The Quest for More...

Week 10

2012-02-06T06:50:00.002-06:00

It was a good week, but I must admit that these 3 quality workouts a week make for one tired runner by the end of the week. My fitness is coming together nicely, but man, my legs are feeling it.

I MUST start doing more stretching. MUST.

Here is how the week shook out:

M: rest/arms & abs

T: 6.4 easy (8:59)

W: 10 with tempo intervals + 4 striders. 12 x .25 @ 7:17 pace; .25 recoveries. This was much easier and even-paced than the first time I did it. Good workout.

R: 7 miles (8:51) / arms & abs

F: 9.3 with 7 miles at goal marathon pace (7:47)

Sa: 5.2 (8:54)

Su: 18 (8:52) / abs

Total: 56 and change

Next week will be around the same volume again, but more of it during the week and a break for my long run. I may throw in a 5K on Saturday too. It is hard not to consider it with this amazing weather we've had!

134

2012-02-03T11:02:00.003-06:00

Yes, 134. That was my heart rate during my warm-up this morning when I was averaging just under a 9 m/m pace.

This is a shockingly low number for me.

Recovery heart rate is usually around 138-140. When I am falling into really good shape at the latter part of the season, I may see 133, 134, 135. But usually at paces around a 9:20-9:40 mile.

But this morning, I look down at my Garmin and it says 133 while I am running an 8:5x pace. What?! Fluke? Maybe, but I am pretty excited about it. Typically, my heart rate doesn't really start to drop during my training until I am in the 65+ mile per week range. I am no where near that yet, but I am really starting to see things come together.

The rest of my run this morning was solid, but my HR didn't stay anywhere near the 130s, since after I finished my 10 minute warm-up, I launched into 7 miles at goal marathon pace. I ranged from 7:43-7:53, but some fluctuation was expected with hills, etc. HR was primarily between 167-172, which isn't bad. Although I can't proclaim any real experience in this as I don't often run many MP miles like this. The numbers were pretty similar to last week.

This week is going well and I am looking forward to my long run this weekend. I am scheduled for 2 hours 40 minutes, which should be a good 18+ miles. Hopefully it will go well.

I am also looking forward to spring racing season to start. It will be fun (hopefully) to see where I am at.

Week 9

2012-01-29T20:17:00.006-06:00

Whew. This week had its ups and its downs, but overall, I can't complain.

Last Sunday night after my long run, I met with a woman who is going to help me start another GOTR site in Cottage Grove. Yay! She was spunky and awesome and I am so happy about it. The bad news is that I also got socked with a WICKED migraine. Now, I don't typically get headaches, but I have been lately. Not only does it freak me out, but it is completely debilitating. Sunday night I was in bed by 7:30 pm, but couldn't sleep until after 11 since my head was EXPLODING.

My week in workouts was pretty stellar. I had 1 mile repeats at tempo pace; 6 marathon pace miles, and a long run of 17 miles. Sweet. But headaches plagued me all week. Particularly after hard workouts, but often at random times too. I hope this is a virus or something temporary. I am a big fat baby when it comes to headaches.

We also had some excitement! Some good, some not so good. Wednesday night, Jake and I were in a very near miss accident. We were moving down the highway at 65 mph and a woman pulled out right into oncoming traffic. Fortunately I saw her, slammed on the brakes and *just* missed her. However, the lady in the lane next to me was not so fortunate and SLAMMED into her. Jake was yelling in the back during impact and I just watched as the car next to me started doing a 360. Thank goodness we did not hit her. We stopped and everyone was thankfully okay, but one of the cars started on fire. Crazy stuff.

Thursday night, we took the boys to the Blue Man Group. It was super fun and the boys loved it. Although they have been picking at each other incessantly, which is incredibly annoying. Incredibly.Annoying.

Friday night Jakey had a basketball game. They won big and are still undefeated, which is awesome since their team is comprised of all third graders who played up in a 4th grade league. Jake also scored his first (non free throw) points, so we went and got frozen custard afterward to celebrate.

Saturday I went to the Milwaukee Bucks v. LA Lakers game. It was a work function, but it was fun. We got to play in the box and have a nice time. It was my first NBA game though, and I was shocked, frankly, at all the little contests and side shows. Sheesh - can't people focus through a basketball game without tons of distractions? It was fun to see the Bucks win though.

Today, I played around with Undercover Madison's website. Stay tuned for my creative genius. Or so I like to tell myself after obsessing for hours on this stuff... Seriously.

Last but not least, my numbers:

M: rest

T: 1 hour - 7 miles (8:49 pace) / arms & abs

W: 1:15 with 3 x 1 mile (7:17); .25 recoveries. Warmup = 20 min (8:49 pace); intervals (7:15, 7:16, 7:13); cooldown 26+ minutes (8:41 pace) + 4 striders

R: 1 hour - 6.7 (8:56 pace)

F: 1:10 with 6 at GMP (7:45)

Sa: 45+ minutes (8:45 pace) - crazy windy!

Su: 2:30 - 17+ miles (8:46 pace)

Total: 54.4

Nice week overall. Life is good.

Goals for next week: less headaches. more miles. less calories (I need to jettison 5 lbs). have fun.

Week 8 Recap

2012-01-27T06:15:00.002-06:00

I am posting my cut-back week details a bit late, but I don't want to forget to do it. So, even if untimely, here goes:

M: rest

T: 30 minutes - 3.5 miles (8:40 pace) / arms and abs

W: 20 min w/u (8:49); 4 x .75 mi @ 7:17 pace (7:14; 7:18; 7:15; 7:14) with .25 mi recoveries; 20+ min c/d (8:53)

R: 30 minutes - 3.5 (8:36) / arms

F: 60 minutes with 5 miles at goal marathon pace (7:47)

Sa: 34 minutes - 4 miles (8:40)

Su: 1:40 minutes - 11.5 (8:44)

Total: 38.3

It was really nice to have a cut-back week. It was a cold, slippery week as well so all of my runs, except Saturday, were on the treadmill. Heart rate was in a good place and mentally I could manage the treadmill pretty well. The big down-side of the week was just after I finished my longish run on Sunday, I started getting the dreaded migraine aura. Sure enough, within an hour and a half, I was completely incapacitated. Much worse than last time a few weeks ago. I was in bed by 7:30 pm, but couldn't fall asleep until after 11 since I was in so much pain. Boo. I have rarely gotten headaches, so it is frustrating that they seem to be cropping up more lately. Hopefully I have gotten it out of my system for a good long while.

Off to run some MP miles - see you on the other side.

Wrestling. Underestimated.

2012-01-25T20:27:00.005-06:00

Check it out - that is James after his first wrestling tournament. Pretty cool, no?

Well, I will be the first to admit that I have never really gotten wrestling. It seems very aggressive without a clear point and kind of weird to watch.

Wow, did my perspective change after this weekend. As I may have mentioned before, my son LOVES playing football. LOVES it. Well, to get stronger, he wanted to wrestle in the off-season. So we signed him up. They have practiced a couple days a week for a few weeks and admittedly, I have taken to it with lukewarm interest. When I was told I had to spend the entire day Sunday at a wrestling tournament, even though I had a long run to log and a ton of work, I wasn't particularly enthused.

John and James headed out super early for weigh-in, and James and I joined them about 2 hours later (CrAzY)! When I got there, brackets still weren't up and I learned that they were going in waves, from youngest kids to oldest. Great. I am going to sit here all day. Then I started watching. It was amazing to me: (1) how good these kids were; (2) how much they were giving of themselves (super intense); and (3) how hard it was to lose, but how glorious to win. It is all you out there on the mat. No teammate to blame for failing to block you or missing a pass. Just like running - you are the accountable one.

James was up for his first round and he was nervous. The kid he was against was apparently well known and a 7th year wrestler (WTH - did he start at 4K?!). They got going and it was super intense. In the first round (one minute), James got pinned. He looked wrecked after it - like he was going to cry. I could tell he was giving it all and he got schooled. That sucks. I patted him on the back, told him he did great and reminded him of the words his coach provided: you will lose some, you will win some, it will all make you stronger. He wasn't impressed, but he listened.

As we walked around, I saw so many tearful kids. And angry kids. I always knew it was a personal 1/1 sport. But it was kind of shocking how much emotion I saw. Granted, the kids were 5-12 years old. But still, it was intense. I was also really taken by the sportsmanship. All the kids were so polite and encouraging to each other. It reminded me of a distinct characteristic I love about my sport.

James was up for round number 2 and again, he was all nerves. He quickly pinned his opponent this time and was proud, but a little shell-shocked. This is new. Then he watched who he knew would be his last opponent and got completely flipped out. Completely. He started freaking out and getting very negative. I took him aside and told him this was just like running. It is all him and he needs to blow up the negative thoughts - put them out. He rolled his eyes at me, but when his group started lining up, the kid that first pinned him was jumping around warming up with confidence. I asked him (in front of James) if he felt negative at all. He of course said no. And James got it. He started knocking out the negative and jumping around to warm up. He was going to do this and not disable himself mentally in the process.

Round 3 was intense. In wrestling, there are 3 periods (rounds?) of one minute. James held his own until the end when he was pinned. But he gave it his all. 100% and he had the right attitude. Just needs a little more experience and strength. I was so proud of him for conquering the mental obstacles for the day. The first of many I am sure.

But I walked away thinking it was an amazing sport. Sure, team sports are awesome and have their place. But nothing defines a person better than putting it all out there - just you. Love it. Hopefully I'll have more stories soon. :)

******

Back to running!

Last week was a cut-back week, but I did tempo intervals and a MP run. Awesome. I am running lower mileage and taking distinct cut-back weeks. And I am noticing a difference. In the last few seasons, I always felt like I was catching up. Trying to squeeze in more miles. This time, both cut-back weeks I felt sore. Yay! Maybe I am finally having some real adaptations to training. My easy pace is now in the 8:4x range at the heart rate I used to be at 9+. Nice. Confidence is building.

I have started 3 quality workouts a week (tempo; marathon pace; long run) and the miles are building. Excited to see what lies ahead. :)

Tempo Intervals Take 3

2012-01-18T21:30:00.006-06:00

So today was my third tempo workout. My entire training this time-around has been totally different for me. Now, I am doing *really* short tempo intervals. Previously, I started tempo runs at 3 miles and peaked around 9.

Intervals are sweet. I embrace them. Yet, they are definitely a very different beast.

Pacing of tempo / lactate threshold is very important. You don't want to rush it, you want to hit that sweet spot to push your fitness higher. As a type A person, this is tough. My first go-round, I did great because they were .5 mile repeats. If I went too fast I could easily adjust and hit nice paces. Bonus: great HR range too. Success. Attempt # 2 was more of a fail. I had 12 x .25 mile repeats. Go out too fast; slow down too much; sprint = not good. And I never quite got it right. Well Mother Nature gave me a hand today.

The coach did too as the repeats were .75 miles, but it was also 0 degrees when I got up and colder than that with the windchill. Add in darkness and slippery, gunky roads = hello treadmill.

Now ya'll know I b*thc/wihne about the treadmill. But darn I was happy this morning to throw on some shorts, fire up the TM (and fan) and know that I would be hitting steady paces. I did not have my heart rate monitor because the TM is in the basement. If I take it down there, I get non-stop "no signal" messages. But I felt good. Relaxed.

Good stuff. And I hit my paces with no problems.

Tomorrow morning when I wake it will be -20. BRRRRRRRR. Sorry treadmill I ever complained. I <3 you. :)

Another Week in the Books

2012-01-15T19:31:00.004-06:00

I have to admit that I am pleased to be in a decent mileage range, incorporating workouts, and still hitting faster than usual paces. While I am used to higher mileage than this, I have a new-found confidence with my faster paces. Hopefully, I will be able to keep it up as I keep progressing.

Next week is a cut-back week for me. It seems crazy to me to have another cut-back week already after just 2 50 mile weeks. But I think that was also a fundamental training flaw/habit I developed over the last few seasons. I hardly ever had a real cut-back week because I was always trying to squeeze in more miles. So I'm not sure my body ever properly recovered before it could take on new training demands to adapt to. I never really thought about it, because what glory lies in a light training week? Well, I think a lot, actually. Rest is important. Even if you are not hurt or feeling beaten down. And hopefully, my true recovery weeks this season will pay dividends as I continue to build and adapt.

Typically during training, my heart rate (both resting and in training) really starts to drop once I hit the 65 mile per week range. However, I have noticed a drop in my heart rate lately when I have been running. I haven't been taking my resting heart rate, so this morning, I put my HR on for a good 15 minutes before I actually put my sneakers to the streets. I wasn't expecting to see any great numbers given that I slept terrible on Friday night and then stayed up WAY too late Saturday night dancing the night away to Undercover. Add in a few glasses of wine, and, well, like I said, I wasn't expecting anything great.

Much to my delight, my resting HR was under 60. This is terrific. I am going to do a better job tracking it next week as well so I can see where I am really at. I am feeling optimistic, however. [As an aside, yes, I know I am *always* optimistic in training, that is just who I am --> deal.] :)

Onto the numbers! Here was my week:

M: rest / arms & abs

T: 50 minutes - 5.73 miles (8:46/152) / abs

W: 1:25:15 - 9.89 miles (8:38/166) + 4 x 100 meter strides. This was an interval workout at tempo pace - 12 x .25 miles/.25 recovery. This was a bit of a bomb, but I got it done.

R: 48 minutes - 5.63 miles (8:37/153). I was very happy to get this run in before the snow came! Also did arms & abs.

F: 80 minutes - 9.25 (8:41/did not wear HRM). The snow came and it was crazy windy and cold, so I hit the treadmill. I was scheduled for 4x100m striders, but instead did the last 5 minutes at goal marathon pace (7:47) / abs.

Sa: 40 minutes - 5 miles (8:34/did not wear HRM) - treadmill again.

Su: 2 hours; 20 minutes - 16 miles (8:49/159) - HR was a bit high and I was feeling my night out of dancing! It was a beautiful afternoon for a run though - 32 degrees and sunny at the start; although it was getting cold, windy and very icy when I finished!

Total: 51.7 miles; 7 hours, 29 minutes, 12 seconds

So that is almost the same mileage last week. Now, I head into a nice little recovery week. I also get to add in an extra quality workout with some MP miles. Bring it!

Thank you Freddie.

2012-01-13T08:16:00.001-06:00

For helping me get through an 80 minute treadmill run this morning.

Hitting my stride . . . or not

2012-01-12T07:55:00.005-06:00

The first winter storm of the season is starting to roll in, which I am not particularly excited about. But it certainly does make me pause to feel thankful for the mild weather and clear roads I've had for the last 7 weeks.

The beginning of this week has been great running weather and things have been going *decent.* Okay, I admit I was feeling a bit dejected yesterday after my intervals, but I am feeling much better today. Here's why:

Yesterday's intervals really kind of sucked. I was scheduled for 85 minutes. 20 minute warmup; 12 x .25 at tempo pace (7:17) with .25 recoveries; 15 minute cool down. Sweet. That does not sound tough at all - especially since I am used to running longer tempo runs (up to 8 miles) rather than short little intervals like that. Wrong. I simply could not get into a groove with my pace, and given how short the intervals were, it was hard to adjust and hit the right pace for any length of time. Each one seemed to go like this - start out feeling great (but look at Garmin and see I am around 6:40 pace - my VO2Max pace), so I slow down (then look at Garmin and I am at a 7:20ish pace, so then I am sprinting the last .5 miles to get it down to the right number.

You'd think with TWELVE of them, I'd find the right pace.

Not so. It didn't help that my Garmin signal seemed off. Admittedly, I was looking at the thing way too much. But I'd turn a corner and suddenly the lap pace would change by 10 seconds even though I knew I had not slowed that dramatically. Annoying. Needless to say, it was a mentally difficult run.

I got home and pulled the numbers and they weren't as bad as I had expected. I really thought my paces would be more off and my HR would be totally out of where it should be. But, really all was okay in in the right ranges (invervals were all between 7:08 and 7:22 and at my LT heart rate).

But that is not why I am feeling better. I am feeling better about it all because: (1) I know not every run is great - deal with it; (2) it isn't like the paces were too hard - it was just difficulty in adjustments - that is easier to tweak than hitting a pace that is out of my fitness range; (3) I had an aWeSoMe run this morning. :)

I have to admit that the day after a long run or a structured workout, I feel like I deserve a recovery run. But that is not happening this season and I grumble a bit when I think about having to target that (d@mn) 8:45-9:00 pace. Yeah, I was in that place this morning and listening to the howling winds thinking just how little I wanted to get out there. But I dragged my butt out there and had a great run. It was one of those runs where I was just feeling great and happy to be out there. My stride felt nice and fluid. My pace was ahead of target and my HR was nice and low (8:36/153). I was feeling no signs of soreness or stress from yesterday's workout. Woot. It gave me the confidence that yesterday's workout took away.

That is what I love about running. Well, one of the things. Every day is a new day.

And now it is snowing and I am feeling very happy that I got out there and was able to get that great run in before the storm. :)

Six Weeks Already?

2012-01-08T16:00:00.002-06:00

Wow, I cannot believe I am about to start week #7 of training. It seems like I *just* started. Maybe it is because the mileage started out so light and I had a vacation in the middle. Who knows? I'll certainly take it.

As I mentioned in my last post, this week was the first week incorporating more structured workouts. Before that, the goal was simply to run xx time between an 8:45 and 9:00 minute pace. But this week, I finally got to start mixing it up a little. I also got to peek over the 50 mile mark for the week, which was very welcome.

Here's how things shook out:

M: rest/abs

T: 50 minutes - 5.75 miles (8:42) on the treadmill / arms & abs

W: Scheduled for 1:20; 20 minute w/u at 9:00 pace; 6 x .5 miles at 7:17 pace with .25 recovery jogs; c/d at 9:00 pace; 4 x 100 meter strides. I nailed my paces and was very happy about this workout. I was actually a bit ahead on my paces and my HR was in a very good place. It was fun to switch it up a bit too. Also did ab work.

R: 50 minutes - 5.6 miles (8:51) / arms & abs

F: 1:20 - 9 miles (8:54) + 4 x 100 meter strides. This run was hard. I was tired, stressed about work, and my HR was through the roof.

Sa: 40 minutes - ended up stretching it a little further to run 5.1 (8:37)

Su: 2:15 - I hit the hills and hit them hard in this run. Beautiful day (40 degrees) and clear roads. Ran 16 miles with an average pace of 8:45. Last mile was the fastest mile at 8:15.

TOTAL: 51.5 miles

Yay! It is definitely confidence building to see these paces. I looked back over prior training seasons and I am definitely running much faster. While it was not uncommon for me to run under a 9 m/m, I certainly wasn't doing that for all of my workouts. Hopefully this will translate into stronger fitness and races this season.

I am also feeling super thankful for this very mild winter. By this time last year, I had been relegated to the treadmill for a good 2 weeks. This week was my first treadmill run - and just after it, we were spoiled with fabulous running weather in the 30s, 40s and even 50s one day (although it was in the 20s that morning when I ran).

Workouts!

2012-01-05T05:54:00.003-06:00

So after a few weeks of operation speed up those easy runs, I finally got to start workouts this week! Woo hoo! While I have been pleased with my pacing progress, running every run with the same pace goal gets to be a bit mentally challenging! I am going with the flow here, but I have to admit I was excited to see that this week we were starting to mix it up some.

Yesterday, workout #1, was for tempo intervals. I was scheduled for 80 minutes of running total with 4 striders post workout. 20 minutes of warmup at a 9:00 pace; then 6 x .5 mile intervals at 7:17 pace; .25 recoveries. Cool down for the remaining time and then hit 4 x 100 meter striders with 30 seconds rest in between.

Now, the 7:17 pace for this short of intervals did not sound hard. And really, it wasn't. The best news of the day was where my HR was during all of this.

Warm-up: 27:46 - 3.1 miles (8:58 pace) - AHR 142. That's right, 142! Woot. This was even despite cold 20 degree weather and my regular hills [I extended my warm-up a bit too to get to better footing as the roads were a bit icy in spots.]

Intervals (.5 mile) / Recovery (.25 mile) Paces/HR:
1. 7:13/171; 9:15/162
2. 7:15/172; 9:05/159
3. 7:15/171; 9:09/163
4. 7:16/174; 9:29/163
5. 7:12/176; 9:26/164
6. 7:08/176; 9:17/162

Cool down: 18:45 - 2.12 miles (8:51) - AHR 157

What is good about all of this is that my paces were all at or below my LT and my recovery paces were quicker than normal, but my HR was nice and low. This is good. Truth be told, my goal interval paces probably should have been a bit faster, and I'm sure they will be soon, but for now, it was a good confidence builder.

2011 Recap

2012-01-03T05:34:00.002-06:00

2011 was a pretty good year. I didn't hit any PRs, and my 2 marathons were relatively flat, but I stayed injury free and I had two very strong and enjoyable training seasons. I'll take it. I'll also take a moment to reflect on what happened in 2011 and what I am hoping for in 2012.

Marathons:
May 2011 - Eugene Marathon - 3:39
October 2011 - Grand Rapids Marathon - 3:43

My goal races for 2012 are the Wisconsin Marathon in May and [undecided] for Fall. I have hired a new coach and am switching things up a bit and running faster. Hopefully 2012 will be the year I finally smash that 3:25 marathon goal.

Other:
I participated in my first Tough Mudder. Wow - that was challenging, but very very fun. I don't anticipate doing another one, but it sure was a race I'll never forget.

Girls on the Run:
We had 2 more fabulous seasons of Girls on the Run. In fact, our Fall season sold out and waiting list filled up in just a few days. That is a good sign we are doing something right! In 2011, I was also elected to the board of directors for our local council. In 2012, I want to keep solidifying our program locally, and hopefully expand in the Fall.

Boys on the Run:
My boys ran lots of races in 2o11! They each ran 6-7 5Ks, James ran his first 10K, and they both rocked the Capitol Mile this year. I love that they enjoy races. Goal for 2012 is to get them to actually train once in a while. :)

Vacations and Family:
2011 was the year of fabulous vacations for us! We had never taken a family vacation before without visiting family - other than quick trips for a marathon. This year, we went on our own vacation and travelled for marathons and to see family! Here are some of the places we visited:

May 2011 - Eugene, Oregon

June 2011 - Wyoming (Grand Tetons and Yellowstone)

August 2011 - Washington, DC

October 2011 - Grand Rapids, Michigan

December 2011 - Orlando, Florida

We had some truly wonderful adventures that I know neither I, nor my DH and kiddos will forget. Some really great experiences. My boys are at such a fun age and we are trying to take advantage of every second. We are already talking about potential trips for 2012 - Jake and I are both vying for Utah!

