Run with Me

Boston Quickie

I feel like I have been in mad dash mode since Saturday evening when I got to Boston, no time to just stop and breathe. Needless to say I need a few days to process everything before I write a real race report. But some initial thoughts and splits are below.

05:55.0

06:12.0

06:10.7

06:09.0

06:30.8

06:21.9

06:23.7

06:25.2

06:14.5

06:25.8

06:38.0

06:28.2

06:40.2

06:38.5

07:01.8

06:52.0

07:15.0

07:22.1

07:26.4

07:43.2

07:58.5

07:35.8

07:26.6

07:33.8

07:56.5

07:46.2

01:34.8

Starting with the elite women at Boston was just an amazing experience. The whole morning is just a blur of good times. I met some fantastic women and was just so relaxed and happy to be a part of something so special. That said I severely underestimated the mental demands of running this marathon by yourself and I need to invest some serious time in preparing myself to race better solo in the future.

Clearly I got a bit caught up in the moment the first 5k or so. Rookie mistake and I paid for it by running alone from about mile 4 on, and my quads, per the norm here, starting to rebel as early as 10 miles.

I need to find some new racing shoes before my next marathon. My feet were bloodied and blistered yet again, and I do think they contributed a bit to the shredded quads. My downhill form leaves something to be desired, and racing flats just aren't cutting it for this type of course.

As usual I feel like the luckiest girl on the planet. My family drove all the way from Michigan to see me, I had friends go out of their way to visit the start line just to see me run the first 30 seconds of the race, dozens of friends spent their morning on their computers tracking me, I came home to a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and others have been busy sending me links to photos of me in the race. I am truly blessed.

Mentally I am in such a better place than I was last year after this race which was a pleasant surprise. Last year I was nothing short of devastated after this race, I was an emotional mess. I am proud that I have learned how to take the good and the bad races in stride and know that I will use this as fuel to do better next time. After a few days of reflection I know I will be back at Boston next year and maybe #7 will be the year I figure out how to tackle those downhills!

Per usual the Cleveland crew did great. Once again roomed with the amazing Barb Broad who I am so proud to call my friend. She again took her age group by storm running a 3:19:01 marathon PR. The SERC masters were a close second in the team competition with Kam Lee missing his PR by 1 second (and catching and passing me on Hereford!), Mark Godale running a 2:41 just a week after his 100 KM race, and Paul Romanic running a PR 2:42. SERC ladies didn't fare quite as well, but we did manage to come in the top ten, placing 6th. My friend Beth rocked out her first Boston despite feeling under the weather and crashing her bike early in the week, she is the definition of tough. Countless others from the club ran their best Bostons. A few, like me, had a rough day, but we all had a great time. Very proud to be a member of SERC.

Athlete Alert

EventInformation:

Event:

2011 Boston Marathon

Runner:

Elizabeth Hansen

Athlete Alert

EventInformation:

Event:

2011 Boston Marathon

Runner:

Elizabeth Hansen

Athlete Alert

EventInformation:

Event:

2011 Boston Marathon

Runner:

Elizabeth Hansen

Gratitude

Before every big race I always stop to reflect on all of the amazing people I have supporting me. I'm still not quite sure how I got so lucky, but I really do have the best family and friends anyone could ask for, and they all support this crazy hobby of mine. I am eternally grateful for their support.

Somehow I have managed to surround myself with this huge network of real life and virtual friends who want to see me succeed. That is not always a given in endurance sports so I am glad I have found myself this perfect niche that helps drive me to be better while accepting me at whatever level I am at.

Clearly I want to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials this year, and the goal is to try to do that Monday, but regardless of the outcome on Monday I want to remember to be grateful for how far I have come, and for all the wonderful people who have made it possible for me to do so. Monday is going to be an amazing experience toeing the line with literally some of the best female marathoners in the world. And trust me I do not take that for granted, a lot of hard work got me here, and I plan to enjoy every minute of Mondays race!

Hopefully the athlete alerts will work this year and you will be getting live updates here on the blog! But if not the bib number is F47 and live tracking should be available on the BAA site Monday morning! Start is at 9:32 AM and the plan is to roll through the finish before 12:18 PM if at all possible :)

Thanks to everyone that has followed me here and supported me virtually and in real life. I truly am such a lucky lady!

Thursday Pre-Marathon "Tempo" Run

Seems like I have always done a few miles at marathon pace in place of the usual tempo before most marathons. Not sure it really does anything for you other than being a nice mental break from easy running during the final taper week. And also good to practice pace and get a last "feel" for it. But typically I don't feel that great so not sure it is always the best mental workout. Gladly today felt fine. Granted we were blessed again with a tail wind on marginal today. (And it looks like we may be "blessed" with the same at Boston Monday. While a tailwind sounds fantastic to me, it definitely will warm things up a bit, and predicted temps are starting to creep a little higher than would seem ideal for this midwest runner who hasn't run in more than a few days over mid 30s since October! But hopefully once I am in race shorts and a tank the temps will feel perfect. Add water stops and fingers crossed I will be feeling fine.) Workout today was 5 miles, 3 at 7:00 pace and 2 at 6:20 (I wanted to hit 6:15 for these as that is the pace I am thinking I will target on Monday). Ended up getting in a little over 7.5 miles and with warm up and cool down averaged 6:57.

Tempo miles felt pretty easy. During the marathon paced section it wasn't necessarily easy, but it wasn't that much work, I did find if I relaxed too much or chatted too much the pace would slip, so need to be a little more conscious on Monday. 6:58, 6:57, 6:50, 6:14, 6:13

Hamstrings both felt good, no tightness. Things just felt a little "funny," likely residual effects from the new A.R.T. treatment. I've been sleeping funny from the sinus infection too so I am hoping my lower back and piriformis will feel better after a few more days of normal sleep and getting away from the desk. Energy levels are coming back around. Nose is still running a bit while running, and this bit of gunk is clinging on making me cough a bit, but even if it stays at this level I should be good to go Monday. So much better than how I felt Sunday!

Have I mentioned I have not been a fan of taper this go around? So ready to get on that plane Saturday and get the Boston party started!

Phew!

Starting to feel like myself again! Managed two miles at the track last night around marathon pace and felt pretty good (6:10 and 6:15). Followed that up with 4*200 at 39, 38, 38, and 37 and other than some hacking and a slight runny nose felt pretty good. Funny how ones body can go through the gamut of paces in such a short time period. From flying on Thursday, to drudging on Sunday, to solid on Tuesday. My legs are definitely probably feeling bi-polar right now.

Still clinging onto a bit of gunk this morning on my shake out run, but energy levels are close to 100 and this is a hack I can deal with as it is clearly on its way out!

Went in for my last A.R.T. session. My right leg has had no issues in a few weeks, but my left hammy just won't seem to let go of that last bit of tightness. Well we'll see tomorrow, but I have a really good feeling that we got it worked out this morning. He worked on the sciatic nerve which apparently had attached itself to my hammy a bit, which is why it wouldn't let go of that last little bit of tension.

And even more fabulous news. Joan Benoit Samuelsen is running in the womens elite start at Boston! AAANNND likely going for the OTQ. As if this whole thing wasn't already exciting enough. Fingers crossed that she does intend to go for the OTQ and that she plans to run an even effort race, cuz if so I sense I am going to be running with a great group on Monday :)

Marathon Week 7 Rundown

Goals for the week:

Total Mileage: 50 - 55

Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace with full recovery on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run; 6 miles @ 6:25
Weekend:
10 miles @ 7:00
12 miles @ 7:10

How it played out:
1 sinus infection kicking my butt starting Thursday night, better part of Friday and Saturday spent coughing, better part of Sunday and Monday spent sleeping. Started antibiotics Saturday night. Cough seems to have subsided this morning. Still a bit groggy from all the time spent in bed but I think I am coming around. Not how I wanted to feel this weekend, but better now than next weekend!
48 miles
6 runs (Friday no run)
Weekend runs were slow and Saturday was cut to 5 miles.
4200 meters swam in 3 workouts
1 ART session for the hammy's
1 massotherapy session

Speedy Finish Tempo

Goal for the run was 6 miles at 6:25. I asked coach Tuesday what was up with the slower pace on the tempo. He advised me that he didn't want to give me anything too difficult this week as he didn't want me to struggle and have a perceived bad workout messing with my head after last weekends long run. Well I told him as long as the weather was fine I was going to aim to at least run goal marathon pace for the run.

MY is finally starting to heal so she decided to join me. I was excited to have company, but worried about running too fast since she hasn't done speed work in awhile. I didn't want my workout to send her back to the injured ranks.

