TFLTFT

MUM training, week 4 (of 12)

2009-09-09T07:11:00.002-04:00

Better late than never on this post. You know, 85 mpw and a 40-hour work week doesn't leave much time for anything else.

Very solid week, I'm surprised by how good I still feel. Thursday should have been my tempo run, but with no company and little motivation, I decided to switch Thursday and Friday ... then Friday rolled around and I still didn't feel like doing it, so we did cutbacks instead. Still useful I think. Really, I just hate tempo runs. I will dodge out of them whenever I think I can.

The weather last week was incredible; several mornings were in the 50-degree range. Beeee-utiful. Now it's back to mid-60s, humid and high dewpoints. Not fun.

That's on all this week.

MUM training, week 3 (of 12)

2009-08-31T21:23:00.003-04:00

I am 61 days from race day. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It's at that point where it seems both really freaking close and really far away.

This week was actually really outstanding, my first time hitting 80 in a week, and following that with a solid 20 miler on day eight. Of particular note was the long run, which not only had a solid average pace, but actually had the last six miles at closer to 7:30 pace, with the last mile in 6:45. Then I did my first long run day double, which didn't feel too bad.

Thursday's tempo was alright, it was hot and I wasn't really excited about it. I hit pace and ran well, though, so good effort there. Friday was the week's surprise day -- I had to go out for 12 miles by myself, which sounded awful, but then I walked outside to find it about 50 degrees and absolutely amazing. I cruised along happily at a surprisingly good clip, especially considering the mileage my legs were already carrying.

Not much else to say about the week. Other assorted updates to follow, hopefully one tomorrow about my weekend adventuring with my "manfriend" TT as he took on Ironman Louisville.

MUM training, week 2 (of 12)

2009-08-23T17:08:00.004-04:00

I'm in a post-long run stupor right now, sitting in bed after a nap with a bottle of sparkling italian mineral water and a box of junior mints. I think it's well-deserved.

This post probably should be done on Saturday, since that's when I end my training week ... But I work on Saturday and not on Sunday, so here we are. I knew this week's mileage ranked amongst my highest totals ever, but I thought I had gotten in more 70+ weeks in the past than I have. Digging through my log earlier shows I've only hit 70 twice, both times before Memphis in December 2008: a 73.8 in late September and a 74.5 in early November. Hmm. That makes this week -- a 74 -- the second-highest of my life. And I feel pretty good. Really good considering my very snappy pace over 18 miles today, although I will mostly attribute that to the gorgeous weather.

I hate stale junior mints.

This week -- click on the picture for the log -- included way more double-digit days than I'm used to, both in singles and doubles. My long run was in Lexington, and may have been one of my worst runs. I felt awful the entire time. It was hot, I was dehydrated, my legs were trashed from the 5k the night before ... Blah blah blah.

The rest of the week was good, though, especially after I saw my wonderful massage therapist on Tuesday. Everything felt smooth and solid all week. My heart rate and pace are both down, hooray quantifiable fitness improvements. Not a whole lot of exciting runs, just one workout with four miles of tempo, but a lot of miles.

Marshall University Marathon in 69 days.

Really, weather? WTF

2009-08-19T07:17:00.001-04:00

That's from yesterday evening when I got in from work. I mean, seriously?

Race report - A Midsummer's Night Run 5k

2009-08-18T20:02:00.006-04:00

This weekend was the 25th anniversary of A Midsummer's Night Run 5k in Lexington. I ran this race last year for fun, in part because one of my best friends had a broken toe and wasn't going very fast. Now the same gal is married and has moved to Lex, so it seemed a great opportunity to see their new apartment (and their first place together) and get in some good runs.

As you might guess, it's an evening race. It starts at 8:30, so you begin with the sun up and finish with it mostly down. Kinda neat. Weird for me because I rarely run in the evenings. It's a huge race, with 3,967 finishers this year.

The course is a tight loop, lapping back on itself for part of it. They're using the D-tag chip system, but the start is still packed and crazy.

I drove to Lex after work on Saturday and got there about an hour before the race. My friends actually live on top of the start line, so it was a quick elevator ride down to start our warmup. It was at least 80 degrees still, and Kentucky muggy. Several more of our Bourbon Chase relay teammates were racing, so we all hung out at the start for a few. Mostly I complained about how much I hate 5ks. I mean, really, I do.

I was dead-set on negative splitting this race, which would make it my first 5k ever where I did that. I've never been sure before how fast to go out, so I usually just floor it and hang on as long as possible. My psuedo-coach and training partner, who has been there for all my recent speedwork, recommended I go out at 6:20 pace for the first mile then start dropping it down, trying to split under 6 for the end.

I don't look around much at the start to assess the competition, because I know there will be plenty. There's a guy running barefoot, with his D-tag fastened to a rubber band; a mulleted women's masters runner in gear as old as I; etc., etc.

My friendly Garmin 405 Cassidy was pretty handy in the negative-split endeavor, but I pretty much hit 6:20 out of the gate and then it was too dark to see the damn thing and I had locked the bezel for once so I couldn't activate the backlight. Sigh.

The first mile feels easy -- that was the plan -- and I nail 6:20 on the dot. I'm trying to settle in and get comfortable, but there's so many dang 90-degree turns in this race I'm constantly running tangents and trying not to kill the soccer-cleated dude cutting every corner.

Mile 2 is an "oops," a 5:58, but it's the only mile with a net elevation loss so maybe it's not my fault. I was getting into a rhythm though, and feeling much better than I usually do at that point. I get passed in here somewhere by a woman in purple, which I don't like (that I was passed, not the color purple). Somewhere in here I'm telling myself I have to learn race strategy somewhere, and I'm sighting other women and catching them.

Mile 3 is a little more uphill, a little slower, but not bad: 6:07. I see purple lady ahead of me as we hit the final straightaway. With about a half-mile to go I ease on her shoulder and sit for a minute, then surge past and hold that pace for a few seconds. I can't tell if it's her I hear behind me or someone else, and I worry I went past too soon. I'm backing off the pace a little with a quarter to go, trying to not totally die before I kick after hearing the last mile split.

As I near the finish, I hear someone right on my heels and hope it's not her. It's not. It's some dude. I don't care about him. I cross the line totally toast, and there's a race official stopping me and getting my bib number written down. I realize this means I probably placed top ten, since that's who gets plaques that evening.

Oh yeah, I ran like 19:15 according to Cassidy (who also got the mileage at 3.16), and 19:19 according to my chip, which I think is crap because they had two chip mats placed like 10 feet apart. There's no telling which mat actually started my time. Whatever.

Moral of the story is I hate 5ks slightly less now. My Bourbon Chase teammates all did awesome (watch out!) and I got a plaque for 7th place female (out of 1,999!). Then we had greasy pizza, drank whiskey sours (made with bitters muddled in your glass), stayed out till 3 a.m., got up five hours later and ran 15 miles. We roll hard.

Here we go

2009-08-09T14:49:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow officially begins the 12-week block for the Marshall University Marathon. Which means all you lovely people can resume reading absolute nonsense about my training. Lucky, lucky.

I hit 63 miles for each of the past two weeks, which is awesomely high for me this early in training. I've never gone over 75 mpw, and I don't think I've ever held 70+ for more than a couple weeks at a stretch. So, boys and girls, we'll see what happens. The current schedule has me at 85 mpw at the end of this month and rising, with no backing down till game time. Possible outcomes:

Body responds nicely, run very fast

Overtrain and wear myself out, run mediocre considering training

Implode/break something and not make it to the starting line

That's what makes running a fun game, right? Because you have no freaking idea which of the three will happen.

Today's run was 14 miles with 2x10 minute tempo, made even more delightful by 80 degree temperatures and a 74 degree dew point. Yuck. Aside from that, it wasn't too bad because I like having runs broken up into chunks like that.

Okay, that's all for now. More on training philosophy this time around to follow.

At-Home Ab Workout

2009-06-14T19:57:00.003-04:00

If you don't do a lot of core, here's a workout routine I developed for my S/O ... No equipment required!

All motions should be done slowly, like a four-count for most motions.

Leg circles (8 each way, counter-clockwise and clockwise, big circles and little circles, right leg and left leg)

12 Mini crunches

12 Twist crunches (each side)

12 Toe Dips (each side)

12 Windshield Wipers (each side)

12 Scissors (each side)

Planks - repeat this segment 3 times, 30 seconds each

Forward plank

Left side plank

Right side plank

Bridge

Then repeat the entire routine 2-3 times total.

Difficulty can be increased by adding repetitions to each step. Also, lengthening the time of the planks will make them harder. Toe Dips can be done with one foot at a time for an easier variation; dip both toes at once for a more difficult way. The intensity of windshield wipers can be increased by extending the legs after rolling on to the hip (shoulders down!), keeping them extended back to perpendicular to the floor, then returning to chair before rolling to the other hip.

Sorry for no images, I'm sure all these can be googled if you're unfamiliar with them.

Joanie!

2009-04-29T14:05:00.002-04:00

Joan Benoit Samuelson wins Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon

The 1984 Olympic gold medalist, who is rewriting age group record books in her 50s, was a wire-to-wire winner with no serious challenger as she covered 13.1 miles in 1:21:57 on Sunday. She didn't break the age group American record of 1:19:40 this time.

"The victory today was nice for me personally, but more so, I am hopefully furthering the event’s inspiring message of resilience and hope," she stated.

From Runners World Racing News

Shoot for the moon ...

2009-04-28T19:21:00.001-04:00

ORN: 5 miles in 41:55, 73 degrees and muggy. This was Diane’s (a.k.a. Friend A) first run back since the marathon, and Eileen’s first since the half. We were slogging along.

Yesterday was 5 miles in 39:57, 82 degrees and muggy. Kelly ran the half over the weekend, too, her first.

I’m really excited for the half marathon we have coming up in June. In fact, I’m excited about running in general again. Not entirely sure why. Maybe because the weather is finally nice!

I’m following Pete Pfitzinger’s fifth mesocycle, a five-week recovery schedule I highly recommend ... so far. I’m in my 30 mile week, and it continues to step up over the next four weeks, capping at 50. That’s perfect, since then I’ll have one more week then a taper for the half. And then ... of course, right back into it.

This morning I read a brief bio about Priscilla Welch. She started running at age 34, ran her first marathon in 3:36 ... and went on to win New York at age 42, and held a PB and master’s WR at 2:26:51. Within eight years.

So the question I keep kicking around is, can I do that? I saw a friend’s dad today who made me think of it all again. He was in Boston last year when his daughter and I both ran the marathon, and all of us watched the Olympic Trials the day before. That was where I decided I wanted to qualify for the trials and was willing to work my butt off to do it.

Of course, this was one day before my second marathon. Boston kicked my butt. I sobbed over lunch, partly out of exhaustion and partly out of despair. I worked hard to get ready for Boston that year, and PR’d by a mere minute. That did not seem like enough forward progress to get where I wanted to go.

