)
Long runs (19+):3*20 milers, 1*19 miler, and 1*50k (2 of these within 30 seconds of planned marathon pace)
I had a rough start coming off the ultra training and my paces were not where FIRST said they should be for a 7:45 pace marathon but I slowly chipped away and the past few weeks I have been having a hard time running as slow as I am supposed to be going. Thank you taper.
Things are looking good. As one of the SERC runners said on Sunday I have the trifecta! I'm at the right weight, I'm mentally ready, and I am running faster than ever.
The weather right now predicts a high of 78 for Sunday, low of 56. Lets hope the 6:30 AM start keeps away most of the heat for me during the race. To be honest when I am racing 56 feels hot too so I am not so sure that it will matter much. I am going to be sure to apply sunscreen liberally and will probably opt for a visor and dumping plenty of cold water on my head along the way. I think post race I may finally get that un cute photo Susan was looking for!
I have confirmed my race plan with Rootsrunner. He used the same tactics to get his 3:09 at the pig and I looked up mile paces for 3:25 runners last year and they all ran a similar paced race with a bit slower in the first 9 and picking it up to the finish.
I've got some mental tricks up my sleeve to keep me focused on my goal. Some mantras to help me dig deep and if those don't work I have a bet of breakfast riding on it to encourage me as well as a bit of anger going that I can tap into if need be. But I really feel like I am ready and if I just show up and race my plan and have fun things will go well. The past two weeks I have even been feeling like I could go a bit faster than planned, but I have made that mistake before and ended up disappointed so I am playing it safe, sticking to the plan, and going for 3:25 with confidence.
We head out tomorrow morning bright and early. I am going to try and go to bed super early tomorrow night and wake up early Saturday to simulate race morning. 3:30 AM just sounds so ridiculous! I know I will be grateful though that I am starting at 56 degrees and not 78.
Logistics just got switched on me as my BIL is no longer running the relay so it looks like I will be driving myself to the start and driving myself back to their place after the finish. So it looks like I can hang around and watch some finishers and maybe the awards while I eat some brunch. Lets just hope my legs are functioning enough for all of that. I have a feeling this race will be better afterwards though as all of my 20 milers this year I wasn't ever real stiff.
No website tracking as far as I can tell so you guys will just have to wait for a report from me. I should be finishing up before the Wildflower Olympic folks are even waking up. Crazy!
The official Pig Run Down
Total Miles: 424
Average Week: 27.8
Highest week: 42.75
Lowest Week: 11 (had two of these early in the program offset by the week with the buckeye 50k)
Long runs (19+):3*20 milers, 1*19 miler, and 1*50k (2 of these within 30 seconds of planned marathon pace)
I had a rough start coming off the ultra training and my paces were not where FIRST said they should be for a 7:45 pace marathon but I slowly chipped away and the past few weeks I have been having a hard time running as slow as I am supposed to be going. Thank you taper.
Things are looking good. As one of the SERC runners said on Sunday I have the trifecta! I'm at the right weight, I'm mentally ready, and I am running faster than ever.
The weather right now predicts a high of 78 for Sunday, low of 56. Lets hope the 6:30 AM start keeps away most of the heat for me during the race. To be honest when I am racing 56 feels hot too so I am not so sure that it will matter much. I am going to be sure to apply sunscreen liberally and will probably opt for a visor and dumping plenty of cold water on my head along the way. I think post race I may finally get that un cute photo Susan was looking for!
I have confirmed my race plan with Rootsrunner. He used the same tactics to get his 3:09 at the pig and I looked up mile paces for 3:25 runners last year and they all ran a similar paced race with a bit slower in the first 9 and picking it up to the finish.
I've got some mental tricks up my sleeve to keep me focused on my goal. Some mantras to help me dig deep and if those don't work I have a bet of breakfast riding on it to encourage me as well as a bit of anger going that I can tap into if need be. But I really feel like I am ready and if I just show up and race my plan and have fun things will go well. The past two weeks I have even been feeling like I could go a bit faster than planned, but I have made that mistake before and ended up disappointed so I am playing it safe, sticking to the plan, and going for 3:25 with confidence.
We head out tomorrow morning bright and early. I am going to try and go to bed super early tomorrow night and wake up early Saturday to simulate race morning. 3:30 AM just sounds so ridiculous! I know I will be grateful though that I am starting at 56 degrees and not 78.
Logistics just got switched on me as my BIL is no longer running the relay so it looks like I will be driving myself to the start and driving myself back to their place after the finish. So it looks like I can hang around and watch some finishers and maybe the awards while I eat some brunch. Lets just hope my legs are functioning enough for all of that. I have a feeling this race will be better afterwards though as all of my 20 milers this year I wasn't ever real stiff.
No website tracking as far as I can tell so you guys will just have to wait for a report from me. I should be finishing up before the Wildflower Olympic folks are even waking up. Crazy!
Shedding
So I am back down to my official fighting weight for Piggy. I had gained quite a bit during my ultra training last fall. To reward myself for all my hard effort I went and shaved off a few more ounces.
I think these can double as my morning pics for Runner Susan's challenge. I look a bit groggy.
8 inches tip to tip
I had thought my only option for hair donation was Locks for Love and I needed 10 inches for that, and I am definitely not there yet but Robin showed me you can do 8 inches with Beautiful Lengths. So I hoped for the length and went and got it all chopped this morning.
It is 8 inches from tip to tip but a few layers of it are shorter so I may still send to Locks of Love as they use shorter pony tails to sell at market price and offset their manufacturing costs. I want to make sure the pony tail gets used and just looking at it from my standpoint it doesn't look long enough to make a wig out of, at least a long one :) It looks like they use several pony tails to create the actual wigs. Fascinating stuff really.
I started growing out the hair so I could have a ponytail in race picks. LOL I wanted to have the fun long hair look for my marathon photos. But I love short hair. It's so much more fun and quick to do while still looking like you put in more effort than a pony tail. I am sure it will take me a few days to get used to the short do again but I have a feeling I am going to be loving it!
I was going for the Keira Knightly look in this picture. I think it's close but it looks like my hair is too wavy to quite get it right. I may chop the top shorter next time I go in for a spikier look.
For giggles the last time I had really long hair was my senior year in high school. About a month before prom I chopped it all off.
I think these can double as my morning pics for Runner Susan's challenge. I look a bit groggy.
8 inches tip to tip
I had thought my only option for hair donation was Locks for Love and I needed 10 inches for that, and I am definitely not there yet but Robin showed me you can do 8 inches with Beautiful Lengths. So I hoped for the length and went and got it all chopped this morning.
It is 8 inches from tip to tip but a few layers of it are shorter so I may still send to Locks of Love as they use shorter pony tails to sell at market price and offset their manufacturing costs. I want to make sure the pony tail gets used and just looking at it from my standpoint it doesn't look long enough to make a wig out of, at least a long one :) It looks like they use several pony tails to create the actual wigs. Fascinating stuff really.
I started growing out the hair so I could have a ponytail in race picks. LOL I wanted to have the fun long hair look for my marathon photos. But I love short hair. It's so much more fun and quick to do while still looking like you put in more effort than a pony tail. I am sure it will take me a few days to get used to the short do again but I have a feeling I am going to be loving it!
I was going for the Keira Knightly look in this picture. I think it's close but it looks like my hair is too wavy to quite get it right. I may chop the top shorter next time I go in for a spikier look.
For giggles the last time I had really long hair was my senior year in high school. About a month before prom I chopped it all off.
Your Thursday Moment of Zen
Pigeon Pose
I forgot to have David take photos of me doing this series so for now you get About Yoga Lady!
Here is an explanation of how to get into this pose:
1. From Downward Facing Dog, bring the right leg up into a Downdog split.
2. Bend the right knee and swing the leg forward, bringing the right knee outside the right hand while releasing the top of the left leg to the floor.
