This weeks question is from Jillian at Finishing is Winning:
You get to run the last six miles of your next marathon with 6 different people. They can be dead or alive; famous or not famous. Who are these people and why did you pick them? Furthermore, why did you pick them for the specific mile you did? Remember, you get an extra .2 miles with runner #6.
Right off the bat I knew 4 people I would want to run with. However, I had a really hard time coming up with the last two. Here is what I did, finally, come up with...
Mile 20-21 - My Fleet Feet training partners: I tried to pick just one of them but I couldn't. They are definitely the reason that I love running as much as I do. We push each other. We encourage each other. They are always there for a run and a chat (or bitch fest as it can sometimes be).
Mile 21-22 - My Dad: While my Dad has never been to one of my races he's always been super supportive and encouraging. He used to run back in the day (nothing crazy, just for exercise) and it would be nice to run together.
Mile 22-23 - Kara Goucher: I'm a big fan of hers and I would love to chat with her. I'm sure she could give me late race tips to help me finish strong.
Mile 24-25 - Deena Kastor: I have read that Deena is a big foodie and while I might not be hungry after running so far I would love to hear about her favorite things to make. I put her at 24-25 because it's close enough to the finish that thinking about food will just push me harder.
Mile 23-24 - Boyfriend: He's been nothing but supportive of my running and I want to share it with him.
Mile 25-26.2 - My Mom: I picked my mom last because I want her to experience what it feels like to cross the finish line at a marathon. She's walked many half marathons and is just getting into running. She has supported me, encouraged me, and traveled with me for most of the big races I've done.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Race Report: Rochester Half Marathon
Yesterday I ran the Rochester Half Marathon with my good friend D. After running Boilermaker together in July, D decided she wanted to do a half marathon. "It's only 4 more miles" :)
We had no time goals for this race. My plan was to stay with her the whole way. I wanted to work on running through the water stops. I have a tendency to linger and walk more than I need to at water stops. If I'm going to get under 2 hours in Toronto I need to work on this.
The race started at 7:45am so we woke up around 6am to eat and get ready. I had half of a muffin and a plum. I wasn't as prepared with breakfast as usual.
We got to the chip pickup (at a baseball field) around 7am. Parking was a breeze as we the chip pickup. We spent a few minutes looking for a friend, J, we were meeting (another first timer!). Once we found her we headed to the bathrooms in the baseball field so that we didn't have to worry about porta potties at the Start.
The start line was about a half a mile away so we walked there, got rid of our long sleeve shirts, and lined up for the start. The full started 15 minutes before the half and even though the full started late, the half started pretty much right on time. We were off and feeling good. We started a little too far back and had to pass some walkers. It was pretty congested through mile 1 but it quickly thinned out.
Around 1.5 miles into the race I started getting a side stitch. My guess is from my less than perfect breakfast. It didn't slow down our pace (around a 10 min/mile) but I really had to focus on my breathing and could talk much. My side stitches are always exacerbated my downhills so I just hoped an uphill was in our future (even though I did this race last year I didn't remember an awful lot about the course, and at 90 degrees last year everything seemed to suck much more than it did this year). Around mile 3 we got a mice steady uphill where I could kick my side stitch. I still felt it until about mile 5 but it was much less intense.
We were averaged about a 10 min/mile the whole first half of the race. It was pretty hilly but we slowed down on the uphills and cruised our way downhill. At halfway D and J wanted to stop and stretch for a minute. I took this time to eat a GU (yes, I've been trying GUs lately, more on this in another post). At this point we went into a park that was pretty flat with just little ups and downs. D started to struggle a bit and J was still feeling good.
A little after mile 7 J pulled ahead of us and D and I continued on. She was really hurting and we stopped for walk and stretch breaks frequently. I tried to talk as much as possible because she told me it help her take her mind off the pain. I told her stories about other races and runs and initial plans I had for the spring. Her fiance was biking around the course taking pictures of us. We saw him every mile or so from mile 7 to the end so it was nice to have someone cheering for us.
