Week 5 - 1/22/12 - 1/28/12

This week of training was what I call a step back week.  A step back week simply means I step back on my long run miles before I increase.  For example, last week, my long run was 14.  This week 10.  Next week, it will go up to 16. MERCY!
This week was also the week I receive much unwanted advice about my weight and my running.  People LOVE to say crazy things to me.  No really, just ask some of my closest friends. 
Here are a few running and health related comments that I get most often.

1. I look like I have an eating disorder.... Really?  Now as some of you know, I am a Mental Health Therapist, so I know the criteria for Anorexia and Bulimia.  I do NOT meet the criteria for either.  However, people love to tell me I need to eat more.  If they only knew how much I eat!
2. Running is really bad for me!  I just chuckle when I hear this.  I know that not running would be bad for me, because I would become a danger to myself and others.  I am actually healthier now than I was when I was younger and not running.  Now I am not saying that I couldn't get hurt, but I could get hurt walking down the stairs too.   Here is a short writeup that refutes this notion.
3. And the funniest of all...Yes this is said to me, is "If I continue to run like I do, my uterus will fall out".  My response is, "Well that's OK, I don't need it anymore anyway".

So there you have it.  Now how can I say this, without it saying rude?  Well I can't, so as teens say (before saying something offensive), "No Offence",  but I really don't want to hear advice like that.  So with all that said.... here is my insane training for the week.  I hope I still have a uterus after it! =)
As always, whatever is highlighted has a link.  The days of the week that are highlighted have a link to my garmin.

Monday was a Tempo Run!
I woke up to the pitter patter of rain on my windows and knew that a good tempo run would not be happening outside today.  So I drug myself to the YMCA and pounded out 7 miles (5 of it at tempo pace)on the dreadmill. 
1 mile warm up
1 mile at 8:00
1 mile at 7:53
1 mile at 7:47
1 mile at 7:53
1 mile at 8:00
1 mile cool down
I HATE THE DREADMILL!  But I LOVE running!

Tuesday was 2000 meters (or 1.24 miles) of glorious lap swimming!
I met Bree (my good friend who I ran my 1st marathon with) at the NOMAD to swim.  This is where my Abigayle swims for her swim team.  We jumped in the pool and I really thought I was going to go into hypothermia.  After about 15 minutes, I want numb so it wasn't so bad.  But really, they have a wonderful pool and it was a joy to swim there.

Wednesday was Hill Work!
This was 7xhill!  I really thought I was going to die!  After consulting many people about the Boston course, I have decided that it would be good to practice running up and down hills.  Now I have been told that up hill running is easy.... it's the down hills that get you.  I was a sceptic.  However, after a few downhill repeats, I believe.  Here is a write up on down hill running just in case you want to know more!

Thursday was a rest day from training and I needed it!  My quads were trashed from my hill repeats!

Friday was my Long Run!

This was 10 miles with the middle 7 at a faster pace! 

I know, guys, you don't care about my running outfit rambling....but.... I wore my PINK LuLu Skirt today!  My sweet hubby got it for me.  I have to say it was almost too much because it is tooooooo cute!

Anyway, back to the run!  It was really hot and humid today so the first 2 miles were a warm up where my heart rate was out the roof and I couldn't breath!  (Maybe running is bad for me... HaHa!)  But after we picked up the pace I was fine.  I just wish I could run a full marathon at this pace!  Now that would be cool!

Saturday was a Pace Run!

I had to do 7 miles today.  Because I ran a bit faster on Friday I decided to make this a recovery run.  The only problem was that I only had an hour to complete 7 miles.  I had dropped Abigayle off at swim practice while I ran.  I find it amazing how getting back to pick up my baby girl pushes me to run faster.  So this run was run right at marathon pace.  My legs were a bit tired, but all in all, it was a good run.

So, at the end of the week, I completed all my workouts, felt pretty good, and still had all my vital organs in tact.  So I guess it was a good week.

I want to hear from you!  What is the craziest thing someone has said to you?  It can be running related or not!

Week 4 - 1/16/12-1/22/12

So... This week was payback for my too fast running from last week. I know, I know, I know better than to mess with my paces. But when I get out on the road or trail and feel good, I mess up every time. So I started this week tired and sore.

