Starting an early taper...

I'm starting this entry with a positive note.  I felt AWESOME after Saturday's run. I had no 2nd day soreness whatsoever...hello, two ice baths make a body feel good!  But....a little something wiggled in on Sunday & I refused to run through it....  Listening to my body!

 

After having something that feels a little like a muscle pull at the top of the right hip bother me off & on for a week or so, I made an appt to see Dr. Holmes. (He used to be in with the widely known Dr. Johnson here in Nashville.) Turns out the tensor fascia that connects over the illac crest (hip bone that sticks out) became inflamed. I realize there are little "niggles" we'll get off & on during marathon training but I've been pretty much pain free after every long run & every hard mid-week run until now.  So, this lingering stuff wasn't a "niggle".  I needed to do something about it FAST!
 

Last week we were gearing up for the 22 miler as if it were race week & it's a GOOD thing we did that. The two day's of cross training/no running on Thurs/Fri allowed me to run 22 miles at an 8:58 pace. For that I am grateful because this weekends 18 miler has been shortened to 8 miles. I am A-OK with that but I'm hoping that the planned 15 miler goes off without a hitch the following weekend. I got a shot in the inflamed area & I'm also on some high powered anti inflammatory drugs for the next 7 days. The doc confirmed something I already knew from a Runner's world article years ago.

DO NOT TAKE IBUPROPHEN BEFORE OR DURING your run. I've put this on facebook, linked articles, & put it here many times. I'm still alarmed at the runners who still pop a motrin or two & then go run. It works on your organs & I've now had two docs tell me this bit of info plus I've read this on the internet from different sources. I only take an extra strength Tylenol sometimes before my long runs. Anyway, I digress….

I'm thinking the extremely wet 20 miler may have initially caused this inflammation to start because that was the first week I felt it but it went away after one day of no running that week. It stayed for two days last week. This week it didn't want to go away after 3 days of no running so to Dr. Holmes I went. He is AWESOME, always has a positive attitude, & a great memory. He even gave me a new ankle wrap. Yes, I still wear that thing on my long runs & when I do hilly tempo runs.
 

I feel 99% better this morning. Wow! But I'm listening to the doc & not running one step until Saturday morning. I've never been big on getting shots so this is only the 2^nd time I've had one since I've been running so that says a lot. I told him what I did on Saturday & the pace. I told him what I needed to do in New Orleans & he said I'm already there not to stress about it. I keep telling myself to listen to those that say "You're already there!" or "How many runners run that close to race pace during all their training runs? You're there!" I guess I need to keep hearing it all the way up until 7am on Feb 24^th. LOL! I've had 4 (almost 5) weeks of 40+ miles per week so my body is letting me know that's it's almost time to taper. I would feel more comfortable if the race was just two weeks away rather than 3 ½ at this point. I'm ready & I want to get it done!
 

So, no running to post here, just….P90X ab ripper, some yoga, weights, & some time on the bike at the gym. I hope by early next week to be back to "normal" training. I'm craving a good hard tempo run like nobody's business right now. I was supposed to do one tonight but that's not happening. Next week will be the last week that I can do anything "comfortably hard" so the taper jitters are starting. ;-)
 

In other things that I crave….."Downton Abbey". If you haven't watched it, you're missing out!

Good Carb Friday led to a great, cold 22 miler on Saturday

I declared friday, "Good Carb Friday" because I ate GOOD carbs to ready myself for the 22 miler in the morning.  This doesn't mean I'm overeating, doesn't mean it's tons of sugar, it means grains, beans, rice, spaghetti, & tomato sauce...potassium rich sauce.  ;-)  I have reaffirmed my love of bagels lately, too.  I have to laugh when I hear folks talking bad about carbs. These are the same folks that have done the low carb diet, weight watchers, & jenny craig.  I've never known anyone that did those diets & kept the weight off long term.  It's simple, calories in....calories burned & it's up to you to choose the "right" calories. 

Bottom line Good carbs mean ENERGY. Bad carbs (CANDY) just mean more sugar & crap in your body.  Candy Carbs will give you a sugar high that you'll crash hard from quickly & then you end up craving even more of it.  Bagels or oatmeal carbs stay with you, keep your engine running longer...  I've never been a big junk eater but for the last year I've really watched what I put in my mouth & it's made so much of a difference in how I feel, how I run, & of course my weight.  I weighed 111.4 lbs this morning & it's a STRONG 111.4 lbs.  I know I shouldn't put this out there but two different women called me "ripped" recently & well, I have to agree!  My self confidence got a huge & much needed boost.  It's been almost a year since I started myfitnesspal & it will be a year in May since I started back at the gym strength training. 

No matter what my time is on Feb 24th in good ole Nawlin's at least I know I've done everything I can to get healthy & train for the goal.  I want to arrive there with absolutely nothing to worry about but the weather.  I've not skimped on my "week day" or "weekend" runs.  So many folks neglect one or the other & then fall short of their goal or end up injured. 

