This was a BIG week of running for me. Not only was it a big mileage week for me at 40 miles (my longest ever and likely the most weekly mileage I'll have for a long, long time), but I also snagged some great PRs.
I started the week with a 5 mile run on the indoor track at the YMCA thinking that I'd be doing 10 on Wednesday and another 5 on Thursday. When I realized my work schedule wasn't going to allow me to run 10 miles before work any day this week, I decided to take my running gear to work and finish off another 5 miles at lunch. My legs were a little tired from Saturday's 14 miler so I wasn't particularly fast, but I did get to run outside at lunch for the first time in weeks! The sidewalks were clear, it was about 32 degrees outside, and did I mention the fact that I got to run outside?!
First 5 miles indoors - 10:21/mile avg
2nd 5 miles outside - 11:19/mile avg
Wednesday morning I got up and pounded out my fastest 5 miles EVER at an average pace of 9:31/mile. That's a time of 47:44, people!
Thursday morning was sort of sluggish, but I did get to run with Lynn again. She's been out of commission with a hip issue and hasn't been able to run but Thursday she ran a mile with me on the indoor track. It was nice to have some company! Average pace? 10:10/mile.
And finally, yesterday's 20 miler. I've been checking the weather forecast all week and yesterday was supposed to be clear with a high of 35. I was super excited to run outside for my long run and mapped out a route from our house to Meridian, back to Boise near the mall, then finally back to our house. But when I went upstairs to throw on running gear, I could hear the wind howling outside. I think I paced around the bedroom for a solid 30 minutes checking the weather, listening to the wind, and trying to figure out if I should continue with my plan to run outside or if I should head to the indoor track yet again. The wind wasn't expected to subside anytime soon and was blowing 20+ mph. As much as I hated to do it, I made the decision to pack up some gear and run at the Y again. Sigh.
I was really trying to slow my pace for the long run so I would still have some energy at the end of it is really difficult to control my pace without the ability to use my Garmin indoors. I started out too fast and I knew it by mile ten (1:41:54), by far my fastest 10 mile run ever. I finished (approx) 13.1 in 2:13:51 (new PR at 10:13/mile!) and took a little break to eat 1/2 of a peanut butter sandwich and have some Honey Stinger Chews (I had some Jack3d before my run) and set out to finish the final 7 miles. My first 13 miles were all under 11:00/mile but my last 7 were all over 11:00/mile, my fastest of the 7 being the 20th mile at 11:32. One thing I've been focusing on is pushing myself the last lap or 2, like I will want to do at the marathon in 3 weeks (holy crap, THREE WEEKS!!!). I finished 20 in 3:35:28 which is an average pace of 10:45/mile.
My legs are sore but that's to be expected. Now the taper begins...
Showing posts with label 13.1 miles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 13.1 miles. Show all posts
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Dare I say it? A fast 14 miles?
Well, once again my plans for outdoor running were foiled yesterday. I was quite excited that the temps were above 22 degrees for my 14 mile training run but when I stepped outside I was once again greeted by an icy driveway, icy sidewalks, and icy roads which left me nowhere to run that morning. We made plans to drive to McCall for the Winter Carnival that afternoon so I didn't really have the option of waiting until later in the day to run and I really like having Sunday as a rest day so I wasn't very interested in waiting another day. Plus, I had already taken my Jack3d that morning and if I didn't go work out I would have exploded.
So I trudged off to the Y for another indoor track run. My first mile was surprisingly difficult. My shins were screaming at me to stop, so I took a few minutes to stretch a little bit about 1/2 mile in and then continued on. They still hurt a bit and I realized my form was terrible so I made a conscious effort to straighten up and correct my stride and that made all the difference. Believe it or not, I was not trying to run this super fast.
I tried to take it easy and slow things down a little bit since I've been really bad about slowing down my long runs. They (whoever "they" are) say I should I should be running my long runs at a 12:30 pace or so but that feels so. damn. slow. So I haven't been. I just run them how I feel. I walk when I need to walk and I run when I feel like running. That method played out pretty well for me on this run. I ran my fastest half-marathon ever during this little training run (2:16:57 - my previous PR was 2:21:13!) and in the end finished 14 miles in 2:27:18, faster than 2/3 of the half-marathons I've run over the past few years. Say whaaaaaat?!
I stretched and got home to shower before Josh and I headed out the door for the ride to McCall. Sitting in the car for a few hours after running that hard probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had, but the decision to stop at Gold Fork Hot Springs on the way back sure was!
So I trudged off to the Y for another indoor track run. My first mile was surprisingly difficult. My shins were screaming at me to stop, so I took a few minutes to stretch a little bit about 1/2 mile in and then continued on. They still hurt a bit and I realized my form was terrible so I made a conscious effort to straighten up and correct my stride and that made all the difference. Believe it or not, I was not trying to run this super fast.
I tried to take it easy and slow things down a little bit since I've been really bad about slowing down my long runs. They (whoever "they" are) say I should I should be running my long runs at a 12:30 pace or so but that feels so. damn. slow. So I haven't been. I just run them how I feel. I walk when I need to walk and I run when I feel like running. That method played out pretty well for me on this run. I ran my fastest half-marathon ever during this little training run (2:16:57 - my previous PR was 2:21:13!) and in the end finished 14 miles in 2:27:18, faster than 2/3 of the half-marathons I've run over the past few years. Say whaaaaaat?!
I stretched and got home to shower before Josh and I headed out the door for the ride to McCall. Sitting in the car for a few hours after running that hard probably wasn't the best idea I've ever had, but the decision to stop at Gold Fork Hot Springs on the way back sure was!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Portland Half Marathon!
I signed up for this race last November with my friends Lisa, Mike, and Renee. Yes, you read that correctly, we signed up for it 11 months ago. Who does that?! We do! Lisa dropped from the race several months ago, leaving Mike, Renee, and I to run on our own. Our training was....uh....rather inconsistent and for different reasons for all of us. For Renee, shin splints. For me, the nasty toenail issue in August. For all of us, fires all around Idaho completely saturated the Boise air with smoke and gave us great excused not to get out and run made us not want to run outside. I think I speak for all of us when I say we were all ill-prepared for this race that we decided on so long ago. I wonder if we would have all rethought our decision to run if the price for the race hadn't been so expensive; dropping $120 on a race was way more than any of us thought we'd spend for a race. For me, it was worth every penny and not just because I got to go to Portand and drink amazing beer!
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First things first, the packet pickup was incredibly organized. They had volunteers everywhere directing people where to go with absolutely zero hassles with getting bibs and shirts. Renee will likely disagree with this since she accidently ordered XXL shirts (she's far from XXL), but they have a strict rule on no exchanges for shirts and I think that was pretty clear on the registration page....so that was a minor hiccup and disappointment, but again, the expo was very well organized and it was HUGE!
Fast forward to Sunday morning and the race itself. I'm hoping to be reiumbursed for part of my race fees through Team Beef, so I sported my BEEF shirt and made Mike take a photo of me in the parking garage before we went to find our corrals at the race start.
I've never been to a race with corrals, so I was nervous about getting there early enough to find the correct corral. Yeah, not a problem. The port-a-potty line was enormous, but I also had plenty of time to get in line and get things taken care of because we got to the race start early enough. Perhaps the coolest thing about the event this year was that they had all 11,000-ish people sing the National Anthem to kick things off. I really wish I had taken my phone with me to record it, but I left it in the car to avoid having too many things to manage. There was a guy standing directly in front of me who was an incredible singer! So cool!
And then we were off!
My first 5 miles felt great...really great, in fact. So great that I probably should have worn my Garmin for the race to slow me down a bit. I walked a bit during mile six, ate some Goo Chomps (not my favorite, but I did my last few long runs with them and they worked ok), and continued on. I finally broke down at mile 9 and asked someone what time it was. Answer: 1 hour 38 minutes (the race started at 7:00). I just checked a pace calculator and that put my average pace less than 11:00/mile. Oops.
Things got hard after that and I did quite a bit of walking. I ate more Goo but it didn't seem to help me much. I found a lady at mile 11 who started in my same corral (C) and I ran next to her for the next mile. I asked her the time somewhere between miles 11 and 12: 2 hours, 17 minutes. She said she thought we could finish by 2h 30m if we powered through. I let her know I needed someone to push me to the end, and that's exactly what she did. We talked about our recent races. This was her 3rd half marathon this year and she ran her best (2:18) earlier this year. Me: best race in 2:21 earlier this year. Her husband ran the full marathon and was hoping to finish in 4:00.
Mile 12 came and I made a comment about this was going to be the hardest mile ever, and I was right.
I struggled through the last 1.1 miles.
I walked.
She grabbed my hand and told me we had to keep going.
She continued to look at her Garmin and guided me through the last bit: 1/2 mile to go! 1/4 mile to go! The finish line is just around the corner! (why did the corner to seem to be so effing far away?!)
We crossed the finish line together and gathered our medal. I turned to her and thanked her for helping me get to the finish...and then she was gone.
Mike was waiting at the finish line and I found him right away - that guy finished in under 2 hours! The spread of food was incredible. Hello, frosted animal cookies? chocolate milk? orange juice? coconut water? bananas? string cheese? grapes? candy? I only dove into a few of the choices, but the whole spread was super amazing.
Renee finished, we got our gear bags that we checked earlier, made sure we all had finisher shirts and our 3 medals (what?) and made our way back to the hotel to stretch, shower, and find some lunch.
Mike and Renee napped but I suddenly found myself with more energy and decided to walk around near our hotel for a bit and found myself wandering around the Alphabet District. I ended up logging at least 16 miles on Sunday with the walking I did after lunch. After all of that, I believe I earned every ounce of beer I drank that evening at The Green Dragon (a-maz-ing).
