recovery run, new tights, a party, & VERY cold temps!

Last year March was unseasonably warm on into the first week of April here, then we had a two week break in the heat, & then it was hot for the CMM marathon the last weekend in April.

This year March has been unseasonably cold. It feels weird wearing a wool sweater & boots to work on March 25^th! I pray this is a good sign for April but I know it could go from one extreme to the other in a VERY short time. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that we "ease" into Spring. All that being said I'm not looking forward to the very chilly speed work we are doing tonight. We are doing something called, "The Russian". I'm not even sure I understand it but I'm bundling up & going. This may or may not be the last week of "hard" speed work for me anyway. We are a week away from April 1^st! Wow!!

I bought some CW-X tights over the weekend that I'm going to try to use all week long. I ran just over 4.5 miles in them yesterday. Apparently, I fit into the XS size per my height & weight. I was shocked given the fact that they looked so tiny before I put them on. They perform basically the same function as if you were to have your IT Band or around the knee area taped. There are different types you can buy but the pair I bought supports the IT Band, knees, & lower back. I've only run 4.5 miles in them so the verdict is still out. I'm taking full advantage of the colder than normal temps to break in those $90 tights..... BUT I'll make a game time decision as to whether to wear them Saturday for our 22-23 miler. I did notice the last two miles of the run yesterday that they do loosen up as your body warms up. I was a bit worried about my range of motion but they will take some getting used to for longer, faster runs. As for how I feel after Saturday's hilly 19.25 miler....I feel pretty dang GREAT!   Yoga & COLD soaks sure do work wonders for recovery.

Yesterday's workout included a flat, recovery 4.57 miler at around a 9:23 pace with Tim. Scott & Lauren ran part of it with us. We very narrowly avoided the storms that rolled through. I also did all my weights at the gym, rode a bike for 30 minutes, & did yoga for an hour. The class seemed to be very "runner specific" which was nice.

Other than ab ripper & the cold ass speed work today….that may be all I do unless I head to the gym to spin my legs out.

The Nolensville Run club had a HUGE 3 year anniversary party last night.  I'd post a few pics but they're all over our facebook page.  Great food, great company, & so many great running plans were made....  I'm entertaining the idea of the California International Marathon December 8th.  Funny how I can think about running more marathons when I'm "trained" & running well.  ;-) 

Last week of March………bring it!!

19.25 miles with some hilly craptastic miles

We started out with Traci (who did 10), a new guy named Brian, Daryl, a gal named Nicole, & Jayson at 6:30am.  We hit a lot of hills on the outskirts of Crockett Park.  The park itself really isn't that hilly but once you're out of it in the 'hoods & near Ravenood High School, watch out.  They ate me alive on the later miles.  We dropped fluids at the high school & we hit that area every 5 miles or so much like last week.  Carmel has some hills but not like this so I'm A OK with the pace even though it wasn't 9 or under.  You can tell from my splits where we were hanging at the water stops & where I was climbing hills later in the run.  I am proud of this run simply because I was able to push the last two miles down & it's only been 4 weeks since the New Orleans Marathon. I don't stop my garmin on training runs.  The clock doesn't stop during a race so why should it on training runs?

19:25 miles - 2:54:36 - pace 9:04
Mile 1: 8:44
Mile 2: 8:43
Mile 3: 8:42
Mile 4: 8:32
Mile 5: 9:31 (fluid stop/major hills...dropped gloves there because I was getting warm)
Mile 6: 8:41
Mile 7: 8:54
Mile 8: 9:10 (damn hills)
Mile 9: 8:45
Mile 10: 9:13 (started really feeling the hills here)
Mile 11: 10:25 (fluid stop, said good bye to Traci & put some more gloves on...hands got cold for some odd reason)
Mile 12: 9:10 (taking in gu & trying to find a groove again)
Mile 13: 9:05
Mile 14: 8:51
Mile 15: 9:46 (fluid stop...tried to stretch a bit)
Mile 16: 9:12
Mile 17: 9:13 (damn hills)
Mile 18: 8:44
Mile 19: 8:55
       .25: 8:44

Next weekend....22 or 23 miles & I'm thinking Shelby Park with a run over the Pedestrian bridge towards the end....

5.25 flat tempo run

I did P90X ab ripper & stretched a good bit before joining the group.
Goal: push at least one of the miles below an 8 minute pace. I got two! ;-)

5.25 flat miles - 8:03 pace - 42:14

Mile 1: 8:13
Mile 2: 7:43
Mile 3: 7:43
Mile 4: 8:00
Mile 5: 8:35
     .25: 8:04

my "tired legs run"

5 miles - 9:11 pace - 45:51 rolling hills in the village

I felt really good the first 2.5 but then the sudden urge to lay down in the road & go to sleep hit me.  LOL!  Someone recently told me that is how they feel during long runs sometimes if they don't get enough caffeine.  I avoided the big hills in the 'hood but did some of the smaller rollers. Heck, you can't avoid them.  I spent 30 minutes stretching everything out since Tuesdays are usually my yoga days anyway.

9:33, 8:47, 8:34, 9:14, & 9:46....uphill to the front door as always....
I love TN but the hills here just suck the life out of me sometimes.

Tomorrow evening with the club I'll either do a flat tempo or I'll do hills again but they sure won't be "tempo" pace. 
Thank goodness, I'm running some recovery miles with Kim on Thursday & doing yoga only on friday.  Saturday's 19 miles should be interesting!

