And It Comes to and End - Week 14

I got my packet this week and I am runner #18338! Wave 3, corral 1!
This is my last week of official training. After this week I start my taper.  EEEEK!  I cannot believe my race is this close. 
I have mixed feelings about this. 

1. First, I am in shock and totally excited that I am getting the honor to run.  It has been a long road.  Not just the training, but the getting the chance to even sign up for Boston.  As most of you know, you have to qualify at another marathon to even get the chance to sign up.  My BQ time was 3:50.59.  I qualified in 2010 (with a 3:45.22 chip time) at the Thunder Road marathon.  However, that was not my first attempt.
1. Thunder Road 2009 was my first attempt (12/09) but it all fell apart as I got sick during the marathon.
2. Then came Myrtle Beach 2010.  (2/10) It all fell apart as I watched the snow fall.  The marathon was canceled and once again my Boston dream was out of my reach!
3. And the Thunder Road 2010.... 12/12/10 it all came together!
4. But then they changed the September registration process.  No longer are you guaranteed a "Spot" in Boston if you qualify.  They only take the fastest qualifiers.  So I had to wait until week 3 of registration to even try to sign up.  Then I had to wait to see if I made the cut. I did so...
5. I made up my training plan and continued the journey to Boston.
2. Second, I am totally scared out of my mind and intimidated by this race!  On my race packet it says, "There are many races, but only 1 Boston Marathon".  How can I even think that I deserve to be a part of the field of runners that runs this race.  I still feel like the novice runner I was in 2004 when I ran my first marathon.  But I am not a novice runner.  And now it is time for me to set some goals.

I have to be honest.  I actually set my goals before I started training.  Back in December, when I wrote up my training plan, I wrote it up for a specific time.  That time was 3:42.  So all my runs have been geared to this.  I have trained for that time and (Hopefully) I have trained for the specific Boston course with all my up and down hill training.  That puts my mile splits at an 8:29 pace on a course I have NEVER even seen.
However... After discussing my grand plans with several runners who have run this race I have made a final decision for my goals.
I have worked hard to get here and may never have the chance to run it again.  I don't want to regret not enjoying this race.  Sometimes pushing the pace makes the race not fun and normally results in me getting sick.  SO.... I plan to go an enjoy myself.  I want to give people Hi-5s... I want to have fun... I want to talk and laugh with the other runners.... I want to finish and have a smile on my face..... I want to be able to walk back to my hotel.
So I have NO time goal!  Gasp!  I have no pace bracelet or no time in mind.  The goal is to enjoy myself!

So here is the last week of training!

Monday was a tempo run!
It was HARD!  I had 10 miles.  6 of those were at tempo pace.  I warmed up 3 miles with Michelle then started the tempo pace.  She had to get to work so she started heading back.  About 2 miles into my tempo pace I see someone coming toward me.  It is Jonathan. I was so happy that he turned around to run with me.  He did the whole tempo part with me and was very encouraging.  I think he thought I was going to die though... He kept asking if I was OK.  I was, but it was just a hard run.

Tuesday I swam 1700... really nothing to say about that! Just a recovery day.

Wednesday was circuit!  This is speed work with a twist!  Five 1/2 mile repeats with strength training in between.  And I was sore afterwards!

Thursday was a rest day!  From training.

Friday was my pace run!
It was the perfect day to run!  Goal was 10 miles at my marathon pace (8:29).  Michelle came and ran with me.  We finished up with 10 miles at an 8:21 pace.  A bit fast.

