WARNING: Gross pictures of black toenails to ensue, so if that isn't your thing, leave this post now!
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Friday, March 25, 2011
The State of my Toes
Since training for the last two half marathons, my toes have endured some brutal bashing. I have been thinking for a while now that I think I may need a little more room in the toe box area due to the beating my toes take on long runs. I just bought a new pair of shoes in a half size larger, but I don't think they are for me, they're causing some ankle pain and I think they are going to have to go back to the store. I think I may end up with a half size larger in my beloved Mizuno Wave Inspire 6s or try something new again. But anything that can help stop the pain of my poor toes are enduring will be fabulous!
WARNING: Gross pictures of black toenails to ensue, so if that isn't your thing, leave this post now!
WARNING: Gross pictures of black toenails to ensue, so if that isn't your thing, leave this post now!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Running Reflections
Now that my third half marathon is over, and I've got the PR I've been chasing, it's given me some time to reflect on my running up to this point. I've learned a lot from running. I've learned a lot about what works for me and what doesn't. But, I still beat myself up after every race about everything I did wrong. Looking back on Sunday's race, I know I am capable of more.
So, what works: running with a handheld water bottle. This is my number one. I get thirsty, I need water. It doesn't seem to matter the distance, but especially now that the heat is setting in, even if it's just an easy 3 miler, and maybe it's a crutch, but I need my handheld. Fueling every 40-45 minutes or about every 4 miles. I thought I was pretty set on Chocolate Outrage GU as my fuel of choice, but I'm starting to think I may need to start testing some others, but the time frame is a definite keeper. Also, pre-run, I always need to fuel with an english muffin topped with natural peanut butter and some water. This seems to work best. Sweaty Bands over BondiBands, the BondiBands are just too thick and make me too hot. Lululemon Ta Ta Tamer sports bra. It's the best bra I have ever found and I now own 3 of them and I want a million more if I could afford them. I also find I like to stay as cool as possible, so good running shorts, I love my Mizuno Ascends, are a must. As well as wicking shirts/tanks.
What I need to work on: boinking out during a race mentally. This is always where I lose it. During training I am alone, I run my long runs, and I push myself to keep going and zone out to my music, and push myself to finish the distance left. During races, I lose it, I can't sustain my mental strength. I give in to fatigue and the old me in my head that says it's okay to walk, "you are tired," or "you've already gone so far, you need a break," then I see a bunch of other people walking, and I just follow them. I hate myself for it. I hate that I look at my Garmin and feel a false sense of security sometimes, like I did on Sunday, I knew I would get my PR and my goal, and that was good enough then when I was feeling so tired and achy, but today, it's not good enough, because I'm not happy with my performance, especially when I know I was capable of more.
So what can I do? I can work on fighting the "bad" voices and desires to slow down, to walk, to give in. Training is as much a mental aspect as a physical one and I obviously still have a way to go. I think a lot of factors also influence how well I do or don't do. Heat definitely is a big factor. I don't do well with heat. I also think I need to try a hat or visor maybe, something to shade my face when the sun is blazing, not just sunglasses. Also, I think I need to get refitted for shoes or go up a half size in my current Mizuno Wave Inspire 6s. While I love my shoes, when the temperature increases, and I am running longer distances, my feet seem to be swelling a lot more, and my second toes are hitting the top of the toebox and giving me black toenails and blisters on my left foot near the inner ball/toe area, despite my fancy Injinji toe socks. I'm also going to work on pacing better, not going out too fast, reserving energy, and all that jazz.
Hopefully, my new strategies work, and I can look back at a race and not be so critical of myself, however, I guess that's the point of racing right? To always improve and try to beat your previous PR. Next time though, I can definitely say, my #1 goal for the race will be to run a "smart race," and then PR of course!
So, what works: running with a handheld water bottle. This is my number one. I get thirsty, I need water. It doesn't seem to matter the distance, but especially now that the heat is setting in, even if it's just an easy 3 miler, and maybe it's a crutch, but I need my handheld. Fueling every 40-45 minutes or about every 4 miles. I thought I was pretty set on Chocolate Outrage GU as my fuel of choice, but I'm starting to think I may need to start testing some others, but the time frame is a definite keeper. Also, pre-run, I always need to fuel with an english muffin topped with natural peanut butter and some water. This seems to work best. Sweaty Bands over BondiBands, the BondiBands are just too thick and make me too hot. Lululemon Ta Ta Tamer sports bra. It's the best bra I have ever found and I now own 3 of them and I want a million more if I could afford them. I also find I like to stay as cool as possible, so good running shorts, I love my Mizuno Ascends, are a must. As well as wicking shirts/tanks.
What I need to work on: boinking out during a race mentally. This is always where I lose it. During training I am alone, I run my long runs, and I push myself to keep going and zone out to my music, and push myself to finish the distance left. During races, I lose it, I can't sustain my mental strength. I give in to fatigue and the old me in my head that says it's okay to walk, "you are tired," or "you've already gone so far, you need a break," then I see a bunch of other people walking, and I just follow them. I hate myself for it. I hate that I look at my Garmin and feel a false sense of security sometimes, like I did on Sunday, I knew I would get my PR and my goal, and that was good enough then when I was feeling so tired and achy, but today, it's not good enough, because I'm not happy with my performance, especially when I know I was capable of more.
So what can I do? I can work on fighting the "bad" voices and desires to slow down, to walk, to give in. Training is as much a mental aspect as a physical one and I obviously still have a way to go. I think a lot of factors also influence how well I do or don't do. Heat definitely is a big factor. I don't do well with heat. I also think I need to try a hat or visor maybe, something to shade my face when the sun is blazing, not just sunglasses. Also, I think I need to get refitted for shoes or go up a half size in my current Mizuno Wave Inspire 6s. While I love my shoes, when the temperature increases, and I am running longer distances, my feet seem to be swelling a lot more, and my second toes are hitting the top of the toebox and giving me black toenails and blisters on my left foot near the inner ball/toe area, despite my fancy Injinji toe socks. I'm also going to work on pacing better, not going out too fast, reserving energy, and all that jazz.
Hopefully, my new strategies work, and I can look back at a race and not be so critical of myself, however, I guess that's the point of racing right? To always improve and try to beat your previous PR. Next time though, I can definitely say, my #1 goal for the race will be to run a "smart race," and then PR of course!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
New PR - Germantown Half Marathon Recap
Third half marathon in one year is now over and in the books and I have finally broken my PR that I set last year at this same race. The PR I have been itching to break since setting it 364 days ago. Today's race was the polar opposite of last year's, last year it was pouring down rain and 44 degrees and dropping when the race started, and continued to rain and get colder as the race went on. This year it was sunny and 60 degrees at race start, perfect weather, except then it got really hot, really fast
My day started at 5 am when the alarm went off, I groggily got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen to make myself some coffee and a peanut butter english muffin. Race mornings I always worry about getting my digestive system going so I don't have to take any unexpected bathroom breaks during the race, unfortunately this doesn't always work out so well, as I learned at Disney Princess 3 weeks ago. I drank my coffee and ate my muffin and then got dressed in my new favorite tech tee (the Disney Princess Half race shirt), running shorts, Injinji toe socks, my good luck sparkly Sweaty Band, my favorite lululemon Ta Ta Tamer sports bra, and my Mizuno Wave Inspire 6 running shoes. I packed my SPIbelt, iPod, and Garmin, along with my Nathan Quickdraw handheld water bottle, and my favorite Chocolate Outrage GU, and we set off.
Last year we drove around for like 20 minutes looking for parking near the race, this year, we zipped right in. Last year, I stood in a port-a-potty line for 15 minutes and started the race 5 minutes late, this year, I found a real bathroom in a park on my way to the race start. What a difference a year makes! So this time I actually got to line up at the start and not be so stressed out. I chatted with some other racers and tried to get my head ready to run a good race and PR.