1 mile time trial....6:59!

After running 16.5 miles yesterday, I was VERY happy with my one mile time trial tonight.  I jogged over 3 miles warming up then we did some strides.
I ended up with 5.28 miles (47:34) for the evening at a 9:00 minute pace with a 6:59 mile in the middle of it.  My most recent timed mile was probably a 7:23 from a tempo run back in January so I'm pretty dang happy about it.  I wonder what I could have pushed it down to had our long run been on Saturday.  ;-)

16.5 miles with hills

16.5 miles - 2:25:10 - 8:48 pace (3 weeks after the NOLA marathon!)

I knew our planned 8:50-9:00 min pace would go out the door since most of the fast guys from NRC showed up.  LOL! I just went with it & made up time on the down hills. The TFL never bothered me & my new inserts rocked! I still HATE the taste of gu & gatorade together. (Powerade tastes better to me & thank God that's what's on the Carmel course unless they change it.)  If Jake & Crissy show up in Carmel & if the weather allows me to run the full there, we've got to get a plan in place to drop water with electrolytes in it.  After 14-15 miles of that mix, my tummy felt bad. 
It was 50 degrees when we started & I was shivering, of course, but the humidity seemed to be nonexistent. I never felt too warm but then again, I ran in a sports bra, shorts, & my CEPs.  I ran without the ankle wrap for the first time in a long time & so far my ankle feels great.  I took a 15 minute ice bath & I'm heading to the gym to spin out my legs for a bit.  Hopefully, Erin's yoga class will help open up the hips & maybe....just maybe the "one mile time trial" will happen tomorrow.  Jayson & I dropped to the ground to stretch our TFL & IT Bands when we were done.  Overall, I feel pretty fantastic!

Mile 1: 8:48
Mile 2: 8:48
Mile 3: 8:56 (water stop where I jogged while everyone filled up at Ravenwood)
Mile 4: 8:48
Mile 5: 8:45
Mile 6: 8:38 (some down hill)
Mile 7: 8:47
Mile 8: 8:45
Mile 9: 9:18 (water stop at Ravenwood & I'm circling while everyone fills up)
Mile 10: 8:32
Mile 11: 8:39
Mile 12: 8:34
Mile 13: 8:55
Mile 14: 8:52
Mile 15: 8:46
Mile 16: 9:00 (craptastic gu & gatorade mix was getting to me)
         .5:  8:41

Next week.......19 miles.........

Friday's tempo run

5.1 miles mostly flat....70+ degrees, yuck! 8:19 pace

8:36
8:00
8:01
8:12
8:41 (tummy issues)
And the final .1 was at an 8:40

I cooled down & did my weights at the gym after I ran since we are running our 16 sunday morning. Spun my legs out on a bike & hit the glute exercises.
I feel really good after doing P90x stretch today but I'm trying out new inserts tomorrow.
Hoping it goes well.

Middle of March...planning ahead...

Yesterday afternoon, I was supposed to run 4 slow miles in my 'hood. I was going to run it with Stephanie S. but apparently a dog bite turned into something that put that little gal in the hospital. Ugh, will have to remind myself to check on her this weekend....

I knocked out ab ripper & some some IT Band/Glute exercises before the run.
I jogged an 11 minute mile to the gym...the first .25 is downhill from our front door then it's pretty much uphill the rest of the .75 to get to the front door of "Anytime Fitness". 
If your legs are tired from hills and/or speedwork then that one mile is pure drudgery in my opinion.  I met the "South Side" run club a few doors down from the gym & did the 3 mile "lollipop" route only I cut it short by heading home.  It started to rain, the wind picked up a bit, & I was in shorts.  Thank God, I had worn my NRC jacket & Jamie had given me my "South Side Runner" shirt.
I ended up with 3.77 miles at around a 9:26 pace even with that first mile at an 11 minute pace. So much for trying to keep it slow....ugh!  I hate to admit it but this runner who loves the cold is tired of being cold.  I've had to layer up way more than I used to just to stay warm.  Apparently, losing over 10% of your body fat will do that to you.  Now whether this makes me a faster runner in the warmer months, who knows but it sure can't hurt.  Yep, I'm a little tired of being cold.

I'm getting up at the butt crack of dawn to get my weights in & some time on the bike at the gym tomorrow before we spend most of the day at the soccer fields.  Our 16 miler is Sunday at 7:00am at the Concord Y.  We have Jayson, Matt, & possibly Traci joining us.  The next couple of weeks will be the sure sign of whether or not I'm able to pull off running Carmel under 3:55.  Am I doubting myself, probably, but I know I don't want to injure myself.
If for some reason I have to go to the half, we're looking at the Great Lakes Bay Marathon.  I get excited everytime I think of running somewhere where I've never been...  

Hills & no more google reader... ;-(

I ran with what was called the 9 minute group last night on the "5 mile hilly" route that I've not done since January. (We all know that a 9 minute pace is ALWAYS faster than 9 minutes per NRC math. Ha!)

I ended up with 5.25 miles at an 8:42 pace per Joe's garmin. Mine was doing funky stuff & only recorded my time, not pace, or calories. So, I had to guess at my calorie burn for myfitnesspal. I'm way under a 100 calories per mile these days per my height/weight profile in my garmin but I can usually guess pretty close.

