Sunday September 23
Today was the last long run of my training cycle for the 50 miler in about 4 weeks. I ran 29 miles, the plan was to run 30 but i chose to run a flat easier last 8 miles than hills. the sacrifice of one mile was worth it. I have been having some pain in soleus(the bottom of my calf muscle) and it travels from the bottom of my foot up to my hamstring. I was hesitant about the run this morning because the last 4 miles of my run yesterday it flared up. This is my own fault though, I am horrible at stretching. I literally don't do it. I ran strong the past 2 days and i went out today with the intent to not pay attention to pace or time, just run at a slow even pace. this run was about time on my feet not the speed or even necessarily the miles.
I am a religious runner when it comes to listening to music, if my iPod is dead i will wait for it to charge or not go. today at 2.5 hours in my iPod died. so i ran last half with no music. fortunately i was on a cty hwy with little traffic and the last 8 were on the local trail. truthfully it wasn't that bad. I CAN RUN WITHOUT MUSIC!
If you are a runner you know that all sorts of things go through your head while running. you can have your best ideas out there on the open road. Today my mind was on my wedding. yes folks i am engaged and we have decided on a 2013 winter wedding. thinking about where, what to wear, and cakes!
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
much much better
Sunday August 5
So I ran my second half of my b2b runs today. I had 24 on the schedule, i ran 24.3!!! i learned a couple things after my run yesterday. I started 2 hours earlier, had water dropped for me, and slowed down. i felt great, my legs weren't that tired and I really could have kept going. That was huge for me because I was on the road for over 4 hours. That is the longest i have been on my feet running, so knowing that I can make it that far boosts my confidence tremendously!!
So I ran my second half of my b2b runs today. I had 24 on the schedule, i ran 24.3!!! i learned a couple things after my run yesterday. I started 2 hours earlier, had water dropped for me, and slowed down. i felt great, my legs weren't that tired and I really could have kept going. That was huge for me because I was on the road for over 4 hours. That is the longest i have been on my feet running, so knowing that I can make it that far boosts my confidence tremendously!!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
I have finally hit the wall.
Saturday August 4
Today was the start of my back to back weekend long runs. i set my plan to run a new course, it measured at 21.43, my goal was to do 20, that extra 1.43 will be easy i told myself. i started out around 8 a.m. and we didn't have time to pre-place water along the course so i was left with my 2-8oz bottle on my fuel belt for the entire race. the forecast was gonna be hot. great.
I felt great at the start, nice wind. i knew that i had to conserve the water so my first drink wasn't until mile 8, around an hour to wash down the packet of peanut butter i ate. this was also my first time trying new fuel. turning onto the second leg i could feel the sun getting hotter and i was running out of water fast. right around my 2 hour mark i was out of water and hoping to see someone in their yard with a hose or something! i can across some people detassling corn and i asked if they could spare some water, ch-ching i got an ice cold bottle of water!! thanks to those guys!
onto leg 3, i knew this would be the worst part, tail wind and no shade with the sun high. water lasted about 6 miles and i was fading fast, i have NEVER walked during a race or in a training run, today i broke that. I hit the inevitable wall for the first time since i started running less than 2 years ago. i really does suck as much as everyone says it does. i knew roger would come look for me if i wasn't home within 3.5 hours, so my plan was to make it to the next shady area(i couldn't see any up ahead though) and rest till he came looking for me. it was 2 miles back and i knew i couldn't walk the rest of the way. a fellow runner who was driving past recognized the fade and offered to give me a ride, i hesitantly accepted and blasted the ac.
i got dropped off 2 blocks from home and i didnt think i was gonna make it, hands a feet numb, dizzy. i thought i was going down for the count. made in the door and fell on the bed. you know you're hot when you melt an ice pack on your chest in less than 10 minutes.
tomorrow i go back out to tackle 24 miles. i will however go out 2 hours earlier and have drop stops. Also getting all i can take with the London Olympic Track, and Triathalon has given me that extra push.
Today was the start of my back to back weekend long runs. i set my plan to run a new course, it measured at 21.43, my goal was to do 20, that extra 1.43 will be easy i told myself. i started out around 8 a.m. and we didn't have time to pre-place water along the course so i was left with my 2-8oz bottle on my fuel belt for the entire race. the forecast was gonna be hot. great.
