It's My Thing...

Doubts... and I as ready as I was on 2008?

2011-10-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

So, I know we are 3+ weeks out, and the taper-madness includes self-doubts, but I am wondering if I ran enough, did enough LR, etc. So, I retrieved my data from the Pig training in 2008, and here is what I came up with.

1) Pig training was longer training cycle, so included 18 weeks, instead of 14, and more longer runs. Also, I think I did more speedwork in 2008.

2) Since I did a 12 week plan, and last two weeks will be a taper, I compared the 'meat' of the programs: the 10 weeks before the taper. Interestingly enough, the average mpw in 2008 was 40.1 and 2011 is 44 mpw. (in 2008 I did have an off week of just 26 miles while out West skiing)

So, then I compared LR averages over the same period and found them both to be 16 miles average LR distance. So, I am feeling a bit better about my preparation. I also have the Master's Swim program workouts which will end up being about 5 weeks of the training program, so that is good speedwork as well.

This week I am feeling pretty beat up: the renovation project is going well, but it is REALLY old having people in the house from 7:30-4:00 M-Friday. I also swam again this week (3000 yards) and that 2 hours of sleep always hits me on Wednesdays.

Onward and upward!

4 weeks to go....

2011-10-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

And training has been great. Here is what the past 3 weeks looked like:

9/19-9-25
M: 11M: 1M recovery, 6M progression (9:27) 4M@MP 8:38
T: recovery 4.9 M @ 10:12
W: LR: 15M in Mt. Lebanon @ 9:34
F: MLR: 11M @ 9:30
S: recovery 5.25 M # 10:17
mpw: 48

9/26-10/2 (Vegas M-T)
M: 10M w/3M @ MP MP@ 8:40, 7M @ 9:35
T: 7M easy @ 9:35

Th: LR: 18M North Park @ 9:48
F: 6M easy @ 9:30
S: 4M recovery 2 10:05
mpw: 45

10/3- 10/9
M: 9M w/6M @ tempo @ 8:04
T: recovery 5M @ 10:12
W: 11M w/2M @ MP @ 8:35, other 9 @ 9:30

F: LR: 20 miles downtown with J- awesome run! @ 9:43
S: recovery 5.1 M @ 10:12
mpw: 50.1

Everything is humming along nicely.

Bib Numbers and Better Long Run

2011-09-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

Bib Numbers and Start Times came out this week- making the marathon seem more like a reality. I am #19259, which puts me in Wave 1, Corral 19, Green. What this means is that J and I will start at different times, and I am on the bottom of the Varrazanos Bridge.

The separate start times gave me much pause, as although J and I were going for slightly different times (5 minutes), I had envisioned us starting together. After some thought and advice, I decided to take my earlier start time. It is a bit selfish of me, as I will have a shorter wait time on Staten Island, and 9,000 fewer runners in front of me, but I think it gives both of us the best chance to truly run our own races without worrying about the other person. I don't want to hold her back, and I also know that running the first 8 or so miles even 5-10 seconds faster than MP can hurt in the last miles.

Other than that, being in Green means a lower level start, and less-scenic route the first 4 or so miles, but oh well. That is the trade-off.

Training went much better this week. I forgot to add last week that I started back to swimming, only 1 day a week, and not pushing my paces. I made a promise to myself to keep it between 2500-3000 yards, and am going to try and stay around 2700-2800 for a workout.

Here are the runs for the week:
M: 11M @ 9:29 pace on the trail. Nice day, nice run.
T: swam 2700 yards. Recovery with TK. 5M @ 9:58 pace
W: was a cluster. Had to sit through PTA meeting, so workout was broke up. 2M @ 9:30, 5M tempo at 7:57 on TM, then at 8 pm that night, 2M @ 9:45. got it done!
F: MUCH BETTER LONG RUN-- kept pace 9:35 or so, then let J go the last 3 miles. My mile 17 was 8:20. 18M, 9:33 ave. pace. got the confidence back a bit
S: 5M recovery on trail 10:10 pace

48 miles for the week on 5 days. Next week is cut-back in terms of LR, but not mileage.

Stupid Is as Stupid Does

2011-09-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ok- so I learned a good lesson this week, and possibly avoided a critical training error. I have been so afraid for so many years to push my paces and training, and then this time around things have been going so well that I made a few bad decisions this week. I call it the 'superman dilemma'. Everything was coasting along so well- I was adding on a few miles each week, hitting all my paces easily and feeling great. Then, this week I added in swimming on Tuesday (why not? I apparently am awesome), and a 75 minute Hot Yoga class (why not? I apparently am invincible). WRONG.

I hit the wall at mile 14 of our 17-mile LR on Friday in a way that I have not done in YEARS. Repeat. YEARS. Not even in my craptastic marathons: (NYC, 2006 and Boston, 2009) did this happen-- those were knee-related issues. J and I were cruising along at a 9:20 or so pace for the first 14 miles, then I just could not keep the pace. The last 3 miles were between 9:45 and 10:30 pace or so. Felt like crap in so many ways. I let J go on ahead and she finished the last 3 miles almost 2 minutes before me. UGH.

Immediately I needed to place the blame on something specific I did that week; and the hot yoga was my first choice. Having not been in months, and the combination of sweat, stretching beyond the normal and not re-hydrating was the culprit (crossing fingers). I asked on RWOL and was given many good reasons why that happened. STUPID.

I also had to give myself a little come-to-pacing speech. What are MY goals for this race? I can't let myself get caught up in J's BQ attempt. It is not easy to swallow one's pride to realize that while I have been running for over 20 years, that she is able to train at faster paces, and most likely would smoke me in head-to-head competition. Helping her reach her goals has been great for me on a personal level, and our friendship has grown over the past year or so that we've been running together. It has all in all been a great experience.

That being said, what are MY goals for this training cycle and race? Training has been going great (last week's LR aside), so I think I started to get ahead of myself and was thinking 3:45 (8:35 pace). After last week, I am going to go for a more conservative 3:50 goal. 8:45 pace, and that is a big 10 seconds for me. While I realize this is a full minute slower than my 1/2 marathon time from last spring, I also am only peaking at 50 mpw, and average will probably be closer to 42-45 mpw. I do NOT want to feel like crap at the end of the race, and am so happy to be running strong again. Gotta keep building on that.

The recovery run on Saturday actually made my legs feel much better. Here is the week:

M: 10M @ 9:24 on TM (rained all day)
T: 4M @ 10:09, swam 2850 yards
w: 11M w/5 tempo (7:52) other miles easy
T: Hot yoga-- bad choice
F: 17M @ 9:25
S: 5M @ 10:21 (with Danny on the trail and really recovering from Friday)

47 miles for the week- most of them good.

NYC training: week 3

2011-09-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

So, not only was this week 3 for NYC marathon training- it was also the first week of school for the boys. Here they are at the bus stop about to set off for 4th and 5th grade. Both seem really happy with their teachers and classmates. DS#1 is at new school; Middle School, and seems very happy with the new opportunities he is going to have this year.

Training went well this week, even with a little physical hiccup. Last Sunday when I was at the rink watching DS#2 practice, one of the siblings of a skater was playing with these huge buckets they use to help kids learn how to skate. They were piled on top of each other- about 3 feet high, and they came toppling down, and cut my ankle. I did not see them falling, so was not able to prepare or get out of the way. I have a big cut on my ankle, but (thankfully) that is all. It has been a bit of discomfort this week, but no pain.

Runs this week:
Monday- a great day to run- it was cooler. On the schedule was 10M, but I ended up with
1M recovery, 7M @ 9:10 and then 3M somewhere between MP and tempo: 8:06.

Tuesday: 4M recovery w/K on the trail: 9:52 pace

Wednesday: 7M hilly in my 'hood. 1stM @ 9:50, then 6M @ 9:09

Friday: 16M on Peters Trail w/J @ 9:23. Last few miles were definitely too fast, but an ok average pace. It was really hot/humid and we were both shot by the end.

Saturday: 5M recovery on TM @ 10:02

43 miles for the week.

All is good.

Pfitz for NYC: Weeks 1 and 2

2011-08-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have been remiss in recording racing and training. So, rather than wait until I have time to catch up on everything, I am just going to jump in to last week's training.

Am running NYC Marathon on 11/6 with JB. I qualified with a Half-Marathon time from the spring (1:41:56), and she is running for a charity that helps provide running opportunities for kids in the NYC area.

So, I took my time building up my mileage since the "Two half marathons in 3 weekends" that was my spring. Mileage headed into the 'training' was: 29, 26, 30, 32, 34, 36, 25 (Colorado). Got up to 5x a week on nice, easy running.

Decided to do Pfitz 12/55 for a few reasons. 1) Pftiz gets it done- no doubt about that. 2) 12 weeks is much better mentally and with the school schedule, and 3) that is what worked for JB timing-wise also.

Week 1: 8, 4, 8, 5, 13. Was only going to run 4 days, but was in Deep Creek, so added an extra day with a friend.

Week 2: 10, 7 (3 @ MP), 6, 15.
The 15 was solo, started at 3 pm on the Peters Trail. Very hot and humid, but got it done. Ave. pace was 9:32, so I was happy with that.

This week we take it back up to 5x a week. Today I had an easy 10 on the books, but felt great, so ended up doing 11, with last 3M: 8:27, 8:13 and 7:40, all on the slight downhill, but felt good.

Boys started school today-- I am hoping they both get off to good starts.

Buffalo Creek Half Marathon

2010-11-12T08:29:00.001-08:00

The Buffalo Creek Half Marathon is a great race: I have run it 4 out of the 5 years it has been held- the only reason I didn't run last year was b/c I was out of town. It is a point-to-point on a flat soft trail near (wait for it) Buffalo Creek. The weather has always been great, and this year was no exception. My training was going well, but I didn't do much speedwork, so my goal was 1:42 which is a 7:47 pace

I drove up to the start with my good friend J, and another gal who I have run with a bit. Car ride went well, and we got to the start with time to spare. Ended up bagging the porta-potty line for the bushes, but heck- we're all runners, right? It was low 40s to start, so I wore shorts, my compression socks, a short sleeved shirt, throw away arm warmers (socks) and throw away shirt.

The first mile is downhill, so I was ready for that;

1-7:15
2-7:50

By the end of the second mile we are on the trail, and I was trying to get into a good pace. I wore my watch, but not my Garmin. I was pacing off a woman ahead of me, but realized by the end of mile 4 I needed to pass her.

3-7:42
4-7:50
5-7:36

I ditched my LS shirt around mile 3, and was taking water at the water stops. I did not start with my own bottle of water, which I will do next time. Miles were ticking off nicely, at this point.

6-7:46
7-7:40

After mile 7 I slowed down a bit on the next mile, but a little too much:
8- 7:58
9-7:43
10-7:53

Sometime during the 10th mile I passed another woman, and only saw men ahead of me for the rest of the race. I had been running with a guy who was also shooting for a 1:42 for a couple of miles, but he fell back around mile 11.

Miles 11 and 12 were mis-marked, which was really annoying. I actually called out at one point to the runner ahead of me b/c it seemed very unlikely that the 4 runners that were all running around the same pace had fallen off. I had mile 11 at 8:45. My friend with her Garmin told me it was actually 1.3 miles

11/12 16:15 Mile 12 has the only hill, but it wasn't too bad this year.
13.1 8:32

1:42:09 2nd AG, PW on this course.

I am content with this time. I did slow down the last few miles, which was not due to endurance (I think) b/c I ran a lot of long runs over 10 miles for this race. I think it was due to lack of speedwork, and knowing what my goal HMP should feel like.

Even though it was a PW for this course, I am happy to be running injury-free again, and am pleased with the time.

Next up: winter running with Kristin and maybe a 10k. Who knows?

September Mourn...

2010-10-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

again- another cheesy post title, but am giving thanks daily that September is OVER, and we survived (somewhat) intact. At the end of August, we adopted a puppy, Bella. We had her name picked out for 8 months, and both Bob and I spent hours scouring website and talking with people; looking for the ideal pup to join our family. Well, here she is:

We got her from a rescue organization in Ohio, and she is the sweetest little gal. We were all quite taken with her, DH in particular. A week or so after we had her, DH got some devastating career news; we are still recovering from the shock, and he is moving forward, albeit slowly. Two weeks after she arrived, DS#1 had an asthma attack that landed him in the ICU at Children's Hospital for 4 days. At the advice of both our allergist, and the one at Children's, we chose to fine a home for our sweet little Bella. Happily for her, one of DH's colleagues had lost a dog around the same time our Beta died, so they took Bella. It was a brutal month with lots of sleepless nights, and both personal and professional worry. We went to visit Bella last weekend at her new home, and must say it was good closure; she was obviously someone else's dog now. Still very, very sweet and getting really good at chasing the ball. The real killer part of realizing DS cannot live in comfort with a dog is the realization that we will not have a dog again. Maybe never. That is really suckful, and took a long time for me to get my head around.

On the running front, things have been GREAT! I have been actually running with some friends and other gals on Friday mornings, and that has been really fun. More on that in the next post....

Colorado Rocky Mountain High

2010-08-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

ok, so I KNOW it is cheesy, but there is something to the song, and the great feeling I get when in Colorado. It is truly my 'Happy Place'. I was fortunate enough this year to spend 30 days in Colorado, and our summer trip was truly amazing.

The boys and I flew out on a Tuesday, and had a great visit with my sister, BIL and new nephew, Jack. The boys really enjoyed him, and he is a happy, happy little boy. One highlight was sailing on Lake Dillon with Dad, Sis, BIL and the boys.

Bob arrived on Friday, and promptly scared Jack, so we had a fun afternoon of the baby getting used to Bob. (Good Times). We had a very fun 'Summer Birthday' dinner and Jack warmed up enough by Saturday to let Bob hold him. Sis, BIL and Jack left on Saturday, so we went hiking with Mom/Dad to Shrine Mountain, up by Vail.

Our friends arrived on Sunday, and we had a great week of hiking, biking, kayaking and hanging out. D took a baseball to the mouth on Tuesday, but other than that we were injury-free for the week. Here is our view of Lake Dillon:

The kids loved playing baseball on the lawn:

The last day the four of us hiked the McCullough Gulch Trail, which had some amazing waterfalls and views:

Pittsburgh Triathlon

2010-08-27T05:07:00.000-07:00

Stats: 1:19:10 1st Place Female 40-44 AG
Summary: More enjoyable than 1st Triathlon, mostly due to bike

Two years ago I did the Olympic Distance Relay for this race with A and J. I did the swim; borrowed Jen's wetsuit, and got colitis the day before the race. Ended up swimming anyway- but did NOT feel good at all. This year's experience was MUCH more pleasant.

Saturday J, A and I went down to pick up our packets and have lunch. We bumped into a few folks we knew, and I was amazed to see so many fit people in downtown Pittsburgh. The race has grown in size in the past two years, which is great.

Got a decent night's sleep, and picked A up around 5 am. Everything went very smoothly with setting up transition, getting our body markings, and getting to the start of the race. No pre-race GI issues, which is always good.

We were swimming in the Allegheny River (the 'cleanest' of the Three Rivers?) and wetsuits were not allowed due to the warm temps of the water. We did see a dead fish while we were waiting to start, but no pythons or bodies were in view.

Swim went well- I think I actually enjoyed NOT having a wetsuit. I climbed out of the river just ahead of A, and we entered the transition area together. Time for swim (600 meters) and 1st transition was 12:51.

Bike went much better than anticipated- we were out and back on the HOV lane of a highway outside of Pittsburgh. The out was on a slight uphill, the back very easy. I was passed by a few people on both the out and back; including J and another woman from our group. I was happy with myself for not putting on the brakes on the downhill-- my 'granny' biker-self is getting the need for speed~

Due to the fact the boys had just had Science Center Camp the week before the race, I had run the trail the 5K was on 3 times that week, so I was pretty sure I knew were the turn-around was, which helped my mental game. I passed a lot of people in the run, and ran a 24:26 for the 5K.

Felt great afterwards, hooked up with my friends to watch J's husband finish the Olympic Distance, then headed out to RMU to watch DS#1's 3 on 3 Championship Game. Found out later that #1 and #2 women were both in our AG, so thus placed 1st in AG, with A getting 2nd.

I was happy to have done those two triathlons this summer, and really enjoyed biking with A every week. I don't see myself doing much more than that next summer, but perhaps an Olympic distance might be in my future. Only time will tell.

One more thing I 'Get' now.

2010-07-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

I now finally understand how my parents could be so proud of me for finishing a marathon, even when I am so disappointed that I want to scream. I used to think they were just trying to sugar-coat the experience, and focus only on the positives. (which is a wonderful trait that my mother has).

I remember cringing when we were at dinner after the NYC marathon: my 4:02 finish in my mind a disaster b/c my goal was a BQ of 3:50, and I was in severe ITBand pain for the last 16 miles. They were proudly telling folks at nearby tables (other diners wearing finisher medals and their friends/families) how I had run the marathon, and we had all traveled from Pittsburgh. At that time I just wanted to crawl under the table as I mumbled 4:02 time and time again.

What was to me a failure was to them something to celebrate.

Fast forward almost 4 years. When T and D finished their Kiddie Triathlon races I could not have been more proud of them if they had won an Ironman. To me it really did NOT matter where they finished in their age groups (near the bottom), but that they went out there and competed and finished. I want them to know that I am proud of them for trying and their success is in the completion.

They wanted to look their times and AG placement up online (wonder where the competitive nature comes from- ahem) and I had to watch as their faces both fell when they saw where they had finished, and recognized names of classmates and teammates above theirs. The fact that D finished after his 3 falls off the bike and T did the longer distances in his first time out is something I hope they can be truly proud of themselves for doing.

And, the great thing about timed races... THERE IS ALWAYS NEXT YEAR!

Cheers-

PS-- I ALWAYS appreciated the support from my parents; THANKS for being there!

Boys' Triathlon

2010-07-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

Today the boys participated in the South Park kid's triathlon. We 'trained' a bit at the trail, which consisted mostly of helping Danny get acclimated to his 2-wheel bike, and Tommy working on the run portion. I left the swimming training up to the swim team coaches. I was really happy they both wanted to do it; Tommy b/c the distances were double what Danny would have to do (100yd. swim, 2M bike and 1M run) and Danny b/c he really just got started on getting off/on his bike this week. He had some issues turning, which would come into play today.

We got them there, and they found their transition areas, and got their timing chip around their ankles and got their body marking done. Danny was in the 4th heat, and he had a 50 yd. swim. All went well:

He made it to the transition area and on the bike. Now, remember Danny had been having some trouble turning. Well Bad Mom over here didn't take them up to see the bike course, so we didn't know how many turns he would have to make. Poor Dude ended up falling off 3 times, once was an over-the-handlebars type move. He got back on each time, and came in off the bike course a bit battered:

Got off the bike, and finished his run with a big smile on his face:

We got him attended to right after the race, but here are some pics:

Note the road burn on the chest- OUCH!

We both told him how proud we were of him for finishing with those injuries, and he said "why wouldn't I finish?" Great attitude!

Tommy was in heat #12, so here he is during the 100 yd. swim:
Love the position of the elbow. The race was in a pool that was 50 yds. long, so they had to do two laps.

Here he is waving to Danny and I after the swim:

And on the bike:

The one-mile run the 10-12 yr. old kids have to do was half-mile down and a half-mile up a hill. I was really proud of Tommy for running all the way up the hill- he did great:

(note how Tommy has his shirt on- he saw what happened to Danny after his bike fall)

Each athlete received a nice medal for finishing:

When asked if they wanted to do the Triathlon again next year the answer was 'YES'.
Great way to start the weekend for all of us!