My tensor muscle fired up just a tinsy bit but apparently icing/stretching it calms it right back down, thank goodness. I felt like I stuggled on the hills but I kept reminding myself that I'm just not that hill trained right now so I'm happy with the overall pace. Now that we have a little more daylight when we start our Wed night runs, I'm going to keep hills on those nights. I'm wondering how I'll feel after 16 miles on Sunday since I'd love to do the Monday "1 mile time trial" with the speed work group. I've not done a mile time trial in FOREVER.  Ummm, we shall see... I guess I could always do it later in the week but it's WAY more fun with the group.  

Google Reader is shutting down July 1^st. I am going to switch to something else before then because I love using it to read other runner's blogs, sports pages, world news, real estate pages, etc…

I need to clean out my "reader" anyway.  

Testing my limits….

5 months ago I ran 26.2 miles in Chicago

17 days ago I ran 26.2 miles in New Orleans
10 days ago I ran 9.4 miles of hills that I had avoided for nearly 2 months in Nolensville
3 days ago I ran 13.1 (not necessarily racing it but….I ran it two weeks after the 26.2)
Last night I did 10 X 400s for the first time (I had never done more than 6 at a time)

What am I trying to do? Probably injure myself. LOL!

I'm testing my limits.
My thinking here & yes I am thinking….is that I already have the base mileage.
Yes, I'm technically in "recovery" but truthfully when does "recovery" end?
I ran my fastest half marathon time exactly 1 month after running Chicago last fall.
I, obviously, was "recovered" or that wouldn't have happened.
Everyone is SO different with "recovery".
I know a guy who ran 10 miles yesterday morning & then did speed work last night! If I heard him correctly his fastest 400 was 1:15!

Long story short, I'm not going to use "recovery" as an excuse not to ramp up & do some speed work.

I am recovered. Last night I managed 10 X 400s with the fastest being 1:43 & the slowest being 1:53.
My last one was 1:51 so at least it wasn't the slowest. (No, we didn't do a ladder like Joe & I have done in the past. That would have probably killed me.)
I had not attempted speed work since Martin Luther King Day at the Ravenwood track. That was JANUARY! Yikes!

I actually feel pretty good today. ;-)

Today I'm stretching this "mess" out with the very long "Yoga for Runners" dvd & P90X ab ripper.
Tomorrow, I'm running 5 miles worth of hills in Nolensville. TFL muscle, kiss it!
By this Sunday, I'll be back up to 36 miles three weeks after New Orleans.
If I injure myself, then so be it. If I survive then I'll know I'm stronger because of it.
It really is time for me to test my limits.

Sunday stuff

I got up early & did P90X ab ripper & XStretch.  I felt great when I woke up but felt even better after that.  I also did weights at the gym & rode a bike for 35 minutes while chit chatting with my MI cousin, Patti. Miss her!
Later in the afternoon, we ran 3.5 miles at around a 9:30 pace right before we did Erin's yoga class.
Tomorrow night I'm attempting the NRC speedwork.  Hope I can "hang" with them. I think they're doing 10 X 400s. I've never done more than 8 at one time. YIKES!

I was chosen "runner of the month" by our run club.  ;-)  I "heart" them!

http://nolensvillerunningclub.com/

My "mental" PR...

As I said in an earlier post, I took Miranda K's 1/2 marathon bib & gave her my 5k bib.  Turns out that overnight, Scott & Travis had two more bibs that weren't being used so Joe took one & joined me.  I told Joe I just wanted to run how I felt & not worry about pace so much.  Well, I felt like running low 8's the first 6 or so miles & then I felt like running low 9's the rest of the race!  I'm not even going to bother posting the splits! LOL!  It was just fun being out there seeing everyone I know in the running community & my friend, Paul S. (from Manchester).  Totally enjoyed the morning.

My unofficial Tom King 1/2 was a 1:56:30 - 8:52 pace.  I'm pretty dang proud I held on for that pace 2 weeks post New Orleans Marathon!  If you had told me even 6 months ago that I would have even considered running a 1/2 marathon 2 weeks after my fastest marathon ever, I would have told you, "Hell, no!"  LOL!

I'm calling this "training" run my "mental toughness" run.  ;-)

and the ramp up begins....again

Last night I ran with the South Siders run club that meets at the front of our 'hood.

It was their 1 year anniversary. I've run with them off & on before but never on a regular basis. I really need to make this day my easy run so I may start joining them more often. I ran with Kim D. at 5:30 first. We did the "lollipop loop" 3.19 miles at around a 10:24 pace. Then at 6:30, we ran the same loop again but finished on a different hill. I ran mostly with Stephanie S. 3.31 miles at a 10:39 pace. My next easy run will be Sunday & I'll likely do around 5 or 6 miles in our 'hood. I had originally thought I would do 13 on Sunday but that's been moved to tomorrow. Miranda K. decided she wasn't ready for the Tom King ½ & really wanted to run the 5k. So, we're switching bibs & not wearing timing devices. I've never done this before but, I need 13 miles this weekend & why not run a supported course that I've already paid for anyway. I've got to fit weights & yoga into my weekend, too.

So, here's to ramping up again for marathon 12!

5 miles "Tempo"....maybe?

