Marathon Madness Monday: Week 6

Wow, I'm 1/3 of the way through training!  I know that the next 2/3 will fly by as well!  October 21st still seems far off, but I know it will come fast.

Today I thought I'd talk about what is working well this training cycle and what I'm struggling with.  I have been really positive in these marathon training recap posts, but trust me - not every run is awesome for me...

What's Working:  My long runs are going really, really well.  Like better than any other marathon training cycle.  I think this is due to the fact that I came into marathon training with a very nice base amount of miles.  Actually, I looked back on my training and was surprised to find that I ran more miles in the months of April and May than I did in the month of July last year when I was training hard for my half marathon.  So clearly all those miles I put in between March-May are helping me now.  I've increased my long runs a little faster than a Hal Higdon schedule would call for, but I'm listening to my body and my coaches, and I know I've made good decisions so far.

Also, this is the first training cycle where I have ran with others and clearly having some company out there on the trails makes a big difference.  I have become known as the quiet runner who doesn't really like to engage in non-stop conversation, but I like having someone else out there with me.

I have ran enough marathons to know that I have some bad long runs ahead of me - it's inevitable.  But I am enjoying these great long runs while they last!

What I'm Struggling With: Pace work is REALLY hard for me.  Like really hard.  We did a run this week where we did 1 mile at marathon pace and then 4 x 1200m at half marathon pace.  I hit my pace for the 1 mile and 2 of the 4 1200, but the last 2 1200s were ugly.  Part of it is the extreme humidity we've had lately.  It's like running through stream.  I got really frustrated on Wednesday as I was running those last 2 1200s at a slower pace than I ran my half marathon last fall...  and I was working REALLY hard (i.e. panting and wanting to die) but when I was not all that winded when I ran my half last fall.  Yes it was work, but not THAT much work.

BUT - it was also about 40 degrees cooler when I ran my half last fall and there was no humidity.  And I know I went through this frustrating phase last summer.  It's just part of the process. I had a great run on Thursday in cooler, less humid temps, though, which restored some of my confidence.

My challenge is to not give up on myself and to not mentally kick the crap out of myself after these tough runs as I am prone to do... 

Here is how the training broke out for the week:

Monday:  7.25 miles of hills at a 9:43 pace.  This was a tough run as it was very humid that night. 

Tuesday: Biked 8 miles on the stationary bike before work.

Wednesday:  7 mile run w/ an overall pace of 9:42.  Pace work:  1 mile @ 8:55, 4 x 1200m repeats @ 8:40, 8:50, 8:54, 9:02 (ugly, ugly run for me). 

Thursday:  4 miles @ 8:52 pace.  This was an awesome run for me and showed me how the humidity had been impacting my runs as it was only 82 this day and not humid, and the run went great.

Friday:  Rest

Saturday:  12 miles @ 9:48 pace.  This run went awesome.  I felt strong the whole time and was very consistent with my pace.

Sunday:  Rest

Training Tally:

Week 6:  30.75 miles
Training to date:  165.75 miles

How has the weather been where you are?  Has it impacted your training?  I am trying to remind myself that this heat and humidity will make me a strong runner come fall when the temps cool and the humidity eases.  But right now, moving to Seattle sounds awfully tempting....

Race Recap - 1/2 marathon PR!!

This is what a PR looks like!!

Let me just start by saying that the race went amazingly well!  I finished with a time of 1:54:40.  So yah, totally blew my 2 hour goal out of the water - which is shocking and so wonderful at the same time!

The race started at 7:30 am so we got up at 5:45 to make sure we had enough time for breakfast.  I was super hyper in the morning, which isn't really typical, so I think my body was ready to race.  We headed down, Lauren snapped some photos, and we were off!

Here are my splits:

Mile 1 - 9:12
Mile 2 - 8:42
Mile 3 - 8:42
Mile 4 - 8:42 (wow, I was consistent!)
Mile 5 - 8:16
Mile 6 - 8:27
Mile 7 - 8:33
Mile 8 - 8:50
Mile 9 - 8:38
Mile 10 - 8:44
Mile 11 - 8:50
Mile 12 - 8:29
Mile 13 - 8:31
.25  - 8:16 pace (the course measured .15 long on my garmin)


So all in all, I ran a really strong race - my only split > 9 minutes was the first one when we were weaving in and out of people (which is my least favorite part of every race!).  I felt great at the finish and my only casualty is a blister on my left foot.

