I am currently sitting on my couch, fresh out of my ice bath + shower, with my feet up watching The Sopranos. (Not my first choice, but I do like the show, and honestly I'm too lazy to change the channel.) We just finished 20 miles and although I was struggling the last two miles, it went pretty well!
I've found two lovely ladies that run around my same pace and we tend to stick together during the long runs. Today me, Katy and Kimi ran 1 mile intervals with a 1 minute or so walk at each mile marker. I LOVE breaking up the long runs like that, it makes the run go so much quicker!
I've been using Hammer gels, and Espresso is my fave. It tastes like mocha with a bonus jolt of caffeine! I took one around the hour mark and it really helped me pick up my pace. Then around the two hour mark I took a Hammer Apple Cinnamon gel. These taste like apple pie! Unfortunately since they are so sweet, I think the tend to give me cramps. It was hard to recover after that. In an effort to save the remainder of my run, I took about a 1/2 of another espresso gel around the 2:45 hour mark. It sort of helped.
The last two miles were the toughest for me, we had just had our last water break and were heading out for the last long stretch in full sunlight. It was getting hot out there and my legs were lead!
Our stats ended up being 20 miles in 3:24 with an average pace of 10:14. On our running portions we were keeping a steady pace of under a 9 minute mile!
Before my last marathon, my last long run of 21.5 miles that we run straight through (no walk breaks) our average pace was 10:54...considerably slower than running with short walk breaks! GALLOWAY SUCCESS.
I wore my new running clothes....
Love them! The shirt has a nice big pocket in the back where I can store my gels. The shorts I have are all black, very comfy.
I just inhaled a huge green smoothie with some added Amazing Grass (review to come whenever I finish the boatload of samples they sent me :) and now Matt and I are deciding if we want to go get food. I'm planning on lazing around for as long as possible today, I think I earned it!
What's everyone's fall racing schedule looking like? I have the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25th, possibly the Raleigh 1/2 Marathon on November 1st, and then the Kiawah 1/2 Marathon on December 12th. I might also throw in a few 5ks if I can find the time. (Will be doing one on Thanksgiving Day in Greensboro, NC most likely).
Happy Sunday folks..
Showing posts with label long runs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label long runs. Show all posts
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
John Denver, Monster Mix & Stank: A Wild West Relay Race Report, Part III
How long is it going to take me to FINALLY post the finale of my WWR recap, you ask?? Well it's ending today!
Missed parts I or II?
So we made it to our "campsite" at our final exchange, and we were greeted with this:
There was really no where to sleep except for in front of and behind our van...but we made it happen. For, maybe 45 minutes to an hour :)
After a few hours of not sleeping and munching on handfuls more of Monster Mix, we got up to greet Van #1 and bring in their final leg so we could finish up ours! Around this time we were getting worried that we wouldn't make the cut off time (which we thought was either 4 or 5) so upon chatting with Van #1, we decided that we would "leap frog" our leg. (We should have started the race about three hours earlier than we did.)
Basically leap frogging is having two runners on the course at once. For example, we would drop of runner #6 and then drive ahead to the next exchange and drop of runner #7. We thought this was a great idea AND it would get us to the showers quicker. So we waited a while on Van #1, cheering on the huge caterpillars who were venturing out in the road to try and cross, but inevitably got squished under the wheels of a Chevy. (Seriously, I wish we had this moment on video.) When they finally arrived we snapped a few pics for them and we were off!
Alesha and I split up Steve's leg (about 2 miles each, I think mine was a little less at like 1.8) and then I headed on for my final leg. Which.Was.Killer.
I felt like the first three miles were completely uphill but I guess they were rolling. I peaked at the top of Rabbit Ears Pass and then it was all downhill from there! For some reason I had it in my head that I was only doing 4.6...but when 4.6 came and went I figured it was a bit more :)
Killer form.SIKE!
The scenery was beautiful though, I wish I had more pictures! The highlight of this run for me was when I was trudging up the final hill and was feeling beat down and the van was parked at the top of the hill waiting for me blasting Baby Got Back and cheering like crazy! I'm telling you, it was priceless! It also gave me that much needed boost to move that junk in my trunk to the exchange!
We finished up with our next two runners (blaring John Denver the whole time! how approps) and then Alesha was up for our last runner. We went ahead to the finish line and called the other van to make sure they were going to meet us there so we could all run across the finish line together. (They had already been to the hotel and showered! So.Jealous.)
Finished!!!
Van #2. 34 hours of non-showering, sweaty STANK!
Post-race Happy Hour at our slope-side hotel. Most of the gals got Sangria, but I opted for the more potent Marg. It was pretty good, not too sweet.
The fabulous ladies of Van #2 :)
Dinner at Mazzolo's. Yummy, over priced Italian ;)
All in all, I LOVED the Wild West Relay and would definitely do it again. I am already dreaming of the next relay I can participate in if not the WWR (Miami to Key West in February anyone?).
What I loved most about the race? Other than meeting all the fun people, I am thankful that I was finally introduced to the gorgeous state of Colorado. Previously I have only experienced the North Carolina/Tennessee/Virginia mountains which are lovely, but honestly they cannot hold a candle to the vast openness of Colorado and Wyoming and the great West. I honestly think I have fallen in love with this state! It's almost enough to make me want to shed my Southern home and head for the hills! At least temorarily ;)
I promise I will return to some normal blogging soon. I have my FINAL financial exam this coming Monday the 24th so I'm pretty bogged down until then. Hopefully after Monday my summer of studying will finally be over and I can enjoy the beach/pool before...wait, it never gets really cold down here ;)
{Did a brutal 16 miler this past Sunday with the team. It was tough but I'm glad I pushed through! Back down to 10 I think this weekend. Marathon here I come!}
Missed parts I or II?
So we made it to our "campsite" at our final exchange, and we were greeted with this:
There was really no where to sleep except for in front of and behind our van...but we made it happen. For, maybe 45 minutes to an hour :)
After a few hours of not sleeping and munching on handfuls more of Monster Mix, we got up to greet Van #1 and bring in their final leg so we could finish up ours! Around this time we were getting worried that we wouldn't make the cut off time (which we thought was either 4 or 5) so upon chatting with Van #1, we decided that we would "leap frog" our leg. (We should have started the race about three hours earlier than we did.)
Basically leap frogging is having two runners on the course at once. For example, we would drop of runner #6 and then drive ahead to the next exchange and drop of runner #7. We thought this was a great idea AND it would get us to the showers quicker. So we waited a while on Van #1, cheering on the huge caterpillars who were venturing out in the road to try and cross, but inevitably got squished under the wheels of a Chevy. (Seriously, I wish we had this moment on video.) When they finally arrived we snapped a few pics for them and we were off!
Alesha and I split up Steve's leg (about 2 miles each, I think mine was a little less at like 1.8) and then I headed on for my final leg. Which.Was.Killer.
I felt like the first three miles were completely uphill but I guess they were rolling. I peaked at the top of Rabbit Ears Pass and then it was all downhill from there! For some reason I had it in my head that I was only doing 4.6...but when 4.6 came and went I figured it was a bit more :)
Killer form.SIKE!We finished up with our next two runners (blaring John Denver the whole time! how approps) and then Alesha was up for our last runner. We went ahead to the finish line and called the other van to make sure they were going to meet us there so we could all run across the finish line together. (They had already been to the hotel and showered! So.Jealous.)
Finished!!!
Van #2. 34 hours of non-showering, sweaty STANK!Since this post has dragged on and on for over a week now, lets cut to the chase. Here are some pics of us all showered, clean and pretty again post-race.
Underexposed photo opp on our floor. Love these gals!!
Underexposed photo opp on our floor. Love these gals!!Post-race Happy Hour at our slope-side hotel. Most of the gals got Sangria, but I opted for the more potent Marg. It was pretty good, not too sweet. The fabulous ladies of Van #2 :)Dinner at Mazzolo's. Yummy, over priced Italian ;)All in all, I LOVED the Wild West Relay and would definitely do it again. I am already dreaming of the next relay I can participate in if not the WWR (Miami to Key West in February anyone?).
