What's that? Yeah I did run a race before I took this crazy PF hiatus. Rather I finished a race. Let's just say it was not my best effort, not my day, a big ol' train wreck pretty much. I wouldn't even write about it except for I think I need to own up to what this race was for me in order to do better in the future when I am dealt this sort of hand again.
For whatever reason this year I have found my self at the start line of two all womens races and both times my effort has just come up short. But Elizabeth you might say, at Boston you were on antibiotics and dealing with hamstring issues, or at Indy you were worried about your foot and your 4 failed tempos. Whatever, those things may have played into my less than stellar results, but I think there was definitely something else going on for both of these races. I didn't feel fantastic at Perfect 10 and my foot felt just as crappy after that as it did after Indy, but I managed to pull it together that day. What was the difference in Indy?
I think the difference for whatever silly reason is more mental than physical. Both at Boston and at Indy I thought I was fully prepared to tow the line with women better than me, equal to me, and slower than me and put together my best race. But both times I went out a bit kamikaze style and wanted to quit long before the finish line. I ignored my racing instincts and forced it and then lacked the mental tenacity to deal with it when it got too hard.
At Indy I wanted to quit by mile 4. At Boston I lost my pack by the 10km. And let me tell you running by yourself just isn't as much fun! At least not for me!
I knew for both of these races that many women would run away from me at the start and for some reason at both races I still went out too fast and had a hard time committing to the faster pace once I was in over my head. To my credit at Boston I held it together and had a good time despite my body throwing in the towel much too early. But at Indy I really was ready to quit from mile 2 on. I started a bit aggressively, but nothing crazy, about the same pace as my first mile at Perfect 10, but my body was just working too hard and I let the pack of 4 I was with go and told myself to just settle in and work to keep it between 6 and 6:10. Well the next mile was something like 6:24 and I was working. UGGH. I got caught by about 2 runners from mile 2-4 but just let them go. Trying to settle into some sort of groove.
Mile 4ish a runner (LM) I knew caught me with another girl and encouraged me to go with them but I was juiced and couldn't respond. I started contemplating my options, jog it in, quit and turn around. My foot was sore, I felt like crap, it was hot, basically just a big hot negative mess. Around mile 5 two gals from Michigan caught me, I knew they were planning to run goal marathon for the race and I had contemplated starting with them, but now I had dug a hole and I couldn't get my legs to respond and go with them. Uggh.
Mile 6 I was getting ready to pull out. I had just saw another runner drop and I knew I would see NCs parents soon. I could stop and cheer with them and save it for another day. Then my guardian angel from Florida caught me and forced me to rally and join her. I wasn't comfortable but the pace was doable and I managed to get my head back in the game and stick with her. I admonished myself for wanting to give up so early in a long race, and I thought maybe my legs could actually rally from my poorly paced start and come around. We hit a roller and I fell back a little. My friend from Florida encouraged me saying I could not drop back until we caught my running friend from Ohio. We had watched as the gals from Michigan slowly reeled her in and she said we could do the same. So I focused ahead and upped the effort. Perhaps a bit too much as it turned out in the end. But the next few miles actually felt pretty strong and we did eventually catch up to LM and a gal from Utah who I had run the first mile with.
I felt the need to return the favor as LM had offered me encouragement earlier as well as the other gals and I let her know we were coming and to latch on to us. She did a great job and picked it up to go with me. We stayed together for the next mile or so and I just couldn't keep it up.
The last three miles were pretty much a bi-polar death march. From admonishing myself and deciding I would run a half the next weekend to prove to myself I was better than this, to trying to convince myself to run like an elite and step it up, to worrying about my foot and thinking I was over-trained, to berating myself the last half mile as I reached for the American flags they were handing out only to miss and decide that even Uncle Sam thought I sucked. Yeah pretty much the most negative I have ever felt in any race in my life. Who was this negative person, this person who gave up so early, this person that just fell apart? Well it certainly wasn't me, at least not the me I usually am and not the me I want to be.
I found myself holding back tears at the finish line and trying to celebrate in everyone elses success while being utterly dissapointed in myself. I got over myself with a cool down with LM, but unfortunately now to add insult to injury my foot was irate. I spent the rest of the day limping around downtown Indy wondering how much damage I had done and what to do about training and recovery from this.
Both Boston and Indy were so much fun before and after the race. I loved meeting all these amazing women and getting to know them! I wouldn't trade it for the world. But the truth is clearly this sort of stage is not where I currently run my best efforts. For whatever reason I am too stubborn to run my own race and keep my head in the game at this level for the long distances. I should know better, and hopefully I will learn from this and it will make me a better racer in the future!
PF Club
(No relation to Fight Club)
Plantar Fasciitis Blows! It seems like you mention PF to any runner and either they've had it, they have it, or their friends have it and they have been dealing with it for far too many months for my taste. I saw an ART guy at Rev3 last weekend and he mentioned PF is like a club. I told him that is not a club I want to be a part of :) Unfortunately I seem to have joined the club and I am joining the ranks of those that will try anything to get rid of their heel and arch pain!
Of my friends that currently are treating, dealing, or dealt with PF solutions offered up included rest, ART, Shockwave therapy, stretching, massage, laser therapy, ice massage, golf ball rolling, night splints, toe exercises, heel supports, orthotics...the list goes on and I am trying most of these things minus orthotics or heel supports, I feel like they might cause a compensation injury so I want to avoid them at all costs. I'm also holding off on the shockwave therapy as a last resort if my foot doesn't respond to ART. It is pricey and painful (not that ART isn't, but I like that with ART I have someone actually digging around in there and finding all the junk, not just pointing a laser at my heel) and the quick fix sounds too good to be true to me, after all I have been slowly making the foot worse since May, unlike other injuries I have given myself over night, it seems it might take some time to fix something you have been damaging for awhile.
So I took 8 days off running, the most I have taken off in ages it seems. I wanted three pain free mornings before I'd run again. Wanted to get rid of the constant inflammation. The timing on this for my body was good because I was clearly just running out of steam mentally and physically and getting burned out. The foot was a good excuse to get some much needed recovery from hard training.
I also went out and bought a night splint to prevent me from pointing my toes at night and inflaming the foot first thing in the morning.
I got in for some free ART on the foot at REV3 and the next morning was my first pain free morning which was followed by a not pain free morning (ironman spectating involves being on your feet) then 2 pain free mornings which I called good enough even though the whole days weren't pain free as the ART guy seemed to think I could do some easy running without making things worse. He said I basically had a lot of adhesion/scar tissue in my foot that needed to be worked out, and until they are I will have problems with it. Basically my heel feels like a rock and it is supposed to feel malleable!
I'm getting ART twice a week until the foot is pain free every day. My second ART appt and first with my local guru was painful but followed by two blissfully pain free runs. This is a good sign that my foot will eventually heal! YAY! This Mondays ART session was also followed up with a pain free run. We'll see if I can get a second one today.
All of my ART days were followed up with long nights on my feet at social outings which I think is counter productive for the foot, but this morning rolling it on the golf ball seemed to negate the damage done bouncing around at the Foo Fighters concert last night. So I will continue the self massage!
I have an awesome ice cup thingy my buddy Lloyd gave me when I gave myself tendonitis playing Dance Central, and I have been using that to ice/massage the foot after runs. I think now that it is a chronic issue the ice doesn't really help at other times as it actually keeps blood flow from getting to the foot, but that is one thing (ice vs heat) I have never gotten a really good handle on. I just know if the foot is inflamed from the run the ice makes it feel better (aka numb!).
I borrowed my aunt and uncles $1600 laser and have been "treating" my foot for 10 minutes a day. I feel nothing while I am doing it and I have no idea if it is voodoo, but if it helps awesome, if it doesn't I'm out ten minutes a day. The theory is it helps direct blood flow to the heel which doesn't get much blood flow, more blood flow = faster healing.
While brushing my teeth every day I am doing toe raises and what I am calling foot crunches where I use my toes to try and grip the ground in the hopes of strengthening my foot.
I broke out the foot spa and I am going to try and get in epsom salt baths for the feet as often as possible, the warm water seems to loosen it up.
I'm yoga-ing and stretching my calves so that once the foot is healed hopefully I don't mess it up again.
Any magic PF cures you folks have that I should be trying? Clearly I am willing to try just about anything to quit this darn club!
Plantar Fasciitis Blows! It seems like you mention PF to any runner and either they've had it, they have it, or their friends have it and they have been dealing with it for far too many months for my taste. I saw an ART guy at Rev3 last weekend and he mentioned PF is like a club. I told him that is not a club I want to be a part of :) Unfortunately I seem to have joined the club and I am joining the ranks of those that will try anything to get rid of their heel and arch pain!
Of my friends that currently are treating, dealing, or dealt with PF solutions offered up included rest, ART, Shockwave therapy, stretching, massage, laser therapy, ice massage, golf ball rolling, night splints, toe exercises, heel supports, orthotics...the list goes on and I am trying most of these things minus orthotics or heel supports, I feel like they might cause a compensation injury so I want to avoid them at all costs. I'm also holding off on the shockwave therapy as a last resort if my foot doesn't respond to ART. It is pricey and painful (not that ART isn't, but I like that with ART I have someone actually digging around in there and finding all the junk, not just pointing a laser at my heel) and the quick fix sounds too good to be true to me, after all I have been slowly making the foot worse since May, unlike other injuries I have given myself over night, it seems it might take some time to fix something you have been damaging for awhile.
So I took 8 days off running, the most I have taken off in ages it seems. I wanted three pain free mornings before I'd run again. Wanted to get rid of the constant inflammation. The timing on this for my body was good because I was clearly just running out of steam mentally and physically and getting burned out. The foot was a good excuse to get some much needed recovery from hard training.
I also went out and bought a night splint to prevent me from pointing my toes at night and inflaming the foot first thing in the morning.
I got in for some free ART on the foot at REV3 and the next morning was my first pain free morning which was followed by a not pain free morning (ironman spectating involves being on your feet) then 2 pain free mornings which I called good enough even though the whole days weren't pain free as the ART guy seemed to think I could do some easy running without making things worse. He said I basically had a lot of adhesion/scar tissue in my foot that needed to be worked out, and until they are I will have problems with it. Basically my heel feels like a rock and it is supposed to feel malleable!
I'm getting ART twice a week until the foot is pain free every day. My second ART appt and first with my local guru was painful but followed by two blissfully pain free runs. This is a good sign that my foot will eventually heal! YAY! This Mondays ART session was also followed up with a pain free run. We'll see if I can get a second one today.
All of my ART days were followed up with long nights on my feet at social outings which I think is counter productive for the foot, but this morning rolling it on the golf ball seemed to negate the damage done bouncing around at the Foo Fighters concert last night. So I will continue the self massage!
I have an awesome ice cup thingy my buddy Lloyd gave me when I gave myself tendonitis playing Dance Central, and I have been using that to ice/massage the foot after runs. I think now that it is a chronic issue the ice doesn't really help at other times as it actually keeps blood flow from getting to the foot, but that is one thing (ice vs heat) I have never gotten a really good handle on. I just know if the foot is inflamed from the run the ice makes it feel better (aka numb!).
I borrowed my aunt and uncles $1600 laser and have been "treating" my foot for 10 minutes a day. I feel nothing while I am doing it and I have no idea if it is voodoo, but if it helps awesome, if it doesn't I'm out ten minutes a day. The theory is it helps direct blood flow to the heel which doesn't get much blood flow, more blood flow = faster healing.
While brushing my teeth every day I am doing toe raises and what I am calling foot crunches where I use my toes to try and grip the ground in the hopes of strengthening my foot.
I broke out the foot spa and I am going to try and get in epsom salt baths for the feet as often as possible, the warm water seems to loosen it up.
I'm yoga-ing and stretching my calves so that once the foot is healed hopefully I don't mess it up again.
Any magic PF cures you folks have that I should be trying? Clearly I am willing to try just about anything to quit this darn club!
Times Like These
Kudos to whoever took this vid last night. We weren't quite this close so none of my pics or video came out great. But we had a F***ing blast! Rise Against was great and the Foo Fighters were nothing short of amazing! So glad we went!
Cleveland.com review of the show!
Cleveland.com review of the show!
Road to Recovery Week 1&2
Well I think this road to mental and physical recovery may be one of those two steps forward one steps back kind :) I'm getting treatment for the foot and I have had some pain free runs and pain free days, but I have also had setback days. So here is a quick rundown of the last two weeks. Gory details on the running log. The ART really seems to be helping the foot, the cheering and social shenanigans do not :( But they are mentally refreshing!
Week 1:
Run: 1 easy trail run Monday during which I decided it was time to rest and fix the body
Swim: 2 swims totaling 5100 meters
Bike: 1 ride 30 miles
Yoga: 1* 75 minute class
Massage: 1* 75 minute full body massage
ART: 1 free ART treatment on the foot at CP
Time on feet: CP Ironman Cheering
Week 2:
Run: 5 easy runs (one a little up tempo for 27 minutes)
Swim: 2 swims totaling 3200 meters
Bike: 2 easy bike rides and one spin class
Yoga: 1* 60 minute yoga class
Strength: Started doing a lunge warm up before runs and the Myrtle cool down after
ART: 1 ART session on the foot
Time on Feet:
Ingenuity Fest Friday Night
NC 24 Hour Cheering
Clean Fest 2011 at the house (AKA Make way the in laws are coming to town this weekend!)
I'm making it my goal from now on to get in a minimum of the following cross training and mental/physical recovery regardless of race goals:
1 swim a week
1 bike/spin a week
1 yoga class a week
1 full recovery day every 2 weeks (one run free day)
1 long trail run on the weekends
1 massage every month (2 a month during heavy training)
ART sessions whenever an injury crops up, not after months of dealing with it!
Week 1:
Run: 1 easy trail run Monday during which I decided it was time to rest and fix the body
Swim: 2 swims totaling 5100 meters
Bike: 1 ride 30 miles
Yoga: 1* 75 minute class
Massage: 1* 75 minute full body massage
ART: 1 free ART treatment on the foot at CP
Time on feet: CP Ironman Cheering
Week 2:
Run: 5 easy runs (one a little up tempo for 27 minutes)
Swim: 2 swims totaling 3200 meters
Bike: 2 easy bike rides and one spin class
Yoga: 1* 60 minute yoga class
Strength: Started doing a lunge warm up before runs and the Myrtle cool down after
ART: 1 ART session on the foot
Time on Feet:
Ingenuity Fest Friday Night
NC 24 Hour Cheering
Clean Fest 2011 at the house (AKA Make way the in laws are coming to town this weekend!)
I'm making it my goal from now on to get in a minimum of the following cross training and mental/physical recovery regardless of race goals:
1 swim a week
1 bike/spin a week
1 yoga class a week
1 full recovery day every 2 weeks (one run free day)
1 long trail run on the weekends
1 massage every month (2 a month during heavy training)
ART sessions whenever an injury crops up, not after months of dealing with it!
