I almost made a huge mistake this one, one that I firmly believe is a mistake and I always caution other runners NOT to make. I almost ran more just so I could have a bigger number for miles run for the week! ALMOST. But, I quickly realized that I have been training really smart this time around, and running three more miles wasn't the smartest thing for me to do. I've never run 47 miles in one week, let alone 50miles. I was so close and don't know that I'll ever be this close again, so I almost ran the extra 3 miles just so I could say I have run a 50 mile week. Silly, I know! But, us runners are funny like that. It's so hard to get caught up in the numbers. Chances are, I would have been fine adding an extra three miles on Sunday. But, I'm three weeks out from my goal race for the year, Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, that I do not want to take any chances. Instead I will be absolutely satisfied with the great training week I DID have. I am proud of my 47 mile week, including a FANTASTIC 22 miler on Saturday where I felt like I was running strong enough that I could have run the final 4.2 miles and finished a marathon. Let's hope May 20 is the same!
Week 15 stats:
Monday: 3.26 miles
Tuesday: 6 miles (3x800 repeats)
Wednesday: 11.01 miles
Thursday: 4.71 miles
Friday: REST! (well, and burpees for the challenge)
Saturday: 22 miles
Sunday: Recovery walk and short (extremely short) bike ride with 5year old
Total for week 15 of marathon training: 47.04 miles
Total for April: 158.59 miles (running) Not my highest month ever since I had a missed 20 miler, but still pretty high!
How was your training and/or racing last week? Have you ever gone for quantity over quality? If so, what was the quantity you were trying for?
HAPPY RUNNING!
Just a mom who loves to run, (learning) to practice yoga, maintain weight loss and parent. All One Mile at a Time.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
My New Love
I officially have a new love! Yes, my husband knows about it and even encouraged it. After my disastrous chafing issue from an 11 mile run earlier this week wearing what I thought would be my marathon outfit, I knew I needed to go shopping. The problem (definitely a good problem to have), is that all of my running capris are too loose through the thighs. They may be too loose through the waist, but I make sure they have a drawstring to solve that problem. It seems like I am FINALLY losing inches around my thighs which have been my most hated body part, although I do love that they will carry me on these long running adventures. Recently, I made peace with my larger thighs as I am thankful for their strength, then they go and do this to me. Sheesh!
Getting back to the point, I wore my new Brooks Running Skort and after 6 miles, when I started sweating more, the rubber grippers on the legs stopped working properly. Brooks has been my favorite running company for shoes and clothing, even wearing one of their other skort for my first marathon. I spoke with a Brooks Customer Service Representative and they are going to help me out.
Making a short story, long (my specialty!), we went shopping yesterday afternoon and I knew there was a Lululemon store at Easton. I walked into their store once and saw how cute all the running clothes were, but mypoor cheap frugal budget savy side never let me try them on. I had heard so many wonderful things about their products, but the price has always stopped me in the past. With my birthday coming, I thought that maybe I could get an early gift. The wonderful employees helped me find the right sizes and the right lengths that I was looking for, then I headed back to the fitting room. Upon putting the Run: Inspire Crop II on, I knew that I HAD to have them! They fit perfectly, they felt AWESOME, and looked really cute. I know, it's not important how you look when you run, but when I'm hot, sweaty and stinky, sometimes it just helps! :) Jeff was there and he agreed that they looked like a great addition to my running wardrobe.
They seemed to be the perfect fit! They hugged my legs perfectly for 22 miles today. Yes, I did the biggest no-no and wore something new for a LONG run. I had that much confidence in them! Thankfully, they didn't let me down. They are definitely my new go-to running item. And you realize what that means, right? Yeah, it's probably going to be HOT for the marathon, which means I can't wear them. Let's hope for a cooler day by the Lake, shall we?
What is your favorite piece of running clothing? Have you ever splurged on running or cycling gear?
***Disclaimer: these were bought with our own money. I am only writing this review to share with you how wonderful they are to help in your running clothing shopping. I was not asked to write a review and did not receive anything from this.***
Getting back to the point, I wore my new Brooks Running Skort and after 6 miles, when I started sweating more, the rubber grippers on the legs stopped working properly. Brooks has been my favorite running company for shoes and clothing, even wearing one of their other skort for my first marathon. I spoke with a Brooks Customer Service Representative and they are going to help me out.
Making a short story, long (my specialty!), we went shopping yesterday afternoon and I knew there was a Lululemon store at Easton. I walked into their store once and saw how cute all the running clothes were, but my
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| Lululemon Run: Inspire Crop II From the tag: Made of 4-way stretch Power Luxtreme fabric for no-bounce muscle support & quick drying, wicking capabilities. |
What is your favorite piece of running clothing? Have you ever splurged on running or cycling gear?
***Disclaimer: these were bought with our own money. I am only writing this review to share with you how wonderful they are to help in your running clothing shopping. I was not asked to write a review and did not receive anything from this.***
Friday, April 27, 2012
Perspective and community. Thank you!
During my run yesterday, my brain was going every which way and I had so many thoughts racing. The most profound train of thought that I had really put things into perspective for me. Two years ago, I was in the final week of training for my first half marathon. At that point, I honestly did not know if I would cross the finish line. I knew next to nothing about training, running, hydrating, fueling, etc. Only a few friends were runners, and only one of them had run a half marathon before. I wasn't on twitter, yet, actually, I don't know if I knew anything about it at that point in time. The CapCity Half Marathon was probably going to be my only event of this distance, ever. When I crossed the finish line, I "knew" it was the last time I was going to run that far. I remember being at mile 12, going UPHILL (UGH) and saying to myself "Why would anyone ever want to run double this distance?"