I felt great at the start, nice wind. i knew that i had to conserve the water so my first drink wasn't until mile 8, around an hour to wash down the packet of peanut butter i ate. this was also my first time trying new fuel. turning onto the second leg i could feel the sun getting hotter and i was running out of water fast. right around my 2 hour mark i was out of water and hoping to see someone in their yard with a hose or something! i can across some people detassling corn and i asked if they could spare some water, ch-ching i got an ice cold bottle of water!! thanks to those guys!
onto leg 3, i knew this would be the worst part, tail wind and no shade with the sun high. water lasted about 6 miles and i was fading fast, i have NEVER walked during a race or in a training run, today i broke that. I hit the inevitable wall for the first time since i started running less than 2 years ago. i really does suck as much as everyone says it does. i knew roger would come look for me if i wasn't home within 3.5 hours, so my plan was to make it to the next shady area(i couldn't see any up ahead though) and rest till he came looking for me. it was 2 miles back and i knew i couldn't walk the rest of the way. a fellow runner who was driving past recognized the fade and offered to give me a ride, i hesitantly accepted and blasted the ac.
i got dropped off 2 blocks from home and i didnt think i was gonna make it, hands a feet numb, dizzy. i thought i was going down for the count. made in the door and fell on the bed. you know you're hot when you melt an ice pack on your chest in less than 10 minutes.
tomorrow i go back out to tackle 24 miles. i will however go out 2 hours earlier and have drop stops. Also getting all i can take with the London Olympic Track, and Triathalon has given me that extra push.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Top of the World
Monday July 30
So this is my RR from a little 10 miler I did on Saturday. Its a local race and I did this one last year. When I ran this race last year it was my first race of any real significant amount. I was in the midst of half marathon training and had run an 8k and a 5k race up until this point. Needless to say I was nervous. It was hot and the course offers little shade. Last year I finished with a time of 1:24:58, 11th in my age group, 36/192 woman and 137 overall. I thought that was good at the time, well I was actually pissed that I missed top 10! There is nothing like thinking you got it and then the last minute, nope nevermind not yours!
This year I was a bit more prepared, I knew the course and I run 10 miles almost daily. The weather was great, at start it was 60ish and overcast. I was shooting to cut 10 minutes off of my time and top five in my age group would be ideal. My confidence wasn't all there though. with the weather being so hot my pace has slowed and i haven't been doing as much speedwork as i should.
I knew that I could push through, so I was trying not to think about it too much.
I put myself towards the front but not right up there, because I knew that I would push too fast too soon and possibly fizzle out. In true race fashion I do not look at my watch much to check pace, it becomes too mental for me then. But at the first mile they were calling out times, i came in around 7ish. i was surprised since I thought I was going slow, but it was comfortable so I stayed there.
Within the first 3 miles I let 4 women pass me, i was ok with it for the time being. Within mile 7 is a decent hill and I made up some ground there and I had a girl in my sights, (if I could only catch her)!
At mile 9 there was a pack of 4, myself, that girl, and two other men. I kicked it up and passed them, and with .3 to go I kicked it up and finished strong!
I finished with a time of 1:16:02, not quite the 10 minutes i was looking for.
I got 8th overall woman out of 204, 5th in my age group, and 64th overall. I was really happy about all the stats I got!
All day I couldn't get the smile off of my face, that is the first time that I really was proud of myself. i didn't think that I would do that well. But it also gives my confidence a boost that I do have it in me and that the speed is still there.
Yesterday I did a recovery run of about 13 miles, it was hot and I was a bit tired from the race. I also realized that it was time for new shoes, again!
This week is week 5 of training for the 50 miler in october!
Have a great monday!
So this is my RR from a little 10 miler I did on Saturday. Its a local race and I did this one last year. When I ran this race last year it was my first race of any real significant amount. I was in the midst of half marathon training and had run an 8k and a 5k race up until this point. Needless to say I was nervous. It was hot and the course offers little shade. Last year I finished with a time of 1:24:58, 11th in my age group, 36/192 woman and 137 overall. I thought that was good at the time, well I was actually pissed that I missed top 10! There is nothing like thinking you got it and then the last minute, nope nevermind not yours!
