Monday, October 28, 2013

Haunted Hustle Half Marathon 2013

I ran the Haunted Hustle this past Sunday, and this will probably be the last time I run this race.  I don't know who puts on the Haunted Hustle, but it occurred to me after this race that they may not be runners.

This was my slowest half marathon yet.  I could feel it Saturday night that I didn't have it in me to go fast Sunday morning.  I was hoping for maybe better than 2:10, but I felt like I had lost a lot of the strength I had built over the summer.  My running became nonexistent after the Quad Cities Half marathon.  The weather's turned cold and the lure of warm blankets and pillows have made me soft.  I need to remember, no long races after the first week of October in Wisconsin. The temperatures are comparable, but 40 degrees in the fall has a different effect on my running than 40 degrees in the spring. 

Friday, September 27, 2013

The Competitive Drive

I often think back to last year's Lake Monona 20k.  Despite the many half marathons I've ran, I've yet to run one at the same pace as that race.  That was only the third race I had ever ran and yet it has become my goal to run at the same pace but just slightly longer.

I feel like a stronger and better runner these days, but I'm not hitting the pace that I did for the 20k.  Partly I think it's because of the haphazard nature my training has devolved into.  Last spring, I was training seriously for the Madison half marathon.  I wasn't following a schedule, but I ran regularly and did a long run of 12 miles 2 weeks prior to the 20k.  I trained and I tapered.  These days, I run when I feel like it and sort of randomly run a half marathon when I feel like it.

During the Quad Cities Half marathon though, I wondered at mile 10.5 when I let the 2:00 pacer pass me by, if maybe the reason I'm no longer running at the same paces as when I first started running because I no longer have the same competitive drive.

When I first started running, I had no idea what kind of pace I was capable of.  I fully expected to run my half marathon at a 12 min/mi pace.  I kind of thought I'd run a half marathon, and then a marathon at some point and then be done.  Check off the item on the bucket list and move on to other things.  But running into a race creates a lot of adrenaline.  I used to think to myself, "You're in race. You can't slow down!"

But these days, I no longer think that.  Probably because races aren't as novel and perhaps because the foot injury last August put a somewhat different perspective in my head.  When I let the 2:00 pacer go, I had no regrets.  I thought to myself, "it's okay.  I'll catch up or I won't."

I no longer have that sort of competitive drive. I worry about pushing too hard and getting injured.  I don't just want to run one race.  I want to run many more. 

Monday, September 23, 2013

Quad Cities Half Marathon

Final time: 2:02:12 (PR)
10k split: 56:00

A lot of this marathon reminded me of the Flying Pig.  There was a marathon and a half marathon event that started out on the same course before the half marathoners turned off somewhere before mile 9.  There was also a relay component for the marathon.  They had a Pump N' Run event, and a shorter 5k event.  The course also traversed more than one state and ran across a couple of bridges and interstates.

We drove down Saturday afternoon and picked up my race packet.  Like the Flying Pig, swag included a poster of the Quad Cities marathon, but I declined the poster.  I was trying to give my Flying Pig one away to my sister even.  The shirt didn't feel like a dri-fit shirt, though the label claims otherwise.  It was soft, and made for a nice sleep shirt.  We also got a Quad Cities bandana. I chose a blue and green one to match the colors of the marathon.

All races except the kid's race started at 7:30am on Sunday in Moline, IL.  Our hotel was only a 5 minute drive away and AWAY from the race which meant very little traffic.  It was 42 degrees at the start, though expected to warm up to 50s mid morning and low 60s by noon.  I chose a sleeveless singlet to wear along with some capris, though I suspected I'd be too warm.  I got to the start shortly before 7am and was cold standing around, so I ducked inside a building until about 7:15am.  Then I lined up with the other runners and was surrounded by body heat.

It was crowded at the start.  Unlike Flying Pig which was strictly corralled, the Quad Cities allowed runners to line up according to what their perceived pace was.  Though there were pacers with signs, I felt they were spaced much too closely together.  The 2:10 pacer was really close to the 2:00 pacer, and I was planning to start between the two.  In the end, I chose to line up with the 2:10 pacer.  I find that starting with the 2:10 group and chasing the 2:00 group has worked well for me.  I crossed the start line with 1:20 on the clock.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Ironman volunteering

This past Sunday I volunteered on the bike course for Ironman Wisconsin. I spent about 6 hours pointing right and yelling "left!" so that bikers didn't miss their turnoff. It was right at an intersection so along with Officer Ann and Barry, we directed traffic as best as we can. I don't think I ever quite appreciated how obnoxious drivers can be until I'm watching them honk (at an officer!) for having to wait for bikers, making a turn right into the path of the bikers, and sometimes swerving damn close to them. I wasn't biking yet I was ready to curse out some of these drivers. The bikers were trying to complete an Ironman! Some drivers were nice and polite, and some were just assholes.

Last year, I was right by the finish line and watched as people came through, smiling and waving. It inspired me to do one. This year, working the middle of the bike course made it feel possible. The athletes do two loops of the bike course so they travel the same terrain and pass us twice. Some waved and nodded and said "thank you for volunteering," but the majority of them were focused on the race. It wasn't like the finish line where the racers were happy and relieved to be finished, but it was like how I felt on the marathon at mile 18, when you hit that point of not thinking too far past the next obstacle. You say to yourself, just get up that next hill, or just 5 more minutes. It is a mental battle.

