Long Runs - 10/2-10/8

[kaybee]

Post 'em ladies!

Today was a milestone -- my first 10-mile run ever. We're only three miles away from that half marathon now. The weather was perfect this morning --crystal clear, about 48 degrees when we started and about 55 when we finished. We averaged a 10:06 per minute mile pace today, which we were very happy about. How is everyone doing with the marathon/half marathon training?

KB

[yellow]

KB...congrats on the 10 miler. Those double digits feel so good! Why is that? I hope to be there soon!

I started running again 2-3 weeks ago after almost 4 years off. I thought it was going to be really painful for a couple of months. So far it feels good (mostly, except for my cranky knee, but that was expected), though I'm going slow and really not running all that far. Most days I run by time only; I'm not really focused on distance at this point.

That being said, I couldn't sleep so I got up early and decided to just go run...no watch, no nothin'. It was sprinkling but not terribly cold. So off I went into the darkness in my bright yellow jacket. I had an idea of where I would go and just decided to run as far as I felt like going.

I took it easy and enjoyed watching the city wake up. I ran the whole time; no walking required. I mapped out my route after I got home. 7.5 miles. I was astounded. My longest run since December 2, 2002. :)

Now, if I can just keep it up...

[Tri Girl]

Great job Kaybee and Yellow!
You're smoking Kaybee- congrats on a great run!! I about punched a guy last year when I was training for my first marathon. He asked what my pace was, and I told him 10 min/miles. He said something about that being a jogging pace, etc..blah blah. He's lucky he walked away with his "boys" intact. Hey- if I'm not walking, it's running to me. 6 mph is pretty darn fast! Not all of us are blessed with endless amounts of fast-twitch fibers. I got lots of slow-twitchin' ones that carry me long distances. Great job on your run!!!!
And Yellow- congrats on getting out there and running 7.5 miles!!!! I'll bet it feels soooooo good!!! You'll be back in those double digits before you can blink! :)

[Bikingmomof3]

Congratulations Kaybee! :cool:

[Lise]

Yel-low! Yel-low! Yel-low! :D :D :D Whoo! she's a runner, she's a runner, she's a runner! I am so happy for you. I love that you just headed out in the early morning and went wherever you wanted to go. That's wonderful.

KB, there's something so great about hitting that 10 mile mark. And nearly 10 min per mile for that distance? Fantastic! You'll be even faster at your race because of the energy all around you. Keep it up.

My goal speed is 10 min/mile. I've never run faster than 11 min/mile. OK, I can sprint, but that's not endurance running. Keeping up the pace over the distance takes a lot of work. I can't imagine why people ever put others down about their pace. So much is lost--those negative words stick--and nothing is gained. It doesn't increase anyone's speed to comment on my slowness! Edit that stuff out--hear your TE running pack at your back, cheering for you all the way. :D

[Grog]

No long run this weekend because a 10 K race on Monday (Canadian Thanksgiving) - the Turkey Trot!

Will report.

Going for bike rides though. It had been a while...

[Bikingmomof3]

YAY Yellow!! It must feel great to run again. I absolutely love running this time of year.

[Bikingmomof3]

How is everyone doing with the marathon/half marathon training?

KB

Kaybee I am just beginning my marathon training. I will be running in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, on May 4th. It will be my first marathon.

[colby]

Great job, KB and yellow! 10 minute miles and just enjoying running... all in all, a good weekend for you guys :)

Bikingmom, even if your marathon isn't until May, building the base might be the most important thing you do. Good to be thinking about it now! http://forums.teamestrogen.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

[Bikingmomof3]

Bikingmom, even if your marathon isn't until May, building the base might be the most important thing you do. Good to be thinking about it now! http://forums.teamestrogen.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

Thanks Colby. :) I have begun slow training this week and will gradually increase. My first team meeting is in a couple of weeks then I will have my "real" training schedule.

[Tri Girl]

Bikingmom- are you doing TNT by any chance?