The first people I emailed were my coaches from the run club.  If it wasn't for those guys, I never would have achieved this goal.  They pushed me all summer and totally changed my approach to training.  The course was sort of rolling hills, so all those hills runs I did really benefited me today.  They kept believing in me and telling me I could do it, even when I doubted it.

Victoria was definitely a great course and I would come back here in a heartbeat, perhaps to do the marathon some day!  And we all PR'd - Amber & Leigh both ran sub-2 hour halves, and Lauren finished her full in around 3:44 (holy cannasta, she is a speedy runner!!!).

Now it's back to exploring and enjoying this gorgeous city!!!

Workout Wednesday - Half Training

This week is week 4 of my half marathon training plan, so I thought it would be a good time to check in and talk about how it's going as I will be 1/3 of the way through after this week!  Which is exciting as that means the trip is just around the corner!  Super duper excited to see Amber, Lauren, and Leigh.  I think our little group is going to have a blast in Victoria, BC.  I can already tell we will travel well as a group.  Which is so important.  There are just some people you travel well with, and I know these 3 will fall into that category.  I mean, I spent 5+ days with Amber last year and we never got on each other's nerves once - seriously, I am not exaggerating.  That's saying something! 

Anyways, back to the training.  This training cycle is VASTLY different from other training cycles.  How so?  Time for a bullet point list...

• Instead of running 4-5 times/week, I run 3 times/week.  Each run has a focus:  tempo/pick ups, hills, and long distance runs.  I am still getting in as much, if not more, miles that I would if I was runnign 4-5 times/week as the runs as my week day runs are 6-8 miles and the weekend run is 8-12 miles. 
• In the past, I ONLY ran.  This time, I bike twice a week and am  starting this week, I am going to incorporate strength training.
• Instead of doing every single run alone, I run with my run club.  I don't always run with someone as sometimes I am going slower than those around me, etc, but I always have company at some point during the run.
• I'm sort of winging it when it comes to the long run on Saturday.  In the past I followed Hal Higdon's plans, but this time around, I am running 10 miles each week and that will start to increase as I get closer to the race day, with my longest run being 12 miles.

I am such a creature of habit, so it's been interesting to switch things up SO much.  I have been a bit nervous lately as I have had some not-so-great runs, but I am doing my best and trusting the coaches. 

Will I make my sub-2 hour goal?  Time will tell.  In the event I don't make my goal, I will go back to the drawing board.  The good thing about half marathons is that there are plenty to choose from so I can always find another race in the late fall or spring. 

Oh and while we are on the subject of races, I'm about 99% sure I will do another marathon next year...  So much for the 'I am never doing another marathon' comments I have made for the last year...  Now I just need to pick a marathon!  :)

Are you training for any races?  Besides the half in Victoria, I am doing a 10 mile race in late September, which I will treat as a training run.  I'm excited as Kyria might come to Minneapolis and do this with me, and Raquelita of Historiadora on the Run is definitely doing it, so I'll get to meet 2 bloggers! 

Workout Wednesday

Greetings and Happy Wednesday to you all!  Is everyone getting a ridiculous heat wave ?  I am trying not to complain because I complain about being cold, but dear God, I was not built for a heat index of 110+.  I seriously don't know how people live in places where it's like this every day in the summer. 

But in the words of Lupe Fiasco (yes, I am quoting a hip hop artist), the show goes on. 

Despite the fact that it was in the upper 90's with a heat index north of 110, we still forged ahead with the planned workout at run club on Monday.

Would you like to know what getting your *ss kicked looks like?

The green line at the top is elevation, the blue line below is pace.

We did a 2 mile warm up, 2 miles of hill repeats (4 repeats), and a 2 mile cool down.  It probably doesn't look that tough on this graph but believe me when I say I felt like I was running up a freaking mountain.  I don't know how you trail runners do it! 

But I finished the workout.  My pace sucked but considering the conditions, I'll take it.  I was so gross when I finished, I need a new word for "hot mess". 

I do love how this run club is pushing me out of my comfort zone...  but I do hope it's SIGNIFICANTLY cooler when we do this workout again - which I will refer to as "The hills of death" in the future.

