Yowsa

My legs are SO SORE. I'm not really sure why, because it's not like I increased my mileage an insane amount or anything this weekend.

In fact, I only did 13(.1).

But because I did not want to run at ALL, it seemed like a lot more. It was rough, because after about 2 miles I was finished. I mean, physically it seemed fine, but mentally I was just not there this weekend. I also felt very slow. I was not looking at my watch purposefully, because I felt like I was doing a 10 minute mile, and I knew that if I was aware of that, my run would seem even longer. But in fact, I was doing a flat 9 minute mile. (I ended the 13.1 miles with a 1:57.59).

I also have been slacking off on eating properly. So the whole time I felt like I was running with lead in my belly.

I am glad that I can run a 9 minute mile and it feels "easy". This just confirms my hypothesis that I run better when I don't think.

What I mean by this is that I think that my brain and my body KNOW all the things I usually concentrate on (or freak out about) during my runs...like pacing, going out slower at first, how far I can push without injuring myself, etc. So I am working on running more zenlike...just feeling the run rather than overanalyzing it. I'm even thinking of running the marathon like this, rather than setting a time goal. That makes me nervous, but I think I would actually do better that way!

Hill Repeats

Last night, Bill and I found a nice, short, steep hill (there are LOTS of them in Riverside Park) and did some repeats. We basically sprinted up the hill 8x with very little rest in between.

I noticed a few things.

First of all, I am now very sensitive when it comes to running. Maybe "aware" is actually a better word than sensitive. Like, when I am running on a new surface (there were some stones laid into the concrete in the middle of the hill) I can feel my gait change to accommodate. This is actually where I started to lose my speed every time. So I could work to push through, harder, at that point the next time. I also noticed that I was running on my toes again. I stopped that right away. I can also feel which of my muscles engage when I go up different parts of the hill.

I think this is kind of cool. I used to just run to run. I would sort of zone out. In fact, the first time I ran a "long" run (which I think was 9 miles) I zoned out so much that I didn't even realize that I was in pain until I stopped. I mean, this is good and what you are supposed to do to some extent, but it is also nice to tune in to your body. It's all about the happy medium.

I think it is sort of like when I was in school and all of the seniors would be out with us and be like "Oh, nice use of Gill Sans." when they looked at a menu or something, and I always thought "How in the world can they differentiate one typeface from another?" Now, I do it all the time.

The second thing is that I basically pushed myself so hard that I almost puked.

I mean, I was DONE at the end of that workout (Even if Bill wasn't, and was like "Eh. I felt like it was ok. I could have done a lot more." Ptttt. I equate this with the skinny girls who are like "No, I can eat like, a whole pizza and not gain an ounce." I know them personally, because I was one of them in high school. Now I realize how annoying that is :) )

I literally had to STOP before we started the 7th repeat, stand over to the side, bend over, cough and spit (very ladylike).

But I have to say, I feel GOOD when I push myself. That's why it makes me mad that I haven't been able to fully dedicate myself to running this training season. Who knows what I could have done?

I know, I know! I still have a little over a month left. So I am going to continue to push. Because who knows what I can still do?

Pace Run

Last night I got home early because I had jury duty, and luckily, government employees' days end before my usual days end. So, with my extra couple of hours I decided to get a jump start on my evening workout.

I started with 45 minutes of intense sculpting/cardio, and then when Bill came home I was ready for our run.

We just set out to do a simple 3 mile run, but it pretty much ended up being a pace run.

Usually a 9 minute pace feels pretty good to me. We ended up doing about a 9:15 pace and it felt FAST to me. Maybe my body still isn't adjusted from my time off. Very frustrating.

However, I AM reaping the rewards of my body sculpting efforts. I have a very faint 2-pack (the two at the top) when viewed at certain angles. I know this is not a big deal for most people, but for me? I am ecstatic!

Pooped Out

So I had every intention of running 13-14 miles this past weekend with Bill. We were going to take it easy though, since I had been sick all week and Bill just hadn't been running for a long time.