7:30 a.m. came and we were off! The first couple miles I was flying, I had to keep reminding myself to slow down or I was going to run out of steam. Mile 4 I decided to take my first GU and my first little walk break to eat the GU and refill my water bottle. I was feeling great though, I had conquered the major hills of the course, I had maintained sub-10 minute splits for all 4 miles, and I was right on target for a 2:10 finish. Somewhere between mile 4 and 5 my lungs started to bother me and I started having a tight feeling in my chest and the feeling like I wasn't getting enough air. I slowed down, got out my inhaler and used it. The heat was starting to kick in, and the sun was in my face even with my sunglasses on. I could feel it burning. But I pressed on. My lungs continued to bother me on the trek and I again used my inhaler at some point.
I got to Mile 6 and the aid station, I grabbed some Gatorade and more water to refill my bottle. On the opposite side some spectators were passing out beer, I didn't take any, but I thought it was funny, usually beer is reserved for after the race, not during it! Once I passed the aid station I noticed my shoes were coming untied, so I ducked to the side to retie them. I set off again, but then my shoes were too tight, so back to the side I went to adjust. Finally I passed over the midway timing pad (6.55 miles) and according to the official results, I crossed it at 1:07:27, running a 10:18 pace. When I got to mile 7, I told myself, "okay, only 6 more to go." By then though it was starting to wear on me and get pretty hot out. Somehow though, I kept going and I ran next to a girl who started talking to me, even though I had my headphones on. She was nice and she was saying now was when it started to get hard, and I said I know, I really wanted to walk, but I wanted to PR so bad. She told me to do it. That I could and that she'd run with me some. She was awesome! I ran my fastest mile then, 9:06, and took my GU again when I hit mile 8 and the next aid station. I again got some water to refill my bottle at the aid station and went on my way. Mile 9 we entered another park, and it was pretty uneventful except that it's the first time I finally gave in and walked for real a couple times, just for rest. No asthma, just plain tiredness and the feeling like I needed to stop for a little while.
Mile 10 I hit the wall, hard. I always seem to hit it there. But it was so hot, and by then I could feel my face burned. I should have put on sunscreen this morning. I dumped some of my water from my bottle on my face, and it helped a little, but not a lot. I tried to keep my mind off things, I tried to say, only 3 miles left, I tried to look at my watch and remind myself of my impending PR that I so desperately wanted. But my right hamstring was hurting, my left foot was hurting, I could feel a blister, and I just wanted to be done. I was at 10.40 miles and walking when I saw my friend from a few miles back again. She caught up to me and said come on, no walking, it's time to PR! She told me we could push each other to the finish. I was never more grateful to have someone. She told me her name was Ann and she was from Chicago, and it was her first time running this race. I told her about last year's and the horrid weather. We stuck together until we got to mile 11 and then I was feeling good again and she urged me to go on. With 2 miles left I was feeling like I could do it. I was trying to get back to my frame of mind from my training runs, where I always try to zone out for the last 2 miles and just let them click by, but still giving good effort. I managed to do pretty well, until I got to about 11.85 miles, I started getting a chill. It scared me. It was brutally hot out, about 75 degrees, yet I had goosebumps on my arms, and was actually cold. I was starting to think maybe I was getting dehydrated. I walked for a second to see if that helped me and sipped my water some and rubbed my arms. The chill went away and I kept going.
I hit the 12 mile mark and I knew I was in the home stretch now, only 1 mile left and time to give it all I had. I tried to go all out. My legs though couldn't go as fast as I wanted them to, but they kept going. Finally I rounded the corner and I saw mile 13 in sight and all the spectators. My legs hurt so much, especially the right hamstring and the darn left foot. I wanted to collapse. I didn't want to do the extra .1 mile. I started tearing up. The look on my face must have scared some spectators, because they were looking at me with such pity. I seriously was crying while running. But the flood of emotions just came out. I was in pain, but I was also finally breaking the PR I had worked so hard for. I sprinted from the mile 13 sign to the balloon arch and the finish line timing pads. My aunt was there and was yelling "GO, GO, GOOOO!!!" My watch said 2:14:24 as I crossed the finish line. Not the 2:10:xx I had hoped for, or the 2:08:xx I thought I was capable of at the beginning of the race, but still a PR and a decent time. Amazingly, my legs didn't feel like jello after crossing the finish line like they did last year, or even 3 weeks ago. I felt strong. Tired, a tad sore, but not completely flat out. More than anything I just wanted my shoes off. I made my way to the snack table and took 2 banana halves and 2 chocolate sandwich cookies and refilled my water bottle. Ate my snacks, then made our way to the car to finally get my shoes off.
Sure enough, I have 2 black toenails and a monster blister on my left foot. Taking off my shoes and putting on my flip flops never felt so good. My left knee also felt achy and clicky after the race. I made sure to rest and ice it. Overall though, I still feel good! Much better than expected.
Official results:
Garmin Splits:
My day started at 5 am when the alarm went off, I groggily got out of bed and made my way to the kitchen to make myself some coffee and a peanut butter english muffin. Race mornings I always worry about getting my digestive system going so I don't have to take any unexpected bathroom breaks during the race, unfortunately this doesn't always work out so well, as I learned at Disney Princess 3 weeks ago. I drank my coffee and ate my muffin and then got dressed in my new favorite tech tee (the Disney Princess Half race shirt), running shorts, Injinji toe socks, my good luck sparkly Sweaty Band, my favorite lululemon Ta Ta Tamer sports bra, and my Mizuno Wave Inspire 6 running shoes. I packed my SPIbelt, iPod, and Garmin, along with my Nathan Quickdraw handheld water bottle, and my favorite Chocolate Outrage GU, and we set off.
Last year we drove around for like 20 minutes looking for parking near the race, this year, we zipped right in. Last year, I stood in a port-a-potty line for 15 minutes and started the race 5 minutes late, this year, I found a real bathroom in a park on my way to the race start. What a difference a year makes! So this time I actually got to line up at the start and not be so stressed out. I chatted with some other racers and tried to get my head ready to run a good race and PR.
7:30 a.m. came and we were off! The first couple miles I was flying, I had to keep reminding myself to slow down or I was going to run out of steam. Mile 4 I decided to take my first GU and my first little walk break to eat the GU and refill my water bottle. I was feeling great though, I had conquered the major hills of the course, I had maintained sub-10 minute splits for all 4 miles, and I was right on target for a 2:10 finish. Somewhere between mile 4 and 5 my lungs started to bother me and I started having a tight feeling in my chest and the feeling like I wasn't getting enough air. I slowed down, got out my inhaler and used it. The heat was starting to kick in, and the sun was in my face even with my sunglasses on. I could feel it burning. But I pressed on. My lungs continued to bother me on the trek and I again used my inhaler at some point.
I got to Mile 6 and the aid station, I grabbed some Gatorade and more water to refill my bottle. On the opposite side some spectators were passing out beer, I didn't take any, but I thought it was funny, usually beer is reserved for after the race, not during it! Once I passed the aid station I noticed my shoes were coming untied, so I ducked to the side to retie them. I set off again, but then my shoes were too tight, so back to the side I went to adjust. Finally I passed over the midway timing pad (6.55 miles) and according to the official results, I crossed it at 1:07:27, running a 10:18 pace. When I got to mile 7, I told myself, "okay, only 6 more to go." By then though it was starting to wear on me and get pretty hot out. Somehow though, I kept going and I ran next to a girl who started talking to me, even though I had my headphones on. She was nice and she was saying now was when it started to get hard, and I said I know, I really wanted to walk, but I wanted to PR so bad. She told me to do it. That I could and that she'd run with me some. She was awesome! I ran my fastest mile then, 9:06, and took my GU again when I hit mile 8 and the next aid station. I again got some water to refill my bottle at the aid station and went on my way. Mile 9 we entered another park, and it was pretty uneventful except that it's the first time I finally gave in and walked for real a couple times, just for rest. No asthma, just plain tiredness and the feeling like I needed to stop for a little while.