Around mile 9 my foot started to hurt. I have been getting occasional plantar fasciitis pain in my right foot on long runs. I figured it was my shoes but I only have 300 miles on them and the owner of my running store told me 300 wasn't enough for a new pair.
We continued on at a slow pace for the rest of the run. D was hurting a lot and was frustrated but I just kept trying to be positive and tell her how there was a nice medal waiting for her at the end, along with food, and chocolate milk. We made it to the finish with a time of 2:25:42. This is my slowest half to date but I really didn't care. It was all about D having finishing and half a good experience. J was waiting for us at the finish line. Her time was around 2:12 and she was feeling good. My boyfriend and D's fiance were also waiting for us so we met up with them, got food, and found a spot to stretch and relax.
I immediately took off my shoes (Niek Pegasus 25+) because my foot was still killing me. I looked at the bottom of my shoes and noticed the treads on the ball of my right shoe are almost gone. I'm guessing this is accounting for all the pain. I guess it's time for new shoes! Good thing I have two pairs of "new" shoes at home. A couple weeks back my running store had a sidewalk sale to get rid of the older shoe models they still had. I picked up a pair of Brooks Radius 7 (my first and still favorite pair of running shoes) and Saucony Triumph 4. I also got a pair of Nike Pegasus 25+ Trail so I can wear them for snowy winter runs. Today I am wearing the Brooks Radius around the office. I'm hoping to break them in by Sunday so I can run in them for the PDR. I really don't want to run with foot pain again.
All in all I felt great during the race yesterday. The foot pain didn't hurt enough to change my gait and I know I could have run a lot faster. I wouldn't have PRed but that's why I'm running races before my goal race, to work out the kinks.
Today I am feeling pretty good. My hip flexors are tight but that's about it. I do feel a little soreness in my foot but not much. I am coaching tonight and I'm going to run in the new Brooks.
The plan for this week is to run enough to break in my shoes but not enough to kill me for the PDR this Sunday. I am running this race with a friend from Buffalo so we are heading down to Philly on Friday night. I'm not sure what my goals are for this race yet. It will really depend on how this week goes.
We had no time goals for this race. My plan was to stay with her the whole way. I wanted to work on running through the water stops. I have a tendency to linger and walk more than I need to at water stops. If I'm going to get under 2 hours in Toronto I need to work on this.
The race started at 7:45am so we woke up around 6am to eat and get ready. I had half of a muffin and a plum. I wasn't as prepared with breakfast as usual.
We got to the chip pickup (at a baseball field) around 7am. Parking was a breeze as we the chip pickup. We spent a few minutes looking for a friend, J, we were meeting (another first timer!). Once we found her we headed to the bathrooms in the baseball field so that we didn't have to worry about porta potties at the Start.
The start line was about a half a mile away so we walked there, got rid of our long sleeve shirts, and lined up for the start. The full started 15 minutes before the half and even though the full started late, the half started pretty much right on time. We were off and feeling good. We started a little too far back and had to pass some walkers. It was pretty congested through mile 1 but it quickly thinned out.
Around 1.5 miles into the race I started getting a side stitch. My guess is from my less than perfect breakfast. It didn't slow down our pace (around a 10 min/mile) but I really had to focus on my breathing and could talk much. My side stitches are always exacerbated my downhills so I just hoped an uphill was in our future (even though I did this race last year I didn't remember an awful lot about the course, and at 90 degrees last year everything seemed to suck much more than it did this year). Around mile 3 we got a mice steady uphill where I could kick my side stitch. I still felt it until about mile 5 but it was much less intense.
We were averaged about a 10 min/mile the whole first half of the race. It was pretty hilly but we slowed down on the uphills and cruised our way downhill. At halfway D and J wanted to stop and stretch for a minute. I took this time to eat a GU (yes, I've been trying GUs lately, more on this in another post). At this point we went into a park that was pretty flat with just little ups and downs. D started to struggle a bit and J was still feeling good.