After we got going last night, I decided to just go with it.
To hell with holding back, I feel way too good not to knock the dust off my legs in a "tempo" run.  By the way, it's hard to do them when the street lights aren't that great. 
I ended up with 5.01 miles at an 8:22 pace.
8:51, 8:13, 8:06, 8:23, 8:40
(the first & last miles had the little inclines in them going out & back to the school)

Obviously, this isn't as fast as the ones I was doing in January but that's ok. I keep reminding myself it's been less than two weeks since Nola & running in the dark is not easy. Next week, we'll have some daylight. Whooo Hoo! 

Yoga, how do I love thee...

I can count the ways....

I now "officially" have zero soreness in my body from New Orleans.  This means that all the little "niggles" are gone in basically 10 days.  I have a "Yoga for Runners" dvd, which makes me a little crazy because it's around 75 minutes long.  I feel amazing once I'm done with it, though!  The hip opener exercises are pretty tough even when you haven't recently run a marathon. 
I've decided I'm going to do another run with the group tonight & I'm going to see just how far I can push the final miles down.  I'm not calling it a tempo run because I'm not running all the miles "comfortably hard".  I'm going to ease into it.  This should give me an idea of what to expect Saturday morning in the 5k.
As I've said before on here, I have kept P90X ab ripper in my training. I've done it three times since getting back from New Orleans. Trust me, it's not easy to do the very first week after a marathon but this week, I rocked it.  I am adding extra reps to it these days. Tony would be proud of me. ;-P

Progression run, Strengthening, & the long haul...

I ran a fairly easy progression run of 4 miles yesterday with only two tiny hills in it. Overall pace was 8:55 so I was happy with that.  I hope to run a hard tempo run next week & see some miles with 7's on the front end like I did in January but we'll see.  I also did some IT Band/Glute exercises & spun my legs out on the bike for 30 minutes at the gym.

Mi 1-9:36 (two little hills/inclines)
Mi 2-8:51
Mi 3-8:43
Mi 4-8:27

I'm taking this training one day/one week at a time.  I'm cautiously optimistic about the marathon in Carmel.  We have six more weekends left to get long runs in & I've got a schedule that I hope we can do.  This coming weekend I'm doing the Tom King 5k & calling it "speedwork".  I don't believe I'll come anywhere close to beating my 5k PR time (23:40) from December's Jingle Bell. LOL!
Sunday, we're doing 13 miles most likely in Crockett Park. If that goes well, I'll do 16 the next weekend, then 18 the next, then 22 the last weekend of March. Then we'll taper down again the first 2 weeks of April. (Apr 20th is the 26.2) Crazy, probably, but we'll see what happens & if my body doesn't respond well, I'll back down to the 1/2 half in Carmel.  So far there's no reason not to try again in the full. 

a caged animal...

I've felt like a caged animal since about Wednesday.  I managed to get in a lot of weights yesterday, time on the bike, & the elliptical.  I couldn't wait to run this morning.  I stretched a little & knocked out ab ripper before we left.  It ended up just being Joe & myself on the hills.  We did a route very similar to what most of the group did yesterday.  The planned 6-8 hilly miles turned into 9.4 miles of hills.  I could tell it had definitely been 5-6 weeks since I had done any hills at all.  I fueled just like I have been doing for the last 6-8 months.  Heck, I even ate pasta last night at the Old Spaghetti Factory. 

9.4 miles - 9:00 pace - 1:24:35

We started at Mama's Javas & proceeded fairly flat for about 3 miles as you can tell from my pace.  LOL!  Then we hit Bluff Road.....it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...  The later hills felt worse than Bluff Road, but that's just my tired, non-hill trained legs letting me know they ran a marathon 7 days ago!

Mile 1-8:38
Mile 2-8:37
Mile 3-8:43
Mile 4-8:44 (Bluff, Fluff...)
Mile 5-9:01 (another hill)
Mile 6-9:26 (yet another hill)
Mile 7-9:44 (slow crawl up a hill)
Mile 8-8:45 (downhill headng back on Sunset)
Mile 9-9:06 (headed back to MJ's)
Mile .4-9:36 (little uphill)

We saw "Pink" last night at Bridgestone arena.  She was amazing & the woman has NO FEAR of heights.  She flew around in that place like Peter Pan.  She had a baby last year & I remember her on the "Ellen" show talking about all the training she was doing trying to get ready for this show.  Now I know exactly what she was doing.  Her abs were fabulous & her leg strength....WOW, is all I can say.  It made me glad I've kept P90X ab ripper in my training plan.  ;-)

This afternoon I'm doing some glute strengthening exercises at the gym & I'm doing P90X Stretch.  Megan B. enlightened me on what she's been doing to get her hips into shape at breakfast yesterday.  Time to give mine the attention they need.

Recovery....

I can honestly say the part of me that hurt the most on Sun, Mon, Tues, & possibly early Wed, was my quads.  The hills ate them up.  My TFL never hurt during the race & it's not hurt this week at all.  I do feel some tightness in the left IT Band but that is honestly it.  Heck, it was a little tight this time last week BEFORE the marathon.

I've never felt this good less than a week after a marathon...ever!  ;-) 
Makes me feel very hopeful that recovery will be super speedy.