Mile 10 I hit the wall, hard. I always seem to hit it there. But it was so hot, and by then I could feel my face burned. I should have put on sunscreen this morning. I dumped some of my water from my bottle on my face, and it helped a little, but not a lot. I tried to keep my mind off things, I tried to say, only 3 miles left, I tried to look at my watch and remind myself of my impending PR that I so desperately wanted. But my right hamstring was hurting, my left foot was hurting, I could feel a blister, and I just wanted to be done. I was at 10.40 miles and walking when I saw my friend from a few miles back again. She caught up to me and said come on, no walking, it's time to PR! She told me we could push each other to the finish. I was never more grateful to have someone. She told me her name was Ann and she was from Chicago, and it was her first time running this race. I told her about last year's and the horrid weather. We stuck together until we got to mile 11 and then I was feeling good again and she urged me to go on. With 2 miles left I was feeling like I could do it. I was trying to get back to my frame of mind from my training runs, where I always try to zone out for the last 2 miles and just let them click by, but still giving good effort. I managed to do pretty well, until I got to about 11.85 miles, I started getting a chill. It scared me. It was brutally hot out, about 75 degrees, yet I had goosebumps on my arms, and was actually cold. I was starting to think maybe I was getting dehydrated. I walked for a second to see if that helped me and sipped my water some and rubbed my arms. The chill went away and I kept going.
I hit the 12 mile mark and I knew I was in the home stretch now, only 1 mile left and time to give it all I had. I tried to go all out. My legs though couldn't go as fast as I wanted them to, but they kept going. Finally I rounded the corner and I saw mile 13 in sight and all the spectators. My legs hurt so much, especially the right hamstring and the darn left foot. I wanted to collapse. I didn't want to do the extra .1 mile. I started tearing up. The look on my face must have scared some spectators, because they were looking at me with such pity. I seriously was crying while running. But the flood of emotions just came out. I was in pain, but I was also finally breaking the PR I had worked so hard for. I sprinted from the mile 13 sign to the balloon arch and the finish line timing pads. My aunt was there and was yelling "GO, GO, GOOOO!!!" My watch said 2:14:24 as I crossed the finish line. Not the 2:10:xx I had hoped for, or the 2:08:xx I thought I was capable of at the beginning of the race, but still a PR and a decent time. Amazingly, my legs didn't feel like jello after crossing the finish line like they did last year, or even 3 weeks ago. I felt strong. Tired, a tad sore, but not completely flat out. More than anything I just wanted my shoes off. I made my way to the snack table and took 2 banana halves and 2 chocolate sandwich cookies and refilled my water bottle. Ate my snacks, then made our way to the car to finally get my shoes off.
Sure enough, I have 2 black toenails and a monster blister on my left foot. Taking off my shoes and putting on my flip flops never felt so good. My left knee also felt achy and clicky after the race. I made sure to rest and ice it. Overall though, I still feel good! Much better than expected.
Official results:
Garmin Splits:
Garmin Readout:
Some race photos:
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Half Training Week 11 Complete
This was my penultimate week before the Disney Princess Half, which is coming up so soon, Sunday February 27th. This was my highest mileage week, 22 total miles, and also included my longest run this training cycle, 11 miles. I'm still thinking after this race it will be time to replace my shoes, it's probably time now, but, I don't want to run the race in new shoes, silly I know, but they always tell you not to run a race in new gear, so I'll be abiding by this and making the half my last race in my trusty lime green Mizuno Wave Inspire 6's before I switch over to my new pink Inspire 6's that I bought on discount a couple months ago that are now waiting for me under the bed.
Monday began with an easy 5 miler, but it was anything but easy. My legs felt tired and heavy, my left shin was especially tight and achy still, I had to stop a mile into the run to stretch and massage it a little. Other than that I tried to keep the pace slower and mellow and just try to get it done. I was very happy when it was over and I could check it off my calendar this week.
Thursday I ended up doing my long run due to traveling over the weekend. I had 11 miles on the schedule and it seemed overwhelming at first, but I knew I could do it, I've done it before, I could do it again. The weather was about 67 degrees out and cloudy, but incredibly windy. Nothing hurt on this run and I felt great. I ended up taking one and a half Chocolate Outrage GUs, one at 3.37 miles and one at 6 miles. I carried my handheld water bottle, which I have been doing on most outdoor runs longer than 3 miles lately, and I refilled it when I took the GU at 6 miles. I love the handheld, I love being able to sip on water whenever I need it and not having to worry about finding a water fountain or ducking into a store or gas station or the gym. Overall, I think I kept a pretty steady pace, and I walked away from the run feeling like a bad ass, definitely confident that the PR I am so lusting after at Disney is possible! Here's hoping I have a good day that day!
Totals:
Monday: 5.06 miles, 51:38, 10:12 av pace
Tuesday: 6 miles, 59:34, 9:55 av pace
Thursday: 11 miles, 1:50:17, 10:01 av pace
Monday began with an easy 5 miler, but it was anything but easy. My legs felt tired and heavy, my left shin was especially tight and achy still, I had to stop a mile into the run to stretch and massage it a little. Other than that I tried to keep the pace slower and mellow and just try to get it done. I was very happy when it was over and I could check it off my calendar this week.
Tuesday was tempo day, Tempo Tuesday! I'm still unsure how I feel about tempo runs, part of me likes them, part of me loathes them. The goal for this one was 1 mile warm up, 4 miles at a 10:12 tempo pace, and 1 mile cooldown. I blew it out of the water! My left shin was still achy and tight, I stopped after mile 2 and stretched and massaged and loosened up and was fine. I kept the tempo miles at a fairly consistent pace (just look at those 9:4x splits) and mellowed it out for the cooldown. Overall, a great tempo!
Thursday I ended up doing my long run due to traveling over the weekend. I had 11 miles on the schedule and it seemed overwhelming at first, but I knew I could do it, I've done it before, I could do it again. The weather was about 67 degrees out and cloudy, but incredibly windy. Nothing hurt on this run and I felt great. I ended up taking one and a half Chocolate Outrage GUs, one at 3.37 miles and one at 6 miles. I carried my handheld water bottle, which I have been doing on most outdoor runs longer than 3 miles lately, and I refilled it when I took the GU at 6 miles. I love the handheld, I love being able to sip on water whenever I need it and not having to worry about finding a water fountain or ducking into a store or gas station or the gym. Overall, I think I kept a pretty steady pace, and I walked away from the run feeling like a bad ass, definitely confident that the PR I am so lusting after at Disney is possible! Here's hoping I have a good day that day!
Totals:
Monday: 5.06 miles, 51:38, 10:12 av pace
Tuesday: 6 miles, 59:34, 9:55 av pace
Thursday: 11 miles, 1:50:17, 10:01 av pace
Monday, February 14, 2011
Half Training Week 10 Complete
Another week done, glad it's over. This week was harder to get through thanks to 2 days of snow being dumped on us in my area, which in turn closes down the city, and I ended up doing some traveling which interfered with my long run plans. It was a hard week to get my mileage in and while I was supposed to get in 21 miles this week, I only ended up getting in 16 miles.
Tuesday I had a hectic day of running all around town, but I had to squeeze in 4 miles, so to the treadmill I went and pounded it out, 4 easy miles with negative splits.
Wednesday I got up early and needed to beat the snow and get in 7 miles of speed repeats. Holy moly was that hard! My left shin started aching and the gym was a sweatbox, I was literally soaking wet. I had to stop once during the run to stretch and adjust my shoe and rub my leg a little. I'm wondering if my shoes are starting to go, they only have around 200 miles on them, but the wear pattern on the outside of the left heel is pretty bad, the soles are pretty slick, and the left is what is bothering me, the right is fine and the right shoe is fine as well, so that's what's making me think maybe it's the shoe. The repeats were really a mental battle. It was supposed to be 1 mile warm up, half mile recovery jog, then 3 miles of speed repeats at 9:33 with half mile recovery jog between each, and then 1 mile cool down. I pounded it out though and victory was mine in the end.
Saturday I was supposed to take on 10 miles, it didn't happen. I was out of town and didn't pack the proper clothes to run outside, so my only option was a treadmill. Ten miles on a treadmill in a hot gym is just torture, plus my shin was still achy and truthfully, I wasn't properly fueled or in the right mindset to do such a long run. I made a deal with myself, crank out 5 miles, half the scheduled mileage, and call it a day. I did it and was just happy it was over, and even managed some negative splits, woohoo!