I am not sure if I will do 'workout Wednesday' posts each week...  I don't want to bore you non-runners to tears, afterall.  So I will probably post them sporadically.

How do you stay cool and hydrated during extreme heat?  Fortunately my new place has central air (thank God!).  I also drink water like it's going out of style and eat a whole lot of watermelon!

Run Club Review

I start my running club last week and I am happy to report that it went really well!  There were no kilt-clad men and everyone was really friendly and welcoming!  I'd say there were about 20-30 people there, so a good sized group.  The coaches are very nice and both think I will definitely be able to run a sub-2 hour half - I guess we'll see what happens this fall!

Our Wednesday consisted of a 1.5 mile warm up, 3 miles of "pick ups" which means you run hard for 2 minutes and easy for a minute.  Those 2 minutes felt SO LONG and then the 1 easy minute of running went so fast, of course.  Then with a 1.5 mile cool down.  I ended up running with 2 other girls who were both very nice and ran at a similar pace.

Saturday is the long run day.  This week you could do 8, 10, or 12.  I decided on 8 since I had plans to meet up with friends for brunch.  The people who chose to run 8 were a little bit slower than I like to run, so I ended up joining the 10 milers and figured i would just split off and come back on my own.  But I quickly figured out that there was no way I would find my way back as we were running trails I wasn't familiar with.  So I decided to suck it up and do 10.

It was a terrible decision, but it probably wasn't my best decision.  I finished the run and my pace was decent but I was pretty fatigued by the time I finished mile 8.  One of the coaches caught up with me at the end and said I really need to learn to stick with my plan and not be swayed by what others are doing.  Especially since most of the club is training for a marathon so clearly they have different mileage goals, etc. 

All in all, it was a great experience and I am looking forward to training with this group for the next 4 months!  The Victoria half is just under 3 months away.  I am super excited as I will be meeting up with Amber and Lauren, the girls I ran Portland with, and Leigh is also meeting up with us, too!  I am excited to check out another area of Canada!

Oh and I know I said I would never run another marathon...  I have a feeling I may have to retract that statement...  It's SO tempting when I hear others talk about their training and race plans... 

Third Time's a Charm, I hope?

This weekend was an absolutely perfect weekend for running!  It was in the 55-60 degree range (that's around 12-15C for my Canadian friends).  So pretty much perfect weather.  I got a nice 6 miler in on Sunday and was pleased to look at my garmin and see that my fastest miles were my last 2.  Woo hoo!

Now that the CFA exam is behind me, I am shifting my focus back to running.  Sure, I ran while I studied, but it was more of a stress-relief activity.  I wasn't working to improve my pace or to become a stronger run.  I was just running to keep myself from losing my mind!

Now I am ready to push myself and become a stronger runner.  So how do I go about doing that?

I have decided to try another running club.  This will be my 3rd club that I'll be trying out.  Maybe you remember the first one - you know, the one where the guy showed up wearing a khaki kilt?  Then there was the one I tried last summer where I could not seem to find anyone in my pace group.  I kept going in the hopes that eventually I would find someone in my pace group, but had no luck. 

The third time is a charm, though, right?  That is what I am telling myself.  In July I'll join a local club called Club Run.  The membership is $75 for July-October, which I think is really reasonable.  There are 3 work-outs per week with coaches.  I think this is really going to be good for me! 

Besides wanting to improve my time and hopefully achieve a sub-2 hour 1/2, I am also hoping to make some new friends through this group.  While I am blessed with having running friends across the US and Canada, I don't have any running friends in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  It sounds like this group goes out for brunch after the Saturday long run, and will occasionally grab dinner after some of the weeknight runs, so I think I will *hopefully* make some new friends!

I'm sure I will let you know how it goes after I attend my first work-out.  Fingers crossed that there are no kilt-wearing runners...

Do you prefer to run/exercise alone or with others?  I actually really like running alone, but I know I need to run with others if I want to improve my pace/level of fitness!

It's a Small World & a Guest Post

It has been over a month since I last ran with the local running club. My Wednesday just filled up over the last month, but I was finally able to do another run with the group last night.

