Marathon update

Working for a living really interferes with my life. I'm so annoyed that I haven't been able to blog about my marathon journey but I am happy to report that training went really well. It was actually a lot easier than I anticipated. Hopefully, I will be able to say the same about the race tomorrow. Here's a quick recap:

• The 3 x 20 mile runs were awesome. Average paces for each #1 - 10:09, #2 - 10:02 and #3 - 9:41 and we weren't even trying to shave time.
• The first 2 minutes of an ice bath are miserable but by minute 10, I don't want to get out.
• Christy and Dana are the greatest running partners.
• I wish the training plan was 2 weeks shorter. I felt incredible and ready two weeks ago, now I'm exhausted and achy.
• I prefer the Sunday long runs to the shorter (tedious) weekly runs.
• I am having issues with my knee. The back of it swelled up after our last long run. Dr says it's not a major issue. I believe it is related to my hamstring being tight. I'm hoping I don't cramp tomorrow.
• I am ready to finish this race but more importantly, I am ready to rest. And I want that stupid sticker.

Ok, I'm off to finish packing now. Looking forward to our final and ultimate long Sunday run tomorrow!

Week #7 and the big 2-0!

First of all, how crazy was Kona?! I was on the edge of my seat those last few miles and when Macca and Raelert were stride for stride, I think I stopped breathing completely! In my heart, I was rooting for Crowie but I didn't want Macca to lose it so close to the finish. As for the women's race, I wanted Rindy to take it and when I heard Chrissie was out, I knew this was Rindy's day! Watching her run was incredible - I don't know how she does it but her running looks powerful and effortless at the same time. Huge congrats to all the IM finishers!

Now on to my training update which is going to seem totally insignificant after discussing Kona!

Week #7: 29 miles

Tuesday: 3 miles @ 9:22

Short easy run after Sunday's 18 miler. My legs were still fatigued and it felt like these 3 miles were never going to end. Since it was such a short run I increased the speed and incline a bit.

Friday: 6 miles

The week got a little crazy and I missed Thursday's 2 mile run. Missing a run really bothers me, especially considering I am only training one event at the moment. I was happy though that I was still able to get in a hill run. The weather continues to treat us with cooler morning temps and our runs are certainly benefiting. It's amazing how much faster we run without the oppressive heat and humidity weighing down on us.

Sunday: 20 miles @ 10:09

First 20 mile run of the training and to sum it up in one word... easy. Who knew?! I wasn't anxious about this run at all. In fact, I was getting nervous about not being nervous! Our run route broke down nicely into 5 mile increments which made for great mental checkpoints. Once again half our run was complete before the sun came up and we had the trail to ourselves. I honestly can't get over how easy this run was. We talked and laughed the entire run and surprisingly managed to keep a better pace than last week's 18 mile run. I think what surprised me most was how strong we ran - the second half of the run was faster by over 20 seconds per mile and our last two miles were the fastest of the whole run. I don't know about Christy and Dana but for me, the first half of the run is slower because it's so dark outside. Miles 4 and 5 in particular need a little extra caution because of bad sidewalk and pavement. I really thought that my expected MP of 9:39 was crazy and had set my own expectations at a 10:15 pace but if the runs keep going this well it could be a reality.

I followed up the run with an ice bath and lots of stretching. Other than being extra tired, my only issue is a sore left foot. My arch is bothering me but I have been diligent about stretching and icing it so hopefully it will be good as new by mid week. I am happy to have the first 20 mile monster out of the way and I am actually looking forward to the next one!