This week I've had two one hour massages.  ;-) 
I've soaked in a COLD tub of water every single day, sometimes twice a day, spent some time on the bike at the gym, done some weights, & did 2.1 VERY slow miles on a treadmill.  I did do ab ripper yesterday.  I am ITCHING to run again but I'm exercising restraint & holding back until Sunday.  I'm running probably 8 miles with Jayson.  If that goes well, next week's long run will be 13.  I'm taking it week by week over the next couple of weeks.  If I don't feel strong enough to hit it HARD in Carmel, I'll just do the half but if this week is any indication of my recovery, I will be ready on April 21st.  I'm also giving myself permission to back out of the full marathon if Carmel's weather turns out too warm for me.  If we are lucky to have last years weather then I'll give it a go, of course.

I'm excited about Number 12!

New Orleans Marathon Race Report

I like doing these because I've learned a lot about races from other runners who blog.  Long winded but here it is...

Prerace:
We flew in Saturday morning versus Friday. It was cheaper & I knew I would climb the walls if I got there on friday anyway.  We never have issues with SWA & we're almost always early when we fly. The Expo closed at 5pm & our 8:40am flight landed about 10:15am.   We saw Seth O. at the airport. ;-)  He was headed to Nola for the half.
We dropped our bags at the JW Marriott & walked less than a mile to the Expo. We met Diana & Jayson there, walked around a bit, took a quick photo, & got out of there. It wasn't busy at all to me but I'm used to the nut house that the Country Music Marathon Expo usually is on the day before the race here. The Expo reminded me a lot of the Las Vegas Expo. I received a $25 coupon from Brooks when I got my bib so I bought a shirt & visor, otherwise, we probably wouldn't have bought anything to be honest. We LOVE the North Face pullovers that we got at the NYC & Chicago Expos but no North Face booth could be found.

Later we all met up in our hotel lobby & met Mindy & Victor N. They're new faces to the NRC run club & we hope to see more of them. (Victor ran his first 1/2 marathon with Mindy who got a PR, btw.) All 10 of us went to Cafe Giovanni's. It was ok as far as carb loading but they got Joe's spaghetti & meat balls wrong. It seemed to take a while just to get it out there to him. It was very close to where we were staying & we were all about getting back to our rooms early.  My pics from dinner didn't turn out that great but they're on facebook anyway.  The JW was very quiet, thank God.

The Race:
Getting to the start line was super easy much like the Monumental Indianapolis & Chicago were for us. Literally, right out the doors of our hotels & up a block or two. Getting back wasn't so easy. They had plenty of free shuttles in the park near the finish lines but by the time Joe & I found them it seemed like we had walked forever. Our bodies had cooled off & we were freezing. The sun that had made us miserable decided to go in after we finished the marathon. We didn't do a drop bag, which hindsight I wish we had. I actually got a gentle massage/stretch in a tent when I finished which was nice. I've never finished early enough for one of those! LOL!
 
Back to the starting line....
I was pleasantly cold in the corral. Jayson, Joe, Lauren, Roy, & I all started in corral 5. We all stayed together until Roy felt good enough to take off around mile 4 or so. I know he's tired of hearing it but the man is a machine. (A 50k just barely over a week ago, I know he ran Wed night, & 26.2 yesterday!) He has to be the most conditioned person I know.

I think the temperature at the start was around 53.  All but one of my long runs had been in near freezing temperatures. The 20 miler I had mid-Jan was 66 degrees at 6:15am with tons of rain at a 9:09 pace. Remembering that training run kept me sane knowing how humid & hot New Orleans can get at any time of the year.  So, I braced myself for weather that I generally don't run well in at all.  I knew what I was in for when I signed us up for this marathon months ago so I'm not going to harp on the weather too much.

I will say this, though, it does something to you mentally when you see salt in the crease of your bent elbow & hear people start to puke behind you. (that went on around mile 17-23)  I feel it's beneficial to be able to train in the weather you plan to run in but at the same time...summer training can make your Fall marathons feel strong (if you're lucky to get great weather in the Fall for your marathon).  Joe is proof of that since he was blessed with the perfect course & weather for Chicago.   I wish I had been as strong as I am now back early Oct but then again, he wouldn't have been pacing me there either.  Looking back, I mostly had nutritional issues going on during that race but I only expected to get a PR there not a BQ!

Anyway, we had a gal named Kim running with us until about mile 8, I think... She was trying to get a half marathon PR. I never actually saw her face until we ran into her at the "Cat's Meow" karoke bar last night. ;-)   She & Lauren were talking up a storm & I thought to myself, they need to conserve energy to get their PRs.  Joe reminded them & Jayson.  They both PR'd, thank goodness.

Speaking of Jayson, he was very entertaining the first half.  When he was trying to talk Lauren into holding on those last few miles she was with us, the gals in front of me heard him & started laughing.  I tried not to bust out laughing & stay focused.  LOL! When he's running my pace, he can talk nonstop like David D. I mean that in a nice way you guys. ;-)

Jayson seemed the most nervous of us all. He had nailed all his long runs but due to foot, shoe, & insert issues, he had bruised his toes on his longest run. He had only run a few times in the last few weeks to a month.  I know how fast he can be & I knew if he ran my pace he would easily be under 4 hours. He says he hit the wall at 22 miles (His longest run was 22 miles a month ago as was mine but I'll bitch talk about that in a minute.) 
 
