One Month Of Training Down

When you are running nearly every day and so very gradually adding total weekly miles, miles to your long run and speed, but none all at once, it is really hard to see your progress. It is happening so gradually it doesn't seem to be happening at all. That is what I love about tracking your mileage (I use Strava because it also tracks elevation as well as miles). You can look back over time and see the progression, even when you feel like you aren't getting anywhere. I have been officially training for about 6 weeks and if you asked me what I had accomplished in that time, based on my subjective assessment of myself, I would say not much... gotten a tad faster, more consistent, added some weekly mileage but haven't been able to add hardly anything to my long runs. But 6 weeks is a long time! I should have something more to show for that right?????

Not so fast... looking at the stats, I started 6 weeks ago at 20-25 miles a week, 10-12 min/mile average paces, 10 mile long run. In that time, I had to take a week off for a horrible case of strep throat which brought me to my knees, suffered the seemingly undying heat from a lingering summer, and took a week largely off for general fatigue and wear & tear. Despite this, I am now at 30 miles a week, 9-11 min/mile average paces, 12 mile long run. So while it's frustrating that I haven't been able to add much mileage to my long run over that time, I have added a significant number of weekly miles, and shaved some decent time off of them (although much of this can be attributed to the cooler temps).

And more than that, the major goal of your training schedule - regardless of what that schedule may be - is to gradually add weekly & long run mileage and increase speed in a way that challenges your body to strengthen so that it can tolerate the increased activity demands without injury. In short, if you are able to be adding miles and increasing speed in a comfortable way without injuring yourself, you you are accomplishing the main point of training. Sure I could probably up and finish a marathon just based on the extent of my training so far. But it wouldn't be pretty. I would be slow as hell, and I would injure myself in the process, potentially permanently. While I am dead-set on running the marathon, I want to do it safely, and I want to give myself the best shot at finishing strong. So when it comes down to it, I have been training for 6 weeks and what I have to show for it is a strong body that can now comfortably run 30 miles a week, run at a quickened pace of a 8-10 mile/min for a shorter cooler run, and drop down to a 10-12 min/mile for a longer 12 mile run. Sure, I have had to take some breaks here and there, and pull back and listen to my body when it tells me I'm pushing it too far, but the goal isn't to stick to the training schedule no matter what; the goal is to use it as a guideline to follow as I prepare my body in the most efficient way possible for a very physically demanding event in the near future. It would be more advantageous to me to not reach my peak goals in training if I can do it by not injuring myself and being fully rested and trained by peak day, than to trash my body to reach an unrealistic training goal if my body is just not capable of doing it comfortably it in this time-frame, and heading into race day injured.

This Sat I am supposed to be doing a 16 mile long run. I was supposed to do a 14 mile long run two weeks ago, and I only got to 12. So my goal is 14, and if I am able to do this I am technically only 2 miles behind my training schedule. Mentally I'm thinking "I'm supposed to be at 16 and I'm only at 12" but by looking back at the data, I can put my emotions to rest and realize I've done well and can push forward as my body allows, but hold back if that's what my body needs.

The Year of Running

So I changed my mind. Big surprise, I tend to do that. I am now signed up for the Carlsbad Marathon on January 18th. The course is not as great, but the timing for both training and running the race itself is going to be much better, and it won't be as crowded or commercialized as the Rock & Roll. Also, the CM is part of the Triple Crown Series, along with the La Jolla Half and the America's Finest City Half. So I can add my first marathon medal to my rack, then two more half medals, and one more for completing the Triple Crown. I have been officially training for about 2 weeks now, at about 20 miles per week and 10 mile long runs. Running 4 days a week, cross training one, and yoga, which leaves one day off for rest.

Months ago I would have told you that a 6 day a week schedule was too much for my body, and that I did better at less days a week (maybe 3-4). What I realize now is that I just didn't add activity gradually enough, giving my body the time to be stressed and grow stronger without getting injured. I have learned so much about my body through this process it is unbelievable. The body is capable of so much, and is constantly responding to stimulus and the environment. I do believe that almost anything is possible; you just have to listen carefully to your body, and push it just far enough to stress it into growth and adding strength, but also pulling back and giving it enough rest to heal before pushing it again. Training is a constant dance back and forth.