I will be forever grateful to my husband for helping me train. He's not just running around or near me on training runs, he's carried my bottles, food, & kept me on pace.  That makes a huge difference.  The folks that have run with us over the last couple of months & even before Chicago have really pushed us & supported us.  We'll have Jayson L. & his fiance' Diana, Lauren R. & her husband, Richard, & Roy T. & his wife, Darlene with us in New Orleans.  All from our run club.  It'll be a fun, quick trip & then we'll decide on our next goal. 
We've already started researching for London!  ;-)

This morning we met Traci at the Ramada next to LP field. We did just over a mile around the stadium right before she got there. We then took off with her back around LP & headed into Shelby park. It's mostly flat with the exception of the "mile 11 hill" of the Tom King half. It's not a huge hill but after 18 miles I sure felt it coming out of the park this morning. This used to be a hill you did in the country music marathon around mile 22-23. Ugh!
The wooden bridges were icy in Shelby park so I walked over each & every one & thank God they're not big bridges!
We got started about 7:00am & it was around 30 degrees. I wish I could bring this weather to New Orleans Feb 24th!

22 miles - 8:58 pace - 3:17:24 overall time

Mile 1: 9:12
Mile 2: 9:44 (picked up Traci at her car & Joe was putting on fuel belts)
Mile 3: 8:55
Mile 4: 8:52 (first gu)
Mile 5: 8:58
Mile 6: 8:53
Mile 7: 8:51
Mile 8: 8:44 (second gu)
Mile 9: 8:47
Mile 10: 9:00 (making myself drink & eat)
Mile 11: 8:58
Mile 12: 8:43 (third gu)
Mile 13: 9:17 (jogging back 'n forth after Traci left & Joe filled bottles)
Mile 14: 9:09
Mile 15: 9:22 (don't know what I was doing, probably eating fourth gu)
Mile 16: 8:50
Mile 17: 8:57
Mile 18: 8:55
Mile 19: 9:09 (took 5th & final gu)
Mile 20: 8:54
Mile 21: 8:41
Mile 22: 8:22 (thank goodness we are done)

I walked about a quarter mile to cool down & then I laid down in pigeon pose to get the hips stretched out.

Happy long run day folks!

busy!

I've managed to do over 2 hours of yoga this week (over an hour on Sunday & over an hour on Monday). I hope this helps my body stay loose for 22 miles on Saturday morning. I'm eating lots of healthy carbs to prepare for Saturday's long run. I started with last night's dinner with the club at Amico's….spaghetti with tomato sauce & garlic bread. YUM!

The run club seems to be growing leaps & bounds. Of course residents are starting to complain about our Wednesday night runs much like the East Nashville club gets their complaints. My take on it is that we're probably forcing some folks speeding through neighborhoods to actually do the speed limit home. LOL! I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know new faces with all kinds of paces. (how's that for an accidental rhyme?)

I ended up with 9:58 miles broken up into two different runs yesterday. So, I guess you could say I had a "2 a day Wednesday". ;-P The first run I was supposed to start with Jayson L. (he's going to NOLA, too) but he got held up at work late & then forgot his gear. I ran flat & easy 4.36 miles at a 9:03 pace then I joined Leanne, Blake, & Andrea for 5.22 at an easier pace of 9:25. The reasoning behind me not pushing the pace on day I would normally do tempo is to give my body a break this week. I did speed work on Monday, took Tuesday off, & ran 9.58 miles slow yesterday. Today & tomorrow I'm doing a mini – taper in order to prepare for Saturday. I want to start & finish that 22 miler strong. Other than the cold temperature, this is like a dress rehearsal almost. I won't be wearing what I'm wearing in the race but that's ok. I've run long in tights & shorts so that's no issue. This is more about getting the food in me & staying on a steady, even pace. I can't believe the marathon is a month out as of today.

Today I'm getting my "spin" on at the gym & rolling/stretching out the IT Band. Tomorrow is a rest day, of course.
 

Please check out Michelle's blog. She finished her first marathon in Chicago last year & is looking to go sub 2 hrs in a half marathon this year. She's also got some great recipes to share.

She tagged me to answer some questions & to tag 11 other bloggers.  Sorry, Michelle...I'm doing good to just post my work outs here.  ;-(

 

a productive 3 day weekend...

After friday's concert & Saturday morning's 15 miler, we took it easy Saturday afternoon.  Sunday, we did recovery runs.  Mine was 5.72 & extremely slow. I decided to fit the gym in during the run so I had keys, water bottle, & phone on me. (I LOVE the fact that my gym is 1 mile from my front door.)  I got in my weights & rode the stationary bike. We drug took the kids to Erin's yoga class later that afternoon before attending the run club president's surprise birthday party.  So much fun & NOT on a work night.  ;-) 

We got in our speed work first thing this morning.  It was so AWESOME to be able to use Ravenwoods track & even more awesome that it was daylight.  I had forgotten how wonderful it was to do speed work on an actual track.  Their track isn't near as good as Tullahoma's but it was way better than running around Nolensville elementary.  I ended up with 7 miles total at around a 9:10 pace.  We did a slow 2.5 mile warm, 8 X 400s, then around 2 miles for a cool down.  We walked/jogged a minute in between each 400.  It was 30 degrees but sunny. 