Since we were heading out into a headwind today I told her we'd try for 6:25 for the first three and 6:15-6:20 for the last three. We were chatting casually the first mile as I looked down to see an average of 6:37 around the half mile. Hmm perhaps this wind was a bit stronger than I anticipated. Shut my mouth and got to work to bring us down closer to 6:25, knowing it was no big deal if we were a little slow on the way out because clearly it would be easier on the way back in. After the first mile we settled in and the miles just flew by. When we turned around it was obvious the wind was stronger than I thought because we actually backed off the intensity a smidge and ran almost 20 seconds faster that mile. I asked MY several times if her leg was ok as we continued to up the pace, and she said everything was good so we just flew the last 3 miles back. It felt so smooth. Definitely should try to do more of these tempos where we finish with the tail wind and perhaps run a bit more conservatively the first few miles. I felt like I could have hammered out a few more easily. So a nice feeling leading into the weekend!

6:26.20
6:19.67
6:23.08
6:06.43
6:03.73
5:52.57

Average 6:12

12*300

Mother Nature has apparently not been getting the training memos. Showed up to the track last night and instead was greeted by a wind tunnel. So far this spring we've had one decent track night that wasn't either freezing, raining, or crazy winds. The wind last night thwarted our goal workout of 5* (800, 400) at 5k pace and instead we did 300s to try and get in some decent speed without facing the wind every lap. Have I mentioned I pretty much despise anything shorter than quarters on the track? :)

This workout seemed easy in principal, but I had a hell of a time with it. Goal was to run 300 around 60-62 then jog the 100 meters straight into the next repeat. Really wasn't sure where the 300 mark was so we opted for the marker we thought was 300, I am pretty sure it was, but regardless we did 12 repeats somewhere between 299 and 301 meters. Pretty quickly I realized I was not going to be able to hold 60/61 with the minimal rest (about 26-30 seconds) and I started dogging the recovery jogs eventually walking to catch my breath and getting scolded to just back off the 300 pace rather than walk the recovery (longest recovery was 46 seconds). So I just kept jogging the recoveries, and the last few 300s were closer to 63 and 64.

Both NC and I felt really weird during the cool down, like our legs were made of jello and our brains were frozen. I think it was just the cold wind combined with the workout making me feel fuzzy, but who knows. Thank goodness it is taper time and the hay is in the barn, because that workout was not fun! Maybe next week Mother Nature will play nice!

Mental Soundtrack

While I am not a proponent of running with headphones, I have to admit I do run with music. The music in my head.

As I am getting fired up for Boston I have been subconsciously firing up a mental playlist. There are days when a good tune is just what I need to get through a tough workout. Sometimes I intentionally pick a song that helps me keep the pace, (although sometimes it is hard to switch off whatever is in there and switch to my desired "soundtrack") sometimes it is just the last song I heard in the car that gets stuck in there, but usually when the running gets rough there is some sort of tune or tunes on repeat in my head that fall right into my desired cadence. Below are a few that currently either get me fired up before the run or get me in the groove during a tough spot.

Born this way - Lady Gaga
Higher - Taio Cruz
Breaking Dishes - Rhianna
More - Usher
Tonight - Enrique Iglesias
My Body - Young the Giant
New Low - Middle Class Rut
Howlin for You - Black Keys
Not Afraid - Eminem

And a few of my old staples for getting fired up. How funny that before Columbus both Usher and Enrique were on my mental fire it up list with different songs. These guys just know how to get this girl fired up I guess!

OMG - Usher
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias
Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
I Gotta Feeling - BEP
Dirt off my shoulder - Jay-Z
Go Gadget Flow - Lupe Fiasco
Swing your rag - TI
Green Light - John Legend
Pump it Up - Elvis Costello
Evacuate the Dance Floor - Cascada
Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Lasso - Phoenix

What tunes currently get you fired up to workout or race?

Weekly Rundown Marathon Training Week 6

Coaches goals for the week:

Total Mileage 60-65
Monday: Easy
Tuesday: Track
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace with full recovery on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run
Weekend:
12 miles @ 7:00
16 miles @ 6:25 avg. (start @ 6:35 and last 5 under 6:20) 2 mile warmdown

How it played out:

65 miles
7 runs
5 swims totaling 6700 meters
1 ART session
1 Massotherapy session

Bring on the taper!

That was Rough!

The problem with big key workouts is sometimes they just don't go as planned, and sometimes they just don't feel that great! Thanks goodness that has not been the case for the majority of my workouts building up to Boston. Before Columbus there were plenty of "blown" tempos, and many track workouts that ended in seriously slow repeats. But this build up almost all of my key workouts have been achieved since switching to marathon focus, and those that weren't met before during the lactate threshold phase weren't too far off.

I can't lie, training for a spring marathon and living in the Midwest is many times an exercise in frustration. You can't race much, weather screws up your plans a lot, and a lot of times you deal with injuries. The lack of sunshine affects your mood, and it is sometimes hard to find the confidence that you easily obtain during the build up to a fall marathon. I've definitely had some highs and lows mentally this build up, and unfortunately I seem to be in a mental low this week. Possibly because I had a tough work week, possibly the reality of racing in just over two weeks is hitting me and that brings with it some fear. Without any real races since the Kent 5k I find myself in familiar territory wondering just what my body is actually capable of.

All of that leading into todays last long run. And boy was it a doozy! Before Columbus we did a big 18 miler two weeks out too. Then the goal was run 6:35-6:45 for 18 miles, we ended up averaging 6:34 and I went on to run 6:30 pace at Columbus. This go around goal was 18 miles with 16 averaging 6:25, last 5 of the 16 at or better than 6:20. We hooked up with some our teams fast guys to try and get more of a race feel and learn to sit back "in the pack" and take advantage of their company.

Well I just didn't feel good today. Despite the great company and pretty good weather I was just juiced. It probably didn't help that the pace was a little aggressive, sitting at a 6:29 average for the whole run at mile 9 which included a 7:29 warm up mile, we had been running an average of 6:24 pace from mile 1 through mile 12 when we were to pick things up. Thought I would get a bounce at mile 11 when we stopped at the car to get water and gel and I stripped down to shorts and a t-shirt. And I did get a brief boost, but that was killed quickly after about 1.5 miles into the pick up. I was struggling and I really just wanted to quit. I wasn't doing poorly. I was right around 6:20 pace, but I was just dying to do it. I kept searching for some motivation to get myself in gear but I could not find it. At mile 15 I noted that I was at an average of 6:28 pace for the whole run and told myself that at 16 I could head straight to the cool down. 6:28 is pretty darn close to 6:25 and I was just not feeling it. I walked for a few minutes after mile 16 and sucked it up and decided to try and at least give one more mile a good effort, but the mental damage was already done, I had quit and I was disappointed. I eeked out a 6:23 and then suffered my way through a 1 mile cool down.

I have not been that mentally or physically juiced by a long run in a long time. I spent the next few hours beating myself up for not just finding that other mental gear and pushing through. Funny how 6 little minutes of suffering was just too much for me to withstand today, and how 6 little minutes are the difference between being thrilled over a run and beating myself up about it. Mostly I am just dissapointed because I thought that I had gained enough strength and mental "callusing" that this type of thing was in the past for me. Turns out I am still human :)

After an easy swim, a long hot shower, and shopping for some friends I am feeling better about things. Better to have a "bad*" run today than in two weeks at Boston. Let's hope I got that out of the way and that now I am ready to rock and roll at Boston! I have two weeks to get my mental "A" game ready and my body recovered from this training block.

*Even with two miles close to 8 minute pace the total average pace for today's 18 was 6:31, albeit with two brief breaks. And 15 miles at 6:24 pace is certainly the fastest 15 miles I have ever run. Not bad for sure. Just wish it had felt a bit better :)

Tempo- Goal 6 at 6:10

We're officially in taper mode mileage wise this week, but workout intensity is still the same so today's goal was 6 at 6:10. A quick mental check of the log books told me this would be my fastest 6 mile tempo ever (turns out my memory is a sand bagger, I actually averaged 6:06 on a step down tempo earlier this year), but still obviously not the fastest 6 miles I have ever run having run faster in a few 10ks and the Akron relay. I've also run several 5 mile tempos between 6:10 and 6:16, so it didn't seem like it would be any harder than any of the tempos I have done before. I got it in my head that if I could I would like to average closer to 6:03.

I also noticed during a few workouts last week that while I am more relaxed about workout goals than I used to be, I still tend to micromanage pace, trying to control each mile. So today I decided to go more by feel, no mile splits, just an average for the run displayed on the garmin as well as the total distance. I wanted to try and look at the watch as minimally as possible. I obviously didn't want to go out at some ridiculous pace I couldn't hold, and I didn't want to go out slower than 6:10 so I decided I would look at the watch every 1.5 miles or so (I know the markers approximately on the route).

This approach resulted in a bit of a quick start, around 5:49 at the half mile, 5:59 pace through 3 miles, 6:02 through around 4.25, and 6:05.5 for the whole run in 36:33. I was definitely working the last 2 miles which were into a bit of cross-wind, but I felt really good the first 4 miles and in control. My legs felt really good on the warm up so I had a feeling it would be a good workout.