So, I'm looking forward to the LA marathon and been scouting out training plans. I know now that I'll need to build in a few weeks of rest. I also would like to get up to 24 miles, and ideally a couple of times. Getting to 20 miles was sufficient to get to the finish line, but it didn't leave me feeling confident at the start. If part of the point of the 20 mile long run is to boost confidence, then I really need it to be closer to 24 to feel good. I'm aiming to start training in the first two weeks of November, which will give me 18-20 weeks. Ideally, I'd like to keep up with a weekly maintaining fitness schedule of a long ~10+ mile run on the weekends, and shorter 6 mile (tempo and interval) runs during the week until November when I'll start racking up the miles.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Races are like a drug.

Folks, have you noticed that there is usually a little widget in the sidebar that lists my upcoming races?  Have you noticed that since last week that widget is GONE?  Yes, indeed.  I currently have no races on my calendar.  Part of this was by design as I had only figured out in the last month and a half where I'll be for 2013-2014.   

My friend P commented that racing was like a drug for me and Barry.  I totally agreed.  I wondered hypothetically how much a cocaine habit would cost me annually and whether that amount was more or less than my current racing habit.  It's only been a week since my last race and I'm ITCHING to sign up and start training and thinking about the next one.

I've decided to not run a marathon this fall.  There aren't really any marathons past mid-November in the Midwest within driving distance, and a November marathon would be too soon to do a good job of training.  I rushed and half-a$$ed the training for my first marathon, and I didn't feel like trying to do that again.  Instead, I have my sights on the LA marathon on March 9.  It'll be an expensive marathon, as all California marathons tend to be, but it's the marathon that first inspired me to dream of running one.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Madison Mini-Marathon 2013

Bottle opener medal
Remember how I had all these plans to train for this half marathon?  Remember how I said I was going to do some speed training, some hill workouts?  Despite our lovely cool summer, I didn't train.  Instead, life decisions happened and I forgot about the running.  Well, I didn't forget so much as running and training just wasn't on my mind and as such, I forgot about the countdown toward the Mini-Marathon.  Instead, I stressed about moving and making life decisions.

So, I didn't have much expectations going in.  My legs were feeling much more fatigued than usual and I knew that was going to be an issue going in.  I had done some speed training on the treadmill this summer and hit some nice PRs in the shorter distance races, but I didn't put the time in to do any long distances.  I knew that I was likely to peter out by mile 8.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Capitol Mile

The Capitol Mile is put on by the Wisconsin Track Club.  You run 1.75 loops around the square for a net downhill course. They run 7 different "heats": Elite Women's, Elite Men's, Girls Youth, Boys Youth, Open Women's, Open Men's, and Masters. 

I hemmed and hawed about running this race.  I was downtown at Barrique's working when Barry stopped by around 3:30 asking if I was going to run my division of Open Women's at 4:15.  I had all my running gear in the car with me, but I couldn't decide if I felt like running a mile.  At 3:50, I decided to do it.  I grabbed my stuff, quickly changed and met him down at registration.  Because I hadn't decided to run this, I didn't plan my food intake particularly well.  I ate lunch at about 3pm, and I certainly felt it midway through the race.

There were only 7 of us in the Open Women's division.  It was incredibly small and somewhat amusing at the start when none of us wanted to be right at the starting line, asking each other if they want to be ahead.  This is very different than the Boys Youth group all jostling each other at the start line.

The last time I ran a mile and just a mile was back in high school when I was 15.  The fastest I've ever ran it then was at 8:00.  So I had no idea how to pace myself during this race.  I figured one mile, no big deal, I'll just go all out.  About 200 meters in, I'm running third in the pack and thinking to myself, "holy shit, I'm not this fast."  I pull back.  I turn a few corners and I'm climbing the hill back toward where we started.  Halfway up this hill, I hit the 1/2 mile marker and someone shouts 3:22.  Whoa, still way too fast.  And sure enough, I feel myself lose all gas at this point and some of that lunch shifting itself upwards.  The second half mile, people are passing me left and right, but I've little choice in the matter and nothing left to sprint with at the end.  I come in last.  Still, I finished it at 7:30 for a PR. 

Movin' Shoes Full Moon 5k

"Hot" black shirt.
 We were blessed with a cold spell this last week.  Temperatures dropped to the 70s during the day, and it was often cool enough at night to wish for a light jacket.  These was amazing temperatures for mid-July races.

The Full Moon 5k is put on by the Madison running shoe store, Movin' Shoes.  I've bought the last 4 pairs of running shoes there.  The shoe store puts on a number of races throughout the year including a Frosty 5k and a Elver Park 5k, but this is the first of their races that I've been to.  The race is limited to a field of 500 runners, which is plenty so that I was never alone on the course, but I also never felt crowded.  At only $20 race registration with technical shirt, blinking light and chip timing at the finish, this race is a much better choice in my opinion than the Electric Run.

The race starts at 9pm on a Thursday with packet pick-up over at Olin Park, which is actually about 3/4 mile from the start.  Barry and I parked down there, picked up our packets and t-shirts, hid from the storm cloud for about 20 minutes before we had a nice warm-up to the start.  I debated back and forth about a rain jacket.  There was a looming storm cloud that may or may not hit us, but when the rain never quite materialized before the start, I didn't bother.  It was just a bit too warm for a jacket anyway.  I did wear a hat to keep raindrops out of my eyes just in case.

By 9pm, the sun has set in Madison, and it's fairly dark.  Barry warned me of the speed bumps on the course with stories of when he tripped over one and then finished the race with blood dripping from his elbow.  The race directors provided us with blinking lights to attach to our persons, which I appreciated, but this I also left behind with the rain jacket.  It was darker than I had expected but the race directors lighted the course with blinking lights in the parts where street lights were lacking.