What I loved most about the race? Other than meeting all the fun people, I am thankful that I was finally introduced to the gorgeous state of Colorado. Previously I have only experienced the North Carolina/Tennessee/Virginia mountains which are lovely, but honestly they cannot hold a candle to the vast openness of Colorado and Wyoming and the great West. I honestly think I have fallen in love with this state! It's almost enough to make me want to shed my Southern home and head for the hills! At least temorarily ;)
I promise I will return to some normal blogging soon. I have my FINAL financial exam this coming Monday the 24th so I'm pretty bogged down until then. Hopefully after Monday my summer of studying will finally be over and I can enjoy the beach/pool before...wait, it never gets really cold down here ;)
{Did a brutal 16 miler this past Sunday with the team. It was tough but I'm glad I pushed through! Back down to 10 I think this weekend. Marathon here I come!}
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
When you make plans...
Well hello there! It is a fabulous Tuesday morning here in Charleston. I've been super busy moving, organizing the new place, and working a lot of overtime to make up for the fact that I'm leaving for Colorado on Thursday! I'm pretty excited about the trip, not gonna lie.
So here I sit, sippin' my green juice (I really need to start posting about my raw + food combining adventures , because it's going well...maybe after WWR) and I realized I had this post just waiting in drafts for y'all. So while I get to working I figured I would post this up. Don't worry, I know I still owe you a Part II of my Charleston mini-tour, and it's coming...patience my dears, is a virtue ;)
In running news, I ran a fantastic 12 miles with the team on Sunday. I wasn't going to go, seeing as we had been out the night before for drinks + dinner with Shannon and her boy at Crave and had stayed up until after 1 AM. But when the alarm clock went off at 5:45 I somehow popped right up out of bed!
We ran 1 mile intervals with a 1 minute walk break in between, and let me tell you, it was one of the best long runs I have ever had! We were managing between 8:30 and 9:30 pace while running! So our average pace came out to 10:02 for the entire 12 miles! If I can keep that up for the marathon I will be sitting pretty.
I've been learning that this time around, I do better when I just go...no worries, no planning, no serious must-stick-to-this training plans, hell I haven't even been running with an iPod in over two months! (They're all broke, boo.) And you know what? I'm lovin' it :) Guess that's a little bit off of my plan I set for myself back in May, huh?
It just goes to show that when you make plans, God (or whomever you believe makes the rules of the universe) laughs at them!
***
I was tagged a while back from Cynthia (a fellow WWR'er) in this 7 Traits thing and am just now getting around to it. Gonna try to make this 7 things you don't already know about me...
1. I am OCD. It's mostly a paranoia that my apartment is going to burn down. I check my stove like 10 times before I go to bed to make sure it is turned off. I also once had Matt drive 45 minutes back home after we were out for my birthday to check and see if I had left the iron on. Luckily (or not), I had. He is extremely sweet for putting up with me :)
2. I drive a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The hood is a slightly different shade of red than the rest of it, and there's a story behind that. It's old but it's paid for baby! And it's nice that my gas is only about $30 a month. My first car was a Mercedes though, I start out classy and then downgrade apparently.
3. I'm a less severe version of a hypochondriac yet I refuse to take any medicine (including Advil or whatever) or go to the doctor. (Unless its the dentist, eye doc or the gyno.) I always think I have a blood clot or a heart condition or something else completely unlikely.
4. My parents divorced when I was in 4th grade. It was pretty bad until I left for college. My mom has since re-married and divorced + is cougarrific, and my dad has never remarried. I think he likes the bachelor life.
5. I starred as Cinderella in a community theater musical in high school! It rocked. Especially when I *surprise* slipped the Prince tongue in one of our fake kisses. He about shat himself! (This was high school remember, and I was at least two years older than him. The entire cast knew it was coming which made it even more hilarious.) I still miss the theater and think abotu trying out for community shows every now and again.
6. I sang in our schools chorus (as well as community ensemble), and was usually quite pissy if I didn't get the alto solos. Diva alert! I also was in our high school pageant. Twice. I got 3rd place the second time (looossser). It was one of the most fun things I remember about high school though.
7. Matt was/is my first real boyfriend. I never had a *real* boyfriend in high school, and dated a guy in college but he sucked so he doesn't count. I went a little crazy with guys junior year of college and decided to swear them off altogether (um, not lesbo style, just swear off for a while) until Matt and I met. We met at a bar and the night is kind of hazy...I don't remember our first kiss...how crappy is that?! But I do remember our second kiss because it was outisde of my car, and he picked me up by my, umm, bootay, and set me on the hood where we made out. It was soooo Vin Diesel in the Fast and the Furious. I was hooked then and there!
***
Anything else you want to know about me? I'm a semi-open book! Hope you have a great Tuesday and hopefully I will be back with some more fun stuff before WWR!
So here I sit, sippin' my green juice (I really need to start posting about my raw + food combining adventures , because it's going well...maybe after WWR) and I realized I had this post just waiting in drafts for y'all. So while I get to working I figured I would post this up. Don't worry, I know I still owe you a Part II of my Charleston mini-tour, and it's coming...patience my dears, is a virtue ;)
In running news, I ran a fantastic 12 miles with the team on Sunday. I wasn't going to go, seeing as we had been out the night before for drinks + dinner with Shannon and her boy at Crave and had stayed up until after 1 AM. But when the alarm clock went off at 5:45 I somehow popped right up out of bed!
We ran 1 mile intervals with a 1 minute walk break in between, and let me tell you, it was one of the best long runs I have ever had! We were managing between 8:30 and 9:30 pace while running! So our average pace came out to 10:02 for the entire 12 miles! If I can keep that up for the marathon I will be sitting pretty.
I've been learning that this time around, I do better when I just go...no worries, no planning, no serious must-stick-to-this training plans, hell I haven't even been running with an iPod in over two months! (They're all broke, boo.) And you know what? I'm lovin' it :) Guess that's a little bit off of my plan I set for myself back in May, huh?
It just goes to show that when you make plans, God (or whomever you believe makes the rules of the universe) laughs at them!
***
I was tagged a while back from Cynthia (a fellow WWR'er) in this 7 Traits thing and am just now getting around to it. Gonna try to make this 7 things you don't already know about me...
1. I am OCD. It's mostly a paranoia that my apartment is going to burn down. I check my stove like 10 times before I go to bed to make sure it is turned off. I also once had Matt drive 45 minutes back home after we were out for my birthday to check and see if I had left the iron on. Luckily (or not), I had. He is extremely sweet for putting up with me :)
2. I drive a 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse. The hood is a slightly different shade of red than the rest of it, and there's a story behind that. It's old but it's paid for baby! And it's nice that my gas is only about $30 a month. My first car was a Mercedes though, I start out classy and then downgrade apparently.
3. I'm a less severe version of a hypochondriac yet I refuse to take any medicine (including Advil or whatever) or go to the doctor. (Unless its the dentist, eye doc or the gyno.) I always think I have a blood clot or a heart condition or something else completely unlikely.
4. My parents divorced when I was in 4th grade. It was pretty bad until I left for college. My mom has since re-married and divorced + is cougarrific, and my dad has never remarried. I think he likes the bachelor life.
5. I starred as Cinderella in a community theater musical in high school! It rocked. Especially when I *surprise* slipped the Prince tongue in one of our fake kisses. He about shat himself! (This was high school remember, and I was at least two years older than him. The entire cast knew it was coming which made it even more hilarious.) I still miss the theater and think abotu trying out for community shows every now and again.
6. I sang in our schools chorus (as well as community ensemble), and was usually quite pissy if I didn't get the alto solos. Diva alert! I also was in our high school pageant. Twice. I got 3rd place the second time (looossser). It was one of the most fun things I remember about high school though.
7. Matt was/is my first real boyfriend. I never had a *real* boyfriend in high school, and dated a guy in college but he sucked so he doesn't count. I went a little crazy with guys junior year of college and decided to swear them off altogether (um, not lesbo style, just swear off for a while) until Matt and I met. We met at a bar and the night is kind of hazy...I don't remember our first kiss...how crappy is that?! But I do remember our second kiss because it was outisde of my car, and he picked me up by my, umm, bootay, and set me on the hood where we made out. It was soooo Vin Diesel in the Fast and the Furious. I was hooked then and there!
***
Anything else you want to know about me? I'm a semi-open book! Hope you have a great Tuesday and hopefully I will be back with some more fun stuff before WWR!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Weekend Wrap-Up: 3 Workouts!
Monday morning....not my favorite day. But I did have a great weekend and managed to get three workouts in!