I decided to start at Browns stadium instead of by the airport to finish closer to the office as I only needed 8 total miles for the run and usually do closer to 12 with warm up and cool down. I got a late start due to an office meeting so I was on my own for the whole run. This allowed me to do the first 3.25 miles away from the crosswind and the last 2.75 into it with minimal warm up and cool down. I didn't worry too much about that first half mile average pace, it was a bit downhill and I figured my effort would settle in and I might be slower with the same effort when I turned around. Pretty confident this is my fastest tempo ever of any distance which is a nice confidence booster considering I want to race faster than I ever have before at Boston :)

5*1600

This workout seems to be becoming a staple. Goal is always 10k pace with 90-120 sec rests. This week it was 2 minute rests targeting 87 per quarter or 5:48s. The workout felt pretty good. My right hamstring and calf felt fine. Left hamstring was a tad tight, but much less than normal and did not affect my gait or pace. It was still cold and windy but the sun was out so it felt warmer than the past 3 weeks of rain.

Tried to sit behind my training partner on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th repeats and not look at the watch and just trust her pacing. Then I paced the 3rd and 5th miles.

This workout felt a bit easier than the last time we did it at the indoor track, and paces were slightly faster despite a pretty nasty wind. Everything felt controlled and only the 4th repeat felt a little difficult.

5:48.25
5:46.95
5:46.05
5:45.40
5:37.17

Marathon Training Week 5

Well no rest for those on the recovery road to Boston. Following is what was on tap for the week:

Total Mileage - 75

Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace with full recovery on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run; 7 miles @ 6:20 (Later advised to try and keep this under target marathon pace)
Weekend:
12 miles @ 6:40
20 miles (15 @ 6:50, 5 miles @ 6:30)

How it played out:
75 miles
7 runs
4 swims totaling 5300 meters
2 yoga classes
1 ART session
1 massage/torture session

My training partner and I decided to head out to Youngstown on Saturday to get in our 20 miler with another running friend who had a similar workout. Not quite the same, but in the same vein. So we changed the plan from the 15/5 to 10 miles at 7:15 followed by 8 at 6:20 and then a 2 mile cool down. It seems like we tend to do our long runs at a slightly faster pace than many friends training with similar goals, but it seems to work for us so we don't really question it. But I can't lie it was pretty nice running so easy for the first 10 miles, 6:50 isn't that hard, but 7:15 allows us to chat the whole time without any cares to what pace we're at. We had a great group, three of us gals and two guys. The weather was predicted to be pretty cold, 20 degrees, not exactly ideal for pushing the pace on iffy hamstrings, but I was hopeful the clear skies, sunshine, and good company would leave me feeling great and that the body would cooperate. And it did! Run was a huge success. We averaged just under 6:15 for the up tempo part of the run and while it wasn't easy it was definitely doable. Everyone seemed to get something they needed out of the workout and it was just a really positive run.

I need to work on relaxing a bit and sitting back into the group and not pushing the pace so much. I am clearly not comfortable when I am not in control, and I am clearly working harder than I need to be when I try to set the pace. There's a good chance at Boston I will have a decent group to work with, 69 women in the start with at least 19 between 2:46 and 2:50 BQs tells me that there will be some other gals looking to go 2:45 too, I need to be able to settle in and work with the group when I can to take the pressure off and conserve energy while I can.

While this run obviously wasn't a perfect simulator workout I do think it was a very good Boston prep. The long drive to the run simulates the bus ride before the race. The course we ran wasn't perfectly flat and we dealt with some wind. I have decided I am going to likely race in compression socks, so I tried those out, and my legs felt phenomenal after the run. Likely a combination of the easier early pace, the massage/torture session the day before, and the compression socks. Now if I could just get a little warmer weather to try them out that would be grand!

This morning my legs felt surprisingly good. Plan was 12 miles at 6:40. Tentatively I wanted to run more of a negative split type run really pushing the 8th and 9th miles that are uphill to try and see how I would feel going closer to marathon pace up Heartbreak. Wore my racing flats to try and get a feel for if they had any influence on my trashed quads last year, but the quads seemed to handle the hills ok in them today, though my right big toe callous definitely was indicating it might blister...

Another cold day so once again in tights. One of the guys ended up joining us around the 2nd mile so we had him pace us so we could just run and I could practice letting go of the pace setting mindset. We were a hair fast but with the slow first mile we actually had eased into our average pace before we hit the hills. Did my best to keep an honest effort up the hills and managed to pick up the pace the last few miles. A definite confidence boosting workout. Finished out at 6:33 pace for the run.

The calf problem seems to be ancient history. The hamstrings are still a little tender when I push the pace, I am sure the cold weather is not helping things. It's hard to keep your legs warm and loose when they are freezing! The pool workouts, yoga, ART, and masso therapy seem to be helping keep things in line though. Another ART session tomorrow and I am hoping I will make it through the Tuesday workout with no tightening up.

F47

Sounds like a lucky number to me! 23 Days to Boston!!!

Also it looks like there are just under 70 women planing to run in the EWS including masters and at least 15 Americans who have run between 2:46 and 2:50 so fingers crossed I may have a good group to work with towards my goal time!

Tempo 7 Miles at 6:15

Went and got ART therapy on the hamstrings and my calf below the knee last night. He definitely worked out some serious knots, and I felt a lot looser, but it also obviously made things a bit tender so I was a little gun shy on todays tempo between that and the cold windy weather. Added bonus weather.com informed me that on my east bound miles I would be running into an 18 to 19 mph crosswind coming from the NNE and then around the time I turned back west the wind would change to a NNW crosswind. Flipping brilliant :) Given the pace is marathon pace though I decided I was going to suck it up and get it done no matter how the wind felt.

Warmed up with Salty and stopped in the airport to do some dynamic stretches and really make sure my hamstrings were warm and loose before starting the tempo. Mission achieved as they really felt smooth the first few miles into the wind. The third mile was rough with half of it into the wind and a glance at the Garmin showing my pace 10 seconds too slow. Not what I wanted to see based on the effort, but just shut off the freak out part of my brain, looked away from the watch and upped the effort. Nice surprise as the watch beeped for the mile and I had managed to get the pace down to 6:11 now aided by the wind at my back. Kept the effort up just in case the wind did decide to swirl around at some point on my return trip so I would have a little cushion the last few miles to stay at an average of 6:15. I definitely had to work to keep focused and keep my effort high. I am getting much better at mentally just getting it done on these workouts whereas in the past when I began to struggle I would lose focus and fall apart. Averaged 6:14 for the workout. The hamstrings, lower back, and my left quad/hip were definitely tight the last few miles, so stretching lightly and going to ice ice ice. Heading in for more massage/torture tomorrow morning! Very optimistic that with the therapy I will get all this junk worked out before Boston!

6:18.74
6:17.32
6:11.80
6:08.96
6:12.32
6:12.92
6:13.80

6*1000, 1200

With two pain free easy runs on Sunday and Monday, yesterdays track workout would be the true test of whether I was officially on the mend.

Of course mother nature didn't want to play nice and warm things up ensuring looser hamstrings, but we made do. Wore tights to try and help keep things warm despite the cooler temps, wind, and a light drizzle. Did a thorough warm up with some light dynamic stretches before throwing in a few strides to see how everything felt. No pain so it was time for a workout.

Goal was 6*1000 at 3:32.5 (85 quarters) with 2 minute rests. Then we'd follow up the workout with something else depending on how the set went. I think coach wanted to do 200s, but I was nervous about pushing the speed and expressed that.

I let my training partner take the inside lane and be the pacer as I was unsure how I would feel having done no workouts in over a week. First one felt rough and we were a hair fast. Things seemed to loosen up a bit for the next 3 sets and we kept it even or better. The 5th and 6th repeats were definitely work and my training partner decided to pick up the pace but I held steady. The last 200 meters of the last 1000 I could feel my left hamstring start to get a little tight with the effort.

3:45 rest and we followed the set up with a 1200. My training partner blazed through this, but I decided to exercise caution targeting 86 for each quarter, came up a bit short running 87s but felt steady and no pain. Unfortunately had to leap over an incoming lacrosse ball the first lap, which during the cool down appeared to have tightened up the right hamstring too.

Training on the track while lacrosse players errant balls come flying at you definitely adds a new element to the workout. Thinking next week I should wear a helmet and pads.

I was really pleased with the workout, it was a solid effort and it felt good to mentally push through again after a week off the track. Had a feeling this wasn't my best set of 1000s though and looking at the logs I was right. 1000s must be our overachiever workout as last summer we did a set of 6*1000 with 2:20 rest, goal 3:35 and we ran them all under 3:32 with the last two at 3:26 and 3:21. Given how I felt yesterday it makes me wonder how on earth I did some of those workouts last summer! I feel so much stronger now. But I guess strength doesn't always equal speedy track legs.