But my friend’s dad came in and congratulated me on this year’s Boston — nearly 16 full minutes faster than last year’s — and said he was happy to see I was still on track.

Can I really drop another 30 minutes — almost a minute per mile — in the next two years? Yikes. Sounds scary, but I did drop 15 minutes in one year ... So maybe?

Only one way to find out.

Derby Festival races recap

2009-04-27T08:01:00.001-04:00

I spent a large chunk of my Saturday on various parts of the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon/miniMarathon course. I shuttled three friends to the start line -- two of them were running their first half, the other just her second. We spent 10 minutes in line for a bathroom, jogged and got them into their corral.

It was already 70 degrees and sunny when the gun went off at 7:30.

I watched for people I knew come across the start line, clapped and yelled and whatnot, then jogged/walked (I had a backpack and wasn’t in a hurry) to my next stop. The course has about a three-mile loop before coming back near the start, then catching a 5k loop through Iroquois park and going back across the start.

So I caught everyone at about mile 6 — it’s fun spectating at my hometown race, because I felt like I knew everybody! And several of them even had congratulatory words for me about Boston, since they hadn’t seen me since. Everyone was looking awesome. After that, I jogged back to my car about a half mile away, made a pit stop at my apartment, and headed for mile 16 of the marathon route.

Miles 15-18 are in Cherokee Park, which is hilly and lacking in crowd support. This year seemed better than last, at least. I had two friends to catch at 16, making sure they were doing okay and trying to boost their spirits.

The weather was about 80 at that point; I knew my friends wouldn’t be feeling too good. It was interesting to see two different tactics at play: Friend A was in 3:30 shape and decided to just go for renewing her 3:40 BQ. Friend B was in at least 3:15 shape and went out for his 3:10 BQ.

At mile 16, Friend A was gamely hanging on to her goal, and Friend B was quickly falling apart. Ran with both of them a little ways, and on the way back to my car, took a trail that resulted in a surprisingly gnarly gash on my leg. It involved a stick protruding from my calf. I mean, not a big stick, but any time something is sticking out of my leg, I worry.

Early this year, I promised Friend A I would run the bridge portion of the marathon with her, which starts at 22 miles and lasts through 24.5. Initially I planned to pull off the course around 26 and let her finish on her own, but it just wasn’t going to work today. Friends A and B actually caught each other on the bridge. Friend B had decided he was pretty much just going to walk the last four miles. Friend A was still being tough, although she started to waver.

At about 22.5, coming across the bridge, Friend A tells me she can’t do it, and stops. I pause, look at her, and say, “Oh, you’re not. You’re at least walking. It’s too late now.” She starts jogging again, albeit slowly, and only tries to throw up once, around mile 23. We’re going about 11 minute pace, not good considering she does her long runs at 7:30. Yikes. I’m babbling at her, just trying to keep her distracted -- she doesn’t remember any of the things I told her.

At about 23.5, we come past a hotel. I’m about a yard ahead of Friend A at this particular moment (this is right after the dry-heaving moment, so a yard ahead is safe territory), and a man in a Volvo is on the other side of the street about to cross into the hotel lot. Only one side of the street is blocked off, but it’s clearly blocked with cones for blocks, indicating there’s something going on. So this guy decides to turn into the hotel between me and my friend, which I figure out just as I go by his bumper.

I stop. I take two steps backward and stand in front of his car until she gets past. He’s not happy. I yell at him and give him the finger, then jog away. I mean, really? WTF.

I knew if she had to stop for this idiot, I might not get her started again. We keep going, trudging along toward our return trip on the bridge. We pass the 24 mile marker on the bridge, see the “You Go Girl” graffiti again (saw it on a training run last month), see her mom, and make our second to last turn at mile 25.

Now, here’s were things got funny. She looked so rough that I didn’t want to leave her until she was across the finish, so I was sticking through the end. With about .75 of a mile left, we were passed by a not-so-dainty older woman in flame shorts and matching sports bra. The gauntlet was down. We had dropped to about 10 minute pace after pacing the 25 mile marker, and now my poor Garmin couldn’t even keep up with my friend’s acceleration. We were down in the 7:30 range as we crossed 26 (we passed aforementioned inspiration within 200 meters), and she cranked 6:45 pace for the last two tenths. She finished in 3:50, 10 minutes off BQ and 12 minutes off her PR set on this course last year. It’s incredible what the heat can do, because I trained with her through both those marathons and know what kind of shape she’s in.

Then we sat in the med tent until she stopped feeling nauseous. And they were kind enough to clean and patch my war wound.

Friend B finished about 10 minutes later. It was 85 degrees. Some people dropped out of the marathon, a lot of people finished, and no serious injuries were reported.

Friend A and I are both going to run Sunburst Half Marathon June 6, and it’s looking like the Marshall University Marathon Nov. 1. If you’ve run either of those, would love opinions.

Post Scriptum: Congrats (again) to other finishers of these races: Justin, Kelly, Eileen, Craig, Ed, Mom, Robin, and a zillion others!

The Comeback Tour

2009-04-24T09:04:00.001-04:00

Four days since the marathon. Tuesday I spent did some final Boston touristing since coach had never been, and spent most of the day traveling from one place to another. (Van to train. Train to North End. Train back. Van to hotel to get luggage. Van back to airport. Different van to different airport. Airport to airport to airport to home!)

Wednesday though, I took some friends on the previously mentioned labyrinth run. It was a slow four miles -- around 8:20 pace. I had a massage that morning which greatly, greatly reduced the ache in my legs. But I was definitely not spunky. I was very happy to run with my crew again!

Thursday everything started to click back into pace. I went for 5.6 miles, starting off slow and accidentally picking it up each mile. I was just easing into a pace that felt comfortable -- too slow is inefficient and my body balks. We started at 7:50 pace, then went 7:36, 7:40, 7:28, 7:25. Whoopsie-daisy.

I’m following a Pete Pfitzinger post-marathon plan. It’s five weeks long and designed to ease you back into training.

Today is a rest day, whoo-hoo. Tomorrow I’m going to get in seven miles, most of which will come from running with friends along the marathon course. Speaking of, good luck: Justin, Diane, Kelly, Eileen, Craig, Ed, and everybody else!

Labyrinth Run

2009-04-22T12:32:00.000-04:00

I’m a pretty pragmatic person. It may just be that I’m getting cynical in my old age, but I don’t really buy into religious, ethereal, fluffy stuff.

But this isn’t a post about my own spiritual leanings and whatnot, it’s a post about a really awesome run.

In December, right before the Memphis Marathon, Coach Chad asked if I wanted to go on the “mystical mojo run.” His cross country team does this loop before the state meet, and I get the impression Chad has done it more times than that. So I agree, curiosity being a major motivating factor for me in most decisions.

The run ended up being on a really cold day, and with me, Chad and two fast Bellarmine University runners. I started getting nervous about my impending butt kicking. All I really knew was that it was a 10k loop that was intended to mentally prepare you for racing.

Turns out, unbeknownst to me even though I’ve run past it a million times, there’s a labyrinth hidden up on Alta Vista, just outside of Cherokee Park near Big Rock.

Quite frankly, it doesn’t matter how you get to it. It’s about 4 miles from the bathrooms at Seneca Park round trip.

The idea is to run up to the labyrinth and walk through it while thinking about your training and your plans for the race. You do the walk slowly, because this is reflection and preparation time. Then you run back.

It’s incredibly zen. The route includes beautiful scenery; the seminary is quiet and peaceful.

To get there: take Alta Vista or Maple to Barr Road. The labyrinth is just the left of the gate entrance.

Boston - Things I forgot

2009-04-22T12:13:00.002-04:00

- German guy in a blond pig-tailed wig and Hooters waitress outfit. Ran past him at about 10k.
- Team Hoyt, on their way to their 1,000th race finish, at about 18 miles
- Girl to whom I’ve sold shoes, at Athlete’s Village in Hopkington
- Desiree Davila out for an easy jog on Sunday (I guess she was just to hang out)
- Bart Yasso signing autographs
- Bill Rodgers walking to his hotel
- Adidas billboard near finish: “All that’s left to do is make history.”

Boston Race Report

2009-04-22T11:00:00.002-04:00

Alarms start going off in our hotel at 4:45 a.m. Monday. Quick showers, grab gear, head out. To get to the race start, Chad and I have to take a shuttle to the subway, then take the subway to another bus that will take us to the start. We’re out of the hotel by 6, on the second bus by 7.

The efficiency of the Boston Marathon should be noted and celebrated: hundreds of school busses lined Boylston by the commons; runners were loaded in and sent on their way in less time than seemed possible.

But the bus ride is very long. When you sit on a bus for over an hour, the idea of running all the way back starts to seem pretty daunting. And the bus was cold. The weather was holding in the low 40s that morning, but since the sun wasn’t up yet (yikes), that was okay. A 10 a.m. start time is a strange thing.

We finally make it to Hopkington at a little after 8. First stop is the bathrooms, which probably took 20 minutes. I sit down and get my chip and bib on, throw on my headphones and start mentally getting ready.

Pre-race song list: Beyonce - Diva, Ludacris - Move Bitch, DJ Unk - Walk it Out, Dashboard Confessional - Reason to Believe.

I start shedding layers -- not much fun considering the temperatures and my race outfit of sports bra and split shorts. My bag goes into the bus (crossing my fingers my iPod, phone and cash all meet me at the finish), and I head for another bathroom stop.

I make it to the start a little later than I wanted, starting with the 8000s instead of my 7000s. Figure the bathroom stop will be well worth it, since I would have had to stop during the race instead. Since it’s chip timed, going to the bathroom before and starting late doesn’t hurt my time -- but stopping in the race would.

Going across the painted start line gives me a little thrill. Here I am, in Boston, running the marathon. The weather is good, my training has gone well -- now all I have to do is run well for less than 3.5 hours and I’m finished.

My loose plan for this race was to go easy until the half, around 7:20 pace, then try to pick it up after that. I wanted to run easy through the downhills, trying to preserve my legs for the hills towards the end.

Miles 1-5: 7:39, 7:24, 7:19, 7:17, 7:29. (5k split 23:17)

The first four miles are steeply downhill, and I was packed in pretty tight. No reason to try jetting down the road shoulder to go faster, just settling in for a long trip back to Boston. I notice I’m sweating by the two mile marker. I’m pretty much on pace, or at least close enough, and I tuck in behind two girls who look about my age and speed. I don’t talk to them, but being behind them keeps me from trying to pass people ahead of me the whole time.

Miles 6-10: 7:21, 7:13, 7:21, 7:17, 7:21. (10k split 46:20)

This is still feeling okay, I’m happy with my choice of apparel. I chuck my gloves a little before the 10k point. It’s probably 50 by now, but the wind hasn’t started to pick up yet. I see Alicia Heyne, another Louisville runner. She’s a few yards ahead of me, I call hello, she waves and keeps going. “Hm, guess she doesn’t want to run together,” I think to myself. I’m loving the crowd and looking forward to the halfway point and the tunnel of sound that is Wellesley College.