Monday was a pace/tempo run.
At this point, I was still feeling fresh and confident.... Or maybe I should say cocky. I was supposed to do 7 miles with 4 of the middle miles being at my marathon pace. That pace is an 8:29. Well no such luck at going that "slow" on the run. Now let me say that I really don't think that pace is slow. Especially when I have to hold it for 26.2 miles. However, for 4 miles, it just seems too slow. So Michelle and I warmed up for 2 miles then started the workout. I kept seeing 8:18, 8:08.... And similar paces. The average pace for this workout ended up being an 8:22. Now that is with the 2 mile slower warm up. TOO FAST! After this run I was still feeling confident and started thinking I should change my goal to a faster pace. I mean, these faster runs felt good..... But I soon realized this was not a very wise choice. Wednesday's workout was coming!

Tuesday came and I found my Abigayle sick and not able to go to school. So I took her to the doctor and got some antibiotics for her cold/sinus infection she could not shake. I have to admit, I get real anxious when I don't workout on a workout day. Today I was supposed to swim but that was not going to happen. My baby girl needed her mommy, so the workout was on the back burner.

Wednesday was circuit training! I thought I would be golden because I took off a day. HA! No such luck. My over zealous speediness had caught up to me. This workout is done at the gym because you run 800 then do strength training in between. It is a beast! I knew it was going to be a harder than normal workout when I started my warm up. My heart rate was really high and I just couldn't get my legs to feel good. Every part of the workout was hard. I hit my 800 paces, but thought I was going to die. I knew almost immediately what the issue was. I had foolishly compromised this workout by running too fast over the weekend and on Monday. I was so tired at work for the rest of the day.

Thursday was a short 1500 swim. I warmed up 300, drills 200, did a 500 & 250 set, then cooled down for 250..... Then went to work with goggle rings and the smell of chlorine ... After taking a show of course.

Now Friday!  My 14 mile long run.
I chose to go downtown and preview the Corporate Cup course.  This is a half marathon I am planning on running on March 10th.  I have run it before...but that was a long time ago and it was at a relaxed, fun pace with friends. 
I started at the DOWD YMCA and ran.  About 1 mile into the run I had to stop because I thought I felt something in my left shoe.  I stopped on the side of Camdon and took off my shoe.  Nothing!?!  I noticed my left foot felt tingly.  Like it was asleep.  Sometimes this happens in runs so I shook out my foot (as the 0800 Friday morning traffic drove by staring) on the side of the road.  I must have fixed the problem with something being in my shoe because I never felt it again.  However, my foot was asleep the next 3 miles.  ANNOYING!  As I ran I kept trying to shake it out.  By the time I passed Panther's Stadium, it was fine.
This was a run of stop and go because of traffic.  A word to the wise..... Never try to demand your right away...you may end up dead right!  It seems in Charlotte, NC that most drivers are either stupid or just rude.  I had to stay on the alert the whole run due to the inattention of many Charlotte drivers and city buses.  I am sure some were trying to run me over.
Any who..... This course is a beast.  The first part is rolling but somewhat downhill.  I was really feeling good about the easiness of the run.  Starting to feel the "wow I'm fast" sensation creep back into me.  Then I hit the Providence hill.... and the course changed from gently rolling downhill to gently rolling uphill.  My times started wavering and there was more of an effort to stay on track.

Food for thought!



About nutrition.  Just in case you have never run distance, I will explain this briefly.  To keep running well, you have to take in calories while you run.  I do this only when I'm running over 8 miles.  I choose the gel method.  In marathons, I take one of these energy packets every 6 miles.  They have about 100 calories and are somewhat easy to get down.... well at least until mile 20. 

I took my gel today at mile 7.  This was right at the bottom of the Providence Hill!  However, it seemed to work out well as I was able to slow a bit and gag it down. =)  I was hoping it would get me through the next 7 miles of hills.  I knew the hills that were coming and the last one (Morehead) is relentless.

The last 7 miles weren't easy, but I felt good.  Mentally I was having a good time.  Physically, I was feeling pretty good.  Around mile 10 I went ahead and turned on my music.  I felt like I needed the extra motivation.  It worked out well.  I ran up Morehead and turned down a street to go into Latta Park.  I now was running to the "finish".  Matt was waiting on me at Starbucks on East Blvd.  I upped the pace a little bit and finished strong.  It took me 2:00 to run 14 miles.  I was good with that.