We did the first 6 miles, including 2 upper loops (to get some hills in) and I was feeling a little tired, and kind of ticked that my pace was a lot slower than I am used to. (We were doing about a 10 minute pace). At this point, we stopped for GU. I decided not to beat myself up too much, since I was coming off of being sick. THEN this entire wave of exhaustedness came over me. I just felt like I could lie down right in the middle of the park and go to sleep. I didn't know how I was going to do another loop plus 1-2.

After very much debate with Bill, (who was trying to convince me that my body was run down and I should perhaps think about calling it a day) and me whining and complaining that I had to do at least 12, we compromised and ran another 2.78 miles, making our total 8.78.

After that, I was REALLY exhausted.

So I guess I am glad that Bill made me stop. His point was that I reminded my body that it was not on vacation and that as soon as I was 100% we were heading back into full training.

I WAS pretty sore after the run too.

So I chalk that up to a blah run, and I'm going to make sure I don't have another one this season.

Measuring My Calves

Yes. I am so bored from not running that this is what I write about on my running blog.

Actually, I got the idea from my friend Jen, who came to visit me last weekend. I was telling her how I was knitting some knee socks and how you actually get to make room for your calves. This is very nice, because, being a marathon runner, my calves are sort of huge...so normal knee socks don't fit me. So I had to measure my calves before I started, so that I would know how big to make them. Anyway, she thought this was funny and measured her calves too and wrote about it on her running blog. So I am copying, because I have nothing better to write about that is running related.

My calves are 15.75 inches around at their widest point. (And all muscle).

I think this is funny.

I am a small framed girl for my height (5'10", 138 pounds) so I can only assume that this means my calves are big. I must admit, I love muscles. And I'm not trying to be narcissistic.

Bill measured his calves too, because he was just curious after I measured mine :)

I am planning on getting lots of sleep this weekend and crossing my fingers that I feel good enough to do a 13-14 mile run.

The Running Gods Are Against Me

So...

Just when I started to get into the swing of things again, I get this awful congestion thingy. Not only does it drain me of energy every single day, but also it is in my chest. So this has prevented me from running, walking (except to work, etc), cross-training and any other kind of physical activity that is needed when training for a marathon.

I have to say I am a lot frustrated and a little worried.

I am more frustrated than anything because I am just so used to being active. Plus, I was really really doing well on the whole mixing in cross-training with running thing. I was seeing lots of time improvement and I feel like all of that may be lost. However, I am just a teensy bit worried too. I haven't had a long run in forever.

I know I still have plenty of time until the marathon. But I AM going to have to reconfigure my schedule so that I am not doing an 18 this weekend, because I am just not ready (and still sick).

I am going to try to not worry about it, because worrying won't do anything AND it won't make me get better any faster.

So here is my new game plan:

• Take a look at my schedule and rework it so that it makes sense/I don't get injured
• Take a new look at goals...I was planning for a pretty significant PR, but I think I should concentrate on just having fun and feeling good (this is going to be hard) and take a look at time goals in a couple of weeks
• Concentrate on getting tons of sleep
• Continue drinking lots of liquids and eating healthy foods
• Get into the mental game...I just have to keep reminding myself that I have plenty of time to do this and do this well

Killer Workout

In addition to "running" last night (it was on the treadmill, so in my mind, that only half counts), I did a little cross-training.

Now, I know that I have been singing the praises of Jillian's 30-Day Shred DVD, but really, I had only made it through the first level of the workouts. The workout is so very difficult that even though I've had it for about 2 months I never felt like I could move onto the next level. Quite frankly, I was scared of what the next level would bring.

Well.

The second level is EXTREMELY hard. I was sweating out of every single one of my pores, and copiously. I couldn't even do half of the stuff properly (squat thrusts, walk-out push-ups, plank crunches) and had to do the easy modification. It totally kicked my butt.

The reason I mention this in my RUNNING blog is because I think that this is a really really great workout for runners. She does all of the things runners are supposed to do (but probably don't do enough of), like plyometrics, calisthenics, and weight training using small and large muscle groups simultaneously. She really concentrates on this last group in level 2. I think that every weight lifting circuit she has you do, you are holding a position (like a deep squat) while lifting weights with your arms (like a military press). It really burns, but I think it will help me gain speed and stability.