Splits:

3:30.07
3:31.08
3:29.62
3:28.57
3:29.02
3:28.60
4:20.57

Followed the workout up with an ice bath and then a swim this morning and hamstrings are feeling looser. Knee has no pain! Heading in to see Tim Keyes today for some Active Release Therapy and hoping he can help get my hamstrings ready for tomorrows tempo!

Marathon Training Week 4

Obviously the plan got thrown out the window but here is what the goal would have been:

Total Mileage 75

Monday: Easy
Tuesday: Track. 4*1200 at 5:42 pace with 2:30 rests followed by 2*1600 at 5:55 and 5:45 with 3 minute rests
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace with full recovery on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run; 7 miles @ 6:20
Weekend:
6 miles easy
Race

If not racing:
12 miles @ 6:55
16 miles (8 @ 6:40, 5 miles @ 6:25, 3 miles @ 6:15)

Actual Weeks Work:
No workouts
35 miles
3 days no running
3 swims totaling 5000 meters
1 Vinyasa yoga class
1 Ab ripper X DVD workout
1 torture session with a massage therapist

Sunday I bailed on the race and ran a slightly higher effort than easy and got in 12 pain free miles at 7:11 pace. I am hopeful that I can resume normal training this week, but will be supplementing it with some easy swims and a few yoga classes as well as some more massage/torture. And obviously lots of ice and stretching.

The only residual pain seems to be when I bend my knee really deep, and it seems to be getting less intense so I am hoping something was just tight and out of alignment and the yoga, swimming, etc. has loosened things up and it is on the mend.

Cautiously Optimistic

The leg felt better when I woke up yesterday morning, still stiff, but less pain.

I went to get a massage with the new therapist and when I told her my problems she said a massage would do me no good, so instead she tortured me for a bit over an hour. The work seemed pretty similar to ART. So now I am not sure if I should cancel my appointment with him next week or keep it. I set up an appointment to see this therapist again on the 25th, 1st, and 15th to hopefully be 100% for Boston. She was obviously committed to getting my body to 100% as she went over the time with me that I paid for. She went to town on my shins and calf and my tight hips, diaphragm and lower back. She said it felt like whatever was going on in my hamstrings had subsided. She didn't feel anything torn, just a lot of tightness everywhere. My calfs feel like jello now so obviously there was a lot of tightness in there that may have been the start of my hamstring problems etc.

The doc looked me over. Couldn't say for sure what caused the pain, but that he didn't believe it was anything serious and he thinks I can train through it, but should avoid hills, and be sure to make sure my muscles are really warmed up and loose before speed work. He said if the pain gets worse or swelling occurs I should go in for an MRI. If it doesn't get better he said I could try a knee strap to alleviate the pressure on the muscles. Obviously if Boston wasn't just over 4 weeks away he probably would have told me to avoid speed work and hard running and just run easy until it works itself out, but he is also a runner and knows that isn't really my desired option right now.

I swam again yesterday for 1800 meters. Not quite the same as a run, but it did engage my hips and at least was aerobic.

I am going to try running with Daisy at lunch today. I can walk normally pain free now whereas Tuesday and Wednesday I was limping severely. There is still some pain if I bend my knee really deep and it seems to be linked to when I lift my leg from the ground, so we will see how I handle the run. It may be that I have to live with some inflammation and won't be able to do any doubles for awhile. Since Tuesday it didn't hurt that badly during the lunch jog, but was searing pain that evening, it may be that each run I am going to irritate it, and I will just have to be vigilant with icing after so that I can run the next day.

I am planning to still go to Maumee this Sunday for the half I signed up for since I already paid for it, but probably will just be a training run unless my legs feel spectacular. We'll see how I feel today.

Debating if I should stick with an easy 6 miles tomorrow or just join my training partner for her planned 12 miler to make sure I don't overdo it Sunday.

I decided this was a wake up call that I shouldn't ignore. I am going to start swimming easy 3 days a week to supplement the running and get back to yoga once or twice a week. My body is obviously out of whack and running alone isn't going to fix it. Sitting at a desk 40+ hours a week and the drives to and from aren't helping things either. I can already feel the hips tightening up from being seated after they felt so loose after yesterdays therapy.

On the DL

Well after a fabulous week of running I found myself with some new pain the last 4 or so miles on our 22 mile run Sunday morning. I noted the pain, and didn't think much of it. It's 22 miles, things hurt when you run 22 miles. I took Monday off for some extra insurance and iced like a mad woman and even got in an ice bath Monday night.

Yesterday I decided to get in an easy lunch run to test things out and make sure everything was go for our track workout. I survived just over 7 easy miles, but the pain was still there. Mild, but a little worrisome.

Got to the track last night and hoped things would loosen up and allow me to do the workout. Unfortunately the lunch run, or perhaps the walk downstairs to the car, had left my leg more than mildly irritated and I decided I was not helping myself any by trying to force a track workout when I couldn't run 1.5 miles easy with any semblance of a normal gait. It was hard to pin point the pain, but I definitely felt searing pain at the top of the calf below the knee and I believe there is also pain in the tendon connecting the hamstring to the knee.

It hurts to walk and to touch. I took another ice bath and it did not feel like it responded to that at all. It was stiff this morning and painful getting up and down the stairs in the house. I decided last night that if I couldn't run I better at least try to swim to get in some sort of aerobic workout today. I dug out all my swim toys and called up Daisy to see if I could join her for her swim this morning. I figured worst case scenario I should be able to get in a pull workout, best case I'd be able to kick without it irritating the leg.

I was not exactly happy as I packed up all my swim stuff and woke up early and drove in a haze to the pool. I imagined that the swimming would not be any kind of substitute for my daily run and that it would be a chore that I would have to muster my way through when I would rather be doing something else. To my surprise it didn't feel any harder than it used to when I was swimming regularly, and I actually enjoyed getting in a mile with my friend. We did mostly pull, but I was able to swim normally without irritating the leg much for about half the workout. I would feel it the first kick off the wall, but otherwise not much. Unfortunately the swim did not seem to loosen things up as I had hoped it might and I was still hobbling around when we finished the workout to head into work on dry land.

I am sure that this injury did not come about randomly. My hamstrings have been barking at me the past month or so, and I have been willing my way through workouts hoping they would miraculously get better. I kept telling myself as long as they weren't getting worse it was ok. I have been tight on money so I have been putting off a massage, though the signs were there for weeks that I should be getting something done. I assumed my daily foam roller and stretching was enough. Clearly it was not.

I've got a massage scheduled for tomorrow. Hopefully she can help me loosen everything up and work with me to get my lower body back into alignment. Then in the afternoon I have a doctors appointment to hopefully diagnose whatever I did to my leg. I set up an ART appointment for next Wednesday (the earliest I could get in) and in the meantime I will be icing/stretching (or whatever the doc tells me to do) and hopefully swimming (going to need a gym membership) and doing some core work to keep some sort of fitness while I am not running. Hopefully I can get better fast, but the pain definitely has me nervous this might not be a quick fixer.

Not exactly where I pictured myself being this week. But obviously it could be much worse. Going to keep my head up, try and enjoy the swimming, and try to forget about the $27 I sent in to race on Sunday, and really try not to think about the possibility of not racing April 18th. But if it comes to that I have plenty of options left still this year. I am sure there is some lesson here that I should be learning. Probably that I should have been listening to my body all along and shouldn't have been pushing quite so hard. I am really so excited about racing Boston and about achieving my goals, so this is a bummer, but possibly it was an avoidable bummer and hopefully I won't put myself in this position again further down the line.

Marathon Training Week 3

Goals for the week:

Total Mileage: 80 - 85

Monday: Easy
Tuesday: Track
Wednesday: easy miles @ 7:20* or slower
Thursday: Tempo run
Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace with full recovery
Weekend:
12 miles @ 6:25
20 miles @ 6:50

How it played out:

87 miles
8 runs
1 treadmill run, strides at 10 mph due to treadmill limitations

*Note about easy runs, I never run my easy runs at 7:20 (I take "or slower" very seriously), most days they are 7:50-8:20. And occasionally I do as slow as 9:20 if my legs feel really bad and I want to be recovered for the next days hard workout.

Weekend Long Runs

Since my training partner and I both have full time jobs during the week coach tries to have us make the most of our weekend runs. This marathon build up that has meant two relatively hard "long" runs or a race followed by a long run. This weekend it meant 12 miles at 6:25 and 20 miles at 6:50. If my hamstrings were 100% I wouldn't have been very nervous about it, but they definitely aren't, and I was :)

Yesterday we met up with some of our Second Sole teammates who can handle our 6:25 like it is a warm up so we figured they could help us get it done and have some entertainment along the way. We did a few miles as a group starting out right on pace and quickly settling into 6:20s before 2 of our pack of five had to head back having already put in an hour before meeting us.

That left the two of us with our Second Sole friend VW, and we had a really solid run. The last half of the run was into the wind and felt like it was a false flat uphill. I definitely had to dig in and my hamstring protested a bit, but I wanted to make it a good honest effort, this just felt like a good day to get in a nice "indicator" workout. We finished the 12 miles with our fastest mile of the day at 6:07 and averaged 6:19 for the run. Incidentally, 6:19 pace is what I need to run a 2:46 marathon. So this was a good mental boost 5 weeks out from Boston.