[chickwhorips]

it wasn't a super long run but i did run 5 miles on thursday.

it was a great 4.75 miles that i ran. the .25 wasn't and i probably shouldn't have pushed that last .25 either. i reinjured my leg. :( :( apparently my tibia (i think) rotated out of the joint again. trying to do therapy to make it better with BF's help. i'm so bummed.

[Bikingmomof3]

Yes I am. :) If you have any advice I would appreciate it.

[yellow]

Thanks, ladies! There was a time when I regularly ran 30-50 miles a week, so it's taken a lot of mental fortitude to just go out and run whatever without a watch or preplanned route that I already knew the mileage of. I'll never be the runner I once was, but that's OK. At this point I'm happy to just be running again.

BMo3...you're doing your first mary the right way. TNT is a great program. Watch out...marathoning is addictive! (Well, it was for me, anyhow.)

[kaybee]

GO YELLOW! You kicked some running butt today. Sometimes when you take the pressure off of yourself and just let your body do what it wants to do, it will surprise you.

Tri Girl, you're right -- we all have different talents and abilities, and there will always be somebody faster or slower, and I no longer let people with that guy's attitude bother me. Believe me, race directors are just as happy to get registration fees from us 10-minute milers as they are to get them from the faster guys, maybe more so because there are more of us "slow" people!

Wow, BMo3, a full marathon. That's fantastic! Don't know if I'll ever get to that point. Will you post about your training so I can live vicariously through you? :D

KB

[Bikingmomof3]

BMo3...you're doing your first mary the right way. TNT is a great program. Watch out...marathoning is addictive! (Well, it was for me, anyhow.)

I do so hope it is addictive. :D

[Bikingmomof3]

Will do KB! :)

[Grog]

You gals are such an inspiration!

[Tri Girl]

Jennifer,
I did the Nike Women's Marathon last year for TNT and had such a blast training with my group and doing the run! You'll have a ton of fun, be doing something good for so many others, and completing your first mary!!!! Woo hoo!!!
I've got some stuff I'll get together for you.
Best of luck!!!!
I've heard the Flying Pig marathon is a BLAST! It's on our list of marys to do in the next few years.

[limewave]

Hi Ladies,

I did a 15 miler this morning. Got up at 5:30 AM, ate some oatmeal, stretched, psyched myself up and then hit the pavement. It was about 40 degrees when I started. There was a nice clear sky with a full moon and lots of stars--beautiful. About 7 miles of this loop is through the state park and along lake michigan. There were lots of deer grazing and running about. It was a peaceful run. It was around 50 degrees when I finished.

Finishing time: 2:42:15
I averaged 10:55 minute miles.

[Deborajen]

Good job Limewave - awesome pace! Don't you just love those peaceful morning runs? I'm not a morning person but getting to be out under the stars and watching the sun come up made the getting up early part worthwhile. And you're almost there to boot. Hope it keeps going well. :)

Deb

[runner2]

This is my favorite season for running, specially trail running. Because of my heel injury, I had been rest my legs for two months, only jog a bit from time to time. You gals are such inspiration to me, and I am so happy to know we have so many runners come to this website.
Today I ran 5 miles on the trail, sssslowly but finished without pain, I am so glad.
Keep up the good work ladies.

[colby]

Today's run was 20 miles. The weather was great, chilly (probably 50s) and a little windy, with some rain for a little while. I decided to run 5 4-mile loops, a route I was familiar with and nearby my home in case I needed to refill my Camelbak.

I tried to go for 45-minute loops, something I could sustain throughout. I finished 5 minutes faster overall -- which puts me right at 11-minute miles, on pace to finish under 5 hours. That counts stopping to empty a rock from my shoe and stopping another time to figure out where the right gels were in my Camelbak. Under 5 hours, YAY!

[Tri Girl]

Congrats Colby!!! Fantastic run!!!! :)

[Lise]

Good job, Colby and limewave! Limewave, it's funny, for some reason I keep thinking that you're in Chgo (maybe because you're running the Chi Marathon), and so I read "state park" and thought...where? Ah! Michigan! :rolleyes: Sounds like a beautiful run and a good pace.

[kaybee]

Great job, Limewave and Colby! Are you tapering yet?