John and I also celebrated our 12th anniversary. We also started rebuilding some burnt bridges in his family, which was critically important. Johnny is still playing in his band - although my goal for 2012 is to make it out to more shows.

I am truly thankful for such a wonderful year and I look forward to what is ahead in 2012. I also pray for continued health and happiness for my family and friends. Life is so very delicate and things can change at a moment's notice. So my resolution for 2012 is to enjoy every moment - even if it is not perfect.

The last coupla weeks

2011-12-30T20:51:00.004-06:00

Yes, again, I have been terrible at blogging. That is the bad news. The good news is that the reason for my crappy blogging is that life has has been too full to allow it. Exploding full. And I'll tell you more about that in a New Year's type of post (hopefully).

For now, the mission is to tell you about my training.

RECAP: (Since I suck at keeping this up to date). New coach has me picking up the easy pace. Miles have been lower, but pace is a good 20-40 secs faster than I usually do early in the season. Typically, I slack for a month or so after a goal marathon. Then I start base-building and my paces are between 9:10-9:40 minute mile. I am feeling pretty swift if I am at 9. In shape. And by the end of training, hopefully I am logging some 8:40s; 8:45s for long and/or easy runs.

Now, I am trying to pick it up. I have been running with my new coach since December 1, so this is a new gig. Since that time, all miles should be between 8:45 and 9:00 pace. The idea is to pick it up a bit obviously. The first few days were rough. The next were rougher. But now this pace is easy. As I have a cut-back week this week, too easy. By design, I'm sure. But it is sweet to be knocking out 8:20 miles without the old HR going too crazy. I am still at just under 50 mpw (this week even lower as a cutback week), but I am feeling confident. Really confident. Each week, I see my paces drop as my effort stays the same. Pretty sweet.

Mixing things up and looking forward to a new season ahead!

Recaps:

WEEK OF 12.19

M: rest
T: 50 minutes = 6 miles (8:36 pace)
W: 80 minutes w/ 4 striders = 9.3+ miles (8:49/6:17 paces)
R: 40 minutes = 4.6 miles (8:48 pace)
F: 80 minutes w/4 striders = 9.3+ miles (8:50/6:03 paces)
Sa: 40 minutes = 4.6 mi (8:49)
Su: 2:05:00 = 14 mi (8:55)

Total: 47.9

WEEK OF 12. 26 (cut-back week)

M: rest
T: 30:00 = 3.6 (8:42) - warm, but awesome Florida weather!
W: 60:00 = 7.5 (8:34) - awesome, cool Florida weather!
R: 30:00 + 4 striders = 4ish miles (8:22; 6:43)
F: 60:00 = 6.7 (8:58) - back to the cold, slippery and windy. Boo. But nice to be home......

Planks

2011-12-21T22:13:00.004-06:00

So the other day, Cindi blogged about doing a plank.

I have never done a plank, but have been pretty diligent about pilates / core work over the years. But admittedly, I have slacked some. When I was a SAHM and desperate to lose the baby flab, pilates was my best friend. As I transitioned into full time work, yeah, not so much.

But I am trying.

And last night, after doing my regular pilates routine, I decided to try a few planks out. I did 6. The first 5 were for 30 seconds; the last one 60 seconds.

Whatever.

Okay, by noon today, my abs (left, right and mid) were SCREAMING at me.

Good stuff. I taught DH how to do 'em but he'd only try 3.

Thanks Cindi!

Feeling the Fire in My Belly

2011-12-18T20:39:00.004-06:00

Yeah!

So last week I mentioned how uncomfortable my training is. It still is, but it is definitely getting more comfortable. The time versus distance thing is not really a big deal and my paces are feeling WAY easier (for the most part).

I have thought back to seasons past and my fastest/strongest races were definitely when I was running faster in every day paces. But general knowledge, at least as I knew it, was that there was a serious law of diminishing returns. If you run your easy runs too fast, you don't get much benefit, but you seriously up the ante for potential injury. I lived by that rule. Not anymore. I am feeling optimistic about it though. Hopeful. And thankfully, have no signs of injury at all. (The achilles thing totally dissipated)....

To answer Jen, yes, I have talked to my coach and I greatly trust in my plan. My post lamenting my comfortable training was simply that - taking note of all that is no now longer comfortable! I will keep the base building (aka pick up the easy pace training Mindi) for 2 more weeks. Then I start my workouts. And he'll boost me up into mileage per normal - just with more precision than I was doing before. Cool.

So without further adieu, here was my week (all miles were supposed to be b/w 8:45 and 9:00 pace):

M: 0. Was scheduled for 40:00 minutes, but I had to go in super early to make up for not working over the weekend.

T: 40:00 - 4.55 (8:54 pace) - making up for Monday as this was meant to be a rest day.

W: 1:10:00 - 8 (8:52) pace

R: 40:00 - 4.72 (8:26) - woo hoo! It was 40 degrees and awesome!

F: Big 0. Scheduled for 70 minutes, but Thursday was Johnny's birthday. We had a Christmas party and then went out with good friends until way too late. There was no way I was getting up at 4:30 am and Jake had a basketball game at 6, so no time for a run. Decided to spread it out over the weekend workouts.

Sa: 1:30:00 - 10.25 (8:48) - Strong, solid run. It was awesome weather, although the footing was a bit iffy in spots thanks to the new layer of snow.

Su: 2:00:00 - 13.5 (8:55) - Okay, this run was harder. My heart rate was super elevated, but I hung in there and got the miles in. Suddenly feeling thankful that I am increasing this pace thing with lower miles. :) I am sure it didn't help we went out again last night to celebrate our anniversary. Dinner out + wine never helps a long run (but it does make for fun celebration).

Total: 6 hours and change --> 41 miles.

I am excited. I am also feeling very thankful for my husband and kids as we glide into another holiday season. I really couldn't ask for more and I am trying to consciously take stock of that. Life can change at a moment's notice. This moment is perfect. And I am incredibly, incredibly thankful for that.

Peace to you all.

BTW: The title of my blog was meant to convey my enthusiasm for my training right now! I tried to Google some images for "fire in my belly" - um, yikes. That is not what I meant. Just sayin. Carry on...

Running on Time

2011-12-13T21:08:00.023-06:00

So training for marathon #13 has begun for me and I have pretty radically switched things up.

I am not acclimated to it. But I am trying to embrace it. I hired a local coach to guide me through the next few months before the Wisconsin Marathon. It is a new adventure.

Philosophies & Take-Aways

FIRST, he is applying the Daniels philosophy to training paces, which means phase 1 = pick up the easy pace. I often run my easy pace between a 9 and 9:20 mile (often veering into the 9:30s and 9:40s if I want to call it a recovery run) early on in training. Nope, not anymore. My prescribed pace is between 8:45 and 9:00 for all "base/easy" runs.

Take-aways: It is hard to run the same pace EVERY run. I am used to mixing it up. But I get it. I am supposed to get used to it. And I am. It is feeling much easier this week than it was 10 days ago.

SECOND, during base training (at least now), I am running ALL miles at the same prescribed pace.

Take-aways: See above. This is a big adjustment. I love mixing it up. Running fast/running slow. I am trying to embrace this (/repeats). :)

THIRD, I am running by time. No holds barred, I admit (sorry Joe), I HATE this. Really. I HATE it. I have run thousands of miles in these parts. I know distances on these roads by the .05. Gah, but 40 minutes/50 minutes? I am checking my Garmin all.the.time. I am, however, trying to embrace it (as best I can). Really. I am trying.

Take aways: Set pace + minutes means I am looking at my watch way too much. This means I am WAY less relaxed then I am when running on the self-coached clock. I love running because my mind wanders, I contemplate what I am doing that day and solve all of the world's problems (ha!) during my run. Not now. I have to focus A LOT. Which makes me understand (and appreciate my coach as to) why I am (probably) at point # 4.

FOURTH, I am running very low mileage (gah). Seriously. Usually I don't balk at jumping into 40/50 mile weeks from slacker mode. Nope. Not this time. 20s/30s/the last 2 weeks and this week looks like it will be in the low 40s. Yes, this too is uncomfortable for me, but I see why. Early on, my R achilles was yelping some. This seriously worried me because I haven't had that problem in moons (4 years?). Running all runs (too) fast(er) - yes, it is an issue. But now, I feel great. I think the slow ramp-up into this new easy pace is good.

Take aways: I am definitely outside of my comfort zone. But hell, it shouldn't be comfortable or easy if I am paying someone to change it up for me, right?

I like my coach, I am optimistic.

BRING IT.

Oh, and happy, happy holidays!

Throwing my kid under the bus

2011-12-04T20:32:00.003-06:00

Okay, maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Feel free to chime in. My kids are rock stars and have run dozens of 5Ks. James even talked me into running a 10K with him over the summer (despite my better judgment).

They are 8 and 10. I love that they run. I love that they get racing (they will push to pain, which I find amazing). And I love running with them.

Last week, I toyed with racing a 5K and James said, Mom, will you run with me? Of course.

Today was different. I told the boys to get rest (which they did - and were fired up). I woke them up and they were ready to go. Although James was up for breakfast #2 just before we were leaving. And was hoping for a PR. Bad idea. Did he listen? Nope.

We headed off to Stoughton and it was colder than I thought it would be. We went to the start of the race and we were all fired up. Took off, and James was like a bullet. First half mile at a 6 minute pace. I held back and tried to reign him in when he'd look back for me, but to no avail. I caught him by about .75 and he was already hurting. He pled with me to run with him, and for the first 1.2ish I did. But then I left him in my dust. And I feel a little bad about that, BUT: I have always tried to teach my kids that negativity is the worst thing in races. They get it, they have embraced it. I told my son I wanted to run - so I did.

I finished (slow) but it was sweet to have such a big negative split in a 5K! Then I ran out, found James and ran him in. He was mad at me at first, but then told me he got it and how happy he was. John told him he should have listened to his mom and not eaten that second breakfast, or gone out at a 6 minute/mile. He agreed. He is not ready.

YET.

<3

Not that I am biased, but my kid(s) are awesome. Just sayin'

Back in the Saddle

2011-12-03T21:08:00.003-06:00

Slacking time is over.

I started training for the Wisconsin Marathon on December 1.

Switching things up a bit and looking forward to the outcomes.

So far, I have amped it up a notch PACE wise. My "easy" paces are faster than my ordinary easy paces. I like it.

Mileage is still low. Working into this...

I am certainly in untreaded territory and I am trusting in my new coach.

Onward.and.Upward.

Thankful

2011-11-25T17:20:00.005-06:00

I love Thanksgiving. It is my second favorite holiday (to Christmas) and that margin has always been VERY narrow. Thanksgiving has no pressures of giving or gifting. It is all about reflecting and feeling thankful. Okay, I think Thankgiving just took Christmas in my book.

We had a great day yesterday. We all got up to run the Berbee Derbee, which is the local Turkey Trot. It is very popular though, so as we got close, I dropped the boys off and parked about a mile away. BAD news was that I couldn't find them after that. I assumed they'd head for the Fleet Feet tent, but no one in the vacinity saw them. So after the 10K took off, I went to the corrals thinking they'd meet me there. I waited in the back - nothing.

So the horn went off and I took off at my own pace (6:50ish). About half mile in I ran into John and Jake - apparently they were way up front. Just under a mile, I finally located James. I patted him on the back and he said "will you run with me, Mom" - of course!!

It was a relatively challenging course, but James let me push him hard the whole way. We finished at 23:47. Nice.

Crazy enough, that was good enough for me to win 3rd place in my A/G, but James was 43rd! i guess 0-14 year old males (particularly 12-14) are substantially faster than old ladies like me! :)

Marathons - a RECAP

2011-11-23T19:12:00.014-06:00

So I have recapped my marathon history lately in my quest to find a coach. I decided I'd take a page from Cindi's book and post a recap on my blog as well. So here goes!

Green Bay Marathon. 05.21.2006. 3:53:39. My goal was to finish. Well, okay, that was my outspoken goal. My super secret goal was to finish sub-4. Best advice I received: Treat the first 20 as the first half; then step it up if you feel good. I trained using the Hal Higdon beginner's marathon program (maxing out at 40 mpw). I went to Green Bay with family and had trained with a good friend. I ran a strong race and picked it up at mile 20, where I quickly got a side stitch (I think I picked it up too much). I finished strong, with a negative split, and very, very happy. I was scheduling marathon #2 and dreaming of Boston before I even finished. :)

Des Moines Marathon. 10.15.2006. 3:37.18. BQ BABY! Goal was to qualify for Boston (sub-3:40:59). I trained using a modified Pfitz 18 week/up to 55 mpw program. It was modified b/c the program was a bit too aggressive for what my body would handle (so adjusted down some). I actually had also trained for the Whistlestop Marathon in northern Wisconsin on 10.16.2006. But they had a HUGE snowstorm up there in the days before and the race was primarily on a rails to trail trail. So we switched it up and headed to Des Moines. I had a great race and another negative split.

Boston Marathon. 04.16.2007. 3.43.36. Goal was 3:25. I trained using the Pfitz 18/55 schedule and was able to follow it to a tee. My training went great and I was ready to GO! BUT, mother nature decided to throw a wrench into things. A big Nor'Easter hit and they race organizers almost cancelled the race for the first time in history. It was a hard race (the entire race was pretty much into a huge headwind), and I went for it rather than adjusting for the weather. It was a very tough race and I was bummed with my time.

Twin Cities Marathon. 10.07.2007. 3.53.27. Goal was 3:25. This time I kicked things up a notch and ran Pfitz's 18/70 program. My training kicked butt and I was hitting PRs left, right and sideways. I was also SO ready for redemption after bad weather in Boston. But alas, mother nature again decided not to cooperate. It was in the 70s and high humidity at the start; 80s finish. Again, I went for it, but ended up falling apart. I did have fun, but I was so disappointed I was so strong and did not have the opportunity to go get it. Race Report Here.

Grand Rapids Marathon. 10.28.2007. 3:26:29. Goal = redemption. I worked hard and was incredibly strong. I wanted to make something happen. I was a bit scared going into this race as it was only 3 weeks after Twin Cities. But I knew I was strong and my friend rootsrunner helped guide me through the training. I also modified Pfitz's multiple marathoning 4 week schedule. I went out conservatively (3:30 pace) and progressively got stronger as the race continued. By far, this was my strongest marathon. Race Report Here.

Madison Marathon. 05.25.2008. 3:46:07. Goal = prove I can still run marathons while working full time as a private practice lawyer. Okay, so for my first 5 marathons, I was a stay at home mom. It is a demanding job, but I got more sleep, was WAY more active during the day, and once my kids were both in school for a little while (last year), I had a sweet time for training. BUT, I love being a lawyer and as my kids got older, I was getting bored OUT.OF.MY.MIND. So, shortly after GRM, I started job hunting. [Thank God I did THEN as the economy tanked shortly after that.] I found an awesome, challenging job. And at first, running completely went by the side. On Mother's Day 2008, I gifted myself with a random 20 miler. And I knew my friend rootsrunner was coming to Madison to pace the 3:50 group. So I jumped in! I ran a solid race. I was tired, under trained, and a few lbs up, but I ran a nice negative split and finished very happy that I could balance this whole spouse/mom/work/marathoner thing. RACE REPORT HERE.

Columbus Marathon. 10.19.2008. 3:34.20. Goal = keep on keepin' on. I was still trying to prove I could balance all things that are Mindi. I trained using a modified Pfitz 18/55 schedule. It got quite tough a few times (especially as soccer games started conflicting with training/races), but it worked. Goal pace = listen to bod and just go. I had a great race and I loved this course. Another negative split and another feather in my cap. I was very happy. RACE REPORT HERE.

Illinois Marathon. 04.11.2009. 3:27:39. Goal = let's take this thing up a notch: 3:25! I had this working thing under control, as well as spouse, kiddos and training. BRING IT! I opted for this race because it is earlier in the season and spring WI marathons tend to be WARM. Training: modified (up) Pfitz 18/55. I added a 5 mile day and was, on average, 5 miles ahead, so up to 60. I loved this race as well. It was very cold and windy, but a good race overall. RACE REPORT HERE.

Chicago Marathon. 10.11.2009. 3:26:12. Goal = 3:25 (or PR). CURRENT PR. I trained using a modified Pfitz 18/70 program. I started off slow b/c I had hamstring issues and sub-par Capital Mile training (which I do every June/July). But after a crappy mile race, I kicked things into overdrive. I had perfect (read: cold) weather on race day and I was able to nail it. Very happy. RACE REPORT HERE.

Boston Marathon. 04.19.2010. 3:50:29. Loose goal = 3:25. I changed things up and hired a coach. It was a modified Daniels-type program with up to 60 mpw. The original idea was more quality on lower mileage, but I didn't quite hit that. In translation, it ended up being a pretty crappy season because I was busy with work and couldn't nail my training. I don't know why. The whole season was just "off." I got to Boston and was excited, but not optimistic. The race reasonably started well (great weather), but I was dizzy and just not in race mode. I finished with the primary goal of ensuring I did not finish slower than my first marathon. I was a bit dejected, but it was not a surprise. And at least I got to hang out with family in Beantown! RACE REPORT HERE.

*** TIME FOR AN ASTERISK. I signed up for Chicago 10.10.10. But my training sucked. I bagged it and took the season off.

Eugene Marathon. 05.01.2011. 3:39:00. Goal = 3:29. I followed a Pfitz program, but it was highly modified to fit in trial prep, etc. Hit 70-75 miles once or twice, had a few good tune-up races and was very confident! Felt strong through 17, but then couldn't hold the pace. Weather was perfect, so I blame it on travel, being up a few pounds, and not consistent enough of training. Moving on. But had a blast there. RACE REPORT HERE. Oh, and as an aside, I realized I did not run over the timing mats at the start (they did not stretch all the way across and I was to the LEFT. If you run this course (which I highly recommend), make sure you hit the timing mats if you want an official time. Read: hit the middle. :)

Chicago/GRM. 10.09.11 and 10.16.11. 3:43:32. Goal: 3:25. Again, I followed a modified Pfitz program. Had a big trial this summer which resulted in almost zero mileage, crazy little sleep and lots of stress. I hit training during the summer and did Tough Mudder, which was awesome, but definitely sidelined me some. In fact, it was the first year in 6 years I did not race the Capital Mile. :( But I hit training HARD after that, watched my diet closely and dropped down to race weight. I was ready to go. I towed the line for Chicago, but it was hot. I decided to drop after the half and try for an all-out effort at GRM since I was planning to be there anyway. I continued on and traveled to GRM with the entire fam. It was an awesome meet-up, but I was sick (dammit) and frankly the wheels fell off before I even had a rhythm. I gutted it out. RACE REPORT HERE.

NEXT UP: WISCONSIN MARATHON. STAY TUNED.

Girls

2011-11-12T22:33:00.008-06:00

So it has been a while since I have talked to you about Girls on the Run.

It is still a huge part of my life. I started a local chapter in my home town 4 seasons ago. Since that time, I have been a head coach, a new board member of our local counsel, and a witness to some amazing girl power. Cheesy? Heck yeah. But I have watched girls go from making fun of one another to having each other's back no matter what.

It is good stuff. Girls on the Run is all about reaching girls before those really tough junior high and high school years (Girls on Track actually reaches junior high girls). It is awesome. Not only do I love watching young girls run, but I love them finding a voice and identity much younger than I ever did. It is crucial, in my opinion, for ALL young people to have a healthy and strong and confident outlook on life. Girls on the Run delivers. (Incidentally, my boys haven't fared too poorly either since I have been involved). :)

This season, we had a lot of repeat girls, meaning they had been in the program before. Our registration filled in less than a week and our waiting list filled up in the next week. I hated turning girls away, but our program works in small groups. And it is ALL about the coaching team. We have a great coaching team, but not enough for 2 programs.

Our girls this season were determined. I saw many shy girls I knew well break right out of their shells. And I saw new girls take great leadership roles.

Our practice 5K was a great event. It is catching on in our community and so many people came to cheer our girls on. And our parents were there in full color - awesome.

For our community project, we donated new hats for a charity called Badger Childhood Cancer Network. They provide services to families of kids with cancer. When a child is diagnosed, they swoop in with information. And thanks to our girls, a little bit of fun. They also made cool headbands and cards (with balloons of course)! Today, before our 5K, one of my girls showed me the most awesome (and frankly trendy) hat that she had handmade. It was great to help position these girls to be so excited to give back. They got it. And they delivered.

Today was our final, season-end 5K. The weather was awesome and our girls were FIRED up. The energy was inexplicable unless you were there - and I highly recommend you go there if you ever have an opportunity.

I was running with a delightful and fast girl today. She, I and her mom lined up. Her mom was new to running (and frankly is pretty awesome), but she knew her daughter may shoot way ahead. I knew my GOTR girl was nervous about leaving her mom in one sense, but she also wanted to do her best. Both her mom and I told her not to worry. Run your race, do your best. And she did. We lined up and the National Anthem was sung. The horn blew and we were off VERY SLOWLY. I knew my running buddy's goal and tried to position us well without too much dodge and weave. This course has 2 pretty serious hills in the first 1.25 and I guided her through them. She was ROCKING it. By mile 1.5 I realized she was not speaking at all - she was racing. ROCK STAR. I told her I race the same way. No obligation to reply at all, but sorry in advance b/c I am going to keep talking. :) The last hill, she stopped and walked for a second and then we carried on. With about .75 left, I could tell she had a side stitch. I advised her to try to put it out of her mind and go - we were almost there. She looked good, but not convinced.

For background, I told our girls once they reached the park, they needed to dig deep and run HARD. The finish line comes up fast around a ball park. So we got close to the park and asked her if she was ready to give it. She grunted (not necessarily in an affirmative way), but once we hit that park she took it up two notches. And once we turned the corner for the finish, she put on the afterburners - we were running so hard I almost took out a race photographer.

It was awesome. And epic.

It was by far my best race this year. :)

2011-11-07T14:11:00.005-06:00

Good news. I wrote up two new training schedules this weekend.

Over the next 8 weeks, I will have light-ish mileage, some nice quality, and some fun 5Ks, which I often tend to skip while in recovery mode at this time of the year. Should be fun to mix it up with shorter, faster workouts.

In January, I will then ease into training for the Wisconsin Marathon. Woot - I received confirmation of my entry today! As currently written, I am planning for some high mileage. That may change, however, if work gets really hectic. For now, it seems doable though.