3. Square the hips towards the floor.
4. Take padding under the right side of the butt as necessary to bring the hips square.
5. Try the following variations:
6. Bring the torso down into a forward bend over the right leg.
7. Let the weight of your body rest on the right leg.
8. Continue squaring the hips and breathing into the tightness.
9. Make sure the top of the left foot keeps pressing down into the mat.
10. Come back up, bringing the hands in line with the hips.
11. Bend the left knee and reach back for the left foot with your left hand.
12. Draw the foot towards your butt, stretching the left thigh.
12. Square your shoulders to the front of the room.
13. Release the left foot, curl the left toes under and step back to Downward Facing Dog.
14. Repeat pose on the other side.
Beginners: Be sure to take adequate padding under the right side of the butt. If necessary, use several blankets or a block.
taper madness
I swear taper is some kind of disease! I am going through lapses of extreme tiredness to bottled up energy feel like I am going to explode if I don't run this marathon right now.
Uggh. 12 more days until I get my sanity back.
Cut my track workout short last night. The first 3*1k went great right on or ahead of pace but the 4th was lacking and I figured better to cut out 1k than to explode on the 5th. I think I made the right decision as during the cool down my legs just felt like they were tapped. Probably should have brought some gatorade or fuel as I was definitely not fully recovered from Sunday. One more track workout to go next Tuesday!
4*1K 3:55, 3:54, 3:56, 4:04
Uggh. 12 more days until I get my sanity back.
Cut my track workout short last night. The first 3*1k went great right on or ahead of pace but the 4th was lacking and I figured better to cut out 1k than to explode on the 5th. I think I made the right decision as during the cool down my legs just felt like they were tapped. Probably should have brought some gatorade or fuel as I was definitely not fully recovered from Sunday. One more track workout to go next Tuesday!
4*1K 3:55, 3:54, 3:56, 4:04
Morning Sunshine
Apparently I get wavy hair when going to bed with my hair still wet. I don't think I topped Runner Susan's bed head but this is what I woke up with. This girl is still sleepy although I fell asleep a good hour and a half before my usual time. Talk about needing some Zzzs!
Week 14 Pig Training Run Down
Officially in taper mode I kept with the 3 runs this week and opted for an extra day of yoga!
This week was super busy but most of my workouts went great.
Monday-Rest
Tuesday- Track workout 8*800
Wednesday- quick at home yoga sessions in the AM and PM
Thursday- Hatha Yoga 75 Minutes
Friday- 6.5 mile run
Saturday-75 Minutes Forest Yoga
Sunday- ~11 miles with 5 mile race
Tuesdays track workout started off odd. There was a lacrosse game at the high school so after an 800 warm up we decided to head to the middle school track. We arrived there to find a track meet going so we did an 8 minute jog while waiting for them to finish up. Then stood around and watched the last two events. I couldn't believe how long it took to get through those two events but eventually they finished and we did another easy 800 before starting on the intervals.
My FIRST pace for 800s is 3:07. It was windy out and the middle school track is a bit lumpy in places so I was sure my paces would be a bit off. The workout called for 8*800 with 1:30 rest but I upped the rest to a 400 recovery, 1:30 just seemed way too short. The first few 800s went well. Before the 4th my hair tie busted. Nothing like running around with hair flapping in your face. I started to get a side stitch and struggled a bit with the rest of the 800s. Before the 7th A loaned me her hair tie and I finished out pretty strong. Luckily JG showed otherwise I am sure I would have been tempted to cut the workout to 6 800s. I am glad I got in all 8 even if a few were off pace. Ended the night with a 1 mile cool down.
800 3:08.96 400 recovery 3:04.32
800 3:08.35 400 recovery 2:53.80
800 3:07.12 400 recovery 2:45.51
800 3:09.28 400 recovery 2:59.06
800 3:10.81 400 recovery 2:58.76
800 3:17.14 400 recovery 3:27.98
800 3:11.03 400 recovery 2:59.99
800 3:11.64
Wednesday I did some sun salutations in the morning and some hip openers in the evening. Nothing heavy, just trying to loosen up.
Thursday night was my regular yoga class. We did a really tough pigeon series and my left hip was a bit off the next day but I think it really helped to loosen up those hips!
Friday I headed out with the intention of getting in my long run. I figured that way I could just run the race on Sunday as my tempo run. Well it was hot and I got a late start. I had to pee before I got 1 mile in. Luckily there was a bathroom before the 2nd mile. I was already sweating buckets and had drank almost half my handheld before I got to 4 miles. Around mile 3 I ran into a pair of geese. I hate geese. They are bold and they scare the crap out of me. I stopped and shouted and shooed the geese until they moved from the path. Got some laughs from cars passing by. My tempo so far had been fast or right on marathon pace which was good. I continued on and was just past mile 4 when I ran into another pair of geese. I proceeded with the shooeing but this pair were not moving and eventually started hissing at me and flapping their big wings so I gave up and turned around. My heart rate was probably out of control now and my pace slowed a bit on the way back. I once again came across the first pair who were not moving for me but luckily a man on his bike passed and scared them away although the one decided it would just run ahead of me flapping its wings, I was screaming at him to get out of my way, and eventually he flew into the canal. I am sure the man on his bike thought I was absolutely nuts. After all of that excitement I decided to bail when I got back to my car. I had had enough of the heat and geese for the morning.
Friday night went out with my Chicago TNT pals for some food and bowling. It was nice seeing everyone and they definitely have me considering mentoring for the Chicago tri again this year.
Saturday I woke up and headed to the west side for yoga with Trisaratops. This was a new location for me but after wandering around the place I found the class and got set up. Well I had envisioned a nice relaxing stretch session but this teacher put us to work! My abs are still sore today from just the first few minutes of class! I definitely got my moneys worth.
After yoga we headed to Panera to meet up with Daisy Duc, MT, and BH. We had fun chatting and chowing down and I managed to get fried by the sun in the short time we were there.
After breakfast I headed over to my friends place in Westlake. I spent the day sunning myself, drawing up garden plans, gossipping, painting toenails, and going to an impromptu B-Day party for one of the TNT honorees. The weather was gorgeous and I had a great time. In the evening we ran over to an open house at GC's to celebrate the new addition to the house and the new addition to the family. Got in some good conversation a glass of wine and some cookies before heading back to Westlake. A bit more girl chat and it was time for bed.
Woke up early and headed to Bedford for the 5 mile race. After the race I went home and mowed the lawn, vegged for a bit, talked with Su, then watched a movie. By the time evening rolled around I was beat and ready for a good nights rest before starting off another week!
Hope everyone had great weeks and that this week trends toward greatness too!
This week was super busy but most of my workouts went great.
Monday-Rest
Tuesday- Track workout 8*800
Wednesday- quick at home yoga sessions in the AM and PM
Thursday- Hatha Yoga 75 Minutes
Friday- 6.5 mile run
Saturday-75 Minutes Forest Yoga
Sunday- ~11 miles with 5 mile race
Tuesdays track workout started off odd. There was a lacrosse game at the high school so after an 800 warm up we decided to head to the middle school track. We arrived there to find a track meet going so we did an 8 minute jog while waiting for them to finish up. Then stood around and watched the last two events. I couldn't believe how long it took to get through those two events but eventually they finished and we did another easy 800 before starting on the intervals.
My FIRST pace for 800s is 3:07. It was windy out and the middle school track is a bit lumpy in places so I was sure my paces would be a bit off. The workout called for 8*800 with 1:30 rest but I upped the rest to a 400 recovery, 1:30 just seemed way too short. The first few 800s went well. Before the 4th my hair tie busted. Nothing like running around with hair flapping in your face. I started to get a side stitch and struggled a bit with the rest of the 800s. Before the 7th A loaned me her hair tie and I finished out pretty strong. Luckily JG showed otherwise I am sure I would have been tempted to cut the workout to 6 800s. I am glad I got in all 8 even if a few were off pace. Ended the night with a 1 mile cool down.
800 3:08.96 400 recovery 3:04.32
800 3:08.35 400 recovery 2:53.80
800 3:07.12 400 recovery 2:45.51
800 3:09.28 400 recovery 2:59.06
800 3:10.81 400 recovery 2:58.76
800 3:17.14 400 recovery 3:27.98
800 3:11.03 400 recovery 2:59.99
800 3:11.64
Wednesday I did some sun salutations in the morning and some hip openers in the evening. Nothing heavy, just trying to loosen up.
