Boise doesn't tend to get all that much snow and when we do, the temperatures don't tend to get very low so the snow melts within a day or so. But this year has been different. It's only snowed a handful of days but the temps but until yesterday the temps hadn't been above freezing for 10 days. And that means that every bit of snow that has fallen has continued to stay on the ground and, more importantly, on the sidewalks. This has made running on said sidewalks particularly difficult and today was no exception.
My neighborhood itself is about 50/50 when it comes to shoveling the walks but no one clears the sidewalks on the main streets surrounding our 'hood. So that means the snow/ice combo left from the previous snowfall was still covering those walks when it snowed about 2" on Monday. Even though the temperature was (barely) above freezing yesterday afternoon, it didn't do much for melting all of that snow on the sidewalks near my neighborhood. In fact, it turned most of the sidewalks into a ridiculous, crunchy ice rink of sorts.
My training plan today called for 8 miles and I knew it would be difficult with the leftover snow but I didn't think it would be that bad. It was. I found stretch of walkway that had been cleared and made the decision to run that stretch back and forth as long as I could stand it before heading home. I made it 3.7 miles before reaching my house and calling it quits for the morning. I probably could have finished it all, but in addition to being bored out of my mind, my tights were being quite a bother and were sagging at the crotch. Any longer in distance and I fear there would have been massive chaffing.
So I called it quits early today, but that doesn't mean I didn't finish my remaining miles. No no, you see, because I am a glutton for punishment and decided to finish the rest of my miles on the treadmill. Which means I had to join a gym. So I did. At lunch. And then I used the treadmill. And it was hard because it was the 2nd time I had run today. But I did it. And I guess I really don't have much of an excuse not to run if the weather is crappy and I don't have much of an excuse not to crosstrain.
Anyway, that's done. Now, if I could convince the snow to stay up in the mountains this year that would be great....I've got some serious miles to pound out over the next few weeks and I surely don't want to do them all on the treadmill.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
15 mile training run and finally feeling over the sickness
Quick, someone knock on wood - I finally feel over my sickness(es). I went out on Thursday and Friday mornings with Lynn and both days were 1) ridiculously cold (single digits, people), 2) had sidewalks covered in snow and 3) were ridiculously difficult. I struggled to run 3 miles and questioned if I would be able to cover any sort of long distance on Saturday. Speaking of the long run, I was really unsure how long I should attempt to go. The previous two weeks I was supposed to run 13.1 and 10 miles but due to sickness, I didn't do either. The weekend prior I ran 12 and felt pretty confident that my body would be OK if I kept on plan for 15 but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do so.
Long story short, I sat in bed and then on the couch for quite awhile on yesterday morning playing on google maps trying to route a decent run that would lead me to water every 2-3 miles. I ended up with a decent 15 mile route that would lead me to a friend's house (Nancy!) at mile 9 and to gas stations or a coffee stand for the rest of the stops. I waited for the temps to rise as much as I could before I headed out the door, but even then it was only 16 degrees outside. Brrr.
With 2 pairs of gloves on and an extra pair in my jacket pocket, I went out to tackle 15 miles. The run started out difficult. It was hard to run a full mile, and I didn't. In fact, I don't know if I ran a full mile without walking a little bit throughout the entire distance. I think the temps rose to about 21 while I was out and as long as I was moving, I felt warm enough. When I got to Nancy's house my gloves were absolutely soaked and my hands were starting to get cold so we put them in the dryer while I was there, which was the absolute best decision of the day. When I left the house with 6 miles left, I felt fairly certain I could finish them without too much of a struggle. I was pretty much wrooooooooong. I pumped through mile 10 without a problem, walked more in mile 11, found some store of stride in mile 12 and then 13, 14, and 15 were ridiculously difficult. My hands started to get really, really cold and I was ready to be done.
In the end, I finished 15 miles at an average pace of 12:15/mile. Perhaps the weather will warm up enough this week to melt the snow on the sidewalks and make things a little less miserable for the rest of this training business. I stretched quite a bit when I got home and convinced my dear step-daughter to make me a 1/2 turkey sandwich to briefly satisfy my hunger pangs. I took an epsom salt bath and a quick shower, went to dinner (beer helps recovery, right?) and managed to stay awake until 10:30 or so before my body called it quits and I had to hit the hay.
This week calls for the following:
Monday - 4
Wednesday - 8
Friday - 4
Saturday - 16
Let's hope 16 isn't quite as brutal as 15!
