Heart-Pig Training: Week 4

Week 4 of training is over. I have felt stronger. My weight seems up, which is strange. Maybe I'm gaining muscle? I hope so.

Planned: 14 miles
Sunday – off
Monday – bike / lift
Tuesday – 3 miles / broomball
Wednesday – bike / broomball
Thursday – 3m iles / lift
Friday – 2 miles
Saturday – 6 miles

Actual: 11.5 miles + broomball madness
Sunday – off
Monday – Spinning at AMIG. Didn't lift :(
Tuesday – ran 3 miles / broomball
Wednesday – More spinning at AMIG...and tired tired legs / broomball
Thursday – REST. Wow was I tired by this point.
Friday – 2.5 miles from the house.
Saturday – ran 6 miles at Sharon Woods to get some hills in.

6 Hilly Miles at Sharon Woods

Saturday we made a plan for me to be able to leave and run without the worries of leaving Harley-dog and her anxiety behind. It was great.

I worked all morning. At a good stopping point, I got dressed and drove to Sharon Woods for a couple hilly laps. It's about a 2.5 mile loop, so I figured I could do that, then a bit more and finish up no problem.

View from a flatter part of the trail. Across the pond is another side of the trail.

I started a "backwards" direction so I'd end up with the shorter loop option for that extra mile. Sharon Woods is hilly, but they are quick hills. It was interesting warming up on them. First mile was 11:06, but I didn't care. That was fine.

I began to get into a rhythm, just moving along, letting my legs stay loose on the downhills and just being steady on the uphills. I was listening to another Invisibilia podcast which really had my attention. So I was super relaxed and didn't even hear my breathing. But it was probably loud, going by how everyone moved over when I came up on them :)

Around 2.5 I turned around and headed the other way, facing the hills from a different direction. I'm not really sure if one way is easier or not. It just really feels rolling.

When I got to about 4.5, my podcast was over. I thought maybe I'd just tune into my body more for the last bit, but I was worried I'd psych myself out. The run was going so well, I didn't want my stupid mind getting in the way. So I quickly stopped to cue up the one song on my phone: "Survival" by Muse. I don't know what it is about that song, but I really really love it. I like how it builds, and it is about racing...so maybe that's why.

I hit repeat and took got moving. Unfortunately, the beat of the song is slightly slower than my foot pace. But it got me up some hills pretty nicely. I couldn't believe how quick my legs were moving.

Last mile was 9:36.

Woohooo!!!!! After 5 hills miles, I just chucked off a 9:36 pace...and it felt easy??

I think I have some serious evaluation to do with music, my pace, and how they all work together. Because I don't know what happened there, but I'm pretty certain I wouldn't have been able to do that without music. I just beat myself up way too much when all I have is my own mind to keep me company.

Splits:
11:01, 10:40, 10:48, 10:34, 10:39, 9:36.  Average was 10:33 for 6 hilly miles. I'm happy with that.

10 miles on the trail!

10 miles complete!

It went well. The first 2.5 were with K. She hadn't run in a while and we had to walk the last half mile. She had had a pretty rough week and was telling me all about it. So then I kind of got more of a break than planned, but it was ok. Goal was just to be out there for 10.

After K and I parted ways, I hooked up my phone and earphones and cued up the podcast I had downloaded: Invisibilia. It's a newer one and has been getting good reviews. I was listening to the one titled "Fear." It was incredibly interesting! This is the first time I've ever listened to anything on a long run let alone a pod cast. I liked it a lot. And this might just be what has to get me through these long runs (sadly).

I did see Casey out there :)  I was at about 2 left to go and saw him coming my way on the trail! So he ran with me a bit, and I got to push the final 2 like I wanted to. It was awesome. He then went on his way to do 8 more and finished his 10 with really excellent times!

After I came home, I crashed pretty hard. I wasn't hungry, but I ate a raw bar that had honey in it, in an attempt to have some sugar on the back end so I wouldn't feel light. I didn't feel hypoglycemic, but I was just so tired. I ended up napping, and then when I did get up, I felt fantastic and continued to feel fantastic the entire night. Next day soreness? Not much to speak of. Monday soreness gone. So I do think my tissues are recovering better, as the people who talk about high fat low carb diets claim. I just still need to figure out this light headedness that is plaguing me. More broth? More calories of a certain kind? Maybe up to 50 carbs is what I need? Not sure yet.

Splits:
10:31, 10:30, 10:35, 10:37, 10:33, 10:58, 11:09, 11:09, 10:33, 10:33

See how those last two got back down to 10:30?  :D

Cycling and broomball and REST

Wednesday I took a cycling class at AMIG. Eeeeeeee! Again, that will just be a different post I think. Later that evening was broomball. I was so extremely tired. It has been a rough week with Harley, and leaving twice in one day didn't make things any easier. I made it downtown, went through the motions, and thankfully got pumped up ok for the game.