Thursday night was my regular yoga class. We did a really tough pigeon series and my left hip was a bit off the next day but I think it really helped to loosen up those hips!
Friday I headed out with the intention of getting in my long run. I figured that way I could just run the race on Sunday as my tempo run. Well it was hot and I got a late start. I had to pee before I got 1 mile in. Luckily there was a bathroom before the 2nd mile. I was already sweating buckets and had drank almost half my handheld before I got to 4 miles. Around mile 3 I ran into a pair of geese. I hate geese. They are bold and they scare the crap out of me. I stopped and shouted and shooed the geese until they moved from the path. Got some laughs from cars passing by. My tempo so far had been fast or right on marathon pace which was good. I continued on and was just past mile 4 when I ran into another pair of geese. I proceeded with the shooeing but this pair were not moving and eventually started hissing at me and flapping their big wings so I gave up and turned around. My heart rate was probably out of control now and my pace slowed a bit on the way back. I once again came across the first pair who were not moving for me but luckily a man on his bike passed and scared them away although the one decided it would just run ahead of me flapping its wings, I was screaming at him to get out of my way, and eventually he flew into the canal. I am sure the man on his bike thought I was absolutely nuts. After all of that excitement I decided to bail when I got back to my car. I had had enough of the heat and geese for the morning.
Friday night went out with my Chicago TNT pals for some food and bowling. It was nice seeing everyone and they definitely have me considering mentoring for the Chicago tri again this year.
Saturday I woke up and headed to the west side for yoga with Trisaratops. This was a new location for me but after wandering around the place I found the class and got set up. Well I had envisioned a nice relaxing stretch session but this teacher put us to work! My abs are still sore today from just the first few minutes of class! I definitely got my moneys worth.
After yoga we headed to Panera to meet up with Daisy Duc, MT, and BH. We had fun chatting and chowing down and I managed to get fried by the sun in the short time we were there.
After breakfast I headed over to my friends place in Westlake. I spent the day sunning myself, drawing up garden plans, gossipping, painting toenails, and going to an impromptu B-Day party for one of the TNT honorees. The weather was gorgeous and I had a great time. In the evening we ran over to an open house at GC's to celebrate the new addition to the house and the new addition to the family. Got in some good conversation a glass of wine and some cookies before heading back to Westlake. A bit more girl chat and it was time for bed.
Woke up early and headed to Bedford for the 5 mile race. After the race I went home and mowed the lawn, vegged for a bit, talked with Su, then watched a movie. By the time evening rolled around I was beat and ready for a good nights rest before starting off another week!
Hope everyone had great weeks and that this week trends toward greatness too!
A New PR and a Free Car Wash
Our club always has a bunch of runners who go to Bedford to run the annual pancake run. You know me if a race has good food, I'm there, so this morning I woke up early and headed out to race with my friends.
I ran inside to get my bib and got lucky number 177. Anything with 77 or 777 is always good in my book so i just knew that was a good sign. I headed out for a warm up with KM and B50. My girls are so great and they did 30 minutes with me despite it already being warm and Bedford having no flat places to warm up on. I wanted to get in 13 this morning. So a longer warm up was ideal to have less after the race and to keep me from running too hard and doing something stupid two weeks before pig. We discussed race plans and I wanted to be in the 7 minute range. I screwed up my workouts this week and was supposed to do a 5 mile run at 7:19 pace so I figured if I could get somewhere around 35-36 that would make up for that and then I wouldn't worry about my warm up and cool down pace. Towards the end of the run I joked that maybe I would just try to win the whole thing.
Well we got started and just like Spring Classic I was out in front. But I felt much better than Spring Classic this morning. The first mile I felt strong but even keeled I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard so i was shocked to hear 6:15 as I passed the marker. I wrote it off as being way short. At least that is what I hoped as if I really ran a 6:15 I was sure to pay for it. The second mile headed slightly uphill but we had a nice breeze coming at us that made the harder effort feel reasonable. I felt strong and just tried to keep an even effort. 2nd mile marker 7:06. Perfect. I felt like that was probably a more realistic pace and that I could hold it the rest of the race.
At the few corners we took i would glance back but I never saw any females. I was getting excited that i might be able to bring home a win. The third mile I hit 7:11. There was one water stop between 2 and 3 and I took advantage. It was really warm this morning and my throat felt really dry despite hydrating well.
The 4th mile got a bit rough with some slight inclines and the wind at our back not doing much to cool you off. I think the actual marker was a bit before the man calling times but I went with him for the split at 7:33 and 28:06. I made a mental check to pick up pace on any downs to try and hug 7 minutes to come in at 35. The last mile was a bit up and a bit down and finished on the high school track. I thought before we hit the track, please let it be less than a lap but we got to do a near full lap before we reached the finish. I held off on any kick until the last 100 meters in case any women were coming I wanted to be able to turn it on. Last mile I hit 6:58 for 35:05, a new 5 mile PR for me.
I made sure to thank all the volunteers I passed on the course today and cheered on EM's kids who were finishing their 2 mile race as I was coming in for my track finish, and I smiled big for the photographer at the end of the race. I feel like when you run a happy and enthusiastic race the karma gods have got to smile back at you and it looks like today they did.
I am super stoked. I don't think I have won a road race ever and the last cross country race I won was probably my sophomore year of high school. I realize this was just a small local race, and my pace wasn't breaking any records, but it felt good to lead a race the whole way and finish first. Also it was nice I had the option of running a tactical race and not having to push hard at the end to grab the win.
I grabbed some water and powerade and cheered on club members. EM came in 3rd and KM 4th (1st master) B50 ran great despite being hung over and having done the 30 minute warm up with us and won her age group. This race is always a blast as it is a nice race for SERC to show how talented all our runners are. Plus you get pancakes!
The girls and I got in a 10 minute cool down before heading in for the awards and the pancakes. They accidentally got two women's masters plaques and no overall plaque for women so I didn't actually get any hardware but I did get a free car wash, which in all honesty is much better than any award. I am all about prizes you can use! So I told the race director not to bother ordering an award as it would just go in my little cardboard box of random age group wins. I can't wait to go get my car washed though! It needs it!
After the awards and a pancake breakfast I headed out with B50 for another 20 minutes. It was super hot at this point and since we had just eaten we took it easy. I figure I got in around 11 today so I am happy with that.
All in all a very good morning for me! And what a great mental boost for me going into pig!
I ran inside to get my bib and got lucky number 177. Anything with 77 or 777 is always good in my book so i just knew that was a good sign. I headed out for a warm up with KM and B50. My girls are so great and they did 30 minutes with me despite it already being warm and Bedford having no flat places to warm up on. I wanted to get in 13 this morning. So a longer warm up was ideal to have less after the race and to keep me from running too hard and doing something stupid two weeks before pig. We discussed race plans and I wanted to be in the 7 minute range. I screwed up my workouts this week and was supposed to do a 5 mile run at 7:19 pace so I figured if I could get somewhere around 35-36 that would make up for that and then I wouldn't worry about my warm up and cool down pace. Towards the end of the run I joked that maybe I would just try to win the whole thing.
Well we got started and just like Spring Classic I was out in front. But I felt much better than Spring Classic this morning. The first mile I felt strong but even keeled I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard so i was shocked to hear 6:15 as I passed the marker. I wrote it off as being way short. At least that is what I hoped as if I really ran a 6:15 I was sure to pay for it. The second mile headed slightly uphill but we had a nice breeze coming at us that made the harder effort feel reasonable. I felt strong and just tried to keep an even effort. 2nd mile marker 7:06. Perfect. I felt like that was probably a more realistic pace and that I could hold it the rest of the race.
At the few corners we took i would glance back but I never saw any females. I was getting excited that i might be able to bring home a win. The third mile I hit 7:11. There was one water stop between 2 and 3 and I took advantage. It was really warm this morning and my throat felt really dry despite hydrating well.
The 4th mile got a bit rough with some slight inclines and the wind at our back not doing much to cool you off. I think the actual marker was a bit before the man calling times but I went with him for the split at 7:33 and 28:06. I made a mental check to pick up pace on any downs to try and hug 7 minutes to come in at 35. The last mile was a bit up and a bit down and finished on the high school track. I thought before we hit the track, please let it be less than a lap but we got to do a near full lap before we reached the finish. I held off on any kick until the last 100 meters in case any women were coming I wanted to be able to turn it on. Last mile I hit 6:58 for 35:05, a new 5 mile PR for me.