Tuesday I had a hectic day of running all around town, but I had to squeeze in 4 miles, so to the treadmill I went and pounded it out, 4 easy miles with negative splits.
Wednesday I got up early and needed to beat the snow and get in 7 miles of speed repeats. Holy moly was that hard! My left shin started aching and the gym was a sweatbox, I was literally soaking wet. I had to stop once during the run to stretch and adjust my shoe and rub my leg a little. I'm wondering if my shoes are starting to go, they only have around 200 miles on them, but the wear pattern on the outside of the left heel is pretty bad, the soles are pretty slick, and the left is what is bothering me, the right is fine and the right shoe is fine as well, so that's what's making me think maybe it's the shoe. The repeats were really a mental battle. It was supposed to be 1 mile warm up, half mile recovery jog, then 3 miles of speed repeats at 9:33 with half mile recovery jog between each, and then 1 mile cool down. I pounded it out though and victory was mine in the end.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
19 Miles Wrapped
This training week is now logged in the books, and it was an awesome week for the most part! I had 4 runs scheduled for this week, 2 easy 2 milers, a 6 mile tempo, and 9 mile long run to close out the week. I decided this week that even though I would be forced to do most of my runs on the dreadmill, I would still pull out the Garmin and use it to time my splits. Why this never occurred to me before that I could do this I have no idea, but this makes a number obsessed runner like me very happy, especially when I can see the negative split I so know that I am logging when I am toying with the treadmill speed. So I set off this week with all gear in hand and ran my little heart out.
Tuesday an easy 2 miler was on the schedule, I love running 2 milers. They are so easy and I feel like I can just go. I always tend to be pretty conservative throughout the first mile though, as I want to sufficiently warm up, and I don't want to deviate too far from an "easy" pace, after all it's not supposed to be a speedwork session, but still, I find them quite fun. My training plan says my "easy" pace should be 11:56 or something ridiculous like that, I think that is way too slow for me, so I always tend to go quite a bit faster than that, but using the Garmin to time the splits was awesome because now I was able to see just how much faster, something the Nike+ never allowed me to by just giving me the average pace. There was a bit of a conflict this go round with the Nike+ and the Garmin, and I don't know if it's because I was late on pushing the start on one of them, or because the Nike+ ended up needing to be recalibrated at the end of this run, but Nike+ says the run was 20:27 and an average pace of 10:13, Garmin says the run was 19:54 with 10:13 and 9:40 splits, making the average pace 9:56. Big difference there. But alas, I think it's because the last time the Nike+ was calibrated it was outside, not on the 'mill.
Thursday was a 6 mile tempo run, and it was the worst run of the week. I could not focus, I just could not get my head in the game or zone out. First off I had my right contact lens in inside out, so every time I would look out the corner of my eye, everything was blurry, plus it was pretty scratchy. Every mile was a struggle. I stopped several times to stretch, catch my breath, fiddle with my eye, towel off, finally at mile 4 I couldn't take it anymore and went into the restroom and fixed my contact.
Friday was another short and sweet 2 miler with a negative split. I accidentally hit the lap button on the Garmin twice, so that :06 should be added to the 9:58 for a split of 10:04. Felt awesome compared to yesterday's disastrous tempo attempt.
Today's 9 miler was probably the best run I have ever had! It was a cool 54 degrees out and partly sunny out, perfect running weather! I wore capris and a short sleeve Under Armour tee, it was a little cool at first, but I warmed up a few minutes in. I also ran with my hand held water bottle filled with water and took my Chocolate Outrage GU at halfway, 4.5 miles, and learned it is very difficult to try to eat the GU, chug down water, run, and breathe all at the same time, especially while your nose is clogged. I finally gave in and ending up walking for a few seconds after eating the GU at about 4.70 miles so I could fish my tissues out of my SPIbelt and blow my nose. I'm proud to say I paused only once, for about 15 seconds at about 6.25 miles or so to try to refill my water bottle at a water fountain, but the fountain did not work, so disappointed I went along with my almost empty bottle. Lesson learned, during the half I will need a larger bottle or I will need my aunt to switch out my bottle at about 6 miles, and maybe again somewhere else along the way, better have her carry two just in case. Also, check out those negative splits! Most of the run was comprised of negative splits, except for lap 5, which is where I had the brief walk break where I had the GU and blew my nose. Other than the water situation, the run was amazing and I felt great, I could have gone on for a few more miles, my legs felt great, I was in a zone, I credit it mostly to the weather, I think the weather definitely influences my run more than I think. I can't wait for this week, I'm hoping we have nice weather again when I tackle my 10 miler next weekend.
Tuesday: 2 miles, 19:54, 9:56 av pace
Thursday: 6 miles, 1:02:56, 10:29 av pace
Friday: 2.01 miles, 20:40, 10:17 av pace
Sunday: 9.01 miles, 1:30:42, 10:04 av pace
Total Miles: 19.02 miles, 3:14:12, 10:12 av pace
Tuesday an easy 2 miler was on the schedule, I love running 2 milers. They are so easy and I feel like I can just go. I always tend to be pretty conservative throughout the first mile though, as I want to sufficiently warm up, and I don't want to deviate too far from an "easy" pace, after all it's not supposed to be a speedwork session, but still, I find them quite fun. My training plan says my "easy" pace should be 11:56 or something ridiculous like that, I think that is way too slow for me, so I always tend to go quite a bit faster than that, but using the Garmin to time the splits was awesome because now I was able to see just how much faster, something the Nike+ never allowed me to by just giving me the average pace. There was a bit of a conflict this go round with the Nike+ and the Garmin, and I don't know if it's because I was late on pushing the start on one of them, or because the Nike+ ended up needing to be recalibrated at the end of this run, but Nike+ says the run was 20:27 and an average pace of 10:13, Garmin says the run was 19:54 with 10:13 and 9:40 splits, making the average pace 9:56. Big difference there. But alas, I think it's because the last time the Nike+ was calibrated it was outside, not on the 'mill.
Thursday was a 6 mile tempo run, and it was the worst run of the week. I could not focus, I just could not get my head in the game or zone out. First off I had my right contact lens in inside out, so every time I would look out the corner of my eye, everything was blurry, plus it was pretty scratchy. Every mile was a struggle. I stopped several times to stretch, catch my breath, fiddle with my eye, towel off, finally at mile 4 I couldn't take it anymore and went into the restroom and fixed my contact.
Friday was another short and sweet 2 miler with a negative split. I accidentally hit the lap button on the Garmin twice, so that :06 should be added to the 9:58 for a split of 10:04. Felt awesome compared to yesterday's disastrous tempo attempt.
Today's 9 miler was probably the best run I have ever had! It was a cool 54 degrees out and partly sunny out, perfect running weather! I wore capris and a short sleeve Under Armour tee, it was a little cool at first, but I warmed up a few minutes in. I also ran with my hand held water bottle filled with water and took my Chocolate Outrage GU at halfway, 4.5 miles, and learned it is very difficult to try to eat the GU, chug down water, run, and breathe all at the same time, especially while your nose is clogged. I finally gave in and ending up walking for a few seconds after eating the GU at about 4.70 miles so I could fish my tissues out of my SPIbelt and blow my nose. I'm proud to say I paused only once, for about 15 seconds at about 6.25 miles or so to try to refill my water bottle at a water fountain, but the fountain did not work, so disappointed I went along with my almost empty bottle. Lesson learned, during the half I will need a larger bottle or I will need my aunt to switch out my bottle at about 6 miles, and maybe again somewhere else along the way, better have her carry two just in case. Also, check out those negative splits! Most of the run was comprised of negative splits, except for lap 5, which is where I had the brief walk break where I had the GU and blew my nose. Other than the water situation, the run was amazing and I felt great, I could have gone on for a few more miles, my legs felt great, I was in a zone, I credit it mostly to the weather, I think the weather definitely influences my run more than I think. I can't wait for this week, I'm hoping we have nice weather again when I tackle my 10 miler next weekend.