Oh, and me: ran 25M on 4 runs this week with a LR of 10M @ 9:08 pace. Hope to get out tomorrow for 3-4 more. Finally feel like I am truly running again. Also, biked 21M, and swam 1000 yds.

Firecracker 5k

2010-07-03T11:34:00.001-07:00

Quick stats: 22:44 (watch time) 22:49 clock time
7:20 pace
2nd in Age Group out of 36

Today I ran the Firecracker 5k that I have run probably 9 times in the past 14 years. It is a hilly out and back course that I enjoy because it is a relatively big race (1400 people this year) and there are LOTS of fast runners. Many of the area college and high school XC teams run this race.

My course PR is 22:06 and I was targeting 23:00 with a pixie-dust goal of 22:30. Most importantly, I wanted to race well and not get injured (which happened the last two times I ran 5ks- last year and after this race 2 years ago.

The weather has been glorious for western PA this whole week- cool in the morning and getting nice and warm during the day. Today is going to be in the high 80s, but it was cool in the morning. Nice day for a race.

I got up, had my usual bagel w/PB and headed over to the race. Parking was easy, and I got a mile warm-up in before realizing it had gotten very hot since I had arrived. (race time temp. was low 70s). I made a last-minute dash back to my car, changed into a tank top, and headed to the start.

This is a chip-timed race, but only has 1 mat. I lined up 10 or so rows back, and knew my watch time would be a bit off of clock time. I was trying not to go out too fast, but once again, did just that.

First mile is rolling hills, and the 1 mile marker is just past a church. 1st mile was 7:02-oops!
The second mile includes the turn-around point, which is my favorite mile because you get to see all the fast runners (winner was 15:38, 20 runners below 17 minutes). Great inspiration. The turn-around went fine. (I fell here a few years ago)
The third mile was very weak-- mentally and physically. I sort of zoned out for awhile, and a few women passed me. I just didn't have my mental game today. The last hill by the church seemed bigger than in past years, but since I know the course so well, I knew it was the last hill, and that the end of the race was sort of a small incline.

I did put on a bit of speed at the end, but was content with my 22:41. Not the fastest on this course, but not the slowest in the past 5 years either. I ran 3 more miles to warm down, very easy. I wanted to make sure to get everything loosened up, so as to avoid injury this year.

I was happy to get 2nd in my AG. The 45-49 age group winner ran a 19:57, and 2nd place 20:15. yikes! And I thought moving up to 45 AG would HELP me next year :)

All in all, I am very happy to be healthy again with the running, and feel as though my fall half marathon training and goals might be accomplished.

Cheers-

Dam Tri: Damn Right!

2010-06-28T05:20:00.000-07:00

Background: When I lived in Colorado, I did two Sprint Triathlons- both of which were in the pool, and on mountain bikes. Biking is NOT my thing: never has been, never will be. For some reason, when I get on a bike I am very aware of my breathing. I am getting better at the riding part, but on the downhills, I go into 'granny mode' and am very, very cautious.

That being said, last fall I broke down and bought a road bike for two reasons: 1) to give myself cross-training options b/c my knee and hip were making running difficult and 2) so I could enjoy workouts with two of my good friend who bike and also do triathlons.

I knew the swimming portion would not be tough for me, but did buy a wetsuit, which I wore only one time before the race. I got in 4 swims before the race, the longest of which was 1 mile, so I knew I could handle the distance for the race.

Race distances: swim 1/4 M (17 pool lengths) bike 11.3 M, run 3.1 M.

I rode to the race (2 hours away in beautiful western PA~) with my two friends and one friend's husband. We had to get up very early (4:20 am) and had a pleasant, easy drive up to the race. We hooked up with another car with 4 women (some of whom I had met previously) and all made it in plenty of time. We got there, got our packets and moved our stuff into the transition area.

Now, here is where I have to point out that triathlons are 'A WHOLE THING'. Seriously-- the bike, the wetsuit the staging area, goggles, flip flops and when to take them off- using Pam spray to help get one's wetsuit on. Really? Really. Despite the intimidation factor, I was pretty calm as we listened to the race director's instructions. This race had an Olympic Distance as well as Sprint distance event.

We did our finally potty stops, and made our way down to the lake. They had everyone going off in waves, and our wave (brown bathing caps- we joked that the over-40-Sprint- ladies must not matter much), went off a full hour after the first swimmers. It was a pleasant, if not hot, wait. The temps were climbing at this point, and I was happy to get into the water.

My wetsuit was very tight at the top, and I knew it was going to be a mind-over-matter thing during the swim. Once the race got started, I was regretting the wetsuit choice, because I never really got into a rhythm during the swim. Again, experience would help here. Needless to say, it was quick, and I had no idea about my time at this point, but started my watch as soon as I got out of the water.

The transition from the swim to the bike was up a hill, and about a 1/4 mile total distance. But, as A pointed out, 'it is the same for everyone'. I got through the transition w/out getting pebbles in my socks, and headed out on the bike.

The bike part for me was really hard. I didn't have a bike computer, so was going on time to see how far I had gone. I also failed to glance at my watch when I started the bike, so did not have an exact time for when I started the bike. I figured it would take my between 42-45 minutes for the bike. (ended up 44, so I was close here). My chain fell off at one point on a hill, and I was passed by two of the girls in our group, along with 3-4 other people, which really sucked from a mental standpoint. The scenery was really pretty, and there were some nice downhills, but I was really, really happy to see the 1M to go sign on the bike.

Now, A and I had done 4-5 bike/run workouts, which prepared me for how my legs would feel (thank goodness!) when I started the run. Since I did not have clip-in shoes, my transition from the bike to run was less than a minute, and I headed out. By now it was getting really hot (low 80s) and I was hoping to pass as many people as possible during the run.

Again, I wished I had some sort of mileage marker (Garmin would have been nice) b/c the first mile was pretty much all up hill. Then we went into the woods, and out into an open field. I could see 4 of the girls in our age group in this field, and wanted to catch as many of the ladies in my age group as possible during the run. There was a turn-around point in the field that I thought was the half-way point of the run. I passed a lot of people here, and was starting to hit my stride (pun intended). We went back into the woods and hit the 2M marker. By this time I had passed two of the women in our age group I knew, and was trying to get the other two. I passed a few more people in the last mile, and found myself directly behind A during the last half mile. She ended up getting 3rd in our AG and I was literally 1 second behind her in 4th place.

Run time was 25:13, and I definitely could have pushed that a bit. Overall race time was 1:22:37.

My other friend had a great race and finished 1st in the 35-39 AG, and I think had one of her best times ever. (hard to gauge a PR in a Tri b/c of transition distances, and bike distances).

After the race we 'bathed' in the lake, changed, and had a great picnic under the trees. A's family had come up to watch/hang out and it was super-fun and relaxing.

I am hoping to do one more Sprint Triathlon this summer (depends on DH and a work wedding), but do not see myself getting into the 3-4 races a summer mode. I simply do not enjoy the bike riding, but am willing to ride once a week for some XT and to hang with my friends.

The overall good news? My knee did not bother my during or after the race. YIPPEE!!

Next up: Firecracker 5k this Saturday.
Goal: sub 22:30. I don't know if I have that in me or not. Just happy to be running this race again b/c last year I couldn't due to my hip injury.

Cheers-

Boot Camp Kicked my Booty

2010-05-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

So... I am SO SORE! Not from our little 'brick' workout on Thursday, nor from the 6M at 8:47 I ran on Friday. Nope. Boot camp-- looks like someone has NOT been doing strength training!

I was supposed to ride 20M or so with some friends and friends of friends Saturday morning, but it was rainy, so I ended up going to Boot Camp at the Rec Center with A. I was sweating like a maniac, and was already sore last night. This morning I went for a little 2M walk just to loosen things up a bit. We'll see how it feels later today and tomorrow.

Since I am not training for anything running-wise, I think I need to incorporate some XT and yoga into my routine over the next few months.

We have boys' piano recital today, then T has a game tonight at 6pm an hour away. Good times.

With a little help from my friend....

2010-05-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine has been great about getting me on my bike, and I am trying to embrace it. For some reason, when I get on a bike, I am very aware of my breathing... sort of like running uphill, but times ten. I guess I will get used to it. It has been nice having someone to ride with; just the nudge I've needed.

Yesterday we rode 10 miles, then ran 3. In my mind, since this was a workout of over an hour, it would be at an easy pace. The bike was fine-- I am super-wimpy when it comes to downhills. I don't quite feel secure on those skinny wheels yet!

Now, here is where it got interesting: we started the run, and my friend started at a pretty brisk pace. I had my Garmin on, and looked down, and we were running in the low 8's. I told her this, and said it was a bit fast, and she replied "I want to run as hard as I can as long as I can". Keep in mind this woman has run a half- marathon and completed an Olympic distance Tri, so she knows about pacing. I took her up on it, and ended up running 8:13 pace for the 3M we were running.

What is interesting to me about this is that since my sh*tband has entered the picture in the past 3 years, I am afraid to run fast and to push myself. I have been held hostage by the mindset that today's run has to fit into a bigger picture of my week, how it might affect my knees/hips and what paces I might run on other days. I realized I have been selling myself short by not pushing myself in my runs.

Now of course this is all within the framework of time periods when I am not following a set training plan, AND running low weekly mileage. Obviously if I was training for a marathon and running 40-50 mpw I can't go out and run 3M one day and then 5M the next day at MP. But- that is exactly what I did yesterday and today. Today I ran by FEEL, and ran 8:47 pace for 6M. Yes, I was pushing myself, but nothing hurt. It helps immensely that the trail I was on has slight incline on the way up, and thus nice little downhill on the way back.

I have gotten so used to looking at my Garmin, and when running too 'fast' backing off. I am going to run at least 1 run a week without my Garmin- maybe a watch, maybe nothing. I'm not saying all my runs are going to be sub 9-minute paces, nor should they. But I am going to try and get over the fear of pushing it on my GA runs.

So THANKS to my friend for opening my eyes to the possibility of really pushing myself without a set time goal or mileage goal. We'll see if I can embrace it....

Happy Friday!

On Tryouts and Training

2010-05-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

So... it has been a LONG time since I've posted here.

Running summary: ran a 1:42-something at Philly last fall, which made me happy, and qualified me for NYC Marathon for 2010. I am not going to run NYC b/c we are taking the boys to Disney, but it is always good to hit a goal. My half marathon ultimate goal is still to run under 1:40, and I hope to do that this fall.

I was in a car accident in Mid-December, which kept my running mileage down this winter. Trained so-so to hit a 1:45 at Pittsburgh half last weekend, but made a game-day decision to adjust pace due to the weather (hot and rainy). I considered at one point taking a DNF (which I have never done), but hung in there and had a nice run. A nice run, but not a nice race.

ON TRYOUTS AND TRAINING:
Last night my DS#1 threw up at a school event, and the first thing that came to my mind was "oh nooooo... he has hockey tryouts on Saturday". (great Mom that I am) But it got me thinking. DS#1 SHOULD be on the top team in his organization in his age group this year; he has experience, plays his position very well, and is technically sound. Not the greatest player on the team, but contributes . He shows up, works hard, and is coachable. He has worked hard during the off season at his power skating classes, and with his skating coach. (yes, he is 10, and we are crazy, but he LOVES hockey like I LOVE running) So, what happens if he is sick at tryouts?

In my mind, he deserves to be on the top team, but if he doesn't perform at tryouts (for whatever reason) he might not make the team. A whole season of hockey can come down to 2 hrs on the ice. (now I am being a bit dramatic here b/c he is feeling better, and the 2nd tryout hour is next Thursday). But it got me to thinking about training and race day for runners.

One can train perfectly for a race, and, due to race-day weather, illness, whatever, not hit one's goal. Heck- the elites can even hit their goal paces and not win.

And, then there are days when you line up for a race you really didn't train that hard for (granted this rarely happens in marathons), and the pixie dust hits and maybe you end up surprising yourself with a new PR, or AG award. I guess what I'm trying to say is we have to remember no one deserves a PR or BQ because one trained for it and hit the paces in training. It is what you do on race day that gets those magic numbers. There is a difference between training and racing, and come race day we have to put our mental game into play.

Weak mental game = weak performance.

Sure, there are reasons: it was hot, humid, windy, raining; I was sick, I had my period, I didn't sleep/eat/hydrate well beforehand.

But it is how we respond on race day to the heat, humidity, wind, rain, cramps, nutritional issues, etc. that shows what we are made of. Sometimes the wisest course IS to back off, and save yourself for another day. Some days the best course of action is to push through it and gut it out. Only we know our bodies and true goals; we all have to answer to our inner coach at the end of the day.

The time I had last Sunday: 1:50:xx for a half marathon is 10 minutes (and runners know this is a big deal) off my PR set only 18 months ago. Yet, I was pleased b/c I made the right decision at mile 2: back off the pace, run a smart run, and save your goal time for another day. Granted, I did not train particularly hard or well for this race, so my expectations were not high. But at the end of the day, I was happy with my choices that day. Had it not been hot, humid, and raining, who knows what might have happened?

One of my favorite quotes from Teddy Roosevelt is:

DO WHAT YOU CAN, WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, WHERE YOU ARE.

Great advice, and it is what I will tell my son tomorrow, and myself on my next race day.

Cheers-

UGH.

2009-11-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I really sucked out there today. I'll cut to the chase- watch time: 1:44:48. Thing is, I started out halfway in between the 1:40 and 1:45 pace groups, and the first mile was 7:35. Next two were 7:45 and 7:48, but I never really got into a groove.

I could list all my excuses: my hip started hurting around mile 7, I didn't sleep well last night, blah, blah, blah, but the truth is- I didn't have it today. I have fallen into a BAD habit of starting out too fast in races, and I end up with a crappy time, but more importantly, have a crappy time during the race. I feel pretty sure if I would have stayed back with the 1:45 group the first 5M or so that I would have enjoyed myself MUCH more.

Now-- here is where the numbers thing comes into play. Last year I ran a fast, flat 1/2 marathon in 1:40:12, and the past two years before that, did the same race in 1:40:48 and 1:41xx. Now granted, I was not coming off an injury those past years, and the course was much faster. So-- would I be that much happier with 2 minutes faster? 120 seconds = happiness? YEP.

Am I THAT out of shape that my training (previous post) doesn't predict what I should run? Or, am I that lazy/lame/gutless to go out there and get it done? I had miles today that were slower than miles on LR, and felt MUCH harder. UGH.

So... where does this leave me? Besides pissed off and doubting myself? Well, I AM going to still run the Philly Half Marathon, and cheer on my friends from RWOL, but after that I am going to take a break from training. I ran for 19 years and had many successes and built up my confidence, but the past year I have had nothing but injuries and crappy races. Something needs to change b/c I work too hard through too much pain to feel this sh*tty during races.

Tomorrow is another day....

Feeling the Same Way All Over Again...

2009-10-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

... ok, so maybe not exactly the same way all over again, but it is a great Norah Jones tune, and sort of indicative of how I feel the week before a fall 1/2 marathon.

Running: had been going very well! After spending July, August, and September getting my hip stronger and so it doesn't hurt with each step (seriously), I FINALLY feel like my old (running) self again. I am not sure if it was the strength training, the stretching, sports massage or chiropractor adjustments, but whatever it was, it worked!

I actually have two fall 1/2 marathons: one on 11/1, and the Philly 1/2 on 11/22. My plan was to try and run a 1:42 or better this coming weekend, and shoot for 1:40 at Philly. I have been running my LR faster, and feeling good doing so, but have only been running 3x a week.

BUT, I have been doing 8-10M/week on the elliptical with another 4-8 miles a week walking hills at a decent pace. That combined with the upper body/core work I have been doing is leaving me cautiously optimistic that I can achieve both of these goals.

I went back to look at the training the 5 weeks prior to the half marathons I did last year and in 2007: both of which I ran in under 1:41.

# weeks out 2 3 4 5
2009
LR/pace 9/8:59 14/9:10 10.5/8:56 10/8:48
mpw 19 26 20 15
speedwork 2M@7:30 2M@7:30 2M@7:32 2M@7:48
elliptical elliptical

2008-result 1:40:12
LR/pace 14@9:25 7 @ 8:48 12@9:06 12@9:03
*tempo
mpw 26 10 31 30
speed 4M@7:28 800s at 6:58 4M@7:28

note: hurt quad in week 4-- did a lot of XT the weeks before the race

2007- result 1:40:45
LR/pace 10@8:30 14@9:15 12@9:30 12@9:30
*7M@hmp
mpw 22 17 28 26
speed 7M@7:49 10K@ 7:31 3 x 1M @ 7:19

so-- I'm not really sure what this tells me. In 2008 I was dealing with a sore quad muscle the 2-3 weeks before the race, and did a lot of XT the two weeks prior to the race. Race day everything went great, and due to a tactical error (thinking I needed 7:40 pace instead of 7:38) I did not go sub 1:40.

2007: just trained for this fall 1/2 marathon. Obviously did more speedwork, but LR were at slower paces. More of a Pfitz-style approach.

THIS YEAR???

Digging up these #s actually has me feeling better about my two goals. If I run well this upcoming week, and have a good recovery, I can still get in two more solid LR before Philly. As always, race-day weather will also affect how hard I push it this coming week. As they always say, it IS only a number, right?

TTFN!

On the Road Again....

2009-08-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

So I have been slowly building up to running 3x a week, with the August goal of getting 3-4 runs a week in and getting mileage up to 20-25 mpw. Last week I ran 5,5 and 6 and find that the hip does not like paces faster than 8:30 min/mile, which I only know from wearing my Garmin. It was super humid for yesterday's run, so keeping an easy pace was... well easy.

I have two more Training sessions, and the past two weeks added a third day of 30 minutes lifting on my own. I do think this will help my physique as well as my metabolism. My last Training session is next Monday the 17th, then I will take two weeks off while boys are in Penguins Hockey Camp and the week that school starts. Have been going to Training at 6 a.m. which, like many things in life, is a Blessing and a Curse.

I emailed the Philly Marathon folks and am in the process of officially downgrading my registration to the Half Marathon. There's always Pittsburgh....

Other than that, life is pretty good. It has been nice having these couple of weeks with no set schedule, but I am looking forward to getting back to a routine.

I will start scouting Half Marathon Training Plans next week...

I'm gonna be sore tomorrow!

2009-07-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, I had my first training session today-- they ask you to do 30 minutes of cardio before you start, so I walked 3M (sub 14 min) on our hilly roads, then went in. They had me doing some circuit training: 10 minutes on the elliptical (they have several different types, including the cross training kind so you can go forwards and backwards) followed by 2 upper body strength moves (i.e. chest presses with bar 3 x 15 reps followed by lat pulldowns 3 x 15) and then repeat- so a total of 40 minutes of cardio (they did have me on the TM once-- more on that later) and 6 different focused sets of upper body.

They also had me work my quads, and did 12 minutes of ab workout on the Bosu ball. Then, she stretched me out afterward and asked how I liked everything. I told her (the owner) that I did not want to do any TM while I was there, so I could keep my running separate from the stretches and strength training, which she said was fine.

The cardio portions she told me were all designed to help with the quads as well, as they were all hill workouts of different intensities. I was there for 90 minutes, so coupled with my 41 minute walk it was a good morning! I am anticipating feeling VERY sore tomorrow, but liked what they had me do. Of course I could do most of it on my own in a gym, but having someone set the weights, program the elliptical/cross trainer and of course, lead the ab exercises was key, as was the stretching she did on me at the end.