I made sure to thank all the volunteers I passed on the course today and cheered on EM's kids who were finishing their 2 mile race as I was coming in for my track finish, and I smiled big for the photographer at the end of the race. I feel like when you run a happy and enthusiastic race the karma gods have got to smile back at you and it looks like today they did.
I am super stoked. I don't think I have won a road race ever and the last cross country race I won was probably my sophomore year of high school. I realize this was just a small local race, and my pace wasn't breaking any records, but it felt good to lead a race the whole way and finish first. Also it was nice I had the option of running a tactical race and not having to push hard at the end to grab the win.
I grabbed some water and powerade and cheered on club members. EM came in 3rd and KM 4th (1st master) B50 ran great despite being hung over and having done the 30 minute warm up with us and won her age group. This race is always a blast as it is a nice race for SERC to show how talented all our runners are. Plus you get pancakes!
The girls and I got in a 10 minute cool down before heading in for the awards and the pancakes. They accidentally got two women's masters plaques and no overall plaque for women so I didn't actually get any hardware but I did get a free car wash, which in all honesty is much better than any award. I am all about prizes you can use! So I told the race director not to bother ordering an award as it would just go in my little cardboard box of random age group wins. I can't wait to go get my car washed though! It needs it!
After the awards and a pancake breakfast I headed out with B50 for another 20 minutes. It was super hot at this point and since we had just eaten we took it easy. I figure I got in around 11 today so I am happy with that.
All in all a very good morning for me! And what a great mental boost for me going into pig!
Thursday Moment of Zen
I can't wait for yoga tonight! This pose is thread the needle and that is me, not falling! Imagine that.
Week 13- Pig Training Run-Down
Quick Stats Check
Lots of Rest this week, looks like someone was ready for taper a week early!
Monday-Rest
Tuesday-Track 10*400
Wednesday-63 minute run easy-medium effort
Thursday- Rest (If Girls Night Out can really be considered rest)
Friday- Rest
Saturday- 20 miles (Plus half a day of car shopping! Where do I get all this energy from?)
Sunday- Rest (Big slacker here just did not want to drive the hour plus to me scheduled swim)
Tuesdays track workout went well. I was at or below my pace on every 400. The FIRST plan called for 400 rest between each but I cut that to 200. 400 rest for a 400 interval seemed excessive, especially when only doing 10. This worked out fine for me and got me off the track earlier. Almost all the quarters were at 1:29, a few at 1:30, one at 1:31, and the last at 1:26
Wednesday I headed out with Jen in the rain at NCR. I tried to get everyone on the trails but they were pretty sloppy so the majority of the run was on paved path. It was windy out and Jen had fartleks to do so we paced through 5*4 minutes at Jens zone 3/3 minute easy and took it easy the rest of the run. Nice little run for me. I'll miss these jaunts the next three weeks while I back off on any extra runs.
Thursday was GNO and I missed my tempo run. But wine and gossip were consumed and a good time was had by all.
This was hanging in the bathroom of the Dilly Deli, it made me laugh because I think this is what all the male SERC runners think GNO is all about.
Friday night my parents came into town so we went out for dinner, I got sliders yum! and we played Pinochle until I had to head to bed.
After about 4 hours of sleep I woke up and got ready for my last long run before pig. Drove in the dark to our starting place where my cell rang as I was pulling to see two little furry legs sticking out of a trash basket. Oops looks like I interrupted someones 5AM snack! Those raccoons are smart guys, had he not left those little legs stuffed out he would have got stuck in the can! The phone was Daisy asking where I was. We had a miscommunication on the start location so I directed her to where I was, hopping out of my car and using my headlamp to read the handy park map on the info station (making sure to give the raccoon plenty of space).
Shortly thereafter Daisy and her friend MT arrived and we headed off into the dark. I had my headlamp and Daisy had a handy flashlight. The sun didn't start to rise until we were about 4 miles in. Funny how in the dark the course seemed much flatter as on the way back I noticed hills that weren't there in the morning. We had some good conversation and I was super pleased to be done with 20 miles before most folks were out of bed.
I hurried home and got ready to go car shopping. My parents came along to help. Friends had been pushing the Mazda3 on us so we went and checked out the Mazda dealer. Took a test drive in a Mazda 3 5 door touring model with a few added perks. The price was much higher than I wanted but we figured test driving wouldn't hurt. Well several hours later we made a deal and got the car for payments just slightly higher than I budgeted for (with the help of a down payment from mom and dad, thanks so much!). It really does seem like a nice car and David seems very happy with it. When my focus goes in 3 years or so though I will be buying another Ford. One foreign made car per household seems like enough to me. Next time I think we will have a few more tricks up our sleeves to get an even better deal!
We headed home for some more gaming action and dinner before my parents had to head home.
Sunday morning came too quickly and I decided to sleep in instead of making the drive across Cleveland for my swim. Instead I ended up cleaning out my closet and getting rid of a bunch of t-shirts while watching Ray. Runner Susan would be so proud of my now organized and color coded wardrobe :)
So a little more rest and no cross training this week, but I still got in some good runs so I am not too worried. Now it is time to focus on my mental prep, fine tuning, and lots of stretching until the big show on May 6th!
Lots of Rest this week, looks like someone was ready for taper a week early!
Monday-Rest
Tuesday-Track 10*400
Wednesday-63 minute run easy-medium effort
Thursday- Rest (If Girls Night Out can really be considered rest)
Friday- Rest
Saturday- 20 miles (Plus half a day of car shopping! Where do I get all this energy from?)
Sunday- Rest (Big slacker here just did not want to drive the hour plus to me scheduled swim)
Tuesdays track workout went well. I was at or below my pace on every 400. The FIRST plan called for 400 rest between each but I cut that to 200. 400 rest for a 400 interval seemed excessive, especially when only doing 10. This worked out fine for me and got me off the track earlier. Almost all the quarters were at 1:29, a few at 1:30, one at 1:31, and the last at 1:26
Wednesday I headed out with Jen in the rain at NCR. I tried to get everyone on the trails but they were pretty sloppy so the majority of the run was on paved path. It was windy out and Jen had fartleks to do so we paced through 5*4 minutes at Jens zone 3/3 minute easy and took it easy the rest of the run. Nice little run for me. I'll miss these jaunts the next three weeks while I back off on any extra runs.
Thursday was GNO and I missed my tempo run. But wine and gossip were consumed and a good time was had by all.
This was hanging in the bathroom of the Dilly Deli, it made me laugh because I think this is what all the male SERC runners think GNO is all about.
Friday night my parents came into town so we went out for dinner, I got sliders yum! and we played Pinochle until I had to head to bed.
After about 4 hours of sleep I woke up and got ready for my last long run before pig. Drove in the dark to our starting place where my cell rang as I was pulling to see two little furry legs sticking out of a trash basket. Oops looks like I interrupted someones 5AM snack! Those raccoons are smart guys, had he not left those little legs stuffed out he would have got stuck in the can! The phone was Daisy asking where I was. We had a miscommunication on the start location so I directed her to where I was, hopping out of my car and using my headlamp to read the handy park map on the info station (making sure to give the raccoon plenty of space).
Shortly thereafter Daisy and her friend MT arrived and we headed off into the dark. I had my headlamp and Daisy had a handy flashlight. The sun didn't start to rise until we were about 4 miles in. Funny how in the dark the course seemed much flatter as on the way back I noticed hills that weren't there in the morning. We had some good conversation and I was super pleased to be done with 20 miles before most folks were out of bed.
I hurried home and got ready to go car shopping. My parents came along to help. Friends had been pushing the Mazda3 on us so we went and checked out the Mazda dealer. Took a test drive in a Mazda 3 5 door touring model with a few added perks. The price was much higher than I wanted but we figured test driving wouldn't hurt. Well several hours later we made a deal and got the car for payments just slightly higher than I budgeted for (with the help of a down payment from mom and dad, thanks so much!). It really does seem like a nice car and David seems very happy with it. When my focus goes in 3 years or so though I will be buying another Ford. One foreign made car per household seems like enough to me. Next time I think we will have a few more tricks up our sleeves to get an even better deal!