So Many Posts so Little Time
I have so much to say here and no time to say it! Posts are brewing in my head but I have no time to spit them out :)
Busy at work and busy at home getting the house ready for a week long visit from the in-laws next week! And wouldn't you know it cross training takes up quite a bit of time too!
But I don't want anyone out there to worry about me so here is a quickie!
I am feeling happier than I have in a long time!
Cross training has been great for me mentally and physically!
I ran this week and it was glorious! (albeit slow!)
I am getting ART on my foot and it really seems to be responding!
I am closer and closer to 100% healthy each day!
Oh and have I mentioned fall is my favorite season? I am so glad I can get in some easy runs as I was worried I would miss out on all the fall fun this year!
Thanks for all the positive vibes! They are very much appreciated!
Busy at work and busy at home getting the house ready for a week long visit from the in-laws next week! And wouldn't you know it cross training takes up quite a bit of time too!
But I don't want anyone out there to worry about me so here is a quickie!
I am feeling happier than I have in a long time!
Cross training has been great for me mentally and physically!
I ran this week and it was glorious! (albeit slow!)
I am getting ART on my foot and it really seems to be responding!
I am closer and closer to 100% healthy each day!
Oh and have I mentioned fall is my favorite season? I am so glad I can get in some easy runs as I was worried I would miss out on all the fall fun this year!
Thanks for all the positive vibes! They are very much appreciated!
Here We Are
It's Wednesday and that means it is tunes time!
Once again Pandora comes through to save the day with this gem of a song. And had to laugh at the video as this morning I went to my first spinning class in forever where they had videos of some European roads scrolling so it looked like you were riding them. I guess it is a cycling and green screen kind of day :)
Once again Pandora comes through to save the day with this gem of a song. And had to laugh at the video as this morning I went to my first spinning class in forever where they had videos of some European roads scrolling so it looked like you were riding them. I guess it is a cycling and green screen kind of day :)
Megaphone Swimsuit Girl
Well there is nothing like spectating a super endurance event to get over yourself and let your hair down. This past weekend my buddy Daisy was due to race her second full distance triathlon at Cedar Point. We had such a blast cheering for her and the other triathletes last year I just could not miss out this year! Though our cheering numbers were down we brought our "A" game to the event this year with the addition of a megaphone and some sweet funny signs that Daisy printed up for us as well as bringing our bikes so we could get all around on the run course.
The crowd favorites seemed to be "Fuck Yeah, You Rock!", "Run like they are chasing you", "PR OR ER!", "Bet you can't wait to get off that bike" (for late in the bike), "Bet you wish you had that bike back" (for late in the run), amongst some other less PC signs like "If triathlon was easy it would be your mom", "Is your junk numb yet?", "Swim like you are going to drown", "We do triathletes, not triathlons", "Free nipple massages at the finish" (for those boys who chafed).
We started the day watching Daisy traipse through the muck to get in the water, and then to the start. Then we loaded up the truck and headed to the swim exit. Cheers as swimmers exited included, "nice guns", "awesome smile", "nice tats" amongst others, and we made sure to ring that cowbell proudly. Daisy was out of the water in a jiffy and we headed to mile 30/60 of the bike in Milan (after a quick starbucks stop for some much needed caffeine and fuel!).
We cranked the tunes and propped ourselves up with our signs, our cowbell, and our megaphone. It started to get warm and our cheers of encouragement traversed over into jokes about it being hot out there, or was it just the triathletes. We had quite a few men with mustaches out there and tried to single them out with some racier cheering. For the second time around we began making sure our men in spandex were appreciated. Lots of "Are you available" and "What's your number" cheers from Terlop on the megaphone were given out. Cheering or borderline harassment, you be the judge ;)
One gentleman who had seen our is your junk numb yet sign apparently wanted to make sure we remembered he had been through once and let us know that it was numb, he gave us quite a show on his second time through!
It was getting so hot the shirt had to come off, so we gave a few of the guys a "show". Unfortunately I had forgotten my swimsuit. It is a good thing I have no shame as I cheered in my running skirt, CEP socks, and Sports Bra for those cyclists to continue to "Kick Ass." The church crowd was not sure what to make of us!
Daisy was like clockwork and it wasn't long before she cruised through for the second time. We decided to wait and cheer for another 30 minutes before heading to mile 90 of the bike. We missed the lead pros, but we got to give some love to those speedy cyclists in the middle of nowhere. Terlop is a bike expert so she made sure to let those riders know which bikes she loved. The cheer for mile 90 seemed to be "You are the wind beneath my wings" or other such cheesy nonsense. And unlike last year we were all still sober at this point knowing we still planned to ride ourselves, so there was no drunk dancing in the street this year, but we tried to make up for it with our signs and megaphone spirit!
Once Daisy came through and we had hollered her ears off it was time to head to Sandusky so the boys could get some beers and we could get some food before hopping on our bikes! We found our bar with the patio on the run course and I planted myself and the megaphone so I could cheer as I waited for my food. Our buddy BH was the bike pacer for the lead male pro and he ensured me I could be heard for 4 city blocks from the bar. I would say the megaphone was already a huge success! We promised the lead pro a beer after the finish and cheered him and BH on their way.
Apparently I paint quite a picture with fork in one hand scarfing down my steak salad and megaphone in the other making sure no runner is left without cheers. I take spectating seriously.
Daisy came through and we were all excited. That queued up Terlop and I to finally get our lazy butts on our bikes and at least get in some sort of exercise! But we didn't want the triathletes to miss us too much so we stayed mostly on the run course cruising pretty easy and cheering all that we saw. After about 18 miles and seeing Daisy at mile 19 we knew we had about an hour before her finish and that we should probably up the intensity as Terlop was supposed to have some sort of workout. I don't know much about cycling but I know Terlop is pretty good, but she was riding a cyclocross bike with knobby tires so I told her to just do whatever she needed and I would play along. She apparently was worried about dropping me and didn't want to push too hard. Oh Gauntlet thrown, bring it Terlop ;) So I told her to just go hammer and not to worry about me.
We headed away from the run course so we could push without run traffic. It felt so good to hammer. It was windy but for my first time back on the road bike since Sweet Corn in 2008 (The year of the Beast), it felt pretty homey. We cruised along for 10 miles around 20 mph (humbling note Daisy averaged faster than this for 112 miles and I am pretty sure she wasn't hammering, lol), worried about making it back in time to see Daisy. Turns out we needn't have worried (my math skills are poor) and we arrived in time to get in a cool down while cheering on runners and spotting Daisy with a little over a mile to go and letting her know this was going to be a nail biter as she was currently 3rd amateur, right behind 2nd, and 4th was coming up on her quick. Those poor girls were leaving nothing out there!
We got back to the finish and let our crew know Daisy was on her way. We all cheered like the crazy crew we are for her as she came in just behind Pro athlete Nicole van Buerden (who was looking great in her Lunar Flys despite a rough day on the run course). Daisy managed to rally enough to catch 2nd but was overtaken by the lady in 4th and "settled" for 3rd amateur and 10th overall! Not quite the run she was hoping for so I was feeling for her, but very proud of her for doing so great so soon after her bike accident! I could tell every time we saw her on the run she was struggling, so I am truly impressed with her perseverance out there with her body trying to shut it down.
We watched Daisy hobble around a bit before it was time for Terlop to hit the road home and time for us to hit the showers! Unfortunately for me the hot sweaty cheering and bike ride had left my outfit quite rank! I even managed to out stink our superstar ironman Daisy. I think the boys were very torn about letting her take her ice bath before making me shower! But ice bath and shower we all did. Then my new Fiesta and I played chauffeur to go pick up Daisy's bike and bags, and then we made the trek to the Dairy Queen drive thru for some much deserved burgers (and a nutter butter blizzard for me!).
We got back to the rev3 finish line and with no delay my presence was requested at the finish line as there was a club spirit challenge to be won. I'm not one to brag, but we had an unfair advantage with me on the team, add my new friend the megaphone and it was really a no brainer. CTC was going to win this challenge hands down! I danced and cheered with tri buddy Eric as I scarfed down my blizzard and burger. We stopped for a messy hair pic with Big Sexy Chris MacDonald (what a cutie!) before getting back to work and heading to the stands to dance and cheer some more. I still hadn't really figured out what this contest was all about but all of a sudden I see a guy with a mic waving around a free swimsuit and my free scwhag loving instincts kick in and I get on the megaphone demanding to know what I have to do to get that swimsuit. My lucky day, apparently I just need to be loud and obnoxious to get that swimsuit! Also lucky for me it is my size so I proceed to suit up and continue our dance and cheer party!
Eventually I found my bravery was waning and I did throw on my jeans over that suit (Erics legs were putting mine to shame once again!). (Apparently it was on long enough for me to get donned "Megaphone Swimsuit Girl" on facebook post race by complete strangers though) After all at this point I was still adult beverage free. Daisy and her awesome hubby helped remedy that and we let the beer soak in a bit and chase my PF sore feet blues away. Amazing what some fun tunes, a few cold ones, and the adrenaline of watching all these amazing athletes can do for a sore foot!
A few of the male pros including the winner and Big Sexy were in the finishers chute donning their glow sticks and cheering on finishers while passing out freebies to the spectators. I used the power of the megaphone to help direct some freebies my friends ways. Though I had to heckle the winner a bit about his lack of tossing skills which resulted in a few direct aims at my head. But all was forgiven when we hooked him up with a few brews (as promised during the race!). Eventually a few of the women pros joined the post race finisher chute party and we really had a good time chatting with them and dancing around while cheering in the finishers.
To my surprise Simply Stu was on the staff and we had some fun heckling going on amongst the pros and the cheerers to try and determine this club spirit award! Eventually as the clock was winding down everyone was invited into the finishers chute, which made for some really fun finishes! Flags and Glow Stick tunnels as runners carrying the flag streamed in mixed in with craziness between each runners finish were the highlight. Stu and I even donned swim caps and "swam" our way up and down the chute a few times for fun. All this mixed in with dancing with my CTC buddies made for a really fun night. Alas as all parties do ours eventually did have to end. But the final results were in after the last finisher and CTC indeed did win the most spirited club award (as if there was any doubt!). We loaded all the CTC gear up and it was back to Hotel Breakers for a much needed sleep!
*Pictures to be added in when I get a chance to upload!
The crowd favorites seemed to be "Fuck Yeah, You Rock!", "Run like they are chasing you", "PR OR ER!", "Bet you can't wait to get off that bike" (for late in the bike), "Bet you wish you had that bike back" (for late in the run), amongst some other less PC signs like "If triathlon was easy it would be your mom", "Is your junk numb yet?", "Swim like you are going to drown", "We do triathletes, not triathlons", "Free nipple massages at the finish" (for those boys who chafed).
We started the day watching Daisy traipse through the muck to get in the water, and then to the start. Then we loaded up the truck and headed to the swim exit. Cheers as swimmers exited included, "nice guns", "awesome smile", "nice tats" amongst others, and we made sure to ring that cowbell proudly. Daisy was out of the water in a jiffy and we headed to mile 30/60 of the bike in Milan (after a quick starbucks stop for some much needed caffeine and fuel!).
We cranked the tunes and propped ourselves up with our signs, our cowbell, and our megaphone. It started to get warm and our cheers of encouragement traversed over into jokes about it being hot out there, or was it just the triathletes. We had quite a few men with mustaches out there and tried to single them out with some racier cheering. For the second time around we began making sure our men in spandex were appreciated. Lots of "Are you available" and "What's your number" cheers from Terlop on the megaphone were given out. Cheering or borderline harassment, you be the judge ;)
One gentleman who had seen our is your junk numb yet sign apparently wanted to make sure we remembered he had been through once and let us know that it was numb, he gave us quite a show on his second time through!
It was getting so hot the shirt had to come off, so we gave a few of the guys a "show". Unfortunately I had forgotten my swimsuit. It is a good thing I have no shame as I cheered in my running skirt, CEP socks, and Sports Bra for those cyclists to continue to "Kick Ass." The church crowd was not sure what to make of us!
Daisy was like clockwork and it wasn't long before she cruised through for the second time. We decided to wait and cheer for another 30 minutes before heading to mile 90 of the bike. We missed the lead pros, but we got to give some love to those speedy cyclists in the middle of nowhere. Terlop is a bike expert so she made sure to let those riders know which bikes she loved. The cheer for mile 90 seemed to be "You are the wind beneath my wings" or other such cheesy nonsense. And unlike last year we were all still sober at this point knowing we still planned to ride ourselves, so there was no drunk dancing in the street this year, but we tried to make up for it with our signs and megaphone spirit!
Once Daisy came through and we had hollered her ears off it was time to head to Sandusky so the boys could get some beers and we could get some food before hopping on our bikes! We found our bar with the patio on the run course and I planted myself and the megaphone so I could cheer as I waited for my food. Our buddy BH was the bike pacer for the lead male pro and he ensured me I could be heard for 4 city blocks from the bar. I would say the megaphone was already a huge success! We promised the lead pro a beer after the finish and cheered him and BH on their way.
Apparently I paint quite a picture with fork in one hand scarfing down my steak salad and megaphone in the other making sure no runner is left without cheers. I take spectating seriously.
Daisy came through and we were all excited. That queued up Terlop and I to finally get our lazy butts on our bikes and at least get in some sort of exercise! But we didn't want the triathletes to miss us too much so we stayed mostly on the run course cruising pretty easy and cheering all that we saw. After about 18 miles and seeing Daisy at mile 19 we knew we had about an hour before her finish and that we should probably up the intensity as Terlop was supposed to have some sort of workout. I don't know much about cycling but I know Terlop is pretty good, but she was riding a cyclocross bike with knobby tires so I told her to just do whatever she needed and I would play along. She apparently was worried about dropping me and didn't want to push too hard. Oh Gauntlet thrown, bring it Terlop ;) So I told her to just go hammer and not to worry about me.
We headed away from the run course so we could push without run traffic. It felt so good to hammer. It was windy but for my first time back on the road bike since Sweet Corn in 2008 (The year of the Beast), it felt pretty homey. We cruised along for 10 miles around 20 mph (humbling note Daisy averaged faster than this for 112 miles and I am pretty sure she wasn't hammering, lol), worried about making it back in time to see Daisy. Turns out we needn't have worried (my math skills are poor) and we arrived in time to get in a cool down while cheering on runners and spotting Daisy with a little over a mile to go and letting her know this was going to be a nail biter as she was currently 3rd amateur, right behind 2nd, and 4th was coming up on her quick. Those poor girls were leaving nothing out there!
We got back to the finish and let our crew know Daisy was on her way. We all cheered like the crazy crew we are for her as she came in just behind Pro athlete Nicole van Buerden (who was looking great in her Lunar Flys despite a rough day on the run course). Daisy managed to rally enough to catch 2nd but was overtaken by the lady in 4th and "settled" for 3rd amateur and 10th overall! Not quite the run she was hoping for so I was feeling for her, but very proud of her for doing so great so soon after her bike accident! I could tell every time we saw her on the run she was struggling, so I am truly impressed with her perseverance out there with her body trying to shut it down.