To that effect I have comfortably built up to that 6 day a week training schedule and it feels AMAZING. I will be adding miles per week and miles onto my long run, eventually topping out at 40 miles per week and a 23 mile long run. I can honestly say that I am in the best shape of my entire life. My body feels so strong and healthy.

I've purchased 3 of the last 5 pairs of my shoe in existence (6.5W Mizuno Wave Rider 16) in anticipation of my grueling training schedule, and figure after this year I will just have to find a new shoe that works out. And it's looking like my cousin Jay is going to run it with me, which would be so exciting.

A Day In The Life

In an attempt to show myself and others how consuming a food addiction can be, this is a documentation of a workday and every time I think about food.

8:40am - Saw a chocolate cookie recipe in my facebook feed. Mouth waters thinking about a really good, chewy CCC. No, remember. That's the addiction talking. Refill your water glass instead. Take a big swig. Decide to record every "craving".
9:26am - Take a big drink of water. Makes me think of food. And the big bag of Twix (my favorite candy bar) that I got as a gift from a student banquet earlier in the week. Happy that everyone (the girls and Ryan) have eaten more of them than I have. Also reminds me of the extra brownies in the work fridge that I threw away this morning. Telling them they were devil morsels I was happy to see go while watching them disappear into the garbage can. This reminds me of the recipe for twice baked potatoes that I saw on my blogger feed as I was opening my blog to start this post.
10:00 - Legitimately hungry. Get out my healthy homemade bran muffin to heat up in the microwave. See the chips and brownies that are still left in the workroom. Think of the amazing artichoke dip that is now gone (I resisted yesterday) that goes with those chips.Think of all the fun things I could do with the leftover chips. Nachos. Tortilla soup. Chilaquiles. Don't know why but look in the fridge. Think of my commitment to try to cut out coffee now - and the added dairy that I get from my current consumption of two cups a day.
10:54 - Scan Instagram. SMH at the Starbucks drink and the cupcake pictures that different friends posted. Seriously impossible to get away from it. Documentation makes me realize how prevalent it is and no wonder I can't ever stop thinking about it.
11:09 - Walk past the workroom to talk to a coworker, see those damn chips again. Why do I keep going back to them? Like considering if eating plain, dry tortilla chips all by themselves is going to be the most delicious thing I've ever tasted???WTF?
11:18 - Past the workroom again to talk to my boss.... Nachos sound really freaking good right now. With tons of melted cheese, beans, tender juicy carne asada, and pico de gallo, guac & sour cream. Going to "lunch" now to do anything but eat - Get into my book so I can get food out of my head.
12:30 - Coworker eating chips. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Waiting for my bean soup to re-heat. Thinking of dipping those chips in it. But I wont.
1:09 - Got a work email that there is a ton of leftover food from a Mexican Buffet. I try to forget but see the email again a few min later. Go down just to look, telling myself I wont get any. Yeah right. They have a jicima salad that looks promising. If the dressing isn't all sugar. Score. Its a vinaigrette. The enchiladas look good. Ill just take a small bit to taste. And lots of veggies. With salsa! At least if Im going to be a pig and eat when Im not hungry Ill make it [mostly] healthy. And I can grab veggies for tomorrow's lunch.

Half In Under 2:00 - Check! (Bucket List Item Complete)

After my first half marathon (the Coronado Strip Half) and my disappointing time of 2:10 and my hip acting up on the first mile, I was trained and hungry to run another and beat the 2 hour mark. When I heard that Ryan's cousin Nathan and his cousin were running the SD Holiday Half right after Christmas, I signed up right away and got myself to my masseuse and chiropractor to get my hip issues worked out before the next race.

During my training for the first race I also realized that I didn't need to put in as many training days as my training schedule suggested (5) and that for the time spent, it was actually more beneficial to trade in a run or two for some cross-training and strength exercises. I also seemed to do best sticking to the schedule for the long run, but then doing a mid length run (about 6 miles) and a shorter one (about 3 miles) concentrating on speed. I didn't feel the extra miles were necessary, as when I did fewer miles I was still able to increase my miles without issue, while I did feel the extra wear and tear on my body when keeping up with the full schedule. So this time around modified my workouts, and just maintained my long runs, concentrating on making sure my injuries were nursed and healed before race day.