Late in the week, New Orleans did a slight course change due to some flooding issues, I think.... It didn't dawn on me that the change would add some little rollers on the back part of the 2nd half. Instead of going out & back two different ways at the water past the park, it just went out & back to the right. You can see by my splits below where I was doing these little rollers in the sun. I'm not at all hill trained right now due to past IT Band issues & the TFL muscle getting ugly a few weeks ago.  I was cussing on the inside every time I had to go up, then down...trying to make up time on the down hill. At one point I did surge a little expecting the turnaround but was disappointed by yet another roller.  Joe said he counted 5 of them so when we finally got to the turnaround around mile 19, I think....  The turn around was at the top of a hill when we finally got to it.  We had to do those same 5 little hills again to head to the finish line.

By mile 22-23, my glutes were hurting & I refused to eat another gu.  I just wanted water & I wanted to be done. At mile 23-24, I heard Lauren screaming. She knew how close I was to getting the BQ but I knew when Joe told me at mile 20 that I needed a 57 minute 10k, there was nothing short of a miracle that would get me under it. When I get my BQ, I don't want to be under by seconds. That's not "greedy me" wishing that's me wanting to be able to even register for Boston.  When they tightened up the qualification standards, they started making the slower qualifiers wait until the last day to register.  There's a chance that you may not even get to register for Boston unless you're under by a minute or two. Last year was slightly different due to the hellish, hot weather Boston had. The percentage of runners who would have "re-qualfied" didn't do it in the heat. I read so many things on it at the time but it made me want to be at least 1-2 minutes under, not just 5-10 seconds under. I see why they set up registration that way. Really, it is fair that the faster you are the better your chances are at getting registered. This is why Joe was real happy with his 3:22:48 in Chicago rather than a 3:24:56.   I want a 3:52-3:53 if at all possible. 

When Lauren ran up to me at around 23-24, I couldn't form any words. I was trying to summon everything within me to just push the pace down. Joe had to drop back a bit but was screaming for me to push it in, dig deep, etc.... It helped but I think he helped the others around me too. I can laugh about it now.  I remember those that were walking that I was actually passing start to pick it up every time he screamed. LOL!
At mile 25, I just wanted it OVER & I reached for Lauren's hand to pull me. Poor girl probably thought I had lost it but I really wanted her to yank me by the hand. I was out of it by then, obviously. She handed me some ice to put down my sports bra. I had asked her & Richard that if they thought of it to bring me some ice at this point in the race.  I knew I would be really HOT at the end. We came up on Jayson walking & Lauren encouraged him to pick it up. He did & he finished around 30 seconds or so ahead of me. What a trooper he was out there in his 1st marathon & nailing a sub 4 hour.  With proper training, I know he can run one in around 3:30 if not faster.

When I finally got across the finish line, I went to the side in the grass, kneeled down, & tried to make myself cry but I couldn't. I was too tired to cry. Then I came to my senses & realized, "You dumbass, you just took a 4 1/2 month old marathon PR from 4:12 to 3:56 in weather you HATE on a course that had way more hills than Chicago! I had nothing to be sad about & everything to be happy about. I had a husband with a bicep injury pacing me nearly the whole way & 8 other runners from TN who all had GREAT races yesterday. I couldn't be more happy for Lauren & her 1:56 half. When Jayson, Joe, & I stepped across our half mat, I remember thinking I hope she's finished. The half marathoners break off around the 12.5 mile mark from the full marathoners, btw. Jayson did exactly what I thought he would do. We were all so proud of him. Roy....there's no explaining Roy! ;-P  Darlene, got a half marathon PR with no IT Band issues. She's had a heck of a time with those just like I have.... Joe finished under 4 hours with a throbbing bicep. (Mindy & Victor had great races as I stated above.)

There's not much I would have changed about the training.  It was spot on what I wanted to do, except for the last 3 weeks of it.  The only little issue that put any doubt in my head was the 18 miler I had planned 3 weeks out from the race. With the issue I had with my TFL, I had to cancel that 18, take 4 days off straight, & do a 10 miler that weekend. Other than that, a missed night of speed work, & a missed tempo run or two, I kept training pretty steady. I had 5 weeks of 40+ miles. Pre Chicago, I had just 3 weeks at 40+.

Finally, the lesson I learned is that I know I can wrap my head around this again.  I came off Chicago last Oct stronger than I have ever been & it showed in my shorter race times. I can do this eventually. I have a free coach/pacer & a huge family of runners for feedback, inspiration, & support. That's the beauty of the Nolensville Run club, we can learn from each other, cheer each other on, & become not just better runners but better people for it.

11th Marathon: "unofficial time" per my garmin with splits below
3:56:58 - 9:00 minute pace
(official time 3:56:48 per website)

I ate a gu every 4 miles & drank water/gatorade pretty often but not enough to make myself sick. It's really a judgement call here & the weather is certainly a factor.   Everyone is different in their nutritional needs for marathons. We practiced in every single long run even in freezing temps I tried to drink as if it were 55-65 degrees.  Even in the pouring rain 20 miler, I still drank enough.