I found out that when you are currently in a training program at this place, you can use all of there cardio equipment when you want, and they have a 20 minute ab session every other hour that anyone can drop in on, as well as spinning, yoga, and cardio-push (interval cardio class) classes. So, I just have to keep at it at home.

We'll see how I feel tomorrow.....

Hip, Hip, Horray! (at least for today!)

2009-07-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have been mainly walking the past week and doing the hip stretches/strengthening exercises as proscribed by my sports doc last week. Last Thursday and Friday I tried to run a bit- 10 minutes walking/5 minutes running, and it HURT. LIKE HELL. This weekend was my dad's family reunion in Indiana, so 6 hours of driving each day, but no exercise at all.

Monday- walked 5M
Tuesday- 7M total- 2M running. 10 min walk, 5 min run pattern. 1 M swim
Wednesday- 7.5 M walk on trail (concrete section)

So, yesterday went to see about getting some Personal Training/Therapy at this place run by a woman who has run 12 marathons, and has also come back from injury. She did a full evaluation, including HR/resting HR analysis, strength, flexibility etc. and they design a plan to work with you. I am intrigued by this for two reasons 1) I KNOW I need to get back to some sort of scheduled weight training in order to get stronger, and to tone up, which will make me much happier overall and 2) I also KNOW I need to work on flexibility.

So, I went ahead and committed to a 10-session package, and we'll see how things look at the end of that- I figure it will be about 5 weeks total. First session is Friday. Since I have never had any kind of personalized program drawn up for me, it should be interesting. She said she wanted to strengthen my quads and calves to give better support when I run, and then to work on flexibility in the hip area, and to tone up my core and upper body. No surprises there!

I have also REALLY come around to the idea that I should NOT train for a fall marathon this year. I had signed up for the Philly full, and was planning to maybe train quietly for that, but am really going to focus on getting stronger and doing the two halves that are on my calendar: Spirit of Pittsburgh on 10/25 and the Philly 1/2 on 11/22. Then, maybe, maybe train for Pittsburgh full next spring. We'll see.

Other than that, summer is crusing along nicely.

TTFN

Now I'm REALLY pissed....

2009-07-02T13:23:00.001-07:00

So... hmph, as part of my effort to scale back my mileage to a measly 20-25 mpw in order to let the knee rest a bit I decided if I couldn't run LONG, I might try some repeats and run FAST.

Last week ran 3 x 800 as part of a monster 3.5 M run , and ran them at my recent (not PR) 5K pace. 7:13, 7:13, 7:08

This week ran 4 x 800 (all of these on TM) as part of 4M run and ran 7:08, 7:08, 7:03, 6:58 (ok, so a teeny bit faster, but heck it felt good!). Well, my LEFT hip decided to balk at the notion. It was a bit sore after the run, but I stretched it out pretty well afterward.

Tuesday I ran 7M pretty easy (9:15 pace) around North Park and felt a twinge or two, but not for a more than a minute at at time.

Wednesday I woke up and it hurt to WALK. Seriously, WTF? I have been running for 20 years, and during the past year have had more problems than the previous 19 combined. Am I getting that old? If I can't run far and I can't run fast what the hell sort of goals can I set for myself.

Hmpf. I'm sure my AARP form is arriving any moment now.

Thing that really sucks about the situation is that the Firecracker 5K is in two days, and I have run it every year since 1996 that I have been in town, except the year when Tommy was 3 weeks old. Even ran it the year I just found out I was pregnant with Danny. It is a tradition for me, and I tend to place in my age group. UGH. DH says its just another 5K, but to me it is more.

So-- as for now I am not running, but haven't 100% commited to it.

It doesn't help my self image that I weigh more than I ever have in 16 years, except when I was pregnant. Sigh.

Hopefully next post will be more cheery.

TTFN~

Lessons from Boston

2009-06-26T12:59:00.001-07:00

Two months later, and I still don't feel that happy about my Boston experience. Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda is sort of where I am now. But here is what I have learned:

Top Ten Things I've Learned about Training/Running Boston:

#10 Be realistic about your expectations on race day

#9 Get to the buses earlier than 7 a.m.

#8 Cross Training does NOT equal running

#7 Treadmill Training will NOT prepare you for the hills

#6 Treadmill Training will NOT prepare you for the hills

#5 Stick with the training program that worked best

#4 Run Long Runs outside; see # 7 and # 6

#3 Don't expect much success on 30-40 mpw training

#2 Skiing for 7 days in a row two weeks before Boston is a B-A-D idea

#1 No matter what happened leading up to race day... just embrace and enjoy the race itself!

So, that in a nutshell is where I am right now with my Boston experience. I have come to realize that my sh*tband has dominated my running/training for a year now, and I am sick and tired of it. But, going back to #10 and #3, I have also realized that until I can train easily at 30 mpw, that I can NOT think about running another marathon.... and THAT IS OK.

My running social life centers mainly around the wonderful women in the BQ Thread at RWOL, and while the support is wonderful, training advice sound, and other snippets of everyone's life so interesting, I have to remember not to get caught up in other people's training. I can still have my friends and support even though I'm not training for a marathon... at least right now.

Being a 'marathon runner' has been a label I have enjoyed having the past 3 years... and in the early 90s, but fact is, I'm a RUNNER. I would run without races, and usually my run is one of the highlights of my day. So, if it means I race 10Ks and 1/2 marathons instead of 26.2 so be it.

at least for now.....

Boston in a word: Bittersweet

2009-04-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

As the Big Head Todd and the Monsters song proclaims: Bittersweet; more sweet than bitter, bitter than sweet.

Boston 2009 was, as I texted to friends back home "the most amazing and suckful things I've ever done". I have had some time to process what happened, and I am pleased with my ability to enjoy the experience, as disappointing as the race was.

I have to consider myself so lucky: DH took time off work to come to Boston with me- we spared little expense and had some wonderful dinners. He and my folks supported me in every way that they could: from scoping out the race course to giving me space after the race. THANKS!

When I qualified for Boston last year at the Flying Pig, I was on a high. My training had gone great, my race went pretty smoothly, and I just KNEW it was going to be my day. This capped off a calendar year in which I had set PRs in the 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon, and then marathon- at age 42. My legs felt great, and I was looking forward to running a fall marathon, and then either Boston or Pittsburgh in the spring.

Long story short: as often in life, things do not go as planned. My knee started hurting in June, and never really fully recovered. I took many precautionary measures: did not do a fall marathon, took 3 weeks off from running, did yoga, massages, followed a minimal-running training program for Boston, yet still was getting on the plane on Saturday with knee pain. As I said in my last post, I knew that my knee was going to be a factor in the race, the question was how big.

I tried to shove that fear into the back of my head, and enjoyed a great dinner w/DH and my folks Saturday night. The best part of my Boston marathon experience was on Sunday, when I met up with Sara, Jackie, Barb, and got to get to hang out with them and their SOs, and meet Sara's family. Sitting at lunch on Saturday I realized this was truly an amazing experience: having lunch with running friends from across the country. We had a lot of laughs and it was so good to meet these wonderful ladies who had been so supportive during my training.

Saturday night we had a yummy dinner at Cantina Italiana in the North End, which was crawling with marathoners intent on carbo-loading. I got a good night sleep (surprisingly) and headed out to the buses around 6:45

As I stepped out of the hotel, a woman came up behind me and asked if I minded if she walked with me. She was from Cincinnati; had a very similar running history to mine, and was fun to talk to. We ended up hanging out together for the next 3+ hours, until it was time to go to the corrals. (We didn't even make it to Athlete's Village until 9:00 or so, and I missed hooking up with the girls.) I had to make one last pit stop, and she went off ahead. Thanks to her, I was pretty relaxed and the time passed by quickly.

The start for me was pretty anticlimatic: at NYC I was in line on the bridge while they played the National Anthem and then 'New York, New York'. Not this time--when I was walking to the corrals I heard the announcement that the second wave had started. I found my corral, and set off.

Now, keep in mind that I was at the back of corral 18, so most of the folks around me were women of my age, older men, or charity runners. The charity runners added an additional dimension to the race. It was truly inspiring to read some of the messages on the backs of their shirts, especially those running for specific family members and friends. This is an element to Boston that is unique, and probably many people don't see, b/c they are w-a-y ahead of were I was. The slightly annoying element they bring is that they tended to lump together in groups, but yesterday was not a day for me to be passing people.

My #1 goal was to run pain-free: something at that point which was out of my hands. I thought if I ran a 9 minute/mile or so pace that might help the situation. The first few miles I was on target overall, but either was hitting 9:15 or 8:45 or so. By the 10K point, I was on the 9 min. pace, but that was when my knee started to hurt. I tried to ignore it for a mile or so, and took some Tylenol around mile 7. I kept looking for the downhill segment of the race, but the course was really rolling hills the first 10 or so miles.

I hit the 10 mile point, and was starting to feel cautiously optimistic: I hit it right at 1:30-- on target. After that the knee sort of took over. Several thoughts went through my head at this point-- one of the them (gasp!) was even to DNF. But, this was BOSTON, and that was not an option. So, somewhere between mile 10 and 11 I just let go of my goal pace, and tried to have a good time. It was really hard to do, but I figured it was the only way I would finish with a smile.

I saw my folks and DH between miles 16 and 17, which was a great boost- I knew they were getting text messages of my times, and would be worried as to how I was feeling. So I plastered a big smile on my face when I saw them. The hills were next-- that famous right-hand turn onto Commonwealth set them up ahead. I am very proud of myself that I did not walk on any of the hills. I was going very slowly at this point, but kept running.

I also had been feeling lightheaded from time to time. I knew from past experience that Gatorade was not my friend, neither was GU, so I started taking offers from the crowd. I took a Twizzler and thought of one of the girls from the RWOL forum who had just run Paris with a horrible cold/sinus infection. I took some jelly beans, oranges, and an Oreo at mile 25~ not that it was going to help me any, but damn it-- I was hungry at that point. My Clif bars had worked fine, but I dropped one of the bags pretty early on. Then, when I went to take the last couple of bites from the second Clif Bar, they fell out of the bag onto the ground. At this point I was almost laughing at how absurd my run had become. I turned around, and to the dismay of some behind me, picked up the turd-like pile of chocolate chip clif bar pieces that had fallen out. I actually was grinning b/c I was thinking of the scene in Caddyshack with the candy bar in the swimming pool. The lightheadedness came and went throughout the race.

The one thing that sort of baffled me was the lack of porta-potties on the course. I had been warned about this, but when I did HAVE to stop, there was actually a line... all of the porta-potties had lines. That took up about 4 minutes, but when a gal's gotta go....

After the hills, I sort of picked up a bit-- the crowds were dense from this point on, and loud!!! The gravity on the downhills really helped at this point, plus I was running through a part of town I knew pretty well from when I lived there. Seeing the Citgo sign was such a boost-- I was going to make it! I somehow missed seeing my peeps again at mile 24, but met up with them back at the hotel. I was running from time to time around a guy who had a banana top on his head, and the crowd loved 'Banana Man'. This was a nice boost, even if it wasn't for me!

During the race I thought often of the gals from the RWOL forum: when my knee started hurting early, I thought of how one gal's daughter is battling cancer and how much harder that is than running. The twizzler and gummis I took reminded me of another, as I mentioned. Banana-man reminded me of another gal, and I knew she was posting little cheerleader emoticons for us all during the race. Thanks girls!!!!

After I finished and completed the death march that is the post-marathon chip return/medal receiving/drop bag retrieving process, I made my way back to the hotel and found one of my friends in line at the hotel bar. We were trying to meet up there. I got to give both of the girls a quick congrats before they headed off-- they both looked great, and I was so happy to hear they had both had great times!

Our trip home was uneventful, which is good. It was so amazing to hug the boys when they got off the school bus. Friends of ours had dropped off congrats balloons, which we all enjoyed bringing in to the house.

One of my girlfriends just dropped off a Boston Cream Pie and bottle of my favorite wine for me (now, is that a friend or WHAT?), and asked "was it the most amazing marathon experience". I answered as truthfully as I could: it was and it wasn't. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity, yet wish that I had not limited during my training and especially on race day by my knee. On the other hand, considering I have had problems with said knee since 1993, I should be grateful. should... not my favorite word right now.

The memories of the Boston marathon will be most likely the fun I had with my DH and folks, and of the great time I had at lunch with my RWOL friends. The race itself.... I guess I'm still processing that part. As one of the gals on RWOL said about a recent destination marathon: the trip was great, except for the marathon part.

What's next? Well, I'm signed up to do the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in two weeks, but if the knee is not pain-free I will bag it and either try to volunteer at the last minute, or take the boys down to cheer on my friends who are running the half and full. Most likely that was my last full marathon. A bittersweet way to end the marathoning part of my running perhaps, but I'm not sure I can put my body and my emotional self through that again.

Deja Vu.... all over again

2009-04-17T11:33:00.001-07:00

I am limiting myself to 10 minutes for this RANT.

After the 2006 NYC debacle, I SWORE I would NEVER AGAIN run a marathon in that much pain. I have tried so hard to keep my knees healthy this last training cycle: only running 3x a week, yoga (which to me is a form of torture), swimming, have had massages every 2-3 weeks, stretched, lost a few pounds, etc. The ONLY thing I did that was probably not in the best interest of my knees was to take a ski trip with the boys April 2-9. WTF? What am supposed to do? Cancel an 8 day ski trip b/c I may or may not run well at the Boston marathon? Disappoint myself, my kids and my parents?? I honestly did not even ski that hard-- not like some years. The knee did NOT bother me at all in Colorado, but, like in January, started hurting when we returned.

Note: I have suffered off and on from ITBS since 1993. This current pain/soreness is in BOTH the ITBand/knee area, and the patella area. So, it is different. That is both GOOD and BAD in my book.

Had a good run on Monday 10M- didn't push the pace too much-- felt great! At one point the knee started feeling a bit wonky, but it was not painful.

Had a deep tissue massage on Tuesday, and since then have been in some sort of discomfort and/or pain in the knee and also my right hip area. Again- this is GOOD and BAD.

Bottom line: I am praying-- seriously praying-- that the patella area/hip area soreness is a result of the deep tissue massage, and that 3 days from now will be better. If I had to line up today, I would do so knowing that I would be in pain for part of the race. It is hard to get excited about the race/weekend knowing that pain may be in the forecast.

I am TRYING to be optimistic that everything will click into place by/on Monday. It is also hard to rest b/c I have so many things to do to get ready.

OK- rant over. I seriously hope when I post tomorrow my final thoughts that things will feel better.

TTFN

30K from Hell and a new time goal.

2009-04-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ok- so last year when I did the Just a Short Run (JASR) I nailed my 15M @MP with an average MP of 8:35. It was such a great confidence booster, and let me know that I COULD get my BQ.

Well... one year later and the same race let me know that I needed to make an adjustment on my time goal. It was sort of a cluster all around, and a good reminder of why I DO NOT like going to races with other people.

I went with my neighbor, who is training for Pittsburgh, and is a person I really like. I always thought that if our kids went to the same school and/or she didn't work full time that we could be really good friends. I was happy to support her doing this race, as this will be her first marathon. Anyway, we didn't drive together, but since they were going to have record crowds, she asked it we could follow each other up there so we could park together. She asked if we could run the first few miles together, and in hindsight, I just should have stayed with her all day.

Anyway, when I went to meet her I realized I had left my Kinesio tape at home. Now, if it were just me, I would have gone back and gotten the tape, but I didn't want to throw her time-table off, so sucked it up. Drive up there was good. I left my Imodium in the car, and again, if I were solo, would just have gone back to get it, but didn't want to leave her in the lurch. LESSON LEARNED.

I took the first 5K easy, as planned: 36:31- similar to last year. Then I tried to nail down my MP- goal was 8:40ish. I really would have loved to hit 8:35 for the 15M like last year, but have not been running the miles, AND IT SHOWED. The other major cluster was that the mile markers seemed to be a bit off, so in hindsight I just should have noticed the miles splits, but gone on the 5M time as I crossed the mat.

1st 5M: 8:18-- WTF??? Had I know that at the time I would have slowed down immensely~
2nd 5M: 9:09

10M @ MP of 8:43- exactly where I wanted to be, HOWEVER those first 5M at 8:18 pace kicked my arse. Did the last 5M as a warm-down and had to stop 2x to visit the porta-potty (damn lack of imodium) and actually had to walk for 5 minutes or so b/c my knee was killing me. yes, I shed some tears along the way, and felt like crap afterward. My neighbor finished with ave. pace o 9:18 , which would have made for a nice LR pace for me. DAMMIT! I did get in the last 1.5 miles so it was 20M total. Ave pace for the 30k was 9:32, but I felt like complete CRAP! Leg hurt, ego hurt. Decided to change my Boston goal time to 3:55, which is a 9:00 min/mile pace.

NOW I just got those splits today 5 days afterward, and had I know that I did the first 5M at 8:18, I would have felt better about the whole situation. NEXT TIME I WILL WEAR MY GARMIN! UGH.

So- last week total mileage was 41 miles.

This week-- Tuesday did 10M w8@MP (8:50)
Thursday- 8M with 3 x 15 MP minus 20 seconds (8:27 for the first one and 8:19 for the second two.)

So..... I am left with a quandry about race day. I KNOW I will not PR-- that ship has sailed. But I would like to give the BQ a shot, but am hedging my bets at this point.

NEW GOAL FOR BOSTON: FINISH WITH A SMILE! also- under 3:55. I think that is doable, and if the weather cooperates and my taper goes well, maybe I'll get in under 3:53.

We leave for Colorado today- yippee!!!

TTFN!

The Bad and the Good-- two days apart!

2009-03-25T12:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Monday I took the car in for state inspection (after getting a hefty warning/ticket) and thought I'd get a nice, easy 15 in while they checked the car. WELL.

First, it was COLD- 30 degrees or so, and my asthma kickec in a bit-- not so much that I was actaully wheezing, but my breathing was labored. Didn't help that I was on a hilly route. I was having trouble breaking 10min/mile. Several thoughts went through my head, and in the end I decided to HTFU and just run as many hills as possible, albeit slowly.

My legs were dead-- I actually cannot remember the last time they felt that way-- just like lead slogging through mud or something. I stopped a few times for BR breaks, and to buy some water, and to talk with the guys from Sears Auto. Turns out they needed the car for a few MORE hours... so ended the 15 at home (embarassing pace: 10:04) only to find that I had locked myself out. So- used my secret way to get in, showered and then had to WALK the 3M over to get the car. By this point in the day (1:30) it had gotten MUCH warmed, so the walk was actully pretty nice-- my legs felt better after than before. Count that as my CRAPPY LR for the training cycle. Ran 60 miles in 8 days though.. legs need a break.

Tuesday- walked during DS's piano lesson for 25 minutes, then rode stationary bike for 30 minutes. Easy-

Today- (Wed). Wasn't sure what to do-- original thought was 8M outside, then when I looked at the weather, changed that to 4M inside and 4M outside. Got on TM, and ended up doing 11 on TM-- ave pace 9:15. My legs felt like I go have gone for a few more miles, but do NOT want to hurt anything this close to 4/20. I did some hillwork (up to 3.0) which made for a great workout. The new tunes are really helping to get/keep me motivated!

Saturday is Just A Short Run (JASR). Weather forecast: warm- high of 58, but rainy- ugh. Am planning to do 15M @MP of 8:40. We'll see how the legs feel-- I might adjust it down to 13@MP and do the full 20. Still up in the air-- a lot will depend on the weather.

TTFN-

35 miles in 3 days!