The course itself is beautiful.  We start on the west side of Monona Bay and run around it to Brittingham Park, cutting over to John Nolen and then back down to Olin Park for the finish.  Everybody who's ever lived in Madison knows that the drive around Monona Bay has some amazing views of the Madison Capitol and the skyline, especially at night in the summer when the bay glitters with the reflections of the lights.  The course takes us right toward and past this view.  These kinds of courses were designed as a love letter to Madison. 

Monday, July 22, 2013

Bugline Recreational Trail

This post would be more interesting if it were punctuated by some photos, but I don't run with a phone, so no photos.

I was in Milwaukee this weekend and decided that after weeks of training on the treadmill, it was time to take it on the road.  We had a bit of relief from the heat this weekend: only high 80s as opposed to high 90s.  The Bugline Recreational Trail is in Waukesha County, but the start of it is pretty close to Milwaukee County Line.  I started actually about a mile in on the trail.  It's a gravel stone path with some road crossings.  Every mile was marked with a sign next to a wooden bench.  The path is mostly tree-lined, though there were a few areas where I was under the blazing sun.  I tried to run faster past those areas. Between the mile 3 and mile 4 marker was this stone quarry just beyond the bushes on either side of the path.  The quarry was no longer in use and had this beautifully blue quarry pond.  It was completely unexpected and I was reluctant to turn around about a half mile past the mile 4 marker because I wanted to see what else laid on this path.

I was on the treadmill for most of the last few weeks because of my knee and left foot, and I think the time on the bouncier treadmill surface helped.  I didn't feel any pain on my run.  I was not, however, adjusted to the heat and humidity.  All told, I ran about 7 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes or so.  My shoes picked up a nice selection of rocks. 
  

Monday, July 15, 2013

Mineral Point Historical Run

I meant to write this post about the Mineral Point Historical Run that happened on the Fourth of July earlier, but I got started and then I sort of just forgot. So I'll do my best to recap.

I wasn't feeling the run at all on the morning of the Fourth. I slept late the previous night and got woken up much too early by chirping birds. Only about 3.5 hours of sleep before Barry picked me up at 6:30am. In my hazy not quite awake state, I managed to put on the proper clothes, but forgot to apply sun block or bring a hat. This was a mistake for July. At first I wasn't too worried since it's only a 5 mile run. I figured 50 minutes in the morning sun shouldn't be too bad. Nope, felt that sun beating down on me about 25 minutes into the run, and I started worry about sun burn.

I had been warned that it'd be a hilly course, but I thought it'd be good training. Unfortunately, only about a mile into the race, I started getting cramps. I began walking knowing that that was the only way I could expect to continue, but then I was kind of just done with the race. I just didn't want to run anymore. Eventually, I manage to convince myself to start running again, and I aimed to just pace with the people around me. By this point, there were very very few people around me.

In most races, I'm usually middle of the pack. I've never been far back enough or in races small enough where I needed to actually pay attention to the route markers. The Mineral Point Historical Run had two events, a 2 mile and a 5 mile. The 2 miler had about 150 participants, but the 5 miler only had about 80. I was occasionally in view of a couple of people, but when corners were quickly turned in succession, I had to follow the route markers or I'd be completely off course.

I came in 52:57, which is still under an 11 minute pace, but puts me in 77 out of 80 people. Poor showing, but I can't complain when I walked nearly half of the course. After the race, I went to bbqs and enjoyed good food with little guilt.

The Mineral Point Historical Run is a very small town race. We didn't even have bibs, just our name written on a slip of paper tucked into a ziplock bag, pinned to our shirts. Registration was expensive for what it was with the lack of food at the end, but it benefits the local Chamber of Commerce.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Fort Atkinson Half Marathon

The half marathon distance is probably my favorite distance.  I find that I never quite enjoy a run until I reach about mile 6.  I'm always amazed at what might have felt like a difficult first 6 miles suddenly becomes an enjoyable and easy run when I see that mile 7 marker.  It probably helps that come mile 7, I'm slowly and steadily passing people rather than struggling to keep up with those around me.  The miles start to feel like they're just flying by and I feel much more relaxed.  Barry said that running a half marathon always convinces him that he does not want to ever run a marathon.  For me, running the half marathon is what convinces me that I may want to run a marathon.

I ran the Fort Atkinson Half Marathon Saturday.  This is a small local race technically in its 4th year with a field of only about 350 runners.  I say technically because according to Barry, this used to be a 10k event for many years until they recently upgraded it to a half marathon distance.  There's also a 5k event that's new this year with only about 150 runners.  The half marathon started at 7am, and the 5k started 10 minutes later.  The fairly flat course took us through and around Fort Atkinson.  There were small bunny hills throughout, but I hardly noticed them.  It kept the course interesting without adding any real difficulty though I heard others disagreeing.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Syttende Mai 20 mile 10 mile run

Around the beginning of May, I signed up for the Syttende Mai 20 mile run.  This was before I had run the marathon, and I was ambitious.  There weren't many runs in general that are 20 milers, and I didn't really want to miss it.

But a week after the marathon, I was doubting it.  On a five mile run, something went wonky and my knee was giving me some issues.  Nothing serious, per se, but I noticed it when I had been sitting for a long time and put pressure on the kneecap by crossing my legs.  I started to rethink my choices.

Button to get into festival events.
Come Friday, I email the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce and ask to downgrade to the 10 mile run.  It took me a while to make that decision.  It was hard to determine if the reluctance to take on the 20 mile run was out of deference to the limits of my body and possible injuries or if it was a lack of faith and willingness to take on difficult tasks.  Ultimately, what convinced me was logistics.

