This week was the first week starting my training for Boston. Already?? I am using a plan from the Advanced Marathoning book by Pete Pfitzinger, specifically the 18 week plan that caps at 70 miles (18/70). I like the way the miles are distributed, instead of the mid-week miles being very similar in distance each day (the way I have usually trained), they vary a bit more. Some shorter runs are mixed with a longer aerobic/speed runs, and also a longer run. I hope I will like the variety! Another benefit is that Mark has also decided to train with the same plan. Even though our runs won't always match up, and of course his paces will be faster (especially on speed days) it will be nice to have him running the same workouts as me each week.
So far this week was an easy 5 miler, an 8 miler with 10 x 100 meter strides, and a mid-long run of 11 miles (um, I actually only did 10.3 today though because it was FREEZING and I had extra miles from Tuesday's strides). Thursday and Friday are both short runs (yay!) and a 15 mile run on Sunday. Of course, the first few weeks never look daunting, but I know it will get harder pretty soon...
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Holiday Halfathon
The Holiday Halfathon is my favorite of the halfathon series. I like the course (a point to point starting in Madeira Beach and running up to Largo), like the time of year, like the Christmas-y shirts (that is my wrinkly shirt pictured), and like the group of runners who seem to do this one every year.
Since it is point to point, to avoid having to ride in a shuttle back to the start, we had the clever idea of teaming up with Jamie and driving two cars down, leaving one at the finish line on our way (well it is not THAT clever, since lots of other people do this to). The benefit of that is we could leave stuff that we would need after the race in Jamie's car. So that is what we did. It wasn't until we were parked down at the start that we realized we had been a bit flaky and had actually left some important race things in Jamie's car. Oh. I left my Garmin and iPod, and Jamie didn't have any extra clothes (and it was kind of windy and chilly at the start). Mark gave Jamie his arm warmers, and Jamie gave me her Garmin-since she had just raced Las Vegas marathon last week (!) she didn't mind not knowing how fast she was going today. We finally got ourselves together and got to the start line. Jamie and I lined up together, she said she would just stay with me. I didn't have a super clear goal, just trying to aim around an 8:00 pace, hopefully a little faster if possible. Our first four miles were around a 7:50, then we stayed around 8:00 for a bit, but I was having a hard time keeping it there. Once we turned onto the Pinellas trail (around mile 7), I was hoping I would be able to focus better and stay on task. The only problem was that it was starting to feel hot, and the trail offered some protection from the wind, but made the air seem even warmer. I started feeling really hot and really bad a one point (like a sick kind of bad), my pace slowed. Jamie was there with me, and she suggested I take my hat off. Not sure why I hadn't thought of this, but it made a big difference. I felt a little better but was still at the slower pace for a while. I was so glad I had Jamie there with me, I am sure I would have struggled A LOT if I hadn't had her. She was a good mommy, and stayed just ahead of me, but would check back every now and then to make sure I was still with her, without putting any pressure on me to pick it up. Around mile 10.5 (or so) was a second pedestrian overpass bridge, and I was actually GLAD to see it because 1. I like those 25 foot climbs and 2. it meant we were nearing the end. Jamie made fun of me for being happy about the hill ;) The final 1.5 miles are into a park and all the way around a lake to the finish. Despite having to head into the wind for a lot of this, I actually really like the way it finishes. You can hear the loud finish line the whole time you are around the lake and it makes you excited to get there. I tried my best to pick it up but at that point I was getting so tired that my version of "picking it up" basically meant I didn't get any slower- LOL. We made it around the turn to the finish, and I was FINALLY able to catch up the 10 feet that Jamie had been ahead of me and we crossed the finish line together with a 1:45:55 clock time. But, um, actually my foot? must have been in front of her? because I ended up with third place in my age group and she got fourth, even though we had the exact same time. (sorry Jamie...) I felt kinda bad about that.
We had fun hanging out with a lot of other runners from the Striders, and we stayed for the awards (Mark also got an award- first in his age group). About 3 minutes after Mark got his award, the wind picked up awful and rain started coming in. How lucky that the rain waited until after the race!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Women's Running Half Marathon
Such a fun morning! Not only were a lot of my friends running this race, but also my sister Amy, my mom, and my Aunt Patty. My mom and Aunt Patty were going to walk together- it was to celebrate my Aunt's 70th birthday. The four of us stayed down in St. Petersburg the night before, so in the morning it was easy to get up and walk to the start line.