****

I was reading a post on KR today and several celebrity marathon times were listed. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was among them with a 3:11 marathon. That is pretty impressive - particularly for "celebrity" marathon times. Out of curiosity, I did a couple Google searches and found an excerpt from his book, "My Grandfather's Son," where he discusses his marathon experience. It was notable given he clearly did not have any direction in training. He just started running and adding a couple more minutes each day. By the end of training, he was running over 10 miles a day. Certainly not the contemporary method of marathon training. Oh, and that 3:11? That is after he bombed and hit the wall. Not too shabby for a bombed race. He also mentioned some wicked chaffing. [Yeah, thank you Body Glide(r)].

Anyway, onto the part I really liked. When comparing marathoning to the posturing of politics, he made the following quote:

...the pain of individual effort is part of the price you pay for
achievement.

Word, Clarence Thomas.

Recovering

2011-11-06T11:21:00.003-06:00

Woot - man I love marathons. I just got done watching the elite races for the New York City Marathon and am arm chair cheering for my friend Tim, who is toeing the line. Very exciting races out there - some great triumphs and some big heartbreaks.

Take for example Mary Keitany. She put it all out there today to take a disappointing third. But what an amazing race she had and what guts it must have taken to break away from the get-go and go for it. No matter what your relative speed is, when you give it your all, you are likely to have triumph or disappointment. There is little room in between.

****

As far as my running goes, it has been for the most part, non-existant, but fun. I ran our practice 5K with my Girls on the Run last Monday, which was so awesome. My running buddy wanted to make the whole 5K without any walking breaks. It got hard around mile 2.5, but she did it! Woot! And she ran faster than last season. I was so proud of her and all of the girls who did awesome. It was so inspiring to see. Then, last Saturday, I ran the Haunted Hustle Half Marathon. I did not race it, but I did push the pace some. I finished in 1:46 and change and had a total blast. It was really fun to run a race with absolutely no pressure on myself. And I have to admit that it was fun near the end when I was able to readily blow away a couple of women who were jockeying to take me. Heh. (Terrible, I know).

It was funny though because when I got home, the boys asked if I ran the half or the full and responded as though I was a slacker when I said the half. Needless to say, my nephew who had spent the night was a little surprised.

Since then, I have not run a single mile. Seriously. I took Sunday and Monday off to rest and by Tuesday I was slammed with a nasty head cold. I mean slammed too. I went to bed early every night and slept in every day, but by Friday I was toast. I was in bed by 7:00 pm and did not get moving on Saturday until 11:00 am. Crazy. But I guess my body needed a reset.

I am hoping to run later today, but we'll see what happens. I have a ton of things to do (now that I spent all morning tracking NYCM) and am still not feeling great. One of my missions on tap is to come up with a pre-Wisconsin marathon training schedule. I do better if I have something lined up and I am toying with something different - speed work/hills? I don't know yet. I still have some time to recover from Grand Rapids, but will come up with something soon.

Happy extra hour day. Hope you enjoyed yours!

*****

Edited to add: For those of you wondering, yes, I was planning on racing a half this weekend. I decided to bag that idea for a couple reasons. The number one reason was that I was crazy sick. But I also decided to because the course is notoriously hard and I had a bad race there last time I did it - the last thing I need right now mentally is another crappy race. So my focus now is on recovery, maintenance, and then moving into a new season. This one is over.

Recovery and Racing

2011-10-28T19:47:00.007-05:00

I haven't checked in for a while, so I figured it would be a great opportunity for an update.

For the record, I am VERY good at post-race gluttony. The first week - I logged NADA. Sunday I ran an easy 3 with John and Monday I ran my "practice 5K' with my GOTR girls. Which, incidentally was very motivating. This of course lead me to the other thing I am very good at post race: getting WAY fired up for more races.

As I mentioned to you a while back, I had a PLAN C in the works given Chicago's predicted (and subsequently actual) high temps. Because the race tends to sell out, I signed up. Indeed, it sold out and this week I started to think about the fact that I had a marathon entry in hand for this weekend's Haunted Hustle Marathon.

Now, I would never think of running a marathon just 2 weeks after I just finished one. But when I realized I could switch to the half for free and that the weather looked ideal (at least as of Tuesday), the thought of RACING not only popped into my head but started excitedly racing through me. Hey, this is a great course, I am in great shape, great weather, I could qualify for NYCM before the standards change! YEAH!

But then all my kind friends at KR reminded me how very stupid this was.

Yes, it is. Damn.

But why waste a perfectly good race entry?! I am still kicking around the idea of running a half next weekend, so I would run at least 10 this weekend anyway. So tomorrow, I am going to run the Haunted Hustle Half Marathon as a training run. This WILL be challenging for me not to take off. I have never run a race easy (unless I was running with/for someone else). But I won't push it (too hard). I am saving it for next weekend. And I am really looking forward to it.

Oh, and I owe you all some pics from Grand Rapids - I know. They weren't awful, but they certainly weren't fabulous. Kind of like my race.

Happy weekend.

Grand Rapids Marathon 2011 Race Report

2011-10-19T20:02:00.004-05:00

Short version: My training was amazing this season, my race(s) kind of sucked. In the end, I am satisfied with the hard work and changes I implemented (although, of course, I would have really preferred a PR).

Long version: [Grab a cup of coffee or a nice fermented beverage and join me for a moment, I am sure I will have lots of details]

Unlike this spring when I was slammed at work and in the midst of a big trial/trial prep, this summer and fall, I had more flexibility at work and I took full advantage of it. Even though I took almost 2 months off and gained a few pounds, I hit training and by August, I was running 50, 60, 70 mile training weeks. For good measure, I kicked things up a notch and logged just a hair over 8o miles the first week in September (thank you Labor Day for an extra long run opportunity). My HR plummeted and I was nailing my workouts.

BUT, one day in late August, early September I stepped on the scale and was frankly horrified. I normally gain 5 lbs when I stop training, but once I snap back into training, all goes back to normal. Well, since I went back to work in 2008, this has been increasingly trending upward. When I ran Eugene in May, I was up 5 lbs. And now (in August) I was up even more. This was despite running said 50, 60, 70 mile weeks.

So I started tracking my intake and really got my nutritional house in order. I cut out (some of my favorite foods like cheese) and really tried to eat better. I also cut way back on beer/wine. And it made a huge difference. I lost 10 pounds in 4-6 weeks and was more than ready to rip up the streets for a fall marathon.

As you know, I lined up for the Chicago Marathon on 10.9.11. But it was hot and I bagged it at the halfway point hoping for a better day in Grand Rapids the next week. I had been planning to go to see friends anyway - why not set myself up for a better race?

So I duplicated my last week of taper. I got great sleep and I actually lost yet another pound. I felt strong and ready to dominate!

BUT....

We arrived in Grand Rapids around 5:00 pm local time. I got out of the car and had a wicked bad stomachache. I felt super bloated - seriously - it was painful. Okay, okay, I have been in the car all day, it will go away. We checked into our hotel rooms and then headed over to KP and Tonya's for a meet-up and dinner. We had a fabulous time. Great food, great company. We left and went back to the hotel and I was in a bit of a pain locker. I freaking could not stand up straight my stomach felt so distended. So the boys headed down to the pool and - no lie - I took like 6 Gas-X pills. It helped a lot, so I went downstairs, watched the boys a while and then hit the hay.

I woke up at 5 local time (felt like 4) and felt better, but not 100%. I took several more gas pills and undertook my normal pre-marathon routine. It looked like it was going to be windy, but I was ready. John came in around 6 and then we woke up the boys and headed to the start. I was pretty exhilarated and nervous - both good signs. James said to me, "Mom, this time, do not stop at the half. Finish it. And don't slow down." I assured him that I would not stop and I would do my very best to hold my pace.

We then hit the pre-race flurry and I lost the boys in the crowd before I lined up for the start. Once again I missed the National Anthem trying to get to the start (darn!). I lined up right between the 3:14 pacers and 3:29 pacers. My goal was to go out at a 7:44 pace (3:23) and expect a slight positive split to hit my 3:25 goal. I knew this goal was aggressive, but I really felt I had a 3:23-3:25 in me this season with the training I had done. The winds were light, the rain was dissipating and it was an amazing morning for a race. We were soon off and I felt spectacular. In trademark Mindi style, about a mile in, I started to feel choked up. Very thankful to be here. Now. GO!

I did not see mile markers the first few miles but I was knocking off 7:45s easily. I felt easy and comfortable and excited. Although some guy started chatting me up. And would not stop. Dude - I am racing - I am not going to chat with you. Of course I did not say that, but comfortably distanced myself during the couple miles he was trying to start various conversations. (As an aside - damn you if you are chatting it up and running a 3:23 pace. Hush and pick it up!!!).... :)

At mile 4 we passed our hotel and I saw John and the boys with their signs. It was so awesome and I was so happy to see them. I turned the corner feeling optimistic. This is mine.

Shortly thereafter, we hit the trail and a wide open space. I had thought it might be super windy there, but it wasn't - it was perfect. We were just past 5 miles, so I decided to grab my first gel. I sucked it back and within minutes - I completely fell apart. I suddenly felt super gross and feverish. I felt like my HR was shooting through the roof. I literally felt like I might have a heart attack or something. What the fuck? It was mile 6 - maybe?!? I passed a very enthusiastic Team-in-Training spectator group and felt like I was dying. What am I going to do? I kept going and crossed the 7 mile marker, then stopped and walked for a second. I didn't feel good and I needed my HR to go down. I walked for a bit and told myself that this was just a rough patch - it would pass. I then started running again. The next mile marker clicked off around 8:10. Not bad. My goal is not out of sight - go.

But it was a fight and I seemed to have one rough patch after another. It was hard. I took water and gatorade because I knew I needed it, but EVERY time I felt like I was going to throw up or I would get an insane side stitch. Around mile 14 or 15, the 3:29 pace group passed me and I kind of threw in the towel. But then I thought about James and his telling me to fight. I need to fight. I slowed down, but I am not quitting. The rest of the race was just survival. I'd run, but any time I took in any fluid/nutrition, I either had a crazy side stitch or felt like I was going to vomit. So I'd walk for 30-60 seconds to get past it and then carry on.

I usually take a gel around mile 22 or 23. This time, I figured I'd cut my losses and just go. My finish time was 3:44:09. Way off my sub-3:25 goal, but respectable nonetheless.

My boys all gave me roses at the finish and I ran into all of my running buddies. I told James that I was so glad he encouraged me prior to the race and that I thought of him lots of times out there. He told me he was proud of me and that I had a great race. Aw, what a great kid.

We went to HopCat with KP, Tonya, Ailarie and Kath, had a couple awesome beers and then headed home. It was a whirlwind trip and my race sucked, but we really did have a nice short visit.

Regrets: None - other than getting sick. Could have things shaken out differently if I just went for it in Chicago? Maybe, but we'll never know and I do not regret setting myself up for a better race in Grand Rapids. It was actually perfect, and had I been feeling okay, I think I could have had a great race.

I also went out at a very aggressive pace and with a very aggressive race strategy. Would I have done better if I started at 8s, and tried to negative split? Who knows, but I think my stomach issues would have sidelined me no matter what pace I went out at. Shoot, I am 5 days out and I STILL don't feel very good. Oh yeah, and go big or go home. :) I am glad I went for it. One of these days, I will get it.

Garmin Splits: http://www.runningahead.com/logs/526c895d73944189ade2ac357b29b428/workouts/6452e93c8c3940d3886745ac680dfe60

Photos: Coming soon

I had a solid season and it is now time to look forward. What's Next (tentative):

Half marathon the weekend of November 5-6 (maybe try to qualify for NYCM before the standards change)

Wisconsin Marathon - May 2012

Seattle half or full June 2012

Capitol Mile - July 2012

Women's Half Marathon - August 2012

CIM - December 2012

Whaddaya think? Any advice/consolation/kicks in the ass appreciated.

Some Chicago Pics

2011-10-12T20:27:00.006-05:00

Look - you can even see where I got kicked in the shin!

Johnny & I pre-race

How could I forget to mention this?

2011-10-10T13:06:00.003-05:00

While at the Chicago expo this weekend, I registered for the Wisconsin Marathon next May.

John signed up for the half too!

Always looking forward. :)

I Will . . . But Not Today - Chicago 2011 Race Report

2011-10-09T15:52:00.016-05:00

Ah, the epic race that wasn't.

Yet....

Where to begin?The forecast for this weekend in Chicago sucked, but I was not ready to pull the plug. What if it is just 5 degrees cooler? Maybe the 60s and 70s will be okay with my fitness level.

John suggested that maybe we bag this trip, but I was having none of it.

I needed to give it a shot. So off to Chicago we went.

The drive down unfortunately was a bit stressful. We were listening to the Seminoles/Wake Forest game and it sucked to watch our team do so poorly. Oh, and traffic was ridiculous. But we got down without a hitch and headed to the expo. The taxi ride there (from the hotel) was actually a bit hilarious. The guy had on this loud opera music and was FLYING down the streets. It was crazy and we felt like we were in the beginning of a bad crime show episode. :)

The expo was good, although I didn't see much that really struck my fancy. The guys' Chicago gear was much cooler than the women's too. Figures. I did get a sweet pair of lightweight sunglasses though. We walked around a bit and then headed back to the hotel. We had a nice little pasta dinner at a local joint and then walked around to check out the corrals. Yep - same as 2009.

Back to the hotel for an early night. (BTW - the Congress hotel is awesome b/c it is close and has a 2 pm checkout; but it is STINKY!!) Although I planned to hit the hay by 8, it was impossible for me to sleep when I knew James was playing his football game under the lights. I anxiously awaited texts to hear he had a big catch (he is a wide receiver) and their team won. Yay!

I slept decent and woke up promptly at my 4:30 alarm for coffee and breakfast. I switched on the weather channel and it said 55. YES! That isn't bad. Then I looked at another channel that said it was already 66 in DOWNTOWN Chicago though. Great. As we watched the local news, they said the same as they hemmed and hawed about the crap weather (thanks). I tried to get fired up anyway and was inspired by all the awesome messages and FB posts I was receiving. Before we walked out the door, I wrote "I will" on my hand. And it made me tear up some. I was SO excited, but I knew this was going to be a tough one. But I was not giving up.

I walked to the corrals at 7 and it took FOREVER to get in. It was actually a bit nerve racking. I finally got in and was standing outside the corral B in line until just seconds before the gun went off. It was crazy. Either they had a lot faster runners this time and a very full corral, or they allowed a lot more runners in the front corrals. We took off, and as expected, it was awesome to be running in the huge crowd with spectators EVERYWHERE screaming. We ran through the tunnel and man, it was HOT.

I lost my Garmin signal and when we got through the tunnel and hit mile 1, it said I was at a 6:16 pace. Um, yeah. I knew I was not running anywhere near that. I accidentally turned my Garmin off at that point and really had no idea what pace I was really at the rest of the time.

I saw my buddy zrun at the first water stop and that was pretty cool. Just after that I saw John. Yay! Although the race was SO crowded though this time - around turns, it was very slow and I actually got kicked in the shin HARD at one point. I am not sure if it was because I was just behind the 3:30 group or what - but it really sucked compared to 2009 when I did it. Maybe being just ahead of that group last time helped. I sure would hate to be much slower though. If (okay, when) I run it again, I will definitely stay away from the pace groups. I passed a building at mile 2 and the temp read 68 degrees. Man, that sucked. Just ahead around mile 3, 69. Yeah, this race is going to be a really hard one if I finish. I decided then and there that I did not train 70-80 mile weeks to run a slow, death march marathon. I knew I felt decent and could finish under 4 hours, but the heat would take a lot out of me. BUT, if I ran this as a short training run (and pulled out early), I could still jump into Grand Rapids next weekend.

Now mind you, I have never DNFed during a marathon. Even during very tough conditions. I kind of felt like a loser for even thinking about it. I am not a quitter. But am I really a quitter for stepping off? I have worked hard and I believe in my fitness level. Is it being more of a quitter to keep on running a crap race to feel like hell and have a slow time, or to run smart, call it a day, and toe the line next weekend when my likelihood for success is much higher. Ding ding ding, option #2 wins. So I decided - I will stop when I see John at the half.

Just after this, I saw John screaming at me and I yelled and whooped it up back at him. I then totally enjoyed the ride! I slapped hundreds of outstretched hands and took it all in. I was smart this time and wrote my name on my bib number, so at least 1000 people said "Go Mindi," or "Way to go Mindi" or "You are awesome, Mindi." Sweet.

Around mile 11, I hit a shady spot and was feeling pretty darn good. The crowds are invigorating and I thought, hey, maybe I can do this. Then, I said no - this is fine now, but it is mile 11 and I knew I was around an 8 minute pace. It is only going to get harder. Sure enough, we hit a big sunny patch and it already felt brutal.

Again, I was also noticing how crowded it was. People were dodging in front of me and it was a lot more work than last time managing the crowd. The race crew was also giving out wet sponges, which was awesome. But they were all over the road. I can't imagine what a mess it would be by the time the 4 hour marathoners came through.... [Oh, and around mile 4, I hit the water stop and went to pour water on my head. I forgot I had my brand new glasses up there and they went flying off, I turned to retrieve them and crunch under another runner's foot. I then proceeded to slip on wet crushed water cups. Yikes. Fortunately I did not completely eat it (although it was admittedly close!!)].

I hit mile 13 and felt strong, but was glad I was almost done. I didn't see John until about 13.5. He screamed at me and I pulled up to him and said, "I'm done." He said, "What?!?! You can't stop, you look great." Nope, I am saving it for next weekend. It is hot and I am done. He totally got it and we walked back to the hotel. He actually told me he was so glad I did as he did not want to see me finish and then be disappointed after this incredible season. I am so thankful he was supportive.

Offical half time: 1:45:17 (goal half time would have been 1:42:30 or less)

Best signs: "WTF: This is the crappiest parade I have ever seen" and "Real men last 4 hours" - there were many more that gave me big smiles. I can't remember them all, but there were a ton of fun spectators out there.

We hit the hotel, got clean, and headed home.

And that was my race that was not meant to be.

Big ups to Bridget, who ran a sub-3 despite the heat and just 13 months after having her first baby! (WOW!).

And thanks to everyone who supported me. I always cherish it.

NEXT UP: Grand Rapids Marathon 10.16.11

2011-10-08T11:15:00.002-05:00

In 24 hours, I will hopefully be done with the Chicago Marathon!

The forecast sucks. It is hot and windy and the last hour is going to be brutal. But I am excited. If there is one thing I have thought a lot about the last several days is how much I love racing marathons. It is so very different than a 5K or 10K or any other race I do.

While it is hard to put your eggs all in one basket, I really dig this basket. And I am looking forward to toeing the line tomorrow.

Off to Chicago I go - see you on the other side!

:)

Thank you ...

2011-10-05T21:24:00.004-05:00

... to everyone who commiserated with me re the weather forecast. I really appreciate it and I definitely needed it today.

All of you that know me well and/or read this regularly know that I am always looking to plan B if plan A could fall apart. I am a planner, and I am highly competitive with myself. It is what it is and I am not one to easily throw in the towel if I can just switch things up some. Cindi alluded to changing plans in her post, and since I have been thinking about it (rather obsessively actually) since the weekend, I will share the viable options I have been tossing around.

All season, I have had Grand Rapids scheduled as my back up in the event the weather truly sucks. As we all know, there is always a chance for 80-90 degree weather in Chicago. It happens more often than the nice cool weather. I AM fully planning to go to Grand Rapids that weekend - either to spectate or to run. It is in the books, so switching up would be rather easy. So, the natural question is, why don't I just bail on Chicago and just run Grand Rapids?

The short answer is that I am simply not ready to throw in the towel yet and go to that Plan B. Here is why:

(1) As Cindi pointed out, the weathermen do not know what the fark they are talking about. While I do not think it is too early, and I do not think the forecast will change, I do think they could be wrong. And if they are wrong by only 5ish degrees, that could make a big difference. Take today for example. The forecast low was 50ish. Um, when I ran this morning at 5:30 it was 41 degrees.

(2) I know that even 60 degrees at the start is not ideal. 70+ at the finish kind of sucks. But will it throw me off *that* much? I don't know. And I have no way of knowing at this point whether the weather in Grand Rapids will be that much better. So it seems kind of crazy to throw an unknown Chicago out the window for an unknown GRM.

(3) I don't know how much 4 weeks of taper will throw a wrench in things. My hunch says it won't hurt my fitness at all. But the thought of executing on that without a clear need to (such as 90 degree weather, illness, etc.) scares the crap out of me.

AND (probably most importantly)

(4) Plan C is in the works. 3 weeks from Chicago is the Haunted Hustle Marathon and Half Marathon here in Madison. If Chicago is less than ideal, I could still finish it, bounce back and do the full, or alternatively, do the half and try to qualify for NYCM. That would be sweet.

So there you have it. Thoughts, opinions, input would be greatly appreciated.

Dammit

2011-10-05T05:47:00.003-05:00

Not happy at all about this weekend's weather forecast. 60 degrees at the start and mid 70s by the finish is NOT conducive to a PR for me. I hate trying to race in warm(er) weather (because I bomb), and I really need it to be 15-20 degrees cooler to have everything come together for me.

Just to rub it in, it has been in the 30s and low 40s every morning this week for my runs. Thank you Mutha Nature.

Of course I know there is always the inherent bad (or even less than ideal) weather risk when you put all of your eggs in one basket and train 4-5 months for just one day. But still...

PFFFFFT.

and

$&*@#&*(@&#!

Back to the drawing board

2011-09-28T21:13:00.002-05:00

So a few days back, I announced that my game plan would be to go out easy and negative split. Well, thanks to some discussions with my friend Tim and a re-read of Pfitz's recommended race strategy, I am back to the drawing board and resetting my goals and my mind set.

Yes, negative splits are nice. But they also often mean you left something out there. Given the nature of the marathon, it is common for runners to drop off pace by 2-3% in the latter half. Indeed, the 3 times I came close to my 3:25 goal, I was on pace at half, but fell off by a minute or two in the second half of the race.

SO, my strategy is this: Take it easy the first mile or 2. Run at goal race pace 7:52 or a little slower (up to 8). Then settle into a 7:44-7:45 pace and hang on. This is a 3:23 pace and, if I slip a little in the later miles, I can still reach my 3:25.

Now, last season, I would not have even considered this. But I am now, because I think a 3:23 pace is completely doable for me given the numbers I have seen this season.

So I am going to go for it.

Why am I telling you this? Because I need to get my head into my race strategy too. And that is what I am working on now.