A little after mile 7 J pulled ahead of us and D and I continued on. She was really hurting and we stopped for walk and stretch breaks frequently. I tried to talk as much as possible because she told me it help her take her mind off the pain. I told her stories about other races and runs and initial plans I had for the spring. Her fiance was biking around the course taking pictures of us. We saw him every mile or so from mile 7 to the end so it was nice to have someone cheering for us.
Around mile 9 my foot started to hurt. I have been getting occasional plantar fasciitis pain in my right foot on long runs. I figured it was my shoes but I only have 300 miles on them and the owner of my running store told me 300 wasn't enough for a new pair.
We continued on at a slow pace for the rest of the run. D was hurting a lot and was frustrated but I just kept trying to be positive and tell her how there was a nice medal waiting for her at the end, along with food, and chocolate milk. We made it to the finish with a time of 2:25:42. This is my slowest half to date but I really didn't care. It was all about D having finishing and half a good experience. J was waiting for us at the finish line. Her time was around 2:12 and she was feeling good. My boyfriend and D's fiance were also waiting for us so we met up with them, got food, and found a spot to stretch and relax.
I immediately took off my shoes (Niek Pegasus 25+) because my foot was still killing me. I looked at the bottom of my shoes and noticed the treads on the ball of my right shoe are almost gone. I'm guessing this is accounting for all the pain. I guess it's time for new shoes! Good thing I have two pairs of "new" shoes at home. A couple weeks back my running store had a sidewalk sale to get rid of the older shoe models they still had. I picked up a pair of Brooks Radius 7 (my first and still favorite pair of running shoes) and Saucony Triumph 4. I also got a pair of Nike Pegasus 25+ Trail so I can wear them for snowy winter runs. Today I am wearing the Brooks Radius around the office. I'm hoping to break them in by Sunday so I can run in them for the PDR. I really don't want to run with foot pain again.
All in all I felt great during the race yesterday. The foot pain didn't hurt enough to change my gait and I know I could have run a lot faster. I wouldn't have PRed but that's why I'm running races before my goal race, to work out the kinks.
Today I am feeling pretty good. My hip flexors are tight but that's about it. I do feel a little soreness in my foot but not much. I am coaching tonight and I'm going to run in the new Brooks.
The plan for this week is to run enough to break in my shoes but not enough to kill me for the PDR this Sunday. I am running this race with a friend from Buffalo so we are heading down to Philly on Friday night. I'm not sure what my goals are for this race yet. It will really depend on how this week goes.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Spin Time!
This morning I went to my very first Spinning Class! I have been wanting to try spinning for a while now. It's a great way to cross train and a great workout.
Last night I did a pretty fast 5 miles of hills at the Ridge with a friend. The past couple weeks there have been a few of us heading to the Ridge each week but yesterday only 2 of us could go. It was nice, we got chatting and took off. We did 5.10 miles at 9:34 pace. The past couple weeks we've done 9:50 and 9:51 pace so this was just a little bit faster. It felt great though. I love finishing fast, hard runs. It makes me feel so strong.
I went to bed early last night thinking if I wasn't too sore I'd try spinning class. The alarm went off at 5:30 and I got out of bed and felt pretty good. My hamstrings were a little tight but not too bad. I was also wide awake and figured I might as well do something if I'm up at 5:30. So off I went to the gym.
I've never been much of a biker. I had a mountain bike (and still do) when I was younger but I haven't ridden a bike outside in 7-10 years. I haven't even ridden a stationary bike since college (3 years).
The class started at 6:15 and I got there early, with plenty of time to stretch. The instructor got there and I got the bike situated, following others lead on what parts I could change. We got started and it went well! It took me a little time to get used to the positions and "dialing it up to a 7" ("There are no numbers on here!" -- Me) but it was fun! I definitely didn't work or "dial it up" as much as I could have but I wasn't sure what too expect and I didn't want to wear myself out too quickly. Now that I know what it's like I'll be prepared for the dialing next time.
So far I am feeling it a little. My crotch is definitely sore from the seat and I'm feeling muscles that don't usually get worked the same way when I run. I'm planning to do some yoga tonight and in the morning, so hopefully that will help.