KB

[btchance]

Did my long run of the week a day late b/c of the duathlon on Saturday. (and I actually had a day off for once :eek: ) Also, my legs needed a break for a day. Anyways, did 10miles this morning in 2hours so I'm on track for doing the 1/2 in 2:30. One month to go!

[colby]

Great job, Limewave and Colby! Are you tapering yet?

I think by the schedule, LW just started her taper this week (last week was long, this week shorter), and mine starts in about 3 weeks - two more long runs for me. :)

[mcoleman]

What a great weekend!! The weather is finally cool and we are loving it! We ran 17 miles on Saturday right around goal pace. I'd still like to take off 5-10 seconds per mile, but with 9 weeks to go I don't think that is realistic. Ran 10 miles in the dark this morning before work, but it was slower than the 17 miler.

[kaybee]

I think by the schedule, LW just started her taper this week (last week was long, this week shorter), and mine starts in about 3 weeks - two more long runs for me. :)

Yep, just figured that out. Definitely did NOT have enough coffee this morning!

KB

[Bikingmomof3]

Awesome runs Limewave and Colby.

Congrats on being able to run again, Runner2.

Everyone here is such a HUGE inspiration for me. :D

[Deborajen]

Did my long run of the week a day late b/c of the duathlon on Saturday. (and I actually had a day off for once :eek: ) Also, my legs needed a break for a day. Anyways, did 10miles this morning in 2hours so I'm on track for doing the 1/2 in 2:30. One month to go!

Good job! I did my 10-mile run the weekend before the HM, and it was my longest run (ever!), so it sounds like you're ready.

Just keep moving now and good luck!

Deb

[Grog]

Woooohooo! What a grand (Canadian) Thanksgiving day for me!

Got up at 5:45 - I mean, jumped out of bed at the first sound of the alarm, had two piece of toast with honey+cream cheese and honey+peanut butter, and a bit of water. Checked email, and learned that a guy-friend of mine just came in 10th in the Victoria Marathon in 2h44m. WOW! I realize my "race" today will be the equivalent of a "recovery" run for him, so I put a lot of heart in it.

Met up with a girlfriend and drove out to Granville Island for the start of the race. It was fairly chilly, around 8 Celcius, but I stuck with my decision to race in shorts and a t-shirt. 1600 people showed up, which makes the Vancouver Turkey Trot a sweet 10K race!

The first 2 km were somewhat slow. We were running on walking paths with many bottleneck areas, and then up a bridge ... on the sidewalk! They could have closed one lane, there was so little traffic! Anyway, I managed to run up the bridge - going up hills are what I like best - and didn't loose too many spots running down (I'm really slower on the way down). I hit the 3 km mark at about 16 minutes, and was really excited about that. My fastest run in life has been a 5m15s/km (8m20s/mile?) So I kept going and ditched my walk-every-10-minutes strategy. I was having a grand time. I just kept running and there was the 5km mark at 25m22s, so I was actually accelerating! I got really excited then. At the 6km mark there was a water station so I walked through to drink a tiny bit, about 30 seconds of walking and I was running again, thinking that this was not a good strategy but why not keep going if I had fun?? I started thinking that maybe the guy who put up the kilometer-marker signs didn't have his computer set up properly, and the last km will be longer than the others. But let's just run!

From that point, I don't think I was passed again. I felt like I was flying, and having definitely a grand time. The running surface was not the best. The walking path is really nice, but I don't like to run on uneven pavement and there was a lot of that. Anyway, I just kept going, and a bit after the 7km mark I see my girlfriend from behind. I have no idea when she passed me, because I was sure she was behind. So I increased the pace a bit to catch up with her and called 'Hey champion!' but it seems she was struggling a bit, although she's a better runner than me most of the time. Anyway, I just kept going with my pace and hit the 9km mark at 43msomething. Now I was really excited. I had hoped to be below 55 minutes, and now I was going for a sub-50! I usually don't care that much about time, but now I was really really surprised and excited, so it kicked me harder to keep going.

