Good question. Definitely not anything over 13.1 miles for some time. I think I need a break from marathon training. Plus, I have goals in other distances that I haven't met, and it's about to get really hot and humid here in NC! The group that I train with has talked about doing 5k/10k training over the summer, and then trying to extend that for a good half marathon in the fall. That sounds like a plan to me.
In the near future, I might try and jump in either the NCRC Half or 10k (May 18th), Running of the Bulls 8k (May 31st), or Midtown Half or 10k (June 7th). Either of the 10k's or half's would be more for fun and just to do a race because I like racing. The Running of the Bulls 8k, however, is my 8k PR from a few years back. I wouldn't mind revisiting that race depending upon where I'm at.
My focus is more for July (and later) races. Provided I can walk downstairs and/or run downhill again, the Downhill Mile is looking pretty good on July 4th. Plus, I miss July 4th races in Raleigh! A mile is perfect for feeling like I did something while still enjoying the day. After that, Raleigh's Finest 5k on July 29th seems like a reasonable target. Then, I'm looking at the Raleigh 8000 as an "end of summer" race.
I'd like to find a 10k in September/October, as well as one (or more) good 5k's. Then, I'm looking at a half (or two) sometime in October/November.
We'll see. In the short term, my goal is to walk down stairs like a normal person!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
4/21 - 4/27
Mon: Boston Marathon
Tues: off
Wed: Swim- 1000yd, 5 sets 100yd pull / 100yd swim, 50yd
Thurs: Swim- 5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 2 sets of 100yd aqua jog / 100yd breaststroke, 100yd
Fri: 45min exercise bike
Sat: Swim- 50-100-200-300-400-300-200-100-50 yd with 100yd breaststroke between each, 100yd aqua jog
Sun: 20min elliptical, 40min exercise bike
Total: 26.2 miles
I haven't taken a single running step since Boylston St. Maybe tomorrow. I can sort of walk down stairs like a normal person, and my right leg stopped randomly giving out, so that's a good enough reason to lift my moratorium on running. Plus, I've had a crick in my neck or shoulder or something since Thursday, which makes swimming more difficult. As for the rest of the week after Monday...
So when I went to look back at if I referred to swimming with a pull buoy as "pull" or "stroke", I realized that Wednesday was my first swim workout of 2014. HA! That's probably a problem. No wonder my back and core are weak! Anyways, Wednesday's swim was slow; I could barely kick my legs, and I couldn't flip-turn unless I had a pull buoy. Thursday's swim was much better, although my neck/shoulder hurt. However, after two days of swimming, I could kind of walk normally. On Friday, I decided to give my neck/shoulder a break, and Matt and I went to the gym. I kept the resistance low on the exercise bike, but tried to keep my cadence around 90rpm. I also started reading The Perfect Mile, which I've been wanting to read for like 2 years. Saturday brought more swimming. I swam at Fitness Connection, and the pool was really warm. Although I normally moan and groan about how cold the Pullen Park pool is (mainly because I'm not swimming as fast as the people on the swim teams that they lower the temperature for), I won't anymore. Also, they don't have pull buoys, so I did my normal "ladder" workout with 100m breaststroke instead. Being that it used different muscles than freestyle, I think it actually helped. On Sunday, I tried the closest thing to running that's not running... the elliptical. It went fine for the 20min that I was on it, and I switched to the exercise bike only so I wouldn't push my luck.
Also, even though I devoted two blog posts to it, I have one last thing to say about the Boston Marathon. Monday's total should be more like 29 miles. I'm kidding, but kind of not. Seriously.
Tues: off
Wed: Swim- 1000yd, 5 sets 100yd pull / 100yd swim, 50yd
Thurs: Swim- 5 sets of 200yd swim / 200yd pull, 2 sets of 100yd aqua jog / 100yd breaststroke, 100yd
Fri: 45min exercise bike
Sat: Swim- 50-100-200-300-400-300-200-100-50 yd with 100yd breaststroke between each, 100yd aqua jog
Sun: 20min elliptical, 40min exercise bike
Total: 26.2 miles
I haven't taken a single running step since Boylston St. Maybe tomorrow. I can sort of walk down stairs like a normal person, and my right leg stopped randomly giving out, so that's a good enough reason to lift my moratorium on running. Plus, I've had a crick in my neck or shoulder or something since Thursday, which makes swimming more difficult. As for the rest of the week after Monday...
So when I went to look back at if I referred to swimming with a pull buoy as "pull" or "stroke", I realized that Wednesday was my first swim workout of 2014. HA! That's probably a problem. No wonder my back and core are weak! Anyways, Wednesday's swim was slow; I could barely kick my legs, and I couldn't flip-turn unless I had a pull buoy. Thursday's swim was much better, although my neck/shoulder hurt. However, after two days of swimming, I could kind of walk normally. On Friday, I decided to give my neck/shoulder a break, and Matt and I went to the gym. I kept the resistance low on the exercise bike, but tried to keep my cadence around 90rpm. I also started reading The Perfect Mile, which I've been wanting to read for like 2 years. Saturday brought more swimming. I swam at Fitness Connection, and the pool was really warm. Although I normally moan and groan about how cold the Pullen Park pool is (mainly because I'm not swimming as fast as the people on the swim teams that they lower the temperature for), I won't anymore. Also, they don't have pull buoys, so I did my normal "ladder" workout with 100m breaststroke instead. Being that it used different muscles than freestyle, I think it actually helped. On Sunday, I tried the closest thing to running that's not running... the elliptical. It went fine for the 20min that I was on it, and I switched to the exercise bike only so I wouldn't push my luck.
Also, even though I devoted two blog posts to it, I have one last thing to say about the Boston Marathon. Monday's total should be more like 29 miles. I'm kidding, but kind of not. Seriously.
- You have about a mile to the start from Athlete's Village, which if you're late, you actually end up running some of.
- Then, you run Boston Marathon Course, which IS 26.2 miles.