I was able to check my finish time and 5k/10k splits when we got back to the hotel: 2:35:34...my 3rd worst time. I figured out a part of my problem: I started out too fast. My 5k page was a 10:31 average. My 10k pace was 11:19 average. The big hill of the event is covered within that stretch of 6.2 miles. I easily could have walked more in the first 4 or 5 miles and saved myself a bit more for th end but the spectators were in full force over that part and all I could think about was how I couldn't dare walk when so many people were there watching! In the end, my lack of preparation combined with starting out too fast hurt my time and my pride. It will get better again...sooner than later, I hope.
Overall, the trip to Portland was a great one for me. I got to eat great food, drink incredible beer, and saw quite a bit of the city. Plus, I got to see my distant cousin, Katie, for a few hours at The Thirsty Lion on Saturday, at dessert at Papa Haydn, and got myself a Portland Cream at VooDoo Doughnut this morning. Hooray!
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Beer on Saturday at Deschutes
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First things first, the packet pickup was incredibly organized. They had volunteers everywhere directing people where to go with absolutely zero hassles with getting bibs and shirts. Renee will likely disagree with this since she accidently ordered XXL shirts (she's far from XXL), but they have a strict rule on no exchanges for shirts and I think that was pretty clear on the registration page....so that was a minor hiccup and disappointment, but again, the expo was very well organized and it was HUGE!
Fast forward to Sunday morning and the race itself. I'm hoping to be reiumbursed for part of my race fees through Team Beef, so I sported my BEEF shirt and made Mike take a photo of me in the parking garage before we went to find our corrals at the race start.
BEEF in Portland!
I've never been to a race with corrals, so I was nervous about getting there early enough to find the correct corral. Yeah, not a problem. The port-a-potty line was enormous, but I also had plenty of time to get in line and get things taken care of because we got to the race start early enough. Perhaps the coolest thing about the event this year was that they had all 11,000-ish people sing the National Anthem to kick things off. I really wish I had taken my phone with me to record it, but I left it in the car to avoid having too many things to manage. There was a guy standing directly in front of me who was an incredible singer! So cool!
And then we were off!
My first 5 miles felt great...really great, in fact. So great that I probably should have worn my Garmin for the race to slow me down a bit. I walked a bit during mile six, ate some Goo Chomps (not my favorite, but I did my last few long runs with them and they worked ok), and continued on. I finally broke down at mile 9 and asked someone what time it was. Answer: 1 hour 38 minutes (the race started at 7:00). I just checked a pace calculator and that put my average pace less than 11:00/mile. Oops.
Things got hard after that and I did quite a bit of walking. I ate more Goo but it didn't seem to help me much. I found a lady at mile 11 who started in my same corral (C) and I ran next to her for the next mile. I asked her the time somewhere between miles 11 and 12: 2 hours, 17 minutes. She said she thought we could finish by 2h 30m if we powered through. I let her know I needed someone to push me to the end, and that's exactly what she did. We talked about our recent races. This was her 3rd half marathon this year and she ran her best (2:18) earlier this year. Me: best race in 2:21 earlier this year. Her husband ran the full marathon and was hoping to finish in 4:00.
Mile 12 came and I made a comment about this was going to be the hardest mile ever, and I was right.
I struggled through the last 1.1 miles.
I walked.
She grabbed my hand and told me we had to keep going.
She continued to look at her Garmin and guided me through the last bit: 1/2 mile to go! 1/4 mile to go! The finish line is just around the corner! (why did the corner to seem to be so effing far away?!)
We crossed the finish line together and gathered our medal. I turned to her and thanked her for helping me get to the finish...and then she was gone.
Mike was waiting at the finish line and I found him right away - that guy finished in under 2 hours! The spread of food was incredible. Hello, frosted animal cookies? chocolate milk? orange juice? coconut water? bananas? string cheese? grapes? candy? I only dove into a few of the choices, but the whole spread was super amazing.
Renee finished, we got our gear bags that we checked earlier, made sure we all had finisher shirts and our 3 medals (what?) and made our way back to the hotel to stretch, shower, and find some lunch.
Mike and Renee napped but I suddenly found myself with more energy and decided to walk around near our hotel for a bit and found myself wandering around the Alphabet District. I ended up logging at least 16 miles on Sunday with the walking I did after lunch. After all of that, I believe I earned every ounce of beer I drank that evening at The Green Dragon (a-maz-ing).
I was able to check my finish time and 5k/10k splits when we got back to the hotel: 2:35:34...my 3rd worst time. I figured out a part of my problem: I started out too fast. My 5k page was a 10:31 average. My 10k pace was 11:19 average. The big hill of the event is covered within that stretch of 6.2 miles. I easily could have walked more in the first 4 or 5 miles and saved myself a bit more for th end but the spectators were in full force over that part and all I could think about was how I couldn't dare walk when so many people were there watching! In the end, my lack of preparation combined with starting out too fast hurt my time and my pride. It will get better again...sooner than later, I hope.
Overall, the trip to Portland was a great one for me. I got to eat great food, drink incredible beer, and saw quite a bit of the city. Plus, I got to see my distant cousin, Katie, for a few hours at The Thirsty Lion on Saturday, at dessert at Papa Haydn, and got myself a Portland Cream at VooDoo Doughnut this morning. Hooray!
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Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Chicago Monster Dash Recap!
The Monster Dash has come and gone and I have done much celebrating! I have a feeling this is going to be another long post, so go grab something to drink and come back to have a read.
I flew into Chicago on Friday afternoon about 2 hours later than scheduled due to an electrical error on the plane. Once I landed, I was able to navigate the CTA train downtown to packet pickup where I picked up my bib, timing chip, and rad new jacket. I found a quaint little joint to grab a bit to eat and a beer and waited for Jamie to get to the hotel. We gathered her race stuff and headed over to see our friend, Kirby, in action at the bar where he works. We grabbed a beer and a small pizza before making our way to a running store so Jamie could stock up on Gu-like substances and to Walgreens so she could try to find a costume. We were supposed to be Mario and Luigi but with all of the stuff that happens in life the Luigi costume didn't happen. It was a toss up between Cleopatra and "Sexy Pirate Lady" for costumes and since the "Sexy Pirate Lady" looked slightly more comfortable, she decided on that one.
With packets picked up and costumes purchased, it was time to eat some real food. We stopped at the grocery store and picked up some pasta and spinach to eat with some chicken breasts back at her apartment. It was an uneventful night, which was just fine since Saturday would prove to be a busy day.
I woke up without an alarm on Saturday at just the right time. I enjoyed some coffee and a breakfast bar, threw on my Mario costume, and we loaded up to go to the race start. Parking was a little more congested than we expected and we got to the race start with just enough time to put on some last minute items (Garmin, iPods, etc.) and check our bags at the bag check before heading to the portable toilets...except that the lines for the toilets was really long. It was 9:11 and the 1/2 marathon was supposed to start the run at 9:15! Knowing we wouldn't be able to hold things off for the length of the race and risking getting ticketed in Chicago, we snuck down into a bushy area and dropped trou to relieve ourselves. We were lucky with the fact that only one person come down to that area during that time and that 1) he wasn't a cop and 2) he didn't care because he was going to do the same thing. Turns out we probably could have used the toilets because the race didn't end up starting until 9:25 and we had to wait another 5 minutes to cross the start line due to the congestion of the race.
Once things go started, I felt like we moved fairly quickly. There was quite a bit of congestion, but it didn't slow me down much since I'm a slower runner anyway. Jamie and I stuck together for the first 5 or 6 miles, which was cool. We lost each other at one of the water stations and she kept up with her 10:50 pace. I slowed down a little, which was a wise plan. Miles 6 and 7 were my hardest for some reason and I got into a bad habit of looking down at the ground as I ran. I constantly had to remind myself that I was on the lakeshore in Chicago and that the view was something to be seen, not ignored! I took 2 Clif Shot Bloks at miles 4, 6, and 10-ish and actually wish I had more, something else, or that I had some Nuun in a water bottle with me, but I didn't...and I still survived. There were several mile marker flags missing throughout the race, which was disappointing. Even though I had my Garmin, there were a few times I knew it was not registering the satellites due to the bridge and I wasn't entirely sure the miles were tracked accurately. I could have used another water station somewhere between miles 9 and 10 but there was a drinking fountain available, so that wasn't so bad.
I don't have any really memorable moments from this half-marathon except for the last 1/4 mile or so. As I rounded the corner for the last bit of the race, I squeezed out every ounce of energy left in me and felt like I was running really, really fast! I passed a few people at the end, which may or may not be contributed to the number of people yelling out "Go Mario!" as my feet hit the pavement. I crossed the finish line in 2:27:11 for the race and had I not been gasping for air, I probably would have been beaming from ear to ear for my PR!
I grabbed the goody bag of food and found my bag at the check station before heading to the meet up spot to find Jamie. We hugged and I let her know my unofficial time and that I had accomplished yet another PR! After a little while we took a rather lengthy walk to find food with a few other friends. I'm sure Blue Man Group, a bee, Mario, and the Sexy Pirate Lady eating pierogies and drinking beer and this small little restaurant, but we were all smiles and didn't give a lick about what everyone else thought of us!
The rest of the weekend may or may not be shared at a later date, but here are the official stats from the race and a few post-race photos:
2011 Team Ortho Chicago Monster Dash - Half Marathon
Miranda M Age: 32 Residence: Boise, ID
11:15 per mile
Overall place: 2203 out of 3030
Gender place: 1332 out of 1966 Females
Age Group place: 247 out of 385 Females in the F3034 Age Group
Passed 450 runners
Passed by 112 runners in the overall category
I flew into Chicago on Friday afternoon about 2 hours later than scheduled due to an electrical error on the plane. Once I landed, I was able to navigate the CTA train downtown to packet pickup where I picked up my bib, timing chip, and rad new jacket. I found a quaint little joint to grab a bit to eat and a beer and waited for Jamie to get to the hotel. We gathered her race stuff and headed over to see our friend, Kirby, in action at the bar where he works. We grabbed a beer and a small pizza before making our way to a running store so Jamie could stock up on Gu-like substances and to Walgreens so she could try to find a costume. We were supposed to be Mario and Luigi but with all of the stuff that happens in life the Luigi costume didn't happen. It was a toss up between Cleopatra and "Sexy Pirate Lady" for costumes and since the "Sexy Pirate Lady" looked slightly more comfortable, she decided on that one.