Saturday was my last 20 miler!
When I got out of bed, I heard the pitter patter of rain hitting my window.  Maybe it will stop?  Ha!!!  No such luck. I met several friends at 0600 to start my last 20.  The goal was 20 miles at a nice "easy" 8:45 pace. 
WaHaHaHaHa....NOT!
We first did the "BiLo" loop in the rain.  This ended up being a little over 6 miles. 
Then we met the rest of the group. 
Troy had 15 miles
Erin had 18 miles
Siobhan had 20 miles
So we all hung out for that amount of miles.  We discussed some mind tricks to stay strong during a run.  Erin said she puts everything into the amount of time it would take to watch a certain TV program or movie.  For example.... 7 miles = a TV episode of "Person of Interest" with the commercials. So at this point, we have less time running left than the movie "Hunger Games".
We all ran DOWN David Taylor in the rain!  Got on the greenway and ran to the soccer fields.  Still sorta raining.  This gave us around 10 miles and Siobhan said we were half way done.  So an hour and a half (approx) left or the time it would take to see 3 "Sponge bob" shows come on and go off.  And I felt really good, even though we had been running under pace.... in the rain.
We turned down the Toby Creek extension... in the rain. Took a gel and continued to run back. 
Got back to David Taylor and Troy turned off.  That means I have a little over 5 miles left.... or an episode of "House"...without the commercials.... oh, and by the way, it was still raining.
about 2 miles later, Erin turns off and heads back.  She only has to do 18 and we are around 17 miles.  Wow!  At this point, we are still going under the 8:45 pace but I am still OK.  Tired, but OK.  we hit mile 18 and Siobhan says, "Seinfeld, without the commercials".  I know what she means... we have about 18 minutes left (at the most).
At mile 19 we get off the greenway (totally uphill.... I pretended it was Heartbreak Hill) and run the rest of the way in.  The last mile was an 8:10.
Oh, and by the way.... it was still raining and I was soaked...and looked like I had been in a muddy cat fight.  I had so much "chub rub" it wasn't even funny.  My back, legs, and everywhere my clothes touched me was rubbed raw.
It is funny!  After all that I look at my average pace for this 20 miler.  The average pace was 8:29.  My marathon pace.  Interesting.

So now that I am done with my official training I start the taper.  And taper madness.  So I apologize in advance for everything I may say and/or do the next 2 weeks.

What payback looks like! - Week 12 of training

This week marks the second monster week of running for me.  It will end in a 20 mile run... the 2nd 20 miler of the training plan.  I did 45.24 miles of running this week and most of them were really, really hard!
As most of you know, my 1/2 marathon went great last week.  I felt great during the race and right after the race..... However, payback was coming.  I guess I can't expect to run like that and go right into the hardest week of training I have had thus far.
SO here is how payback goes in my world of running! 
It looks like sore muscles, stomach issues, tiredness, and lack of motivation!
Beware, this post isn't for the faint of heart.  ;0)

Monday was 10 miles, 6 of it at tempo pace.
Michelle and I started out the run.  I was going to run a 2 mile warm up, 6 miles at tempo pace, then 2 mile cool down.  But my legs were tired!  I was having trouble with my left leg feeling tight and turning over.  Payback! 
So at mile 2, I decided to do 1 more mile of warm up.... even though it was actually hot outside.
As soon as I finished my "warm up", I started into the faster miles.  Goal was to maintain between a 7:43-8:03 pace.  I ran the 1st mile, feeling good!  2nd mile, on pace but feeling a bit weird in the tummy. By mile 3, I knew I was having some serious stomach issues.  OOOOHH NOT GOOD! 
Payback!
Just in case you don't know, I have stomach problems sometimes.  The proper name is IBS and it never turns out well.  Especially when I am out on the trail with no bathroom in sight.  So I made the decision to try to finish what I started and try to hang onto some sort of pace.  Not the smartest plan....but hey, at this point I only had 4 more miles to go!  Four miles never felt so long.  I am sure I was a sight but at this point, I didn't care.  I painfully finished the run, kept the pace under an 8:00 minute mile for the tempo part, and mostly walked about a mile back to my car.  Then I was sick the rest of the day.  UGGG!

So Tuesday rolled around!
I met Bree at the NOMAD for a dreaded swim.  I was NOT feeling it today.  Was tired and sore from head to toe. 
Payback!
I swam 2000 meters in the cold pool.  I don't think I ever warmed up.  However, at the end of the swim, I did feel a bit better.
That night, we got the terrible news that a student in our church's youth group had been hit by a car... and it didn't look good.  I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach.  My girls are in the youth group with her and many tears were shed and many prayers were said for her that night into the wee hours of the morning.  There was not much sleep.

Wednesday morning rolled in and the news did not get better.  We got the call that Brittney (the student) did not make it.  As my children woke up, they asked about her and we had to tell them the news.    Brittney was in 12th grade... with her whole life ahead of her....and the first friend that was close to the age of my children to die.  What do you do when you pray and the prayer is not answered how you thought it should be?  You trust that God is in control.
We continued to pray for the family and started our day.  I saw a few clients then in my "lunch break" I went to do the circuit.  This is done at the gym and incorporates 1/2 mile repeats with strength training.  Needless to say, I did not want to do it.  But Boston is coming in about a month, and I have to finish this training.  So I started.  My quads were screaming at me and I actually had to slow down my speed repeats to a 7:17 pace, then I had to hold onto the treadmill as not to fly off the back. 
Payback for the race! 
After the 1st 2 repeats, I almost quit... but I decided to do 1 more and take them 1 at a time.  I did finish the workout with 5 miles and lots of strength training, but I was wiped at the end.

