Marathon Training Week 8

And all is going awesome. I missed out on the core workouts for the week, and struggled to get the mileage in due to work. Missing a mile or two is better than missing the entire run. I'm getting better with acknowledging the work/life/run balance.

AND I had a great 13 mile run on Saturday. Yes I said great and 13 in the same sentence.

The run had some crazy hills right in the middle. I mistakenly got to the top of the first one and thought we were done with climbing. Whoops for not reading the map closely enough, but maybe it was better that I didn't know.

I have to give it to them, the MTT program is run very well (even though we had to change our starting location because of Redskins Training Camp). Gummy bears, pretzels, powerade and smiling volunteers at every SAG make this go so much easier. And they know how to plan some crazy routes. I'm definitely seeing parts of the city I have never seen.

And I had a great group of people to run with and another to chase at the end. And a shot block did wonders at mile 9.

I have to say this run made this whole thing (marathon) seem attainable.

 

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What's happening?

So, I've been really slack at blogging. Summer is in full swing with pool time, baseball games, a work conference, some mindless reading, and oh, I signed up for another race.

But not just any race, a stinking marathon. I made my best friend K promise me at she would never let me do this after we saw the Shamrock marathoners with such pained looks on their faces in the home stretch. But somehow she failed me, or maybe it was hubby when I casually mentioned that the training team signs up were ending soon and he said to go for it. I mean what is wrong with my support network supporting me right into this insanity.

Thank goodness for new found friends who help with training plans because I signed up for the intermediate rather than novice team. Again, what was I thinking? Kathryn from Run, Eat, Play RVA convinced me that Run Less, Run Faster would be an awesome compromise for the intermediate mileage with cross-training.

So we have finished week three. I managed two sessions on the indoor trainer last week and even got up early before a conference to run.

Just a few glorious sites on my five mile run through the Mall. I was not happy at myself for staying up too late the night before, but this run was amazing.

Not bad for the week, 3 runs (2 at tempo, curses to RLRF for this faster pace) and 2 cycling sessions. I didn't manage to get in a strength session, but that is on the plan for this week. Baby steps.

I'm still scared to put this on my car. Sticking in to the car somehow makes it really real.

 

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I've been a bad, bad blogger

I've had two recent great races and I haven't posted a single word other than through Twitter. I wish I had a better excuse, but back to back race weekends, crazy work deadlines, being a mom/wife, and then Boston happened. I just didn't feel like a blogging for a while.

I'm going to try to do a quick rewind and catch up in the next couple of days. So please be patient with me.

 

 

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Quick Shamrock Tail

This weekend was not quite what we excited temperature wise. The high today was 40 with a feels like 32-34 for most of the race and windy.

But the real thing that matters is that I finished my first half marathon and broke two hours thanks to smart training and a flat and fast course. There are many other people and things to thank, but I will get to those in another post.

So, for now, a couple quick pics.

 

Official time was 1:58:21.

After an early wake-up, 13.1 miles, lots of other walking, cheering two basketball teams to a loss, room exchange debacle at the hotel, finally a shower, and dinner, this girl is ready for bed at 9:30.

Glad I'm not working until 5 pm tomorrow.

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Can this weather hold?

I left work almost on time tonight. Headed home instead of the gym to sneak in 3 taper miles before dinner. After a rainy day, the sun was shining and I could wear a skirt and test my shirt for Sunday (glad I did). Since time was on my side, I started making dinner first to get it started. Spinach ravioli bake was a first time recipe and a hit with both me and hubby.

But back to running. Why can't I slow down when I know I have such a big goal in front of me? The first mile chimed at 9:07 which is race pace. Slow the heck down. I did manage a little better for the rest. Must have been the 70 degree weather, birds chirping, sun out that made me do it.

Love that blue sky.

And the bright pop of yellow in the yard.

And just because I was having a craptastic day until I saw this, and I actually laughed out loud.

Credit

I'm heading to the treadmill on Thursday for the last run so I can slow down and give the legs a rest. Fingers crossed. And the shirt tag on the side chafed me, so I need to perform some tag surgery. This is the one and only running gear that has caused chafing, go figure it would be a shirt for my first half. Glad I listened to advice and tested everything.

 

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Taper time or not

I am getting excited. This time next week, I will be in Virginia Beach hopefully sleeping prior to a 7 am start for my first half marathon.

Even with the stress of work, I have gotten my runs in and I have tried to focus on improving my pace. I used McMillan to set my ranges, but found I was running more of my weekly runs on the slower end of the range.

My running partner, L, wanted to push the pace for this last long run to see if she was ready to tackle a sub-2 goal next weekend. I told her to go ahead and she what she could do. I was feeling pretty good and stayed with her the first mile and a half before I dropped back a bit. But not as much as I thought I would need.

I can't believe I was able to do this, and it was completely doable.

I checked to see how this compared to other "fast" times for me. My three faster times were all races with great PRs for me. Hopefully, this is a good omen of times to come. Fingers crossed.

My toes are green and ready. And I loved being comfortable wearing flip flops this afternoon.