Here's a couple of random things that happened in bullet point form:

• At the beginning of the 6 mile training run, I met a girl who is running the Twin Cities Marathon and then the following week she is going out to Portland to cheer on a friend that is running the Portland Marathon! How random is that? So she said she will definitely cheer us girls on! Yea! I've rounded up a spectator!
• A couple of miles back, I decided to hang back with the 9-9:30 pace group as I knew the 8-8:30 pace wasn't sustainable for 6 miles. I ended up running with a guy that is a law clerk and works with one of my good friend's husbands! Again, how random is that! Minneapolis is a big city - what are the chances I meet someone that works with my friend's husband?
• I got back to my condo and was getting a mail and ran into another resident. He looked at me and said, "How was the pool water?" (there is a pool in my condo association). I had to awkwardly say, "um, I haven't been swimming. I just got back from a 6 mile run...." What can I say - it was a hot/humid 6 mile run and I swear, ever since I trained for my first marathon in 2006, I sweat way more and way more easily (probably TMI, I know). My friend that is a nurse said this is a good thing and it means my body is more efficient. I'm not such a fan of it... but I feel less bad about occasionally drinking pickle juice since I am losing a lot of sodium! Or at least that is what I tell myself.

If you want to hear me talk about something besides running and perspiration, head over to Becky's Blog! I'm guest posting about believing in love today!

National Running Day

Did you know today is National Running Day?

It's sort of fitting that it falls so close to the starting of my marathon training - which kicks off on Monday!

Running has become a huge part of my life; it almost borders on being a bit of an obsession or addiction. I figure there are much worse things to be addicted to, though!

So today, in honor of National Running Day, here is a list of just a few things I love about running!

• Running makes me feel Athletic: I was always the kid that got picked last in gym class. When I was in basketball in 5th & 6th grade, the only basket I made was for the opposing team. “Athletic” was never a word that described me… until I discovered running! I still have a hard time saying I am athletic, but the fact that I can run 10, 13.1, or even 26.2 miles without collapsing must mean I am athletic!
• Running keeps me healthy: During grad school, I did a horrible job of balancing a full time job, school in the evenings, a boyfriend, and running. Stupidly, I cut out running completely and really paid for it on the health front. I learned my lesson - cutting out running is not a good idea. It helps me stay at a healthy weight, I sleep better, and I now have toned calves to show for all the hard work I've put in!
• Running ties in well with my type-A personality: Training for a big race like a marathon or a half-marathon takes hard work, dedication, and a whole lot of planning (at least the way I approach training). This will sound weird to the non-planners out there, but I am comforted by the fact that, starting on Monday, I know exactly how far I need to run each day (or when to rest) for the next 18 weeks!
• Running calms me: Since I have a type-A personality, I am a bit on the high strung side. Running gives me an outlet for pent up stress and frustration. Sometimes I use my runs to think through issues that are bothering me. Other times, I use my runs to take a break from the inner monologue that marches through my brain all day long.
  

I could go on and on, but I will stop there as I know not everyone shares my passion for running!

Today I will be celebrating National Running Day by running with a group at my favorite local running store, Marathon Sports. The run is being led by some pretty elite runners (one guy placed 9th at Boston this spring!), so I will be a bit out of my league, but I am guessing there will be some people there close to my pace group.

Do you enjoy running? If so, what do you love about running?

Running Club Review

First off, comment of the day on yesterday's post goes to Gracie of How I Complicated My Life Today. She said, and I quote,

"I'm not going to skirt the issue, mister. Your outfit is making me run off kilter."

Is that an epic comment or what? I love a good play on words!

Back to the topic at hand - the running club. It went so well! I really had nothing to be nervous about. It was a little awkward at first as I shuffled back and forth, trying to figure out how everyone got organized into the right pace groups or length of runs. Then a store employee rang a bell and helped organize a couple of distance & pace groups. There were 3 others in my pace range that wanted to run 4 miles, so it worked out perfectly.

I will definitely be doing runs with this group again. Everyone was really easy going and inclusive. I didn't feel like I was breaking into a tight click, so that was a relief.

And the best thing?

There were no men in Kilts.

Alleluia.

So the plan is to run with this group on Wednesdays and I might do my long runs on Sunday. My marathon is a week after the Twin Cities marathon, so my mileage should be really similar to those training for the TC marathon.

I would be lying if I said I'm not sort of hoping I meet an attractive fellow runner. A girl can dream right?