We watched Daisy hobble around a bit before it was time for Terlop to hit the road home and time for us to hit the showers! Unfortunately for me the hot sweaty cheering and bike ride had left my outfit quite rank! I even managed to out stink our superstar ironman Daisy. I think the boys were very torn about letting her take her ice bath before making me shower! But ice bath and shower we all did. Then my new Fiesta and I played chauffeur to go pick up Daisy's bike and bags, and then we made the trek to the Dairy Queen drive thru for some much deserved burgers (and a nutter butter blizzard for me!).
We got back to the rev3 finish line and with no delay my presence was requested at the finish line as there was a club spirit challenge to be won. I'm not one to brag, but we had an unfair advantage with me on the team, add my new friend the megaphone and it was really a no brainer. CTC was going to win this challenge hands down! I danced and cheered with tri buddy Eric as I scarfed down my blizzard and burger. We stopped for a messy hair pic with Big Sexy Chris MacDonald (what a cutie!) before getting back to work and heading to the stands to dance and cheer some more. I still hadn't really figured out what this contest was all about but all of a sudden I see a guy with a mic waving around a free swimsuit and my free scwhag loving instincts kick in and I get on the megaphone demanding to know what I have to do to get that swimsuit. My lucky day, apparently I just need to be loud and obnoxious to get that swimsuit! Also lucky for me it is my size so I proceed to suit up and continue our dance and cheer party!
Eventually I found my bravery was waning and I did throw on my jeans over that suit (Erics legs were putting mine to shame once again!). (Apparently it was on long enough for me to get donned "Megaphone Swimsuit Girl" on facebook post race by complete strangers though) After all at this point I was still adult beverage free. Daisy and her awesome hubby helped remedy that and we let the beer soak in a bit and chase my PF sore feet blues away. Amazing what some fun tunes, a few cold ones, and the adrenaline of watching all these amazing athletes can do for a sore foot!
A few of the male pros including the winner and Big Sexy were in the finishers chute donning their glow sticks and cheering on finishers while passing out freebies to the spectators. I used the power of the megaphone to help direct some freebies my friends ways. Though I had to heckle the winner a bit about his lack of tossing skills which resulted in a few direct aims at my head. But all was forgiven when we hooked him up with a few brews (as promised during the race!). Eventually a few of the women pros joined the post race finisher chute party and we really had a good time chatting with them and dancing around while cheering in the finishers.
To my surprise Simply Stu was on the staff and we had some fun heckling going on amongst the pros and the cheerers to try and determine this club spirit award! Eventually as the clock was winding down everyone was invited into the finishers chute, which made for some really fun finishes! Flags and Glow Stick tunnels as runners carrying the flag streamed in mixed in with craziness between each runners finish were the highlight. Stu and I even donned swim caps and "swam" our way up and down the chute a few times for fun. All this mixed in with dancing with my CTC buddies made for a really fun night. Alas as all parties do ours eventually did have to end. But the final results were in after the last finisher and CTC indeed did win the most spirited club award (as if there was any doubt!). We loaded all the CTC gear up and it was back to Hotel Breakers for a much needed sleep!
*Pictures to be added in when I get a chance to upload!
Fix You
I've been so very blessed so far in life. Though I am loud, selfish, defiant, obnoxious, competitive, vulgar, easily influenced, vain, combative, spoiled, and controlling (amongst my many flaws we could list), I am surrounded by this wonderful support network. I am truly loved by so many wonderful people. People who would go far lengths to ensure that I am happy despite my many flaws.
I was discussing my foot plight and the fact that in both elite women's races I did this year I failed to perform to my personal standards. During this discussion my friend and I came to the conclusion that those I surround myself with only want to see me happy. They believe, because I have told them thus, that in order to be happy I want to run an OTQ. They believe, because running an OTQ requires it, that I want to run in these exclusive fields. And when I came up with this goal I really thought this was true. I saw these women at the trials and found them to be so inspiring. I wanted to follow in their footsteps.
I haven't quite made it there, but I have made it to a level where I have been introduced to this world, and I think the truth, for me, might be that it isn't really what I expected, or what I now desire. But how do you look all these loved ones in the face and tell them that they've been supporting you for you only to "give up" when you are knocking on your goals door?
I've always put pressure on myself to excel. In high school I made it my goal to excel in cross country, in band, and in classes. I had this habit of feeling like those around me expected me to do these things, but the truth is I put those goals out there, and my loved ones rallied around me to cheer me on to reaching them.
I've been doing the same thing with my running career the past few years. I set this goal, and along the way somehow my perception became that those that love me expect me to perform, that they expect me to shine, that they expect certain times or results of me. But that isn't the truth (and if it is, those aren't the people that really love me). The truth is these people have rallied around me and want to see me achieve these things because I have given them the impression that this is my hearts true desire.
After Boston and Cleveland I was such an emotional mess, I called my mom in tears ready to hire a shrink. I was struggling with workouts and my body, and I was ready to throw in the towel. I found myself on the track pleading with my coach for a break in tears. Perhaps this should have been a sign, but I slowly started to feel better, and I convinced myself that I could push through and up until the past 4 weeks I was slowly making my way back to my previous fitness, though it was forced. When you are feeling good you put the negative and the doubts aside, I was able to tune out my foot as long as the workouts or the races were there, in focused pursuit of one thing.
Through this slew of illness, injuries, stress, and over-training my loved ones have done everything they can to help "fix" me. But the truth is I have to want to be fixed. And right now I am not sure that I do*. Maybe this injury was a blessing in disguise, one that will let me step back and look at what I really want. In the meantime I am so grateful for all my loved ones, whether they be family, friends, or my virtual network.
Yes I have shed some serious tears the past few days, and yes I am heart broken not to be running, and yes I am devastated that I just can't seem to get the timing right this year for a breakthrough run.
But I believe what I am finding is that I can and will be happy regardless of perhaps missing out on this one goal for now. That through no one's error but my own I put myself in a position where I was forced to sit down and look at what I have been doing to myself. And I don't like what I see. Look for more posts on how I am going to put the happy back into my running (once I am up and running!) and how I am going to balance all my loves and interests so that when my next obstacle comes up I won't be so devastated!
And to all those loved ones thank you so much for supporting me through my ups and downs. I promise I am going to come through this down and be happier in the long term because of it.
*I reserve the right to totally have an about face anytime on these goals. Maybe we should add bi-polar to the flaws above.
I was discussing my foot plight and the fact that in both elite women's races I did this year I failed to perform to my personal standards. During this discussion my friend and I came to the conclusion that those I surround myself with only want to see me happy. They believe, because I have told them thus, that in order to be happy I want to run an OTQ. They believe, because running an OTQ requires it, that I want to run in these exclusive fields. And when I came up with this goal I really thought this was true. I saw these women at the trials and found them to be so inspiring. I wanted to follow in their footsteps.
I haven't quite made it there, but I have made it to a level where I have been introduced to this world, and I think the truth, for me, might be that it isn't really what I expected, or what I now desire. But how do you look all these loved ones in the face and tell them that they've been supporting you for you only to "give up" when you are knocking on your goals door?
I've always put pressure on myself to excel. In high school I made it my goal to excel in cross country, in band, and in classes. I had this habit of feeling like those around me expected me to do these things, but the truth is I put those goals out there, and my loved ones rallied around me to cheer me on to reaching them.
I've been doing the same thing with my running career the past few years. I set this goal, and along the way somehow my perception became that those that love me expect me to perform, that they expect me to shine, that they expect certain times or results of me. But that isn't the truth (and if it is, those aren't the people that really love me). The truth is these people have rallied around me and want to see me achieve these things because I have given them the impression that this is my hearts true desire.
After Boston and Cleveland I was such an emotional mess, I called my mom in tears ready to hire a shrink. I was struggling with workouts and my body, and I was ready to throw in the towel. I found myself on the track pleading with my coach for a break in tears. Perhaps this should have been a sign, but I slowly started to feel better, and I convinced myself that I could push through and up until the past 4 weeks I was slowly making my way back to my previous fitness, though it was forced. When you are feeling good you put the negative and the doubts aside, I was able to tune out my foot as long as the workouts or the races were there, in focused pursuit of one thing.
Through this slew of illness, injuries, stress, and over-training my loved ones have done everything they can to help "fix" me. But the truth is I have to want to be fixed. And right now I am not sure that I do*. Maybe this injury was a blessing in disguise, one that will let me step back and look at what I really want. In the meantime I am so grateful for all my loved ones, whether they be family, friends, or my virtual network.
Yes I have shed some serious tears the past few days, and yes I am heart broken not to be running, and yes I am devastated that I just can't seem to get the timing right this year for a breakthrough run.
But I believe what I am finding is that I can and will be happy regardless of perhaps missing out on this one goal for now. That through no one's error but my own I put myself in a position where I was forced to sit down and look at what I have been doing to myself. And I don't like what I see. Look for more posts on how I am going to put the happy back into my running (once I am up and running!) and how I am going to balance all my loves and interests so that when my next obstacle comes up I won't be so devastated!
And to all those loved ones thank you so much for supporting me through my ups and downs. I promise I am going to come through this down and be happier in the long term because of it.
*I reserve the right to totally have an about face anytime on these goals. Maybe we should add bi-polar to the flaws above.
Finding My Inner Self
Got back to yoga last night for the first time in FOREVER! I've always found run fitness to be superior to swim or cycling fitness, as when I neglect swimming or cycling but I am running I seem to come back to those sports right where I left off. Well the same does not apply for yoga. My run fitness left me sweating with the masses last night. And this morning my arms feel pretty worked from all the planks and chaturangas. Clearly my body has been missing out on some much needed work in other areas, and my mind hasn't been that clear in a long time.
I tend to live inside my head. I worry, fret, assume, and over think pretty much everything. So you can imagine I love a yoga class where I have nothing to focus on but my breathing and listening to my body. (And this is where we ask, well then why the heck haven't you been making time for this all along?)
Last nights class the instructor asked us to think about ourselves and if there was something in us that was holding us back, something that wasn't allowing us to do what we pleased. The obvious answer would be my foot right now :) But I think there are some other things in there too. I certainly didn't figure it out last night in one 75 minute class, and I am sure a sports psychologist would need quite a few sessions to figure out all my neurosis, but I do think I need to take this time off to really think about what it is I want, and why within the past nine months I have found my body breaking down more than I'd like, and found myself an emotional mess a few too many times. I need to remember that everything I do should be done for me, and that as long as I am doing what makes me happy that is all that matters, no matter what that is.
I tend to live inside my head. I worry, fret, assume, and over think pretty much everything. So you can imagine I love a yoga class where I have nothing to focus on but my breathing and listening to my body. (And this is where we ask, well then why the heck haven't you been making time for this all along?)
Last nights class the instructor asked us to think about ourselves and if there was something in us that was holding us back, something that wasn't allowing us to do what we pleased. The obvious answer would be my foot right now :) But I think there are some other things in there too. I certainly didn't figure it out last night in one 75 minute class, and I am sure a sports psychologist would need quite a few sessions to figure out all my neurosis, but I do think I need to take this time off to really think about what it is I want, and why within the past nine months I have found my body breaking down more than I'd like, and found myself an emotional mess a few too many times. I need to remember that everything I do should be done for me, and that as long as I am doing what makes me happy that is all that matters, no matter what that is.
Mad World
I don't know why but I have always loved this song (the only redeeming thing from Donnie Darko for me).
Sad and beautiful. Don't worry I'm not on the edge of a cliff over here, but a melancholy tune feels appropriate on this rainy fall evening.
Sad and beautiful. Don't worry I'm not on the edge of a cliff over here, but a melancholy tune feels appropriate on this rainy fall evening.
Hiatus
Well my body is crying uncle. Rough race in Indy on Saturday and my foot is in pretty bad shape. I've put so much effort into priming my body for an OTQ attempt, but in the process I have also dug myself into a bit of a hole physically and emotionally. So now it is time to dig myself out. Sometimes the best decision is the hardest one to make. I know this is the best decision for my body right now, but my heart just aches because of it. I love running and racing and I have come so far the past few years, it is hard to see goals slip through your fingers. But I am sure I will walk away from this a stronger woman once I can get beyond the pain.
I'm going to cross train and focus on massage, yoga, relaxtation, and start working on rebuilding my mental prowess while my body heals. Not sure how long it will take to heal, my body has been pretty kind to me in that department in the past so I am still holding out hopes for a miracle this fall, but making peace with the possible reality of a long recovery. I'm going to stop running until I can wake up every morning pain free. Posting here may be sporadic for awhile, but maybe I will find an enthusiasm for yoga, swimming, and cycling again and have something positive to share! We'll see!
I'm going to cross train and focus on massage, yoga, relaxtation, and start working on rebuilding my mental prowess while my body heals. Not sure how long it will take to heal, my body has been pretty kind to me in that department in the past so I am still holding out hopes for a miracle this fall, but making peace with the possible reality of a long recovery. I'm going to stop running until I can wake up every morning pain free. Posting here may be sporadic for awhile, but maybe I will find an enthusiasm for yoga, swimming, and cycling again and have something positive to share! We'll see!
Maps
I don't know when I started listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I love their stuff. Maps is probably in my top ten favorite songs all time.
I Choose This
I've been meaning to post about this for months but just haven't gotten around to it. I'm an avid reader of all things, including blogs, and a few of them have really inspired me this year. A few lately have touched on the topic that blogs tend to highlight all the positive going on and ignore or disguise the "uglier" side of our running. I mean no one really wants to hear about how my foot was a little sorer than yesterday, or how some days it is a struggle to get through a run, and how some days you question whether or not all the effort is worth it. I look to be an inspiration, not debbie downer!
But the truth is I do struggle with everything. I am not sure I can count the amount of times this year I was "this close" to giving up on the OTQ. It isn't hard to convince yourself that perhaps your body isn't strong enough, perhaps you aren't willing to make all the necessary sacrifices, perhaps this pursuit is too selfish, perhaps this isn't good for you long term, perhaps you were happier before you started to chase this "reach for the stars" goal.
But the truth is every morning I wake up is a morning I want to run. Sometimes that gets lost when a workout is too hard or my body let's me down, but the reason I can't walk away is because I want this. I want to run every day, and I want to run faster. I love pushing myself and my boundaries. I want to nail every workout and I want to exceed my goals on race day.
I just need to remember to acknowledge the negative but focus on the positive. My feelings of frustration aren't going anywhere, they are real, and they stem from somewhere, but I don't have to let them be the end all. I am confident I will find a way to continue to enjoy every run while being true to my goals and being kind to my body! I chose this path and I will do everything in my power to make it happen!
But the truth is I do struggle with everything. I am not sure I can count the amount of times this year I was "this close" to giving up on the OTQ. It isn't hard to convince yourself that perhaps your body isn't strong enough, perhaps you aren't willing to make all the necessary sacrifices, perhaps this pursuit is too selfish, perhaps this isn't good for you long term, perhaps you were happier before you started to chase this "reach for the stars" goal.