="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542330826896836930" />I found Jamie in my corral, so she and I started out together. She was going faster today, so after the first mile we split up. My goal was to run between 8:00 and 8:15 pace, not on pr pace, but kind of a tempo pace for a training run. My first several miles were a bit under, about 7:55 or so, and then I was able to keep on target for the rest of the race (the two slowest miles were 8:15). My finish time was a 1:46:40 (8:09 pace).
Amy came through, with a new pr! We then went to watch for my mom and Aunt Patty. We saw them come to the end, looking like they were having a great time. The day was gorgeous, and everyone had a great time!
Monday, November 15, 2010
For Mom
My mom has been bugging me to update my blog :) so here it goes:
My running has been basically in maintenance mode, I've had my miles around 45 per week (or so), and this week and next I will creep it closer to 50. I started back to some speed work, just to get back into that mode since I hadn't done any in a while! Since I have a few half marathons coming up, the speed work is kind of geared towards that distance. This Sunday is the Women's Half marathon and I plan on treating it more as a training run-sort of a tempo run (a very loooong tempo run). If that goes as planned, I will be more prepared to race the next half marathon which is on December 12th. After December 12th, my Boston training plan starts (!) which is an 18 week Pete Pftizinger plan.
My mom, my sister Amy, and my Aunt are all coming into town this weekend to also participate in the Women's Half marathon. I think this race is going to be a lot of fun, I know so many people who are running it!
My other exciting news is that I have registered to attend Personal Training Education at the Cooper Institute in Dallas at the end of November. I have always thought of becoming a trainer, but just hadn't taken the time to go through the education and certification. I am excited to start my class!
My running has been basically in maintenance mode, I've had my miles around 45 per week (or so), and this week and next I will creep it closer to 50. I started back to some speed work, just to get back into that mode since I hadn't done any in a while! Since I have a few half marathons coming up, the speed work is kind of geared towards that distance. This Sunday is the Women's Half marathon and I plan on treating it more as a training run-sort of a tempo run (a very loooong tempo run). If that goes as planned, I will be more prepared to race the next half marathon which is on December 12th. After December 12th, my Boston training plan starts (!) which is an 18 week Pete Pftizinger plan.
My mom, my sister Amy, and my Aunt are all coming into town this weekend to also participate in the Women's Half marathon. I think this race is going to be a lot of fun, I know so many people who are running it!
My other exciting news is that I have registered to attend Personal Training Education at the Cooper Institute in Dallas at the end of November. I have always thought of becoming a trainer, but just hadn't taken the time to go through the education and certification. I am excited to start my class!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Well It Sounded Good At The Time
I have a monkey on my back, and his name is Racing. See, the problem is, back in the spring when you get the e-mails and info on all the fall races, they sound so fun, and HEY! if you sign up early, you get a great deal on all of them. So I managed to sign myself up for a marathon in July (the one I did in Utah), 12 weeks later the San Francisco marathon, 2 weeks later the Halloween Halfathon, 3 weeks later the Women's Half Marathon, 3 weeks later the Holiday Halfathon, and 4 (or maybe 5) weeks later, the Clearwater Halfathon, and a final half-marathon in March. And these are all before the Boston Marathon, which is in April.
The problem is not so much with the running or the mileage (especially for the half marathons, because I would most likely be running a long run with a similar distance anyway). The problem is that I want to do my best at every race, and race them all to my potential. Well, on Sunday at the Halloween Halfathon, that did not really work out as planned. I started out on a great pace (albeit a tiny bit aggressive to go for a PR), but after mile 5 I fell apart and had a hard time just keeping myself going. I am pretty sure my body was SO not ready to race a half marathon 2 weeks after the San Francisco marathon. Then Tuesday morning comes, and when I go out for what I think is an "easy run," my legs just will not cooperate. They wanted none of that. Wednesday was the same (a bit better, but still sluggish), and I start feeling very stressed out about the NEXT half marathon, which is only 2 1/2 weeks away at this point. How can I do my best if I can't even run normal?? After evaluating it with my coach, and by coach I mean Mark :), I've been instructed that I am not "allowed" to race the next upcoming half marathon. Instead, Mark gave me a reasonable pace that I have to adhere to instead. And I am only allowed to race the next half marathon (December 12th) if I've been able to perform some key workouts and the conditions on race day are good. Otherwise I have to wait to race until the January race.