- Then, you cross the finish line, and embark on your journey down the finishing chute. I swear it is a 1/2 mile long. They give you your medal and poncho (mylar cape on steroids) within the first 1/4 mile, but I think it was a 1/3 of a mile before I got water, which I downed immediately. By the time I got to the end of the water handing out, I had already picked up another. Then came gatorade, then some protein shake, then some protein bars, then some food. You have so much stuff by the end that you can barely carry it (and your inhaler), and barely walk. But, the journey doesn't end there.
- You then walk a few blocks over and head right back up a street that parallels the finishing chute until you get to the family meeting area. The H's are about 2/3's the distance to the finishing line, and the C's are even further (good thing I hyphenate my name so I can choose!).
- You then back track to the T. Which, this year, meant heading to the Boston Commons. Which is not close. Also, I think the curbs in Boston are extra tall.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Boston Marathon Part #2 (the more painful miles)
So, as I said, that dip right around mile 16 is where I ran into trouble. I distinctly remember thinking that I had 10 miles left, and that I had definitely felt worse with 10 miles to go on a training run. In fact, an out-and-back 20-miler while training for City of Oaks 2012 came to mind. I shouldn't have tried to run 20 miles that day because I was already kind of hurting at mile 0. However, everyone else was doing a long run, so I tagged along. We started from RRO-Raleigh, and by the time we got to Cup-a-Joe, I wanted to stop. And then we turned around and ran 10-miles back. The trek down the House Creek Greenway felt awful. In fact, it was the same problem, my right quad. However, even though I had to sidestep down every little dip from Shelly Lake on, I made it back to the store that day.
This wasn't as bad. Plus, it was the Boston Marathon, and not a random training run on the greenways of Raleigh. Everyone cheering was a lot more encouraging than no one cheering. So, yeah. I had a long time to contemplate how I should probably take some time off and sort this injury out. My splits fell way the heck off because (1) the downhills killed and (2) the uphills were no bargain either.
Anyways, back to the marathon. The miles after Heartbreak Hill killed owing to the significant downhill into Boston. Whenever it flattened out, or there was a slight rise, I tried to break into some semblance of a run. I was within 4 miles though, a distance which I walked all of this summer on a training run, so I knew I could make it. And, if I could keep jogging, I might actually re-qualify. With 5k to go, re-qualifying looked like it was still a possibility, but it would be close if I had to keep taking walking breaks. With 2.2 miles to go, I found a "slow jog" rhythm. The course had flattened out, so the pain wasn't as bad. And, the more I ran, the more my leg loosened up. The crowds were also thicker, and cheering like crazy, so that helped as well.
I know why Sean has us do 2000m repeats (even though I hate that workout). It's for when you get to the 40k mark in a marathon. I saw 5 laps around the track ahead of me. I started to pick it up a little. At 1-mile to go, I tried to pick it up a little more. When I got to Boylston St... I had "practiced" that stretch a lot. I chased two people in pink shirts ahead of me. I didn't catch them, but I did manage to get to the finish line in under 3:35 (3:30:14 according to the results).
THE STATS:
Cumulative Pace- 7:37 (30k), 7:50 (35k), 8:02 (40k), 8:02 (26.2M)
5k Paces- 8:12 (30k), 9:08 (35k), 9:25 (40k)
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Boston Marathon Part #1 (the good miles)
I always forget how long it takes to get from Boston to Hopkinton. It's kind of intimidating to think that you're going to have to run back. They started calling Wave 1 soon after I got there, which was more than an hour before Wave 1 took off. They were very insistent that "only people with red bibs" should start existing Athlete's Village. I thought of my friends running in that wave and hoped they were all feeling good.
I started listening closely to the announcements after 9:45... and even more closely after 10:00 (after Wave 1 took off). If they called Wave 2, I never heard it. I started heading over around 10:10 because even though I didn't want to be "one of those people", I would start lining up for a local race 15min before gun time! There were a bunch of people heading over in Wave 2, some with bib numbers higher than mine, as well as lower than mine. There was finally a sign that had us split out by bib number... there was virtually no one in the coral 1-5 line. I noticed that anyone in this line, as well as getting into this line, start jogging. I also heard the announcer say that, even though it felt like you had been running for a mile (yes), your time wouldn't start until you crossed the start line (no clue, why was he saying this?).
When I got to the start line, I heard the announcer wish coral 8 good luck. I was supposed to be in coral 3. Oh well. I tucked in on the far left side of the road behind two girls that looked like they were in the same boat as me. We passed people for a bit. It's amazing how 8000+ people can all run along at a 7:30 (or faster) min/mile pace.
Around mile 2, there was someone who was going crazy when they saw Raleigh on my singlet. I have no idea who it was, but it was kind of cool. Shortly after that, I got to the first water stop, which was a cluster !@#$. In the past two Boston's I ran, I was in the first two corals of the wave, so I've never really had to deal with this. Anyways, I managed not to get taken out, or take anyone else out, but I think I might have flung water on a volunteer by accident.
A little after the 5k mark, I heard a spectator comment that he thought there were more guys than girls running. It suddenly dawned on me how I would know I was back "in the right spot". I had been kind of trying to look at people's bib numbers to see what coral I was "in". I knew I wouldn't/shouldn't catch up to my coral (I would have to make up 5ish minutes), but I was aiming for two corals back. I figured they would be running the pace I would want to run by the time I caught them (hopefully around the half mark). However, it isn't like you can really stop and get a good look at the people beside you in a crowd when you're running. But, I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be. What I couldn't figure out is how I knew that. The people around me were mostly female and looked about my age... probably 95:5 on the female:male ratio. If we get a 50:50 split in the groups of people I train with, it's a good day. So, I figured when I started seeing more guys in their late 40's / early 50's, I'd be good.
I was having fun though. There were a lot of people. That was cool. And, I was actually averaging the pace I wanted to, right around a 7:30. So, it probably wasn't the worst thing that I started late. Around the 8k mark, I heard a guy behind me say, "isn't it a great day to be a runner?". I had to agree. It was.