Friday night I attempted to do some hill repeats on the bridge, and didn't get too far :) I basically ran almost a mile to warm up and then ran up the steep side of the hill, back down, and attempted a second run up. I gave up because it was Friday and it was hot :) Next time I do these I am going to do 1/4 mile repeats. Much easier than MILE repeats...what was I thinking.
Saturday I wasn't planning on working out, but around 2 pm I got bored of studying so I decided to go on a bike ride to work off my lunch. I was so glad I went! I managed to ride 12 miles and explored my soon to be new neighborhood. I wished I had brought a camera because it was so beautiful down on the marsh overlooking the river.
After the ride I decided to go return my new shoes that I was NOT happy with all last week. So I headed out to TrySports to see what I could find. This time I remembered to bring my old Adidas that I trained for (and ran) the last marathon in. The very helpful Diego looked at my tread and told me that I had way too much arch support and was rolling onto the outside of my feet when I ran (I forget which kind of pronating that is...) So he told me I basically needed a shoe with no support, and could possibly go with some orthotics or insoles after I tried them out on their own.
I ended up with a shiny new pair of Saucony ProGrid Rides. I freaking love them!
They're light and they have a nice sized toe box which is essential for long runs because your feet will swell. I also got a 1/2 size larger than the Asics I was returning. They felt fab on my feet during the run yesterday. I may not even need insoles! Plus they're a pretty silver and pink :) AND I got $40 back!
Sunday morning I woke up bright and early for my long run with my TNT group. We had 10 miles on the schedule that day, but we ended up taking a bit of a detour to run through the Harbor Fest down on Concord Street to see the tall ships in the harbor. I love tall pirate-like ships, they always remind me of The Goonies! (Only one of the best movies ever made.)
My Garmin is SERIOUSLY not liking the heat and how much I sweat. Every time I take it out when its hot for a long run, it gets really cranky and starts yelling at me and switching screens. I have reset it multiple times so I may have to send it back in to Garmin. I'm going to try getting a wrist band to put underneath it to possibly shelter it from my sweat??
It's odd to me because I was under the impression these $300 watches were MADE for athletes. Huh. Anyways, that was annoying. Luckily once we were done with the run it came back to its senses and let me know we actually ran about 12.2! (I did a little more than the team because I ran to the starting point from my apartment and then ran back.)
This time I succumbed to the walk/run method and it was actually nice given the heat and humidity. Plus we were able to keep a pretty decent pace during the running portions. Our Coach went a bit further at convincing me to train with the walk/run method druing the run:
After a much-needed shower (I was DRENCHED in sweat! Mid-run I realized I was sloshing in my shoes....so gross.) and a short nap....Matt and I headed out to the downtown Charleston chapter of Habitat for Humanity's Pig 'N Pluck!
Basically it was at the greatest locale in Charleston (in my opinion) Bowen's Island Restaurant.
The restaurant actually burnt down a few months ago and they are currently rebuilding it, but they still have their docks and covered shelter on the dock where the Bluegrass band played.
It is just gorgeous. Right on the water, on the marsh. I love Charleston. Check out the crappy iPhone pics. (I need a new camera.)
Matt enjoyed the Hometeam BBQ. (As did I.)
Beautiful Lowcountry marshes.
Kids even enjoyed the day!
Sandy and Jason stopped by!
There was lots of beer...
And Matt made some new friends! (and apparently leaned on some paint somewhere...)
Although the pics look dark it was actually REALLY sunny and hot. I belive it was 98 yesterday? I worked the first hour at the registration table (I'm on a Habitat committee) and was sweating bullets until the hour was up. Then I went to chill on the dock with the breeze. We hung out from 3 to almost 8 yesterday and we were exhausted by the time we got home.
Great weekend, great weather, great workouts. What more could a girl need?
This week I'm planning on doing some health + nutrition related posts so stay tuned!
Friday night I attempted to do some hill repeats on the bridge, and didn't get too far :) I basically ran almost a mile to warm up and then ran up the steep side of the hill, back down, and attempted a second run up. I gave up because it was Friday and it was hot :) Next time I do these I am going to do 1/4 mile repeats. Much easier than MILE repeats...what was I thinking.
Saturday I wasn't planning on working out, but around 2 pm I got bored of studying so I decided to go on a bike ride to work off my lunch. I was so glad I went! I managed to ride 12 miles and explored my soon to be new neighborhood. I wished I had brought a camera because it was so beautiful down on the marsh overlooking the river.
After the ride I decided to go return my new shoes that I was NOT happy with all last week. So I headed out to TrySports to see what I could find. This time I remembered to bring my old Adidas that I trained for (and ran) the last marathon in. The very helpful Diego looked at my tread and told me that I had way too much arch support and was rolling onto the outside of my feet when I ran (I forget which kind of pronating that is...) So he told me I basically needed a shoe with no support, and could possibly go with some orthotics or insoles after I tried them out on their own.
I ended up with a shiny new pair of Saucony ProGrid Rides. I freaking love them!
They're light and they have a nice sized toe box which is essential for long runs because your feet will swell. I also got a 1/2 size larger than the Asics I was returning. They felt fab on my feet during the run yesterday. I may not even need insoles! Plus they're a pretty silver and pink :) AND I got $40 back!Sunday morning I woke up bright and early for my long run with my TNT group. We had 10 miles on the schedule that day, but we ended up taking a bit of a detour to run through the Harbor Fest down on Concord Street to see the tall ships in the harbor. I love tall pirate-like ships, they always remind me of The Goonies! (Only one of the best movies ever made.)
My Garmin is SERIOUSLY not liking the heat and how much I sweat. Every time I take it out when its hot for a long run, it gets really cranky and starts yelling at me and switching screens. I have reset it multiple times so I may have to send it back in to Garmin. I'm going to try getting a wrist band to put underneath it to possibly shelter it from my sweat??
It's odd to me because I was under the impression these $300 watches were MADE for athletes. Huh. Anyways, that was annoying. Luckily once we were done with the run it came back to its senses and let me know we actually ran about 12.2! (I did a little more than the team because I ran to the starting point from my apartment and then ran back.)
This time I succumbed to the walk/run method and it was actually nice given the heat and humidity. Plus we were able to keep a pretty decent pace during the running portions. Our Coach went a bit further at convincing me to train with the walk/run method druing the run:
- If you train with walk/run, you recover faster and can get in more miles during the week. (This is so true, I felt fine all day yesterday and today even though that was my longest distance run since the marathon May 2nd. In fact I will definitely be working out tonight, something I never do on Monday's after long runs.)
- You don't have to (and she said I wouldn't) run the actual marathon using walk/run.
- Once we get up to higher mileage, I could possibly start out half of the run doing walk/run and then finish the second half with a strong consistent run.
After a much-needed shower (I was DRENCHED in sweat! Mid-run I realized I was sloshing in my shoes....so gross.) and a short nap....Matt and I headed out to the downtown Charleston chapter of Habitat for Humanity's Pig 'N Pluck!
Basically it was at the greatest locale in Charleston (in my opinion) Bowen's Island Restaurant.
The restaurant actually burnt down a few months ago and they are currently rebuilding it, but they still have their docks and covered shelter on the dock where the Bluegrass band played.
It is just gorgeous. Right on the water, on the marsh. I love Charleston. Check out the crappy iPhone pics. (I need a new camera.)
Matt enjoyed the Hometeam BBQ. (As did I.)
Beautiful Lowcountry marshes.
Kids even enjoyed the day!
Sandy and Jason stopped by!
There was lots of beer...
And Matt made some new friends! (and apparently leaned on some paint somewhere...)Although the pics look dark it was actually REALLY sunny and hot. I belive it was 98 yesterday? I worked the first hour at the registration table (I'm on a Habitat committee) and was sweating bullets until the hour was up. Then I went to chill on the dock with the breeze. We hung out from 3 to almost 8 yesterday and we were exhausted by the time we got home.
Great weekend, great weather, great workouts. What more could a girl need?
This week I'm planning on doing some health + nutrition related posts so stay tuned!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Last Long Run Before Taper Time! 21.5 Miles with a New Friend
Happy Easter everyone! I have had a pretty fantastic day so far, all things considered. Before I get into today, how bout a wrap up from the last time I saw you guys?