The game was great. We won again 3-0 with Greg scoring two goals. Previous night's game was 4-0. Our teams are shut-outs this week!

Thursday was a REST DAY. Oh my I needed it. I was just so fatigued. I've been trying to remember to drink broth every day to keep my sodium levels up. Low carb thing...lots of salt leaving my body, not retained in my kidneys anymore. Plus I have pretty low blood pressure. I've been dizzy getting up every time, and I need to figure that out.

Today I was back to the gym. I decided I will never run on Sunday in the winter after Saturday's long run. Sorry, nope. I hate winter too much and don't want to burn up all my "I can make it on the treadmill" cards. So instead of Friday being off now, I'm taking Sunday off. I'll float that off day whenever I need it. My schedule may change a lot given the spinning stuff coming up, so I need to be flexible. And I need my weekend day to lounge.

So I went to the Y for a 2 mile run. I walked a half mile to cool down. I was going to lift, but it was super crowded. The run felt ok. It was sluggish at first, which is how all my runs started this week. But breathing seemed ok. I sweated a LOT.

So, now tomorrow is ..... 10. I'm nervous, as usual. But again, just going to try it and see how things go. I just need to try to cover the distance. Time on my feet for this one.

Heart-Pig Training: Week 2

Week 2 of training is over, and 8 miles is in the bank successfully. Woohoo!

Planned: 16 miles
Sunday – 2 miles easy
Monday – bike / lift
Tuesday – 3 miles / broomball
Wednesday – bike / broomball
Thursday – 3 / lift
Friday – rest
Saturday – 8 miles

Actual: 11 miles + broomball madness
Sunday – broomball makeup game. This threw everything off due to soreness.
Monday – rest
Tuesday – biked 18 / broomball
Wednesday – broomball
Thursday – 3 miles
Friday – rest
Saturday – ran 8 miles outside! It was kinda rough (see previous post) for mental/Harley reasons, but I did it and feel good now. Success!


I need to figure out what Sundays are going to be. I just can't see getting out again on Sunday for 2 miles since I hate the winter weather so much. Plus, I think I need a day of doing nothing for the weekend. Maybe Friday because an easy day.

Good start! Also, Casey got his 8 in so a good start for both of us so far.

8 miles in the bag

Saturday was a long run day, and also a rather nice day weather-wise. Greg went to Fuel and I geared up for 8 miles. This would be my first attempt at some truly long distance without any carbs.

For breakfast I had a coconut milk - peanut butter - cocoa powder smoothie that I sweetened with some stevia. It was tasty, but I was nervous putting what felt like a lot of liquid in my belly right before running. I stretched some and tried to calm Harley-dog down while waiting for my own stomach to settle.

The plan was to leave Harley outside since it was so nice. No stressful kitchen. However, I didn't get out of the house without her seeing me, and she didn't like that. So I nervously ran around the neighborhood for a couple of miles listening to her bark. It was sad. I was determined to not stop and let this derail my run. But I wondered about how stressed she was, or how much she was annoying neighbors. I decided she'd calm down, and even though I didn't hear it for sure, I ran away from the barking, planning to re-evaluate the situation after a few more miles.

So my planned route changed. I just headed down Montgomery road, not knowing where I'd go. Just plodding along, thinking about Harley. I wondered if it was stressing me out, making me tense on a run I was already nervous about. However, I think it was a different stress and one which over-powered my running nerves...which may have ended up being a good thing.

I thought about turning into the neighborhood behind Dunkin' Donuts but then decided I just kind of wanted to run away from the problem. People could deal with her barking. We never leave her out barking, but I wanted to get my damn run in. She may not have even been barking the whole time. From my experience working from home, the rational side of me agreed she most likely had calmed down by now.

So I got to 4 miles and turned around. This was easy, I'd just do the same little steps through my neighborhood on the way back and all would be good. After turning around, I suddenly panicked about Harley: maybe she really freaked out and started digging under the fence. I haven't looked back behind the wood pile recently – what if there is a big hole started back there? What if she started chewing the deck? I was a mess.

There was nothing to do except move on. I tried to remain smooth and keep my posture in check. As soon as I got into my neighborhood, it was getting hard. There was about a mile to go. I also turned my ears to listen for barking. Instead of retracing my steps, I just decided to go directly past the house to see if there was a hole under the fence or what. As I got closer, silence. And no hole. Sigh. I freaked myself out for nothing, of course. After that relief washed over me, it's like everything else shut down. My pace had been slowing, but now everything felt really really hard. I just decided to not worry about it. This last mile was going to be my "cool down." I plodded along into the next neighborhood, turned around at a random house, then plodded back...to the sounds of a barking Harley. Hold on, girl, I'm almost there.