++++++

Taper is going well, although I am feeling very tired. I am finally getting more rest, and I just feel slammed. Good, hopefully my body will start adjusting. I only have 3 real workouts left: 3 x 1 mile intervals tomorrow; 13 on Sunday and dress rehearsal on Tuesday. I already started looking at the weather forecast and it sucks (humid; 77 degrees; rain). Good thing we are too far out to take any such predictions seriously. But for now, I am going to begin praying to the weather gods and asking that they generously smile upon me on 10.9.11.

My new running mantra

2011-09-26T19:43:00.003-05:00

And necklace! I love it!!

Check out The Run Home. Some great stuff. (And yes, I am promoting this solely because I think it is awesome).

Redemption - Sort of.

2011-09-25T17:49:00.005-05:00

My last tune-up race was today. And it didn't suck. In fact, it was the best tune-up I have had in years.

The race: Without going into much detail, the race itself was a complete cluster f*vk. Seriously. It was put on by a great charitable organization, but the race part - um please hire a race director with some experience with races please.

I tried to register online twice, it didn't work. I sent the RD an e-mail. RD called me and got it all sorted out. I got e-mail confirmation entire family was registered. We showed up race morning, and no, we were not registered. Refill all forms in freezing rain after going back b/w 2 lines - neither of which wanted to deal with us. It was raining, so rain delay. THEN, they announce the race will no longer be sanctioned or supported - no volunteers, no course markings (this course had lots of turns, particularly in the first 1.5 miles), no water. BUT, if you want to run, go for it. Half the crowd clears out. WTF. I go to the start line and a volunteer is passing around a map (he obtained from a runner) and is trying to give directions. Don't worry, he says, there are bikes. Um, you realize the bikes are for the fastie guys out front only right? Gah. We start, skies clear, there are 3 water stops (2 of which you hit on the way back, so FIVE fully stocked water stops) and lots of volunteers. Really?!? You cancelled your whole race when you were fully ready to go?!? THEN, despite chip timing, not everyone's times registered. Including mine. In fact, I was not even on the results sheet at all. AND, all the 10K winners announced had actually run the 5K. Do you really think the 10K female winner ran a 22:02? Come on people? Okay, rant over.

My race:

Oh, first, let's back up and look at this season's numbers. This was my third 10K this season.

1. 8.13.11 - 47.33 - Despite slow time, small race so I was first place female.
2. 9.04.11 - 45.48 - moving in the right direction
3. 9.25.11 - 45.05 - not a PR, first female.

So the improvements are continuing. I had a strong race today, and had the course not been long, I think I would have been as close to my PR (44:11) as I was hoping. I felt very strong throughout and my ongoing mantra was "Today, I will." That worked very well for me. In the 5th mile, I slowed more than I wanted to. Not sure why, but my guess is a combo of a headwind and my determination not to be a slave to my Garmin (and thus fell off some).

Overall, I am VERY happy. My runs this week have been quicker with very low heart rate (again seeing 120s frequently). I am feeling confident and strong.

Thanks for your support this season. You know who you are and I have appreciated all of your words and they have kept me motivated on my hard runs and races - including today.

Week 1 Taper Recap:

M: rest / abs & legs

T: 8.25 with 5x600 meters; 90 sec recoveries (2:23, 2:23, 2:22, 2:21; 2:26)(oa: 8:54/143) / arms, abs & legs

W: rest

R: 12 (8:34 / 154); abs & legs

F: 5 recovery (9:34 / 138); arms & abs

Sa: 8 w/ 8 striders (8:51 / 149); abs & legs

Su: 10K (45:05) w/warmup and cooldown

Total: 46

120s

2011-09-21T20:37:00.005-05:00

Seriously, 120s. I am talking heart rate now. And that is an amazing number even if I am looking at a 10 m/m. My max HR is just over 200. I think the max HR I ever logged was 204 in 2007. Now, probably closer to 200.

In 2007, I bumped up my miles and was PUMPED to hit the 130s during my easy/recovery runs. Seriously, 139 was off the charts cool. And I hit a big fat marathon PR (among many others) during that time.

In 2009, when I again bumped up my miles, I hit the 130s and was so excited. And again, I hit a PR, although this time by only seconds and only in the marathon distance.

Now, this season? Well, it has rocked. I know what you are thinking: "yeah, Mindi you are the eternal optimist and always mentally prepping for the big race." True. But, this time, I feel a PR is in my hands. I put in the work, and it is my football to fumble, so to speak. I have seen 120s in my HR at least 3-4 times the last 30 days (when I was paying attention). And I have been hitting my intervals like clockwork at decent HRs. Lower paces and lower HRs from seasons past.

Woot!

What does this mean? I don't really know. But mentally, I am really getting my game on.

Also, I lost 7 pounds in the last 3+ weeks and I feel lean and strong.

Last Big Week in the Books!

2011-09-18T13:55:00.002-05:00

While most people would consider the weather today to be crappy (55 degrees and raining), it was an awesome day for a long run! I didn't sleep great, but was horizontal for almost 10 hours, so that has to count for something. The latter miles of my run were tough, but it was because I was tired. My legs and lower back are dog tired. But nothing hurts, which is key. Yay! Here is how the week panned out:

M: rest / abs / 1+ miles at GOTR with some friendly racing!

T: 6.1 recovery (10:02 / 140 AHR) / arms and abs

W: 11 with 6x1000 meter intervals at 5K pace / 1.5+ more with stretching at GOTR

R: 6.4 recovery (10:10 / 138 AHR) / arms & abs

F: 15.5 (9:12 / 149)

Sa: 8.3 recovery (9:48 / 140) / arms, abs, legs

Su: 20 (8:55 / 154) - last mile fastest mile. :)

TOTAL: 70 and change

I am also pleased to report I am down a few lbs. Hoping to keep this trend going over the next 3 weeks even though I will be cutting back in mileage.

Love it

2011-09-17T18:50:00.006-05:00

i <3 to run posts the best photos / quotes on Facebook. I highly recommend you check it out.

It certainly motivates and amuses me often!

B 4017

2011-09-17T18:06:00.003-05:00

Woot! I received my confirmation ticket and participant guide today for the Chicago Marathon! As always, I like to assess whether my number is a "good" number. Indeed! I think it is!! :)

I am really starting to geek out about my race and race strategy. But my guess is that you already know that given how much I have been updating my blog lately.

Last night, I was commenting on Cindi's blog and offered some advice on pacing. This, of course, got me to thinking about my own race and my own strategy. My best marathon performance by far was in the Grand Rapids Marathon in 2007.

I did Grand Rapids just 3 weeks after a sub-par performance in Twin Cities thanks to the oppressive heat and humidity. I had never attempted anything as crazy as 2 marathons in 3 weeks, so I was very wary going into it. My goal for that season was 3:25 and I really thought it was within reach. But, jumping into another mary after Twin Cities was frankly a bit scary and I really couldn't afford to mentally blow up. You see, in 2007 I trained my butt off for Boston and ran a sub-par race thanks to an unprecedented Nor 'Easter. Then, I bumped it up another notch for Twin Cities and it was 85 degrees. I couldn't jump into another one and blow up again.

So I decided to be very conservative. And it totally paid off. I went out at an 8 minute/mile pace (3:30). I have never felt so good at 20 miles and ended up finishing with lots of 7:40s and 7:30s. Huge negative split for a 3:26. It was a great race and I did not feel like I left a single thing out on the course. I gave it all I had and finished really strong.

Since Grand Rapids, I have taken a shot at 3:25 four more times. I came close at the Illinois Marathon with a 3:27 and I PRed in Chicago 2009 by a few seconds, but that race simply did not compare to the strength I felt in Grand Rapids.

Why am I rambling about this? Because I know I need to be smarter with my pacing strategy. I ALWAYS say I am going to start out the first few miles slow and I NEVER do it. Never. In fact, I am usually a bit fast. So this year - I am saying it outloud - I am going to do better and take the first few miles slower than goal marathon pace. Does this mean I might not hit my 3:25? Of course. But this time, an equally key goal for this race is to negative split. I used to do it all the time. And I will tell you, I don't care what your finishing time is, a negative split when you race a marathon = very successful race.

I am also starting to focus on my taper. [YAY TAPER!!] For my best races, I have reduced my mileage beyond what Pfitz recommends, and he is a big advocate of a solid taper. My most successful races followed substantial tapers after high mileage training. Typically, when I boost up the miles, I start feeling it. No injuries, but aches, pains and twinges. And I need to make sure I fully recover prior to hitting the start line.

Currently, my hammies are tight, my R hip is annoyed and my heels are sore (no doubt because my calves are tight). I gifted myself with the foam roller today, but I know the real medicine I need is recovery (read: less miles). So I tweaked my schedule a bit and re-read Pfitz's taper advice.

I am getting excited!!

Oh yeah - fitness report: I ran 8.5 slow recovery miles today. It was gorgeous outside and a nice easy run. Now I am carbing up a bit and getting ready for my last 20 miler tomorrow.

Ouch

2011-09-16T12:22:00.002-05:00

My last big training week is progressing, but boy am I feeling the last couple of weeks. Thank God my taper is right around the corner.

As I reported in my last post, I did a sweet interval workout on Wednesday. I was scheduled for 15 miles on Thursday, but my body was having NONE of that. I woke up at 4:30 on Thursday morning and could literally hardly open my eyes. And I was dragging! So I did a super sleazy slow recovery run and called it good. My HR was nice and low, but my paces were slow and my legs were logs.

I was hoping to sleep in until 6:00 this morning and then run after I got the kids up, but DH had to go into work super early and I was on my own getting the boys ready and off to their respective busses. So, I got up again at 4:30 and hit the streets. I did 7 miles at just under a 9 minute pace. My HR was good and the weather was AwEsOmE, but man, my heels were sore, my R hip was getting all snarky at me and my hammies felt like violin strings. I came home, had a nice morning with the boys, and then headed out for a little over 8 more. The second half of the run was a bit uglier and as I hit the last 3-4 miles, I really slowed down. I wasn't too worried about pace - I just wanted to get it done without getting my HR too out of control. Mission accomplished. But oy vey am I ready to taper.

As I always do, I worry when my workouts are this tough. So I went back and looked at my prior logs when I was doing this kind of ridiculous mileage. Sure enough, this week before Chicago 2009 was ugly and I was battered and beat up. My HRs were actually a fair bit higher then too. Okay, so that makes me feel a little better.

I am going to eek out a recovery run tomorrow (after sleeping in LATE) and my last 20 miler on Sunday. Then it is all downhill. Woot!

QUESTION: Since the temps have decreased, it seems like every time I go out for a run my HRM is all out of control. Seriously. Yesterday I was running a 10 m/m and it said my HR was 194 or something. I am quite sure it was not that high. But it took a good mile before it dropped down to the 130s where it should be. Does anyone else ever have this happen? Or know why?

Hitting Stride

2011-09-14T13:34:00.005-05:00

Man, I am tired. My alarm went off at 4:20 this morning and it was an incredibly unwelcome sound. But, I dragged my tired self out of the bed, imbibed in a bit of coffee, and headed out for my intervals.

On the docket: 11 miles with 6 x 1000 meters at 5K pace. Recoveries were supposed to be 50-90% of the interval time.

I hopped onto the McMillian Running Calculator to determine the time range I should be able to complete them within. For a 3:25 marathon, the range was 4:07.1 to 4:16.6 for long distance runners. Okay.

It was 49 degrees and dark when I hit the streets. My hammies were barking a little bit and I was dragging. I did a 5.5 mile warmup, during which I repeatedly said, "I should bag the intervals until tomorrow," then "no, this week is very full - just do it!!" Over and over. Fortunately, the good trainee voice prevailed and I took off for my first 1000 meters.

I had my Garmin set on lap pace, and as per usual with intervals, I started out too slow. But after a minute or so, I was able to pick it up some. When the interval completed, I stopped and simply walked for a minute. Usually, I stop briefly, then continue jogging slowly until my timer beeps again, but this time I wanted to focus on the intervals, take 2-3 minutes to regroup and start again. So I didn't run between *most of* them. Instead, I stopped, caught my breath, walked a bit, and then took off again in the next interval. It turned out to be a very good strategy. I am not sure of the exact time of the rests, but I tried to keep it at 2-3 minutes between them.

The rest of the intervals clicked off nicely and I knew I was under 4:30 each (but hadn't really been paying close attention). I did a quick cooldown and turned it in. When I got home and uploaded my data, I was pleasantly surprised:

4:19 (I told you I was a little slow starting) / 167 (AHR) / 192 (MHR)
4:13:44 / 173 / 185
4:14:56 / 172 / 182
4:14:96 / 169 / 186
4:10:96 / 163 / 181
4:11:73 / 174 / 186

Perfect! I am thrilled that I was in the right range. Because I am completely OCD, I checked out the same workout I did 3.5 weeks before Chicago 2009 when I pulled off my current PR.

4:26:57 / 176 / 188
4:28:09 / 184 / 190
4:27:20 / 185 / 190
4:37:94 / 184 / 189
4:38:18 / 184 / 189
4:38:61 / 183 / 189

Woot! Granted, it was 10 degrees warmer and humid according to my running log, but still, I like my numbers this time around a whole lot better! I checked a couple other training cycles as well, and, without completely geeking out with the numbers here, today's performance was stronger.

I know it is just one day / just one workout, but I will hang onto whatever I can to build pre-race confidence! And right now, I feel like I may just be able to pull off a great race yet if I can get these last big workouts in and recover.

Oh, and I so need some more sleep. That will be the big challenge.

15 on tap tomorrow!

70 miles until taper time

2011-09-11T20:59:00.003-05:00

That is right, Chicago is just 4 weeks away!

And I am starting to get supah excited.

I had another huge training week - I ran 80 miles. Yes, you read that right. 80. Woot! Definitely a mileage PR for me. I think I hit 81 once in a calendar week by bookending long runs, but have never run that far in an actual training week. Coolio. Although I have to tell you, I feel a little weird about it. I mean, if I am running that kind of miles, I should be a 3 hour marathoner or something. At least, right?!?! Not a 38 year-old entirely average runner seeking 73 seconds so I can finally break 3:25. But whatever, I am what I am. Which, by the way, is a bad ass because I ran 80 miles this week!!

Here's how it played out:

M: 17 miles (8:59 / 154)

T: 6.1 recovery (10:02 / 140)

W: 9.1 with 5 @ tempo (7:46; 7:25; 7:29; 7:23, 7:27)

R: 7 recovery (9:28)

F: 14.5 (8:55 / 154)

Sa: 6 easy (9:19 / 152) - it was 82 degrees and HOT!

Su: 20.2 (9:31 / 154)

Total: 80 miles

My long run was a bit hideous today because it was wicked HOT and I was feeling a bit beat up. It didn't help that I had a couple glasses of wine with my good friend last night after the funeral either. BUT, the misson for the day was just keeping the HR low and getting the miles in the books. Mission accomplished. The good news is that I feel great too - no soreness tonight.

After the run, we spent the day on the boat with friends and watched IronMan Wisconsin. Man, my iron friends rock. That is some impressive stuff.

Oh, and yesterday, my boys did IronKids. They rock.

17 Miles

2011-09-05T14:51:00.002-05:00

I originally had hoped to log 20 miles today since it is a day off, but I ended up running 17.

I was a bit tired after a fun night with girl friends (and wine), but overall, the run was great. I ran the first 8 with John, then the next 9 solo. It was 60 degrees and breezy - perfect. I also had a bit of spring in my step, which was welcome - particularly the day after a 10K. Fortunately, I did not have any soreness from the 10K.

Splits:
9:23
9:40
9:21
9:10
9:14
9:09
9:17
8:48
8:45
8:55
8:43
8:35
8:36
8:47
8:43
8:55
8:25

The last mile included a bonus arm workout too. Someone left fresh garden goodies at the end of their driveway for free, so I grabbed a squash and a zucchini. Well the zucchini was HUGE. Ha, I must have been quite the sight running down the street with a squash and a zucchini. :D

Anyway, 17 quality miles in the books. Not too shabby for my rest day. :) The plan is to try to hit 80 miles this week. Wish me luck.

61 Miles with a Decent 10K

2011-09-04T13:42:00.008-05:00

Another solid week in the books.

The primary goals for this week were to accomplish a decent/solid 10K performance and keep my mileage up above 60 miles for the week. Check / Check.

This morning I ran the BCCN Suzy's Run 10K. It was a perfect morning for a race - 60 degrees and breezy. I slept decent and was ready to roll! My goals were: (1) not go out too fast; (2) not let negative thoughts quash my run; and (3) finish strong. All in all, it went well. Ideal? No = I am still 1.5-2 minutes slower than I'd like. But solid = I was almost 2 minutes faster than my 10K a couple of weeks ago. So I'll take it. Certainly not perfection, but it is progress, baby.

First mile was into a pretty stiff headwind, but I clocked it at 7:17. Perfect. Second mile I had a sidewind/tailwind and felt great. Mile 2 clicked off at 7:00 flat. That *sounds* fast, but given the winds and the way I was feeling, I didn't think it was. Mile 3 started getting a little more congested with slower 5Kers, but I clocked 7:19. Great. Unfortunately, then the 10K folks veered off and I was running behind someone who was slowing down, but I didn't notice it. I felt great and was just running through the wooded trails taking it all in. Mile 4: 7:32. Oops. Unfortunately, we soon turned back into a stiff headwind and even though I was trying to pick up the pace, I didn't get much faster. Mile 5 was 7:31 and mile 6 was 7:38! Crikey. So I picked it up for the finish and finished in a 6:4x pace for a 45:48. I really would have like to have cracked 45, but overall, I was happy. A couple weeks ago I felt like I was killing myself to get 47:33. Today I was much stronger and more relaxed. Hopefully in a couple weeks, I'll be able to knock off another minute and a half.

This week I was scheduled for 64-68 miles, but I scaled it back slightly for this 10K. But I still logged a solid week:

M: rest / abs

T: 10 miles with 5x600m @ 5K pace; 90 sec recoveries (2:34, 2:30, 2:33, 2:24, 2:27). I was pleased that my last 2 were my fastest.

W: 15 easy (9:15) / abs

R: 8 easy (9:24) / abs

F: 8 easy (9:24)

Sa: 8.1 recovery with 3 striders (9:33) / abs

Su: 4+ warmup; 10K (45:48); 1.6 c/d

Total: 61.6 miles

Next week I am going to crank the miles back up.

My other notable training development is that I started logging my activity and nutritional intake at Calorie Count. I am really determined to drop 5-7 lbs before Chicago and just bumping up the mileage alone didn't seem to be working. If anything, the process this week has been very educational. For example, I had no idea just how bad extra sharp cheddar cheese is for me. (this, incidentally, is very unfortunate, BTW) :) Because I have to put everything I eat/drink into my log, it really does make me pause before I put something in my mouth. I think this will be a really useful tool the next few weeks. And it will help me get the whole family back on track a little better. I will keep you posted on how it works out. Upon a recommendation from KP, I also picked up the book Racing Weight. There isn't a whole lot of new info in there, but there is some useful info and it is definitely motivational, which is the name of the game at this point if I want to hit my goals in 6 weeks.

20 miles on tap for tomorrow. It is my gift to myself on Labor Day. :)

Nice Peak Season Revelation

2011-09-02T20:43:00.004-05:00

I haven't slept well this week at all. A WHOLE lot going on personally with our family. Stressful stuff, not all negative - just hard.

Add in school orientations, first day of school, Johnny gone half the week, that thing called work, and, oh yeah - intense training! It has been a bit of a whirlwind, both mentally and physically.

John got in super late last night, so I waited up to see him. So nice to have him back, yet I still tossed and turned all night. I got up just after 5 for my run, but didn't get out the door until almost 6. It was almost 80 degrees and crazy humid, but I started the one foot in front of the other deal and off I went.

It was awesome.

20ish minutes into my run, I realized how relaxed and happy I was to be out there. And then I realized I have been in a sweet little grove for several weeks with all of my runs. Usually at peak training, I am tired, beat up and kind of dragging my butt out there to get it done. While I admit I am fleeping tired (and had to drag my butt out there to get it done this am) I have been LOVING my runs lately. Every time I have less than 10 miles in the last 3 weeks, I honestly feel a bit disappointed that I have to turn it in so soon. Weird. I am doing the newer edition Pfitz 12/70 program and it is very aggressive (4 runs per week in double digits). But it is crazy that I have so mentally acclimated to getting out there for the long haul. Good stuff. Frankly, who knows how it will translate on race day, but I am very optimistic and I am loving my training.

I should also admit that I am truly enjoying these nice fallish temps. Some mornings it is in the 50s. Sometimes the 70s. Even when crazy humid though, it has all finally been manageable. This summer was brutal. And I feel like we have gotten over the hump. Hopefully the brutality summer inflicted will add some valuable arrows to my quiver for Chicago.

70 miles

2011-08-28T11:05:00.003-05:00

Woot! Another awesome training week for me! I had a lot of longish runs and found that running them early, then sitting at my desk for hours on end resulted in a fair bit of DOMS. I was really afraid I may have trouble hitting some of my workouts, but fortunately, I was able to hit them all.

M: rest / arms

T: 5.75 (9:02). I was going to do 10 miles, but ended up caught in a thunderstorm and had to bag it early.

W: 11.25 with 5x1200m; 50-90% of interval time rest. This was my first interval workout in 6 weeks and it was HARD. It did not help that it was 70+ degrees with 96% humidity! I set my Garmin for 3 minute recoveries, but ended up giving myself about a minute more for each one. Intervals: 5:24, 5:16, 5:22, 5:24, 5:19. A little slower than I would have preferred, but overall I was happy.

R: 10 super easy (9:41) / abs

F: 15 easy (9:18) / abs

Sa: 6 recovery am (10:03) / 4 recovery pm (10:03) - Hey, I am certainly consistent!

Su: 18 miles with 12 at MP (7:49 average pace). The first 6 miles were hilly and HR was around 170. Last 6 miles were a bit harder and HR crept up to 175, which is my LT. Felt great to get this one done. Followed this run with an ice bath, hot shower, then a nice coat of BioFreeze. :)

Total: 70.2

Originally I was scheduled for 70 again next week, but I am going to cut back to around 60 and run a tune-up 10K on Sunday. I am looking forward to seeing how this pans out.

This training season is affirming that 65+ miles seems to be my sweet spot. After hitting 66 miles last week, my HR has really dropped this week. During my recovery run yesterday, my HR was 126! 126!! That is unheard of for me - even for a slow recovery slog. I am going to focus on rest and better eating. I really only have 6 weeks to drop the 5 lbs that seems to be hanging on this training season.

Week # 8 in the Books

2011-08-23T13:30:00.003-05:00

My week rocked (thank you very much).