I clicked off mile after mile, averaging about the pace I wanted to give or take. That was encouraging. It was getting slightly harder to do this somewhere around mile 10, but that was probably due to the heat. The girls at Wellesley were going crazy at mile 12ish, and soon enough I was at the half marathon mark. I came through exactly where I wanted to be... 1:37:45... somewhere between 1:37 and 1:38.
I knew my family would be somewhere around the half marathon mark right after a bridge. This is where they've been the past two Bostons I've run. However, I can never quite remember where it is. So, from 13.1 on, I was on the lookout, which was a good distraction. Turns out, the bridge is actually a little after mile 14. I saw them, cheering like crazy. It was good to see them. I gave them a wave, and continued on.
I think I started to slow down a little after I saw them. But, my 25k split was still ok. It wasn't until I hit the downhill at mile 15-16ish that I started running into trouble. My right quad... well, whole upper right leg up to my lower back... was really starting to hurt.
THE STATS:
Cumulative Pace- 7:23 (5k), 7:27 (10k), 7:28 (15k), 7:29 (20k), 7:28 (13.1M), 7:30 (25k)
5k Paces- 7:23 (5k), 7:31 (10k), 7:30 (15k), 7:31 (20k), 7:36 (25k)
I started listening closely to the announcements after 9:45... and even more closely after 10:00 (after Wave 1 took off). If they called Wave 2, I never heard it. I started heading over around 10:10 because even though I didn't want to be "one of those people", I would start lining up for a local race 15min before gun time! There were a bunch of people heading over in Wave 2, some with bib numbers higher than mine, as well as lower than mine. There was finally a sign that had us split out by bib number... there was virtually no one in the coral 1-5 line. I noticed that anyone in this line, as well as getting into this line, start jogging. I also heard the announcer say that, even though it felt like you had been running for a mile (yes), your time wouldn't start until you crossed the start line (no clue, why was he saying this?).
When I got to the start line, I heard the announcer wish coral 8 good luck. I was supposed to be in coral 3. Oh well. I tucked in on the far left side of the road behind two girls that looked like they were in the same boat as me. We passed people for a bit. It's amazing how 8000+ people can all run along at a 7:30 (or faster) min/mile pace.
Around mile 2, there was someone who was going crazy when they saw Raleigh on my singlet. I have no idea who it was, but it was kind of cool. Shortly after that, I got to the first water stop, which was a cluster !@#$. In the past two Boston's I ran, I was in the first two corals of the wave, so I've never really had to deal with this. Anyways, I managed not to get taken out, or take anyone else out, but I think I might have flung water on a volunteer by accident.
A little after the 5k mark, I heard a spectator comment that he thought there were more guys than girls running. It suddenly dawned on me how I would know I was back "in the right spot". I had been kind of trying to look at people's bib numbers to see what coral I was "in". I knew I wouldn't/shouldn't catch up to my coral (I would have to make up 5ish minutes), but I was aiming for two corals back. I figured they would be running the pace I would want to run by the time I caught them (hopefully around the half mark). However, it isn't like you can really stop and get a good look at the people beside you in a crowd when you're running. But, I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be. What I couldn't figure out is how I knew that. The people around me were mostly female and looked about my age... probably 95:5 on the female:male ratio. If we get a 50:50 split in the groups of people I train with, it's a good day. So, I figured when I started seeing more guys in their late 40's / early 50's, I'd be good.
I clicked off mile after mile, averaging about the pace I wanted to give or take. That was encouraging. It was getting slightly harder to do this somewhere around mile 10, but that was probably due to the heat. The girls at Wellesley were going crazy at mile 12ish, and soon enough I was at the half marathon mark. I came through exactly where I wanted to be... 1:37:45... somewhere between 1:37 and 1:38.
I think I started to slow down a little after I saw them. But, my 25k split was still ok. It wasn't until I hit the downhill at mile 15-16ish that I started running into trouble. My right quad... well, whole upper right leg up to my lower back... was really starting to hurt.
THE STATS:
Cumulative Pace- 7:23 (5k), 7:27 (10k), 7:28 (15k), 7:29 (20k), 7:28 (13.1M), 7:30 (25k)
5k Paces- 7:23 (5k), 7:31 (10k), 7:30 (15k), 7:31 (20k), 7:36 (25k)
4/14 - 4/20
Mon: 6-miles
Tues: 6-miles (treadmill progression run)
Wed: 6-miles
Thurs: 6-miles
Fri: 3.5-miles
Sat: off
Sun: 3-miles
Total: 30.5 miles
There's not much to write about when you're tapering. The only interesting run was Tuesday. And, the fact that a treadmill run was interesting says something. I don't know why I expected this Tuesday to be any different than the majority of other Tuesdays this year, but I was hoping it wouldn't be rainy, windy, cold, and miserable. But, it was. I didn't want to risk getting sick or pulling anything, and I'm tired of running track in awful weather, so I said screw it and went to the gym. All of the treadmills on the edges were taken. These are my favorite. I don't like to chit-chat on the treadmill (mostly for fear that if I lose concentration, I'll trip), and I don't like being "boxed in". But, alas, I had to run in the middle of the room. And, guess what, there is a huge ass fan in the center of the room. Seriously. I have never seen a fan that big. I don't know how I missed it before. But, the 6 miles I ran weren't as bad as usual. I started at 7.5mph (8 min/mile) and increased the pace every 1/2-mile until I hit 8.2mph (7:20 min/mile). Then, I decreased every 1/2-mile until 6 miles was up. This put the majority of my running somewhere between realistic and "skip across the finish line because I just ran the race of my life" pace. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 7:30 pace felt the most comfortable. Maybe this is a good omen!
Anyways, I feel ok. Nervous. 26.2 is (are?) a lot of miles.