I hit 8 and then was pretty thankful to walk. I got to the house and let in Harley, who ran around the living room some. I also think Dex was stressed. I left him inside (he's a delicate flower who probably would have been shaking outside) but I think he knew Harley was stressed. It's funny how much he reacts to her stress.

So... not sure I can manage Saturday morning runs with Greg gone in the future. Not with Harley the way she is right now and the weather not being super nice where she spends more time outside. Maybe it's a schedule shift. Maybe I just play it by ear. I don't know.

Other than that, the run was good. I felt pretty steady and strong for most of the time, holding my pace back so it would be as even as possible by the end when I'd get tired.

Splits:
10:43, 10:40, 10:56, 10:41, 10:39, 11:00, 11:11, 11:11.

Breathing was good. I only drank a couple sips of water on the run. Recovery was pretty good. Had a chicken breast with provolone, avocado, bacon and lettuce with a side salad (dressing on the side). Then played games all afternoon, snacking on cheese and salami. Had the top of a piece of pizza for dinner, and an amber ale.

Today, I'm only slightly sore and my knees don't hurt at all which is awesome. Could be the new shoes? Could be the benefits of a low carb high fat diet which seems to have anti-inflammatory properties?

Looks like Casey did his 8 today. He did awesome at a 10:15 pace on a very hill route!!  I'm super happy for him and inspired. I'm glad he did so well. I wish I could catch him!

So, so far so good. That was a lot of "so's". I'm inspired and encouraged by my first run with such a drastic change in my eating. I'm looking forward to figuring more out as more miles happen, getting stronger, and hopefully improving!

Heart-Pig Training: Week 1

This is a familiar format. I believe I broke my training weeks up when we trained for the Columbus marathon, recapping my planned workouts against what I/we actually did. I enjoyed looking back on it, and it is also very helpful. Might as well continue the tradition this time for whatever races I end up doing here.

So, week1. There was a partial week of New Year's in there. As I've mentioned, I ran New Year's Eve. New Year's Day was crazy awesome lazy. But on to actual week 1, when training starts.

Planned: 11 miles
Sunday – rest
Monday – bike
Tuesday – 2 miles / broomball
Wednesday – bike / broomball
Thursday – 3 / lift
Friday – rest
Saturday – 6 miles

Actual: 8 miles
Sunday – 3 miles
Monday – biked 8, but felt horrible. Cut the ride short at 35 minutes.
Tuesday – 2 miles with K. Breathing was really hard. Then at the broomball game, I felt like I was going to pass out.
Wednesday – sick. Fever, chills, achy (though some of that was broomball), heart was racing. Thankfully, broomball was cancelled due to the low temperatures.
Thursday – still sick.
Friday – better, so did some stretching and leg exercises.
Saturday – ran 6 miles on the treadmill at the Y. It was 7º when I was supposed to run, and I just didn't want to mess with it. Plus, I didn't know how I'd feel after being sick and trying to run the farthest I've ran in forever. It actually went really well! I took it easy, breathing was cake, and somehow I made it over an hour on the 'mill.

Even though I was sick, I think this is a great start to the training. I'm in a good amount of pain now because our make up broomball game was Sunday and I had to play the entire game. But I think after this week, I'll get to feel the rewards of the crazy conditioning broomball gets you in.

My knee joints hurt ever so slightly Sunday. I fell on them during the game, and no damage was done. I'm feeling stronger and it's pretty great.

New Year's Eve Run and Goals for 2015

I wrote this yesterday morning and never finished it...

My friends and I chatted about our "new year resolutions" and how they aren't really resolutions at all, but are more like chances to start something new, accomplish something else, try for something. I love it, always have. I don't seem to make "resolutions" that can be broken. Or maybe I do, but I don't focus on that. I just like the fresh start to have a clean slate to try stuff.

But first, new year's eve. I ran, knowing that I probably would be pretty lazy on new year's day. I wanted to do 4, but after a morning of working and not being able to clean or get to the store for party food, I cut it a little short to 3. For some reason, 3 miles is short to me. 4 miles would only add another 10 minutes...but it seems like a huge jump. 3 is 3 and then 4 or 5 or 6 all feel like 6 in terms of time. Who knows why.

Anyway, I just ran to the attached neighborhood's cul-de-sac and back. It felt pretty good, though not as good as it did with K the other day. I wondered if the talking was a good distraction that made me feel more confident than when I run by myself, with nothing left except my own head.

Running is so damn mental for me. That is certainly something I need to work on. Feeling better lately has helped with my confidence though.