First, I had to shuffle things around so that I would not have to try to fit my long run in while in DC. So in the six days from Saturday to Thursday, I logged 75 miles (see last post). So I was really jazzed about that. Second, I had a solid training week, including 18 miles shoved into a very short vacation to DC.

Here is how it panned out:

M: 5.1 recovery (9:45)

T: 15 miles (8:53 - second half faster than first by about 20 secs per mile)

W: 7.1 recovery (9:44)

R: 20 (8:59) - last 5 miles were hard as temps crept up....

F: rest / travel

Sa: 8.7 mile monument run in DC (with lots of stairs)! (8:43) - this run was seriously amazing. I ran up close and personal (without many others around at all) to all the war/presidential monuments and ran along the Potomac for a while. It was gorgeous and a wonderful way to take in that part of DC.

Su: 10 miles (another monument run, but also hit Capitol Hill/Library of Congress/S.Ct. area) (9:02) - and I will readily admit that this run was noticeably harder after a lack of sleep, too much wine, junk food, and really warm/humid conditions.

Total: 65.8

I no doubt walked another 10 miles or so around DC over the weekend! We had a great time.

I am happy to see my paces dropping despite another bump in mileage and continued warm conditions. Hopefully this week will be equally strong. I still need to drop about 5 lbs, but I am starting to feel strong. I am also getting excited because I only have 4 more weeks of heavy training. I am trying to schedule in lots of little races. I have only raced once this summer/season and I really need to get out there to gauge my fitness and work on the mental aspect of racing.

With that said, I am looking at running a 5K this weekend.....

I am a crappy blogger

2011-08-18T21:52:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I have more TM race report to do, but I don't have time to do it. It was amazing and awesome, but you will have to catch me in person and buy me a beer to hear the whole story at the rate I am going.

Lots going on.

I won a 10K last weekend! Woot. Although I was slow. (It was a very small race). But I always run this one slow for some reason, so no worries.

I ran 75 miles in the last 6 days. No - not my training week. But I had to switch some stuff around for our trip this weekend. So it went like this:

Sa: 10 miles with 10K
Su: 18
M: 5 recovery
T: 15
W: 7 recovery
R: 20

Total: 75

Seriously - that is bad@ss if I do say so myself. Hee hee. Paces were decent too, so I am pleased.

Tomorrow is a much deserved rest day as we travel to Washington DC. Plan to take in the sights and attend a family baptism on Sunday. I get to meet my neice for the first time - yay!! And, I get to run with my imaginary friend, Chris, while out there.

Oh, and I am super geeked out about getting to visit the monuments, take the boys to Arlington, and of course check out the US Supreme Court....

Tough Mudder Race Report Part II

2011-08-09T19:16:00.011-05:00

Okay, back to the race report! As I mentioned previously, the start was awesome. We charged a quarter mile down the ski mountain and then quickly turned to charge another .75 up the hill. It was hot and it was hard. I kept wishing the snow makers were on. Just before the top, there were layers of hay bales you had to climb. I took a run at it, but definitely needed help up and over (as did most people - it wasn't that I was a total wimp). After that, we were sprayed with fire hoses. We then did the "Boa Constrictor." We had to enter these black tubes which went downhill into water, cross a few feet of water, and then climb back up. The difficulty in these things was that there were rocks in the tubes and they were pretty smooth on the inside, so climbing up wasn't the easiest (although certainly not the toughest obstacle). However, I had torn up my knee a week earlier from a spill on my bike. I was hoping to keep it bandaged, but to no avail. After this obstacle, my poor knee took a real beating!
Next up we got to run DOWN the mountain. Now this was FUN! I love running downhill, no matter how bad the footing or how much my quads will protest later. It was super fun! The next obstacle was the "Funky Monkey." It is monkey bars (about 20 of them) that are sloped up, then down. Many are greased and many spin. I was really hoping I could make it at least half way and I knew I had the strength to do it. But dang, I fell on the third one into the waist deep water. Wimpy wimpy wimpy. The three guys with me (including DH all made it across), both girls feel in. Darn! We ran down the mountain further, then a steep, steep climb up. This time we walked on the uphill since it was so steep and we did not want to completely burn out.
We then came to our first set of Berlin walls. These bad boys were 12 feet high - no ropes, nothing. DH let me put my foot in his hands and gave me a boost. I reached for a guy's foot (who was sitting on the wall) and hoisted my self up. I then sat and was the foot to be grabbed for a couple of my teammates. I underestimated getting down though. Even fully extending myself before I dropped, it was an almost 6 foot drop on uneven ground and I promptly fell on my arse. It was pretty hilarious though. Onto the next one (they had 2 in a row for each). This part was pretty hard on my forearms when I boosted myself up and over.

Tough Mudder Wisconsin Race Report

2011-08-04T10:50:00.009-05:00

I realize this race report is long overdue, but I was really hoping to do it with some great pictures from Brightroom. They advertised getting 26-28 photos per participant. Well, they didn't and the pictures weren't great. But Tough Mudder had some awesome photos I'll use to show you the race (even though the people in them were not my team).

I'll warn you too that this RR is going to be a long one (and probably in a couple of "parts"). This race was awesome and I will provide the whole story. Everyone who hears we did it thinks we are nuts. Perhaps. But we are some nuts that love to work hard and have fun!

I'll start out by explaining how I got myself into this. My former colleague, Travis, is a former Army Ranger. He e-mails me several months back and says, hey, do you want to join my team for this race? Sure! So I sign up. Then I start looking at it more carefully - "Electroshock Therapy" - what?!? So I sent it to John and told him I signed up. He called me right away and said, "Really, do they even LET girls do this?" Ha. "I am signing you up and SO kicking your @ss," I replied. The rest, shall we say, is history.

Now I have done the Madison Mud run twice now with my son James. It is a 4.6 mile course with 16 or so obstacles. It is a muddy blast, but I wouldn't call any of it hard. I knew TM would be a lot tougher than this. But when I did the mud run in Spring, I was so thrilled I could do all of the monkey bars (hadn't even tried monkey bars since the playground, when I was probably 9...). Okay, I've got this....

Training:

Yeah, about that. I ran the Eugene Marathon on May 1, so I had a nice strong running base in place. The problem was that I had a trial in June and ran/worked out almost NADA from May 1 until June 27. Ooops, there goes the running base. I started running solid miles in late June to give me 3 solid weeks of training and a few easy days prior to TM. I had been hoping to do a lot more upper body work, but it never really happened. Much of my team (including DH) were in the same boat. But most of us are pretty athletic and we knew we'd (probably) be able to live through it just fine.

Our Team:

We were Team Panty Waists. Apparently that is a derogatory name for a wimpy guy that I am guessing came from Travis' days of ordering newly minted Rangers around. He tried to get fancy sponsored race shirts, but no go. So, he hit Walmart for some good old fashioned "wife-beaters," picked up some stencils and a can of black spray paint. As he called it = art. Haha. I thought they were awesome!

THE START:

We were in the very first wave of this race, which was actually very cool. We got there bright and early in the morning with the boys and met up with friends. Our friend J was doing it with us and his wife, R (also a good friend) agreed to hang with the boys. We arrived in plenty of time to pick up our race gear and get marked. They actually mark your forehead and one other exposed body part (?! - I chose my arm) with permanent marker. We were going to a formal wedding that night, so I did a little prior research on how to get permanent marker out of the skin. I saw it was possible, so we let 'em mark us up! It was actually hilarious too because they had a sign that said "Compulsory Face Marking: We don't Care if You Have to Go to Court on Monday." Well alright!

BTW: They had a place you could sign up for Facebook updates. I love FB, but decided I'd rather vet my own pictures than have some hideous photos automatically posted. Plus, the TM web site is hilarious, but not necessarily "G" rated. So I decided to pass. Apparently it didn't work anyway, but I thought I'd mention that for my KR friends who may have been looking for updates.

Back to the race: We started climbing the ski hill to the start. It was already in the upper 70s and crazy humid. My calves were already barking. Ha, this should be interesting. :)

The race started in waves of 500 and we all got lined up. We repeated the TM Pledge (which was awesome - see below), the National Anthem was sung, and we were off. Best race start ever.

Tough Mudder - Abbreviated Course Tour

2011-07-27T20:19:00.001-05:00

Found this on YouTube. I don't know these people, but it does a good job of showing the obstacles. What is left out is all of the running up and down the ski mountain, but you get the drift of what we were doing.

Race report coming soon....

Tough Mudder Part I

2011-07-24T11:27:00.006-05:00

Wow. I did Tough Mudder Wisconsin yesterday. It was definitely the hardest, most insane and most fun race I have done to date. And wow am I sore today. Kind of like post-marathon sore, but every single muscle in my body is that sore. The cuts and bruises add another special layer of ouchiness too. Was it worth it? Definitely.

I will provide a full race report once I get some more photos. We had a GREAT time though. As did my boys. They both got mohawks painted orange and Johnny got a tattoo. A real one. And yes, I am serious. LOL.

Week #3 Recap

2011-07-16T21:33:00.006-05:00

I have been running my @rse off. Or so I hope.

Monday: rest / pilates / arms

Sweet track workout Tuesday (see former post)

Wednesday: Hot, but easy afternoon 7 miler / pilates

Thursday: 12 miles

Friday: 18 baby. Still very slow . . .

Saturday: rest

Sunday: 10 easy miles / arms & pilates

Total: 55 miles

Track Workout No. 3

2011-07-12T21:24:00.007-05:00

And it was only 70 degrees tonight! Since it was my third track workout, and I am now 2 weeks into training, I am starting to feel slightly more snappy than sluggy.

It helped that tonight's workout was shorter, speedier stuff.

I was able to blast out of work by 5, so I ran 3 easy as a warm up. We then did .5 as a warm up as a group and a boatload of drills and striders. It is fun getting back into drills. While I do striders a lot on my own, I very rarely do drills.

The first part of the workout was 300m fast with 100m jog recovery x 4. We were supposed to be faster than 5K pace, but slightly slower than mile pace. I have no idea how fast I went as I had no watch, but all felt good and hard, but not killer hard.

Next we did relays. We were partnered up and the idea was to run a mile relay in 200m segments. I would run 200m; pass my "baton" off to my partner, and then jog across the track to do it again once he completed his 200 meters. We used a banana as a baton. The point was to stay loose and not squeeze it or bruise it. My partner and I hit 5:48 for our first relay mile.

We kicked it up a notch for the second mile and came in at 5:29. Again, I did not time any of my splits, but I was working pretty hard and enjoyed the workout.

My calves are already feeling it tonight, but I am pleased that I feel I am starting to turn the corner - even if only slightly.

Onward and upward.

* Oh, and check out my new racing shoes. They are super lightweight and fun. I wore them tonight for the first time.

I'm back!

2011-07-10T16:16:00.002-05:00

Wow. It has been over 2 months since I have checked into Blogger to give an update. If you still bother to check in on me from time to time, thanks and my apologies for falling off.

I never did write up a race report for the Eugene Marathon. Which is too bad. While my time was less stellar than the goal I was shooting for, we had a great trip to Oregon and the race itself was top notch. I highly, highly recommend it. The recap version is I don't know what happened. No injury, no big blow up. I just couldn't maintain the pace. I honestly think it was all the traveling. I underestimate how much that can affect everything. The good news is that my next marathon is local. Or mostly local. I am in for Chicago 2011, which is only a 2.5 hour drive from here. Do no time change, no long flights and layovers. Local.

So you ask what kind of training I have been doing? Nada. Niente. Nothin. As soon as I got back from Eugene, work kicked into overdrive and I was working weekends and crazy long hours. I almost even forgot what my kids looked like. Instead of getting up at 4:3o am to run, I was going into work. Finally, things settled down in mid June and we took a fabulous vacation to Jackson and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. It was the most amazing trip. The kids were great and super fun. The weather was perfect. We hiked, kayaked, rafted, road tripped, went horseback riding and made campfires. But very little running. It may be irrational, but I refused to be the sorry fool running through trails in a national park by myself in the early morning scaring grizzlies. Nope. And speaking of grizzlies, we saw a mama grizzly with her 3 cubs 3 different times. It was pretty awesome. And buffalo, pronghorns, moose (although I never did see a big bull moose), elk, bald eagles, pelicans. James even caught a "whistle pig." Incredible. Fun. Awesome.

I am now recharged. And training. It's certainly time.

I logged 36+ miles last week and hit 48 this week. I also started my miler in training program at the track. Good lord it has kicked my butt too. I am slow and out of shape. And I need to lose 10 lbs. But one thing at a time. Right now, the goal is to get back out there and start ramping back up.

Oh yeah, and I also have Tough Mudder in less than 2 weeks. Given my current fitness level, I am somewhat terrified. But, I know we'll have a blast and it will be good to give my body a big ol' kick in the pants.

3:39

2011-05-07T20:11:00.003-05:00

Yup, 3:39. A fair bit off from my goal. But, another BQ, which I know is a bit of a golden ticket. As much as I hate the Boston Marathon (so far), I have qualified from 2007 through 2012 and I am proud of that.

I loved Eugene. Duck and family were SO awesome.

But I couldn't execute. And I don't know why.

Which p!sses me off. There was no big blow up. No wall. I simply couldn't hold my pace. Even though I felt so GREAT for the first 15 or so.

After returning from Eugene, I initially thought I might rebound and do something in 3-4 weeks given how strong my training season was. But now I know I need to let it go. I am still sore 6 days out and know I need to recover and start over.

Dammit. I am admittedly a little depressed. I had a good training season and all indications pointed to a great race.

But I'll reset and figure it out. For now, I am about to get so swamped with work it doesn't matter what my running goals are.

But it still really sucks I was so off target.... :(

The Home Stretch!

2011-04-23T21:35:00.008-05:00

Wow - I will be travelling to Eugene in just a few short days. It seems kind of surreal even though my training season has been going on so long - or so it seems.

I haven't done a very good job blogging about my training. But it has gone well overall. I think. Of course now - today particularly - I am starting to get that weird oh shit taper worry. Did I train enough? (yes); Did I hit enough key workouts? (meh, probably not but maybe); Did I nail some decent tune-up races? (yup, but nothing spectacular).

So where am I?

Freakin' excited. I can't WAIT to go to Eugene. I am thrilled the whole family is coming with me. In fact, we are all going to run the 5K on Saturday morning. And I am setting up plans for a meet-up with Duck (thanks dude you rock!). And I am meeting up with my cousin and his wife who live in Portland at some point too. Woot.

I have to admit though, today, as I started settling into full taper mode, I was totally unmotivated to go out and run. It was a spectacular day, but I wanted to slouch on my arse all day truth be told. The good news is that once I got out there, I had an AwEsOmE run.

I may have a great race in me next weekend if the stars align for me.

Here are the highlights of the last few months:

8 weeks in the 50+ range.
1 week at 66
1 week at 75

Tune-ups:

10Ks: 46:04 (very hilly); 44:58 (mostly flat, but very windy); 46:12 (hilly, but just off)

5K: 21:35

These aren't spectacular race times for me, but if I look back at Chicago 2009 (PR), all of my races were flat. I'll attribute that to high mileage (for me) and hope that I am ready to go.

Yup, Rawr. I'm going to kick some ass.

The Game Plan

2011-04-04T20:12:00.004-05:00

Things are starting to come together. Quite nicely, too.

Training started out pretty rocky for me, but I have been able to log 7 weeks with over 50 mpw; 1 week of 66 miles and 1 week of 75. Not too shabby. I worry a little bit because I have ramped up my mileage without any sort of rational graduation. And I don't intend to sustain it for long. But I do hope my last 2 mileage bumps help me out on race day. I feel confident they will though.

Here is my week last week:

M: rest

T: 11 (9:10) / arms and abs. I wanted to do 2 separate runs but did not have time.

W: 12 with 4 x 1200 meters; 2 min rec (5:03; 5:10; 5:07; 5:07).

R: 6 recovery am (10:00) / 2 pm with GOTR - including some striders :)

F: 15 (9:07)

Sa: 8.25 recovery (9:31)

Su: 21 (9:22)

Total: 75.5

By Sunday my legs were logs and I was slow, but my HR was nice and low. That is the number that matters to me by the end of a long week like that.

So, I now have less than 4 weeks to go. Here is the plan:

This week - I want to be in the neighborhood of 60 mpw, but intend to do a mini taper for my 10K on Saturday. This is likely my last tune-up race, so I will err on the side of rest if necessary.

Next week - taper time starts! But the first week never feels like a real cut-back and I'll probably hit around 45-50 miles. Then I hit the taper much harder. And hopefully I'll drop a couple more pounds. I finally dropped 3 lbs and imagine I will lose one or two more after last week and this week. With the extra mileage and intervals, it certainly seems likely. I just need to not be a pig. :)

2011-03-29T05:38:00.006-05:00

Another strong week in the books. This week, I decided to cut back on the mileage and get some high quality in before I ramp up for my last huge (for me) mileage week before Eugene. All in all, it shook out very well.

M: rest/abs

T: 8 easy (8:58) / abs

W: 8 recovery (9:30) / arms

R: 11 with 5 x 600 meters; 90 sec recoveries (2:22, 2:26, 2:32, 2:27, 2:27). These felt very strong and I incorporated some nice hills into the intervals. Fastest, strongest intervals I have run in a long time.

F: rest. Pressed for time, so I decided to rest up for my 10K

Sa: 10 miles with 10K (44:58). I was first female and had a strong race. I hit the 5K in just over 22, but was unable to keep the pace the second half. This was in part due to a strong head wind - it was wicked cold and windy out there.

Su: 15 miles (9:08)

Total: 52 and change

The boys also ran the race on Saturday. I wasn't sure what to expect since it was their first race since last Fall. It was a tiny race and they were the only kids out there, but they both threw down awesome races. James came in at 28:15 and Jake came in at 29:38. This was the first time Jake has broken 30 minutes. I have a feeling they are going to see a lot of improvement this summer. Best part was that they had a lot of fun. ....Just when I was worried that they wouldn't want to continue going to the races with me... :)

Next up: 10K for me and 5K for the boys on April 9.

Hitting the reset button

2011-03-22T19:20:00.006-05:00

I don't know why, but when I approach that 70 mpw mark, my body reboots and kicks my fitness to a new level. I have only reached that sort of mileage during three training seasons, but each time, the results are fast and dramatic.

I ran 67 miles last week. Up from the 55 mpw range I had been hovering around. Monday I was sore and beat up. But today, my resting heart rate was nice and low even though I slept terrible last night. And my run? I hit the first mile in 20-25 mph winds at an 8:45 pace and my HR was in the 130s (normally I'd be in 150s or 160s). This bodes well for Eugene.

Oh, and I planned to run 5, but since I was feeling so good, I opted for 8. The winds were wicked and the rain pounded me in a rather painful way when I was running into it, but I have to admit I felt a little bad @ss being out there in it. Ha. Bring it!

This week I am going back down to about 55 mpw and running another 10K this weekend. Then I will try to bump up to 70 one more time. I hope things continue to go well. And I hope to drop a couple lbs during these last weeks.

On another note, I took my boys to work with me for a few hours today. I know, very lame thing to do during their spring break, Mom. But unfortunately, it was a necessity today. The good news was that they were very well behaved and had a good time. It was awesome!

2011-03-20T20:57:00.005-05:00

Wow - I have been terrible at blogging this training season. Part of my excuse is that my e-mail address changed and now I frequently can't log into blogger. I tried to change my e-mail address, but it still only reconizes my old one. Sometimes it lets me log in. Sometimes it doesn't.

But, I have also been very busy and have admittedly had some ups and downs with my training. Overall, however, I think things are starting to shape up quite nicely. I ran my first tune-up race last weekend. The Shamrock Shuffle 10K is a bear with the hills, but it is a fun race and it was fun to get out there and race after several months of no racing at all. I was able to pull off a 46:04, which is slower than my course record, but frankly better than I had been expecting given that I had done very little speedwork in the weeks prior. I also felt very relaxed and good, so it made for a very enjoyable race. Unfortunately, I missed my AG award (30-39) by one spot. The good news is that I have another 10K coming up next weekend. It should be flatter and I can only hope my fitness is continuing to improve.

SIX weeks until Eugene. And I am cranking this game up a notch.

Despite a very busy week, I was able to log almost 67 miles this week. A nice bump from the 55 mpw range I have been sitting on for weeks. I will go easier this next week, but then hopefully will crank up to 70 the following week. Game on boys and girls.

Here is a recap of last week:

M: rest / arms

T: 8 easy (9:17) / abs

W: 9.5 miles with 5 x 1000m intervals with 2 min recoveries / abs

R: 8 recovery (9:36) / arms and abs

F: 10.5 progressive (8:57)

Sa: 10.4 easy (9:18)

Su: 20 (9:09)

Total: 66.4 miles

I haven't logged this volume since Fall of 2009 prior to the Chicago Marathon. Here's hoping I have as good a race in Eugene as I did in Chicago. That would definitely make me one happy runner.

Happy trails.

No Looking Back Now

2011-01-16T18:45:00.003-06:00

Woo hoo! Eugene - here we come!

I decided to bring the boys with us to Eugene in May, even if it is a bit pricey. Right now we can afford it and I think the boys would really love the trip. Plus, I have some cousins out there they haven't seen in ages, so it all just seems right. We are going on a Friday through Monday. Plane tickets are in hand and I have a suite reserved on the river! I am going to register the boys for the 5K and John is going to be our race photog. :)

FINALLY - after literally a year+, I feel like my running is starting to come around. I am still busy at work, but my runs are feeling good, my paces are dropping and my HR is in a very good place. This weekend my resting HR was around 58 - again, better numbers than I have seen in a long time. If you can't tell yet, I am starting to get excited for what's ahead.

Here is how my week shook out:

M: rest day / arms & abs

T: 5 on treadmill (8:41); last mile at goal MP

W: 10 with 4.5 @ tempo (7:35 / 8:06 average overall) / abs

R: 4 (8:46); last mile at goal MP / arms

F: 7 (8:56) / abs

Sa: 9 easy (9:10)

Su: 18 very hilly miles (9:12) / yogalates

Total: 53 miles

All of it was on the treadmill except today's long run. It was bitterly cold, but fortunately not windy. Only major snafu was when I got my R glove all wet. My fingers were tingly and screamingly painful for about 4 miles. Yikes.

Next week is a cut-back, which is probably good since I boosted up my miles this week. I was running 5 days a week, but am now up to 6 and intend to hold that pattern through my taper. I am doing the Pfitz 18/55 - but with the extra day, should hit 60 a few times - maybe more if I continue feeling so good.

Happy running!