Usually I would follow up an effort like that with some good nutrition and carb loading in expectation of running a solid 20 miler the next morning, but instead I went into work to make up for missing Friday due to snow covered roads, then headed out and had a few beers with friends who had raced Malachi. Followed that up with a very small snack before a late dinner where I inhaled two root beer floats and a pub burger at Red Robin. Not exactly an ideal prep for today's long run. Alarm went off early thanks to daylight savings and I dragged my butt down to Solon to get in what is probably my last 20 miler before Boston.

At the start my stomach was acting fishing, my hamstring was angry, and my ankles and feet were sore from yesterdays run. Not exactly motivational conditions :) I told NC I was not paying attention to the watch and just wanted to have a solid 20 and not worry about pace. I felt pretty bad for the first 10-15 miles, but surprisingly despite some slow uphill miles where my quads burned like they were going to fail from mile 9 to 12, we were actually right at 6:50 pace at mile 15. At that point my second gel or the water must have kicked in and we actually picked up the pace through mile 20 and decided to add on 2 easy miles to the end finishing 22 miles at 6:45 pace. This was a solid run for me, and mentally it was good to be able to push the last 5 miles when I felt so bad the whole run. But this was really a nice long run effort for NC who normally struggles the last few miles and was feeling so good today she wanted to go longer. I'm so excited to see how she does at Cleveland.

Thursday Tempo Set 2*3 miles

Thursday my usual tempo partner had to bail due to some injury problems so I decided to postpone the run until after work and do the workout with my training partner NC. Weather wasn't ideal, rain turning to snow, fog, and just a bit windy and cold. Workout was 2*3 miles with 2 at 6:15 followed by 1 at 5:55 with an 800 meter recovery at 7:00. First set went well in 6:12.86, 6:15.08, then 5:56.22. NC had stomach problems and had to bail so I did the rest of the workout solo. 3:32 for the recovery.

Not sure if the Garmin went crazy with the trees and fog or if the difference in wind affected me or what but the next set I had to really hold back the first mile then the second I practically had to sprint the last half to get it down to 6:15 from 6:30. The last mile I didn't look at the watch and just ran as hard as I could, an uphill finish didn't help the pace. My hamstrings were pretty angry and everything was sore afterwards. I was two pounds down when I got home so I am sure some of the last sets "crazy" was just dehydration.

6:11.94
6:15.47
6:04.14

Despite missing the target the last mile it was a solid effort and I am sure I am tougher because of it.

Tuesday Shake Out Track Workout

Tuesday the track was clear of snow and day time temps were above 40 so we headed to the outdoor track! My hamstrings have been a bit angry the past 4 weeks and I was nervous that it wasn't warm enough for running fast on the track without making them angrier.

Coach wanted us recovered from Sundays race and able to successfully run Thursdays tempo so we just had to do 12*400 with 60 second rests at 88-90 per quarter followed by a 3 minute rest then a 1600 at 10k pace (5:50). My legs actually felt great during the sets but each recovery my right hamstring started to bark. It didn't feel like it was getting worse so I just went with it. My training partner NC and I ran with another local runner MB who usually does his track workouts at a different track. It was nice to have a "pack" to run with and everything felt pretty casual, we were joking most sets and had a hard time running slower than 88. Other than the right hamstring it really felt good.

All quarters were between 81 and 88 (most 85-86), other than having to dodge some lacrosse balls and one lacrosse player it was good, we traded leads pacing and it was a good group effort. The mile we paced better the first two laps but then picked it up to finish out in 5:42.

Youngstown Mill Creek Classic 2011

It has been an annual tradition for me since I started racing again in 2004/2005 to compete in the Youngstown Mill Creek Classic Half Marathon. The race promises 19 hills over 13.1 miles, and usually bad weather to boot. But it is a good fitness test when training for a hilly spring marathon like Boston, and seeing as our annual running club banquet is always the same day I feel like I earn my grub if I make the trek to Youngstown and run hard. In most past years I have treated the race as more of a training run, the footing is usually poor, and weather is usually cold so I haven't really raced the event besides the past two years. Last year we had perfect weather, but alas, this year we woke up to snow snow and more snow that had followed rain so we were expecting icy conditions.

Once again had a stress free carpool to the race, but there is where the smooth sailing for the day ended. Arrived to the race site to guys shoveling ice off of the start. Not a good sign. Coach gave orders that we should do nothing that would get us injured, so just a hard training run. Got a late start to the warm up and checked out about a mile of the course, half clear, and half covered in slick snow. Still not looking so good. Realized as I warmed up that the tights I had on were going to be too warm. Had to rush to the car, struggled to find the keys, finally found them just as I was going to give up, stripped the tights and threw on capris. Rushed back to the start and realized I had left my gel in my tights pocket. Oh well.

My training partner and I decided to take it out a bit conservatively and see how it looked. Can't lie though, I intended to run hard for any sections that were clear. I came to race! In an ideal world I was hoping to get under 1:22, but wasn't really sure what would be realistic for the course. The first half mile we joked around a bit with the guys around us and I noted that there weren't many of them. Apparently most of the fast guys had decided to make it a training day or stay home. First mile is repeated twice and half of it had decent footing while the big dip and climb that we ran twice were covered in snow. After that the course wasn't too bad.

During mile 4 my partner realized her shoe was untied. We had just pulled away from a small group of guys and could still see the lead 3 runners. There was a big climb coming up so I told her I would take it easy on the climb until she caught up. Can't say I was too upset about being able to back off the effort up the hill :) She caught up near the top with the pack of guys and we pulled away again. The mile markers all morning had been off by one mile, indicating we were one less mile in than we really were. Thankfully I knew the course and realized the error. The markers for this race are typically off so I had planned on using the Garmin anyways.

Miles 5 through 7 wind around through the park and for some reason those miles are always colder, which meant the snow was back, but there were tire treads that were clear so other than sacrificing tangents we didn't slow much. These miles I struggled a bit mentally with whether or not I was "racing." Running next to my training partner it is hard to say if I would be doing something different if she wasn't there. But I did a gut check and while I can't say I was running at 100% effort it was definitely over 90% effort. I just kept waiting for her to decide she was going to pick it up and dust me :) The next aid station I tried to get gatorade, but instead ended up dousing myself and the road missing the pass off. Nice. We headed downhill and soon two young guys decided to pick up the pace and blow by us.

At some point the second male must have decided to pick it up as we had lost sight of him. But the gentleman in fourth had been "taunting" us the whole race, staying the same distance ahead of us from about 1 mile on and we decided we would have to pass him before the end. Around mile 9 there is a long slow climb and I fell behind my training partner but tried to stay close. As we went through the aid station I again struggled with the gatorade managing to get about a sip in my mouth and the rest all over me, this time victim to plastic cups that I couldn't squeeze shut. But the aid station allowed me to catch up with my partner and as we rolled towards mile 10 and 2 miles of rolling downhill we started to step it up and reel in the now 6th place runner. Another small incline and my training partner once again pulled ahead passing into 6th place. I followed shortly thereafter moving into 7th and careening down Bear Hill.

The next mile as we run towards the finish many other runners are going the other direction to make the loop from mile 8 back to 11. We saw a few friends who cheered for my training partner then me. Lot's of cheers for first and second woman and a few encouraging me that I could catch her. Ha. Unfortunately for me the last mile of the course is the hardest with 3 big rolling uphills that just juice you and despite my best attempts at upping my strength my training partner just seems to have more steam on uphills than me. I tried my best to keep it honest though and was able to hold the gap where it was coming in 7 seconds behind her for 2nd female in 1:23:59. Not quite the sub 1:22 I was hoping for, but given all the mishaps I think it was a really good effort. To top off the race mishaps I got back to my car after the cool down and found that the gel I had forgotten had exploded all over my tights. Gross!

I was happy with how I handled some of my mental demons on the course. It definitely made it a good mental effort forcing ourselves to push while most of the field that should have been with us ran more conservatively. I am sure we made it look easy running together most of the way, but I am not sure we could have gone much faster if conditions had been better and we had raced from the gun. I'm thinking we probably ran a better more even effort than we would have if roads were clear from the gun. Other than missing the tangents and slowing down up Bear Hill I don't think I would have run much different other than a faster first mile. Perhaps could have shaved 30-45 seconds, but not sure I could have broken 1:22 even with warmer weather and better footing.

Did some number crunching and while it isn't exactly the predictor I was hoping for, for Boston, the time does put my Boston goals in the realm of possible based on past Youngstown vs. Boston performances for myself and a few other women in my training group. I'll take it :)

As usual SERC had lots of great runs with most members placing overall or in their age groups. Always a good time, even though a challenge.

Boston Marathon Week 2 Rundown

Goals:

Total Mileage 70.