Miles 11-15: 7:31, 7:17, 7:22, 7:31, 7:33. (HM split 1:37:20)

Here we go through a couple small hills, but any hill is big in a marathon. Just past mile 12, you can here the girls of Wellesley screaming -- from a mile away. Running through there is incredible, kisses or no. The energy is amazing. But shortly after the halfway point, my stomach starts doing weird things, and I start thinking about throwing up. The internal debate is, stop and puke versus slow down and not puke. I opt for the later, not wanting to dehydrate myself by throwing up. I back off a little and brace for the hills.

Miles 16-20: 7:31, 7:56, 7:54, 7:37, 7:36.

Ouch. There’s a few little hills they don’t mention that lead into the bigger ones. Pretty big one at 17 (obviously), and I’m still thinking about throwing up. I’m pretty miserable, but I let the fans carry me along and hope my stomach settles. This is the worst section for me mentally every marathon anyway, so I’m just trying to hang in there.

I see Alicia again at 20. She’s starting to struggle. NOW she wants to chat. I talk to her for a few minutes; we relish that there’s only a 10k left. Her sister is supposed to be watching right around the area, but I don’t see her. I hope Alicia did. She was fading and I was starting to pick up steam.

The winds, by the way, are picking up. Cups are blowing all over the place at the water stations.

Miles 21-26: 7:45, 7:18, 7:27, 7:15, 7:09, 7:06.

Hello Heartbreak Hill. Long time no see. I drag myself up to the top -- I don’t walk, even though I see a lot of people doing so. I congratulate myself with a little fist pump at the top, no joke. Cresting that hill is what I needed to get back in the game.

In these miles somewhere -- I was starting to lose track of where I was -- some BU friends yell for me and so does my friend Chris, whose girlfriend was running too. I start passing people, pushing a little, trying to keep my legs from giving in. I’m dragging myself from water stop to water stop, pretty sure I won’t PR but knowing I would be pretty close to my time from Memphis.

Up one last hill at Fenway park, knowing I’m nearly finished but that there’s still a mile to go ... I try to speed up but there’s not much left, but still, I’m passing people like crazy, which is a good feeling. I hook the right-hand turn onto Hereford Street, which is a short, steep hill, then the left onto Boylston. The crowds are roaring, there’s just 400 meters between me and the arches at the finish. I got down to 6:15 pace in the final bit, but it took a lot.

Just 68 seconds slower than Memphis. Had wanted a PR but it wasn’t my day for one. I make a new friend in the finish chute, which gave me someone to talk to while we gathered our mylar blankets, gave up our chips in exchange for medals, tracked down our gear bags and in general, shuffled to our families and friends.

I find Chad at the “Q” section of the family meeting area, and I’m freezing. My teeth are chattering. I’ve pulled on pants and a sweatshirt to no avail. We head for a friend’s hotel, where the hotel security guard offers me a couple of towels to use as blankets. I find a heater to sit on eventually, but then we still have to make our way across town to our hotel. Sigh. It was nippy out, with the storms moving in.

Alright, this is getting ridiculously long. Will post separately about general thoughts on the race and the trip overall later!

Stats
Official time: 3:16:16
Female: 335/9302 (top 3.6 percent!)
Overall: 3891/22849 (top 17 percent)

Whoops

2009-04-14T09:08:00.003-04:00

Sorry I forgot to post, ah, all last week. Running isn't very exciting right now, since I'm in taper mode. Just 45 miles last week and not even that many this week.

Less than a week to go. Guess that means it's time for an obligatory reflective post. This training cycle I let somebody else design my program for the first time. Coach Chad Waggoner, a sub-3 marathoner and Trinity High School coach, put together my schedule. Not to say I followed it exactly ... but hey, I stuck to it pretty closely. He's been greatly supportive and doesn't let me get myself down.

January was so-so, a lot of good days but probably more off days than I should have taken. Especially at the end of the month when the ice storm hit, and I just couldn't find the will to slog through ice. This is also when I found out the treadmill destroys my IT band.

February was much more solid, only three days off and strong long runs on three of the four weekends. I really hit my stride in March, one day off before the 15k. Three 20+ runs and the other weekend was a 17.

I'm feeling ready. Ready for what exactly, I don't know, and like they say in "Once A Runner," "It's bad time to put your mouth on times your feet can't reach."

It's an important race -- every marathon is -- because of everything that goes into it. Running when you don't really want to, going to bed early on weekends, collapsing in your yard after a perfect 20 miler ...

Many props to my training pals, probably the best support group a gal could have: Diane, Rebekah, Eileen, Kelly, Steve and Dave. The people who don't run with me often but who I know are backing me up: Guy, Justin S., Justin B. and my family.

So going into this, I'm reminding myself this race is not "the" race. I'm already planning another marathon in the fall. Keep my eye on the prize and do the best I can.

"It's over!"

2009-04-05T12:48:00.002-04:00

(Please read headline in voice of Teen Girl Squad from Homestar Runner.)

Ran 18 miles today. Great run. Guess my body just wanted this week to heal up some. Nothing hurt, nothing was bad -- I have zero complaints about today's run.

If you need a visual to accompany my report, here you go.

Diane talked me into starting at 8, even though we usually start at 9 on Sundays and I was hella sleepy when I got up at 7. Our plan was to run part of her upcoming marathon course, the part that crosses over the Second Street Bridge. You get to the base of the bridge at about 22.5 miles, then it's a long uphill, back down, a little loop around the base of the bridge, then back across. N.B.: yours truly is scared of bridges. It was an interesting portion of the run. Diane said she would see me speed up, check my Garmin, slow down for a few steps then speed back up. Oops.

It was a really well-executed run -- nice and hilly in the beginning, since we went from Seneca Park through Indian Hills to River Road. Then down River Road to downtown Louisville, across the bridge, back down Main Street, then the bike path back to Cherokee Park. Then directly to Panera for sandwiches!

The weather was even compliant; sunny and 46 at the start but close to 60 at the end. It could have just stayed around 50, but oh well. And my shins don't hurt at all, knock on wood.

Taper time!

Just totally unnoteworthy

2009-04-04T22:00:00.002-04:00

Running this week was not particularly exciting. Still dealing with some shin pain; hopefully just residual race tear. Got in a slow 9 miles on trails on Tuesday, then 11 miles Thursday with 4.5 miles of tempo -- but most of the other days were ugly. I did mostly trails trying to baby this shin, so my pace was atrocious. I did get gloriously muddy on several occasions though.

Last long run is tomorrow ... 18 miles. Then I can take a break - sort of.

Race report - Heart Mini 15k

2009-04-02T08:44:00.003-04:00

Much to everyone in Louisville's confusion, a "mini marathon" is not necessarily a "half marathon." Sunday I headed to Cincinnati for my first race since Memphis. I decided to just drive up that morning, so that I could sleep in my own bed and save money, so I was on the road at about 7:30 a.m. ... gotta love a 10 a.m. race start! I had a coffee, a donut, some poptarts, a bottle of water and a bottle of gatorade with me. Most of those were consumed en route.

Got to the parking garage at about 9 a.m., watching everyone walk around the pickup area in tights and jackets. "Crap," I thought to myself, "I hope I'm not the only fool in shorts." My current philosophy is that if it's too cold for shorts, it's too cold to race. Granted, I wore shorts and short sleeves in Memphis and it was 35, so the bar is pretty high.

I had resigned myself to the weather; when I arrived it wasn't awful. Mid-40s, occasional drizzle. I had packed short sleeves and a singlet, plus my shorts. And gloves.

Inside, I scooped up my packet, along with a rare creature: a race shirt that fits. When they handed it to me, I was worried it would be too small. It looked tiny -- probably because it was a youth small. It fits perfectly. Go figure.

At 9:15 I was back in my car, heater running, pondering my warmup options. I had a running jacket and warmup pants, but couldn't decide if I wanted to warm up in those and come back and sit in the car for a few and change, or if I wanted to ditch everything and and warmup just before the start. I opted for the later.

I listed to a litany of obnoxious songs that make me want to run fast: Drop it like it's hott (Snoop), Walk it Out (DJ Unk), Ole Ole, etc. I put my tag on my flats, pinned my bib to my shorts, and locked up the car at about 9:40. I jogged over to the convention center, hit the bathroom, did some strides inside where it was warm, then jogged outside some more.

Had a hard time getting to the front of the start, so guess I should have warmed up earlier. They had seeded spots, but nothing about them on the website, and the female seed standard was 57 minutes anyway. Yeah right.

Mile 1: 6:20. Totally uphill through the first half mile or so. Nice overpass bridge. Weather crappy. Too fast. Pull self back under control.

Mile 2: 6:44. Right on pace. Water stop at mile 1.5, the 5k turnaround from earlier that morning. Really loud stereo. I hate running past speakers. Makes my head want to explode. Nice view of the river.

Mile 3: 6:34. Fast? Slow? These middle distances (10k/15k/HM) kill me. Trying to settle in. 5k in 20:16.

Mile 4: 6:37. Better. Nice hill thrown in here. Approaching turnaround, always fun to navigate. This race has two! Count seven girls ahead of me, so I figure I'm in the top ten, but you don't always know for sure.

Mile 5: 6:40. Back up the hill we came down as we approached turnaround. Getting to see runners still coming in.

Mile 6: 6:48. Hill from HELL. Goes up about a quarter mile so steep you can touch the ground in front of you, whips around the second turnaround at the mile marker. Wind getting nasty. 10k in 41:04 (a new PR).

Mile 7: 7:05. Then you go back down the hill, and up a really long one. At this point the wind is so hard I can't breathe or see. Catch girl in front of me who looks totally spent. Stay with her for a bit.

Mile 8: 6:46. Wind still terrible, hills still terrible, I'm starting to be miserable but it's almost over. Encouragement gained when crossing chip mat at mile 8.3 -- they give awards for the fastest final mile. It's a good reminder there's just one stupid mile left.

Mile 9: 6:57. Back up the huge hill from the race's beginning. This one hurts. My calves are screaming, the wind is blowing me backwards, and I'm ready for it to be over. 2:09 for the .3 - not much of a kick. Chip timed to 6:40 for the last mile (seventh fastest final female mile).

Finish time 62:40, 6:45 pace, ninth female overall. Somewhat encouraged that the seed time was 57 but the weather was so rough only the first-place girl ran that fast -- she ran 57:30. I'm happy, had gone in hoping to run anywhere between 6:30 and 7 pace, so I was about dead middle. Think better weather and I could have ran faster for sure. But, all things considered, for that course on that day, it was a good performance.

Flats worked out well, no owies. A little dinged up overall post-race, but that's to be expected. Other updates to come later.

Last 20+ run!