Fast forward to yesterday....I ended my run and realized that since Saturday morning, I have run 45 miles WITHOUT a rest day! And I feel great! Well, I'm hungry, but that's par for the course during marathon training. I've never had 45 miles in a full week and here I have 45 miles in 6 days. WOW!
Besides the physical and mental positives that I have gained from running, I have become a part of this wonderful community of runners. It is an AMAZING community of support, advice, and just a listening ear when you need one. Between Twitter, DailyMile, Facebook groups and RunDMC (my local running group), I can get just about any question answered from clothing/shoe recommendations to suggestions on how to pace a training run. Training for my first marathon last year, I had so many questions and so many doubts. However, the running community helped me get through it. As I was running the marathon, I thought of all the advice and tips and knew that I could get through it!
In two years I have also had friends and family start running and I have so many people that not only understand what I am doing and why, but are also running right by my side! I am having so much fun with my Best Running Friend (BRF), Jamie, running all these crazy miles with me. I don't think I would enjoy training for a marathon nearly as much without her by my side! Thank you, Jamie, for taking up this crazy sport and deciding to run marathons with me! Then we added Kate, Angie and several others to our group and have so much fun! My Saturday morning miles wouldn't be the same without you ladies. Love our conversations and how the miles just fly by.
As I am in the middle of writing this, my friend, Amanda posted this on her facebook status:
"Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week. It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too."
-Richard O'Brien
I couldn't agree more! Jeff is training for his first 10K and I think I am more excited by his training and upcoming race than I am with my own. Coming up with his training plan was so much fun! (hmm...wonder if there's a future job in there for me?!) Same with my friend, Kate, who is running her first Half Marathon at Cleveland. As excited as I am to see what I can do in the Cleveland Marathon, I am also disappointed that I won't get to see her face as she crosses the finish line!
Without this wonderful community of friends, support, encouragement, I doubt that I would have ever discovered exactly what I am capable of! Thank you all for helping me be a better runner and pushing myself to my expand my limits!
Fast forward to yesterday....I ended my run and realized that since Saturday morning, I have run 45 miles WITHOUT a rest day! And I feel great! Well, I'm hungry, but that's par for the course during marathon training. I've never had 45 miles in a full week and here I have 45 miles in 6 days. WOW!
Besides the physical and mental positives that I have gained from running, I have become a part of this wonderful community of runners. It is an AMAZING community of support, advice, and just a listening ear when you need one. Between Twitter, DailyMile, Facebook groups and RunDMC (my local running group), I can get just about any question answered from clothing/shoe recommendations to suggestions on how to pace a training run. Training for my first marathon last year, I had so many questions and so many doubts. However, the running community helped me get through it. As I was running the marathon, I thought of all the advice and tips and knew that I could get through it!
In two years I have also had friends and family start running and I have so many people that not only understand what I am doing and why, but are also running right by my side! I am having so much fun with my Best Running Friend (BRF), Jamie, running all these crazy miles with me. I don't think I would enjoy training for a marathon nearly as much without her by my side! Thank you, Jamie, for taking up this crazy sport and deciding to run marathons with me! Then we added Kate, Angie and several others to our group and have so much fun! My Saturday morning miles wouldn't be the same without you ladies. Love our conversations and how the miles just fly by.
As I am in the middle of writing this, my friend, Amanda posted this on her facebook status:
"Running is not, as it so often seems, only about what you did in your last race or about how many miles you ran last week. It is, in a much more important way, about community, about appreciating all the miles run by other runners, too."
-Richard O'Brien
I couldn't agree more! Jeff is training for his first 10K and I think I am more excited by his training and upcoming race than I am with my own. Coming up with his training plan was so much fun! (hmm...wonder if there's a future job in there for me?!) Same with my friend, Kate, who is running her first Half Marathon at Cleveland. As excited as I am to see what I can do in the Cleveland Marathon, I am also disappointed that I won't get to see her face as she crosses the finish line!
Without this wonderful community of friends, support, encouragement, I doubt that I would have ever discovered exactly what I am capable of! Thank you all for helping me be a better runner and pushing myself to my expand my limits!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Only FOUR more! (week 14 recap)
FOUR MORE WEEKS! I know I say it all the time, but time is FLYING! Four weeks until the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon! I am getting so excited for the entire weekend. So many fun things to do!
I had a great training week with my highest mileage week ever. My legs feel great and I had some very strong workouts during the week. I even went swimming! (if you want to read more on that, click here)
Saturday's long run was the fastest pace I have ever run 18miles. Thanks to Angie for keeping me going the last 1-1.5 miles when I was ready to stop. My legs were actually ok, but I was tired. I NEED to start getting more sleep! Who do I talk to about adding more hours to the day?! We had an overall average of 10:07mm for the whole run which is giving me hope that maybe, just maybe I will be able to make my time goal for the marathon!
Week 14 stats:
Monday: 5.66 miles
Tuesday: 9.01 miles tempo run & strength training
Wednesday: 3.51 miles
Thursday: 5.01 miles
Friday: strength training
Saturday: 18 miles
Sunday: 2.16 miles, 1.25 mile swim
Total for week 14 of marathon training: 43.34 miles running
How was your week training and/or racing?