Week #6

Total miles: 28 miles

Thursday: 7 miles

2 easy

3 x 1600 @ 8:41 with 800 easy

1 miles easy

Saturday: 3.1

Race for the Cure 5k

Sunday: 18 @ 10:21

This was a make or break run for me. I've really been struggling on the longer runs so I needed a good run. Mentally, I wasn't that freaked out. On one hand, I was telling myself it was only two more miles than last week's run - no bigge. Then every now and then I would have a wave of anxiety at the thought of an 18 mile run. I mean c'mon, 18?!?!?Fortunately, we had wonderful weather for our run and I know the cooler temps were a big benefit. It also seemed to stay dark for a really long time. I think we were just shy of 10 miles when we were able to finally turn our head lamps off. Having the first half of our run complete before the sun came up really made the run feel like it was flying by. It was also a very quiet morning. It felt like we had the park to ourselves. We didn't see anyone else on the trail until around mile 12 or 13 when we were heading out of the park. I felt great at mile 10, started to get that "oh sh*t, this hurts" feeling at mile 12, felt much better by mile 14, was happier than a pig in mud when we hit our cooler with Gatorade and frozen washcloths just before mile 15 and dug deep to finish the remaining miles strong. The frozen washcloths really made all the difference and I don't know why it took us so long to think of it!

Overall, we kept a nice even pace between 10:15 - 10:30 the whole time. No walking at all and we even picked up the pace the last 4 miles. It was a great run. I could not have been happier with this run! Afterwards, I had a failed attempt at an ice bath. Apparently one bag of ice isn't enough because my body heat had it melted in about 90 seconds. I was in pretty rough shape after the run but felt much better by late afternoon. In the evening, I took a hot epsom salt bath followed by the foam roller and I felt really good this morning. The true test will be my first run of the week tomorrow.

Week #5 Sweet Sixteen!

Week #5: 25 miles

Ever since I switched training plans, I stopped tracking my weeks so I'm just going to jump right in at week #5.

Tuesday: 4 miles
Just an easy four miles at a 9:13 pace.

Thursday: 0
We had a slight family miscommunication on schedules and unfortunately my run got bumped.

Friday: 5 miles
Hilly and humid five miles. This course is still not getting easier but at least it's a change of course.

Sunday: 16
Finally over the 15 mile hump and starting my mileage climb! I'm not going to lie, it was tough. After my shower, I stretched really well and did the foam roller. I tried to keep busy the rest of the day just to keep my legs in motion but by 2 o'clock I was wiped out. That run kicked my butt and I am sitting at my desk now ready to fall asleep. I'm very nervous about the 18-miler up next and the 20-miler that follows. I might need to bring my iPod to distract me during those last few miles, they get pretty ugly.

Scheduled PT session this morning at 7:30 (which did not help my exhaustion) and I got a lot of good information on why and how my shoulder started to act up. I have a slew of exercises and stretches to practice at home so hopefully I will correct my poor posture which will in turn alleviate any shoulder injuries in the future.

Week #4 Review

Run Total: 25 miles

Wednesday: 5 mile tempo

Friday: 5 mile hills

Sunday: 14 mile long run @ 10:22

Fall weather teaser!

Today was GLORIOUS! The weather was absolutely beautiful and it was such a treat! There were these wonderful "pockets" of cool temps throughout the trail and it honestly felt like someone had turned the a/c on. I'm going to appreciate this great weather for what it is - just a fluke. I'm sure we'll be back to the heat and humidity very soon. Our fall weather is always hit or miss with one day at 90 degrees and the next at 40. You just can never tell. Anyway, it was a great 14 mile run!

Run: 14 miles.

The miles are going to start adding up the next few weeks and I'll finally get over the 15 mile hump and into marathon territory!

Tsk, tsk.

I can't believe how long it's been since I last updated! This has been my longest blog hiatus and it certainly was not by choice. Work has been all consuming lately but I should have some assistance soon. I'm hoping to get back to regular posting or at least one post per week. I've missed bloggerland!