We headed home for some more gaming action and dinner before my parents had to head home.
Sunday morning came too quickly and I decided to sleep in instead of making the drive across Cleveland for my swim. Instead I ended up cleaning out my closet and getting rid of a bunch of t-shirts while watching Ray. Runner Susan would be so proud of my now organized and color coded wardrobe :)
So a little more rest and no cross training this week, but I still got in some good runs so I am not too worried. Now it is time to focus on my mental prep, fine tuning, and lots of stretching until the big show on May 6th!
And the winner is...
From our Team Captain
"
"
Dude, Where's My Van?
YAY!
YAY!
APPLAUSE!
APPLAUSE!
WE HAVE NAME!!!
ITS OVER!
THE NAME GAME IS OVER!
Dude, Where's My Van?
THANK GOD!
It took us longer to decide on a team name, then it does to pick the president of the USA
I laughed, I cried, its better than cats!
Lets kick some butt"
So Anonymous it is time to come forward if you want to claim your wonderful prize! If you wish to remain anonymous I will get a Wild Bill T-Shirt to our runner up as soon as I can find Wild Bill! He has been sick and not running with the group the past few weeks. Hopefully he is feeling better and has a few extra shirts on hand for this wonderful moment! (Our runner up was Masochists in Motion from Journey to a Centum)
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions!
So Anonymous it is time to come forward if you want to claim your wonderful prize! If you wish to remain anonymous I will get a Wild Bill T-Shirt to our runner up as soon as I can find Wild Bill! He has been sick and not running with the group the past few weeks. Hopefully he is feeling better and has a few extra shirts on hand for this wonderful moment! (Our runner up was Masochists in Motion from Journey to a Centum)
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions!
Grateful
Every week at Yoga we start off with chanting and then we go around the room introducing ourselves and stating something that we are grateful for. Tonight will be my first Thursday in about 12 weeks I won't be at yoga as I will be partying with my running gals for Girl's Night Out but I wanted to take a few minutes and remember to be grateful.
This week I have really thought about how grateful I am to have such wonderful loving parents. It is easy sometimes to take that for granted as I realized that I haven't actually seen them since Christmas. Thankfully they are making a trip down to visit this weekend.
I have plenty of reasons to be grateful for my parents but as this is pretty much a running blog tonight I have focused on how lucky I am that my parents allowed me to follow my own path in life and never made me feel like I couldn't do something. Many women grow up feeling inferior to men and are forced to do "girly" things and choose "girly" hobbies. From a young age I was cycling, golfing, bowling, hiking, you name it. If I wanted to do it I got to do it. They even let me try some feminine venues too, including Ballet (which I was horrible at and they luckily let me quit after my first recital).
So today I just wanted to take a few minutes and focus on how lucky I am that my parents encouraged me to pursue my own path. How my mom and dad always included me in their own pursuits and how I never grew up knowing that certain hobbies were "just for the boys."
Thanks Mom and Dad! I love you!
This week I have really thought about how grateful I am to have such wonderful loving parents. It is easy sometimes to take that for granted as I realized that I haven't actually seen them since Christmas. Thankfully they are making a trip down to visit this weekend.
I have plenty of reasons to be grateful for my parents but as this is pretty much a running blog tonight I have focused on how lucky I am that my parents allowed me to follow my own path in life and never made me feel like I couldn't do something. Many women grow up feeling inferior to men and are forced to do "girly" things and choose "girly" hobbies. From a young age I was cycling, golfing, bowling, hiking, you name it. If I wanted to do it I got to do it. They even let me try some feminine venues too, including Ballet (which I was horrible at and they luckily let me quit after my first recital).
So today I just wanted to take a few minutes and focus on how lucky I am that my parents encouraged me to pursue my own path. How my mom and dad always included me in their own pursuits and how I never grew up knowing that certain hobbies were "just for the boys."
Thanks Mom and Dad! I love you!
Week 12- Pig Training Run Down
Stats
Monday- 4 mile recovery run
Tuesday- 20 minute bike, yard work (mowed the lawn, weeded, moved some bricks)
Wednesday- ~8.25 mile run with treadmill hill repeats, quick weights and lunges
Thursday- Yoga 75 minutes
Friday- Rest
Saturday- Spring Classic 1:40:59 plus 30 minute warm up run
Sunday- 12 miles in the snow easy
Not a bad week mileage wise. Not what FIRST had on tap but I will take it. Some times you just have to go with the flow. This week was all screwed up by the car problems and weather but I managed to salvage my training regardless and got in a pretty damn good race to boot.
Now lets hope this snow melts before Tuesdays track workout!
Happy Easter!
Monday- 4 mile recovery run
Tuesday- 20 minute bike, yard work (mowed the lawn, weeded, moved some bricks)
Wednesday- ~8.25 mile run with treadmill hill repeats, quick weights and lunges
Thursday- Yoga 75 minutes
Friday- Rest
Saturday- Spring Classic 1:40:59 plus 30 minute warm up run
Sunday- 12 miles in the snow easy
Not a bad week mileage wise. Not what FIRST had on tap but I will take it. Some times you just have to go with the flow. This week was all screwed up by the car problems and weather but I managed to salvage my training regardless and got in a pretty damn good race to boot.
Now lets hope this snow melts before Tuesdays track workout!
Happy Easter!
Cinci Recap Via Pictures
First night we rolled into town we played Caboodle. Very fun cooperative game involving charades, drawing, and word play to get through a stack of cards. I seriously could not believe it when David guessed the one above. I was thrilled! Any guesses?
Some tasty beverages were consumed and we finally called it a night at 3 AM.
Saturday we headed downtown to drive the course and check out David's sis's boyfriends (I know that was confusing) buildings he is working on. Very cool buildings downtown they are going to turn into a hotel. Lots of stair climbing!
View from about mile 8 of the flying pig. This is also where I met Rae and Brent last year during the pig! Let's hope the weather is a bit nicer than it was during our tour of the course last weekend.
We headed to C and J's place for some gaming action and got in some Guitar Hero and Wii before heading to dinner at the Dilly Deli and then off to Graters for ice cream. I was so freaking stuffed it was honestly hard to enjoy the ice cream. I was also disappointed that I could not get coconut topping as the big cake with coconut on it under the counter looked so tempting!
After another late night we woke to beautiful weather and we got in a round of putt putt as well as some time at the dog park. Then it was home for some corn hole, Euchre, and Uno Attack!
I forgot the camera that evening but I had a lovely run while they went to a softball game. We headed home for some more gaming action before calling it a night.
Monday we headed back to C&Js and I perfected my guitar hero skills while the boys played 40K. I also went for a short recovery run. Then it was time to drive home.
It was a great weekend! Can't wait to go back in a few short weeks!
It is April isn't it?
Just Tuesday I was in the yard weeding and admiring my beautiful blooms and getting a tan. Now my poor blooms are under snow.
Not quite as much snow as my MIL's tulips are under though.
The birds are seriously confused!
And what is up with Blogger using my Picasa album space for blogger pics now? Lame!!!
Auto Pilot
Woke up bright and early this morning for the "spring" classic. I think it should definitely have been called the winter classic though as it was about 30 degrees.
I didn't want to worry about the temperatures though and how that would affect me. I wanted to go and race and see how I fared. I came up a bit short of expectations.
We got to the race early despite sloppy traffic conditions which worked out great. About 10 minutes later and we would have lost a place in the prime parking area. The one within walking distance that also wouldn't have to drive through the race traffic on the way out. Score!
Telling Risko where to park before heading to my warm up
I started my warm up and headed to the bathroom. I decided to try something new today (I know I know!) and not drink any fluids before the race except for a cup of earl grey and a cup of green tea (I have done this for both my last long runs so it wasn't entirely new, just new for race day). I am notorious for having to pee for an entire half marathon. I did not want to deal with that today and it turns out my little experiment worked out just fine. I drink more H20 than anyone I know during the week so I highly doubt I am starting my day completely dehydrated anyways. I think I will take this into account for pig. If anything I will have one small glass of gatorade with carbo pro first thing when I wake up, my teas, then nothing until the first aid station.