Even though the workout killed me, it makes me want more. I am just that demented when it comes to things like this. :)

Next time I am going to try and do the full exercises instead of just the modified ones.

Poor Little Blog

My poor little blog gets neglected when I am too crazy at work. In fact, so did all of my running workouts last week, INCLUDING my long run. (It's bad when stress starts to leak into your body and you end up sore and achy from doing nothing.)

I am definitely back on track this week, although I will say that I've moved my runs indoors because of the cold. I figure that when the wind blows the big steel door open with amazing force and I have the push all of my weight against it to shut it while I take my dog on her evening walk, that it MIGHT be okay to do this. (I know, that was the biggest run-on sentence I think I have ever written.) Tonight is one of my double workouts...running AND sculpting. I am NOT looking forward to my 16 miler this weekend.

But what I REALLY wanted to write about was the Biggest Loser.

I don't know if anyone watches/notices/cares, but last week (not last night) Dane got kicked off. In his little "where are they now" video he said that his wife was training for a marathon and he decided to run it with her. He said it was so rewarding to run the entire thing with his wife, and they showed him crossing the finish line.
Bill swears he saw the clock say 5:53, but then in the little epilogue they said something about him running it in 3:53. I was like HOLY COW. Then it ticked me off, because I KNOW they train like 5-7 hours a day on that show, and I've seen them do all kinds of things that I could never physically do, but I was like "I train for marathons ONLY, and I can't do that!"

It also ticked me off that he wasn't training for a marathon specifically. I mean, I am sure he is very fit, but even Lance Armstrong had to train for the marathon.

But I kind of forgot about it.

Then, the next day Bill found all of these articles.

The gist of it is that he didn't actually finish the marathon because he got picked up in a van by the producers, driven, and then filmed finishing. I'm not going to make a call on where he was picked up, how far they drove him, how far he ran, or any of that...it seems like there is some dispute about these things.

NBC removed the video from online where he said he finished the marathon.

It just makes me sad. To me, that is one of the most inspiring shows out there. And finishing a marathon at any time is a huge accomplishment. Believe me, I have thought about cheating in the middle of races....like at the turnarounds. Haven't you ever thought to yourself "Ha! I could stop for water here and just go to the other side of the turnaround and cut out some mileage." I have. Especially when I am tired. But I could not live with myself if I did that. I know there is probably a lot of pressure from producers and all that, but I still feel sad about it. It makes me wonder what else they exaggerate. And wouldn't it make just as amazing of a story if he said he finished a half-marathon? I mean, the man lost 100 lbs in 8 weeks! What is there to lie about?!

And I see that he apologized...but what if he hadn't gotten caught?

It just disappoints me.

A "Back" Week

This week I had a nice little 10 mile run. Last time, when I ran our 10 miles I was hating it the whole way. But this week it actually felt pretty good (until around mile 9 when I was just "done").

It is MUCH easier to run with Bill now that I am pacing a bit faster. Before I think it was always a struggle between us, because he always wanted to go faster, and was slowing down to be with me, and I was always going faster than I felt comfortable with. I think I have realized that a lot of running is mind games for me. Perhaps I should have been training faster awhile ago. But then again, perhaps I've done this the right way and I am just reaping benefits.

At any rate, one thing I DO know is that I need to slow down in the beginning miles. So for the next week, I am going to concentrate on negative splitting my runs.

I KNOW I need to do this, because every time I have run this way I am AMAZED with my time. Every time I run like I am used to running (fast at first, then slowly trickling off in the last miles) I feel tired.

When Bill and I got to mile 9 and he asked me how I felt, I could only say "Eh." I explained to him; I wasn't feeling awful, but I felt tired. Not tired like sleepy, but tired like physically tired. I told him I could keep pace for the last mile (which I did) but that if this was the marathon, and I still had 2 miles to go, I would be walking them. He pushed me up the last hill, telling me to keep my form (which I did) and that if I kept my pace (which I did) I would be happy with our result.

We ended with a 1:33:18 for 10.2 miles, which calculates out to a 9:08 pace. Now, I KNOW, with my past results I should have been ecstatic about this. But I told Bill, "You know, I think if we would have started out slower, we could have ended up with a faster pace." He agreed.

