7 weeks down, 11 more to go
Quick Stats:
Miles Run - 33 (188 total)
States ran in - 2
Ok, I'll admit it. I was a slacker this week. But in my defense, it was spring break at the high school I work at. Between the beautiful weather and open afternoons, Easter, and going out of town to meet some of my wonderful mommy friends for a little R&R, there were so many temptations trying to lure me away from my training. So I skipped out on one of my 4 mile runs and the cross training (although I do think that a few hours at the zoo and a trip to the outlet mall should count for that one). But I did tough it out and get up early while away at the Dells for my 7 mile pace run around Lake Delton. And I resisted the urge to fill up my plate for 2nds and 3rds during Easter dinner so I could sneak in a 14 mile run while my daughter was supposed to be down for a nap.
It's back to the old routine this week (well as much as a routine as I usually have). The dreaded 15 miler is this week. With all the jelly beans and peanut butter eggs I've eaten these past few days, there won't be any weasiling out of that one.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Decisions, decisions....
I blew off my 7 mile run yesterday to spend some time with the family at the zoo. My running shoes will always be there waiting for me (unless one of my neighbors decides to steal them out of the hallway), but a gorgeous spring day when both my husband and I don't have to work hardly ever comes around. And you know what, I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt. :-D
Monday, March 29, 2010
Week 6 Update
6 weeks down, 12 more to go (1/3 of the way there!!)
Quick Stats:
Miles Run - 27 (155 total)
New Blisters - 0 (YAY!!)
My recovery week is over. It's amazing to me how much difference 6 weeks can make. This winter, a week like this would have been a tough one for me. My long runs were in the 8-9 mile range and kicked my butt. But now, this is considered a rest week. And I do feel rested. The legs feel great. Mentally, I'm in a good place (ask again about both of these in a few weeks). I'm actually starting to love the pace workouts. And who that 9 miles would ever feel kind of easy.
This coming week is going to be another story. Mileage increases across the board. No more easy 3 mile runs. The easy runs are now 4 miles and will be that distance before bumping up to 5 miles in 4 weeks. The kind of long runs are now 7 miles, with my first 7 mile pace run this week as well. The long runs move into a territory I've never been in before. 14 miles this week, 15 next. I've never run more than 13.1, so it's a little scary from here on out. At least I have the confidence from last week and the weeks before to know that while it may be a challenge to get through this next stretch of training, my body can do it. Now I just need to get my brain in the same shape and we should be good.
Quick Stats:
Miles Run - 27 (155 total)
New Blisters - 0 (YAY!!)
My recovery week is over. It's amazing to me how much difference 6 weeks can make. This winter, a week like this would have been a tough one for me. My long runs were in the 8-9 mile range and kicked my butt. But now, this is considered a rest week. And I do feel rested. The legs feel great. Mentally, I'm in a good place (ask again about both of these in a few weeks). I'm actually starting to love the pace workouts. And who that 9 miles would ever feel kind of easy.
This coming week is going to be another story. Mileage increases across the board. No more easy 3 mile runs. The easy runs are now 4 miles and will be that distance before bumping up to 5 miles in 4 weeks. The kind of long runs are now 7 miles, with my first 7 mile pace run this week as well. The long runs move into a territory I've never been in before. 14 miles this week, 15 next. I've never run more than 13.1, so it's a little scary from here on out. At least I have the confidence from last week and the weeks before to know that while it may be a challenge to get through this next stretch of training, my body can do it. Now I just need to get my brain in the same shape and we should be good.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
27 going on 17
To change things up a little today, I packed my daughter and the laundry in the car and headed up to my parents house for the day. While my daughter was down for her nap and the laundry was finishing up in the dryer, I took to the streets of my old neighborhood and did my long run for the week, 9 miles. Even though both the town I live in now and the town where my parents live are suburbs of St. Paul and only about 20 minutes from eachother, the two cities couldn't be more different. Where I live now, I'm pretty sure I'm the only runner. Occasionally I see a person or two jogging down the street, but it's still pretty rare. I'm used to get strange looks from my neighbors that are outside on their porches enjoying a beer and a smoke. The town where my parents live is a running paradise. There are always people out and about walking around the lake. Today alone, I passed several runners, walkers, bikers, rollerbladers, people out with their dogs. Instead of funny looks, I got smiles and nods from the people I passed. It's a little creepy when you're not used to it anymore.
My route today took me along the lake, starting with some of my favorite routes from my high school track days. I started along the south shore of the lake, made my way north along the western edge, continued past the turnaround point from one of the 5 mile runs my coach loved to take us on, along the biking and walking path up to the main beach before turning around and heading back to my parent's house. All in all, about 6.5 of the 9 miles were on the lake and it was a beautiful day to be out.
I have a Garmin GPS watch that I wear on my runs to keep track of miles and my pace when I'm gunning for a certain time. On my long runs, I settle into a comfortable pace which usually ends up being around 9:30/mile. Today however, I must have been channeling my inner 17 year old because when I looked at my watch as it beeped the split for the first mile is blinked 8:50.