Thursday was a rest day from training.  I knew I would have to take it easy if I was going to finish my last 30 miles of the week!

Friday was a 10 mile pace run!
I was physically feeling a bit better.  Matt and Bree volunteered to go downtown with me for this run.  Matt and I drove to the DOWD YMCA and met Bree.  They both were doing 6 miles and I had 10 so we started together then split up.  All in all, this run went pretty good.  I was able to see both Bree and Matt at different spots on the run and when I finished, they were waiting for me.  My average pace for this hilly run was 8:26.  I tried to let the down hills pull me and keep the effort the same on the up hills.  It seemed to work.

Saturday was 20 miles!
I started this run at 0600.  I did what we call the BiLo loop.  This is about 5 miles.  My stomach was acting up a bit again so I decides to go to the bathroom  and take a gel before meeting the rest of the group. 
Then I met up with all my UCRR buddies and we started running.  The miles ticked off quickly and I was able to learn a lot of useful Baseball Stats from Jason and Troy!  Then Michelle chimed in!  WOW!  I was clueless in this conversation but it was entertaining. 
At mile 17, Michelle left and Troy said he would run me in.  I knew we were pushing the pace, but I was just hanging on wanting to get it done.  Troy, on the other hand, was chatting and singing "The Climb" as we ran up the last hill! When we finished, I looked to see the average pace was an 8:32 pace!  And the temperature was 71 degrees! 
I quickly ate a protein bar because my blood sugar was low and I was shaking.  I knew I had to wait until it stabilized before I drove home.  So I stood around chatting with everyone until I could safely operate a motor vehicle.
Then I took a shower, got my girls, and we went to Brittney's funeral.  It was sad for all of us, but I know that she is with Jesus and would not want to come back.... So, as a believer in Christ, I find comfort in the fact that she is happy and I will see her again someday.

And Sunday is The Big Attic..... and I wake up to find my Abigayle is sick with some kind of bad cold/fever thing.....  Oh NO!

Corporate Cup 1/2 Marathon Report - week 11

This weeks training wasn't all that exciting. I only ran about 24 miles. This is because I took this week as a step back week in my training. There are several reasons this was done.

1. This is what the plan called for! At this point, every other week of training is a step back week until I get to my training.
2. After last week's 40 something miles, I am tired!!!
3. I am running a 1/2 marathon on Saturday! I still did the scheduled runs, they were just shorter and slower to help me recover enough to run 13.1 miles on Saturday.

Monday was 6 slow miles.
Tuesday, I swam an easy 1500.
Wednesday I changed the hill work to 5 miles with a few faster strides.
Thursday, I swam 1700 good quality miles.
Friday, I rested from exercise.
Saturday I completed the 1/2!

So let me start from the beginning.
I normally don't talk about my job. This isn't because I don't like it. It is because I am a mental health therapist and everything I do I confidential. That means that no one knows who I see or what they tell me. I am a great secrete keeper! :0) I see a variety of people. However, I mainly step in when something isn't going well with a family. So I spend a lot of my time with children and teens.
I absolutely LOVE what I do, but it is stressful. I deal with my stress by running. So I have all my medals hanging in my office. Children love this. They always ask me about them, want to touch them, and want to take one home. However, I have never let a child have a medal until recently. She didn't ask to have a medal. She asked me if I could run a race for her and give her my medal. At her young age, she has been through (and seen) things that no one should have to go through or see. Her circumstances keep me up at night, so I said yes. I chose the Corporate Cup 1/2 to be her race.

I had planned to race this 1/2, however, my voice of reason (named Michelle) explained that I needed to figure out what was my "A" race.....This 1/2 or Boston. Well Boston is my "A" race.. So this race would be a fun and I chose not to run it all out. I thank Michelle for her wisdom! :0)
So the goal for this race was to pray for this little girl, thank every police officer on the course, and to have fun!!!
Saturday morning came.
As normal, I got up and spent time with my Lord.  I had a peanut butter and banana sandwich, peed several times, then hopped in the car with Michelle and went to the race.

Our church also had a group running in this race and another 5k in Charlotte. So what better way to show up at a race but by wearing the same shirt. The shirt has a big +1 on the front. This means that we are here to help people with physical, emotion, and spiritual needs, one at a time. For example, we have been going into the community helping people clean up, get food, and clothing after a recent tornado in our area. Helping 1 person at a time.
We take a quick picture and head to the starting line. I peed at least 4 times, but when we started the race, I had to pee again. But I would have to think about that later....