Tuesday: 2 miles, 19:54, 9:56 av pace
Thursday: 6 miles, 1:02:56, 10:29 av pace
Friday: 2.01 miles, 20:40, 10:17 av pace
Sunday: 9.01 miles, 1:30:42, 10:04 av pace
Total Miles: 19.02 miles, 3:14:12, 10:12 av pace
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Another Running Week Down
Today officially marks 4 weeks until Disney Princess, and with that I wrapped up my 8th week of training, although it was really only my third complete week, even though I've trained over the last 8 weeks, before the last 3 weeks I had been skipping at least one run per week, and it was usually my scheduled long weekend run, I would just find myself too busy to complete it and life would get in the way. But, with crunch time and no more distractions, I've been able to really focus and just run. This week my training plan had me doing 16 miles, two easy 4 milers and a long run of 8 miles, but I decided I needed to add in some speedwork to make up for some lost time, so I turned the second easy 4 miler into a speedwork 5 miler, and ended the week with 17 miles.
Wednesday I began the week with an easy 4 miler on the treadmill, it was still pretty cold out, so I retreated indoors. I played my usual game of increase the speed at every mile and then go all out and sprint at the end. It works well for me and keeps the run interesting.
Thursday, the weather decided to become warmer, 50 and sunny and I just had to run outside. I miss running outside so much. As much as I am making peace with the dreadmill, and trying to keep it interesting, nothing beats being outdoors and having the fresh breeze on your face and seeing the trees and grass. I knew I had to go outside for my speed repeats. I was supposed to do 1 mile warm up, 1 mile at 9:45, 0.5 mile recovery, 1 mile at 9:45, 0.5 mile recovery, and 1 mile cool down. Well as you can see from my splits, I decided to go all out and ignore the recoveries and cool down. I tried, I really did, I slowed down, but I just had so much, momentum I had to keep going. And holy moly do you see that second mile split?! 9:14! What?!
Saturday it was 67 degrees, sunny and downright warm for running, I almost wish I had worn my shorts and tank top instead of capris and tshirt. But alas, I had an 8 miler on tap and there was no better way to get it done than outside in such awesome weather. When I got in my car it said it was 67, and the sun was bright and high in the afternoon, by the time I finished the run my car thermometer said it was 71 outside, which I believe, it was quite warm, like I said, shorts weather! Glad I had the sense to take my handheld water bottle with a Powerade/water mixture in it, I still downed it all and had to refill at about 6 miles, I was just so hot. I also refueled with my favorite Chocolate Outrage GU at mile 4, which is why you see that mile 5 split is so high, because I decided to walk to eat my GU and drink my drink, that was my only walk break, which I really didn't want to take, but at that point I was just so hot and my legs were getting really heavy/tired.
I had some weird potty issues going on too, I desperately needed to pee 1.5 miles in, which considering I always drink a ton of water, especially the morning before I run, but I always make sure to empty my bladder before beginning, but I guess it wasn't enough, so I had to stop, luckily I run in a place with plenty of public restroom facilities. When I started back up again I restarted the Nike+ but forgot to unpause the Garmin, I realized after I had gone about .35 miles that it wasn't ticking along and finally unpaused it. But I know that I'm stubborn and I wouldn't be quitting until the Garmin said 8 miles, so I would have to run that extra 0.35 mile. I kept along my merry way going along and sipping on my Powerade/water mix when I needed it, even though it was warm and not very thirst quenching. Finally at about 6.10 miles according to Nike+, 5.75 miles according to Garmin, I stopped again because I needed to pee again, plus I was having some left sided abdominal/ovary pain, no doubt caused by my endo, and my bottle was empty and I wanted to refill it with some water. So I ducked into the restroom and also refilled my bottle with some cold water from the fountain and then kept going. I ran another 1.25 miles without incident while chugging down the water, finally when I hit the last mile I decided I was going to push my limits and go all out. I've heard it's good to practice sprinting, especially at the end, that this can help you power through to the finish line, so I've really been trying to incorporate this into my runs lately, to finish strong instead of finishing feeling dead like I used to. So I turned on some fast paced music and just ran as fast as I could. You can see from the split, this strategy worked, as it was my fastest of all the 8 miles at 9:47. All in all I think it was a great run. I just wish I didn't have to stop those two times for restroom breaks and that my left side abdominal hadn't have been bothering me during the run, then I think it would have been perfect. Pacing was great though, if I can just go a couple seconds faster on race day, I will meet my goal of PRing the race at 2:15:xx.
So wrap up for the week:
Wednesday: 4 miles, 41:34, 10:18 av pace
Thursday: 5 miles (speed repeats), 48:49, 9:46 av pace
Saturday: 8 miles, 1:23:25, 10:25 av pace
Wednesday I began the week with an easy 4 miler on the treadmill, it was still pretty cold out, so I retreated indoors. I played my usual game of increase the speed at every mile and then go all out and sprint at the end. It works well for me and keeps the run interesting.
Thursday, the weather decided to become warmer, 50 and sunny and I just had to run outside. I miss running outside so much. As much as I am making peace with the dreadmill, and trying to keep it interesting, nothing beats being outdoors and having the fresh breeze on your face and seeing the trees and grass. I knew I had to go outside for my speed repeats. I was supposed to do 1 mile warm up, 1 mile at 9:45, 0.5 mile recovery, 1 mile at 9:45, 0.5 mile recovery, and 1 mile cool down. Well as you can see from my splits, I decided to go all out and ignore the recoveries and cool down. I tried, I really did, I slowed down, but I just had so much, momentum I had to keep going. And holy moly do you see that second mile split?! 9:14! What?!
Saturday it was 67 degrees, sunny and downright warm for running, I almost wish I had worn my shorts and tank top instead of capris and tshirt. But alas, I had an 8 miler on tap and there was no better way to get it done than outside in such awesome weather. When I got in my car it said it was 67, and the sun was bright and high in the afternoon, by the time I finished the run my car thermometer said it was 71 outside, which I believe, it was quite warm, like I said, shorts weather! Glad I had the sense to take my handheld water bottle with a Powerade/water mixture in it, I still downed it all and had to refill at about 6 miles, I was just so hot. I also refueled with my favorite Chocolate Outrage GU at mile 4, which is why you see that mile 5 split is so high, because I decided to walk to eat my GU and drink my drink, that was my only walk break, which I really didn't want to take, but at that point I was just so hot and my legs were getting really heavy/tired.
I had some weird potty issues going on too, I desperately needed to pee 1.5 miles in, which considering I always drink a ton of water, especially the morning before I run, but I always make sure to empty my bladder before beginning, but I guess it wasn't enough, so I had to stop, luckily I run in a place with plenty of public restroom facilities. When I started back up again I restarted the Nike+ but forgot to unpause the Garmin, I realized after I had gone about .35 miles that it wasn't ticking along and finally unpaused it. But I know that I'm stubborn and I wouldn't be quitting until the Garmin said 8 miles, so I would have to run that extra 0.35 mile. I kept along my merry way going along and sipping on my Powerade/water mix when I needed it, even though it was warm and not very thirst quenching. Finally at about 6.10 miles according to Nike+, 5.75 miles according to Garmin, I stopped again because I needed to pee again, plus I was having some left sided abdominal/ovary pain, no doubt caused by my endo, and my bottle was empty and I wanted to refill it with some water. So I ducked into the restroom and also refilled my bottle with some cold water from the fountain and then kept going. I ran another 1.25 miles without incident while chugging down the water, finally when I hit the last mile I decided I was going to push my limits and go all out. I've heard it's good to practice sprinting, especially at the end, that this can help you power through to the finish line, so I've really been trying to incorporate this into my runs lately, to finish strong instead of finishing feeling dead like I used to. So I turned on some fast paced music and just ran as fast as I could. You can see from the split, this strategy worked, as it was my fastest of all the 8 miles at 9:47. All in all I think it was a great run. I just wish I didn't have to stop those two times for restroom breaks and that my left side abdominal hadn't have been bothering me during the run, then I think it would have been perfect. Pacing was great though, if I can just go a couple seconds faster on race day, I will meet my goal of PRing the race at 2:15:xx.