1-1:54
2-1:56 (ugh, ruined my ladder!)
3-1:50
4-1:48
5-1:47
6-1:45
7-1:45 (obviously, should've pushed harder here)
8-1:38

I also went to the gym, spun my legs out on a stationary bike at the gym for 40 minutes, & went to the chiropractor. I've added the hydro-massage bed to my gym membership as of today. I've got to keep my body loose & this thing is pretty good. It's 12 minutes long & I can used it anytime I want 24/7. 

I also bought my "marathon" shoes for New Orleans & got a great deal on an orange Saucony running vest at Fleet Feet.  It's not a good visit if I don't get at least one thing off their sale rack! 

Tomorrow is an easy day....no running.  P90X Ab ripper & "Yoga for Runners" dvd only. 
We are running an easy 7 on Wednesday with the club.
Thursday....I'm not running but will hit the gym for the bike & do ab ripper.
Friday will likely be a rest day.
Saturday......22 miles....as close to race pace as we can get it.  Shelby park here we come!
If I can get in an easy, slow 5 miles on Sunday, I'll have another 41 mile week.
I can't believe that in three short weeks, we'll start our taper.

15 miles of rolling to flat to rolling to flat....ugh!

I actually got to bed at 11:05pm. Thank you Bieber for not keeping us out late!
First off, we had a great time at the concert last night. He was awesome! I've decided that Justin Bieber has become a mix of Michael Jackson & Justin Timberlake as he's got older. He gave us our $'s worth. Neither one of us could hear well as we left & I was still feeling the effects of it this morning.
About the 8 or 9 mile point this morning, I really wanted my bed. LOL! We started about 7:25am & I had plenty of food in me. Traci joined us for the first 12 & is always great company. We did a lot of miles on the hillier part of the outer edge of the park & over to Ravenwood High School. My left hip started to feel it in the later miles. Thank goodness New Orleans is flat! My body LOVES flat miles. Overall I felt ok & I made myself push that last mile.
Thank God for caffeinated gu. We managed to negative split the run. Woot!

15 miles-8:53 pace-2:13:09

Mile 1: 9:32 (cold & trying to get the legs warmed up)
Mile 2: 8:56
Mile 3: 9:10
Mile 4: 8:49
Mile 5: 8:47
Mile 6: 8:32
Mile 7: 8:44
Mile 8: 8:55
Mile 9: 8:48
Mile 10: 8:55
Mile 11: 9:07
Mile 12: 8:50
Mile 13: 8:52
Mile 14: 9:06
Mile 15: 8:07 (the mile where I didn't even notice Kristi running with her dog!) LOL!

"What's a Bieba?"

I LOVE Super Bowl commercials!  I don't remember many of them but the one that made me die laughing in 2011 was the one with Ozzie Osborne in it saying, "What's a Bieba?"  I don't even remember what they were advertising.  I'm going to be out late with Jessica at the Justin Bieber/Carly Rae Jepson concert at Bridgestone arena. If I can get to bed no later than 1:00am I'll be happy.

I'm taking a rest day today & frankly I think I've earned it.  ;-) 
We are running 15 mostly flat miles tomorrow starting at 7:30am.  I keep telling myself that I ran my 2nd fastest 26.2 & 2nd fastest 13.1 on little to NO sleep back in 2006.  I'll be alright.  My alarm is set for 6:10am & I plan to be ready by 7:00am.  I'm going to lay everything out when I get home today.  We're eating our usual spaghetti & garlic bread tonight before we head to the arena.

15 miles...low 30s temperature & some sun tomorrow morning.
Should be a much easier run than last week.
Thank you, Lord!

I'm already thinking about next week's 22 miler & the 18 miler two weeks after it.
I can actually start tapering down some right after that 18 miler.

Yesterday after work, I did some serious stretching/yoga while catching up on "Ellen".  I've done enough yoga dvds that every once in a while I'll just do them from memory using moves that target my trouble spots.  I did 3.19 miles in my neighborhood just to loosen the legs & see how fast I could run a mile with only a one mile warm up.  My first mile had a lot of hills & I honestly thought it was well over a 10 minute pace but I guess I made up time on the downhill portions. The first mile was a 9:59. The 2nd "fast" mile was 7:42.  I thought that was pretty good since my legs had been so heavy on Wednesday after our run.  The 3rd mile had a lot of walk breaks but it still ended up being a 9:58 even with me climbing a few hills.  I ended up with a 9:12 pace overall.  Sometimes it's good to test tired legs.