The Race!
My plan was to take this race 3 miles at a time!
The 1st 3 miles.
I used these miles as a warm up. I didn't want to go out to fast so I just tried to ease into it. I felt good and really didn't feel like I was pushing.
8:24
8:21
8:13
Then the 5k people turned off. The funniest thing about these miles was a little boy (about 9 years old) who was running the 5k. He did not want me and Michelle to pass him. He would speed up every time we got too close. We begged him to just stay with us and keep a steady pace... But he did not want to take the chance we would finish first. No worries little buddy, we are doing the 1/2.
Miles 4, 5, 6
These miles were just to get into the groove. Getting into a good pace. We passed Michelle's car and contemplated going and getting coffee. But for some reason we didn't. We had several people want to join the coffee excursion. So it would have been fun. :0) Right at mile 6 we took a gel. I quickly realized I did not drink enough water with the gel, but it wasn't too bad. At mile 8 we should pass another water stop.
8:04
8:16
8:01
Miles 7, 8, 9
Somewhere around mile 7 we see a friend running. She was struggling because she had a fever the night before. So she was sick and it took me 7 miles to catch her! Wow! This is where the real hills begin. I try not to think too far ahead so as not to get overwhelmed. The miles were click'n off and I felt great. I even told Michelle that I was surprised at how good I felt.  However, I was waiting to see when the race would get hard.... as it always does.
8:08
8:07
8:13
Mile 10, 11, 12
At this point, I knew I would PR. I felt so good! As I started up Morehead, I almost got overwhelmed. I was thinking about my little client and started to cry! I knew this would do me no good because I still had about 2 miles to go and they were straight up Morehead! So I sucked it up and kicked it in. Up to this point, there was no wall and I was glad I didn't have another 13.1 more miles to go!
8:12
8:05
8:02 -going up, up, up!
Mile 13!
This was my fastest mile! I smiled all the way in. I knew I had given it a good go! I could have gone faster and further, but I feel like I raced smart and had a good time. 7:52!!! Up to the finish line! As I passed through the line, at 1:47.25, I knew I would be proud to give this medal away! I had a great race! I finished strong! I PRed!  I even came in 4th out of 54 in my age group!! I thanked every police officer and volunteer on the course. And I had more to give!

I can't wait to see what Boston holds. I hope it is a day like today. :0)

Week 10 - 2/27/12 - 3/3/12

This week marks the beginning of my monster runs!  My 20 milers.  From here on out, I will be completing 20 mile runs every other week.  By the end of March, I will have completed 3 twenty milers and will begin my taper.... Good grief, this marathon is getting close.
I also started reading Jeff Galloway's book, Marathon, this week.  Currently, I do not follow his run/walk plan in the marathon but I found his insight into mental preparation intriguing.  If you have ever run any distance, you know that running is not only physical.  It is also mental.  I know that at each starting line I stand, I have always been physically prepared.  However, there are times I have stood at that starting line and mentally, I was not prepared.  These are the marathons I have bombed!  So I thought it would be good to start preparing, mentally, to run Boston.
In the chapter titled, "The Power Of Rehearsal", Galloway talks about the Left Brain vrs the Right Brain (p. 93).  He says that the left part of your brain is the logical part.  It is the part that will start telling you that you are crazy as you stand at the starting line.  It is the part that sends the negative messages that make you want to go back to your warm bed and forget the crazy notion of running 26.2 miles.  The purpose is for self preservation.  Running 26.2 miles is crazy and your left brain knows this.
However, at this point in time, I have been through too much to turn back.  So, as crazy as it is, I will choose to shut the left brain off and run.  This is accomplished by actively engaging the right brain.  Your creative part of the brain.  He gives some suggestions such as:

1. "Diffuse the stress by saying that your not going to push yourself."  Focus on the fun and how easy it will be.
2. "Focus on the positive effect of your marathon experience." How has this changed you...how focused you are....how you are a better person because of it.
3. "Gain a vision of yourself crossing the finish line." Think about the feeling you will have, the medal around your neck.
4. "Walk or jog around." This helps with relaxation and engages your right brain.
5. "Tell a joke."  Laughing helps to engage the right brain.
6. "Have a number of positive success stories."  In training, from others, from other races....I will draw on when I qualified for the race! :)
7. Breaking the race down into smaller events that are not challenging is helpful.
8. Rehearse the marathon in your mind, and envision yourself doing well even when tired.

All these tips, and more, can be found in his book.  I have enjoyed reading it.  I also followed his plan when I trained for my first few marathons and really had great experiences.
I also would like to add a few more thoughts to this though....