2009-03-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

So- I finally got my 20-miler in on St. Patrick's Day. Quite a change from 'drink free 'till you pee' at the Red Onion from 20 or so years ago! Average pace was 9:30, with the last 4M at MP or better. Did it on the Peters Trail, with the last few miles on the uphill section. Felt good most of the time. I uploaded a bunch of new songs from ITunes the night before and made a new playlist, which helped a TON! Not knowing what song was coming next was fun, and the new tunes mixed with old favorites kept me going.

Wednesday the weather was just perfect-- 55-60 or so (at least if felt that warm) so I did the unthinkable of late and ran again. Just a little 4M recovery... and I mean recovery-- I think the pace was 11/min mile-- really! On the trail again-- it was too nice to be inside- I went during CCD for the boys. There were tons of people outside, so that was nice.

Thursday I ran 11M outside and do notice a BIG difference in pace/effort on hills. Vowed to get as many runs between now and Boston done outside-- need that hill work! A very hilly 11M at 9:30 pace. Legs felt good, but tired.

Friday I swam 1M-- recovery.

Saturday-- 10M w/3 x 15M at MP minus 20 which turns out to be 8:12, which is really closer to MP minus 30, but felt ok. I actually did the last segment for 20 minutes, as I was REALLY on the clock with DH. Got. it. done.

TTFN!

10 miles and Garmin revival

2009-03-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Last night went out with GNO gals for b-day dinners at Six Penn-- yummy and fun! Got home pretty late (12:30) and had 3 vodka drinks, so was feeling it a bit this morning. Had a good morning with the boys and got them off to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with MIL and SIL. Then, went to get my 10M run in.

On my way there I noticed my Garmin was not turning on. Was pretty pissed about it, b/c I took time to charge it before we left. Was thinking at the time it was dead, but I had my Ipod, and was going to the trail, so the markers would help. Parked at the 'top' of the trail, so that I'd run downhill the first 5M and uphill the last 5M. It was a very different physical and mental run than the same ten miles (in opposite direction) last week. Used my car clock for time estimate; I think it was 10.2 miles in 1:38. I actually felt like I was going a bit faster than that the last 5M (based on effort/breathing) but did take it really easy the first 5M. Good news: nothing hurts and I feel pretty good.

Better news: one of my friends from ROL helped me re-set my Garmin and its working again! What a relief! I actually enjoyed the run today without it, but really benefit from knowing pacing; at least every mile from a watch.

SRD tomorrow, then I AM going to get in that 20 Monday! I think I can! I think I can!

I rode the Short Bus to Yoga today....

2009-03-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

yep... that would be me- the one requireing LOTS of extra attention from the yoga teacher. Nevermind that I selected a spot in the FAR BACK corner. This was 'Yoga 2' and I actually really LIKED this class- more movement and challenges--- somethings I definitely and am not flexible enough for, but I feel as though I held my own with the strength moves. I hope to take those Wed/Friday yoga classes more often.

Yesterday I got a short run in-- 5M around North Park. It was pretty windy, and I was blowing some pretty impressive (for me anyway) snot rockets, which seemed to end up on me or my clothing no matter which way the wind was blowing. oh well- that is what the washing machine is for, right? I was actually pretty pleased b/c I did not wear my Garmin, did not really get accurate mile splits, and was taking is really easy. 5M in 46:56 = 9:24 pace.

So, I have officially accepted the fact that I missed one long run this training cycle, and I'm trying to focus more on the runs I HAVE gotten in, rather than that one....so now I'm obsessed wtih getting in a good 20-miler on Monday, or at the latest, Tuesday. That will really be my only chance to get in 2 20 mile runs this training cycle. Keeping my fingers crossed, and trying to not do too much.

TTFN!

Still no running-- day 4- UGH!

2009-03-11T13:04:00.001-07:00

So I not only have not run since Saturday, but have not done ANY exercise since Sunday's measly stationary bike ride. I cannot remember the last time I went 3 days in a row without some sort of exercise. To top it off, I've been taking a 2+ hour nap the past three days while the boys are in school. Still feel like crap, but at least I'm feeling somewhat better today. Good enough to realize I WILL feel better someday.

So, my pity party continues....

I am trying to be positive and realize that at this point starting running again too early and too hard is going to be very bad for recovery and training. So, am going to try a slow 5m tomorrow, then 10 Saturday and maybe 15 or so Monday. Then pray that I feel well enough to get at least 1 20 miler in before the Just a Short Run. At least 18... UGH.

At least my IT Band and hamstring are rested....

TTFN from GT (grumpy Tara)

Welcome to my Pity Party~

2009-03-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so remember in the Lion King when the young cub Simba says 'Ha! I laugh in the face of danger', right before almost getting eaten by the hyenas? Well, Saturday I felt like 'Ha! I laugh in the face of a sinus infection, and it has come back to bit me on the ass, big time. Saturday's run went great, then we went to the Pitt b-ball game, and Saturday night I went to dinner and movie with a couple of friends. Nothing too strenuous, right?

Well, yesterday I woke up feeling like complete crap, and after Church and the Dude's b-day party (which went really well, and he totally enjoyed) I was till draining and wiped out. Went to bed early, slept ok, and this morning we ALL overslept! Now, I could blame it on the time change, but am going with the culprit de jour for all the ails me: the sinus infection. Got the boys off to school, and am sitting here feeling completely sorry for myself as far as my training goes.

Here are my woes:
I feel like this whole training cycle has been plagued from the start, and it is SO FRUSTRATING to me for 3 reasons:
1) it is Boston, which I have wanted to do since I cheered people on in 1989 at the race
2) I have tried to be so patient and smart with my training; skipped Philly this year, cut back to running 3 days a week, have been doing yoga, stretching, core work, etc.
3) I am not even shooting for a huge PR! ALL I WANT TO DO IS TRAIN FOR AND ENJOY THIS RACE~ I guess the running gods are not in my favor this year.

It would be one thing if I were shooting for a 3:35, training 6 days a week, running doubles and putting my body and family through all sorts of challenges and self-centered scheduling hoops, but I have remained positive and tried not to talk about my training setbacks. (except to the gals at RWOL- thanks gals!) I've arranged my schedule so that I only have a short workout on one weekday, the other weekday is a rest day. Done all my LR on Mondays or Tuesdays so as not to interfere with family activities.

All in all I guess my main complaint is WHY THE HELL CAN'T I JUST TRAIN FOR THIS THING? UGH!!!!

When I pull myself back and realize its just one day I'm taking off, and that it really doesn't make a difference if I run my 20 this week or next, I can step back from the proverbial ledge. It just gets to me sometimes. First the ITBand, then the hamstring, now the sinus infection. I hope and pray that this is it! I guess I keep telling myself that....

Ok. Enough bitching. In some weird way I feel better for getting this down.

Thanks for attending my pity party! Here's hoping there are no more scheduled in the near future!

TTFN!

What Sinus Infection?

2009-03-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to the Take Care Clinic and the P.A. said I have a sinus infection, which explains why my throat has felt like crap and I've had no energy the past couple of days. I get these a couple of times a year-- usually when the weather changes. She noticed my 'Marathon Mama' t-shirt and said I should not run for a few days. So... I did take the day completely off from working out yesterday, which was actually really nice btw, but went ahead and did my 10miler this morning.

Went out to the Peters Trail, which has about a 1-2% steady grade depending on where you park. So, I did the last 'ego run' I'll do before Boston, which is to park at the downhill end, so the first 5 miles were uphill:
9:44, 9:35, 9:28, 9:25 and 9:14

then I turned around:
8:46, 8:44, 8:38, 8:17, and 7:56! The last couple of miles I was trying to catch up with this women who was moving along pretty well... I did just at the last half mile of the trail.

So- the trail is ready to run on again! The drinking fountain and porta-potty are not up and working yet, but soon! Also, I will be parking at the 'top' end of the trail from now on to simulate the hill situation in Boston: downhill during the first part of the course and uphill during the second part.

All in all I feel pretty good about it, and am curious to see how things go on Monday, when I'm going to get in my first 20-miler of the training cycle.

TTFN!

Putting my training in the hands of Esined....

2009-03-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, so in an unorthodox move, I have officially committed to running 3x a week, with 1.5-2M swims on one day, and other recovery XT the 5th workout day. Will try and get at least one yoga day in there somewhere and a step-mill workout. (so, I guess that is 6 days a week). I hope to get to Hopkinton in the best shape possible, if not the best running shape.

There is a forumite in RWOL, Esined (I do know his real name, but want to keep the paparazzi guessing), who runs sub-3 marathons on 3x a week, with tough cross-training and lifting. Without going into details, I have gleaned enough about him through thread on the website, and he has been kind enough to answer my questions.

Thing is, what he does makes sense to me. It is not a FIRST-type training with super-fast or precise paces, but more Pfitiz-ish in the running portion of the training. This week I did my first of his suggested 'speed' workout.

10M with the 3 x 15 minutes at MP minus 20 seconds
w/u 2M
3 x 15 minutes at 8:12 pace, with 5 minute 'recovery' at 9:30 pace. The recovery pace might technically be too fast, but it felt good at the time.
The last 15 minute set I pushed to 20 minutes mainly b/c the looming boredom of a 1/5M warm down.

This was a GREAT workout! The 10M went by quickly, and my legs felt tested, but not tired.

Below are the questions I sent him:
Questions:
1) next week, should I add more time to the sets (3 x 20) OR
2) add more speed to each set (MP minus 30 seconds) OR
3) add more of an incline to this workout. (this is what I think might be best for Boston, but wanted to get your opinion)

All in all this was a good confidence booster. For me, the endurance is my goal this training cycle, not additional speed, so I hope to continue the good week of running.

TTFN!

What a difference a day makes!

2009-03-03T09:41:00.000-08:00

16M... CHECK
last two at MP..... CHECK
better mood........ CHECK!!!

Today's run could not have gone better, well I guess running outside would have been better. Bitter cold again- some schools around here had two hour delays... not ours thank goodness!

First 6.75M 1:05 9:37
Second 6.75M 1:03 9:19 pace
last 2.5~ 2M at MP 17:00, then last .5 cooldown.

Average pace for first 14M was 9:30, which is exactly where I wanted to be today. I was a bit nervous after running those 4M last night how the legs would feel, but they feel great! A good overall run, and good confidence booster. Now- I do need to get outside for these long runs! I did mix in some 1% grade during the first 14M, but that is not really hill work.

Later~

Mama told me there would be days like this....

2009-03-03T04:03:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was an unmitigated disaster from a running standpoint. The Dude has been sick, I was home with him all day Sunday, and figured I'd let him sleep in, and take him to school around 10:00 and get my 16 in. He has this horrible hacking cough, and it was so strong it had made him sick a couple of times. I felt so badly for him, but he was really brave, and by Monday morning (yestereday) seemed to be doing better. So, when it was time to take him to school, the cough got really bad, and I kept thinking that I'd better make sure it was bronchitis or pneumonia or something.... so took him to the dr. There goes my daytime run....

Dude was 'fine', and actually in good spirits the rest of the day. DH volunteered to come home at a decent hour, and let me go run while he put the kids to bed. So, at that point I was looking at running from 6:30-9:0o PM--- not the best of times, but I was happy to be able to get it in.

Well, DH didn't get home until 6:30 (No fault of his, it is tax season) and when I got to the gym, I realized I didn't have my socks. At this point I was going to exchange the 16 for a speedish type workout of 10 with some sub-MP miles. When I started in at the 15 minutes at 8:12, the meat sauce I had been making for dinner and thus tasting in copious amount decided it was time to make a second appearance. I DID manage to keep it all down, but between the sick tummy and blisters that were starting to form on my upper foot, decided to call it a day. Got in 4M. UGH.

Now I AM lucky b/c my schedule is so flexible, but with running only 3x a week (more on that tomorrow) NEED, and I mean NEED to get all 3 runs in with their specific type of workout. So, I moved a couple of things around, and will inconvenience DH a bit again on Saturday, having to run that day, but will keep on moving on.

Here's hoping today is a better day for both me and the Dude.

50 days to go... where am I?

2009-03-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

Boston is 50 days away. I am trying not to freak out, and last week helped a good deal. I got in my 18 miler on Monday, which went great! Did it all on the TM; had to stop twice due to nature calling-- loudly, but felt good otherwise. First 16M at 9:44 pace; last two at GMP, 8:34.

Second run was OUTSIDE!!! yippee! 12M total: 6M on track, then the rest up past SCCC on the big uphill. I realized that I really need to run outside more b/c my breathing changed pretty dramatically on the hills. Average pace 9:33.

Third run TM run again: 10M w/5M at GMP. This run really helped my confidence. The MP felt good, and I could have dialed it up a notch or two, but didn't want to push things.

XT #1 was swimming: 2M with 3 x 10 length kick sets. Since the kick sets seems to tire out my legs, I am going to continue them. It makes the workout take about 15 minutes longer than otherwise, but I think it will help.

XT#2 will take place today. The little Dude was sick last night, and from 4am on, so DH took DS#1 to hockey game up in Indiana, PA. I am sorry I can't be there, but know it is so important to both of them that DH be there. They are going to play for the Playoff Chamionships this afternoon. So, I most likely will hit the stationary bike for 45 minutes or so.

So-- where am I? I am definitely on my own training plan-- and emailed a helpful RWOL forumite for pacing suggestions. I don't want to do the FIRST paces b/c I am afraid that running too many miles too fast will aggravate the ITBand. I know I have the speed to get the 3:47 again, but need to work on the endurance. If things go well the next few weeks, I'll add some VO2 workouts closer to the race date. It is still sinking in that I'm going to actually run the Boston Marathon!!

TTFN

Finally... a good run!

2009-02-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the best run I've had this month~ FINALLY! The weather has turned biting COLD and WINDY again, so the TM it was. I am not fully back into the Pfitz plan, did 8 on Wednesday, so wanted to do 10 Friday, and hope to run 15 or so on Monday.

My legs felt fresh... sort of like the end of a taper for the first time in a couple of weeks. The ITBand also stopped hurting... it had been a noticeable twinge 24/7 for the past week or so. So-- first 4.2M did at 9:35 pace, then did the last 5.8 at 8:54 pace-- most of the last 3M were at or faster than MP. It just felt good to go fast again!

Followed that up with 10 minutes on the stair climber, so a good overall workout! We had dinner with our neighbors, which was fun.

Today both boys had hockey games-- Tommy's team won, and Danny's lost, but both boys played great... really fun!

TTFN!

Swimming my way to Boston?!?

2009-02-19T12:37:00.000-08:00

Ok- so I have not posted in over a month. Training was going really well until the week after our ski trip (two weeks ago) I ran a short run outside on February 3rd or so, and tweaked my hamstring on my left leg. IT Band/knee issue still in play on right leg, and I think the skiing did not help that. SIGH.

So, learning from past mistakes, I cut my 16 miler during week 11 down to 14 miles, and then did not run for a week. Swam 2M, 2.5M and did work on the Cross-trainer in attempt to not lose too much fitness during week 10.

This week is 9 weeks to go, and I am basically running to my own plan (pun intended). Did 8M yesterday, last 2M at MP (somewhere between 8:30-8:40 at this point in time). Today I swam 1/5 miles, including two 10 length kick sets, which really took it to my legs, in a good way. I have also added the stair climber to my routine. (goal 10-20 minutes 3x a week) in attempt to strengthen my legs. Am also committed to stretching every day at least 10 minutes a day. I figure I have 9 weeks to go, and want to get in as good of shape as possible. Hoping it will be good RUNNING shape.

TTFN!

I'm Training Again

2009-01-17T04:14:00.000-08:00

Yippee! It feels great to finally be on a training program! Boston is looking REAL to me now, as we are 13 weeks out.

Shhhh..... my ITBand is sleeping, and we don't want to wake it up! Seriously-- it has not hurt in awhile. I thinkin retrospect the boot camp I did was not the best idea. While it was a great workout, and I do think it helped control my weight a bit over the holidays, I think all the sprinting and jumping was not good for my knee. I may or may not try it again after Boston.

Two runs thus far this week on Pfitz 12/55

8M GA run: did the last two miles at MP- averaged 9:11 and
9M GA run: first 4M at 9:30 pace, then last 5M I did sort of a fartlet, moving all over the place- average pace 8:40.

I am thinking about checking the McMillan calculators and training for a 3:35 or so marathon. I am NOT going to go for that at Boston, but think that I might be doing myself a disservice by not running a bit harder on some of the runs. We'll see.

Today is SRD, tomorrow recovery, then Monday (MLK day) I will have 13. It has been so cold (below zero, school cancelled, etc.) that I am looking to be a TM queen for the next week or so.

All in all, a good start! My transition should be smooth also- last week I did 32 miles, this week Pfitz calls for 35. My LR last week was 12, so only adding a mile onto that.

NRR: this is the weekend of the MLHA tournament-- boys have combined 4 games today! Should be fun---

TTFN-

It's Official: Boston Training Plan

2008-12-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

FINALLY getting around to focusing on the Boston Training plan. I have been running 3x week this month; mpw of 22, 24, 23 and 24.5. Goal is to get up to 30-32 mpw over the next few weeks, with a LR of 14 miles before starting a modified Pfitz 12/55 on 1/13/09.

Plan is to do the 12 week schedule over 14 weeks. Modifications will include possible substitution of cross-trainer for recovery run 1x a week, and possibly maxing out at 50 mpw like I did last year.

So- here's the plan: I am going to run long on Mondays, so the week will really begin on Tuesdays. This give me flexibility to run long on Sunday if it works out, and b/c Boston is on a Monday, shouldn't mess me up too much.

Pfitz week: Calendar week
11: 1/13
10: 1/20
11: 1/27 (skiing in Colorado- might only run 3x instead of 4)
9: 2/3
8; 2/10
7: 2/17
6: 2/24 (will do Spring Thaw 15 mile option for 15/12MP run on 2/28)
5: 3/3
4: 3/10
3: 3/17
6: 3/24 (will run Just a Short Run 30K as 18/15MP run on 3/28)
2: 4/1 (will skip race; skiing in Colorado)
1: 4/7
Race week 4/13 (will modify for 16 miles pre-race)

so-- there's the plan!

I will also NOT be racing during this training cycle. I know that I am capable of training to run a 3:45 (8:34 MP), and hope for a PR and another BQ at Boston.

My #1 goal is to run Boston well-prepared and healthy. I do plan to attempt a sub 3:40 in the future, on a faster course. This most likely will be the only chance I get to run Boston, and I want to have positive memories!

I know I'm most likely selling myself short, but there are other races and other days to 'go for it'.

I also might sign up for the Pittsburgh 1/2 and see how that goes.

Ok- now its in print, so I have to do it, right?

NRR: last night was our GNO anti-holly ball dinner at Francos. It was so much fun, and great to see everyone. DS#1 had hockey at 7:10, so I am feeling a bit low at this point.

RR: got in 6 recovery miles (not really sure WHAT exactly I was recovering from) this morning.

TTFN!

Back on the road again....

2008-12-03T16:27:00.000-08:00

Yippee! Got in an 8- miler Monday, then a nice road/track 10-miler today. Pace: 9:29, which is on the fast end of the 10-20% spectrum.

For Boston, my goal is to TRAIN to fun a 3:45: 8:35 MP, but my main goal is to re-BQ; which is a 8:45 pace. So, I am going to train using MP of 8:35, and hope for the best come race day.