Mile 1: 8:19 (Joe said the buildings were making our garmins do strange things)
Mile 2: 9:00 (now that's more like it)
Mile 3: 8:45
Mile 4: 8:49 (took in a gu & we said good bye to Roy)
Mile 5: 8:44
Mile 6: 8:44
Mile 7: 8:49
Mile 8: 8:43 (gu)
Mile 9: 8:49
Mile 10: 8:28 (what the hell?!  We must have been distracted.)
Mile 11: 8:48
Mile 12: 8:57 (gu)
Mile 13: 8:54 (started noticing the sun more)
Mile 14: 9:03 (eating waffle cookies)
Mile 15: 8:53
Mile 16: 9:08 (gu)
Mile 17: 8:51 (surged off a hill thinking it was the freaking turnaround)
Mile 18: 9:07 (really another hill?)
Mile 19: 9:19 (heard puking behind me & notice Joe is in pain)
Mile 20: 9:15 (my spirit is broken...now heading back over the hills I just went over)
Mile 21: 9:20
Mile 22: 9:15
Mile 23: 9:28 (Glutes hurt.)
Mile 24: 9:23 (Lauren, pull!) LOL!
Mile 25: 9:32
Mile 26: 9:44 (quads are killing me)
         .2: 9:09
 
It may not sound like it but I'm proud of myself.  In the last year, I shed about 18-20 lbs via myfitnesspal & found muscles I knew I already had.  I weigh what I did when I was 23 & I feel awesome.  At 46, I'm the healthest I've ever been & I'm NOT slowing down if I have anything to do with it.  Thank you all near & far in blog land for following the New Orleans training. 

Random photos in no particular order below from our super fun trip in NOLA!

No BQ but one heck of a PR!

I am proud to say that I took my time from 4:12:32 in Chicago 4 1/2 months ago down to 3:56:49.

the home stretch...

I ran 4.08 flat last night with Joe, Jayson L., & Eric W.  Eric was pushing a stroller.  (Eric W. has done a 5k before pushing a stroller under 20 minutes, btw.)  We were supposed to go slow but when it's cold & only 4 miles my body doesn't know what "slow" means anymore. We talked the entire way at an 8:42 pace so I know I wasn't pushing myself too much. 

Scott pointed out last night that "someone is going to qualify for Boston in New Orleans this weekend..."  So the pressure's on!  Well, if anything the pressure & adrenaline will get me there, who knows....
All I know is that I'll try my best & hope for the best.  If it doesn't happen, I'll drink a martini with Lauren, beat myself up a little bit, then plan my runs with the club (Hello, Joe & Zack?!) to get it done in Carmel, IN. 
If it does happen.....no worries, just a huge martini with Lauren & planning my next goal.  ;-)

The weather forecast is looking better & better.  My brother in law is giving me updates via facebook.  I'm still packing ponchos & a visor or hat, though. 

I stuffed myself with Amico's bread & ravioli last night. GREAT food!  By this time next week, I will NOT want any pasta that is for sure.  LOL!

5 days.....

Am I nervous? 
Well, yeah...this is the first time I've ever had it in my head that I really WANT to run a marathon fast enough to qualify for Boston. 

What am I nervous about? 
The weather mostly because I know I've got it in me. Can't change the weather, only adapt. 
As of today, Saturday night into Sunday morning, the overnight low is 58.  No more rain forecasted on Sunday but I'm still packing the dumb hat & ponchos.

How do I feel?
I feel pretty good.  I ran just over 5 1/2 flat miles yesterday just under a 10 minute pace with Tandy & Jamie B.  (the new owners of my former bike).  The wait stretching at the bathrooms while Jamie went in kept us nice & slow.  I spun my legs out for a while at the gym & did ab ripper. 
My weight this morning was just under 110!  Weird, maybe a little nervousness revs up my metabolism because I'm not staying under my calorie allowance just a little above actually.  I was a 23 year old living in Germany the last time I weighed this much!  ;-P

What am I eating?
I'm craving protein this week.  Muscles are repairing because they know what kind of punishment they'll be getting this weekend.  God help me!  ;-)

What are we eating later in the week?
Lots of HEALTHY CARBS.  Amico's will be getting our business after the run Wed night. We'll eat our usual spaghetti & bread at home Friday night & then Saturday night we'll be eating here with 8 other runners from the club.  I plan to eat lots of bread!!!  I've eaten a lot of bread over the last 6 or so months.  LOL!  Bread does my body GOOD!

When do we leave?
8:40am Saturday morning on a Southwest flight with a few other runners.  Will land about 10:30am & head straight to the J. W. Marriott to drop our bags.  The expo is just under a mile from our hotel & it's open until 5:00pm.  Good way to stretch out the legs after arriving.  I'm glad we aren't traveling friday.  I get to "bank" sleep in my own bed two nights before & everyone knows the sleep you get two nights before is more important.  I plan to take the natural sleep aid (Sleep Now) my cousin gave me from Herbalife.  I've taken it before & it works great.  I took it in Chicago two nights before that marathon.

When do we get back?
Monday morning sometime before noon. (We fly out of Nola at 9:00am)  I have an appointment to get an hour long massage & then I have to get an old cavity replaced.  Monday afternoon will be all kinds of fun!  NOT!  I'm going to the same dude that massaged the Chicago marathon out of my legs the day after the race.  He did a great job jump starting me to recovery!

What's the worst that can happen?
I don't qualify & I have to keep running with my husband all the way across the Carmel, Indiana marathon finish line.  A tinsy part of me wants to run that marathon irregardless but we'll see what happens on Sunday. 