1. I have a friend that says, " Your body can handle so much more pain than you think."  This is true, so don't be afraid to push.
2. The more you accept the pain of the marathon, the better you will endure it.  The left brain is right.  Running 26.2 miles is hard and somewhat hurts.  If I am to do well, I just need to accept this.
3. If it were easy, everyone would do it.
4. I am the one who puts pressure on myself.... no one else does.  So just go out and enjoy the Boston experience.

So with all that said, I start my first monster week.  This week included 46 miles of running, ending with 10 wet miles on Friday and 20 soggy miles on Saturday.

Monday was a pace run:
Goal was to get in 10 miles with 4 being at my marathon pace.  It was wet and rainy when we started and despite my long sleeves and tights, I was cold.  I am sure 4 miles of my marathon pace was in the run somewhere.  However, they were not all consistently together.  Michelle did this run with me and we had to reroute, dodge trucks on the greenway, and tiptoe through mud.  My average moving pace was 8:31 and it took me 1:34.14 total time.
I also miscalculated and accidentally did 11 miles.  That's going to leave a mark!  Someone said that it is better that I went long than to come up short.  However, this is not true during the "Monster Weeks".  Doing more mileage than the plan calls for does not help. It will only make you more tired when you enter the weekend long run.
After the run, I felt great.  Nothing was hurting and I wasn't even that tired.  I went home, did some paperwork on the computer for my job, then got up to go pick up the girls from school.  When I stepped down on my left foot, I almost hit the ground.  The pain that radiated through my foot and into my leg was almost unbearable.  My neuroma was back!!!  I wasn't all that worried though.  If I could just get through the day, I would call the doctor to set up another shot!  GRRR!  I wanted to put the shot off as long as I could though.  This last one lasted about 9 weeks so I knew the longer I waited, the better.

Tuesday Swim
I swam 1500 today.  It was slow going but I was just trying to help my muscles recover from yesterdays run.  My foot was no longer hurting, but was tender.  I could feel the nerve, but it seemed OK.  If it hurt Wednesday, I was going to bag the circuit run and go get my shot.  I told Matt to pray and I started praying as well.
I also decided that I'm tired of being dehydrated...so I upped my drinking (of H2O).  I filled up a milk jug (16 cups of water) and drank 14 cups of it.

Wednesday was Circuit
I do this on the soft dreadmills at the Simmon's YMCA.  When I got up, my foot was good.  I decided to go try the run and see what happens.  As I started running, I could sort feel something...but I think it was my foot hurting because I had been walking weird on it. 
Because of all my water drinking, I took an electrolyte pill.  This was an AWESOME run!
Circuit consists of a 1.5 mile warm up, 5Xhalf mile repeats (at a 7:13 pace - 8.3 on the dreadmill), and a 1 mile cool down.  During the repeats, I do crazy strength training stuff.  It is so AWESOME with a total of 5 miles!!!  Then I went to work and saw clients until 2000!
Tomorrow I will start taking my resting heart rate.  I do this so I know it I am over training!  The procedure is as follows: before I get up, I take my heart rate for a minute.  I do this a few times and take the average so it will be more accurate.

Thursday was a rest day.  I'm glad it was because I saw clients from 0800-1800.  I was tired at the end of this day.
My resting heart rate was 47!  I also drank about 13 cups of water.

Friday was my short long run.
Resting HR: 40!
The goal was to do 10 miles.  Just run 10 miles.  I woke up to thunder storms and was wondering if I was going to have to complete this run on the dreadmill.  Matt and I dropped off the girls at school then headed to the DOWN Y to start.  By the time we got there the storms were gone.  It was still rainy but not thundering.  Took an electrolyte pill and I headed out to start my run.  I LOVED this run.  I did not take music and tried not to look at my garmin.  I did not worry about pace. 
I love to talk to God when I run.  I prayed for 10.12 miles (Averaging an 8:52 pace with a total time of 1:29.42).  It is amazing how quickly the time passes and how wonderful the run is when I get my focus off of me.
After the run, I went to visit a friend in the hospital.  She is our "Woolly Lamb" in our Sunday show.  She is one of the sweetest people I know.
Then I went home, took a shower and put on my compression socks for the rest of the day.
I drank 14 cups of water!