So on Thursday I said I was going to do my 20 miler Friday morning since I had the day off work. But unfortunately (or fortunately as it turned out) I woke up Friday morning feeling nauseous and hung over...even though I only had two beers the night before! I think the true cause was all of the crap that I ate throughout the day Thursday. I was having a bad day at work and I basically was consuming anything and everything that I saw...including 1.5 donuts, some leftover pasta and 3.5 huge slices of sausage and black olive pizza for dinner! So I went to bed sick & bloated, and woke up "hung over" & nauseous. I tried to wait around a bit to see if I would feel better, I even went back to sleep for a while, and eventually I decided that some sort of run was in order.
At about 2 PM I finally headed out the door, I told myself that if I was feeling good, I could try the 20 but that my first loop of 4.5 was just okay too. I only did 4.5 :) After that I decided that I needed some more rest & recovery time, so I skipped running Saturday and decided Sunday morning would be my day.
Saturday night I was on Twitter, and saw that the lovely Amanda was doing her 15 on Sunday as well. So I suggested to her that we meet up and run it together! She thought that was a good idea as well, so I started out with a 6.5 mile loop this morning at 6:45 AM and met up with her at around 8:45ish at my apartments to finish up our run.
Amanda and I had never met in person, only via our blogs and Twitter. So I think we were both kind of worried about doing such a long run with a relative stranger. I was worried that my run would be awful and I would have to walk, she had some crazy idea that I was fast...I think she knows I'm not as fast as she thought after today though :) But I was totally excited to meet her in person and also excited to have someone to distract me during this LAST long run that I had been dreading! Marathon training solo has been very challenging!
When I got done with the 6.5 mile loop, I got back to my apartment's parking lot and looked for Amanda. I chugged down some Sport Beans (good, but too hard for me to eat in motion) and some H2O. After a few minutes we found each other and headed out. I would give you a mile by mile play by play, but honestly I don't really remember anything significant about any of them up until the end because we were too busy chatting! It was for sure, hands down the easiest long run I have ever experienced.
I decided long ago that I wanted to do a bit over 20 for at least one of my long runs, so I made my solo loop this morning a mile longer than usual. I am so glad that I did this, because now I am feeling pretty confident about the full 26.2. (I also have a better idea of how tough it is actually going to be.)
The route we took was a 15 mile out and back, over the Ravenel Bridge & into Mt. Pleasant and then back. Once we were done with the bridge, we were both feeling the tiredness in our legs but it wasn't really showing too much in our pace so we kept on. At that point, I tried to resist looking at my Garmin because I knew we had roughly about 5 miles left and I was getting pretty run down. I would say that around 18.5 was when I started to hit the wall, we had 2 miles left.
But Amanda was so supportive and we just kept telling ourselves (and each other) that we could do it, that we were rockstars, and that we were sooo close to being done. This would be both of our longest runs ever! Just knowing that was enough to push both of us to the end.
Finally, my building was in sight and we started to push it (as much as we could) to get to the finish. When we stopped at 15 miles for her and 21.5 for me, we were both so thrilled that it was over, but more importantly, we were both so proud of ourselves for finishing our longest runs ever! And for finishing strong!
Here are my totals (I will spare you all of the splits):
Avg Pace: 10:54 min/mi Best Pace: 8:23 min/m
Once we stretched a bit & said our goodbyes, I headed back upstairs for a nice, cool ice bath. Then a shower. Then a lay on the floor for a really long time.
For my celebratory meal, I was craving something cheesy and not good for me! I tried to eat a banana with PB & some cantaloupe, but it just wasn't cutting it...so I woke Matt up and we headed to Bojangle's!! For those of you who are not lucky enough to have Bojangle's (it's a southern thang) you sure are missing out! I had a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with seasoned fries and a sweet tea! I never drink sweet tea so I enjoyed the hell out of that.
Now I'm feeling pretty good and looking forward to dinner :) Hope you all have a fantastic Easter and are looking forward to making this week a good one!
Thanks Amanda for the company today, I had a really good time considering we were running an extremely long distance! Let's make it happen again soon!
Also, I am lucky enough to have some very special house guests arriving Thursday evening, one of my best friends who now lives in DC LiLu (not her real name :) and her lovely boyfriend B. We are hoping to get into some serious trouble this weekend and have a great time!
***
You might have noticed I changed around the blog a bit. I kind of effed it up last night, and now I don't know why the comments are at the top of the post, but please continue to comment! At least my header looks better now...I will probably be editing this a bit more this week.
So on Thursday I said I was going to do my 20 miler Friday morning since I had the day off work. But unfortunately (or fortunately as it turned out) I woke up Friday morning feeling nauseous and hung over...even though I only had two beers the night before! I think the true cause was all of the crap that I ate throughout the day Thursday. I was having a bad day at work and I basically was consuming anything and everything that I saw...including 1.5 donuts, some leftover pasta and 3.5 huge slices of sausage and black olive pizza for dinner! So I went to bed sick & bloated, and woke up "hung over" & nauseous. I tried to wait around a bit to see if I would feel better, I even went back to sleep for a while, and eventually I decided that some sort of run was in order.
At about 2 PM I finally headed out the door, I told myself that if I was feeling good, I could try the 20 but that my first loop of 4.5 was just okay too. I only did 4.5 :) After that I decided that I needed some more rest & recovery time, so I skipped running Saturday and decided Sunday morning would be my day.
Saturday night I was on Twitter, and saw that the lovely Amanda was doing her 15 on Sunday as well. So I suggested to her that we meet up and run it together! She thought that was a good idea as well, so I started out with a 6.5 mile loop this morning at 6:45 AM and met up with her at around 8:45ish at my apartments to finish up our run.
Amanda and I had never met in person, only via our blogs and Twitter. So I think we were both kind of worried about doing such a long run with a relative stranger. I was worried that my run would be awful and I would have to walk, she had some crazy idea that I was fast...I think she knows I'm not as fast as she thought after today though :) But I was totally excited to meet her in person and also excited to have someone to distract me during this LAST long run that I had been dreading! Marathon training solo has been very challenging!
When I got done with the 6.5 mile loop, I got back to my apartment's parking lot and looked for Amanda. I chugged down some Sport Beans (good, but too hard for me to eat in motion) and some H2O. After a few minutes we found each other and headed out. I would give you a mile by mile play by play, but honestly I don't really remember anything significant about any of them up until the end because we were too busy chatting! It was for sure, hands down the easiest long run I have ever experienced.
I decided long ago that I wanted to do a bit over 20 for at least one of my long runs, so I made my solo loop this morning a mile longer than usual. I am so glad that I did this, because now I am feeling pretty confident about the full 26.2. (I also have a better idea of how tough it is actually going to be.)
The route we took was a 15 mile out and back, over the Ravenel Bridge & into Mt. Pleasant and then back. Once we were done with the bridge, we were both feeling the tiredness in our legs but it wasn't really showing too much in our pace so we kept on. At that point, I tried to resist looking at my Garmin because I knew we had roughly about 5 miles left and I was getting pretty run down. I would say that around 18.5 was when I started to hit the wall, we had 2 miles left.
But Amanda was so supportive and we just kept telling ourselves (and each other) that we could do it, that we were rockstars, and that we were sooo close to being done. This would be both of our longest runs ever! Just knowing that was enough to push both of us to the end.
Finally, my building was in sight and we started to push it (as much as we could) to get to the finish. When we stopped at 15 miles for her and 21.5 for me, we were both so thrilled that it was over, but more importantly, we were both so proud of ourselves for finishing our longest runs ever! And for finishing strong!
Here are my totals (I will spare you all of the splits):
| Time: | 03:54:26 |
| Distance: | 21.50 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 3,167 ft |
| Total Calories: | 2,444 C |
Once we stretched a bit & said our goodbyes, I headed back upstairs for a nice, cool ice bath. Then a shower. Then a lay on the floor for a really long time.
For my celebratory meal, I was craving something cheesy and not good for me! I tried to eat a banana with PB & some cantaloupe, but it just wasn't cutting it...so I woke Matt up and we headed to Bojangle's!! For those of you who are not lucky enough to have Bojangle's (it's a southern thang) you sure are missing out! I had a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with seasoned fries and a sweet tea! I never drink sweet tea so I enjoyed the hell out of that.
Now I'm feeling pretty good and looking forward to dinner :) Hope you all have a fantastic Easter and are looking forward to making this week a good one!
Thanks Amanda for the company today, I had a really good time considering we were running an extremely long distance! Let's make it happen again soon!
