Last week, on Tuesday I had a very fast and easy, if dark, 4 miles around my neighborhood. The temperature was perfect, about 59, and I had a really easy time breathing. Oh, if only all runs could be that easy!
Sunday, we had 16 miles on the schedule for Goofy training. My training partner has run in a costume for the Halloween 5K in Annapolis for the past few years, and she didn't want to give that up this year. So, the first 3.1 miles of our run were in the 5K race. No matter how hard I tried to keep myself slow, the best I could do was an 11:02 pace. And that was running 2/1 Galloway. After the race, we had a quick break while she got her award, and I planted water, gatorade, and snacks about 4 miles into our 13 mile out and back from the 5K location. We ran from West Annapolis over the Naval Academy Bridge (we walked the hill part to save our legs!), up 450 to Boulters Way, connected up with the B&A trail, ran to mile 3.5 of the trail, and turned around. Our water stops ended up being at miles 4 and 9 of the 13.
It was a stunning day, cool and clear with eye-popping leaf color everywhere! Despite the hills on this route, I felt great for most of the way. My legs were a little tired at the end, but that is to be expected. For the last 13 miles, we averaged about 12 minute miles, including our bridge uphill walks. I was really happy with finishing the run, though.
My first run of this week will be a 3-4 miler tonight. This weekend is a double-header with 8 planned on Saturday, and 17 on Sunday. The 17 will hopefully be a "scenic monument tour" in DC if the weather holds up. I've mapped out a good course around the Mall, Mt. Vernon Trail, Roosevelt Island, Eastern Market, and a little bit of downtown DC. I am hoping I am up to all of this since I contracted a nasty stomach bug on Tuesday, and am just now back at work and recovered. With proper nutrition and sleep, though, I think I will be just fine!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Training in the Rain...It's What Happens When You've Committed to a Marathon!
Here in Maryland, we had 4 straight days of rain from Thursday through Sunday morning. Of course, all of my training runs for the week were planned during that time. The temps were also in the 40s, so it was a cold rain.
Thursday evening wasn't too bad. I ran about 4 miles around my house. It actually felt pretty good since I was rested and had managed to find my good rain jacket.
Saturday, I was in Baltimore with my boyfriend and had planned on running 7 miles on the NCR trail while he biked on the trail. We woke up Saturday morning to a very steady, cold rain. I wanted to back out, but he wouldn't let me. Good man. :) It was cold and rainy, but once I got going on the trail, I warmed up and it wasn't too bad. Even in the rain, the trail was lovely. It runs along a river, and most of the trees had begun to change colors. One of the high school cross country teams was on the trail, too. I felt sorry for them...I was at least there somewhat voluntarily! It actually was a pretty easy 7 miles out and back. We'll be back on that trail sometime near the end of December.
Sunday, it wasn't really raining anymore, which was nice. I had asked my training partner if we could wait until 2 PM to run so I could get back from Baltimore and recover from a 6 course meal with wine pairings the night before. Even though we waited 'til 2 I still felt ridiculously heavy from the meal. We also chose a hilly route for our 10 miles, so it was a hard run. We walked more than normal, but we finished. Her legs were tired from a hilly run the day before, so at least we were sort of in the same boat.
My last 2 weekends of long runs have taught me that I need to eat better the night before a long run, and get a fair amount of rest!
This week, I have 4 miles on Tuesday and Thursday, Saturday off (my parents are in town), and then 16 miles on Sunday. Sunday will be made up of a 5K Halloween race followed by 13 miles around Annapolis and the B&A trail.
Thursday evening wasn't too bad. I ran about 4 miles around my house. It actually felt pretty good since I was rested and had managed to find my good rain jacket.
Saturday, I was in Baltimore with my boyfriend and had planned on running 7 miles on the NCR trail while he biked on the trail. We woke up Saturday morning to a very steady, cold rain. I wanted to back out, but he wouldn't let me. Good man. :) It was cold and rainy, but once I got going on the trail, I warmed up and it wasn't too bad. Even in the rain, the trail was lovely. It runs along a river, and most of the trees had begun to change colors. One of the high school cross country teams was on the trail, too. I felt sorry for them...I was at least there somewhat voluntarily! It actually was a pretty easy 7 miles out and back. We'll be back on that trail sometime near the end of December.
Sunday, it wasn't really raining anymore, which was nice. I had asked my training partner if we could wait until 2 PM to run so I could get back from Baltimore and recover from a 6 course meal with wine pairings the night before. Even though we waited 'til 2 I still felt ridiculously heavy from the meal. We also chose a hilly route for our 10 miles, so it was a hard run. We walked more than normal, but we finished. Her legs were tired from a hilly run the day before, so at least we were sort of in the same boat.
My last 2 weekends of long runs have taught me that I need to eat better the night before a long run, and get a fair amount of rest!