Tues: 6-miles (treadmill progression run)
Wed: 6-miles
Thurs: 6-miles
Fri: 3.5-miles
Sat: off
Sun: 3-miles
Total: 30.5 miles
There's not much to write about when you're tapering. The only interesting run was Tuesday. And, the fact that a treadmill run was interesting says something. I don't know why I expected this Tuesday to be any different than the majority of other Tuesdays this year, but I was hoping it wouldn't be rainy, windy, cold, and miserable. But, it was. I didn't want to risk getting sick or pulling anything, and I'm tired of running track in awful weather, so I said screw it and went to the gym. All of the treadmills on the edges were taken. These are my favorite. I don't like to chit-chat on the treadmill (mostly for fear that if I lose concentration, I'll trip), and I don't like being "boxed in". But, alas, I had to run in the middle of the room. And, guess what, there is a huge ass fan in the center of the room. Seriously. I have never seen a fan that big. I don't know how I missed it before. But, the 6 miles I ran weren't as bad as usual. I started at 7.5mph (8 min/mile) and increased the pace every 1/2-mile until I hit 8.2mph (7:20 min/mile). Then, I decreased every 1/2-mile until 6 miles was up. This put the majority of my running somewhere between realistic and "skip across the finish line because I just ran the race of my life" pace. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 7:30 pace felt the most comfortable. Maybe this is a good omen!
Anyways, I feel ok. Nervous. 26.2 is (are?) a lot of miles.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Finally Almost Here
Feel the rhythm!
Feel the rhyme!
Get on up,
It's wicked fast running time!
Go Runnahs!
Yes! The marathon is finally almost here. Later in the race... when I inevitably decide that I hate running and am never going to take another step after I cross the finish line... while planning the next race I'm going to run... I start to think back to the workouts I have done that have totally sucked. This seems to make what I am currently doing seem less sucky. Isn't running great?! Seriously. I know that makes no sense, but here is my top 5 list:
1. The day Allison, Sean, and I ran 800's in in the pouring rain
2. The day Dydula and I ran 17-miles in Umstead on a sheet of ice
3. Any of the times I tried to do a workout on a treadmill
4. The day Katie and I ran 13-miles in Umstead when it was 60+ degrees and 99% humidity in January (aka tornado day)... after being in the teens earlier that week
5. The stretch of days I was stuck running mostly by myself
But, I am healthy and very grateful to be running because not running is a million times suckier than any of those things!
Monday, April 14, 2014
4/7 - 4/13
Mon: 6-miles
Tues: 200 (41) - 400 (89) - 600 (2:15) - 800 (3:04) - 1000 (3:53) - 800 (3:04) - 600 (2:15) - 400 (88) - 200 (40)
Wed: 7-miles
Thurs: 6x1000's on the Lake Johnson Chip Trail
Fri: 30min Exercise Bike
Sat: 10-miles
Sun: 10.5-miles (with some pace miles at RnR)
Total: 47.5 miles
Eh. I hate tapering. But, this is what I've apparently done before, and it has worked in the past.
Tuesday's track workout went pretty well. I was happy with my times. Although, the 1000m hurt! Anyways, I was fairly consistent across the repeats. Thursday's chip trail run went pretty well too. We did the first two conservatively, and then dropped the pace for the last four.
Saturday's run felt ok. I thought we were going faster, but it was still early, so I might have still been asleep. My hamstring/back still felt tight, so I took advantage of the "recovery zone" at RRO (aka the demo R8, foam rollers, and sticks) before work. That seemed to help.
Matt and I jumped in with the 1:40 group around the 10k mark of the Rock 'n Roll race. Two of our friends were pacing this group. The course starts to get kind of hilly around the 10k mark, and we figured that the 1:40 group would be pretty big and that they might be able to use some extra encouragement. We didn't drink any of the water/Gatorade, or use the porta-potties, and we jumped out well before the finish line. And, one of our friend's Achilles was bothering him a bit, which was exacerbated by the hills. So, Matt actually carried the pacing sign for about 2-miles to give him a break. We cheered on lots of people, and pointed out potential hazards (like some potholes and speed bumps, which were marked, but you had to be looking down). So, I hope we did more good than harm by being out there. It was good to practice 1:40 pace on some hills. It didn't feel that bad.
Several of our friends were running or pacing, and a few were pushing disabled children in wheelchairs. It looked like a well-organized event, the bands were good, there were a lot of people out there cheering, and there were a lot of runners. The Rock 'n Roll race definitely got a lot of people running who normally wouldn't run, which I consider a good thing. I hope local races start getting more attention!
1 more week...
Tues: 200 (41) - 400 (89) - 600 (2:15) - 800 (3:04) - 1000 (3:53) - 800 (3:04) - 600 (2:15) - 400 (88) - 200 (40)
Wed: 7-miles
Thurs: 6x1000's on the Lake Johnson Chip Trail
Fri: 30min Exercise Bike
Sat: 10-miles
Sun: 10.5-miles (with some pace miles at RnR)
Total: 47.5 miles
Eh. I hate tapering. But, this is what I've apparently done before, and it has worked in the past.
Tuesday's track workout went pretty well. I was happy with my times. Although, the 1000m hurt! Anyways, I was fairly consistent across the repeats. Thursday's chip trail run went pretty well too. We did the first two conservatively, and then dropped the pace for the last four.
Saturday's run felt ok. I thought we were going faster, but it was still early, so I might have still been asleep. My hamstring/back still felt tight, so I took advantage of the "recovery zone" at RRO (aka the demo R8, foam rollers, and sticks) before work. That seemed to help.
Matt and I jumped in with the 1:40 group around the 10k mark of the Rock 'n Roll race. Two of our friends were pacing this group. The course starts to get kind of hilly around the 10k mark, and we figured that the 1:40 group would be pretty big and that they might be able to use some extra encouragement. We didn't drink any of the water/Gatorade, or use the porta-potties, and we jumped out well before the finish line. And, one of our friend's Achilles was bothering him a bit, which was exacerbated by the hills. So, Matt actually carried the pacing sign for about 2-miles to give him a break. We cheered on lots of people, and pointed out potential hazards (like some potholes and speed bumps, which were marked, but you had to be looking down). So, I hope we did more good than harm by being out there. It was good to practice 1:40 pace on some hills. It didn't feel that bad.
Several of our friends were running or pacing, and a few were pushing disabled children in wheelchairs. It looked like a well-organized event, the bands were good, there were a lot of people out there cheering, and there were a lot of runners. The Rock 'n Roll race definitely got a lot of people running who normally wouldn't run, which I consider a good thing. I hope local races start getting more attention!