I had a great training week with my highest mileage week ever. My legs feel great and I had some very strong workouts during the week. I even went swimming! (if you want to read more on that, click here)
Saturday's long run was the fastest pace I have ever run 18miles. Thanks to Angie for keeping me going the last 1-1.5 miles when I was ready to stop. My legs were actually ok, but I was tired. I NEED to start getting more sleep! Who do I talk to about adding more hours to the day?! We had an overall average of 10:07mm for the whole run which is giving me hope that maybe, just maybe I will be able to make my time goal for the marathon!
Week 14 stats:
Monday: 5.66 miles
Tuesday: 9.01 miles tempo run & strength training
Wednesday: 3.51 miles
Thursday: 5.01 miles
Friday: strength training
Saturday: 18 miles
Sunday: 2.16 miles, 1.25 mile swim
Total for week 14 of marathon training: 43.34 miles running
How was your week training and/or racing?
"Tri"ing something new!
Today I went swimming. For real. Not the "swimming" I usually do which is more just play in the water and swim a little bit. I swam 1/4 mile today. Now, I have jelly arms. That was a rough workout!
Growing up at a small lake, we didn't have life guards. We didn't have swim lessons. I learned how to swim...mostly. I think I was 5 or 6 the last time I took official swim lessons (if my memory serves me right). The biggest problem I have in my swimming is that I have no clue how to swim with my face in the water. I've got the arms and the legs down, but that breathing thing, that's going to take a lot of practice! Luckily, I had some great teachers today. Allen had some great tips to try including a website to watch some videos to help with my technique. I'm thankful that I have some pretty smart friends who are willing to share their knowledge! We have our running group, we may have to start a Tri group now too.
2013....the year of the Triathlon! That's the current goal. I've been talking about it for a year now, but trying to find time to fit in the swimming is what has consistently held me back. Can't really go out at 4:30 in the morning to swim some laps before the kids get up and Jeff goes to work! My friend, Kate, has also determined that 2013 is the year of the Triathlon. It will be fun to learn how to Tri together; maybe a little less intimidating that way!
I love running! You all know I love running. I also love a good challenge! I told Jeff that after The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon I will scale back my training and take some time off from running marathons. Triathlons would be a good distraction for me. A huge challenge (you know, that whole learning to swim thing...), less time training as I won't have to go out for four hour long runs on the weekend, plus it would be good overall exercise.
For now, I will work on learning to swim with my face in the water. I will keep working on my upper body and core strength and see what happens!
Growing up at a small lake, we didn't have life guards. We didn't have swim lessons. I learned how to swim...mostly. I think I was 5 or 6 the last time I took official swim lessons (if my memory serves me right). The biggest problem I have in my swimming is that I have no clue how to swim with my face in the water. I've got the arms and the legs down, but that breathing thing, that's going to take a lot of practice! Luckily, I had some great teachers today. Allen had some great tips to try including a website to watch some videos to help with my technique. I'm thankful that I have some pretty smart friends who are willing to share their knowledge! We have our running group, we may have to start a Tri group now too.
2013....the year of the Triathlon! That's the current goal. I've been talking about it for a year now, but trying to find time to fit in the swimming is what has consistently held me back. Can't really go out at 4:30 in the morning to swim some laps before the kids get up and Jeff goes to work! My friend, Kate, has also determined that 2013 is the year of the Triathlon. It will be fun to learn how to Tri together; maybe a little less intimidating that way!
I love running! You all know I love running. I also love a good challenge! I told Jeff that after The Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon I will scale back my training and take some time off from running marathons. Triathlons would be a good distraction for me. A huge challenge (you know, that whole learning to swim thing...), less time training as I won't have to go out for four hour long runs on the weekend, plus it would be good overall exercise.
For now, I will work on learning to swim with my face in the water. I will keep working on my upper body and core strength and see what happens!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Safety Before Fashion
Running in the early morning hours, it's obviously dark, especially through the winter months. I have slowly been adding to my safety gear. At first, I wasn't willing to spend the money on safety gear, thinking I wouldn't keep running in the wee hours. Looks like I was wrong; almost two years have passed since I switched to early morning running!
Due to the safety concerns about running in the dark (for women or men), I am finally feeling pretty safe in the mornings. Here's what I do to try to stay as safe as possible:
I carry a container of pepper spray. We live in a very safe area, but you can never be too safe and I would like to think I'm not (completely) naive. There is also the issue of animals that I could potentially encounter.
I try to wear my most reflective gear. However, so many items of running clothes are dark in color. Most of my pants/tights/capris are black, but luckily I have some light and bright color shirts and jackets.
***Added from my original post and I can't believe I forgot it! My 1BandID! Actually, I can believe that I forgot it as I never have to think about it, it just goes with me when I wear my watch. If you haven't heard of 1BandID, check them out! It's no fun to think that something bad could happen to you on a run or ride, but, I've been running long enough that I have almost been hit by a car and have heard of many more horror stories. Having an id on you so emergency professionals can easily contact your family is very important.
When I run alone, I ALWAYS carry my phone. I have had to call for a ride home from getting an injury, running out of water on a HOT day, and having too hard of a run and making myself sick. Having it with me, gives both me and Jeff a little more peace of mind. Also, I can text Jeff to let him know if I am having a slower than anticipated run so he doesn't worry if I'm home later than I originally told him to expect me.
My headlamp serves dual purpose (in my mind, at least). I use it to see better in the areas without as many street lights and also for the on-coming cars to see me better. The first couple times I wore a headlamp, I felt really silly. Now, it's just part of my morning gear...I put on my running shoes, I put on my headlamp, then I head out the door! Again, SAFETY is more important!