Long story short, I sat in bed and then on the couch for quite awhile on yesterday morning playing on google maps trying to route a decent run that would lead me to water every 2-3 miles. I ended up with a decent 15 mile route that would lead me to a friend's house (Nancy!) at mile 9 and to gas stations or a coffee stand for the rest of the stops. I waited for the temps to rise as much as I could before I headed out the door, but even then it was only 16 degrees outside. Brrr.
With 2 pairs of gloves on and an extra pair in my jacket pocket, I went out to tackle 15 miles. The run started out difficult. It was hard to run a full mile, and I didn't. In fact, I don't know if I ran a full mile without walking a little bit throughout the entire distance. I think the temps rose to about 21 while I was out and as long as I was moving, I felt warm enough. When I got to Nancy's house my gloves were absolutely soaked and my hands were starting to get cold so we put them in the dryer while I was there, which was the absolute best decision of the day. When I left the house with 6 miles left, I felt fairly certain I could finish them without too much of a struggle. I was pretty much wrooooooooong. I pumped through mile 10 without a problem, walked more in mile 11, found some store of stride in mile 12 and then 13, 14, and 15 were ridiculously difficult. My hands started to get really, really cold and I was ready to be done.
In the end, I finished 15 miles at an average pace of 12:15/mile. Perhaps the weather will warm up enough this week to melt the snow on the sidewalks and make things a little less miserable for the rest of this training business. I stretched quite a bit when I got home and convinced my dear step-daughter to make me a 1/2 turkey sandwich to briefly satisfy my hunger pangs. I took an epsom salt bath and a quick shower, went to dinner (beer helps recovery, right?) and managed to stay awake until 10:30 or so before my body called it quits and I had to hit the hay.
This week calls for the following:
Monday - 4
Wednesday - 8
Friday - 4
Saturday - 16
Let's hope 16 isn't quite as brutal as 15!
Friday, December 28, 2012
500 miles!
Earlier this year I set a goal to run 500 miles in 2012. I expected to get to the 500 mile mark last Saturday during my half-marathon long run but due to sickness I cancelled that run and figured I would just hit the mark during a weekday jaunt with Lynn. A few weeks ago my old neighbor, Lisa, asked if she could run with us the day after Christmas and, of course, we welcomed her! Lisa is the gal who trained alongside me for my first ever 5k in 2008.
As it turned out I only needed to run 2.74 miles on Wednesday to hit my 500 mile mark. Who better to run my 500th mile with me than the woman who helped me run my very first 5k and the woman who is currently getting me out of bed at 6am three days a week to be sure I'm in training mode for my very first marathon?!
My training plan for Wednesday called for 7 miles so I hopped out of bed a little bit early and ran a mile before meeting Lisa and Lynn. I didn't tell them this was "the day" so when I stopped half way through our run and yelled out, "excuse me, I have an announcement to make!" I think I took them off guard. I continued and stated I had officially run 500 miles this year and high-fives ensued. I was elated!
We got back to the neighborhood and I went inside to get some water while Lynn and Lisa returned to the their respective homes. I still had another 3 miles run and I wasn't exactly excited about it. Did I mention it had snowed a bit the night before? Well, I had and I took advantage of the snow to snap a photo to document my milestone for the year.
Lisa, Renee, me, Molly in 2008 at my first ever 5K
As it turned out I only needed to run 2.74 miles on Wednesday to hit my 500 mile mark. Who better to run my 500th mile with me than the woman who helped me run my very first 5k and the woman who is currently getting me out of bed at 6am three days a week to be sure I'm in training mode for my very first marathon?!
My training plan for Wednesday called for 7 miles so I hopped out of bed a little bit early and ran a mile before meeting Lisa and Lynn. I didn't tell them this was "the day" so when I stopped half way through our run and yelled out, "excuse me, I have an announcement to make!" I think I took them off guard. I continued and stated I had officially run 500 miles this year and high-fives ensued. I was elated!
We got back to the neighborhood and I went inside to get some water while Lynn and Lisa returned to the their respective homes. I still had another 3 miles run and I wasn't exactly excited about it. Did I mention it had snowed a bit the night before? Well, I had and I took advantage of the snow to snap a photo to document my milestone for the year.