Saturday was my 20 miler!
Resting heart rate was 37!  I thought this was low so I took it more than normal!
Storms rolled through the Charlotte area all night.  We lost power several times.  My dog and my 11yo ended up in the bed with me and Matt.  So needless to say, I did not get a lot of sleep.  When I woke up at 0500, it was still storming. I decided to push my 0630 run back to 0900.
Michelle was going to meet me for some of the run so I thought it may be a good idea to go a bit early and get a few miles in.  I started running at 0840 and got 2 whole miles in before meeting up with Michelle and starting our run.  My Legs were tired, but not sore and the plan was around a 9:00 average pace.
Michelle ended up running with me until I got to mile 13.  I knew she was leaving and I had 7 more miles to go....I was tired, and had a fierce headache!  So bad I had to take some Advil.



Me getting ready to go back out for 7 more miles!

However, I engaged my right brain by pretending I had not run yet.  I told Michelle that I was going to go out and just run 7 miles.  And that is what I did.  It was actually a great run. 

I was tired at the end but that is to be expected.  I completed this run in 2:54.03 with an average 8:42 pace.  20 miler #1 DONE!

Next week is a step back week and I run a half marathon!

Week 9 - 2/19/12 - 2/26/12

After I reread my last weeks post I noticed how boring it was.  I do want to apologize, but that is how training goes.  I am over half way through my training program and now entering the really high miles.  To read about the training isn't really that exciting.  In fact, it's almost boring.  However, to actually do the training is another story!  To do the training takes everything inside you to keep going.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE training for a race.  I love the discipline, I love knowing what I am to do every day, but most of all I love the running.  But to do each run I must recover.  The recovery is where you get stronger.  The run itself just breaks you down... but if you recover, you are stronger because of it.

Foam roller, compression socks, & PJs

When I get into the high miles, I need to recover quickly, so I have a few items that help with that.

• Foam roller!  All I can say is this thing needs to take me out to dinner or something because I spend a lot of time with it.  The concept is simple.  Roll it up and down the part of your body that hurts.  It is great to get out knots, and loosen up your IT Band!
• Compression Socks!  I wear these all the time!  They help my legs (mainly my calf muscles) recover.  I run up on my toes, so my calf muscles get a beating.
• Last but not least, my Pajamas!  It is important to get enough rest all the time, but especially in training.

I ran just over 43 miles this week, so here is the break down....of the miles, not of my mental state. =)  That's for another blog.

Monday Tempo Run

9 miles of total running, 7.4 of this at tempo pace (btwn 7:43-8:03). My girls were out of school today and the weather was a bit bad the night before, so I decided to do this run a little later than planned.  This meant that I would be doing this run alone, but I'm glad I did start later, because the bridges were still icy when I went out at 1000.

Plan was simple: run down David Taylor, to the greenway, take the new Toby Creek extension, and finish back UP David Taylor for my cool down.  Everything always looks so much better in writing.  My pace was good, I felt good but I still had to finish up DT in a very tired state of mind.  But I did it.  I even saw a good friend on the greenway and he ran the last .5 of my tempo pace with me.  This was a great run and the weather was just beautiful.  I actually could have worn shorts or a skirt instead of my tights.  I was a bit warm while I was doing my "fast miles".

Tuesday Swim

I swam 1700 meters today.  We warmed up and then did 75s.  I could tell I was tired.  I know this because I could not get my breathing to even out and my heart rate was high.  So while Michelle was going through the water like a beautiful mermaid, I was swimming like a cow of the sea.  Ha! Ha! Moo!

Wednesday Hill Repeats!

Good grief!  This was 8xhill.  That means I run up hill 8 times....

Who wrote this stinking training plan?  Oh, I did!

Michelle and I warmed up a few miles then found the most menacing hill we could find and ran up and down it 7 times.  Then we ran to another hill and ran up it.  I think this ended being about 6.5 miles.

Thursday is a day of rest!  Well from running anyway!  I had to clean my house, before going into work.  The carpet attachment to my vacuum broke, so I ended up vacuuming the whole house with the bare floor attachment.  That was a workout!  But you gotta do what you gotta do!  I have a dog and there was no choice but to vacuum.

Friday Pace Run

Today I met up with Holly and Michelle and we ran 9 miles at my marathon pace (or a bit faster).  The goal was 8:29 but we ended up averaging right under this pace.  We did the same route I did Monday.

Who's idea was this?  Oh, mine.  I guess I can never have too much David Taylor!

Wow!  It was warm!  I had on a skirt and tank and sweat was pouring off of me.  I don't glisten, I sweat!  I decided to take water and Gatorade with me.  I'm glad I did because I was crusted with salt when I finished.  I am trying to get used to drinking the Gatorade because I think it will help me stay hydrated better.