Matt and I went home and I ate a small sandwich while sitting on the couch.  Next thing I knew, the girls were home from school.  I had gone to sleep (after eating around 1100) and didn't get up until after 1400.  Oh my goodness!  I was wiped for the rest of the day.  14 miles shouldn't do this to me, and I had 7 miles tomorrow!

Saturday's soggy 7!

Today was a 7 mile recovery run.  I get up at 0500 and it is pouring outside.  Oh my!  This is going to be fun.  I was meeting my running group at 0700 and was not looking forward to running in the cold rain.  However, by the time 0700 came, it was only misting.  My legs were tired from yesterday and I knew I had David Taylor to run up.  The energy of this group got me through the run.  I had a good time and took David Taylor in stride!  I averaged around an 8:40 pace for this run.... that's around what I wanted.

And then Sunday is the Big Attic complete with running, jumping, yelling, and evacuating the kids from the theater because someone pulled the fire alarm!  Never a dull moment!

Week 3 - 1/8/12 - 1/14/12

So here we go again.... Going into week 3 I feel good.  My cold is mostly gone and no foot issues.  I am feeling confident that this will be a good week of training.
If you only care about the true training, click on the day to see the garmin info!  Otherwise, enjoy my ramblings! :)
Monday was a tempo run.
I was excited because it wasn't freezing outside.  So I wore my new Lulu skirt that I got for Christmas (from the cast of the Attic....thanks guys!) Very exciting.  It is amazing how fast I feel when I wear cute clothes... but I digress.  My goal was to run 6 miles.  35 minutes of this 6 mile run was to be at tempo pace.  My tempo pace is between 7:43-8:03.  I ended up doing around 4.61 miles a bit faster than my tempo pace.  I blame the skirt!  Brian, one of the guys that runs with my running group found me and Michelle and ran with us.  He had just completed the Frosty 50k on Saturday and still kept a fast tempo pace.  AMAZING!  It was a wonderful, fun run with my friends and my skirt. :)
Tuesday I swam.
Really nothing to say but I did laps.  1900 yards of back and forth, back and forth.  I swim like a rock but it helps me recover from the hard runs and makes me feel like a triathlete.  Well not really but it does make me a better runner.
Wednesday was a threshold workout.
This was supposed to be 6Xhill repeats.  However, the pouring down rain and cold deterred me from attempting this run outside.  So I decided to do a Threshold workout on the dreadmill.  Three things about this workout.  1) It is HARD!  Click on the garmin link to see the deets.  But basically you run fast and on an incline 3 minutes at a time with a 1 minute recovery period.  2) It is on the dreadmill!  I don't like the dreadmill (thus the name).  It is boring and I feel like it is mentally harder than running outside.  3) However, it is a shorter workout.  And I think I did not do it fast enough.  My "fast parts" I did at a 7:41 pace with incline.  I chose this because I did this pace last year in my training and it really pushed me.  Now don't be fooled, I was pushed, but think I could have gone faster.  I will know next time it rains. Ha! 
Thursday was a rest day, but I did an easy swim.
No need to include the garmin info..... But I felt like I cheated yesterday because it was a shorter workout.  So I swam an easy 1000 today.  Plus I had some cool new bungee things to go on my goggles to hold them on.  I got them because of Abigayle (my 13yo daughter).  She is on a year round swim team and all the kids use them because they work so well.  So I wanted to try them out.  I LOVE them!!
Friday was my Long run of 13 miles.
Goal was to keep the first 10 miles around a 9:00 pace, then run the last 3 miles on the King Tiger Route at a faster pace.... While and after running UP David Taylor.  This is to help me prepare for the uphill second half of Boston. 
Now after saying all that, this run was amazing! However, it was COLD!  It was also windy and this took my breath away while running.  The only way I can describe it is, when I breathed in, it was like the oxygen could not get into my lungs.  So I had to get used to this feeling.  This was mainly the case when I was running to the Mallard Creek Greenway and after coming off of it.  When I was on the greenway, I was more sheltered from the wind.  I never warmed up though.
All in all, my plan worked.  I only stopped my garmin 1 time when we had to cross Harris Blvd.  Took a gel around mile 7 and stopped to walk at this point.  However, I was trying to do this at a good and slow pace.  At the end, I had enough steam (even with the wind) to speed up.  This taught me a great lesson.  Start out slow and build!
Saturday was a pace run.
Now Saturday I had to go back out and hammer out 6 miles at marathon pace (8:29).  I have to be honest, I did not know if I could accomplish this.  This meant running down and then up David Taylor.  I started out a bit slower and started to build.  I ran this run with the University City Road Runners.  A great group who is very encouraging!!!  By the second COLD mile, I was having fun and running way too fast.  But I was having so much fun with the group that I continued on.  I knew at mile 3, they would keep going and I would turn around.  I knew I could slow down at that point.  I sorta did, but not too much.  I did slow up, going UP David Taylor, but not too much.  I felt good, however, need to slow down on my pace runs so I don't get hurt.
Sunday is always the Big Attic!
Overall, I felt really good this week.  I hope it continues as I start increasing my miles.  Next week I up the mileage a little bit to two 7 mile runs, speed work,  and a 14 mile long run!