1 more week...
Tapering
The days of being out the door by 6AM to run are over, which means I don't have to convince myself that running is better than laying in bed. I also no longer have to convince myself that "it won't be as bad once I get
moving", as I did many times this winter.
The only thing I have to worry about doing is not getting injured. So, in theory, life should be great.
But, it isn't. I'm just as tired, and my legs hurt just as much, as when I was running 15 more miles a week. I hate tapering. I realize that I'm not alone, it's just that I intellectually object to hating it because it doesn't make sense to me.
Delving into that a bit more, I don't think that it's the not running part of tapering that really bothers me. Don't get me wrong, I love running, but I still am. In the not-so-distant past, like this fall, 47 miles was a good week of training.
What I hate about tapering is the waiting. For months, I have been actively training for an event. Now, I am simply training not to get hurt, which isn't really training. I think my favorite time of the marathon is when the gun goes off. Not only for the obvious reason, as Haile Gebrselassie so eloquently put it, "it then gets harder and harder", but because the waiting is over.
So, until Boston, I will drown my sorrows in peeps donuts and call it carbo-loading... it's great to be an adult.
The only thing I have to worry about doing is not getting injured. So, in theory, life should be great.
But, it isn't. I'm just as tired, and my legs hurt just as much, as when I was running 15 more miles a week. I hate tapering. I realize that I'm not alone, it's just that I intellectually object to hating it because it doesn't make sense to me.
Delving into that a bit more, I don't think that it's the not running part of tapering that really bothers me. Don't get me wrong, I love running, but I still am. In the not-so-distant past, like this fall, 47 miles was a good week of training.
What I hate about tapering is the waiting. For months, I have been actively training for an event. Now, I am simply training not to get hurt, which isn't really training. I think my favorite time of the marathon is when the gun goes off. Not only for the obvious reason, as Haile Gebrselassie so eloquently put it, "it then gets harder and harder", but because the waiting is over.
So, until Boston, I will drown my sorrows in peeps donuts and call it carbo-loading... it's great to be an adult.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Getting Passed
I have a lot of experience with getting passed by people in races. I really don't mind if one of my friends pass me. I know they've been training hard, and I'm happy that they're having a good race. I care a little bit more if someone passes me that I don't train with regularly, but as long as I know that they've also been training, I'm still pretty neutral. My degree of caring goes up with each of the following:
Getting Chicked. I didn't come up with that name, or phenomena, nor do I know if I can use the phrase because I am a girl. However, I do feel worse when a girl passes me versus a guy because I might have just given up a spot in my age group.
Running-outfitted. Added to this are running skirts and too much pink. However, I recognize that most people care about their appearance more than I do, and most uniforms match.
iPoded. When people pass me wearing an iPod, they look so calm and collected. This just annoys me. Racing is hard damnit, be miserable!
Basektball-shorted / Tutu-ed / Costumed. Because, when you're wearing compression socks and arm-warmers, you look pretty silly getting passed by someone dressed like a basketball player, ballerina, or banana.
Running Strollered. Yes, this has actually happened to me, but the guy who did it is a really good runner, so I cared slightly less... but still!
Vibram Five-fingered. Wear real shoes! I can't stand listening to their feet flap behind / in front of me for minutes on end. I start having flashbacks to a half marathon I raced where I traded spots with a guy wearing them from the 10k mark on. And, he was wearing unnecessarily short shorts (the true minimalist runner I guess), so it was just bad.
Getting Chicked. I didn't come up with that name, or phenomena, nor do I know if I can use the phrase because I am a girl. However, I do feel worse when a girl passes me versus a guy because I might have just given up a spot in my age group.
Running-outfitted. Added to this are running skirts and too much pink. However, I recognize that most people care about their appearance more than I do, and most uniforms match.
iPoded. When people pass me wearing an iPod, they look so calm and collected. This just annoys me. Racing is hard damnit, be miserable!
Basektball-shorted / Tutu-ed / Costumed. Because, when you're wearing compression socks and arm-warmers, you look pretty silly getting passed by someone dressed like a basketball player, ballerina, or banana.
Running Strollered. Yes, this has actually happened to me, but the guy who did it is a really good runner, so I cared slightly less... but still!
Vibram Five-fingered. Wear real shoes! I can't stand listening to their feet flap behind / in front of me for minutes on end. I start having flashbacks to a half marathon I raced where I traded spots with a guy wearing them from the 10k mark on. And, he was wearing unnecessarily short shorts (the true minimalist runner I guess), so it was just bad.
3/31 - 4/6
Mon: 3.5-miles, 5-miles
Tues: 6 x 800m (3:11-3:13)
Wed: 6.5-miles
Thurs: 2 sets of 4 x 300m (hard) - 100m (easy)
Fri: 3.5-miles
Sat: Cary Road Race 10k
Sun: 13-miles
Total: 52.5 miles
Hopefully my last Monday AM run for a while! And, I managed to keep my first mile under 10min this week. Monday night's run went pretty well too, as did Wednesday's and Friday's. Spring has finally arrived, but the pollen has too. Oh well.
Tuesday's track workout was... eh. My back was still tight, and my knee was kind of bugging me. I ran in lane 2 and tried to keep the repeats controlled. I need to get used to not starting everything at the same pace. Plus, Sean told the rest of the group to do 8x600m at 5k pace. I figured that my 800's probably shouldn't be faster than that (my ideal 5k pace would be 6:20, although 6:30 is more reasonable right now).
Thursday's whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-that workout was also eh. My back/hip/hamstring was tight and I was rather unmotivated. I wanted to do something semi-tempoish, and had originally planned on doing 5-7 2min pickups in a 6-7 mile run. At some point during the day, I decided not to head out to RRO to do that run because I was tired and wanted to get some stuff done around the house. So, Matt and I ran from the lab. I modified the workout to be 2-miles worth of 300m hard - 100m easy on Centennial Campus Middle School track, with a 2-mile warmup and cooldown (6 miles for the day). By doing the "workout" on the track, I was more likely to actually run the "pickup" faster than a jog (something I struggle with on the road, especially when I'm tired). However, 2min seemed awfully long (aka I didn't want to run 500m). And, if I shortened it to 400m, I would feel like I had to time it like an interval workout (which I didn't want to do because I knew it would be slow). So, 300m with 100m recovery. I don't think it went well, although I refused to actually time it.