So pace was decent. 10:02, 10:06, and then 9:52. I should note that the 10:02 felt easy. The 10:06 coming back was probably mostly flat? And then the 9:52 had a hill.



Goals

I've been writing about this already, but I've decided I'm going to officially enjoy the journey of training for the Heart Mini Half Marathon (March 15) and the Flying Pig Marathon (May 3).  I'm going to try. It sounds like Casey is also aiming for those races, so I'm really hoping we can run together some. He brought up a good point, that if he finds himself overtrained for the full Pig, he can drop to the half and maybe PR it.

Realistically, I probably can't PR the Heart Mini Half in 11 weeks. But I think I could PR the marathon. Or, if I also find myself injured/over-trained, I can try for a speedy half Pig. It's going to be a challenging marathon in itself. So many hills. It's going to require different training, but I'm excited about that. There's no faking it with this marathon. This is going to require a full body fitness. That's what I want and really look forward to the journey!

So, essentially, my Resolution or Goal or Whateveryouwanttocallit is to enjoy the journey of getting to the Heart Mini, the Pig, and any other fitness endeavors that I like doing so much.

HMTD30: 7 Hilly Miles

Sunday around one o'clock I ran from the house in the hilliest direction I know: to Duke Blvd. (I suppose I could do hill repeats over there some day!)

The weather wasn't as nice as it had been Saturday, but it was still a very pleasant run. I had on my make me faster tights and then two layers of short sleeve shirts with arm warmers. And my headband. Perfect. The sun came out from behind the clouds a couple of times and warmed me. I think it's going to be warmer for the race this weekend...maybe even shorts weather!

I felt really good in the beginning. Pace felt easy. But up one hill and my pace dropped a lot and I felt tired. It's the state of things now. During the boring stretch on Duke, after sucking wind up the bigger hill, I couldn't stop comparing myself to myself back in the fall. For a while it was me, the empty road and disappointment. But I pulled myself out of it with the hope I have for the Pig and thinking about maybe doing more fun trail races this summer. My knee started hurting pretty bad at mile 5 - IT band pain. I rubbed the side of my thighs while I was trying to fall asleep last night and found the tightness no problem. Foam roller here I come!

The race this weekend is going to be fun fun fun because a bunch of awesome people are running it: Daryl, Jess, Roman, Casey, Greg, Joe (half), Anne (5K)... That might be the most people I've ever known at a race! Despite my lack of fitness, I'm still really looking forward to running with everyone...or at least starting with everyone as the case may be. I don't have any goals; I'm not in a good enough shape for anything but a finish. I want to finish strong and feel good – that will make me happy. And I'm so curious to see how everyone is going to do! I hope everyone does great and we have good weather! I'm looking at this as a training run towards the Pig. Then we'll see what I can get done for May 1! Woohoo!

Half Marathon is Done!

The Cincinnati Half Marathon is officially raced!
Casey: 1:57:18
Steph: 2:09:49

Saturday's weather was beautiful and perfect for running. I don't think it was too bad for spectating either. Congratulations, Casey! A sub 2 hour half marathon... 1:57:18 AWESOME!!! I'm so happy about how well you did. Your pace was awesome, you maintained it the entire time and were so strong. You did so well! You kicked this distance's ASS!!!!!

Also, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to Casey for being such a super-wonderful training partner. He definitely helped to push me through these weeks, and helped me get faster. I do think I'm in the 'fastest' running shape I've ever been in, and that I'm quickening my pace, which makes me very happy and excited for the future. My time was a PR by 6 minutes. My 5th half marathon, and I'm finally improving and feeling stronger. Things are starting to click.

Now it is recovery time. My legs are better today than they were yesterday. I need to roll roll roll on my IT band. Yesterday I couldn't go down stairs more than one at a time, lol. At least I know I used up everything in the tank! Casey, I very much look forward to any future training to share...whatever fun running adventures might be out there for us. I hope you are inspired by your abilities, feel proud and had a great time getting to this place. You did an absolutely fantastic job!

Half Marathon Training Schedule. What We Did.

Archived: The training for the Cincinnati Half Marathon Oct. 23, 2010

Woohoo!

So, I am by no means a coach, but would like to share everything I've learned over the years – from things I've read to training for 3 half marathons and one full marathon – in hopes of making this training smooth and fun.

The main thing to accomplish while training for a first half marathon is getting your body used to running longer distance. Pretty simple. And of course this is done by slowly increasing the weekend long runs. The rest of the week is also important to keep your body strong. But the key to the training is the long runs and good recovery after them.

And now for a couple of main points about running long. Most of this stuff is probably already known, but I just want to collect some of the most important things that have the power to make long runs miserable vs. pleasant. Forgive me if I'm writing something that is obvious.