Sidelined...again
I got a slight head cold last week which took me out of my Friday run and my long run on Saturday last week. I felt better by Sunday but still rested. I ran with Lynn on Monday and Wednesday this week (Wednesday deserves it's own post) and then Wednesday evening I started to get a slight cough. I toughed it out yesterday at work and hoped that Airborne and zinc tablets would stave off the worst of it. Lynn and I sent a few texts and I was certain I would be able to power through 3 miles in the morning with her. Unfortunately, I woke up at 2:00 am with an ear ache, sore throat, and general crappiness. I took some ibuprofen and kept my alarm set for 5:30 so I could text Lynn to tell her I'm out for the count for the second Friday in a row. Now I'm home from work and am concerned this sickness will keep me out of a long run for the second week in a row. Noooooooooo. Seriously, sickness, you are ruining marathon training.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday = fast day
I did NOT want to get out of bed on Wednesday. Not. At. All. Seriously.
But I did. I had six miles to run that morning so I met Lynn for 3 miles like we do every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Before I left the house I decided to eat 3 Clif Shot Bloks (with caffeine, yay!).
The first mile felt difficult. The second mile, not as bad.
At 1.5 miles I asked Lynn if she had time to run an extra .25 today so we could run a different route and she did. The third mile felt fantastic for me and we finally rounded our way into our neighborhood at about 3.2 miles. It was a bit warmer than it should be in December (37 degrees) so I changed into a short-sleeved shirt to wear under my jacket and drank some water before heading out for the second half of my run.
I returned home and realized I ran just over 6 miles at under 10:40/mile average pace which is the fastest 6 miles I've run for quite a few months. And it felt good. Really, really good.
But I did. I had six miles to run that morning so I met Lynn for 3 miles like we do every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Before I left the house I decided to eat 3 Clif Shot Bloks (with caffeine, yay!).
The first mile felt difficult. The second mile, not as bad.
At 1.5 miles I asked Lynn if she had time to run an extra .25 today so we could run a different route and she did. The third mile felt fantastic for me and we finally rounded our way into our neighborhood at about 3.2 miles. It was a bit warmer than it should be in December (37 degrees) so I changed into a short-sleeved shirt to wear under my jacket and drank some water before heading out for the second half of my run.
I returned home and realized I ran just over 6 miles at under 10:40/mile average pace which is the fastest 6 miles I've run for quite a few months. And it felt good. Really, really good.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Running at higher elevation
Josh and I decided to pack up for the weekend and head to his parents' house in eastern Idaho. Josh had planned on taking Brooke skiing on Saturday and I decided to pass on it because I needed to run and quite honestly, I just wanted to relax for the rest of the day. We arrived to the in-laws' house Friday evening around 8:30 and sat chatted for a bit and enjoyed the hot tub and a few beers. This morning Josh checked the weather forecast at Grand Targhee which indicated it was going to be -3 degrees with a 25 degree windchill sometime that afternoon and he quickly cancelled the original skiing plans. I left them at home to figure out what they were going to do with the day and set out for a 7 mile training run.
It doesn't seem to matter how many times I run in eastern Idaho, I always seem to forget that their town sits about 2000 feet higher in elevation than Boise and that, my friends, makes for some difficult running. Thank goodness I didn't have to run 10+ miles today otherwise it would have taken me forever. Plus, it was chilly (slightly below freezing but don't worry, I had plenty of gear on) and it got especially cold toward the end of my run because the wind started blowing. Thank goodness that happened at the end of the run and not at the beginning or middle otherwise I might have given up and had someone pick me up. Ok, I really wouldn't have done that but it would have been tempting. I was also running on rural highways for most of the run today which means the frozen dirt combined with freezing weather and a bit of snow made for a few slick spots. I suppose that should also be factored in when picking apart my pace today. In the end I ran 7 miles at an average pace of 11:33/mile including my walking breaks. After looking at this site it looks like given my elevation I could potentially log 10 seconds/mile less at Boise elevation which would put me at 11:23/mile, or the same pace I ran 10 last week. Ok, I'll take it.
I also ran in my new tights today (these, only womens) which are kind of hideous, but they seem like they might have helped with recovery but who really knows, since I only ran 7 miles...