But the truth is every morning I wake up is a morning I want to run. Sometimes that gets lost when a workout is too hard or my body let's me down, but the reason I can't walk away is because I want this. I want to run every day, and I want to run faster. I love pushing myself and my boundaries. I want to nail every workout and I want to exceed my goals on race day.
I just need to remember to acknowledge the negative but focus on the positive. My feelings of frustration aren't going anywhere, they are real, and they stem from somewhere, but I don't have to let them be the end all. I am confident I will find a way to continue to enjoy every run while being true to my goals and being kind to my body! I chose this path and I will do everything in my power to make it happen!
Confessions of a mileage junkie
I'm feeling a bit like I need an AA for runners.
I am so diligent with training and getting in the miles that a lot of little niggles/pains/minor injuries get put up with or ignored or forgotten about while I power my way through.
And up until this year I pretty much got away with it, and this in turn has created some bad habits. Of course I was able to get away with these things in the past, in the past I took rest days at least a few times a month, I thought 50 mpw was high mileage, I wasn't afraid to modify a plan and be a little flexible, because my goals were never that intimidating and I was able to achieve them.
Somewhere along the way that has changed. Last week was a prime example of training turned ugly. Sitting at dinner with a non running friend Wednesday night trying to defend my attempt at an easy run where I had to alter my pace and gait just to get through pain free. And then trying to do a tempo the next day? What is wrong with me? So here it is out in the open a list of things I have been dealing with since Cleveland. Clearly marathon training has some bumps and there is probably not a single day where everything feels good, but I am wondering if perhaps I have been ignoring some important signs and if perhaps I need to be a little kinder to my self and erase this more is always better mentality and switch to a train smarter not harder mentality.
Plantar Fasciitis. My left heel has had some level of pain every day since the Cleveland marathon attempt. Most days aren't too bad, but I have finished more than one track workout and more than one race limping only to run the next day.
Left Hamstring. My left hamstring still "talks" to me at least once on most runs. It is worlds better than it was this spring, but it is not 100%.
Right Knee. Below my right knee has been "stiff" on and off for over a month. The past month I have avoided stairs to keep it from getting further aggravated as it was painful to put full weight bearing on it while going up and down stairs.
Right Foot. Since early spring on and off my right foot has this sharp shooting pain, I assume a pinched nerve. It goes away if I really focus on form, but I can feel it if I stretch my foot the wrong way.
Left Shin. For the past 2-3 weeks my left shin has been tight beginning runs, last week it reached it's worst pain feeling like it would explode out of my skin Wednesday AM.
In addition to that on any given day my quads, calves, hips, psoas, and lower back muscles are extremely tight or sore.
Now that's out in the open feel free to chastise, commiserate etc.
I am so close to my goal I can taste it, but I need to remember that I need to actually make it to the start line healthy to achieve it.
It seems like such a simple thing when we say "Listen to your body" but marathon training inherently is pushing our bodies close to our limits, and sometimes being stubborn is a much needed trait to put in the work, but sometimes that trait is not your best friend. I'm sure I will have to learn this lesson many more times, but hopefully this confession helps me let it set in a bit. I'm human, I struggle, I'm not perfect.
The past two days have been beautiful. I had two mostly pain free runs and relished every minute. I want to be doing this for years to come. I need to remember to keep this long term goal in mind each day I am pushing my body to it's limits and take a few steps back from that line and be careful not to go over it.
I am so diligent with training and getting in the miles that a lot of little niggles/pains/minor injuries get put up with or ignored or forgotten about while I power my way through.
And up until this year I pretty much got away with it, and this in turn has created some bad habits. Of course I was able to get away with these things in the past, in the past I took rest days at least a few times a month, I thought 50 mpw was high mileage, I wasn't afraid to modify a plan and be a little flexible, because my goals were never that intimidating and I was able to achieve them.
Somewhere along the way that has changed. Last week was a prime example of training turned ugly. Sitting at dinner with a non running friend Wednesday night trying to defend my attempt at an easy run where I had to alter my pace and gait just to get through pain free. And then trying to do a tempo the next day? What is wrong with me? So here it is out in the open a list of things I have been dealing with since Cleveland. Clearly marathon training has some bumps and there is probably not a single day where everything feels good, but I am wondering if perhaps I have been ignoring some important signs and if perhaps I need to be a little kinder to my self and erase this more is always better mentality and switch to a train smarter not harder mentality.
Plantar Fasciitis. My left heel has had some level of pain every day since the Cleveland marathon attempt. Most days aren't too bad, but I have finished more than one track workout and more than one race limping only to run the next day.
Left Hamstring. My left hamstring still "talks" to me at least once on most runs. It is worlds better than it was this spring, but it is not 100%.
Right Knee. Below my right knee has been "stiff" on and off for over a month. The past month I have avoided stairs to keep it from getting further aggravated as it was painful to put full weight bearing on it while going up and down stairs.
Right Foot. Since early spring on and off my right foot has this sharp shooting pain, I assume a pinched nerve. It goes away if I really focus on form, but I can feel it if I stretch my foot the wrong way.
Left Shin. For the past 2-3 weeks my left shin has been tight beginning runs, last week it reached it's worst pain feeling like it would explode out of my skin Wednesday AM.
In addition to that on any given day my quads, calves, hips, psoas, and lower back muscles are extremely tight or sore.
Now that's out in the open feel free to chastise, commiserate etc.
I am so close to my goal I can taste it, but I need to remember that I need to actually make it to the start line healthy to achieve it.
It seems like such a simple thing when we say "Listen to your body" but marathon training inherently is pushing our bodies close to our limits, and sometimes being stubborn is a much needed trait to put in the work, but sometimes that trait is not your best friend. I'm sure I will have to learn this lesson many more times, but hopefully this confession helps me let it set in a bit. I'm human, I struggle, I'm not perfect.
The past two days have been beautiful. I had two mostly pain free runs and relished every minute. I want to be doing this for years to come. I need to remember to keep this long term goal in mind each day I am pushing my body to it's limits and take a few steps back from that line and be careful not to go over it.
Week 5 C'Bus Training 2011
For those trying to keep up with the master plan here I hope you are faring better than me :) My body just couldn't quite get it done this week. Was it wise for me to take a few days off, most certainly yes. Am I still bummed about it, most certainly yes :) I want to be superwoman! But alas I am mortal some days.
Goals were:
Total Mileage 80 - 85.
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec with
full recovery on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run: 2 miles @ 6:20, 1 miles @ 6:30, 2 miles @ 6:20, 1 mile @ 6:30,
1 mile @ 6:20
Weekend:
18 miles @ 7:25
12 miles (8 @ 6:50, 4 @ 6:35)
So as you know by now that didn't happen. Here is what did happen:
42 miles
5 runs
Two twelve mile bike rides to and from work on Friday (ride home on a flat, that made me a work a little harder than intended!)
Car shopping Saturday!
Rest Sunday.
Track:
6*800 goal 2:48-2:50 with 90 second rests followed by 2 minute rest then 1600 at 5:36 to 5:40
2:47.74, 2:47.62, 2:47.15, 2:46.87, 2:47.15, 2:47.13, 5:36.57
And then my foot and shin cried uncle. The cool down I pretty much was dragging my left leg. Dumb.
Then I proceeded to try and run Wednesday morning early and was rewarded with my shin feeling like it was going to explode for about 30 minutes of the 6 mile run. Then that evening I showed how stupid I really am by trying to get in the miles, having to keep the pace to about 9:15 to run "pain free." Not my brightest moments here. In my defense my husband was out of town and I really was trying to keep myself occupied, but I should know better by now.
Tempo:
Thursday I decided to use the NSAID cream I had from my tendonitis incident and see how the tempo would go. Well, turns out it wouldn't. The foot and shin didn't feel too bad, but the pace was overwhelming and I had to shut it down after the 4th of the 7 miles was done at 7:00 and a very high effort. My body was clearly giving me the finger.
For whatever reason my body needed, maybe still needs, some additional recovery. Clearly having just run Perfect 10 at 6:03 pace my fitness is where it needs to be, so I am not worried that I am not fit enough to attain my goals, but I am worried about my body holding up to the demands of maintaining this fitness through October 16th. Staying positive and hoping for the best while doing everything in my power to stay healthy and get in the work. Wish me luck!
Goals were:
Total Mileage 80 - 85.
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec with
full recovery on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run: 2 miles @ 6:20, 1 miles @ 6:30, 2 miles @ 6:20, 1 mile @ 6:30,
1 mile @ 6:20
Weekend:
18 miles @ 7:25
12 miles (8 @ 6:50, 4 @ 6:35)
So as you know by now that didn't happen. Here is what did happen:
42 miles
5 runs
Two twelve mile bike rides to and from work on Friday (ride home on a flat, that made me a work a little harder than intended!)
Car shopping Saturday!
Rest Sunday.
Track:
6*800 goal 2:48-2:50 with 90 second rests followed by 2 minute rest then 1600 at 5:36 to 5:40
2:47.74, 2:47.62, 2:47.15, 2:46.87, 2:47.15, 2:47.13, 5:36.57
And then my foot and shin cried uncle. The cool down I pretty much was dragging my left leg. Dumb.
Then I proceeded to try and run Wednesday morning early and was rewarded with my shin feeling like it was going to explode for about 30 minutes of the 6 mile run. Then that evening I showed how stupid I really am by trying to get in the miles, having to keep the pace to about 9:15 to run "pain free." Not my brightest moments here. In my defense my husband was out of town and I really was trying to keep myself occupied, but I should know better by now.
Tempo:
Thursday I decided to use the NSAID cream I had from my tendonitis incident and see how the tempo would go. Well, turns out it wouldn't. The foot and shin didn't feel too bad, but the pace was overwhelming and I had to shut it down after the 4th of the 7 miles was done at 7:00 and a very high effort. My body was clearly giving me the finger.
For whatever reason my body needed, maybe still needs, some additional recovery. Clearly having just run Perfect 10 at 6:03 pace my fitness is where it needs to be, so I am not worried that I am not fit enough to attain my goals, but I am worried about my body holding up to the demands of maintaining this fitness through October 16th. Staying positive and hoping for the best while doing everything in my power to stay healthy and get in the work. Wish me luck!
If I ever Feel Better
I had a great track workout Tuesday night. Unfortunately my foot and shin did not agree. Despite my best efforts to "stay ahead" of my plantar fasciitis and the resulting shin splits things are catching up to me. I think the bad tempos should have been an indicator that I just wasn't paying enough attention to recovery and was too focused on getting all the miles in. Another bad tempo last night and my shin feeling like it might explode at any minute have me doing my best to behave for the next few days. Broke out the bike for the commute today and will try to get in some cycling/swimming to keep up the aerobic fitness while hopefully healing the foot and shin quickly. Let's hope the old 3 days off is just what it needs! And if it is more I will be doing my best to stay motivated while keeping my fitness high but letting my muscles/tendons/fascia recover.
*Edited to add* After relaying all of this to coach I have been ordered to take the weekend off. no running, no biking, etc. so after the ride home tonight it is resting up time. Healing vibes for this girl!
*Edited to add* After relaying all of this to coach I have been ordered to take the weekend off. no running, no biking, etc. so after the ride home tonight it is resting up time. Healing vibes for this girl!
Weird Fishes
I absolutely adore In Rainbows and I just love this tune. The video I am not so sure about, you can be the judge!
Columbus 2011 Training Week 4
Goals for the week were:
Total Mileage 80.
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:25 pace on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run 4 miles @ 6:20, 1 mile @ 6:15, 1 mile @ 6:05
Weekend:
20 miles @ 7:30
12 miles @ 6:55
Well as previously logged Thursdays tempo was not the greatest and Fridays lunch run wherein I proceeded to walk back to my office seeing stars was not much better. I'm thinking I was just a tad overrun for whatever reason. So I put up my feet Friday, carbed up as best I could, and ignored the watch on the weekend runs and just ran by feel, leaving myself the option of breaking up the runs if the body said no, but thankfully I survived both long runs no worse for wear. The 12 miler was a bit slow and the long run was a bit fast. We'll call that good enough!
Oddly enough the left foot and right knee are feeling better. I didn't notice the knee at all this week, and though my left foot is tender it is worlds better. So I will continue with the daily ice massages, the shin stretches/strengthening, and I got a new pair of trainers. My left shin on the other hand has been griping the first 2-3 miles of the runs, but hopefully the shin exercises will have that in shape too here shortly.
Stats:
80 miles
8 runs
One 20 minute swim
Total Mileage 80.
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:25 pace on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run 4 miles @ 6:20, 1 mile @ 6:15, 1 mile @ 6:05
Weekend:
20 miles @ 7:30
12 miles @ 6:55
Well as previously logged Thursdays tempo was not the greatest and Fridays lunch run wherein I proceeded to walk back to my office seeing stars was not much better. I'm thinking I was just a tad overrun for whatever reason. So I put up my feet Friday, carbed up as best I could, and ignored the watch on the weekend runs and just ran by feel, leaving myself the option of breaking up the runs if the body said no, but thankfully I survived both long runs no worse for wear. The 12 miler was a bit slow and the long run was a bit fast. We'll call that good enough!
Oddly enough the left foot and right knee are feeling better. I didn't notice the knee at all this week, and though my left foot is tender it is worlds better. So I will continue with the daily ice massages, the shin stretches/strengthening, and I got a new pair of trainers. My left shin on the other hand has been griping the first 2-3 miles of the runs, but hopefully the shin exercises will have that in shape too here shortly.
Stats:
80 miles
8 runs
One 20 minute swim
Mosquito bites, horseflys, and busted tempos, Oh My.
Hello, my name is Elizabeth, and I frequently run failed tempos.
Now that we got that out of the way ;)
Last nights tempo was another lack luster performance on my part. If I didn't have a history of these bad tempos last fall I suppose I would be worried, but the truth is I just ran arguably my second or 1st best race ever, 10 miles at 6:03 pace, and Tuesday I ran 5*1600 comfortably at 5:52ish pace. Reality is I am a better racer the longer I go, and I am good at grinding out a lot of miles at a moderately fast pace, even if for some reason that doesn't always show up for Thursdays planned attempt to do the same. So showing up last night and failing to be able to get my breathing under control, and feeling like each mile was 5 miles doesn't really have me too concerned, yet.
Last year most of the tempos that I didn't have issues were ones that I pushed back to Friday or ones where I had fallen apart at the track. I think maybe my body just needs a little more time between track and tempo to really feel good, does that mean I can't do the tempo even if I am not fully recovered, no, but it means I need to do a much better job mentally and be prepared for a much tougher effort than I think it should be. In my head last nights tempo with 4 miles at 6:20, 1 at 6:15, and 1 at 6:05 I should feel like am running between half marathon and marathon effort for the first 5 miles and the last mile should feel between 5k and 10k effort. Unfortunately I felt like I was alternating between 5k and mile race pace effort last night and the paces were bad. I typically stop looking at the watch when this happens because clearly seeing bad splits does nothing to boost your ego or to help with the effort. Despite ignoring the watch and changing over to effort I had to come to a complete stop several times last night just to get my breathing and heart rate under control.