So the next few weeks I am going to experiment with negative splits and see what happens. Who knows, maybe I am some weirdo who DOES have to push the pace at the beginning. I doubt this, but I guess I'll find out in the next few weeks. I am chalking it up to a big experiment. Isn't that what training is for anyway? :)

Late Posting

I have been bad, and not posting lately. It has been a bit crazy, and I haven't been doing so well on my running schedule this week due to work and travelling.

But on Valentine's Day, Bill and I DID start the morning with a nice, romantic, 15 mile run. Haha.

I was not looking forward to running nearly 3 loops of Central Park, so I decided that we should run the West Side Highway bike/jog trail. I forgot how much I hate running it until we were running. Ok. Ok. It wasn't as bad as it was in the summer, but it still is pretty boring.

Here is why I hate it:

1. It is flat the entire way (much like Eastern) with NO turns (much like Eastern) so it is BORING.
2. It is right next to the Hudson, so there is tons of exhaust from boats and helicopters.
3. It is right next to the West Side Highway so there is tons of exhaust from trucks and cars.
4. The sun beats down on you since there is no shade, so it's HOT.
5. Even though running down the west side of Manhattan sounds like it would be beautiful and scenic, it really isn't.

The cool this is that if you think about it, it is kind of cool to run all the way from the Upper West Side alllllll the way to the bottom tip of Manhattan. At least, that is how far Bill and I made it before we had to turn around.

I was so hitting the wall after we turned around. And it was agonizing, because you can tell EXACTLY where you are on the trail (because it is marked every mile and also because you see the streets going by..."We are only at 42nd!!!! We have 57 freaking blocks to go!!!").

Despite all of that, we finished our 15 miles with a 2:22 (about a 9:28 pace). I felt like I was dying at the end and doing like 11 minute miles, but apparently I wasn't.

I think I am getting fast.

I was aiming for a 9:50 pace, which is what the McMillan running calculator says is at the upper range of what I should be training at for my long runs. It FELT like a 9:50. So I guess that's good! We'll see about this week. I have a feeling I might be a little slower due to my less-than-stellar ability to stick to my workout plan this week. :)

Things I Did Right

These are the things I have been doing right in my running which led to an AWESOME race on Sunday.

1. Got a LOT of sleep this week.
2. Started cross-training with weights religiously, concentrating on form and pushing myself.
3. Ran with a "zen" attitude.
4. Kept a positive attitude.
5. Had an attainable goal.
6.. Ate a 200 calorie breakfast of Cheerios an hour and a half before the race.
7. Picked a friend to beat.
8. Drank Gatorade instead of just water during the race.
9. Pushed myself up the hills without overdoing it.
10. Concentrated on keeping my back shin parallel to the ground as I was running (to keep good form/get a good stride).
11. Sang "Merry Happy" by Kate Nash over and over in my head (to keep a good rhythm).

I actually think that the first 3 are the most important because they are what were most different than what I usually do.

All I know is that I woke up very determined to get a PR on my half marathon in the Bronx this weekend. Not JUST a PR either. I needed to break the 2 hour mark. To do this, I decided that I needed to feel like I did during the Staten Island Half (where I got that PR...2:01.13). I remembered that I felt like I was putting forth a hard effort that I could probably sustain for the whole thing, but definitely NOT holding back too much in those first few miles. This is different from everything that I have learned, but now I'm wondering if it is just MY perception of what "holding back" means.

After the first mile, I looked at my watch: 8:43. Whoa! Slow down, sister! So I did. Or at least I thought I did. The next mile: 8:24. Seriously, girl, slow down. Next mile: 8:05.

In the Marine Corps marathon this is when I started beating myself up. This time I was just like "Ok. Whatever. Just see how it plays out. This is a practice race, and if you die and can't finish, you die and can't finish. Your body knows what it's doing..." (see this article...especially the second paragraph).

Well, it worked. I didn't die until mile 10. And even then, I only got down to 9:20. Plus, I psyched myself right back up and concentrated on hitting the next mile at a sub 9...which I did!