2009-03-22T17:07:00.002-04:00

Ahhhhhh! It's nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel. As of today, I have no more over-20 milers left. A race next Sunday, then 16-18 miles, then I'm out.

Actually, it's not that bad. I really love long runs, the longer the better. For whatever reason, I do better the longer they are. I went out today planning to just do 20, but then when Diane decided to do 22, I threw down two nice last miles -- ending with a 6:44. And after about mile 16 or 17, I was really having fun. I don't think that's allowed. We ran up our last big hill, one in Cherokee park that runs from Willow Park up Alexander Road to the Cherokee Golf Course pro shop, and I was actually giggling. That hill usually kicks my butt; today I coasted up like it was no big thing.

I guess that means the training is working. Fancy that. Good because Boston is in less than a month.

No other really interesting runs this week since last post. Easy trail run Friday morning, which was great because the trails are finally all clear. Easy run with Eileen Saturday morning for about 8 miles as part of her long run -- she's going to do great at the mini.

Race next Sunday. Maybe a little bit of downtime this week?

Spring! Finally!

2009-03-19T09:07:00.002-04:00

It finally feels like spring, thank goodness. Running in shorts makes me happy -- it doesn't take much, I know.

Tuesday night I went over to Waggner High for KCRS Track Tuesday, a weekly event that has gone on for over 20 years. It's an all-comers speed night, and this time of year it gets pretty busy. Many people are training for the Triple Crown or other spring races, plus the weather's nice. (There aren't so many people in mid-January when it's sleeting and 25, but we're there!)

Because I'm about to run a marathon (yikes), the interval workout planned for everyone wasn't great for me. So I went and did my own thing, and tried to just stay out of the way. I did 5x1200 with a slow lap between each repeat. It was my first chance to wear my new NBx racing flats, which is good because I plan to wear them in the 15k.

Yesterday morning was just an easy 8 miles, no heavy breathing allowed. Nothing really notable there, Rebekah and I just looped around St. Matthews -- over the Reservoir and around Seneca Park, pretty much.

Rodes City Run 10k is this weekend -- good luck to everyone who is racing!

2009-03-17T16:30:00.000-04:00

Short shakeout run yesterday morning, just 2.25 miles. Quite a bit slower on the way out than the way back, by about 20 seconds. Something like 7:48 pace on the way out and 7:26 pace on the way back, 7:35 average. The 22 miler still had me feeling stiff, mostly in the quads, but nothing terrible. Especially considering I wasn't going slower than usual.

Then I went and got my butt kicked by Lisa Ferguson at the Louisville Athletic Club in a 30 minute abs & back class. Lisa, along with Jenny Willis, are the main reasons why I keep going to the LAC. They both teach pilates and yoga, and I love their classes. I don't like doing strength training by myself -- having an instructor keeps me focused and helps me make sure I'm doing worthwhile exercises.

Last night I put in my real run for the day, a 5.25 mile loop we do pretty much every Monday. As usual, Diane and Kelly were there, and we finally suckered our friend Adam into showing up, too. The warm weather had everyone feeling a little squirelly, and we all ended up averaging around 6:50 pace for the run. Oops again. Usually we say we're going to go slow, and end up running 7:30s anyway, but this was a little zippy even for our usual shenanigans. I never felt like I was pushing the pace, I was just running comfortably. So that's a good sign.

Tonight is speed night. I'm actually going to go hit the track for a change, and maybe throw on my flats and everything.

Whew!

2009-03-15T18:40:00.004-04:00

What a week. It was hard to post because I was sans-computer from Saturday to Thursday ... the Mac PBg4 from 2003 finally crashed on me. Permanently.

I had a good week, running-wise. I mean, it must be good if the little log application on the left can't hold it all! I logged 66.2 for the week, including 17 last Sunday, 6x1600 on Tuesday and hills Thursday.

Today I put in a noteworthy 22 mile run with Steve. Our first loop was 13.27 miles at 7:30 pace; we went up to River Road, cut over to the bike path, through Cherokee and Seneca and back to the bathrooms. Then we did a 8.78 mile loop over to Browns Park and the reservoir. Then we sat in my front yard. I was really hungry the entire run, so I need to work on my pre-run nutrition some more. I seriously felt like my stomach was caving in and trying to eat itself.

I did get to try some of my awesome New Balance apparel the past couple of days -- since it finally warmed up! The new NBx line has some really nice gear, like the Cocona fabrics and great detailing. My only complaint is that the cuts are a little off, even the XS sizes seem big in the tops, and they're cut really long. Great if you like looser fitting, more full-coverage tops. But, in a singlet, I don't want a ton of extra fabric.

Next race is the 15k in Cincy on March 29. I may go knock out a 5k at Tom Sawyer, the Goose Creek 5k, on April 4.

2009-03-05T07:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday's run was great. Nice and easy for 8.5 miles, with all sorts of adventures thrown in. We decided to try some of the trails at Sawyer and see if they had been cleared (not so much). We climbed over fallen debris, ducked under branches ... And that was just the first few miles. Early on we saw two deer bounding across the path, looking disturbed by the model planes flying above.

We cut over to the Anchorage Trail (I'm trying to find a weblink for this to no avail), where we saw a dog that looked like a panda and crossed a creek via a fallen tree. Good times.

All in all, we didn't run very fast but it was a nice shakeout run after Tuesday's hard workout.

Today I'm getting a massage and putting in a hill workout before work. Usually I try to leave time between my massage and my run, but it's just not working out today.

2009-03-04T08:10:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Eileen and I met at Sawyer for some two-mile repeats. She's training for her second half, so she did two sets; I did three. I think I may have essentially run faster than my 10k PR. (Which isn't very good, so maybe I shouldn't be too proud.)

Sawyer has a gravel loop that is almost exactly a mile (my garmin pegs it at .97 or so) -- it's also flat and not usually crowded. (Lots of people come walk from maybe 5-7 p.m. when the weather is nice.) It was pretty cold yesterday, so I did a 1.75 mile warmup to get everything loose, not to mention checking on any kinks lasting from Sunday and Monday.

After talking to a couple of guys with way more experience than I have, we estimated my VDOT at 52, which makes 6:40 a nice pace for me on this workout. Then again, my times are a little all over the place, so I range from a 48 to 52, depending on race distance.

Times: 6:28/6:40, 6:42/6:36, 6:33/6:32.

Oops.

So I'm not sure what that means. My VDOT is higher for my 5k PR I ran last May than the marathon I just ran, even though I think the marathon was a much bigger accomplishment and required a lot more work. And is a much more impressive time than my 5k. Curious stuff.

The Mason-Dixon Games are this weekend at Broadbent Arena -- if you live in Louisville or nearby, it should be a fun meet to watch.

Boston countdown begins

2009-03-03T09:17:00.003-05:00

Wow, back to blogging ... I've been thinking about getting this thing going again, and I'm finally going to do it.

Quick updates:

Ran Evansville HM in October, worst race of my career, 1:31:28, fifth female
Ran Memphis Marathon in December, good solid race, 3:15:08, 20th female
Boston coming up in about seven weeks, April 20!

I'm not putting in big mileage like I was before Memphis, but I'm content so far. I've gotten rid of a lot of easy miles I was doing and replaced them with more quality workouts. We'll see if that makes a difference.

My first 20 mile run of the training block was this past Sunday. I ran with a good group of people (Steve, Rebekah, Dave and Craig, plus Kelly for the first hour), and Steve and I stayed together through 5 tempo-ish miles from 13-18. It's nice to have company. After doing two 18s and a 20 in consecutive weekends, I'm excited to cutback to 15 or so this weekend.

Yesterday, for my post-20 miler recovery day, I did an hour of pilates and an hour of yoga, with a two-mile shakeout sandwiched between. In the evening I did 5.25 easy miles with Diane, which was just enough time to catch up on our weekend adventures.

Today is repeat two-milers, three of them. Will post later on that!

Wildlife!

2008-07-21T11:54:00.002-04:00

ORN: About 7 miles in an hour, on trails in Seneca. Still hot and humid.

Today I saw countless rabbits, a small turtle and three raccoons, the latter being the highlight of the run.

Last week was a recovery week from the ultra (see race report below), with two sluggish miles on Tuesday, then 11 at sub-8 pace Wednesday, 7 miles both Thursday and Friday, then 10.5 on Saturday. Yesterday we did another easy 7, just like I did today. We've got 116 days until Richmond!

Rattlesnake 50k Race Report

2008-07-12T09:45:00.009-04:00

Friday around lunchtime we piled six people's stuff, two tents and ourselves into a shiny white rented Tahoe and drove to lovely Charleston, WV. The Rattlesnake 50k was held in Kanawha State Forest, one of the prettiest places I've ever been. We got to the campsite around 5 p.m., and hustled to set up our tents since dinner (which was included with our entry fee) was at 6.

We gorged on pizza and Gatorade while realizing we were the youngest people at the race, and spent a lot of time rifling through our sweet swag bags. Each runner got a small yellow duffle bag with the race name screen printed on it, a yellow T-shirt, and a bunch of product samples from Hammer Nutrition. Hammer and Inov-8 donated other full-size products to be randomly distributed in bags, so a friend got a 26-serving jug of Hammer Gel and I got an Inov-8 waistpack.

While at the dinner we found out we could save the group $36 and camp in a group campsite behind the starting line. We tore down the tents, crammed everything back in the Tahoe, and relocated. After exploring the forest a bit, including the last part of the race course, we all went to sleep.

Alarms went off at 5 a.m. and we sat in the tents figuring out what, exactly, one has to have on-hand for a 31-mile race. The race started at 6:30, and the 90 minutes of prep time seemed barely enough. I knew there would be well-stocked aid stations roughly every 3 miles, so I filled up my two waterbottles on my Amphipod belt, tucked in four GUs, grabbed my sunglasses and headband and was ready.

The start was pretty informal, a group of a hundred or so people in a parking lot. The race director said, "3, 2, 1, go!" and we all took off. We ran for about five minutes before hitting the first uphill climb, at which point we all started walking.

That was the pattern for the next 6 hours -- run a little, walk a lot. I suppose it was split pretty evenly, but I felt like I was doing an awful lot of walking. Maybe because there were 5,000 feet of uphill climb.

I was running with an awesome friend, Diane, with whom I've been running and working for about 18 months now. This was her second 50k, and we laughed and joked and talked about all the neat plants we saw.

The race, because of both the terrain and the length, didn't have mile markers, which I think was for the best. What we knew was that the aid stations were roughly three miles apart, so that was how we gauged our progess. After the first aid station, the runners were spread out enough that Diane and I didn't see anybody else until the next station, and then we ran some with two older guys off and on through aid station five. They were behind us until the fourth station, and then at aid station five they told us we were "hammering on the downhills" which we took as a great compliment. They were changing socks and taking a break at that station, so Diane and I pulled away.