2011-01-09T19:03:00.002-06:00

It has been almost a month since my last post! I guess I was pretty busy over the holidays. I did not do great keeping up with my training schedule, but I think I am finally turning a corner.

It is also the time of year that I remember why I love my treadmill. I know that sounds crazy because everyone who knows me knows I hate running on the treadmill. But the upsides are:

a) softer surface and my hammies are killing me less

b) because I get bored to death, I tend to run faster and mix it up more.

c) the faster speed translates to the streets too

d) I can throw on a sports bra and shorts instead of 700 layers needed to survive 5:00 am in the Wisconsin winter. :)

So these are all good things.

Here is how my week panned out:

M: rest / abs

T: 5 progressive on treadmill (8:40)

W: rest /arms and abs

R: 6 treadmill (8:48) / abs

F: 4 treadmill (8:55)

Sa: 10 outside (9:09)

Su: 17 outside (9:21) / yogalates

I was pretty crushed with work this week, so had to lighten up during the week and pile the miles on over the weekend. I was feeling it a little bit during my long run today, but it was awesome stretching my hips and hammies in yogalates. Hopefully I am now on track!!

Happy running, peeps.

2010-12-10T21:33:00.002-06:00

So week # 2 of training went by the wayside. Quickly. I woke up on Tuesday bright and early to log my 9 miler. Well, my stomach was killing me some, but I'll be okay. I cautiously drank a big glass of water and a cup of coffee and went upstairs to get on my running gear. Um, first the porcelian god called me to reclaim said coffee and water. Then my bed held me hostage for the next 35 painful hours. I got up a few times sporadically on Tuesday, but it was painful. I slept throughout the day and next night, but never for more than 45 minutes. It was awful. I awoke on Wednesday praying I'd feel better. But alas,, I was still a mess. I knew our contractor and cleaning lady would be arriving and I didn't want to me a mess in bed, so I hauled myself into the office and quarantined myself there. Fortunately by Wednesday evening I felt human. By Friday, I feel almost like new. I lost 5 lbs along the way, so the focus on the last couple of days has been hydration, hydration, hydration (although I admit now I am sipping on a glass of wine).

I have run zero miles this week. And the weather forecast sucks. really. really. bad. Time to suck it up buttercup.

On a positive note, James told me yesterday he was going to start running one mile each day on the treadmill. What? He is getting ready for football season (NEXT FALL). Ha. And he did it. Yesterday and today. He is super excited about it and has all sorts of goals for increasing speed/mileage. Swoon. A boy after his momma's heart. Sheesh - now I need to start catching up!!!

2010-12-03T06:23:00.003-06:00

Week 1 is well underway and all is going well. As I have run this week, I have had many thoughts and observations regarding my training and running, so I wanted to share them with you here.

I finally feel like I have my running mojo back. Yay! I am slow and my heart rate is high, but I am enjoying getting back into the rhythm of training and I have high aspirations for Eugene.
What are those aspirations you ask? 3:25 again. Maybe even a little less. I really think I can do it if everything else goes right.
What do you mean everything else? Miles, of course. But more than that, I need to really lose a couple of pounds and be extra careful with my nutrition and hydration. And I need a lot more sleep.

So my fitness goals include: longer than normal training program with more early weeks of base-building and tempo; more hills and the Pfitz schedule that has always treated me kindly.

My nutrition goals include: more water AND electrolytes; less coffee, sugar and alcohol. I also need to get back to a more basic, nutritional diet with more veggies and plain meats. I was very good at this when I was the cook around here. I need to get back at it. Not only for me, but for the rest of the family as well.

So pretty simple, no? Yeah right - especially the nutrition goals. It really is hard to make adjustments when you get into certain routines. But so far, this week is going well.

I have not yet figured out the logistics for Eugene yet. Looks like it will be long travel days and expensive, so I likely will not bring the boys. Although we'll see since I'd love to show them that part of the country and they are getting much better about spectating longer races. John is definitely coming with me. I am bummed Cindi is out - but maybe we'll get to meet up at Arkansas. I still need to check it out.

Oh, and first challenge for long run starts this weekend. We are supposed to get hit with lots of snow tonight and tomorrow. Bring it.

Happy Friday. :)

2010-11-26T11:32:00.002-06:00

Time for my "off-season" to end. I decided I am going to run the Eugene Marathon on May 1. I have always wanted to go to the Pacific Northwest, and what better way to visit than running 26.2 through Pre's stomping grounds. Anyone want to join me?

2010 Haunted Hustle Half

2010-10-30T11:31:00.003-05:00

I am pleased to report that this one deserves a race report. It was no PR, but by far my strongest race since Chicago 2009. And boy did I need it. After 3 miserable half marathons this year, a sub-par Boston and a decision to bag the Chicago marathon, training has been mentally tough to say the least.

After I made the final decision to bail on Chicago, I decided to give myself some much needed rest after 5 years of nearly continuous, intense marathon training. So I have been running when it works and resting when it works. The last 2 weeks I started getting worried though, as I hadn't run a long run in weeks. In fact, that last long run had been the Naperville Half death march. So I logged 13 2 weeks ago and 15 last weekend. Thanks to heavy winds this week, I only ran once during the week. I did 7 with 2 at half marathon pace. Those miles were 7:42 and 7:37, and felt WAY harder than half marathon pace. So I set my goal for today's half to be at or under 1:45, which is right on an 8:00/mile pace.

This year was the first inuagural Haunted Hustle Marathon, Half Marathon and 10K. I was concerned about parking and the start, so I went in a back way, filled the car with gas and used the restroom before I finally parked. I found parking in the host hotel, ran a mile warmup. As I headed to the start area, I ran into some good friends, which was awesome. We all hung out at the start and waited for the gun to go off. There were no pace group signs, so I just lined about about 75 feet back. The start was pretty cool as a big fire engine was there honking its horn and people were screaming. The weather was absolutely perfect (low 40s and overcast). I took the first few miles easy, paying close attention to my breathing and how I felt. Fortunately, I felt good! At mile 4.5, I ran into my friend and a bunch of girls (2 of which were my GOTR girls in the Spring), I got big cheers and a high 5, which was fun. Around mile 6, I realized I felt really great and was way past the point where I fell apart at Naperville. I made a goal to hold pace and pick it up at 10. But sure enough, I started to gradually pick it up. I was reeling people in and making moves to pass them. It felt great and I felt strong. I could tell I had picked up the pace and knew that while I was not going to be in PR distance, I could negative split the race and do WAY better than my 1:45 goal. The miles clicked off nicely and I never felt a point where I had to slow pace or fall off. WOO HOO! Overall, the course was rolling, but not too hard. The uphills and downhills were enough to keep it interesting, but nothing too difficult.

The last mile was into a decent headwind, but it was almost the same route I ran a 5K on last weekend (with the same wind). Just before the finish, we punched up a hill, turned L and then had a nice fast downhill to the finish line! The clock read just over 1:40. Sweet. Even better, I looked at my Garmin and saw 1:39:48 - even better!

I saw both of my friends finish and a lot of other buddies out there. It was awesome and I was so excited to finally have a nice strong race. I checked the posted results and saw I came in 1st for my AG too! Sweet!

Interestingly, I saw someone post something on Facebook recently on how Garmins/GPSes are off. I have always known that, and after reading the article considered leaving mine at home. I am so glad I didn't! The mile 5 marker was around 4.6 and most of them were .2 off after that. It was comforting knowing I was NOT going way too fast (as I would have thought of had I relied on the mile markers!).

1: 7:52
2: 7:45
3: 7:51
4: 7:31 (saw friends 2x) :)
5: 7:46
6: 7:50
7: 7:47
8: 7:27
9: 7:38
10: 7:38
11: 7:23
12: 7:34
13: 7:21
.1: 5:48 pace!

1:39:48

Race #1 of 4 is officially a success!

A wee bit nervous!

2010-10-30T06:04:00.003-05:00

I am up early this morning and ready to head out in about 20 minutes for the Haunted Hustle Half Marathon! It is an inaugural race and quickly sold out this year (there is also a full and a 10K). The weather is ideal and I have certainly gotten maximal rest this week.

Yet, this is my 4th half marathon for the year. The first 2 were so-so (slow, because it was hot) and the 3rd was downright miserable. The good news is that is at least 20 degrees cooler than the last one (and about 35-40 degrees cooler than the first two).

This is also officially my last race for this training schedule, which was supposed to - but did not - culminate with the Chicago Marathon. I did 7 miles with 2 at half marathon pace on Thursday. I was in the upper 7:30s and low 7:40s and it was quite an effort. So I am guessing my pace today will be around 7:50s or low 8:00s. At least I hope so. Regardless, I want to run a steady race and finish strong - no death march for this girl today....

So I am sipping water and starting to get my head in the game! Should be fun to try out another new local distance race! Wish me luck!!

2010-10-12T07:20:00.002-05:00

I LOVE this time of year! I wish fall would last months and months. Unfortunately, I know this time is fleeting, but I am taking it in while I can. While I am not the biggest fan of running in pure darkness, the crisp early mornings with bright stars and cool temps are awesome. It was 45 degrees out there and perfect this morning. And I had one of those runs where the last miles my body was on auto pilot and my paces easily increased. Got home just as the sun was rising. Love it.

2010-10-05T19:55:00.002-05:00

Thanks so much for all of the comments lately. I feel badly for not keeping up with my blogging. Life is good, running is okay, things are all moving along steadily. Fall descended upon us quickly! Today was the first day I broke out my running tights - it was 33 degrees and pitch black during my run this morning. Long gone are the warm temps and daylight. I am generally okay with that because I LOVE 33 degree running. Not much lower than that though!

I have been running as I desire. Trying to keep something of a schedule for my 10.30.10 half marathon, but not overly worried if I don't make it.

I am super excited for all my running peeps that have been busting out spectacular fall marathons! It seems that working through this tough summer really paid off ~ Congrats!

With Chicago just a few days away, I would have thought I'd be kind of bummed that I am not going. But I really am not. I made the right choice. And am glad I had it in me to know when to fold 'em. We'll see how I feel on Sunday. ;)

Perspective

2010-09-23T19:09:00.008-05:00

Some times - many times - it really is the little things in life that truly matter. My very favorite part of the day is 7:15 am during week days. I walk the boys down to the bus stop, get hugs and kisses from both, and watch them climb onto the bus as I tell them I love them and to have a good day. Once they get on, the bus starts to pull away and the boys wave out the window at me. I catch them on the way back after they turn around in the cul de sac - blow kisses at them and sign "I love you." And they do it back. In 3 short years, James will be a teenager. And they will no longer look for me out the window. But they do now. And I cherish it.

*[NOTE: And I am especially treasuring it now after James had a huge throw-down tonight over homework. ;)].

*****

I had a good run this morning. I haven't run a tempo in eons, and I have been feeling motivated to shake off the slow and get back into prime condition. So I took off for my warm-up. I was slow and it was humid. Gah. Maybe I should do it tomorrow. Nope, the time is now. So I took off and it went pretty well. As I was about to hit mile 1, I started thinking I'd do cruise intervals of a mile (aka - run one mile tempo; rest; run another mile tempo; rest; repeat). But I quickly talked myself out of it and just ran the 3 planned miles with the last mile the fastest. It was sweet. By this afternoon, my calves were screaming at me a little.

*****
Thank God I could feel them.

Today we went to visit J. He got back to Madison a few days ago, but just started rehab and we didn't want to bug him during the transition and then after his first long days of hard work in rehab. But today we got the all clear and went to visit him. I will admit I was anxious. I have been so sad and scared for them both. And I didn't want to say or do the wrong thing. But I did want to go and let them know we are thinking about them and we do care. So much. We got to the hospital and he had just gotten back from rehab. He and A both smiled when we got there and suddenly everything just felt right. He looked good. Better than I expected. And he could talk (yay!). It was heartbreaking as he said, "you know, my mom, my dad and my brother did not make it." But it was heartwarming when he explained how they thought he'd be brain dead, but he was all there. And that rehab was going well. Nothing is being ruled as permanent re paralysis. He has a long way to go, but he has hope. They both do. It was inspiring to be there and to feel a little piece of that. I pray, pray, pray that things continue to improve. But even if he doesn't improve much, I think he will be okay. Some people really amaze me.

*****

Thanks for all the comments on my last post. You guys are the best. I am working to get everything back in order to make a big come back. And to make things clear, Jill was absolutely correct that I was whining about my Naperville time in my perspective. I think most folks who follow this blog know that, but it isn't about the actual time on the clock, it is about what we are capable personally of doing. I am capable and planning on moving ahead. Thanks for the hugs and encouragement. :)

****

Almost forgot. Joe Positive is running the Toronto Marathon this weekend. Can't flippin wait. GOOOOOOO JOE!

2010 Naperville Half Marathon (aka Why Chicago is Out)

2010-09-17T12:47:00.018-05:00

The Naperville Half Marathon was last Sunday. I had been really, really, really looking forward to it. My training has had some real "downs" this year, but things seemed to be improving. I was able to bump up my miles to almost 55 mpw the preceding week, the temps had dropped down to bearable and I felt a comeback was in the works. I really needed a good race. It has been a full year (almost - Chicago 2009) since I have had a solid race. To go into Chicago 2010, I needed a strong race. I knew a PR was likely out of the question. That was okay. I just needed a strong showing.

I was going with my friend, M, who is traditionally a short distance runner. She trained to run her first half marathon in August. She did great, but it was a humid sweatfest that day and she knew she had more in her. So she suggested we hit the Naperville Half. We decided it would be cheaper and more accessible than the Chicago Half. We looked at the web site elevation map and it looked pretty flat too. Cool.

The week leading up to the race was pretty good and I hoped to keep my mileage up. Unfortunately, I got up on Thursday and I was super crampy and had lots of lower back pain. So I took the day off and rested. By Friday I felt great. Saturday, I ran 10 easy and felt terrific. I headed to Naperville and met up with zrun and his DS, which was a real highlight.

Got back to the hotel and met up with M and her daughter. We were excited and raring to go. I got a good night of sleep and woke up excited and ready to run! It was warmer than I would have liked (mid 60s at start), but I hoped it wouldn't be too much of a problem. M's husband dropped us off at the start. It was a little crazy because there were 600+ runners and only 7 or 8 porta potties. M and I did a warm up (which resulted in very wet shoes) and ended up having to pee behind the main park building since the line for the porta potties was crazy.

It was pull-tab timing, so we lined up close to the front. It was a crazy start - about .2 was on grass. The gun went off! We hoped to run around 8s for the first 5K and then pick it up. Goal was to be closer to 1:40 than 1:45 (for reference, my PR is 1:36:5x). Well, we went out a little fast. First mile was 7:40. We slowed a little bit and it was already really hot. The sun was out and there was very little shade on the course. And it wasn't flat, folks. It was definitely "rolling" and the first 3 miles were the worst. This is a more accurate elevation map:

M wanted me to run with her, but by mile 4.5 I was really feeling the heat and knew I could not keep the pace going. I let her go ahead of me and the wheels quickly came off. I started having all sorts of GI issues and actually had to stop THREE times before mile 6. Gah. Then it was just hang on and finish. I felt like crap physically. Mentally, I was frustrated and felt completely dejected. The remaining part of the course was on trail loops. I passed mile 9 and volunteers were directing us to go right to mile 10, or left for mile 12. I was so tempted to turn left and end the misery. But I decided to keep going and finish this thing, no matter how long it took.

Boy did I regret that by mile 10. I kept thinking if I saw M's DH or DD on the course, I would quit. If I had ANY idea where the heck I was, I would have cut off the course and DNF-ed. Yeah, it really sucked. I decided out there that Chicago was out. A crappy half marathon is bad enough - I am not going to subject myself to this type of misery for 4 (or more) hours. Plus, I had such a great race and positive experience at Chicago last year. I didn't want to ruin it with a death march.

M and I around mile 4.

I struggled through the last miles and around 12.8 saw M running back toward me. She had a great race and was excited. I could also tell she was ready to haul it in with me, but I was dying and had to stop and walk for a bit just before mile 13. Yeah, I was hurting THAT bad. But once I turned back onto the grass, I ran as hard as I could and brought it in to a *blazing* 1:56:xx finish. Gah.

I felt like death after the finish, but met up with M and her fam. M had a 5 minute PR and ended up getting 2nd in our AG, so we waited around for awards. It was awesome and she was SO excited. It was so great getting to do it with her - I just wish I could have run the entire race with her. One of these days when I get back to "normal," I will.

Since then, I have started to discover some of the reasons why I have been falling apart lately. That is for a different post, however. For now, training is on hold and Chicago is officially out.

A thought

2010-09-13T14:42:00.003-05:00

I just had a thought. And it is a crazy thought. But it may also be an opportunity.

I need to switch things up for a little while - even if only for a relatively short time. SO, I may try to learn how to swim. Face that fear. Crazy, huh? Especially considering I just posted on Facebook that I will never try to swim or to face that fear. But why not? Maybe now is a good time for that.

For background, I am terrified of swimming. Seriously. I can hold my own to prevent drowning (at least for a very short period of time), but I have a real phobia of not being able to freely breathe. I wouldn't call it full on claustrophobia - but the breathing thing - it is a real fear. It terrifies me. When I read race reports about tris and people talk about getting pulled, grabbed and run over during the swim it horrifies me. Gah. I would drown for sure. (For the record - that fotosearch image even makes me nervous looking at it - she CAN'T breath right there!)

My kids did a tri in August and both of them were weak swimmers too. Particularly James. He did really well for 3/4 of the first lap and then he got scared. And he fell apart. John and I really want both boys to become strong swimmers while they are young so they are not like me with swimming. Not scared.

I wonder if I can find someone who will instruct all 3 of us? That way, we could do it together. Or at least at the same time.

I'm not sure I can make this work. Or whether I will ultimately think it is a good idea after I think it through. It is just a thought. But kind of a "spark" thought. Hmmmmm.

Eff Chicago

2010-09-12T16:44:00.003-05:00

I'm officially out.

Update: Thanks for the concern. I am not hurt. Just a bit dejected. ;) More to come soon. . . (Thanks!)!!

Another Week Closer to Chicago

2010-09-06T16:35:00.006-05:00

And it has been a successful one! Yay!

M: rest / arms and core

T: 8 sweaty, humid, slow miles (9:25) / core

W: 5.1 supah slow miles (9:39) / arms and core

R: 10 miles with 5 x .5 mile repeats; 90 sec recoveries (3:28, 3:29, 3:27, 3:30, 3:29) / core

F: 5.1 supah slow (9:31) / arms and core

Sa: 20 miles in beautiful weather! Hit lots of hills and last mile was fastest mile (8:14).

Su: Approx 6 miles with a 5K with my son, Jakey. Our time was 33:39, but the course was almost .3 long. He was working HARD and I was so proud of him! :)

Total: 54 and change. Most mileage in at least 6 months

I am feeling pretty good too! I am hoping to hit about the same mileage this week + a hard half marathon, hit good mileage next week, then start tapering. Should be interesting.

The family front has been lots of fun and work has calmed down just enough to give me a much-needed break. Happy Labor Day!!

Hardware Baby!

2010-08-29T12:36:00.009-05:00

I have to admit I was kind of cranky when I went to bed Friday night. Our house was trashed and it was just kind of a long week. I woke up before my alarm on Saturday morning and seriously considered bailing on my race and sleeping in. I'm so glad I didn't!

I got up and went downstairs. Half an hour later DH joined me and encouraged me to wake the boys even though they both said they did not want to race. DS#2 was happy that I woke him up to run, DS#1, not so much. But we ended up getting out the door and to the race on time. The weather was in the low 60s and ideal.

I lined up near the front and the boys all went to the back. We were quickly off! I wasn't sure what to expect since I haven't run a 5K in months and have done little to no speed work. The idea was just to run hard and have fun. The course was lovely and flat - but ended on a big hill. I ended up 3rd female with a 21:35. Hey - not too shabby and definitely better than I had expected. I grabbed a water and waited for my boys to come through. Saw James fly around the corner and screamed my head off at him as he powered up the hill to the finish! He finished in 27:15 - a big PR and he was the first kid to finish. Jake and John were more leisurely during their race, but they had a great time and raced to the finish!

Awards were not until 11:30, so we went home and cleaned up. We weren't sure if James would win any hardware because the kid age group was 0-17. However, we didn't see many young runners there (only us old folks). Not only was he delighted that he won his age group, but Jake actually got second! Wow. But too bad only 2 young boys ran the race!

Fun time had by all.

This morning, I woke again before my alarm and ended up meeting my friend Michelle for a long run on the trail. It was a beautiful morning -low 60s! Michelle is a short distance runner and runs A LOT faster than me in training runs. We ended up logging 13.2 miles at an 8:27 pace. It was great running with her, but it was getting HOT. I stopped at home and relubed with Body Glide. I missed a spot on my underarm and it was SCREAMING at me. I took a gel and cooled down for a couple minutes then hit the street again. By now it was in the upper 70s and I let my pace slow by a good minute per mile. I was hoping to hit 20 total, but it was getting really hot, my pace was slowing, and I felt like I was arriving in the land of diminishing returns. So I came home with 18.25 miles under my belt. It was already 83 degrees. This was the longest run I have completed since Boston. Sweet!

Week Recap:

M: rest /core

T: 7 easy (9:00) / core

W: 4.1 easy after work with DH (9:10) / arms and core

R: rest / core

F: 9 (8:51) / arms and core

Sa: Just over 5 miles with 21:35 5K

Su: 18.25 (8:44)

Total: 43.7

While this is generally low, it is a bump in mileage for me. I only wish I had run on Thursday so I could have gotten closer to 50.

In sad news, it seems like one tragedy after another are affecting people I know this week. My sister's friend was electrocuted in a freak accident. He was 44 years old and left behind his wife and 3 teen kids.

Then, my husband's friend was in a car wreck last week caused by a drugged out driver while home in California visiting his family. He was the only survivor - in one foul swoop he lost his mother, father and younger brother. Thank God his wife was not there. He was airlifted out, in a coma and has sustained traumatic brain injuries. He is also now paralyzed from the waist down. Less than a week ago, the kid seemingly had everything. 24 years old, smart kid in law school, great relationship with his fun wife who was in school for her PhD, and a great family. In seconds, that all changed and now the kid can hardly communicate and likely has no clue his cherished family is gone. They are staying in CA and putting behind their school to rehab and recover. It makes me so very sad just to think about it. Live every day to the fullest and enjoy every thing you have. Including the ability to run, breathe fresh air, and enjoy those you love.

Mojo

2010-08-27T19:07:00.002-05:00

It's back.