It All Started With A Mouse

January 11, 2012, marks the 8 year anniversary of my marathon debut. In January of 2004 I ran my first marathon. The Walt Disney Marathon to be exact.

How things have changed from that first marathon. How I have changed.

First I have lost about 50 pounds! This is a significant amount of weight. It was a battle to shed these pounds. I had to change how I coped with stress! I used to use food as a coping mechanism. When things got tough, I ate. That did not work. I only felt bad about myself and gained weight. I started teaching myself to deal with stress in a healthy manner. Run! Running is my therapy. I had to decide which was more important... That brownie and how good it tasted, or being fit and running faster. I decided I wanted to run faster.

That marathon ended with a time of over 5 hours. I was proud that I finished, but felt I could do better..... However in the weeks to come, my aspirations of getting faster had to be put on the back burner. Immediately after I ran my first marathon, Matt and I flew back to Charlotte and went to Presbyterian Hospital. Matt's dad had a major stroke and was dying. We went straight to the hospital and for the next week, Matt lived at the hospital. Ernie, Matt's dad died a week later. This was a hard blow. Very unexpected. Very shocking. In comparison to Ernie's death, my marathon was not important so I never got excited about my accomplishment. It was like the marathon never happened.

Boston will be my 15th marathon. From the 1st marathon at Disney to my 14th at Thunder Road, I have gone from 160 pounds to 113 (as I write this). I have gone from a 12 minute per mile marathon pace to an 8:30 minute per mile marathon pace. I have grown closer to God! I have been privileged to see His mighty hand work in my life. I have survived the childhood years of my children and now I am entering the wonderful teen years. I have grown closer to my wonderful husband and have even helped him train and run 4 marathons.

I thank and blame Ron Horton for this madness. He trained me and Bree Horton for the first marathon.... Then he signed up and ran it with us. I did not understand what that meant at the time... But now I understand that he had to put his training (and budget) on hold so Bree and I could be successful. He made the marathon fun and took a ton of pictures!! So now I can remember it.

I like who I have become because of running....

Week 2 - 1/1/12 - 1/7/12

This week has been a series of ups and downs in training.
It is too early for this kind of drama!
Monday! My tempo run went ok. I kinda bailed on it b/c I am a wimp in cold weather. Plan was to do 5 miles with 30 minutes of tempo. I did the 5 miles and did 3 miles around tempo pace. But the plan was 30 minutes and I did not do the full 30. My "coach" and dear friend, Michelle told me this was no big deal this early in training. ...but the number's geek in me said differently.
Near the end of my "tempo run" my middle toes started hurting in a weird kind of way. After I got home, I noticed I could not put weight on it without it hurting. Now I start stressing about it (while icing and resting it...oh, and looking on the good old Internet to self diagnose). The only thing I can figure is that my wearing heels on Sunday aggravated it. I self Dx it as Morton's Neuroma. I hoped with rest, icing, and swimming on Tuesday, I could fix it.
Tuesday I swam and got new shoes! Kara (at Run For Your Life) talked me into the same kind she has. Brooks! I have been an Asic's girl for a long time. I hoped they would work out. At this point, my foot was fine, not hurting at all. But I could tell I was walking funny to protect it.
Wednesday would be the foot test! I woke up with a cold! Oh I hate colds. It wasn't too bad, but bad enough that I wanted to pull the covers over my head when my alarm went off. But I got up and I did circuit training that includes 800 repeats with strength training. Foot was fine until the end. It didn't really hurt but felt weird so I bagged some miles...per Michelle's suggestion.
Friday I did my "long run". It was really short but it is what the plan called for. Foot good, cold bad, heart rate was out of the roof (due to cold I am assuming), and my run was awesome!
Saturday I did a pace run too fast. My shoes have been awesome and my foot is good. I can tell it is tender, but it doesn't hurt.
Oh, and I still have a cold.... I hate colds.