This year I was a bit more prepared, I knew the course and I run 10 miles almost daily. The weather was great, at start it was 60ish and overcast. I was shooting to cut 10 minutes off of my time and top five in my age group would be ideal. My confidence wasn't all there though. with the weather being so hot my pace has slowed and i haven't been doing as much speedwork as i should.
I put myself towards the front but not right up there, because I knew that I would push too fast too soon and possibly fizzle out. In true race fashion I do not look at my watch much to check pace, it becomes too mental for me then. But at the first mile they were calling out times, i came in around 7ish. i was surprised since I thought I was going slow, but it was comfortable so I stayed there.
Within the first 3 miles I let 4 women pass me, i was ok with it for the time being. Within mile 7 is a decent hill and I made up some ground there and I had a girl in my sights, (if I could only catch her)!
At mile 9 there was a pack of 4, myself, that girl, and two other men. I kicked it up and passed them, and with .3 to go I kicked it up and finished strong!
I finished with a time of 1:16:02, not quite the 10 minutes i was looking for.
I got 8th overall woman out of 204, 5th in my age group, and 64th overall. I was really happy about all the stats I got!
All day I couldn't get the smile off of my face, that is the first time that I really was proud of myself. i didn't think that I would do that well. But it also gives my confidence a boost that I do have it in me and that the speed is still there.
Yesterday I did a recovery run of about 13 miles, it was hot and I was a bit tired from the race. I also realized that it was time for new shoes, again!
This week is week 5 of training for the 50 miler in october!
Have a great monday!
Monday, July 2, 2012
It's like a Sauna
Monday july 2
Hydration is key. the temps around here have been in the 90's consistently with no break in the future. My mornings have been starting between 4 and 5am to get my run in before the heat hits and before the kids go to school. Even running that early and only running 6 or 8 i have to carry water. i am not however going to wear a fuel belt and a handheld bottle is a no go. I run very tight in my neck and shoulders so trying to hold onto something at the same time causes pain. I came up with a little solution. i took one of the bottles from my fuel belt(6-8oz) and wore my stow-n-go northface sports bra. the bottle fits perfect in the pocket of the sports bra. a full bottle feels heavy in a place where you are not used to that weight. I now know what it feels like to run with boobs.
my training starts this week for my 50 miler, and struggling a bit with the plan. i have one all figured out but feel like its not enough.
Hydration is key. the temps around here have been in the 90's consistently with no break in the future. My mornings have been starting between 4 and 5am to get my run in before the heat hits and before the kids go to school. Even running that early and only running 6 or 8 i have to carry water. i am not however going to wear a fuel belt and a handheld bottle is a no go. I run very tight in my neck and shoulders so trying to hold onto something at the same time causes pain. I came up with a little solution. i took one of the bottles from my fuel belt(6-8oz) and wore my stow-n-go northface sports bra. the bottle fits perfect in the pocket of the sports bra. a full bottle feels heavy in a place where you are not used to that weight. I now know what it feels like to run with boobs.
my training starts this week for my 50 miler, and struggling a bit with the plan. i have one all figured out but feel like its not enough.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Marathon Madness
Tuesday
Finally, the moment you have all been waiting for..... my RR!
time to line up and I'm eyeing the people around me(don't act like you don't do it), ready to go. my sister and Roger are there to see me start and he will be riding the course as my pack mule!
Finally, the moment you have all been waiting for..... my RR!
First off I was not training for this marathon specifically as you may know. i was supposed to run the previous week here in Madison but was indeed cancelled due to the heat.
my training was an 18/55 altered pfitz plan peaking at 70ish and average about 55. My goal was to hit sub 3:45 which would have been a PR by 7 minutes!
Night before race: ate waaayyy to much pasta and carrot cake too late=food baby
morning of race: woke up around 4 a.m. to get up and gather all my stuff strewn about the hotel room(Roger did the Tour De Cure 100 mile ride the day before so a bicycle to the shin in the middle of the night=not cool). Only had a banana and some berries because i was still so full from dinner 6 hours before.