With packets picked up and costumes purchased, it was time to eat some real food. We stopped at the grocery store and picked up some pasta and spinach to eat with some chicken breasts back at her apartment. It was an uneventful night, which was just fine since Saturday would prove to be a busy day.
I woke up without an alarm on Saturday at just the right time. I enjoyed some coffee and a breakfast bar, threw on my Mario costume, and we loaded up to go to the race start. Parking was a little more congested than we expected and we got to the race start with just enough time to put on some last minute items (Garmin, iPods, etc.) and check our bags at the bag check before heading to the portable toilets...except that the lines for the toilets was really long. It was 9:11 and the 1/2 marathon was supposed to start the run at 9:15! Knowing we wouldn't be able to hold things off for the length of the race and risking getting ticketed in Chicago, we snuck down into a bushy area and dropped trou to relieve ourselves. We were lucky with the fact that only one person come down to that area during that time and that 1) he wasn't a cop and 2) he didn't care because he was going to do the same thing. Turns out we probably could have used the toilets because the race didn't end up starting until 9:25 and we had to wait another 5 minutes to cross the start line due to the congestion of the race.
Once things go started, I felt like we moved fairly quickly. There was quite a bit of congestion, but it didn't slow me down much since I'm a slower runner anyway. Jamie and I stuck together for the first 5 or 6 miles, which was cool. We lost each other at one of the water stations and she kept up with her 10:50 pace. I slowed down a little, which was a wise plan. Miles 6 and 7 were my hardest for some reason and I got into a bad habit of looking down at the ground as I ran. I constantly had to remind myself that I was on the lakeshore in Chicago and that the view was something to be seen, not ignored! I took 2 Clif Shot Bloks at miles 4, 6, and 10-ish and actually wish I had more, something else, or that I had some Nuun in a water bottle with me, but I didn't...and I still survived. There were several mile marker flags missing throughout the race, which was disappointing. Even though I had my Garmin, there were a few times I knew it was not registering the satellites due to the bridge and I wasn't entirely sure the miles were tracked accurately. I could have used another water station somewhere between miles 9 and 10 but there was a drinking fountain available, so that wasn't so bad.
I don't have any really memorable moments from this half-marathon except for the last 1/4 mile or so. As I rounded the corner for the last bit of the race, I squeezed out every ounce of energy left in me and felt like I was running really, really fast! I passed a few people at the end, which may or may not be contributed to the number of people yelling out "Go Mario!" as my feet hit the pavement. I crossed the finish line in 2:27:11 for the race and had I not been gasping for air, I probably would have been beaming from ear to ear for my PR!
I grabbed the goody bag of food and found my bag at the check station before heading to the meet up spot to find Jamie. We hugged and I let her know my unofficial time and that I had accomplished yet another PR! After a little while we took a rather lengthy walk to find food with a few other friends. I'm sure Blue Man Group, a bee, Mario, and the Sexy Pirate Lady eating pierogies and drinking beer and this small little restaurant, but we were all smiles and didn't give a lick about what everyone else thought of us!
The rest of the weekend may or may not be shared at a later date, but here are the official stats from the race and a few post-race photos:
2011 Team Ortho Chicago Monster Dash - Half Marathon
Miranda M Age: 32 Residence: Boise, ID
11:15 per mile
Overall place: 2203 out of 3030
Gender place: 1332 out of 1966 Females
Age Group place: 247 out of 385 Females in the F3034 Age Group
Passed 450 runners
Passed by 112 runners in the overall category
Sexy Pirate Lady and Mario
Post-Race Beers!
PR!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Running the Gap - Pocatello 1/2 Marathon Recap
I spent my junior an senior years of college in Pocatello, Idaho at Idaho State University. I almost just said I studied there, but that would be a pretty big lie since I mostly spent my time eating junk food and drinking a lot of alcohol. A. LOT. I was pretty big before I moved to Pocatello, but nothing compared to how fat I was when I left. So when Team Beef announced the Pocatello Marathon events would be a part of the program, I was glad to join the crew to run a half-marathon in the city that made me fat.
I was able to make arrangements to stay at Josh's uncle and aunt's home in Pocatello on Friday night, even though they weren't going to be there. At first I was a little anxious about staying in someone's home alone but when I got there I quickly realized what a blessing it was to be able to tweak my playlist, sprawl my things out across the living area, curse at my non-working iPod shuffle charger, and be quiet for awhile. I couldn't get my shuffle to sync or charge with my computer, so my minimalist plan to run with only my shuffle and Garmin was thrown out the window pretty early in the evening. I was glad I threw my running belt (ok, it's a small fanny pack) into my bag before leaving Boise, because I was forced to run with my iPhone for music and I'm not sure how I would have pulled it off without the belt.
The buses were scheduled to load at 7:00 am with the first one leaving as soon as it was full and the last departing no later than 7:20, and I wanted to be sure I got on the bus as early as possible to get myself some time at the race start. I awoke around 5:30 to be sure I got enough coffee and water in my system with plenty of time to let it run through me and to apply my Body Glide for the first time ever. This was my first half not wearing tights, and I was concerned about the possibility of chaffing, so at the recommendation of a few female bloggers out there, I tried out the Glide, and it was a worthy investment.
I packed up the truck and headed out around 6:30, since I wasn't entirely sure where I was going. My real first excitement for the morning came around 6:45 after I parked the truck (and then moved it when I realized I was sticking so far out into the parking lot) when two middle-aged women accused me of backing into their truck and taking off some paint. Of course, they were wrong and I proved to them that there's no way my truck could have hit them in the place they were saying it did. I didn't hit them, and I'm certain of that because I got out to see exactly how close I was to them and how far I was sticking out into the parking lot and saw there was room between our vehicles (they did a stellar job of parking too....so stellar that the bed of the truck was at least 6 inches over the line). It was no way to start the morning. I loaded the bus shortly thereafter and all of the buses left at 7:20 to go to the start line, which meant a lot of full port-a-potties at the race start. I dropped off my duffel (very cool race give-away, by the way) at the UPS truck (seriously, this was the BEST bag check EVER - more later) and stretched a bit. And then with little warning, it started.
I crossed the start line, started my Garmin, and was on my way. I don't remember much about the first 4 or 5 miles, mostly because it was pretty uneventful. I tried to keep my pace between 11:00 and 11:15. There were a few downhill stretches, which were awesome and made me feel super fast without zapping all of my energy. Every so often a Team Beef runner would pass me (or in a few cases, I passed them), and it was fun to yell out "go beef!" or "Team Beef" to them and to hear it in return. At mile 6 I ate 3 Clif Shot Bloks and chased it with a gulp of water. There was a ridiculous hill between miles 7 and 8 that a lot of people walked, including me....I walked the 2nd half after realizing I still had 5+ miles to go once I got to the top, and I think that was a good decision. The aid stations came almost every mile thereafter. I ate 3 more Clif Shot Bloks at mile 10 and felt way better than I did at mile 10 on my last long run on the Greenbelt.
It was shortly after that when I descended into a recognizable part of Pocatello, and I grinned from ear to ear. There was something about the moment that changed me. I was running in to Pocatello. I was running in a place where I had been so inactive and allowed myself to be slovenly and gross and fat. I was running there and proving to all of Pocatello (and myself) that I am no longer that person.
At mile 11 I looked at my Garmin and realized I had been running for just over 2 hours. I grabbed a cup of Powerade at the aid station and powered on. I passed a guy walking on my left, slowed, took out my headphones, and yelled, "I have to tell someone - I'm totally going to meet my goal!" He cheered me on and encouraged me to keep up my pace. Thanks for being there, random middle-age man, because I'm starting to think if you hadn't been there for me to say it out loud, I wouldn't have had as much ambition to actually meet my goal of running the half in under 2 hours 30 minutes. I had 25 minutes to go 2.1 miles and I was certain I could do it, given how great I felt.
The 11th mile was fine, but mile 12 hurt. I walked for a few seconds after drinking my water at the aid station and then pushed on. When I got to the mile 13 marker, I took out my headphones and tucked them into my shirt. The number of people along the side of the race route grew as the finish line came into view, and I kicked it into high gear. I didn't look at my watch, but I felt so close to failure and didn't want to let Pocatello and the old me win.
I crossed the finish line, stopped the time on my Garmin, gathered my medal, and looked down to see 2:29. I almost burst into tears on the spot.
Instead, I looked to my left to see a woman hand me my race duffel with my extra water, Nuun, flip flops, and some other post-race clothes. There was no standing in line waiting to get my gear, just a lady handing it over the makeshift fence to me. Some guy (who did not look official at all) handed me a cold bottle of water. I found a clear spot near the finish line and stood there for a minute. I was out of breath and thought I was going to vomit and the thought of that made me want to cry. I didn't do either. I held it together as I stretched and shared the good news via text message to Jamie in Chicago and then wandered around until I found the official time check. I stood in line in front of a couple whose daughter ran the half that morning and when I got to the computer to check my time, I turned to them and said, "I just want you to know that if this says I'm over 2:30, I'm probably going to cry." They nodded their heads as I turned to punch in race bib 1404.
2:29:32.
I turned around and high-fived them before walking away to find my car.
There was no intense celebration at the park, nor did I partake in the free beer and food; it's not quite as fun to drink a beer at 10:30 am without someone standing by your side. (Don't worry, there was much celebration afterward with the in-laws.)
For now, all I have to say is this: I win, Pocatello. I win.