I was pretty terrified going into it since doing the calculations to finish in under 2 hours meant that I had to maintain less than a 9 min mile on average, which was far faster than I had run in any of my training. My best pace was about 8:30 but I never maintained that pace for more than a mile or two, and my slower miles were about 10:30. Yet I still had hope, as I was fully trained, fully healed, full of adrenaline and headed into a stellar course (mostly downhill, overall loss of elevation, and cool temps during the race).

And timing going pee sucked. Of course you want to wait until last min before the race, but if you do that then you have to battle the throngs of people waiting to do the same. So I did what every self respecting unashamed woman would do (and was doing) - pee behind the bushes with all the men. Suup. So emptied out and ready to run, I went to find my pace group. I figured it would be better psychologically to run just before the 9:00 pace group than to be struggling to keep up with the 8:55 group. They had organized "pens" starting from the start line of approximate paces so I made my way to the back to find a 9:00 pacer there. I didn't bother trying to find Nathan and Alex since they were planning on running a slightly slower pace anyway.

Right of the bat the pace I felt good at was faster than my pacer, so I just took off on my own, figuring if she ever started to pass me I knew I had to step it up. I felt good and strong and as the miles went on I comfortably settled into a 8:30 pace, which felt amazing. About halfway through I saw the Rubins there to cheer on Alex and Nathan, and thinking they were behind me waved to them and said they were. They looked confused, and I wouldn't know why until a few miles later, when I came up behind Alex and Nathan! Imagine my surprise since I thought they were running a slower pace then me yet somewhere after mile 9ish here they were in front of me! Turns out they had found a slower pacer but they were in a group closer to start than my pacer, so they started before I did. I ran with them for a bit then pushed on, knowing that as I fatigued here in the final stretch I needed to maintain my pace if I could. Around mile 10 I started to slow down to about a 9:30 pace, as it was starting to warm up, and I knew the finish was close but not close enough, so mentally I began to feel the wear. But I finished strong a few minutes under my 2 hour goal, with no injuries and feeling fantastic! My fastest mile was mile 4 just over 8 minutes.

I'm very proud of my accomplishment, but won't feel complete until I concur a full marathon. I have set my sights on the SD Rock & Roll full marathon in June of 2015. Timing and location was difficult, as there are not as many full marathons to choose from out there as you would think. And with our busy schedule, there were few options. Since we will be in town for Jared & Kaitlyn's wedding the end of May anyway, the decision sort of fell into my lap. The biggest problem will be training and running at that time of year, as it will be a lot warmer than my body does well running in.I'll just have to wake up really early to run before the day warms up or do evening runs. But I have no time goal for the full marathon (just finishing I figure is challenge enough) although loosely in the back of my head I would like to finish in under 5 hours.

I'm A Finisher!

I lagged on this entry. My training right up until the race was amazing. I trained hard, and followed the schedule, making sure to get in those important long runs, although through trial and error discovered that my body prefers to run 3-4 times a week; 5 is pushing it a little and I do better with an extra rest day or two for my body to recover. Anyway, that last week of training, where you are ramping down on mileage, I decided to push it on speed. My last run was a 3 mile run in the evening. Since normally I take the first few miles to warm up, I just bypassed a warm up, and went for it. Mistake! While the run was one of my best runs, and I broke several personal records, I ended up straining (what I later found out was) my TFL muscle in my hip, and didn't quite realize the severity of the issue. I should  have researched it more, taken epson salt soaks, stretched a lot, seen the chiropractor, tried to get in a last min therapeutic massage, but I just stretched a little - same stretch as I had been using for my IT band, and hoped for the best. Race day and my hip was still tight but what was I going to do? So I just warmed up as much as I could and hoped for the best.