The 20 mile and 10 mile run are both point to point.  The 20 mile run starts at the Capitol in Madison and ends in downtown Stoughton.  The 10 mile run starts at the midway point and has the same course.  There's also an untimed 17 mile walk that starts at the Badger Bowl.  The runs and the walk are both part of the Syttende Mai (Seventeenth of May in Norwegian) festival in Stoughton.  There are shuttles before and after the race that runs from Stoughton to Madison.  Since my friend Barry was running the 10 miler, I figured logistically, it'd make more sense to stick with him.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Running shoes search and the Saucony Virratas

In my opinion, running shoes are by far the most important piece of equipment to running.  It's not fun to run in cotton shirts and shorts, but even that is preferable to running in dri-fit clothing and the wrong shoes.

I'm not a shoe girl.  I'm not one of those people who owns a closet of hundreds of dollars worth of shoes.  I wear my $16 flip flops in the summer, and my $35 on sale Merrell in the fall.  The most I've ever spent on a pair of shoes was $120 on a pair of black boots.  When it comes to running shoes though, I've always been more willing to drop the chunk of change.  I imagine that running shoes have grown to be a huge industry.  New designs and models come out often and with the recent trend towards running, companies are tapping into that industry.  Barry, who these days shows up to races with more than one pair of running shoes, reminds me of the days when he'd go shoe shopping and there would be two choices: racing shoes or training shoes.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Post Goal Race

Two days after the Flying Pig Marathon, I felt completely 100%.  Speedy recoveries always amaze me.  It's like I feel proud of my own body for bouncing back as quickly and as well as it does.  By Tuesday evening, I felt strong and invincible.  In retrospect, my slower pace for the marathon is what contributed to my complete lack of injury.  Because I was so much slower than my usual pace, I was mostly just trudging along.

Usually after a race, a couple of miles the day or two after helps tremendously with recovery.  I didn't feel like I needed it after Flying Pig, but I was going to get back out there and run a few miles on Wednesday anyway.  Unfortunately, I pulled some kind of muscle in my neck on Wednesday and I was in all kinds of pain.  My head only had about a 140 degree turn radius before I felt some kind of pain.  So on Wednesday, I was back to remembering the fragility of my body.  Running a marathon damaged nothing.  Doing nothing hurt a neck muscle. 

It's Friday and that pain has subsided.  Now the neck just feels like I slept on it funny.  I plan to go out there tomorrow and do a loop around the Arboretum.  I signed up to run 20 miles next Saturday.  Yes, it was kind of crazy when I had signed up to do it.  I was thinking that I didn't want to let all my hard work training for the marathon just melt away.  Barry had recommended that I at least wait until I got through Flying Pig, but I knew that a race was the best way to ensure that I wouldn't just sit on my butt for the next 5 weeks eating ice cream.  Mmm, ice cream.

I'm thinking about my next marathon and have started looking into marathons in the fall.  I'd like to run one sooner than that, but summers aren't kind to marathon runners.  The only problem is I'm not sure where I'll be in the fall.  Meanwhile though, my goal for the summer is a sub-2:00 half marathon.  I'm signed up for the Madison Mini-Marathon, which I also ran and loved last year.  I'm also eyeing the Fort Atkinson Half marathon in the middle of June.  I'd like to start incorporating some quality runs into my training, i.e. tempo runs, interval training, hill climbs, etc and I kind of want to use the Fort Atkinson Half and the Madison Mini as comparisons for a before and after.

But who knows.  I always feel a bit lazy after a goal race. 

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati

The Flying Pig Marathon has some really good reviews.  And I can't disagree with what others have to say, but I do really wish my first marathon wasn't on this course. 

Cincinnati folks are big supporters of the Flying Pig marathon.  There were so many people out on the course with entertainment.  Random strangers were standing on the side of the road, in front of their businesses or their houses handing out bottles of water, gummy bears, bananas, paper towels, etc.  There was constantly someone around cheering you on.  There are water stops at EVERY mile.  I had to skip a few to avoid taking in too much fluids.  I also liked that the water stops were placed in the middle of each mile.  It helped mentally to convince myself to make it first to the next mile marker, then the water stop, then the next mile marker.  I ran the last 6 miles that way. There were even non-race sponsored live entertainment.  It's a pretty awesome race if you're not focused on time.  It's also a scenic course.  The views at the top of the hill in Eden Park give a gorgeous outlook of the river.  At one point we even cross the bridge over to Kentucky for a couple of miles.  There's a course tour on the website that I should've read before running so I could recognize some of the major landmarks. 

Unfortunately, the course is also really really hilly.  Others online have said that the major hills are from about mile 3.5 to mile 8, and then after that it's gentle rolling hills.  I would disagree with that.  The hills after are anything but gentle.  And as a first time marathoner, come mile 22, I really needed flat road or downhills to carry me to the end and not have to dig deep to find the will to tackle yet another hill.   

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Crazylegs 2013

I saw this on a website and I found it amusing. 


Yeah, today was that kind of a day.

I said last year that I didn't know if I'd run Crazylegs again, but nearly every runner I know runs Crazylegs.  It's hard to not join in on the fun.  Plus, there aren't any other races in Madison when Crazylegs is happening.  It is a nearly 20,000 runner race and it draws some of the fastest runners in Wisconsin.  I felt like I had an easier time navigating the course this year than last year.  I thought at first that maybe there were less runners on the course, but Barry pointed out that I was a more seasoned racer and navigating is perhaps easier with experience.  I was still annoyed with those running more than two abreast though. 