Tomorrow will be a rest/yoga day to prepare for the Rochester Half Marathon on Sunday. I am running this with my friend D (we did Boilermaker together in July). This will be her first half marathon so I'm really excited for her. We have no pacing goals, just to finish. I want her to enjoy the race so hopefully I will have a running partner for future races.
Last night I did a pretty fast 5 miles of hills at the Ridge with a friend. The past couple weeks there have been a few of us heading to the Ridge each week but yesterday only 2 of us could go. It was nice, we got chatting and took off. We did 5.10 miles at 9:34 pace. The past couple weeks we've done 9:50 and 9:51 pace so this was just a little bit faster. It felt great though. I love finishing fast, hard runs. It makes me feel so strong.
I went to bed early last night thinking if I wasn't too sore I'd try spinning class. The alarm went off at 5:30 and I got out of bed and felt pretty good. My hamstrings were a little tight but not too bad. I was also wide awake and figured I might as well do something if I'm up at 5:30. So off I went to the gym.
I've never been much of a biker. I had a mountain bike (and still do) when I was younger but I haven't ridden a bike outside in 7-10 years. I haven't even ridden a stationary bike since college (3 years).
The class started at 6:15 and I got there early, with plenty of time to stretch. The instructor got there and I got the bike situated, following others lead on what parts I could change. We got started and it went well! It took me a little time to get used to the positions and "dialing it up to a 7" ("There are no numbers on here!" -- Me) but it was fun! I definitely didn't work or "dial it up" as much as I could have but I wasn't sure what too expect and I didn't want to wear myself out too quickly. Now that I know what it's like I'll be prepared for the dialing next time.
So far I am feeling it a little. My crotch is definitely sore from the seat and I'm feeling muscles that don't usually get worked the same way when I run. I'm planning to do some yoga tonight and in the morning, so hopefully that will help.
Tomorrow will be a rest/yoga day to prepare for the Rochester Half Marathon on Sunday. I am running this with my friend D (we did Boilermaker together in July). This will be her first half marathon so I'm really excited for her. We have no pacing goals, just to finish. I want her to enjoy the race so hopefully I will have a running partner for future races.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Race Season!
Fall Race Season has officially begun! And it started off well!
Monday I did the Fleet Feet Run Into Buffalo 15K. I run with Fleet Feet so it felt more like a training run than a race, aside from the extra couple hundred people. :) This was my first time ever doing a race twice. Though, last year it was a different course, so maybe it doesn't count...
It was nice weather. A little humid but not very hot. I started off running with a friend and we eventually caught up to another friend. The first half was good but it took me about 4 miles to find my groove. After that I felt great and had to say goodbye to my friends. I felt too good to not go with it. At that point I was thinking I could PR. The second half went well, though I lingered too long at the water stops and I know I could have gone faster because I had too much energy at the end. I did PR, barely. My official gun time was 1:26:33 (previos PR of 1:26:59). They didn't provide a chip time for some reason but my watch had 1:26:00. So either way I PRed. It was nice, I definitely wasn't thinking about a PR before the race so it was a nice surprise to be mid-race and think I could do it.
One thing that was weird about this race was the finish line. I love crowd support during a race, especially longer ones. At smaller sized races you might not be able to count on spectators on the roads but you can expect a big crowd cheering you on at the finish line. The finish line on Monday was at the bottom of a small hill and, like I said before, I had a lot of energy at the end. I passed a couple people coming down the hill and was really booking it into the chute. There were a lot of people standing around but no one was cheering. There
was a man announcing the finishers but when I was coming in he was talking about something else (of course he announced the names of the people I passed). It was pretty surreal. I had just ran as fast as I could to the finish and there was nothing. Oh well. It definitely made me excited for the upcoming weekends with bigger races.
The rest of my weekend was good but uneventful running wise. Friday I met up with a friend to run at a park alongthe Niagara River. Neither of us had ever been there before but we were told it was definitely safe. It was, there were plenty of walkers, runners, and bikers. We did a nice 5 miles, not too fast, not too slow.