Then starts the internal battle. Am I being stubborn? Should I quit and do this tomorrow? Is it better to get in 6 slower tempo miles now and move on or would it be better to back it off, recover another day and try again this weekend?
I go into each of these workouts assuming I will get it done. And when I start to really struggle I am always caught off guard despite this being a relatively common occurrence for me. I don't like to plan for failure so I don't go into the workout with a set plan for what to do if I just can't do the planned workout. Maybe I should change that strategy...
I do need to figure out some sort of back up plan for nights like last night where I am just killing myself but can't hit the pace. I seem to be really affected by terrain on my tempo runs, whether that is because I am still not fully recovered from Tuesdays track efforts, or if mentally I only have so much wherewithal for the week I am not sure. So I think the next few tempos I will be hitting the track, I can take out all the outside variables then and even take the Garmin out of the equation. I'm hoping having a flat surface with no worries about trusting the watch might be enough to keep the tempos on Thursday and hit the paces without issue.
We'll see!
6:23.27
6:16.78
6:35.65
6:36.24 (2 stops to catch my breath/regroup)
6:41.61 (one water stop)
6:23.75 (one regroup stop and one water stop)
(Time from stops not included in the mile splits, sadly!)
Staying positive. I had a great time with my running pals after the workout last night and on the way home was belting along with FF (who we are seeing in a month!!!). I am so grateful for my rocking speedy body and all the fast miles it has given to me this year.
"Getting good at starting over, Every time that I return, I'm learning to walk again, I believe I've waited long enough, where do I begin?"
Now that we got that out of the way ;)
Last nights tempo was another lack luster performance on my part. If I didn't have a history of these bad tempos last fall I suppose I would be worried, but the truth is I just ran arguably my second or 1st best race ever, 10 miles at 6:03 pace, and Tuesday I ran 5*1600 comfortably at 5:52ish pace. Reality is I am a better racer the longer I go, and I am good at grinding out a lot of miles at a moderately fast pace, even if for some reason that doesn't always show up for Thursdays planned attempt to do the same. So showing up last night and failing to be able to get my breathing under control, and feeling like each mile was 5 miles doesn't really have me too concerned, yet.
Last year most of the tempos that I didn't have issues were ones that I pushed back to Friday or ones where I had fallen apart at the track. I think maybe my body just needs a little more time between track and tempo to really feel good, does that mean I can't do the tempo even if I am not fully recovered, no, but it means I need to do a much better job mentally and be prepared for a much tougher effort than I think it should be. In my head last nights tempo with 4 miles at 6:20, 1 at 6:15, and 1 at 6:05 I should feel like am running between half marathon and marathon effort for the first 5 miles and the last mile should feel between 5k and 10k effort. Unfortunately I felt like I was alternating between 5k and mile race pace effort last night and the paces were bad. I typically stop looking at the watch when this happens because clearly seeing bad splits does nothing to boost your ego or to help with the effort. Despite ignoring the watch and changing over to effort I had to come to a complete stop several times last night just to get my breathing and heart rate under control.
Then starts the internal battle. Am I being stubborn? Should I quit and do this tomorrow? Is it better to get in 6 slower tempo miles now and move on or would it be better to back it off, recover another day and try again this weekend?
I go into each of these workouts assuming I will get it done. And when I start to really struggle I am always caught off guard despite this being a relatively common occurrence for me. I don't like to plan for failure so I don't go into the workout with a set plan for what to do if I just can't do the planned workout. Maybe I should change that strategy...
I do need to figure out some sort of back up plan for nights like last night where I am just killing myself but can't hit the pace. I seem to be really affected by terrain on my tempo runs, whether that is because I am still not fully recovered from Tuesdays track efforts, or if mentally I only have so much wherewithal for the week I am not sure. So I think the next few tempos I will be hitting the track, I can take out all the outside variables then and even take the Garmin out of the equation. I'm hoping having a flat surface with no worries about trusting the watch might be enough to keep the tempos on Thursday and hit the paces without issue.
We'll see!
6:23.27
6:16.78
6:35.65
6:36.24 (2 stops to catch my breath/regroup)
6:41.61 (one water stop)
6:23.75 (one regroup stop and one water stop)
(Time from stops not included in the mile splits, sadly!)
Staying positive. I had a great time with my running pals after the workout last night and on the way home was belting along with FF (who we are seeing in a month!!!). I am so grateful for my rocking speedy body and all the fast miles it has given to me this year.
"Getting good at starting over, Every time that I return, I'm learning to walk again, I believe I've waited long enough, where do I begin?"
Magic
I've been trying to post a video every Wednesday that I am either grooving on or captures my current mood but my video/music muse has apparently left the building this week hence a day late post. Going to just have to settle for a fun little tune and video to get me pumped for the tempo tonight.
Strength 1600 Repeats
Last night at the track focus was on strength rather than speed. Which was just fine with me given the tender left heel and having just raced on Sunday. Workout was our standby 5*1600 at 10k pace with 90 second rests. Unfortunately for me my training partner NC is just too darn fast for me now and my fitness is finally improving enough that I can't run with Salty and FD anymore, so I am on my own these days at the track and for tempos. (Hint hint if there are any 37ish minute 10k, 1:00:xx 10 mile, or 2:45ish marathoners in NE Ohio looking for a training partner let me know!!!)
But MR showed up and needed at least her first 1600 to be around my pace so I had a nice mile with her to set the tone for the rest of my solo repeats. I thought the goal was 5:56 pace, but that seems wrong now that I am doing the math so maybe it was 5:54s. I had it in my head that I needed one 88 and the rest to be 89 for the quarter splits which would be 5:54 I think. Whatever.
First one with MR we went out right on target 45 through the 200 and 88/89 through the quarter. She was supposed to pick it up as the mile went and I let her pull ahead the last two quarters thinking I had eased into pace but came through a little fast in 5:51.
Next four I was on my own but they pretty much clicked off rather effortlessly. I had a relaxing song in my head and only occasionally had to remind myself to pick my head up and focus.
Splits:
5:50.8, 5:53.48, 5:52.10, 5:52.58, 5:48.30
I've run this workout faster with company, but I've also done it slower, so I was happy to get it all done below goal pace while feeling in control (no hammering) two days post race.
But MR showed up and needed at least her first 1600 to be around my pace so I had a nice mile with her to set the tone for the rest of my solo repeats. I thought the goal was 5:56 pace, but that seems wrong now that I am doing the math so maybe it was 5:54s. I had it in my head that I needed one 88 and the rest to be 89 for the quarter splits which would be 5:54 I think. Whatever.
First one with MR we went out right on target 45 through the 200 and 88/89 through the quarter. She was supposed to pick it up as the mile went and I let her pull ahead the last two quarters thinking I had eased into pace but came through a little fast in 5:51.
Next four I was on my own but they pretty much clicked off rather effortlessly. I had a relaxing song in my head and only occasionally had to remind myself to pick my head up and focus.
Splits:
5:50.8, 5:53.48, 5:52.10, 5:52.58, 5:48.30
I've run this workout faster with company, but I've also done it slower, so I was happy to get it all done below goal pace while feeling in control (no hammering) two days post race.
Weekly Rundown C'Bus Training Week 3
Goals for the week:
Total Mileage 75.
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track (Mile Time Trial).
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run: 7 miles @ 6:35 pace
Weekend:
Saturday: 5 easy miles.
Sunday: Perfect 10 race.
How it played out:
75 miles
7 runs
massage Friday
New 10 mile PR
New 1600 meter PR
I need to really be diligent with stretching and icing from here on out. I am going to try to get in for a few more massages as that really seemed to help with the left side issues. My left foot is becoming more of a concern, but it responded well to sticking it in an air cast last night and icing a few times throughout the day. The massage therapist indicated that my calfs are getting disproportionally strong in comparison to my shins which probably isn't helping the PF, and also could lead to other issues like tibial stress fractures, so I am adding in some shin strengthening to my daily routine.
Total Mileage 75.
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track (Mile Time Trial).
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run: 7 miles @ 6:35 pace
Weekend:
Saturday: 5 easy miles.
Sunday: Perfect 10 race.
How it played out:
75 miles
7 runs
massage Friday
New 10 mile PR
New 1600 meter PR
I need to really be diligent with stretching and icing from here on out. I am going to try to get in for a few more massages as that really seemed to help with the left side issues. My left foot is becoming more of a concern, but it responded well to sticking it in an air cast last night and icing a few times throughout the day. The massage therapist indicated that my calfs are getting disproportionally strong in comparison to my shins which probably isn't helping the PF, and also could lead to other issues like tibial stress fractures, so I am adding in some shin strengthening to my daily routine.
Reunited
I don't know why but as I finished out the Perfect 10 miler yesterday the lyrics "Reunited and It Feels So Good" popped into my head. I've come down a bit from my post race high, and found some nitpicky things to admonish myself for, but overall I am still feeling really great about the race yesterday. Like I am finally back to racing like myself again and ready to really rock it at the marathon this fall (as long as I can kick this PF in my left foot!)
I really wish I wouldn't have reviewed my Garmin splits before writing this race report though. I looked at my watch 2 or 3 times the whole race yesterday and only went off feel, using racers around me, and the race clocks to judge my effort. Let's just say my race time perception was a much more positive one that what it would have been had I been tuned into that watch :) The Garmin miles did not line up to a single marker on the course and the total mileage was a hair short which is a bit depressing. But gladly it isn't much short so even if you handicap my finishing time the .04ish miles it may have been short this would still have put my race solidly in my "A" goal target range.
I really wish I wouldn't have reviewed my Garmin splits before writing this race report though. I looked at my watch 2 or 3 times the whole race yesterday and only went off feel, using racers around me, and the race clocks to judge my effort. Let's just say my race time perception was a much more positive one that what it would have been had I been tuned into that watch :) The Garmin miles did not line up to a single marker on the course and the total mileage was a hair short which is a bit depressing. But gladly it isn't much short so even if you handicap my finishing time the .04ish miles it may have been short this would still have put my race solidly in my "A" goal target range.
So I will do my best to give this report as I remember it, and how it felt during the race. And try not to bias anything by my post race knowledge of the splits being significantly different from one mile to another :) But for posterity's sake I'll post the Garmin splits at the end.
I've raced Perfect 10 twice. Two years ago it was probably the first race where I made a breakthrough after working with my coach. Despite that I wasn't too hyped up for this. The race course is ok, but lots of turns and some rollers, and the weather is usually hot. Add to that the field usually isn't very deep and it is hard to get amped for a breakthrough. It wasn't on my original plan, I had really wanted to run CRIM this year, but the timing on CRIM and my planned half didn't work out, so Perfect 10 was the obvious back up 10 miler. Despite, or maybe because of, that my original intentions were to just hammer the race and see if I could possibly snatch up a sub 60 10 mile or blow up trying. Before all my set-backs this winter and spring I would definitely have thought I would be running sub 6 pace for the 10 mile by now. But given how things have gone I knew it was a bit of a stretch. I asked coach after the time trial on Tuesday if he was okay with me running a bit kamikaze for this one and he didn't seem too keen about it. Suggesting I'd be better off targeting 6:0X pace. I.e. I'd be in good shape if I broke 61.
I thought about it all week, discussed it with a few pals, and decided this would be a good chance for me to practice patience in a longer race and trust that I could hold the pace or pick it up later in the race. Given my disastrous race at Boston and my less than stellar tempos where I have started fast and either faded or blown up, I decided that despite my desire to really find my limits in a race and try to find that extra gear this was not the race to run like an idiot.
So I changed my race plan to going out somewhere between 6:05 and 6:10, trying to run 6-6:05 for the first half, and see if I could bring that down to 6 the last five. I visualized myself doing this a few times, and was pretty confident it would be a good run. At some point the week prior I did have this weird fear that for some reason I would get to the race and they wouldn't have me registered and I would have to fight to get my bib, but shrugged that off as pre race nerves.
Race morning arrived and my stomach was not on board. Uggh. Despite that my legs felt really good having gotten a massage Friday night, and the weird left side sluggishness was gone. Stomach issues got me to the race a little later than planned and I hustled over to packet pick up and proceeded to wait and wait and wait in line. Got to the table and surprise surprise, my bib is nowhere to be found. Uggh. Not good. I briefly wondered if perhaps one of my friends picked it up, or maybe someone accidentally got my bib when my training friend SB was also told they didn't have her bib. They found the RD and ushered us off to get new bibs. Just after getting the new bib Salty and NC found me and announced they had my bib. Good, but now I am a bit stressed, my stomach is still sketchy, and time for the warm up is running low. They were parked on the opposite side as me so we jogged to my car, grabbed my race shoes and then headed to NCs car to get our bibs on. Realized I forgot to take pepto and went back to my car again before finally changing, deciding that despite the cooler temps and rain that I'd be happier in a sport bra because of the humidity.
Next problem was we were ten minutes from go time and I still had to go and the line was out of control. We found a lone portalet that was locked with no one in it, but that was no sweat for us, I just pried that baby open and took care of business!
Finally got in a few strides and headed to the start. Did an abbreviated dynamic warm up, a few more strides, then lined up with the rest of the crew. NC was there, she is my training buddy and local super star, so I knew I wouldn't be running her race. There were a few guys I thought I might be able to hang with, and then another local running chick who usually sticks to shorter distance races, this would be her first race longer than 5 miles, running with her husband. She is faster than me in the short stuff, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to stick with her for a slightly longer race. I tend to improve the longer I go, so as you can guess I was definitely looking forward to feeling more comfortable than I have in a race in a long time :)
Our friend Allanjel showed up at the start to cheer and take photos. We got some fun shots and NC chided me for holding up the peace sign, as apparently one should never hold up the number 2 before a race. I told her I would be more than happy to be top 3, and 2 would be A-OK with me :) But given our other speedy friend got my lucky number as her bib and has beat me in every race we've run together, I knew I'd need more than luck to place second that morning. ;) Other than that I was basically my usual cheesy start line self. They had a bit of a delay and were playing some music to entertain us, I tried to start a dance party, but no one else seemed to want to join. Oh well!
Not sure if NC is holding up a 1 here or calling me a loser ;)
Eventually things did indeed get started and I did my best to roll out behind NC and not get caught up in the quick pace. I knew she planned to run 5:50ish pace the whole way and didn't want to get pulled into that. I watched as a small pack of guys took off with her behind the 5 or so guys that took off into the lead. Then I watched as a few guys I normally race around started to inch up on her little pack that also grew to include LB and her husband. I just focused on staying comfortable and relaxed. I think I glanced at the watch at a half mile or so and it was in the 5:40s so I backed it down a hair. I decided I needed to stick to the plan and not get caught up in anyone else's pace, even if that meant running solo for awhile. I'd have to try and run some people down later in the race if they wanted to push the pace early.