Wave Y this year.  Last year I was wave X.
It was warm at the start, about 54 degrees when I left the house and since I was in wave Y, it quickly warmed to the high 60s by the time I started running down Wisconsin Avenue.  I started feeling energized and I was among the first of my wave to get on Wisconsin Avenue.  I ran the first mile in 8 minutes according to the clock.  I even made it up Bascom Hill, but I started to have the familiar feelings that told me this race would quickly go downhill.  Cramps set in after I made it down past Charter St, and I started walking.  I knew that if I pushed it, I'd regret it.  I'd end up on the side of the road, trying to not faint.  I was ready to just walk the whole damn thing. The pain subsided by the time I hit the mile 2 marker, so I started running again slowly.  Mile 2 split was 12 minutes.  I'm averaging 10 minute miles, which I figured isn't horrible, but was a far, far cry from last week's 8:41/mile pace.  I thought I'd just try and maintain this pace, get under 50 minutes and call it a day.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Mad City 50k Relay

Does it still count as a PR if it was part of a relay?  I think so.

The Mad City 100k event is three races.  There is the 100k and 50k race for the hardcore ultra marathoners.  And then there's the 50k relay.  The instructions for the relay were simple.  At least 2 members for a team, and each member must do at least a 10k.  Age brackets were calculated based on aggregate age, with someone's age twice if they run two laps.  The 100k started at 6:30am and the 50k starts at 8am.

Ear warmers as race swag for the relay runners.
Barry suggested back in February getting a team together to run the 50k relay.  He suggested Ellie as a part of our team with Ellie doing one lap and me and him each doing two laps.  But Ellie wasn't sure she'd be in town that weekend, so we asked fellow runner and trivia teammate Joe to join us and run our fifth lap.  Come the day before, Barry and I reassessed our abilities to do two laps.  I'd been sick all week after my 20 miler and Arboretum Spring Sprint and hadn't gotten any miles in because of a sore throat.  The course for all three races was my beloved Arboretum loop. I've been training on the Arboretum loop for almost all of my runs outdoors, but I've always ran it in the "wrong" direction, i.e. I run it clockwise on a map so the mile posts count down rather than up. Joe warned me that the "correct" direction feels like quite a different course and the hills more difficult.  I tried the course the "correct" way Friday morning with 20 mph wind and hail blowing in my face.  I ran it in 1 hour and 20 minutes because I had to stop and walk.  Oh boy.  Barry had ran the course on Monday in 54:01, but he felt terrible after.  Neither he nor I felt sure about a second lap.  So Friday morning, after my trial run on the course, I asked Ellie again if she wanted to take a lap since she will be in town after all.  She thought about it, looked at her schedule for work and said, "ok," if she can take the first lap that starts at 8am so she can make it to work by 10:30am.  Hooray, Barry and I thought, and decided that he and I would flip for the last lap depending on how we felt after the first one tomorrow. 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Sometimes I don't understand.

What's weird is that the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary didn't affect me the way it seemed to affect everyone else.  I was dismayed when I had heard, but it didn't feel personal.

What happened today at the Boston Marathon felt personal.  I don't know if it was because it was bombs instead of guns or if it's because they still don't have a suspect which makes it feel more anonymously senseless, or if it's because I'm in the midst of training for my first marathon and Boston is a dream.  Despite the graphic warnings, I sift through the online photos of the tragedy.  I read about those who've lost limbs and think about how devastating to never take another step.  It freaks me out.

I feel helpless and sad.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

20 miles and Spring Sprint at the Arb 5k

Last season's training for the half marathon had a motto.  It was, "make it to 13.1 miles."  I didn't follow any training plans.  I just ran with the idea that I had to be able to run the half marathon.  This season when I started training for the marathon, I decided to follow a training plan.  Part of the reason was because I wasn't ready to jump back into training and I knew I didn't have the motivation and gusto I had last spring for the half.  So the motto started out as, "stick to the plan." Well, that went out the window pretty quick.  Instead, this season's training motto has morphed to "listen to your body."

Last week, despite the 18 mile long run I had on the schedule, I skipped it.  My body was telling me that it does not want to go out there and run.  I went out there on Wednesday and started a planned 8 mile run.  Instead, 1 mile in I had to stop and walk.  My muscles were more fatigued than usual.  I was getting nauseous.  I did some mental math and knew that this was the week.  This was the week once a month where the running thing just doesn't work for me.  After a half mile walk, I felt a bit better and finished out the run with 6 miles, but I knew the long run wouldn't happen that week.

So I took it easy for the next 5 days and didn't run because I just didn't feel like it.  Unfortunately, the weather decided to take a downturn for the worst too.  It was cold, raining, freezing, and windy this week.  I ran a couple of times that week, but nothing of note.  Come Friday, I walked out that morning and felt great.  The weather felt warmer than I expected though it was still only 40, and I felt that today was my day for the 20 mile long run.

It's amazing how easy 15 miles can feel when my body feels ready for it.  Even one mile felt like the hardest thing ever when my body just doesn't want to run.  Mile 16-17 was hard though.  I hit the wall there and I slowed to a crawl.  But one foot after another and I started to find a second wind around mile 19.  Suddenly, I was nearing mile 20 and I was picking up my speed.  I thought to myself, "holy crap, did I just do that?"  3:35 on the clock. 