I was able to make arrangements to stay at Josh's uncle and aunt's home in Pocatello on Friday night, even though they weren't going to be there. At first I was a little anxious about staying in someone's home alone but when I got there I quickly realized what a blessing it was to be able to tweak my playlist, sprawl my things out across the living area, curse at my non-working iPod shuffle charger, and be quiet for awhile. I couldn't get my shuffle to sync or charge with my computer, so my minimalist plan to run with only my shuffle and Garmin was thrown out the window pretty early in the evening. I was glad I threw my running belt (ok, it's a small fanny pack) into my bag before leaving Boise, because I was forced to run with my iPhone for music and I'm not sure how I would have pulled it off without the belt.
The buses were scheduled to load at 7:00 am with the first one leaving as soon as it was full and the last departing no later than 7:20, and I wanted to be sure I got on the bus as early as possible to get myself some time at the race start. I awoke around 5:30 to be sure I got enough coffee and water in my system with plenty of time to let it run through me and to apply my Body Glide for the first time ever. This was my first half not wearing tights, and I was concerned about the possibility of chaffing, so at the recommendation of a few female bloggers out there, I tried out the Glide, and it was a worthy investment.
I packed up the truck and headed out around 6:30, since I wasn't entirely sure where I was going. My real first excitement for the morning came around 6:45 after I parked the truck (and then moved it when I realized I was sticking so far out into the parking lot) when two middle-aged women accused me of backing into their truck and taking off some paint. Of course, they were wrong and I proved to them that there's no way my truck could have hit them in the place they were saying it did. I didn't hit them, and I'm certain of that because I got out to see exactly how close I was to them and how far I was sticking out into the parking lot and saw there was room between our vehicles (they did a stellar job of parking too....so stellar that the bed of the truck was at least 6 inches over the line). It was no way to start the morning. I loaded the bus shortly thereafter and all of the buses left at 7:20 to go to the start line, which meant a lot of full port-a-potties at the race start. I dropped off my duffel (very cool race give-away, by the way) at the UPS truck (seriously, this was the BEST bag check EVER - more later) and stretched a bit. And then with little warning, it started.
I crossed the start line, started my Garmin, and was on my way. I don't remember much about the first 4 or 5 miles, mostly because it was pretty uneventful. I tried to keep my pace between 11:00 and 11:15. There were a few downhill stretches, which were awesome and made me feel super fast without zapping all of my energy. Every so often a Team Beef runner would pass me (or in a few cases, I passed them), and it was fun to yell out "go beef!" or "Team Beef" to them and to hear it in return. At mile 6 I ate 3 Clif Shot Bloks and chased it with a gulp of water. There was a ridiculous hill between miles 7 and 8 that a lot of people walked, including me....I walked the 2nd half after realizing I still had 5+ miles to go once I got to the top, and I think that was a good decision. The aid stations came almost every mile thereafter. I ate 3 more Clif Shot Bloks at mile 10 and felt way better than I did at mile 10 on my last long run on the Greenbelt.
It was shortly after that when I descended into a recognizable part of Pocatello, and I grinned from ear to ear. There was something about the moment that changed me. I was running in to Pocatello. I was running in a place where I had been so inactive and allowed myself to be slovenly and gross and fat. I was running there and proving to all of Pocatello (and myself) that I am no longer that person.
At mile 11 I looked at my Garmin and realized I had been running for just over 2 hours. I grabbed a cup of Powerade at the aid station and powered on. I passed a guy walking on my left, slowed, took out my headphones, and yelled, "I have to tell someone - I'm totally going to meet my goal!" He cheered me on and encouraged me to keep up my pace. Thanks for being there, random middle-age man, because I'm starting to think if you hadn't been there for me to say it out loud, I wouldn't have had as much ambition to actually meet my goal of running the half in under 2 hours 30 minutes. I had 25 minutes to go 2.1 miles and I was certain I could do it, given how great I felt.
The 11th mile was fine, but mile 12 hurt. I walked for a few seconds after drinking my water at the aid station and then pushed on. When I got to the mile 13 marker, I took out my headphones and tucked them into my shirt. The number of people along the side of the race route grew as the finish line came into view, and I kicked it into high gear. I didn't look at my watch, but I felt so close to failure and didn't want to let Pocatello and the old me win.
I crossed the finish line, stopped the time on my Garmin, gathered my medal, and looked down to see 2:29. I almost burst into tears on the spot.
Instead, I looked to my left to see a woman hand me my race duffel with my extra water, Nuun, flip flops, and some other post-race clothes. There was no standing in line waiting to get my gear, just a lady handing it over the makeshift fence to me. Some guy (who did not look official at all) handed me a cold bottle of water. I found a clear spot near the finish line and stood there for a minute. I was out of breath and thought I was going to vomit and the thought of that made me want to cry. I didn't do either. I held it together as I stretched and shared the good news via text message to Jamie in Chicago and then wandered around until I found the official time check. I stood in line in front of a couple whose daughter ran the half that morning and when I got to the computer to check my time, I turned to them and said, "I just want you to know that if this says I'm over 2:30, I'm probably going to cry." They nodded their heads as I turned to punch in race bib 1404.
2:29:32.
I turned around and high-fived them before walking away to find my car.
There was no intense celebration at the park, nor did I partake in the free beer and food; it's not quite as fun to drink a beer at 10:30 am without someone standing by your side. (Don't worry, there was much celebration afterward with the in-laws.)
For now, all I have to say is this: I win, Pocatello. I win.
| Bib | 1404 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gun Time | 02:30:22 | |
| Chip Time | 02:29:32 | |
| Pace | 11:25 | |
| Gender-Age | F-32 | |
| City | Boise ID | |
| Division | Half | |
| Division: Half | 270 / 350 | |
| Division: Half - Gender: F - Age Group: 30 - 34 | 50 / 60 | |
| Division: Half - Gender: F | 164 / 231 | |
| Division: Half - Age Group: 30 - 34 | 61 / 73 | |
Saturday, June 18, 2011
See Jane Run 1/2 Marathon Recap
I had been thinking of running the See Jane Run (I Run for Chocolate and Champagne) 1/2 marathon for awhile and never signed up. When I finally started thinking about it seriously, the registration cost had increased to $95 (from $75) and I didn't think it was worth it to pay the extra $20...until yesterday. I don't really know what got into me, but I couldn't get this thought out of my head: I wanted to run the 1/2. After talking to Josh, we decided the $95 registration fee wouldn't break the bank for us and off I went to my local See Jane Run shop to register.
I awoke early this morning, enjoyed a cup of coffee, and made myself some eggs for breakfast before heading to the run. I was there plenty early so I took some time to drink a full Nalgene of water and about 12 ounces of Powerade then walked over to pick up my race packet, bib, and timing chip. Last night I decided to make a new music playlist and took out my old iPod Shuffle to use instead of my iPhone to avoid having to wear my runners belt (aka fanny pack). Of course, using the Shuffle also meant I wouldn't have any way to know my pace other than my heart rate monitor watch. More about that later.
I stretched and walked around a bit before I heard, "Miranda? It's Leslie!" I expected to see two girls I knew from high school, but not this one. It was a pleasant surprise to see someone else and take some time to chat before the group warm up.
Speaking of the group warm up, it was pretty cheesy. If I had been there with a big group of girlfriends, it probably would have been a little more entertaining. As it was, it was pretty awkward. The race started not too long after that. The announcer said something about water stations every 2 miles and I thought I heard somewhere that there would be markers at every mile, so not having my iPhone to check my pace wouldn't be too bad.
I typically don't drink a whole lot of water while I run to avoid getting side cramps, but at mile 4 I was hot and thirsty and was really looking forward to the water station. Unfortunately, the guys at the station were very much behind on filling the cups and I didn't feel like waiting around for them to get a glass for me, so I continued on. Before I knew it I was at the mile 6 marker. I grabbed some Gatorade to drink right away and grabbed a Gu for later. Miles 7 and 8 flew by. I choked down the Gu (I hate that stuff but didn't have time to stop to by some Clif Shot Bloks last night) and chased it with some water at mile 8. FYI, mile 8 was at Bown Crossing and the volunteers at this station were amazing! They cheered and yelled as everyone approached the station as if no one else had come through yet. It felt great!
The greenbelt turned into a gravel path just after mile 8, which slowed me down a lot. Not cool. We finally wove through a neighborhood and got back on pavement which, I realize, most people don't like, but that's what I've trained on and I was glad to return to it. A woman came up behind me between miles 9 and 10 and struck up conversation. It turned out she had been right behind me for most of the race. It was nice to have someone to talk to. We commiserated together for a short while about not knowing how we would make it through the last 3 miles. I really wasn't sure. I could feel myself weakening but didn't want to walk yet. She eventually slowed to walk and I trudged on.
It felt like it took forever to get through the next 3 miles. I had been following a gal in a pink tank top for most of the race and she was slowing down too. I slid up next to her around mile 11.5 because I couldn't believe we hadn't seen the marker for mile 12 yet. She swore it would be coming soon. Again, it was nice to have someone to talk to. We stayed together through the end. I won't lie, I walked a little. I kept thinking to myself that I could run another mile and then my body just wouldn't let me so I'd walk for a few minutes. We finally hit the marker for mile 13 and I still couldn't see the finish line. That last 1/10 mile felt like the longest stretch imaginable.
I finished in 2:31:19, just over my goal of 2:30 and 9 minutes faster than my first 1/2 marathon time last November in Indianapolis. My average pace was 11:33/mile. I was so happy to have my sister waiting for me at the finish line; it would have been a little lonely otherwise after the race!
I do wonder if I would have finished sooner if I had kept track of my pace throughout the run and kept a more consistent pace. I'm a little disappointed in myself for walking because I know I would have met my goal of 2:30 if I had pushed through. That being said, I'm still elated that I shaved 9 minutes off my 1/2 marathon time!