This week, I have 4 miles on Tuesday and Thursday, Saturday off (my parents are in town), and then 16 miles on Sunday. Sunday will be made up of a 5K Halloween race followed by 13 miles around Annapolis and the B&A trail.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Weekly Training Update
Well, I managed to get most of the miles in I needed last week. Barely. At least most of the miles were on my feet, if not running.
Thursday, my Energizer Bunny Goofy Training partner pulled me along for a fast 2.75 miles. We averaged right at a 10:00 minute pace. Which is pretty fast for me these days. But, it was a cool night and I was feeling good, so I loped along with her.
Saturday, I got up and joined the 10K class for 4 miles, with a plan of adding a mile on at the end to make 5. It was a warm, humid morning, and I had a tough time breathing. I ended up walking most of the last mile of the 4 with the class. Then, I walked another mile to at least get the mileage in on my feet, even if I wasn't running.
Sunday morning was a bit of a disaster. We had 14 miles on the schedule. This was definitely one of those mornings that I should have just thrown in the towel before I got out the door. I was out until 1:30 AM the evening before at a cast party for a show my boyfriend performed in. I was also wearing new boots that gave me blisters. I only had one glass of wine so that I wouldn't be dehydrated. We had to schedule our run at 8AM despite the late night because we had another concert to sing in the early afternoon. I woke up at 7 AM, and discovered the coffeemaker was broken. Then, I couldn't manage to get any food down. I had 1/4 of a peanut butter sandwich. Not good. My training partner arrived at 8, and I decided to ignore the bad things and get out for the run, anyway.
It took a couple of miles to warm up, and then I was feeling good. But, after we stopped for a potty break at 7 miles, things started to crash for me. I was a bit dizzy, tired, and had to walk, a lot. We cut our route short so that we'd be closer to the start in case I needed to turn back. At 9 miles, I threw in the towel and walked 2 miles back to my house. Not really the way I wanted to have a long training run turn out, but at least I logged 11 miles on my feet.
This weekend is a "light" week, with 7 miles on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. Thankfully, neither of these runs have to happen in the early hours of the morning!
Thursday, my Energizer Bunny Goofy Training partner pulled me along for a fast 2.75 miles. We averaged right at a 10:00 minute pace. Which is pretty fast for me these days. But, it was a cool night and I was feeling good, so I loped along with her.
Saturday, I got up and joined the 10K class for 4 miles, with a plan of adding a mile on at the end to make 5. It was a warm, humid morning, and I had a tough time breathing. I ended up walking most of the last mile of the 4 with the class. Then, I walked another mile to at least get the mileage in on my feet, even if I wasn't running.
Sunday morning was a bit of a disaster. We had 14 miles on the schedule. This was definitely one of those mornings that I should have just thrown in the towel before I got out the door. I was out until 1:30 AM the evening before at a cast party for a show my boyfriend performed in. I was also wearing new boots that gave me blisters. I only had one glass of wine so that I wouldn't be dehydrated. We had to schedule our run at 8AM despite the late night because we had another concert to sing in the early afternoon. I woke up at 7 AM, and discovered the coffeemaker was broken. Then, I couldn't manage to get any food down. I had 1/4 of a peanut butter sandwich. Not good. My training partner arrived at 8, and I decided to ignore the bad things and get out for the run, anyway.
It took a couple of miles to warm up, and then I was feeling good. But, after we stopped for a potty break at 7 miles, things started to crash for me. I was a bit dizzy, tired, and had to walk, a lot. We cut our route short so that we'd be closer to the start in case I needed to turn back. At 9 miles, I threw in the towel and walked 2 miles back to my house. Not really the way I wanted to have a long training run turn out, but at least I logged 11 miles on my feet.
This weekend is a "light" week, with 7 miles on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. Thankfully, neither of these runs have to happen in the early hours of the morning!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Metric Marathon Race Report
As I wrote last week, my friend Lauren roped me into running a Metric Marathon this past Sunday. It was either that, or run the 13 miles we had on the schedule all by myself. This race traditionally has 0nly around 100 to 150 runners, most all of them fast. Well, considerably faster than me, that is. This year, I think there were around 200 or so...still mostly all faster than me!
By the time Saturday evening rolled around, I really didn't want to do this race. I was seriously afraid of coming in last, of having hip pain prevent me from continuing, and of just embarrassing myself. I figured if I ran my 13 and then walked the last 3.3 miles in, I would have accomplished what I needed to for the day. I made arrangements to pick Lauren up so that I couldn't chicken out. But, I kept hoping it would be rainy, or that maybe they wouldn't accept my registration, etc. No such luck. At 8:00 on a lovely and cool fall morning, I started running this dreaded race.