Today........"Yoga for Runners" dvd is all I'm doing.
Tomorrow.....4 easy miles with the club, stretching, & good ole ab ripper
Thursday....the bike at the gym for 45 minutes
Friday & Saturday........nothing!
Sunday.......praying the 1st time's a charm!

recovery run & much more..

Today's workout:

6 flat miles of recovery (9:21 pace)
weight machines & free weights (arms)
40 minutes on a bike
Erin's yoga class

I'm off tomorrow but I have two doctor's appointments. I'll likely go by work anyway since I'll be in the area & work a few hours.  I'm actually off on friday, too, & my coworker next to me is out of the country.  So, I will have a busy Tue, Wed, Thur this week but I am only running 9 miles between now & the marathon.  5 of them will be some time tomorrow & 4 on Wednesday night with the club. We will gradually start carbing up a little Wednesday night.  I think it's a waste to carb all week long. Your body only holds carbs like that for so long & why put on weight the week of a marathon?  As my previous post said this week will be all about sleep, yoga, & a couple of slow, short runs but it will also be about hydrating.  (especially towards the end of the week)  I also don't want to overdo it Saturday & be up all night going to the bathroom either...been there, done that...

And well....looks like rain here & in New Orleans later in the week.  I could very well be running this marathon in the rain.  This means I'll be wearing a hat which I hate to do but that's ok.  I will deal with whatever we have & bring all that I think I'll need.  I can always toss things too as I run.  No matter what race day brings I plan to give this race everything I've got.  My training has given me every reason to believe I can run under a 3:55 easily.  If not, plan B is to try to do everything I can to heal quickly & pick right back up with training after a few weeks.  Carmel, Indiana's marathon is right around the corner....2 months away!  I have friends who did 20 milers this weekend in order to get ready for Boston which is the Monday before Carmel's race. Crazy how time flies!

So, fingers crossed & praying for the best weather God can give me.  ;-)

11 miles

We started running around 7:30am with Lisa Z. (Ultra Trail running queen).  ;-)  We had picked her up since she lives in our 'hood.  We ran at Crockett as flat as possible.  The goal of this run was to try to do exactly what we're going to do in New Orleans.  I called it a "dress rehearsal" but we had to wear a ton of clothes since it was 26 degrees when we started.  ugh!  This weekend would have been a great weekend to run in New Orleans.  They have an overnight low of around 40 degrees tonight but I can't fret about that.  We got damn lucky with the weather in Chicago which was huge in Joe's BQ time.  Next weekend NOLA will be quite a bit warmer than that but there's still time for the weather to change, of course.  Obviously, we can't control the weather so we just have to plan for it & hope for the best.  Needless to say, I'll will be running half naked.  LOL!  Sport bra & shorts only.  There will be no need for layers like we've had to wear here.  I will wear exactly what I wore on my wet, 66 degreed 20 miler...which is exactly what I wore in Chicago but minus the long sleeve tech shirt & gloves, of course.  We'll be packing light with body glide in the bag for sure. 

As for today's run, I felt ill prepared. I showed up without anything to cover my ears & I had on a cotton sports bra I had slept in...(laugh with me!)  Thank God, I didn't sweat enough to get chaffed anywhere & thank God for Chris K. for loaning me a headband she had in her car.  ;-)   I would say we saw at least 90% of the run club out in the park this morning.  They were doing everything from 12 to 20 milers. 

I really wasn't feeling it this morning because I had some tummy issues that have since subsided but I nailed the pace nonetheless....  Lisa held strong with us even though she wasn't fully recovered from her Cedars 1/2 race last weekend & the 50k from 3 weeks ago.  Joe kept us right on pace. 

11 miles - 1:37:00 per my garmin (Joe's garmin was 1:37:06)
When I was stretching, I accidentally restarted my garmin so I have to give splits from his garmin.  I ate an energy waffle cookie right before we started & ate a gu during the first mile. 

Mile 1: 9:10 (gu)
Mile 2: 9:04
Mile 3: 8:44
Mile 4: 8:51(gu)
Mile 5: 8:44
Mile 6: 8:52
Mile 7: 8:42
Mile 8: 8:46(gu)
Mile 9: 8:52
Mile 10: 8:43
Mile 11: 8:43

I had a 30 minute massage to stretch out the IT Band yesterday but my hamstrings seemed way too tight this morning.  I went to the Day Spa for a longer massage so I think that helped a lot.  This week will be all about sleep, yoga, & a couple of slow, short runs. 

For better or worse, race week is here!  ;-)

6 flat, easy miles....

Last night we ran with Lauren at her 1/2 marathon pace.  Actually we went a little faster than her 1/2 marathon pace but that is "normal" for wednesday night runs with the club. ;-P

We noticed all three of our garmins were different.
Mine would go off first. (6 miles 8:48 pace)
Joe's would go off next (at an 8:51 pace)
Then Lauren's went off & had her slower than that.  Odd?
She says it's always slower than Rachel's garmin so hopefully ours are accurate.
I'm still wearing the 305 for now but will make myself use the new one when I'm running more miles in daylight.  I like that the 410 goes into sleep mode after 5 or so minutes but it loses it's signal inside the town hall on Wednesday's when we're in there talking after a while. 
I don't like waiting for a signal after I've already found one, especially in the cold.

I also did ab ripper yesterday & today is going to be spent at the gym doing my usual cross training.
I think I'm only running 30 miles this week.  I feel like a slacker. ;-)

Happy Valentines Day!