Recently, I was chosen in a random drawing on Go Sport ID's Facebook page and received FOUR safety lights. YAY! These were on my list of needed items, but let's face it; running (supposedly the "cheap" sport), is really anything but! They were delivered to me on Wednesday and I tried one out on Thursday.
There are different settings depending on howobnoxious visible you want to be to cars. It definitely worked! My neighbor texted me that day thanking me for wearing my blinking light and said he wishes more people would do that. He saw me from about 1/4 mile away! I'm not sure if he could have seen me from a longer distance as he had just come around a curve. He leaves for work at 5:30 every morning and has almost hit other runners and even a cyclist with NO reflective gear. Come on, people, SAFETY FIRST! Frankly, I do not care what I look like in the early morning hours, I wish I could get a decent picture and I would share it with everyone. (Difficult to get a picture of yourself when the rest of the house is sleeping!) What I do care about is coming home SAFELY to my family. I care that I will live to see another sunrise. I care that I will live for another run.
After finally having enough credit on Amazon.com, I was able to order my reflective vest. I chose a Nathan vest and it should be here in the middle of the week. Now, I will be able to venture out of my neighborhood, away from the streetlights feeling a little more comfortable on the county roads. Trust me, this is much needed after all the miles I have logged in my little subdivision and the surrounding 3. My brain will really appreciate the variety!
Runners, walkers, cyclists, what do you do to stay safe on the road or trail?
Due to the safety concerns about running in the dark (for women or men), I am finally feeling pretty safe in the mornings. Here's what I do to try to stay as safe as possible:
I carry a container of pepper spray. We live in a very safe area, but you can never be too safe and I would like to think I'm not (completely) naive. There is also the issue of animals that I could potentially encounter.
I try to wear my most reflective gear. However, so many items of running clothes are dark in color. Most of my pants/tights/capris are black, but luckily I have some light and bright color shirts and jackets.
***Added from my original post and I can't believe I forgot it! My 1BandID! Actually, I can believe that I forgot it as I never have to think about it, it just goes with me when I wear my watch. If you haven't heard of 1BandID, check them out! It's no fun to think that something bad could happen to you on a run or ride, but, I've been running long enough that I have almost been hit by a car and have heard of many more horror stories. Having an id on you so emergency professionals can easily contact your family is very important.
When I run alone, I ALWAYS carry my phone. I have had to call for a ride home from getting an injury, running out of water on a HOT day, and having too hard of a run and making myself sick. Having it with me, gives both me and Jeff a little more peace of mind. Also, I can text Jeff to let him know if I am having a slower than anticipated run so he doesn't worry if I'm home later than I originally told him to expect me.
My headlamp serves dual purpose (in my mind, at least). I use it to see better in the areas without as many street lights and also for the on-coming cars to see me better. The first couple times I wore a headlamp, I felt really silly. Now, it's just part of my morning gear...I put on my running shoes, I put on my headlamp, then I head out the door! Again, SAFETY is more important!
Recently, I was chosen in a random drawing on Go Sport ID's Facebook page and received FOUR safety lights. YAY! These were on my list of needed items, but let's face it; running (supposedly the "cheap" sport), is really anything but! They were delivered to me on Wednesday and I tried one out on Thursday.
 |
| Thank you, Go Sport ID, for making me safer! |
There are different settings depending on how
After finally having enough credit on Amazon.com, I was able to order my reflective vest. I chose a Nathan vest and it should be here in the middle of the week. Now, I will be able to venture out of my neighborhood, away from the streetlights feeling a little more comfortable on the county roads. Trust me, this is much needed after all the miles I have logged in my little subdivision and the surrounding 3. My brain will really appreciate the variety!
Runners, walkers, cyclists, what do you do to stay safe on the road or trail?
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Why did I look?!?
In just a few weeks, I will enter a new age group (AG) for racing. A mere thirteen days prior to the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. Silly me, I thought going into the next group would make me look faster. WOW, was I wrong! Just looking at the results from the 2011 Cleveland Marathon for my (new) age group and if I finish where I am hoping to, I will (most likely) be ranked lower in the older group than if I would stay in my current age group until after the race. DEPRESSING!
I know, I know it doesn't REALLY matter where I fall in the AG, just how I run MY race. And, I'm choosing to look at the positives....it looks like women as a whole are faster in the 35-39 (yes, I let my secret out; I will be joining the 35-39 year olds in just a few short weeks) than the 30-34. That can only mean that good stuff is coming, right? I wonder if this holds true for other races as well or if it's just an anomaly? I may have to start looking into that. Curious minds want to know!
This also brings up another thought; if there are a lot of women like me who didn't start running until their early 30s, then it does make sense that we would be faster in the mid to late 30s as we've gained experience, endurance, worked on speed, etc. Typically, I thought the older we get, the slower we get, but I'm thinking not if we started at nothing! If I ever find the time, I may have to research this.
What are you thoughts on age vs speed?
I know, I know it doesn't REALLY matter where I fall in the AG, just how I run MY race. And, I'm choosing to look at the positives....it looks like women as a whole are faster in the 35-39 (yes, I let my secret out; I will be joining the 35-39 year olds in just a few short weeks) than the 30-34. That can only mean that good stuff is coming, right? I wonder if this holds true for other races as well or if it's just an anomaly? I may have to start looking into that. Curious minds want to know!