I raced for the first time since November on Saturday. The race went ok. I was a slower than last year, which is kind of disappointing, especially since I didn't think I ran that well last year. However, I was doing more shorter distance speed training at this point in 2013, and my weekly mileage for the 6 weeks before the race was a lot less. That, and I didn't have a race that I really cared about in 2 weeks, so I was probably more likely to push myself. Anyways, the first two miles felt ok. After that, my hamstring felt kind of tight. I had no chance of catching the 1st and 2nd girls, and I was pretty comfortably in 3rd. So, I decided just to work on staying there and not getting hurt. I think ran pretty consistently, save for the second time on the hill where I lolly-gaged up it, but didn't stop. I finished up in 3rd, so not a bad race all-and-all (although I would have preferred it be like a minute faster!).
I felt pretty good on Sunday's run. We kept the pace easy, it was a beautiful morning, and we got to see people on their last lap of the Umstead 100. I don't know how people do that race. Anyways, I wanted to get 13-15 miles in, so I kept running to Cup-a-Joe after we got back to the car after ~9miles. I'm starting to feel a little bit more confident on hills... not fast... but I've stopped freaking out.
T-14 days.
Tues: 6 x 800m (3:11-3:13)
Wed: 6.5-miles
Thurs: 2 sets of 4 x 300m (hard) - 100m (easy)
Fri: 3.5-miles
Sat: Cary Road Race 10k
Sun: 13-miles
Total: 52.5 miles
Hopefully my last Monday AM run for a while! And, I managed to keep my first mile under 10min this week. Monday night's run went pretty well too, as did Wednesday's and Friday's. Spring has finally arrived, but the pollen has too. Oh well.
Tuesday's track workout was... eh. My back was still tight, and my knee was kind of bugging me. I ran in lane 2 and tried to keep the repeats controlled. I need to get used to not starting everything at the same pace. Plus, Sean told the rest of the group to do 8x600m at 5k pace. I figured that my 800's probably shouldn't be faster than that (my ideal 5k pace would be 6:20, although 6:30 is more reasonable right now).
Thursday's whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-that workout was also eh. My back/hip/hamstring was tight and I was rather unmotivated. I wanted to do something semi-tempoish, and had originally planned on doing 5-7 2min pickups in a 6-7 mile run. At some point during the day, I decided not to head out to RRO to do that run because I was tired and wanted to get some stuff done around the house. So, Matt and I ran from the lab. I modified the workout to be 2-miles worth of 300m hard - 100m easy on Centennial Campus Middle School track, with a 2-mile warmup and cooldown (6 miles for the day). By doing the "workout" on the track, I was more likely to actually run the "pickup" faster than a jog (something I struggle with on the road, especially when I'm tired). However, 2min seemed awfully long (aka I didn't want to run 500m). And, if I shortened it to 400m, I would feel like I had to time it like an interval workout (which I didn't want to do because I knew it would be slow). So, 300m with 100m recovery. I don't think it went well, although I refused to actually time it.
I raced for the first time since November on Saturday. The race went ok. I was a slower than last year, which is kind of disappointing, especially since I didn't think I ran that well last year. However, I was doing more shorter distance speed training at this point in 2013, and my weekly mileage for the 6 weeks before the race was a lot less. That, and I didn't have a race that I really cared about in 2 weeks, so I was probably more likely to push myself. Anyways, the first two miles felt ok. After that, my hamstring felt kind of tight. I had no chance of catching the 1st and 2nd girls, and I was pretty comfortably in 3rd. So, I decided just to work on staying there and not getting hurt. I think ran pretty consistently, save for the second time on the hill where I lolly-gaged up it, but didn't stop. I finished up in 3rd, so not a bad race all-and-all (although I would have preferred it be like a minute faster!).
I felt pretty good on Sunday's run. We kept the pace easy, it was a beautiful morning, and we got to see people on their last lap of the Umstead 100. I don't know how people do that race. Anyways, I wanted to get 13-15 miles in, so I kept running to Cup-a-Joe after we got back to the car after ~9miles. I'm starting to feel a little bit more confident on hills... not fast... but I've stopped freaking out.
T-14 days.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
10 Miles @ MP... on the track
That sounds like torture, doesn't it? The first time Sean put this on the schedule, there was a collective groan. However, what he said made sense- you have to get used to the monotony of running 26.2 miles. I don't know about everyone else, but I can't find anything to talk to myself about after 5ish miles... 6 if I don't talk super fast in my head (only sort of kidding). Listening to music helps, but I can't do that in races. Running with people also helps, and while I have talked to strangers during races, that's probably not going to be happening uphill when I'm 18+ miles in. Plus, the last time I tried to talk to someone during the Boston Marathon, he turned out not to speak English (the Italian flag singlet might have been a giveaway).
So, on Sunday, I ran in a circle 40 times at marathon (well, faster) pace. And, I have something to confess, I LOVE this workout. Yes, it is one of the workouts that I look forward to the most during marathon training. Why? Am I crazy? Well yes, but all runners are, so that doesn't explain anything.
So, here's my second confession in equally as many paragraphs, I'm not a marathon runner. I've run 26.2 miles, but my favorite workout is 400m repeats, and I don't particularly like long runs. I started my running career as a sprinter/hurdler, and never had any intention of racing more than 1 lap around a track. Obviously, that changed, and I do enjoy racing other distances (and I'm super excited about running Boston in 20 days). However, the track and field mentality has never left. "Track Tuesdays" are my favorite days of the week, and I've always run my best workouts around a 400m circle.