My Garmin beeped a bit before the mile marker and I saw 5:50 something and knew I needed to chill a bit more. Though I crossed the race mile marker right at 6 and thought that was pretty good. I let the pack I was targeting pull ahead and settled into my own rhythm. I have been watching some old track races to get fired up and I have been visualizing myself running like Jen Rhines. I really tried to emulate that grinder/evenly paced effort since that is how I typically race. Now I had just added an extra visual of someone elite that employs a similar strategy to really force myself to stay positive about my racing experience and trust myself and trust my racing instincts.
The second mile volunteer called out somewhere around 12 minute pace for that mile and I was feeling nice and smooth. I was a bit surprised to get caught by a few guys here, and worked my way up to a pack of 3 or so local guys I knew and encouraged them to work together. Alas it seemed to be an every man for themselves day and a few pulled ahead and a few fell behind. Apparently no one was up for a pack mentality.
I just focused on whoever was ahead of me, using the mantra relax and glide to force myself to run smooth and keep the pace and breathing relaxed. I hit the third mile and the volunteer called out somewhere around 17:56 and coach was there telling me I was ahead of the pace. Upon NC's advice I had stuffed my gel in my bra and was planning to take it at mile 4 but during the pre race talk it had sounded to me like there was no water stop at 4, the gel was irritating my skin so I decided to take it just after 3 and fell back a little from the guys I was with here.
Miles 4 and 5 I did my best to use my mantra and really just focused on slowly closing the gap on the guys in front of me. I really felt relaxed and like I was nailing the effort, so I was a bit surprised to pass the 5 mile clock and see 29:56 and again hear coach telling me I was ahead of the target. These miles are on a long uphill stretch into the wind and I really was just focused on staying smooth and not wasting energy. The sub 30 was a mental boost for sure, and I had to laugh about my morning post saying I would no longer be trying to hold sub 6 for as long as possible and here I was doing just that.
As I neared the out and back turn around I got to see my speedy buddies up ahead. Kam Lee as usual was killing it and NC was far ahead of all us other ladies. Unfortunately for me LB and her hubby were also pretty far up on me. I was definitely getting geared up for a long push if I wanted to even come close.
I caught two of the guys in the 5th mile and was surprised that one of them, MB, went with me and even surged ahead of me in the 6th mile. When we hit the turn around I started to push. I felt a surge of energy and I was ready to start hammering. It was a downhill stretch and the wind was at our backs now, I was ready to see about this negative split!
MB, to his credit, stuck with me for the next 2 or so miles. I cheered a few buddies that were coming up the opposite side, but had to resort to a friendly wave when I heard some of the latter cheers as I was definitely starting to work. Allanjel was at about the 7 mile mark taking photos, I contemplated "posing" but didn't muster the energy (and was rewarded with an unflattering awful action shot) but was grateful for her cheering and reminding me to relax. I shook out my arms and started pumping them harder and really driving the next mile.
Uggh! Note to self, there is always time for smiles mid race if you don't want to look like this in your race photos! Also rain+sports bra+race effort just does not equally flattering on me, I look like I am doing some weird sort of jig!
I was by myself now and at mile 8 the volunteer called out 48:16ish. My race brain math told me I needed a 6 and a 5:45 mile if I wanted to break 60. I had been closing the gap on LB and her hubby, and one older gentleman who had pulled away from me really early in the race, but I was starting to run out of steam. I really focused on trying to close the gap that next mile, perhaps was thrown off a little bit by a van that seemed to be following the gentleman in front of me, but did my best to ignore the wind and the small rollers that were slowly juicing me. I did look at the Garmin when it beeped for mile 9 and saw a 6:12. Ouch! So I did what any sane racer does and tried to tap back into my mantra and dig deep to really push that last mile.
I had definitely closed the gap on LB and her hubby, but unfortunately I was running out of real estate. I don't remember what tune it was now, but some slow oldies tune got stuck in my head, and I had to force myself to find a better pump me up tune and dig in. A young guy passed me with about a half mile to go, but the legs just wouldn't respond, I knew if I wanted to catch LB I had to go with him, but I was just not going to be able to do it. I pumped my hand and did my best sprinter imitation as I headed into the stadium and onto the track. Crossed the line knowing I had just run a great race and feeling really happy with the effort.
According to the official results I ran 1:00:26. I always wait to stop my watch until after the line because I like to be pleasantly surprised when the results are posted rather than upset about the race saying I ran slower than my watch, plus photos of you stopping your watch on the line are lame ;) So I was admittedly a little disappointed that the official time wasn't closer to 1:00:23 given I had 1:00:25 after having waited a few seconds across the line before stopping the watch. Oh well. Still a major PR and as my watch splits below would reveal, I should not be greedy as if it was up to my Garmin I would have run closer to 1:00:39.
So I quickly found my coach and the keys as I was now freezing post race, soaking wet in my buns and sports bra, and then jogged around with my friends and got in my cool down feeling elated, and shocked that despite going against what I had said and going out sub 6 for at least 5 miles that I had come back in 30:30 and finally run a race on par with what I had done last fall at Columbus, perhaps evenly marginally better than Columbus depending on whose fitness calculator you use ;) During the race I had just gone with the flow despite hearing the fast splits because the weather was cool and I figured we were all seeing a boost in times after suffering through so many miserable hot and humid runs this year.
Post race awards!
To keep it real my garmin splits are below:
5:48, 6:10, 5:56, 6:06, 6:17, 6:24, 5:48, 6:02, 6:12, 5:44 (5:57 pace)
Meaning 5 miles according to my Garmin was closer to 30:17 and showing that I had run a bit more conservatively that first half, as promised, than what the race clocks previously indicated. And meaning the second 4.96 was in 30:10, would be around 30:23 if we decide it was short. Meaning a pretty evenly paced race, despite all those crazy splits! I guess the course is more rolling than I thought because I really think other than the first mile and the 6-8 push my effort was pretty even.
Well you can imagine I was a little less stoked after seeing the Garmin splits, and seeing my Garmins 9.96 total and not 10+ :) But like I said I am still really happy with the effort and the result. I just find it amusing that I can so wholeheartedly be fooled into thinking I am running something in a much different manner than reality. Just goes to show how much perception affects our efforts! Also meaning I really can just trust myself in these races and not worry so much about watches and clocks, I can confidently say that for the day and the conditions I nailed this one. It feels so good to run the way you know is possible deep down.
Change of Plans
Not last minute, but last minute posting about it :) I decided I am going to practice patience instead of balls today. So the new plan is to go out at a reasonable pace and see if I can't negative split this sucker in an effort to teach myself patience for the marathon!
Wish me luck! Hopefully these thunderstorms don't delay the party!
Wish me luck! Hopefully these thunderstorms don't delay the party!
Longer Slower Tempo Night
With the time trial on Tuesday and Perfect 10 coming up on Sunday this weeks tempo was a little slower, but a little longer. Goal was 7 miles at 6:35 pace. A work meeting at lunch thwarted my plans to get the tempo done at lunch and double in the evening. The weather took a nose dive in temps this week so a lunch run actually would have been pleasant for once. Alas that didn't work out so I met up with Salty at North Chagrin and we ran the roads for our tempo. Course is rolling, and there is a lot of traffic so I was conscious of keeping aware and alert.
I decided to reset the watch this week and just focus on average pace rather than each individual mile. This worked out pretty well though with the rollers it was a bit tougher to nail things. Somewhere in the middle of mile 6 I saw the average pace had slowed from 6:32 to 6:36 and I overcompensated a bit that last mile and ended up with 7 at 6:31 for the night. (6:35,6:26,6:40,6:33,6:30,6:40,6:16)
My whole left side just felt "off" almost like the glute/hamstring/quad weren't engaging. Definitely a weird feeling. It wasn't like I was dragging the leg, but it definitely didn't feel like it had that normal bounce back after each step. Hoping the massage tonight will loosen everything up and it will feel normal for Sunday. It felt better on the cool down and this mornings super slow jog. The left foot was pretty pissy for 2 or so miles before finally loosening up. My stomach was threatening to rebel but thankfully waited until after the tempo miles were over.
Despite that got in a long cool down to get in the 16 miles for the day and got to see some buddies out racing the Twilight Trail 8k.
I decided to reset the watch this week and just focus on average pace rather than each individual mile. This worked out pretty well though with the rollers it was a bit tougher to nail things. Somewhere in the middle of mile 6 I saw the average pace had slowed from 6:32 to 6:36 and I overcompensated a bit that last mile and ended up with 7 at 6:31 for the night. (6:35,6:26,6:40,6:33,6:30,6:40,6:16)
My whole left side just felt "off" almost like the glute/hamstring/quad weren't engaging. Definitely a weird feeling. It wasn't like I was dragging the leg, but it definitely didn't feel like it had that normal bounce back after each step. Hoping the massage tonight will loosen everything up and it will feel normal for Sunday. It felt better on the cool down and this mornings super slow jog. The left foot was pretty pissy for 2 or so miles before finally loosening up. My stomach was threatening to rebel but thankfully waited until after the tempo miles were over.
Despite that got in a long cool down to get in the 16 miles for the day and got to see some buddies out racing the Twilight Trail 8k.
You Wish
Turns out some good tunes just don't have videos :) But this one is worth a listen anyways, in my opinion. Just good kick back and chill music.
1600 TT
Well last night was our annual 1600 meter time trial on the track. Being that my focus is on the marathon I wasn't particularly amped for this one. If I felt good I thought I might be able to run 5:05ish. Last year I ran 5:17 and followed that up with 5:20 at Case this spring. Dreams of sub 5 obviously dance in your head, but reality for me right now is shy of where those dreams would like it to be, for now.
The weather actually played nice last night. First workout in what seems like months that I did not end looking like I jumped in the lake. But my throat was dry, so I bummed a piece of gum off NC so I would not feel thirsty during the mile.
We warmed up, did some strides, and watched half of the group get in their time trial before starting into ours.
I just wanted to run off effort, try not to get hung up on the splits, and try to make it an honest mile. I figured if I was between 75 and 80 each split that would be a good night. We took off from the second lane, when we cut in I was shocked to see the guys in the outside lanes already far ahead of us and briefly wondered if we had cut in too early, but turns out they are just that darn fast :) First lap I managed to get around TR and came through in 74. Next lap worked my way around one more guy in 2:31. Then I was in no mans land. Definitely feeling it, but I did my best to keep my effort up. I could hear heavy breathing behind me and just tried to focus on my effort. Shortly before finishing the 3rd lap GH caught me and coach and he urged me to go with him which got me out of my third lap slump (somewhere around 3:53) and back into the game. Unfortunately GH had to pull up around 150 into the lap so I did my best to focus on NC who was far ahead of me and reel her in just a little bit. Crossed in 5:10.76. Second PR of the year for me (Ah how different things can be one year to the next, from PRs in every race to struggling to stay near your previous level!). Ironically my only PRs this year are now in the 3000 meters (admittedly still a soft PR) and now the 1600 meter. Basically two events that are not really my thing. While I have done better in each race than I did last year, I am still a bit behind my amazing fall times, so it is nice to notch a PR, even if it is in a 1600 meter time trial! Good news is this weekend I should be shattering my currently very soft 10 mile PR.
The lungs definitely felt the effort last night. I've been holding allergies or a cold at bay for a few weeks now with runny nose and sore throat, and my throat and lungs were ragged after the mile.
But with a 10 or so minute recovery I was able to follow up the time trial with our prescribed 12*200s with 200 jogs. All in 38-40. Basically just working on foot speed. Still not a fan of 200s. They take forever with the rests and for some reason to me they just don't feel like a real workout, though they usually whoop my butt.
My left foot definitely was angry about all the speed last night so I will be icing and stretching and rolling and hopefully will keep it at bay until a massage Friday night!
The weather actually played nice last night. First workout in what seems like months that I did not end looking like I jumped in the lake. But my throat was dry, so I bummed a piece of gum off NC so I would not feel thirsty during the mile.
We warmed up, did some strides, and watched half of the group get in their time trial before starting into ours.
I just wanted to run off effort, try not to get hung up on the splits, and try to make it an honest mile. I figured if I was between 75 and 80 each split that would be a good night. We took off from the second lane, when we cut in I was shocked to see the guys in the outside lanes already far ahead of us and briefly wondered if we had cut in too early, but turns out they are just that darn fast :) First lap I managed to get around TR and came through in 74. Next lap worked my way around one more guy in 2:31. Then I was in no mans land. Definitely feeling it, but I did my best to keep my effort up. I could hear heavy breathing behind me and just tried to focus on my effort. Shortly before finishing the 3rd lap GH caught me and coach and he urged me to go with him which got me out of my third lap slump (somewhere around 3:53) and back into the game. Unfortunately GH had to pull up around 150 into the lap so I did my best to focus on NC who was far ahead of me and reel her in just a little bit. Crossed in 5:10.76. Second PR of the year for me (Ah how different things can be one year to the next, from PRs in every race to struggling to stay near your previous level!). Ironically my only PRs this year are now in the 3000 meters (admittedly still a soft PR) and now the 1600 meter. Basically two events that are not really my thing. While I have done better in each race than I did last year, I am still a bit behind my amazing fall times, so it is nice to notch a PR, even if it is in a 1600 meter time trial! Good news is this weekend I should be shattering my currently very soft 10 mile PR.
The lungs definitely felt the effort last night. I've been holding allergies or a cold at bay for a few weeks now with runny nose and sore throat, and my throat and lungs were ragged after the mile.
But with a 10 or so minute recovery I was able to follow up the time trial with our prescribed 12*200s with 200 jogs. All in 38-40. Basically just working on foot speed. Still not a fan of 200s. They take forever with the rests and for some reason to me they just don't feel like a real workout, though they usually whoop my butt.
My left foot definitely was angry about all the speed last night so I will be icing and stretching and rolling and hopefully will keep it at bay until a massage Friday night!
Columbus 2011 Training Week 2
Goals for the week
Total Mileage 75-80
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run: 6 miles @ 6:15 pace
Weekend:
17 miles @ 7:30
12 miles (4 miles @ 7:15, 4 miles @ 7:00, 4 miles @ 6:50)
How it played out:
80 miles
9 runs/2 doubles
All workouts at or below pace for all but the tempo
Two fun relay events Friday and Saturday to get in the extra 5 miles I needed for the week.
Long runs were humid scorchers, but survived and so far seem no worse for wear (knock on wood!)
biked 4 easy miles post run today.
no swimming.
Total Mileage 75-80
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:30 pace on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run: 6 miles @ 6:15 pace
Weekend:
17 miles @ 7:30
12 miles (4 miles @ 7:15, 4 miles @ 7:00, 4 miles @ 6:50)
How it played out:
80 miles
9 runs/2 doubles
All workouts at or below pace for all but the tempo
Two fun relay events Friday and Saturday to get in the extra 5 miles I needed for the week.
Long runs were humid scorchers, but survived and so far seem no worse for wear (knock on wood!)
biked 4 easy miles post run today.
no swimming.