This also brings up another thought; if there are a lot of women like me who didn't start running until their early 30s, then it does make sense that we would be faster in the mid to late 30s as we've gained experience, endurance, worked on speed, etc. Typically, I thought the older we get, the slower we get, but I'm thinking not if we started at nothing! If I ever find the time, I may have to research this.
What are you thoughts on age vs speed?
Monday, April 16, 2012
Not according to plan! (Week 13 of training)
Week 13 of training for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon is done. This week did NOT go according to plan, but I guess that's why it's a "plan" right? Things are meant to be changed when needed. I wish there was a better reason for my training not to go according to plan, but unfortunately, Friday evening I was struck with a stomach bug. UGH! I haven't had a stomach bug in THREE YEARS. So, of course, I get one the night before my second 20 miler of this training cycle. I have been so happy with my training for this marathon compared to my training for my first marathon. I've been feeling great, I've been hitting goals, I've been keeping up with speedwork, with strength training, core work, everything I wanted to. I think that made me even more disappointed to miss this run. After the first 20 miler two weeks ago that went really well, I thought if I could get 3 20 (+) milers in this training cycle that it would make the first 20 miles of the marathon that much "easier". That was my delusion. Luckily, I have some great running friends with some very wise words. They quickly pointed out that missing one long run with the mileage that I've had so far isn't going to hurt me (too much). Just keep doing what I've been doing and listen to my body. That plan hasn't failed me yet, so that's what I'm going with.
Honestly, I know I have had a super 13 weeks of training. I took a deep breath and I am trying not to look at is as a missed run, but more that my body needed a break. So I gave it one. I have logged 448.75 miles over 13 weeks of training. There are just over 4 weeks and 184.8 (planned) miles more to run. That's 633.55 miles to train for the marathon. For USAF, I ran 427.26 miles. Looking at the fact that I've already trained more, I know I WILL BE READY!
Wednesday's mid-long run was fantastic! I drove into town to explore the streets like I haven't done since I was a collegiateseveral a few years ago. It was a lot of fun to see the campus on foot, to run through town. And best of all, I ran all 8 miles with NO MUSIC! It was a gorgeous day and I wanted to hear the sounds of nature, plus, for whatever reason, I didn't feel a need for my iPod. It was in my SpiBelt and I figured that I would pull out my earbuds when the need for music arose. I realized when I got back to the car that I never stopped to do that. It felt great to realize that I don't HAVE to have music on my longer runs. Before Wednesday, I think that farther I had ever gone without music was 4 or 5 miles. apparently, I CAN handle the thoughts in my head!
Week 13 stats:
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 8.14 miles
Thursday: 4.5 miles with middle 2 miles close to tempo pace
Friday: strength training
Saturday: SICK!
Sunday: 4.5 miles
Total for week 13 of marathon training: 23.15 miles
Hope everyone had a great week training and/or racing!
Honestly, I know I have had a super 13 weeks of training. I took a deep breath and I am trying not to look at is as a missed run, but more that my body needed a break. So I gave it one. I have logged 448.75 miles over 13 weeks of training. There are just over 4 weeks and 184.8 (planned) miles more to run. That's 633.55 miles to train for the marathon. For USAF, I ran 427.26 miles. Looking at the fact that I've already trained more, I know I WILL BE READY!
Wednesday's mid-long run was fantastic! I drove into town to explore the streets like I haven't done since I was a collegiate
Week 13 stats:
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 8.14 miles
Thursday: 4.5 miles with middle 2 miles close to tempo pace
Friday: strength training
Saturday: SICK!
Sunday: 4.5 miles
Total for week 13 of marathon training: 23.15 miles
Hope everyone had a great week training and/or racing!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
What's next?
Why is it that the closer a race gets, the more intense the need to know what my "next" is? I have a few theories and would love to hear yours!
1. I think if I plan something new, something different, then maybe I won't freak out so much about my goals for the upcoming race?
2. Iam a glutton for punishment love challenges and want to know what's next to start preparing?
3. My type A personality doesn't like down-time?
4. The excitement of racing season is getting to me?
When I first started running, I needed races planned in order to stay motivated to keep running. Now, I don't have that problem! I run for the love of running. Well, and time with my friends. And exercise. And because if I run 10 miles, or 15 miles or whatever, I can eat more of what I want. I run for my skinny jeans.
As of right now I am registered for one race but it's not until November (Ragnar Relay in TN). I have 3 races that I'm looking into running, seeing if they fit into our family calendar without too much fuss. Funny thing is, I discovered after USAF in September and before I started training for Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon in January, that I LOVED not having a training plan. The freedom to run whenever I wanted to was fantastic! So why the sudden change?
I will probably never have an answer to this, but it's one of those things that keep my brain spinning on my runs.
Do you have to have the next race/next challenge planned before you finish the first one? Or do you just pick up races as they come along?
1. I think if I plan something new, something different, then maybe I won't freak out so much about my goals for the upcoming race?
2. I
3. My type A personality doesn't like down-time?
4. The excitement of racing season is getting to me?
When I first started running, I needed races planned in order to stay motivated to keep running. Now, I don't have that problem! I run for the love of running. Well, and time with my friends. And exercise. And because if I run 10 miles, or 15 miles or whatever, I can eat more of what I want. I run for my skinny jeans.