In a nutshell, I have been running three times per week (tempo, hill and long runs) and my recent long runs have been 13, 10 and 11 miles. On the 13 miles run, I rolled my ankle on a rock at mile 3. I walked it out for a few minutes and managed to run the remaining miles with no problem. The rest of the day I felt fine as well but the next day my ankle was hurting so badly. It got worse by mid week but thankfully I was pain free by the weekend. A week of no running didn't set me up very well for the scheduled 14 mile run so I only did 10. This last weekend we had 14 scheduled but my younger son had his first black belt test for karate. He needed to run 2 miles in 18 minutes and the class was meeting too early for me to fit my entire run in before. I was able to run 9 miles and then the 2 with him. By the way, it's been a long time since my legs have seen a pace in the 8's and those two short miles at an 8:40 pace kicked my butt! I know summer running is tough but I feel like my running fitness is getting worse. I'm so much slower :( At least I'm increasing my mileage so it's not a total loss.

That same week as the ankle problem, I got the results on my MRI and I am happy to report that there is no tear or injury and the inflammation is gone. To avoid this ordeal in the future, the doc prescribed physical therapy to strengthen my shoulder muscles and increase flexibility. My PE evaluation is scheduled for Tuesday next week. Hopefully, I can get in the pool the following week. Time is running out for the Longleaf Triathlon which is only 4 weeks away.

Total mileage the last two weeks was low 20's.

Run: 11

So far this week, I've completed a 6 mile tempo and a 5 mile hill run with 14 on tap for tomorrow.

Whirlwind

My head is about to spin. The last two weeks have been CRAZEEEE and there is no end in sight. Work is killing me with deadlines and I've been working at night and weekends. Hopefully, I will get a break soon otherwise I'll need to schedule a mental health day ;)

Quick update:

• Found a marathon training plan I like and this was the first week.
• Kicked my own butt with squats and single leg lunges Wednesday and have been walking like I have a stick up my rear ever since.
• Between extra work hours and three school open houses (on separate evenings, of course), the bike rides were sacrificed.
• Great hill run this morning but thanks to my glutinous dinner last night, I was plagued with side stitches and nausea. Fun.
• So, so, so friggin happy it's Friday! I get to sleep in tomorrow! I get so excited about sleeping in that I don't even want to go to sleep, I just want to enjoy the feeling of laying in bed knowing that I won't see 4 a.m. the next day! It really is the little things in life..
• My feet hurt. All over. All the time. I haven't been wearing heels either. I'm worried that this could lead to an injury.
• Speaking of injury, I get my MRI results on Monday *fingers crossed*
• Wednesday run - 5 miles
• Friday run - 6.25 miles

Have a great weekend!

Fantastic Fifteen

Run: 15 miles

Yup, that's right... today's 15 miler was fan-tas-tic! We had great weather (well, as good as it can be for August in Florida). It was overcast with a slight drizzle and a cool breeze. There was pretty bad rain all over the area this morning but they seemed to be everywhere we weren't. It would either rain before or after we hit a spot so we really lucked out.

I could really use this type of service on our dark long runs!

The first 3 miles were another wild kingdom adventure. The gators were louder than usual, something made its presence known in the nearby water, there was a lot of rustling in the bushes by something larger than the usual armadillo or opossum and then the birds were having a squawking contest. I really do not enjoy those creepy miles.

Once inside the park we met up with friends and ran an out and back for 3 miles to accommodate Jen's training and them headed out again for the remaining miles. I felt really strong on this run. I didn't have to walk at all and our pace was almost 30 seconds faster than last week. The last mile and a half I was definitely starting to get achy but we stayed on pace and finished strong. Yay!

I'm in too much of a rush to think of a clever title... sorry.

Run: 4 miles @ 9:30-ish

Survived the hill run! Loved the change of scenery and looking forward to this new weekly run. Woohoo!

Still no MRI results. Time is of the essence people! Don't they realize I only have 239 days, 22 hours and 25 minutes until NOLA 70.3? Sheesh.

Narrowing down my marathon program options. I think I may have found a winner but I want to run it by my running partner before committing.

Also, getting new running shoes today! Now that I finally found the perfect pair of shoes I need to get another pair before the manufacturers "improve" or "update" them and ruin everything. Lucky enough, Fit2Run is offering $20 off for bringing in an old pair running shoes! Gotta love that :)