And I'm racing tomorrow. Can't wait. I don't expect to be fast, but I do plan to have a lot of fun. :)

Reset

2010-08-23T19:02:00.003-05:00

My blogging this summer has almost been as bad as my running. Almost.

But alas, all misgivings must come to an end. No guarantees on the blogging part, but I do think things will dramatically improve on the running front.

I went to the doctor on Friday and they couldn't find anything conclusively "wrong" with me. Although the doctor was also an athlete and totally "got" everything. She thought something was definitely off and that not only should I keep up with vitamins, but also work on electrolyte balance. She did not test my iron because my red blood cell count was fine. However, she didn't think it would hurt to continue taking the supplements I have.

Five days into the iron supplements and I can already notice a difference. My feet aren't as pale, my under eyelids (for lack of a better word) are no longer white, and I am not as tired. That could also be due to 4 rest days and a 3 day weekend, but still.

When I started getting really serious about my running in 2006, I paid great attention to my diet, hydration, rehydration, recovery, etc. But admittedly, over the years I let that all fall off and figured I had this whole running thing down pat. This summer, I couldn't figure out why I chronically felt dehydrated even though I felt like I drank more than a gallon of water a day. Yet I never drank any gatorade (or anything similar) and I have a very low salt diet.

I also couldn't figure out how my iron could be low. But I eat red meat only 2-3 times per year. And I don't eat nearly as much spinach as I used to. I have conformed to my family's diet. I no longer focus on eating/drinking right after a long run and getting the optimal protein/carbs for recovery.

Why not? Maybe laziness. Maybe just so used to everything falling into place. But now my focus is on getting my body back to where it needs to be. My mind too.

The doctor told me not to race on Saturday. But I found it hard to bail on the race given that they could not find anything conclusively "wrong." So I went down with my friend Michelle and we had a blast. It was her first half. The weather was terrible. It was 97 percent humidity - so bad I needed the windshield wipers on even though it wasn't raining. Crazy. I ran at a controlled pace and ended up finishing at 1:47:54. This was almost 10 minutes slower than my time on this course last year, but I was happy that I did not wimp out, nor did I go out too fast and end up doing a death march. And it was a lot of fun.

Looking into the next couple of weeks, I am going to continue loosely follow my schedule. I am going to try to run several more short races. The summer is almost over and I feel as though I have hardly gotten out there. So I will reset my mind and my body. Hopefully my speed and strength will follow.

Clearly Not Pumping Enough Iron

2010-08-19T08:29:00.004-05:00

Thanks to sneaker sister, I had a total "AHA!" moment this morning. It's about time. And I couldn't be more excited.

My running this year has sucked. I am slow, my HR is high, and I have no motivation. Even when I scaled the mileage way back, I could not seem to bounce back. I have not bounced back. My health hasn't been the greatest and I've had all sorts of crazy "issues" this year. For example, I tend to get very sore after runs I shouldn't. Sunday I ran just over 13 miles (very slowly) and was sore afterwards. What? That happened a lot during Boston training too. Weird muscle soreness. I remember one 18 miler this spring and I was sore before I even finished the run.

I have been getting headaches during the past several months. I never (used to) get headaches. Sometimes I have felt a little dizzy and shaky. I always have been chalking it up to too much coffee and no breakfast yet, but sometimes it has happened even when I didn't have much coffee.

This morning, I was reading sneaker sister's blog and saw she had just been diagnosed as iron deficient. Hmmm. I have never been iron deficient before, but her symptoms sounded much like mine. Duh, I immediately found one of Pfitz's articles on iron deficiency and overtraining, and how it is particularly common for female endurance athletes. I started researching symptoms and check/check/check/check. Sheesh. And then I though about my training over the years. By last summer, I was a little sluggish. After poor performance at the Capitol Mile, I LOADED on my training to Boost for Chicago. I ran 20 milers (or longer) 3 weeks in a row and had jumped from 40 mpw to several upper 60 and 70 miles per week. I was battered, but kicked ass in Chicago.

However, after Chicago, I was really spent. My first real sign was in doing the Tyranena Beer Run Half marathon a few weeks later. I went out at my HM pace and was dying by mile one. By 6, I was mostly walking a death march. Since then, my training has kind of sucked and I just haven't felt as good or as strong as I used to.

Flash forward to this morning's revelation and I literally could dance on my desk I am so excited to finally have figured it out. It was funny too because one of the "signs" that sometimes is tell-tale is if you pull down your lower eyelid, it should be pink/red. If not, you could very well be anemic. I went into the bathroom to check, and my lids are literally white. Ick. (it actually freaked DH out when I showed him).

Needless to say, I promptly hit up Walgreens for an iron supplement. From what I've read, I should start feeling noticably better in a couple days. However, it will take a good 4 months until my blood levels are normal. We'll see what my doctor says.

But for now, I can tell you that I'm on my way, peeps.

2010-07-24T21:53:00.002-05:00

I have been TERRIBLE at blogging lately. But, I have had a lot going on. Most of it is great. And most of it is busy. A little bit is huge BS, but I try to minimize any impact of that type of thing. Being that it's been a while, I'll give you a big fat recap of the last couple weeks.

MY KIDS: Are so awesome! And are at such a fun age. They are like their parents (driven and fired up) which is REALLY hard when little. But I watch them starting to harness it and it is really cool. They are coming into their own and are such great, fun and hilarious kids. And they really give a sh!t about stuff they should. I love that. My only regret: I miss them. Converting to SAHM to crazy private practice lawyer never gets easier. I'll share 2 of my ongoing life mantras: (1) if you are going to do something; do the best you can; and (2) go big or go home. That is hard to do with shuffling family life and work life, but I always continue to try to do both.

MY HUSBAND: Awesome - but GAH do I miss him. I had some long, crazy days this week and his band is of course playing tonight. Should be an awesome show with thousands of peeps.

MY WORK: Is crazy, yet great. I am finally firing on all cylinders lately (last couple of years have been rather slow). Fun stuff, but stressful stuff too. Bad/good news is that the next couple weeks are going to be crazy. BUT I'm determined to get away with the boys to play. We all need it.

RUNNING PEEPS: I am continually thankful for my "real" and "virtual" running friends. I have my Capital Mile race tomorrow and am excited, although nervous. But also feel a big energy from my peeps that keep me going with all of this. So thanks - you know who you are. :)

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T14:25:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th of July!! What better way to spend it than starting out with a race! My friend, R, asked me a couple weeks ago to do this race and I said "of course!" The race is part of a small town festival. There is a 5K, 10K and 1 mile fun run. I initially planned to do the 5K. But then I thought, hey, we are training for a mile - this could be a perfect tune-up race and something that me and the boys could easily do (as opposed to 5K where my littlest son would definitely need a running buddy).

So I asked them if they wanted to do it. They hemmed and hawed for about 45 seconds because I told them they'd have to go to bed early and get up early on a holiday weekend. But they were in! :) They have been staying up late this summer and it has been a blast. But when I called it quits at 8:15 last night, they obliged and went right to sleep.

This morning I still had some sort of icky congestion. I feel like I am 10 feet under water my ears are so clogged. Gah. And it was hot (~80) at 8 am! But, that doesn't make a big difference in such a short race. The boys were fired up (read: crazy hyper) and we were ready to rock. Jake's goal was to run the whole way. James had his competitive juices flowing and wanted to WIN. I told him just to not go out too fast. But not too slow. Last year's Capitol Mile he went out super slow and finished at 8:09ish.

Soon enough, we were off!! A bunch of kids went flying out of the gate and I told the boys to slow down. They both thankfully did. We ran up a hill and 3/4 up I heard a guys say, "that was the mile turn off" to his friend. What? Really? Yikes, so I turned around and ran back to that street. You know you are in a small town race when there is no one directing race traffic!!

About 20 seconds after I turned onto the street, I heard James yelling to me. I think he was super jazzed that he was right behind me. I was on my own in the front (actually a guy finished ahead of me at 5:05, but I never saw him). I was working hard, but admittedly didn't have the fire in my belly I should have. Once I turned to the finish, I turned it on as hard as I could. There was a strong headwind, but there is a separate gusto when you feel like the leader in a race! :) Crossed the finish in 6:15. I think the course was a little short, but I figured it was a wash with my misdirection early on. As soon as the volunteer tore off the bottom portion of my bib (this is small town people, no chip timing), I turned around and saw a pack of 5 boys hauling to the finish. In it was my James moving as fast as he could. 3rd place finisher was 6:34 ish; then 6:40, then James with 6:49. Sweet.

Right away he was looking at rankings. I took off down the street to find Jake. I was waiting a while and started getting paranoid he may have missed the turn like I did and was on the 5K route. Then I saw him and he was jogging right along. I started screaming at him and he was all smiles. We turned the corner and I told him to let it rip (he is always a super fast finisher). Off he went and he finished with a big old smile!

Of course as milers, we had a LONG time to wait until awards, but James said, "WE ARE WAITING!" He was so thrilled he placed in his age group (6-12 - he is 8). So we went to the park and hung out until the race was over.

Awesome way to start out a holiday. And, of course, I am thrilled my kids like to RUN! :)

Recent Developments

2010-06-30T19:43:00.007-05:00

The boys all ran out to get fireworks so I have some peace and quiet. Sounds like a good time to check in. First, not a fan of DIY fireworks, but whatever. The boys love it. And as long as no body parts get severed or no one suffers a Michael Jackson burn and subsequent prescription (or nonprescription) pain med addition, we should be ok. Right? (help me out here)

[Update, they just walked in and were all excited about the fireworks they got "with a guy smoking a cigarette and a guy with a machine gun - you light each up and his head blows up." They were super proud of their choices. Then Johnny shows me the "Exploding Bin Laden Noggin." Seriously, can't make this stuff up....]

Didn't get home until LATE last night, so I slept in. I was supposed to do another work function tonight (shhh), but we literally have something going on EVERY night this week. So I snuck out of work early and got a run in nice 7 mile run in 75 degree weather. No brainer. The boys are in great moods tonight and we've been havin' a blast.

I am supah excited about our upcoming mile race on Sunday. I am starting to feel things come together with all of this speed work. Added bonus, my quads are looking steeerong. Lovin it. Take that high mileage!

I ordered some cool new running gear, but it has not yet arrived. I did, however, get 2 new pairs of running shoes today. One pair are super light-weight racers. Bought them with the $100 gift card I received from Forrester Marketing for putting on a webinar. Then I got another Mizuno light-weight trainer. Thought I'd give the lighter stuff a whirl while I am doing my low mileage experiment. Haha. Of course this means I have about 10 pairs of running shoes in the front hall closet. Time to start doing some recycling.....

On another note, I am getting super busy at work, which is good. But today was the end of our fiscal year. I start over at 0 again tomorrow. :( That is always kind of a bummer. I think I need a vacation. Even if a stacation. Thankfully, we have a 3 day weekend right around the corner.....

Had fun at the Brewers game last night (sweet, win!), but I really want to get James up there for a game this summer. Time to pull out the calendar and make it happen.

Happy last day of June, peeps.

Bursting with Pride

2010-06-28T20:01:00.003-05:00

Last year, my son and I entered our first ever bike race. Unfortunately, it ended up being a scary, epic disaster because he had a big crash. I tried to talk him into doing it again. Um, no chance, Mom. I just about died.

But we all have crashes, we can do this. No way Jose.

This year's bike race is a couple weeks away.

Me: James, want to do the Boys & Girls Club bike race this year?

James: Yes!

Me: What?

James: Yes!

Me: Really dude?

James: Yeah, Mom. I have a solution to my problem. This year, I will walk my bike down that hill.

Me: ((((gush)))) Yay!!

Way to get back on that horse and face your fears boy! Dominate! This may sound minor, but that crash has caused major fear over the last year. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am that he is willing (and eager) to do it again this year.

Speedy Stuff

2010-06-26T15:23:00.004-05:00

Let me start off by saying a sure way to get your running mojo back is to mix it up! I am having a blast with lower mileage and faster work. It is nice to have a wee bit more time (and necessary as I have been really busy at work). And it is fun to start cranking it up a notch. The last 2 years my performance at the Capitol Mile wasn't the greatest. And that bummed me out because it always is a goal race for me. I am hopeful that I can knock one out of the park this year.

Last week was our first Tuesday night track workout. It was super fun! BUT, I was pretty darn sore for the days following. In particular, my quads were yelling at me and my hammies were tight as usual. Once again, I vowed I would start getting back into my butt/thighs/hips pilates. And I have been doing it! :)

This week it was INSANELY hot and humid on Tuesday night. We were slated for warm-up, 4 x 200 with 200 recoveries, striders, then 4x800; 400 recovery. Well those 800s were ugly. Really, really hard in the heat. Coach stopped us before the last one and told us to do 2x400 with 200m recoveries. We were slowing down, so he wanted us to get more out of the workout and break it up. By the end, we were all hurting pretty good. Our times were relatively slow, but we all knew it was due to: (1) hey, it's only the second week; and (2) it is icky out.

The good news is that I was hardly sore at all this week. I was hoping to do another speed set on Friday, but I couldn't do it in the early morning as I had a brief due. So I went to work at 5 am, and got home by 4 to run. Again, it was insanely hot. I decided just to slog through 8 slow and hit the intervals in the morning. Unfortunately, this morning the lowest the temps got was upper 70s and very humid. By the time I got out there, it was 83 degrees, "feels like" 95. Ack. I ran 2 slow for a warm-up with John and Jakey (on bike). Then we all turned around and I did 3 x .5 miles with 3 minute recoveries. I had to dodge a fair bit of sticks and debris from the storm last night, and it was very painful in the heat. BUT, I got them done! (3:34, 3:30, 3:34). Stopped at home for some Gatorade and cool down, then jogged .8 to the hill on East Taylor and hit that 6 times. James came with me on his scooter and it was awesome to have my own personal cheering section. :) First couple of hills were slow and tough, but by the last 2 I was really moving. And I felt strong and fluid. Sweet. Jogged home and I was a soaking wet mess, but VERY happy. After I cooled down, I did about an hour of yard work and did arm weights and butt pilates.

I just got done configuring my schedule for the next 4 weeks culminating in the Capitol Mile. I am focusing on the short stuff/speed work, but doing one medium long run each week. That is the one concession given that I am of course training for a marathon too. :) If you click on the image, it will enlarge. The notes in the far right column indicate what the prescribed workout is for Tuesday. Of course I will do whatever my coach has planned for us on Tuesday nights, but I may swap Thursdays out depending on which seems like a better fit.

Happy weekend.

2010-06-23T21:37:00.006-05:00

Alright, so the few folks who follow my blog have already seen this pic on Facebook probably, but it is fun nonetheless so there you go. :)

Yeah, I have been slacking at the blogging lately. Slacking somewhat at the running lately too. But I am having fun and keeping busy. Very busy. And productive. Good things.

I started miler training last week and was SORE for several days. Had a big workout in the heat last night with little resulting soreness. So I am going to try to add in a second speed workout Friday. Yay!

Next week I plan to try to bump it into full speed work training. My problem historically is: (1) it takes its toll as I am getting older and I am too sore to maintain; because (2) it is hard to sustain speed work with high mileage. I am hoping that my minimizing #2, I'll be able to manage #1.

We'll see.

In the meantime, it's been a fun summer so far with the kids. We've certainly had some crazy moments, but they are also finding their freedom and roaming the neighborhood with their friends. It is fun. But tonight while John was at band practice and I was sitting alone, I sure missed them!! Funny how that works.

But I am so proud of them both. And they have been having fun at our Tuesday night track workouts too. James is a little competitor! Love to see it given he doesn't put that effort in at school (we're working on that) or any other sport. The natural sport competitive instinct is there with running, even though he is young for his class. I like it. And I like to think he got that from his momma! ;) Most importantly, I know it provides him with a source of pride and self confidence - something every child needs - from whatever source it may be. Ooh - and did I mention we signed them up for sailing lessons? How fun?!?!

JUST what I needed

2010-06-15T21:16:00.011-05:00

Woo hoo! I love it when something great jolts me out of a running funk! Tonight was our first track workout for our Miler in Training program for the July 25 Capital Mile.

This is my 5th year participating in the program, and my kids' second year doing the Mini Miler in Training (although it will be James' fourth year running the race and Jake's third). My stomach was actually not happy and it has been pouring all day. So it was a bit hard to get excited to go. Add to that my kids started fighting the second we got into the car for the 30 minute drive to the track. Fortunately that quickly ended.

We got to the track and it was so fun to see fab, familiar faces and to get ready for some speedy stuff. The first meeting, we always have a mile or a little over to gauge our fitness. Today the "main" workout was 5 laps - starting at 5K pace and finishing the last 2 laps harder. We couldn't take our watches and I am terrible at pacing, so I just stuck in behind a couple of guys. Everything felt controlled and easy* (* meaning effort, but I wasn't straining). I guess I was going a bit too slow as I hit the mile at 7:04. But I cranked it up for the last quarter and finished with a 8:38 total. Not blazing fast, but not too shabby after no speedy stuff in months. And I think last year I ran my workouts way too hard. So being slightly conservative at this point is a good thing in my mind.

We got in about 4.5 miles and it was a blast swapping stories with my running buds. I have been tossing around the idea of doing relatively low mileage these next 6 weeks and really focusing on the mile. 2 speed workouts per week. Low volume, much higher intensity. Then cranking 11 weeks to run a respectable marathon at Chicago. I have been so focused on the marathon for the last 5 years, it will be fun to focus on the short stuff. Theia suggested this too. And I think its a good idea. I'll probably swing it by Roots to get his opinion on it, but I think it sounds like a really fun summer plan. :) I looked back at an old Coolrunning thread I started on the topic that includes a link to a training program. I would do a modified version of this one. Maybe it is time for some unchartered territory for this old girl! :)

I'll keep you posted!

Regroup. Reprioritize

2010-06-10T06:37:00.008-05:00

So this week is my first week of training for Chicago. The problem? I don't really have a schedule. And to the extent I do, I am certainly not following it. :)

Here is the deal: I don't have a goal. I don't know what I want for the weeks ahead. I had written up Pfitz's 18 week / up to 70 mpw program. But that is just unrealistic. And I am about to start my Capital Mile training next week. I love the Capital Mile and want to do well this year. But I also know miler training and high mileage marathon training are inapposite. So, there is part of my dilemma.

My other part is simple motivation. 13 years ago I started running and the whole thing was just novel and great. Then I had kids and it was a nice way to get back in shape and have some much-needed quiet time. 6 years ago, I moved back to WI and got inspired to start racing. So for 3 years, I was trying new distances and PRing like mad. Then 2.5 years ago, I went back to work and juggled working full time, being a decent mom, and still marathoning. But now, I am sort of in a rut. The marathon PR is highly unlikely unless I can boost up my miles. But I really don't have time. And I don't really have the motivation to do it.

Work is busy. And I want to give lots of my time to my family. And I want to continue doing GOTR and the other activities I do. So, I need to figure out what to do. For now, I am going to take the next couple of weeks by feel and try to get my head into the game - whatever game that may be.

On a super positive note, I will share with you one of the fabulous cards I received Tuesday night at our end-of the season Girls on the Run celebration:

"Dear Coach Mindi, Thanks for telling me to always believe in myself and never give up. You taught me how to be proud of what I do and how I look. Thanks a lot Mindi! :)"

Yup. Good stuff. Really good stuff.

Here is our end-of season video. Warning, it is 10 minutes long. But it is a fun summary of our season. :)

2010-06-06T07:32:00.002-05:00

Race for the Cure was yesterday. And the girls did awesome! It was so much fun!

I have been terrible about updating my blog because I have simply been very busy! That will continue over the weekend while we continue to get ready for our big Girls on the Run season celebration at my house on Tuesday. It should be loads of fun! I can't believe our season is over!

And as I am able to take back my Tuesdays and Thursdays with the end of GOTR, I start training for Chicago next week. And beginning the following week, I start Tuesday night track workouts with my boys to train for the Capitol Mile. I can't wait!

This week, I was a complete slacker. Frankly, I decided to allow myself a pure rest week before I ramp up again. The OCD runner in me feels slightly guilty about it, but I really needed the extra rest and mental break.

Best weekend in a LONG time

2010-05-23T15:13:00.004-05:00

This weekend I scaled back, destressed and had an absolutely awesome weekend.

Highlights:

Having a short dinner date with John while both boys were at a birthday party;
Seeing the thrill in my son's eyes as he told me that he won the practice finess race at school;
Sleeping in on Saturday morning until after 9:00 am (despite a crap night of sleep);
Jumping on the trampoline with my boys;
Turning over our out-of-control herb garden and planting more vegetables with Jake;
grilling out on the deck;
having a fire and inviting my neighbor over for a glass of wine;
going for a bike ride down the beautiful trail with my son;
having dandelion races off an old, wooden bridge;
going to get ice cream cones with John and Jakey;
getting flowers for our back deck; and
running though the sprinkler with Jake on a hot, hot Sunday!

What more does a girl need?

I am a big flippin' wimp in the heat

2010-05-23T10:23:00.003-05:00

And really need to start getting up early on the weekend to run. The thought doesn't sit well with me because the weekend is my time to rest up and sleep in, but it is getting too darn hot to wait to run until later in the day.

Today I planned to run 7 on my own, then swing back and pick up John to run 8 more. Well, I ran my 7 slow, painful miles, came home and told John he was on his own. :) Gah. That was hideous.

I feel a little bad about it, but since I decided to bag Grandma's, there is nothing I am really training for now. Why beat myself up in the heat for nothing (well, I guess providing John company isn't nothing, but you get what I mean).

Speaking of Grandma's, since I decided to bail on it, I feel a great weight has been lifted off of me. Had a lot more time this weekend to spend with my family and I didn't have as much stress going on. I definitely made the right choice.

I may or may not run the Madison Half next weekend. I have not signed up yet and if it looks like it is going to be hot, I will skip the $75 registration fee and will just go spectate. I plan to start finding some smaller local races and get out there and have some fun though. And, of course, it is time to register for my Miler in Training with the boys to get ready for the Capitol Mile. Then, I'll start training for Chicago.

For now, I am enjoying a *relatively* schedule-free couple of weeks.

Cheers.

2010-05-19T20:04:00.009-05:00

I haven't run in days. Or trained anyway (a 5K in 38 minutes doesn't really count). I still feel a bit under the weather and I was overwhelmed with life. But it doesn't matter. I got my shot in the arm yesterday. Seriously. Girls on the Run is amazing.

The girls showed up - many of them a bit nervous - one even in tears (although she tried to hide it). After words of encouragement, lots of whooping and hollering, hugs where necessary, cheek tattoos, gauze (? they loved it!), we were ready to rock! And boy did we!