The after race expo was OK. They gave out a champagne glass with 3 chocolates inside and a glass of champagne. There were a few vendors including massages, but the line for a 1 minute massage was a little long for my taste and I didn't partake. I waited around for my official results and then headed out, sister in tow.
Now, for my review of the race:
**I didn't see much food. I had a fruit strip/snacks and I saw some bagels but didn't partatke. I really could have gone for a banana but I didn't see anyway.
**I got a glass of champagne, and that tasted great (!), but I think I heard while waiting for my results that they had run out of champagne. Really? I thought the theme was "I run for chocolate and champagne" and they ran out of champagne?! Also, I paid $95 for this deal and I got ONE glass of champagne?
**The t-shirt is really nice. It's nice and light and purple (oh, how I love the color purple)! The best part is that it seems like a good fit and it's not too short, which is my main fear when picking up race tees. Good work, See Jane Run.
**Overall, I think $75 for the race is a bit steep for what you get: ONE glass of champagne, 3 pieces of chocolate, a champagne glass, and a t-shirt. Just sayin'. I'm thinking I probably won't participate next year based on this bit, especially since there are so many 1/2 marathons in the Boise area at a much cheaper cost and for which I can be reimbursed for race fees. I can do without the champagne and chocolate and will get booze and dessert wherever I go to lunch after the next race.
The best thing about this race? My time :)
Next weekend is the Meridian Barn Sour 10K and then I'm going to try to focus on rafting for the summer instead of running races.
I awoke early this morning, enjoyed a cup of coffee, and made myself some eggs for breakfast before heading to the run. I was there plenty early so I took some time to drink a full Nalgene of water and about 12 ounces of Powerade then walked over to pick up my race packet, bib, and timing chip. Last night I decided to make a new music playlist and took out my old iPod Shuffle to use instead of my iPhone to avoid having to wear my runners belt (aka fanny pack). Of course, using the Shuffle also meant I wouldn't have any way to know my pace other than my heart rate monitor watch. More about that later.
I stretched and walked around a bit before I heard, "Miranda? It's Leslie!" I expected to see two girls I knew from high school, but not this one. It was a pleasant surprise to see someone else and take some time to chat before the group warm up.
Speaking of the group warm up, it was pretty cheesy. If I had been there with a big group of girlfriends, it probably would have been a little more entertaining. As it was, it was pretty awkward. The race started not too long after that. The announcer said something about water stations every 2 miles and I thought I heard somewhere that there would be markers at every mile, so not having my iPhone to check my pace wouldn't be too bad.
I typically don't drink a whole lot of water while I run to avoid getting side cramps, but at mile 4 I was hot and thirsty and was really looking forward to the water station. Unfortunately, the guys at the station were very much behind on filling the cups and I didn't feel like waiting around for them to get a glass for me, so I continued on. Before I knew it I was at the mile 6 marker. I grabbed some Gatorade to drink right away and grabbed a Gu for later. Miles 7 and 8 flew by. I choked down the Gu (I hate that stuff but didn't have time to stop to by some Clif Shot Bloks last night) and chased it with some water at mile 8. FYI, mile 8 was at Bown Crossing and the volunteers at this station were amazing! They cheered and yelled as everyone approached the station as if no one else had come through yet. It felt great!
The greenbelt turned into a gravel path just after mile 8, which slowed me down a lot. Not cool. We finally wove through a neighborhood and got back on pavement which, I realize, most people don't like, but that's what I've trained on and I was glad to return to it. A woman came up behind me between miles 9 and 10 and struck up conversation. It turned out she had been right behind me for most of the race. It was nice to have someone to talk to. We commiserated together for a short while about not knowing how we would make it through the last 3 miles. I really wasn't sure. I could feel myself weakening but didn't want to walk yet. She eventually slowed to walk and I trudged on.
It felt like it took forever to get through the next 3 miles. I had been following a gal in a pink tank top for most of the race and she was slowing down too. I slid up next to her around mile 11.5 because I couldn't believe we hadn't seen the marker for mile 12 yet. She swore it would be coming soon. Again, it was nice to have someone to talk to. We stayed together through the end. I won't lie, I walked a little. I kept thinking to myself that I could run another mile and then my body just wouldn't let me so I'd walk for a few minutes. We finally hit the marker for mile 13 and I still couldn't see the finish line. That last 1/10 mile felt like the longest stretch imaginable.
I finished in 2:31:19, just over my goal of 2:30 and 9 minutes faster than my first 1/2 marathon time last November in Indianapolis. My average pace was 11:33/mile. I was so happy to have my sister waiting for me at the finish line; it would have been a little lonely otherwise after the race!
I do wonder if I would have finished sooner if I had kept track of my pace throughout the run and kept a more consistent pace. I'm a little disappointed in myself for walking because I know I would have met my goal of 2:30 if I had pushed through. That being said, I'm still elated that I shaved 9 minutes off my 1/2 marathon time!
The after race expo was OK. They gave out a champagne glass with 3 chocolates inside and a glass of champagne. There were a few vendors including massages, but the line for a 1 minute massage was a little long for my taste and I didn't partake. I waited around for my official results and then headed out, sister in tow.
Now, for my review of the race:
**I didn't see much food. I had a fruit strip/snacks and I saw some bagels but didn't partatke. I really could have gone for a banana but I didn't see anyway.
**I got a glass of champagne, and that tasted great (!), but I think I heard while waiting for my results that they had run out of champagne. Really? I thought the theme was "I run for chocolate and champagne" and they ran out of champagne?! Also, I paid $95 for this deal and I got ONE glass of champagne?
**The t-shirt is really nice. It's nice and light and purple (oh, how I love the color purple)! The best part is that it seems like a good fit and it's not too short, which is my main fear when picking up race tees. Good work, See Jane Run.
**Overall, I think $75 for the race is a bit steep for what you get: ONE glass of champagne, 3 pieces of chocolate, a champagne glass, and a t-shirt. Just sayin'. I'm thinking I probably won't participate next year based on this bit, especially since there are so many 1/2 marathons in the Boise area at a much cheaper cost and for which I can be reimbursed for race fees. I can do without the champagne and chocolate and will get booze and dessert wherever I go to lunch after the next race.
The best thing about this race? My time :)
Next weekend is the Meridian Barn Sour 10K and then I'm going to try to focus on rafting for the summer instead of running races.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Half Marathon - The Real Deal!
I've been trying to figure out how to write this blog entry or even where to start with it because there are so many parts. I really haven't been nervous about a whole aside from the random "holy crap, am I really going to do this?" thoughts. This morning I woke with a whole lotta nerves going on. Let's rewide for second to my dreams from last night:
1) At some point during the night I dreamed I ran the entire 1/2 marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes. My goal was 2:40, so 2:15 would be pretty huge! Waking up from that dream was awesome, unlike dream #2
2) Dreamed Jamie and I left our hotel room and kept forgetting a bunch of crap. Every time we went back to the room, it became increasingly difficult to find our room, and then increasingly difficult to find what we were looking for in the room due to it being trashed. Eventually, I couldn't find my bib, which meant I wouldn't be able to run.
Combine both of those dreams with waking in a panic several times during the night thinking I was oversleeping, it wasn't the greatest night of sleep I've ever had.
Ok, anyway, I woke up this morning feeling really anxious and nervous. I've trained and been really good about it, so I knew there wasn't a lot to be nervous about, but I was. I was nervous about losing my way on the course and being cold and being the slowest runner, etc.
That being said, I was totally fine! I did great, in fact! I decided in the end to keep my music playing, which was totally a good call. I paused it when there was some entertainment, but in the end, I was really glad to have the tunes. I also ran with my app going on my iPhone to make sure I was running at a decent pace. I took off the notices about my distance and elapsed time and just kept my pace and average pace on the announcements so I could just focus on my pace and not how much further we had to go.
I had a few key moments in the race today that absolutely made me smile. The main thing I really enjoyed was people cheering and holding up signs telling us how awesome we were (and that there was beer at the finish line - a total lie, by the way). There were a few times where they said just the right thing to make me go faster or just keep pushing through. For the life of me, I can't remember what they were, but it was awesome.
My favorite music moment was at about mile 11. I was starting to get tired and could feel my hips really starting to ache...and then Eye of the Tiger came on my iPod! I instantly felt 75% better and get myself into get for the next two miles. I had to retrain myself from yelling out to people around me that this song was playing on my iPod...
Next favorite moment came around mile 12 when I realized there was only a mile left. I was stoked. I could feel my body ready to push harder and I kicked it into high gear. I felt like I was flying, and it was awesome.
Finally, I crossed the finish line. Now, that itself is pretty kick-ass as far as I'm concerned, but I just happened to cross the finish line at the exact same time as the first female full-marathon finisher and the crowd was going crazy screaming, clapping, and hollering and I'm not going to lie - that was pretty kick ass. My favorite thing about this though was the announcer on the loud speaker nearly screaming "you've done it! you have done it! Way to go, you have done it!" I secretly said to myself, "yeah, I did!!!"
I finished in 2:39:44. I was hoping for 2:40, so that's pretty damn good in my books!
Jamie and I enjoyed long, hot showers before getting lunch and beer and then shopping (ok, and then another beer) and have been talking about how beautiful the course was for the Monumental. We have also been talking a lot about how much our hips, knees, and legs in general ache like crazy and how difficult it is to get up out of chairs. But the best thing we talk about is the fact that this morning we ran a 1/2 marathon - all of it!
1) At some point during the night I dreamed I ran the entire 1/2 marathon in 2 hours and 15 minutes. My goal was 2:40, so 2:15 would be pretty huge! Waking up from that dream was awesome, unlike dream #2
2) Dreamed Jamie and I left our hotel room and kept forgetting a bunch of crap. Every time we went back to the room, it became increasingly difficult to find our room, and then increasingly difficult to find what we were looking for in the room due to it being trashed. Eventually, I couldn't find my bib, which meant I wouldn't be able to run.