Since I was running Galloway (2/1 run walk), I ended up at the very end of the pack since, like a good Galloway follower, I started my first walk after 2 minutes. A little over a mile in, one of the support bikes came by to ask if I was ok. I have to say, I was a little offended that she thought I was going to have trouble because I was walking. I explained that I was doing the Galloway method, and she still looked at me strangely. I figured, "whatever" and kept going.
Earlier in the morning, I asked Lauren why she likes this race so much. She told me that the scenery is lovely. At the time, I didn't see how any scenery could be worth 16 miles of running, but she was right...it was gorgeous and a perfect morning for a run. I could see runners in front of me, and didn't think anyone was behind me. I was essentially alone on quiet roads. Strangely, it was really peaceful and made me wish that I lived out in the country and could have such pretty morning runs all of the time! My goal was to average 12 min miles doing 2/1 intervals. My first mile was 11:00, second was 11:15, and the third was 10:45. I told myself I needed to slow down, but I felt great! I figured I would go at my comfortably fast pace as long as possible, which might help me not finish last.
I picked off my first runner at mile 4. She was running without walking at a really slow pace. I was almost able to walk past her. At mile 6, I passed someone in front of me at the water stop who didn't think she could continue on. She had been running without stopping in front of me, as well. At mile 9, I made the final push past a man that had been in my sights for 4 miles. He had clearly gotten tired and was walking when he got tired, and then running again. We leapfrogged back and forth for about 5 run/walk cycles. I caught him on a hill with my fresher legs (thank you 1 minute walks!), and stayed in front for good. Then, I passed a friend of ours who was running 8 minute/2 minute intervals. Finally, at Mile 12, I caught up to another woman I know who was running straight out as well. We had started together, then when I stopped for my first walk she got ahead. I passed her on the nasty hill at Mile 14. Between 14 and 15, I passed 3 or 4 very in-shape looking people who were walking. I figured they must have been near the front at first, but had been walking for awhile.
I actually finished the race in 3:06. My 12 minute mile pace would have had me finish at 3:16. I managed to average an 11:25 pace for the whole race! That was surprising, and has certainly given me some more confidence for our Goofy Training. I won't be running that fast for that long (especially since I'm a bit sore today), but to know I could maintain that pace for 16 hilly miles (in perfect weather conditions) is definitely confidence-boosting. And, I apparently proved that there is something to that Galloway method jargon...you can stay stronger for longer with walk breaks! At no point during the race did I think "Gosh, I'm so tired and in pain, I'm just gonna walk for awhile". You truly can do just about anything for 2 minutes!
I don't know that I would do this race again unless I needed the mileage for training. It was gorgeous scenery and well-supported with water stops, but it is definitely not slower-runner friendly. While I was walking during the race on scheduled walk breaks, at least 3 people asked if I was ok or needed help or transport back to the start. I appreciate them looking out for runners, and I realize that usually when someone is walking it means they are struggling, but this is a race put on by a running club that has a big Galloway contingent. When I talked to some runners slower than me who have run this race in the past, they relayed similar experiences. I at least felt vindicated in my running strategy when I started picking people off! I would recommend this race to anyone who averages around a 10 minute mile or faster over a long distance. You'll be in the pack and enjoy yourself. If you are slower, be prepared to spend a lot of time by yourself on the course unless you have a running buddy with you to start. I enjoyed the time by myself (I've been so busy lately it was nice to "slow down" and have a little commune with God time), but not everyone would enjoy it so much.
By the time Saturday evening rolled around, I really didn't want to do this race. I was seriously afraid of coming in last, of having hip pain prevent me from continuing, and of just embarrassing myself. I figured if I ran my 13 and then walked the last 3.3 miles in, I would have accomplished what I needed to for the day. I made arrangements to pick Lauren up so that I couldn't chicken out. But, I kept hoping it would be rainy, or that maybe they wouldn't accept my registration, etc. No such luck. At 8:00 on a lovely and cool fall morning, I started running this dreaded race.
Since I was running Galloway (2/1 run walk), I ended up at the very end of the pack since, like a good Galloway follower, I started my first walk after 2 minutes. A little over a mile in, one of the support bikes came by to ask if I was ok. I have to say, I was a little offended that she thought I was going to have trouble because I was walking. I explained that I was doing the Galloway method, and she still looked at me strangely. I figured, "whatever" and kept going.
Earlier in the morning, I asked Lauren why she likes this race so much. She told me that the scenery is lovely. At the time, I didn't see how any scenery could be worth 16 miles of running, but she was right...it was gorgeous and a perfect morning for a run. I could see runners in front of me, and didn't think anyone was behind me. I was essentially alone on quiet roads. Strangely, it was really peaceful and made me wish that I lived out in the country and could have such pretty morning runs all of the time! My goal was to average 12 min miles doing 2/1 intervals. My first mile was 11:00, second was 11:15, and the third was 10:45. I told myself I needed to slow down, but I felt great! I figured I would go at my comfortably fast pace as long as possible, which might help me not finish last.