Monday: easy
Tuesday: 8 x 800 @ 2:50 with 2 mins recovery,3 mins recovery, mile @ 5:45
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace
Thursday: 7 miles @ 6:20
Weekend:
6 Miles Easy
13.1 Race

How it played out:

71 miles
7 runs (strides on Wed and Sat)
1 blown tempo
Solid 13.1 race (Report to follow)
1 bootcamp class

Solid week despite the bad tempo and two days spent mostly in bed. Hopefully I am done with illness this training cycle!

Know when to fold em' Tempo

Something just wasn't right for todays tempo. I overslept this morning, never hearing my first two alarms, yet still feeling tired after a full nights sleep. Between that, sweating like a crazy woman Tuesday, and the runny nose the past few days I should have realized something was off. But I didn't, and I had no idea today would be a rough workout. The plan was 7 miles at 6:20 pace, the wind would be in our faces on the way out for once, so I really thought it would be a nice warm up run for this weekends race. After running 12 miles at 6:24 pace this weekend after a 20 miler I really thought today would be a cruiser of a workout. Shows what I know :)

Just didn't feel right from the get go. Pace was there, but my breathing was awfully heavy. I told myself it was fine, after 3.5 miles we'd turn around and with the wind at our backs I would perk up. But 1.5 miles into the turn around things were feeling worse and I decided today was just not my day, better back it off and preserve myself for this weekends race. My hamstring was a little sore after Tuesdays track workout, my nose was running, I felt a bit weak and dizzy, and I was sweating like crazy again. The last time I felt this bad is when I pulled the hammy so I decided I better be smart and jog it in. I sent my training partner on her way and did my best to just get back to the office. Decided to pick it up a bit for the last mile after a 1.5 mile jog, mostly to just get done without doing any more damage (and perhaps because I am a bit stubborn).

I'm sucking down an airborne and going to pack it up and take a half day and catch some extra z's and hope I can bag whatever is ailing me quick. Bit of a bummer after nailing so many workouts the past few weeks, but better to happen today than Sunday!

6:18.13
6:17.97
6:26.41
6:30.29
.51 at 6:27 pace
7:31.52
.51 at 7:32 pace
6:50.81

8*800, 1600

Last night we ran what is hopefully one of our last indoor workouts this winter. Goal was 8*800 with 2 minute rests at 2:50 followed by a 3 minute rest than 1600 at 5:45.

We've done similar workouts in the past so I was eager to see how my fitness felt compared to those workouts last fall.

Last week was pretty heavy and I think my body was still recovering a bit as was my partners, but we managed to get the workout done and hit the goal paces.

800s:
2:50.61
2:50.23
2:48.66
2:48.77
2:48.96
2:49.29
2:50.09
2:49.48

1600:
5:38.75

I certainly wasn't feeling like this flowed easily, but what I was happy about was my mental wherewithal to focus in on one lap/one repeat at a time and just get it done. We've done 5 miles of intervals before, but it was always sprinkled in, now this will become the norm. I am excited that my strength is at a level that I can do 5 miles of intervals at the same paces that I was doing 3-4 miles of intervals at last fall.

Boston EWS

Pumped from my fabulous break through race at Columbus back in October I signed up for Boston the next morning and was one of the lucky 20,000+ that got in before things shut down 8 hours later. I wasn't sure what that would mean for the race, but after some friendly prodding from friends it convinced me to send a note to the BAA asking about their Elite Women's Start (EWS) process. I received a form letter back stating that entrants with qualifying times under 2:49:00 would have the opportunity to start at 9:32 AM with the elite women. Uggh 53 seconds too many! My hopes were still up as there was a contingency that if your qualifier projected you to be top 30 you would also get the opportunity to join the EWS. On February 10th John Hancock announced their elite field for Boston which included 21 females with PRs under 2:30. I thought to myself (and a few friends), what are the odds that only 8 other women had signed up with times faster than mine. Knowing at least two of them personally from Ohio, I thought: not likely.

I knew they were supposed to contact women accepted into the EWS on March 1st. I emailed my friend who was automatically in with her 2:44 win at Wineglass and told her to let me know when she heard something so I could stop wondering if I might have gotten in. I had resolved that I would be starting in coral one with the mass start, but since I have two friends in the EWS I was still holding out a tiny bit of hope that I might join them.

I was actually so busy at work yesterday I had completely forgotten about my note to her and it being March 1st. At 2:00 pm I received an email titled "2011 Boston Marathon - EWS" and wondered what on earth is that? I opened it up and read the first few lines before it "clicked" and I realized I will be lining up at Boston with their elite field along with around 54 other top open and masters women (There will be approximately 40 open women and 15 masters women competing in the EWS). Holy smokes! Excited would be an understatement.

Initially I thought if I got the start I might have to weigh the pros and cons before deciding. But as soon as I comprehended what that email meant I knew I would take the opportunity. Even if it means I am running alone from the gun until the lead men catch me around mile 20. While my goal is obviously to try and get the "B" standard for the Olympic Trials, this in itself will be an amazing experience regardless of my race outcome. I'm looking forward to the "perks" of the elite start, and I'm hoping I will have some good company in my friends from Ohio who are also in this start with me along the way, and maybe I will get lucky and a pack of masters women will be going for the "B" standard too. I had planned on this being my last Boston for awhile, so it will definitely be a nice way to close out my Boston experience with a new challenge.

Funny how one (albeit lengthy) email can completely rock your world. I was practically bouncing around the office after reading it. Just an amazing feeling that I couldn't wait to share with all my loved ones. Coming from barely being in the first wave my second Boston to getting this opportunity is just surreal. I plan to make the most of it and just soak it all up. I may never get an opportunity like this again and I am just so grateful that all the hard work and support has paid off and it is giving me the opportunity to do something I would never have even dreamt about just a few years ago.

Marathon Focus Week 1

Switching training focus this week to the marathon.

Goals:
Total mileage: 80 - 85
Monday: Easy
Tuesday: 5 x mile @ 5:50 with 2 min recovery jog
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 8:00 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 6:00 pace with full recovery
Thursday: Tempo run; 3 - 2 - 1
Weekend:
12 miles @ 6:30
20 miles @ 6:55

How it played out:

85 miles
8 runs
20 at 6:49 and 12 at 6:24
1 bootcamp class
no strides on Friday, too snowy, no decent footing

3-2-1 Tempo

Not gonna lie, I was a bit intimidated by this weeks training and a bit nervous about hitting the paces on a few of the workouts, but I am doing my best to shut off the anxiety part of my brain and just trust that my legs can do the workouts. The forecast today left me feeling much more confident and ready to rock and roll on today's tempo. Salty and my friend MY were planning to run with me and the wind was only supposed to be 1-3 mph, compared to last weeks 17 gusting to 24 mph, so this sounded like it would be an awesome run.

Certain times of the year I seem to get a bounce in my fitness regardless of what type of training I am doing. I have no idea if it is coincidence or what but the past two weeks I have felt like I was getting that bounce despite not running faster at the 5k. 8 weeks out from Columbus last fall I had a really good track and tempo workout followed by an awesome race at Spirit of Columbus. Who knows if it is just my attitude or a real fitness breakthrough, but this week (8 weeks until Boston) I seem to be getting a similar bounce, my Tuesday track workout went well, I felt much fresher yesterday than I normally do after a track workout, and despite a hard bootcamp class last night I felt really good today the first three miles of our tempo.

Goal today was 6 miles. First 3 at 6:15, next 2 at 6:05, and the last one at 5:55. I was hoping since the wind wasn't as much of a factor that we could really dial it in today and hit paces rather than work off of effort. The downside of the perceived fitness bounce is I seem to have a hard time picking out the right effort for my planned paces. We ran 3 out and 3 back today, wind at our backs on the way out and in our faces on the way back. It was nowhere near the problem it was last week, but it must have been a little stronger than 3mph by the lake because it was definitely noticeable when we turned around. The first mile was a touch fast, I blame it on feeling fresh and having such good company combined with it being close to 40 degrees. The next two miles just sailed by and the legs felt great. The next mile we had to deal with the hairpin turn and some traffic that had us rolling to the top of a hill at 6:15 pace, with the following downhill I wanted to get us back down to 6:05, and we did that, but probably did it a bit too aggressively. The next mile had to really focus to keep it under 6:05. The last mile I was struggling for sure. My breathing was ragged and we were working pretty hard to keep it under 6:00. I tried not to look at the watch too much because I really couldn't have run any harder and I didn't want to get upset if it was slow. My eyes were starting to glaze/freeze over a bit and the last half mile I had to resort to some serious mental tricks to keep myself focused ahead instead of on the ground. With a serious push around .9 we barely got that mile under 6:00. Not quite the intended 5:55, but still my fastest tempo ever and trying to hit the 5:55 kept us honest.

6:06.94
6:12.76
6:11.21
6:03.92
6:04.20
5:59.54

5 * Mile

Target workout last night was 5* one mile at 5:50 pace with 2 minute recovery jogs.