This was first MLR I've done outside on the roads in almost two months. After the 3 weeks off, I have been doing 90% of my runs on the Treadmill. I am a bit unique in why I don't mind the TM, and here are the reasons:

WHY I LIKE THE TREADMILL FOR WINTER TRAINING (not in any particular order)
1) I can control my paces: especially good for tempo and speedwork.
2) I get caught up on the news, sports, and sometimes even enjoy Ellen and Rachael Ray show.
3) I don't have to worry about the weather; which means I also don't have to worry about what to wear.
4) I don't have to worry about the cold weather bothering my asthma
5) If Danny needs me at school for his asthma, I can be reached by cellphone, and am only 15 minutes away, as opposed to having to run miles back to my car
6) I can use the bathroom, refill my water, and get a new towel: really great for MLR.
7) I can run on an incline, which my S*ITBand seems to appreciate.
8) There are always other people running while I am running: when I am on the trail, I might pass 1 or 2 other runners.
9) It is easier on the knees/Sh*tband than the roads or trails.
10) I don't have to carry my own water or food.

Boy- don't I sound pampered!!!!

Summer running is another ballgame-- put me outside any day!

Tomorrow's topic: Marathon training program for Boston.

TTFN

3 weeks off... not enough?

2008-11-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Ok- so I took 3 weeks off from running after the 1/2 marathon. 5 days of that I was really 'off' b/c we were at Disney World with the boys, which was awesome! The boys got to 'fight' Darth Vader at Hollywood Studios, and they actually liked Space Mountain! The only thing I did for 5 days (other than walking) was the cross-trainer for 5M.

So, one would think that getting back would be pain-free, right? NOT. The damn ITBand/knee thing on my right leg came back right away. I think it might be from taking a step class, so I'll take that out of the lineup. I really want to do some strength training 2x a week, so I guess it will be Group Power.

Thinking ahead to Boston training: I might REALLY modify Pfitz and go with running 3x a week, and/or doing a 12 week training cycle. At this point I cannot imagine my knee hanging in there for a full 18 week Pfitz training cycle. But... we'll see.

NRR: I can't believe its almost Thanksgiving! My sister got engaged a few weeks ago, so that is very exciting news... other than that we're all just plugging along.

Cheers-

Another year older, and another year faster (at least a little)

2008-10-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Buffalo Creek 1/2 Marathon:

This is the 3rd year for this trail 1/2 marathon, and I have done it the past two years. It is a GREAT race; pretty, well-supplied, with a nice cross-section of runners. http://www.buffalocreekhalfmarathon.com/index.html

I have been resting my quad for the past three weeks; the last time I ran was an easy 4 last Sunday. Have been trying to keep my fitness up through swimming, the cross trainer, and the exercise bike, but was really not sure how things were going to go today. I knew I had put the miles in during August/September, but October had been a challenge.

Yesterday I ended up picking DS#1 up from school due to stomach problems, but he felt better by the end of the day. We had a good pasta dinner, and got to bed by 10:00. Had a decent sleep, and woke up before the alarm (a good sign in my book) around 6:25. As I was getting ready I had that 'jumping out of my skin' feeling, which to me means I have some good energy. I had set the coffee maker up last night in an attempt to 'save time' this morning, and for some reason it didn't work. I ended up going without my morning coffee which is W-A-Y off my routine, but figured it might be the best thing due to recent race-day GI issues I've been having.

Got out of the house on schedule, and had an uneventful 1 hr. drive up to the Speedway where they have us park our cars. They bus runners to the start, and then back from the finish. For a small race (am going to estimate 500 people this year) the organization was GREAT! I ended up chatting with some folks who taught with a friend of mine, which was nice.

Got to the start, hit the porta-potty (business taken care of -- yea!) and did a 5 minute warmup. It was COLD 38 degrees at the start, predicted to be 43 at the finish, and a bit windy. I have to give a shout-out to the gals on the Ladies BQ training forum, as there was a great discussion last week about when to forgo the shorts in favor of capris. Well, I was right on the fence... sitting there at the start with my shorts on, and capris in hand. I almost changed, but figured I'd rather be chilly than hot, given the choice. Smart move.

At the start I recognized a women I had run a few miles of a 10k with last spring: she leaned back to her friend and said 'shall we go for a 1:30?'. Mental note: do NOT try and pace off her today. I had also run into a guy I met two years ago, and it was his 3rd year as well- it was good to see him and catch up on his year of running.

So- we started-- we had chips, but no mat at the start. I started about 10 seconds after the gun, and we were off. My goal was to run better than last year, (1:40:47), and was hoping the quad would hold up. I knew the start was going to be downhill, so wanted to keep the first mile around 7:20 or so. My REAL goal was to break 1:40, and I thought I needed a 7:40 pace to do so.

1st mile: 7:11-- oops-- too fast, but I knew this mile would be fast.
miles 2/3: A pack of people formed once we got onto the trail. I tucked in behind a fellow and his father?, I called him 'Vince Vaughn'. He was very tall, wearing bright yellow and black, and he seemed to be setting a good pace.
2: 7:46
3: 7:35
at this point I overhear 'Vince' say that his splits from his spring marathon were 1:34 and 1:38, so I figure I've GOT to slow it down a bit. I let the pack pull ahead a little bit.
4: 7:51-- just call me Goldilocks-- this mile too slow, this mile too fast...
I fell in with another runner during mile 5 who I would trade off with until the end of the race. He was so great! My strategy at this point was to keep 'Vince Vaughn' in sight, and to start reeling in his stragglers around mile 9. I was feeling really good at this point, no quad/IT issues!
5: 7:30 - during this mile I saw one of the funnier things I've ever seen while racing: two hunters in their bright orange came out of the woods and started walking on the trail. We all looked at each other as if the other was the crazy one! I did hear gunshots on the course as well.
6: 7:35 These two miles felt really good, I had tossed one layer, and was slightly freaking out about going too fast, but had a good pace, and my ''friend'' running with me. 'Vince' was still in sight ahead, but I could see his pack splitting up a bit. My strategy for these miles was to pick off one person ahead of me per mile.
7: 7:45 (water stop)
8: 7:50 -- alright, time to pick it up again. My 'friend' had gotten ahead of me a bit, and I started to push the pace again.
9-10: missed the 9M split, but these two miles were 15:27, so a bit slower than I wanted to be, but still in good range. I passed the 1:30 lady I saw at the start, and the older man 'Vince' was running with at the start. Vince was nowhere to be seen by now.

The last three miles I dedicated to my three guys: DH, and sons Tommy and Danny. Mile 10 was Danny's mile, b/c I knew it was going to be the hardest of the 3 mentally, and I'm always encouraging him when he says how hard things are. When I felt my pace slowing a bit, thinking of him kept me going. I had now caught up and passed my 'friend'.
11: 7:37
12: 7:42 - Tommy's mile-- a good split at this point. During this mile I passed two other women, which was uplifting and helped keeping me focused on who was ahead of me, not behind me. My 'friend' had passed me again-- at this point we were chuckling to each other. When he passed me I said-- go get 'em, and he replied 'oh, I'm sure you'll pass me again!'.

The course now leaves the trail and goes up a road ramp, over a bridge and into the town of Sarver, PA. I dread this ramp, but this year it seemed shorter than I remember, which I guess is good. I knew I was going to be close to breaking 1:40, so was trying to haul azz as best as I could. The course goes down a street, turns left at mile 13, and the last .1 is parallel to the river. I had passed my buddy on the ramp, and was still looking ahead. At the 13 mile point, this guy just up ahead of me turned to me and starting yelling, encouraging me I guess. He was yelling-- go get it, how badly do you want this, pick it up, etc. He actually reminded me of a frenemy of DH's, so I gave it everything I had left at that point just to get him to shut up. Finished in 1:40:12, a PR by 30 seconds. 3rd in my AG.

The good: the quad felt good today, so I was really happy I rested it. The rest of my body felt strong, and I passed folks up until the end of the race. A PR is always good. Also, I qualified for NYC for next year...always good to have that in my pocket.

The bad: A KEY tactical error: I actually needed 7:38 pacing to get under 1:40. If I would have know this, I would not have freaked out mentally as much as I did with some of those faster splits. Am really pissed at myself for this, but know that breaking 1:40 is within my grasp.

The ugly: nothing. This is good.

On the bus ride back, my 'friend' from the race was sitting 2 rows in front of me. A class act, he introduced himself, and I found out his name was Dan-- another great Dan in the world.

So, ever my own worst critic, I am trying to be excited for the PR, and not beat myself up too much about those 12 crappy seconds. I'm sure I'll feel much better after a shower, and a glass of wine.

One of the favorite things I saw at this race was men/kids cheering on their moms/wives/girlfriends. So many times at sporting events you see women cheering on their men, and I spend a good deal of time doing that for my kids. It was great to see the women in action, and the great support given them by friends and family.

I am also constantly amazed at the running community at large: such nice, supportive, friendly people who as a whole, enjoy meeting new folks, and talking about running and sharing their experiences. Since I train by myself, these races are such a breath of fresh air for me.

All in all, a great day!

Is this going to work?

2008-10-15T04:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday: Yoga, then swam 1 mile at Healthtrax pool. There is a LOT going on in that pool; water 'exercise' class, swim lessons, and little kids with parents. Good thing for the ONE lap lane they have set up. I would like to swim 1-2 a week going forward, and it feels really good after yoga.

Today: 6 miles on the Cross-Trainer-- 2M in 12:00-- not exactly sure how that corresponds to running, but it felt like a tempo-ish effort. I did jump on the treadmill after a 2M warmup, hoping to run a couple miles, but felt the quad. Am going to rest it until Saturday. UGH.

I am trying to remain positive about this race: I would really like to run it all out, and have trained VERY hard since July for a 1/2 marathon effort.

On the way home, got a flat tire, so that really messed up my day-- oh well. Will try to get it fixed this afternoon/evening.

TTFN!

Training.... without running?

2008-10-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I ran a grand total of 24 miles last week--- I am getting really bummed out about this quad injury, especially the longer it lingers. I have already made up my mind that I am going to take a full 3 weeks off from running after the 1/2-- which will take me through the Disney trip.

But-- not running the entire week before a 1/2? It just seems so LONG to go w/out running, but have committed to at least not trying until Wednesday. UGH.

Today Beta and I went to the trail-- she was pretty happy out there today! Weather was sunny and cool, and the trees are fully changing their leaves. Will take her back later this week to get some pics. Then did some core work, and rode the bike while watching Grey's Anatomy. In theory 1 hr. 15 minutes of cardio, but hardly broke a sweat. UGH.

Boys were at my folks for the night last night, so DH and I had a fun dinner! It was super nice to have the house to myself the entire day! I was actually somewhat productive, as I didn't have to leave until 5:00pm. Listen to me NOW-- what, 7 hours a day isn't enough?

TTFN!

14 miler-- feels good to run again!

2008-10-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

Quad still not 100%, but got in my 14 mile long run today-- felt good.

My goal was to take it really easy and get the miles in. I wanted to start out aroun 9:45, and gradually increase to 9:20 or so. Here are the splits:
9:55, 18:52- tunnel, 9:47, 9:36, 9:53, 9:13, 9:30, 9:17, 9:22, 9:09, 9:08, 8:55, 8:.38
average: 9:23-- happy about that!

I got lost a bit during mile 6, had trouble finding the trail, but found it again. Weather was perfect for running, and I had no GI issues. So- I am feeling like my fitness is good, but am hoping that I can get to the start line healthy on the 18th.

Am going to run mostly slow miles this week; might do a couple at 1/2 GP on Friday, then a couple more next Wednesday. Other than that, its all slow from here on out.

Sidelined by my left quad....

2008-10-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Monday: 7M w/4M tempo. Average 7:28 per mile. Oops-- my quad has been bugging me for awhile and while this was a GREAT workout, methinks it was the reason for the quad REALLY acting up.

Wednesday-- went to start my 8M run, and it hurt so badly I only did 1mile. Then went to Healthtrax and did 7Miles on the Cross-trainer. It was the 1st time on that machine, and it really does feel more like running than the elliptical.

Th-- quad hurt so badly I placed an emergency call to the massage therapist at the club. Wow! What a difference an hour makes! Felt much better. Agree with her I should not run for a few days. She loaned me her heating pad- yea!

Fri- 8M on Cross-trainer- average pace 9:05 mile-- not bad. walked 1M to cool down. quad did not hurt at all during the cross trainer. Was debating whether or not to run easy tomorrow, but why push it? Am going to ride the bike tomorrow- maybe walk if I get the chance, and do a long run on Monday.

31 miles this week-- still sore...

2008-09-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

Friday's long run was really two runs in one. The first 5 or so miles were pretty ugly-- I didn't really get into a groove until mile 5 or so. I was at the trail, and ran a 1-mile section 3-4 times; out and back. BORING, but it was hot, I didn't feel like carrying water, so I stopped by the car a few times, and wasn't sure if I was going to make it.

Then, somewhere in the 6th mile, things clicked. It was a good reminder to stick it out. Overall pace was 9:06, which was the same as the week before, although the effort felt harder.

Then ART-- saw another local runner (MUCH faster than moi) so I chuckled that I wasn't the only one seeking different types of treatment. Am not feeling the love with the ART, as my left leg now hurts; first the quad, then the IT Band.

Saturday's recovery 5 were just plain UGLY. 10:05 pace, did not feel great, but got it done. 31 miles for the week. I think next week I'm going to try to get in 35, then cut back before the race. We'll see how it goes. I think I'll try a tempo run tomorrow, and see how the legs feel.

TTFN-

A week later....

2008-09-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Ok- so its been awhile. Here is a summary:

9/19 12M LR on Peters Trail. Pace: 9:03-- I was really proud of this run, and the pace. I felt a bit sore, and it took some time to get going, but was really happy when I finished.

9/20 4M recovery run. Pace: 9:54. I did 2.5 of this on the HS track, which was hard, b/c the HS XC team was running intervals, and these girls were flying around the track. I sometimes wonder what I might have been able to do running-wise as a girl, had it not been for the asthma. Oh well, I guess I'm making up for it now :)

Total mileage 9/15: 30 mpw

This week:

Monday: 6M w/5 x 1200 at 7:03, 7:03, 6:58, 6:48, 6:48. I felt great getting this in. Pfitz called for 4 x 1200 at LT pace for the 1/2 marathon schedule, but I went ahead and did the full workout-- more of a VO2 workout, which is what I think I needed. Of course I'm paying for it w/sore legs.

Wednesday: hilly run in Mt. Lebo- 8M @ 8:56 pace. This run was really hard for me. I have not been doing much hill work, and my left leg was really stiff. I ran part of the Martha's Run course, then hit the track for 6 laps and then back to the Galleria. Mostly all road/sidewalk, which I plan to avoid as much as possible in the next 3 weeks.

I really wish my body would not hurt. I've been dealing with off and on aches/pains since early June, and its getting old. I'm giving this ART two more weeks, and if I don't see results, I'm going to just rest after the 1/2, and do the exact same thing I did for the Pig- slowly increase mileage and do Pfitz 18/50.

TTFN!

8M @ 8:39 Pace

2008-09-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today I went out on the Peters Trail (slight incline one way, slight downhill the other), to do my 8M run. I wasn't exactly sure what Pftiz says for pacing for MLR and LR for the 1/2, so I wanted to push it a bit.

The 1st mile was 9:22 or so, and felt great. During the 2nd mile, I found that I was hitting sub-9 pace, so I went for it. 2nd mile: 8:52 or so. I was on a section of the trail that has a 1mile section, so did that for the 1st 3 miles, then hit this hill on the sidewalk right off the trail. It measured .3 miles, and has a gradual uphill-- not sure about the incline, but I felt it. I ran that 3 times-- worked pretty hard on the uphills, and tried to not go too fast on the downhills. I think I'll use that a good deal when prepping for Boston.

My last mile was 8:00 even, with a 8:39 pace for the 8 miles. It was a GOOD workout- wonder how I'll feel tomorrow.

The weather has FINALLY gotten less humid; even though, I was sweating bullets by the end.

I think I'm going to go to the far end of the trail on Friday for my 12 milers. Pfitz says LR between 1 and 2 minutes slower than goal 1/2 marathon pace. For me that is 7:40 so I'm going to try and keep the medium runs (6-10 miles) at that pace and the Long Runs (10+ miles) at around 9:15 or so.

It felt good to let it go! I'm really excited about running 4x a week until the race. Then, I think I'll cut back to 3 days a week, but keeping a LR of about 8-10 miles for the rest of October until after Thanksgiving. Then, increase the mileage until Pfitz starts.

We'll see....

Knee felt GREAT!

Great tempo run and something new...

2008-09-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started following the Pfitz plan for a 1/2 marathon on up to 30 miles a week. I think I might top out at 35 miles 4 weeks out-- we'll see how it goes. The really nice thing is that it is a 4 day a week plan. So- no more running 5x a week until Boston training starts!

One thing that is different is that the plan gives you LR distance, MR distance, then the distances for your temp and/or speedwork. It is up to you to figure out the warmup/warmdown miles... which is nice.

Yesterday called for a 4M tempo run. Since my 1/2 marathon goal time is 7:40 pace, and my 10K pr pace is 7:12, I split the difference for the pace. Did 1Mwu/1Mwd, and the 4M at tempo were 7:28 average. I could have gone faster during the last two miles particularly, but why?

My left leg is bugging me a bit, and I can't even describe which muscles it is, but has been sore since the 1/2. Hopefully it will feel better. I am commited to stretching...again.

Today I took my 1st Yoga class ever. It was nice, challenging in a wierd way (not cardio of course), but I kept looking at the clock. I bet I'll be sore tomorrow. They have a 9:30 Fitness Yoga class at Healthtrax that I am going to try and make 2x a week if I can on Tuesday/Thursday. I'll do that instead of the Group Power, which I still think has something to do with my knee aches.

Knee feels good! Have another ART session for Friday. Will continue to go as long as I feel good, and insurance will cover it.

TTFN!

Great 10M run today!

2008-09-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

So.. I have been having these little aches/pains in my knee/legs. I guess that race Saturday took more out of me than I thought. Anyway, I headed out to the Montour Trail today; the Cecil sections, which is nice and flat, with porta-potties and water fountains. There is a nice 10M out and back section. I planned to do 10M at a nice easy pace.

Result-- I had a GREAT run: 9:02 pace, and after a couple mile warmup, really felt good. I had to stop 2x for the porta-potty, so it was good I went to that trail. I am a bit sore still, but am going to try something new tomorrow: Active Release Therapy-- hope it will help my leg!

TTFN...

Treadmill recovery run-ugh!

2008-09-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

Today I ran for the first time since the 1/2 on Saturday. The knee is a bit twingy, but didn't hurt. Funny thing is it didn't bother me at all until last night, when I rode the bike for 45 minutes. Maybe I need to stay off the bike? Ugh.

Anyway- it was raining pretty hard, so I did the 5M recovery on the treadmill at the Club. Boring, but got it done. Fitness feels good, but I am so glad I'm not trying to fit that other marathon in.

Plan is to take it easy this week-no speedwork, and then follow either the Ryan Hall 1/2 plan, or adapt a Pfitz for the 5 weeks until the Butler Trail race. Am leaning towards the Pfitz, b/c the Hall plan has two days of speedwork. We'll see.

TTFN!

Ikea Half Marathon RR

2008-09-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I ran the Ikea 1/2 marathon. I have been wanting to do this race for a few years, and realized that for the past 5 years we have been out of town this particular weekend in September. Either at the Outer Banks or ND games. So, I was pretty fired up to run the course, as I hear it is very flat.