I picked off my first runner at mile 4. She was running without walking at a really slow pace. I was almost able to walk past her. At mile 6, I passed someone in front of me at the water stop who didn't think she could continue on. She had been running without stopping in front of me, as well. At mile 9, I made the final push past a man that had been in my sights for 4 miles. He had clearly gotten tired and was walking when he got tired, and then running again. We leapfrogged back and forth for about 5 run/walk cycles. I caught him on a hill with my fresher legs (thank you 1 minute walks!), and stayed in front for good. Then, I passed a friend of ours who was running 8 minute/2 minute intervals. Finally, at Mile 12, I caught up to another woman I know who was running straight out as well. We had started together, then when I stopped for my first walk she got ahead. I passed her on the nasty hill at Mile 14. Between 14 and 15, I passed 3 or 4 very in-shape looking people who were walking. I figured they must have been near the front at first, but had been walking for awhile.
I actually finished the race in 3:06. My 12 minute mile pace would have had me finish at 3:16. I managed to average an 11:25 pace for the whole race! That was surprising, and has certainly given me some more confidence for our Goofy Training. I won't be running that fast for that long (especially since I'm a bit sore today), but to know I could maintain that pace for 16 hilly miles (in perfect weather conditions) is definitely confidence-boosting. And, I apparently proved that there is something to that Galloway method jargon...you can stay stronger for longer with walk breaks! At no point during the race did I think "Gosh, I'm so tired and in pain, I'm just gonna walk for awhile". You truly can do just about anything for 2 minutes!
I don't know that I would do this race again unless I needed the mileage for training. It was gorgeous scenery and well-supported with water stops, but it is definitely not slower-runner friendly. While I was walking during the race on scheduled walk breaks, at least 3 people asked if I was ok or needed help or transport back to the start. I appreciate them looking out for runners, and I realize that usually when someone is walking it means they are struggling, but this is a race put on by a running club that has a big Galloway contingent. When I talked to some runners slower than me who have run this race in the past, they relayed similar experiences. I at least felt vindicated in my running strategy when I started picking people off! I would recommend this race to anyone who averages around a 10 minute mile or faster over a long distance. You'll be in the pack and enjoy yourself. If you are slower, be prepared to spend a lot of time by yourself on the course unless you have a running buddy with you to start. I enjoyed the time by myself (I've been so busy lately it was nice to "slow down" and have a little commune with God time), but not everyone would enjoy it so much.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Weekly Training Update
I haven't really gotten as many miles in this week as I had planned. Our weekend long run was 10 miles on Sunday morning. We ran the BWI Loop and started at 10 AM. I foolishly had a 7 course dinner with wine pairings on Saturday night. Seriously...I have never felt so heavy on a run in my life! It also was a little on the warm side by the time we ran. Originally, the forecast called for a high of 70, but I think it was more like 78 by the time we finished around noon.
I skipped the Tuesday run, but will hopefully get 3 or 4 miles in tonight. Last week's mileage was 13, this week's will hopefully be around 19. Here is an inaccurate Nike+ log of my run...
I really need to get that thing calibrated. The real distance was 10.6 miles or so. I walked the last .6... I think I'll make calibration tonight's post-run goal.
Up this weekend is the Metric Marathon on Sunday morning. I got roped into running this race since my Goofy partner runs it every year. It's either run 16.3 miles (26K) with the possibility of being around other people, or run 13 miles by myself. We have 13 on the schedule, and were supposed to do 6 on Saturday, but are compromising with the Metric Marathon. Ick. Only about 100 people run this race (it's long and hilly), and they are all fast. Looking at last year's finish times, it's likely I will finish dead last. Oh well, at least I'll get the training in! Saturday's run is out because we are tailgating at and going to the Navy vs. Airforce football game. I will have to hold back on the heavy food this time...
I skipped the Tuesday run, but will hopefully get 3 or 4 miles in tonight. Last week's mileage was 13, this week's will hopefully be around 19. Here is an inaccurate Nike+ log of my run...
I really need to get that thing calibrated. The real distance was 10.6 miles or so. I walked the last .6... I think I'll make calibration tonight's post-run goal.
Up this weekend is the Metric Marathon on Sunday morning. I got roped into running this race since my Goofy partner runs it every year. It's either run 16.3 miles (26K) with the possibility of being around other people, or run 13 miles by myself. We have 13 on the schedule, and were supposed to do 6 on Saturday, but are compromising with the Metric Marathon. Ick. Only about 100 people run this race (it's long and hilly), and they are all fast. Looking at last year's finish times, it's likely I will finish dead last. Oh well, at least I'll get the training in! Saturday's run is out because we are tailgating at and going to the Navy vs. Airforce football game. I will have to hold back on the heavy food this time...
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