Also, I am lucky enough to have some very special house guests arriving Thursday evening, one of my best friends who now lives in DC LiLu (not her real name :) and her lovely boyfriend B. We are hoping to get into some serious trouble this weekend and have a great time!
***
You might have noticed I changed around the blog a bit. I kind of effed it up last night, and now I don't know why the comments are at the top of the post, but please continue to comment! At least my header looks better now...I will probably be editing this a bit more this week.
Monday, March 30, 2009
19.2 Miles of Pure Pain + TARHEELS in the Final Four!
Oh man! Yesterday was such a hard run for me! I had on the schedule 20 miles, and I waited until Sunday to run it because I skipped my Wednesday run and did it Thursday morning, so my Thursday run I moved to Saturday morning (b/c we had friends over Friday night -see below to meet them). My Saturday morning workout went well but little did I know it would leave me sore as hell Sunday morning!
I woke up around 8ish (way later than I had hoped) and just could not get motivated to get out the door! So I drank some coffee and watched some TV and then headed out around 9:30 with two GU's (Strawberry Banana is no comparison to Tri Berry even if it is a dollar cheaper), my iPod and some sunglasses. My butt and legs were KILLING me from doing sprints, squats, lunges and leg lifts on Saturday, so I was worried about how the run would go but I knew I couldn't wimp out on it with the marathon less than a month away!
As soon as I started out, I knew it was going to be rough. I was going way slower than normal and my legs just felt extremely heavy. I made a 5 mile loop and then ran back by my apartment (really wanting to just duck inside and call it a day) then I headed out for a 15 mile out and back. I started having to take walk breaks around that time (which I try never to do) and took my first GU around mile 6. I got down to the battery waterfront of downtown, and at mile 7 my iPod died even though it had been charging all night!
It was like a sign that this run was meant for disaster.
So I thought about what I could do, considered cutting the run short around mile 8 and 9, and talked myself into just doing at least 15-16. I kept telling myself that I had to keep going, even if it meant I had to run/walk the entire 20 miles! So that is exactly what I did and managed not to cut it short at all. My legs kept getting worse and hurt with every step, but I just kept pushing myself and thinking that it was okay if I had to run for a mile or so and then walk for a minute or two. I wasn't happy about it, but I managed to finish.
My out and back was a little shorter than I had planned for some reason, so the whole "run" ended up being only 19.2. I considered extending it to the full 20 at the end, but I figured it wouldn't make much of a difference because my body was just dunzo at that point. So I stretched as much as I could, came inside and collapsed, and talked the BF into getting me some bags of ice for my ice bath. That was harsh, but I think I managed about 8 minutes which I think did help my soreness today.
Other than that painful experience, we had a pretty good weekend! Saturday night we went to see I Love You Man (which was pretty funny, although a little long and awkward at parts), got our grocery shopping done for the week and yesterday afternoon (after I recovered a bit) we went to Hometeam BBQ with some great friends Sandy and Jason (hi guys!) to watch our HEELS demolish Oklahoma and win a trip to the FINAL FOUR!! We were pretty pumped about the win, so we decided to go check out the new FreshBerry downtown. It was delish! Here are some pics from the weekend for your veiewing pleasure:
Me and my college buddy Sandy sporting none other than Carolina Blue baby!
My boyfriend Matt and Sandy's boyfriend Jason making fun of us when we suggested they "get together for a picture." Gotta love Matt's huge silly smile!
I woke up around 8ish (way later than I had hoped) and just could not get motivated to get out the door! So I drank some coffee and watched some TV and then headed out around 9:30 with two GU's (Strawberry Banana is no comparison to Tri Berry even if it is a dollar cheaper), my iPod and some sunglasses. My butt and legs were KILLING me from doing sprints, squats, lunges and leg lifts on Saturday, so I was worried about how the run would go but I knew I couldn't wimp out on it with the marathon less than a month away!
As soon as I started out, I knew it was going to be rough. I was going way slower than normal and my legs just felt extremely heavy. I made a 5 mile loop and then ran back by my apartment (really wanting to just duck inside and call it a day) then I headed out for a 15 mile out and back. I started having to take walk breaks around that time (which I try never to do) and took my first GU around mile 6. I got down to the battery waterfront of downtown, and at mile 7 my iPod died even though it had been charging all night!
It was like a sign that this run was meant for disaster.
So I thought about what I could do, considered cutting the run short around mile 8 and 9, and talked myself into just doing at least 15-16. I kept telling myself that I had to keep going, even if it meant I had to run/walk the entire 20 miles! So that is exactly what I did and managed not to cut it short at all. My legs kept getting worse and hurt with every step, but I just kept pushing myself and thinking that it was okay if I had to run for a mile or so and then walk for a minute or two. I wasn't happy about it, but I managed to finish.
My out and back was a little shorter than I had planned for some reason, so the whole "run" ended up being only 19.2. I considered extending it to the full 20 at the end, but I figured it wouldn't make much of a difference because my body was just dunzo at that point. So I stretched as much as I could, came inside and collapsed, and talked the BF into getting me some bags of ice for my ice bath. That was harsh, but I think I managed about 8 minutes which I think did help my soreness today.
Other than that painful experience, we had a pretty good weekend! Saturday night we went to see I Love You Man (which was pretty funny, although a little long and awkward at parts), got our grocery shopping done for the week and yesterday afternoon (after I recovered a bit) we went to Hometeam BBQ with some great friends Sandy and Jason (hi guys!) to watch our HEELS demolish Oklahoma and win a trip to the FINAL FOUR!! We were pretty pumped about the win, so we decided to go check out the new FreshBerry downtown. It was delish! Here are some pics from the weekend for your veiewing pleasure:
Me and my college buddy Sandy sporting none other than Carolina Blue baby!
My boyfriend Matt and Sandy's boyfriend Jason making fun of us when we suggested they "get together for a picture." Gotta love Matt's huge silly smile!Me and the boy :)
The reason we had to get to the movie theater early on Saturday, so Matt could play Galaga! He now holds the high score at the James Island Movie Theater if anyone would like to challenge his greatness :)
The reason we had to get to the movie theater early on Saturday, so Matt could play Galaga! He now holds the high score at the James Island Movie Theater if anyone would like to challenge his greatness :)
I don't know about you guys, but I am looking forward to a great week! I have today off running to recover, but here is my schedule for the rest of the week:
Tuesday: 3-5 miles plus sprints & calistenics
Wednesday: 8 miles easy
Thursday: 6 mile bridge & calistenics
Friday: Off
Saturday: 10k Cooper River Bridge Run (if I can register this week in time)
Sunday: 12-13 mile run
Tuesday: 3-5 miles plus sprints & calistenics
Wednesday: 8 miles easy
Thursday: 6 mile bridge & calistenics
Friday: Off
Saturday: 10k Cooper River Bridge Run (if I can register this week in time)
Sunday: 12-13 mile run
Monday, March 16, 2009
Quick Update: Saturday's Long Run
Sorry I haven't posted all weekend, I have been so busy! I don't have much time but I wanted to at least give an update as to how my long run went on Saturday morning.
I didn't talk about it too much last week because I didn't want to jinx myself! Considering my past few long runs went horribly, I was hoping to just get out there and run as far as I could.
I had it in my head that I needed to do 17--anything over 15 would have been okay with me, but I had 17 in my mind as what I needed to do to be okay with my training situation. I set out with a newish course, a 4 mile loop at the beginning that brought me back by my building, and then an out and back course that totaled 15. I knew that if I made the loop longer than 17, I would have some room to add on if I was feeling strong.
I started out at 7:15 Saturday morning, which in itself was an accomplishment as I usually get out the door around noon, and the weather was cool and foggy. I was feeling a mixture of things as I started out, I kind of felt pretty strong but I also struggled for the first 4 to 7 miles to get in the groove.
Around mile 3 I really, REALLY had to go pee, and I was worried about where I could duck behind a bush (as downtown Charleston doesn't really allow for that) and as I was searching for somewhere, I glanced ahead of me, and like a beacon of light from above, I spotted a random Port-A-Potty! It was like a divine intervention. So I ducked into there and after that was set to go.
Around mile 7 I got to the Ravenel Bridge and was worried about how this mile + incline would do me. As I was making my way up, I noticed that I was actually running a good bit faster than I had been going previously! I started passing other runners and was feeling pretty strong. At the base of the bridge on the Mt. P side, I took my Triple Berry GU, got some water, and headed back up and over. I was now at about mile 11. This climb wasn't as easy on me and my legs were definitely feeling it.