We were only 3 blocks from the start so we left the hotel at 5:45ish and met a lady in the elevator who was also supposed to run Madison and picked this one up last minute. We find the 8 minute/mile corral and stretch, warm up and use the john one last time before the lines got outrageous! Up until this point I was cool as a cucumber, now anxious as ever! i started at teh line with a long sleeve T, but took it off right before the gun went off to sport my kit!
time to line up and I'm eyeing the people around me(don't act like you don't do it), ready to go. my sister and Roger are there to see me start and he will be riding the course as my pack mule!
And we are off: I start right with the 8:01 pacer and i think to myself "this is too slow" so I go for the pace that feels good. I hook onto a rabbit right away and stay with her till about mile 8.
1 7:37
2 7:38
3 7:38
4 7:38
5 7:31
6 7:29
7 7:35
8 8:06
Pretty consistent with the rabbit, I have a habbit of not looking at my watch while running unless to look at the time elapsed for my gel gauge as to not psych myself out. I encounter some hills at this time and i was surprised because I thought the course was mostly flat, i love hills but when you are not expecting them it can suck. there was more downhill than up. the next few miles were a blur, I hit a zone that was good, but my goal was not to let the 8:01 pace group pass me no matter what.
9 7:39
10 7:54
11 7:54
12 7:56
13 7:46
14 8:02
15 8:10
16 8:26
17 8:11
18 8:18
19 8:56
at the turn around point i see that the group is coming up on me and know they are gonna be here any time so i push just a little bit and then decide at mile 19 to let them catch me and hang with them(there were about 5 people in the group). Afterall there was less than 10 miles to go. my quads at this point were feeling the downhills and threatening to give out, but I had plenty of endurance to get me there.
20 8:24
21 8:17
22 8:04
23 8:07
24 8:13
25 8:15
26 8:10
.21 1:41
I am not one to run with others, but i will say that these last 6 miles weren't horrible and i needed that pace group to keep me in check with my pace. The pacer was very energetic and the crowd was amazing. This race was also a relay and the check points were very congested especially at the end where you had marathoners, relay marathoners and half all finishing at the same place at the same time. so trying to finish strong and not run anyone over was tough. I pushed at the end with the remaining other woman in the group, gave it my all and sprinted that s#*t!!!
official finish time of 3:30:39 PR by 22 minutes and 5th in my age bracket!
after the race was about 1.5 mile walk to the hotel and then in the car almost immediately for the 4.5 hour ride home. needless to say my legs are soo sore and i was drinking so much water on the way home we had to stop like 15 times so i could pee!
Without even trying I ended up qualifying for Boston by 5 minutes! So of course i have to go! I did a 1.45 mile run this afternoon to get my legs moving tomorrow i will try for 3!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Something Called a Race
I have been in training for the past 4.5 months for the race coming up on Sunday. The weather threatens all my hard work and on the verge on being cancelled. As you can tell I am NOT pleased by this. 4pm today is the time of judgement, if the marathon is cancelled all the marathoners are able to run the half. Who wants to do that? Certainly not me. When the announcement was made that a cancellation due to heat was possible I immediately went online to search for a race the next weekend, anywhere! Plus side the Minneapolis Marathon is the next weekend, so if in the event of a cancellation we will be traveling to the Twin Cities to run. Obviously not the ideal plan, but hey I GOT TO RUN!
i had a sports bra made for the event to match my shoes. bright yellow so the family can spot me!
Rest has been my mantra for the past couple days and ending the 3 week taper if very much welcome, but appreciated. Never before have I seen the full effect of the taper until this cycle.
On other news my daughter ran her first 5K last weekend!!! She is part of a group called Girls on The Run and this was their practice run for the big race on june 9th! I was lucky enough to run with her for practice and it was a bit difficult when you realize that at 8 they have not (for the most part) figured out how to pace themselves. Sprint, walk, sprint, walk, repeat. It was a warm one and everyone appreciated the spraying hoses from eager fans!
Rest has been my mantra for the past couple days and ending the 3 week taper if very much welcome, but appreciated. Never before have I seen the full effect of the taper until this cycle.
On other news my daughter ran her first 5K last weekend!!! She is part of a group called Girls on The Run and this was their practice run for the big race on june 9th! I was lucky enough to run with her for practice and it was a bit difficult when you realize that at 8 they have not (for the most part) figured out how to pace themselves. Sprint, walk, sprint, walk, repeat. It was a warm one and everyone appreciated the spraying hoses from eager fans!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)