Shortly after aid station six, about four hours in, I lost Diane. I wasn't purposefully trying to go any faster, and I didn't want to leave her behind, but it was understood it was an every man for himself kind of race. She had been dealing with a renegade IT band, and we had two friends up ahead somewhere that I wanted to catch. As we crested the hill after the sixth climb, I started running again (we walked all the uphills) and Diane didn't. I gradually pulled away, still feeling pretty fresh.

I coasted through aid station seven, roughly 21 miles in, and laughed at the idea of only having 10 miles left. I really did feel surprising good. We'll credit some excellent weeks of training, GU Roctane and candy orange slices.

At aid station eight, I caught our other two friends, Rebekah and Chris. Of course, as I spotted them, I got excited and stopped paying attention, stepped in a hole and gave my bum ankle a good twist. It hurt the few next steps to the aid station, but then went away. Rebekah, Chris and I started walking the next hill, evaluating how we were feeling with a mere seven or so miles to go. I said, "Hey, it's just the distance of one of our weekday easy runs!" I may have been the only one feeling that way. Again I pulled away, walking faster up the hill and running once I hit the top.

For the last two hours of the race, I continuously caught and passed people. Nobody passed me, which was a good feeling but makes me think I probably could have ran the first half faster. But, in such a long race and having not done one before, I wasn't sure how I would feel. As we got to the part of the trail I had walked the night before, I started really running (as opposed to the slow plod I had been using), and cruised all the way to the finish -- where two other friends were waiting and cheering. I finished 37th overall and 14th female in 6:25:50.

The race director shook my hand and gave me a cool handle-less Fiestaware mug with the race name and year on it. Matt, one of the two pals at the finish, had ran 5:21:33 in his second trail race and first ultra to finish 16th overall. He did Ironman Louisville last year and was a great runner at Centre College, so we expected him to do well. Nikki, the second friend and the one person I can usually count to be yelling my name at the finish, ran about the first 10 miles of the race as she comes back from a pretty vicious IT band flare-up after running the Cincinnati Flying Pig half-marathon.

Chris and Rebekah came through in 54th and 55th, in 6:59:22, looking tired but strong. We had sandwiches and hung out as we waited for Diane, who we feared might be struggling with her IT band out in the woods somewhere. Some other guys finished who said they had seen her an aid station or two back, so we knew she was still going. She rounded the corner without a limp, which was a relief to everybody (especially boyfriend Matt), but also without her shoes. After her finish in 7:54:33, 71st overall, she told us her foot had blistered so badly she had to run the last three miles without her shoes -- including up a rocky hill! She should get some sort of superwoman award.

All in all, I loved running this race. Usually I get bored running longer races, but this time I had a blast the entire time. I have already started looking for another trail 50k to do, and I would recommend Rattlesnake to anyone looking for a well-organized, scenic race well worth the $50 entry fee.

Idle feet

2008-07-10T08:18:00.002-04:00

Yesterday marked a two-month running streak for me, my first attempt at running every day on a regular basis. I feel pretty kick ass.

So I am taking today off, with an easy 5 mile run tomorrow when we get to West Virginia, then it's all-out for 6 hours of trail running on Saturday.

I like that I can tell I'm getting faster. My long runs are hovering around 8 min/mi and that feels easy. I'm excited about running the ultra, but I must say I think I'm even more excited about having it over with and getting into fall training. The Evansville Half and Richmond Marathon are waiting for me!

Sweat and spiderwebs

2008-06-27T15:24:00.004-04:00

ORN: Just over 7 in just over an hour, trails over at Sawyer. Nice recovery run.

Wednesdays and Fridays are tough because I only get about 12 hours between runs. We run on the preceding days at 7 p.m., finish around 8, then sleep and run again at 7 a.m. They get a little sloggy. But, today was good anyway; really humid but just ambled along.

Last night was an hour of trails in the rain; Wednesday another easy hour and Tuesday intervals. A good week all-in-all, after tomorrow's run I'll be at 60 for the week.

I've been dragging this week with a sinus infection -- my second since April. The doc is sending me to an allergist in a few weeks to try and pinpoint the problem. I assume it'll be something dumb like grass.

A complaint: the race at Hubers, the Barnyard Dash 10k, did the awards not the usual way. Typically, the overall gender winners are not eligible for age group awards. The Pacers and Racers folks, though, gave the overall gals age group and overall awards. Silliness. Add to that the fact I drove to New Albany for early packet pickup on Friday, only to find out they had decided not to have it but didn't post that anywhere. Then, when I arrived on Saturday, they were out of shirts -- even though the registration form guaranteed shirts to the first 300 registrants, of which I was one. I'm a little irked and not planning to do that race or any of their others, in the future.

This week has been pretty fun because many of the company reps are showing us shoes for 2009. I've seen a lot of cool things in the past two weeks or so, and I'm excited about some upcoming products. Plus, I think it feeds into my newsroom junkie habit of wanting to know things first. Now I've seen shoes most people won't see until January!

Also this week I got my new racing flats. My awesome sponsor Mizuno supplied me with two new pair of Wave Ronins, weighing in at just over 6 ounces. It's a great fitting shoe, so much that I may have to race again sooner than I thought.

That's it for now! Ten miles tomorrow and 20 on Sunday -- I live an exciting life!

Race report

2008-06-23T20:11:00.003-04:00

First, I've figured out when you run 7 days a week it's hard to maintain a running blog. It would be really boring.

Saturday was race-day, and even though it didn't go off quite how I wanted, it was still okay. I suppose I should preface this race report with the following: Friday evening I had two margaritas, four beers and stayed out until midnight. Then we got lost on the way up to Huber's. So with the stage set ...

My original pace-setter, Chris, had backed out with a sore hamstring. Another friend, Doug, volunteered Friday evening to help me out if he could. While Doug is a 3:09 marathoner, he hasn't been keying for any particular race, and I'm not sure he was quite race-ready that morning.

So I take off, trying to settle into pace and not trip over anybody. I'm cruising through the first mile, and as we come down the first hill, I can hear the splits being called a hundred meters or so away. They were still in the 5 minutes, at which point I thought, "Oops," and pulled back. Hit the 1-mile in 6:07.

Then we went uphill and I slowed down hoping Doug would pull alongside me and help out. I started to settle into my pace but wasn't quite there. Crossed the 2-mile in 6:50, 30 seconds slow but okay given the first mile (which had been at least 13 seconds fast, if not 18).

The course has enough elevation change that I struggle with finding my pace, and slog through 3 in 7:02. I came through 5k in under 21, which was still alright by me. I don't really know what happened over the next few miles. The 4 was 6:52, then 7:10 at 5, which I believe included the hill from hell.

I did pull it back together with 6:34 for the last mile and 1:15 for the final .2. Unofficially I have 41:50.

I still picked up an age group award, which is a very lovely handcrafted mug still in a friend's possession. I then hustled back and started work ... it was a long day!

I did get to meet Miranda, finally, and wish I had time to hang out that morning and eat fruit!

Sunday was a good 16 miler, during which I averaged 8:09 pace. Today was 70 minutes on trails, fairly easy, so probably just over 8 miles. I followed that with an hour of pilates, an hour of yoga, and some upper-body weights. Whew!

I hate writing titles

2008-06-18T19:52:00.003-04:00

ORN: 7 in 57:04, 8:09 pace. Great weather this morning, nice easy run. Did 6x800 on Tuesday and averaged 7:30 pace for 5 miles total, including the intervals on which I averaged 3 minutes (6 min/mi pace). Spot on for Saturday's race, where I hope to run about 6:20 pace.

So, I got tagged on this bad boy ... A running meme. Enjoy.

Rules: Each player answers the 5 questions on their own blog. At the end of your post you tag 5 other people and post their names. Go to their blogs and leave a comment on their blogs telling them they’ve been tagged and to look at your blog for details. When they’ve answered the questions on their own blog, they come back to yours to tell you.

How would you describe your running 10 years ago? I would have been 13 years old, so my running was nilch. A couple of years later I would run for soccer and track, but just for two or three years each.

What is your best and worst run/race experience? Best physically? The badass 19:25 5k I ran a couple of weeks ago. Best emotionally? Boston made me a total headcase; I crossed the finish line both depressed about how I had done and awed I felt awful and still PR'd on a much tougher course. Worst? Boston. That sucker hurt. I felt like I was ready and it still kicked my butt.

Why do you run? Shoot, it turns out I'm good at it. I don't feel I've ever been exceptional at any one particular thing, and I might have the potential to be my one thing. I love the feel of running, I love being with my friends while we're running, I love talking about running, reading about running, the whole shebang. I watch every meet I can on television and then look up more online. I'm a total junkie.

What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running? My store manager, Chris, has always been super-supportive and made me believe I had potential even on days I feel merely mediocre. I couldn't single out any one particular thing, but he always makes me feel encouraged.

Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know. I eat candy like it's my business. And I hate hearing that my metabolism is going to let me down -- I don't run 60-mile weeks for nothing.

Alright ... Miranda is definitely up, and hopefully some of my other running pals will do this on Facebook. =D (Chris, Diane, Jason, Justin, Nikki, Rebekah)

67 Miles Later ...

2008-06-15T18:16:00.002-04:00

Yup, I ran 67 miles last week. That included a 20 miler on Sunday and a 14 miler yesterday. Ready to back off this week a bit for this 10k on Saturday.

So I looked at the official results from the 5k I just did a couple of weeks ago ... And apparently I stopped my watch at the wrong time. I actually finished in 19:25, even faster than I had thought! Hopefully that positive development will carry me through this 10k, about which I'm feeling a little nervous.

I've actually only done one 10k ever, and that was last spring. I suppose it'll go alright. I should come close to 40 minutes, and I'm going to try like heck to break it.

Four weeks until the 50k!

Sloggy-slog

2008-06-09T19:42:00.002-04:00

ORN: 6.5 in 58 minutes. Slow 'n' steady for a recovery day.

I hear the heat wave is going to break soon, which is excellent news. Even the 80s are starting to sound pleasant. I'm becoming a cold-weather runner; I think ideal conditions are in the 40s or 50s.

Also did an hour of pilates and an hour of yoga today. Cross-training is fun! I really like doing those two, which are great for my flexibility and core strength. I'm already noticing on long runs the things that used to ache -- hips and back -- don't anymore. Yay!

Okay, that's all.

Lots of long runs

2008-06-08T16:42:00.002-04:00

ORN: Yesterday, 10.25 in 1:20. About 80 degrees. Good run, comfortable pace.

Today, 20 in 2:48. Again, over 80 even though we started at 7:30 a.m. First 10 were nice and easy, just cruising -- but the second 10 were work. I felt as good as one can feel for that long a run, just a little sore in the knees. Not that it was easy ... Miles 15-18 were a little draggy.

Lots of work on fueling right now, we have the ultra coming up and we each have to figure out the best we can how to stay hydrated right. Gosh it is hot.

Back to watching Pre Classic!