Today, I feel AWESOME & rested!  I just hope I'm not deaf from the screaming girls.  ;-)

Happy Running Weekend!!!!!!!

changing it up a bit....

I had 6 miles of hills at marathon pace on my schedule but sometimes it's fun to change things up a bit at the last minute.

I left work a little early yesterday, fed the cat, did P90X ab ripper, started some laundry, & then met up with David D. & Jayson L. Something told me we would end up running more than 6 and that was perfectly ok. On my "2 a day Wednesdays" I usually ended up with 9-11 miles total for the day anyway. It's been a while since I've run that much on a Wednesday. Even though it'll put my mileage up a little more than I had planned for the week, it was totally doable since we started about 4:40pm when we still had daylight. It started raining a little just as we started which sucked but that's just the way the last week has been around here. I can't imagine running in weather like this all the time in Seattle.

Warm + Rain = Ok, I can do it…….Cold + Rain = just sucks!

If I had a hilly marathon there's no way I could hold this pace much past mile 16 or 17. Thank God, New Orleans is flat as a pancake. On the down hills, of course, I always make up time but doing this sort of course for 26.2 would kill my IT Band/Hip. I think I'll keep all my tempo runs that I do the rest of this training cycle as flat as I can get them just to be safe. Doing marathon pace on hills for this amount of time is ok but not sure I'll try to do it every single week. Like I said, sometimes it's good to mix things up a bit.

9:09 miles-8:49 pace-1:20:11

Mile 1: 8:55
Mile 2: 9:00
Mile 3: 8:32
Mile 4: 8:33
Mile 5: 8:26
Mile 6: 8:33
Mile 7: 8:56
Mile 8: 8:53 (David left us for the faster John P. & more miles)
Mile 9: 9:29 (heading to the town hall)
Mile .09: 10:29 (jogging to the door)

I went inside & stretched. I took off with the group intending to do another 3-4 slow miles but my body cooled down, my hands felt like they were starting to freeze in my brooks gloves, & my legs had that heavy feeling in them. I did 2 miles at a 10:06 pace & called it a night after I stuffed myself with grilled chicken from Uncle Buds. I think the 7 miles on the death mill the day before & my rainy/muddy 20 miler caught up with me this week. During marathon training I feel like there's a point in time where you really start to crave sleep & I think I'm there. This is the first time in this training cycle that I've really felt my legs get "heavy". 

 

11:09 miles for a Wednesday...I'll take it!

My weekly totals since the last week of November....

Last week of Nov: 36.74
1st week of Dec: 37.1
2nd week of Dec: 37.32
3rd week of Dec: 42.08
4th week of Dec: 45.55
1st week of Jan: 37.62
2nd week of Jan: 46.08
3rd week of Jan: 41.09 (provided I get 3 in today, 15 in Saturday, & an easy 5 on Sunday)

I'm definitely getting in higher mileaged weeks right now versus Pre-Chicago.  I told the guys last night that I'm ready for January to end & the first week in February to fly by.  I'll be ready for taper for sure.

Ahh, Wednesday...

At least it didn't get down to freezing last night...that's a plus for our Wednesday night run.
I'm actually starting early to get 6 in on some hills at marathon pace & then I'll probably do an easy 3 or 4 with the group.  I'm  hoping to squeeze in ab ripper before I run today but if I don't, it'll be added tomorrow.  Core strength, baby!  ;-)

Yesterday's 7 on the treadmill went ok all things considering.  I always run slow on those things.  They're never accurate. What people don't realize is that treadmills, ellipticals, etc...need to be serviced/calibrated on a regular basis. When you have all kinds of people on them in all shapes & sizes giving them a good "beating" every day, they tend to not be very accurate on calorie burn & pace.  We had this discussion during my 18 miler a few weeks ago about the inaccuracy of gym machines.  They also force you to run an unnatural stride, too. I kept noticing that I would run into the bar at times, which means my legs wanted to go faster but I kept it reeled in & gradually bumped up the speed as each mile ticked by...ending with a 1:04:08 time for 7 miles.  I spent some time rolling out the IT Band & 15 minutes on the bike.

Had a GREAT dinner with some of the run club gals next door right after at the Burger Republic in our 'hood. LOVE their turkey burgers...best I've ever tasted.  I went to bed with a full belly & woke up to weigh in at 111.4 lbs.  No matter what happens in New Orleans with the marathon, I really like how fit, light, & healthy I feel right now.

the proposed plan for my cutback week....

Sunday:  DONE

4.9 recovery miles on the treadmill (no rainy recovery run for me)
Weight machines/free weights
75 minutes of "Erin's Yoga" class
30 minutes stationary bike

Monday:  DONE

Ab ripper P90X
Jillian Michael's 30 minute yoga dvd

The ice/sleet kept me indoors on Monday & I certainly wasn't going to battle the "new yrs resolutioners" for a treadmill at the gym on a Monday. 