And I finished with a 1:54.38. Best. Time. Ever.

It made me wonder if I should modify my training pace. But according to McMillan's cool training calculator it actually looks like I'm right on track with my long runs hitting a 9:44-10:44 pace. How is that possible?

Well, anyway. I am happy :)

Hill Climbs

WOW. I actually got out of work at a real time last night, and SO DID BILL!!!

Even though it was really really cold and very windy, we did hill climbs last night. Now granted, it was probably the easiest hill workout I've ever done, but it was still good.

Since LOST was on last night (and I'm a freak who is totally addicted), I planned the workout for Riverside Park instead of Central Park. Even though it is only closer by 3 long blocks, it DOES make a difference in timing :)

So we did a nice 1.7 mile warmup all the way up to where the park "ends" (it doesn't really end there, but you have to go up steps and walk to the street to continue on into the park again). There are two sets of steps that go up to the street. They are not short steps, but long, wide steps...each has about 7 ft of depth. The steps are a sharp, fast incline, and we ran up them, fast, 6 times. It was rough, and I sort of started to sound like Stephi Graf (isn't she the one who used to grunt when she played tennis?) because I was really pushing myself.

After the hill climbs, we did a nice little cool down for the 1.7 miles back.

It felt nice to run outside during the week...even if it was cold and windy.

Today I am picking up my packet/race number for our second half marathon in the Grand Prix – the Bronx half marathon, which is on Sunday. It is the only one of the five that is on the "mainland" of the United States, which I think is funny.

Catching Up

It's weird. I haven't really missed a TON of workouts...but I feel like I have. I was looking back at my calendar, and really, I only missed one running workout last week. Unfortunately, this did happen to be a hill workout, which I could have really used. I also missed two cross-training workouts. In the big scheme of things, I guess this isn't a big deal. I mean, really, this tends to happen every marathon season for me somewhere along the line. I didn't even miss my long run, which tends to happen as well.

This week I missed a Monday night workout (which was designated as "rest or cross-training"), but I got right back on track last night. Tonight I have a speed workout, and I have already decided that if for some reason I can't get home in time, I will do the substitute on the treadmill. Not ideal, of course, but better than nothing.

The real thing I am catching up on is sleep. It's funny, but I didn't realize how much I wasn't sleeping until I started sleeping again. Now I feel like I am in hibernation each morning when the alarm goes off. My body just does not want to stop sleeping :)

So this week, I am concentrating on one thing...catching up on sleep. I have trained for enough marathons to know that this is just as important (if not more so) than the actual training.

Not My Finest Run

I think that I should probably not run when I am overly stressed. It is a fine line to walk, because sometimes a run is a great stress reliever. But when I am really really stressed, it is probably not a good idea.

I say this, because after not really getting to work out as much as I wanted last week (only 2 days of running during the week and NO cross-training) my ten mile run on Saturday was pretty much crap. I mean, my time wasn't really that horrible (1:44, without stopping my watch when I stopped for an extremely long GU and water break, and once when Bill's phone was ringing). But I just felt awful.

I think some of this can be attributed to the fact that my heart monitor was too tight. I need to find that happy medium. Last week, it was too loose, and I had to keep reaching up under all of my clothes to pull it up during the race. But if it's too tight (like it was Saturday) it makes me feel sick to my stomach.

But besides that, I think I was just too stressed to run. 10 miles seemed like forever long, which is funny because 13.1 seemed like nothing last week.

This is not good. Because I also feel like a huge tub of lard, since I didn't get to work out much during the week.

This week is not shaping out to be any better. It is 6 o'clock (the time I used to go home) and I am waiting for changes to a presentation that is supposed to go out tonight. Yay! (Sarcasm). So, since I will be working late (again) I will be exhausted again when I get home. It's not even like I could have worked out early this morning SINCE I GOT UP AT 6:20 TO GO TO WORK EARLY!!! And I will probably order an unhealthy dinner to eat at my desk while I am working (not many healthy take-out options).

I seriously contemplated not even doing the marathon because it seems like this is pretty standard for my new team at work to work these hours.

Awesome.