I really did not taper (at all) for this race, other than the fact that I only ran 4 out of the 7 days prior to the race, and the LR last weekend was 14 miles, and did 10 Tuesday, and 6 (w/2@tempo) Thursday. So, I had originally set a goal of 7:45-7:50 pace. Well, it was humid Saturday morning, and I did not sleep very well, so I readjusted my goal to 8:00 min/mile. Came in at 1:45:09, 8:02 pace. It was HARD.

The first mile is all downhill (7:02 or something), then you go on the Montour Trail for 6 miles slightly uphill, then 6 miles coming back. My mile splits were between 8:15-7:39, but again, it felt HARD. I realized that since I really put a good deal of stock into my races, and they do take time away from the family on the weekends, that unless I am doing one as a training run for a marathon, I am only going to do goal races during hockey season. So, the next one will be the Butler Trail 1/2 marathon on 10/18, which is in 6 weeks, and right before Disney, then the Turkey Trot, then I'll gear up for marathon training for Boston!

After the race was another story. I ended up getting 3rd in my AG, but had some SERIOUS GI issues walking up the hill, so did not stay. UGH. Double UGH.

Today I am sore, and still need to get caught up on my sleep. Hopefully tonight.

I ordered Pfitz's 'other' book, and will most likely adapt one of his marathon programs for the last six weeks until the Butler race. The weather will undoubtedly be less humid, so that will help a great deal.

TTFN!

Big decisions!

2008-09-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

So... after much thought and soul-searching, I decided to NOT run the Philly marathon this year, but to run Boston next spring instead of the Philly/Pittsburgh double.

Why?
Physical-- the knee. I started thinking hard about how long this has been bugging me, and it has been off/on since June. To start serious LRs for training would just aggravate it, and I didn't want to go into Philly unsure as to if I could BQ again or not.

Training: I realized that since Philly is so late (11/23), I would really only have a month in between training cycles if I were to do another Pfitz 18/55.

Mental: I started asking myself what the heck was I trying to prove? Who was I trying to impress? I got some good advice directed to another RW forumite, and some directed to me personally, all of which was good advice. I re-read some of my old posts about NYC, and decided to learn a lesson from my past mistakes. (now isn't THAT grown-up of me!)

Family: it is not only one fewer weekend away from the house, (during game season for hockey) so it would be hard on DH and the boys, and also I won't have to stress about it during our Disney trip.

I talked with DH about it Wednesday night, and he said it sounded like a good idea. He has been great about my running, and I know he fears my knee giving out again like NYC in 2006.

I slept on it, had a good run on Thursday, but somewhere during the run it just seemed crystal clear that this was the way to go. I know that I can be involved with Pittsburgh somehow, maybe a relay or running the 1/2 marathon. I called my friend, K, and she pointed out that Boston was my GOAL anyway, so that should take first priority.

Once I made the decision, I felt as though a physical weight had been removed. I was excited about running and life in general for the 1st time in weeks! I cancelled Philly hotel, switched my Boston one to the Copley Plaza Marriott, near the finish, so that DH would enjoy his stay, and called my folks to tell them. I think they'll go as well. We'll work the details out later, but I am excited!

Part of me thinks I have wimped out, but the ache in my knee and the good feeling I have inside tell me it was the right decision. Again, who am I trying to impress?

Have a 1/2 marathon tomorrow-- hope it goes well-- it is supposed to get hot tomorrow, but has been nice in the mornings. I am interested to see how I do-- I plan to go out around 7:45-7:50 miles, and see how that works. I would love a PR, but would take anything under 1:42.

Hope I'll have good news next time also!

10 miler, mostly on track.

2008-09-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today my knee was bugging me AGAIN-- UGH I am so sick of this cycle, and have pledged to do my stretching/icing routine every other day. The funny thing is, it does not hurt when I run, still. Some twinges here and there, but no pain.

Am doing a mini-taper for the Ikea 1/2 marathon this weekend, so it works out nicely to have some shorter runs. Today was going to be 8-10 miles, and I ended up getting 10 miles in 1:34.

First 4 miles were on the track, then I went off for 2.5 miles, then 1.5 miles on the track. Then, a HS class came out for Gym, so I ended up doing the last 2 miles on the sidewalk/road. I think I did 2M in the middle at MP, so all in all, a decent workout.

Am trying to get a massage scheduled before the race Saturday to figure out what the heck is going on here....

Thoughts on pacing....

2008-08-30T08:29:00.001-07:00

Ok- so today was a 5M recovery run, and I must say when I headed out my legs were still feeling heavy from yesterday. So- I trotted along at an average 10:44 pace. I got to thinking about pacing, and the Pfitz program. I re-read what he said about recovery runs, and he suggests they be done on soft surfaces, and no hills. Well, since I cannot avoid hills in the neighborhood, I went extra slow.

According to Pfitz: recovery paces- two minutes slower than 1/2 marathon time. Well, my 1/2 marathon pace from last year is 7:42, so that would put my recovery paces pretty close to my LR pace (based on 8:35/mile goal pace for 3:45 marathon). SO- the inconsistencies in my race times poses a challenge for my pacing. So, I have decided the following:

LR/MLR/recoveries will be based on goal MP of 8:35 (3:45 finish time).
So- LR/MLR between 9:20-9:50. Recovery runs 10:00-10:30 pace on flat, a bit slower on hills. If I am going to get these high mileage weeks in, I need to not go too fast.

LT/Intervals I will use my 'faster' 1/2 marathon and 5K paces. That way I'll keep some of the 'speed', as I build up my mileage. This is what I focused on last training cycle, and got good results!

TTFN....

UGH-- the sluggish run!

2008-08-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

Well- today was 14M medium-long run, and two miles in I could tell it was going to be brutal. I couldn't leave until after DH and DS #2 got back from 6:00 am hockey practice, so out the door at 8:00 instead of 6:30. Mistake #1.

3 glasses of wine last night. Mistake #2.

Have not been running hills, and decided to do a hilly route. Mistake #3.

Took Group Power yesterday. Mistake #4-- my legs really felt beat up from the beginning.

It was hot/humid-- that's not my fault, but refer to Mistake #1.

Average pace was 9:44, which is about 15% slower than my 8:35/mile goal time. I'm not feeling so badly about the pace, it was just HARD. I know from experience we're all gonna have some crappy runs every cycle, and I'm hoping this was it. When I switch my LR days to Friday in two weeks, that should help a great deal.

Also, did a LOT of thinking about pacing during the run. Went back and read Pfitz, and he said LR should start about 20% slower than MP, which for me would be 10:00 minute miles. Then, ramp up to 10% slower than MP by the end of the run, which would be 9:25ish. Pfitz said that if you are running much faster than 10% slower than MP that you might leave your best running out on the training course, not the marathon course. So- I was within the range. I think my goal range would be 1 minute slower than MP, so between 9:25-9:35. I'm going to try and stick to that in the future.

I must admit I get a bit caught up in the paces some of the ladies in RWOL thread are putting down, and use that to motivate me. BUT, I learned from the NYC 2006 debacle NOT to train to fast, and Pftiz worked great for me last time. I have to remember MY GOALS, and to run MY RUNS.

Whew! Glad that is over.

Taking the boys up my parents for a visit, then DH and I are meeting ML/JL for dinner. Should be a nice time.

Great tempo run!

2008-08-27T11:20:00.002-07:00

Got my first sub 8 min/miles in today with a 7M w/4M at tempo pace on the treadmill.

Warmup was easy- 9:30 pace, then 7:53, 7:53, 7:47 and 7:41. I felt great most of the time, if not a little bored. I increased the incline slightly to .5 for about 1.5 miles of the 4 tempo miles. I am trying not to run these too fast, but wanted to see how it felt b/c I want to run the Ikea 1/2 marathon at around 7:40 pace, which would be PR- I am hoping for 1:40 or better. It will also be a good indicator of my current fitness level.

I feel somewhat that I am not working as hard as I could b/c I do my speedwork on the treadmill (I'm sure I've mentioned this before), but also feel that I need to save my knee at some point, and that is the best way to get everything in.

All in all, a great workout, and my knee is not sore. I will ice it tonight.

TTFN-

FINALLY Training for Philly!

2008-08-27T11:20:00.001-07:00

So- back from Oregon-- got in some great runs-- 33 miles the week we were gone. Best run was 12 miles, 10 of which were on the beach- nobody else around. It was so foggy it was hard to see more than a 1/4 mile ahead, but was beautiful and cool.

Last week was the first week of Phitz training. The boys had Penguins Hockey camp, and luckily for me there was a fitness center directly above the ice they were skating on. So- rather than getting up at 5:30 to get my runs in, I got three runs in while they were skating. Highlight of the week was that all three of us were interviewed for, and made it on, local TV. Good thing for DVR! The boys look adorable. I had just finished a 5M run, so I do not look so adorable.

Last week's mileage: 35, including 13M long run.

This week: yesterday did 12M. Tomorrow is my first tempo workout since the 5K in July, so I am a bit nervous about that. Am going to try and stay in between 7:50-7:40. Should be a good indicator of how the 1/2 marathon pace will feel for the race on the 6th.

Today I took Beta for a 1M walk, then went to Group Power. On the way home, I stopped for milk/eggs, and locked myself out of my car. UGH. Since I was in my workout gear, I just walked home- 3 more miles. I considering running, but 1) had my purse with me and 2) have that tempo workout tomorrow. Not THAT'S taking it easy.

TTFN!

Off Again!

2008-08-08T05:15:00.001-07:00

Today we leave for Oregon/Washington to visit with DH's friends from UND and families. Shall be interesting due to the divorce situation in the L family, but we'll see.

RR: have gotten in 21 miles thus far this week: 8,8,5. Ran yesterday AND today, so will try and get 9-10 in on Sunday. Everything has felt great while running.

Had sort of a breakthrough on the knee-IT Band situation. One of the folks at RW online posted that he had the same thing, the ligaments under the bone where IT Band connects to knee are sore. It was like reading my own thoughts-- he said it really hurt after riding in a car, or sitting for long periods. Made me feel much better, and he said for him icing, no speedwork, and running on soft surfaces did the trick.

I think this whole Philly marathon thing might happen after all :)

Plan to get in 4-5 runs while I am gone. LR on Sunday or 9-10 miles as mentioned above, then will try and get some 6-8 mile runs in also. Will save last 'long' run for when I return.

Plan is to start modified Pfitz 12/55 (14/55) on 8/25.

Hope I feel as good when I return!

UGH! IT Band sore (again!)

2008-08-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Did 8M this morning, started at 5:40 am. It was still dark out, so I did the first mile in the neigborhood. Then it started to rain, pretty hard, and I was thinking of heading back home, but I thought--- what the heck am I going to do at home; wet, at 6:10 am? So I kept going.

Splits: 1st 2 miles were slow: 20:19, then: 9:50,9:11, 9:05, 9:20, 8:53, 9:11 for a average time of 9:30. The slow miles were in part due to the rain, and since I ran in the neighborhood, there were lots of hills to contend with.

My IT Band situation has me worried b/c if I commit to the Philly race, it has to be in the next two weeks. It did not hurt WHILE I was running, but after. Go figure.

Anyway, glad to get the run in-- I am going to try to be more diligent about the stretching/icing situation.

We leave Friday for Washington/Oregon... Should be fun, yet interesting. due to the L divorce situation.

Cheers!

August already???

2008-08-03T07:02:00.001-07:00

So- its August 3rd, and I've been ramping up mileage the past few weeks.

Had some great runs at the beach: did 4 runs: 8-10-6-8 in high heat and humidity, early in the am and felt great. Had some good pacing, mostly around 9:20 average. Am running most/all of my runs between 9:00-9:30 pacing-- keeping things easy.

Went to PT before we left- got some stretches, treatment, etc. Have not been as faithful as I should, but also went to NYC to visit DS for her 40th b-day. That was fun the first afternoon/evening, then disasterous the second day. DS got food poisoning, spent 11 hrs. yacking every 5-10 minutes, and we did virtually nothing all day. (oh yea, took her to the dr.) Felt SO BADLY for her, but we had a really nice visit regardless.

Personal highlight of the trip was a 9M run in Central Park. 8:55 pace! Amazing how much difference it made running along with other people. I hooked up with this one guy and followed his pace for about 2.5 miles. Good times.

Did 8M this morning around 8:00-- average pace 9:06-- and this with a 9:55 1st mile. It was hot, but I felt good, and this was after being up late/drinks with friends.

Am so happy that I decided to not start an actual plan until we return from WA/Oregon. It would be added stress to have to get certain runs in on certain days. I am fiddling with how to modify Pfitz for the Philly race, and think I'll have 14 weeks of serious training to get it done.

Running again!

2008-07-13T17:23:00.001-07:00

Ok- so I did 4 miles on the TM yesterday in 37:20 (9:20) pace. Knee twinged a bit from time to time, but did not hurt, nor did it hurt afterwards or today- yea! My body wanted to go longer and faster, but I held myself back.

Swim 1500 meters in the afternoon before GNO.

Plan is to do PT 1x a week going forward, do the stretches daily, and get my mileage slowly back up and do a 14 week program after we get back from Washington/Oregon trip. I think this actually might end up being better for everyone, as I know DH will be happier if I'm not stressing out about completing certain runs while we are on vacation.

Am going to check out Pfitz 12/55 and modify it for 14 weeks. Probably just add two more weeks of base building.

Am now wondering whether or not I should do the IKEA half marathon. I have not been in town the past 5 years to do it, and we are in town this year, so I would hate to miss it, but also don't want to get hurt. Because it is a big one, I think I would only do it as an all-out race, not as a MP run (ego!)

Tomorrow is my first PT appt. Hope to start running every other day next week.

IT Band-- Round 3?

2008-07-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

Ok- so after that great 5K, my knee started to hurt-- BADLY! In a new place, of course. Have not run since the 4th, went to the dr. (hot doc!) and he said that there is no physical damage to the IT Band, but it is hurting where it connects to the bone. He gave me a prescription for PT therapy and said I should try and lay off the running 'as long as possible'.

He did mention how we runners tend to beat up our bodies, which is funny, b/c he is a gym rat, and I'm not sure lifting heavy weights is any better for you than running. He also reminded me that the speedwork/racing is much harder on the ITBand b/c of all the pounding.

So- I did not run for ELEVEN DAYS!!!! I think that is the longest in a year! I did some swimming, walking, but that was about it. It actually worked out well, b/c the BIL,SIL, nephew were in town for the SCCC Invitational. We had a great visit- nephew is too cute, and my boys were great with him.

Dinner-dance was fun, SIL is pregnant again, so although I gained a DD, I lost a partner in crime. She was a trooper!

Firecracker 5K!

2008-07-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

4th of July was a rainy day, yet a great day for running. Danny woke me up around 5:30 with an accident, so after changing the sheets, I got about another 45 minutes or so of sleep. Got up around 7:15, and got ready. Had coffee, and a bagel w/PB. Left around 8:00. I had no troubles parking, and got my number, etc. Took care of 'business' early, which was nice.

Did a mile warmup, and felt ok. It was very humid, so I was already sweaty when I lined up.

As usual, the race did not start until around 9:10. Since this race only has a timing mat at the end, it is important to line up close to the front, but I was probably about 20 seconds behind the start.

Again, as usual, the first half mile was really crowded. I did not wear my Garmin, but did have a watch. I got going around the first hill, and focused on passing women. I did not see/hear the 1st mile, which in hindsight might have been good, as I just kept running. My goal was to best my time from last year, which was 22:51. I had only done 1 speed workout since late April, so was not gunning for a PR. I did want the AG win however!

At the turn I was around 11 minutes, and feeling pretty good. I did hear the 2-mile time of around 15 minutes, so got a bit worried. Turned out it was 2.1 miles. At this point I felt really good, and since I know the course so well, knew how many more hills there were. At about 2.25 miles I saw a woman who I thought was Tina S- a USC woman who I have never beat, who is a few years older than I am. I wasn't sure if it was her, but then I heard someone yell 'Go Tina'. At this point we were running on opposite sides of the road- my in the middle, she on the outside. I had this who conversation in my head about how I COULD do it, just to run with her, and take my time getting ahead of her. I did get ahead of her with about a .25 miles to go. This is where I think it really helps to know the course, b/c the Giant Eagle sign was in view, but I know that the finish was still .1 beyond it. I set my sights on a woman who looked a little older than myself who was ahead of me, and did not look back.

Just before the finish, a younger girl caught up and passed me. Again, the internal conversation. In the past, I would have just let her take me, but I am trying to be mentally as well as physically tough, so I dug deep, and passed both the younger and older woman right at the finish. The younger girl was kind enough to congratulate me, and thank me for pacing her during the race. That was a nice compliment. My watch said 22:06. Official time was 22:21. Not a PR, but a PB for the course. yea!

They didn't get the results up for quite some time. Ran into Jim Wilding, and asked him if he would pick up an award, should I have one, since we were heading up to Seven Springs. He was nice enough to do so. Got 1st in my AG!

I also got an email from a friend who said her brother-in-law told her I won my AG, and that I 'beat him by 16 seconds'. It was nice that she sent a congrats email, and nicer that I beat him. (tee hee!)

Had too much fun at Seven Springs with the Halls and Engels. Kids had an amazing time, and we had fun with campfire, sparklers, and 'Ticket to Ride' game.

I am still on the running every other day plan. I think I'm going to go see the Dr. to get the knee checked out to make sure everything is ok in there before I start the marathon training. I am actually debating doing a 1/2 marathon program for the Ikea race, then continuing with a 10 week marathon plan. We'll see. Due to the two vacations, a shorter plan might be in order.

I will most likely not race again until the Ikea race, but might do another 5K for speed workout.

You Never Know When Life is Going to Bite you on the Ass!

2008-06-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

So, it finally happened to me-- after 17 years of running, TODAY I was attacked and bit by a dog-- on the *SS! Not the first time this dog has come after me, and thus I don't run on this street very often, but he ran right past his owner, crossed the street, teeth bared, growling. I, of course, turned away, and he bit me! There are marks on my skin, and one almost broke the skin.The jack*ss just stood there and said 'I'm sorry'. am thinking he should have to by me a new pair of running shoes at least!

Of course it turns out DH knows him- I filed a police report anyway-- I'm not letting the Club prevent me from my basic rights. Also want to make sure damn dog is up to date on his shots, b/c there is one welt which almost broke the skin. Bruise is now pretty purple color.

Sure makes getting up early to run look fun, eh?

Unique and Important Run

2008-06-28T21:37:00.001-07:00

Thursday I did speedwork for the 1st time since the marathon. Did it on the treadmill, which I have decided is going to be my 'necessary evil' for speed/tempo running. Did 1 mile warmup, then 1 x 600, 1 x 700, 1 x 800, 1 x 700, 1 x 600, all at paces between 6:58 and 6:49. Felt great during, and the knee did not hurt. Have been doing weight training 2x a week, and will add another day or two of ten minutes of core work to the routine. Am getting frustrated that it is taking so long to lose this weight.

I had a very interesting run yesterday.

Started out on a soft trail I like to run longer runs on, and was planning to do 8M today, did my first speedwork since the marathon on Thursday and wanted to see how the knee would feel after the speedwork. I had my fuel belt on, which drives me crazy, but with the humidity at 3:00 this afternoon, was a necessary evil.

So, after the 1st two miles, my right knee was hurting, not aching, but hurting. I was pissed, and stopped to walk a bit. I ran two more miles, then started thinking "what the hell am I doing, I can't get hurt at this stage" and then walked another 1/4 mile or so, and was going to call it a day. So, I got back to my car, ditched the fuel belt and these little IT Band straps I wear on my knees (VERY sexy, BTW) and decided to at least get a good walk in. I started running again after a little bit, the knee felt better. I ended up doing six more miles, for a total of 10, and the knee felt great!