Saturday - I went to the gym for some cross training. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and then some upper body and core work in the weight room.
Sunday - Rest day.
Monday - Race
Tuesday - I was originally planning on going to the track workout but my legs were stiff and my foot was bothering me so I wound up going home and doing some Ballet. Yes, that's right, Ballet. I used to dance, from elementary school to college and I got this DVD for my birthday several years ago. I had never actually done the whole workout before. It was a lot of fun and pretty challenging. It was about an hour long and did strength work as well as the classic ballet moves.
Wednesday - This morning I went to the gym for some more elliptical. I did 25 minutes. I was planning on doing another 25 minutes on the bike but they were all taken so I headed to the weight room. I did a potpurri of exercises; abs, lower back, leg presses, triceps, mid rows, inside and outside thighs, and leg curls.
Tonight I have 5K coaching since Monday was Labor Day. They are up to 3 miles, 4 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking! They are doing great. I'm so glad I was able to be apart of this.
Monday I did the Fleet Feet Run Into Buffalo 15K. I run with Fleet Feet so it felt more like a training run than a race, aside from the extra couple hundred people. :) This was my first time ever doing a race twice. Though, last year it was a different course, so maybe it doesn't count...
It was nice weather. A little humid but not very hot. I started off running with a friend and we eventually caught up to another friend. The first half was good but it took me about 4 miles to find my groove. After that I felt great and had to say goodbye to my friends. I felt too good to not go with it. At that point I was thinking I could PR. The second half went well, though I lingered too long at the water stops and I know I could have gone faster because I had too much energy at the end. I did PR, barely. My official gun time was 1:26:33 (previos PR of 1:26:59). They didn't provide a chip time for some reason but my watch had 1:26:00. So either way I PRed. It was nice, I definitely wasn't thinking about a PR before the race so it was a nice surprise to be mid-race and think I could do it.
One thing that was weird about this race was the finish line. I love crowd support during a race, especially longer ones. At smaller sized races you might not be able to count on spectators on the roads but you can expect a big crowd cheering you on at the finish line. The finish line on Monday was at the bottom of a small hill and, like I said before, I had a lot of energy at the end. I passed a couple people coming down the hill and was really booking it into the chute. There were a lot of people standing around but no one was cheering. There
was a man announcing the finishers but when I was coming in he was talking about something else (of course he announced the names of the people I passed). It was pretty surreal. I had just ran as fast as I could to the finish and there was nothing. Oh well. It definitely made me excited for the upcoming weekends with bigger races.
The rest of my weekend was good but uneventful running wise. Friday I met up with a friend to run at a park alongthe Niagara River. Neither of us had ever been there before but we were told it was definitely safe. It was, there were plenty of walkers, runners, and bikers. We did a nice 5 miles, not too fast, not too slow.
Saturday - I went to the gym for some cross training. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and then some upper body and core work in the weight room.
Sunday - Rest day.
Monday - Race
Tuesday - I was originally planning on going to the track workout but my legs were stiff and my foot was bothering me so I wound up going home and doing some Ballet. Yes, that's right, Ballet. I used to dance, from elementary school to college and I got this DVD for my birthday several years ago. I had never actually done the whole workout before. It was a lot of fun and pretty challenging. It was about an hour long and did strength work as well as the classic ballet moves.
Wednesday - This morning I went to the gym for some more elliptical. I did 25 minutes. I was planning on doing another 25 minutes on the bike but they were all taken so I headed to the weight room. I did a potpurri of exercises; abs, lower back, leg presses, triceps, mid rows, inside and outside thighs, and leg curls.
Tonight I have 5K coaching since Monday was Labor Day. They are up to 3 miles, 4 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking! They are doing great. I'm so glad I was able to be apart of this.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
TiaRT - Getting Motivated
This weeks question is from Lindsay at Chasing the Kenyans:
Whether training for a specific race or just running for the fun of it, we all experience the ups and downs of running. What do you do to get yourself motivated to run when it feels like it's the last thing you want to do?