Warm up went well. Easy 30 minutes with some jogging in place while waiting for the restroom. The snow was slowing and the roads weren't bad enough to warrant trail shoes. My feet were already wet though and I wasn't exactly thrilled about that.
Got to the starting line with a few minutes to spare. Tried to find my husband but he must have been behind the crowd so I hollered "I love you David" in the silence before we set off. I set out at what I thought race pace should be with DaisyDuc at my side and to my surprise Risko joined us for the first mile or so (she hasn't run over 9 miles since Marine Corps hence my surprise). She said she wanted to say she lead the race so she jumped in front of us for a few then fell back into a better pace. I was seriously worried that there weren't any other women in front of us. On my best day I shouldn't be leading a half marathon. I decided it was just that no real competition had showed and stuck to the pace.
Hmm not so much. The first mile was 7:00 (S from VR claims this was a short mile but still too fast! I should have gone out more conservatively than that). Daisy and I stayed even and we got passed by the first lady just before mile 2. I still felt good and we cruised through at 7:10. Still too damn fast. But for some reason I didn't back it off. We kept the effort the same but mile 3 was slow. 7:44. Brilliant, I'm doing what feels like half effort and now I am at marathon pace, WTF. But I just kept it even.
The course is a pretty flat, out and back, out and back. So we made a hairpin turn before hitting mile 4 in 7:24. This is the pace I was looking for and I was starting to feel better about the race. Around this mile the 2nd women passed us. I was feeling pretty peppy and thought there was a good chance Daisy and I could round out 3 & 4 for the day. Next mile 7:24. Perfect. Something changed before mile 6 though and I lost my peppy edge. My legs just went into auto pilot. Mentally I decided that was fine. I should run my own pace in hopes that I could kick it in strong at the end. I had done it at River Run in October and it worked out great. So I let Daisy edge ahead of me. Mile 6, 7:52 not so great but I was at 44:36 which was still the overall pace I wanted. Smiled for my hubby and high fived the volunteer before making the jaunt onto the trail. The trail was icy and footing was sloppy. My group got a good edge on me here as it seemed like they weren't phased at all while I was unsure of my footing and couldn't keep pace.
I could hear some chatter behind me and knew that I was about to be passed by another female. She sounded chipper and relaxed. I wish I had felt that way but I was just not able to move my legs any faster. Auto pilot was set and it wasn't moving. I had run with the lady on the warm up and she had just run Athens marathon last weekend and is planning to run a 3:19 at Pig. All I have to say is more power to her. She's is gonna rock the pig for sure.
Mile 7 came by in 7:55. Mile 8 in 7:48 I was passed by some guys that called their mile split to each other, 7:19. I entertained the thought of drafting off them but I just wasn't picking up steam. I started walking through water stops now. On one of the turns I realized Daisy's friend wasn't too far back but I was pretty confident I could hold the gap and come in 5th. I had Daisy in my sights but I wasn't closing on her. She had about a one minute gap on me that wasn't budging. I hit Mile 9 in 7:57. One mile till the race starts. I just held steady to my pace and smiled and thanked volunteers. Hit the hairpin turn and turned back for the last stretch of the race. Mile 10 came in 7:50. I knew there was no chance for a PR at this point but I just hoped for the best. Around here I saw Risko and she cheered "You're a tiger! You're a Tiger!" I growled for the crowd and laughed but unfortunately it didn't give me the boost I am sure she hoped it would.
Three miles to go. Anyone can race a 5k! I upped the effort a bit but the wind kicked in and I just wasn't going any faster. My fleece pants were nice for warmth but the wind made them flap around and I was kicking the hem which wasn't helping my foot speed for sure. Mile 11 came in 7:56. Rootsrunner gave me some encouragement, and Gatorade, as I walked through the aid station. I pushed a bit after that but auto pilot was not letting me pick up speed. Mile 12 brought more of the same in 7:53. I could still see Daisy ahead of me and I did my best to close in on her but despite my efforts my last mile was my slowest. 13 was 8:11, what a kick in the face after remaining under 8 the rest of the race! Kicked it in for a finish time of 1:40:59. Placed first in my age group and took 5th overall.
I am not sure how much the weather had an affect on my race today, how much of it was going out too fast, and how much of it was just mental. I let my head get in the way. I don't think I was 100% invested in the PR today and I just didn't go after it like I should have. I'm fine with it. My big race isn't the spring classic, it's the Flying Pig. But boy a PR would have been a nice ego boost. Instead I will be happy that I ran strong and endured the race at the pace that I was supposed to run 15 at today. With the warm up I did just that. Besides it's not every day I place top 5 in a half marathon. I have only run 8 half marathons so far. This one ranks as number 4. So better than half of those I have run. I should definitely be happy about that.
I was never in any serious pain today. I just wasn't feeling it. There was a spark missing that I have had at most of my races the past few years. When I finished I did feel queasy and almost lost my cookies but deep down I know I have run harder than that and endured worse than that. I think auto pilot just did me in today. If I want a PR I am going to have to dig deeper than I did today and endure a bit more suffering to get it. I can't just show up, run auto pilot, and expect a miracle!
So I know now that I have to keep working on the mental aspect of running for pig. When pace starts to falter I need to be able to remind myself of all the reasons I want to run a 3:25 and I can't let myself settle. I have to be willing to dig in a bit to get what I want. I have to bring my A game and not the auto pilot!
I didn't want to worry about the temperatures though and how that would affect me. I wanted to go and race and see how I fared. I came up a bit short of expectations.
We got to the race early despite sloppy traffic conditions which worked out great. About 10 minutes later and we would have lost a place in the prime parking area. The one within walking distance that also wouldn't have to drive through the race traffic on the way out. Score!
Telling Risko where to park before heading to my warm up
I started my warm up and headed to the bathroom. I decided to try something new today (I know I know!) and not drink any fluids before the race except for a cup of earl grey and a cup of green tea (I have done this for both my last long runs so it wasn't entirely new, just new for race day). I am notorious for having to pee for an entire half marathon. I did not want to deal with that today and it turns out my little experiment worked out just fine. I drink more H20 than anyone I know during the week so I highly doubt I am starting my day completely dehydrated anyways. I think I will take this into account for pig. If anything I will have one small glass of gatorade with carbo pro first thing when I wake up, my teas, then nothing until the first aid station.
Warm up went well. Easy 30 minutes with some jogging in place while waiting for the restroom. The snow was slowing and the roads weren't bad enough to warrant trail shoes. My feet were already wet though and I wasn't exactly thrilled about that.
Got to the starting line with a few minutes to spare. Tried to find my husband but he must have been behind the crowd so I hollered "I love you David" in the silence before we set off. I set out at what I thought race pace should be with DaisyDuc at my side and to my surprise Risko joined us for the first mile or so (she hasn't run over 9 miles since Marine Corps hence my surprise). She said she wanted to say she lead the race so she jumped in front of us for a few then fell back into a better pace. I was seriously worried that there weren't any other women in front of us. On my best day I shouldn't be leading a half marathon. I decided it was just that no real competition had showed and stuck to the pace.
Hmm not so much. The first mile was 7:00 (S from VR claims this was a short mile but still too fast! I should have gone out more conservatively than that). Daisy and I stayed even and we got passed by the first lady just before mile 2. I still felt good and we cruised through at 7:10. Still too damn fast. But for some reason I didn't back it off. We kept the effort the same but mile 3 was slow. 7:44. Brilliant, I'm doing what feels like half effort and now I am at marathon pace, WTF. But I just kept it even.