Saucony hydralite, Bislett Games

2008-06-06T17:55:00.002-04:00

ORN: 6 miles on trails in 40:48, around 8:30 pace. Legs dead today. Only 12 hours recovery since last night's run, which I figured was the lesser of two evils: be tired while running this morning by myself for a short while, or be tired on tomorrow's 10 miler with people faster than I. At 7:30 this morning it was already around 90 degrees.

But I did get to run in a new Saucony tank, made of their Hydralite material. I highly recommend it. Super lightweight (3 oz/square yard), and with a specific grid pattern on the underside that minimizes the points of contact with your skin but promotes rapid moisture transfer. Even while my face and neck were dripping, my torso felt dry. Silky smooth and great seaming.

The ExxonMobil Bislett Games were today in Oslo, Norway. Dibaba set a new WR in the women's 5k with 14:11.15, breaking Defar's record by about five seconds. Defar is supposed to run at the Pre Classic Sunday, so we may see that record change again. Bianca Knight, the 19-year-old Mississippian sprinting phenom, won the 200m and placed second in the 100m. After just finishing her freshman year running for the University of Texas, Knight went pro just a month or two ago.

Another day, another run

2008-06-05T21:48:00.002-04:00

ORN: 8.84 in 1:08, 7:43 pace. Ran the first 7 at closer to 7:20 pace, but then did the remainder as an easy cool down. Mucho tired; 46 miles since Sunday. Need another hour or so tomorrow, then another 10 miles Saturday. My first week at 60 miles, ever, and in 90-degree weather. Genius.

A bit better

2008-06-04T09:25:00.004-04:00

ORN: 7.4 in 1:01:41, about 8:20 pace per usual. DANG, it's hot.

Weather supposed to stay in the 90s the next four or five days, then hover in the high 80s for a while. It's miserable. We went at 6:45 this morning and it was already nearly 80. Yuck. I have that 10k on the 21st, so I'm hoping I acclimate soon or the temperatures fall. Even if the humidity would drop, that would help.

Short day for me at work today; spent three hours laying out by the pool and then went to a BBQ. Bed time!

Worst work out ever

2008-06-03T21:58:00.002-04:00

ORN: Track night, 6 miles SLOW. I don't even want to talk about it. It was so hot and humid my body couldn't cool itself. Probably should have bagged the whole thing. We were supposed to do 10x500 with 300 recoveries; I did the first five then did 5x400 with a slower recovery. Just couldn't do it.

So I'll just sleep and start over tomorrow. Early run planned to escape the heat.

In other news ... I hear the new Louisville Marathon/HM course for the fall is being finalized, so hopefully that will be up soon.

New Saucony Rides and Omnis are out now, FWIW. Hey, these things are important.

Back blogging

2008-06-02T20:49:00.003-04:00

ORN: Trails, 7 miles, 56 min.

Alright, this is my approximately millionth do-over for staying on top of blogging. Really, I'm going to do it this time. At least for a while.

It's an interesting time in my training -- about six weeks post-Boston and six weeks pre-ultra. Overdistance is just picking back up, with 17 miles yesterday. Since the marathon, I had done one 12 mile trail run and three 10 mile runs, but nothing much over 7 other than that. Lazy if you consider the fact I only took one day off in May. But, I wanted to let my body adapt to running seven days a week, and wanted to work on boosting my weekly mileage back up that way before upping the long runs. From the end of April, my weekly mileage was 29, 35, 52, 56 and 43.

The cut-back week last week happened mostly because I was racing on Saturday, my first 5k in almost a year. When I started running in May 2006, all I did that year (from September on) were 5ks. In 2007, I did 5ks (along with a 10k, 10 miler and HM) through the first half of the year, then did another HM and a full marathon.

Race report

The "Run for the L of It" is a little 5k in Downtown Louisville, sponsored by U of L's Alumni Association, and one I did last year. Last June I set my 5k PR at 20:41 on a hilly course and hot day, and off running about 25 mpw. That was the last 5k I did, although I talked about shooting for a sub-20 attempt from then on.

So this race has been on my calendar for several months for that purpose. It's small, it's flat, and well-timed. Plus the T-shirts are cool.

My twice-weekly speed sessions had been going well, including 5x1k (with equal time rest) the week before. In fact, during that workout I averaged 6:15 pace.

So I was feeling optimistic on the warm, muggy race morning. I found a great parking spot, finished my coffee, got my number and starting warming up. I did not feel snappy. The legs, despite having a fairly easy week previous, were a little dull. I did about 10 minutes of warming up with some pickups thrown in, and had resigned myself to a mediocre race with 15 minutes before the start. I saw a couple of friends who had come to cheer, which made me feel better. One is a regular running companion, and a sub-20 5k'er herself, and she had faith the goal was within reach.

After a somewhat silly start, with no recognizable starting line, I looked around to analyze the competition. Not many females there who looked in race-shape, so I figured I could place fairly high. One lady who looked competitive I overheard talking about running 6:45 pace, about 20 seconds/mile slower than I was hoping to do.

I was in the front two rows of runners when the gun sounded, and resisted (thankfully) the urge to stay with the front runners. I settled into my groove fairly quickly, and remembered the course fairly well.

As we got about a half-mile in, a young Derby City Athletic Club runner asked me what pace we were on. I said I wasn't sure, but I hoped it was around 6:30 pace. I remembered roughly where the one mile marker was -- only because the aforementioned friend (of sub-20 fame) and I ran through it in about 6:05 last year, which was WAY too fast.

But I didn't see it. I looked for it around 5:30 into the race, and then checked my watch again around 8 minutes.

"Uh-oh," I thought to myself. "Either I'm going really slow and they've changed the course, or there aren't any mile markers."

Around then a girl passed me -- one I had not seen at the start, but the only one ahead of me. I kept her in sight for a while.

As I passed the sole water stop, my watch read roughly 10 minutes. I felt like I was on pace or close -- thank heavens for speedwork -- and I had faith if I could hang in there I'd be fine. By then it definitely felt like work. Mentally I crossed my fingers and hoped the water stop was near the halfway point and I pressed on. The wind was rough in places; I could feel myself being blown aside. By now the only female in front of me was out of sight, and I knew unless she fell off pace I wouldn't catch her. I was already working hard enough.

For some reason, the part of this race beyond the water stop seems to go forever. During the half-mile following the water stop, I entertained the notion of quitting (as I do in most races, although I've never done it). Shortly after, though, I rounded another corner and began running back against the walkers still heading the other way.

A few more blocks and I was back at Eighth and Main, which meant I had four blocks to go before the last turn, so roughly seven or eight blocks total. I don't think I looked at my watch for a while, I just concentrated on making the blocks pass while maintaining pace and form.

I had also abandoned the watch because it was clear there were not splits to help me pace. Mental finger-crossing still ensued.

I took the last corner and could see the finish just two or three blocks away. I began to kick with what I had left, which probably wasn't much. I had glanced at my watch and knew I had scant time, although I don't remember what it was. I just told myself to find that next gear and hammer home. If I didn't make it, at least I'd be close.

About a half-block away, I realized the goal was within reach, and my friends were standing there cheering. I hit the finish in 19:30, a personal best by 71 seconds.

I took home second female, but mostly I was happy with my time.

Next up is a 10k, sub-40 attempt, at Huber's later this month. The overdistance continues with a 10 and 20 miler this weekend and 12 and 20 the next. Our 32-mile trail race, the Rattlesnake 50k, is July 12.

Two opportunities for track on TV this weekend!

ESPN Classic on Friday, from 2:30-4:30 p.m: IAAF Golden League in Oslo, Norway. Great match-up in the women's 800m and Jen Rhines in the 5k.

NBC on Sunday, 4 p.m.: Nike Prefontaine Classic. HUGE meet. Lagat and Webb in the mile, along with seven other runners with PRs under four minutes. The men's 200m also looks good - Xavier Carter, Jeremy Wariner, Wallace Spearmon and Asafa Powell. And the women's 100m - Alyson Felix, Torri Edwards, Carmelita Jeter, Lauryn Williams and Muna Lee. (At Reebok last week, it was Lee (third), followed by Williams, Jeter, Felix and Edwards.)

Almost T&F trials time!

Flying pigs!

2008-05-05T08:17:00.002-04:00

A short but huge shout-out for my friends and running pals Rebekah and Nikki, who ran at Flying Pig this weekend.

Rebekah grabbed her Boston qualifier on a long course, due to a detour for a fire at mile 22. The on-the-fly rerouting made the course unofficially some 400-600 meters long, with a lot of runners on pins and needles waiting to find out if they'll get adjusted time to BQ. Fortunately, there's no worries for Bek, who's chip time was 3:38:38! We are curious to see what her official time ends up being -- probably somewhere in the 3:36 range. She ran an awesome race.

Nikki ran her first half-marathon with no walking on an iffy knee in 1:52, exactly the 8:30 pace she wanted. She's made a ton of progress in the past few months!

So our group is marathoned out until the fall ... not including this lil' 50k we're doing in July!

No running today!

2008-05-02T07:21:00.002-04:00

I am taking the day off from running -- I don't take many, so two in one week is weird. I am going to hit an hour-long hatha yoga class and some weights this morning, though. I think that's a good compromise, since I wasn't doing much cross-training before -- it makes more sense to me to start doing weights while I'm running a little less.

I am recovering also from an allergen-induced sinus infection, so I have a smorgasbord of meds for the next week or so. But, I'm already feeling much better, so it's totally worth it.

For the second time in 23 years, I will not be in Kentucky for Derby. I'll be in Cincinnati, cheering on two friends as one takes on her first marathon and the other her first no-walking half-marathon.

So about 30 miles for this week after Saturday's run ... Not bad for the week after a marathon! I'll start easing back into form next week, with that 5k on 5/31.

Recuperating!

2008-04-29T07:02:00.002-04:00

One week later things are feeling right as rain. Last week I plodded through a 4 mile run on Wednesday and a 5 mile run on Friday (and those are generous mileages, it's entirely possible they were shorter) - not a great deal of pain, but my legs steadfastly refused to work in a normal fashion.

Sunday, though, I got in 8 miles at 8:45 pace, which is a little slower than usual but felt really easy. No complaints. We were dragging a friend's boyfriend along, who hadn't run more than 6 miles ever, so we have to account for that, too. Cherokee's unforgiving 8 mile loop may have been a little unfair.

Yesterday I began my life as a gym-goer. I've always been skeptical of joining a gym, but I finally did it. The damage Boston did to my quads made me decide some weight lifting was definitely in order. I want to strengthen my core, too, so yesterday found me in pilates and yoga classes. My abs hurt this morning, which I like. Tomorrow I have a consult with a trainer to start developing a routine to strengthen legs, arms and core three times a week. I'm going to be super-strong!

Just 22 miles scheduled for this week, easing back into things. Nothing major going on until the end of the month, when I'll make my first serious sub-20 5k attempt.

Post Boston!

2008-04-26T20:48:00.003-04:00

Wow, I thought for sure I'd be able to consistently post on here, and I was wrong.