Anyway, long story short, I did snap this little shot of my rural run today:
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It doesn't seem to matter how many times I run in eastern Idaho, I always seem to forget that their town sits about 2000 feet higher in elevation than Boise and that, my friends, makes for some difficult running. Thank goodness I didn't have to run 10+ miles today otherwise it would have taken me forever. Plus, it was chilly (slightly below freezing but don't worry, I had plenty of gear on) and it got especially cold toward the end of my run because the wind started blowing. Thank goodness that happened at the end of the run and not at the beginning or middle otherwise I might have given up and had someone pick me up. Ok, I really wouldn't have done that but it would have been tempting. I was also running on rural highways for most of the run today which means the frozen dirt combined with freezing weather and a bit of snow made for a few slick spots. I suppose that should also be factored in when picking apart my pace today. In the end I ran 7 miles at an average pace of 11:33/mile including my walking breaks. After looking at this site it looks like given my elevation I could potentially log 10 seconds/mile less at Boise elevation which would put me at 11:23/mile, or the same pace I ran 10 last week. Ok, I'll take it.
I also ran in my new tights today (these, only womens) which are kind of hideous, but they seem like they might have helped with recovery but who really knows, since I only ran 7 miles...
Anyway, long story short, I did snap this little shot of my rural run today:
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Opening my eyes to reality
Lynn and I ran again this week, which really should be no surprise since we've been running together for 5 weeks now. The only difference about this week is that Monday I had us cut our time short because my body was so ridiculously tired from running 10 miles the day before. Wednesday was fine but I don't think we ran over 1.25 miles at any given time throughout our morning jaunt and we felt a lot faster than we really were that morning. But Friday, oh Friday! Lynn was able to go the entire 3 miles! She said it was the first time since high school that she's run a straight 3 miles. How cool is that?!
In other news I've been working on trying to slim down a bit and at the recommendation of my supervisor at work, I started drinking a protein shake before going to bed. I know I'm not getting enough protein my diet and maybe this will help. You'd think with me being on Team BEEF I'd get plenty of meat-eating in throughout the day, but I just don't. So I'm eating breakfast regularly and am trying to make better choices about all of my snacks and daily meals. Although I haven't cut out alcohol completely, I'm trying to be smarter about that. It just seems like drinking multiple glasses of wine or beer would be counter productive to drinking protein shake an hour later. Just a thought.
Did I mention I ran another Team BEEF race? The Turkey Trot Relay was a load of fun and I'd definitely like to do it again next year, but maybe not after staying up drinking until 3 AM and then trying to run 2 miles that morning. Who does that? Me, I guess, pretending like I'm 22 again. Anyway, a few gals from work and a gal I know from back in jr. high and high school joined me in the 8-mile relay. They ran much, much faster than I did and I don't think they felt like they were going to die like I did. Then again, I'm pretty sure they were 215% more than responsible than I was the night before. Sticking with Team BEEF protocol, I had them take a photo of me to send in to the Traci at the Idaho Beef Council. And this, my friends, is the photo that made me rethink my eating and drinking habits and made me realize I need to get my $h!+ together to drop the 20 pounds I've packed on over the past year or so. Blah. I hate this picture but also feel like I need to be honest with myself about how I've let myself get out of control Time to reign myself back in and get my @$$ in gear. So far I'm down about 3 lbs...
Progress to come...
In other news I've been working on trying to slim down a bit and at the recommendation of my supervisor at work, I started drinking a protein shake before going to bed. I know I'm not getting enough protein my diet and maybe this will help. You'd think with me being on Team BEEF I'd get plenty of meat-eating in throughout the day, but I just don't. So I'm eating breakfast regularly and am trying to make better choices about all of my snacks and daily meals. Although I haven't cut out alcohol completely, I'm trying to be smarter about that. It just seems like drinking multiple glasses of wine or beer would be counter productive to drinking protein shake an hour later. Just a thought.
Did I mention I ran another Team BEEF race? The Turkey Trot Relay was a load of fun and I'd definitely like to do it again next year, but maybe not after staying up drinking until 3 AM and then trying to run 2 miles that morning. Who does that? Me, I guess, pretending like I'm 22 again. Anyway, a few gals from work and a gal I know from back in jr. high and high school joined me in the 8-mile relay. They ran much, much faster than I did and I don't think they felt like they were going to die like I did. Then again, I'm pretty sure they were 215% more than responsible than I was the night before. Sticking with Team BEEF protocol, I had them take a photo of me to send in to the Traci at the Idaho Beef Council. And this, my friends, is the photo that made me rethink my eating and drinking habits and made me realize I need to get my $h!+ together to drop the 20 pounds I've packed on over the past year or so. Blah. I hate this picture but also feel like I need to be honest with myself about how I've let myself get out of control Time to reign myself back in and get my @$$ in gear. So far I'm down about 3 lbs...
Progress to come...
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