My first two miles were my best times, 9:30 and 8:30 respectively, but after that second mile, I felt it start to cramp up. Crap. Well I wasn't going to quit so I just decided to push through it and stopped every few miles to try to stretch it back out. Miles 9-11 were probably the hardest. Not only was it a slight uphill but it was also the to part of a there & back loop, so its a mental head game seeing how far you have to go before you can even round and come back. Anyway, I pushed the pain aside and just ignored it, willing my body to compensate and get 'er done, and finished in 2:10. My hip was wasted after the race and could hardly walk. But when I got my official race time and saw that I was only 10 min shy of my goal (finishing in less than 2 hours), I was proud of myself and more determined to do another one, this time finishing in under 2! I also realized that I would not be happy until I ran a full marathon. While before I ran the half I thought it would be sufficient, maybe want to do a few half marathons, but a full was just not necessary, after I finished there was no doubt in my mind that I had to run a full.

But first I had to heal the damage I had already done! I saw my chiropractor which set me walking straight again, and scheduled an appointment with my massage therapist to work out the knots and tensions that I had created with my training and the race. I was nearly good as new after that and am now jumping back into training for another half that I've signed up for at the end of the month. Nathan is running it as well as one of his cousins, and they are aiming for a 9 min pace, which is exactly what I would love to run at to accomplish my goal! So I have these last two weeks to push and really train hard while listening to my body and taking care of it when it tells me it needs attention (something that I get older is becoming more important to do; otherwise I injure myself and it takes even longer to heal). Wish me luck!

Race Day Is Upon Me

Well I have successfully trained for the half. I can say that now, even though the race is still a week and a half away, because I have already run my longest training run of 12 miles this last weekend. And that was in the "heat" (70 degree weather is a little too warm for hot body me), and around the uneven terrain of Tierrasanta. So 13 miles game day along the flat Coronado Strand at likely 65 degree overcast 7am weather with several water stations and a gel packet halfway through should be cake. I am pretty proud of myself considering right when I was supposed to be ramping up my long runs (and shortly after finally getting my hip healed and catching up to my training schedule) I had to take a week and a half off for a terrible chest cold that got into my lungs, messed up my voice and gave me a chronic cough that still burdens me. I would love to finish in under 2 hours but I'm not sure that is going to happen, seeing as how my average mile including my little stretching and water breaks amounts to a 11 min mile. But given the right circumstances, I'm staying optimistic I can do it! Because I can comfortably run an average of 10 min miles even for my long runs, and pushing it I can get a mile or two down in the 9 min mile range.

I also talked to my dad and found out that he used to run cross country in high school and had always loved running in his younger years. I never knew since he'll be 70 next year so for the better part of my adult life he has been old and can't comfortably walk more than a mile now.

Overcoming Injuries... And Easing Back Into It.

Everything was going great. Until August 17th. Taste of Tierrasanta. Too much to drink. Too many old people dancing to an awesomely cheezy cover band egging me on to dance. Somehow (my memory is a little fuzzy here) I threw out my hip really bad. I couldn't walk strait. Needed to lean on a wall or handrail to walk up stairs. It was really bad. So I had to let it heal for a week. Almost there, and I twisted my ankle which twisted my hip out again. Back to square one. Another week of healing, good to go. Ok finally going to get running again. End of August, I aim for a 3 mile run. On mile 2 my hip goes out on me. Then I have to walk home, likely further injuring myself. Ok I'm starting to learn my lesson. I wait until it feels ok to walk - about a week and a half. Lots of stretching throughout the day. I realize now I will have to slowly incorporate exercise at all, so I start with a nearly 1 mile walk. Frustrated that I can only walk a mile and my hip feels swollen and hot but try to feel encouraged that I couldn't walk without pain just a week before. Continue to stretch, and walk a little more each day. Throw in a little bit of jogging after a walking warm up. Start jogging for more of the distance while simultaneously adding length to the workout. Lots of stretching, and leg strengthening exercises, and paying a lot of attention to how my hip feels. Yesterday I was able to run 4.25 miles. Sweet! I'm not quite as far behind as I thought I would be since I've been able to add miles faster than I thought I would. Today is supposed to be a 5 mile run and I'll have to take a break since I ran the last 3 days. Sunday is supposed to be my long run which should be up to 7 miles. But as long as I don't have any re-injuries I should be able to add miles enough to catch up in my training schedule by race day.