Pace.  Long runs (for mortals like us) are done at an easy, comfortable pace. It should feel too easy and like you are holding back. Ideally, at the end of the run, it should feel like you can run more. That doesn't always happen, but that is the pace to go by. Anything more risks breaking down the body too much to recover and gain from the next week. Race day you can break your body down all you want :)

Hydration = key.  It helps not only with not overheating while running but also makes a big difference in how you recover afterwords, believe it or not. Going into the run hydrated is also key.

Diet.  You'll figure out fast what you should and shouldn't consume the night before a long run. In general, you want to just eat well and balanced, making sure to have some good carbs, but you don't have to go crazy over it as people tend to do. I can't drink more than 1 beer the night before, and definitely stay away from hard alcohol, but that's me. Also too many sweets have made long runs miserable.

Calories Before and During.  Before going, you need calories. I like to have something like applesauce or toast - somewhere around 150-200 calories is good for me. Treat it like whatever you eat before a 5K. When runs become a bit longer than an hour, you might want calories during. And you'll definitely need calories when running an hour and half or more. Some of it could be liquid calories and others could be in the form of chews or gels. Trial and error awaits. No calories = bonking.

Calories After. The most important thing to do afterwords is eat some calories of sugar and protein. Chocolate milk is touted as one of the best recovery drinks. It is also said it should be done within 15 minutes of stopping. Again something you'll learn about your own body. My case is that I definitely need something to eat or I'll get low blood sugar and then recovery sucks and takes 3 - 4 hours.

That's it I think! Just some pre-game info that is hopefully helpful!!

**A general guide to the next 12 weeks! It's flexible, can be modified as needed.**

This is a minimum weekly mileage kind of schedule, but the spinning cross training is excellent. 

I'll probably replace Thursday's bike with a run because I just might not have 

time to always mess with a bike ride.

:S: disc golf   :M: spin/bike   :T: run/track   :W: run 4 - 6 mi   :Th: spin/bike/run   :F: lift   :S: long run

Week 1 (Aug 1 - 7)

Wed: 4 (9:40 pace),  LR: 6  (10:00 pace)

Week 2 (Aug 8 - 14)

Wed: 4 (9:45 pace),  LR: 8 (8.25 miles bike trail, 10:25 pace)

Week 3 (Aug 15 - 21)

Wed: 4 (9:52 pace by my GPS),  LR 8 - 9 (8 at 10:33 pace, Mason)

Week 4 (Aug 22 - 28)

Wed: 4 - 5 (3 at 9:27 pace),  LR: 6 (Did Powder Keg Trail Race for 6 mile effort...fun!!)

Week 5 (Aug 29 - Sept 4)

Wed: 4 - 5 (3 painful miles at 10:06 pace...Steph not feeling it),  LR: 9 - 10 (only did about 8 very slowly due to me not feeling it again...slight cold + allergies kicked my ass)

Week 6 (Sept 5 - 11)

Wed: 4 (3 miles, sick Steph),  LR: 10 (10:17 pace!)

Week 7 (Sept 12 - 18)

Wed: 4 - 5 (4 miles at 9:35 pace),  LR: 6 (9:50 pace)

Week 8 (Sept 19 - 25)

Wed: 4 (0. walked, stomach issues),  LR: 10 - 11 (11 at 10:09 pace, negative split!!!!)

Week 9 (Sept 26 - Oct 2)

Wed: 6 (3 miles, 9:20 pace),  LR: 6 (9:39 pace! Just Steph though. Casey and Steph had a running weekend apart...and Casey's location was 47º and raining - bleh!)

Week 10 (Oct 3 - 9)

Wed: 4 (9:17 pace!!!!),  LR: 12 (10:30 pace, first 6 were 10:00 pace...)

Week 11 (Oct 10 - 16)

Wed: 5 easy (3 at 9:20 pace...good pace, shorter distance due to Max!),  LR: 6 easy (10:00 pace)

Week 12 taper week (Oct 17 - 23 Race Day!)
Wed: 2-3 easy... RACE: 13.1

Half Marathon Pace Chart and Goals

So here's a quick pace chart for times I think might be relevant on Saturday...varying for both of us. These are goal pace ideas...it's a range. I might carry something like this with me so I know where abouts I am, since I don't do math and run at the same time. Ok, I just don't do math.