Obviously an unique run, but also important for two reasons:
1) I was willing/able to STOP when the knee hurt, and
2) Gave it a second chance and stuck with the run, albeit at a walk/run pace for the first 4 miles.

Overall pace was 9:31, which also was surprising and motivating. Knee feels good today!

Went out for sushi w/DH last night-- yummy dinner and good chat. Mistake was going to the Club for another drink. Oh well.

Boys have a b-day party later today, and we are going to Church in awhile. Yucky weather, nice lazy day.

Back at it!

2008-06-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

RR: ran 4 easy Friday and 5 today. Knee feels MUCH better. I am going to run every other day for the next couple of weeks, and see how things go. It will be interesting to see how the 5K on 4th of July is, b/c I have not done any speedwork since April. Might have to do some 800s next week.

NRR: Have vowed to lose these damn 4 pounds-- 1 down, 3 to go. Frustrating, but all it takes is willpower, right?

Boys start playground camp and acting camp this week-- yea! Tommy is also doing the golf clinic, so they will be busy, and I will have some time to myself again-- which I desperately need.

Cheers!

Take it Easy...

2008-06-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

So- the mileage challenge was not the best thing for my old legs-- ran 28 miles last week, but have not run since Friday and its Tuesday. Knees have been hurting in different places, so I am taking it easy this week.

Today is GNO, so I am planning to swim, then take the Group Power class at Healthtrax before the drinks/dinner at the Club. I'm not sure if the Group Power is messing with my knees, or the ramped-up mileage. Am going to take it back to 20 mpw for the rest of June, then slowly build to the first week of training for Philly.

I am planning to do Pfitz again, but might modify it to a 15 week program, mostly due to the vacations we are taking-- I don't want to be obsessing about mileage when we are in Washington visiting with the other families. We'll see--

TTFN!

June Mileage Challenge

2008-06-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ok- so I haven't posted for awhile-- been going through some yucky emotional stuff, and this is not the place for venting about that- might have to start another log/blog somewhere else for all that crap.

Anyway, I feel as though I have had a renewed interest in running for running's sake: not training, just getting out there and doing whatever feels right for that day. Inspiration has come in two forms:
1) the June Mileage Challenge on RW online: I don't want to be a big slacker, and want to post mpw of 25,28,30,35 or somewhere in that realm for a goal total for the month of 130 miles. Most of these miles will be very slow, and I'm not even sure I'm going to get a race in due to the combination of lack of races, DH's golf and boys' baseball games. Oh well- I've got my eye on breaking 21:30 again at the 4th of July 5K, so that is the prize for now.

2) Trying to lose the weight that has creeped on since running the marathon, combined with Deep Creek/Birthday celebrations. Goal is to run at least 3M a day until the 3lbs. come off. We'll see how long THAT takes!

Have also been doing strength training classes at Healthtrax, which will hopefully benefit my running and overall physique. Although I don't harbor any hopes of being as thin as I was a few years ago, it would be nice to feel good in my fun outfits.

Go team north!

Sunday: 10M
Monday: 4.5M
Tuesday: 6.25M

PMS: Post- Marathon Syndrome

2008-05-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Yes-- I've got it BAD! I'm not sure if its the letdown of the race being .25 miles too long ('adjusted' time is 3:47:07!) or the lack of structure that I anticipate over the next few weeks/months, or the fact that I'm finally letting in what happened with my brother last month.

ANYWAY-- I've been in the dumps big time! Ran 3M on both Th and Fr, and got up today to run but couldn't get it in b/c it was raining, the club wasn't open yet....

RR: I am really pleased with my adjusted time b/c that exceeds my secret goal time of 3:48. So, I should be really happy, right? I guess over time it will sink in.

A very busy weekend: boys had hockey tryouts this morning, which went well in the fact that they skated very well-- both of them, but not well in the fact that there might only be two teams next year at their level. This is something I have to let go b/c it is out of my hands.

Gotta go- everyone is here for the afternoon: mom, dad, Megan. Tommy has a baseball game, then we're going out shortly after that.

Happy Birthday to me- ugh!

I'M GOING TO BOSTON!!!!!

2008-05-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

3:49:18 That was the final chip time, good enough for Boston.

Saturday I got up after a good night's sleep, did some laundry, got the boys' schedules organized and took off for Cincy. Had a rainy drive out, talked with a few people on the way, and listened to a book on tape. Arrived w/out any problems, checked in and went over to the Expo. Oh, when I checked in they gave me a room by the elevator, so I asked for a quieter room, and was moved to the top floor of the hotel. Very nice.

Got in and out of the Expo w/out a problem. While I was there one of the RW forumites called, Danielle, and said they were going to the Pasta Dinner shortly. Went up to meet her. Also met up with EJ, another forumite. It was exciting to meet these people in real life, but a bit odd when you think about it.

Didn't have much for dinner- RG and her DH were sitting with Kevin from Elite Runners/Walkers so we chatted a bit about Pittsburgh. When I got back to the room I ordered some pasta/bread from room service and took a bath.

At this point, I was pretty sleepy, but was still concerned about my hamstring. Some of the girls from GNO called from the Derby Party, so I got to chat with them, and say good night to Bob, which was nice.

Got some sleep, a couple of hours at a time, probably about 5 in all, which is good. Got up at 4:00, at my bagel, had some coffee, and took another epsom salt bath. Debated putting more balm on my legs, but decided against it. Was not successful with 'waste removal' which would come into play later in the day :(

Drove over to the start, parked and headed into the stadium. It was open, which was nice, b/c I got to use the women's bathroom inside. Dropped my stuff at the car, dropped some stuff at the bag drop, and went to find the 3:50 pace group just about 10 minutes before the start.

As I was getting into line, they were making an announcement that the start was going to be delayed 15 minutes due to a fire on the course. They were most likely going ot re-route us, and were working on the course certifcation. Of course I thought 'they'd better get it right, or at least a bit over, for BQ purposes'. Folks at the start were talking about this. Made one more trip to the porta-potties, but still no luck.

The 3:50 pacer, Matt started out really slowly--1st mile was 9:19. He said 'we're going to pick it up a bit,' so I ran a little bit faster, and left him behind during the 2nd mile. Mile 2 was way too fast: 8:06. Slowed down during mile 3- too much 9:43, and then made up for it in mile 4, 8:15. So, after the 1st four miles, I was on pace with 35:25, but they had been haphazard miles. The pace leader was no where to be seen. I fell in step with a fellow who was wearing a Garmin, so I figured at least he'd be on a constant pace.

The next four miles were:
8:42,8:30, 9:01- hill, 8:41. Perfect pacing in my mind. This was the hilly section of the course, I felt great-- not breathing hard. Hamstring was a bother, but not painful. Somewhere during this part, around mile 5-6 or so, I had a feeling that I was going to get my BQ. My body felt great, pacing was going well, and I just had an overall good feeling.

The next 5 miles were: 8:28,8:24,8:47 8:28 and 9:14 (1st porta-potty break). That got me to the 1/2 way point with a 1:53, 1 minute ahead of the 3:50 pace. Aside from the porta-potty break, I felt great.

I had read in the Pftizinger book that miles 13-20 were, in his words, 'no man's land' of the marathon, but the time to dig deep and hold on to your pace. I had two more porta-potty stops to make, which was frustrating, b/c after losing a minute or so, I had to work pretty hard to catch back up with the folks I was running along with. Fortunately, one guy had a bright green jacket on- he was easy to spot. There were also two women in bright pink tops running together who I was pacing with. This part of the course wound around through some neighborhoods-- great crowd support. My plan was to not get too far ahead of myself, but to maintain pace until mile 20. Miles 13-20 were: 8:21,9:04 (potty), 8:39, 8:34,8:29, 8:50 (potty), 8:34. This got me to the 20-mile mark with about a minute, 30 seconds in the bank.

At the 20-mile mark, for the first time I felt confident I was going to get my 3:50. I started passing people, which felt so awesome, and was focusing on the next person to pass. There was a stretch along a highway which was pretty desolate, and I was glad to get that over with and head back towards Cincy. Miles 20-24: 8:39, 8:26, 9:05?, and 8:40. This put me at mile 24, with still 90 seconds in the bank. I was hoping to break 3:48 at this point.

We then wound through a small park, and past sort of a warehouse section, which I found out later was part of the re-routing. When I was running through it, I was wondering, b/c the crowds had really thinned out, and usually you had great crowds during the last few miles of a big marathon. Mile 25 was 8:39, and I still had my 90 seconds. My last two splits are a bit confusing. I think the first 3:34 is from mile 25 to 25.2, then they had a timing mat, and someone was yelling 'this is what you've trained for the past 4 months, this last mile', which really hit home with me. I was still passing people at this point, and at mile 26, looked down at my watch and it read 3:47-- I started freaking out a bit-- I didn't want to miss my 3:50 by 30 seconds after all those miles of great pacing, and with a 90 second cushion. I turned on my last cylinder, and got it done.

I have that last mile split at 7:52. Final time: 3:49:18-- my chip time matched my watch time exactly! I QUALIFIED FOR BOSTON!!! It was such a great feeling, especially after the debacle which was the NYC marathon. I set a goal, trained my @ss off, and got it done.

Crossing the finish line, for the first time I wished DH was there to give me a big hug. I was pretty emotional, and teared up a bit into my Flying Pig towel. Got my medal, and wandered back to the finish line to see if EJ was coming in shortly.

All the while I kept wondering what happened during that last mile. Of course I was super excited, but WTF? I couldn't imagine that last 1.2 miles I was running at 9:34 pace.

Got into the car, called DH, who was thrilled for me! I had several text messages from friends/family with congratulations, which was so wonderful.

The ensuing shower, checkout and drive home were sort of anti-climatic, but it was so great getting hugs from the boys and DH. We celebrated by going to Mad Mex, and all three of them told anyone who would listen about my race. Super cute.

Just before we went to dinner, I got on RW, and someone there had posted a link to an article which said the course was long, by about 1/4 mile. So, now being me, I am waiting with bated breath to see what is going to happen. Of course I am fine for Boston, b/c I got my BQ w/out the adjustment. YEA!!!!!

So- what next? I definitely want to run the Ikea and Butler Trail half marathons this fall. If Pittsburgh is coming back next year, I might put Boston off until 2010, and do Pittsburgh in 2009. We'll see.... for now I'm just enjoying the success.

Yea me!

AHHHH-- the freakout before the race!

2008-05-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Ok- so there is so much going on in my head right now I can't even focus on getting them down on paper, but I'll try.

Physical: worried hamstring/glute area will bother me from the first mile. also, worried that at some point my knees will start to kill me. Worried about running not only in pain, but obviously not finishing at my goal time. I have run over 650 miles in the past 19 weeks specifically for this Sunday's race. WOW! That' s a LOT of pressure.

Also-- concerned about how driving 4.5 hours tomorrow will affect me come race day. worried it will get too hot for the short sleeve top I am going to wear. Worried that if I wear sunscreen it will get in my eyes and burn my eyes, but if I don't I'll have a nasty sunburn on my forehead.

Also- I think I'm going to get my period at some point this weekend, so my hormones are ALL OVER the place! I feel gittery, on edge, and like I'm going to yell at anyone at any time. Also feel tired, and fat from eating so many carbs and drinking so much water. Worried I'm not getting enough electrolytes...

Mental: worried about how the kids are going to be for DH, and if it will be stressful on him tomorrow. Worried about falling asleep on Saturday night, and getting good sleep tonight.

OK- there are SOME of the things going through my head at a rapid rate at this moment. Getting them down certainly helps. Gotta focus on the things I can control, right?

That being said, I am getting EXCITED to run this thing!

Gotta go- kids need me--

Final Week.... last longish run

2008-04-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

RR: After not running for 2 days, I headed out today for my last longish run. Pfitz called for 12M, but with the hamstring still not 100%, I opted for a little over 10M on some good hills. Have not run hills much since the 10K, so wanted to get some in. Not a blistering pace by any means (9:45 average), but felt really easy-- the way its supposed to.

I am getting a massage tomorrow afternoon, with specific work on the right leg. Hopefully things will feel better after that. I am mentally preparing myself to have only one more run on either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how the leg feels.

So many folks on the RW forums are nursing injuries-- big and small. The thing with mine is, I know I can run the whole way with the leg feeling exactly like it does now, so anticipate it feeling better on Sunday.

NRR: Had MIL's big b-day celebration- things could not have gone better--she was really surprised, and we all had a great time. Had the SIL, BIL and nephew for the weekend- great fun. Pens are up 2-0 in the second round of the playoffs, so that makes everyone happy.

Gotta go--

Stay the Course....

2008-04-22T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ok- so I'm totally ripping off Field of Dreams with the quote, but got myself back on plan today (sort of) with a 16M long run. Was supposed to do it Sunday, but legs felt beat up after the race Saturday, and my right hamstring was sore, so I just did 7M easy on Sunday.

Today I was headed out to do 12M, but the weather was great, I had time, the H20 fountain was on, it just all sort of came together. Plus, I had encouragement to finish the Pfitz plan from LA Runner and Rina on the RW forum. thanks gals!

Best part: felt great, last 3 miles were MP or faster (8:36, 8:24, 8:46) and the hamstring is not sore! Go figure. I am really glad I got it in. I did this in lieu of a 3 x 1600 workout that was scheduled for today. I have to will myself to let that one go-- did the 7M Sunday, so the mileage is correct, and I know I have the speed to get me my 3:50. A 44:48 10K 'predicts' a 3:30 marathon. I'm not going for that, of course, but gives me a mental edge for the marathon.

I can't believe its almost here--- I just have to survive this weekend's partying w/out doing too much damage and try to get enough sleep to carry me through.

The weather has been really beautiful and its amazing how much it helps the mood around here!

No FEAR today! New 10K PR!

2008-04-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so after the whole knee hurting and mental aspect of being afraid to go all out, I decided to go for it today in the Genesis Run the River 10K. It is a flat course, which I know to be a bit mis-marked. Weather was great- tshirt and shorts weather.

I did 1 10 minute warmup, then lined up near the front. Fell in early with two women during the first mile. 1st mile split was 6:23, but I remember it being a bit short from running this race before. In hindsight I wish I would have worn my Garmin.

Anyways, rather than freaking out about how fast I was going, I did a body check, everything felt good, and decided to keep up with these two ladies. Another guy fell in with us also.

One of the women started talking about her Ironman training, and how she was going to 'coast' today, and the other was talking about her flight up to Boston to run the marathon, so she too, was out for a tempo run. Meanwhile, I am breathing hard, yet keeping up well for the 2nd and part of the 3rd mile. It is hard to know what the splits were, so I relied on these ladies for pacing.

We went up over the overpass to Washington's Landing, then on the dirt path, which is really only room for single file running. I kept up until about the 3rd mile, then fell a bit behind. The guy passed me also, but I did not give up. Tried to keep the same distance behind the woman right ahead of me. We wound around Washington's Landing, and I think my 4th mile was pretty slow: almost 8 minutes (but again, who knows with the damn mile markers!). I dug in and reminded myself that I could do this. Goal: break 46 minutes, and hopefully old PR of 45:46.

Halfway through the 5th mile I heard someone behind me. Normally I would let up and let the person pass me if they are breathing down my neck, but kept ahead of her for another 1/2 mile. Then, she passed me around the beginning of the 6th mile and I kept on her as best as I could. The last 1/2 mile I knew I was pretty close to a PR based on my watch, and had to work hard to keep up the pace. Got a bit of a side stitch, but not too bad to slow up. Mentally I kept telling myself: you can do this, you can do this.

Finished, very tired, and HAPPY: 44:48-- almost a MINUTE faster than my old PR, which was from 2003, when I was thinner and running fewer, faster miles in training.

I AM SO PROUD OF MYSELF! As much for the mental victory as the physical victory. At one point, I actually found myself thinking that I don't want to PR by too much, b/c I won't be able to go this fast again, but conquered those negative thoughts.... YEA ME!

DH was really proud of me too!

Am a bit sore on my right leg between the hip and quad area, so will stretch out well tonight.

An added bonus: I got 1st in my Age Group!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

2008-04-17T11:50:00.001-07:00

My knee feels SO MUCH better today! I iced it last night 2x, and then took some tylenol PM and it feels great! The tingles have subsided also, but woke up with my hands tingling... WTF?

Anyway, am going to race tomorrow, and am looking forward to it. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, and it will be nice to be downtown for the morning.

I am going to keep my dr. appt. for Tuesday, just in case. If the tingles are gone by then, I can always cancel that morning.

I do think I am going to cut my scheduled 16 mile run on Sunday down to 12-14, depending on how the knee is feeling. I can also always take Sunday off, and run 4 days this week and the following two. I have to remind myself that the training is done! However, have read that a last long run 10 days out will be beneficial, so think I might change up my schedule a bit to allow for that to happen.

Cheers-
Tara

Fear?

2008-04-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

Workouts-- this week I've had 3 runs: Tuesday I did 11 Yasso 800s- all at or faster than 3:50, so that is one more indicator that I am ready to run a 3:50 at the Flying Pig. Now, only 17 days to go, and that tingling feeling is back in my lower leg. Of course. I ignored it for 2 days, and today finally made a Dr. appt. for next Tuesday. I figure if it still is tingly, I'll get the cortisteroid treatment and hope for the best. Thing is, the tingling in itself doesn't hurt of harm my running, it is the FEAR that the IT Band flaring up is next.

Have not nor will not say anything to anyone about this... hoping it goes away on its own. Thing is, I did some stretching after my workout Tuesday, and BOOM! then it starts acting up. Alway stay with what is working, right?

Ran two recovery runs: 3.5 and 4.6 miles. Have a 10K Saturday at which I am going ALL OUT-- hoping for a PR of 45:30 or better. Figure I'll go all out, then run 14 or so on Saturday at a slow pace. Am not going to do too much, and sticking with the taper.

Am trying not to get down about my foot--

NRR: Tax Season is over! We all survived and DH is in much better spirits! As always, there will be a slight adjustment having him around for dinner again-- good for the boys-- for me-- having to cook again. UGH- definitely my weakest item on the 'good wife' checklist.

Weather has finally turned to spring... complete with seasonal allergies and both boys wheezing a bit-- not enough to keep them from their activities- yea!

Pens won the 1st round of the playoffs in 4 games-- fun watching with DH and boys-- hope they continue to play well.

TTFN!

Time to Taper!

2008-04-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

So- three weeks to go until the Flying Pig, and I got 46 miles in this week. Yesterday 4 miles recovery, then today I did 8.5 with 4M on hills at 9:22-9:30, and then 2M at MP for good measure. Was cold/rainy so hit the treadmill. I should have run outside, but at this point, why? Only bad things could result.

Next weekend I get to race! Am curious to see how the 10K goes-- will run it all out, and how to break 46:00, which I have not done in almost 5 years. Would love to PR at that distance.

NRR: The MIL b-day dinner continues to be a much-discussed event. Had a busy weekend with the boys' sports schedules, and DH worked yesterday, but not today.

Looking forward to a day off from running tomorrow, although it will be busy with the jump rope-a-thon at school, followed by Tommy's skating, then piano lessons.

The Horse is in the Barn!

2008-04-11T04:45:00.001-07:00

Well, things couldn't have gone much better during my run yesterday: ended up going to the Montour Trail; closer, porta-potties, and with the Garmin, was sure about mileage. Ran 21 total: 5M splits were:
1-5: 48:46
6-10: 47:51
11-15: 45:51
16:20: 43:35
21: 10:57

Was really pleased with the splits, as the last 5M were at MP: 8:42, I need a MP of 8:45 to break 3:50. The last 3 miles were rough going, but I got it done. During the last 2 miles there was a slower runner ahead of me who provided motivation-- to catch him during the last mile or so.