Once I made it back over to the Charleston side of the bridge (mile 14ish) I had a choice to make. Do I take the longer loop home or the shorter? The shorter would bring me in around 16-17, where the longer would bring me in just around 18.
I chose the longer because I was feeling pretty consistent, and wanted to push myself as far as I could go.
I ended up finishing 18.0 miles like a champ!
Hope you all have a fantastic Monday, and an even better week in running!
I didn't talk about it too much last week because I didn't want to jinx myself! Considering my past few long runs went horribly, I was hoping to just get out there and run as far as I could.
I had it in my head that I needed to do 17--anything over 15 would have been okay with me, but I had 17 in my mind as what I needed to do to be okay with my training situation. I set out with a newish course, a 4 mile loop at the beginning that brought me back by my building, and then an out and back course that totaled 15. I knew that if I made the loop longer than 17, I would have some room to add on if I was feeling strong.
I started out at 7:15 Saturday morning, which in itself was an accomplishment as I usually get out the door around noon, and the weather was cool and foggy. I was feeling a mixture of things as I started out, I kind of felt pretty strong but I also struggled for the first 4 to 7 miles to get in the groove.
Around mile 3 I really, REALLY had to go pee, and I was worried about where I could duck behind a bush (as downtown Charleston doesn't really allow for that) and as I was searching for somewhere, I glanced ahead of me, and like a beacon of light from above, I spotted a random Port-A-Potty! It was like a divine intervention. So I ducked into there and after that was set to go.
Around mile 7 I got to the Ravenel Bridge and was worried about how this mile + incline would do me. As I was making my way up, I noticed that I was actually running a good bit faster than I had been going previously! I started passing other runners and was feeling pretty strong. At the base of the bridge on the Mt. P side, I took my Triple Berry GU, got some water, and headed back up and over. I was now at about mile 11. This climb wasn't as easy on me and my legs were definitely feeling it.
Once I made it back over to the Charleston side of the bridge (mile 14ish) I had a choice to make. Do I take the longer loop home or the shorter? The shorter would bring me in around 16-17, where the longer would bring me in just around 18.
I chose the longer because I was feeling pretty consistent, and wanted to push myself as far as I could go.
I ended up finishing 18.0 miles like a champ!
My last two miles were my fastest, and I sprinted in mile 18 and finished that one in 8:58, for a total time of 3:05 and an average pace of 10:19. I was so proud of myself!!!
When I got home, I tried to stretch but my muscles weren't really cooperating, so I saved that for later and came in to suffer through a quick ice bath. Which I think has really been helping!
I don't have my splits to update yet, but all in all it was a GREAT run. I haven't even been that sore this weekend and today.
HOWEVER: (this is where the post turns negative) Last night I started to notice that my lower back was really bothering me on my right side when I bent down or turned to the right.
It got worse as the night progressed and was so bad by the time I was going to sleep I could only prop myself up in bed with 3 pillows and not move. This morning I took a hot bath, and brought a heating pad to work and it seems to be helping some, but I am not back 100% yet. I have my big test tomorrow morning so I won't be running tonight (i.e. I will be cramming like a mo fo), so hopefully by resting another day I will be able to run tomorrow afternoon.
I have had problems with my back before, and I think that this one was triggered by my run, but ultimately caused by my horrible posture. It also probably doesn't help that I am not strength training or working on my core muscles. That stops today!
Gotta get back to work, but here are some pics of my Gnocchi and Chicken Vegetable Soup that I made last week. The soup had kale, corn, okra, carrots, onion, rotisserie chicken and gnocchi in it. It was pretty good I must say, and extremely simple!
When I got home, I tried to stretch but my muscles weren't really cooperating, so I saved that for later and came in to suffer through a quick ice bath. Which I think has really been helping!
I don't have my splits to update yet, but all in all it was a GREAT run. I haven't even been that sore this weekend and today.
HOWEVER: (this is where the post turns negative) Last night I started to notice that my lower back was really bothering me on my right side when I bent down or turned to the right.
It got worse as the night progressed and was so bad by the time I was going to sleep I could only prop myself up in bed with 3 pillows and not move. This morning I took a hot bath, and brought a heating pad to work and it seems to be helping some, but I am not back 100% yet. I have my big test tomorrow morning so I won't be running tonight (i.e. I will be cramming like a mo fo), so hopefully by resting another day I will be able to run tomorrow afternoon.
I have had problems with my back before, and I think that this one was triggered by my run, but ultimately caused by my horrible posture. It also probably doesn't help that I am not strength training or working on my core muscles. That stops today!
Gotta get back to work, but here are some pics of my Gnocchi and Chicken Vegetable Soup that I made last week. The soup had kale, corn, okra, carrots, onion, rotisserie chicken and gnocchi in it. It was pretty good I must say, and extremely simple!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Redemption!
Yesterday all day I was preoccupied with how my long run didn't go on Sunday. I even woke up in the middle of the night Sunday night and couldn't go back to sleep because I was thinking about it! I usually am off on Mondays, but I decided I had to try to do something yesterday afternoon to make up for the craptasticness of Sunday. Thank you all for your sweet and encouraging comments yesterday, you were all right! Bad runs definitely make the good ones all that much better :)
So after work I set out to do 12 miles at around 6 PM, perfect because of daylight savings time! And...the run went great!! I actually ending up cutting a few corners so it only came out to be 11.38, but that was fine by me because as it was, I was finishing up my run (through the not so nice areas) in the dark. Plus I really didn't want to push myself as I was pretty sore from the weekend.
I felt fab the entire run, and only started to get tired around mile 10. While I was running, I was thinking and realized that this was the longest run I have completed (without walking) since before I went to the wedding! No wonder I was having trouble with 17 miles.
Here are my totals and split times:
So my goals for this week (and most every week until taper time) are simple: to increase my mileage on my weekday runs. I just don't think I have been logging enough miles during the week to sustain my weekend long runs. I haven't figured out my schedule yet for this week, but I will let you know as soon as I do!
OH, I forgot to mention that I tried Yoga for Runners from YogaDownload.com on Sunday. Loved it! It was also nice because I did it around sunset out on our balcony, and I already told you how nice of a day it was on Sunday. I definitely think that helped me out yesterday, as well as drinking a TON of water throughout the day (about 64+ ounces). I will try to do it again tonight to stretch out, possibly download a new one too.
Monday's Dinner:
I didn't eat too much yesterday and was starving while I was out on my run. But when I got home--yeah, not so much. But I knew I needed to eat something to refuel me. I made Matt some Salmon baked in aluminum foil with onions and peppers, a baked potato, and some Steamfresh Southwestern Rice.
For me, I steamed up some Salmon with dill and garlic, nuked a Sweet Potato and added some Smart Balance Light butter, and had a small bowl of grapes. I finished it all but it took me a while! I absolutely love steamed fish. If you haven't tried it yet, you should!
I didn't get a picture of the sweet potato, but you all know what those look like. :) By the time that was ready, I was so dog tired all I could do was sit on the couch and spoon it into my mouth...but I actually haven't had a sweet potato baked like that, ever, so it was a pretty good treat. Usually I make baked fries out of them. This was much easier! (I actually used to hate sweet potatoes as a kid, one of the only foods I wouldn't eat! Never ate the casseroles at holidays...now I love them!)
This morning I am STUFFED from my oatmeal!
This time I added: About 1/3 cup oats, about 1/4 cup Vanilla Soy Milk Light, a dash of water, 1/2 scoop Soy Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 spoonful of Publix Chunky Natural PB, 1/2 banana (I ate the rest..), some pumpkin spice, Greek Honey, and some blueberries. Delish. I have some plums I want to start adding, but they're not quite ripe enough yet.
Today I think I will not be running. Instead I am going to do some yoga, ice my knees & shins, and study a bit. I am also going to make some Acorn Squash Risotto! I don't really have a recipe so hopefully it will turn out okay.
Wise Words From My Nana...
I was gchatting with my Nana this morning (yep, she's that hip) and I was telling her how worried I was about the race, and I will leave you with her sage advice:
So after work I set out to do 12 miles at around 6 PM, perfect because of daylight savings time! And...the run went great!! I actually ending up cutting a few corners so it only came out to be 11.38, but that was fine by me because as it was, I was finishing up my run (through the not so nice areas) in the dark. Plus I really didn't want to push myself as I was pretty sore from the weekend.