Pace	9:30	9:40	9:50	10:00	10:10
1	9:30	9:40	9:50	10:00	10:10
2	19:00	19:20	19:40	20:00	20:20
3	28:30	29:00	29:30	30:00	30:30
4	38:00	38:40	39:20	40:00	40:40
5	47:30	48:20	49:10	50:00	50:50
6	57:00	58:00	59:00	1:00:00	1:01:00
7	1:06:30	1:07:40	1:08:50	1:10:00	1:11:10
8	1:16:00	1:17:00	1:18:40	1:20:00	1:21:20
9	1:25:30	1:27:00	1:28:30	1:30:00	1:31:30
10	1:35:00	1:36:40	1:38:20	1:40:00	1:41:40
11	1:44:30	1:46:20	1:48:10	1:50:00	1:51:50
12	1:54:00	1:56:00	1:58:00	2:00:00	2:02:00
13	2:03:30	2:05:40	2:07:50	2:10:00	2:12:10
.1 (total time)	2:04:32	2:06:43	2:08:54	2:11:06	2:13:17

I think I am shooting for (gulp) 9:50 as my pie in the sky / I'd be so ridiculously happy goal, unless Saturday morning my body tells me otherwise. 10's would make me very very happy too. Anything after that I just hope comes in sub 2:15:48, which is the fastest pace I've done the distance (or would have had the race actually been 13.1 and not 12.68 - looking at you State to State Half!).


Goal A:   2:08:54 (9:50 pace)

Goal B:   2:11:06 (10 pace)

Goal C:   anything sub 2:15:48
 

Taper Time

5 more days until the half...

I didn't ride tonight. I was hoping to, but stuff happens. I lifted instead though. That has nothing to do with this weekend, but it made me feel better than doing nothing this evening.

So it's taper week!! And that means it should be a week of rest and feeling like you're not doing enough. I am probably going to bike Tuesday, easy. Then Wednesday will be the last run, and we should do it easy and short. It's always an odd feeling doing such easy workouts, but on race day, when you feel the fresh legs as you start to run, you're so glad you got through the oddness.

Other things I like to do the week(s) of taper: eat right, not be full at meals, get plenty of sleep, try to relax more (especially the nights before the race), do some stretching and drink a lot of water. This is all obviously not so I win, but so I feel as good as I can on race day. That is usually my first goal: to feel good during races – especially for something as long as the half. It's a long way to suffer. And if I feel good, even if I'm not going the pace I want, at least I can enjoy myself. However, feeling good does usually mean I can push myself too...

I'm not expecting any miracles on race day, but I am really really really hoping for a PR. It's time for the crappy half marathon race streak to be over. I've trained better for this one than I have any others, I'm in better shape than I have been for at least 3 of the others, and (knock on wood) I'm healthy. I really like this distance; it's the perfect challenge that is very doable, yet tough. I want it to like me back!

Final Long Run Complete

Saturday Casey and I ran 12 miles. The first 6 or 7 was great... we were holding a 10 minute mile pace. I felt like that was very manageable and even easy. But soon after we turned around to head back, I started quickly running out of energy. And I became very tired of where we were running. It was just one of those mental things while running.

I so badly wanted to keep the pace and be able to say we ran a 10 pace the entire time! But I just couldn't. I tried to tell myself it was no big deal and get over it, but I was disappointed. Then it got worse and I could barely wog up the hills. And this slow, odd change in gait didn't help Casey's knee pains. Ug.

But we got through it. I'm pretty sure that my lack of energy was due to low iron. Stupid, take your pills. I was very sorry to not have a confidence boosting final long run. I know that Casey could have maintained the pace, so I really hope he at least feels well trained and ready to run on October 23rd! 

One thing I noticed about the 12 miles is how quickly it passed (well, until that last 3-those were rough). Having trained by myself for the marathon last year, I did that kind of distance (and more) solo. I'm thankful to not be doing these distances by myself this time and question if I could even train for a marathon by myself again - I'm spoiled now. It's been so much more enjoyable.

6... We're Getting Close!

I ran 6 this morning, after spending an evening in a couple Kentucky bars full of smoke (I always forget about that!) and getting home around 1:30. Ok, so it wasn't early morning...more like 10:30. But I did it and felt surprisingly good.

I did the same 6 mile route Casey and I did the other cutback weekend a few weeks ago. I was distracted early on by a dog while still in the neighborhood. I passed a house and noticed a black pug looking dog and tan cute looking dog both barking at me at their fence. The tan dog had some spring loaded legs and was jumping Jack Russel Terrier style over and over, gripping the chicken wire fencing each time. I thought to myself that dog could easily get over the fence if he wanted to. 10 more steps and I heard the crunching of leaves by little doggy feet. I turned around and there he was. We stared at each other a little, as his tail wagged so fast it seemed blurry. Assessment: friendly dog. I walked up to him and grabbed his collar. Thanks to Harley and her behaviors on the other side of the fence, I always make the assumption that every dog's goal in life is to run away. So I wanted to grab him and get him safe. He let me pull him back to the fence. But I didn't want to open it and have the other dog escape. So I thought we'd better just go to the front door. But the little guy put the breaks on. He wasn't going to move anymore. I kneeled down, we looked into each other's eyes a little more and he turned his head away...so I picked him up. Oh geez...what a baby! He snuggled into me and licked my ear and neck repeatedly. I considered turning around and heading home with him! :)  (not really)  I rang the doorbell and we stood on the stoop, waiting, licking, snuggling. No one answered, so I tried the fence again. By this time, both dogs were calmer. I figured out the gate and shoved the little guy in there. We said our goodbyes and I told him to stay. They were much calmer by now, but I was still worried that he might leap over again. I've never seen these dogs before, so I think they are visiting. And I wanted to tell the owners that the fence was no match for the dog with the spring loaded legs!