Did the 'extra' mile as a warmdown-- what the heck?

Also, was pleased b/c I did not have enough sports beans for the entire run, so used Clif Bar, and that seemed to work. Could have used more water. The weather was perfect: sunny and around 50 degrees-- I actually got a sunburn!

So--- got that last long run in without hurting the IT Band- this is a huge mental boost for me as well- this was the run I aggravated my IT Band on last training cycle. Everything feels good today.

NRR: the kids don't have school today, so I have a sitter coming and am going to get a well-deserved massage! DH is working like a dog, and I have basically been a single mom this week-- that will continue to the weekend.

My folks leave for Chinga today-- am so excited for my mom to be making this trip-- she said two of her lifetime goals were to 1) have a ski pass to a western ski resort-- done, and
2) walk on the Great Wall of China-- going to do this trip! It was a long time getting my dad to come around, but I think they will have a good trip.

This weekend I have two more runs, to get in the 46 miles for the week- then the taper officially begins... although with Pfitz it is not much of a taper. I am looking forward to racing next weekend.

Cheers!

Another week stronger

2008-04-11T04:45:00.000-07:00

From April 8th--

RR: Got the rest of my miles in last week- another 50 mile week! That makes two for the training cycle. I definitely felt it by the medium long run on Saturaday, but ran 9M at the Jail Trail, so it was flat. My LR last week was another very hilly run--- felt good to get it done, and my pace was 9:38 overall, so 60 seconds more than race pace-- good!

Did my speedwork Tuesday: 8.5M with 4 x 1200 at 7:05 pace. Was pretty tired after the 4th 1200, but again, I'm on the treadmill, so I don't know how it would feel on the track. Might have to do some track work after the marathon to really work on my speed.Tomorrow is recovery, then the last 20miler before the Pig is Thursday. Had to move things around due to no school for the boys on Friday, but was able to do so. Am going to drive up to North Park, and do laps around the lake. Has served me well with my MP runs. Plan is to start at 10:00 mile, and increase pace a bit for each 5M loop around the lake. Hope the weather is going to be good.

Pfitz is kicking my butt!

2008-04-01T12:01:00.001-07:00

Ok, so today was the first day in a really long time that I did NOT feel like running.
It was cold. Again.
I was on the clock. Again
I had to run a very hilly course Again.

I know all these things make me stronger, but I would really like a day when I can go out to the trail, in my shorts, with time to spare, and run a nice flat medium or long run. Again- I know the hills will really help on the Flying Pig course, but after yestereday's speed workout, my legs were bit dead. I actually PM's a RW forumite and asked him how he was doing this week-- same week of training as I am, and he said his legs were feeling it also. Made me feel a bit better.

I am going to get in the required 50 miles this week- on 6 days of running- I just have this week and next with really high mileage, then the taper starts.

Things with DH at work are also pretty tough, so the stress level around here has been HIGH this week. Hoping for a better day today.....

How the heck do they run that fast?

2008-04-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

RR: today I 'made up' a workout I was suppposed to do last week: 7M w/ 5 x1000 @ 5K pace. Did is just above 5K pace: 7:08 for three of them and 7:03 for the final two. Reasons:
1) my 5K pace of 6:54 is based on a downhill race, and 2) I don't need speed for my BQ, mostly endurance. Yet, I am following the Pftiz plan!

Got them in, really no problem, but halfway through started thinking: how the heck do people run this fast? I mean, normal people- people with jobs, kids, etc. Not elite athletes, but they must have some God-given talent towards running, yes? How the heck do they run that fast for 26.2 miles? Better yet, for 5 miles in a row? I don't think I could ever be that fast. It really helps getting in your miles when your LR pace is 7:45, not 9:45!

Tomorrow I have an 10 mile run. Then 16 on Friday. Am sticking with my 10% rule for the Pfitz plan-- I am VERY conscious of the fact that I was still doing fine in my training at this point last time. I think if I can get all of my runs in w/out hurting my knee, the mental edge for me will be great when I line up at the Flying Pig marathon.

NRR: First day with a new student teacher to supervise. Was not too sure how he would do, as he did not knock my socks off during the Methods course. He did really well! Kids were engaged, and the lesson was very interesting. Every time I'm in a school I start thinking about getting back into the classroom. But that is another thought process entirely......

Night!

I did it! 15M @ MP!

2008-03-31T06:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday's race went great! The weather was good- sunny, if not a bit cold, and the race was bigger than ever. The 30K group started 1/2 mile back from the rest, and the fact that there were 5K folks, 1/2 marathon runners and walkers made things interesting to say the least.

Finally got my splits this morning and YEA! the 15M went at average pace of 8:34, but more importantly the 5M splits were: 43:08,43:06, and 42:16, so the last 5 miles of the 18 were faster than any of the previous 5M splits-- yea! Most importantly, I felt great the entire time!

Got 2nd in my AG, and 75th out of 131 30K runners-- not bad considering the first 3.6 miles were at a very slow pace-10 minutes miles. I am so fired up!

This really gets me fired up for the last two hard weeks of training--

NRR: went out to Bistro 19 with a very fun group of friends-- had an amazing time, but was way overserved... then came home to a l-o-n-g discussion with SIL and DH about MIL b-day dinner and how messed up their family is. UGH--- as my mom would say-- they are my 'cross to bear'.

RR: not sure how am going to modify this week's mileage. Sadly, a good deal of it depends on what time the dishwasher guy shows up, and how much time I have left. Oh well.

Yea!

More thoughts on 30K

2008-03-27T11:14:00.002-07:00

OK- so I've been thinking a great deal about this race/run tomorrow. According to the McMillan calculator, my 1/2 time of 1:40:45 (which felt great in the fall) predicts a same-effort result of 3:32 in the marathon. Well, there is no way I'm going to be able to handle 26.2 miles at 8:07 pace, not in this training cycle.

I have to remember my #1 goal for the Flying Pig marathon is to BQ: which is 3:50, which if I run all the miles at 8:45, gets me my goal. Often I think this goal is too conservative, given the training program I am working on, but I have to make sure I get my #1 goal.

So- I am going to play it a bit more conservatively tomorrow, especially during the 1st 10 miles of the 15M at MP. I am going to try and do the 1st 5M at 8:45, 2nd 5M at 8:40, and then give the last 5M whatever I might have left, but staying between 8:30-8:45. This is not my goal race, but I really, really want that BQ!

Interestingly enough, a 5-second per mile increase, from 8:45 to 8:40, only translated into a 2-minute difference in time. So- I'm going to take it nice and slow during the 1st 3.6 miles, then ramp it up for the remaining 15M.

Back in the Saddle

2008-03-27T11:14:00.001-07:00

RR: Got back into the Pfitzinger training program this week: runs past few days

T: 8M at 9:20- GA pace, felt great-nice day
W: 8M w/ 5 x 600 at 5K pace: 7:03, 7:03, 6:58, 6:5, 6:45. Found out later had misread schedule-they were supposed to be 5 x 1000. Guess I'll have to make that up next week!
Th: 8M on treadmill- 4M were hill workout. LR pace: average 9:45

Went to pick up my packet for the 30K this weekend. I am getting more nervous about this race/training run. If I can do the 15M at MP, I will feel so confident about the Flying Pig marathon. Am going to shoot for the 15M as 5M at 8:40, 5M at 8:35, and 5M at 8:32ish. Should be ok weather. Got some new running shoes also.

NRR: ran into a snafu with pricing for MIL's b-day party. Going to be much more $$$$ than we originally thought. Oh well- if somebody else wants to plan something else, they can.
Should be a great event. Still have to find another babysitter, and had to buy a new dishwasher this week. Oh joy, Oh bliss, oh rapture.

Re-entry and Easter...

2008-03-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

NRR: Re-entry from Colorado was relatively easy- DH picked us up at the airport, and we went directly to the hockey rink for a Development League game-- good for the kids to get moving again, good for DH to see boys play hockey.

Saturday MIL and SIL took boys for the Easter-egg dying, and to see Horton Hears a Who. DH and I went to see the Penguins crush the Devils 7-1. First true Date Night in some time-- very fun- sushi beforehand for dinner. Had wine for first time since Lent began- yum!

Danny got his glasses on Saturday- things are going well-- he seems to be adjusting to them well, and thanks to Harry Potter, thinks he's quite the thing!

Today- Monday still no school so took the kids to the Zoo with JE and LE-- due to weather saw some great Zoo action! Very fun.

RR: snowing Saturday here- couldn't bring myself to run outside. Did 12M on treadmill with 3 miles of good hills, followed by the last 3 miles at increasing pace-- up to 8:20/mile. Felt good!
Sunday- 5M easy- GA pace- 9:35 or so. Total for the week a weak 22 miles, but felt it was a needed break. Skied hard 2 days as well. I feel as though the flu has finally taken its leave.

Back to the Pftiz plan tomorrow-- I haven't even checked the book lately! Have JASR Saturday, which will be 30K with 15 miles at MP. Hope it goes well!

2008-03-23T16:50:00.001-07:00

Colorado was... an experience! Got the flu/altitude sickness the second day, and, for the first time in 12 years of vacations, skipped a day of skiing due to MY illness. YUCK!

Started feeling better Monday, which led to a 4-day ski-fest with great weather and snow! Tommy and Danny really both made big strides-- Tommy ended up in Copper Bowl with his ski school class... one of my best memories was when I was waiting in line for the Poma lift, and I hear this 'Hi Mama' as Tommy and his class skied by into Lower Enchanted Forest. Had great times skiing solo with both boys the last two days.

For Danny's black diamond experience, we mistakenly took a very hard mogul run-- he did great! He 'rested' a few times, and had a BIG smile on his face when he was finished.

RR: only ran once while in Colorado, 5 miles in a blizzard- really! Felt good to be off schedule for a few days, and I think I needed to fully recover from what was ailing me! Skied hard 2 days, so that must count for something.

I am looking forward to getting back on schedule for next week.

Hilly LR and Packing for Colorado!

2008-03-14T08:31:00.000-07:00

RR: Yesterday Danny was not feeling so hot in the am, so I let him sleep in, and he just went to kindergarten, not K-Plus. So, my am LR became a PM LR, and the weather was great! Very windy, and I ended up doing a very hilly run-- into Mt. Lebanon- I ran most of the Martha's Run course, up and down Bower Hill Road, and also near Coffee Tree in Mt. Lebo. Made it back to my car (parked at school) just in time to see the boys get on the bus. The hills/wind slowed me down a bit, but I am starting to fear the hills in the Flying Pig- not for difficulty, but for time. 16 miles!

Today I am going to do an easy 6 on the trail-- give the legs a break.

Am in the process of packing for our Colorado trip- leave tomorrow for skiing with mom and dad! Looking forward to it, and I think the timing is great as far as training goes. I'll have an easy week, get two good runs in next weekend, then have 6 weeks to go until the race! YEA!

Also, going away with the kids during this part of tax season is a stroke of genius! Note to self: always go somewhere for Spring Break, even if its just to my parents for a couple of days, or Chicago.

50 MPW

2008-03-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

RR: Last week I ended up logging 50 miles-- that has to be the most I've ever run in a week! The sinus infection kept me dragging a bit, but I got through it.

Weekend was great-- I had the boys for Floor Hockey and Ice Hockey practice Saturday, then went to see the Other Boleyn Girl- solo. OK movie-- the Showtime Tudors is better.

Sunday was the boys parent/child hockey game. DH played, and had a huge smile on his face the entire time. One of the other moms and I ran the bench, which was quite a challenge. I think all the parents involved gained new respect for the coaches/kids who make up the team.

One thing we learned later that day was the boys will not be on the same team next year. It is best for them, however, will be a real extra time commitment for Bob and I.

Gotta go- Tommy needs me-- he's outside playing hockey-- off course!

I just ran 20 miles!

2008-03-05T06:53:00.001-08:00

Wasn't sure if I was going to go for it today, after the sinus infection, and being on antibiotics, but decided to go ahead and try. The weather was supposed to be great, and was- low 30s at the beginning, and in the mid 30s by the time I finished. Ran to the HS track- did a few miles around the track, then had to make a pit stop at Westminster Church. Went up by Eisenhower, then down a few miles into Mt. Lebanon, and back. The hill on Rt. 19, which I hit at mile 17, was a KILLER, but I powered through it, knowing it will help on race day.

My pace was slower than I would have liked: 10:03/m average, but my goal was to get in the miles. I think I will do the next 20 miler on the trail- easier on the knees.

I felt pretty nauseous a couple of hours after the run, but drank some gatorade, and feel better. Still have a headache. I might post on RW about running and antibiotics.

NRR: Tommy is going to a b-day party today at the Sno Zone- tubing. Bob is in Ohio for the night, so Danny and I will have a 'date' for dinner. Gotta go get them ready for tubing!

Minor Setback?

2008-03-05T06:53:00.000-08:00

RR: Today is Wednesday, a 'rest' day in what is supposed to be my high-mileage week for this training cycle. Monday did 5 recovery. Yesterday did a hard 11M w/7M at 1/2 marathon pace. Since I am training to run technically slower' than my ability (according to the McMillan calculator) I wasn't sure which 1/2 marathon pace to use. The 1/2 pace based on my goal time is 8:09 per mile, but I started at 8:00, ended at 7:30, with the average pace per mile at 7:47. A pretty good workout, especially considering I found out later in the day I have a sinus infection.

Got my meds, am feeling better today, and am still going to try my 20miler tomorrow. If I feel really badly, I will cut it back to 17, and do the 20 next week. Am not going to obsess about it.

Family news: Danny is getting glasses! He is excited, and I of course am taken back to every taunt and negative comment that was directed my way as a child. Hopefully Harry Potter has helped make glasses less of a stigma. He does not have to wear them for hockey, so we'll see how it goes. He got some sturdy glasses that do make him look like HP, so we'll see how it goes. They won't be in for a week or so.

Am planning a 70th b-day dinner for my MIL-- things are going along nicely, so we'll see how it all turns out. Interesting how I end up handling most of this....

TTFN!

Hockey Weekend!

2008-03-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

So... last weekend was the year-end Hockey Tournament for the boys. Two days... three games- lots of great fun! They beat their rival team (if 7 yr. olds can have rivals), and Tommy scored his first goal! I must admit, I involuntarily teared up when he scored. I actually saw the shot, the goal, and his elation! He had two assists also. Danny also played well, and has earned great respect from his coaches. Saturday was capped off by a fun dinner at Molly Brannigans restaurant with two other families.

RR: Ran 5 miles early Sunday easy. Total for the week: 39.5. It was a cutback week.

Today starts the highest mileage week I will run during this training cycle: 50M. Did 5 easy today outside-- the weather was awesome! Tomorrow is 11 w/ 7 at 1/2 marathon pace: I will most likely to the warmup/cooldown outside the the tempo part on the treadmill.

Found out today that Danny needs glasses: we ordered them. He is excited. I am in a bit of a crisis. I have to digest this a bit. Good thing they will take a week to arrive.

Running in a Snowstorm

2008-02-28T08:46:00.001-08:00

Yes, I was the crazy lady out there running in the snowstorm today. It was not my intent, but 8 miles into a 14 mile run it started snowing pretty hard. At first it was fun, then it got 'slippy' as they say here in Pittsburgh. My car was waiting for me at the Sears, so I could not really go anywhere other than there. Felt good to be done.

14 miles in 2:19-- slower than usual, but I got it in!

We have a hockey tournament this weekend, so I hope to get up early Sunday (before the game)

The only thing constant is change

2008-02-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Today I dropped the minivan off for state inspection, and ran home 2.5 miles. Will run back to pick up car. Recovery =5M total.

Did my run home without watch or Ipod-- just me in the 20 degree weather. Got to thinking about how things are changing again with the boys' schedules, and how it seems like whenever I get things under control, something happens to shake things up a bit.

When they were babies, the change was constant: new feeding schedules, new sleeping schedules, playdates, etc. We were kept hostage by the ever-changing needs of the boys as infants, then toddlers. I was able to carve time out for myself due to naps, help from family, and sitters. Some days it was all I could do to hang in there until-- ahhh.. bedtime, which held constant for years between 7:00-7:30. Time after the kids were in bed was precious: time to workout, hang out with Bob, or get the ugh.. laundry done.

Now, however, this has all changed. 7:30 got pushed back to 8:00, and then Tommy often had trouble falling asleep- lying up there sometimes until 10:00 pm. So, in an effort to assist him with getting to sleep, combined with his newly-acquired ability to read, Tommy now gets 30-45 minutes at night to read. The caveat, however, is that he need someone to help him with words.

Don't get me wrong- I LOVE lying beside him and reading-- it is relaxing, and he truly enjoys his books, as do I. The adjustment part is that he is not usually tucked in/lights out these days until 9:00. Again, time to readjust MY schedule. Truth be told: I'm still held hostage by the schedules of everyone else in the family, but there is more time overall.

With the marathon training taking up a great deal of my 'free' time, 2 hr. delays and schedules changes figure much more strongly into the overall equation of our family dynamic. Learning to roll with it does not come easy, but I'm getting there.

Change is good, isn't it?

Another 2 hr. delay and VO2 workout

2008-02-26T13:32:00.001-08:00

Ok- ANOTHER 2 hr. delay for the boys today. In some ways it is nice- we get to sleep in, have a great cuddle, a leisurely breakfast and they get to relax a watch a show (current favorite: the Mr. Men Show) before Tommy heads off the school.

The down side: it cuts in MY day-- only had 2 hrs. today bus to bus.

Workout- VO2 3.5 M warmup
5 x 600 at 7:03/6:58 pace- 2 min. recovery
2M warmdown: Total 8.5 miles

The 5 x 600s felt pretty good- it would be interesting to see how this workout would be on the track or bike trail-- I tend to think in some ways it is cheating a bit by doing the speedwork on the treadmill, but it works for me!

Gotta go- I hear th bus--

Blog Post #1

2008-02-26T13:32:00.000-08:00

Hi- I am going to give this a go! I hope to use this blog mainly to record my running and training, with a sampling of 'deep thoughts' thrown in. One of the benefits to running for me is time alone: far from the other demands on my time: family, work, the house and all the little daily dramas that seem to occur at the most inopportune times. I tend to have all these great ideas/thoughts/self-reflections during my runs, and no where to put them.

I am currently training for the Flying Pig marathon, which is May 4, 2008; or more importantly, nine weeks and 5 days from today. I am following Pfitzinger's 18/55 plan, but have modified it to sort of a 19/50 plan, to suit my needs and schedule.

Today was to be 8 miles, but due to our final Paddle Tennis match and party, along with ANOTHER 2-hr. delay, I only got in 6.5 miles on the treadmill over at the Fitness Center at the Country Club. Had to get it in at 6 am, since the rest of the day was booked.

I am starting this blog today also because my baby turned 6 years old today! Officially I have children, not babies nor toddlers. The reality of this hit me in full force, and I will address this in more detail some other time. Danny has his friend Will over to play, and we are having a special menu for dinner tonight that he selected: chips, mexican pizza (quesadilla), pineapple, cake and ice cream. Bob is out of town tonight for work: it is 'attack season' again.

My sweet little guy has had a great birthday celebration: party for friends at the Zoo, family party here, Penguins game with Daddy and Tommy, and now a special playdate/dinner. It is great to treat him to special events- he really appreciates them!

Happy Birthday Danny!