I felt fab the entire run, and only started to get tired around mile 10. While I was running, I was thinking and realized that this was the longest run I have completed (without walking) since before I went to the wedding! No wonder I was having trouble with 17 miles.
Here are my totals and split times:
| Time: | 01:59:48 |
| Distance: | 11.38 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 1,760 ft |
| Total Calories: | 1,293 C |
Avg Pace: 10:31 min/mi
Best Pace: 07:34 min/mi
Split | Total Time | Total Distance | Elevation Gain | Elevation Loss | Average Speed | Max Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | 01:59:48 | 11.38 | 1,760 | 1,703 | 10:31 | 07:34 |
| 1 | 00:09:56 | 1.00 | 110 | 60 | 09:56 | 08:23 |
| 2 | 00:10:00 | 1.00 | 84 | 68 | 10:00 | 08:41 |
| 3 | 00:10:08 | 1.00 | 235 | 248 | 10:08 | 08:19 |
| 4 | 00:10:19 | 1.00 | 137 | 196 | 10:19 | 07:34 |
| 5 | 00:10:36 | 1.00 | 177 | 55 | 10:36 | 09:52 |
| 6 | 00:10:29 | 1.00 | 148 | 49 | 10:29 | 09:24 |
| 7 | 00:10:32 | 1.00 | 101 | 166 | 10:32 | 09:40 |
| 8 | 00:11:09 | 1.00 | 166 | 126 | 11:09 | 09:34 |
| 9 | 00:10:56 | 1.00 | 32 | 151 | 10:56 | 09:53 |
| 10 | 00:11:05 | 1.00 | 150 | 151 | 11:05 | 09:25 |
| 11 | 00:10:50 | 1.00 | 344 | 364 | 10:50 | 08:03 |
| 12 | 00:03:42 | 0.38 | 77 | 69 | 09:50 | 08:17 |
So my goals for this week (and most every week until taper time) are simple: to increase my mileage on my weekday runs. I just don't think I have been logging enough miles during the week to sustain my weekend long runs. I haven't figured out my schedule yet for this week, but I will let you know as soon as I do!
OH, I forgot to mention that I tried Yoga for Runners from YogaDownload.com on Sunday. Loved it! It was also nice because I did it around sunset out on our balcony, and I already told you how nice of a day it was on Sunday. I definitely think that helped me out yesterday, as well as drinking a TON of water throughout the day (about 64+ ounces). I will try to do it again tonight to stretch out, possibly download a new one too.
Monday's Dinner:
I didn't eat too much yesterday and was starving while I was out on my run. But when I got home--yeah, not so much. But I knew I needed to eat something to refuel me. I made Matt some Salmon baked in aluminum foil with onions and peppers, a baked potato, and some Steamfresh Southwestern Rice.
For me, I steamed up some Salmon with dill and garlic, nuked a Sweet Potato and added some Smart Balance Light butter, and had a small bowl of grapes. I finished it all but it took me a while! I absolutely love steamed fish. If you haven't tried it yet, you should!
I didn't get a picture of the sweet potato, but you all know what those look like. :) By the time that was ready, I was so dog tired all I could do was sit on the couch and spoon it into my mouth...but I actually haven't had a sweet potato baked like that, ever, so it was a pretty good treat. Usually I make baked fries out of them. This was much easier! (I actually used to hate sweet potatoes as a kid, one of the only foods I wouldn't eat! Never ate the casseroles at holidays...now I love them!)
This morning I am STUFFED from my oatmeal!
This time I added: About 1/3 cup oats, about 1/4 cup Vanilla Soy Milk Light, a dash of water, 1/2 scoop Soy Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 spoonful of Publix Chunky Natural PB, 1/2 banana (I ate the rest..), some pumpkin spice, Greek Honey, and some blueberries. Delish. I have some plums I want to start adding, but they're not quite ripe enough yet.
Today I think I will not be running. Instead I am going to do some yoga, ice my knees & shins, and study a bit. I am also going to make some Acorn Squash Risotto! I don't really have a recipe so hopefully it will turn out okay.
Wise Words From My Nana...
I was gchatting with my Nana this morning (yep, she's that hip) and I was telling her how worried I was about the race, and I will leave you with her sage advice:
The best way to predict your future is to create it!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Big, Fat, Dissapointing 15 Miler
Saturday's Long Run:
When I set out to run my 17 miles yesterday morning (thank you for all the suggestions by the way, I agreed that 17 was probably the way to go!) I was feeling a bit nervous. I didn't sleep well, and my stomach was churning. I was worried that this would be my first bad long run of training season. Why? Well my legs were still kind of sore, I've been having problems with my shins, and I think I ate too much pasta Friday night :)
So I set out to run my 15 mile out and back, with an addition of 2 miles at the beginning. It was just horrible from start to finish. Up until about mile 10, I was okay, but not great. I had to keep taking walk breaks, which is something I rarely do.
Around mile 13 I had a mini meltdown when I started to doubt myself and my ability to actually complete this marathon. I started thinking about all of the people who know I'm training, and how stupid I would feel if at the last minute I wasn't able to do it. Or even worse, if I got to race day and had a run just like this one, where everything was just off. But what made me most upset, was how much I wanted this run (and this training in general) to go well, and how much I actually want to accomplish this marathon. I would be absolutely devastated if something happens and after all this training I still don't make it.
I kept going back and forth over whether I could continue on my route and finish up 17, walking where I had to, or if I should just cut it short and head home to make 15.
I decided that cutting it short was what I needed to do, and finally around the 14 mile mark, I had a little inspiration come my way.
Carolina Liar's "Show Me What I'm Looking For" came on my iPod, and the lyrics could not have been more perfect for what I needed to hear at that moment:
Save me, I’m lost
Oh lord, I’ve been waiting for you
I’ll pay any cost
Save me from being confused
Show me what I’m looking for
Don’t let go
I’ve wanted this far too long
Mistakes become regrets
I’ve learned to love abuse
Please show me what I’m looking for...
I love Carolina Liar, and this song is one of my faves. It definitely gave me that extra push that I needed to finish up my run and made me realize that not every run will be perfect. For your viewing pleasure:
After my craptastic run, I took an ice bath and then made some really great oatmeal! I used oats, 1/2 scoop soy vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, honey,milk & water, strawberries and a scoop of natural PB. This is my new favorite breakfast, I also had some this morning.
Today is my day off from running, and I have some serious studying to do tonight. I have been working on my weekend's to-do list, and got a lot accomplished on cleaning the apartment. We also went to the grocery store for this week's groceries, and spent a little bit more than last week, $84.77. But still not too bad considering we bought a few more things that were needed this week. Hopefully next week we can be back in the $60 range.
Thanks for everyone's support and input on my training, I need all the help I can get! It's getting closer and I hope that I can continue to improve and will feel 100% on race day. :) Hope everyone had a great weekend!
When I set out to run my 17 miles yesterday morning (thank you for all the suggestions by the way, I agreed that 17 was probably the way to go!) I was feeling a bit nervous. I didn't sleep well, and my stomach was churning. I was worried that this would be my first bad long run of training season. Why? Well my legs were still kind of sore, I've been having problems with my shins, and I think I ate too much pasta Friday night :)
So I set out to run my 15 mile out and back, with an addition of 2 miles at the beginning. It was just horrible from start to finish. Up until about mile 10, I was okay, but not great. I had to keep taking walk breaks, which is something I rarely do.
Around mile 13 I had a mini meltdown when I started to doubt myself and my ability to actually complete this marathon. I started thinking about all of the people who know I'm training, and how stupid I would feel if at the last minute I wasn't able to do it. Or even worse, if I got to race day and had a run just like this one, where everything was just off. But what made me most upset, was how much I wanted this run (and this training in general) to go well, and how much I actually want to accomplish this marathon. I would be absolutely devastated if something happens and after all this training I still don't make it.
I kept going back and forth over whether I could continue on my route and finish up 17, walking where I had to, or if I should just cut it short and head home to make 15.
I decided that cutting it short was what I needed to do, and finally around the 14 mile mark, I had a little inspiration come my way.