The course is a pretty flat, out and back, out and back. So we made a hairpin turn before hitting mile 4 in 7:24. This is the pace I was looking for and I was starting to feel better about the race. Around this mile the 2nd women passed us. I was feeling pretty peppy and thought there was a good chance Daisy and I could round out 3 & 4 for the day. Next mile 7:24. Perfect. Something changed before mile 6 though and I lost my peppy edge. My legs just went into auto pilot. Mentally I decided that was fine. I should run my own pace in hopes that I could kick it in strong at the end. I had done it at River Run in October and it worked out great. So I let Daisy edge ahead of me. Mile 6, 7:52 not so great but I was at 44:36 which was still the overall pace I wanted. Smiled for my hubby and high fived the volunteer before making the jaunt onto the trail. The trail was icy and footing was sloppy. My group got a good edge on me here as it seemed like they weren't phased at all while I was unsure of my footing and couldn't keep pace.
I could hear some chatter behind me and knew that I was about to be passed by another female. She sounded chipper and relaxed. I wish I had felt that way but I was just not able to move my legs any faster. Auto pilot was set and it wasn't moving. I had run with the lady on the warm up and she had just run Athens marathon last weekend and is planning to run a 3:19 at Pig. All I have to say is more power to her. She's is gonna rock the pig for sure.
Mile 7 came by in 7:55. Mile 8 in 7:48 I was passed by some guys that called their mile split to each other, 7:19. I entertained the thought of drafting off them but I just wasn't picking up steam. I started walking through water stops now. On one of the turns I realized Daisy's friend wasn't too far back but I was pretty confident I could hold the gap and come in 5th. I had Daisy in my sights but I wasn't closing on her. She had about a one minute gap on me that wasn't budging. I hit Mile 9 in 7:57. One mile till the race starts. I just held steady to my pace and smiled and thanked volunteers. Hit the hairpin turn and turned back for the last stretch of the race. Mile 10 came in 7:50. I knew there was no chance for a PR at this point but I just hoped for the best. Around here I saw Risko and she cheered "You're a tiger! You're a Tiger!" I growled for the crowd and laughed but unfortunately it didn't give me the boost I am sure she hoped it would.
Three miles to go. Anyone can race a 5k! I upped the effort a bit but the wind kicked in and I just wasn't going any faster. My fleece pants were nice for warmth but the wind made them flap around and I was kicking the hem which wasn't helping my foot speed for sure. Mile 11 came in 7:56. Rootsrunner gave me some encouragement, and Gatorade, as I walked through the aid station. I pushed a bit after that but auto pilot was not letting me pick up speed. Mile 12 brought more of the same in 7:53. I could still see Daisy ahead of me and I did my best to close in on her but despite my efforts my last mile was my slowest. 13 was 8:11, what a kick in the face after remaining under 8 the rest of the race! Kicked it in for a finish time of 1:40:59. Placed first in my age group and took 5th overall.
I am not sure how much the weather had an affect on my race today, how much of it was going out too fast, and how much of it was just mental. I let my head get in the way. I don't think I was 100% invested in the PR today and I just didn't go after it like I should have. I'm fine with it. My big race isn't the spring classic, it's the Flying Pig. But boy a PR would have been a nice ego boost. Instead I will be happy that I ran strong and endured the race at the pace that I was supposed to run 15 at today. With the warm up I did just that. Besides it's not every day I place top 5 in a half marathon. I have only run 8 half marathons so far. This one ranks as number 4. So better than half of those I have run. I should definitely be happy about that.
I was never in any serious pain today. I just wasn't feeling it. There was a spark missing that I have had at most of my races the past few years. When I finished I did feel queasy and almost lost my cookies but deep down I know I have run harder than that and endured worse than that. I think auto pilot just did me in today. If I want a PR I am going to have to dig deeper than I did today and endure a bit more suffering to get it. I can't just show up, run auto pilot, and expect a miracle!
So I know now that I have to keep working on the mental aspect of running for pig. When pace starts to falter I need to be able to remind myself of all the reasons I want to run a 3:25 and I can't let myself settle. I have to be willing to dig in a bit to get what I want. I have to bring my A game and not the auto pilot!
All Fixed
Apparently my spring coil broke. I guess that was the loud boom we heard while driving 70 MPH on the freeway. But as nothing seemed to act up afterwards we assumed we hit an invisible bump. That is until we slowed to stop at the rest area and the car started making funny knocking/pinging noises when turning at low speeds. So I called first thing Tuesday morning and they got me in at 2 PM.
Luckily for me the part has an extended warranty and everything got fixed for free! Unluckily for me it wasn't in time for me to hit the track. But I did get in a nice short bike ride and realized perhaps I do miss the cycling thing. Unfortunately I won't be riding outside again for a bit as Old Man winter decided to return yesterday. What a shock to the system after running in 70 degree weather this weekend!
I was way under-dressed last night and luckily Jen took pity on me and we ran indoors. But I still got in a nice 16 minute run in the snow and wind in my shorts! I can't begin to explain how cold it was when the wind hit me square on. Treadmills still aren't fun but I think it was better than the alternative. I did 5*90 second treadmill hill repeats at 7.8 mph (inclines 5.5,5.5,6, half 5.5 half 6, start at 3 and work up to 6) to boost my hill skills and ended up with a little over 8 miles last night. Afterwards I did some quick biceps, triceps and shoulder presses, then some lunges and stretching. I guess that is the bonus of running inside!
Have no fear I am sure I will be entirely overdressed this weekend for the spring classic half marathon. I decided to get in a test race to see if 3:25 is indeed achievable. Unfortunately the weather isn't going to be great so I will have to take that into account. Regardless I am going for a PR as long as I feel semi decent and I have no unusual pain. No repeats of River Run last year.
Good luck to all those racing this weekend!
Congrats to Jodi and Janet who had great races last weekend. And huge congrats to Trisaratops on her pregnancy! Very excited for all of my Cleveland friends!
Luckily for me the part has an extended warranty and everything got fixed for free! Unluckily for me it wasn't in time for me to hit the track. But I did get in a nice short bike ride and realized perhaps I do miss the cycling thing. Unfortunately I won't be riding outside again for a bit as Old Man winter decided to return yesterday. What a shock to the system after running in 70 degree weather this weekend!
I was way under-dressed last night and luckily Jen took pity on me and we ran indoors. But I still got in a nice 16 minute run in the snow and wind in my shorts! I can't begin to explain how cold it was when the wind hit me square on. Treadmills still aren't fun but I think it was better than the alternative. I did 5*90 second treadmill hill repeats at 7.8 mph (inclines 5.5,5.5,6, half 5.5 half 6, start at 3 and work up to 6) to boost my hill skills and ended up with a little over 8 miles last night. Afterwards I did some quick biceps, triceps and shoulder presses, then some lunges and stretching. I guess that is the bonus of running inside!
Have no fear I am sure I will be entirely overdressed this weekend for the spring classic half marathon. I decided to get in a test race to see if 3:25 is indeed achievable. Unfortunately the weather isn't going to be great so I will have to take that into account. Regardless I am going for a PR as long as I feel semi decent and I have no unusual pain. No repeats of River Run last year.
Good luck to all those racing this weekend!
Congrats to Jodi and Janet who had great races last weekend. And huge congrats to Trisaratops on her pregnancy! Very excited for all of my Cleveland friends!
I won!
Man the gaming luck was just with me this weekend. I had an excellent round of putt putt, won a few euchre games, rocked out to Guitar Hero, Golfed a perfect par on the Wii...and now I won the RBF March Madness bracket! Who knew? I have never followed college basketball so it was fun rooting for all the teams, and coming out with the win!
On a sad note my car started acting up on the way home and is promising to screw up this weeks training. Track workout tonight is most likely off and I will have to trade it in for a bike ride from and probably back to the dealership since they are all out of rentals and David won't get home until after the service shop is closed, lovely. On top of that the appointment is for 2 so I really couldn't get into work either and will have to make it up on Saturday.
So now I am off to prep my bike and try to be productive around the house. Gotta make the best of this day off! Keep your fingers crossed that the repairs are cheap and quick!
On a sad note my car started acting up on the way home and is promising to screw up this weeks training. Track workout tonight is most likely off and I will have to trade it in for a bike ride from and probably back to the dealership since they are all out of rentals and David won't get home until after the service shop is closed, lovely. On top of that the appointment is for 2 so I really couldn't get into work either and will have to make it up on Saturday.
So now I am off to prep my bike and try to be productive around the house. Gotta make the best of this day off! Keep your fingers crossed that the repairs are cheap and quick!