Supposedly more ice coming again today so I'll get a treadmill right after work, thankyouverymuch!

     
Tuesday:
7 miles on a treadmill: plan is an easy progression run finishing mile 6 hard & mile 7 as cool down
IT Band rolling & stretching

Wednesday:

Ab ripper P90X
6 miles of hills at marathon pace with the run club (running outside, of course)

Thursday:

2 mile warm up (running outside on Thursday!)
1 mile hard
1 mile cool down
30 minutes of "Yoga for Runners" (hip opening portion)

Friday:

Rest Day (Bieber concert with the run club stalker step daughter)

Saturday:
15 miles 8:50-9:10 pace (hopefully I won't be too sleep deprived if we start at 7:30am)

Sunday:
6 easy recovery miles
weight machines/free weights
30 minutes stationary bike
Possibly some yoga
 

20 extremely wet & warm miles in January...

We met Wayne P. & Traci B. about 6:15am at the Concord Y & took off towards the Maryland Farms Y.  About a mile into our 20 miler, it started to sprinkle rain & continued getting heavier. There were times where it was actually hard to see. (I should've run with a hat but I detest running in hats.). Anyway, it rained & sprinkled & poured more rain & sprinkled, etc...  I think we had maybe a mile & a half where it wasn't raining.  LOL!  We ended up doing a few more hills than I really intended to do, too, but oh well...I'm a whiner today about everything with this run.

The temperature was 66 per my phone but we had a little breeze early on that helped.  I honestly felt good until about mile 15. I was trying to eat my organic energy waffle, hydrate properly, & get all my Gus in per my eating schedule & it helped tremendously.  In this heat my tummy started feeling like crap by mile 15, though, & it shows in my pace.  Ugh! When we finished, I couldn't wait to get the taste of Gatorade out of my mouth.  Why am I training with Gatorade? That's what they're offering on the course in in Nola. I prefer powerade or nuun but you really need to train with what's being served on the course.  Joe is carrying a fuel belt but if its warm, we will likely use up all that's in our bottles.  I don't have tummy issues with this when its cold.  So, overall given the weather I'm ok with this pace but it took a toll on me.  I couldn't wait to take ibuprophen & get in an ice bath.  This is the first time I've really needed an ice bath during this training.  In fact I will probably do another one tomorrow.  LOL!  Ugh, it is what it is.... Far from a negative split & no strong miles at the end but its done.  I pray it's not like this on race day.

9:09 pace-3:02:53 (fastest 20 miler I've ever done on a not-so-flat course)

Mile 1: 9:14
Mile 2: 8:24 (rain starts up & I get too fast)
Mile 3: 8:41
Mile 4: 9:03 (first of several hills)
Mile 5: 8:49
Mile 6: 8:45
Mile 7: 8:48
Mile 8: 8:54
Mile 9: 9:06 (ugh, heavy rain & a huge hill)
Mile 10: 9:01
Mile 11: 9:27 (ditching belt in car & eating waffle cookies)
Mile 12: 8:58
Mile 13: 9:34 (still eating & running up a hill, really?!)
Mile 14: 9:04
Mile 15: 9:09 (tummy felt blah)
Mile 16: 9:22 (thinking I might need a bathroom)
Mile 17: 9:36 (dodging mud for like the 3rd time)
Mile 18: 9:40 (where's the bathroom? Why won't it stop raining for just 5 minutes?)
Mile 19: 9:59 (ugh!)
Mile 20: 9:21 (thank God my tummy stopped being angry & I'm done! I never went to the bathroom.)

My shoes have newspaper stuck in them.  I may have to take a hair dryer to them & my compression socks have mud splattered on them.  I looked like a drowned rat when we walked into Mamas Javas for breakfast with the run club. LOL!

rolling the dice on tomorrow's weather....

The weather is interesting here in Tennessee.
We may or may not get rained on tomorrow morning but I'm going to have to suck it up & wear my newest pair of "long run" shoes.  I'll most likely buy another pair within the next few weeks anyway. 
We are shooting for the usual 8:50-9:10 pace & flat.  We've got two folks joining us on the front end & I'm thinking one or both will hang with us for at least 10-14 miles of it, which is cool.
Needless to say, lots of hydrating & most likely we'll be heading back to the car to fill up the bottles at least once if not twice.  Joe is wearing the fuel belt.  I'm actually thinking I may carry my gu's & some hammer gel tabs to keep some salts in my body.

Be careful watch you ask for...."We need a long run in warmer temps to get us ready for what NOLA might be like...."  We are getting it in a big way.  This is my chance to hang tight for 20 miles in less than ideal weather. 

The goal: finish without cramping or dehydrating in 3 hours or less.  All I know is that I know I'm stronger & faster than I was in August/September of last year (the last time I ran this long in heat/humidy).  So, we shall see....