Alright old lady, slow it down a bit, you still have 8 more miles to go. Don't kill yourself.
mile 2 = 9:06
Ok, a little better, but still a little too quick. There's a lot of miles left.
mile 3 = 9:04
I thought I told you to slow down. You're turning 28 in a few weeks. That's almost 30. Do you want to have a heart attack?
mile 4 = 8:57
Ok, could have sworn I slowed it down that last mile. This stupid watch must be broken or something. I didn't feel like I was going faster.
mile 5 = 8:49
Hey, I'm over half way done with this run. I don't even feel that tired. Maybe my old body can keep up.
mile 6 = 8:34
This is kinda fun. Only 3 more miles to go. I might not die today afterall.
mile 7 = 8:25
Did I really just run 8:25 7 miles into a 9 mile run? That's insane. Hmm, wonder if I can go any faster?
mile 8 = 8:35
Crap, I'm old. But 8:35 isn't bad. One last mile. I know I can do it. Come on legs, don't fail me now!
mile 9 = 8:19
Oh hells yeah!!!! I don't even feel like puking. That rocked!!! Go me!!
Total time = 1:18:44 (8:45/mile)
Last year I ran a 15k (9.3 miles) in 1:17:30 (8:19/mile). I felt like I was going to die after that race. My legs turned to jello somewhere around the 8.5 mile mark. But it was also one of the best races I'd ever ran. I was so proud of how fast I ran it in (I was gunning for under 1:25, so I killed it). I haven't been able to run like that since. But today, on just a regular old long run, trying to take it easy and rest up for the tough weeks ahead, I probably could have easily beat that time. Maybe these old legs still have a little life left in them.
My route today took me along the lake, starting with some of my favorite routes from my high school track days. I started along the south shore of the lake, made my way north along the western edge, continued past the turnaround point from one of the 5 mile runs my coach loved to take us on, along the biking and walking path up to the main beach before turning around and heading back to my parent's house. All in all, about 6.5 of the 9 miles were on the lake and it was a beautiful day to be out.
I have a Garmin GPS watch that I wear on my runs to keep track of miles and my pace when I'm gunning for a certain time. On my long runs, I settle into a comfortable pace which usually ends up being around 9:30/mile. Today however, I must have been channeling my inner 17 year old because when I looked at my watch as it beeped the split for the first mile is blinked 8:50.
Alright old lady, slow it down a bit, you still have 8 more miles to go. Don't kill yourself.
mile 2 = 9:06
Ok, a little better, but still a little too quick. There's a lot of miles left.
mile 3 = 9:04
I thought I told you to slow down. You're turning 28 in a few weeks. That's almost 30. Do you want to have a heart attack?
mile 4 = 8:57
Ok, could have sworn I slowed it down that last mile. This stupid watch must be broken or something. I didn't feel like I was going faster.
mile 5 = 8:49
Hey, I'm over half way done with this run. I don't even feel that tired. Maybe my old body can keep up.
mile 6 = 8:34
This is kinda fun. Only 3 more miles to go. I might not die today afterall.
mile 7 = 8:25
Did I really just run 8:25 7 miles into a 9 mile run? That's insane. Hmm, wonder if I can go any faster?
mile 8 = 8:35
Crap, I'm old. But 8:35 isn't bad. One last mile. I know I can do it. Come on legs, don't fail me now!
mile 9 = 8:19
Oh hells yeah!!!! I don't even feel like puking. That rocked!!! Go me!!
Total time = 1:18:44 (8:45/mile)
Last year I ran a 15k (9.3 miles) in 1:17:30 (8:19/mile). I felt like I was going to die after that race. My legs turned to jello somewhere around the 8.5 mile mark. But it was also one of the best races I'd ever ran. I was so proud of how fast I ran it in (I was gunning for under 1:25, so I killed it). I haven't been able to run like that since. But today, on just a regular old long run, trying to take it easy and rest up for the tough weeks ahead, I probably could have easily beat that time. Maybe these old legs still have a little life left in them.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Bye Bye 3 mile runs
Today is my last 3 miler until just before Grandma's when I start ramping down the mileage to get ready for the big day. Starting next week, the easy run will go up to 4 miles. I'm actually pretty happy about this. As backwards as it may seem, I have more trouble getting motivated to go out and do the short runs than I do the long runs. I'm sure most people would look at their schedule and be like "YAY!! Only 3 miles today!!" Not me. It takes about 25-30 minutes to do, which isn't that long. It's so easy to put off and forget about. It doesn't help that when I tell my husband I'm just going out for a short 3, he jokes that I could do it backwards in my sleep. I liken it to when your boss gives you a job at work. The 3 mile run is a quick easy task that most people in your office could do. It needs to be done, you can easily have it done in half an hour, but you have other things to do during the day, so it's easy to just put it off. The long runs are like a huge project that will take most of your morning or afternoon. While they might seem daunting, getting that project done will show up on your review that's coming up in a few months that will help get that promotion or raise you've been eyeing for awhile. You're more likely to put the rest of your daily tasks aside to get that bigger project out of the way and rework your schedule to make sure you budget the time in that you need to do it. But that little 3 mile run, it gets buried on your desk until it's almost time to go home and you still haven't gotten around to doing it. Instead you're blogging about how much you really don't want to do while you could be getting it done and out of the way instead.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Week 5 update
5 weeks down, 13 more to go...