A recap:

- Boston = hard. Don't think I'd recommend it as a second marathon -- you should get a couple under your belt first.
- PR'ing at Boston = very hard. I scraped a minute off, barely. My friend Heather brought hers down by six minutes, which is incredible.
- Wear sunscreen and sunglasses even if the weather seems inappropriate for such. It might change.
- Wear a sports bra and shorts. Deal with being cold. Before mile 10, you'll be warm. If it's still too cold, you should have picked a different race.

I ran a 3:32:01, which re-qualifies me for Boston in 2009, so I could run no more marathons this year if I so desired. Or totally bomb the one I'm planning for in the fall. (Hey, Miranda, I think it's the same as you. Party in the hizzy.) Either way, it put me in the top third of the field ... a field of amazing runners. I should be happy, although I had hoped for better and am still a little disappointed. Hopefully some goal-reaching in some upcoming shorter races will even things out.

The women's olympic trials were incredible. I want that. Watching those awesome ladies made me reaffirm my desire to work my tush off to get there in 2012. Only 180 women qualified for the last go-round.

Awesome job on those who ran in Louisville today, and good luck to everyone going to Cincinnati next week!

More later. Really.

Two weeks of nail-biting

2008-04-09T17:58:00.002-04:00

With only 12 days to go, I am essentially a nervous wreck. There's not much I can do at this point to ensure success, so I'm fretting over all the things that are left - what clothes I want to wear, for example.

Boston is not the most predictable of climates: in 2004 it was sunny and 86 degrees for the marathon, last year it was rainy and in the 30s. I'd be happy with anything not rainy and between 40-50. If it falls below 40 or above 50, I have to give more consideration to what I'm wearing during the race. I don't think I really have the right shorts for a hot-weather marathon, and I'm in a little bit of a panic because I'm not sure what I'll do if it gets hot. I'm going to just plan on wearing my capris and hope it's not hot. Upper body, who knows. Gloves, probably, if it's under 60.

I am ready to get this over with.

PJ 10 Miler race report

2008-03-29T20:22:00.002-04:00

This is the first race I've really done since Memphis, and it was nice being in a race atmosphere again. We did PJ as a training run, my last 20, with 5 miles before and 5 after. Our plan was to run 7:40 pace, my goal marathon pace for Boston (three weeks!), for the 10 miler. No dice. Rolled through just under 7:20s the whole way, with a sub-7 final mile and a few close to 7. Awesome run considering Iroquois hills and the fact I was never running hard. I talked the whole time, probably much to my training partner's dismay.

PJ was good again this year, well-staffed and friendly. I still dislike the finish -- too much time running on the squishy grass. It did give me an opportunity to catch a girl who had passed us in Iroquois. My competitive streak makes it hard to do a race as a training run -- we did the same thing during our first 20 miler in the summer. I went into a 5k thinking of running slow and easy, just a smidge faster than usual long run pace ... so maybe 8 minute miles. I did a 23-minute 5k, somewhere in the 7s. Oops.

Definitely felt good today. Had a weird ankle thing going on late last week/early this week, but it appears to be all gone. I'm heading into happy taper time!

2008-03-13T19:45:00.000-04:00

It's funny to remember at this time last year I hadn't even run a 10k.

Lessoned learned

2008-03-13T07:42:00.002-04:00

Do not help your friend move her entire second floor apartment across town to a third floor apartment, in a four hour move-stravaganza, then go for a long run. Bad idea. I could tell early on I was tired -- who knows how many stairs I climbed, plus I didn't get lunch -- but was alright until around mile 15. It was those last three that weren't much fun.

And talk about not fun -- should have seen me on Monday. My arms (where I have recurring bouts of tendonitis in my wrists and arms from typing) were amazingly sore, so much so I couldn't hold a pen. My back hurt, my neck hurt, my legs hurt. I hobbled around like an 80-year-old woman all day.

So Monday became the logical off day, especially since my work schedule shifted a little this week. Tuesday I banged out 10x400 with 400 recoveries, all of which I ran faster than I thought I would, averaging 1:31 for the efforts.

I have two more 20 milers left, one this weekend and one March 29, as part of Papa John's 10 miler. Just under six weeks to go until Boston!

Weather!

2008-03-09T20:48:00.002-04:00

My goodness, what a crazy week. Monday it was bright and sunny, a seemingly blistering 70 degrees. Tuesday it decides to be freezing again, and windy. (Plus we did 9x800 with 200 recoveries. Ouch.) Wednesday, pretty nice weather. Friday, blizzard. Saturday, blizzard. Sunday, warm and sunny.

Pretty good week for me, although feeling a little tired after hitting 60 miles last week. Got to 46 this week, hope to be back around 50 the rest of March.

I'm pretty excited about Papa John's coming up, we're planning it as a 20 mile run. Five mile warm up, 10 miles at marathon pace, five mile cool down.

OH! Think I am doing an ultra in June, in Indiana.

Too tired for more!

I <3 Mizuno

2008-03-05T08:18:00.003-05:00

I got my apparel shipment last week, which took the better part of the day to go through - since, obviously, I needed to try on every piece. Shorts, capris, sleeveless tanks, shimmels, t-shirts ... And it all matches!

My stepdaughter started track this week, too, which I'm very excited about. She's never been on a sports team, so I commend her for picking up a sport as a high school freshman. Even if she doesn't like track, I hope it encourages her to try other things.

I am deep, deep in training right now -- probably doing a little too much. I haven't taken a day off in 11 days, but I think it's time for one. I was feeling okay until Monday, when my legs were just kind of sluggish. They weren't any better at speed session last night, which was discouraging. So probably an easy run today and Friday, with Thursday off.

Pretty hard run coming up, as my training group tackles the Iroquois "Hard 10" loop on Saturday and follows it up with an 18 miler on Sunday.

Another 20 miler in the bank

2008-02-24T16:18:00.002-05:00

Great run today -- 20 miles in 2:44, around 8:13 pace, just five seconds/mile behind my pace from Memphis. Finished feeling good except my right calf, which cramped up overnight and is a little sore now. Guess I need to go back to more Gatorade. I have eight weeks until Boston and I am feeling pretty awesome after today.

We revamped a route from summer training that took us through Seneca and Cherokee parks, then down a bike path that leads to downtown. Then we got a lost a few times, climbed over a fence and ended up almost exactly where we had planned.

I have finally decided which heart rate monitor I want, opting for the Polar FS4. I think the HRM will be the key to my training, allowing me to train at optimal paces.

That's really all I've got for now. Back soon!

Goal setting!

2008-02-20T19:46:00.002-05:00

I have always been a proponent of publicizing my goals -- it helps me stay focused and on track. If I bail, I will no doubt be embarrassed, so I try not to do that.

And while my "What's your running goal" poster at work is pretty public, the internet is even more so. I've decided to add my goals for this year to the sidebar over yonder, and we'll see how close I can get.

Other noteworthy tidbits ... I've put in about 30 miles since Sunday, not bad considering that doesn't include a "long run" day. Hamstrings are a little tight, but I have a massage on Friday that will hopefully help. Overall, I'm feeling good -- strong, healthy, decently fast. These next six weeks are the big ones for my Boston training.

Also, have been enjoying the Mizuno Wave Rider 11s since I got in my first shoe shipment for 2008. The new Rider is a great fit for my foot, and I love the lightweight feel, low profile midsole and smooth heel-to-toe transitions. My only complaint is that the toebox has felt short in all the versions I have had -- I went up half a size this time, and while my toes are happy, the arch isn't quite where I need it to be. Then again, I have monkey toes. Being a shoe for a high-arched person, I also find the last a little more curved (although possibly just because I went larger), which is great for those people with high arches ... unfortunately, that's not me.

Last ... I am going to see the "Spirit of the Marathon" again tomorrow night with my now-marathoner friend Chris. Exciting!

Music?!

2008-02-18T09:32:00.002-05:00

I'm stealing an idea from a pal -- my now year-long friend Ed (gosh!) loiters about on Runner's Lounge where they have started "Take it or Leave it Thursday."

So I'm a few days behind, but this past Thursday, the discussion topic was music, podcasts, iPods.

I first wanted an iPod to use while running. That was my argument for why I needed (another) gadget. It would be great motivation, I said. So, for mother's day, I think, in 2006, I got one. I don't think I've ran with it for at least six months, and didn't do so frequently before then.

I have become a running minimalist. Shoes and clothes, perhaps a snack, and turn me loose. I don't want to spend time making sure my iPod is loaded and charged, then get it tucked in a pocket, run the headphones through my shirt, get the earbuds properly nestled, etc. Too much hassle!

Then again, I frequently get tangled up in the cord. And I don't like music that much anyway, which I think may be partially due to a light case of amusia or something similar.

When I have toted my nano about, I have listed almost exclusively to podcasts, my favorite being On The Media from New York Public Radio.

But most days, it is just me and my brain if I have to run alone. Fortunately for my remaining sanity, I only run alone a couple of days a week -- I usually have my friends to chat with, and that is better than anything my nano can provide.

Tundra trudging!

2008-02-13T17:21:00.004-05:00

Sorry it's been a few days -- been busy at work and home.

Kentucky is currently blanketed in snow and ice and more snow, which should begin to melt in the next day or so and make a huge mess. Needless to say (although I'm saying it anyway), running's been interesting the past couple of days.

I ran Monday morning before the snow started, but it was about 20 degrees with a windchill closer to 10. I had pulled my Buff over my face, and every time I would pull it down, it would instantly freeze. It was a nice run, though, because I finally had a chance to run on the new 1.2 mile bike path in Jeffersontown.

Tuesday is our interval workout night, but we had gotten 3 inches of snow, topped by freezing rain, that the track was impassable. Instead, we took advantage of a nearby road that runs in an oval around an apartment complex. The footing was dodgy, the weather cold and rainy, but we were there nonetheless.

Today, for a change of scenery, a friend and I tackled the trails at nearby Seneca Park. Running uphill through an ice-crusted snowbank is not easy. But, it's a heck of a leg workout. My ankles had to do double-duty to maintain footing, while my quads and hamstrings had to stabilize everything and pull my foot up high enough to clear the snow. (If you tried to shuffle, the ice crust stabbed at your ankles. Not pleasant.)

So now a day off, a couple of easy runs and then a 16 miler on Sunday. Good luck to my friend Chris, and his sister Daria, who are running in Austin this weekend. It'll be Chris's first full marathon.

What else? Spring apparel is drifting into the store, which is always fun. The training group is going well, too, and I think all the members are well on their way to achieving their goals.

Workin' hard

2008-02-03T07:17:00.000-05:00

This week was a pretty tough week -- I ran my first over-50 week ever, putting in 57 miles from Sunday through Saturday. But, I am learning where to make adjustments in my running schedule as I go along. Apparently 7 days of running is too many, but 6 is fine. Weird. So instead of having a tempo/hill day and a medium-long run each week, I'm going to rotate those three. Plus, Saturday group runs have been decently long. We ended up doing 10 yesterday, and I have a 20 miler today.