So wrap up for the week:
Wednesday: 4 miles, 41:34, 10:18 av pace
Thursday: 5 miles (speed repeats), 48:49, 9:46 av pace
Saturday: 8 miles, 1:23:25, 10:25 av pace
Sunday, January 23, 2011
20 Mile Week Wrap Up
I did it, I ran my highest mileage week so far during training and I feel invincible! I began the week making up the 6 mile long run that I missed on Sunday on Monday, it was a really rough day for me for various reasons that I won't go into on here, but I found it incredibly cathartic to "run it out." The treadmill hasn't been easy for me lately, in fact it's been pretty rough, but Monday it was all clicking and I felt like I could just go for miles and miles and that I did as the miles kept clicking by on that red treadmill screen. To break up the monotony I played a game with myself, every mile I increased the speed by 0.1, worked well for the most part, except the last mile I was exhausted and decided to cool down by mostly speed walking. Only downside? I got some chaffing in a pretty painful/unmentionable area thanks to my shorts. I'm telling you, running is not the sport for the faint of heart or those easily embarrassed.
Wednesday I got back at it and tacked an easy 2 miles, this time to break up the monotony again I started off the first mile at a slower pace, and then increased my speed by 0.2 when I hit the first mile, then another 0.2 when I hit 1.5 miles, I held that pace until 1.75 miles, and then increased my speed by 0.1 every 100 meters until the end. It was quick and fun and I felt like I could keep going, but I didn't want to overdo it.
Thursday was tempo day. I usually suck at tempo runs. A tempo run is where you start off slow and build your pace into the run, which come to think of it, I guess that's kind of what I've been doing the last few days with my little "games" on the treadmill, but then you are supposed to hold the pace for a set number of miles, according to my training plan, today I was supposed to do 5 miles, 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at 10:19, and then a mile cool down. So that's what I did. Holding the pace for the third mile was tough, I wanted to quit, I wanted to walk for a second, just a second. I was hot and sweaty and the snow was coming down outside and I knew the roads were going to be getting bad to go home, but I pressed on, and I fought the "wall" and I won.
Today wrapped up my week with a long run. My training plan always tells me my long run pace should be something like 11:56, which I think is ridiculous, if I'm supposed to run the race in 5 weeks at a 10:23 pace, how the heck am I supposed to train doing long runs at 11:56?! It's absurd. So I always decide to go faster and push myself more. I again decided to go to the gym and get on the treadmill, but I wish I would have checked the weather outside first, because it was a balmy 47 degrees, perfect for running, I never thought in a million years this Florida girl would think 47 degrees was warm to run in, but seriously, 47 is like awesome, 55 is ideal though, but oh well, I was already dressed for the gym and I didn't have my Garmin or my hand-held water bottle, so off to the gym I went. I started off slow and steady, clicked off 3.5 miles and then took a break to eat my Chocolate Outrage GU, drink some water, refill my water bottle, stretch a little, use the bathroom, and reset the machine since I knew it would reset at an hour anyway and I was already at a little over 38 minutes. Then I started back up and increased the speed for the second half. I hit the wall somewhere around 4.5 miles. I wanted to walk so bad. I wanted to quit, 4.5 miles was enough right? Who cares that I was supposed to do 7? I had already run 13 miles this week, plus the 4.5 I had just done, why should I keep going? It was so hard, my legs were fine, physically I was fine, but mentally, I was struggling. I decided to distract myself with thoughts of a baby and creating a nursery in my head even though this is still months and months away for Hubs and I, that lasted for about half a mile and got me out of the slump and then I had a mile to go, and usually when I hit the last mile I can power through. I hit that last mile and decided to start cooling down, so I lowered the speed back down to about 5.6, but then I had to walk for a second. I didn't want to walk. I felt a brief twinge for having to walk for a sec. I kept telling myself "you're a runner, not a run/walker" but then I hit 5.5 miles, so with half a mile left I kicked the speed back up and decided I was going to finish strong. I played the same game I played the other day, when the voice on the Nike+ told me I had 400 meters left, I bumped the speed up 0.1, and I kept increasing it every 100 meters until I was flying at the end and it worked, I was up to an 8:12 pace at the end, that's sprinting for me! I'm glad I finished strong.
I came home and noticed the top of my second toe on my right foot is incredibly bruised, and the same toe on the left ended up with a giant blister, which is odd considering I wear special running toe socks to prevent blisters. My quads and hamstrings were incredibly tight too, so I stretched and foam rolled and feel so much better now. But I am so proud of myself for getting in 20 miles this week! And I am really happy that next week is only a 16 mile week ;-)
Monday: 6 miles, 1:07:33, 11:14 average pace.
Wednesday: 2 miles, 20:50, 10:22 average pace.
Thursday: 5 miles (tempo), 52:27, 10:29 average pace.
Sunday: 7.09 miles, 1:15:51, 10:41 average pace.
Wednesday I got back at it and tacked an easy 2 miles, this time to break up the monotony again I started off the first mile at a slower pace, and then increased my speed by 0.2 when I hit the first mile, then another 0.2 when I hit 1.5 miles, I held that pace until 1.75 miles, and then increased my speed by 0.1 every 100 meters until the end. It was quick and fun and I felt like I could keep going, but I didn't want to overdo it.
Thursday was tempo day. I usually suck at tempo runs. A tempo run is where you start off slow and build your pace into the run, which come to think of it, I guess that's kind of what I've been doing the last few days with my little "games" on the treadmill, but then you are supposed to hold the pace for a set number of miles, according to my training plan, today I was supposed to do 5 miles, 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at 10:19, and then a mile cool down. So that's what I did. Holding the pace for the third mile was tough, I wanted to quit, I wanted to walk for a second, just a second. I was hot and sweaty and the snow was coming down outside and I knew the roads were going to be getting bad to go home, but I pressed on, and I fought the "wall" and I won.
Today wrapped up my week with a long run. My training plan always tells me my long run pace should be something like 11:56, which I think is ridiculous, if I'm supposed to run the race in 5 weeks at a 10:23 pace, how the heck am I supposed to train doing long runs at 11:56?! It's absurd. So I always decide to go faster and push myself more. I again decided to go to the gym and get on the treadmill, but I wish I would have checked the weather outside first, because it was a balmy 47 degrees, perfect for running, I never thought in a million years this Florida girl would think 47 degrees was warm to run in, but seriously, 47 is like awesome, 55 is ideal though, but oh well, I was already dressed for the gym and I didn't have my Garmin or my hand-held water bottle, so off to the gym I went. I started off slow and steady, clicked off 3.5 miles and then took a break to eat my Chocolate Outrage GU, drink some water, refill my water bottle, stretch a little, use the bathroom, and reset the machine since I knew it would reset at an hour anyway and I was already at a little over 38 minutes. Then I started back up and increased the speed for the second half. I hit the wall somewhere around 4.5 miles. I wanted to walk so bad. I wanted to quit, 4.5 miles was enough right? Who cares that I was supposed to do 7? I had already run 13 miles this week, plus the 4.5 I had just done, why should I keep going? It was so hard, my legs were fine, physically I was fine, but mentally, I was struggling. I decided to distract myself with thoughts of a baby and creating a nursery in my head even though this is still months and months away for Hubs and I, that lasted for about half a mile and got me out of the slump and then I had a mile to go, and usually when I hit the last mile I can power through. I hit that last mile and decided to start cooling down, so I lowered the speed back down to about 5.6, but then I had to walk for a second. I didn't want to walk. I felt a brief twinge for having to walk for a sec. I kept telling myself "you're a runner, not a run/walker" but then I hit 5.5 miles, so with half a mile left I kicked the speed back up and decided I was going to finish strong. I played the same game I played the other day, when the voice on the Nike+ told me I had 400 meters left, I bumped the speed up 0.1, and I kept increasing it every 100 meters until I was flying at the end and it worked, I was up to an 8:12 pace at the end, that's sprinting for me! I'm glad I finished strong.