The Gnats Come out at Night (Week 11 Pig Training Run Down)
We've been visiting in-laws in Cinci this weekend and having a great time. Not much time for running but we drove the course yesterday and I am feeling even better about the race.
Just got back from a nice relaxing hour and 40 minute hilly run, other than the gnats. Lots of hills and lots of people. Beautiful park with a couple different trails. I did the marked 2.6 mile trail twice to gage pace and then headed out on some wooded trails and had a run in with the gnats, for the rest of the run. They were everywhere! I think there may still be some in my hair and eyes ;)
Didn't manage to get in my tempo or 20 mile run this week but I did get in a great track workout on Tuesday, a fun trail run Wednesday, and tonights hilly run. I may have a chance to get in 20 tomorrow morning still so I will keep my fingers crossed.
Quick week run down, lots of rest this week which was probably good as I could feel my hip getting a bit tight and my calves protesting a bit more.
Monday- Rest (Work Bowling Outing)
Tuesday- Track 6.5 miles 1,000, 2,000, 2*1,000
Wednesday- 6 mile trail run
Thursday- Yoga 75 minutes
Friday- rest (driving to Cinci)
Saturday- Rest (Lots of beer drinking and game playing)
Sunday- ~11 mile hilly run
Now I am off to enjoy the rest of my weekend! God it's nice to have a 3 day weekend with no committments!
Just got back from a nice relaxing hour and 40 minute hilly run, other than the gnats. Lots of hills and lots of people. Beautiful park with a couple different trails. I did the marked 2.6 mile trail twice to gage pace and then headed out on some wooded trails and had a run in with the gnats, for the rest of the run. They were everywhere! I think there may still be some in my hair and eyes ;)
Didn't manage to get in my tempo or 20 mile run this week but I did get in a great track workout on Tuesday, a fun trail run Wednesday, and tonights hilly run. I may have a chance to get in 20 tomorrow morning still so I will keep my fingers crossed.
Quick week run down, lots of rest this week which was probably good as I could feel my hip getting a bit tight and my calves protesting a bit more.
Monday- Rest (Work Bowling Outing)
Tuesday- Track 6.5 miles 1,000, 2,000, 2*1,000
Wednesday- 6 mile trail run
Thursday- Yoga 75 minutes
Friday- rest (driving to Cinci)
Saturday- Rest (Lots of beer drinking and game playing)
Sunday- ~11 mile hilly run
Now I am off to enjoy the rest of my weekend! God it's nice to have a 3 day weekend with no committments!
Week 10- Pig Training Run Down
I got Money in the Bank...humming new rap tune...while imagining my big payout on May 6th.
This was a flipping fantastic running week for me. I broke 40 miles and I don't feel burned out or tired. My paces all fell into place and I have no nagging injuries for the first March since I started training for marathons in 2004. Hell Yeah!
Monday- Pilates (Abs and Buns/Thighs DVDs)
Tuesday- 7.25 miles at the track
Wednesday- 6.5 easy miles downtown with some hill repeats and stair climbing thrown into the mix
Thursday- 75 minutes of yoga
Friday- 10 miles tempo pace
Saturday- 20 minute spin on the trainer
Sunday- 19 miles, 8:04 pace!
Now that's what I am talking about!
Work was rough this week so nailing all my runs really was a good pick me up.
Tuesdays track workout was rough. 3* (2*1200) 2 minute rest before the 2nd 1200 of each set and 4 minute rest between sets. Solar Squirrel made it out to the track so she would run 800 with me and do a recovery 400 while I finished out each 1200 and my rest. I hit all of these between 4:49 and 5:01 which I was delighted with. The pace was tough to hold for all 6 but I recovered fast after each one and on the cool down I felt like I could go another round.
Wednesday the downtown runs started back up and I joined Jen for a nice romp around the city. She had hills on the schedule so I even got to work on my quad strength. Otherwise pace was easy, around 9:15-9:30. It was a nice recovery run.
Yoga Thursday night was great. Everything was feeling nice so I got cocky and attempted a head stand sans wall. Not bright, I managed to fall and knock the wind out of myself. Luckily I didn't seem to cause any damage and still left feeling limber and relaxed.
Friday's 10 mile tempo run was just awesome. After the run we headed out for some grub and large green drinks with my pal Risko. I think a night out was much needed by all and we had fun catching up and taking goofy photos.
Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed to Streetsboro to help our friend with her move. Lots of heavy lifting and lots of stair climbing! After the early wake up call and all the moving around I took a belated nap. We watched a few episodes of Angel and I got in a quick trainer ride to loosen up the legs. The nap and 3 cups of tea during the day were apparently a bad idea because I was wired last night. I could not get to sleep and just laid there wide awake for 3 hours, eventually resorting to (seriously) counting sheep. I think I got to about 500 before I finally lost count too many times and dozed. (This is highly unusual for me, other than prerace nights, when my head hits the pillow I am out!)
Well the lack of sleep and late morning rush around did not appear to have an affect on my run this morning. The weather was perfect. A bit chilly when we took off but warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt by the end. A gel and a handheld full of Gatorade and one water stop sustained me for a full 19 miles at my planned 15 mile pace. I was lucky enough to run with DM the first 6 and WV to finish out 19. He pulled me up the hills much quicker than i would have gone on my own and may even have been trying to break me but I didn't break and I felt great throughout the run. I really am lucky to run with such great and knowledgeable runners.
This was a flipping fantastic running week for me. I broke 40 miles and I don't feel burned out or tired. My paces all fell into place and I have no nagging injuries for the first March since I started training for marathons in 2004. Hell Yeah!
Monday- Pilates (Abs and Buns/Thighs DVDs)
Tuesday- 7.25 miles at the track
Wednesday- 6.5 easy miles downtown with some hill repeats and stair climbing thrown into the mix
Thursday- 75 minutes of yoga
Friday- 10 miles tempo pace
Saturday- 20 minute spin on the trainer
Sunday- 19 miles, 8:04 pace!
Now that's what I am talking about!
Work was rough this week so nailing all my runs really was a good pick me up.
Tuesdays track workout was rough. 3* (2*1200) 2 minute rest before the 2nd 1200 of each set and 4 minute rest between sets. Solar Squirrel made it out to the track so she would run 800 with me and do a recovery 400 while I finished out each 1200 and my rest. I hit all of these between 4:49 and 5:01 which I was delighted with. The pace was tough to hold for all 6 but I recovered fast after each one and on the cool down I felt like I could go another round.
Wednesday the downtown runs started back up and I joined Jen for a nice romp around the city. She had hills on the schedule so I even got to work on my quad strength. Otherwise pace was easy, around 9:15-9:30. It was a nice recovery run.
Yoga Thursday night was great. Everything was feeling nice so I got cocky and attempted a head stand sans wall. Not bright, I managed to fall and knock the wind out of myself. Luckily I didn't seem to cause any damage and still left feeling limber and relaxed.
Friday's 10 mile tempo run was just awesome. After the run we headed out for some grub and large green drinks with my pal Risko. I think a night out was much needed by all and we had fun catching up and taking goofy photos.
Saturday morning we woke up bright and early and headed to Streetsboro to help our friend with her move. Lots of heavy lifting and lots of stair climbing! After the early wake up call and all the moving around I took a belated nap. We watched a few episodes of Angel and I got in a quick trainer ride to loosen up the legs. The nap and 3 cups of tea during the day were apparently a bad idea because I was wired last night. I could not get to sleep and just laid there wide awake for 3 hours, eventually resorting to (seriously) counting sheep. I think I got to about 500 before I finally lost count too many times and dozed. (This is highly unusual for me, other than prerace nights, when my head hits the pillow I am out!)
Well the lack of sleep and late morning rush around did not appear to have an affect on my run this morning. The weather was perfect. A bit chilly when we took off but warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt by the end. A gel and a handheld full of Gatorade and one water stop sustained me for a full 19 miles at my planned 15 mile pace. I was lucky enough to run with DM the first 6 and WV to finish out 19. He pulled me up the hills much quicker than i would have gone on my own and may even have been trying to break me but I didn't break and I felt great throughout the run. I really am lucky to run with such great and knowledgeable runners.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)