Ah, yes, the fabled 20. Discussion at work yesterday was if there is some sort of physical barrier that makes 20 so hard, or if it's just mental opposition. So many people struggle to run 20 miles that it seems unlikely it's physical -- we all function so differently that glycogen shouldn't deplete that uniformly. Stupid glycogen.

Mentally, though, 20 is a tough one. I have no qualms about 16 or 18, but adding those last two miles is somehow scarier. It's a lot of time running -- we'll probably need about 3 hours with all the people coming today, at least for the first 12 mile leg -- and you have to properly dress, hydrate and fuel for that entire time.

I do find that breaking the runs into multiple legs helps -- today we're doing a 12-mile loop then dropping off some folks and doing an 8-mile loop. Last week we did a 4, 7 and 7 to hit 18.

Well, have to get ready to tackle this run. Back soon!

Red Pony

2008-01-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

The little girl on the red pony
Smiles for the camera,
Gap-toothed grin and 
Wal-Mart cowboy boots.

An improvised white Stetson
Knocked away by the fall wind
Skitters across the dirt
Leaves clinging to the felt.

The red pony, tired and old,
Grimly plods in circles
The girl's dirty hat
Tilted like a carnival ride.

So what do you think about?

2008-01-24T22:27:00.000-05:00

A question I get pretty often from non-runners is, "What do you think about when you're running?"

Fortunately, my dear pals keep me entertained for hours on end each week, and for that I am eternally grateful. But clearly there have to be thoughts bouncing around while I'm running, especially when I'm out by myself. I contemplate the typical things -- whatever might be going on in my daily life that I could use some time to think about -- but have become accustomed to an odd litany of thoughts and phrases that crop up regularly. Most of them are to encourage me to keep my butt moving. A few choice examples:

"I love hills, la-la-la."

"Chup, chup." (Another hill phrase.)

"Almost done, almost done."

"What am I going to eat when this is over?"

"Drop it like it's hot." (For when I'm running fast.)

Now you know.

I'm baaaaaack

2008-01-24T06:58:00.000-05:00

After a little bit of prodding and a little bit of thought, I think I'm ready to join the blogosphere again. It's been pretty touch-and-go for a while, but I think I can maintain a pretty regular posting schedule now that my life is semi-normal.

So, first, an update on life. Much of this can be gleaned from facebook, so I apologize if it is redundant. I graduated (at last) in December with my BA in Communications, so I'm free of that. I'm working full-time at a local independent running store, which I absolutely love. First job I've had where going to work sounds like a fun thing to do. I used to show up even on my days off, but now I work six days a week so that would be kind of silly.

And working at the store feeds my running habit. I ran my first two half-marathons and my first full marathon last year, with my first full at Memphis in December (3:32.59). That qualified me to run the Boston Marathon, so I will be making a somewhat triumphant return to the city this spring. (Let me know if you'll be around!)

I'm also sponsored by the company that makes the awesome shoes that I love, Mizuno. I am somewhat-secretly hoping to qualify for the Olympic Marathon trials in 2012, which means I need to get my marathon time down to 2:45. Yup, that's a 45 minute reduction over the course of 26 miles. I think I can do it. Actually, my boss thinks I can do it, and I'm willing to try.

I'm running about 50 miles/week right now and increasing that weekly over the next two months, topping out closer to 70 before Boston.

What else, what else ... Nope, that's all I've got for this very moment. In need of a coffee.

Saturday run report

2007-07-22T19:15:00.000-04:00

Wow, 16 miles is a long way. It always amazes me how far you can go when running -- Louisville is a very car-based city, and it's weird to realize I could get to places on foot. Our Saturday run started at Seneca Park, looped through Seneca and Cherokee, then took off on a bike path I didn't know existed. We followed the path down to River Road, then went along River Road to the old train bridge, then came back. It was really neat.

One bonus was all the water fountains and restrooms in Waterfront Park, which made the middle third of the run much more comfortable.

Today we did 50 minutes, almost entirely on trails, which was great.

My Precisions are just glorious; no blisters, no pain, no nothing. Just pure running pleasure.

I'm in Louisville until Thursday, then I'll spend the next 10 days running in Michigan, where it doesn't look like it will break 80 the entire time.

I'll definitely miss my running gals while I'm there, but I do have some scenic runs coming up. The White Pine Trail runs from just south of my in-laws' house all the way to Cadillac, almost 100 miles. My first Saturday in Michigan I'm planning a 16.4 run on the trail, which will be great.

That's all for now!

Seeking shoe sole-ace

2007-07-20T06:51:00.000-04:00

The stereotypical women has tons of shoes, right? I suppose I qualify, yet most of mine are running shoes in various stages of wear. After a year of serious running, I've only gotten rid of one pair, and those were ones I shouldn't have bought in the first place. I think I've had seven pairs since last year. Some have been promos from the store, some I purchased, and most I like.

I like to test them out, to build my personal knowledge of different shoes. I don't do very well just memorizing the chart at the shoe store; I need first-hand accounts of different shoes so I can group them together better.

As I trained for my first half-marathon, I wore two pairs: Asics Speedstars (a lightweight trainer) and Mizuno Wave Rider 9s (a moderately cushioned shoe). They were great. The Speedstars never let me down; I wore them for daily training, speedwork, races, everything. The Wave Riders were for long runs, and sometimes during the week to mix things up.

But after the mini, I took it easy for a few weeks, and when I began more focused training again, I faced a shoe crisis. I had picked up a pair of New Balance 1061s (similar to the Wave Riders), and they were cozy. Good on shorter runs, so I took them out on a few long runs. Bad idea. Too much heel slippage, so lots of blisters, and not enough forefoot cushioning, so the balls of my feet would be sore. Went back to the Wave Riders. Suddenly uncomfortable, as if my feet changed over the past couple of months. Maybe it's from sandal season -- my toes have been free in sandals all summer, and the Wave Riders seem too narrow in the toe box all of a sudden.

And my Speedstars are wrecked. With 300 miles on them, a 30 minute run in them earlier this week made my ankles really sore. So those are out.

I started standing in the stock room of the shoe store, staring at our stock in my size. I tried on lots of shoes. We didn't have any more Speedstars, and although I could have special ordered a pair (and still might), I wasn't sure I wanted to, since they've changed it since the pair I have. And, we didn't have a lot of things I wanted to try, because I fall into a less-frequented category -- small in stature and neutral in gait, we just don't keep a lot in stock.

So what to do, what to do. I finally decided to buy a pair of Mizuno Precisions, another lightweight trainer. I had almost bought a pair earlier in the year, when looking for something with more substance than the Speedstars. I ended up getting the Wave Riders for the extra cushion, so I knew I would probably like them. The new 8s were just coming out, and my pair just came in yesterday.

All this text comes down to one thing: I love them.

I took them on a five-mile run last night, and they felt beautiful. Light, cushioned, snug fit, no rubbing, no slipping, smooth transitions through the footstrike. They are definitely going with me on my 16-miler this weekend.

Thank you Mizuno, for making my feet happy! (And specifically our rep, Dan, who got them for me!)

Training update

2007-07-19T06:25:00.000-04:00

It's really hot! I ran last night at 8:30, and it was still 88 degrees. Tuesday night was cooler, at 76, but was 85 percent humidity. It's tough running in the heat; just saps the strength right out of my legs.

I'm staying on schedule though, which is good. It will be my first week ever over 40 miles, and the first week I've ran seven days without a break. I'm trying to eliminate my weekly rest day and replace it with a 30 minute recovery jog. Not to say I won't take days off, I have at least one planned while I'm in Michigan. But, part of the plan is to eliminate most of them, so if I do need to take a day off, it will have less of an impact on my overall mileage.

Tuesday night we did 6x800, and with the humidity, my times were a good five seconds slower per 800 than I wanted. It still felt like a good workout, though, so I'll have to be content. I find 800s pretty discouraging, because even if I run them around 5k pace, they're still hard. With my goal to break 20 at the Gaslight 5k in September, I feel like knocking back four to six 3:15 800s should be comfortably easy. When I ran mostly 3:17-3:20 the other night, I felt pretty discouraged. So at least for my ego's sake, I'll chalk it up to the heat.

Today will be my first attempt at a tempo in a while; I'm schedule for 45 minutes and am planning to do 15 minutes of warm up, then 15 minutes of tempo (slower than 5k pace, probably 7:15-7:30 min/mi), then 15 minutes of cool down.

I definitely feel like I'm making steady progress; we ran 14 miles last Saturday at about 8:20 min/mi, which is on the low end of my McMillan pace chart recommendation.

That's all for now. I'll be back soon to post about my shoe dilemma!

Finally, motivation

2007-07-15T21:19:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about doing a run blog for a while, but haven't actually sat down to do it. But, with Mom on the injured list for the next three months, I thought she could live vicariously through me/this blog for a while.

So here we are. I'll try to update at least once a week. Expect training updates, race reports and gear review.

Short reviews coming soon, on different shoes and my new Camelbak Catalyst.

Camelbak Catalyst

2007-07-15T07:33:00.000-04:00

Although previously loathe to strap water around my waist, upcoming long runs away from water fountains and our trip to Michigan necessitated some sort of hydration device. A fuel belt seemed to jiggly and bouncy, so I decided to try a Camelbak Catalyst, which sits on the small of your back.

The Catalyst holds 28 oz. of water, held in a small pack strapped around your waist/hips. On Saturday's 14 mile run, I found it to be amazingly slosh- and bounce-free, only becoming unstable once empty. But, I think spending time tightening it when it was empty would have kept it in position; instead, it tended to slip to the side, which was just a minor annoyance.

The bite valve and delivery tube were easy to use, although a little difficult to stash when not in use. I know some people just clip it to their shirt and that works fine, but I chose to clip it on the belt. That system will take a little bit of practice to perfect, I think.

The "velvetex" lining on the pack and belt was, well, velvety. I have one tiny rub spot above my hip bone in the back, but it just feels like a dry spot and I didn't even notice it until Sunday. Not one of those skin-rubbed-raw burning chafes.

My biggest complaint is that I had a hard time filling the reservoir. I will chalk it up for now to my inexperience in filling a water bladder, but I kept sloshing it out. The literature that came with the pack says it is designed for "easy and convenient" filling, but that didn't hold true for me.

Recommendation: So far, so good. Comfortable, but harder to clean than fuel belt bottles. Limits your ability to carry several fluids (like water and gatorade) at once. Easy to drink from, but tricky to fill. Two small pockets on the belt are perfect for a gel/etc., keys or a small cell phone. Some storage space in pocket with bladder, but the bladder does condensate, so don't put your phone back there.

Stats
Capacity: 28 oz/0.8 liters
Dimensions: 7.5 in x 8.5 in x 1 in
Weight: .55 lbs (empty), 2.38 lbs (full)