Saturday morning though, I had signed up for a 5k at the Arboretum.  Barry and I parked near Seminole highway and then walked about .9 mile on the trail to the start line at the Arboretum center.  I thought this would for sure be my slowest 5k yet.  My legs definitely felt tired from the 20 miler.  It was also chillier and windier than I anticipated.  Barry and I warmed up for about .5 miles, reassessed our clothing choices (I decided to go with a hat and gloves along with a light jacket), and waited at the start line.  It was a simple out and back and mile 2 was definitely the hardest.  I finished with 28:23.  Not a PR, but not my worst either.  And it was better than February's Valentine's 5k when I first started running again this season. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

17.3 miles

After last week's embarrassing attempt at a 16 miler, I was dreading this week's 17 miles on the schedule.  I mulled over the disastrous long run, and decided that I must be doing something wrong with my training.  The road to a marathon shouldn't be this hard.  People enjoy the long runs.  I keep thinking about the email I had gotten from Flying Pig Marathon that said, "trust your training."  But now I was starting to doubt my training schedule.  The ramp up in miles was too difficult, and shouldn't I try to focus on getting the long runs in rather than try to increase in mileage for the other runs during the week as well?  Not that training for a half marathon should be anything like training for a marathon (they're very different beasts so I've been told many times), but last spring I was hitting longer and longer distances with ease and excitement.  This spring, the long runs seems to fail miserably.

This week, I decided to go back to what worked well last spring.  I decided to keep my mileage low during the week, nothing more than a 10k.  And well, to start drinking beer.

The beer thing is secondary, I'm sure.  But I remembered that there were two things I did a lot of last spring.  I ran a lot and I drank a lot.  And that worked very well for me.  So, I'm going to drink more beer.

I ran only twice since the 11 mile run.  A slow 4.5 mile run in which I tackled hills and decided to just explore a neighborhood.  I didn't want to run, but I thought I'd at least get a slow on in.  I ran again on Monday on the treadmill, doing intervals.  I would do 5 minutes at an 8:34 min/mile pace, slow to a walk for 2.5 minutes and repeat for 6 intervals total.   With a 1 mile warmup, it ended up being 6 miles.

Well, something worked better this week.  Despite the anxiety about this morning's long run, it felt much easier than last week's 11 mile.  I was hoping to go 30k, but I got started late this morning and a scheduled lunch date meant I had to cut it a bit short to only 17.3 miles.  I started slow, and got about 12.6 miles in 2:10.  I felt pretty good throughout most of it.  Only in the last couple of miles did I think, "I'm ready to stop running now."  Don't get me wrong.  I'm tired as all hell, and my muscles feel like dead weight, but it's a good kind of feeling, rather than a "I feel like I'm going to die".

I also bought new shoes the other day.  My first pair of running shoes were purchased at a New Balance outlet store and I knew nothing about how I ran or what I needed.  I just picked up a pair that looked pretty.  My next pair were purchased at Movin' Shoes, and this time, they at least looked at how I walked and whether I overpronated.  They recommended some shoes and I picked one out.  When I ran the Madison half marathon in them, my feet rubbed in them in all kinds of wrong way and I ended up with quite ugly blisters.  So back to Movin' Shoes.  This time, they recommended me to size up.  I tried on the Saucony Kinvara 2's and I just knew that these were my shoes.  Lightweight and for neutral feet.  I loved them. 

But 3 half marathons and nearly a year later, it's time to think about new ones.  I heard that the Kinvara 3's hadn't changed that much from the 2's so I purchased a pair at Movin' Shoes and thought I would love them too.  Nope, they rubbed my feet in the wrong way, and I started getting chafed and bleeding on my left ankle.  Back to Movin' Shoes.  After they were unsuccessful at tracking down a pair of Kinvara 2's for me, I walked out with a pair of Adidas Adizero Adios 2.  Also lightweight, but with a more significant heel to toe drop, they were incredibly incredibly ugly.  I had a choice between a motley yellow with pink accents or a bright neon pink with purple accents.  I went with the pink.  I ran my 17 miles in them today, and while the fit seemed fine (no blisters, or rubbed skin), I wished for a bit more cushioning at the midfoot.  By mile 14, the concrete road felt a bit much on my leg.  Maybe it's something I'll get used to, or maybe I'll take these back. 

Friday, March 22, 2013

Weekly mileage and that stupid 1/10 of a mile track.

Remember how throughout the half marathon last Saturday, I repeatedly told myself to run a smart race so that I could come back the next week and run my scheduled 16 mile training run?  Yeah, that didn't happen. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm still proud of how I did in the half marathon.  It was a PR and I felt like I could've gone for another 2 miles.  BUT, I was well rested for the half marathon.  I ran 6 miles 4 days before the half marathon and then didn't touch any running shoes until race day.  However, this week, I ran 8 miles on Tuesday, three days after the half marathon and then attempted the 16 miles on the 1/10 of a mile track at the SERF yesterday.

I started out the attempted 16 miler pretty well.  I was slow.  I stopped every 25 laps or where I thought a water stop might be on race day for a sip of water.  The first 5.5 miles went by easily that way.  The next 4 were harder.  At about mile 9.5, I stopped running on that damn track, and decided I'd finish on the treadmill.  But 2 miles later, I didn't think I could do another 4 miles.  I was feeling nauseous and had absolutely no motivation to keep pushing.  I was just done.

My longest long run to date is only 13 miles.  At least, my mileage for the week is 32.  I really wish I'd just kept jogging for another couple of miles after Saturday's race.  I'd feel better about how my training run went yesterday.

I don't know what I was thinking when I signed up for a spring marathon.  Why didn't I sign up for one in June, or at least late May?  Didn't I anticipate that my period every month would result in a week with low mileage?  Or that there are many spring races that I want to do?  Why does this seem so much harder?   What am I doing trying to following a training schedule?  I didn't follow one for the half marathon and that worked out quite well.  I ran when my body said it was ready.  I didn't run when it told me it needed rest.  Now, things ache.  My right hip bothers me.  My left kneecap feels all loose and unstable.  I feel on the verge of serious injury.