I will be tapering the rest of the week.

 

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2012 Recap

• Best race experience? Definitely the Richmond HCA 8k in November. I ran healthy and fast ... for me. My BF's text was "All I have to say is HOLY #%*#, you rocked it!!!"
• Best run? Hitting 7 miles for the first time with my running coach and her husband in October. I was great to have her enthusiasm for hitting a new distance.
• Best new piece of gear? I’m loving this Target top. Sleeves long enough for my arms, thumb holes, a little longer in the back, and a pop of pink-purple.
• Best piece of running advice you received? Keep running my own pace. I averaged 172 steps per minute across all runs for 2012. A major improvement from 2010 and 2011.
• Most inspirational runner? I have started following several running bloggers over the last year. I am amazed at their journeys and honesty. I am thankful to have people who are willing to share which helps me with my running and life balance.
• If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? Commitment to the plan.

I had a great running year.

4 5ks (2 virtual), 1 8k, and 1 10k. I also got partially over my fear of the bike. 227 miles completed on the bike. It was some great cross-training over the summer, and added perk was time spent with my husband while biking.

I also made the big plunge into half marathon distance. I know this is no big deal for many of you, but after battling ITB pain for almost 3 years, it is scary to ramp up the mileage. I have been doing it slowly and carefully, but have found my legs like to go a little faster. To compromise, I run once a week with a group that is a little slower than I would normally. I don't mind slowing down if I had good company to chat.

These stats have me thinking of a number for 2013. Should I aim for 1000? The Type A in me says yes, but the doesn't want to be injured part says no. I would like to make sure I include yoga, strength training, and biking. I should also learn to swim, so a triathlon could be a maybe down the road. 800 running miles is the goal.

Looks like it's going to be a great year. A new PR on day 1 (more on that later). And slowly increasing the mileage. I'm aiming to tackle a tough 9 miler this weekend. So excited for this year.

 

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Weekly Recap

I have to admit that I was still on a bit of a runner's high after last week's great race. This week was crazy busy with work and fundraising commitments so I only got in one run, and of course it had to be on the treadmill. But one run is better than no run.

Courtesy of One More Mile.

The longer the week went, the more I felt those around me were insane. It was one crazy thing to work through after another. It does give me one more reason to enjoy running.

This also made me smile, but now I can't find where I got it from. Facebook I think.

To shake things up a bit, and because I still wasn't sure race was next on the plan, I did a speed interval run on the treadmill. 3 miles in 30' with 6 30 second sprints midway through. I felt good during and after, until the next day. My quads were sore for two days, which made me very happy.

On Saturday, I stalked another training team (found them on FB) and ran 5ish chilly miles with a half training team. There were about 35 people there and most had just finished training for the Richmond Half. I fell right in with a girl running 9:40 and it felt comfortable. We came across a gorgeous landmark I had never seen, the Virginia House.



The crazy thing was the first 3 miles were all 9:38. I am never that consistent, and I was explaining this to a friend exactly at 9:38 am. Should have bought a lottery ticket. Ended up with 4.72 miles in 45 minutes. I will definitely be joining this group again.

I did finally jump in and sign up for my first half, the Anthem Half at Virginia Beach over St. Patrick's weekend. It's a flat course, I have access to an easy training group, and it just felt like the right one to pick for my first.

I spent a little time with my girlfriends and James Bond on Saturday night. I highly recommend Skyfall for the suspense and drool factor. Watching Daniel Craig for 2+ hours doesn't really have a downside (glad hubby doesn't read the blog ;)).

Because of early darkness, a commuting hubby, and signing up for the half, it looks like I will be running a long run on Saturday and a shorter one on Sunday. This will make the week more doable. Still ironing out the training plan, so feedback is always welcome.

I did run a speedy 3.1 tonight (28:42). My fastest 5k time yet, but I'm going to attribute part of it due to the need to pee. But it did feel easy. Still can't believe I have a little speed in my legs.

Well this got longer than I wanted. As I have been in pjs since my shower at 6, it's off to bed. Nighty nite.

 

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HCA 8K Race Report

I could sum this race up with one word for me = AWESOME!

I was ready and excited after last week's great run where I knew I had a little speed in my legs.

The weatherman was calling for 32 at the start on Thursday, but thankfully changed to 40 by Friday night. I hate the cold, and it takes me forever to warm up.

Of course, I tossed and turned trying to sleep. We had guests coming in for the weekend and they wouldn't be getting to our house until close to midnight. Thanks to hubby for staying up to greet them. Then I was afraid I would oversleep, so I woke up early.

So once I was up, temps looked promising. I quickly dressed and downed a slice of PB bread and some coffee before heading out. The race starts three blocks from my office, so I had a plan for parking which can be a little crazy for the race. As I headed outside, I saw a person walking down the street in a short dress and flip flops. I kept looking and realized it was my best friend (who lives across the street) to come wish me luck. She is AWESOME, and she snapped this picture for me.

I am crazy conservative and wore this wild outfit. I love how running has done that to me.

I met up with the Mother Runners for a group photo.