It may seem dorky, but just having Mark tell me I wasn't "allowed" to race it, instantly took the pressure off, and I don't have to worry so much that it is taking me a long time to recover from the past two races. My legs even liked that idea, as they felt much better on this morning's run. And I have definitely learned my lesson: don't be wooed by the cheap early sign up prices!!
The problem is not so much with the running or the mileage (especially for the half marathons, because I would most likely be running a long run with a similar distance anyway). The problem is that I want to do my best at every race, and race them all to my potential. Well, on Sunday at the Halloween Halfathon, that did not really work out as planned. I started out on a great pace (albeit a tiny bit aggressive to go for a PR), but after mile 5 I fell apart and had a hard time just keeping myself going. I am pretty sure my body was SO not ready to race a half marathon 2 weeks after the San Francisco marathon. Then Tuesday morning comes, and when I go out for what I think is an "easy run," my legs just will not cooperate. They wanted none of that. Wednesday was the same (a bit better, but still sluggish), and I start feeling very stressed out about the NEXT half marathon, which is only 2 1/2 weeks away at this point. How can I do my best if I can't even run normal?? After evaluating it with my coach, and by coach I mean Mark :), I've been instructed that I am not "allowed" to race the next upcoming half marathon. Instead, Mark gave me a reasonable pace that I have to adhere to instead. And I am only allowed to race the next half marathon (December 12th) if I've been able to perform some key workouts and the conditions on race day are good. Otherwise I have to wait to race until the January race.
It may seem dorky, but just having Mark tell me I wasn't "allowed" to race it, instantly took the pressure off, and I don't have to worry so much that it is taking me a long time to recover from the past two races. My legs even liked that idea, as they felt much better on this morning's run. And I have definitely learned my lesson: don't be wooed by the cheap early sign up prices!!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Nike Women's Marathon 2010 Race Report
Short version: Hills and rain, 3:42:59 official time
Long version...
I was really excited to do this race. With it being so popular, it is hard to gain an entry into, and when Kathryn, Carin, and I entered the random lottery, we were on pins and needles for a month waiting to get in, which we found out in the spring that we had made it in. Yippee!! We had lots of time to train, and I even had time for the marathon in July in Utah to fit in there.
I was nervous for the hills on the course, I knew they weren't the worst thing that San Francisco could hand you (there were no Lombard streets, after all), but I knew it was nothing we could train for here in Florida. We did our best on the bridge overpasses, but that was that. I went in with a reasonable goal of running between a 3:40 and 3:45. Of course I would have LOVED a 3:39:59, so I decided to run with the 3:40 pace group and stay with them as long as I could.
Race weekend finally came, Carin, Kathryn, and I (along with Kathryn's husband- the designated spectator) excitedly boarded our planes to San Francisco. Carin and I were staying two blocks from Union square, where the race expo was being held. We couldn't help but head over there right away. The expo was cool, trendy, and fun, although it was missing a lot of "practical" things you might want as a runner at an expo. This seemed to be the theme for the whole rest of the weekend, Nike put on an awesome event, but many times I was wishing it wasn't so trendy and was more practical. Conveniently the Nike Town store was right next to the expo and there was an entire floor devoted to the marathon merchandise, which was flying off the shelves.
The day before race day Carin and I went for a short run, then stopped by the expo again to meet the pacers. My pacer was Jen, and I asked her about the strategy she would take for the hills. She said she would stay on pace for both up and down, but encouraged us to do the hills at the effort you wanted and then catch up on the downhills. It was good advice, and I used that strategy on race day. We did some light sightseeing, (shopping) and met up with Kathryn and her husband for our pre-race pasta dinner. We got to bed nice and early.