Happy running!

Wednesday Night Tempo Run

I jogged over to the Nolensville Town Hall from Campo Azul trying to figure out if I needed to shed the long sleeve tech shirt. (It was around 54 degrees, I believe) I got warm in it but didn't sweat a ton in it so I was glad I kept it on. When I got over there I just decided to stay put.  That was a mere .3 miles at a 9:57 pace.  Of course I added that to the "dailymile" challenge. LOL!
Joe & I did a flat tempo run to the elementary school & stayed there.  It's well lit, no real pot holes, & there's hardly any traffic. (Less chance of us tripping in the dark!)

We ended up with 6.27 miles by the time we got back to Campo for dinner with the club. 
Daily Mile total: 6:57 for the day

Mile 1: 8:08
Mile 2: 7:48
Mile 3: 7:46
Mile 4: 7:49
Mile 5: 7:59
Mile 6: 8:25
     .27:  7:56

TR 2: easy "fun" run

Yesterday, I did P90X ab ripper, stretched, & did IT Band exercises. I also jogged one mile with reflective gear, keys, & my phone in my hand to the front of our 'hood to get picked up by Lorena for the ride over to Tin Roof 2. That was an 11 minute pace so I wouldn't drop anything. LOL! A pretty sizeable group decided to head over to the Tin Roof 2 group run & crash it. Apparently the Country Music marathon sponsors provided free food, if I understand that right. I had no idea about that until we were done with the run. So, we helped ourselves to free dinner & hung out a bit.

I took off with the NRC folks that had met over at TR2. We had probably 10-15 of us there & we pretty much all started & ran together. Since I had done some speed work on Monday, I knew I needed an easy run. We kept it conversational & had one young, fast gal, named Vivian (I think?) join us. She told us her ½ PR is a 1:35, which got her into the NYC marathon this year on her time rather then her trying to get in on lottery. Of course, we tried to talk her into joining our group on Wednesday nights. A mile into the run, Joe & Scott hit a weird spot in the sidewalk. Scott went down hard enough to skin the side of his knee & a finger. He finished the run just fine, though. We also had a Japanese couple on bikes that we kept annoying because there were so many of us & we were getting in each others way. I ended up with 5.11 miles at a 9:26 pace & was glad to be done. I don't like running over there at all at night with the traffic & having to stop at lights so I know I won't be back. Just way too congested & dangerous for my taste…

So, overall I think I had 6.11 miles at a 9:41 pace when I logged it into dailymile. We have a dailymile challenge going on to see who has the most miles by the end of the year. I don't expect to win it. I know what my number 1 goal is for this year & that's my focus. For the record, I had 1,380 miles for 2012. I know not all were good quality miles but that's what I'm shooting for in 2013. "Quality" over "Quantity" will keep you uninjured & make you faster. At least that's what appears to be working for me. The jury is still out & I'll let you know after Feb 24^th. ;-)

Tonight, we're running with the club a flat tempo run of 6 miles. Not sure what the pace will end up being but I know it should be faster than last weeks hilly tempo run.

 

I'm actually pretty excited about Saturday's 20 miler.  There's going to be an overnight low of only 54-55 degrees so this will good for us to test our "plan" in case New Orleans is around that temp at the start. (Gosh, I hope it's COLDER than that!)  Traci B. & Wayne P. have already confirmed they'll be joining us.   

6 x 800s

We ran from Martins BBQ to Nolensville elementary as a warm up. We ran back as our cool down. 6.5 miles in about 56-57 minutes. (I stopped my garmin but accidentally restarted it.)

1-3:45
2-3:40
3-3:40
4-3:29
5-3:30
6-3:28

One day I'm going to do 8 of these. LOL!
I actually felt like I could do another 1-2 but don't think that they would've been any faster.

true weather test

We've been saying all along that we hope we have at least one long run in warmer temps so we can test the fuel needs with a warmer run.  Well, we have it.  This coming friday is showing an overnight low of 55 degrees.  If I wake up Saturday morning & it's 55 degrees, I will be running in a sports bra & shorts.  That's it. Why?  Because like most runners, my body warms up about 20 degrees more than the actual temperature.  So, this 20 miler will be a true test of what the weather is likely to be like in New Orleans.  For this I'm grateful.  If for some reason, God grants me a cold Feb 24th in New Orleans, then all the better but I have to plan for a warm run either way.

We are doing speed this afternoon.
A steady marathon paced run tomorrow.
A hilly tempo run on Wednesday. (no more "2 a day Wednesday's" for a while)
And a short easy run to/from the gym on Thursday.
Yoga on Friday.

Saturday, we already have several who are meeting us at 6:15am to start our 20 miler with us.
Of course none of them will be doing the full length but we may have some others join up later when we are speeding the pace up a bit.  It will certainly help break up the run when we are starting & ending with different runners.  ;-)

Just about 6 1/2 weeks away from my 11th marathon but my 1st try at a BQ.