At the forefront of my mind is the idea that I should perhaps switch races on May 5.  Do the half marathon instead of the full marathon.  I could try for another PR.  I think that's just my disappointment in my training thus far speaking.  Though I can't manage to get past 13 miles.  I could run 13 miles in two hours, and have a little less than 5 hours to walk the remaining 13 and still make the 7 hour cutoff.  Would I rather finish a marathon where I walked half or it and finish with an abysmal time or would I rather run a half marathon really well?  Would I feel as accomplished or as proud of my performance if I walked nearly half of a marathon?


Sunday, March 17, 2013

Get Lucky Triple 7k (Half Marathon)

I had low expectations time wise for this half marathon.  I had been running at least one double digit run a week for the past month, and I didn't feel like my muscles were recovered enough for this.  I laid off on the Thursday 6 mile run that I had scheduled.  I knew I needed a couple more days.  While I still didn't reach my sub-2:00 goal, it was still a PR at 2:03:25.

At last year's Get Lucky Half Marathon, the weather at the start was a beautiful 60 degrees.  This year's temperatures at the start was a cold and chilly 22 degrees Fahrenheit.  I looked at the forecast for the whole week, and it seemed for a while that with Friday's high of 41, we might get at least into the mid or upper 30s for Saturday's race.  No such luck.  Friday never quite reached that high and instead had some snow in the evening.  The forecast for Saturday now read "26 degree high, with chance of snow in the AM."  I started wondering whether I should've sold my bib and let someone else run the race.

Awesome race swag:
hoodie instead of a T-shirt.
The Get Lucky event is two races in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis.  The 7k run is a loop that starts in Minneapolis, whereas the half marathon is an out and back course that starts and ends at the Ford Plant in St. Paul. I thought it was interesting that the start of the two events were actually 7 miles apart.  It actually worked out in my favor.  I was worried that this was going to be too big a race.  The website mentioned that they usually have about 12,000 people registered for this event. The 7k had about 10,000 people registered, and the half marathon 2700.  As it was, parts of the half marathon course were kind of narrow for the amount of people.

The other nice thing about the two separate races was that parking for the half marathon was super easy and free.  While one could opt for the paid parking in the Ford Plant, parking in the local residential neighborhood streets was just as easy.  I got there at about 7:10am and only parked a block away.

It was cold.  I had on 3 layers and planned to keep them all on during the race.  I also had my hat and my gloves.  After I gear checked an extra hoodie and pair of sweats for post-race, I started my warm-up with some easy jogging.  The warm-up actually kept my spirits up as I felt less cold once I started going.  I appreciated that the start line had nice large banners for estimated min/mile pace.  I lined up right before the 9:30 mile marker.  The pace teams also came out nice and early.

I decided right from the start that I wasn't going to try and keep with the 2:00 pace group.  I wasn't trying for a PR or goal.  I just wanted a good training run.  I wanted to run a smart race, one that I'll recover easily from and still be able to do my 16 mile training run 5 days later.  I told Ellie on Friday that I'm hoping for better than my worst half marathon time of 2:10, but I'd be happy with anything less than 2:20.  Throughout the race, I kept telling myself, "smart race, smart race, not a fast race." 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Fifty Furlong

I ran the 50 Furlong this past Saturday, with a slow slow time of 1:05:47.

I had an off week this past week.  I was in no mood to run and my body seemed to be telling me that it needed a break.  I was having a hard time recovering from my runs.  My legs felt constantly fatigued.  I ran 6 miles on Wednesday, and had plans to do 14 miles on Friday (with walk breaks) on Friday.  Unfortunately, I only got to mile 10 before I had to quit.  My legs were fatigued and though the walk breaks helped me get to 5 miles easily, the latter 5 were just as much a struggle as before.  Moreover, I ran it in my new shoes which were rubbing in all kinds of wrong places.  I knew I had rubbed through the skin on my heel by mile 6, but I kept going for 4 more before I decided to quit for good.  It was a rough 10 miles.

I had originally planned to do the 14 miles training run and skipping the 50 Furlong (or watching it as I ate a cheeseburger and drank a beer), but since I had only done 10 miles on Friday, I decided to run the 50 Furlong (in my old shoes, of course).  The temperature on Saturday was fairly warm in the upper 30s though there was quite a bit of headwind on the parts of the route back.

 The 50 Furlong is put on by the Hash House Harriers.  50 furlongs is the distance and it's 6.25 miles or roughly 10k.  It's a small race, at only about 50 people total.  Technically, it's a PR for me since it's the first race of that distance, but I'd be a bit embarrassed to list it as such.  I ran it very slowly, at about 10:30 min/mile.  I hadn't fully recovered from the 10 miles the day before, and I started to feel that fatigue by that first mile.  Moreover, the race course is SO incredibly hilly.  I ran the first couple of hills, but I had to walk up the rest of the hills.  The course was fantastic for training, but man, as a race, it was so mentally tough.  I feel like I've gotten soft with all my indoor running on flat tracks.  I need to get back on the road and run the rolling hills.  If only the weather would cooperate!

It's the Get Lucky half marathon this Saturday.  I'll do a couple of 10k loops around the Arboretum this week, but I'll generally keep it light.  I think one double digit run a week is sufficient.  Hopefully, I get right back onto my training schedule next week.  

Friday, March 1, 2013

Long runs and walk breaks

Yesterday's 12 mile long run went okay.  Lately, I've been doing all my runs at the SERF on their tiny little .10 mile track.  I used to never have the patience to run more than 4 miles on the track, but with some earphones and streaming Pandora, it's now enjoyable and preferable in fact to the icy, snowy roads through the Arboretum.  Snow, I'm SO over you.