The great thing about traveling west for an early morning race is that it doesn't really feel like early morning! I was up before my alarm and felt well rested. We went through our usual morning routines, then met Kathryn down at the start line. Here is where we parted ways, I headed up to my corral with pacer Jen, and Carin and Kathryn lined up with their pacer. I only had to wait in the corral about 30 minutes before it was time for the race! Pacer Jen had a pretty big group and we were all clumped together but it was really difficult staying with her the first mile and getting on pace. Nike allows members of a special Nike+ group line up near the start and unfortunately many of those were not intending on keeping a faster pace so it was hard to maneuver around them. They did not seem to like a large pace group weaving past them. It was still crowded for the next few miles, and I found it very stressful to stay with the pace group but I stayed with her anyway.
Finally the scary part came: the big hill at mile six. I watched as pacer Jen slowly slipped away from me, but by the time I got to the top I saw that she wasn't too far ahead which I was easily able to regain on the hill down. The next few miles went just like that. I would lose the pace group going up, and catch them going down. Finally we made it through the steep stuff, and I thought I would just be able to hang tight with the pace group.
We entered Golden Gate Park, and again there were some hills, although these were more gradual than the previous ones, so my fall back and catch up strategy wasn't working as well, also it was still very crowded on the course since the half marathon split hadn't occurred yet. I decided to let the pace group go, and immediately I felt more relaxed. And that was pretty much my strategy for the whole rest of the race, to just stay calm and relaxed. When we turned out of the park towards the last ten miles: calm and relaxed. When the rain started up: calm and relaxed. When I hit mile 20 and realized I could easily still make under 3:45: calm and relaxed. So it was with this mantra that I just kept ticking off mile after mile. In the last few miles I was tempted to pick up the pace and really put the hammer down for a strong finish, but I resisted because I was in such a groove and had FINALLY for the FIRST TIME EVER IN A MARATHON... had not gotten my dreaded side stitch. I was afraid if I tried to pick it up too much I would get the side stitch and slow down anyway so instead I just kept at my pace.
I crossed the finish line, looked at my watch and saw 3:43 (my chip time ended up with 3:42:59). I was so happy with that time, and so happy with how I had run and not fallen apart at any time during the race. I made my way through the elaborate finish line (Tiffany necklace, finisher shirt, and loads of post-race food) and found Kathryn's husband. We were waiting for Carin and Kathryn to come in for their finish, unfortunately though, I started getting VERY cold (I am from Florida after all) and with the pouring down rain there was no way I was going to warm up. I made a trip to the medic tent to get a warm blanket and a dry area to sit down. The staff in the medic tent was wonderful, and I wasn't the only one who was being treated for the cold conditions.
I was finally able to find Carin and then Kathryn, they also had great races which was the icing on the cake for me. We all left there a little cold and wet, but excited and happy and ready to celebrate our milestone.
Long version...
I was really excited to do this race. With it being so popular, it is hard to gain an entry into, and when Kathryn, Carin, and I entered the random lottery, we were on pins and needles for a month waiting to get in, which we found out in the spring that we had made it in. Yippee!! We had lots of time to train, and I even had time for the marathon in July in Utah to fit in there.
I was nervous for the hills on the course, I knew they weren't the worst thing that San Francisco could hand you (there were no Lombard streets, after all), but I knew it was nothing we could train for here in Florida. We did our best on the bridge overpasses, but that was that. I went in with a reasonable goal of running between a 3:40 and 3:45. Of course I would have LOVED a 3:39:59, so I decided to run with the 3:40 pace group and stay with them as long as I could.
Race weekend finally came, Carin, Kathryn, and I (along with Kathryn's husband- the designated spectator) excitedly boarded our planes to San Francisco. Carin and I were staying two blocks from Union square, where the race expo was being held. We couldn't help but head over there right away. The expo was cool, trendy, and fun, although it was missing a lot of "practical" things you might want as a runner at an expo. This seemed to be the theme for the whole rest of the weekend, Nike put on an awesome event, but many times I was wishing it wasn't so trendy and was more practical. Conveniently the Nike Town store was right next to the expo and there was an entire floor devoted to the marathon merchandise, which was flying off the shelves.