I came home and noticed the top of my second toe on my right foot is incredibly bruised, and the same toe on the left ended up with a giant blister, which is odd considering I wear special running toe socks to prevent blisters. My quads and hamstrings were incredibly tight too, so I stretched and foam rolled and feel so much better now. But I am so proud of myself for getting in 20 miles this week! And I am really happy that next week is only a 16 mile week ;-)
Monday: 6 miles, 1:07:33, 11:14 average pace.
Wednesday: 2 miles, 20:50, 10:22 average pace.
Thursday: 5 miles (tempo), 52:27, 10:29 average pace.
Sunday: 7.09 miles, 1:15:51, 10:41 average pace.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Running Updates
I haven't updated in a while, mostly because I was slacking, badly, on my training plan for my upcoming half marathon. I was slacking so bad, I began to question if I would in fact be able to run the race, let alone PR it. When I registered back in October, I designed myself an 18 week training plan, but thanks to procrastination, weeks came and went and I wasn't sticking to my mileage goals. Soon enough I was 12 weeks out and decided it was time to get serious, worst timing ever though, right before the holidays, let's just say, I skipped out on quite a few runs in those first 3-4 weeks. Now, the race is less than 6 weeks out, and I have finally found my groove again these last couple weeks. Between the cold, snowy weather, and coming down with a nasty cold, I never thought I'd get my running legs back, it's been such a struggle, but this week was definitely the turning point. This week I found my renewed motivation. I'm even running with ease on the "dreadmill." So far this week I'm up to 13 miles, including a 6 miler on Monday, a fast 2 miler on Wednesday, and a 5 mile tempo run today, still on tap is a 7 mile long run this weekend, and my speeds are finally creeping back up and getting back up to where they need to be on race day. I'm feeling confident and renewed. I can totally do this! I'll be back at the end of the week with a full week recap.
Monday, January 03, 2011
2010 Running Recap
I debated doing this post or not, but since 2010 really was my year of running, I decided to go ahead with it. As most of you who read this blog regularly know, I love analyzing numbers when it comes to my runs, so it should be no surprise that at year's end I had to know where I stood numbers-wise. Unfortunately, my iPod had been having some battery issues for the last several months, it would die about 10-15 minutes into a run, making it difficult to keep track with the Nike+, which even though I use my Garmin on all outdoor runs, I was still using the Nike+ as well since that's how I kept track throughout the year prior to September. But have no fear, Santa, brought me a brand new iPod Nano for Christmas, so I'm all set for 2011 in utilizing both Nike+ and Garmin in all my running adventures! Anyway, thanks to my awesome Garmin, plus using the data from January through June (since I took the summer off and resumed running in September after I got my Garmin) from Nike+, and some simple math, I was able to come up with some totals, yay!
Distance: 271 miles
Average Pace: 10:48 min/mi
January
January was a pretty strong month, lots of half marathon training, and the fastest month pace wise.
February
February was my highest mileage month, almost 87 miles! It was also the height of half marathon training and my knee began acting up, signaling overuse and the reg flag that I probably needed to be professionally fitted for shoes. Which I did the next month and haven't looked back since!
March
March led me to my first half marathon, I finished in 2:21:53 in brutal conditions, pouring down driving rain and about 40 degrees the whole time, not fun, but I did it! And I felt like a rock star after crossing that finish line!
April
April was another pretty strong month, I began training for the Inaugural Navy Ten Nautical Miler but also began working, so trying to find a balance became a bit of challenge. I also ran the Spring Stampede 5K and set a new PR for that distance which I was unable to beat the rest of year, it still stands at 29:05.
I didn't run at all in May =(
June
June brought with it the Inaugural Navy Ten Nautical Miler, which was about 11.5 statute miles. I was severely undertrained for this race. After I began working in late April and the flood our town experienced at the beginning of May which shut down the gym, and then traveling, it was difficult for me to get back on track, it was a huge regret of mine that I did not do better in this race. Granted it was hot out, but if I had trained better I think I could have come in sub 2 hours on this one, but alas, I finished in 2:24:20, 12th out of 15 in my age group, pitiful. I walked so much of this race it's embarrassing, and I ended up with a nasty blister and my first ever black toe nail thanks to this race. Still, the medal was awesome and I hope to PR it in 2011.
I took the summer off, what a mistake that was. Life just seemed to get in the way, plus my endo pain always seemed to derail my good intentions of wanting to run, and physically did not allow me to. September came and brought with it my Garmin and new motivation to get back on track, but I only seemed to have run 2 miles in September according to my Garmin.
October
October I got back into the swing of things, but still wasn't full steam. I also registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon and began running with my Garmin and compared it to the Nike+ and learned the joys of negative splits.
November
November was a tough month, I got my endo diagnosis and didn't feel much like running. I did run one disastrous race, a Turkey Trot 5k, which has been my worst race to date. It was also cold and rainy and not very conducive to running outside, and I hate the treadmill.
December
December was a busy month, like it usually is. Unfortunately it wasn't filled with as much running as it should have been. I'm already slacking on my Disney Princess training plan. But alas, I closed out the year with 15 miles for the month and a super hilly 3 miler on the 30th.
All in all I'm satisfied with my running accomplishments in 2010. I would have loved to have seen a higher total mileage for the year and a faster pace, but then again, I know I didn't put forth my best effort, especially after taking off the entire summer and not being as dedicated as I was the first half of the year. So what's the plan for 2011? I plan to increase my mileage, I'd like to at least see that total for the year doubled. I also want to work on getting faster, and the only way to do either of these things is to truly dedicate myself to running more. Here's to setting some new PRs and wearing out a couple pairs of shoes in the next 365 days!
Distance: 271 miles
Average Pace: 10:48 min/mi
January
February
March
April
I didn't run at all in May =(
June
I took the summer off, what a mistake that was. Life just seemed to get in the way, plus my endo pain always seemed to derail my good intentions of wanting to run, and physically did not allow me to. September came and brought with it my Garmin and new motivation to get back on track, but I only seemed to have run 2 miles in September according to my Garmin.
October
October I got back into the swing of things, but still wasn't full steam. I also registered for the Disney Princess Half Marathon and began running with my Garmin and compared it to the Nike+ and learned the joys of negative splits.
November
November was a tough month, I got my endo diagnosis and didn't feel much like running. I did run one disastrous race, a Turkey Trot 5k, which has been my worst race to date. It was also cold and rainy and not very conducive to running outside, and I hate the treadmill.
December
December was a busy month, like it usually is. Unfortunately it wasn't filled with as much running as it should have been. I'm already slacking on my Disney Princess training plan. But alas, I closed out the year with 15 miles for the month and a super hilly 3 miler on the 30th.
All in all I'm satisfied with my running accomplishments in 2010. I would have loved to have seen a higher total mileage for the year and a faster pace, but then again, I know I didn't put forth my best effort, especially after taking off the entire summer and not being as dedicated as I was the first half of the year. So what's the plan for 2011? I plan to increase my mileage, I'd like to at least see that total for the year doubled. I also want to work on getting faster, and the only way to do either of these things is to truly dedicate myself to running more. Here's to setting some new PRs and wearing out a couple pairs of shoes in the next 365 days!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Week 3 Training Complete
I'll admit, it's been hard getting back on track with training. Between my constant asthma, and the darn ovarian cyst, running hasn't been the most enjoyable lately. The first two weeks of this training plan, running was sparse and I didn't meet my mileage goals. But this week, I was bound and determined to meet them, one way or another. The weather has been pretty nice out, in the high 50s and 60s, and sunny, perfect for running. Plus, it helped that Hubs was able to do 2 or my 3 runs with me this week.