Weather here has made it pretty tough to do these outside so we headed down to Akron to get on the indoor track there. It is not a short drive, and traffic can be a pain, but as long as we get there early we can get in most of our workout before the evening track clinic gets too far into their workout avoiding dodging kids on the track. It's a 300 meter track so it is nicer than going somewhere else that is shorter or having to hit the treadmill. We got lucky last night and arrived to no softball practice so we were able to start the workout early and we were almost completely done before anyone was on the track.

My training partner has been killing me at the indoor races this spring so I have been trying to let her take the lead in the workouts and just work off her. Last night this worked out great as she was right on pace and content to stay there. I never felt great but just tried to focus on one lap at a time, keep my head up, focus on form etc. Because NC was humming Lady Gaga Born this way, the workout was done to that tune in my head, it just wouldn't get out of there!

I took the inside lane for the 3rd and 5th mile to try setting the pace, I was fast the first lap on each, but pretty steady the rest of the laps. We decided to pick it up the last mile. I was a bit surprised I was able to, but glad I sucked it up and did it. Managed to get in 11 miles without getting in anybody's way. Other than the driving to and from it really is a good location and a nice track.

5:48.53
5:48.65
5:48.06
5:47.97
5:41.23

Pretty sure this is my best mile repeat workout ever. I tend to fall apart on these so that was a nice mental boost. Can't wait to get onto an outdoor track though!

Threshold Training Week 6

A solid week of training.

Goals for the week:

Total Mileage 70

Monday: Easy
Tuesday: Workout
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace with full recovery
Thursday: Tempo run
Weekend:
Kent 5k
22 miles @ 7:00

How it played out:

72 miles
7 runs
2 bootcamp classes
17:50.22 5k indoor race
22 mile long run at 6:48 pace

Funny how easy a 70 mile week feels now after three weeks of 80 miles. So much time on my hands :)

Kent State Tune Up 5k Race Report

Well this morning was another opportunity to test my racing skills and get in the mix with some ladies of similar abilities. I managed to meet some of my goals today, but others were not met. Overall I am pleased with my effort, slightly disappointed with the resulting time, but glad I sucked it up and ran the race. (Previously in the week I was heavily leaning towards skipping this one and either running a road 5k or focusing on training, but coach insisted this was important as it would help me mentally and help to develop speed.)

As predicted once the race started there was a small pack that took off around 17 minute pace and then a second pack of us around 5:34 at the mile. I did my best to settle in with this group as the effort felt right and I also told myself to relax and be patient and not to make any moves. This lasted for a few laps, and then I decided we had to pick it up a bit as the girl leading the pack was not holding the pace. I moved to the front of my little pack and pulled for a few laps until another gal traded leads with me for a few laps before the 2 mile. Around the 2 mile a CRC runner I know (PB) decided to up the ante and took the lead of our group, unfortunately I just couldn't find that gear to go with them and I lost my pack. We started lapping other runners at this point. I never heard the 2 mile split, but I had heard shouts of 17:30ish finish pace, and I was doing my best to run by feel and really wasn't aware of what the splits my coach calling out meant for my finish time. I knew I wasn't keeping up with the two gals in front of me, but I felt like I was running hard. I was confident I was working harder than I had at Akron. The last two laps I really tried to dig in and make sure I felt like I was giving everything I had. My legs were getting the same feeling they do at the end of a really hard track workout so I was confident I was really racing my hardest. Finished the last lap and looked up at the board to see 17:50.22. Not at all what I was expecting given the effort, and given how I felt about my race.

In retrospect perhaps I should have sat back longer and tried harder not to pull the pack I was in, maybe I worked harder than I should of in the second mile causing the fall off in the third mile, but I am not sure it would have made a difference. I think once I lost contact I was just working at the same effort but unfortunately losing a few seconds each lap without someone to gear off of. It is also possible I didn't work hard enough to find that next gear as I am aware that PB has run much faster 5ks than me and perhaps I limited myself knowing that she has better speed than me and knowing she was capable of running under 17:20, perhaps when she made that move I should have pretended she was someone else I can keep up with and tried harder to force the pace.

I'm a little conflicted with the result since I feel like I really ran a better race than Akron, but the result was the same. Perhaps that just means that my current 5k fitness really is 17:50ish, and that is all the speed I have. But perhaps it means I need to take a different approach in the 5k next time to get a better result. The 5 ladies ahead of me all have better speed than me and have all run better short races than me. I was super stoked to come in 6th place given the field. I just wish I could have upped the ante a bit that third mile and come a little closer to 17:35.

I have to remember that I only do 2 or 3 5ks a year and that now that I am getting faster it is not going to be as easy to improve my times in these short races without doing any real specific speed training. A 17:50 rut/plateau really isn't such a bad place to be after all :) It is just tough as running these races makes me want to work harder to improve these times and see if I can be faster, but they aren't really my goal right now. So I feel like each race that I don't improve is a "missed opportunity."

To end on some positive notes. No more 5ks for awhile and no more indoor racing, woohoo! My training buddy smoked the track today running another PR in 17:09 and coming in 2nd! I now have run three 5ks under 18:00 solidifying my faith in my current speed and knowing that these aren't some fluke. I came in 6th in a solid field of female runners from Ohio. I'm really happy with the effort I put in this morning. Added bonus I got to cheer for one of my trail running friends as he ran his first indoor 5k, and catch up with some of my ultra buddies who I miss dearly.

5k

Tomorrow I am racing another indoor 5k. Like last year I am headed to the Kent State Tune Up. Hopefully unlike last year it will be a good experience. With my primary focus being the marathon it is really difficult to get amped up for these shorter indoor races. Firstly while I like track in theory, racing on the track is not usually pleasant for me. Sure if I get a good result I will be stoked, but the experience is stressful at best, humiliating at worst.

The rational part of my brain knows that at the end of the day no one really cares what I run at this race but me. No matter what I run my family will still love me, my friends will still say I did great, and the result really doesn't mean much in the scheme of things. The irrational part of my brain feels like this huge spotlight is on me and the pressure is on to do something spectacular. Digging through my very short list of recent 5k experiences I am confident that even on a bad day I will not run like I did last year here. But that list also leaves me with little confidence in a huge breakthrough tomorrow, which is obviously what the goal is toeing the line with a bunch of other speedy chicks. Why else would I be torturing myself? :)

The heat sheets came out last night and I did some research to try and get a feel for who else would be gunning for similar goals to me. It is really hard to say, but it looks like there will be 3 super speedy chicks under 17:15 and then about 9 of us with a potential to run between 17:20 and 17:50. I definitely think I can run better than I did at Akron with a more even effort. I'll just have to see how it plays out based on what the field does.

So the mental goals for tomorrow:

1) Stop being a headcase and just run. I feel like on the track there is so much micro management going on in my head. Hearing splits every minute and trying to up my effort every lap gets a bit overwhelming. I want to try and just let go tomorrow, find a pack that I can tag onto and just run.

2) Don't let preconceived notions of where I should be based on past experiences dictate who I run with. Trust my instincts and run with a group that feels "right."

3) If I want to PR I need to obviously pay a bit of attention to pace. I'd like to be through the 2 mile between 11 and 11:20 to give myself a shot at a PR. But I want the mental effort to get there to be minimized. I shouldn't start really suffering until that last mile. Just relax and let the pace happen.

4) Stop holding back. The marathoner in me has this reserve that I just can't seem to tap into until I mentally decide I can survive the rest of the race. If I don't feel like I am running at my limit that last mile, then I am not pushing hard enough. I need to try and break through this mental barrier if I want to see a big jump in my time.

5) Don't get stuck pulling a group. I am so used to my road race mentality of leading when I can and doing my own thing, I have a really hard time tucking in and following others. Track races just don't work like that and I need to learn to relax and settle in and wait until later in the race to pull myself.

Time Goals:

In an ideal world it would be a huge confidence booster if I was under 17:20 for this race. I have absolutely no idea if that is even feasible though and that is a pie in the sky "A" goal.

Realistic Goals:

B) 17:35
C) PR (17:47 or better)

Wish me luck :)

One Windy Tempo Run

Mother nature has decided it is time to be the usual February tease and this week in Cleveland we are getting a few days with temps cracking 50 F before we'll settle back into the usual 30ish degrees this weekend. Hey I can't complain, any day I can run in shorts is a good day. Of course a shift that big in temperature is usually accompanied by some sort of bad weather. Today it was wind! I run a lot of my lunch time tempos on a street that runs parallel to the lake that is not near any buildings, it is a straight shot out and back so on a windy day you are pretty much guaranteed some suffering. Unfortunately it is usually wind traveling at your back on the way out and at your face on the way back. Making it difficult to decide on a pace initially and meaning you will have to work hard in the middle or end of the workout depending on where you start.