The day before race day Carin and I went for a short run, then stopped by the expo again to meet the pacers. My pacer was Jen, and I asked her about the strategy she would take for the hills. She said she would stay on pace for both up and down, but encouraged us to do the hills at the effort you wanted and then catch up on the downhills. It was good advice, and I used that strategy on race day. We did some light sightseeing, (shopping) and met up with Kathryn and her husband for our pre-race pasta dinner. We got to bed nice and early.
The great thing about traveling west for an early morning race is that it doesn't really feel like early morning! I was up before my alarm and felt well rested. We went through our usual morning routines, then met Kathryn down at the start line. Here is where we parted ways, I headed up to my corral with pacer Jen, and Carin and Kathryn lined up with their pacer. I only had to wait in the corral about 30 minutes before it was time for the race! Pacer Jen had a pretty big group and we were all clumped together but it was really difficult staying with her the first mile and getting on pace. Nike allows members of a special Nike+ group line up near the start and unfortunately many of those were not intending on keeping a faster pace so it was hard to maneuver around them. They did not seem to like a large pace group weaving past them. It was still crowded for the next few miles, and I found it very stressful to stay with the pace group but I stayed with her anyway.
Finally the scary part came: the big hill at mile six. I watched as pacer Jen slowly slipped away from me, but by the time I got to the top I saw that she wasn't too far ahead which I was easily able to regain on the hill down. The next few miles went just like that. I would lose the pace group going up, and catch them going down. Finally we made it through the steep stuff, and I thought I would just be able to hang tight with the pace group.
We entered Golden Gate Park, and again there were some hills, although these were more gradual than the previous ones, so my fall back and catch up strategy wasn't working as well, also it was still very crowded on the course since the half marathon split hadn't occurred yet. I decided to let the pace group go, and immediately I felt more relaxed. And that was pretty much my strategy for the whole rest of the race, to just stay calm and relaxed. When we turned out of the park towards the last ten miles: calm and relaxed. When the rain started up: calm and relaxed. When I hit mile 20 and realized I could easily still make under 3:45: calm and relaxed. So it was with this mantra that I just kept ticking off mile after mile. In the last few miles I was tempted to pick up the pace and really put the hammer down for a strong finish, but I resisted because I was in such a groove and had FINALLY for the FIRST TIME EVER IN A MARATHON... had not gotten my dreaded side stitch. I was afraid if I tried to pick it up too much I would get the side stitch and slow down anyway so instead I just kept at my pace.
I crossed the finish line, looked at my watch and saw 3:43 (my chip time ended up with 3:42:59). I was so happy with that time, and so happy with how I had run and not fallen apart at any time during the race. I made my way through the elaborate finish line (Tiffany necklace, finisher shirt, and loads of post-race food) and found Kathryn's husband. We were waiting for Carin and Kathryn to come in for their finish, unfortunately though, I started getting VERY cold (I am from Florida after all) and with the pouring down rain there was no way I was going to warm up. I made a trip to the medic tent to get a warm blanket and a dry area to sit down. The staff in the medic tent was wonderful, and I wasn't the only one who was being treated for the cold conditions.
I was finally able to find Carin and then Kathryn, they also had great races which was the icing on the cake for me. We all left there a little cold and wet, but excited and happy and ready to celebrate our milestone.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Ready To Go!
Yesterday's run was 6 miles, with 2 at marathon pace (with Pacer Mark). Jamie joined Mark and I for this run. When we started on the marathon pace miles, 8:15-ish pace, I was thinking that it felt kind of hard. But the deal was that I am not allowed to look at my watch or complain about it. So I didn't. Later when I got home, I saw that those miles WERE faster than 8:15, so pacer Mark lied to me :)
This morning was just an easy four miler, seems like it was time to turn around and go home just as I was feeling warmed up. Oh well.
Tomorrow morning I leave for San Francisco, and I am ready to get there and run the marathon! Oh yes, and there is that bit about getting a Tiffany necklace at the finish line...
This morning was just an easy four miler, seems like it was time to turn around and go home just as I was feeling warmed up. Oh well.
Tomorrow morning I leave for San Francisco, and I am ready to get there and run the marathon! Oh yes, and there is that bit about getting a Tiffany necklace at the finish line...
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