Saturday Long Run

Today was 19 miles of cold and wind!  How the weather can change in a day.  I decided to do this run down town.  I started at the DOWD YMCA and planned to run 3 alone, come back to car, meet Michelle, run the Corporate Cup course (13 miles) with her, come back to car, Michelle leaves, then I run 3 more alone.  19 miles doesn't seem as long when I break it up like this, well at least on paper.

Who wrote this training plan?  Man, I must be insane!

So at 0635 I was chugging along to get my 1st 3 miles in.  The squirrels must have had it out for me.  They kept throwing their little nasty bodies at me.  But this did not deter me!  I was focused!

At 0700, Michelle and I went back out and started on the course.  The wind was fierce!  The only way I can describe it was that it took my breath away, and it chilled me to the bone.  I was wet with sweat and could feel it hitting me. Yes, I still sweat in the freezing cold!  We ran and ran and ran..... Near the end of the course, she suggested we add on a little.  So we did a little mile loop to get in some more mileage.  When we got back to the DOWD, I was at 17 miles.  This means I only had 2 more to go. Yeah! 

But here's the problem.  Go back to around mile 15.  The top of my left foot started hurting a little so I retied my shoe so it wasn't very tight.  Well I think this slightly changed my foot strike, due to my shoe being looser than normal.  So my IT Band starts protesting.  These last 2 miles were a form of torcher that I have never incountered.  I could feel my ITB rubbing my knee wrong and locking up.  By mile 18, I was having a really hard time getting my left leg to turn over.  I am sure I looked pathetic.   I did finish, but it hurt!  It hurt bad!

Got back to my car, drank my chocolate almond milk, tons of water, and called Matt to tell him I was finished.  Then went home to face the foam roller!



Spot showing off his socks!

On Sunday, I was surprised that I wasn't sore at all!  A little tired, but not sore. 

But Spot did wear his compression socks. :0)    ---->---->



Week 8 - 2/12/12 - 2/18/12

So week 8 of my training was the first time I have ever run as a 40 year old.  I turned 40 on 2/12/12 so I entered into a new age group and era of running.  I'm hoping this age group will be less competitive and I can win some bling this year.... but we will see.  I just need to get my body to cooperate with me so I can run Boston!
Week 8 also is a stepback week.  After last week's 38+ miles, I had 2 issues going into this week.

1. I was so tired that I wanted to sleep instead of run (but that may be due to the book I have been staying up late to read)
2. I ate EVERYTHING in sight!  No really....anything I could get my hands on!

So a stepback week was welcomed.  However, the only thing that goes down on a stepback week is the long run... or in my case, the long runs.  The Monday tempo run goes up 1 mile and Wednesday's circuit training doesn't give me a break!

Monday was a tempo run!
9 miles, 5 being at tempo pace...Today was COLD!  I had so many clothes on and still, my normal 2 mile warm up did not suffice.  So I added on 1 more mile for the warm up.  After the "warm up" I reluctantly upped the pace.  Mile 4, 6, 7, and 8 were right on target.  However, mile 5 was an 8:20.  I just couldn't get the push off I needed to keep the pace up.  I was on a muddy trail so I figured this was the problem.  Once I got back on the paved trail, I was golden!  Then I took the last mile for a cool down!

Tuesday was swimming
I always use this as a recovery day.  The swimming helps my tired muscles recover better.  This particular day, however was Valentines Day and my Abigayle's birthday.  Yes, I had my first baby on Valentine's Day.  So I felt rushed and never really got into my workout.  I cut it short about 500 so I only got in 1500 meters.

Wednesday was Circuit!
This is always hard and painful.... but in a good way. ;o) 
I have included my heart rate data for this run!
I warmed up 2 miles, cooled down 1 mile, and ran at a 7:13 mile per minute for 3.5 miles (in half mile increments).  In between the half mile repeats, I did strength training. 
I'm going to feel this in the morning!

Thursday was a "rest day" from working out.... So me and Michelle went to Lulu Lemon!  Woot! Woot!

Friday was my "long run"
I only had 12 miles today but I felt like I did 26.2.  I started the run sore and tired from the Wednesday morning Circuit.... and staying up late to read....
The run was uneventful and fun.  I was wore my pink Lulu skirt and a matching pink shirt I purchased just yesterday.  Wow, I don't think I have EVER had on that much pink before.  I was really pink, but the outfit was comfortable.... I may wear this for the marathon.  You couldn't miss me, but it may be too much!