OK, onto next week!

Week 1 - 12/26/11 - 12/31/11

The first week of Boston training! The madness has begun. Everything started out good this week.
I got to run in three different states over the course of the week.
Now how many people can say that?
I started out on Monday in Virginia. This run was in Damascus on part of the Creeper bike trail. It was crisp and took me a bit longer to warm up than planned. I loved the coolness and quiet of this trail. However, as I started into the woods, I heard Banjos and ran faster...no just kidding. But I did turn around b/c I did not want to become a mountain statistic.
Tuesday I got to swim with my beautiful Abigayle!
Wednesday and Friday I ran in Greensboro, Ga. I did my hill work and pace run with the Phelps' Short Haired German Pointer. That dog is big and he can run..... and if he stops to pee, be ready to hurdle him then wait for at least 5 minutes.
Saturday I ran back in good ole Charlotte. Dropped Abigayle off at swim then headed out for my run. Ran the hilly King Tiger 5k route, then down to the green way. Run was great. It was warm but I felt strong the whole time. There was a biker on the green way that almost killed me at least 4 times.... Last time he attempted to run over me, I was running up David Taylor....A beast of a hill that you will hear much about. I may even give him his own entry into the blog. He deserves it.
Anywhooooo. I ran up that hill then ran 1 more mile back to my car.

If you are a number's geek (like I am) just click on the day of the week and my Garmin info will show you my numbers for each workout!

Mock 1/2 marathon - 12/23/11

On December 23rd of 2011 I ran a half marathon that I made up. I decided to run 13.1 miles and make it as much like a race as I could.

The week before, I took off from running. Besides almost killing me (because I NEED my therapy session..... Also known as running) it really helped me physically and mentally. So when I got up to go on my half marathon run, I felt ready! Or so I thought.

My half marathon' paces are on my Garmin. So if you are a numbers geek, click on the details!

All went well until I took my gel then I started having stomach cramps. However, I got through it and set up my paces for each run.

Goal was 1:44.10 but I did it in 1:45.18! This sets me up for a 3:42.05 marathon. That is how I will train, but we will see. Boston is a beast!

Monday Tempo: 7:43-8:03 mile per minute

Tuesday is swimming

Wednesday speed or hill: on speed days, I do circuit training. This is a bit of pain and agony. I warm up about a mile or two, run 800s (in 3:29-3:38), with strength training in between each 800, then cool down about a mile.

Thursday is total rest from exercise.

Friday is either pace or long run.

Saturday is either pace or long run depending on the girl's sport schedule.

Spot Starts Running to Boston

This is a story of a dream! It may at times be beautiful and wonderful to behold. It may, at times be unpleasant, full of pain and agony. However, it is a story of a dream none the less. Dreams are never easy to achieve. It takes guts, hard work, and a little bit of insanity.

This is a story of how Spot runs to Boston. "Who is Spot"' you ask? Spot is me! Every Sunday Spot, the playful puppy, teaches the children of Hickory Grove Baptist Church, in Charlotte, NC lessons about Jesus Christ.

On December 12, 2010, "Spot" qualified for Boston. Spot ran (under the assumed name of Christa Phipps) the Thunder Road marathon in Charlotte, NC and finished with a qualifying time of 3:45.22 chip time. It was a long journey, but the first goal to Boston had been met.

Now Spot starts training. This blog will be about how Spot trains to run the Mecca of marathons.

So be ready...... For anything can happen!!