Combine both of those dreams with waking in a panic several times during the night thinking I was oversleeping, it wasn't the greatest night of sleep I've ever had.
Ok, anyway, I woke up this morning feeling really anxious and nervous. I've trained and been really good about it, so I knew there wasn't a lot to be nervous about, but I was. I was nervous about losing my way on the course and being cold and being the slowest runner, etc.
That being said, I was totally fine! I did great, in fact! I decided in the end to keep my music playing, which was totally a good call. I paused it when there was some entertainment, but in the end, I was really glad to have the tunes. I also ran with my app going on my iPhone to make sure I was running at a decent pace. I took off the notices about my distance and elapsed time and just kept my pace and average pace on the announcements so I could just focus on my pace and not how much further we had to go.
I had a few key moments in the race today that absolutely made me smile. The main thing I really enjoyed was people cheering and holding up signs telling us how awesome we were (and that there was beer at the finish line - a total lie, by the way). There were a few times where they said just the right thing to make me go faster or just keep pushing through. For the life of me, I can't remember what they were, but it was awesome.
My favorite music moment was at about mile 11. I was starting to get tired and could feel my hips really starting to ache...and then Eye of the Tiger came on my iPod! I instantly felt 75% better and get myself into get for the next two miles. I had to retrain myself from yelling out to people around me that this song was playing on my iPod...
Next favorite moment came around mile 12 when I realized there was only a mile left. I was stoked. I could feel my body ready to push harder and I kicked it into high gear. I felt like I was flying, and it was awesome.
Finally, I crossed the finish line. Now, that itself is pretty kick-ass as far as I'm concerned, but I just happened to cross the finish line at the exact same time as the first female full-marathon finisher and the crowd was going crazy screaming, clapping, and hollering and I'm not going to lie - that was pretty kick ass. My favorite thing about this though was the announcer on the loud speaker nearly screaming "you've done it! you have done it! Way to go, you have done it!" I secretly said to myself, "yeah, I did!!!"
I finished in 2:39:44. I was hoping for 2:40, so that's pretty damn good in my books!
Jamie and I enjoyed long, hot showers before getting lunch and beer and then shopping (ok, and then another beer) and have been talking about how beautiful the course was for the Monumental. We have also been talking a lot about how much our hips, knees, and legs in general ache like crazy and how difficult it is to get up out of chairs. But the best thing we talk about is the fact that this morning we ran a 1/2 marathon - all of it!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
1/2 Marathon Training - cross-training via lefse (?) and 7.1 miles
Wow, less than a week before the Monumental 1/2 Marathon!
After my amazingly fast run on Wednesday I couldn't bring myself to get out for a run (until Sunday)...work has been absolutely insane and I've been working far more than 40 hours/week in order to make up for being gone later this week. Yesterday was the annual lefse-making day at church and I had to do some work at Public Safety Day for work. I probably could have made my way out for a late-afternoon run, but after being on my feet all day, I just couldn't do it. Plus, lefse-making is cross-training, right? A nice core and arm workout, no? If you don't know what lefse is, you're missing out...
That being said, I laid around in bed this morning until about 10 and then decided I better get out for my last long run. I got my shoes on and mapped a route on google maps and opened the door...to rain. Lots of rain. I shut the door and turned to Josh. "It's raining," I said. "It's just a little water," he replied. Crap. I knew he was right and I knew I needed to run and I absolutely knew that I didn't want to run 7 miles on the treadmill. Ugh. I opened and closed and opened the door again and finally stepped outside and took off....and without music. I really wanted to see how it would be to run 7 miles without music, and also to resist the temptation to hear at what pace I was running at every mile. I didn't even look at my iPhone. I will say that probably about 2-3 miles in I honestly didn't feel like continuing. I felt like just turning around and going home and telling myself that I'd be fine next weekend because I've logged a lot of miles...buuuuut, I didn't. I kept going. And in the end, I ended up with these stats (and I'm really stoked about the results!):
7.1 miles in 1:18:58
Avg pace - 11:07
HR high - 170
HR avg - 160
Back to that music thing - I've been toying with the idea of running the Monumental without music. I read a few things about people not running to music during big runs like that because it takes away from the cheers and music and other things that happen. My last two runs I've done without music and I've had a great pace for both of them. So now I don't know I'm going to do. Maybe start out without music and be sure to bring headphones in my hydration pack? Hmm....
After my amazingly fast run on Wednesday I couldn't bring myself to get out for a run (until Sunday)...work has been absolutely insane and I've been working far more than 40 hours/week in order to make up for being gone later this week. Yesterday was the annual lefse-making day at church and I had to do some work at Public Safety Day for work. I probably could have made my way out for a late-afternoon run, but after being on my feet all day, I just couldn't do it. Plus, lefse-making is cross-training, right? A nice core and arm workout, no? If you don't know what lefse is, you're missing out...
That being said, I laid around in bed this morning until about 10 and then decided I better get out for my last long run. I got my shoes on and mapped a route on google maps and opened the door...to rain. Lots of rain. I shut the door and turned to Josh. "It's raining," I said. "It's just a little water," he replied. Crap. I knew he was right and I knew I needed to run and I absolutely knew that I didn't want to run 7 miles on the treadmill. Ugh. I opened and closed and opened the door again and finally stepped outside and took off....and without music. I really wanted to see how it would be to run 7 miles without music, and also to resist the temptation to hear at what pace I was running at every mile. I didn't even look at my iPhone. I will say that probably about 2-3 miles in I honestly didn't feel like continuing. I felt like just turning around and going home and telling myself that I'd be fine next weekend because I've logged a lot of miles...buuuuut, I didn't. I kept going. And in the end, I ended up with these stats (and I'm really stoked about the results!):
7.1 miles in 1:18:58
Avg pace - 11:07
HR high - 170
HR avg - 160
Back to that music thing - I've been toying with the idea of running the Monumental without music. I read a few things about people not running to music during big runs like that because it takes away from the cheers and music and other things that happen. My last two runs I've done without music and I've had a great pace for both of them. So now I don't know I'm going to do. Maybe start out without music and be sure to bring headphones in my hydration pack? Hmm....
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
1/2 marathon training - 4.39 miles
Well, my headphones wouldn't work at all tonight and I didn't feel like borrowing Brooke's, so I decided to go without the music. Then I started running and my HRM was all whacked out and saying my heart rate was at 208, so I turned it off and ran without either of those two things. I still had my app running on my phone, but I only took it out once to look at my pace at mile on...I felt like I was flying....and I kind of was. Anyway, I felt really good the entire run and once again, I probably shouldn't have since I had some deliciously spicy Thai for lunch and a crap load of Junior Mints from the not-so-secret candy drawer our secretary keeps at the front desk. My favorite thing about today's run is that there is a one mile stretch right around the corner from my house that I run pretty often and I ran it in at right about 10 minutes twice tonight....ahhh!!!
That being said, here are my minimal stats!
4.39 miles in 46:26
Avg pace - 10:35/mile
Woah.
That being said, here are my minimal stats!
4.39 miles in 46:26
Avg pace - 10:35/mile
Woah.
Monday, October 25, 2010
1/2 Marathon Training - Dodgeball tournament and 8 miles
Saturday morning was our end of the year dodgeball tournament. We had a pretty decent season and ended up 3rd before the tournament, but had the crappiest 2 games I think we had played all season and lost both of our games in the double-elimination tournament. I suppose that was OK for me since I really needed to run that afternoon...
The tapering business is kind of scary and it makes me nervous. I'm sure I will be fine, but it's still scary. Saturday was a decent 8-miler. Pretty good pace and the random rain drops were actually kind of nice! My only complaint is that my headphones freaked out on me and I couldn't pause (to hear my pace and distance) or skip to another song unless I took my iPhone out of my pack. I didn't really feel like doing that, so I didn't. I will say that it was somewhat nice to just run instead of tracking my pace the entire time. I'm looking forward to doing that after the 1/2 is over...just running to run and not necessarily worrying about how far I'm running or if I'm keeping a steady pace.
8.05 miles in 1:36:28
Avg pace 11:59
HR high - 178
HR avg - 164
Calories burned - 1195
The tapering business is kind of scary and it makes me nervous. I'm sure I will be fine, but it's still scary. Saturday was a decent 8-miler. Pretty good pace and the random rain drops were actually kind of nice! My only complaint is that my headphones freaked out on me and I couldn't pause (to hear my pace and distance) or skip to another song unless I took my iPhone out of my pack. I didn't really feel like doing that, so I didn't. I will say that it was somewhat nice to just run instead of tracking my pace the entire time. I'm looking forward to doing that after the 1/2 is over...just running to run and not necessarily worrying about how far I'm running or if I'm keeping a steady pace.
8.05 miles in 1:36:28
Avg pace 11:59
HR high - 178
HR avg - 164
Calories burned - 1195
Thursday, October 21, 2010
1/2 marathon training - 3.2 miles + dodgeball
Let me start by saying that I really didn't feel like running today, especially after the spicy mandarin chicken and fried rice I had for lunch (yum, by the way) and then the redbull I had later this afternoon. I knew I had to though, and I begrudgingly threw on my shoes and took the dog with me out the door. I was cramping up pretty bad in my sides within my first mile, which doesn't surprise me at all considering the crappy food I ate. I ran through it and seriously thought I was running really slowly. I got to my regular turn point at my 1-mile marker to go around the block and decided to just turn around and run the mile back home. I figured 2 miles was all I had in me today and was completely fine with not accomplishing my goal for the first time since I started this journey. Well, I got a little past mile 2 and realized I had a little more energy left in me so I ran a little further. I got home and ended up running 3.2 - just a little over my goal for the night. Even better, I went inside to find dinner on the table and had just enough time to eat before heading to dodgeball, where we won 7 - 3! Hooray!