Anyway, that was a nice start to my run. Furry creatures are the best.

The rest of the 6 was pretty uneventful. I stopped for some water at 3, in the little bathroom hut. I was at a 9:40 pace then. Coming back, the small hills were wearing me out. I knew I was slowing down, so I tried to make up time when I felt better on the flats and downhills. Good race practice.

I finished strong, but it was a rough strong. It was hard to push by myself. But 9:40 pace!!! Woohooo!!!! I seriously think I could have maintained this pace quite a bit longer...on the right day and with the right lack of hills, lol.

In the few remaining weeks of training, I'm going to hit the bike hard. I'm spending the afternoon getting the basement cleared up to make room for my bike and trainer. Biking helps my running so much...it's push time. Well, until taper time.

6 on a Cutback Week

Saturday's 6 miles went pretty badly for me. There was a potty break, and a few breathing breaks. Still managed under 10 minute pace. My legs hurt for the first half of it - the same really tight and painful feeling I've had before. I'm not sure what that means- dehydrated probably?

Work is going to be crazy Monday. I am hoping to do something in the evening be it the group ride or a ride by myself.

A Speed Sandwich

After the 10 miles at a great pace, I certainly feel I'm at least getting stronger. Unfortunately, this week's track night was pretty much a bust. I've lost my discipline and motivation there. Not sure what it is, but it hasn't been fun for a while now. I warmed up a mile on Tuesday with the intention of doing 400s. I got to my first 200 meters and was mad and tired. I did it in 55 seconds. I didn't want to walk, so jogged very slowly for 200. I did this 5 times, then took a break. I did 3 more to make it an even 8. Those 3 were at 50 seconds each and I walked between them. I don't know. Back in June I did 6x200 at 50 sec each, so I guess it's not horrible. I just wasn't having fun. I didn't bother cooling down. I laid on the ground and did leg raises while I waited for Roman and Greg to finish.

Wednesday was speedy again. We did our 4 miles at 9:35 pace - our quickest 4 in training so far, so says the blog. I felt like we were going faster, but I also felt smooth. The end elevations get me, and I was still hacking a lot. But overall it felt great.

I didn't get to run today as I had hoped. There's something about Thursdays and work just getting rough. Maybe I can go for a short quick run tomorrow. 6 this weekend is going to feel like nothing!

10 miles complete!

Saturday Casey and I tackled the 10 mile distance for the second time, and....drumroll... succeeded! Last weekend we tried for 10, but barely got through 8 due to me apparently coming down with a cold. We did the same route, and wow what a difference it was traversing the same paths and feeling great instead of like I could fall over and fall asleep.

It always takes me a while to get warmed up and settled in to a rhythm with my breathing and pace. I coughed and coughed for the first few miles. I was a little nervous that my chest was going to tighten up like it did Tuesday at track, and that 10 wasn't going to be possible again. But I wasn't tired, so as long as I could manage that, I would be fine. I was very much determined to get the 10 in, even if I had to suffer through it. I didn't want to hold Casey back again.

Eventually my coughing subsided and breathing was normal. And our pace was a little over 10. I was pretty shocked at that. I felt great! I still coughed every now and then, and my head would pound a bit. But it was very manageable, and I had so much energy otherwise.

We sucked down our gels around 6 miles. For the last almost 4 miles home, I was pretty much on a high. I felt super-strong and quick and light. The slight hills we went over still made my lungs work hard and I slowed down, but I would recovery pretty quickly.

For the last about .3 miles, we picked up the pace and pushed down Townsley. I am shocked I had that in me.

The Aftermath.
My knees ache. They ache as they always ache after a long run though; it's nothing new or concerning. Casey seems to have some pretty bad knee pain and has been icing. I hope the icing helps. We've talked about the schedule and how we can do another cut-back weekend. From my experience and all of the training plans I've looked up to develop what we're following, we are certainly in good shape right now. We've covered 8 miles 3 times. And now we've run 10 very well and both felt strong during it, which is awesome. As long as we run 12 miles two weeks before the race, we are very properly trained!