Quick Stats:
Miles Run - 30 (128 total)
Holes in socks - 1
Blisters from previously mentioned hole in sock - 3
Number of socks bloodied by blisters from hole in sock - 2 (so far)
All in all, it was a good week. Had some great weather to motivate me to get outside and keep going. My work schedule wasn't too intense, letting me stick to my program for once and not have to worry about rearranging the workouts to fit with my crazy life. Now I get to look forward to this week, which is another easy recovery week. The running life is good.
That said, I did have my first of what will probably be many "Oh Crap!!" moments. This came about 11 miles into my 12 mile long run. The first 10 miles felt great. I took off probably a little faster than I should have (averaged about 9:15/mile when I had been doing about 9:30ish). But last weeks 11 miler felt great, so I thought, "why not?" Well, I'm old and out of shape is why not. Around mile 11, that all too familiar ache started to creep up in my right knee. When I was 15, I had a pretty nasty knee injury from playing soccer. Luckily, it never required surgery, but it still flares up from time to time, especially when running more than 11 miles. Since until now that wasn't much of a regular thing, I just learned to deal with it. Of course, instead of just shrugging it off and grumbling a little about the ache in my knee, I nearly started to cry. Not from the pain, but more from the overwhelming thought that if I can't even run 12 miles without it hurting, how will I ever run 26.2? Then the little optimist in me popped out and told off the evil nagging naysayer on the other shoulder and told it to shut up. I did a half marathon last year when I wasn't in nearly as good of shape and it didn't bug me then. It's been a rough week, training wise, so my body is way more fatigued going into this run than it will be going into the marathon. I took 15 seconds off my mile time and killed the first 10 miles. When I finally got home after that last mile which seemed to last an hour, I plugged in my GPS watch and saw that I ran that last mile in just 9:17. I might be able to survive this afterall.
Quick Stats:
Miles Run - 30 (128 total)
Holes in socks - 1
Blisters from previously mentioned hole in sock - 3
Number of socks bloodied by blisters from hole in sock - 2 (so far)
All in all, it was a good week. Had some great weather to motivate me to get outside and keep going. My work schedule wasn't too intense, letting me stick to my program for once and not have to worry about rearranging the workouts to fit with my crazy life. Now I get to look forward to this week, which is another easy recovery week. The running life is good.
That said, I did have my first of what will probably be many "Oh Crap!!" moments. This came about 11 miles into my 12 mile long run. The first 10 miles felt great. I took off probably a little faster than I should have (averaged about 9:15/mile when I had been doing about 9:30ish). But last weeks 11 miler felt great, so I thought, "why not?" Well, I'm old and out of shape is why not. Around mile 11, that all too familiar ache started to creep up in my right knee. When I was 15, I had a pretty nasty knee injury from playing soccer. Luckily, it never required surgery, but it still flares up from time to time, especially when running more than 11 miles. Since until now that wasn't much of a regular thing, I just learned to deal with it. Of course, instead of just shrugging it off and grumbling a little about the ache in my knee, I nearly started to cry. Not from the pain, but more from the overwhelming thought that if I can't even run 12 miles without it hurting, how will I ever run 26.2? Then the little optimist in me popped out and told off the evil nagging naysayer on the other shoulder and told it to shut up. I did a half marathon last year when I wasn't in nearly as good of shape and it didn't bug me then. It's been a rough week, training wise, so my body is way more fatigued going into this run than it will be going into the marathon. I took 15 seconds off my mile time and killed the first 10 miles. When I finally got home after that last mile which seemed to last an hour, I plugged in my GPS watch and saw that I ran that last mile in just 9:17. I might be able to survive this afterall.
Ugh!!
Note to self: Invent bandaid that actually stays stuck to foot while running.
It took all of .4 miles into my 3 mile run this morning for the bandaid on my heel to fall off. The blister from the hole in my sock during my 12 mile run this weekend was actually 3 small blisters, each one incredibly painful and equally annoying. Seriously, it looks like someone stabbed me with a toothpick, that's how small they are, yet from the looks of my sock, it looks like someone tried to sever my achilles. Guess I should have picked up a few new pairs of socks to go with the waste of money bandaids during my early morning Target run.
It took all of .4 miles into my 3 mile run this morning for the bandaid on my heel to fall off. The blister from the hole in my sock during my 12 mile run this weekend was actually 3 small blisters, each one incredibly painful and equally annoying. Seriously, it looks like someone stabbed me with a toothpick, that's how small they are, yet from the looks of my sock, it looks like someone tried to sever my achilles. Guess I should have picked up a few new pairs of socks to go with the waste of money bandaids during my early morning Target run.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