The next best thing about my run today is my pace:
3.2 miles in 34:32
Avg pace - 10:48
HR high - 188 (I'm not sure I believe this)
HR avg - 154
Calories burned - 435
And since I mentioned how slow I thought I was running and how I was all cramped up for the first mile, here are my splits:
Mile 1.0 - avg pace 10:46
Mile 2.0 - avg pace 11:24
Mile 3.0 - avg pace 10:15
Mile 3.2 - avg pace 10:41
Ha!
The next best thing about my run today is my pace:
3.2 miles in 34:32
Avg pace - 10:48
HR high - 188 (I'm not sure I believe this)
HR avg - 154
Calories burned - 435
And since I mentioned how slow I thought I was running and how I was all cramped up for the first mile, here are my splits:
Mile 1.0 - avg pace 10:46
Mile 2.0 - avg pace 11:24
Mile 3.0 - avg pace 10:15
Mile 3.2 - avg pace 10:41
Ha!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
1/2 Marathon Training - 3.14 miles
I was still pretty sore last night after my 12-miler on Sunday and had a hard time finding the energy or strength to do any sort of cross-training. So, I didn't. I ate ice cream and drank hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps, and it was delicous.
Fast forward to lunch today - I took my gear to work and was determined to 1) actually take a lunch break today and 2) go for a short run during said lunch break. Goals: accomplished, with really good time, I might add!
Stats:
3.14 miles in 33:21
Avg pace - 10:38
HR high - 173
HR avg - 158
Calories burned - 419
Fast forward to lunch today - I took my gear to work and was determined to 1) actually take a lunch break today and 2) go for a short run during said lunch break. Goals: accomplished, with really good time, I might add!
Stats:
3.14 miles in 33:21
Avg pace - 10:38
HR high - 173
HR avg - 158
Calories burned - 419
Sunday, October 17, 2010
1/2 marathon training - 12.13 miles
Today was my last long run before the half marathon on 11/6. I thought I had perfectly mapped out my 12 miles from church to home, but I got to a specific corner and found I had only gone about 8 miles instead of 10 and realized I hadn't gone the exact route I planned last night. Serves me right for not looking at the map before we left for church. I felt really good at that point too and initially thought I only had 3 miles left and was super stoked! I ended up rerouting myself to run the full 12 and at about mile 10.5 really started feeling the hurt. But I pushed through it, making sure I had only the best of the best tunes playing through my headphones. Tell you what saved me today were these two songs:
1) Someday soon - KT Tunstall - there are a few lyrics in this song that get me moving -
"Gonna stretch out both my arms, I'm gonna test the temperature...Follow the taste of it, Jump in, Swallow it whole, Jump in..." I literally find myself stretching my arms and moving faster when this comes on...
2) Soldier - Ingrid Michaelson - "I don't believe in anything but myself, I don't believe in anything but myself..." For real, is there any better mantra than this? I'm really not sure. I love the next part of the song too...the drums kick in..."but then you open up the door, you open up the door and I start to believe in something else." Sigh. In love. Thanks, Jamie, for opening this door for me...I probably wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for you! :)
I probably could have listened to those two songs today and been just fine...well, maybe.
Anyway, I was stiff and sore when I got home, but I made it...and I made even though I ate a crap load of pizza last night. I'm less than 3 weeks out from running 13.1 miles in Indianapolis. It's so close I can taste it! Seriously, I just can't wait...
Stats:
12.13 miles in 2:28:27
Avg pace - 12:15
HR High - 175
HR Avg - 162
Calories burned - 1862
Time for a bloody mary...
1) Someday soon - KT Tunstall - there are a few lyrics in this song that get me moving -
"Gonna stretch out both my arms, I'm gonna test the temperature...Follow the taste of it, Jump in, Swallow it whole, Jump in..." I literally find myself stretching my arms and moving faster when this comes on...
2) Soldier - Ingrid Michaelson - "I don't believe in anything but myself, I don't believe in anything but myself..." For real, is there any better mantra than this? I'm really not sure. I love the next part of the song too...the drums kick in..."but then you open up the door, you open up the door and I start to believe in something else." Sigh. In love. Thanks, Jamie, for opening this door for me...I probably wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for you! :)
I probably could have listened to those two songs today and been just fine...well, maybe.
Anyway, I was stiff and sore when I got home, but I made it...and I made even though I ate a crap load of pizza last night. I'm less than 3 weeks out from running 13.1 miles in Indianapolis. It's so close I can taste it! Seriously, I just can't wait...
Stats:
12.13 miles in 2:28:27
Avg pace - 12:15
HR High - 175
HR Avg - 162
Calories burned - 1862
Time for a bloody mary...
Saturday, October 16, 2010
1/2 Marathon Training - dodgeball, elliptical, 4 miles
I wanted to run Thursday...really, I did. But Thursday was a hard, long day, and I laid upstairs on my bed for a few hours before finally deciding at 7:45 to get on the elliptical before heading to dodgeball for our 8:45 game. It was a nice little warm up before our game, but I've come to realize that I really kind of suck at dodgeball. Ha!
Yesterday I was able to leave work around 3:40 because I had worked too much for the week, so I decided to get in a 4 mile run before taking Brooke and her cousin to Wild West Night at her school. The run felt difficult today and I'm not sure why. I felt like I was really pushing myself and not getting much in return. I had a healthy breakfast (smoothie, like everyday), and a simple lunch (sandwich), and a lot of water all day. But still, it just felt hard....my lungs felt strained and my legs felt weak and in the end I felt disappointed that I didn't run as fast as Wednesday and at the end of 4 miles all I wanted was to be done. Maybe it's because Wednesday's run was SO SO good, which is weird to me because despite my healthy breakfast, I had a fairly unhealthy lunch (mmm pork salad from Cafe Rio!). Perhaps I need to eat Cafe Rio more often? Oh, ok! For real, I am in love with that place. Anyway, onto the stats:
4 miles in 45:52
Avg - 11:25/mile
HR high - 171
HR avg - 166
Calories burned - 599
I got up this morning to make coffee and start on this blog and realized I was being ridiculous about how disappointed I was in myself about yesterday's run. These are some things I need to remember:
1) I ran 4 miles and just a few weeks ago I was ecstatic that I had worked up to this distance.
2) I still averaged under 12 min/mile which is great!
3) My heart rate was just fine - I wasn't putting too much strain on my body at all, especially for a late afternoon run.
4) I need to relax and and not worry about how fast I'm going. Really, my goal is to finish the 1/2 marathon and not worry about how fast I'm going to finish it.
As for today, I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to run this morning or if I'm going to wait until tomorrow. I don't typically like to run 2 days in a row and I have been really careful not to run my long run the day after I've run at all...I'll let you know how that works out! Oh yeah, I need to go get some more Clif shots, so I'll have to wait until at least later this afternoon....
21 days until the Indy Monumental!
Yesterday I was able to leave work around 3:40 because I had worked too much for the week, so I decided to get in a 4 mile run before taking Brooke and her cousin to Wild West Night at her school. The run felt difficult today and I'm not sure why. I felt like I was really pushing myself and not getting much in return. I had a healthy breakfast (smoothie, like everyday), and a simple lunch (sandwich), and a lot of water all day. But still, it just felt hard....my lungs felt strained and my legs felt weak and in the end I felt disappointed that I didn't run as fast as Wednesday and at the end of 4 miles all I wanted was to be done. Maybe it's because Wednesday's run was SO SO good, which is weird to me because despite my healthy breakfast, I had a fairly unhealthy lunch (mmm pork salad from Cafe Rio!). Perhaps I need to eat Cafe Rio more often? Oh, ok! For real, I am in love with that place. Anyway, onto the stats:
4 miles in 45:52
Avg - 11:25/mile
HR high - 171
HR avg - 166
Calories burned - 599
I got up this morning to make coffee and start on this blog and realized I was being ridiculous about how disappointed I was in myself about yesterday's run. These are some things I need to remember:
1) I ran 4 miles and just a few weeks ago I was ecstatic that I had worked up to this distance.
2) I still averaged under 12 min/mile which is great!
3) My heart rate was just fine - I wasn't putting too much strain on my body at all, especially for a late afternoon run.
4) I need to relax and and not worry about how fast I'm going. Really, my goal is to finish the 1/2 marathon and not worry about how fast I'm going to finish it.
As for today, I'm trying to figure out if I'm going to run this morning or if I'm going to wait until tomorrow. I don't typically like to run 2 days in a row and I have been really careful not to run my long run the day after I've run at all...I'll let you know how that works out! Oh yeah, I need to go get some more Clif shots, so I'll have to wait until at least later this afternoon....
21 days until the Indy Monumental!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
1/2 marathon training - 4.22 miles
After my amazing 10 mile run on Saturday, I couldn't bring myself to do much of anything on Sunday. And then Sunday we celebrated my sister's engagement and Monday I was ridiculously hungover and sat on the couch all day until about 4pm when Brooke got home and I started to feel not only a tad bit better, but also a lot bit lazy for not doing anything all day. I had planned on running a quick 3 miles to keep up on things, but didn't. And then I didn't run Tuesday either. Today's lunch was less than healthy and I had a feeling my post-work run was going to be rough. Guess what? It wasn't! Woot!
Stats:
4.22 miles in 46:06
Avg pace - 10:56 (double woot!!)
HR high - 176
HR avg - 167
Calories burned: 625
Side note: the first time I ran 4 miles during this journey, it took me 49:50. Triple woot!!!
Stats:
4.22 miles in 46:06
Avg pace - 10:56 (double woot!!)
HR high - 176
HR avg - 167
Calories burned: 625
Side note: the first time I ran 4 miles during this journey, it took me 49:50. Triple woot!!!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
1/2 Marathon Training - 10 miles
I really, really had a hard time getting out of bed this morning and really, really didn't know if today's planned 9+ miles was going to work. After dinking around on the computer for an eternity and mapping out 2 different routes, I finally rolled out of bed around 11:00 and slowly got into my running clothes. When I left I decided I would take the 9.5 mile route, but I got to mile 2 or 3 and felt REALLY good, so I changed my mind and continued south, which forced me to do the 10 miler. I can't even begin to tell you how good I felt through the entire run today. Last weekend's 8 mile run was pretty rough and there were a few times where I thought I was going to have to walk, but today was completely different. Not a second went by where I thought I wasn't going to make it. When I got to mile 8 I had some Clif shot gel and started to get really pumped that I felt so good and that I only had 2 miles left!