I've pretty much decided I hate our neighborhood for running for two reasons, dogs and hills. I went out alone on Wednesday, and right off at a little passed the half mile mark, a huge white dog was in the middle of the road growling viciously at me ready to attack. I've mentioned it before, but I'm terrified of big dogs, especially mean ones that growl and threaten. Anyway, I had to stop and spent about two minutes according to the Garmin deciding what to do, I did stop the timer, but it still measures it as "elapsed time" but doesn't effect the average pace or anything like that. Luckily, a neighbor was out in his garage and I asked him if it was his dog, he said no, but knew who the dog belonged to and said it wouldn't bite and told it to go home, and by the time I finished talking to him, the dog has returned home and left me alone. Two miles logged for Wednesday in 22:01.
Overall, I completed 9.01 miles this week, right on target with my training plan. Here's hoping I can stick with it for this next week!
I've pretty much decided I hate our neighborhood for running for two reasons, dogs and hills. I went out alone on Wednesday, and right off at a little passed the half mile mark, a huge white dog was in the middle of the road growling viciously at me ready to attack. I've mentioned it before, but I'm terrified of big dogs, especially mean ones that growl and threaten. Anyway, I had to stop and spent about two minutes according to the Garmin deciding what to do, I did stop the timer, but it still measures it as "elapsed time" but doesn't effect the average pace or anything like that. Luckily, a neighbor was out in his garage and I asked him if it was his dog, he said no, but knew who the dog belonged to and said it wouldn't bite and told it to go home, and by the time I finished talking to him, the dog has returned home and left me alone. Two miles logged for Wednesday in 22:01.
Friday's run was a three miler. Hubs and I set out just before sundown and again set out to conquer the hills in the neighborhood. This time, only one dog attacked, but it licked me to death as I was walking up the super hill at the mile mark. I think he likes to play, but I still wish people would learn to keep their pets put away, it's not safe to let them roam, and it makes me feel unsafe to run when I'm constantly worried that a dog is going to come after me. The first mile was pretty good, I only took one short walk break up monster hill. Mile 2 was about the same. Mile 3 was where I fell apart. I was tired, out of breath, and just felt like walking. Overall, we did 3 miles in 34:53.
Today's four miler was the best of the week, I'm attributing it to changing it up and going to base to run. First off, it's flat, secondly, there are no dogs to worry about. We cranked out four steady miles in 40:44, we pretty even splits of 9:55, 10:19, 10:30, and 9:57. I didn't walk once. I slowed down at the 2 mile mark when we passed a water fountain to take a sip, and the silly thing didn't work, and then we had to stop at 3.70 miles for a minute because Retreat came on and everyone outside on base has to stop and face the flag. It felt so good to get in a solid run.
Overall, I completed 9.01 miles this week, right on target with my training plan. Here's hoping I can stick with it for this next week!
Friday, November 05, 2010
Disaster: Turkey Trot 5k 2010 Recap
That's the only way to describe today's race, disaster. It was freezing this morning, about 40 degrees and windy. I wore my Under Armour Cold Gear, wicking yoga pants, and Bondi Band over my ears, and was still a little chilled. There were no directions on how to get to the race, Hubs signed us up, and instead of asking exactly where the race was being held, just got a vague idea of the location. Of course we were running late getting there, and then getting lost pushed us back even further. As we pulled into the parking lot the runners were all lining up at the start. I'm already a nervous wreck before a race starts, so this just sent me into a tail spin. We ran to get our numbers and quickly pinned them on as the runners took off.
We hopped in to the flow of racers, I didn't have my iPod, but no big deal, I've been running without it quite a bit lately. I did remember to throw my inhaler in my pocket, and I was sure glad I did, because about a mile into it, I needed it. I was wheezing. My Garmin took forever to start up, another casualty of starting late, so my timing and distance aren't accurate on my upload. The first mile we were cruising, while I was stressed and it was difficult to breathe, we made good time, we finished that mile in a speedy 8:57. I had remembered to disable the autolap function on the Garmin before the race, I accidentally hit the lap button twice though at that first mile, so that why you'll see 5 laps on the report. I wanted to measure the accuracy of the race and lap it myself at the mile markers, the problem with that was when the Garmin had the issue starting up, it only registered that first mile as 0.70, oh well. We cruised on through to the halfway water stop, where we stopped for a second and drank our little Dixie cup of water. After that things fell apart.
The second half of the race I lost it. I was well on my way to meeting my goal of coming in under 29 minutes, and I just lost it. I couldn't do it. Coming back from the water stop my side started to hurt. I mentioned before I've been having some medical problems lately, one of those problems is a fairly large ovarian cyst that's been causing quite a bit of issues lately. Well, the damn thing decided that right then was when it was going to act up. It felt like a knife was cutting through my side. Then, I got another asthma attack. Another couple hits on the inhaler, and it was a lot more walking. I felt like such a failure. I don't know why I can't mentally push through these things. The first half is always so easy, and then I always fall apart when I should be finishing strong.
According to the Garmin, we finished the second mile in 11:42, and the third mile in 13:58, and instead of it being .10 to the finish it was .23 and we did that in 2:50, overall, it took us 37:11, although the Garmin says the "Moving Time" was 34:17, not sure what that means. I do know I didn't stop the Garmin until we got inside and had already crossed the finish line, maybe 30 seconds or so. According to the official results our time was 38:11, but there was no timing chip, that was a stop watch, and we started at least a minute or more late, I'm guessing more like 2 minutes late.
When we got home I realized I couldn't find my headphones, somehow they weren't in my purse where I'd left them, and since I didn't use my iPod, I didn't know where they could be. I searched the car and still couldn't find them. I ended up going back to the race site. Turns out they had fallen out of my purse when I had moved my purse from the front seat of my car to the trunk. Luckily I found them.
Right now, I'm hoping the medical issues get resolved in a timely manner, and I can work on keeping together to better train for the Disney Princess Half, and work on the mental aspects of running and speed.
We hopped in to the flow of racers, I didn't have my iPod, but no big deal, I've been running without it quite a bit lately. I did remember to throw my inhaler in my pocket, and I was sure glad I did, because about a mile into it, I needed it. I was wheezing. My Garmin took forever to start up, another casualty of starting late, so my timing and distance aren't accurate on my upload. The first mile we were cruising, while I was stressed and it was difficult to breathe, we made good time, we finished that mile in a speedy 8:57. I had remembered to disable the autolap function on the Garmin before the race, I accidentally hit the lap button twice though at that first mile, so that why you'll see 5 laps on the report. I wanted to measure the accuracy of the race and lap it myself at the mile markers, the problem with that was when the Garmin had the issue starting up, it only registered that first mile as 0.70, oh well. We cruised on through to the halfway water stop, where we stopped for a second and drank our little Dixie cup of water. After that things fell apart.
The second half of the race I lost it. I was well on my way to meeting my goal of coming in under 29 minutes, and I just lost it. I couldn't do it. Coming back from the water stop my side started to hurt. I mentioned before I've been having some medical problems lately, one of those problems is a fairly large ovarian cyst that's been causing quite a bit of issues lately. Well, the damn thing decided that right then was when it was going to act up. It felt like a knife was cutting through my side. Then, I got another asthma attack. Another couple hits on the inhaler, and it was a lot more walking. I felt like such a failure. I don't know why I can't mentally push through these things. The first half is always so easy, and then I always fall apart when I should be finishing strong.
According to the Garmin, we finished the second mile in 11:42, and the third mile in 13:58, and instead of it being .10 to the finish it was .23 and we did that in 2:50, overall, it took us 37:11, although the Garmin says the "Moving Time" was 34:17, not sure what that means. I do know I didn't stop the Garmin until we got inside and had already crossed the finish line, maybe 30 seconds or so. According to the official results our time was 38:11, but there was no timing chip, that was a stop watch, and we started at least a minute or more late, I'm guessing more like 2 minutes late.
When we got home I realized I couldn't find my headphones, somehow they weren't in my purse where I'd left them, and since I didn't use my iPod, I didn't know where they could be. I searched the car and still couldn't find them. I ended up going back to the race site. Turns out they had fallen out of my purse when I had moved my purse from the front seat of my car to the trunk. Luckily I found them.
Right now, I'm hoping the medical issues get resolved in a timely manner, and I can work on keeping together to better train for the Disney Princess Half, and work on the mental aspects of running and speed.