My Own Personal Results.
I suppose most, if not all, of this entry is from my own personal perspective. But, I have to point something out. The 10 miles ran Saturday is the fastest 10 miles I've ever ran. I checked my Log Your Run entries from last year around the marathon training dates. I was never even close to that pace for my long slow distance runs. Closest is 10:30 for 8 miles. But my 10 miler and everything else over 6 miles was in the 11:00 - 11:45 range. And, as I remember, those runs at that pace were very rough. This 10 miles at 10:17 pace average felt great.  That means a few things. One is that all this belly aching I've been doing about my slowness is dumb. I get so caught up with comparing myself to one moment or one person that I miss the big picture and the fact that I am getting stronger. A second thing this means is I'm thinking this is going to be the best half marathon race I've ever had - though I can't really say any of them have been good. All four have had issues: Old shoes = debilitating knee pain, sickness, way too fat to run a half marathon on top of being sick, and horrifically undertrained. That is my half marathon record. So! This is shaping up to be a great experience! And one final thing it means is I know I am benefiting from training with someone. I've always done the majority of my running solo, which is fine. But it lacks a lot also. The part Casey is playing in the training is crucial and invaluable. I'm pushed, motivated, distracted, inspired and strengthened. Thanks, Casey!

4 Weeks Done

So. I was updating the half training schedule tab and realized that Casey and I have 4 weeks of training in the bank, are in the midst of the 5th week, and therefor have 7.5 (let's call it nearly 8) more weeks to go. I'm glad I looked at the schedule again. For some reason, I have it in my head that I'm done already – that this right now is as good as I'm going to get for this race. And that I'm just riding out some miles before race day.

Nearly 8 more weeks!

That's a long time! And, as it's been proven in other 8 weeks periods, a lot of good stuff can happen if one works hard. So, I need to run more and this just isn't over yet. I think I've heard that before from my own mouth. Sigh.


Behold... this blog now features  –gasp–  a picture!
Here is what's on the menu for this weekend's long run:

After seeing Casey's face after the Cran Berry Gu from when we did 8, I thought it would be nice to have a larger selection of nasty gels to let him try something else and find his endurance caloric groove. So I purchased some of my faves (seen above).

I tend to stick with orange or raspberry flavor and avoid things like "vanilla" and "espresso". But! In my new, open-minded gel flavor testing, I thought perhaps espresso is in fact yummy. So I got it. The Montanna Huckelberry has real huckelberries in it! What the hell is a huckelberry besides the name of a boy in a book I was forced to read in Junior High?! Exciting!

I have had Gu Roctane, which has 35 mg of caffeine in it. I'm not so sure the caffeine really does anything for me, but I let it do things for me mentally. 100 calories each, 25g carbs. Maltodextrin is the main sugar. Other ingredients include sea salt and many things that end in -ine.

Hammer Gel was the first gel I had that I didn't upset my stomach. But they all seem to have improved now (or my stomach's gotten more used to it). As it says on the package, it's "Made with Natural Ingredients!" It's so exciting! 100 calories each, 24g carbs. The espresso flavor has 50 mg of caffeine. The main sugar is a long chain maltodextrin. BONUS: hammer shaped package! Clever!

Gu Chomps. YUM! I'd eat these for breakfast! Not really. These are pretty good though, all things considered. Downside is they aren't quick and easy to eat like the gels are. But, this can be nice on long runs. You can open the pack up and start chomping away as the miles go by. Gives you something to do. 180 calories per bag of 8 chomps, 46 carbs. The strawberry one has caffeine, but apparently it's a secret how much because it's not anywhere on the package. The main sugars are Tapioca syrup, cane sugar, maltodextrin, and pectin...followed by an assortment of other stuff.

There. I just wrote a nerdy gel/endurance activity supplement review.
10 miles here we come!!!

Another 8 Miles

Saturday morning, Casey and I ran 8 miles from my house. The run was quite different from last weekend for many reasons. An important and welcomed one was cooler temperatures and a sun that hid behind the clouds the entire time. Another was it wasn't the flat trail. And yet one more was that we took Gu half way through, which helped fuel the last half.

All in all, everything felt good for me. My legs took a few miles to "wake up" and stop hurting. They were just super tight, feeling like there was pressure in them. Once that was over, I just battled the breathing and being weak. Our first 4 miles was completed in 42:02, which was a great pace. The last half was 42:21...still a fine pace. But I really slowed down every time there was a hill. I couldn't talk because I was breathing so hard. I wanted to stop many times. 10:30 should have felt easier.

I probably dwell on it too much, but I hate feeling so weak and I'm really just very mad and in a funk about it right now. It's not like I haven't done this before for crying out loud. This time should be better, I want it to be better. I am not sure what to do. I know improvement always takes time. I guess I'm just not working hard enough.