13.1 cutback week

We got started at 6:30am from Mamas Javas with Traci B., Wayne P., & Derek H. The first 3 miles were flat but it was 21 degrees when we started so we took off a little fast trying to get our bodies warm. No issues with the fingers getting too cold this week. I had on my Mizuno gloves with a 2nd pair under them from the NYC marathon. The next 4 miles had hills. I could definitely tell it in my pace but we kept it reasonably slow so we wouldn't lose Derek. He & Traci ended up doing 10. The latter part of the run was flat so we pushed the pace down.
We finished up, got home, & showered. We went back to Mamas with the kids for breakfast.
(The best part of our Saturday long runs is breakfast!) :-). I felt great the entire way & ate two "mocha luv" Gus. Even though I am on antibiotics for a mild sinus infection, I didn't struggle at all this morning. Whoop hoooo!

13.1 - 8:48 pace - 1:55:22

Mile 1: 8:50
Mile 2: 8:47
Mile 3: 8:50
Mile 4: 9:13
Mile 5: 8:54
Mile 6: 8:56
Mile 7: 9:30 (saw Cheryl M. & she kept us from getting lost in her 'hood. Ha!)
Mile 8: 8:50
Mile 9: 8:21
Mile 10: 8:31
Mile 11: 8:46
Mile 12: 8:31
Mile 13: 8:29
.1: 9:16

Tomorrow I'm running an easy 6 miles, hitting the gym for my weights, & riding a stationary bike for 30 minutes.

planning....

Our 1st half of 2013 is pretty much planned "travel-wise" that is....

February: New Orleans, Louisana (my 1st attempt ever to BQ)
April: Carmel, Indiana (back up marathon that I PRAY I don't need to run)
June: San Antonio, Texas (nephew's high school graduation)

We do have a few other things going on other than running....  ;-P

Jan 18th: Jessica & I will be attending the Carly Rae Jepson/Justin Bieber concert at Bridgstone arena.  (don't be jealous! LOL!)

Mar 2nd: Joe, the kids, & I are attending the "Pink" concert at Bridgestone arena. (LOVE her!)

Since there's still no hockey to watch, I feel like there's a small hole here.  We're used to the Predators games in the winter time. 
I am pretty much over football right now. Both the Titans & the Lions didn't get into the playoffs.  I will say that at least the Titans did BEAT the Lions here at home.  That was the only game we went to this year.  I'm thinking the dark horse that's making a run for the Super Bowl is the Colts, but I am rooting for Peyton & the Broncos to go all the way.  Wouldn't it be cool if he won another Super Bowl after all that hype over his neck & the Colts letting him go?!

As for college, I'd give anything if Notre dame would knock Alabama off it's pedestal. LOL! 

I'm looking over my vacation time & gosh, there's plenty of it. Maybe I'll do something off the wall like take a day off just to sleep in & got to a day spa. ;-)  

I'm feeling much better today even though I had the dang drainage in my throat overnight & kept trying to cough it up.  I don't feel bad really but I'm wondering how this will affect my pace in the morning. It's only 13 miles so we'll see.  We're getting out early, getting cleaned up, & then coming back to Mama's Java's for breakfast with the rest of the crew.  We have the kids so we'll drag them along with us. 

We have a low key weekend ahead, thank goodness.
Happy Weekend Running everyone!

Sinus infection

For the last 4 weeks, everyone around me has been dropping like flies with bronchitis or the flu.  I rarely get sick as I've said before on here but when I do it's ALWAYS a sinus infection or a migraine. It's been right at a year since my last sinus infection so I guess I was due.
I started feeling blah yesterday before we ran, felt the drainage in my throat, & I knew....
So, I went to a walk in clinic for antibiotics this morning.  Hopefully, this won't affect our long run which is only 13 miles this Saturday. Thank God for a cut back week! 
Needless to say, this is my body telling me to take a rest day today & only do my yoga tomorrow.

I had the bright idea last night to do my "planned" marathon pace on hills for 6 miles.
Well, honestly, I should have just run it flat & maybe run a little longer.  With the drainage already in my throat, it was a struggle to breathe.  My legs were also tired from the last two days of "hard" workouts but I did it faster than I should have....go figure?!

6 miles-8:46 pace-52:35 (was supposed to stay between 8:50-9:00)

Mile 1: 8:54 (on target)
Mile 2: 8:50 (on target)
Mile 3: 8:21 (slow down)
Mile 4: 8:36 (slow down)
Mile 5: 9:09 (took two very short walk breaks on hills)
Mile 6: 8:42 (slow down)

We got to preview the new "Uncle Bud's" restaurant last night.  40+ run club members got to try the new menu & it was only $5 each.  We broke in the new restaurant before it opened to the public. Andrea K. even brought in leftover appletini cupcakes leftover from New Years Eve. ;-) 

Hello January!