In an effort to relax a bit I have been ignoring the watch the past two weeks and going by effort. But as today's workout called for 7 miles at 6:25 I had to wonder what an equivalent pace would be in each direction. Using Daniel's wind formulas this nifty calculator tells you what an equivalent pace would be for different wind conditions. http://www.runworks.com/calculator.html

Fun to look at, not sure how practical it is in a real world situation. I checked it out before the run knowing today I'd be facing 17 mph winds gusting up to 26 mph. Given last week we struggled into 12 mph, I knew today would not be an evenly paced run, but I wanted to give myself the best shot at an even effort run. The calculator put the paces into the wind at 7:25 and with the wind at 5:50. That seemed like an awful big adjustment to me, but I decided that as long as paces were between those ranges today we'd call it a success.

This week we started with the wind rather than against it. Fun fun, you feel like you are flying the first few miles, but unfortunately a little shy of 2 we know we have to turn around and go to work. I just ignored the watch after the 2nd mile and pretty much just ran hard. I cannot lie, the next 5 miles went by unbearably slow. The wind never let up, at times making it feel like we were standing in place. But other than tired quads, my legs really felt good and I was able to push myself to keep the effort high. Huge help in that I had training buddies with me the entire time today. Salty did really well the first 2 miles then did her own thing to finish out a nice 4 mile tempo. MY and I pushed on into the wind for 3 miles before rounding the stadium and finally heading back with the wind and a fast final two miles. It was definitely hard work even with the wind at our backs, but mostly because we were so tired from working into the wind. Gladly the watch finally beeped sounding the end of our 7 mile tempo and we jogged it back in super slowly into the wind.

12 miles averaging 7:06 and 7 tempo miles averaging 6:24.5. It feels good to have been able to nail that workout in these conditions. I am definitely learning that letting go of being so OCD about the watch is a good thing.

6:08.93
6:18.95
6:38.51
6:42.52
6:48.10
6:06.18
6:08.29

Back on Track, again

The birds are chirping, snow is melting, and I did not blow up on my track workout today. Perhaps there is indeed a light at the end of the tunnel :) Mood is much improved and the hamstring is feeling closer to 100%, so hopefully I'm ready to kick it up a notch here and really get with it on my Boston training the next 9 weeks.

A few things I think probably helped today:

I took yesterday's recovery run really easy and knocked it down a few miles.
I focused today on effort rather than splits and basically let my training partner be the watch.
The workout had more built in rest today, which I think allowed me to keep the effort higher.
I went in with a much more laid back attitude.
I basically had a week off speed since last weeks workout was a bust.

Goal:

2 miles at marathon pace, 3 min jog,10 x 1 min at 3K pace with
2 min jog, mile at 10K pace, 2 min jog, 800 at 5K pace
Pace: 6:20 mar, 5:30 3K, 5:50 10K, 5:40 5k

Actual:

6:15.21
6:15.21
Ran the 10* 1 as 292 meters around the track all between 58 and 1:01
5:49.07
2:47.40

Threshold Training Week 5

Goals for the week:

Total Mileage 80

Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: 4 miles alternating between 5K and marathon pace, then 10 x 1 min @ 5:20 pace with 3 min jog. Pace: 5:42 and 6:20
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:20 pace
Thursday: Tempo run 6 miles @ 6:15
Weekend:
12 miles @ 6:40
20 miles @ 7:00

How it played out:
80 miles
6 days running, 9 runs (3 doubles and Wednesday off)
1 failed compound workout
Bagged the second set of sprints
2 boot camp classes

This week was a tough one mentally. I think the midwest winter weather finally broke me. I did my best to pick myself up and dust myself off later in the week with lots of good company for my easy runs and long runs. Wednesday woke up coughing and took some cold medicine and didn't run, but still managed to survive boot camp class.

Key workouts:

Tuesday- Lunch: 6 miles failed workout

What I sent my coach after jogging back to the office in tears.

"These compound workouts are killing me. Apparently I am not in shape to run the 5k or marathon times I have run because I haven't been able to do a single one of these compound sets without falling way off the paces. I stopped after the 1st and 2nd miles to walk it out today because I couldn't hold the pace, and 3/4 through the 3rd mile I quit because my hamstring tightened up and was causing me to limp. None of the miles were even close to the paces.

Jogged back in tears frustrated with myself, frustrated that I can't do these damn workouts, and frustrated that I might have injured myself.

I don't know if I am burned out, overtrained, or if it is just winter, but this is probably the most frustrated I have ever been with my running."

Thursday- Did the tempo with my buddy Salty and basically ignored the watch. The wind was brutal and my hamstring was sore so I just ran by effort.

Again ran 1.5 with Salty, 1 by myself, 1.5 with Salty, and the rest by myself. Ended up doing a bit more than 6 miles to avoid a longer cool down into the wind. Did 6*30 second sprints on the way back but didn't look at the watch for pace. (HW=Headwind)

06:25.5 HW

06:38.3 HW

06:15.4

06:14.2

07:01.6 HW

06:07.7

02:56.5 HW

Averaged 6:27 for the run, not exactly the goal, but given the conditions I considered it a success.

Saturday- Headed out with hopes that my hamstring would behave, and for the most part it was okay. Couldn't quite hit 6:40 in the wind, legs felt like tree trunks and ended up with 12 miles at 6:45.

Sunday- We headed down to Hinckley for some hills and a change of scenery. Goal was 20 at 7:00 pace but again I pretty much ignored the watch and just ran by feel. The hamstring felt much better than expected and while the hills and wind were tough we managed to get in the 20 at 6:57 pace.

Threshold Training Week 4

These rundowns are getting a little out of control. I've been reading a few fast ladies blogs and like their format a lot better. And in all honesty who really cares what pace I ran my recovery days :)

So will be trying something new here for a bit to see if I like it.

The goals per coach:

Total Mileage 80.

Monday: Easy.

Tuesday: 1 x 800/1600/3200/1600/800 meter compound set (5 straight miles no rest). Run 800 meters at 5K pace, 1600 meters at 10K pace and 3200 meters at goal marathon pace followed by 1600 meters at 10K pace before finishing with 800 meters at 5K pace. Pace: 800 @ 5:40 pace, 1600 @ 5:50 pace and 3200 @ 6:25 pace.

Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace with full recovery

Thursday: Tempo run 6 miles @ 6:15

Weekend:
12 miles @ 6:45
18 miles @ 7:10

How it played out:

82 miles
8 runs
1 double (Sunday)
2 Bootcamp sessions (M/W)

1 night out bowling/dancing
Way too much superbowl food and beer consumed!

Tuesday Workout: Ran at Case indoors. Just couldn't hit the paces. I've been struggling with these compound sets. It seems in order to keep some semblance of speed my body is just used to having recovery. Still adjusting to these workouts, so far though, not a fan. What doesn't kill me right?

2:50.04
5:55.88
6:26.25
6:22.73
6:12.15
2:59.55

Thursday Tempo: Had to deal with sloppy footing into the wind miles 1 and 5 and parts of 2 and 6. Ran about 2.2 miles out and 2.2 back then 0.8 out and back. 1.5 with Salty, then 8 minutes on my own, then another 1.5 with Salty, then the rest on my own. Had to stop briefly for two lights. Actually given how hard mile 5 was I have no idea how we ran the 1st mile as well as we did.

06:17.4

06:16.0

06:14.9

06:12.8

06:28.0

06:10.3

Averaged 6:16.6 and other than mile 5 really felt controlled the whole time. Temps were kind of weird. Wind made it cold but the sun made it warm, just not an ideal day for a tempo really, at least not downtown with sloppy footing and crazy drivers, but we made do.

Saturday Run: Aka sloppy solo snow festival. This run was the start of my negative atitude that has lasted several days. Couldn't hit the paces with the snowy ground, ended up averaging 7:03. It wasn't a bad run, just a bit mentally taxing running 12 miles by myself in a mini snow storm, when I would rather have been having fun with friends.

Sunday Run: Wasn't sure what to do about pacing since Saturday was slow, so I decided as long as the pace was doable I would run 6:45 for the first 12 miles then finish up easy to get in 18. Ran all but 3 miles by myself, and continued to just be a relatively unpleasant person all around. Finished out the run at 6:53 pace. Really didn't feel bad running wise, was just cold and grumpy.

In retrospect I am probably fighting a bug of some sort, and had to run indoors two days because of weather. Hopefully it is just the winter bringing me down and hopefully my attitude will get better the rest of this week :)

Tempo Trivia

Let's play a game. See if you can figure out which miles of today's tempo were plagued by headwinds, sloppy footing, and near misses dodging traffic.

06:17.4

06:16.0

06:14.9

06:12.8

06:28.0

06:10.3

Despite the sketchy parts of the run it was an excellent workout with my buddy Salty who is quickly getting back into shape after baby #2. Actually felt pretty good for all except that 5th mile today. That one was ugly. But next week it would be really nice if they cleared Marginal because I got a little too friendly with drivers side mirrors and sides of buses today.