Saturday was 6 miles recovery!
This was a recovery run.  I dropped off Abigayle at swim practice, went and ran 6 hilly miles, then went to Maggie's basket ball game.  I ran the hills of Highland Creek!  Those are a BEAST!  Maybe this is where I need to do hill work!

So, this week was a bit over 33 miles....and next week is coming.  I start the really long runs next week. 
I'm Scared!

Week 7 - 2/5/12-2/11/12

Kellie Pickler sings the country song "Tough".  I love this song and have it on my marathon play list.  In fact, I have it on the special play list that I have affectionately named "Hard Times".  This is the play list that is called upon to get me those last few miles.  It helps me get in my head that I can handle more pain than I think.  It helps me break through the wall.  It helps me to feel "Tough"!
Here are the words:

Tough, I ain't ever been nothing but tough.

My edges have always been rough

But Jesus loves me anyway

Backbone,

there ain't nothing wrong with a woman

who got a little backbone.

You want a shy little thing,

a pretty little high heel thing

gonna cry if I don't polish up....Tough!

Now.... running a marathon takes a bit of "tough"!  But not just physically.  After mile 20, for me, it is more mental than physical.  So I start playing mind games!  I start telling myself I am Tough.  I can finish this race.  I envision the finish line.  I start going deep inside myself to pull whatever I have left out to finish this race.
But training for a marathon also takes a bit of "Tough".  Training is created to break your body down so it will build back up with more "Tough"!  This week I ran almost 40 miles, ending with a double long run of 17 miles on Friday and 8 on Saturday!
"There ain't nothing wrong with a woman who's got a little backbone! Tough!"

Monday pace run!
Today was an 8 mile run with 4 miles being at pace.  This was not really that big of deal, as an 8:30 pace is where my body goes naturally.  However, we had to get creative with it.  Remember the calf cramp from Sunday... It was still lurking in my calf, ready to take me down at any point.  I also had Zoe with me, traffic was BAD on David Taylor, and the soft dirt trail (where we add on miles) was covered in mud and water.  I did come up a bit short on this run.  However, I got my 4 miles at pace done.  I thought that .7 of a cool down mile would not totally derail my training...and Zoe was done, so I finished up and was happy!

Tuesday was swim/core!
I got the crazy idea to swim a bit then jump out of the pool and do some core, then swim some more then more core....blah, blah, blah! 

WU: 500...

Workout: 100...

pushups, triceps...

100...

planks

100...

pushups, triceps...

100...

setups...

100...

pushups, triceps...

100...

setups...

100...

CD: 300

1500 meters of swimming plus core work!  By the time I finished, I was shaking.

Wednesday = Hills!
7xhill to be exact!  With the help from Holly and Michelle, I chose to run some hills that resemble the 1st half of Boston.  I ran these 6 times then bolted up David Taylor.  I held a good pace and tackled some good hills without much stopping.

Thursday I took as a rest day!
I knew I had 17 on Friday + 8 on Saturday = 25 miles!  So I thought a day off from working out would "work out" best for me.

Friday was my 17 mile long run!
It was damp, cold, and cloudy! Michelle, Holly and I met and ran.  The plan was to keep it slower the first few miles, then up the pace if we felt like it.  Holly was going 10 miles, Michelle had 15, and I had 17.  I'm glad to have these girls run with me!  It makes training so much more fun.  I ran around 11.66 then Holly was finished.  We went back at the car to refill our water, then Michelle and I went back out.  We did an out and back course.  The last 3 miles we started upping the pace.  I looked at my Garmin and we were doing around an 8:00 mile!  I knew that this would get it over faster...so I turned to Kellie Pickler for inspiration!  I heard her talk about being tough!  I think I even started telling myself out loud that I was "Tough"!  Several people passed us and gave me weird looks... but hey, I didn't care because I was almost done! And I was tough!  GRRR!
Finished up the run and looked at overall pace.... 8:30!  WOW!  But would I be sore and tired for my run tomorrow?

Saturday was 8 miles recovery!
My goal was 8 miles!  No goal time involved.  I was not sore at all from yesterday's run.  I felt really good, in fact!  However, I had been up late the night before because Abigayle had 3 friends over for a slumber party, I had a baby shower that morning until 1200, it was windy and cool, I was running later than normal, and I only had about an hour before I had to be back home to get ready for Maggie's basket ball game!  I love to here people say they could never run as much as me because they don't have time.....but that's another soapbox.... anyway, I never warmed up on this run.... and my legs were tired!  Not sore, but tired!  I completed the run, went home, ate 5 cookies, changed and went to Maggie's basketball game!
Tough!

Next week is a step back week!  Praise the LORD!

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 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!

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!