It's a cold one today.  My iPhone says it will be 34 degrees when we start our run with the club tonight. I'll be bundled up big time.  I'm colder now since there's a little less of me. ;-P  I weighed in at 112 HEALTHY pounds first thing this morning.  My weight fluctuates by a few pounds but overall I didn't gain anything over the holidays.  I'm ready to really start watching the sugar intake, though.  If I had too much of anything, it's sugar. It still amazes me at how much of it is in EVERYTHING, especially fruit.  We bought a huge bag of grapefruit & I don't even want to know how much is in it.  I just eat it, log it & ignore it.  The BAD sugars I make myself more aware of, though.  I didn't have one drop of any type of alcohol during the holidays other than a little baileys in some coffee like around Thanksgiving, maybe... I did eat my share of chocolate but I managed to keep that in check.  If I went over my calorie allowance, I knew I'd work it off the next day.  I keep working on getting more carbs & I've bought more healthy breads, bagels, etc.  Pasta is HUGE in our house these says I love it when our club eats at Amico's on Wednesdays. ;-)

I've tweaked the run schedule yet again & I think it's set for good.  I just finished up two weeks straight of 40+ miles.  Kinda happened by accident.  I had so much time off that I ended up running a little more than planned & I feel great.  Still no soreness & I feel stronger for it.  This week is a bit of a cut back week.  Long run is 13.1 (with some hills) this Saturday & I'll be just a tinsy bit over 39 miles.  They've all been good "quality" miles, though.  That 8 miles in the snow actually made me a little sore/stiff but keep in mind, I was using more muscles to actually run in the snow & I spent nearly 9 hours in a car that same day.  LOL!  I've not been sore enough to where I've taken a full blow ice bath yet.  I've soaked a few minutes in a very cold tub of water maybe 3-4 times but that's it.

I'm not reading anything new right now & probably won't for a while.  I finished "Duel in the Sun".  I thought it was an easy read & of course some of it was in Salazar's book that I read months ago.  What I found interesting is that Salazar lived & breathed speed work but Beardsley rarely, if ever, did any speed.  He was all about the tempo runs. Different stuff works for everyone that's for sure.  I hope that what I'm doing sends me to Boston 2014 without any hitches.  I've got another 18 miler, a 20 miler, & a 22 miler on the schedule & if they go anywhere near as perfect as this past Saturday's 18 miler, all I have to worry about is the weather & adjusting nutrition per the weather. 
We have 9 folks from NRC going to New Orleans.  I'm stoked!

NYE "speed" & NYD "tempo"

New Years Eve: I knew I needed to stick to the schedule.  I worked half a day so there was plenty of daylight & no excuses. Some form of speedwork....

When Joe got home about 3pm we got it done.  It's been a few weeks so we decided on 6 X 440s with about 1 min rest in between them on the loop at the back of the 'hood where there's little traffic.  It's not a flat loop but it's convenient.

1-1:56 (hold back & don't burn out)
2-1:52
3-1:52
4-1:51
5-1:51
6-1:43 (finished this one a bit too fast or I should've pushed a little harder on 4 & 5)

I did a 2 mile warm up before & a 2 mile cool down after.
I also made sure I did my "Yoga for Runners" dvd.  I knew that dvd was long but had been guessing the length at around 70 mins for "logging" purposes on myfitnesspal.  The length isn't listed on the dvd case for some odd reason.  I timed it & it's 80 minutes long!  No wonder I can't seem to get it in before work.  I'm thinking this dvd needs to become a staple on Thursdays or fridays when I first get home.  It will stretch me out for the long runs on Saturdays.

New Years Day:  I was thrilled when Scott put out there that he was running at 8am.  I knew we would leave the 'boro just after midnight & be in bed by 1:00-1:30am so that was doable for me.  We had 13-14 people show up!  We did a loop that they usually do on Saturdays in addition to other hilly loops in Nolensville.  It's mostly up the first half & down the 2nd half.  Easy to negative split. 

6.52 miles - 8:17 pace - 53:57  Tempo/progression run for the week done!
Mile 1: 8:37
Mile 2: 8:27
Mile 3: 8:21
Mile 4: 8:04
Mile 5: 7:49
Mile 6: 8:15
.52:       8:29

I also made sure I rolled out the IT Band, stretched, & did the bike at the gym to work any stiffness out.  I was sure I would have heavy legs for this run but NOPE, not at all.  I was powered by coffee, an organic energy waffle, & a gu.  When we finished, Danielle, Eric, Scott, Joe, & I ended up at Starbucks for breakfast.  Definitely worked up a hunger!  I LOVE the "iron/protein packed" spinach, feta cheese, egg white wrap there.

Tomorrow is Wednesday so we'll still do the normal Wed night run with the club.
My plan is to run at least 6 at marathon pace between 8:55-9:00 pace.  Don't know if I'll do it hilly or flat yet.

January is going to be all about "focusing" on the goal.