The parents were awesome, driving along the course, honking and screaming. Some of our habitual walkers were blazing the path!

The police department happily supplied a volunteer to direct traffic at our one big intersection and she had a pure GOTR attitude too. Awesome. Neighbors came out with water, hoses, smiles and cheers. The course was lined with signs and the girls took them all in.

They all finished strong and encouraged each other. And I kid you not, as the very last girl was coming in, I was pulling out her medal and another girl said, please, can I give it to her. Of course. As she put the medal around the girl's neck, she said "Congratulations M, you just won Girls on the run!" Indeed.

And today, I have received e-mails from parents saying how much the girls loved it and felt the true accomplishment. They were sad the season was ending so soon. That their girl how found "her niche." This is what it's all about.

On another note, my 3rd grade son REALLY wanted to do this. And an hour before the race he recruited a friend. So they ran and got into all of the prerace mix. This caused a lot of friendly competition, which was hilarious and greatly motivating for the girls.

2010-05-19T13:04:00.001-05:00

Yay! Our practice 5K for the Girls on the Run was awesome! More later . . . .

Something's Gotta Give (No - I don't often say that)!

2010-05-16T16:52:00.013-05:00

Most of you who know me know that I like to pack lots of good stuff into my life. In no particular order:

I am a full time lawyer in private practice (read: slave to the billable hour and marketing). I write articles, I give presentations and I spend lots of hours billing (and generally kicking @rse, thank you very much).

I constantly try to squeeze in as many miles as possible to be a decent marathoner.

I have 2 active, awesome kids, with lots of school activities, soccer games, etc.

I am married to a great guy who also fills his plate to the brim. He is also a private practice attorney who runs and plays lead guitar in a popular local band. Oh yeah, and he shares my kids and has to deal with me and my nutty schedule.

I spend a lot of time doing community service work. Most recently, I started a Girls on the Run program in my community and coach 2x per week. I am also the president of the board of directors of a non-profit organization that provides services to adults with developmental disabilities and/or traumatic brain injuries.

Cool, huh? I am one lucky chica. And generally, I am really good at maintaining balance and fulfilling all of my roles well.

Unfortunately, this weekend I hit that "something's got to give" place.

I am in full swing with Girls on the Run and have been running around like crazy getting ready for our rehearsal 5K. I have ordered medals, been making signs, coordinating with volunteers, creating a route, organizing parents, etc. Add to that a deadline for an article on Monday, a board meeting on Wednesday, GOTR on Tuesday and Thursday, an out-of-town presentation on Friday, regular work and family life, and a complete SLAM by the stomach flu mid-week. By this weekend, I was spent and frankly, FRAZZLED.

Add to that our gardens are a disaster. Our vegetable garden had weeds 3 feet high and my flower beds were inundated with thistles. We obtained a couple estimates to have outside help, but they were outrageous.

I had lots of work to do this weekend, along with a 20 miler on tap. I planned to run a local 20 mile race on Saturday morning to get my miles in. But my stomach was still a disaster and getting up at 5:00 am after a LONG week did not sound like a good plan. So I went for a 9 miler on Saturday and decided to defer my long run until Sunday. During my run, I began thinking that maybe this Grandma's thing was simply too much. ..... But then I had an awesome run. I CAN DO THIS!

This morning was different though. I realized my kids and I couldn't do the garden this year unless I rearranged my priorities. So I did. I worked for a couple hours, then bagged my long run to pull weeds, plant vegetables and clear flower beds. It sounds silly, but gardening was so important to me when I was a kid. It is a great process. And my kids love it too. From planting to harvesting and then ultimately making salsa and other goodies, it is a real treasure for them. And me. And I was not going to let it fall by the wayside while I attempt to take another swing at a marathon just because my training this winter/spring fell short of my hopes (aka sucked).

And as I thought of it more, I am really glad I am getting snap back into my legs and my paces are improving. But why lose out on other important parts of my life to take an abbreviated stab at a second chance? I am registered for Chicago in the fall. For now, I need to enjoy training and shorter races. Ramp up later. Duh.

So it looks like Grandma's is out. I am crazy, so I reserve the right to change my mind, but for now, it looks like the wise decision.

Now, I am off to dinner with my fabulous boys, then meeting with my GOTR coaches to make more signs, bib numbers and put together last minute logistics..... A busy weekend. But good choices. I think.

Oh, and congrats to Joe Positive for completely dominating the Cleveland Marathon today in 3:11:10. A 20 second PR, 1st in AG, 3rd o/a masters women and a flippin' negative split!! That seriously rocks!!

And also congrats to Salty's sister for completing her first marathon!!

What do chickens eat?

2010-05-05T18:18:00.007-05:00

Seriously. This is an important question. Well, maybe not important, but a question nonetheless. As I was making dinner tonight, I saw the chicken I had purchased was being branded as "this chicken was fed a 100% vegetarian diet." What?

I didn't realize chickens were typically carnivores. Duh, because they aren't. Although I admit I don't really know what they eat, but I always assumed they ate grass and seeds. I asked my 7 year old and he was very annoyed with me for asking, but ultimately decided on worms. Hmm. Would eating worms make a species a meat-eater? And what is the benefit of eating chicken with a vegetarian diet if obviously you are not eating a vegetarian diet. Not sure I follow the marketing here. Is it that chicken are now fed some crazy patented "feed" that they are now switching up?

****

Alright, enough of that. Onto a totally disgusting subject (sorry in advance): my feet. I mentioned on kickrunners today how I couldn't get a pedicure because I didn't think I could subject the pedicurist to my nasty feet. My feet are generally icky. They never used to be pre-running, but now it is what it is. I typically lose a toenail or two after the marathon if it has any sort of hills (I was unscathed after Chicago). Now, my kids get totally grossed out by my toe nail issues because I have no problem rippin' em off if it is time (hey, it promotes new growth and doesn't hurt).

After Boston, one toe nail was bright purple by the time I finished he race. When we got home from Boston, my little purple toe was hurting. Too much pressure. The boys were checking it out in great disgust and I pulled up on it ever so slightly. BAM! Blood spatter everywhere. Hahahahaha. Well that has never happened before!! My kids were totally and completely disgusted. My pain was instantly relieved. And I relished in my kids' disgust. Hey, those are my battle wounds! :) Is that terrible or what?!

Needless to say, the good news is the darn thing came clean off today. It was a beautiful thing. And my kids think I am nuts, but the little things make me happy. Who needs 'em anyway?!

How do you take care of your runnin feet?

Content

2010-04-28T19:45:00.005-05:00

Woo hoo! Seriously, I am feeling good boys and girls. After being a bit down the last couple of days, I think I am coming out on the other side in a big way. As most of you know, I am a generally upbeat person. But, yeah, I was feeling a little bit crappy about Boston. I did salvage the race, I did have fun, and I had a great time while there. But I was annoyed that I fell apart and didn't race well. Was it mental? Was it dehydration? Was I less fit than I thought (hoped for)? Yeah, probably a combo. And that sucks. It just does. No pity party, just a downright dammit for a couple of days.

But I think I have it out of my system now. Why? First, all the support has been awesome. From fellow runners. From people I hardly know stopping me on the street telling me they tracked me in Boston. From my awesome family.

It also helped that I had a simply kick ass run tonight. I hit snooze this morning because I was exhausted and well, I am in recovery mode!! I'm not getting up at 5:00 am today, thank you! :) I got home from work around 6:10, strapped on my HRM and was pleased as pie to see it at 53. Haven't seen that number in a LONG time. :) It always amazes me what a few days of serious rest will do. Hit the streets and my legs felt strong and swift. Since it was an absolutely gorgeous evening, lots of people were out and about and saying hello. I love that. There are lots of people in my town that I chat with while running - I have no idea what their names are or what they do. But we see each other, say hello, etc. I really love that. Tonight, one guy I see all the time with his 2 yellow labs asked me: "how far tonight?"

Me: "only 5;"

Him: "that's it?!"

Me: "I'm recovering - just ran the Boston Marathon last Monday"

Him: "Wow - very cool! Have a great night"

Me: "Thanks, you too!"

A ten second conversation (if that long) between strangers just out of pure kindness and familiarity. That stuff is what it's all about. And it makes me happy. And content.

Happy running.

And good luck to my peeps running Illinois and Eugene this weekend. I wish the races had athlete tracking. Even more, I wish I could be there to cheer you on!! I will be in spirit though and waiting on the edge of my chair to hear about how all you awesome ladies kicked @ss!

2010 Boston Marathon Race Report

2010-04-24T10:46:00.013-05:00

Boston 2010 was my tenth marathon.
That is pretty darn cool, no?

No PR, no course record, in fact, my time was far from stellar. However, the experience ended up being nothing short of amazing despite some mental hurdles midrace. In fact, the race itself was very similar to my day on Saturday. It was a long, tough day with lots of obstacles, but ended great.

As most of you know, I had been continually conflicted for my goals for Boston. Initially, I said I was going to scale way back on training and just enjoy the ride. But then I hired a coach. I guess in the end, I combined the 2 by lightening the training load, yet training hard, and enjoying Boston.

My training was difficult and I was slow. My races were sub-par. However, the last few weeks, I really started getting the snap back into my legs and feeling some speed. I was hopeful, optimistic and truly excited. Race morning was no different. Everything seamlessly came together. I felt rested and strong. I thought I would be capable of running sub-3:30.

I got to Athlete's Village and within minutes ran into my friends from Madison. It was nice to hang out with them before the race. I walked to the starting line and felt excitement, pride and gratitude. The weather was perfect and there was excitement in the air. There was also a navy fly-over, which was amazing.

The first couple of miles were great. There is a big drop in the first mile, but the crowded field kept me in check. I felt as though I was holding back nicely. My breathing was comfortable and I felt great. This continued for the first several miles. I ran on the edges of the course and high-fived every kid that outstreched their hand to me. I was smiling and having a lot of fun.

At the 10K point, I saw Maria and it was wonderful to get a high-5 from a familiar, friendly face. At approximately 7.5, I saw my family screaming at me. I jumped off the course and gave my boys big hugs and kisses. I was so happy to see them and was so thrilled they were there cheering me on. Shortly after this, however, I was starting to feel really parched. I don't know why. I had carried a water bottle the first 6 miles and was continually sipping from it. I had also been hydrating the days before. Perhaps it was the 14 hour travel day on Saturday? I will never know. Regardless, while my breathing felt fine, I felt incredibly thirsty. I continued pushing on, but it was starting to feel harder. So, I continued to gauge my pace by feel and just go with it.

I got to Wellesley and was surprised I did not hear the scream tunnel in advance. In 2007, I recall hearing the girls .5 to .75 miles before I got there. Not today. But once in the scream tunnel, I completely lost my breath it was so loud in there. It was almost as though I had a lump in my throat. It was uncomfortable, but kind of cool in its own right.

Then came the tough part. By mile 15, I knew today was not going to be my day for a fast race. Nor was I likely to be within the range I was really hoping for (3:25-3:35). And that revelation was a very difficult point for me. A big part of me wanted to drop out. I have never felt like that in a race before, but I did on Monday. Why? I didn't have the fire in my belly to finish Boston - been there, done that. And I really didn't feel like killing myself for a crappy time. I think if I had seen my family during miles 15-17, I would have seriously considered DNF-ing.
Fortunately, I didn't see them. And during these miles, I decided to start walking though water stops, taking in lots of fluids and walking for approx. 1 minute. I am so glad I did. By miles 19-20, I started feeling a lot better. I continued to take in the crowd and high-5 lots of smiling kids. I thought of my Girls on the Run girls and how I could never go home and tell them I gave up. I thought of my family and running peeps and how I could never say I DNF-ed. That is just not what I am about.

I saw my family again at 20.5 or so and they were such a welcome sight. I told my husband I was having a hard time and he said, "Go!" And so I did. Even though I had been walking through water stops, I decided I would not on heartbreak hill - I wanted to run the whole thing. And I did. I was feeling really good too. Shortly after that, I hit the Boston College area. Those students were AWESOME. I slapped the hands of every one of them that I could. They practically ripped my arm out of its socket, but it was so worth it. :)
At mile 23ish, I was cruising through a water stop and a man came up along side of me and we started chatting. He asked me where I was from and I said "Madison, WI, where are you from?" Him: "Me too, Cottage Grove." No way. Cottage Grove is a tiny little town (where I also live). How hilarious. He said he was there running with his son. I started running again and we parted ways. (Note: after the race, I looked up how many people from my small town had run Boston. There were 3 - me, him and his son. What are the chances?!?!).

I started picking up the pace at this time and walking less through the aid stations. I was having fun and I wanted to finish strong. My new goal was not to make this marathon my slowest, so I was determined to finish faster than 3:53. The last couple of miles were filled with spectators and very exciting. I also passed several U.S. Army soldiers in full gear. I thanked them all.

I continued to increase my pace ever so slightly. Just before the turn onto Boylston, I kicked it up and my L calf started to cramp REALLY hard. Again, that has never happened to me before in a race. I thought - oh no! Not now. Fortunately, it was short lived and I was able to "bolt" (hey, everything is relative, people) down Boylston to the finish. Time was 3:50:27 and I finished with a smile.

Garmin splits:
1: 7:54
2: 8:08
3: 7:52
4: 7:56
5: 8:16
6: 8:16
7: 8:07
8: 8:07
9: 8:07
10: 8:18
11: 8:21
12: 8:12
13: 8:28
14: 8:28
15: 9:11
16: 9:03
17: 9:43
18: 9:36
19: 9:56
20: 10:32 (stopped to see family here)
21: 9:25
22: 9:25
23: 9:24
24: 9:29
25: 8:44
26: 8:13
.2: 6:58

My family met me in the family meeting area and it was so wonderful to have them there. I wanted to know how Ryan Hall and Meb did, and was thrilled to hear that R.C. broke the course record, Hall broke the American record, and that the women's race was super close.

We cleaned up and then went out to dinner. I shamelessly wore my medal and Boston jacket and lots of people stopped me to admire the fact that I had finished the Boston marathon. My kids thought I was a rock star. That doesn't happen often, so I relished it. :)

Tuesday we went to the Science Museum and visited with family. All in all it was a wonderful trip! The boys are still gushing about how much they loved Boston.

And on Thursday evening, I stopped in to see my girls at Girls on the Run. (I couldn't come the whole time for other obligations, but I wanted to stop in and see them). They squealed with delight when I got there and I was immediately inundated with big hugs and questions about Boston. I gave them each a GOTR sticker I had gotten for them at the Expo and they were so thrilled. Wow. Their reaction alone made me so happy I did not let my ego prevent me from finishing the most famous marathon in the world.

The best news is that since I scaled it back in the second half, I am not nearly as beat up as I usually am post-marathon. I have a couple toenail causalties, but that should clear up soon. I initially said no way to another marathon this summer. But of course, that has quickly changed.

Next up: Madison half on May 30, 2010; Grandma's Marathon on June 19, 2010.

Bring it, baby. :)

No race report....yet

2010-04-22T20:32:00.003-05:00

Just got back from Boston last night and had a seminar I had to present at today. Lots of fun overall, but not enough time to digest my training and culmination into Boston 2010. It will come, but with it, I want the "looking ahead" aspect too. I am not yet sure what that will be, but I am getting there.

In the interim, I have many thoughts, as my Boston trip was nothing short of sensational. Met up with lots of kickrunners - a real highlight. I love runners. No matter where they are from, we are a special breed.

My kids and family rock. I don't need to expand much on that. But they do.

Whew, sometimes life can just take you by surprise. We rented a "town car" to the airport from Boston to Providence rather than take a cab. No kidding, a guy shows up an hour early (much to my distress). Get in the at least 25 year old "town car" with no shocks. Boys and I are in the back (no booster seats of course) and this dude is swerving all over the road. Oh sh!t. This is an hour drive. So I think he may just be a relatively clueless older dude. 20 minutes into the drive, this thing starts beeping like mad. Then he starts breathing into a tube. WTF?! He tells us it is a mandatory breathalyzer and if he doesn't pass (or doesn't take it) car will shut off in 5 minutes. Isn't that awesome. Are you freaking kidding me?!?! We get to Providence and I-95 was under construction. His Garmin was giving bad directions so he started doing circles around it. Finally John had to tell him to stop looking at the Garmin and follow the road signs. Guy was flustered as can be, but let me tell you, when we finally came to a stop at the airport I was thanking my lucky stars. Was flustered for several hours after that. Seriously, as I write this, I still am. Grrrr.

On a better note, we made it home. My boys were so happy to be home but LOVED Boston. They will never forget this trip. This is what its all about.

Tonight I stopped in at my Girls on the Run training. I was inundated with cheers and big hugs.

I am one lucky girl. :)

Marathon #10 is in the books

2010-04-19T15:58:00.003-05:00

No time for a full race report, but here is the down and dirty version:

Got 6 hours of sleep and felt great this morning.
No problem getting to Hopkinton]
Within 3 minutes of getting to Athlete's Village, I ran into local friends (bonus!)
Weather throughout was perfect.
Felt like I was holding back nicely first miles - felt great.
Saw Maria just after the 10K!
Saw family just after 7 - stopped and gave both boys hugs and kisses (a real highlight of race!)
Breathing felt great, but felt really parched by mile 8.
Continued slowing down and going by feel, but by this point I knew a fast race was not in the cards.
Saw people from all over the world - very cool.
Recalled that this is one damn tough course.
Wellesly was not nearly as loud from a distance this year, but it did make me lose my breath running through - not because I sped up, because of the sheer energy.
Probably slapped 2,000 little kids hands and smiled at everyone I saw. I felt kinda crappy, but loved it when people yelled, "you look so strong, great smile!"
Um, not enough BodyGlide. By mile 10, both my underarms were KILLING me.
As I slowed, I started walking through the water stops and took it nice and easy. Goal was became solely to finish and finish strong.
Saw my family at mile 20.xx. A MUCH needed shot in the arm. Was feeling kinda dizzy then, but they told me to get moving. So I did.
Boston College kicks ass.
Slapped another 2000 outstreched hands probably. They almost ripped my arms off, but it was well worth it.
I never stopped on Heartbreak Hill.
Stopped to walk through a water break at 23.xx and a guy next to me started chatting. Wouldn't you know he lives in the same tiny Wisconsin town I do?! :)
Ran next to a guy in a Superman t-shirt. The spectators went nuts.
Finished strong, but as I was turning around 25.75, my L calf started to cramp up (never has happened before). Fortunately it stopped and I finished strong. Last .2x at 6:5x pace. :)
Was a fun race and am very proud.

Thanks for your support. I thought of you all during my run.

Couldn't ask for more

2010-04-18T19:54:00.003-05:00

John and I went to Hopkinton tonight to figure out the best route for the morning and I wanted to show him the start area. We had a great time. Best part was the great big rainbow greeting us as we started to leave.

Marathon Monday Eve

2010-04-18T15:44:00.002-05:00

Woo hoo. Race day is almost upon us. Thanks for letting me vent last night and thanks for the nice comments.

Today was much improved. I got 9 hours of sleep, and while it was a little rainy here, nothing to bad. Got out for a very short stretch of the legs, but all felt great. John found us a rental car (what a wonderful godsend he is) and we went into Boston to meet the Spring Marathon Trainers for lunch. How fun it was to meet so many people in person. Of course they were all terrific and it was like a shot in the arm of inspiration for tomorrow.

We then went to the expo and walked around Boylston street a bit. Very fun. Shortly John and I are going to drive to Hopkinton so we have a clue where we are going tomorrow. It still looks a bit windy, but nothing too bad and it keeps shifting more and more westerly which is terrific.

I can't believe it's here!! I can't wait!!

Deep breaths are good.

2010-04-17T20:43:00.003-05:00

Seriously. I was SO excited for this trip to Boston, but in the last couple of days things have unraveled a wee bit more than I was ready for.

I was feeling good (and thankfully still am), but the weather forecast was making me nervous. Winds from the North at 19 mph with gusts up to 38. Um, that is a headwind at worst, nasty side wind at best. Damn.

But that is ok. Really. I can go with the flow and enjoy. I half expected the weather to suck since it is (a) April; (b) New England; and (c) well, I can't forget 2007 that easily! So whatever, I can live with it, adjust my goals.

Yesterday at work was (of course) crazy busy and I scrambled around last night to get packed and ready. The boys were up later than I wanted (9:30), but we were asleep by 11. Unfortunately, Jake was up at 2:00 am with a wicked bad bloody nose. Needless to say, 4:30 am came very quickly after that!

We got to the airport just before 6 and all was going smoothly. Got on the plane, ready to go. Nope. Pilot informs us that some gauge is not working. No one worry, we are going to reboot the plane (seriously?!). Of course, that didn't work. Since it was Saturday, "the" maintenance guy was not working. They were calling him in, but it would be a good half hour. May as well get off and wait as it would be at least an hour. Of course, maintenance guy came, realized he could not fix it, so a new part had to be flown in from Minneapolis. Now I know our airlines are struggling financially, but come on people! No maintenance guy on duty? No parts?

We went to get a new flight (of course by this time we'd never make our connection) and the gate guy assures us we are on X flight, just go to that gate and get ticket. Um, nope, we weren't on that flight. We had to now fly to Minneapolis to Boston rather than Detroit to Providence. No problem right? Wrong. Our car rental I scoured the internet for a 5 day deal for $200 would suddenly be almost $1K if we wanted to do 2 different airports. WTF?

The good news was that by 7 pm, we finally made it to Boston. Of course we had to pay $75 to get a cab to the hotel and now we have no car rental, yet are way out in Waltham. And the kids, after spending the entire day in the airport, were reaching melt down temps. The good news was that our hotel suite rocks (too bad we have no means yet to stock the fridge though). :) We got the boys to bed, but I feel bad given they have done absolutely nothing today other than sit in airports and on airplanes for 14ish hours.

Gah. Let me tell you, when we got here all I wanted was a nice glass of wine (or 4) and hit the hay. But I am being a good athlete, trying to chill and moving on.

So thank you for allowing me to vent. Now that its out, I will regroup and get my head back into the game. Ha. I guarantee you though I am not looking at the weather report again. :) I really have had enough. Maybe if I ignore it all everything will fall into place.

Speaking of which, one hilarious story to share: we were sitting at the Great Dane for lunch (still in the Madison airport) and I was starting to get really irritated by everything. I told John we should just bag this and go home. James said, (very seriously) Mom, look up. I looked up and there was a big skylight right above me. He said, Mom, I think God knows this is going to be a tough one for you and is looking out for you - trying to help you out. Hahaha. James, I sure hope you're right. :)