Now, there's a big difference between 1/4 mile and 10 miles, which brings me to the second reason I like this workout- it's honest. The track doesn't lie. The distance is always measured right, as opposed to what my Garmin says, or even some of the "certified 5k's" that I've run. Additionally, there is no good course / bad course excuse, or blaming an uphill for a "bad" mile versus my lack of fitness. Basically, you can't fake the track.
And thirdly, because one of the things that I learned in graduate school is that humans tend to like lists of 3's, there's no thinking. The track just is. It's simple. I've heard people describe this sort of experience when they're trail running and just leave their watch behind. Personally, I've never found this to be true. Even if I don't have a watch, there's still a clock in my car. Trail maps are usually marked with distances. I know approximately what pace I've run. Even when I don't care, I still can't "lose" myself in nature... although I can get straight up lost pretty easily! I'm always thinking. Root? Rock? Shadow? Have I seen this before? Am I headed in the right direction? How much longer is this trail? Holy hill! I can honestly space out better when I'm running on the road, although cars have a good way of snapping me back to reality. So, for me, running in circles on a synthetic rubber surface in the middle of a wide open field is everyone else's "nature".
So, on Sunday, I ran in a circle 40 times at marathon (well, faster) pace. And, I have something to confess, I LOVE this workout. Yes, it is one of the workouts that I look forward to the most during marathon training. Why? Am I crazy? Well yes, but all runners are, so that doesn't explain anything.
So, here's my second confession in equally as many paragraphs, I'm not a marathon runner. I've run 26.2 miles, but my favorite workout is 400m repeats, and I don't particularly like long runs. I started my running career as a sprinter/hurdler, and never had any intention of racing more than 1 lap around a track. Obviously, that changed, and I do enjoy racing other distances (and I'm super excited about running Boston in 20 days). However, the track and field mentality has never left. "Track Tuesdays" are my favorite days of the week, and I've always run my best workouts around a 400m circle.
Now, there's a big difference between 1/4 mile and 10 miles, which brings me to the second reason I like this workout- it's honest. The track doesn't lie. The distance is always measured right, as opposed to what my Garmin says, or even some of the "certified 5k's" that I've run. Additionally, there is no good course / bad course excuse, or blaming an uphill for a "bad" mile versus my lack of fitness. Basically, you can't fake the track.
And thirdly, because one of the things that I learned in graduate school is that humans tend to like lists of 3's, there's no thinking. The track just is. It's simple. I've heard people describe this sort of experience when they're trail running and just leave their watch behind. Personally, I've never found this to be true. Even if I don't have a watch, there's still a clock in my car. Trail maps are usually marked with distances. I know approximately what pace I've run. Even when I don't care, I still can't "lose" myself in nature... although I can get straight up lost pretty easily! I'm always thinking. Root? Rock? Shadow? Have I seen this before? Am I headed in the right direction? How much longer is this trail? Holy hill! I can honestly space out better when I'm running on the road, although cars have a good way of snapping me back to reality. So, for me, running in circles on a synthetic rubber surface in the middle of a wide open field is everyone else's "nature".
March Recap
March was a pretty good training month all and all. The weather cooperated enough to get some workouts in. I got in two more long runs (a 19+ and 20-miler), some long "tempo" runs (the half marathon and 10-miles on the track), and did all ten of the yasso 800's. I even surprised myself by running a 21min 5k on the track.
Mileage wise, I'm doing ok, although one more long run would make me feel better. And, I would have preferred to do more tempo runs on Thursdays, as well as some shorter long runs with tempo miles on the weekends. Basically, I need another month. I have a base, initially quality is a check, and I've just really begun the transition quality phase of training (Jack Daniels Phases). However, I am 20 days out from my race, which puts me into the final quality phase.
Oh well. I need to remember my goal was to have fun at the Boston Marathon, not to race it. [training log]
Total: 260.5 miles
Mileage wise, I'm doing ok, although one more long run would make me feel better. And, I would have preferred to do more tempo runs on Thursdays, as well as some shorter long runs with tempo miles on the weekends. Basically, I need another month. I have a base, initially quality is a check, and I've just really begun the transition quality phase of training (Jack Daniels Phases). However, I am 20 days out from my race, which puts me into the final quality phase.
Oh well. I need to remember my goal was to have fun at the Boston Marathon, not to race it. [training log]
Total: 260.5 miles
3/24 - 3/30
Mon: 3.5-miles, 6-miles
Tues: 5k on the track (21:00)
Wed: 3-miles, 6-miles
Thurs: 8-miles
Fri: 30min on exercise bike
Sat: 15-miles
Sun: 10-miles on the track (1:12)
Total: 57.5 miles
Up again Monday morning for some easy miles. I managed a 10+ min first mile this week... must not have been very motivated to get up that hill! The evening run went better, although our "warmup mile" was actually a "cooldown mile" owing to barely making it to the actual run because of traffic.
Tuesday was nasty to start with. It was cold, windy, and rainy when we left the parking lot and headed to the track. My legs were pretty much numb. I probably could have worn tights and been ok, but I thought I might have been a bit warm with a windbreaker, so I opted for shorts. Our workout was a 5k on the track at "tempo" pace. I've never run a 5k on a track. I was going to shoot for 7min/miles and see how that went. My first mile was a 6:40, and I came through the second in a little over 13:20. That was much faster than a few weeks ago, but the pace didn't seem that bad. I was starting to get tired through the third mile, but managed to keep myself distracted enough by trying to figure out if I wanted to tell myself x laps to go from the real finish line (the 200m mark) or the fake finish line (the 0m mark) and run a "surprise" 200m at the end. I never really resolved which was better, but Matt and I finished right at 21min. So, well under my "goal", and not a bad 5k. I would have killed to run that time in high school, and college for that matter (although, again, I never raced the 5000m). I also would have killed to run that for a 2-mile in high school (my PR being 13:48 since I've never run it again). Before the workout, I had contemplated doing another mile of "jog the corners and run the straightaways" since 7miles was my goal distance for the day, but called it quits because it was still cold and windy (even though it had stopped raining).