What's also nice about the track at the Serf is that 9.5 laps is a mile, which gives me a nice way to pace through my shorter runs.  A lap a minute makes for 9:30 min/miles.  Looking back on my race results from last year, that's about the pace I ran Black Earth, and roughly the pace for the Madison Mini.  It feels like the right pace for me.  Of course, I have no hopes of actually keeping this pace for the full marathon.  But one can dream. 

Yesterday, I did the first 6 miles at roughly 9:30 min/mile, but the next 6 miles was much more of a struggle and my pace fell by the wayside.  Clearly, I'm still not pacing as well as I need to be for the long runs.  Also starting around mile 6, my big toe and little toe on the left foot was really REALLY bothering me.  I was feeling blisters forming on both, and I start to limp a bit through my run.  I thought about quitting early, but I soldiered on.  Afterward, I examine the foot, and the little toe was actually blister free, but the big toe has a blister/callus.  I think it's still deciding which it wants to be.

I'm supposed to do a 14 mile long run next week, but I'm a bit concerned at this point.  My foot is telling me that I need some recovery time, and my body is starting to feel the fatigue.  But I can't afford at this point to slow the training. So I started reading around online about training plans.  One thing that struck me in particular is Jeff Galloway's style of training for a marathon, i.e. incorporating walk breaks into the long runs and on race day.  He suggests lots of walk breaks early and at a ratio of about 3:1 for a a 10 minute pace.  The theory is that the walk breaks paces you better early in the race/long runs, gives you recovery time during the run and lets you keep to a strong pace at the end.  Some 3:30 marathoners swear by walk breaks.

A ratio of 3 minutes run to 1 minute of walking seems incredibly incredibly slow.  But I don't know.  I might try this for the 14 miler and see how it goes.  Normally, I'd take the week off before a big race, but I don't have the luxury with the marathon, so I need a better and faster way to recover.  I'm thinking that I might not stick to the 3:1 ratio, but do more of a 4:1 ratio.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Marathon Training Schedule

So the whole "make it to 13.1 mile" philosophy that I used when training for the half marathon didn't translate so well in training for the marathon.  I don't know if it's because of the weather that pales in comparison to the awesome spring last year, or if my excitement for running is just lower than doing it all for the first time.  Last year, each new distance where I went yet further was exciting and motivating.  So far, I'm just trying to get back to where I was.

Last Thursday, I did about 10 miles.  It was a slow 10 mile run, and I was achy the day after.  Then I made the mistake of going to yoga class where we did a bunch of warrior poses that made me use the same running muscles.  But Saturday, I went out and did 4 miles, and everything chilled out.  I felt great and recovered Sunday, and I breathed a sigh of relief.  The 10 mile run out of nowhere hadn't been the best idea.  I had only ran at most 6 miles at that point, and not very consistently.  It was a risk, and I very well could've been injured.

My feet is gaining back all the calluses I had developed last year.  I'm hoping they stay calluses and don't develop into blisters that will be more difficult to deal with.  At this point, I'm feeling pretty good about the half marathon in 2 weeks.  I'm still rather nervous about the marathon though.  I didn't really leave much leeway for things going wrong in the training, such as injuries, illness, etc.

I'm sort of following this 16 week training schedule.  I'm currently on week 7, aiming for 12 miles this Thursday.  There are some modification in the schedule due to upcoming races with various distances, but I'm keeping the long runs roughly the same and aiming for at least the same mileage each week.  The week of Black Earth will be interesting.  

Monday, February 18, 2013

Valentine's 5k

I ran the Valentine's 5k because I really needed another race to jump start me into the training for this marathon.  Upcoming races always motivate me out onto the pavement and get those miles in.  The Valentine's 5k is put on by the UW Running Club.  The cost of the race was only $5, which of course meant no chipped time.

We picked up our race bib at the UW Natatorium.  There was quite a bit of last minute sign up, but we were able to keep nice and warm waiting inside.  We had a bit of a chilly walk to the actual race start which was about 500 meters down the road for the Nat.  While we waited, they warned us at the start that the roads would be mostly clear of ice, but that when there was ice, it'd be about a 4-5 foot stretch.  An audible groan arose from the crowd.  I expected such conditions, but I wasn't looking forward to it. On the walk to the start, I met Charlie who told me about running the same race a few years back, slipped on an ice patch and fractured his hip.  Eeek!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

New Year, Fresh Start

I'm way behind on this marathon training.  I took a break from running after the Berbee Derby.  I was already burned out from all the races and barely trained at all for the Berbee.  After the Berbee, I ran sporadically, roughly 3 miles every 2 weeks, just enough to not go completely soft, but not enough to call it much of anything. 

New Year's Day, I went out and did 3 miles because I ran last year on New Year's Day and that seems an appropriate tradition to maintain.  No resolutions, just running on New Year's Day.  Then a trip out of town meant that whatever jump start I was hoping to get on my training went out the window.  Plus, the weather has been a particularly good at removing all motivation and the SERF wasn't open over winter break.  I had all my excuses.

Two weeks ago I did a little math and realized I was vastly vastly behind where I needed to be for my marathon training.  I could go out and do 5 miles once, but I couldn't do 6 miles 3 times a week like I had been doing late last spring.  But I kept at it, running as often as I felt motivated to do and as far as I felt I needed.  I ran a 10k in under an hour on the treadmill yesterday, and I'll probably go for another 4-6 tomorrow. 

I'm surprised by how quickly it all comes back.  I feel pretty secure that in only a couple more weeks, I could run a half.  I figure if I get to 12 by the end of February, and 20 by the end of March, I'll have a good 4 weeks to taper for the marathon.  Or I could just make a last minute switch to the Flying Pig half marathon.