As of right now I am registered for one race but it's not until November (Ragnar Relay in TN). I have 3 races that I'm looking into running, seeing if they fit into our family calendar without too much fuss. Funny thing is, I discovered after USAF in September and before I started training for Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon in January, that I LOVED not having a training plan. The freedom to run whenever I wanted to was fantastic! So why the sudden change?
I will probably never have an answer to this, but it's one of those things that keep my brain spinning on my runs.
Do you have to have the next race/next challenge planned before you finish the first one? Or do you just pick up races as they come along?
Monday, April 9, 2012
Learning a lot about myself....and week 12 in numbers
Getting into the final countdown to the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon. There are 40 days until race day!!!
Monday morning, I went out not knowing what I was going to do exactly for my speedwork. I gave myself my 1.5mile warmup to figure out if I was going to TRY 800 repeats (1/2 mile) or just run mile repeats. Well, I since I've been a wimp and NOT running my 800s, I thought I'd see what I could do. My plan called for 10 repeats and I was hoping to get six done in goal time. I got the six done, tried a seventh...that was was done within goal pace, tried number eight. I knew at the end of the eighth that I would not be able to get any more done, but was THRILLED to run 8 of them. Previously, I had only been able to run five at goal pace. I've decided that I still do not like runnings 800s, but glad that I pushed WAY beyond my comfort zone and tried them anyone. To borrow words from Allen, I GOT STRONGER. I'm sure part of my resistance to running 800s is that I'm afraid of failing. When I set out on a run with specific goals, I want to meet those goals. I need to get past the mindset that I failed if I do not complete an entire speed workout. It's only a failure if I do not try! (gotta keep reminding myself of this...)
Saturday was my other BIG day during this training week. We were out of town for Easter weekend and my parents live at a small private lake. It has a 5.15 mile road around. Last summer was my first time running all the way around it and I completely two loops around. Saturday, I ran THREE. I know, you see just over 15 miles, shouldn't be much of a problem, right? Well, compared to my typical running that includes hopefully a hill or two, this is 5.15 miles of ALL hills. The actual elevation as charted from my Garmin Total elevation gain=1,780ft; Total elevation loss=1,771ft. These hills are not extremely long hills, just STEEP! There are two hills that we have always called the "Roller-coasters" because it's almost straight down, then straight up again. And they are 2 in a row! Yes, I walked some of the hills. I think it's silly to try to run them when walking them was just as fast. There are a couple other hills that are seriously steep, but those roller-coasters are just rough. I got to the end of my run and tacked on a slow 1/2 mile cool-down on the flattest part of road I could near my parents' house. I wasn't sure how I would do when I set out to run. This was the first run over 10 miles that I have run by myself in over two months (I've gotten so spoiled by all my wonderful running friends!). The challenge was great for me. And believe it or not, I actually didn't mind running the same loop three times. It certainly never got boring. I love that I proved to myself that I could do it. I almost gave up and called for a ride, but at that point, I was just over a mile out from the finish and knew I'd be mad at myself if I did.
Comparing last year's two loops to this year's three was night and day. Last year I struggled for 10.5 miles at just over an 11:00 minute/mile pace. This year, I finished 16 miles with an average pace of 10:43 minutes/mile. I am such a geek, I love seeing improvements in black and white!
Week 12 stats:
Monday: 8 miles with 8x800 repeats, 5.5 mile bike ride
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 8.2 miles
Thursday: 5.04 miles
Friday: strength training
Saturday: 16.01 miles of HILLS
Sunday: 2.8 miles with littlest in jogging stroller
Total for week 12 of marathon training: 40.06 miles running, 5.5 miles cycling= 45.56 miles
Hope you all had a great week training and/or racing! Anything exciting happen in your week? Learn anything new about yourself?
Monday morning, I went out not knowing what I was going to do exactly for my speedwork. I gave myself my 1.5mile warmup to figure out if I was going to TRY 800 repeats (1/2 mile) or just run mile repeats. Well, I since I've been a wimp and NOT running my 800s, I thought I'd see what I could do. My plan called for 10 repeats and I was hoping to get six done in goal time. I got the six done, tried a seventh...that was was done within goal pace, tried number eight. I knew at the end of the eighth that I would not be able to get any more done, but was THRILLED to run 8 of them. Previously, I had only been able to run five at goal pace. I've decided that I still do not like runnings 800s, but glad that I pushed WAY beyond my comfort zone and tried them anyone. To borrow words from Allen, I GOT STRONGER. I'm sure part of my resistance to running 800s is that I'm afraid of failing. When I set out on a run with specific goals, I want to meet those goals. I need to get past the mindset that I failed if I do not complete an entire speed workout. It's only a failure if I do not try! (gotta keep reminding myself of this...)
 |
| Moon reflecting in the lake before a gorgeous sunrise on Saturday. Totally worth getting up early! (Sunrise picture here) |
Saturday was my other BIG day during this training week. We were out of town for Easter weekend and my parents live at a small private lake. It has a 5.15 mile road around. Last summer was my first time running all the way around it and I completely two loops around. Saturday, I ran THREE. I know, you see just over 15 miles, shouldn't be much of a problem, right? Well, compared to my typical running that includes hopefully a hill or two, this is 5.15 miles of ALL hills. The actual elevation as charted from my Garmin Total elevation gain=1,780ft; Total elevation loss=1,771ft. These hills are not extremely long hills, just STEEP! There are two hills that we have always called the "Roller-coasters" because it's almost straight down, then straight up again. And they are 2 in a row! Yes, I walked some of the hills. I think it's silly to try to run them when walking them was just as fast. There are a couple other hills that are seriously steep, but those roller-coasters are just rough. I got to the end of my run and tacked on a slow 1/2 mile cool-down on the flattest part of road I could near my parents' house. I wasn't sure how I would do when I set out to run. This was the first run over 10 miles that I have run by myself in over two months (I've gotten so spoiled by all my wonderful running friends!). The challenge was great for me. And believe it or not, I actually didn't mind running the same loop three times. It certainly never got boring. I love that I proved to myself that I could do it. I almost gave up and called for a ride, but at that point, I was just over a mile out from the finish and knew I'd be mad at myself if I did.