I usually have motivation issues after a big race. I need and want to take some rest time but that rest makes me lose my motivation. Also after a big race I usually don't have another big race scheduled yet so I feel like I can relax and rest more than I need to.
I have two tricks to keeping myself motivated, maybe not every single day but definitely for the long haul...
My first trick is to start planning the next big race and goal as soon as the last big race is over. Doing this helps me stay motivated because I am always training for something. It doesn't have to be a PR or a marathon, just some goal or race that I am interested in and will keep me wanting to run and stay in shape. After my first marathon in May and decided I didn't want to do another marathon in the Fall but that I would try for a PR in the half marathon.
My second trick is having running friends and a running group to keep you accountable. I am much more motivated to get out and go for a run when I'm meeting up with friends. It's easy to convince yourself not to go for a run but when you are meeting people it's hard to say you aren't going to make it. I have been using this trick a lot lately. I have a really hard time getting motivated when it's hot out. I hate running in the heat. I've had hard hill runs, track workouts, and even easy runs with friends the past couple weeks and it has made running much easier.
Obviously these tricks don't work everyday. There will always be days when I just can't get myself out of the door but having something to train for and running with friends help make those days happen less often.
Feeling the Hills
Last night we did a fast 5 miles of hills and I am feeling it today. It was the same route we did last week but we definitely picked up the pace this week. It was fun and felt great at the time but I knew walking around last night that I was going to be stiff today. And I am! I tried to wake up early to do some yoga but my body wanted that extra hour of sleep.
Run Stats:
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 49:14
Avg Pace: 9:50/mi
Ascent: 1310 feet
Descent 1306 feet
I am going to take today off from running and do yoga and some weights tonight.
Run Stats:
Distance: 5.00 miles
Time: 49:14
Avg Pace: 9:50/mi
Ascent: 1310 feet
Descent 1306 feet
I am going to take today off from running and do yoga and some weights tonight.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Catching up
I've been a crappy blogger. My running, however, has been going well. It's getting easier and feeling better to run faster. I think the key for me in the last couple weeks is running with people that are faster than me, especially for long runs. Doing long runs at or near tempo has given me the confidence to know that I can run faster than I think I can.
Here's a breakdown of the last week:
Friday: Rest day.
Saturday: The boyfriend and I went to the gym. We warmed up on the elliptical for 5 minutes, then did a bunch of strength training exercises. It was really fun to do it together. I let him figure out the workout and I just followed him along. It was nice not to have to think about anything.
Sunday: 11.5 mile long run in 1:47:19. 9:20 min/mile pace. It was a good run. I'm getting used to running at a faster pace and even slowing down to stay with the group.
Monday: 5K Coaching. We did 2.5 miles, 3:30 run/1:00 walk. It was a nice night and a good run. Everyone is doing great!
Tuesday: I ran to the track (1.35 miles), did 8x200m, and got a ride home. :) My split times were pretty good:
52:47 seconds
53:79
54.19
54.37
53.17
51.39
52.07
51.77
It was a good workout and nice to be on the track. I need to go there more often.
Tonight we're heading out to the Ridge for 5 miles of hills!
Here's a breakdown of the last week:
Friday: Rest day.
Saturday: The boyfriend and I went to the gym. We warmed up on the elliptical for 5 minutes, then did a bunch of strength training exercises. It was really fun to do it together. I let him figure out the workout and I just followed him along. It was nice not to have to think about anything.
Sunday: 11.5 mile long run in 1:47:19. 9:20 min/mile pace. It was a good run. I'm getting used to running at a faster pace and even slowing down to stay with the group.
Monday: 5K Coaching. We did 2.5 miles, 3:30 run/1:00 walk. It was a nice night and a good run. Everyone is doing great!
Tuesday: I ran to the track (1.35 miles), did 8x200m, and got a ride home. :) My split times were pretty good:
52:47 seconds
53:79
54.19
54.37
53.17
51.39
52.07
51.77
It was a good workout and nice to be on the track. I need to go there more often.
Tonight we're heading out to the Ridge for 5 miles of hills!
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