The last km was a bit harder when I realized the finish was a bit further than I thought, and my tummy started acting up a little bit. I must have slowed down because I finished just under 49 minutes. I was nonetheless very very very excited and happy to find my dear partner waiting there for me - he had ridden his bike to the race finish. Sweet!

Rumour says I came 24th in my age group (20-29) in a field of 150 or so, but I haven't seen the final results. For now I'm just really happy.... and my quads HURT like crazy. I won a Puma hat for my pain, and the race shirt is really gool. I think I'm going to go sit in a cold bath and dream about a sub-2h half-marathon in the spring!

Thanks for letting me share this!

[kaybee]

Congratulations, Grog! That's a great time. Sounds like you had fun, too!

KB

[Bikingmomof3]

Congratulations Grog! It indeed sounds like you had a splendid run. :) You ran with your friend, you came in under the time you where expecting and your dear partner was waiting for you at the finish line. Thank you for sharing this with us. Rest those thighs and enjoy. :)

[colby]

Woooohooo! What a grand (Canadian) Thanksgiving day for me!

[ snip ]

Rumour says I came 24th in my age group (20-29) in a field of 150 or so, but I haven't seen the final results. For now I'm just really happy.... and my quads HURT like crazy. I won a Puma hat for my pain, and the race shirt is really gool. I think I'm going to go sit in a cold bath and dream about a sub-2h half-marathon in the spring!

Thanks for letting me share this!

WOW, Grog, AWESOME job!! :D Amazing how different things can be on race day! Congrats :)

PS: Happy Thanskgiving ;)

[liksani]

Hurrah, ran fast!! Well fast for me. Did the San Jose Rock'n'Roll Marathon yesterday and the music, weather and course were awesome. Did it in 2:00:45 :). So excited about that.

The course was one of the most awesome courses I've run on for a half marathon (well I've only done 2 but hey :P), scenic neighborhoods, flat flat course, shady trees, tons of music, and a great crowd. :) Someone, let's run this again next year!

[Tri Girl]

Great job Grog!!! And you too, liksani!!! We've got some speedy women around here!! Congrats on great runs!! :)

[colby]

Hurrah, ran fast!! Well fast for me. Did the San Jose Rock'n'Roll Marathon yesterday and the music, weather and course were awesome. Did it in 2:00:45 :). So excited about that.

2:00:45! :eek: Sweet!! Congrats, that's really an accomplishment to be proud of :D Maybe someday the rest of us will catch up with you... better watch out ;)

[Bikingmomof3]

Liksani,
Congratulations on your 1/2 marathon! :cool: It sounds like you had a wonderful time and an awesome course. :)

[Grog]

Really cool Liksani! I'll look into that. I'm starting to consider race-travel as something interesting. :)

[Lise]

Grog and Liksani--what great races you ran! Grog, I loved your report--I eat those things up. I feel like I'm with you at every km. I do know that the "mile markers" get farther apart as you near the finish line. I'm impressed with your speed, stamina, and attitude.

After next year, my plan is to do runs of 10K and under. I'd like to have a little bit of speed with the endurance! :p You guys inspire me.

[kaybee]

Hurrah, ran fast!! Well fast for me. Did the San Jose Rock'n'Roll Marathon yesterday and the music, weather and course were awesome. Did it in 2:00:45 :). So excited about that.

The course was one of the most awesome courses I've run on for a half marathon (well I've only done 2 but hey :P), scenic neighborhoods, flat flat course, shady trees, tons of music, and a great crowd. :) Someone, let's run this again next year!

Woo hoo! Congratulations; that's a great time! I'll volunteer to run that one with you next year. In fact, I saw it advertised in Runner's World a few months ago and halfway considered it because it sounded so great and I've never been to California. I see a plan beginning to form . . . :D

KB

[Grog]

After next year, my plan is to do runs of 10K and under. I'd like to have a little bit of speed with the endurance! :p You guys inspire me.

... and next year I'm planning to start training for a marathon, because you inspired me to do that! :)

[limewave]

So much inspiration on this thread. Great job everyone! I love reading everyone's progress and race reports.

[chickwhorips]

great races girls! way to go!