Comparing last year's two loops to this year's three was night and day. Last year I struggled for 10.5 miles at just over an 11:00 minute/mile pace. This year, I finished 16 miles with an average pace of 10:43 minutes/mile. I am such a geek, I love seeing improvements in black and white!
Week 12 stats:
Monday: 8 miles with 8x800 repeats, 5.5 mile bike ride
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 8.2 miles
Thursday: 5.04 miles
Friday: strength training
Saturday: 16.01 miles of HILLS
Sunday: 2.8 miles with littlest in jogging stroller
Total for week 12 of marathon training: 40.06 miles running, 5.5 miles cycling= 45.56 miles
Hope you all had a great week training and/or racing! Anything exciting happen in your week? Learn anything new about yourself?
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Burpees...a necessary evil
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| Photo borrowed from Denise is RunDMT and alive.com |
I'm only a few days late writing my post, but I HAVE been doing my April Challenge. So Denise came up with the
Anyone else up for joining us? If you start today, you don't have too much catching up to do!
Everything in moderation...is that the right way?
 |
| Good post from Balancing Motherhood on sugar |
A friend posted a video on facebook and it really got me thinking. See, my belief is that we (my family and I) can eat anything, as long as it's in moderation. We don't have cookies, candy, ice cream, etc all the time. We have it sometimes. My kids do not ask for sweets everyday (LOVE THAT!), but they get excited when we have them. However, watching this video today from CBS, 60 Minutes Overtime, really starting me thinking more. Am I teaching my children healthy habits? Am I arming them with enough knowledge for Zachary to go to kindergarten next year and make smart choices for his lunch?
One of my goals in life is that my children will not go through what I went though in my quest to be healthy. I spent approximately 10 years of my adult life overweight and basically unhealthy. I do not want them to have to go through the same struggles as I have. We eat about 90-95% healthy, unprocessed foods. And I thought that was a good start.
Fruit---honestly, I do not limit the amount of fresh fruit that my kids eat. Recently, I have started wondering if I need to start doing that. I keep hearing about how even the natural sugars are bad if they have too much. I've always thought that the nutrients they are getting from the fruit make it ok. Sometimes I just want to bury my head in the sand when I get information overload!
So I ask you....how do you balance healthy eating? Do you limit fruit intake because of the natural sugar?
Monday, April 2, 2012
Getting closer....week 11 done and 2012 in numbers
Training for the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon is going strong! Week 11 is complete and it was capped off with a phenomenal long run. I was supposed to run 16 according to my plan. Jamie was planning to run 18, so of course I figured I would try to run that with her. Then I took a look at my schedule and saw that if I wanted to add a third 20 miler to my schedule, this was the week to do it. Jamie agreed to try to run the extra 2 miles with me. We said the whole time that if we weren't feeling like we could go the full 20, we would stop. Well, we made it! And, we shaved 25 (or so) minutes off our time from the 20 miler that we ran together last August. Get this....that was with neither of us watching pace, just running comfortably. My body (and Jamie's!!) are SO much smarter than a watch. But, that's something for another post. My runs earlier in the week were just comfortable paced runs in order to let my body recover from the race the previous Sunday.
Week 11 stats:
Monday: 3.2 miles recovery run from race
Tuesday: 10.01 miles
Wednesday: strength training
Thursday: 5.21 miles
Friday: strength training
Saturday: 20.07 miles
Sunday: Rest day
Total for week 11 of marathon training: 38.41 miles
Total for March 2012: 165.87 miles <--highest month EVER by 20miles!
Total for first quarter 2012: 446.44 miles (first quarter 2011, 276.73) Definitely well on my way to my goal of running 1,260 miles for 2012.
How was your week training and/or racing?
Week 11 stats:
Monday: 3.2 miles recovery run from race
Tuesday: 10.01 miles
Wednesday: strength training
Thursday: 5.21 miles
Friday: strength training
Saturday: 20.07 miles
Sunday: Rest day
Total for week 11 of marathon training: 38.41 miles
Total for March 2012: 165.87 miles <--highest month EVER by 20miles!
Total for first quarter 2012: 446.44 miles (first quarter 2011, 276.73) Definitely well on my way to my goal of running 1,260 miles for 2012.
How was your week training and/or racing?
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Not my first, but still a newbie
While it's true that this is not my first marathon, I still feel like a complete newbie when it comes to everything Marathon. However, I do feel that I have a lot more confidence going into this marathon than my first one, although my goals are a little bigger this time (that's a post for another day). The only goal I had for USAF Marathon was to finish with (hopefully) a smile on my face and I (mostly) succeeded.
According to the Cleveland Marathon website, it is:
For anyone running the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon for the first time, or another marathon, I thought I'd pass on some of the lessons that I learned during training for my first marathon and some lessons that I am still learning. Keep in mind, I am NOT an expert, I am NOT a coach. Just an average middle-of-the-pack runner who has possibly dealt with some of the things you may be going through.