Carolina Liar's "Show Me What I'm Looking For" came on my iPod, and the lyrics could not have been more perfect for what I needed to hear at that moment:
Save me, I’m lost
Oh lord, I’ve been waiting for you
I’ll pay any cost
Save me from being confused
Show me what I’m looking for
Don’t let go
I’ve wanted this far too long
Mistakes become regrets
I’ve learned to love abuse
Please show me what I’m looking for...
I love Carolina Liar, and this song is one of my faves. It definitely gave me that extra push that I needed to finish up my run and made me realize that not every run will be perfect. For your viewing pleasure:
After my craptastic run, I took an ice bath and then made some really great oatmeal! I used oats, 1/2 scoop soy vanilla protein powder, cinnamon, honey,milk & water, strawberries and a scoop of natural PB. This is my new favorite breakfast, I also had some this morning.
Today is my day off from running, and I have some serious studying to do tonight. I have been working on my weekend's to-do list, and got a lot accomplished on cleaning the apartment. We also went to the grocery store for this week's groceries, and spent a little bit more than last week, $84.77. But still not too bad considering we bought a few more things that were needed this week. Hopefully next week we can be back in the $60 range.
Thanks for everyone's support and input on my training, I need all the help I can get! It's getting closer and I hope that I can continue to improve and will feel 100% on race day. :) Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Monday, February 16, 2009
15 MILES....Easy like Sunday mornin'
Good morning and happy Monday!!
I had a great weekend, although I am pretty exhausted this morning. We had company in from Maine Friday through Sunday so I didn't make it out to run Saturday, instead I got up and cooked a big breakfast for everyone of omelets, turkey bacon and toast! Simple, but it was very good.
Then we did the tourist thing Saturday and then the girls did some shopping for last minute VDay presents and cards. I just got the bf a nice chocolate bar and some Harry and David Chocolate Covered Bing Cherries (which if you have not tried, you simply MUST) and a fancy Papyrus card (LOVE Papyrus). We don't really do much for each other on VDay, he usually just gets me flowers and a card and we go out to dinner.
Saturday night we all got gussied up and went downtown for a double Valentine's date at the best Thai restaurant around, Basil. We knew the crowds would be hairy so we tried to get there as early as possible, and there was still a 2.5 hour wait!!
So we hopped back in the truck, went back home and had some drinks and chips and dip to tide us over! Then just hopped a cab so we wouldn't have to worry about parking again. Was way better than sitting at a bar waiting on our table.
The real event of the weekend was my 15 miler yesterday afternoon that I had been kind of worried about all week....and it went so well! I decided before I left that I would keep my pace around 10:30, even if I felt I could go faster, because I knew it would payoff in the end. It definitely did, as I even had some gas leftover to sprint a bit the last mile (nothing fancy, but at least I wasn't dying at the end). The weather was overcast, windy and cool at around 50 degrees F. I was actually a little chilly in shorts and a tank.
So here are the split times and totals:
Total Time: 02:38:03
I had a great weekend, although I am pretty exhausted this morning. We had company in from Maine Friday through Sunday so I didn't make it out to run Saturday, instead I got up and cooked a big breakfast for everyone of omelets, turkey bacon and toast! Simple, but it was very good.
Then we did the tourist thing Saturday and then the girls did some shopping for last minute VDay presents and cards. I just got the bf a nice chocolate bar and some Harry and David Chocolate Covered Bing Cherries (which if you have not tried, you simply MUST) and a fancy Papyrus card (LOVE Papyrus). We don't really do much for each other on VDay, he usually just gets me flowers and a card and we go out to dinner.
Saturday night we all got gussied up and went downtown for a double Valentine's date at the best Thai restaurant around, Basil. We knew the crowds would be hairy so we tried to get there as early as possible, and there was still a 2.5 hour wait!!
So we hopped back in the truck, went back home and had some drinks and chips and dip to tide us over! Then just hopped a cab so we wouldn't have to worry about parking again. Was way better than sitting at a bar waiting on our table.
The real event of the weekend was my 15 miler yesterday afternoon that I had been kind of worried about all week....and it went so well! I decided before I left that I would keep my pace around 10:30, even if I felt I could go faster, because I knew it would payoff in the end. It definitely did, as I even had some gas leftover to sprint a bit the last mile (nothing fancy, but at least I wasn't dying at the end). The weather was overcast, windy and cool at around 50 degrees F. I was actually a little chilly in shorts and a tank.
So here are the split times and totals:
Total Time: 02:38:03
Distance: 15.00 mi
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,454 ft / 1,463 ft
Calories: 1,707 C
I wasn't really all that impressed with the guy who fitted me at On the Run when I bought them, it was my first time shopping there and I don't think I will be heading back. I like to chit chat with the sales people when I go get new shoes, talk about races, what I'm training for, etc. and he just didn't really seem interested. He also didn't really help too much with picking out the right shoe for me. But who knows, maybe he was having a bad day. :) I guess I can give it one more try.
So then last night, my Nana drove down from Virginia, on her way to visit friends in Georgia, so her, me and the bf went out for a nice dinner at Vickery's on Shem Creek. The food was great, but the service was really slow...if we hadn't been so busy talking and catching up I would have been pretty upset. I got a cuban sandwhich and french fries, which was ok. We also shared artichoke dip with pitas and a fried green tomato tower for apps, both were delish!
So we had a late night of chatting and catching up, then some good coffee talk this morning.
I love my family! I don't see them enough. But I didn't sleep very well last night, as my legs were so sore and I couldn't seem to get comfortable! I am looking forward to having today off from running!
I think I am going to try an ice bath after next week's run, hopefully that will help.
Time to get to work! Hope everyone has a great start to their week.
Don't forget to enter to win some WIN sports detergent from Bobbi at NHerShoes!
Avg Pace: 10:32 min/mi
Max Pace: 07:30 min/mi
I got new sneakers on Friday, so I was super pumped about wearing those! I actually made the switch from Asics to Adidas, and I was kind of wondering how they would feel. At first they felt a lot better, with more support (of course any new shoe would feel better compared to my old ones) but as I kept running my arches were bothering me a bit, so I don't know how they're going to work out.| 1 | 00:10:58 | 1.00 mi | 10:58 min/mi | -- | -- | 111 C |
| 2 | 00:10:25 | 1.00 mi | 10:25 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 3 | 00:10:24 | 1.00 mi | 10:24 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 4 | 00:10:32 | 1.00 mi | 10:32 min/mi | -- | -- | 115 C |
| 5 | 00:10:43 | 1.00 mi | 10:43 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 6 | 00:10:44 | 1.00 mi | 10:44 min/mi | -- | -- | 115 C |
| 7 | 00:10:27 | 1.00 mi | 10:27 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 8 | 00:11:02 | 1.00 mi | 11:02 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 9 | 00:11:11 | 1.00 mi | 11:11 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 10 | 00:10:10 | 1.00 mi | 10:10 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 11 | 00:10:27 | 1.00 mi | 10:27 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 12 | 00:10:27 | 1.00 mi | 10:27 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 13 | 00:10:25 | 1.00 mi | 10:25 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 14 | 00:10:16 | 1.00 mi | 10:16 min/mi | -- | -- | 114 C |
| 15 | 00:09:47 | 1.00 mi | 09:46 min/mi | -- | -- | 112 C |
I wasn't really all that impressed with the guy who fitted me at On the Run when I bought them, it was my first time shopping there and I don't think I will be heading back. I like to chit chat with the sales people when I go get new shoes, talk about races, what I'm training for, etc. and he just didn't really seem interested. He also didn't really help too much with picking out the right shoe for me. But who knows, maybe he was having a bad day. :) I guess I can give it one more try.
So then last night, my Nana drove down from Virginia, on her way to visit friends in Georgia, so her, me and the bf went out for a nice dinner at Vickery's on Shem Creek. The food was great, but the service was really slow...if we hadn't been so busy talking and catching up I would have been pretty upset. I got a cuban sandwhich and french fries, which was ok. We also shared artichoke dip with pitas and a fried green tomato tower for apps, both were delish!
So we had a late night of chatting and catching up, then some good coffee talk this morning.
I love my family! I don't see them enough. But I didn't sleep very well last night, as my legs were so sore and I couldn't seem to get comfortable! I am looking forward to having today off from running!
I think I am going to try an ice bath after next week's run, hopefully that will help.
Time to get to work! Hope everyone has a great start to their week.
Don't forget to enter to win some WIN sports detergent from Bobbi at NHerShoes!
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