Bringing Sweaty Back
Because no one likes to read about blown workouts. A pic from after Wednesdays sweaty lunch run. Temperatures weren't even that bad, but by half way through the run my shirt had reached it's saturation point, and by the finish my shorts were so wet I might as well have jumped in the Cuyahoga. The photo doesn't do it justice but everything was clinging to me, and it was not flattering in the slightest. I am so ready for fall weather and less humidity!
Log it and forget about it tempo
One of these days I will learn to go out on pace or slower in a tempo. Duh it feels good to go fast in the early miles, but you have 6 miles total, not 3 :) Like I said, one of these days I will learn. Today was not that day.
Goal 6 at 6:15. NC had 6 at 6:10 so I decided I would just stay with her if I could. Seemed reasonable at the time...
6:11
6:09
6:11...and then things went south
6:26 and I was fighting for it. I let the watch get the better of me and I decided to take a two minute walk break to catch my breath and settle the heart rate after this one.
Started back up and just ran tempo effort the last two miles without looking at the watch. It felt like the two longest miles of my life. (Where the Hell did these hills come from? I don't remember it being that up and down at the start?)
Alas post workout revealed that I had fallen way off finishing out the last two in 6:35 and 6:38. Ouch!
Oh well. It is hot and humid around here, track workout Tuesday was hard and I neglected to have my usual endurox after. And yesterdays run was extremely sweaty. I'm chalking it up to dehydration combined with being a little too aggressive early in the run and lacking the metal tenacity to fight through when it got tough tonight.
Moving on!
Goal 6 at 6:15. NC had 6 at 6:10 so I decided I would just stay with her if I could. Seemed reasonable at the time...
6:11
6:09
6:11...and then things went south
6:26 and I was fighting for it. I let the watch get the better of me and I decided to take a two minute walk break to catch my breath and settle the heart rate after this one.
Started back up and just ran tempo effort the last two miles without looking at the watch. It felt like the two longest miles of my life. (Where the Hell did these hills come from? I don't remember it being that up and down at the start?)
Alas post workout revealed that I had fallen way off finishing out the last two in 6:35 and 6:38. Ouch!
Oh well. It is hot and humid around here, track workout Tuesday was hard and I neglected to have my usual endurox after. And yesterdays run was extremely sweaty. I'm chalking it up to dehydration combined with being a little too aggressive early in the run and lacking the metal tenacity to fight through when it got tough tonight.
Moving on!
Bleed it Out
A few Fridays ago I did a night 5km for fun with Salty. It was a money race so we figured best case we go out get in a hard run and come home with some money. Worst case we have fun with the track start and finishing under the lights with a bunch of HS XC kids. I figured I would go out conservative and just stay behind whoever was in first and then see how I felt towards the end and if I had a kick. But we showed up and the weather was actually cool from the storms that had just rolled through and that little spark ignited with the maybe you could actually run fast tonight thought at the back of my mind. Salty had similar thoughts, but I pretty much gave up on that during the extremely sluggish warm up that revealed though it was cooler it was still muggy as heck.
But Salty found a few pennies and insisted this was a good sign, and we returned from the warm up to a rainbow before changing into our racing flats and heading to the track.
Got in the strides and then lined up on the track with a ton of young HS runners. I had no clue what the course would be like. We started on the track and it looked to me like we would run 100 meters before making a sharp right out of the track onto the road. Turns out we actually ran a lap first and placing ourselves on the left side of the track worked out well. Went out smooth and was content to settle in with the boys around me until about 100 meters when I saw a local gal ahead of me and my competitive nature got the best of me and I decided to push to take the lead early and hopefully hold it.
Despite upping the pace I was having fun. They were playing Beyonce's Single Ladies and as we exited the track I danced a little after seeing a boy ahead jamming. I settled in with a few guys. I heard a spectator ask where all the women were as I passed. I shouted "right here" and joked with the guy next to me that I realized I had short hair but I thought the sports bra gave me away. Despite joking around a bit and being careful over the few speed bumps in the first mile we reached the mile split in 5:26. Whoa :) Not sure if they were in the right place, but I felt good so I just rolled with it.
I did my best to pull up with a few guys and pass who I could over the next mile. Early in the second mile I got boxed in by two young guys and after getting kicked a few times I finally asked for some space and they both split wide and I pulled ahead of them. Feeling bad for my "bossiness" I encouraged them to stick with me, but they fell off.
The second mile was on streets and a bike path of sorts, not perfectly flat but no real hills. I took water at the aid station and passed the second mile in 5:55. I knew based on the 2 mile split that sub 18 was possible so I focused on my form and relaxing. But clearly I had slowed way down. I did my best the next mile to pick up the effort as I knew if I ran another slow split both Salty and KG were capable of catching me.
The next mile you head into the woods on a bike path and by then it was dark. A few small rollers in here and I worked on catching some boys but was careful not to slip as it was a bit damp on the path. Somewhere in here was a turn and I risked one glance back and noted I had a pretty good gap on the ladies and felt comfortable I had first in the bag as long as I didn't let up.
As we headed back towards the track we had to cross one road and unfortunately the volunteers controlling traffic did not have much power over the antsy drivers and they shouted at me and the guy next to me to "watch out for the car", so we swerved wide and I joked with the guy next to me asking if it would be rude if I had replied "Isn't that your job?". I let the guy next to me pull ahead as we headed onto the track. I didn't notice the clock on the score board until I had a little over 100 meters to go. Poor math skills told me I might be able to eek out a PR and I hammered in, but it was a bit too far and I settled for a 17:53 win. The guy I was with at the car crossing ran 17:43. I should have gone with him! I was working hard, but I definitely did not lay everything I had out there. Granted the goal was to have fun and I did, but that little spark was saying, told you so!
Looking at the results I must have been a nice target for the few guys behind me, I don't know how I didn't notice the 3 or so guys that must have been breathing down my neck at the line.
Like Johnnycake I basically just ran my race at the effort that felt appropriate. It worked out well, but next race I need to get out of safe territory and really push some boundaries. This would have been a perfect opportunity to do that and I just didn't see that until after it was over. So I am getting amped up to really lay it on the line next race which is Perfect 10 miler. I think it will be a good race to really go for it and since Johnnycake and Friday Night Lights were solid I don't need the race to be a confirmation of fitness, I can risk a blow up. I know where I am at based on those races and my workouts. I am going to take a chance at Perfect 10 and see if I can't find that extra gear and really step it up. So screw the pace charts and predictors, Perfect 10 it is time to see what these legs are made of. Goal is to run sub 6 for as long as I can and try to break 60 or leave it all on the line trying to.
But Salty found a few pennies and insisted this was a good sign, and we returned from the warm up to a rainbow before changing into our racing flats and heading to the track.
Got in the strides and then lined up on the track with a ton of young HS runners. I had no clue what the course would be like. We started on the track and it looked to me like we would run 100 meters before making a sharp right out of the track onto the road. Turns out we actually ran a lap first and placing ourselves on the left side of the track worked out well. Went out smooth and was content to settle in with the boys around me until about 100 meters when I saw a local gal ahead of me and my competitive nature got the best of me and I decided to push to take the lead early and hopefully hold it.
Despite upping the pace I was having fun. They were playing Beyonce's Single Ladies and as we exited the track I danced a little after seeing a boy ahead jamming. I settled in with a few guys. I heard a spectator ask where all the women were as I passed. I shouted "right here" and joked with the guy next to me that I realized I had short hair but I thought the sports bra gave me away. Despite joking around a bit and being careful over the few speed bumps in the first mile we reached the mile split in 5:26. Whoa :) Not sure if they were in the right place, but I felt good so I just rolled with it.
I did my best to pull up with a few guys and pass who I could over the next mile. Early in the second mile I got boxed in by two young guys and after getting kicked a few times I finally asked for some space and they both split wide and I pulled ahead of them. Feeling bad for my "bossiness" I encouraged them to stick with me, but they fell off.
The second mile was on streets and a bike path of sorts, not perfectly flat but no real hills. I took water at the aid station and passed the second mile in 5:55. I knew based on the 2 mile split that sub 18 was possible so I focused on my form and relaxing. But clearly I had slowed way down. I did my best the next mile to pick up the effort as I knew if I ran another slow split both Salty and KG were capable of catching me.
The next mile you head into the woods on a bike path and by then it was dark. A few small rollers in here and I worked on catching some boys but was careful not to slip as it was a bit damp on the path. Somewhere in here was a turn and I risked one glance back and noted I had a pretty good gap on the ladies and felt comfortable I had first in the bag as long as I didn't let up.
As we headed back towards the track we had to cross one road and unfortunately the volunteers controlling traffic did not have much power over the antsy drivers and they shouted at me and the guy next to me to "watch out for the car", so we swerved wide and I joked with the guy next to me asking if it would be rude if I had replied "Isn't that your job?". I let the guy next to me pull ahead as we headed onto the track. I didn't notice the clock on the score board until I had a little over 100 meters to go. Poor math skills told me I might be able to eek out a PR and I hammered in, but it was a bit too far and I settled for a 17:53 win. The guy I was with at the car crossing ran 17:43. I should have gone with him! I was working hard, but I definitely did not lay everything I had out there. Granted the goal was to have fun and I did, but that little spark was saying, told you so!
Looking at the results I must have been a nice target for the few guys behind me, I don't know how I didn't notice the 3 or so guys that must have been breathing down my neck at the line.
Like Johnnycake I basically just ran my race at the effort that felt appropriate. It worked out well, but next race I need to get out of safe territory and really push some boundaries. This would have been a perfect opportunity to do that and I just didn't see that until after it was over. So I am getting amped up to really lay it on the line next race which is Perfect 10 miler. I think it will be a good race to really go for it and since Johnnycake and Friday Night Lights were solid I don't need the race to be a confirmation of fitness, I can risk a blow up. I know where I am at based on those races and my workouts. I am going to take a chance at Perfect 10 and see if I can't find that extra gear and really step it up. So screw the pace charts and predictors, Perfect 10 it is time to see what these legs are made of. Goal is to run sub 6 for as long as I can and try to break 60 or leave it all on the line trying to.
Double Ladder
Coach was out of town this week at a family reunion so we were left to our own devices. With the start of marathon training for Salty and I last week and NC building mileage to do some smoking fast halfs before ramping up for the Trials we are all at different fitness levels and we all have our own paces now, but same workout structure. It is a bit of a relief not to have to keep up with NC, but certainly the workouts are harder when I have to do them on my own. This weeks tempo will be interesting as I haven't had to run one solo since the winter.
Last night was 2 sets of 1600, 800, 400, 400 with descending quarter splits. 2 minute rests after the 1600, 1 minute after the 800 and 400 and 2:30 between the sets. Goals 5:45 (86 per quarter), 2:48 (84 per quarter), 81, and 79.
We've been trying to get in 2 miles easy (if traffic allows) before our official warm up of some knee skips, lunges, high knees, leg swings, 1 mile around 7:30, then 4*100 strides.
I forgot my contacts so the world was a blurry place and I think that made my focus a little blurry but I got everything done on pace. A little fast during the 800 to begin with and a little fast on the second mile but other than that I ran pretty consistently despite being on my own. I decided to start all the repeats with NC so I would have a target to chase a bit, so a little bit less rest but not much.
I was definitely tired after this one, but managed to get in a 3 mile cool down for a total of 11 miles for the night and finished it up with the Jay Johnson pedestal and Myrtl cool down. I definitely felt that I earned my Summer Shandy waiting for me at home in the fridge!
Last night was 2 sets of 1600, 800, 400, 400 with descending quarter splits. 2 minute rests after the 1600, 1 minute after the 800 and 400 and 2:30 between the sets. Goals 5:45 (86 per quarter), 2:48 (84 per quarter), 81, and 79.
We've been trying to get in 2 miles easy (if traffic allows) before our official warm up of some knee skips, lunges, high knees, leg swings, 1 mile around 7:30, then 4*100 strides.
I forgot my contacts so the world was a blurry place and I think that made my focus a little blurry but I got everything done on pace. A little fast during the 800 to begin with and a little fast on the second mile but other than that I ran pretty consistently despite being on my own. I decided to start all the repeats with NC so I would have a target to chase a bit, so a little bit less rest but not much.
| 05:45.0 |
| 02:48.1 |
| 80.9 |
| 78.58 |
| 05:42.8 |
| 02:47.2 |
| 80.35 |
| 77.88 |
I was definitely tired after this one, but managed to get in a 3 mile cool down for a total of 11 miles for the night and finished it up with the Jay Johnson pedestal and Myrtl cool down. I definitely felt that I earned my Summer Shandy waiting for me at home in the fridge!
Columbus 2011 Training Week 1
Goal:
Total Mileage 70 - 75.
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:40 pace on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run:6 miles @ 6:25 pace
Weekend:
18 miles @ 7:30
12 miles @ 7:15
How it played out:
75 miles
7 runs
1* 20 minute swim
weekend runs went well
Total Mileage 70 - 75.
Monday: Easy.
Tuesday: Track.
Wednesday and Friday: easy miles @ 7:20 or slower. 6 x 30 sec @ 5:40 pace on Friday
Thursday: Tempo run:6 miles @ 6:25 pace
Weekend:
18 miles @ 7:30
12 miles @ 7:15
How it played out:
75 miles
7 runs
1* 20 minute swim
weekend runs went well
Grouchy Tempo
I got my replacement Garmin Wednesday in the mail. Charged her up and let her load sattelites Thursday morning while we cheered on the masters 5k women at the USATF masters track championship at Baldwin Wallace in a torrential rain storm. Our friend Barb ran an amazing 5k placing first in her age group (60-65) and running 30 seconds faster than her lifetime personal best. She ran 20:37.54. Of note I only ran faster than that time twice while in high school and thought I was pretty hot stuff. Barb is amazing and just so inspiring! I can't imagine how fast she would have been if women's distance running had been the standard when she was in high school and college. Barb hates running in the rain so for her to do so well in conditions she really hates was really impressive, though not unexpected, Barb never ceases to amaze!
With all that track action you would think I would have been fired up for my tempo. I took the morning off work to go watch Barb race and get the tempo in with NC and Salty. I had a new Garmin I could (hopefully) trust to work and not go all crazy on me. What could be better right?
Well unfortunately my legs just felt like tree trunks, and when we started into the tempo I glanced at the watch early fully expecting it to say I was going too fast only to see a pace 30 seconds slower than the goal. Uggh! So I upped the effort and got it down to target range, but man it just didn't feel smooth. Not sure if it was the new locale, the humidity, or just my lack of mental fortitude, but I was not feeling it yesterday. I forced the first two miles to get them in range running ahead of NC and Salty and then just basically had an internal war with myself the next four miles to keep going clinging close to NC.
I hit the paces, but it just wasn't much fun. Oh well. Next time I will come to the workout with a better attitude and remember to keep it light and motivational, rather than a grouchy negative berate myself atmosphere. Good news is despite not feeling it and being a big grouch I still got the workout done. Much better than in the past where I would have thrown in the towel when feeling so sluggish.