Do not sprain your ankle, then keep running! Seems pretty common sense right? However, I sprained my ankle (wearing flip flops with the kids; oops!), and when it started feeling better I kept running even though it was still swollen. Take the time to properly recover from any injury so you don't spend the next 8 weeks in PT (physical therapy). Running will still be there! I was afraid to miss even ONE day of training, thinking that I would not make it across the finish line. If you've been running long enough to even start thinking about running a marathon, a couple days to a week will not make a difference in the long run! Knock on wood, I haven't had any injuries this training cycle so far. I am doing everything I can to NOT get injured. I still wear flip-flops occasionally, but NOT when we go for a walk. <--see, learned my lesson!
Don't be intimidated by the mileage in your plan! Just take your runs one mile at a time and you'll get there. Don't let the total mileage for the day, the week, the month overshadow everything else. If you mostly follow your training plan, you will be able to complete the runs, and you will be amazed when you look back at what you were able to accomplish!
Train on hills! Due to the above and mainly our fear of not getting all of our mileage in, we started going for completely flat routes. NOT a good solution! Don't be intimidated with the long run mileage, just keep doing what you know how to do, but at the same time, make sure you keep up with the hills. I don't care what they say, it's NOT a completely flat course, there WILL be hills!
If you are currently doing speed workouts, keep it up! I made the mistake of stopping as I, again, got intimidated by the amount of mileage in my training. I didn't know how to keep up with everything. Now, I know that I can do a couple miles of repeats and not only does it help with speed, it helps keep the many miles interesting.
Don't be a slave to your plan if that's not the way that you typically train. I know some people need to run exactly what their training plan dictates, but I am not that person. Yet, that is how I training for my first marathon. If my schedule said Monday=6 miles, I ran 6 miles on Monday. It took a lot of the fun out of training for me. I have learned enough and feel more confident in my running ability that if the weather looks better a different day, or it works better in my schedule, I switch. (or have even added a run or two into my weeks because the weather has been too good to pass up!) This has kept me happier this training cycle for sure!
Remember why you decided to run a marathon or half marathon! Everyone has their own reason for choosing to run a marathon or half marathon. Do not lose site of that reason as it will keep you going through the long training runs and especially through those difficult miles on race day.
There you have it, everything you need to know to run a marathon. HA! I WISH it were that simple. These are just a few of the lessons that I have learned along the way. Since it's only my second marathon, I know I still have a LOT to learn.
Any questions you have as a first time marathoner or half marathoner? Any tips you've learned along the way?
According to the Cleveland Marathon website, it is:
48 days 22 hours 42 minutes
until race start!!!!! I'm getting excited, are you?!
For anyone running the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon for the first time, or another marathon, I thought I'd pass on some of the lessons that I learned during training for my first marathon and some lessons that I am still learning. Keep in mind, I am NOT an expert, I am NOT a coach. Just an average middle-of-the-pack runner who has possibly dealt with some of the things you may be going through.
Do not sprain your ankle, then keep running! Seems pretty common sense right? However, I sprained my ankle (wearing flip flops with the kids; oops!), and when it started feeling better I kept running even though it was still swollen. Take the time to properly recover from any injury so you don't spend the next 8 weeks in PT (physical therapy). Running will still be there! I was afraid to miss even ONE day of training, thinking that I would not make it across the finish line. If you've been running long enough to even start thinking about running a marathon, a couple days to a week will not make a difference in the long run! Knock on wood, I haven't had any injuries this training cycle so far. I am doing everything I can to NOT get injured. I still wear flip-flops occasionally, but NOT when we go for a walk. <--see, learned my lesson!
Don't be intimidated by the mileage in your plan! Just take your runs one mile at a time and you'll get there. Don't let the total mileage for the day, the week, the month overshadow everything else. If you mostly follow your training plan, you will be able to complete the runs, and you will be amazed when you look back at what you were able to accomplish!
Train on hills! Due to the above and mainly our fear of not getting all of our mileage in, we started going for completely flat routes. NOT a good solution! Don't be intimidated with the long run mileage, just keep doing what you know how to do, but at the same time, make sure you keep up with the hills. I don't care what they say, it's NOT a completely flat course, there WILL be hills!
If you are currently doing speed workouts, keep it up! I made the mistake of stopping as I, again, got intimidated by the amount of mileage in my training. I didn't know how to keep up with everything. Now, I know that I can do a couple miles of repeats and not only does it help with speed, it helps keep the many miles interesting.
Don't be a slave to your plan if that's not the way that you typically train. I know some people need to run exactly what their training plan dictates, but I am not that person. Yet, that is how I training for my first marathon. If my schedule said Monday=6 miles, I ran 6 miles on Monday. It took a lot of the fun out of training for me. I have learned enough and feel more confident in my running ability that if the weather looks better a different day, or it works better in my schedule, I switch. (or have even added a run or two into my weeks because the weather has been too good to pass up!) This has kept me happier this training cycle for sure!
Remember why you decided to run a marathon or half marathon! Everyone has their own reason for choosing to run a marathon or half marathon. Do not lose site of that reason as it will keep you going through the long training runs and especially through those difficult miles on race day.
There you have it, everything you need to know to run a marathon. HA! I WISH it were that simple. These are just a few of the lessons that I have learned along the way. Since it's only my second marathon, I know I still have a LOT to learn.
Any questions you have as a first time marathoner or half marathoner? Any tips you've learned along the way?
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