Stats:
10 miles in 2:02:14
Avg pace - 12:06
HR High - 172
HR Avg - 159 (although I forgot to turn it off when I got home and stretched, so my avg was probably more like 163 or so...)
Calories burned - 1581
Stats:
10 miles in 2:02:14
Avg pace - 12:06
HR High - 172
HR Avg - 159 (although I forgot to turn it off when I got home and stretched, so my avg was probably more like 163 or so...)
Calories burned - 1581
Thursday, October 7, 2010
1/2 marathon training - 3.32 miles and 5 miles
Wednesday:
--After work run with the dawg. He likes to stop and smell things and it's kind of annoying, but it's my dawg and I love getting him out for some exercise!
Stats:
3.32 miles in 38:06
Avg Pace 11:29
HR High - 179
HR Avg - 166
Calories burned - 482
--Post-run dodgeball game! We were down a player and only had 5 so we had zero subs and the only rest we got was the time we were out of the game or during the 4 minute resting/half-time period. We were down 4-1 at the half and came back to tie 5-5 by the end of the game!
--Dinner and drinks with my sister and her fiance (yep, fiance!) and my parents at Old Chicago!
Thursday:
--Mid-day run during my long lunch hour. It was warmer than I thought it would be and I struggled more than I thought I would. Ate a Clif Bar right before the run, which probably aided in my crappy run. Time/pace wasn't so bad...in fact, it was pretty normal, but I just didn't feel great. Oh well.
Stats:
5.06 miles in 58:57
Avg pace - 11:39
HR High - 175
HR Avg - 169
Calories burned - 786
I've been contemplating how far I will run on Saturday. I'm thinking 9 or 10 miles...probably 10 if I can figure out a good route. I've also been thinking about how far my longest run will be. I had initially planned on 12 miles, but the more I read, the more I think maybe 10 or 11 is enough. As of this very moment, I'm thinking 11. That way I can taper back down to 8 or 9 and 6 miles the next 2 weeks. Oct. 30 I'll be running a 10k with my sister, which will be a really good way to wind things down the week before the half-marathon and get in that last long run before the big day!
I'm getting super pumped for this! I can't wait to see my old friends and selfishly show off my size 10 frame (hehe) to those who haven't seen me in 5+ years. Woah, that's really not very humble at all....but I've had 2 glasses of wine tonight and I'm about to pour another one....
--After work run with the dawg. He likes to stop and smell things and it's kind of annoying, but it's my dawg and I love getting him out for some exercise!
Stats:
3.32 miles in 38:06
Avg Pace 11:29
HR High - 179
HR Avg - 166
Calories burned - 482
--Post-run dodgeball game! We were down a player and only had 5 so we had zero subs and the only rest we got was the time we were out of the game or during the 4 minute resting/half-time period. We were down 4-1 at the half and came back to tie 5-5 by the end of the game!
--Dinner and drinks with my sister and her fiance (yep, fiance!) and my parents at Old Chicago!
Thursday:
--Mid-day run during my long lunch hour. It was warmer than I thought it would be and I struggled more than I thought I would. Ate a Clif Bar right before the run, which probably aided in my crappy run. Time/pace wasn't so bad...in fact, it was pretty normal, but I just didn't feel great. Oh well.
Stats:
5.06 miles in 58:57
Avg pace - 11:39
HR High - 175
HR Avg - 169
Calories burned - 786
I've been contemplating how far I will run on Saturday. I'm thinking 9 or 10 miles...probably 10 if I can figure out a good route. I've also been thinking about how far my longest run will be. I had initially planned on 12 miles, but the more I read, the more I think maybe 10 or 11 is enough. As of this very moment, I'm thinking 11. That way I can taper back down to 8 or 9 and 6 miles the next 2 weeks. Oct. 30 I'll be running a 10k with my sister, which will be a really good way to wind things down the week before the half-marathon and get in that last long run before the big day!
I'm getting super pumped for this! I can't wait to see my old friends and selfishly show off my size 10 frame (hehe) to those who haven't seen me in 5+ years. Woah, that's really not very humble at all....but I've had 2 glasses of wine tonight and I'm about to pour another one....
Sunday, October 3, 2010
1/2 marathon training - 8 miles
Whew, yesterday was a busy day! I had to play guitar at our church for the Blessing of the Pets and had plans to take off running from there and end up at my parents' house, which all worked out. I had planned a route that would end up being about 7.25 miles, my longest run yet. I still wasn't sure I was ready for that long of a run, but I also knew I needed to give it a shot. What I hadn't planned on or thought about was the number of hills on the route I had worked out...oops. At about mile 5 (1 hour mark) I choked down a Cliff gel-shot that I bought at REI to see if it would help me or if it was just plain gross. Pretty gross and slimy, but I think it helped me get through the next 3 miles.
When I hit the 7 mile mark I realized I could go to 8 miles without killing myself, so I did just that. My body ached and I felt like I needed a long nap all day long, but I survived. We even went to the big sale at RC Willey and bought a new bed and new TV - yeah! Can't wait for the bed to arrive! Last night we went to some friends' house for the annual "Chicken Off" and judged the chicken concoctions and just a few libations :) Needless to say, I am exhausted. Thankfully, my muscles don't ache nearly as much as they did yesterday. Must be all that Disoronno, vodka, whiskey, fruit juice, beer...you get the point. Ha!
Here are the stats from yesterday's run:
8.07 miles in 1:39:34
Fastest pace - 10:19
Avg pace - 12:20
HR High - 179
HR Avg - 169
Calories burned - 1330
When I hit the 7 mile mark I realized I could go to 8 miles without killing myself, so I did just that. My body ached and I felt like I needed a long nap all day long, but I survived. We even went to the big sale at RC Willey and bought a new bed and new TV - yeah! Can't wait for the bed to arrive! Last night we went to some friends' house for the annual "Chicken Off" and judged the chicken concoctions and just a few libations :) Needless to say, I am exhausted. Thankfully, my muscles don't ache nearly as much as they did yesterday. Must be all that Disoronno, vodka, whiskey, fruit juice, beer...you get the point. Ha!
Here are the stats from yesterday's run:
8.07 miles in 1:39:34
Fastest pace - 10:19
Avg pace - 12:20
HR High - 179
HR Avg - 169
Calories burned - 1330
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
1/2 marathon training - 5 miles (or close enough)
Alright, well today was technically supposed to be a cross-training day, but I couldn't figure out the best way to work it in since I don't have a bike light right now. I decided early this morning that I would go out for a lunch time run and try for somewhere between 5 and 6 miles, partly because I didn't want to run in the late afternoon and partly because it should have been a little cooler during lunch than at 5pm. The crappy thing is that I was what we call "Duty Officer" today and had to stay at the Court building until Court was in recess for lunch. Unfortunately, Court never recessed for lunch, so I got stuck without a run and with only getting about a 15 minute lunch today, and even that was against the rules because Court was still rolling. Oh well. That brings me to my post-work run. Since I was in a different office than my typical work day, I wanted to take advantage of a new running route. I did just that. 4.98 miles after work was a little rough considering the ridiculous lunch I had (mmmm...Baguette Deli!). Oh well. It was 86 degrees outside and I was pleased as punch to have my hydration pack with me...
Stats as follows:
4.98 miles in 56:51
Avg pace - 11:26
HR High - 177
HR Avg - 171
Calories burned - 817
Good Night!
Stats as follows:
4.98 miles in 56:51
Avg pace - 11:26
HR High - 177
HR Avg - 171
Calories burned - 817
Good Night!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
1/2 marathon training - crosstraining and 3.4 mile run
In true form, I didn't run or cross-train on Sunday like I meant to. Brunch and drinks ruined that one by 1:00 PM. Oops. Monday was a super hectic day at work and I didn't get out of the office at lunch to anything productive (except get my registration up to date on one of the cars). We got KILLED in dodgeball last night but I still had enough umph in me to go home and hop on the elliptical for 20 minutes before devouring a sandwich for dinner.
Since I worked so long yesterday, I was able to come into work late this morning. I took the dog out for a 3-miler this morning before making coffee and getting ready for the day. It was probably the only time I've forgotten to take a baggie with me to pick up Seymour's poop, and wouldn't you know it, also probably the only time he's pooped on a walk/run in the last 3 months. Argh. I felt terrible just leaving it there, but I had no choice.
I forgot my HRM watch at home with my HR info on it, but I think I remember my average HR being somewhere around 165 and my high being 171. Overall, it was a pretty good run this morning. Oh, and I used a hydration pack for the first time...probably not needed for such a short run, but I wanted to give it a try anyway to see how it would be before I take it on a long run.
Stats:
3.39 miles in 37:17
Avg pace 11:01/mile
Calories burned - 495
Since I worked so long yesterday, I was able to come into work late this morning. I took the dog out for a 3-miler this morning before making coffee and getting ready for the day. It was probably the only time I've forgotten to take a baggie with me to pick up Seymour's poop, and wouldn't you know it, also probably the only time he's pooped on a walk/run in the last 3 months. Argh. I felt terrible just leaving it there, but I had no choice.
I forgot my HRM watch at home with my HR info on it, but I think I remember my average HR being somewhere around 165 and my high being 171. Overall, it was a pretty good run this morning. Oh, and I used a hydration pack for the first time...probably not needed for such a short run, but I wanted to give it a try anyway to see how it would be before I take it on a long run.
Stats:
3.39 miles in 37:17
Avg pace 11:01/mile
Calories burned - 495
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