Goal was 6 @ 6:25 and I think subconsciously I just really want to be at a better place right now. I want yesterdays effort to be resulting in 6 to 6:05 pace, and reality is it just isn't there yet. But hopefully a little more patience and it will be soon!
6:27.67
6:23.19
6:22.04
6:18.63
6:17.51
6:16.87
With all that track action you would think I would have been fired up for my tempo. I took the morning off work to go watch Barb race and get the tempo in with NC and Salty. I had a new Garmin I could (hopefully) trust to work and not go all crazy on me. What could be better right?
Well unfortunately my legs just felt like tree trunks, and when we started into the tempo I glanced at the watch early fully expecting it to say I was going too fast only to see a pace 30 seconds slower than the goal. Uggh! So I upped the effort and got it down to target range, but man it just didn't feel smooth. Not sure if it was the new locale, the humidity, or just my lack of mental fortitude, but I was not feeling it yesterday. I forced the first two miles to get them in range running ahead of NC and Salty and then just basically had an internal war with myself the next four miles to keep going clinging close to NC.
I hit the paces, but it just wasn't much fun. Oh well. Next time I will come to the workout with a better attitude and remember to keep it light and motivational, rather than a grouchy negative berate myself atmosphere. Good news is despite not feeling it and being a big grouch I still got the workout done. Much better than in the past where I would have thrown in the towel when feeling so sluggish.
Goal was 6 @ 6:25 and I think subconsciously I just really want to be at a better place right now. I want yesterdays effort to be resulting in 6 to 6:05 pace, and reality is it just isn't there yet. But hopefully a little more patience and it will be soon!
6:27.67
6:23.19
6:22.04
6:18.63
6:17.51
6:16.87
Believe
I've liked this song by The Bravery for a long time. Though the video creeps me out a bit, not sure why.
Camille Heron and Magdalena-Lewy-Boulet both just posted some inspiring blogs about perseverance in the sport. You can tell that both ladies despite previous setbacks fully believe in what they are doing in the sport and in the consistent long term efforts they have put forth. Very inspiring!
Camille Heron and Magdalena-Lewy-Boulet both just posted some inspiring blogs about perseverance in the sport. You can tell that both ladies despite previous setbacks fully believe in what they are doing in the sport and in the consistent long term efforts they have put forth. Very inspiring!
6*1200s
Marathon training started this week so it was on to longer repeats on the track this week, short rests, but slower (10K) pace. I was on my own this week as Salty is helping out at XC camp and NC's paces were a hair too quick for me to do without working too hard or risking a blow up.
So it would be 6*1200 with goal of 4:27 (89 per quarter) and 90 second rests. Good news about running by myself is I could take the inside lane every repeat, and I had no one to blame but myself if I was off pace.
For the first time this year, and possibly ever, I went through the first 200 right on pace in 44. Amazing! We have been in the habit of running the front 200 of most laps fast so it was nice to actually start a repeat with the right effort for once. Of course that meant I actually had to nail the effort the whole way, no slacking off on the back half. The workout went fine. Nothing special to report. It wasn't easy, but it was all very controlled effort wise. I did have to force myself to focus a few times in the early repeats as I was day dreaming a bit since the pace wasn't that difficult and I was by myself.
The right knee is still doing it's weird stiff thing when it is not warmed up. Stiff to start the warm up, and stiff on the cool down, but loosens up pretty quickly. I should probably make an effort to ice it and baby it a bit more to try and nip it before it becomes an issue.
The weather was a little cooler last night, but still hot enough that I used the ice and was feeling a bit warm after the first few repeats. Despite that we have really been getting a good crowd at the track. It has been exciting to watch everyone work hard and see the pay off at their races!
So it would be 6*1200 with goal of 4:27 (89 per quarter) and 90 second rests. Good news about running by myself is I could take the inside lane every repeat, and I had no one to blame but myself if I was off pace.
For the first time this year, and possibly ever, I went through the first 200 right on pace in 44. Amazing! We have been in the habit of running the front 200 of most laps fast so it was nice to actually start a repeat with the right effort for once. Of course that meant I actually had to nail the effort the whole way, no slacking off on the back half. The workout went fine. Nothing special to report. It wasn't easy, but it was all very controlled effort wise. I did have to force myself to focus a few times in the early repeats as I was day dreaming a bit since the pace wasn't that difficult and I was by myself.
The right knee is still doing it's weird stiff thing when it is not warmed up. Stiff to start the warm up, and stiff on the cool down, but loosens up pretty quickly. I should probably make an effort to ice it and baby it a bit more to try and nip it before it becomes an issue.
The weather was a little cooler last night, but still hot enough that I used the ice and was feeling a bit warm after the first few repeats. Despite that we have really been getting a good crowd at the track. It has been exciting to watch everyone work hard and see the pay off at their races!
| 04:25.6 |
| 04:25.3 |
| 04:25.3 |
| 04:24.6 |
| 04:23.7 |
| 04:16.0 |
Transition Week
Like last year we have been gifted a down week to recover a bit from speed training before going into marathon training for the fall. Unlike last year mileage was a bit higher this year. Still my legs have responded pretty well to the reduced mileage. Had a fun running week despite the crazy temperatures, hitting the trails a bit, and even got in a night race Friday night for fun.
Goals for the week:
Total Mileage: 55 miles
Track session on Tuesday.
No tempo on Thursday.
Sunday: 12 miles @ 7:10
Every other day easy miles 7:25 or slower
How it played out:
55 miles
6 runs, 1 rest day
1 5k race
14 mile long run due to poor memory of water location
Did an awful job of time management this week and never managed to drag myself out of bed for a morning swim. But this was my last week to indulge for awhile so I took recovery and relaxing very seriously with plenty of social outings, some desserts, some drinks, and some total slacking on all fronts. Back to reality this week!
Goals for the week:
Total Mileage: 55 miles
Track session on Tuesday.
No tempo on Thursday.
Sunday: 12 miles @ 7:10
Every other day easy miles 7:25 or slower
How it played out:
55 miles
6 runs, 1 rest day
1 5k race
14 mile long run due to poor memory of water location
Did an awful job of time management this week and never managed to drag myself out of bed for a morning swim. But this was my last week to indulge for awhile so I took recovery and relaxing very seriously with plenty of social outings, some desserts, some drinks, and some total slacking on all fronts. Back to reality this week!
What is your garmin worth to you?
It's a transition week, so we have no tempo today which is good because my Garmin has officially bit the dust. I have the Garmin 310 XT and it has been "touchy" on and off since about 9 months after I bought it. This following trying the Garmin 410, the first of which the wrist band broke (the band wasn't really designed for freaky small wrists like mine), and the second of which I killed with a few too many sweaty workouts. The 310XT has definitely outlived my previous 410s by a long shot and for the most part it has been awesome. I got it because I didn't want to worry about the sweat factor and it is supposedly a more triathlon oriented watch aka waterproof. But at some point it got "glitchy." Every three months or so the screen gets scrambled and starts scrolling randomly, the GPS still works but the read out is crazy. Hard resets have always fixed it, but the glitchy moments are coming more often now, and lately it has seemed awfully generous with the paces, it was time to put it out to pasture.
Having had it for two years it is not under warranty anymore. It cost me $350 and to replace it Garmin requests $99. My husband thinks this is absolutely nuts, and is shocked I am not more upset about it. But when I consider that I have used this watch pretty much every day for the past two years for an hour+ a day, I think I have gotten my money's worth out of it.
Do I agree that I would prefer for something I paid $350 for to work like a charm indefinitely, yes of course, but given how much I personally use it, I think the watch performed pretty well.
Anyways just wondering what everyone's experience with their garmin has been and if you think the price and replacement prices are reasonable?
Having had it for two years it is not under warranty anymore. It cost me $350 and to replace it Garmin requests $99. My husband thinks this is absolutely nuts, and is shocked I am not more upset about it. But when I consider that I have used this watch pretty much every day for the past two years for an hour+ a day, I think I have gotten my money's worth out of it.
Do I agree that I would prefer for something I paid $350 for to work like a charm indefinitely, yes of course, but given how much I personally use it, I think the watch performed pretty well.
Anyways just wondering what everyone's experience with their garmin has been and if you think the price and replacement prices are reasonable?
Look At Me Now
To some extent my recent Johnnycake race invigorated me a bit. I felt like I was getting my "mojo" or "swagger" back after the race. It felt good to run solidly and be a few steps closer to 2nd place this year than last.
I am certainly the last person to intentionally brag about myself or my running, but I think for some reason I have let this go too far in the direction of humility, not publicly, but internally. (I've touched on this a bit here) I have worked so hard to not take my results for granted, and to credit others for what they do better than me, that I have forgotten to give myself the proverbial pat on the back when it is deserved. It's something I struggle with and I need to find a way to work through it in a positive manner that also sits well with my personal feelings about it. Because the truth is how I portray myself to others regardless of what I really feel will become my personal reflection on myself. And if put out there often enough, it becomes my own reality.
I think to an extent this is a female thing, it goes along with self image issues and being our own worst critics. But it is also a personal issue of mine as I want to credit others for what they've done well, and I want to excel, and I struggle to marry the two. I often forget that no opinion other than mine really matters when it comes down to my work ethic and my resulting performances. And unfortunately sometimes that opinion is really far from reality. I need to give myself credit where it is due and I need to see myself in a more realistic light.
Coincidentally my ultra buddy Sir Walks-a-Lot's must be thinking along the same lines and posted briefly and succinctly a summary of what I am struggling with:
"...about the negative characteristics of arrogance, and pride, and obsession as they relate to the positive characteristics of commitment, and patience, and persistence. They all are, I think, a similar breed of cat and somehow symbiotic and yet in conflict with each other..."
I do not think of myself as arrogant, and people who come off as arrogant frequently annoy me. But somewhere there is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and I want to get myself to the brink of confidence without going over the line into arrogance. I also struggle with the fine line between persistence and obsession. I am working very hard to keep things light while making sure to put in the work day after day to hopefully be ready come go time. (Patience (or my lack of) is a whole 'nother post!)
So for those whose musical tastes, like mine, vary widely, something a little different today. I don't want to go quite so far as to be crowing all my victories like a rapper, but it wouldn't hurt to feel a bit more confident about myself and have a little more swagger in my steps :) If I want to see my goals reached, I need to really believe in myself and my ability to step up when it is warranted.
Note that I do not approve of Chris Brown's personal behavior whatsoever, but I am a Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne fan. And I have to give Brown credit, his dance moves are sick.
I am certainly the last person to intentionally brag about myself or my running, but I think for some reason I have let this go too far in the direction of humility, not publicly, but internally. (I've touched on this a bit here) I have worked so hard to not take my results for granted, and to credit others for what they do better than me, that I have forgotten to give myself the proverbial pat on the back when it is deserved. It's something I struggle with and I need to find a way to work through it in a positive manner that also sits well with my personal feelings about it. Because the truth is how I portray myself to others regardless of what I really feel will become my personal reflection on myself. And if put out there often enough, it becomes my own reality.
I think to an extent this is a female thing, it goes along with self image issues and being our own worst critics. But it is also a personal issue of mine as I want to credit others for what they've done well, and I want to excel, and I struggle to marry the two. I often forget that no opinion other than mine really matters when it comes down to my work ethic and my resulting performances. And unfortunately sometimes that opinion is really far from reality. I need to give myself credit where it is due and I need to see myself in a more realistic light.
Coincidentally my ultra buddy Sir Walks-a-Lot's must be thinking along the same lines and posted briefly and succinctly a summary of what I am struggling with:
"...about the negative characteristics of arrogance, and pride, and obsession as they relate to the positive characteristics of commitment, and patience, and persistence. They all are, I think, a similar breed of cat and somehow symbiotic and yet in conflict with each other..."
I do not think of myself as arrogant, and people who come off as arrogant frequently annoy me. But somewhere there is a fine line between arrogance and confidence, and I want to get myself to the brink of confidence without going over the line into arrogance. I also struggle with the fine line between persistence and obsession. I am working very hard to keep things light while making sure to put in the work day after day to hopefully be ready come go time. (Patience (or my lack of) is a whole 'nother post!)
So for those whose musical tastes, like mine, vary widely, something a little different today. I don't want to go quite so far as to be crowing all my victories like a rapper, but it wouldn't hurt to feel a bit more confident about myself and have a little more swagger in my steps :) If I want to see my goals reached, I need to really believe in myself and my ability to step up when it is warranted.
Note that I do not approve of Chris Brown's personal behavior whatsoever, but I am a Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne fan. And I have to give Brown credit, his dance moves are sick.
Quarter Pacing (Or Lack thereof)
For the life of me I cannot pace 400s on the track. We have gotten in the (bad) habit of running fast on the front 200 of almost all our intervals the past few years and I just cannot get a feel for the proposed pace to really nail it every time.
Since we raced Sunday and it was (once again) unbearably hot at the track last night we had 12 quarters followed by an 800 last night. Nothing too fast, just a workout to focus on pacing.
Goal was 3 sets of 89 (10k pace), 86 (5k pace), 86, 82 (3k pace) with 1:00 rests between each quarter. Followed up by 90 seconds rest and an 800 at 5k pace (2:52)
I didn't hit a single quarter or the 800 at the correct pace and I never ran the first 200 slower than 43 on the 89s, or 41 on the 86s, or 39 on the 82s. I knew the point of the workout was pace and to feel it, but I just could not settle in on the front 200 and would have to jog the last few steps of the 400 to even come close to the desired goal. I never felt like I was straining, I just couldn't run the right paces, my "feel" for the pace just wasn't there.
88.55, 82.83, 84.87, 79.46, 87.99, 83,32, 85.09, 80.49, 88.41, 84.10, 83.98, 78.28, 2:46.90
I am not sure why I struggle with this. Clearly I can run evenly paced miles in longer repeats and events, why I can't nail a pace for 400 meters is beyond me.
Since we raced Sunday and it was (once again) unbearably hot at the track last night we had 12 quarters followed by an 800 last night. Nothing too fast, just a workout to focus on pacing.
Goal was 3 sets of 89 (10k pace), 86 (5k pace), 86, 82 (3k pace) with 1:00 rests between each quarter. Followed up by 90 seconds rest and an 800 at 5k pace (2:52)
I didn't hit a single quarter or the 800 at the correct pace and I never ran the first 200 slower than 43 on the 89s, or 41 on the 86s, or 39 on the 82s. I knew the point of the workout was pace and to feel it, but I just could not settle in on the front 200 and would have to jog the last few steps of the 400 to even come close to the desired goal. I never felt like I was straining, I just couldn't run the right paces, my "feel" for the pace just wasn't there.
88.55, 82.83, 84.87, 79.46, 87.99, 83,32, 85.09, 80.49, 88.41, 84.10, 83.98, 78.28, 2:46.90
I am not sure why I struggle with this. Clearly I can run evenly paced miles in longer repeats and events, why I can't nail a pace for 400 meters is beyond me.
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