K and I are standing in the back. K is so cute and she was nervous about the race, but I knew she would do great. The plan was for me to stay with her as long as I could, but not hold her back because she is speedy for a new runner.

We jumped into the back of the first corral (never thought that would be the right place for me, but it was perfect). And we were off. The course takes you right down Broad Street through the VCU campus (go Rams). I was hanging with K as we zig-zagged through slower runners. And my Garmin started yelling at me for a heart rate alert ... way too high. I think I was super amped trying to figure out if I could stay with K (we were running 8:40) and I was panicking if I could run 5 miles at that crazy pace. It felt tough but good, but I had never done that for more than a mile.

So, I let K go and my HR dropped. Good decision because then it was just me doing what felt right for me and not worrying about holding her back.

Now my secret goal time was 44 but I told everyone I was hoping for 45. The course is an out and almost back with a strong downhill finish, and I am always slower on the downhill due to my ITB. So I started planning that if I could keep up with mid 8s, I could bank time to slow at the end (I know, most people speed up but I'm weird).

I turned on my iPod at about 1.5 miles to go and it was the perfect mix of songs to pep me up. I kept checking my cadence and I was hitting 90 or above, AWESOME. And then we hit the downhill. I checked my time, and wondered what in the heck was going on because I was way faster than I planned. Note to self: train on more downhills. This course led you right down to the river, and I was afraid I would fall (and tear the knees on my wild pants).

I actually got faster with my pace and turnover on the downhill.

What the heck, I couldn't believe this time as I was crossing the finish line. And I could see K just ahead of me. My official time was 42:34 (26th in my age group), and I couldn't have been happier.

And I can't believe I didn't take a single picture at the end. I think I was too surprised to think clearly. And I had NO knee pain = AWESOME.

I cheered on some other runners from my group and wondered around a bit with some friends before finally heading to the car and in search of a Starbucks. I was ready for coffee and my spinach wrap.

And what does any obsessed runner do when they get home? Upload the Garmin to over analyze my running and start planning for the next race. An almost 15 minute improvement from last year. I am so ready to tackle that half marathon. Now, which one do I pick?

And just because (one more time) AWESOME.

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I can do this

When: Saturday morning

Distance: 5 mile out and back course through downtown

Temperature: 36 degrees at 7:30

Clothes: I wore an awesome new cold weather shirt from Reebok (but forgot to take a picture), Asics tights, New Balance shoes, new Brooks gloves in pink of course

Goal: Run it fast to see what I can do it next week's 8k. I know it's not the smartest move the week before a race, but I wanted to give it a shot.

I had to stop at a few intersections on the last part, hopefully that explains some of the 6-7 minute pace spurts. But I did it, and felt great.

An 8:33 mile. (Insert super big smile here 😃) After being injured for so long with that crazy ITB, I didn't think I would see a mile that fast.

I am so ready for this race next week.

Run Jilly Bean 👍

 

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Long run with crazy GPS

So I set off Saturday morning with my running group to knock off 4.5 miles. Since it's only my second week running with this group, I'm still trying to figure out which part of the pack to be in. With all my ITB issues, I have really tried to stay away from the front because I know I am my worst own enemy with keeping up with others. I started off with the same girl from last week and we slowly cruised along for the first two miles. Then she told me to go ahead and catch up with the group just ahead of us because she wanted to drop back a little. I was feeling great, so I sped up a little to join them. We were chatting and easily making progress. We hit a stoplight at mile 3 and I paused my Garmin.

 

And then it went haywire when the light quickly changed and I tried to start it again. No luck, it was paused and it wasn't budging. It's done this one other time and the only thing that I found to reset it was to wait a few minutes and try to hold two of the buttons at the same time. Since this was my long run (and I'm so OCD), I pulled out my phone to use one of the running apps on it. It was fast to start and I put it back in my pocket for the rest of the run.

 

And then we missed a turn because most of the roads on our route are some version of Place, Drive, Way, Trail. You get the idea. We got to where we thought we should turn but it didn't match the queue sheet, so we went ahead. And then realized we should have turned already. Luckily, we just missed a loop, so we did an estimated out and back on that road to make up the mileage. We were all laughing as we headed back to the start.

 

I was a little afraid to be running without my Garmin to tell me my cadence or pace. Everything is feeling so well right now, I don't want to screw anything up by trying to keep up with speedy ladies. But the end of the run came, and I felt great. No pain, just some tight quads later in the day. Just a sign of a good workout. :)

 

So, I finally got the Garmin to reset and this is what it said.

 

Okay, so it kept the mileage in memory and just kept tracking time before I got it to reset. So when I clicked on the activity, this is the craziness I got.

So, I now biked 3337 miles in 149 hours. I wonder what cosmos the satellite pinged off to get this reading. What's even crazier is that is still kept some of my lap data.

I told you were slowly cruising for the first mile or so. When I added up the numbers I remembers from my Garmin + the other app, I ended up with around 4.8 miles in 47 minutes. Oh my Lord. I went way too fast the last mile and a half, but it felt great.

Here's hoping for less Garmin craziness the next time.

 

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