Wednesday was uneventful, but it was cold! I sincerely hope that is the last time I have to wear tights and a half-zip this spring. Thursday was also uneventful. It was warmer, which was nice. We decided not to do a tempo run being that must of us were feeling a little beat up. Matt and I went to the gym on Friday, and I kept the resistance low and cadence between 80-90rpm on the exercise bike. My hamstring and back have been tight, and that seemed to help. I've also been reading the book In Defense of Food, which is pretty interesting.
It was raining off and on Saturday morning, but at least it wasn't cold! The run wasn't too bad, but my back was definitely tight for the first couple of miles. I ran with Broll and Nicole for 10.5-miles, but I needed to get 15 in. I knew that if I went back to the car, it would be more difficult to keep going. Plus, the trees in Umstead were blocking the rain half decently. So, I decided to get some "hill work" in. I was really tired though... not my legs, but otherwise. Around mile 12 or 13, I made the decision that not having coffee before runs was doing more harm than good. My shoes were soaked at this point, and I could feel the pattern in my socks (however, the Bostons did well in rain, so that's good to know for Boston). Anyways, I slogged through the last bit of the run, but my hamstring/hip was bugging me.
Sunday's 10-miles on the track went well. It was a brisk November morning... except it was March. The wind was pretty good on the back straightaway. But, I kept a fairly consistent pace throughout. Walt and Matt ran with me for the first couple of miles, and Walt on and off after that (he was doing mile repeats). Matt jumped in at the end again, and Rita and Andrew joined us for the middle miles. So, I had company, which was nice. I was tired by the end though, although happy that I finished up in under marathon pace. It's so much easier to run on the track. I'm debating doing a 5k or 10k on the track at some point if I can find one. Anyways, I looked back at when I had done this workout for City of Oaks in 2012. I ran it in 1:11 then, this year was a 1:12. However, I only ran 10.5 miles the day before in 2012. Either way, that's semi-encouraging because I thought I was in good shape for City of Oaks.
So, pretty good week of training. And, I checked my last "marathon workout" off the list. I'm thinking about doing a 10k next weekend. It will be the first race I've done since the City of Oaks half marathon in the beginning of November! My back/hamstring/something is definitely tight though. So, I'm going to be cautious. 20 days...
Tues: 5k on the track (21:00)
Wed: 3-miles, 6-miles
Thurs: 8-miles
Fri: 30min on exercise bike
Sat: 15-miles
Sun: 10-miles on the track (1:12)
Total: 57.5 miles
Up again Monday morning for some easy miles. I managed a 10+ min first mile this week... must not have been very motivated to get up that hill! The evening run went better, although our "warmup mile" was actually a "cooldown mile" owing to barely making it to the actual run because of traffic.
Tuesday was nasty to start with. It was cold, windy, and rainy when we left the parking lot and headed to the track. My legs were pretty much numb. I probably could have worn tights and been ok, but I thought I might have been a bit warm with a windbreaker, so I opted for shorts. Our workout was a 5k on the track at "tempo" pace. I've never run a 5k on a track. I was going to shoot for 7min/miles and see how that went. My first mile was a 6:40, and I came through the second in a little over 13:20. That was much faster than a few weeks ago, but the pace didn't seem that bad. I was starting to get tired through the third mile, but managed to keep myself distracted enough by trying to figure out if I wanted to tell myself x laps to go from the real finish line (the 200m mark) or the fake finish line (the 0m mark) and run a "surprise" 200m at the end. I never really resolved which was better, but Matt and I finished right at 21min. So, well under my "goal", and not a bad 5k. I would have killed to run that time in high school, and college for that matter (although, again, I never raced the 5000m). I also would have killed to run that for a 2-mile in high school (my PR being 13:48 since I've never run it again). Before the workout, I had contemplated doing another mile of "jog the corners and run the straightaways" since 7miles was my goal distance for the day, but called it quits because it was still cold and windy (even though it had stopped raining).
Wednesday was uneventful, but it was cold! I sincerely hope that is the last time I have to wear tights and a half-zip this spring. Thursday was also uneventful. It was warmer, which was nice. We decided not to do a tempo run being that must of us were feeling a little beat up. Matt and I went to the gym on Friday, and I kept the resistance low and cadence between 80-90rpm on the exercise bike. My hamstring and back have been tight, and that seemed to help. I've also been reading the book In Defense of Food, which is pretty interesting.
It was raining off and on Saturday morning, but at least it wasn't cold! The run wasn't too bad, but my back was definitely tight for the first couple of miles. I ran with Broll and Nicole for 10.5-miles, but I needed to get 15 in. I knew that if I went back to the car, it would be more difficult to keep going. Plus, the trees in Umstead were blocking the rain half decently. So, I decided to get some "hill work" in. I was really tired though... not my legs, but otherwise. Around mile 12 or 13, I made the decision that not having coffee before runs was doing more harm than good. My shoes were soaked at this point, and I could feel the pattern in my socks (however, the Bostons did well in rain, so that's good to know for Boston). Anyways, I slogged through the last bit of the run, but my hamstring/hip was bugging me.
Sunday's 10-miles on the track went well. It was a brisk November morning... except it was March. The wind was pretty good on the back straightaway. But, I kept a fairly consistent pace throughout. Walt and Matt ran with me for the first couple of miles, and Walt on and off after that (he was doing mile repeats). Matt jumped in at the end again, and Rita and Andrew joined us for the middle miles. So, I had company, which was nice. I was tired by the end though, although happy that I finished up in under marathon pace. It's so much easier to run on the track. I'm debating doing a 5k or 10k on the track at some point if I can find one. Anyways, I looked back at when I had done this workout for City of Oaks in 2012. I ran it in 1:11 then, this year was a 1:12. However, I only ran 10.5 miles the day before in 2012. Either way, that's semi-encouraging because I thought I was in good shape for City of Oaks.
So, pretty good week of training. And, I checked my last "marathon workout" off the list. I'm thinking about doing a 10k next weekend. It will be the first race I've done since the City of Oaks half marathon in the beginning of November! My back/hamstring/something is definitely tight though. So, I'm going to be cautious. 20 days...
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